Good Taste Edition 8

AUTUMN/WINTER 2008 • ISSUE 8

GOOD TASTE THE MA GAZINE FROM TASTES OF LINCOLNSHIRE

BREAKFAST

BRAND VALUES

Are you a believer?

PAGE 52

it started with the Victorians PAGE 44

IN THIS ISSUE

40

A Pud to Impress

33

Take a Bite

18

Woolly Pigs

www.tastesoflincolnshire.com

Contributors

GOOD TASTE THE MA GAZINE FROM TASTES OF LINCOLNSHIRE

Editor Mary Powell Lincolnshire County Council News Editor Lydia Rusling Lincolnshire County Council Graphic Design Becky Boulter Ruddocks Design, Lincoln Main Photography Andrew Tryner, © Lincolnshire County Council Publisher Tastes of Lincolnshire Lincolnshire County Council Beech House, Waterside South, Lincoln, LN5 7JH T: 01522 550612 F: 01522 516720 www.visitlincolnshire.com

David Hopkins, the county’s potato aficionado, is an archaeologist and works for the Heritage Trust of Lincolnshire. Each year he grows 57 varieties in his garden.

Chef Rachel Green is the Tastes of Lincolnshire Champion and demonstrates at many of our events. A Lincolnshire farmer’s daughter, Rachel had 20 years as a chef before developing a TV career.

Hugh Marrows is a retired civil servant and a keen walker with an extensive knowledge of Lincolnshire. Hugh writes for Lincolnshire Today, wrote the Viking Way Guide and more recently a series of walks based around the Grantham Canal.

Annabel Skelton is a freelance food writer, living on the Nottingham/ Lincolnshire border.

Eric and Beth Phipps won Country Life’s Britain’s Best Butcher and were one of Rick Stein’s Food Heroes with their family business FC Phipps.

Eric & Beth have now retired but they still take a keen interest in all things foodie in Lincolnshire.

Lydia Rusling joined Tastes in August 2007, but previously worked on raising the profile of Lincolnshire's produce at Lincolnshire Tourism.

Lydia has a food and farming background and loves searching for great places to eat and buy good food with her family.

Tastes of Lincolnshire Team Mary Powell, 01522 550612, mary.powell@lincolnshire.gov.uk Amanda Allford, 01522 550613, amanda.allford@lincolnshire.gov.uk Lydia Rusling, 01522 550603, lydia.rusling@lincolnshire.gov.uk Lincolnshire Tourism Production Team Fiona Thomas, Dan Pounds David Chesher T: 01522 561674 Repro and Printing Warners, Bourne Whilst every care has been taken in compiling this guide, Lincolnshire Tourism and Tastes of Lincolnshire shall not be liable for any inaccuracies contained therein.

Dr Mike Rogers works for the Lincolnshire Archives and is their Collections Officer.

Good Taste comes out twice a year, March and September.

Cover photo of Raspberries and Ice Cream

by Andrew Tryner © Lincolnshire County Council Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream supplied by Willingham Fayre

Contents Welcome to the Autumn/Winter edition of Good Taste, the magazine that celebrates Lincolnshire’s fine tradition of producing delicious local food and drink.

Regular readers of Good Taste will know that I have no shame when it comes to squeezing in stories about my other projects, Lincolnshire Waterways and Historic Lincoln or just giving them a foodie twist.This edition is no exception!

So read on page 21 about our regeneration plans for Lincoln Castle, setting for our potato festival and page 12 for news of Lincolnshire animals on Water Rail Way, our just completed riverside path.

B is for breakfast and one of the best things about staying in a B&B is enjoying one.Another best is that it's prepared by someone else and its sets you up for a busy day sightseeing. Read on page 52 about a Good Taste start to the day.

David, Eric and Mike have been researching respectively, apples, pigs and the Victorian Period for Good Taste. Each has unearthed some real gems, my favourite being the Sea Pie that contains no fish whatever – Victorian Joke?

Rachel has been roasting whilst Lydia has been investigating the Epic Centre, new home for our Christmas Food and Drink Fair. She and I both got stuck in the kitchen and I have been hospital and factory visiting, whilst Annabel has been on a pub crawl.Think I need to divide up the tasks more carefully next issue!

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Regulars 06 News 25 Farmers' Markets Dates 25 Events 56 Map 57 Tastes of Lincolnshire Members

Features

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04 A Crackling Good Roast Rachel Green 10 Aby and Belleau Walk Hugh Marrows 12 Cows, Sheep and Now Pigs Too Mary Powell 14 A Day in the Life of a Restaurant Kitchen Mary Powell and Lydia Rusling 18 Cover story Back to the Future? Eric Phipps 21 A Fair Fight Mary Powell 26 Spice Up Your Life Mary Powell 30 The Future's Green Lydia Rusling 33 Cover story Hard Graft David Hopkins 38 Get Well, Get Local Mary Powell 40 Cover story Masterclass Aaron Patterson 42 Hemswell and Willoughton Walk Hugh Marrows 44 Cover story Victorian Brand Values Mike Rogers

MARY POWELL

48 The Village Pub Annabel Skelton 52 Cover story Breakfast with Barbara Rachel Green and Mary Powell

RACHEL GREEN

A Crackling Good Roast Roasted Red Pepper and Squash Soup with Crème Fraiche and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds • SERVES 4 750g 1 1 1 50g 1tsp 1tbsp 2 1/2tsp 1litre

Apple and Almond Cake • SERVES 8-10 5 Eating apples, such as Braeburn or Cox 175g Light muscovado sugar 175g Good quality muesli 225g Self raising flour 55g Ground almonds 2tsp Mixed spice 225g Butter, melted 1 Egg, beaten 2tbsp Demerara sugar Pre-heat the oven to 180˚C/Gas Mark 4. Grease and line an 8 inch, round loose-based cake tin. Peel, core and finely dice 3 apples. Mix together the muscovado sugar, muesli, flour, almonds and spices and stir well. Stir the melted butter and beaten egg into the 4|

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dry ingredients, and then tip half of the mixture into the prepared cake tin. Lightly press down on the mixture and arrange the diced apples on top.Tip the remaining mixture into the tin, finely slice the remaining 2 apples (including skins) and then lay the apple slices neatly on top. Lightly press down on the fruit and sprinkle with the demerara sugar.

Bake for approximately 35 - 40 minutes, until firm and golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool within the tin for 20 minutes. Lightly dust with icing sugar.

TIP: Serve warm or cold with custard, cream, ice cream or Greek style yoghurt.

Winter squash peeled and cubed Large onion peeled and diced Large potato peeled and cut into cubes Clove garlic peeled and finely chopped (optional) Pumpkin seeds Sugar Olive oil Large roasted red peppers Ground ginger Good quality vegetable or chicken stock Sea salt and black pepper

Leave peppers whole and washed. Grill the red peppers on all sides until charred. Remove the peppers and place in a polythene bag to cool, this aids the peeling process. Once cooled, peel and deseed the peppers, roughly cut.

In a large sauce pan heat 1 tbsp olive oil add the winter squash, onion, garlic and potato, season with sea salt and black pepper and allow to soften for 5 minutes. Add the red pepper and mix together, cook for a further minute stirring occasionally. Add the half tsp of ginger, toss and mix well.Then add the stock and bring to the boil, simmer for 25 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Remove from the heat and puree the soup mixture a little at a time in a food processor or blender until completely smooth.

Meanwhile toast the pumpkin seeds in a frying pan for 2 - 3 minutes tossing occasionally, add the tsp of sugar, mix thoroughly and remove from heat.

To serve add a tbsp of crème fraiche and sprinkle with the toasted pumpkin seeds.

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Roast Pork with a Mustard and Balsamic Glaze • SERVES 6 2.25kg Lincolnshire pork loin, bone in 2 Cloves garlic, halved 2tbsp Rape seed or Olive oil Sea salt FOR THE GLAZE: 3tbsp 1tbsp 3tsp 1tbsp

Balsamic vinegar Brown sugar Dijon mustard Honey

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FOR THE STUFFED APPLES: 6 Firm eating apples 60g Butter 1 Medium onion peeled and finely diced 1 Clove of garlic, finely chopped (optional) 1tbsp Rosemary, finely chopped 1tbsp Parsley, chopped 2 Lemons, rind of, finely grated 1 Lemon, juice 120g Fine fresh breadcrumbs Sea salt and black pepper

Pre heat the oven to 220˚C/Gas Mark 7. Rub the pork all over with the cut sides of the halved garlic cloves, drizzle with the oil and massage the sea salt into the rind. Place the pork in the oven and cook for 20 minutes, reduce the temperature of the oven to 180˚C,/Gas Mark 4 and cook for a further one hour. Mix together all of the ingredients needed for the balsamic glaze, remove the pork from the oven and brush with the glaze mixture. Return to the oven and cook for the remaining hour, basting every 10 - 15 minutes.

For the stuffed apples, cut the tops off all of the apples approximately 1/3 down from

the top, and remove the entire core. Heat the butter in a frying pan and cook the onion and garlic until soft and golden in colour. Add the rosemary, parsley and lemon rind and stir well.

Remove from the heat and add the mixture to the fresh breadcrumbs and use the lemon juice to bind. Season with sea salt and pepper, to taste. Generously stuff the apples with the mixture and place the lid of the apples back on top. Drizzle a little pork juice/fat over the top of the apples or alternatively use olive oil. Cook for 30 - 40 minutes at 180˚C, until soft.

Serve the apples around the roast pork.

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News New Farmers Market Gainsborough Farmers Market has moved. The new market will be held on the 2nd Saturday of every month at the Marshall’s Yard shopping plaza in Gainsborough.

Launched on Saturday 13th September 2008, Lincolnshire producers will bring a good quality range of local foods to Gainsborough and make Marshall's Yard the place to visit for food lovers.

“We are very lucky to have such an ideal site for a farmers market and perfect for visitors too with a lovely open paved area surrounded by quality shops, places to sit and eat

outside and ample parking. This has attracted a lot more producers making Gainsborough's new farmers market potentially one of the best in the county,” enthused Jane Tomlinson from Redhill Farm, a farmers market regular.

John Davison, Assistant Centre Manager, said: “We are really looking forward to welcoming the Farmer's Market to Marshall's Yard in September.

More and more people are keen to know exactly where their food comes from and this is a great opportunity for local producers to sell their goods.”

Apple events galore

News from the Post

Stamford Community Orchard Group has just finished planting their orchard with 36 English apple varieties.Their 5th Annual Stamford Apple Day will take place on 4th October 2008 from 10.30am to 4.30pm at Stamford Arts Centre.

Events to promote the reintroduction of the local English Apple to the orchards and gardens of the area on 4th October will include apple tastings, apple produce displays, talks on the history of the apple, fun and games for children and adults, a bee keeping and honey display, plus bring your home grown apples for identification.

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As promised Lincolnshire sausages (Redhill) and plum bread (both Myers and Welbournes) were dispatched to Marguerite Patten, who revealed in her interview in the last Good Taste that when she lived in Lincolnshire during the war the vital ingredients were in short supply and she’d never experienced the real thing.

Marguerite wrote back to say that all were absolutely delicious “very different from war-time sausages” and “As I sliced one of the Plum Breads I thought the amount of fruit in one slice was more than in one loaf in wartime.” She sends all good wishes to Lincolnshire foods and I think our reputation is restored!

I know that many people

come to Lincolnshire on food buying trips and that sausages are often top of the list. Michele Platman’s husband returned from a business trip in Lincolnshire laden with sausages, tulips and daffodils.The pork sausages, said Michele “were the best we have ever tasted. Meaty plump and juicy, with just the right amount of seasoning.”

Marguerite Cullen wrote to say that our article mentioning walks in Lincolnshire resulting in buying sausages somewhere along the way, reminded her of her Mum’s funeral. After the wake in Boston “people who had come from all over the country suddenly started to depart rapidly between 4 4.30pm.They whispered quietly

that they wanted to get to the butcher’s for sausage and pork pie and haslet and stuffed chine, before the butcher’s closed.

Now I know better and take orders in advance of any family gathering!”

Don’t forget that many butchers now do mail order: B Leaning & Son (Viking Sausages), Redhill, FC Phipps, Boston Sausage, Curtis of Lincoln, Elite Meats, Fen Farm Venison, Geo Adams Direct, Grasmere Farm, Lincolnshire Wild Venison, Thorganby Beef, Meridian Meats and Wild Rabbit Company. So no need to be an exile in denial!

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Tom Wood’s launches new bottled water Tom Wood's beer is produced as traditionally as possible; even the water used in the brewing process is sourced from a bore-hole 300ft under the brewery.

The brewery is situated deep into the Lincolnshire Wolds and through a natural fault in the clay the spring on their farm has been active for over 90 years.

Tom explains, “For 10 years we have monitored the water and it is always consistent and used in our beers.The natural spring

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comes up through 300ft of Lincolnshire Wolds chalk and is now helping us take a fresh approach to providing Lincolnshire produce!”

Tom Wood’s new Lincolnshire water is available as still or sparking and will cost around £1.75 a bottle from Tom Wood’s pubs. He is also eager to supply larger bottles to hotels, restaurants and other pubs.

To bottle this newly launched spring water,Tom created a unique mobile bottling plant,

which has gained celebrity endorsement with chef and restaurateur Gordon Ramsey.

Tom Wood’s Mobile Bottling Plant offers a full bottling service and it was deployed to London to bottle Gordon’s own homebrew that featured on Channel 4’s programme The F-Word.

“I believe that we are the only people in the UK with a mobile bottling plant and it really proved itself on this occasion,” said Tom.

Myers flies high!

Myers traditional Lincolnshire plum loaf is soaring high on British Airways flights.

Passengers leaving Heathrow on British Airways are being treated to the county’s plum loaf on the cheeseboard selection.

Myers Bakery in Horncastle has a one year contract to provide 600 plum loaves a week to the in-flight caterers who provide the food served on British Airways flights.

The original Myers recipe for plum loaf dates back to 1901 and the cabin crew are learning about the ingredients and the history of this family recipe which has been passed down through four generations.

Rob Myers says the whole family are delighted with the prospect of supplying to British Airways.

“It's quite an achievement for a small, local family business. We were thrilled to learn that the team of buyers thought the plum loaf tasted amazing.”

Myers is based in Horncastle with a newly refurbished café tea room next door to the bakery.

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News Rabbit!

Sweet creation Have you ever wanted to create the perfect pudding or delicious dessert? A new set of taster courses, evening demonstrations, along with NVQ levels in Patisserie and Confectionery are now available from Readman Desserts.

“For 21 years Readman Desserts has created artisan desserts and this new direction of the business will concentrate on our local Lincolnshire customers.This will enable us to develop a training side to our business whilst keeping with our tradition of making handmade craft patisserie,” explains 8|

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Andrew Readman.

The daytime taster courses include all the ingredients and equipment required.The day begins with instruction in food handling and hygiene, knowledge of equipment and culinary skills and a full demonstration of each dessert. Budding students will create and take away a delicious dessert along with the newly acquired expertise to impress their friends and family.

Details on all Readman Desserts classes are available on their website along with booking information.

The launch of the Wild Rabbit Company is a new initiative to raise the profile of this delicious gamey natural meat. Wild rabbit meat tends to be leaner and tastier than the farmed variety, as well as being low in fat, cholesterol free, high in Omega 3 oils, a good source of iron and all sourced from local farms and estates.

“We received requests from restaurants particularly that they couldn’t get hold of wild rabbit,” said Malcolm Armstrong of the Wild Rabbit Company.

Working in conjunction with Lincolnshire Wild Venison and Ideal Lincs, Malcolm wanted to offer a further range to existing customers and attract new ones, especially as the attributes of wild rabbit meat are not dissimilar to the increasingly popular wild venison; both are a good source of wild natural

meat that’s delicious, lean and healthy to eat.

Malcolm added: “There’s an abundance of wild food and rabbit is certainly underrated.

We provide a ‘ready to go’ pack for customers wanting to try something different. A range of recipes are available on the website, along with a movie clip showing tips on how to deal with and cook wild rabbit.”

Rabbit has been gaining recognition thanks to Rachel Green’s lightly casseroled rabbit recipe featured on UKTV Food’s Market Kitchen with Tom Parker Bowles, Matthew Fort and Paul Rankin. “I shot some rabbits with my son and brought them up to London on the train in a cool bag for the programme! I love rabbit and I feel we don’t use it as much as we should,” enthused Rachel.

Lombard Liqueurs Sue Frecklington and I met as fellow judges at this year’s Heckington Show, incidentally one of the nicest, most traditional shows you could hope to find (26th and 27th July 2009). Needless to say I wanted to know what Lombard Wines had got ‘bubbling along’ and ready for customers this autumn. Sue will be launching two new liqueurs, both are

based on the same fruit mix but blended with different spirits.

Harvest Moon is brandy based whilst Hunters Moon is rum based. Elderberries, blackberries and other autumn fruits form the base flavours.The liqueurs first outing will be at our Market Rasen Food Fair October 27th and then again at our Christmas Food and Drink Fair November 29th and 30th. MP AUTUMN/WINTER 2008

Lincolnshire goes for gold Quality Lincolnshire, a meat co-operative of county farmers, was honoured to win national recognition in the Business in the Community Awards for Excellence. In partnership with the Lincolnshire Co-Operative, they collected the Northern Foods Rural Action Award, which was presented by Dame Kelly Holmes at the Royal Albert Hall.

Quality Lincolnshire and Lincolnshire Co-Operative beat off competition from five other regional finalists to be rewarded.

Paula Widdowson, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility for Northern Foods said, “Lincolnshire Quality demonstrates the real value and impact which can be delivered to both suppliers and customers through a sustained approach to operating in a responsible marketplace.The Scheme has farming at its heart – with a focus on keeping livestock in the fields and maintaining the local

landscape for tourism.”

Lincolnshire Co-op Chief Executive Ursula Lidbetter said, “We greatly value the relationship we’ve developed

Tastes of Lincolnshire members have continued to accumulate more awards…

Range Pork Sausages and various flavours of Pipers Crisps.

Pipers secured two gold stars for their West Country Cheddar & Onion flavour crisps.

Chapman’s Finest Fishcakes collected one star Gold in the Great Taste Awards for their Traditional Whitefish and Parsley Fishcakes.

“The Great Taste Awards are very prestigious, and are a benchmark of the highest quality

The Great Taste Awards have presented a total of 8 gold stars to our members.The fine food that secured these accolades included Willingham Fayre’s Lincolnshire Wolds Dairy Double Chocolate Crunch Ice Cream, Redhill Farm’s Plain FreeAUTUMN/WINTER 2008

over the years with Lincolnshire Quality. It is a great product on so many levels: quality, provenance, food miles, supporting the local rural

economy. Our food stores give five times dividend to encourage our customers to try Lincolnshire Quality meats and other local products.”

From left : Lincolnshire Co-operative President, Stuart Parker; Lincolnshire Co-operative Chief Executive Ursula Lidbetter, Chief Retail Officer Jim Thomson, Head of Butchery Dave Chown, World Champion Sheepdog Handler Gordon Watts, Lincolnshire Quality Chairman Michael Read and Dame Kelly Holmes

in food today,” commented Kevin Chapman, managing director of Chapman’s Finest Fishcakes. “All of our products are hand made using the finest, fresh ingredients available, which wherever possible we source locally. For instance we only use Lincolnshire grown Maris Piper potatoes, we firmly believe that the quality of the end product reflects the quality of the ingredients used.”

East Midlands Tourism has just unveiled the cream of the region’s tourism businesses which will go forward to the fifth annual Enjoy England Excellence Awards.Yet again, Tastes of Lincolnshire tourism businesses are taking pride of place and representing the county, including Elms Farm Cottages, Doddington Hall, Chaplin House B&B and The Olde Barn Hotel.

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ABY & BELLEAU This walk explores a watery landscape with a few surprises in the form of an abandoned railway, a hairy ‘wild man’ and a well-preserved Tudor dovecote

LOOK IN ANY GAZETTEER OF LINCOLNSHIRE AND at the head of page one will be Aby - always alphabetically first in the county and the shortest too! The origin of the village name is “the farmstead by the stream” and it was ‘Abi’ in the Domesday Book when Odo, half brother of William the Conqueror and Bishop of Bayeaux owned the manor. After its mediaeval church (All Saints) fell down in 1642 Aby became a combined parish with Belleau but the churchyard remained in use and as late as 1888 a tin mortuary chapel was built there at a cost of £95; this was only demolished early this century.

Nearby is Claythorpe watermill, built as a corn mill in the late C18th or early C19th although mills have been recorded here since at least the time of the Domesday Book.

Relics of a former railway seen from the walk remind us that through this now quiet countryside there once ran the main line between Grimsby and London. Built by the Great Northern Railway this opened in September 1848, and the old Claythorpe goods shed is probably contemporary.The station house nearby now bears the rather sardonic name of ‘The Beechings’! The line 10 |

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closed late in 1970 and is now vanished or completely reclaimed by nature.

Visible history is prominent too at Belleau, ‘Elgelo’ in the Domesday Book and ‘Bellhowe’ by 1536, where gushing springs below the hill supporting the church gives rise to the Great Eau. From early mediaeval times there was a moated manor here and its site is still a farm.This was the seat of the Willoughby family who married into the title Willoughby D’Eresby and moved off to Eresby Hall near Spilsby, later still marrying into the Bertie family and departing again – this time for Grimsthorpe near Bourne.

From their grand estate remains a fine Tudor brick dovecote and a barn still containing Tudor brickwork and windows standing within a former moat. Successive manor houses occupied the site, the last one being demolished in 1978.The Willoughby family mascot, a bearded ‘Wild Man’ (probably of some fertility significance) remains too, surmounting a mediaeval archway built into a 1904 brick barn. (The ‘Wild Man’ and the Tudor barn may be glimpsed only by leaving the track and going to the right a few paces just after the modern barn in order to see round the

back; do not enter any other parts of the farmyard!)

In a wall in the hillside above is a rare ‘VR’ letterbox whilst the hilltop is crowned by St John the Baptist church, which was externally rebuilt in 1862 but retains much of its Early English interior. Inside too is a memorial to Sir Henry Vane (died 1662) who in a colourful career was a prominent republican during the Civil War and one-time governor of Massachusetts. He retired to seclusion at Belleau.

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TE ROU E V I AT RN E LT

Claythorpe Mill

Belleau Aby School

Belleau Spring

START

(Railway Tavern)

THE WALK START The Railway Tavern, Aby. MAPS OS Landranger 122 (Skegness) : Explorer 274.

DISTANCE 3 miles : 4.5 kilometres.

TERRAIN Country lanes, field paths, grass tracks and meadows. Some of the field paths may be rough underfoot.

REFRESHMENTS The Railway Tavern, Aby. NOTES Readers may park at the Railway Tavern by kind permission of the landlady.

1

From the inn carpark turn right and walk into Aby and turn right into School Lane. Just beyond the school look on the left for a metal gate where a path begins between a fence and hedge. From a stile cross a small farmyard to a second stile and continue to a third stile and footbridge. Now walk forward by a hedge.At the hedge corner turn half right to take a diagonal line across the field to its far corner.There join a road.

2 Turn right under the nearby railway bridge

and take the first left to pass Claythorpe Mill. Follow this lane (ignoring a “No Through Road” to the right) to pass the old railway goods shed and house and then, at a footpath sign, turn left over a cattle grid.

3 Follow a grass track round towards a

cottage and just before it look for a stile to your right. From it bear left to pass alongside the hedge by the cottage garden and at the corner keep straight ahead down the field.

Aim just to the right of a group of trees until the ground falls away steeply to a stream.

Now bear right parallel to the stream.At a

footbridge go left over it and head directly towards Belleau church seen ahead and join a lane. [This point can be reached entirely on road from Claythorpe if desired!] Turn left and walk into Belleau and up the hill to the church – and explore!

4 Return down the hill and go right along a

track (unsigned) past the dovecote, the Belleau Spring and some barns to a footpath sign and kissing gate on your left. From here walk beside the Great Eau until you reach a footbridge. Cross over and walk by a hedge to a second bridge and cross that too.The path now splits but you should turn sharp right and then left at the field corner until a hedge gap admits access to Aby churchyard.

From a gate at the far side a grass track leads to a road, emerging directly opposite the Railway Tavern.

Hugh Marrows AUTUMN/WINTER 2008

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Cows, Sheep and now Pigs too!

The river-side path Water Rail Way completes this September. Part of the work of the Lincolnshire Waterways Partnership and project managed by Sustrans the path connects Lincoln and Boston with 20 miles off-road and 13 miles on country lanes. Its name was chosen by a public competition and reflects the route’s former life as a railway line and for sighting of the shy water rail bird.

Back in 2006 we commissioned from artist Sally Matthews two Lincoln Red Cattle which can be found beside the path between Washingborough and Five Mile Bridge. Made from scrap metal these proved so popular that Sally began work on three Lincoln Longwool sheep which can now be seen crossing the path near Stixwould.To complete the set, in July Nigel Sardeson finished carving two Lincolnshire Curly coated pigs which sit beside the path near Southrey. If out on a walk or cycle ride look out for Tastes of Lincolnshire refreshment stops. One of them, the Ferry Boat at Langrick Bridge will be the site of a celebration for the completion of the Anton’s Gowt to Langrick Bridge section on October 29th. Rewards for those who walk and cycle there from Boston! Next year on April 25th we are (insanely) planning the Longest Party in Lincolnshire, 33 miles long in fact, the full length of Water Rail Way! Events both along path and water, more information in next issue.

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A Day in the Life of a Restaurant Kitchen When Lydia and I were invited to go behind the scenes of Winteringham Fields, one of Lincolnshire’s top restaurants, we jumped at the chance – here’s our story as owner Colin McGurran let us wander at will

interingham Fields was formerly owned by Germain and Annie Schwab who retired in 2005 from the two Michelin starred restaurant that they had created. Colin has worked all over the world, so it was something of a culture shock when he and Bex and their young family came four years ago to this small village in the very north of Lincolnshire with views over the Humber and Wolds beyond.

Colin likes the ‘hunter/gatherer’ feel of growing their own herbs and vegetables and hand rearing lambs. Local sourcing is key and it’s important to be able to control the quality of their ingredients. A goat’s cheese is made locally specially for the restaurant, if a particular herb like lovage is in season Colin might ask for it to be incorporated into the cheese.

Colin is very proud of the recently completed function room and I am fascinated by the one way mirror that gives a view into the kitchen. Lydia wanders off, whilst I watch everyone at work in the kitchen, I can see them, but they can’t see me.There are nine of them, everyone has their place and all is quiet but purposeful.

I talk to Head Chef Andrew Foster who originally did his apprenticeship at the Savoy. Andrew was Germain’s head chef and has recently been a private chef to the Marquis of Northampton which he loved but missed the variety and buzz of being in the restaurant so came back three months ago. A plate of appetisers is prepared, little shot glasses of tomato gazpacho, anchovy straws and pineapple cannelloni.

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The sense of team spirit, both within the kitchen and front of house is very noticeable and the attention to detail quite extraordinary.The staff are both friendly and professional and not the slightest bit bothered by our constantly being in the way.

Particularly Andy the photographer who keeps saying “can you do that again but differently”!

The closer we get to lunchtime the more the aromas in the kitchen develop. Orders start to come in and immediately you feel the whole team imperceptibly ratchet up a gear. Andrew happily and calmly talks on to me, but never stops working even if it’s just preparing a basket of wild mushrooms. Some beautiful starters sail past on a waiter’s arm and I’m beginning to feel rather hungry and tormented by all this lovely food.Time to get out of the kitchen.

The restaurant is made from an old cottage dating from 1640 and consists of a rabbit warren of imaginatively decorated quirky small rooms, some with an Alice in Wonderland theme. Receptionist Bryony tells me that most of their clientele are regulars who come from literally all over the world. In the conservatory I chat to a couple from Leeds who’ve been coming here 3 or 4 times a year for the past decade.

I head back to the kitchen to watch a main course being assembled. I watch intrigued as several chefs converge on the plates, each bringing a different item and again, very quietly and purposefully they know exactly what they have to do and where to place it.The waiters hover, Andrew gives it his final once over, on go the domes and then they’re off to the dining room. At last so are Lydia and I!

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s Mary heads off to the kitchen I go straight to the heart of the family and into the staff quarters where they’re busy eating lunch before they all scuttle off to their various tasks.The group consisted of Benoit, the general manager, Stef, Chef de Partie and Dougie and Justine who also work in the kitchen.

As they tuck into a hearty portion of Thai green curry and chat about beer and ‘guitar greats’ I manage to commandeer a few minutes of Stef ’s time to discover that she’d moved here from Hampshire 2 years ago for work experience and at the same time study NVQ’s at college. I enquired whether she missed home, but she said, “I work long hours, but I’ve learnt lots. Everyone’s so friendly; it’s made it easier to move away from home.” Stef is certainly enthusiastic about working here and views the experience as invaluable for the future. I found this was a common theme amongst the family of staff, even for Justine.

It was Justine’s third day at Winteringham Fields. She has relocated from a restaurant in Skipton to gain more skills and in a few days already felt she was learning a great deal. I’d followed Justine to the Pastry kitchen where she was beginning to prepare a Pannacotta.

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I also learnt that ice-cream and chocolate art were being meticulously created here too. I could easily see why she’d enjoyed being assigned to Pastry for the first two weeks! However, she was still looking forward to the next challenge of going into the main kitchen.

Tearing myself away from the sweet smells of the Pastry area I met Benoit, who is part of the fixtures and fittings having worked here for eight years as General Manager. He even fondly recalled a friend of mine that had worked here over 5 years ago as a waitress.

He explained that a visit to Winteringham Fields is not just about a meal, but a whole experience.The family of staff form a main part of that experience and with a good schedule of set holidays throughout the year when the restaurant closes and no bookings on a Sunday or Monday each week all visitors meet the same staff, always ensuring an exceptionally high standard.

They welcome many repeat customers some of which visit for special themed evenings. I was particularly interested in the forthcoming Great British Menu planned for September. I also listened with interest about customers that had played in the courtyard when Winteringham Fields was an old farmhouse over 50 years ago and how they returned to re-capture some of their memories.

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STOP PRESS NEWS The aptly named Shop on the Farm at North End Farm has just opened and will be a gem for visitors to discover. Not only does the farm shop have a coffee shop and butchers, but also a micro-brewery. Large windows allow you to see the main part of the brewery whilst enjoying a brew – either a cuppa or one of their own

four varieties of ale.

The family have been farming at Swaton for four generations “We are a real family business, my husband Malcolm and our two sons Robert and James love real ale and are in charge of the brewing, whilst daughter Sally is concentrating on the farm shop” says Alison.Their own Lincoln Red beef a speciality.

Historic Lincoln Newsletter Read about the exciting plans for the complete redevelopment of Lincoln Castle, improvements at Lincoln Cathedral and upcoming events in the area.

If you would like to receive a free copy of the newsletter four times a year, please please fill in your name and address below or send your details to mary.powell@lincolnshire.gov.uk, t: 01522 550641 Name

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AUTUMN/WINTER 2008

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ERIC PHIPPS

Back to the Future?

Eric ventures into the Wolds to meet the woolly pigs

he pig occupied a unique position in the life of the Lincolnshire countryman for well over one hundred years. The farm labourers worked long and arduous hours and needed high energy food – a man ploughing one acre would walk fourteen miles guiding the plough and the horse and he did this fuelled by fat bacon. The pig which provided this was the Lincolnshire Curly Coat, a hardy pig with a thick coat of curly hair. It thrived in all conditions and through the summer months would graze on open pasture and generally take care of itself. The sows were good and prolific mothers. In the autumn they were fattened and frequently reached weights of over forty stones (560 lb), a high proportion of that being fat. Post World War II changing life styles reduced the need for such fat pork and in 1972 the breed became extinct.

However Tony York of Pig Paradise in Wiltshire found that the quality of the Curly Coat had attracted the attention of Hungarian farmers who imported large numbers in the 1920’s to cross with their own ‘woolly pig’ the Mangalitza and called the resulting progeny ‘Lincolitza’ and so valued were they that they won a Gold medal at the Budapest Show and were even traded on Vienna’s stock exchange.

Tony York determined to pursue the story of the Curly Coat found that a few farms in Austria were still producing the Mangalitza and in the hope of them carrying some of the Curly Coat genes wrestled with the bureaucracy to finally import 20 of the pigs onto his Pig Paradise farm near Stonehenge.

Now Pig Paradise are dispersing the pigs throughout the country and Brian Codling of Fulletby near Horncastle last year received Mangel, Wurzel, Pepper and Ginger onto his Rectory Farm. Last Autumn Ginger had by Mangel a litter of seven piglets. Two of these are now with Andrew Dennis at Woodlands Organics farm, one with James Barclay at Stixwould and Jim Sutcliffe at Meridian Meats in Louth has had two in his shop and has begun to experiment with a parma type ham and

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salami. Jim should be able to exploit the very reason that the Curly Coat died out – it is very fat, but modern analysis shows that the fat is high in mono-unsaturates or omega-3 type fats found in healthy fish oils. These do not oxidise easily and so do not become rancid making them ideal for production of slow curing products like parma ham, pancetta and coppa giving them a lovely sweet flavour. I tasted some of Brian Codling’s own pancetta, it had a wonderful sweet, slightly smoky flavour and just melted on the tongue.

The rendered fat is equal in quality to the best goose fat and is highly prized in Austria. Our chocolatiers in Lincolnshire might be interested to try an Austrian chocolate which incorporates the greaves or scraps which result from Curly Coat lard production!

So let us hope that the new ‘Curly Coat’ flourishes in Lincolnshire in the hands of our small farms and craft butchers and look forward to a flavour from the past.

Much more information can be found on www.Woollypigs.com and the exploits of Mangel, Wurzel, Pepper and Ginger can be followed on www.rectoryreserve.blogspot.com New Curly Coats can also be seen at Pink PigOrganics at Holme.

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RECIPES

Pan Fried Pork Fillet with Apples and a Horseradish and Poacher Mash • SERVES 4

Ginger Pork with Coriander • SERVES 4 450g 1tbsp 2tbsp 1 7.5cm 2 250g 3 1tbsp 300ml 12g

Pork fillet, sliced Cornflour Rapeseed oil Large onion, cut into 8 wedges Piece fresh ginger, cut into strips Garlic cloves, peeled and sliced Freshly peeled pineapple, cut into cubes Ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges Soy sauce Chicken stock Fresh coriander, chopped, reserve some whole leaves for garnish

Toss the pork slices with the cornflour and some salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a wok and fry the pork over a high heat until brown all over. Place in a bowl using a slotted spoon.

Fry the onions in the wok for 4 - 5 minutes, adding the ginger and garlic in the final 2 minutes.

Cut the pineapple into chunks reserving the juice. Add the tomatoes, pineapple and juice, soy sauce and chicken stock to the wok. Simmer for 5 minutes, then return the pork to the pan, add the coriander and cook for a further 3 - 4 minutes.

Serve with steamed rice and garnish with a coriander leaf.

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684g 3 2tbsp 2tsp 1tsp 1tsp 1kg 75g 1/4pt 2tbsp

Pork fillet Baking apples Hot horseradish sauce Fresh chopped sage Fresh chopped marjoram Fresh thyme Potatoes, suitable for boiling Unsalted butter Cream Freshly grated Lincolnshire Poacher 1tbsp Plain white flour 1 Dessert spoon sugar Salt and freshly ground black pepper You will need a large frying pan. Rub the chopped herbs into the pork fillet and place them in a dish. Cover the dish and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.Two hours before you start cooking, take the pork out of the fridge and let it come back to room temperature.

Boil the potatoes until they are tender and then mash them with 40g of the butter and add enough of the cream to make a puree. Next add the Poacher and season to taste. Stir in the horseradish and put in the oven to keep warm. While the potatoes are cooking, you can coat the pork lightly with the flour and leave to one side. Peel and core the apples and then cut them into thin wedges.

In your frying pan melt 25g of the butter until it foams and then saute the pork fillet on a high heat for 4 - 5 minutes each side, until they are cooked through.They will also form a lovely crust on each side.

Season the fillets and keep them warm in a low oven.To the frying pan add the apples, sugar and 2 tbsp of water. Cook this for 10 minutes until everything is golden.To serve the fillet, spoon some potato puree onto a plate and place a piece of fillet next to it and then scatter the apple slices all around.

Sticky Pork Kebabs with Sweet Carrot Slaw • SERVES 4 500g Loin of pork, diced into large cubes 2tbsp Rapeseed oil 1tbsp Dark soy sauce 3tbsp Tomato ketchup 1/2tsp Chinese five spice 1 Orange, zested and juiced FOR THE SLAW: 250g Carrots, peeled 150g White cabbage 150g Red cabbage 75g Bean sprouts 3 Spring onions, finely sliced 3tbsp Mayonnaise 1-2tbsp Sweet chilli sauce Mix together the rapeseed oil, soy sauce, ketchup, Chinese five spice and orange zest and juice. Season with black pepper and add the pork, coating it well in the mixture, marinade for one to two hours. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas Mark 6.

For the slaw, grate or finely shred the carrots. Finely shred the red and white cabbage and mix together with the carrots, bean sprouts and spring onions. Mix together the mayonnaise and sweet chilli sauce, season and use this to dress the slaw.Thread the diced pork onto wooden skewers, which have been soaked in water to prevent them scorching. Cook in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, turning regularly, until the pork is cooked through and the kebabs are sticky and glazed.

Serve the kebabs with the sweet carrot slaw on the side.

Recipes supplied by Rachel Green

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A Fair Fight October 25 will see the grounds of Lincoln Castle buzzing with more potato connected activity than you would believe possible, when the very first Potato Festival is married up with our successful Sausage Festival.This is a wonderful setting says Mary Powell and not as well known as it should be, despite taking an epic role in Lincoln and England’s history.

The male prison currently inaccessible to the public

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illiam the Conqueror introduced Castles to England, they were his very visible symbol of aggressive power and the suppression of his subjects. William came to Lincoln in 1068 and ordered 166 Saxon houses to be pulled down to make way for the building of his castle. Four years later in 1072 work began on the Cathedral, which faces the Castle in uphill Lincoln. William was cleverly taking a ‘hearts and minds’ approach to controlling the populace.

However our story comes later. To a king at odds with his subjects, a nearly

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800 year old document whose very name is laden with significance, a battle as important as 1066 but now forgotten and a city and its castle that played a key role. King John, Magna Carta, the Battle of Lincoln Fair and Lincoln and its castle are the players in our story.

At Runnymede on 15 June 1215, the barons of England forced King John to attach his Great Seal to Magna Carta. It required the King to renounce certain rights, respect certain legal procedures and accept that his will could be bound by the law. John had no intention of honouring Magna Carta and within weeks had renounced it. An unknown

number of copies of the document were sent across England to the bishops and royal sheriffs.

Just four copies of the 1215 Magna Carta survive today, one of which belongs to Lincoln Cathedral where it has an unbroken attested history; the then Bishop of Lincoln being one of the witnesses at Runnymede.

John died at Newark Castle in 1216, leaving a nine year old son, Henry and a country in a state of chaos and war. The English rebel barons, looking to the main chance offered the throne to Louis, eldest son of the King of France, who landed with a large force at Thanet, when many of John’s supporters switched allegiance to him. Henry, whose principle supporter was William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke, was hurriedly crowned in Gloucester as Louis controlled London and much of the eastern side of England. Part of the French army attempted a siege on Lincoln Castle but the fortress held. With winter the war was suspended until the spring of 1217 when the Anglo-French army recommenced the siege.

William Marshall, who had a reputation for great military expertise saw the opportunity for the royalist forces to attack. By splitting their forces and creating a diversion at the north gate the royalists entered the Castle through its west gate. The surprise was sufficiently effective that the Anglo-French masterengineer who was attacking the east gate and keep with his siege artillery, thought the approaching force were his own side.

Fierce fighting commenced by the West Front of the Cathedral, but the AngloFrench army began to retreat down to the lower town. Regrouping they tried to climb back up the steep gradient, but were met by the royalists coming down the hill and from the rear and side by further royalists from the effective splitting of their forces. The AngloFrench became trapped by the south gate of the city and many were captured or AUTUMN/WINTER 2008

Lincoln Castle: looking towards the East Gate, Lucy Tower and Observatory Tower on far left, Prison building centre left and the Crown Court straight ahead Grateful thanks to Lincoln Cathedral for allowing us to take this picture from the West front tower

killed here. This decisive battle, which in derision of Louis and the barons, they called “The Fair”, resulted in the continued rule of the country by the Angevin’s rather than by a French king.

1215-1217 were troubled years for England but the sealing of Magna Carta closely followed by the Battle of Lincoln Fair was one of the most important turning points in English history and yet how many people today have even heard of this battle? Unlike many historic battle sites which are both literally and figuratively fields, all the key elements are still here. Newport Arch (north gate), the Castle’s east and west gates and its walls from which the royalist crossbows did so much damage, the Cathedral’s West Front, Steep Hill and the Stonebow (south gate); this is a story that can be easily visualised in a walk about the City.

Lincoln’s Magna Carta is housed within the Castle, a building that itself has represented tyranny, punishment and AUTUMN/WINTER 2008

justice over its 940 year history. Not surprisingly we are proud of our Magna Carta, viewing those later re-issues of 1297, one of which has recently been sold in the States for £10 millon, as being, well, practically photocopies! Not

Its vision is that by 2015, Magna Carta will be immaculately displayed within an immaculate Castle

only do we have the Magna Carta, but an appendix to it dating from 1217, called the Charter of the Forest: there are only two of these in existence and Lincoln is the only place where the Magna Carta and Charter of the Forest can be found still together.

Today Lincoln Castle is not telling us

its full story, most of the best parts of the building being inaccessible to the public.

The Historic Lincoln Partnership (HLP) was formed in 2004 to provide a joined up approach to the ancient buildings, public spaces, businesses and homes of uphill Lincoln. Its vision is that by 2015, Magna Carta will be immaculately displayed within an immaculate Castle – neither of which is presently the case – all set within a story of power struggles, dishonour versus loyalty, strategic cunning and desperate fighting.

Should we see Magna Carta as a footnote to history or an iconic document? It could be seen merely as a power struggle between the leading factions of the day: a weak king in conflict with his barons who were out for everything they could get. Promises made and almost immediately dishonoured. However, our ambition is to show Magna Carta as the beginning of a journey, a ‘line of thought’ that over its GOOD TASTE

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One of the Court rooms in the Crown Court

In the lead up to the English Civil War it attained an almost mythic status and many saw it representing a ‘golden age’ prior to the Norman Invasion

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800 year life people all over the world have turned to as a symbol of democracy standing firm against tyranny.

Throughout world history, often at times of conflict or at the birth of nationhood, Magna Carta has come to be perceived in the popular mind as the basis for constitutional and legal rights. In the lead up to the English Civil War it attained an almost mythic status and many saw it representing a ‘golden age’ prior to the Norman Invasion.

Just three statutes remain in English law that can be traced back to Magna Carta, but more critical is the way in which it influenced the way our parliamentary democracy developed. The influence of the Magna Carta can also be seen in the United States Bill of Rights.

Our plans are ambitious and complex: involving the relocation of the Crown Court to a purpose-built facility elsewhere in Lincoln allowing us to redisplay the Magna Carta in this gothic

building, opening up of the prison building and completion of the wall walks. In the old car park provide a purpose built Heritage Skills Centre with public viewing galleries is prposed, where in partnership with the Cathedral workshop courses in masonry, carpentry, lead work, stained glass and more will be run. There is then the opportunity to open the Castle grounds to free access which the HLP believe will have a profound effect on how people move about in uphill Lincoln.

Archaeologists, conservation architects & the like are helping us to prepare our plans and a whole range of funding bids for the differing elements are being written. So whether you’re looking back or forward these are exciting times for Lincoln Castle and if you’re at the Sausage and Potato Festival, do visit the HLP stand and have a look at the plans and sign up for the quarterly newsletter which will keep you informed.

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Events 2008

Farmers’ Market Dates

SEPTEMBER 27 TASTES OF LINCOLNSHIRE FOOD FAIR

Boston

Lincoln

3rd Wednesday

4th Saturday

1st Friday City Square 2nd Wednesday High Street 4th Friday North Hykeham 3rd Saturday Castle Square

Gainsborough

Louth

Festival Hall, Market Rasen 10am - 4pm. Entrance Free.

Tastes of Lincolnshire producers are joining forces to showcase the award winning produce of Lincolnshire during British Food Fortnight, the biggest national celebration for British Produce from 20 September to 5 October.

Rachel Green local celebrity chef will be putting the finishing touches to tasty dishes in her live cookery demonstrations.

Brigg

2nd Saturday Marshalls Yard 4th Wednesday 2nd Friday

OCTOBER 4/5 EAST MIDLANDS FOOD AND DRINK FESTIVAL

Grantham

Brooksby Hall, Melton Mowbray Don’t miss Tastes of Lincolnshire at this event.The UK’s largest regional food festival will this year feature Anjum Anand, Clarissa Dickson Wright and Rachel Green.

Further information at www.eastmidlandsfoodfestival.co.uk

Grimsby

2nd Saturday

3rd Friday

Horncastle 2nd Thursday

OCTOBER 25 SAUSAGE & MASH

Sleaford 1st Saturday

Spalding 1st Saturday

Stamford Every other Friday

The world’s first Sausage and Potato Festival!

Lincoln Castle and Castle Hill, Lincoln Entrance Free.

This year’s popular Sausage Festival will combine with a new event in celebration of the International Year of the Potato.

The new Potato Festival will be held in the Castle, whilst the Sausage Festival will remain in Castle Hill, Lincoln.

NOVEMBER 29/30 LINCOLNSHIRE’S CHRISTMAS FOOD AND DRINK FAIR Epic Centre, Lincolnshire Showground, Lincoln Experience a Christmas shopping extravaganza with a host of food and drink stalls, gourmet gifts, popular cookery theatre, hand made crafts and wine tasting presentations.

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Spice up your Life Maf Huda talks to Mary Powell about the challenges of setting up a new business

I FIRST MET MAF HUDA AT THE Lincolnshire Show two years ago when he introduced us to his new spice mixes.

It’s fair to say that the whole Tastes of Lincolnshire team fell for him immediately, his charm and enthusiasm is infectious. I’ve been using these spice pastes ever since but until I went up to Scunthorpe to see them being made, I’d managed to completely miss the point about what makes them so good.

Described as “fresh herb and spice mixes” I hadn’t realised that when you open a jar to make a curry, this will be the first time that the spices have been cooked. The result is a fresh, crisp, clean taste. Maf is using the old fashioned method of storing spices in oil, ginger and garlic, which are natural preservatives and give the little jars a 16-17 months shelf life with absolutely no artificial preservatives or flavourings.

Maf lays out the spices he uses and takes me through them. Two types of cinnamon are used, the outside bark being more pungent than the inner curled sticks, so he uses the bark for chicken Tikka or Tandoori whilst the sticks are used in a Tikka Masala because they are not so over powering. Two types of chilli, black and green cardamoms and fenugreek. Jawentry which looks like mace, has no distinctive aroma but once 26 |

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in oil it releases a sweetish taste. Panch Phoron, a mix of five different seeds: onion, cumin, fennel, aniseed and elachi.

Dried mango mixed with a light spice and water is only used in the Balti paste where it brings sweetness Huge bowls of garlic and ginger have been prepared and are waiting to be made into a paste preserved in oil. Fresh chillis, mountains of coriander and when

Huge bowls of garlic and ginger have been prepared and are waiting to be made into a paste preserved in oil.

Fresh chillis, mountains of coriander and when in season a little fresh fenugreek in season a little fresh fenugreek.

Maf has been in the restaurant trade since 1993, with two of his brothers setting up the highly successful Surma in Barton upon Humber. Six years ago, a frantic regular customer rushed in, he was organising a party for 20 but didn’t want the same old BBQ food. He’d found some recipes but couldn’t source all of the spices mentioned, “Its 6pm, Help!” Maf

gave him the spices and some exact instructions on what to do with them and the BBQ was a huge success. An idea was born. The trouble at home is keeping spices fresh, as they soon lose their aroma and pungency. Even working at a much bigger scale, Maf only grinds spices as he needs them, keeping that essential freshness.

Having a great idea to going into full production is a huge leap and I ask Maf if it had been as easy has he made it look.

“The most difficult bit was getting all the spices mixed correctly at this small scale so that just one teaspoon had the right balance for cooking at home”. Maf took some time developing all the recipes “I want them to be easy and foolproof, but without cutting any corners so the end result is compromised.”

He tells me that running a restaurant and running a factory required a completely different mindset. After getting the spice blend correct they then set to making their premises fit the bill and believe me they are quite immaculate. I suspect that whenever Maf puts his mind to something, he isn’t satisfied until he has got it just so. His brother is in charge of the production side, Nazmul is as quiet as Maf is voluble, but there’s a real sense of teamwork here.

Another obstacle to get over was making AUTUMN/WINTER 2008

Bombay Aloo Biran This recipe from Maf for Bombay Aloo Biran fits with our Year of the Potato theme.

• SERVES 4 4 Medium potatoes (600-700g) cut into 1/2 inch cubes 2 Medium onions (finely chopped) 1/2 Small red pepper (finely chopped) 1 Tomato (finely chopped) 2 Bay leaves (if available) cut in halves 2 Pinches of ‘nigella seeds’ (kali zeera) (if available) 1tsp Turmeric 1/2tsp Chilli powder 4tsp Mr Huda’s Universal Curry Paste 7tbsp Vegetable/olive oil Fresh coriander (if available) 1ST STAGE Par boil the potatoes with salt and 1/2 tsp tumeric. Once this is done drain water and leave.

people realise that this is “Not another cook-in sauce” but a concentrated spice with 15-16 servings from one jar, follow the instructions to achieve that restaurant quality result. Satisfyingly for the cook, there’s just enough tasks left for you to do, to make you feel you made a contribution to the feast!

After appearing on BBC Look North they gained many new customers including from Spain! There are so many curry loving ex-pats in Spain now and Maf is developing a 1 kilo catering size especially for them. The onion Bajee spice mix is the best seller in Spain whilst the top seller in the UK is the Universal paste, with the Balti paste 28 |

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catching up fast.

Maf is developing new recipes all the time and is working with Rachel Green on some anglo-asian recipes such as a new twist on that old favourite Coronation Chicken. A big boost this year was winning at the NEC the prize for the Best Ethnic Food for their new Mint and Tamarind Paste (add to yoghurt for a simple but great dip).

Nazmul tells me with a wry smile that the usual reaction at food fairs is “Spices in Lincolnshire!!” Well, it may not be what you were expecting but I think that Maf and Nazmul delight in doing things a bit differently and in their own way: and that’s very Lincolnshire!

FINAL STAGE Heat 7 tbsp of oil (moderate heat) with the bay leaves in the pan.

Add the chopped onions, pepper and the tomato with some salt and cook to soften (stirring regularly).

Add the curry paste, chilli powder, kali zeera and the rest of the turmeric and cook for 1- 2 minutes (stirring regularly) Add the potatoes, stir and then leave to gently simmer (covered) and stirring occasionally for 20 - 30 minutes or until the potatoes are fully cooked.

Once cooking is nearly over sprinkle some coriander, stir and leave covered.

TIPS: If you require this dish to be a little spicier simply add some sliced green chillis with the onions and a little more curry paste.

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Lincolnshire’s future’s bright, but is it green?

Eco-friendly, sustainable, recyclable, ecological, natural, renewable, organic, ethical, carbon footprint and green – all words that we are now familiar with and hear on a day-to-day basis. Whether we love it or hate it we are all being encouraged to a greener future says Lydia Rusling n light of government targets to reduce carbon emissions in line with European policy and an everincreasing economic motivator to cut down our energy consumption, there’s certainly no better time to take notice and look for solutions to protect our future.

An ambitious new project in Lincolnshire is aiming to increase awareness and activate a response to climate change.The EPIC project is committed to informing people about ways to tackle climate change and has

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a particular role to play in helping rural businesses and communities to utilise green technologies.

This EPIC adventure started in 2003 when Alan Robson, the agricultural Chaplin for Lincolnshire, very aware of the many issues and hurdles facing the Lincolnshire farming community, embarked on a venture to help educate and inform the farming community on the issues of climate change.

His vision began through a series of drawings on serviettes that he presented to his friend and colleague Dr Nick Cheffins, a local sustainability expert. Although their plans started as a small demonstration unit to showcase new technologies, this hub of

information grew with input from members of the Agricultural Society.

“Our ‘eureka’ moment came with the realisation that we could accelerate positive local change in environmental understanding.

EPIC was then born; it stands for Environment, Protection, Innovation and Contemplation,” comments Dr Nick Cheffins, EPIC project director.

With funding secured from the EU, Lincolnshire County Council and West Lindsey District Council the project came to life when the first turf was cut by the Bishop of Lincoln at the Lincolnshire Show in 2007; the EPIC building opened on schedule at the Show in 2008, despite the challenges of a AUTUMN/WINTER 2008

tight timeframe and lots of rain and lots of mud delaying play.

“The EPIC Centre has evolved from lots of smaller projects within one larger vision,” explains Jacqui Vear, the EPIC centre’s manager. “It has been built using the latest environmental materials and technologies.”

The two storey building contains 3 interlinked exhibition halls, a suite of offices and meeting rooms, kitchen, plant room and circulation area, which were all created with a construction ethos that focused on sustainable materials. It features rainwater harvesting, composting toilets, a living sedum roof, solar panels to heat water, wind turbines to supply energy, a biomass boiler for heat and sustainable materials throughout.

“The brand new EPIC building forms a hub where visitors can be inspired to help combat climate change,” describes Jacqui.

“Traditional techniques are shown in a modern and aesthetically pleasing way whilst the stereotype that green has to be more expensive is broken down.”

The accolades associated with the building are already forthcoming; the owners of the new facility, Lincolnshire Agricultural Society scooped the Environmental Business of the Year 2008 in the Lincolnshire Environmental Awards.The building has also AUTUMN/WINTER 2008

Property Week, the weekly commercial property magazine, has compiled an ‘inspirational’ selection of Britain’s top 20 eco-friendly buildings – and the EPIC Centre is first on the list recently been named in a prestigious list of Britain’s 20 greenest buildings. Property Week, the weekly commercial property magazine, has compiled an ‘inspirational’ selection of Britain’s top 20 eco-friendly buildings – and the EPIC Centre is first on the list.

However, this is not just a building that is there to be admired; it is constantly evolving as an interactive hub and a centre of excellence in sustainable living.

To stay at the forefront says Jacqui, all technologies have been designed on a ‘plug and play’ basis so equipment can be taken out and replaced with the latest innovative technology. “We live and breathe EPIC on a day-to-day basis and aspire to link with different pockets of expertise, for example we are working alongside the Universities of

Lincoln, Nottingham and Loughborough, and the new post of Education Resources’ Manager has been sponsored by the Lincoln Co-op to engage local communities and schools.”

To share and communicate all EPIC’s experiences the website Epic-project.org.uk will join all local activities in environmental best practice.

This low carbon building is the UK’s largest purpose built green event centre, conveniently situated on the Lincolnshire Showground and ideal for this year’s Christmas Food and Drink Fair. Tastes of Lincolnshire will again be organising the county's biggest and brightest festive extravaganza. We took over the event in 2007 and were delighted with how it went, but we think we can do even better.

This year’s food lover's event will reside in the brand new Epic Centre on Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th November. Over 100 exhibitors will showcase the very best Lincolnshire and regional produce and festive delights. With many different and diverse Christmas products on offer visitors can get some festive inspiration for early Christmas gifts.There will also be Christmas wreath making demonstrations, gingerbread house construction tips, wine tasting advice and cookery demonstrations.

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Hard Graft David Hopkins takes a bite out of Lincolnshire's Apple History

A

s you savour the crunchy, juicy apple from your fruit bowl it might not be obvious that its ancestors came from Kazakstan in Central Asia. And, no, this is not another of those Borat jokes from Sacha Baron Cohen! The city of Alma Ata in southern Kazakstan lies in the area with the greatest diversity of wild apples in the world. Even its name in Kazak means ‘Father Apple’. Around the city wild apples, Malus Sieversii, still fill the valleys leading south to the Tien Shan mountains. The Russian botanist Nicholai Vavilov discovered in the 1920's that nearly all the shapes, sizes and tastes of modern apples can be found there.

However, our own Lincolnshire Crab apple, Malus Sylvestris, has had little to do with the fruit bowl apple.

The apple probably first reached Britain, and therefore Lincolnshire, under the Romans. As far as we know only the Crab apple grew here before then. The Roman Empire stretched so far east that it included some of the areas where wild apples grew. More importantly the Roman eastern provinces held many apple orchards that had been carefully tended by the Persians and Hittites for thousands of years. Roman apples seem small by our standards but one type, 'Decio', still exists and gives a good idea of what the Roman villas across Lincolnshire were growing.

Apple growing was then thought to have disappeared and only brought in again by the Normans but Apley near Wragby and Appleby near Scunthorpe, meaning 'Applewood' and 'Apple farm or village' are mentioned in the Domesday book of 1086. This almost certainly means that apple growing continued through the Anglo-Saxon period. There

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are likely to be many field names across Lincolnshire with similar meanings.

Apple growing really took off with the expansion of the monasteries in the 11th and 12th centuries. The Cistercian order saw God's work in the form of improved farming. Their network of Abbeys across the county imported new apple varieties from France to feed the monks and the locals. In Scotland the 'Melrose' apple is thought to have spread from the Cistercian monastery there. It is possible that among the trees still growing, perhaps semi wild, in Lincolnshire, could

Ten apples a day were recommended to keep the monks going during Lent but more often apples were cooked into a puree and added to porridge or made to bulk out expensive meat dishes or as filling for pies be the living remains of a medieval monastery too. Ten apples a day were recommended to keep the monks going during Lent but more often apples were cooked into a puree and added to porridge or made to bulk out expensive meat dishes or as filling for pies.

Around 1200 orchards in Lincolnshire would have been growing ‘Old Pearmain’, the first ‘eater’ to be bred in England, but most new kinds of apple came from abroad. In 1280 Edward I’s wife, Eleanor of Castile, introduced the ‘Blandurel’ apple from Gascony. By the 1290's many ‘Costard’ apples were being grown across Britain too – imported as bud grafts from trees in Normandy. The term

'Costermonger' derives from that sort of apple.

In 1325 the Earl of Lincoln also began buying ‘Costard’ grafts - at 12 times the price of ordinary apples. ‘Costards’ were cooking apples though and, like the ‘Blandurel’, had to be kept for three months after picking to mellow and sweeten.

The sharpness of medieval apples meant that for centuries the fruit became associated with sugar. Sugar supplies from cane grown in the Azores and then the Caribbean gradually increased which led to a huge range of apple confectionery on the 16th and 17th century table.

By the time of Henry VIII the new renaissance fashions for fresh fruit had reached Britain. In Lincolnshire the estates of the rich, made even richer by the dissolution of the monasteries, filled their gardens with the newly fashionable ‘Pippin’, from Normandy. Our word Pippin just means 'seedling' - from the action of planting a seed namely ‘pip-in’.

Across Britain many new varieties were being developed. By 1629 there were about 60. One of these was a late season apple called ‘Kirton Pippin’ – from Kirton near Boston and another 'Lincoln Reinette', a late keeping apple, was considered the best of its kind. Recipes of the time include 'Pippin jelly'. Apples were boiled with sugar to form a stiff jam, flavoured with cinnamon or orange peel.

This is probably the origin of our marmalade today.

The earliest English settlers in America took apple seedlings and cuttings with them as a practical source of food but also as a reminder of home. It is tempting to speculate whether some of those first apples came from Lincolnshire on the Mayflower as it was the area many of them came from.

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fig 2. Ellison’s Orange fig 1. Herrings Pippin

fig 3. Grimoldby Golden

fig 4. Old Pearmain

fig 8. Philadelphia fig 6. Crab Apple fig 5. Doctor Clifford fig 7. Isaac Newton’s 1665

fig 9. Schoolmaster

fig 11. Ingalls Red fig 12. Peasgood Nonsuch

fig 10. Allington Pippin

fig 15. Decio

fig 13. Dewdney’s Seedling

fig 14. Barnack Beauty

fig 17. Sleeping Beauty

fig 18. Kirton Pippin

fig 16. Lord Burghley

fig 19. Browns Seedling

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fig 20. Old Codling

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Following the restoration of Charles II in 1660 agricultural prices declined and farmers looked for other income. One source was fruit growing. This set the pattern of apple growing across the country until the early 20th century. In Lincolnshire most orchards were along the fen edge south towards Stamford, around Boston and Spalding and the area east of Louth.

Woolsthorpe Manor near Grantham became the site of the most famous apple incident in 1665 when a large fruit of the variety 'Flower of Kent' fell close to where Isaac Newton sat - helping him formulate his theory on gravitation!

Apple growing continued steadily into the 18th century but only for local markets and as part of the farming mix.

The dessert apple - one you can eat straight off the tree - only really took off when the landed gentry began to try and out do each other on the quality and variety of after dinner apples. This began with the estate-reared 'Lord Burghley' in 1834 and 'Barnack Beauty' in 1840, but the most famous variety in Lincolnshire, 'Peasgood Nonsuch' was discovered by a young Mrs Peasgood, in a hedge near Grantham in 1853.

Meanwhile many amateur breeders were producing the odd gem. Mr Herring near Lincoln discovered 'Herring's Pippin' in 1908 while a more famous example is 'Ellison's Orange', bred in 1905 by the Revd. Ellison, at nearby Bracebridge. This has a distinct aniseed flavour and is still grown commercially at an orchard in Wyberton, being in the top twenty of British apples.

In the 1930's apple growers still did all their own grafting of new fruit wood onto existing trees. This job could be very long and hard work and may be one origin of the phrase 'Hard Graft'!

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Sadly the early 20th century heyday of local Lincolnshire apples came to an end for three reasons. Following the First World War the country house and its spectacular need for estate grown fruit declined dramatically. Secondly, improved transport exposed older varieties to the heavily marketed

Woolsthorpe manor near Grantham became the site of the most famous apple incident in 1665 when a large fruit of the variety 'Flower of Kent' fell close to where Isaac Newton sat - helping him formulate his theory on gravitation! commercial types, and finally, the massive change in land use during and following the Second World War when most of the old orchards were grubbed up to boost potato and wheat yields.

These trends have continued further with all apples subject to global competition and apple taste given over to uniform appearance by most supermarkets. Most small village orchards have disappeared under infill housing schemes. There are at least 26 street names in Lincolnshire with ‘Orchard’ in the title – implying the loss of an orchard.

Fortunately there is now a much greater appreciation of old Lincolnshire apples. Knowledge of old varieties, and the rediscovery of some, has come from various ‘Apple day’ events. Church Farm Museum in Skegness has a small orchard of Lincolnshire apples and at Cross

O'Cliffe Orchard, just south of Lincoln, local residents saved 60 old pear trees, plums and apples from being destroyed.

In a world where local apples cannot compete with foreign imports it is only by growing the old varieties ourselves that the unique Lincolnshire apple taste will be preserved for us and for future generations.

The future of Lincolnshire apples may lie ‘in the dustbin’ – or something rather like it!

For many modern smaller gardens the standard apple tree is too big. The suggested solution is to graft the old varieties on to dwarf rootstock, then planted into a tub the size of a dustbin would produce 40 or more apples a year.

Other devices can also fit old apples into new gardens such as miniature hedges and espalier trained trees. The more of us that grow them the safer they’ll be.

The author, photographed in their orchard, would particularly like to thank the staff at Church Farm Museum, Skegness, for their help in making this article.

Drawings by author.

Recipes by Rachel Green.

fig 21. Wild Apples Malus Sieversii AUTUMN/WINTER 2008

RECIPES

Roasted shallots with apples and cranberries

Sausage and carrot casserole with apple gravy

• SERVES 4, as a side dish

• SERVES 4

500g Shallots, peeled and left whole 2 Eating apples, peeled, cored and cut into large pieces 75g Dried cranberries 2tbsp Olive oil 1/2tbsp Soft light brown sugar 1tbsp Balsamic vinegar 1tsp Cinnamon

12 1tbsp 1 2 4 1 1tbsp 200ml 100ml 2 1tbsp 1tbsp

Preheat the oven to 190ºC/37º∞F/Gas Mark 5.

Place the shallots in a roasting tin and sprinkle over the olive oil, sugar, balsamic vinegar and cinnamon. Season with sea salt and black pepper and toss together so that the shallots are well coated. Roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Add the apple pieces, stir well and return to the oven for a further 10 - 15 minutes, until the shallots and apple are golden, sticky and caramelised. Scatter over the cranberries and return to the oven to heat through.

Serve as an accompaniment to pork chops, or as a side dish for Christmas.

Lincolnshire sausages Rapeseed oil Onion, peeled and finely chopped Large carrots, peeled and cut into 1cm dice Rashers streaky bacon, cut into dice Leek, washed, trimmed and finely sliced Plain flour Good quality apple juice Chicken stock Cox’s apples, peeled, cored and cut into large dice Wholegrain mustard Sage, finely chopped

Heat the oil in a large casserole dish, add the sausages and brown well on all sides. Remove and set aside. Add the onion, carrot, bacon and leek and cook for 10 - 15 minutes, until softened and starting to brown. Stir in the flour and cook for a further minute, then blend in the apple juice and stock. Bring to the boil, return the sausages to the pan, season with sea salt and black pepper and simmer gently for 25 minutes.

Add the apple pieces and cook for a further 10 - 15 minutes, until they have softened. Stir in the mustard and sage and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Serve with creamy mashed potato.

Get Well, Get Local Good Taste is going to follow the progress of the Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust as it takes the journey to put more locally sourced produce on its menus.

Mary Powell makes her first visit y first step was to meet Kirsty Edmondson-Jones who has been Director of Hotel Services for the past eight months. With 600 staff across three hospitals, covering catering, cleaning, portering and laundry Kirsty has quite an area to cover.

The Trust which already had a successful track record gained Foundation status in 2007. This gives them more freedom in their decision making and they decided to take back their catering in- house, Kirsty is passionate about quality ingredients and the opportunity to incorporate local produce onto the Trust’s menu whilst helping the local economy was an obvious choice.

It didn’t take me long to realise that Kirsty is one of those people who once determined on doing something is sure to make it happen. Originally from Lincolnshire, her parents ran a pub and she helped out in the kitchens and subsequently trained as a chef. Moving down south aged 19 she worked in London, becoming Director of Hotel Services at The Priory.

Was it a shock moving to the NHS from the private sector at its most top notch? Kirsty feels strongly that “patients at The Priory got better quicker because of the good food they were eating,” in fact she’s working on her dissertation on the effect of quality of food on length of hospital stay.

But she doesn’t see any reason why it can’t be better in the NHS and why she can’t make it happen on her patch “I know there are things we can do to make the quality better” she says “and moving from convenience to fresh, seasonal Lincolnshire veg is a first step.”

Kirsty has some 150 chefs in all and with an operation as large as this she is quite rightly taking the change to fresh and more locally sourced food in a phased approach. Tastes of Lincolnshire will follow their transformation, helping and advising where we can.

Kirtsy has already refurbished the Coffee shop at the Scunthorpe hospital.

Formerly a smoking room it has been transformed into a real oasis and with staff falling over themselves to work there it bodes well for the restaurant which is about to get the same treatment.

All the staff are very committed and Kirsty has picked just four who will work with Rachel Green at our Sausage and Potato Festival (October 25th)

M

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1

2

3

and at the Christmas Food and Drink Fair (November 29th/30th) On my second visit to meet the chefs, they were launching the new Lindsey Suite and were preparing a locally sourced buffet: Lincoln Red beef in little Yorkshire puds, plumbread and Poacher cheese, Lincolnshire sausages from Waters & Sons at Brigg and Pipers crisps.

Keith Hunt, from the Grimsby hospital and Graham Knight, Catering Manager at Scunthorpe will be two of our performers. I can report that they have both mastered the vital art of talking and cooking at the same time so I’m sure they’ll have some fun with Rachel.

I asked Graham who’s been at the Scunthorpe Hospital for 21 years what he thought of the move to local sourcing, “I think it’s great” he tells me “and it’s what people want locally.” Over 800 meals a day go out of his vast kitchen and responses from patients to the new meals are excellent.

Back in the Coffee Shop, Kirsty is proudly showing off the buffet. The majority of staff at the hospital seem to live very locally, everybody knows everybody and there’s a strong family atmosphere. As the photographer snaps away, she is the subject of much good natured joshing, with comparisons made to the film Calendar Girls and the need for bigger buns! It’s great that Kirsty is getting the support for what she’s doing and support in spades is definitely what I saw here and I’m very hopeful of what can be achieved.

Right at the end of our conversation I find out that her brother in law is local farmer Tom Wood who set up the High Wood Brewery so no wonder she knows all about local sourcing. We also discover that as a keen boater she shares my other passion for the regeneration of Lincolnshire’s Waterways. Coincidently it turns out that back in 2006 I had asked her father to act as a guinea pig by taking his narrow boat through a section of the River Ancholme that we’d newly opened. It’s a small world and we agree to keep it local!

1 Keith Hunt 2 Graham Knight 3 Kirsty in the Coffee Shop with hospital staff GOOD TASTE

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MASTERCLASS

You will need…

4 Ramekin dishes 200ml Passion fruit juice (approx 12 - 15 fruits) 1 Orange, juice of 15g Cornflour 8 Egg whites 75g Sugar Extra sugar for dusting

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1

2

3

4

5

6

• Remove the pulp from the passion fruits and liquidise for 30 seconds. Mix with a dash of orange juice and sugar to taste.

Sieve to remove the seeds.

• Smear the insides of the ramekins with butter and coat lightly with sugar.

• Place the passion fruit juice in a pan and warm. Dissolve the cornflour in a little water and slowly add to the passion fruit juice, mixing over a low heat with a wooden spoon until it thickens.Take off the heat.

• Put the egg whites into a perfectly clean bowl and whisk to a soft peak stage.

• Start adding the sugar gradually as you continue to whisk, until the mixture has doubled in volume (1).

• Fold the egg whites through the passion fruit juice mixture until they are incorporated evenly (2&3).

• Fill each ramekin dish (4), smooth the tops (5) and cook in a hot oven, 200ºC/400ºF/Gas Mark 6 for 8 minutes.

Serve immediately.

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Passion Fruit Soufflé Last November many visitors to our Christmas Food and Drink Fair watched in awe as Aaron Patterson, Head Chef at Hambleton Hall, demonstrated the making of the most gorgeous puddings.

We’re delighted to announce that Aaron will again be performing puddings and as something of a warm up act Good Taste asked him to give readers a masterclass.

This Passion fruit soufflé is something of a signature pud for Aaron, and as a very willing guinea pig I can honestly say that this is a pudding to impress, but even better to go into a quiet corner on your own with! Your choice…

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HEMSWELL & WILLOUGHTON See Lincolnshire’s only permanent maypole and visit the site of the mediaeval Knight’s Templar power and influence

HEMSWELL’S NAME COMES FROM THE OLD English for ‘Helm’s Spring’ which flowed from the nearby ‘cliff ’ creating a stream that formerly ran down Brook Street, but has now largely been covered over. Also in Brook Street is the ancient village pinfold for stray animals that was restored in 1977 as part of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee.

Outwardly All Saints church appears mostly Victorian, having been much restored between 1857 and 1865, although the tower dates from the 1760’s. A large plaque on the tower west wall records repairs and the removal of the south aisle in 1754. Internally however a good deal of C13th and C14th work remains.

The most astonishing sight though is the huge red, white and blue maypole standing at the junction of Church Street and Maypole Street; this is indeed a very rare survivor!

It too was restored in 1977 and is still used during the village’s May Day celebrations.

Still with a watery theme Willoughton is the “Place where the willows grow” whilst prehistoric, Roman and Saxon finds locally confirm a long history of occupation.

Moreover archaeological sites surround the village. First and foremost amongst any visible remains is a complicated area of earthworks 42 |

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and moats to the west of the village, which is partially crossed by our walk.This is known as Temple Garth and is all that remains of a C12th Knights Templar preceptory.This was a combined religious, farming and administrative centre for this renowned organisation of fighting knights-cum-monks who were founded in the 1150’s to defend Jerusalem and the Temple of the Holy Sepulchre (hence their name) from Turkish invasion.Their renown soon earned them vast income and estates in bequests from royalty and nobility throughout Europe, and Willoughton became their richest estate in England.

It is interesting to note that in 1545, just after the ‘Dissolution’, the Temple Garth estate was sold off intact and again in 1610 to the Earl of Scarborough. Over the centuries it was largely let to tenants and was sold again only in 1925; thus did a 700 hundred year-old estate survive until modern times!

To the east of the village, in the fields beyond the church, are more remains of mediaeval field systems, a settlement and another moat. It is possible therefore that Willoughton village has “migrated” to its present location.

Willoughton’s St Andrew’s church has also been largely rebuilt (in1794) but still retains

much of its mediaeval interior. If the church is not fully open the porch usually is and this allows a good view of the inside. Note the ancient funeral bier in the porch. (Details of the keyholder are displayed.)

Willoughton is also home to a racehorses stable so you may see these at exercise as some of the gallops are near the footpath back to Hemswell.

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Willoughton

Hemswell

START

THE WALK START Outside All Saints church, Hemswell.

MAPS OS Landranger 112 (Scunthorpe) : Explorer 281.

DISTANCE 4 miles : 6.5 kilometres.

TERRAIN Village lanes, farm tracks, meadows and good, level footpaths.

REFRESHMENTS Coffee Shop, Hemswell Antiques Centre.

Uncle Henry’s Farm Shop, Grayingham Grange.

NOTES Street parking only is available in Hemswell; please consider the villagers. Both the ‘Good Taste’ refreshment locations are off the walk route.The Antiques centre (Grid Ref. 948900) is signed from the A631 road.

Uncle Henry’s is outside Grayingham village, just east of the B1398 road at Grid Ref. 954958.

churchyard. Pass to the right of the church to a gate between two stone pillars, then follow a paved path leading to a kissing gate. Bear right along a meadow edge aiming to pass a long barn and exit at a road.

1 From the church head away from the

maypole and turn left into Dawnhill Lane.

At a bend, the junction with Brook Street, bear right past a telegraph pole (there’s a footpath sign) into a gravel drive between houses onto a track leading away from the village; this soon bends first to the left and then right to head towards Willoughton.

2 Continue until the track bears right a

second time and then cross the footbridge to your left.Walk through a copse to a kissing gate and from that keep forward beside a fence. At the fence corner simply keep ahead over a meadow to another kissing gate in the far hedge. Next cross a lane to a third kissing gate and continue ahead over another meadow, noting the grassy mounds of the earthworks.

Eventually come alongside another hedge to reach a field gate and join another lane.

4

Enter Long Lane, almost opposite, and at the end keep ahead to where the horse gallops begin and join a footpath on the right. Follow this delightful, leafy path for a mile to reach a meadow with two bridlegates close together in front of you.

After the second one veer right to a third bridlegate and rejoin outward route.

5 Return into Hemswell but this time turn

right down Brook Street past the restored pinfold, then go left along Maypole Street and left again back to the church.

3 Turn right and at Willoughton’s main

street bear left through the village. On reaching the war memorial bear right down Church Street to enter the

Hugh Marrows AUTUMN/WINTER 2008

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Victorian Brand Values Dr Mike Rogers takes a look at the origins of packaged food VICTORIAN BRITAIN WAS AT THE CENTRE OF a worldwide Empire. Ideas and ingredients flooded in to the country in ever increasing quantities. The abolition of the protectionist Corn Laws in 1846 led to the importation of cheap grain and cheap bread for the masses, but harmed domestic agriculture.

With the continued growth of towns and cities, ever more people completely lost control of the production of the food they consumed. It was no coincidence that the Victorian period saw food adulteration at its height. Basic ingredients were mixed with cheaper, sometimes poisonous, substances. For instance, flour might be contaminated with plaster of Paris or ground-up bones, and sulphuric acid might be added to vinegar. The problem was known to a Parliamentary inquiry in 1855 but legislation setting up food analysts was not passed until the 1870s.

Conscientious manufacturers began to protect their products by packaging them in distinctive wrappers, boxes and tins.

This was effectively the beginning of brands. Among those still produced today were Bird’s Custard Powder, 1837, Lyle’s Golden Syrup and Camp Coffee, 1885, and Hovis bread, 1890 (itself a rebrand of Smith’s Patent Germ Bread, of 1886).

The same applied to imported goods: Heinz baked beans were introduced to Britain from the United States in 1886.

Advertising was a natural partner to branding, so the period also saw the development of enamelled signs now so popular at stations on preserved steam railways.

The majority of the population was AUTUMN/WINTER 2008

reliant on small shops and market stalls for food. Some workers were compelled to shop in their employers’ own outlets, but the co-operative movement ensured that some working people could obtain quality foodstuffs at reasonable prices.

The Lincoln Equitable Co-operative Industrial Society Limited was founded in 1861 and was the forerunner of the present Lincolnshire Co-operative Ltd. Some other modern chains also had humble roots in the period: the first Sainsbury’s shop was opened in Drury Lane, London, in 1869, and Morrison’s began as an egg and butter stall in Bradford Market in 1899.

For the middle classes, the main meal of the day was dinner. This was generally taken at about 7.00pm at the beginning of the reign, but had moved to 8.00 or 8.30 within a decade or so. Ostentation and competition led to the use of expensive ingredients, elaborate recipes and, ideally, fashionable French chefs. A growing fashion was to serve meals as separate courses (à la Russe) rather than having all the main dishes arranged on the table at the beginning of the meal, as had hitherto been the case.

For the mistress of the house, printed recipe books and guides on how to run their households were available. The most famous of these is, of course, Isabella Beeton’s ‘Book of Household Management’ (1861), which in various versions had sold 337,000 copies by 1880.

The Menu for the annual Dinner of the Lincoln and Lincolnshire Association for the Prosecution of Felons, held at the Crown and Anchor Hotel, Lincoln on 2

April 1895, displays a varied but traditional meat-based selection of dishes:

Soups Ox Tail and Clear Fish Cod and Oyster Sauce Filleted Sole Whiting Removes Sirloin of Beef Saddle of Mutton Boiled Leg Mutton Lamb Roast Veal and Ham Boiled Turkey Roast and Boiled Chickens Tongue Game Jugged Hare and Guinea Fowls Sweets Plum, London and Strawberry Puddings Pastry Jellies Creams Stewed Fruit and Custard Cheese

The accompanying wine menu included four brands of Champagne, sparkling and still Hock, a sparkling Moselle, two Clarets, golden and pale Sherry, and Port.

While on the subject of drink, the influence of the Temperance movement should not be ignored. The movement grew steadily during the reign of Victoria, and was not just confined to Methodists and other nonconformists. One aspect of the movement was the opening of Coffee

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taverns, such as the ‘Rising Star’ at Louth in 1879. However, despite protests against the evils of drink there was no noticeable reduction in the number of licensed premises.

For urban dwellers, perhaps without the means of cooking at home, street stalls offered cheap ready-prepared food. Our national dish of fish and chips originated in the period.

For the very poor and the infirm, unable to support themselves, there was little alternative to entering the workhouse. Food for the inmates, like the living conditions in general, was fairly grim and bland: sufficient to keep them healthy but basic enough to discourage all but the desperate. There were three meals a day: breakfast, dinner and supper, of which dinner was the main meal, and the others were mainly bread-based. The main drink was tea, but coffee and cocoa were occasionally provided, and milk for the children. The Local Government Board specified rations for different 46 |

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classes of inmate such as: men not employed in work [plain diet or infirm diet], feeble women, children over three years of age and under eight, and so on.

Printed Dietaries were distributed, together with interpretative ingredient tables for calculating the amount of food required to prepare different quantities of each dish. The 1901 tables include such delights as vegetable broth (fresh vegetables, dripping, meat liquor, salt and pepper), haricot soup (raw beef, bones, haricot beans, vegetables, flour, dripping, salt, pepper, herbs and water), and minced collops (raw beef, onion and water). There were also puddings (fruit pudding, rice pudding and golden pudding) and, of course, gruel and porridge. There are no actual cooking instructions, but clearly nothing required more than a hob or an oven. You will note that the following ‘recipe’ for Sea Pie contains nothing even remotely associated with the sea:

Sea Pie (to make 1 lb) 5oz Raw beef, free from bone Fat 5oz Carrots, onions and turnips 1/4oz Flour Water, a sufficiency Pepper and salt, to taste 1/4oz

FOR CRUST 2oz Flour 3/4oz Fat Water, a sufficiency

The technology of the kitchen continued to develop in this period. ‘Closed’ ranges, which diverted heat from a coal fire into flues to warm the ovens, were patented in 1802 but were not widely used until the middle of the century. After that their popularity increased and they were installed in most new homes by the end of the century. Such a range can be seen in action at special events held at the AUTUMN/WINTER 2008

Museum of Lincolnshire Life. Gas ranges, which were considerably easier to clean, cheaper to run, and which could regulate the heat easier, were introduced in the 1850s but were not initially popular.

The best pans were made of copper, but these could cause verdigris poisoning if food was left in them for too long. Most were still made of iron, so were heavy and liable to rust if not carefully dried. There were also enamelled pans, but these contained toxic lead. New gadgets were continually introduced: among the expected pans, bowls, cutlery and 64 gruel pans for the prisoners described in an 1867 inventory of furniture and utensils in the kitchen at Lincoln Castle, are a board & rollers, weighing machine (listed separately from the scales), coffee mill and a potato masher.

Food preservation was revolutionized by the invention of the tin can, originally in 1810, but significantly improved in 1849. This simple device allowed meat, fish, fruit and vegetables to be sealed and AUTUMN/WINTER 2008

transported around the world.

Amazingly, chickens, turkeys and pheasants were sometimes tinned whole.

Staples such as beef were imported in vast quantities.

Transportation also underwent profound changes in this period.

Steamships made international trade easier and faster, while steam railways dramatically cut times for the movement of goods from ports or the countryside to urban areas.

Consumption of sugar increased dramatically as the nation discovered its sweet tooth. The following recipes are taken from a Recipe Book of Samuel Bartholomew, baker, of 18-20 Burton Road, Lincoln, dated 1879 [the spelling and punctuation have not been altered].

As you would expect, the majority of the recipes are for breads, cakes, biscuits and custards, or for components such as caramel and baking powder, and he sometimes recorded the prices he would charge.

Orange Jelley 3oz Gelatine steeped in one pint of water One quart of orange juice with pippins to be poured in a pan 3 whites and shells to be wisked up add the juice of 3 lemons Sweeten to taste 4/6 Quart 5/ Mould

Virginia Caramel Custard 5 whites 5 yolks beat 1/4lb sugar with yolks then add the beaten whites and 1 quart milk flavour with lemons pour in a butter mold set immediately in a pan of boiling water in a moderately hot oven bake about 1/2 hour when cold turn out on plate sugar the top bake in a hot oven

With thanks to the Museum of Lincolnshire Life in Lincoln for letting us photograph their range and collection of tins

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Is it last orders for Lincolnshire village pubs?

Annabel Skelton investigates…

T

he village pub, a national institution, is under real threat of becoming an endangered species.

It is a nationwide problem; pubs across Britain are closing at a rate of two per week, possibly more, according to the British Beer and Pub Association. The country pub that has been at the heart of village life for centuries is disappearing in many villages. Landlords say that a combination of cheap supermarket food and drink and the smoking ban are primarily to blame. The increase in value of residential property has also encouraged the change of use of rural pubs to housing.

Pubs should perform a vital role at the centre of rural communities; they could provide an important social function, offer employment opportunities and add to the attractiveness of an area for visitors. Publicans wishing to stay in business are having to find creative ways of increasing their income. Fortunately many Lincolnshire pubs are bucking the trend by diversifying into a range of opportunities that benefit the community as a whole and keep the village pub open.

‘Pub Is The Hub’ was set up in 2001 by the Prince of Wales. It encourages breweries, pub owners, licensees and local communities to work together to help retain and enhance rural pubs.

Making the pub the hub of a village helps to meet the daily needs of people of all ages in the communities they serve.

Lincolnshire has several pubs that have made the most of the support and advice offered by this initiative. Where there is no village hall, shop or post office, a pub may be the only meeting place, making it a one stop shop for essential rural services whilst offering great potential for AUTUMN/WINTER 2008

increasing business.

‘A pub should be a place you can pop into on a daily basis, its crucial to build the pub around the community and the communities needs’ says Ian Quill, owner of three village pubs in North Lincolnshire that have all diversified in different ways. The Queens Head at North Kelsey is a quaint family run pub with five en suite rooms that provide essential extra business. The Royal Oak in

Where there is no village hall, shop or post office, a pub may be the only meeting place, making it a one stop shop for essential rural services whilst offering great potential for increasing business the same village has a post office inside the pub that has become very popular with locals. Ian is certainly doing something right as his third pub, The Blacksmiths Arms at Rothwell has won CAMRA country pub of the year for two years running. This is certainly no ordinary village pub; as well as being a welcoming place first and foremost, they also just happen to do good food and provide a hot dinner for up to 400 school children at six nearby primary schools.

Ian incorporates local ingredients, employs local people and even uses a local taxi business to deliver the food.

Ian has received invaluable assistance from Pub Is The Hub, they helped secure grants to install a new purpose built kitchen and equipment for the school

meals service. Ian was initially approached by the head teacher of North Kelsey primary school about providing hot meals; very few primary schools in Lincolnshire have kitchens, but he soon realised he would need to find 3 or more other schools to come on board to make the project viable. With six schools now part of the scheme, Ian has increased his buying power and manages to keep the meals to a cost of £2 a day to parents. He employs 6 part time and 1 full time employees who are mainly mums from the schools that they serve and who are just as passionate about the whole project as Ian himself. ‘Despite a constant tightrope walk of keeping seasonal and within budget, the scheme is doing very well. I feel we have also encouraged the schools involved to develop their role with the children regarding eating seasonally and locally. The children also sometimes eat in the pub with their parents as they like to see where their school lunch is made,’ he says.

Ian feels that the smoking ban has helped pubs that serve food by encouraging families to come in and eat.

The menu at The Blacksmith’s is traditional pub food, using good ingredients simply cooked. The steak and ale pie, made with Lincoln red beef and local ale topped with homemade puff pastry is a popular choice. The chef also makes his own pasta daily and informs me that people say that his fresh Grimsby haddock with homemade chips and mushy peas is the best around.

A little further north, not far from the Humber Bridge, Peter and Stephanie Williams know a thing or two about making a village pub successful. Winners of the Tastes of Lincolnshire pub of the GOOD TASTE

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year 2007, the Thornton Hunt Inn at Thornton Curtis is the sort of delightful village pub you wish was around every country corner. They have owned the pub for eleven years and work exceptionally hard to maintain an old fashioned sense of hospitality. In a tiny parish of 300 people and with no village shop or school the Inn relies mainly on people travelling to it for its food ‘It’s not unusual for people to travel from 20 to 30 miles away to eat here’ explains Peter, ‘the homemade pies and lamb hot pot are particularly popular, followed by traditional puddings like jam roly poly and sticky toffee pudding.’ The pub also has 6 rooms available for bed and breakfast, a lovely beer garden; children’s play area and a great selection of local beers. Peter has also introduced a village night where villagers are encouraged to come out for a chat and a drink. It is interesting to note that villagers have to be encouraged to visit the pub in this way, when once the original purpose of a village pub was just that. How times have changed.

Food is also the main focus at another Lincolnshire inn that is a fine example of a village pub. The Bustard Inn at South Rauceby, a peaceful village in between Sleaford and Ancaster is a grade II listed stone building that dates back to 1860.

This stunning pub has been owned by village residents, Alan and Liz Hewitt for two years. ‘We couldn’t resist buying the pub when it became available,’says Liz. ‘We closed the pub for six months while we completely refurbished and have now been open for 14 months.’ Alan is a popular landlord, clearly enjoying his new role, he is cheerful and chatty and has been heavily involved in project managing the whole refurbishment.

Their son, Stuart, who manages the pub, completes the family team. Liz’s flair for interior design is obvious in the relaxed, airy interior of the pub. The A La Carte menu is a food lovers dream; full of deliciously described dishes such as fillet of Lincolnshire beef with rosti potato, red wine sauce and horseradish hollandaise or organic pork loin with fondant potato, red cabbage and apple relish. Homemade desserts like steamed chocolate sponge with chocolate sauce and malted milk ice cream are as AUTUMN/WINTER 2008

delectable as they sound. The bar menu is equally good, The Bustard Inn Ploughmans, features local Cote Hill cheeses, pork pie, homemade chutney and crusty bread.

Jazz night on Tuesdays is the perfect time to sample the weekly guest beer or the ‘Cheeky Bustard’ produced by a local micro brewery.

A little further down the road in Silk Willoughby, The Horseshoes’ landlord Ronnie Allen, believes that a pub has to serve quality food to survive. This is a locally sourced menu of homemade pub dishes priced for regular eating out with reduced priced meals for pensioners, food deliveries and takeaways. A quirky sideline offers second hand paperbacks,

Jazz night on Tuesdays is the perfect time to sample the weekly guest beer or the ‘Cheeky Bustard’ produced by a local micro brewery

donated by locals, with all proceeds to village improvements.

All of these pubs are fulfilling customer’s needs; something that pubs hoping to be successful need to achieve believes Jaclyn Bateman from Batemans Brewery. ‘We know that keeping pubs open is very important, people do want to go out and have a drink and a chat with other people. As a brewery we are looking very hard at ways of helping our tenants.’ she explains.

It seems that what we expect and want from our village pub has also changed over the past few years. As the hub of our community we want somewhere welcoming, to which we can bring our children, eat good food and have a drink or even just a coffee. If the pub can also provide vital services otherwise lacking such as a village store or post office, so much the better, but for those wishing to retain the ‘old fashioned boozer’; the future looks uncertain.

Photographs include:Three Kings Inn,Threekingham, The George at Leadenham,Village Limits, Woodhall Spa and The Bustard Inn, South Rauceby

Baked Lincolnshire Plum Bread and Butter Pudding From Phil Lowe, Head Chef at The Bustard Inn This recipe and method are simplicity itself and the use of Lincolnshire Plum Bread from Welbourne Bakery in Navenby makes the sweetest, richest and tastiest Bread and Butter Pudding I have ever tasted. To accompany this I would only serve clotted cream or ice cream as there is plenty of custard in the pudding itself. To finish the pudding once cooked, sprinkle a generous amount of caster sugar evenly on top and either place under a hot grill or use a blow torch to caramelize the sugar.

Allow to set before serving. This adds a wonderful bitter sweet crust to the pudding which gives texture and another dimension of flavour.

1 6 225g 500ml 500ml 125g 1

Large Lincolnshire Plum Bread Free range Eggs Caster Sugar Double Cream Milk Soft Butter Vanilla Pod

Slice the Plum bread into approximately 15 slices and spread with butter. Cut the slices into triangles and arrange neatly in an ovenproof dish measuring approximately 25cm x 15cm and about 8cm deep. Crack the eggs into a bowl and split the vanilla pod and scrape out the seeds. Add the vanilla and all the remaining ingredients together with the eggs and whisk until well incorporated.

Pour the custard mix over the Plum Bread and allow to soak in the fridge for at least 2 hours to allow the custard to soften the bread.

Place in a pre heated oven at 120ºC and bake for 30 - 40 minutes or until the pudding has set but still has a slight wobble to it. Glaze the pudding as mentioned above and allow the caramel to set and serve.

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Breakfast at Barbara's Ably assisted by Tony, directed by Rachel, photographed by Andy, with Mary on sampling duties

irkstead Old Mill Cottage run by Barbara and Tony Hodgkinson is one of those B&B's that always receives rave reviews. This couple, who've just celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary pride themselves on their warm welcome and attention to detail, told me they were looking for new breakfast ideas. So I knew they were wanting to maintain that quality edge and I know just the person to help. Rachel Green is big on breakfast - porridge in winter, muesli in summer. She adores boiled eggs, loves sausages, black pudding, devilled kidneys and a traditional family breakfast is poached eggs with cold ham, home made tomato chutney and granary toast. I think I've called on the right person, a true believer! We all agree to meet to ‘do breakfast’.

To say that Kirkstead Old Mill Cottage is in the middle of nowhere is a bit of a cliché, on the one hand they are just outside Woodhall Spa, beside the River Witham, on the other, their track is a mile long!

When they first came to view in 1972 they got half way down the track when Tony said: “Nobody in their right mind would build a house down here,” but they carried on and you guessed it, fell in love with the ruined cottage. For many years

K

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it was a holiday home and self-catering cottage, but in 2001 they moved here permanently and thought they'd just try running a B&B to see if they liked it.

I guess that if you like and are interested in people, that running a B&B is completely addictive. Neither is in the best of health, Barbara has 22 nuts and bolts in her leg from a bad break and Tony is just reaching the end of some cancer treatment; but as I watch them see off the last of that morning's guests I can see that they love every minute. I can't resist a quick look in the visitors book, the couple who have just left have said: “The best B&B by far!” They employ six part-timers in the business and I sense that they take pride in their contribution to the local economy.

We all move into the kitchen to start work, Barbara suddenly finds that separating eggs while being photographed is strangely more difficult, Tony is worried that the ladies at his Bridge Club will be ribbing him when they see these pictures!

Rachel hands out tasks, Barbara is on batter duty whilst Tony prepares his home grown Vanessa potatoes for the hash. We talk a lot - swapping gardening tips, discussing variations on the breakfast theme - laugh even more and then we breakfast.

Later when I leave, Tony tells me that everyone thought they were mad moving to such an out of the way place, now everyone is envious of this, most peaceful and idyllic of locations. How perceptions change.

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Lincolnshire vegetable breakfast hash • SERVES 4 4 Medium potatoes peeled or scraped and cut into 3cm cubes 1 Large onion peeled and finely diced 1 Red pepper peeled and cut into cubes 2 Flat mushrooms wiped and sliced 4 Spring onions washed and trimmed and cut into 1cm rings 1/2tsp Paprika 2 Tomatoes skinned and roughly chopped 50g Lincolnshire Poacher butter 1tbsp Sunflower oil 2tbsp Chopped parsley Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Place the potatoes into a saucepan and cover with cold water and salt. Bring to the boil and simmer until just tender. Drain and set aside.

Heat a frying pan until hot, add the oil, the butter, and when melted, add the onion and potatoes and fry for 3 minutes.Then add the red pepper, the mushrooms, spring onions and paprika and fry for a further 3 minutes, occasionally turning the mixture over in a pan with a fish slice, taking care not to break up the potato chunks. Add the tomatoes and the parsley, season well with the sea salt and black pepper. And cook for a further minute.

If you want the hash slightly more browned place under a preheated grill at maximum temperature for 3 - 4 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve on a warm plate, sprinkle with some grated Lincolnshire Poacher cheese and top with a softly poached egg.

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Sweetcorn fritters with dry cured Lincolnshire back bacon and local honey • SERVES 4 165g Freshly cooked sweetcorn kernels or drained weight from a can of sweetcorn kernels 4 Large spring onions trimmed and finely chopped 1tbsp Finely chopped parsley A good pinch of paprika or hot chilli powder 100g Self raising flour 2 Eggs separated 125ml Semi skimmed milk Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Sunflower oil for frying TO SERVE: 8 Rashers of Lincolnshire back bacon grilled 2tbsp Runny honey Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Whisk the egg yolks and milk together with the parsley and paprika or chilli and gradually add to flour whisking until smooth. Stir in the sweetcorn, season with sea salt and plenty of black pepper.

In a clean bowl whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks and fold into the batter using a metal spoon.

Heat a frying pan with a little sunflower oil, ladle spoonfuls of the batter into the pan to make individual fritters in batches of 3.This mixture should make 12 fritters. Fry the fritters for 2 - 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Serve with the bacon and drizzle with some runny Lincolnshire honey.

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Eggs Benedict with pan fried spinach

Lincolnshire breakfast frittata

• SERVES 4

• SERVES 4-6

4 Free range eggs poached 400g Baby spinach leaves washed 1tbsp Olive oil Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 English muffins split and toasted

8 1tbsp 1tbsp 30g 2 1/2 4 110g

FOR THE HOLLANDAISE SAUCE: 3 Free range egg yolks 1tbsp Water 1tbsp Freshly squeezed lemon juice 150g Lincolnshire Poacher butter cubed Heat a sauté pan with the olive oil, add the spinach leaves and cook until the spinach is just wilted, season with a little sea salt and black pepper and then drain thoroughly. Press out the excess water from the spinach with a potato masher whilst in the sieve. Keep the spinach warm.

TO MAKE THE HOLLANDAISE: Place the egg yolks, water and lemon juice in a blender or food processor and blitz the mixture together. Melt the cubes of butter over a gentle flame and as soon as it is melted take it off the heat. Start the blender and gently and slowly poor the hot melted butter in a thin stream to make a thick and creamy emulsion. If the sauce needs to be kept for a short time before use pour it into a bowl and set over a pan of hot water (not simmering but off the heat) stirring frequently.

Place half a toasted muffin on a warm plate, top with a helping of spinach, a poached egg and finish with the warm Hollandaise sauce, sprinkle with a little paprika and freshly ground black pepper.

Eggs Milk Olive oil Lincolnshire Poacher butter Rashers back bacon, diced An orange or red pepper, finely diced Spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped Grated Lincolnshire Poacher cheese A good handful of chopped basil leaves Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat a 25cm/10inch heavy based non stick deep frying pan and add the olive oil and butter. Add the bacon and fry for 1 minute, then add the pepper and spring onion and gently fry for a further 1 minute. Meanwhile gently mix the eggs, milk and grated cheese together with the chopped basil leaves, season the mixture, adding not too much salt because of the bacon.

Then add the egg mixture to the frying pan and cook on a low heat stirring the mixture around the pan with a wooden spoon until the mixture is nearly set. Shake the pan slightly and let the underside cook until golden brown, this will take anything up to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and run a flat bladed knife around the edge of the pan to make sure that the frittata is not stuck to any part of the pan. Place a plate over the top of the pan and invert the pan onto the plate so that the frittata is now on the plate.

Slide the non cooked side of the frittata back into the pan and cook the other side for 2 - 3 minutes until golden brown.

Remove from the pan onto a clean plate. Leave to rest for a couple of minutes and cut into thick wedges and serve with sauté potatoes and grilled tomatoes.

TIP: You can also top the spinach with a roasted flat field mushroom or a piece of griddled tomato.

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ACCOMMODATION LINCOLN CITY

Eagles Guest House 552A Newark Road, North Hykeham, Lincoln LN6 9NG Tel: 01522 686346 www.eaglesguesthouse.co.uk Friendly AA Four Diamonds Guest House. All rooms en-suite, ample private parking. French and Italian spoken. Easy access from A1/Newark.

COUNTRYSIDE

Black Swan Guest House 21 High Street, Marton, Gainsborough DN21 5AH Tel: 01427 718878 www.blackswanguesthouse.co.uk Rural located B&B offering en-suite rooms, internet access, private car park, licensed, easy access to Lincoln and Gainsborough.

Branston Hall Hotel Lincoln Road, Branston, Lincoln LN4 1PD Tel: 01522 793305 www.branstonhall.com Set in 88 acres of parkland and lakes, our award winning two AA Rosettes Lakeside Restaurant is renowned for its culinary excellence.

Byards Leap Cottage Bed and Breakfast Cranwell, Sleaford NG34 8EY Tel: 01400 261537

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www.byardsleapcottage.co.uk Attractive country cottage, in beautiful garden, offering good home cooking using local suppliers and our own fruit, vegetables and preserves.

Canal View Bed and Breakfast 6A Lincoln Road, Saxilby, Lincoln LN1 2NF Tel: 01522 704475 www.canal-view.co.uk Luxury en-suite accommodation, contemporarily furnished, with Egyptian cotton bed linen and soft fluffy towels. Close to Lincoln. Wi-fi internet access.

Chaplin House B&B 92 High Street, Martin LN4 3QT Tel: 01526 378795 www.chaplin-house.co.uk A warm welcome and a quiet, relaxing atmosphere in award winning, stylish accommodation.

Delicious breakfasts using local, mainly organic produce.

The Grange Kexby, Gainsborough DN21 5PJ Tel: 01427 788265 A welcoming Victorian farmhouse on a working farm. Homecooked food and produce. Convenient for Lincoln, Hemswell Antiques and the Wolds.

Kingthorpe Manor Farm Kingthorpe, Market Rasen LN8 5JF Tel: 01673 857290 www.kingthorpemanorfarm.com Historic farmhouse offering luxury

accommodation, peace and tranquillity. Spacious en-suite rooms, excellent facilities. Organic, homegrown and locally sourced produce.

Kirkstead Old Mill Cottage Tattershall Road, Woodhall Spa LN10 6UQ Tel: 01526 353637 www.woodhallspa.com Welcoming Star Award, country home, offering quality twin/double bedrooms, including fully accessible suite with wetroom. Full English and Gold Award healthy breakfasts.

Lincolnshire Lanes Log Cabins Manor Farm, East Firsby, Market Rasen LN8 2DB Tel: 01673 878258 www.lincolnshire-lanes.com Two, 6 berth log cabins set in stand of mature Christmas trees.

Complementary food hamper on arrival.

www.petwood.co.uk A delightful Edwardian Country House Hotel set in 30 acres of secluded gardens and woodland.

The Tennyson’s restaurant promotes local produce.

River Farm House B&B Clay Lane, Norton Disney, Lincoln LN6 9JS Tel: 01522 788600 Email: amandajane500@aol.com Relax and enjoy 4 star farmhouse accommodation. Convenient access to the historic city of Lincoln and market town of Newark.

Rose Cottage B&B, Wharf Lane, Kirkby on Bain, Woodhall Spa LN10 6YW Tel: 01526 354932 www.rosecottagebandb.net Stay in a mud and stud, thatch cottage dated 1604 with private facilities. Ideally situated in the centre of Lincolnshire.

The Manor House Stables The Manor House,Timberland Road, Martin LN4 3QS Tel: 01526 378717 www.manorhousestables.co.uk Quality self-catering accommodation near Woodhall Spa. Historic stables, restored using natural materials and heated by a wood pellet boiler and solar panels.

The Stables Studio 94 High Street, Martin, Lincoln LN4 3QT Tel: 01526 378528 www.stablesstudio.co.uk Cosy bed and breakfast en-suite accommodation within a converted stable block. Rural village setting and local produce for breakfast.

Petwood Hotel Stixwould Road, Woodhall Spa LN10 6QF Tel: 01526 352411

Sunnyside Farm B&B Leasingham Lane, Ruskington, Sleaford NG34 9AH Tel: 01526 833010

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Email: sunnysidefarm@btinternet.com Warm friendly welcome, golf courses, RAF Cranwell and Digby, Lincoln, Boston, Grantham, Newark all within easy reach. Children always welcome.

Thornton Hunt Inn Thornton Curtis, Near Ulceby, North Lincolnshire DN39 6XW Tel: 01469 531252 www.thornton-inn.co.uk Family run Grade II listed building extended to include six en-suite bedrooms. Rural village setting with homemade dishes on menu.

Village Limits Stixwould Road, Woodhall Spa LN10 6UJ Tel: 01526 353312 www.villagelimits.co.uk Friendly and relaxing serving homemade meals Tuesday - Saturday 12 - 2pm, 7 - 9pm, Sunday 12 - 2pm. 4 Star accommodation.

Best Pub 2006.

Washingborough Hall Hotel Church Hill, Washingborough, Lincoln LN4 1BE Tel: 01522 790340 www.washingboroughhall.com Washingborough Hall is a quintessential English country house.

Enjoy Head Chef Dan Wallis’s culinary treats in elegant and tranquil surroundings.

WOLDS

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All Seasons Self Catering Holidays 140-142 Eastgate, Georgian Conservation Area, Louth LN11 9AA Tel: 01507 604470 www.allseasonsuk.com East Midlands Self Catering Holiday of the Year 2006/7, stunning 1 and 2 bedroom apartments with complementary Lincolnshire produce welcome packs.

Beechwood Guest House 54 Willingham Road, Market Rasen LN8 3DX Tel: 01673 844043 www.beechwoodguesthouse.co.uk Comfortable accommodation, including ground floor bedroom, accessible by wheelchair. Excellent home-cooked meals served in our licensed dining room.

heart of the Lincolnshire Wolds. All rooms en-suite.

The Grange Torrington Lane, East Barkwith, Market Rasen LN8 5RY Tel: 01673 858670 www.thegrange-lincolnshire.co.uk A perfect retreat, offering bed and breakfast and self-catering. Excellent facilities and quality traditional home cooked cuisine, using local produce.

Hoe Hill House Bed & Breakfast Swinhope, Nr Market Rasen LN8 6HX Tel: 01472 399366 www.hoehill.co.uk Enjoy our home and award winning breakfasts. Beautiful scenic location convenient for Louth, Grimsby, Lincoln and coast. Relax and unwind.

Enfield Farm Cottages Main Street, Fulstow, Louth LN11 0XF Tel: 01507 363268 www.enfieldfarmcottages.co.uk Cottages are elegantly furnished converted barns, retaining original features on a working farm. East Midlands Tourism and Tastes of Lincolnshire Awards 2005/6.

Little Hen Bed & Breakfast Brigg Road, Grasby DN38 6AQ Tel: 01652 629005 www.littlehen.co.uk Quality en-suite rooms with breathtaking views, guest lounge.

Offering Lincolnshire sausages and our own eggs. “Experience the Tastes of Lincolnshire country life”.

Glebe Farm B&B Church Lane, Benniworth, Market Rasen LN8 6JP Tel: 01507 313231 www.glebe-farm.com Quality accommodation in listed 18th century farmhouse, in the

Milestone Cottage Bed & Breakfast 48 North Street, Horncastle LN9 5DX Tel: 01507 522238 www.milestone-cottage.co.uk Comfortable en-suite rooms with original features. Restaurants and

pubs in walking distance. Off-street parking. Close to Cadwell/Viking Way. Self-catering option.

The Paddock at Scamblesby Old Main Road, Scamblesby, Louth LN11 9XG Tel: 07787 998906 www.thepaddockatscamblesby.co.uk Modern 4 star ground floor accommodation in the heart of Lincolnshire Wolds – an ideal base from which to explore Lincolnshire.

Poachers Hideaway Flintwood Farm, Belchford, Horncastle LN9 5QN Tel: 01507 533555 www.poachershideaway.com Luxury self-catering cottages sleeps 2-24. 150 acres of wildflower meadows and ancient woodland.

Jacuzzi, sauna, holistic therapies and home-grown organic produce.

The Priory Hotel 149 Eastgate, Louth LN11 8AJ Tel: 01507 602930 www.theprioryhotel.com Enjoy a relaxing break in our gothic style hotel. We hope you will find it to be home away from home.

The Red Lion, Partney Skegness Road, Partney, Spilsby PE23 4PG Tel: 01790 752271 www.redlioninnpartney.co.uk Four star en-suite accommodation in quiet village. Award winning meals

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using local produce with daily specials and real ales.

Toynton Lodge Painting Holidays Toynton Lodge, Boston Road, Toynton All Saints, Spilsby PE23 5NP Tel: 01790 752876 www.artprofile.co.uk Painting holidays and day painting courses in most media, for all abilities, based in a listed Georgian house near Spilsby.

Westbrook House B&B Main Street, Gayton-le-Marsh, Alford LN13 0NW Tel: 01507 450624 www.bestbookwestbrook.co.uk Tranquil, spacious, modern en-suite accommodation between Wolds and deserted beaches. Delicious breakfasts and optional evening meals using special local produce.

West View B&B and Cottages South View Lane, South Cockerington, Louth LN11 7ED Tel: 01507 327209 www.west-view.co.uk Converted barn in rural village, relax and recharge, friendly atmosphere offering quality and comfort.

Disabled access and also selfcatering cottages.

COAST

Myrtle Lodge Guest House 60 Victoria Road, Mablethorpe LN12 2AJ

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Tel: 01507 472228 www.myrtlelodge.co.uk Excellent home cooked meals served in our licensed dining room.

Comfortable accommodation including two ground floor wheelchair accessible disabled bedrooms.

Skegness PE24 4QH Tel: 01754 830316 www.willowfarmholidays.co.uk Bed and breakfast and self-catering one bedroom cottage on family farm with ponies, goats, hens and ducks. Superb location.

FENS

Poplar Farm Shop and Holiday Cottages Crabtree Lane, Sutton-on-Sea LN12 2RS Tel: 01507 443112 www.poplar-farm.org.uk Quality self-catering cottages near the coast, set in the ancient meadows of Sutton Ings.

The Ramblers Guest House Sutton Road,Trusthorpe, Nr Mablethorpe LN12 2PY Tel: 01507 441171 www.theramblers.info Come and stay with us at The Ramblers and enjoy freshly cooked local produce, where the menus are changed daily.

Sandgate Hotel 44 Drummond Road, Skegness PE25 3EB Tel: 01754 762667 www.sandgate-hotel@tiscali.co.uk Friendly welcome by local Lincolnshire hosts. Good home cooked meals. Ten rooms, 3 star licensed guest accommodation.

Near to town centre.

Willow Farm Thorpe Fendykes, Wainfleet,

Earlscroft Farm Sibsey Road, Boston PE22 0RL Tel: 01205 350426 www.earlscroftfarm.co.uk 5 Star newly converted barn with private walled garden. Proud to supply locally sourced produce.

Ideally placed to explore the Fens and the Wolds.

Elms Farm Cottages Hubberts Bridge, Boston PE20 3QP Tel: 01205 290840 www.elmsfarmcottages.co.uk Award winning four and five star barn conversion into eight self catering ground floor cottages. Walk to local pub. Golf and fishing.

Ferryboat/Boston West Hotel Main Road, Langrick, Boston PE22 7AJ Tel: 01205 280273 Email: thegrantgroup@btconnect.com Olde World pub/restaurant specializing in fine dining. Farmer owned so own grown vegetables and meat where possible. Large function room and gardens.

VALES

Hambleton Hall Hambleton, Oakham, Rutland LE15 8TH Tel: 01572 756991 www.hambletonhall.com The ultimate in small country house hotels with elegant surroundings, spectacular lakeside views, the Michelin-starred restaurant is rated amongst England’s very best.

The Olde Barn Hotel Toll Bar Road, Marston NG32 2HT Tel: 01400 250909 www.theoldebarnhotel.co.uk Try our Lincolnshire Tapas in our Barn Bar or our restaurant menu featuring the best of local produce.

PUBS & RESTAURANTS LINCOLN CITY

The Old Bakery Restaurant with Rooms 26/28 Burton Road, Lincoln LN1 3LB Tel: 01522 576057 www.theold-bakery.co.uk The award winning 4 star, 2AA Rosette Restaurant won Tastes of Lincolnshire and Lincolnshire Life Restaurant of the year in 2006.

COUNTRYSIDE

Branston Hall Hotel Lincoln Road, Branston, Lincoln LN4 1PD

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Tel: 01522 793305 Email: info@branstonhall.com www.branstonhall.com Our lakeside restaurant has recently been awarded two AA Rosettes and is renowned for its culinary excellence.

Bridge Inn Gainsborough Road, Saxilby LN1 2LX Tel: 01522 702266 www.thebridgeinnsaxilby.com Fine dining and home-cooked fayre.

Cater for all occasions including birthdays etc, recently obtained civil wedding licence. New chef Marc Jakubik.

The Bustard Inn & Restaurant 44 Main Street, South Rauceby, Sleaford NG34 8QG Tel: 01529 488250 www.thebustardinn.co.uk This beautiful 19th Century village pub provides the very best in fine dining and bar meals, excellent real ales and fine wines.

The Butcher and Beast High Street, Heighington, Lincoln LN4 1JS Tel: 01522 790386 Very popular village pub serving a wide selection of real ales and home cooked food with a large beer garden.

Café Blue at Alfords Garden Centre Grimsby Road, Laceby, Grimsby

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DN37 7DY Tel: 01472 871280 Email: peterskiba@btconnect.com Serving home-cooked food all day, breakfast, lunches, local fresh fish and Sunday Roast. Open daily 9am 5pm, late Friday nights. Coaches welcome.

Cogglesford Mill Cottage Restaurant and Coffee Shop East Road, Sleaford NG34 7EQ Tel: 01529 309409 www.cogglesfordmillcottage.co.uk Cosy and friendly place to meet for coffee, lunch, casual or à la carte evening meals. Fresh local produce, no smoking restaurant.

Four Seasons Garden Centre London Road, Silk Willoughby, Sleaford NG34 8NY Tel: 01529 304966 Email: info@fourseasonsgardencentre.co.uk A family run garden centre and restaurant, serving homemade meals and snacks throughout the day, 7 days a week.

The Finch Hatton Arms 43 Main Street, Ewerby, Sleaford NG34 9PH Tel: 01529 460363 www.thefinchhattonarms.co.uk 17th Century hunting lodge, 2 bars, 2 restaurants, 8 letting rooms all ensuite. Refurbished garden area.

Large parties catered for.

The George Hotel High Street, Leadenham LN5 0PN

Tel: 01400 272251 www.thegeorge-hotel.com An Old English Coaching Inn specialising in local produce especially Lincoln Red Beef, also a stock of over 600 whiskeys.

The Horseshoes London Road, Silk Willoughby, Sleaford, NG34 8NZ Tel: 01529 303153 Very popular village pub serving real ales and a fine selection of home cooked food.

The Loft Restaurant Above Grandads Shed, 10 Wrawby Street, Brigg DN20 8JH Tel: 01652 650416 www.grandads-shed.com Try our signature dish Game Pie. 9am - 5pm, Monday - Saturday.

Special Sunday Lunches and monthly Italian evenings – reserve your table.

MaCh Indian Restaurant Wragby Road East, North Greetwell, Lincoln LN2 4RA Tel: 01522 754488 www.machrestaurant.co.uk Modern, contemporary Indian Restaurant offering high quality authentic Indian food in a relaxed environment, with separate cocktail bar facilities.

The Pink Pig Farm Shop and Restaurant Holme Hall, Holme, Scunthorpe DN16 3RE

Tel: 01724 844466 www.pinkpigorganics.co.uk Fully licensed restaurant in rural site serving homemade breakfasts, lunches and teas. Made from fresh Lincolnshire produce … come and taste the difference The Queens Head Station Road, North Kelsey Moor, LN7 6HD Tel: 01652 678055 www.queens-head.biz A delightful country inn and restaurant with five en-suite bed and breakfast rooms.

Royal Oak High Street, North Kelsey, LN7 6EA Tel: 01652 678544 Popular village pub serving traditional English food in a bright modern environment.

Thornton Hunt Inn Thornton Curtis, Near Ulceby, North Lincolnshire DN39 6XW Tel: 01469 531252 Email: peter@thornton-inn.co.uk Family run Grade II listed building serving traditional homemade bar food. Previous winner of ‘Lincolnshire Taste of Excellence Awards’. Food served daily 12 2pm and 6.30 - 9pm.

Three Kings Inn Saltersway,Threekingham, Sleaford NG34 0AU Tel: 01529 240249 www.threekingsinn.co.uk

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Quintessentially old English coaching inn steeped in history providing fine dining, real ales, continental lagers and wide selection of wines.

Village Limits Stixwould Road, Woodhall Spa LN10 6UJ Tel: 01526 353312 www.villagelimits.co.uk Friendly and relaxing serving homemade meals Tuesday - Saturday 12 2pm, 7 - 9pm, Sunday 12 - 2pm. 4 Star accommodation. Best Pub 2006.

Washingborough Hall Hotel Church Hill, Washingborough, Lincoln LN4 1BE Tel: 01522 790340 www.washingboroughhall.com Washingborough Hall is a quintessential English country house.

Enjoy Head Chef Dan Wallis’s culinary treats in elegant and tranquil surroundings.

Winteringham Fields Tel: 01724 733096 www.winteringhamfields.com Winteringham Fields is one of the most individual and secret places you could wish to stumble across, with an ambience and cuisine to rival Europe’s finest.

WOLDS

The Blacksmiths Arms Hillrise, Rothwell, LN7 6AZ Tel: 01472 371300 Traditional village pub serving excellent local produce and a wide

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range of cask ales. CAMRA Country Pub of the year 2007 and 2008.

The Coach and Horses Hemingby, Horncastle LN9 5QF Tel: 01507 578280 http://coachandhorses.mysite.orange. co.uk Traditional village pub just outside Horncastle serving a range of real ales and good quality fairly priced bar meals.

The Greyhound Inn 38 Upgate, Louth LN11 9EX Tel: 01507 604685 Introducing our new restaurant serving classic British dishes, including Sunday lunch, and modern world cuisine using locally sourced fresh produce.

The Half Moon Hotel and Restaurant 25-28 West Street, Alford LN13 9DG Tel: 01507 463477 www.halfmoonhotelalford.co.uk Comfortable three star privately owned hotel with a traditional English restaurant serving an extensive menu including many local Lincolnshire foods.

The Haywain Motel and Restaurant Ulceby Cross, Alford LN13 0EY Tel: 01507 462786 www.haywainmotel.co.uk A warm welcome awaits, in our family run motel and restaurant.

Experience locally sourced produce, cooked fresh to your taste.

Magpies Restaurant 71-75 East Street, Horncastle LN9 6AA Tel: 01507 527004 www.eatatthemagpies.co.uk Award winning restaurant, offering lunch and dinner menu of modern British/French cuisine using top quality mainly local produce.

Melanie’s Restaurant 37 Upgate, Louth LN11 9HD Tel: 01507 609595 Email: melanies.restau@btinternet.com A local restaurant serving freshly made dishes, created from the finest ingredients the Lincolnshire Wolds has to offer.

The Railway Tavern Main Road, Aby, near Alford LN13 0DR Tel: 01507 480676 Come and enjoy the real fires, home-cooked food and ale - a warm welcome awaits! Newly refurbished with extensive menus.

The Red Lion, Partney Skegness Road, Partney, Spilsby PE23 4PG Tel: 01790 752271 www.redlioninnpartney.co.uk Excellent award winning homemade meals using locally sourced fresh produce. Daily specials and real ales, four star accommodation.

The Red Lion Main Road, Revesby, Boston PE22 7NU

Tel: 01507 568665 www.redlionrevesby.co.uk A comfortable country public house.

Well known for home cooked meals and good beer. AA 4 star approved guest accommodation available.

Serendipity at The Priory 149 Eastgate, Louth LN11 9AJ Tel: 01507 602930 www.theprioryhotel.com No menu, just several tasty courses of simple, locally inspired food served in special but relaxed surroundings. Booking essential.

Shakesby’s Restaurant 5 West Street, Horncastle LN9 5JE Tel: 01507 526626 www.shakesbys.com Rustic English food cooked by award winning chef. Open Monday – Saturday 5pm til late. Beat the Clock Monday – Friday 5 - 6.30pm.

COAST

The Barley Mow Sea Lane, Friskney, Boston PE22 8SD Tel: 01754 820883 Excellent home-cooked meals, using locally sourced fresh produce.

Comfortable and relaxing environment with friendly efficient service.

The Countryman Chapel Road, Ingamells PE25 1ND Tel: 01754 872268 Email: countryman_inn@btconnect.com Village pub with a separate family

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room serving traditional homemade food using local ingredients.

Home of Leila Cottage Brewery, Poplar Farm Restaurant Chapel Lane, Addlethorpe, Skegness PE24 4TG Tel: 01754 765174 www.poplarfarmrestaurant.co.uk Restaurant overlooking the Wolds, serving prime fresh local produce with theatrical flair. Open Wednesday to Saturday evenings, Sunday lunch and by arrangement.

Seacroft Bar Seacroft Holiday Estate, Sutton Road,Trusthorpe, Mablethorpe LN12 2PN Tel: 01507 472421 www.seacroftcaravanpark.com Seacroft Bar offers a warm and friendly welcome. Why not enjoy our locally sourced menu and daily specials.

Windmill Restaurant 46 High Street, Burgh le Marsh, Skegness PE24 5JT Tel: 01754 810281 www.windmillrestaurant.co.uk Freshly cooked local produce, friendly efficient service, homemade desserts, open Wednesday to Saturday 11.30am - 9pm, Sunday 12noon onwards.

FENS

Black Orchid Bistro @ The White Hart Hotel

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1-5 High Street, Boston PE21 8SH Tel: 01205 311900 www.blackorchidbistro.co.uk Serving to residents and nonresidents seven nights a week and Sunday lunch serving traditional food using local produce from the Boston area.

Ferryboat/Boston West Hotel Main Road, Langrick, Boston PE22 7AJ Tel: 01205 280273 Email: thegrantgroup@btconnect.com Olde World pub/restaurant specializing in fine dining. Farmer owned so own grown vegetables and meat where possible. Large function room and gardens.

VALES

Hambleton Hall Hambleton, Oakham, Rutland LE15 8TH Tel: 01572 756991 www.hambletonhall.com The ultimate in small country house hotels with elegant surroundings, spectacular lakeside views, the Michelin-starred restaurant is rated amongst England’s very best.

The Olde Barn Hotel Toll Bar Road, Marston NG32 2HT Tel: 01400 250909 www.theoldebarnhotel.co.uk Try our Lincolnshire Tapas in our Barn Bar or our restaurant menu featuring the best of local produce.

Stewards Restaurant Belvoir Castle, Belvoir, Grantham NG32 1PE Tel: 01476 871024 www.belvoircastle.com Tearoom/restaurant in the Old Stewards Room at Belvoir Castle, specialising in traditional English food using locally sourced produce.

TEAROOMS, COFFEE SHOPS & CAFES LINCOLN CITY

Café Portico The Terrace, Grantham Street, Lincoln LN2 1BD Tel: 01522 845051 www.cafeportico.co.uk Relaxed and friendly, unique café bar at the heart of Lincoln’s cultural quarter, fully licensed, serving home cooked fresh produce.

Cloister Refectory - Lincoln Cathedral Lincoln Cathedral, Lincoln LN2 1PX Tel: 01522 576464 Email: cloisterrefectory@lincolncathedral. com Relax and enjoy a selection of freshly prepared snacks and light meals. We are open all year and offer a warm welcome.

Ice Cream Parlour 3 Bailgate, Lincoln LN1 3AE Tel: 01522 511447

www.dennetts.co.uk Have a cone or try an ice cream sundae in our 14th century cellar tearoom in the historical area of Lincoln.

Stokes High Bridge Café (since 1902) 207 High Street, Lincoln LN5 7AU www.stokes-coffee.co.uk Morning coffee, breakfast, luncheon and afternoon teas. Popular café in beautiful 16th Century building overlooking the River Witham. Open everyday.

COUNTRYSIDE

Café Blue at Alfords Garden Centre Grimsby Road, Laceby, Grimsby DN37 7DY Tel: 01472 871280 Email: peterskiba@btconnect.com Serving home-cooked food all day, breakfast, lunches, local fresh fish and Sunday Roast. Open daily 9am - 5pm, late Friday nights.

Coaches welcome.

The Cockerel’s Kitchen Top Town Indoor Market, Old Bull Ring, Grimsby DN31 1EB Tel: 01472 310736 / 07826 436326 www.cockerelcatering.co.uk Stylish market café serving delicious daily specials, freshly filled baguettes, tasty soup and handmade bread rolls, homemade cakes and deserts.

Devon Dumpling Tearoom Branston Moor Nursery, Moor Lane,

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Branston LN4 1HZ Tel: 01522 790022 www.growinggifts.co.uk A little bit of Devon in Lincolnshire, homemade cakes and scones, light lunches. Open 10.30am - 4.30pm, closed Mondays except Bank Holidays.

Doddington Farm Shop and Café Doddington Hall, Lincoln LN6 4RU Tel: 01522 688581 www.doddingtonhall.com Stunning farm shop and popular café (booking recommended) homebaked bread, cakes and food to go.

Also home-grown vegetables, Phipps butchers and deli.

Food for Thought Coffee Shop Rectory Lane, Branston, Lincoln LN4 1NA Tel: 01522 797970 Relaxed, friendly atmosphere, serving teas, coffee, cakes, light lunches and all day breakfast. Open Monday Friday 9am - 3.30pm, Saturday 9am - 4pm.

Gainsborough Old Hall Tea Rooms Parnell Street, Gainsborough DN21 2NB Tel: 01427 612669 Email: gainsborougholdhall@lincolnshire. gov.uk Medieval manor house open to the public. Light refreshments, locally sourced and freshly made on the premises.

AUTUMN/WINTER 2008

Hemswell Antiques Coffee Shop Hemswell Antiques Centre, Caenby Corner Estate, Hemswell Cliff, Gainsborough DN21 5TJ Tel: 01427 668389 Email: enquiries@hemswellantiques.com Open everyday 10am - 5pm.

Choose from a selection of homemade cakes and coffees or a freshly prepared lunch or light snack.

The Hub Sleaford Navigation Wharf, Carre Street, Sleaford NG34 7TW Tel: 01529 308710 www.thehubcentre.org The Riverside Café offers the chance to relax with light meals and excellent coffee in stylish surroundings. Open Tues - Sat 10am - 4.30pm, Sun - Mon 11am -4.30pm.

The Kitchen Sleaford Road, Nocton Heath, Lincoln LN4 2AN Tel: 01522 811299 www.thekitchenatnoctonheath.co.uk Traditional English fayre with fresh Lincolnshire produce, all starters, puddings and main meals are homemade on the premises.

Normanby Hall Country Park Normanby, Scunthorpe DN15 9HU Tel: 01724 720588 Email: normanby.hall@northlincs.gov.uk Regency Hall set in beautiful parkland and award-winning

gardens. Café and shop with organically grown heritage fruit and vegetables, wedding venue.

The Pink Pig Farm Shop and Restaurant Holme Hall, Holme, Scunthorpe DN16 3RE Tel: 01724 844466 www.pinkpigorganics.co.uk Homecooked (and often homegrown!) breakfasts, lunches and teas in our lovely pine-beamed restaurant. Delicious gooey cakes and fresh scones.

Uncle Henry’s Farmshop & Coffee Stop Grayingham Grange Farm, Grayingham, Gainsborough DN21 4JD Tel: 01652 640308 www.unclehenrys.co.uk Freshly brewed tea and coffee, delicious homemade cakes, light lunches, snacks and specials all home-cooked in our on-site kitchen.

Whisby Natural World Centre Moor Lane,Thorpe on the Hill, Lincoln LN6 9BW Tel: 01522 688868 www.naturalworldcentre.com Tastes of Lincolnshire, beautiful views, drinks, snacks and lunches, Sunday roasts, celebrations, weddings and business lunches.

Open daily 10am - 4.30pm.

WOLDS

Alford Five Sailed Windmill & Tea Room East Street, Alford LN13 9EQ Tel: 01507 462136 Email: enquiries@fivesailed.co.uk Stylish tea room with all day menu and healthy eating. Soups, vegetarian, light meals, cakes, cream scones.

Applebys Ices Main Road, Conisholme, Louth LN11 7LT Tel: 01507 359002 Manufacturing our family’s ice cream since 1913. Supplying wholesale, retail and attending functions. Visit our famous parlour at Conisholme.

Botts Coffee Shop Crowders Garden Centre, Lincoln Road, Horncastle LN9 5LZ Tel: 01507 528610 Open daily Monday to Saturday 9.30 - 4.30, Sunday 10.30 - 4.30.

Variety of home-made cakes, snacks and lunchtime treats.

Jossals Coffee Shop & Bistro The Old Post Office, 7 Queen Street, Market Rasen LN8 3EH Tel: 01673 844221 A warm welcome 7 days a week.

We use fresh local produce, something for everyone. Also open Friday/Saturday evenings.

Perkins’ Pantry 7 Mercer Row, Louth LN11 9JG Tel: 01507 609709 www.lincsuk.com/perkinspantry.htm Traditional English licensed family

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restaurant and tea room. Runner-up in Tastes of Lincolnshire Awards 2007. Special diets accommodated, including coliac.

Shortcakes Coffee Shop Market Place, Wragby, Market Rasen LN8 5QU Tel: 01673 857500 Email: sue@posh-nosh.mobi Coffee Shop selling products made to an excellent standard. Daily specials. Homemade cakes sold to the public and retail.

Tealby Tea Rooms 12 Front Street,Tealby, Market Rasen LN8 3XU Tel: 01673 838261 www.tealbytearooms.co.uk Open March - October 7 days, 11am - 5.30pm for hot and cold snacks, homemade cakes, delicious cream teas and local icecream.

Wold View Tea Room and Bed & Breakfast Wold View House, Bully Hill Top, near Tealby, Market Rasen LN8 6JA Tel: 01673 838226 www.woldviewhouse.co.uk A delightful traditional English tea room. Serving home-made fayre from locally sourced produce.

Winner of the Best Tea Room Award 2005/06.

COAST

Chapel Garden Centre Coffee Shop Skegness Road, Chapel St Leonards,

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Skegness PE24 5UB Tel: 01754 873558 www.chapel-gardencentre.co.uk Relaxed atmosphere, open every day for hearty breakfasts, snacks, roast lunches and afternoon tea.

Quality coffee and icecreams available. Coaches welcome.

Chestnut Tea Rooms and Farmshop A17, Main Road, Gedney, Spalding PE12 0BS Tel: 01406 363123 A friendly country tea rooms and farmshop offering traditional home cooking – lunches, snacks, cream teas and Sunday lunches.

The Point Café, Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve Gibraltar Road, Skegness PE24 4SU Tel: 01754 898057 Email: gibvisitorcentre@hotmail.co.uk Enjoy delicious food and drink at The Point Café in attractive and friendly surroundings.

Townleys Farm Shop and Restaurant Main Road, East Kirkby, Spilsby PE23 4BY Tel: 01790 763729 Local fruit, veg, meats, flour and cheese. Restaurant serving homecooked all day breakfast, lunches, tea and Sunday Roast. Open daily 9am–6pm.

Poplar Farm Shop and Holiday Cottages Crabtree Lane, Sutton-on-Sea LN12 2RS Tel: 01507 443112 www.poplar-farm.org.uk Fine honey, preserves, jam, jellies and chutneys, cakes, Poacher cheese, plum bread and Lincolnshire hampers. Tea shop and art gallery.

Skyline Café Butlins Skegness Tel: 01754 762311 Ext 5328 Email: ethan.butaker@bourneleisure.co.uk Skyline Café freshly produced sandwiches, baguettes, smoothies and pastries. We are located in the hub of the entertainment at Butlins Skegness, serving delicious snacks daily.

FENS

VALES

Café Leo 75 Westgate, Grantham NG31 6LA Tel: 01476 576742 www.cafeleo.co.uk Serving fresh, home-made food in comfortable surroundings, Monday Saturday 9am - 4pm, some weekend evenings – see website for event details.

Syston Park Farm Shop & Café Syston Park, Nr Grantham NG32 2BZ Tel: 01400 250000 Delicious home cooked food made with specially selected locally sourced seasonal produce served in peaceful and beautiful surroundings.

CATERERS & FUNCTION VENUES Batemans Brewery & Visitors Centre Salem Bridge Brewery, Wainfleet, Skegness PE24 4JE Tel: 01754 880317 www.bateman.co.uk Open daily 11.30am - 3.30pm, Lincolnshire food served 12 - 2pm.

Tour of the brewhouse 12.30 and 2pm, April - October.

Branston Hall Hotel Lincoln Road, Branston, Lincoln LN4 1PD Tel: 01522 793305 www.branstonhall.com Set in 88 acres of parkland and lakes, our award winning two AA Rosettes Lakeside Restaurant is renowned for its culinary excellence.

Ferryboat/Boston West Hotel Main Road, Langrick, Boston PE22 7AJ Tel: 01205 280273 Email: thegrantgroup@btconnect.com Olde World pub/restaurant specializing in fine dining. Farmer owned so own grown vegetables and meat where possible. Large function room and gardens.

Figgerz of Lincoln 1 Newland, Lincoln LN1 1UX Tel: 01522 576277 Email: gomoun@aol.com Organic and fresh local produce –

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day café and bespoke outside catering - we’ll set you up to impress. ‘Catering for a Healthy Lifestyle’.

Hemswell Court Ltd Lancaster Green, Hemswell Cliff, Nr Gainsborough DN21 5TQ Tel: 01427 668508 www.hemswellcourt.com Lincolnshire’s premier venue for weddings, banqueting and conferences is exclusively yours on day of your event. 5 Stars awarded by the AA. ‘Hungry Pig’ Outside Caterers 2 Station Road, Bardney, Lincoln LN3 5UA Tel: 07940 263751 www.hungrypig.co.uk Hog roast and BBQ specialists, serving private and corporate functions across the country with some of Lincolnshire’s finest foods.

Market Rasen Racecourse Legsby Road, Market Rasen LN8 3EA Tel: 01673 843434 www.marketrasenraces.co.uk Lincolnshire’s own racecourse, set in rural surroundings. A great corporate or family day out.

Extensive corporate and banqueting facilities available.

The Pink Pig Farm Shop and Restaurant Holme Hall, Holme, Scunthorpe DN16 3RE Tel: 01724 844466

AUTUMN/WINTER 2008

www.pinkpigorganics.co.uk Lovely rural venue for meetings/conferences, 3 minutes from J4, M180. Seats 40 theatre style, 20 boardroom. Homemade breakfasts, lunches and teas.

This Little Piggy Tel: 01673 818481 / 01652 648362 Private or corporate events, catering from 30 upwards. Mobile hog roast specialists in Lincolnshire Pork and Lincoln Red Beef.

Uncle Henry’s Farmshop & Coffee Stop Grayingham Grange Farm, Grayingham, Gainsborough DN21 4JD Tel: 01652 640308 www.unclehenrys.co.uk Distinctive rural venue for meetings/conferences. Eight miles from M180. Seats 50 theatre-style and 30 boardroom-style. Full catering facilities.

FARMSHOPS, RETAILERS & DELIS Abbey Parks Farm Shop Parks Farm, East Heckington, Boston, Lincs PE20 3QG Tel: 01205 821610 www.abbeyparks.asparagus.co.uk Open 9-5 Monday to Saturday, 9.3 - 5 Sunday.Vast selection of homegrown and local vegetables, cheese and meats. Coffee shop serving homecooked food and Sunday lunch.

The Bakery & Delicatessen 14 The Broadway, Woodhall Spa LN10 5ST Tel: 01526 352183 www.woodhallbakery.co.uk Beautiful bakery, fantastic delicatessen, this bakery and delicatessen offers a feast of thousands of foods local and worldwide, simply magnificent.

James & Lucy Barclay Abbey Farm, Stixwould, Woodhall Spa LN10 5HR Tel: 01526 351739 www.abbey-farm.co.uk Traditional home reared Lincoln Red Beef, Gloucester Old Spot Pork, Jacob and Lincoln Longwool Lamb.

Visitors welcome, please phone first.

Mail order.

Chestnut Tea Rooms and Farmshop A17, Main Road, Gedney, Spalding PE12 0BS Tel: 01406 363123 Local produce a speciality – honey, eggs, stoneground flour, homemade cakes, farm produce, gifts, baskets – and a tea room too!

Church Farm Shop Main Street, South Scarle, Newark on Trent NG23 7JH Tel: 01636 892003 www.churchfarmshop.co.uk Award winning shop on a working farm, home-grown vegetables, home-made cakes, lots of local produce. Open Tuesday - Saturday 9am - 5pm

Doddington Farm Shop and Café Doddington Hall, Lincoln LN6 4RU Tel: 01522 688581 www.doddingtonhall.com Home-grown vegetables, FC Phipps Butchers, large deli, huge selection of local food: regional and “best of the rest”. Stunning café (booking recommended).

Field Farm Organics Field Farm, High Toynton, Horncastle LN9 6NL Tel: 01507 523934 www.fieldfarmorganics.co.uk Working organic farm with farmshop, supplying home-grown vegetables, eggs, chickens, traditional lamb, rare-breed Berkshire pork, sausages, bacon and gammon.

Garner and Son Haltham Glebe Farm, Haltham, Horncastle LN9 6JE Tel: 01507 522210 www.garnersuffolksheep.co.uk Traditionally grazed Lincoln Red Beef, grazing along the Bain Valley.

Meat is matured before vacuum packed. Gate sales or by appointment.

Grasmere Farm Traditional Butchers 8-10 Market Gate, Market Deeping PE6 8DL Tel: 01778 342239 Email: enquiries@grasmerefarm.co.uk www.grasmere-garm.co.uk Traditional Lincolnshire pork products made to original recipes,

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produced from pigs bred and reared on our farms.

Kings Butchers Doddington Lane, Claypole, nr Newark NG23 5BE Tel: 01636 626272 Traditional family butcher, member of Lincolnshire Quality Beef, Lamb and Pork. Sausage specialists, locally sourced produce and premium food ranges.

V T Lancaster & Son Ltd 15/47 Queen Street, Market Rasen LN8 3EH Tel: 01673 843440 Email: Richard@rvlancaster.f9.co.uk Traditional family butcher (Est 1892).

Lincolnshire sausage, pork pies, haslet, sausage rolls - our specialties.

Locally sourced beef, pork, lamb.

Manor Farm Shops Ltd Manor Farm, 2 Moor Lane, Leasingham, Sleaford NG34 8JN Tel: 01529 302671 Family owned farm shop with outlets at Leasingham, Ruskington and Heckington, supporting local growers and producers.

Minting Park Farm Meats Gautby, Nr Wragby LN8 5JP Tel: 01526 398373 www.mintingparkfarm.force9.co.uk Home produced beef, lamb and mutton matured on the bone in our chiller, also rare breed pork and free range eggs.

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Oslinc White House Farm, Main Road, Moorby, Boston PE22 7PL Tel: 01507 568885 www.oslinc.co.uk Ostrich farm shop open Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10am - 5pm.

Also attend farmers markets, mail order available.

Priory Free Range Foods Welton Farm, Priory Road, Ruskington, Sleaford NG34 9DJ Tel: 01526 832574 www.prioryfreerangefoods.co.uk Organic farm selling traditional breed pork, organic eggs and vegetables. Shop open Friday and Saturday mornings. Free delivery.

Spalding Farm Shop Scoldhall Lane, Surfleet, Spalding PE11 4BJ Tel: 01775 680101 www.spaldingfarmshop.co.uk Tastes Award Winner 2007.

Lincolnshire grown produce, picked and delivered to the shop on the same day so it is field-fresh every day.

Pedigree Corner 26-28 Market Street, Spilsby PE23 5JX Tel: 01790 753782 An enthusiastic and knowledgeable welcome awaits you: excellent local fresh fruit, vegetables and deli counter. Tastes of Lincolnshire winner 2005.

Redhill Farm Free Range Pork Blyton Carr, Gainsborough DN21 3DT Tel: 01427 628270 www.redhillfarm.com Farmers and producers of National Award Winning free range pork, dry cured hams and bacon, handmade sausages and pork pies.

Sunnyside Up Poplar Farm,Tealby Road, Market Rasen LN8 3UL Tel: 01673 843840 www.sunnyside-up.com Specialising in Lincoln Red Beef, free range eggs, lamb and Berkshire Pork produced on the farm and much much more.

The Pink Pig Farm Shop and Restaurant Holme Hall, Holme, Scunthorpe DN16 3RE Tel: 01724 844466 www.pinkpigorganics.co.uk Farm shop of the year 2005/06, selling home-grown organic meat and vegetables. Prize-winning restaurant serving home-made breakfasts, lunches and teas.

Saxby Aberdeen Angus Beef Farm Shop Sandbeck, Cliff Road, Saxby, Market Rasen LN8 2DQ Tel: 01673 878515 www.saxbyangusbeef.co.uk Open:Thursday Friday Saturday 9.00 am - 5.00 pm. Home produced traditionally reared beef, meals, chutneys, cakes. Local pork, lamb, poultry.

Syston Park Farm Shop & Café Syston Park, Nr Grantham NG32 2BZ Tel: 01400 250000 Stocked with fresh locally grown produce (summer soft fruits), fresh breads, a deli counter and lots more.

Pocklington’s Bakery 2 Market Place, Louth LN11 9NR Tel: 01507 600180 www.pbl.uk.com Family bakers Est 1924. Fresh crusty bread, rolls, pies, pasties, sandwiches, homemade pork pies, Lincolnshire plumbread, traditional, wedding and celebration cakes.

Shop on the Farm North End Farm, Swaton, Sleaford NG34 0JP Tel: 01529 421241 www.swatonbrewery.com A family farm, producing quality real ales and specialising in Lincoln Red Beef, with a coffee shop. Opening September 2008.

Townleys Farm Shop and Restaurant Main Road, East Kirkby, Spilsby PE23 4BY Tel: 01790 763301 Local fruit, veg, meats, flour and cheese. Restaurant serving homecooked all day breakfast, lunches, tea and Sunday roast. Open daily 9am–6pm.

Uncle Henry’s Farmshop & Coffee Stop

AUTUMN/WINTER 2008

Grayingham Grange Farm, Grayingham, Gainsborough DN21 4JD Tel: 01652 640308 www.unclehenrys.co.uk Family farm shop showcasing home produced pork and an extensive range of Lincolnshire produce. Radio 4 Independent Retailer 2007 finalist.

Vickers great food Tel: 01526 860343 Email: ann@revamp.plus.com Vickers great food provides restaurant style dishes to enhance your dinner party or simply to treat yourself. Specialities: crunchy, chewy, caramelised meringue.

Woodlands Organic Farm Kirton House, Kirton, Near Boston PE20 1JD Tel: 01205 722491 / 724778 www.woodlandsfarm.co.uk Organic Box Scheme home delivering vegetables, salads, fruit, Lincoln Red Beef, Lincoln Longwool Lamb, Rare Breed Turkeys. Organic producer of the Year 2004.

MEAT & FISH Geo Adams & Sons (Retail) Ltd 25-26 The Crescent, Spalding PE11 1AG Tel: 01775 725956 www.geo-adams-direct.co.uk Traditional butchers and bakers since 1910 supplying award-winning pork pies, sausages and haslet.

The Appleby Sausage Company Tel: 01724 872773 www.applebysausage.com Quality handmade sausages from our own traditionally reared rare breed pork, locally sourced lamb and beef. Brigg Farmers Market or telephone your order.

PE22 7PN Tel: 01507 568362 Email: robertsherriff@btinternet.com Lamb meat and eggs sold at Farmers’ Markets and Country Markets. Farm shop selling lamb meat, eggs, jams, preserves and homemade cakes.

Bassingthorpe Beef 01476 585274 Aberdeen Angus Beef, Gloucester Old Spot Pork and Dorset Lamb, phone or can be found at farmers markets – Lincoln Castle Square, Stamford, Brigg, Grantham and Sleaford.

Crayfish Direct Tel: 07968 901853 www.crayfishdirect.co.uk Creating a tasty virtue from an environmental pest. Removing invasive American crayfish from rivers and selling onto local food outlets.

Boston Sausage 13 High Street, Bridgefoot, Boston PE21 8SH Tel: 01205 362167 www.bostonsausage.co.uk Purveyors of finest quality, handmade Lincolnshire sausages. No preservatives or flavour enhancers.

Also open at London’s famous Borough Market.

Elite Meats 89 Bailgate, Lincoln LN1 3AR Tel: 01522 523500 www.elitemeats.co.uk Elite Meats is a quality butcher and game dealers. We source local produce and serve with our expertise and butchery skills.

Chapmans Finest Fishcakes c/o Riverside Food Services Ltd, North Wall, Fish Docks, Grimsby DN31 3SY Tel: 01472 269871 Email: riversidefs@btconnect.com Handmade gourmet fishcakes and other luxury fish dishes. Grimsby fish and Lincolnshire potatoes, made for each other!

Cooks Farm Highgate Lane, Moorby, Boston

AUTUMN/WINTER 2008

Alfred Enderby Ltd Fish Dock Road, Fish Docks, Grimsby DN31 3NE Tel: 01472 342984 Email:smoked@alfredenderby.co.uk 100 year old smokehouse specialising in smoked haddock fillets and finnans, plus whole sides of smoked Scottish salmon. Open weekdays 8am - 3pm.

Fairfield Farm Fresh Products Ltd Tel: 01472 823031 A mobile butcher at Caistor Market 9am - 2pm Saturdays, for beef, lamb,

pork, home cured bacon (smoked/plain). Handmade sausages in natural skins for extra taste.

Fen Farm Venison Fen Farm, Horbling Fen, Sleaford NG34 0JX Tel: 01529 421272 www.fenfarmvenison.co.uk Quality farmed venison – fillets, joints, steaks, casseroles, sausages and burgers. Sold on farm and at local shows and farmers markets.

Millstream Butchers Unit 1 Millstream Square, Sleaford, NG34 7ZR Tel: 01529 414628 www.milstreambutchers.co.uk Popular top-class family butchers situated in unique surroundings.Top quality local meats, homemade pies, cooked meats and sausages a speciality. Member of the National Federation of Meat and Food Traders and member of the Institute of Meat.

R Foster & Son 111 Monks Road, Lincoln LN2 5HT Tel: 01522 523369 For over 120 years our family business has served quality beef, lamb and pork. All locally sourced and matured correctly.

R J Hirst High Class Family Butchers Station Road, Woodhall Spa LN10 6QL (next door to the Mall) Tel: 01526 352321 www.hirstlincolnshiresausages.co.uk

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Prize winning butcher. Handmade Lincolnshire sausages, made daily using best local pork with complete traceability. No additives, colourings or artificial preservatives.

Hollingwood Pedigree Cattle Bassingham Email: robhopkinson72@hotmail.co.uk Prize winning cattle both Simmental and Dexter, available through Elite Meats on Bailgate, Lincoln 01522 523500.

Kings Butchers Doddington Lane, Claypole, nr Newark NG23 5BE Tel: 01636 626272 Traditional family butcher, member of Lincolnshire Quality Beef, Lamb and Pork. Sausage specialists, locally sourced produce and premium food ranges.

B Leaning & Sons (Viking Sausages) 26 Front Street,Tealby, Market Rasen LN8 3XU Tel: 01673 838205 www.vikingsausages.co.uk For almost 150 years this tiny village butchers shop has been producing genuine Lincolnshire sausages, as traditional as they come.

Lincolnshire Quality Beef, Lamb & Pork Tel: 01526 398915 A cooperative of county farmers and butchers who produce and supply the highest quality meat, which is fully traceable back to the farm.

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Lincolnshire Wild Venison Tel: 01507 350505 www.lincolnshirewildvenison.co.uk “Wild Natural and Free Range” Local venison supplied through local retail outlets and mailorder UK wide, chilled straight to your door Little Hays Poultry Ashby Puerorum, Horncastle LN9 6QU Tel: 01507 533202 www.littlehayspoultry.co.uk Free range chicken and duck naturally reared in a caring environment to produce quality and flavour. Please contact us for product details.

Peter Lundgren White Home Farm, Branston Fen, Bardney, Lincoln LN3 5UP Tel: 01526 398309 Email: peter@lundgren.wanadoo.co.uk Gloucester Old Spot – pork like it used to taste – reared outside to create meat of outstanding flavour and texture.

Meridian Meats Family Butchers Ltd 108 Eastgate, Louth LN11 9AA Tel: 01507 603357 www.meridianmeatsshop.co.uk Home produced Longhorn beef, rare breed lamb, pork, national award winning speciality sausages, pork pies, stuffed chine, dry cured bacon.

Odling Brothers Ltd 54 High Street, Navenby, Lincoln LN5 0ET Tel: 01522 810228 Award winning Pork and Meat Pies, Lincolnshire Sausages and Haslet.

Traditional family butchers and grocers providing high quality personal service.

R H Papworth (Butchers) Broadway, Woodhall Spa also at Silver Street, Coningsby Tel: 01526 352196 or 343854 Email: papworth_butchers@yahoo.co.uk Local meat, from local suppliers, for local people, served by local assistants, Lincolnshire born and bred, proud to be yellow bellies.

F C Phipps Osbourne House, Mareham le Fen, Boston PE22 7RW Tel: 01507 568235 www.britainsbestbutcher.co.uk Home-grown, naturally reared meats. Home-made prize winning pies, sausages, black pudding, bacon, cooked meats, Lincolnshire chine, ready meals and deli.

Poacher Pasties 12 Front Street,Tealby, Market Rasen LN8 3XU Tel: 01673 838261 www.bestdressedbird.com Email: Richard@bestdressedbird.com Gourmet game at pasty prices.

Cornish pasty made with prime pheasant and venison meat. Mail

order and good food shows.

Redhill Farm Free Range Pork Blyton Carr, Gainsborough DN21 3DT Tel: 01427 628270 www.redhillfarm.com Farmers and producers of National Award Winning free range pork, dry cured hams and bacon, handmade sausages and pork pies.

Simons of Spilsby 14 Market Street, Spilsby PE23 5JT Tel: 01790 754543 www.simonsbutchers.co.uk Our specialities include: ready meals, sausages, pies, haslets, Lincolnshire stuffed chine, dry cured bacon and home cooked meats.

Smiths Smokery Nova Lodge, Sea Lane, Friskney, Boston PE22 8SD Tel: 01754 820262 Smiths Smokery catch and smoke their own eels caught around the wash also smoking salmon, haddock, trout etc.

Southern & Thorpe 3 High Street, Ruskington, Nr Sleaford NG34 9DY Tel: 01526 834359 Championship Winning Sausages, Pork Pies and Home Cured Ham. Specialize in home cured bacon with a full meat range in well stocked shop.

Thorganby Beef

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Tel: 01472 398304 www.thorganbybeef.co.uk Email: james@thorganby.plus.com Traditionally reared Lincoln Red Beef, hung for 3-4 weeks, butchered by master butchers. Order by email or telephone.

Tel: 01790 763582 www.edenfarms.co.uk Organic vegetable farm supplying fresh-cut home grown produce to households and farmers markets in Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire. Organic farmers for 25 years.

Thorpe Latimer Traditional Farm Meats Thorpe Latimer Farm,Thorpe Latimer, Sleaford NG34 0RF Tel: 01529 421206 www.thorpe-latimer.co.uk Traditionally reared Lincoln Red Beef, bone matured for 3-4 weeks and Lincolnshire Lamb. Available direct from farm, farmers markets and website.

Waltham Herbs Willow Vale Nursery, North Kelsey Road, Caistor LN7 6SF Tel: 01472 859481 www.waltham-herbs.co.uk Open by appointment during autumn/winter months tel: 07949 883091. Wide range of herbs, lavenders, perennials and shrubs also available.

Wells Traditional Meats Manor Farm, Main Road, East Keal, Spilsby PE23 4AS Tel: 01790 753810 Traditionally reared Highland Beef and Saddleback Pork. Reared slowly to produce a fuller flavour and improved texture. Please contact anytime.

The Wild Rabbit Company Tel: 07798 926921 www.thewildrabbitcompany.co.uk Lean and tasty with a subtle gamey flavour. Locally sourced and available in local outlets or mail order. List on website for details and recipes FRUIT & VEGETABLES Eden Farms

AUTUMN/WINTER 2008

Willows Farm Fruit A52, Chapel St Leonards, Skegness PE24 5QH Tel: 01754 873266 / 07771 696001 www.willows-farm.com Open summer months for strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, currants, blackberries, rhubarb, plums, blueberries – ready picked or PYO, plus vegetables, salads and potatoes.

Woodlands Organic Farm Kirton House, Kirton, Near Boston PE20 1JD Tel: 01205 722491 / 724778 www.woodlandsfarm.co.uk Organic Box Scheme home delivering vegetables, salads, fruit, Lincoln Red Beef, Lincoln Longwool Lamb, Rare Breed Turkeys. Organic

producer of the Year 2004.

BAKERS & FLOUR Alford Five Sailed Windmill & Tea Room East Street, Alford LN13 9EQ Tel: 01507 462136 Email: enquiries@fivesailed.co.uk One of the gems of rural Lincolnshire. Working windmill, flours, cereals, preserves, antiques and stylish tea room.

Celebration Cakes by Carol Westwold House, Sixhills Road, North Willingham, Market Rasen LN8 3RA Tel: 07951 099236 Email: carol.dixon2@tesco.net Luxury fruit or sponge cakes designed for your special occasions.

Posh puddings or simple afternoon tea cakes.

Cogglesford Mill East Road, Sleaford NG34 7EQ Tel: 07966 400634 venue Tel: 01529 414294 contact www.heartoflincs.com Working watermill with a fascinating history. Organic stone ground flour still produced on site and sold in the mill shop.

Curtis of Lincoln 164 High Street, Lincoln LN5 7AF Tel: 01522 538040 www.curtisoflincoln.com Quality butchers and bakers. Family business founded in 1828,

producing a range of award winning Lincolnshire specialities using many locally sourced ingredients.

R Foster & Son 111 Monks Road, Lincoln LN2 5HT Tel: 01522 523369 Home-made pork pies, meat pies and other savoury pastries. Fresh baked bread and confectionary all produced in our bakery.

Horncastle Cake Art 18 Bull Ring, Horncastle LN9 5HU Tel: 01507 525926 www.horncastlecakeart.co.uk Celebration, birthday and wedding cakes handcrafted with care.

Everything for the cake decorator.

Gluten free, low sugar cakes our speciality Myers Quality Bakers Ltd 20 The Bull Ring, Horncastle LN9 5HU Tel: 01507 522234 Email: enquiries@myersbakery.co.uk Quality bakers and confectioners.

Home of the famous Myers Lincolnshire plum loaf, made from a traditional recipe since 1901.

Pocklington’s Bakery Tel: 01507 450872 Email: sales@pbl.uk.com www.pbl.uk.com Traditional family bakers Est 1924.

Crusty bread, speciality breads, rolls, cakes, pastries, pork pies, pasties, sausage rolls and Lincolnshire plumbread. Wedding cake specialists.

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J H Starbuck Bakers & Confectioners Ltd 9 Union Street, Market Rasen LN8 3AA Tel: 01673 843483 Email: richardstarbuck169@msn.com Traditional family bakers. Wide range of breads, cakes, pastries, savouries and Lincolnshire plumbread. Look for our speciality and healthy bread range.

Welbournes Bakery 38 High Street, Navenby, Lincoln LN5 0DZ Tel: 01522 810239 Famous homemade special plum bread, Lincoln Red Beef pies and others. Lincolnshire sausage rolls, homemade bread and cakes, local cheeses.

DRINKS George Bateman & Son Ltd Salem Bridge Brewery, Wainfleet, Skegness PE24 4JE Tel: 01754 880317 Email: enquiries@bateman.co.uk www.bateman.co.uk Independent family brewery brewing award winning traditional beers in cask and bottles since 1874.

The Copeland & Shaw Tea Co Ltd Tel: 01778 423033 www.thecuppa.co.uk Retailer and wholesaler of the world’s finest teas and infusions.

Fulstow Brewery Unit 13,Thames Street, Louth Tel: 01507 363642 / 07730 733212 www.fulstowbrewery.co.uk Small brewery producing craft beers from 100% natural ingredients. Five regular beers, individual ‘one offs’.

Cask and bottle conditioned available.

Tel: 01526 833458 Email: sales@realteaandcoffee.co.uk www.realteaandcoffee.co.uk Speciality teas and coffee beans, cafetieres, teapots, coffee grinders, infusers and lots, lots more. We also retail luxury hand-baked cookies and cakes.

Applebys Ices Main Road, Conisholme, Louth LN11 7LT Tel: 01507 359002 Manufacturing our family’s ice cream since 1913. Supplying wholesale, retail and attending functions. Visit our famous parlour at Conisholme.

Highwood Brewery Tel: 01472 255500 www.tom-wood.com Tom Wood beer brewed in the Lincolnshire Wolds using finest malting barley and whole English hops, available wholesale or at pubs and retail outlets.

Skidbrooke Cyder Company The Grange, Skidbrooke, Nr Louth LN11 7DH Tel: 01507 339368 www.skidbrookecyder.com Producers of traditional still cyder from Lincolnshire apples and mead from Lincolnshire honey, alone or with mulberries or plums.

Blyton Dairy Ice Cream Old Hall Farm, Blyton, Gainsborough DN21 3LA Tel: 01427 628355 Email: blyton.ice.cream@ic24.net National award winning icecream and sorbet with over 50 flavours.

New extension of Icecream Parlour and Café, open seven days.

Stokes Tea and Coffee Tel: 01522 512534 www.stokes-coffee.co.uk Coffee roasters and specialists since 1902. Supplying tea, coffee and equipment to the retail, wholesale and catering trades.

The Cheese Society 1 St Martin’s Lane, Lincoln LN2 1HY Tel: 01522 511003 www.thecheesesociety.co.uk Visit our shop or order on-line or just come for a cheesy delight in our café. Open Monday - Saturday 10am - 4.30pm.

Lombard Wines Millstone Winery, Behind 112-113 High Street, Lincoln LN5 7PY Tel: 01522 534434 / 07748 562858 www.lombardwines.co.uk Fruit and country wines made from local produce. Personal wine making service – you provide the fruit, we make your wine.

Poachers Brewery 439 Newark Road, North Hykeham, Lincoln LN6 9SP Tel: 01522 807404 www.poachersbrewery.co.uk A Micro-Brewery that produces hand crafted ales using the finest and purest ingredients. Suppliers to the on/off trade and home users throughout Lincolnshire.

Real Tea and Coffee Company

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Three Sisters Vineyard The Laurels, Mulberry Road, Claxby, Market Rasen LN8 3YS Tel: 08454 735539 www.three-sisters-vineyard.co.uk A range of wines made from grapes grown and bottled at the vineyard.

Vineyard tours, tastings, personalised and corporate labelling service.

DAIRY, ICE-CREAM, CHEESE & EGGS

Cote Hill Cheese Tel: 01673 828481 www.cotehill.com Cote Hill Blue, our Gold Medal Winner and Cote Hill Yellow are handcrafted on our farm using unpasteurised milk from our herd of Friesian cows.

A E Dennett & Son 24-26 Boston Road, Spilsby PE23 5HG Tel: 01790 752573 www.dennetts.co.uk

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Established in 1926, this family business makes award winning natural ice cream in 30 flavours, also frozen yogurt and sorbet.

Bill Grundy’s Real Dairy Ice Cream White House Farm, Main Road, Moorby, Boston PE22 7PL Tel: 01507 568885 www.oslinc.co.uk Delicious home made real dairy ice cream. Available from our Farm Shop, open Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10am - 5pm.

unrestricted movement within their field and shed which are accredited to the Freedom Food Scheme.

Various types of nuts freshly roasted on site in our special recipe of cinnamon and sugar glaze.

Willingham Fayre Ashgrove Farm, North Willingham, Market Rasen LN8 3RJ Tel: 01673 838123 www.willinghamfayre.co.uk We make Lincolnshire Wolds Dairy Icecream with whole fresh cows milk.Visit our Icecream Parlour, Café and children’s play area.

Gringley Gringo Main Street (next to Fox Inn), Kirton NG22 9LP Tel: 01909 500953 www.gringleygringo.com Home-made chilli products to suit every palate. Our stylish range includes chilli sauces, jellies, chutneys, pickles and much more. Wholesale orders welcome.

PRESERVES & CONFECTIONERY Lincolnshire Poacher Cheese Tel: 01507 466987 Email: TLJ@lincolnshirepoacher.freeserve.co .uk Award winning artisan cheese made on our farm near Alford, using milk from our 230 Holstein cows.

Available from good cheese shops and farmers markets.

Lymn Bank Farm Tel: 01754 880312 www.postacheese.com Producers of smoked and flavoured cheeses and Lincolnshire smoked garlic.

Primrose Free Range Eggs (Trading as S & J Rhodes Dairy) Primrose Hill Farm, Bardney Road, Wragby, Market Rasen LN8 5JE Tel: 01673 858379 Email: stephenrhodes@fsmail.net Family run farm producing free range eggs from hens with

AUTUMN/WINTER 2008

Croft Apiaries Corner Croft, Main Street, Bishop Norton, Market Rasen LN8 2BE Tel: 01673 818711 Honey direct from the producer, Lincolnshire honey the very best for you.Trade enquiries welcome, farmshops, catering, health shops etc.

Goodies of Covent Garden Tel: 01507 463468 www.goodiesofcoventgarden.co.uk Probably the best home-made fudge you’ll ever taste, and fine chocolates.

See us at Louth Saturday market or craft markets at Alford Manor House.

Gourmet Roasted Nuts 40 Station Road, Bardney, Lincoln LN3 5UD Tel: 01526 398203 / 07761 241488 Email: mauriceandpatricia@talktalk.net

Heath Farm Preserves Heath Farm, North Rauceby, Sleaford NG34 8QR Tel: 01529 488409 Email: paula.Ireland@farming.co.uk Producer of carefully hand made preserves. Find me on Sleaford Farmers Market or contact me direct. Gift baskets available.

Old Elephant Fudge Tel: 01673 885562 www.oldelephant.co.uk Home made quality fudge - many different flavours, also Scottish tablet and organic, top quality ingredients.

Gift packs available. Wholesale possible.Try it and love it!

Peter’s Eden Tel: 01754 820733 Email: peterseden@btinternet.com www.peterseden.com A family business, hand producing ‘Temptingly Tasty’ jams, chutneys and cordials, from local produce. Big

plans – watch the website!

Pipers Crisps Tel: 01652 686960 www.piperscrisps.com Hand made crisps produced in Lincolnshire using local potatoes and natural flavours from people who care.

Scotts Fruits Gorse Farm Stables, Screddington, Sleaford NG34 0AL Tel: 01529 305266 www.scottsfruits.co.uk Hand made preserves using quality home grown ingredients made to traditional recipes. Please note new contact details.

Special Edition Chocolate Willingham Hall, Market Rasen LN8 3RH Tel: 01673 844073 www.specialeditionchocolate.co.uk Dark 72.5% chocolate, ginger, mints, boxes of chocolates and truffles, drinking chocolate, figurines, wedding favours, balloons. Shop open Monday - Friday, 8.30 - 4.30.

Spinney Kitchen Tel: 08707 565300 www.spinneykitchen.co.uk UKTV Local Food Hero 2007 finalist. Handmade infused oils, vinegars, herbs, spices, chutney, mustard, teas and tisanes. No artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. Wholesale orders welcome.

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WHOLESALERS, HAMPERS & ASSOCIATE MEMBERS Mr Huda’s Surma Secret Spices 161 Frodingham Road, Scunthorpe DN15 7NH Tel: 01724 335492 www.mrhudas.co.uk Mr Huda’s ‘We have done the hard work so you don’t have to’. Ready blended authentic fresh herbs and spices.

Ideal Lincs Ltd Grange Offices, Girsby Grange Farm, Burgh on Bain, Market Rasen LN8 6LA Tel: 01507 313855 www.ideal-lincs.co.uk Specialist wholesaler of Lincolnshire produce serving multiple and independent retailers, food service and restaurants. ‘Regional Produce Hub’ serving ASDA locally.

readmandesserts@btconnect.com Suppliers of quality handmade fresh desserts to hotels, restaurants, coffee shops and private customers.

Red Hen Children’s Day Nursery Manor House Farm, Legbourne, Louth LN11 8LS Tel: 01507 603535 Email: redhenkidz@btinternet.com ‘Quality of Life’ for 0-5 years.

Healthy environment, quality home cooked meals using local produce with excellent childcare and nursery education.

Yellowbelly Hampers Tel: 01529 309675 www.yellowbellyhampers.co.uk Baskets filled with produce grown or made in Lincolnshire. For any occasion, choose from one of our pre-selected hampers or create your own.

Lincolnshire Agricultural Society Lincolnshire Showground, Grange de Lings, Lincoln LN2 2NA Tel: 01522 522900 Email: marketing@lincolnshireshowground.c o.uk www.lincolnshireshowground.co.uk “Promoting food and farming in a sustainable environment.”

Readman Desserts Ltd Exchange Road, Lincoln LN6 3JZ Tel: 01522 500294 Email:

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A Christmas shopping extravaganza awaits at Tastes of Lincolnshire’s biggest food and drink show of the year at Lincolnshire’s Showground.

On Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th November the brand new EPIC centre will open its doors to a festive fair for the whole family to enjoy.

Food and Drink savour the flavour Over 100 stalls will be offering gourmet gifts, fine wines and beers, the best British produce and a sample of flavours from across the world. Of course Lincolnshire’s delicious food and drink will be showcased with a great selection of award-winning cheeses, chocolate, fudge, plum bread, cakes, honey, jams and pickles, sausages, turkey, ice-cream, fish, beer and wines.

Look out for two new fruit liqueurs from local producer Lombard Wines.

Gifts from gourmet gifts to hand-made crafts Whether you are seeking that perfect present or looking to treat yourself, a fine array of gifts will be presented.

Look out for Lincolnshire’s Soap of the Earth, handmade natural skincare products made from the finest botanical and essential oils.

Take a seat in the Kitchen Theatre or at a Christmas Design Class Enjoy lively cookery demonstrations from local celebrity chef Rachel Green and Hambleton Hall’s head chef Aaron Patterson.

Look out for Aaron’s step-by-step master class on gorgeous puddings.

Popular Christmas demonstrations will include Colin Deane’s wine tasting lessons, along with Horncastle Cake Art’s gingerbread house making class.

Don’t miss Christmas wreath making demonstrations from local stately home, Normanby Hall’s retired head gardener.

Opening Times

Admission

Saturday 29th November 10:00am to 5:00pm

Adults Concessions Children Groups

Sunday 30th November 10:00am to 4:00pm

£5 £4 Free £3

Book your tickets now at

www.tastesoflincolnshire.com for your chance to win a Luxury Christmas Hamper