9. Great Food Magazine Jan/Feb 2012

greatfood I S SU E # 10

HANDMADE IN THE HEART OF ENGLAND

£3.20

Field to fork www.greatfoodmag.co.uk

Celebrating local food & drink

Local hare, foraged fare and winter vegetables

RESTAURANT REVIEWS Discover hidden gems and rural retreats

HOT!

World’s only PYO chilli farm & how to grow your own

HANDY LOCAL FOOD MAPS The best gastro pubs, delis and farm shops

SAVE MONEY WITH GREAT FOOD CLUB ‘I DO! NOW LET’S EAT!’ The region’s tastiest wedding venues

Also inside...

HERE’S JOHNNY! Meet Britain’s best butcher

WARMING NEW YEAR RECIPES

Dishes from the region’s best chefs and home cooks

Steamed mutton and onion suet pudding

Slow-roast partridge tagine with dukkah

P54

Dameon Clarke’s Seaside Favourites

PLUS..

BBC Good Food Show report Pulling leeks with Riverford Pub walk in Warwickshire Nottingham’s Curry Lounge

ISSUE #10

P34

£3.20

P18

Welcome

Contents

People knock January and February but they’re two of the best months for food and drink. It’s grey and cold outside but you’re warm inside – the perfect time to lose yourself in a recipe and fill your house with delicious aromas. A good place to start is the mutton suet pudding on page 18 by Northamptonshire chef Adam Gray.

It’s a traditional dish bursting with seasonal flavour and I can think of no better way of whiling away a chilly Saturday than opening a bottle of red, following Adam’s instructions and enjoying some local mutton. If you’re longing for sun, Dameon Clarke’s amazing Seaside Favourites pud (p54) might be more fitting.

Mid-winter is also a good time for trying out local restaurants and pubs, and for sampling new local produce.

There are great offers to be had at this time of year and it’s important to support our independent local businesses as they’re what makes the region’s food and drink scene so fantastic. If you’re a subscriber to this magazine and therefore a member of Great Food Club, find out what offers you can take advantage of with your membership card at greatfoodclub.co.uk. Enjoy them, and Happy New Year!

NIBBLES

Editor

WHERE TO EAT

www.greatfoodmag.co.uk Twitter: @greatfoodmag EDITOR & PUBLISHER: M Wright ADVERTISING: BPG Ltd Julie Cousins & Becky Kane – 01780 766199 (ext 213 and 235) SUBSCRIPTIONS: 01664 853341 PUBLISHED BY: Rocco Media PRINTED & DISTRIBUTED BY: Warners Midlands plc CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE: Tim Burke, Matt Gregory, Andrew Brackenbury, Adam Gray,

Hazel Paterson, Jack Thorpe, George Dryden, Shelly Preston, Craig McKnight, Rosemary Jameson, Dameon Clarke, Graham & Jill Wright, Jane & Enzo Maffioli, Phil Griffin, Helen Benton, Lucy Cufflin, Helen Tarver, Samantha Scott, Laura Harvey and... Rocco the Jack Russell.

WEBSITES: @paulbunkham Full Ts & Cs are on our website STOCK PHOTOS: Shutterstock

COVER WATERCOLOUR: Hare by Graham Wright.

GREAT FOOD MAGAZINE IS BI-MONTHLY: NEXT ISSUE OUT MARCH 3, 2012 Great Food has been shortlisted for a Media Pioneer Award by the Specialist Media Show – www.thespecialistmediashow.com

2 Great Food Magazine

4 6 8 12 14

The Big Picture: Redhill Farm News Fresh out the oven Events Riverford

STARTER

18 Adam Gray recipe 20 Foraging in the New Forest 23 Subscription offer

MAIN COURSE 24 26 28 30 34 38

Hare three ways The Country Victualler BBC Winter Good Food Show Get on the Shelf Recipes from Wyldelight Kitchen Edible Ornamentals

BACK FOR SECONDS 40 41 42 44

Chilli recipe How to grow chillies Curry Commando Mustard musings

PUDDING 46 48 49 51 52 54 56 57 58 60 62 64 66 68 69 70 72 73

Helen Tarver Lucy Cufflin Cod recipe The Insider Pub walk: Napton on the Hill Dameon Clarke recipe Local restaurant news The Peacock, Rowsley Martin’s Arms and the Dog & Hedgehog Great Food Club information Restaurant map Profile: Barnsdale Lodge Delis & more map Profile: Maiyango Kitchen Deli Profile: Cherizena Farm shop & butchers map Profile: Johnny Pusztai at JT Beedham Profile: Crossroads Farm Shop

TO FINISH...

74 76 80 82

Veg patch tips Local wedding venues Your Dream Kitchen The Practical Pantry

a taste of this issue...

20 24

HARE THREE WAYS

GREAT FOOD CLUB

60

41

A FORAGE IN THE NATIONAL FOREST

GROW YOUR OWN CHILLI PEPPERS

CURRY TIPS

14

42

PULLING LEEKS WITH RIVERFORD

64 69

WHERE TO EAT

MELTON MOWBRAY COFFEE!

Great Food Magazine 3

Among the porkers

THE BIG PICTURE

Redhill Farm raises

what could well

be the UK’s best pork

PHOTO: CLIVE DOYLE

I

n the sandy fields at Redhill Farm near Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, Jane Tomlinson is surrounded by Duroc crossed with Landrace piglets rooting, wallowing and growing slowly at their own pace. Here Jane and husband Terry – a pioneer of high welfare, outdoor pig farming – breed, rear and produce their nationally acclaimed Redhill Farm free range pork.

4 Great Food Magazine

The past 12 months have been especially significant for these Lincolnshire producers, winning the Countryside Alliance Local Food Award for the East of England and being featured on BBC1’s Countryfile in October.

BBC Good Food selected Redhill Farm as one of the UK’s top three artisan sausage producers, and

visitors to Lincoln Sausage Festival voted Redhill Farm bangers Lincolnshire’s Favourite Sausage.

The company was created after Jane became incensed by the cheap, low grade pork being imported into the UK and sold

Redhill Farm as British. She started selling her pork 12 years ago from the pigs bred and reared by Terry. Starting from scratch with £1000 and with three young children, she spent the next few years working often into the night to build the business. At the same time Jane, who was raised in the Lincolnshire Wolds, set up and ran six of the first farmers’ markets in Lincolnshire.

“Although we have won national awards we still sell most of what we produce in person at local farmers’ markets,” says Jane. “That means we can ensure our pork is the best it can be. We now have an enviable reputation and are known at all our markets as ‘The Stall with the Queue’.

“In everything we do we want to stand out from the crowd,” adds Jane.

“We have resisted developing a big farm shop and selling other things in favour of specialising in quality of product and service. Our small farm shop is open three days a week so we can concentrate on producing everything by hand.” Customers can also buy online via the website www.redhillfarm.com.

Redhill Farm pork is also on the menu at select hotels and restaurants across the UK, including the Goring Hotel in London (the Middletons’ base for the Royal Wedding) where loin of Redhill Farm free range pork features on the lunch menu every Monday.

And fantastic black pud too...

Redhill Farm has won a Gold Great Taste Award for every pork product it sells. Its latest creation is a version of black pudding that contains no added fat. This makes it light, with a smooth, open texture that is said to melt in the mouth. Mark Cheseldine, head chef at The Reform Restaurant, Westgate, Lincoln, says: “It has such a good flavour and a nice texture; it is easy to cook with and extremely versatile.”

CONTACT Redhill Farm, Gainsborough, Lincs DN21 3DT, 01427 628270, redhillfarm.com

Great Food Magazine 5

What’s

For restaurant news, turn to p56

Cooking?

EDITED BY: MATT WRIGHT

Small WAITROSE LISTINGS Great Food magazine is now on sale in more Waitrose stores across the Midlands. New stockists include Waitrose Lichfield, Northampton, Towcester, Birmingham Harborne, Birmingham Hall Green, Kenilworth, Daventry, Rushden and Lincoln.

New independent stockists include Arrow Farm Shop near Worksop and The Larder Deli, Castle Ashby. greatfoodmag.co.uk

TUXFORD AWARD Stilton made by Melton Mowbraybased creamery Tuxford & Tebbutt has been named one of the world’s 50 best cheeses at the World Cheese Awards, held in Birmingham. Other British cheeses to make the top 50 include Cornish Blue, Swaledale Blue and Appleby Cheshire. World Champ 2011/12 is Ossau-Iraty AOP, produced by Fromagerie Agour of France. tuxfordandtebbutt.co.uk

GONALSTON GLORY Also at the World Cheese Awards, Nottinghamshire’s Gonalston Farm Shop picked up the trophy for the Best Cheese and Deli Counter. gonalstonfarmshop.co.uk

PHOTO COMPETITION The closing date for the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year competition is January 31, 2012. The contest is open to all, with a prize of £5,000 for the winner. pinkladyfoodphotographer oftheyear.com

6 Great Food Magazine

FOOD ‘CLUSTER’ VISION FOR REGION

Everards plots multi-million pound food & drink park

A

multi-million pound food and drink business park located on the outskirts of Leicester could be created in less than five years. The vision, masterminded by Leicestershire brewer and property owner Everards, represents a welcome blast of warmth amid icy economic conditions, and would create up to 300 jobs.

At the heart of the plan is a state-of-the-art craft brewery and new offices for Everards, which owns all the land in question at Soar Valley Park, Enderby. There would also be a multi-purpose visitor centre and space for large food festivals. The park would be spread over around 13 acres. Other like-minded food and drink producers would share the site.

“This is our vision of the future,” said Stephen Gould, managing director of Everards. “We want to create a new craft brewery and work with other food and drink businesses to build a thriving hub that enhances the region’s excellent food and drink credentials.”

Artist’s impression of the new brewery.

Everards’ vision is in keeping – albeit on a larger scale – with its other recent schemes, Project William and Project Artisan, in which the family-owned brewery has worked closely with small craft breweries and artisan food producers to forge symbiotic business relationships. “At the park I foresee more established food and drink companies joining us,” said Stephen. “Projects William and Artisan have proven that our business will be successful if we can attract and work alongside talented people, even if they are not direct employees of Everards.”

FOOD EVENTS

Mustard Bash at Colonel Colman’s ex-home The first Great British Mustard Bash will take place this year at the old Leicestershire home of Colonel Colman, the man behind Colman’s Mustard.

Scalford Hall near Melton Mowbray will host the event on March 11, 2012.

The Mustard Bash, Britain’s first mustard-focused event, will celebrate the condiment and foods that go with it.

A mustard-making competition will be judged by River Cottage preserves

specialist Pam Corbin, and Colman’s Mustard Museum will put on an exhibition. There will also be food stands and demos. The Mustard Bash was conceived by Rosemary Jameson of Oakham’s Jam Jar Shop, and is sponsored by Great Food magazine.

Jeremiah Colman lived at Scalford Hall – now a hotel – in the 1930s, when the house was often visited by King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson.

Local food news FOOD AWARDS

SACREBLEU! FRENCH FOX BEATS BRITS AT AWARDS

Success for Leicestershire’s Fox, while Darleys does it in Derby

T

he Fox Inn at Thorpe Satchville, Leicestershire, won two trophies at November’s East Midlands Food Awards, run by East Midlands Newspapers. The Fox, home of French restaurant La Table d’Yves, received most votes in the Best European and Best Gastro Pub categories. The pub is run by French-born couple Yves and Elisabeth Ogrodzki, who moved to England from Provence six years ago. “We started out with the idea of a French family taking on an English inn, which might seem strange, but with passion and hard work we have made it a success and helped put Thorpe Satchville on the map.”

Meanwhile, at November’s Derby Food and Drink Awards, Darleys at Darley Abbey Mill, Derby, took Restaurant of the Year; The Bay Tree at Melbourne was named Best Out of Town venue; city chain Le Bistrot Pierre was Best For Lunch; and Mansion, also of Derby, won the Best Newcomer and Best Customer Service awards.

It’s been a busy time for prize ceremonies, and The British Curry Awards took place in central London on November 28. Khalid Sami Khan from Birmingham’s Lasan restaurant picked up the first Culinary Chef of the Year prize, while the award for Best Curry Restaurant (Midlands) went to Rilys of Redditch.

View from Darleys restaurant.

Rocco Recommends “Excellent places that let me in”

GRIFFIN’S HEAD, MEARS ASHBY “A confession: I’ve had to take advice from a trainer called ‘The Dogfather’ (dogfathertraining.co.uk). Doing so has wounded me deeply, but since barking violently at a wheelchair-bound old lady, I have come to accept I need assistance.

Happily, The Dogfather from Northampton also pointed me in the direction of a fine pub – the Griffin’s Head. It’s an untouched sort of place serving good, simple British food and real ales – much needed after training sessions.”

Griffin’s Head, 28 Wilby Road, Mears Ashby, Northants NN6 0DX, 01604 812945

The Fox at Thorpe Satchville.

{

Noddy tests bangers Rock legend Noddy Holder visited Nottingham’s Adams’ Restaurant recently to judge the Midlands’ best bangers as part of British Sausage Week.

Croot’s Farm Shop of Derbyshire’s ‘Henry Cooper’ banger caused a stir but winner was a Lincolnshire sausage by Lakings of Louth.

Noddy with Steve Cro ot from Croot’s Farm Sho p

}

Transcendent te a rooms PIMENTO, LINCOLN

One Show hits Melton

Tim Brown (right) from The Melton Cheeseboard appeared on BBC’s The One Show with broadcaster Jay Rayner (left) in November. Tim and Jay chatted about the tradition of ‘porting’ Stilton, where port is poured onto the cheese and left to soak in.

The centre of Lincoln is not short of quaint tearooms. Tucked away at the rear of a ladies’ fashion shop, Pimento on the city’s Steep Hill – the street recently named Britain’s Best Place by the Academy of Urbanism – stands out for the sheer quality of tea.

Supplied by legendary Imperial Teas, which lies opposite, you can usually find up to 22 very special brews – watch out for some outstanding single estate Assams. Simple but tasty vegetarian food is available. TB Pimento Tearooms, 26/27 Steep Hill, Lincoln LN2 1LU, 01522 544880

Great Food Magazine 7

Fresh out

the oven Keeping an eye on the region’s food and drink launches

In Brief

The B14 Collective at King’s Heath deli Capeling & Co.

VEGAN CHOC MAKER

NEW FISHMONGER Brady’s Fish & Seafood Market has opened on Allandale Road, Leicester. Run by married couple Nigel and Zoe Brady, the shop has a seafood deli counter, a wet fish counter, and sells a selection of champagnes. It specialises in sustainable produce caught off the south coast of England. Before opening the shop, Nigel worked as a research scientist. bradysseafoodmarket.com

LOCAL FOOD WEBSITE Heart of England Fine Foods, the food group for the West Midlands and Central region that supports and promotes local producers, has launched a Local Food Store and an online shop. The Local Food Store (plus kitchen café) is at the Shropshire Food Enterprise Centre in Shrewsbury. For more info on the online shop, visit the link below. heff.co.uk

GREAT FOOD CLUB Michelin-starred gastro-pub The Olive Branch and classic country inn The Old Barn at Glooston, plus local producer Tori & Ben’s Farm, are among more than 30 handpicked businesses offering exclusive deals to members of Great Food Club. At the time of going to press, The Old Barn was offering 20% off food and drink. Members get a personalised membership card and a subscription to Great Food magazine. greatfoodclub.co.uk

8 Great Food Magazine

BRUM’S B14 COLLECTIVE Artisan producers combine to boost business

A

rtisan food producers in south Birmingham have joined forces to form a collective. Called B14, the group comprises Lucky 13 Bakehouse, Change Kitchen (vegan and vegetarian foods), Cuffufle Chutney, Wanton & Furious (chocolates) and King’s Heath charcuterie and cheese specialist, Capeling & Co. The quintet is working together to stock the shelves of Capeling, plus jointly creating hampers to sell at markets and seeking new

Ben Vear’s new book

D

e Montford University (Leicester) business student and fourthgeneration master ice cream maker Ben Vear, 22, has launched his first book, entitled Make Your Own Organic Ice Cream.

Ben’s great grandfather Albert Winstone created Winstone’s Cotswold Ice Cream in 1925 using a family recipe.

The ice cream factory and parlour near Stroud, Gloucestershire still flourishes today. “A few years ago I discovered my great grandfather’s recipes,” said Ben. “And they led me to write this book.”

Make Your Own Organic Ice Cream, which includes a recipe for lemon grass, ginger and sloe vodka ice cream, retails for £14.99. Visit benvear.com for more information.

outlets with which to supply its complementary products. “By forming the B14 collective we can co-promote each others’ products,” said Neil Baldwyn, head baker at Lucky 13. “Also, Capeling benefits from a supply of locally-produced artisan foods and we get great shelf space. We all enjoy extra manpower at markets, too. There are loads of food businesses springing up in this city and joining forces seems to make sense.”

‘B14’ refers to the King’s Heath postcode.

Local bakers on rise

B

aked of Derby – a bakery with café attached – opens in the city’s Cultural Quarter in March 2012. Victoria and Tony Jacobs set up a home bakery in September 2010 but quickly outgrew that. Baked of Derby is the result.

In Leicestershire, Rosie Clarke from Virtuous Bread – an evangelical network of home bakers – is working closely with Leicestershire brewery Everards (as part of its Project Artisan scheme, reported in Issue 7) to hold pop-up baking workshops in Leicester pubs such as The Cradock Arms in Knighton and The Baker’s Arms, Blaby.

Meanwhile, in Birmingham, Tom Baker – an artisan baker and cookery teacher who co-runs a social enterprise called Loaf – is opening a bakery with cookery school attached. This Stirchley operation is another backed by Leicestershire brewery Everards, which has purchased the property and is refitting it. Tom has several financial supporters who have agreed to be partly paid back in artisan bread.

Tom Baker.

PHOTO: JANE BAKER / GREENSNAPPERPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

An 18-year-old Prince’s Trust Enterprise Programme graduate from Highfields in Leicester has launched a chocolate business, Chocolate Loves Chocolate. Among other products, Khadija Osman makes a range of dairy-free, vegan chocolate bars. chocolateloveschocolate.co.uk

Great Food Club Members Exclusive Thursdays Offer

10% OFF Your award-winning wine merchant offers all Great Food Club Members an exclusive Thursday offer.

During January and February 2012, all Club Members will receive

10% off all wines, beers and spirits*

every Thursday when you show your Club Card in store.

10 Adam & Eve Street, Market Harborough, Leicestershire, LE16 7LT Tel: 01858 464935 www.duncanmurraywines.co.uk *Excludes credit card purchases. Not for use in conjunction with any other offer. Terms & conditions apply.

Wines, beers and spirits with personality why not visit...

For a tasty gift

The Melton Cheeseboard W

e would like to welcome you to our shop in the heart of Melton Mowbray.

Our aim is to bring you the finest cheese and dairy produce, much of it sourced in Leicestershire and surrounding counties; as well as the best from the UK, and a growing variety of continental cheeses.

Our cheeses from the local Stilton is our speciality, ours area include the complete is sourced directly from Long Long Clawson range including Clawson Dairy, based just five their award-winning miles outside Melton Mowbray.

Aged Leicester, Lincolnshire Poacher, Cote Hill Blue, Sparkenhoe For a taste of the Leicester, Bosworth the best cheese from Field and y not Melton area, wh ?

Battlefield Blue. come and visit us 8 Windsor Street Melton Mowbray Leicestershire LE13 1BU Tel/Fax 01664 562257

Opening Hours Mon 9.00 – 3.00 0 Tues 8.30 – 5.00 0 Wed & Thurs 9.00 – 4.00 0 Fri & Sat 8.30 – 4.00 0

www.meltoncheeseboard.co.uk d k p09_GF_JanFeb12.indd Sec1:9

AT THE HAMMER & PINCERS RESTAURANT, WYMESWOLD, WE PRIDE OURSELVES IN SOURCING THE FINEST LOCAL INGREDIENTS, AND MAKE EVERYTHING WE SERVE IN HOUSE.

Welcome the new-year in with our JANUARY COMFORT MENU – £12.50 FOR TWO COURSES OR £15.00 FOR THREE COURSES

(lunch 12-2pm Tues-Fri, dinner 6-7pm Tues-Fri).

STARTERS:

Spiced Parsnip Soup, Coriander Chantilly, Curry Oil & Home Baked Bread • Smoked Haddock Welsh Rarebit, Watercress Salad, Tomato Vinaigrette • Blackberry Farm Lamb Shoulder Hotpot in Miniature.

AVAILABLE AS A STARTER OR MAIN COURSE: Fresh Egg Pasta, Spicy Chorizo, Smoked Paprika Roasted Chicken & Olive Ragu • Beetroot Risotto, Herb Crusted Goats Cheese, Ruby Chard Dressed with Walnut Oil • Wild Brancaster Mussels, Cooked Marinière (served with French Fries as a main).

MAIN COURSES:

Tandoori Cauliflower, Bombay Potatoes, Courgette, Onion & Coriander Pakora • Beer Battered Responsibly Sourced Fish & Hand Cut Chips, Crushed Peas, Tartar Sauce • Long Whatton Game Pie with Cracked Pepper Crust, Butter Mash, Peas & Carrots.

DESSERTS: Brûlée Crusted Vanilla Rice Pudding, Homemade Red Berry Confiture • Baked Stem Ginger Pudding, Whiskey Mac Toffee Sauce, Rhubarb Ripple Ice Cream • Cropwell Bishop Stilton & Vintage Lincolnshire Poacher, Accompaniments • A Selection of Home Made Ice Creams & Sorbets.

The Hammer & Pincers 5 East Road, Wymeswold, Loughborough LE12 6ST t: 01509 880735

w: www.hammerandpincers.co.uk

14/12/11 15:05:34

News

feature

100-year

celebrations

FINE DESIGN ENHANCES MICHAEL CAINES’ BALL The Abode Hotel in Exeter, Devon was listed in the 1911 UK Michelin Guide and in the 2011 edition.

Celebrated head chef Michael Caines put on a banquet and ball, for which Rock Kitchen Harris designed posters and displays to give the event extra style.

{

Michelin starred chefs at the 100-year celebration in London.

LOCAL FIRM MADE } HOW MICHELIN STARS SHINE

“It was an honour to give such talented hotels and restaurants ideas to help them promote the fact that they’ve received 100 years of Michelin recognition.”

John Harris, RKH

HISTORIC HOTELS GO BACK IN TIME

Two Yorkshire hotels that featured in both the 1911 Michelin Guide and the 2011 edition are The Boar’s Head in Ripley and The Black Swan, Helmsley. The venues created special 1911 menus, held a vintage car rally and put on Edwardian garden parties. RKH got the television and press interested and helped design the events.

UK restaurants have been celebrating 100 years of Michelin recognition, aided by Leicester’s RKH

T

hroughout 2011 the Michelin Guide celebrated its 100th birthday. Several Midlands restaurants appeared in the 100th guide, including Nottingham’s Sat Bains, Birmingham’s Purnells and Rutland’s Hambleton Hall. Less well known is the fact that another local firm was behind many of Michelin’s centenary celebrations.

Food-loving Leicester-based media specialist Rock Kitchen Harris (RKH) was chosen to handle several aspects of design and PR for Michelin’s centenary, and to help promote many of the 30 British restaurants that appeared in both the first 1911 guide and in Tyre-maker Michelin the 2011 edition.

John Harris, a director at RKH, said: “This is a brilliant example of local Midlands talent helping some of the most skilled chefs and hoteliers from all over the country to get recognition.”

A BIG PARTY Celebrations for the 100th year of the Michelin Guide began with a VIP event in London, attended by 132 Michelin-starred chefs.

Famous faces such as Heston Blumenthal, Michael Caines, Gary Rhodes, Raymond Blanc and Michel Roux – plus this region’s talented chefs from Nottingham, Rutland, Birmingham and Derbyshire – gathered at Michelin House, Chelsea, to mark the famous Guide’s centenary. Rock Kitchen Harris had been busy in the background designing the menus, name badges and information packs.

published its first guide in 1911.

MORE PARTIES AROUND THE UK

A £19.11 menu at The Randolph, Oxford To celebrate appearing in the Michelin Guide for 100 years, the famous Macdonald Randolph Hotel in Oxford got into the spirit of things with set menus based on 1911 dishes priced at just £19.11.

Staff in 1911 costume took to the streets offering free tasters.

Leicester’s RKH liaised with the media and ensured TV, radio and press coverage.

10 Great Food Magazine

John Harris said: “This was a fantastic project for RKH. It was an honour to work with such fantastic hotels and restaurants.

The George at Stamford in Lincolnshire was the nearest hotel to RKH to appear in both the 1911 and 2011 guides, but in addition the Feathers in Ledbury, Villiers in Buckingham, George in Rye, Grand in Eastbourne, Spread

Eagle in Midhurst and Royal Hotel in Ventnor all deserve special mention. Celebrations stretched to Scotland, Ireland and Wales, as the Angel in Abergavenny, Lovat in Loch Ness and Dunraven Arms in Adare were all named as part of the elite 30.

“The only sad thing was the RKH team didn’t get to taste any of the food!”

Party at The Villiers.

Northeld Farm Shop

& Restaurant O Restaurant - “A slice of foodie heaven” Open Thursday – Sunday for lunch 12am – 3pm Thursday – Saturday 7pm – late for evening meals O Rare and Traditional British Beef, Pork, Lamb, Poultry and Game From our Award- winning butchery O Artisan Breads, Brownies and Pastries from our Bakery O Fresh Local Vegetables, Cheeses and much more from our Shop O Fabulous Amphora Wine shop on site O Delicious Hedgerow Spirits (Sloe Gin) produced on site WHISSENDINE LANE, COLD OVERTON, NR. OAKHAM, LEICESTERSHIRE LE15 7QF (follow Brown Signs on A606) www.northfieldfarm.com 01664 474271 email: marc@northfieldfarm.com Great Taste Awards winners in every year of entry As featured on BBC2 GREAT BRITISH FOOD REVIVAL.

furniture mirrors clocks pots plants wildlife wall art vintage recycled sculpture scarves jewellery enamelware baskets lanterns hearts hooks fire guards frames

CAFÉ EMPORIUM great cakes superb soups quality teas & coffee & one amazing shop.

ALSO IN COTESBACH AT

THE STABLE YARD JASON THE ORGANIC BUTCHER NATURALLY GOOD FOOD Specialist in organic, gluten free and whole foods FOREST ELF vintage clothing boutique JOE THE BLACKSMITH

COTESBACH home & garden store art & craft gallery

espresso bar & café

Easy to find on the A426 Lutterworth to Rugby Road, between Junction 1 of the M6 and J20 of the M1. LE17 4HS open : Tues - Sat 9.30-5.30. Sunday 11-4. CLOSED ON MONDAY T: 01455 550900 gardenbarn.co.uk

p11_GF_JanFeb12.indd Sec1:11

14/12/11 15:09:30

OUT AND ABOUT

Events & markets Great Food recommends... Excellent events to ease you into the year THE GREAT BRITISH MUSTARD BASH, SCALFORD HALL, MAR 11 It’s the condiment of kings and should be celebrated! We hope that the inaugural Great British Mustard Bash plants the seeds that grow into a hugely successful annual food and drink event for the region. Held at Scalford Hall near Melton Mowbray. £5 per car; 10am to 4pm; www.mustardbash.co.uk

2

HAMBLETON BEEF NIGHT AT THE KING’S ARMS, WING, JAN 27

James Goss at The King’s Arms in Rutland is an avid user of local ingredients and on this evening teams up with Hambletons of Oakham, which produces Longhorn beef, grazed on the Hambleton Peninsula, Rutland Water. Sure to be a very tasty evening. Begins at 7pm; £28 per head; thekingsarms-wing.co.uk, 01572 737634

3

LUCY CUFFLIN’S COOKERY BOOK CLUB, WATERSTONES, LEICESTER, JAN 10

4

The indoor show devoted to growing your own food returns to Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire. If you want to start growing your own and learn more about keeping animals, then a few hours spent here will be invaluable. See the latest products, get advice, and visit the Cookery Theatre and Smallholders’ Marquee. 10am5pm all days; £12 in advance; theediblegardenshow.co.uk, 0844 3388001

5

Starting on January 10 and then on the first Tuesday of each month, Lucy Cufflin from Lucy’s Food (see p48) will review a cookery book at Waterstones, Market St, Leicester. She will also bring along local or new ingredients to try. Starts 12.30pm; free entry; lucysfood.co.uk; 0116 2700885

Farmers’ markets Leicestershire & Rutland ASHBY DE LA ZOUCH

MARKET BOSWORTH When Fourth Sun, 9am-2pm

BLABY

MARKET HARBOROUGH

When Fourth Sat of month, 9am-1pm (third Sat in Dec)

When First Thurs, 8am-3.30pm

BURBAGE

MELTON MOWBRAY

BROUGHTON ASTLEY

When Every Tues and Fri, 9am-2pm

When Second Sun, 10am-2pm

OAKHAM When Third Sat, 8am-2pm

CASTLE DONINGTON

STAMFORD (LINCS)

When Second Sat, 9am-12.30pm

EARL SHILTON When Third Sat, 9am-1pm

HINCKLEY When Third Thurs, 9am-2pm

WORLD MARMALADE AWARDS, DALEMAIN MANSION, FEB 25-26

This is one of the first big food events in the UK calendar. Held at Dalemain in Cumbria, the focus is a giant marmalade competition. Be warned – it’s very competitive! Last year there were 1200 entries – marmaladeawards.com Please check with organisers of all events before setting off

Where’s your nearest?

When Third Sat of month, 9am-2pm

When First Sat, 9am-1pm

EDIBLE GARDEN SHOW, STONELEIGH PARK, MAR 16-18

When Every other Fri, 8.30am-3pm (Jan 13, Jan 27 etc)

Nottinghamshire

ATHERSTONE

STRATFORD-ON-AVON

When Third Thurs, 9am-3pm

When Third Sat, 9am-2pm

BEDWORTH

When First and third Sat, 9am-2pm

WEST BRIDGFORD

When Last Weds, from 9am

SUTTON COLDFIELD

BIRMINGHAM HIGH ST HARBOURNE

WARWICK

When Second and fourth Sat, 8.30am-1.30pm

WOLLATON When First Sat, 9am-1pm

WORKSOP When Second Fri, 8.30am-2.30pm

When Second Sat, 9am-2pm

BIRMINGHAM NEW STREET

When Second Fri, 9am-3pm When Fifth Sat (irregular), 9am-2pm

Northamptonshire BRACKLEY

When First and third Weds, 9am-4pm

When Third Sat, 9am-1pm

ALFRETON

COLESHILL

When First Sat, 9am-1pm

When Third Sat, 9am-1pm

When Fourth Fri, 10am-2pm

OUNDLE

COVENTRY

HIGHAM FERRERS

Derbyshire BELPER

BEESTON

When Second Sat, 9am-2pm

When Fourth Fri, 9am-2pm

CHESTERFIELD

BINGHAM

When Third Sat, 9am-1pm

When Third Sat, from 9am

When Second Thur and last Sun, from 9am

LEICESTER

KIBWORTH BEAUCHAMP

Warwickshire

SOUTHWELL

When Second Thurs, 9am-4.30pm

LEAMINGTON SPA

DAVENTRY

When Second Sat, 9am-2pm When Last Sat, 8am-3pm

NORTHAMPTON When Third Thurs, 9am-1.30pm

MANSFIELD

DERBY

When Fourth Sat, 9am-2pm

When First Thurs, 10am-4pm

When Third Tues, 9am-4pm

When Third Thur, 9am-3pm

NUNEATON

When Second Fri, 9am-2pm

HEANOR

LOUGHBOROUGH

NEWARK

When Third Sat, 9am-3pm

When Third Fri, 9am-2pm

When Last Thurs, 9am-2pm

When Second Weds, 9am-4pm

When First Wed, from 9am

RIPLEY

RUGBY

NOTTINGHAM

When First Sat, 9am-3pm

LUTTERWORTH

When Third Fri, 9am-4pm

SWADLINCOTE

When Last Thurs, 9am-2pm

When Second Sat, 9am-1.30pm

RETFORD

When Third Sat of month, from 9am

12 Great Food Magazine

When Third Sat, from 9am

SOLIHULL When First Fri, 9am-5pm

TOWCESTER WELLINGBOROUGH

NB We’ve used a number of sources to compile this list. Always check market is running before setting off

MARCH 11, 2012 SCALFORD HALL MELTON MOWBRAY Mustard truly deserves its own festival and what better place for it than Scalford Hall near Melton Mowbray?

Not only is it Jeremiah Colman’s old home, it is also in the middle of pork pie country – see you there! www.mustardbash.com

Fresh from LOCAL PRODUCER

Riverford at Sacrewell Farm near Peterborough grows organic veg, handpicks it and delivers to homes across the Midlands ARTICLE: MATT WRIGHT PHOTOS: ANDREW BRACKENBURY (ABRACKENBURY.COM)

A

lonely figure sits in the field, illuminated by December’s golden morning sunlight.

He sips tea, blows into cupped hands, bends, grasps green ribbons and pulls. Out comes the prize, followed by a tangle of roots, dripping earth. A blade flashes, the muddy tangle hits the earth and a trimmed leek lands on the pile. This is

14 Great Food Magazine

unforgiving, back-breaking work but farm worker Dick Mace from Wisbech seems happy. “I’ve been grafting in fields like this for 30 years,” he grins.

One warming thought is that around 72 hours later, the leeks that Dick is handpicking – along with other veg grown at Sacrewell Farm near Peterborough – will be simmering in saucepans across the Midlands.

Since 2008, 500-acre Sacrewell Farm has been run by Riverford Organic – note the word organic – a farming and food delivery business that was born in Devon. It was set up in 1987 by Guy Watson who delivered food grown on three acres to 30 friends. It’s grown a bit since then and now delivers 40,000 boxes a week across the UK. This is big business. Ë

the earth

Riverford

‘Around 72 hours later, the leeks will be simmering in kitchens across the Midlands’

Great Food Magazine 15

LOCAL PRODUCER

But Riverford has never lost sight of its roots – growing affordable veg for local people – and as it has expanded, it has charted a more challenging course to stay true to its principles.

First, Riverford is organic – so no chemicals. As a result, it has to contend with lower yields and pests such as white fly. Second, to reduce food miles and keep the farming relatively small scale, the company decided to link up with sister farms across England – in Hampshire, Yorkshire, and here, at Sacrewell near Peterborough. So Riverford sprouts delivered to, say, Melton Mowbray, are grown a few miles away at Sacrewell.

Nigel Venni from Peterborough, farmer at Sacrewell, shows us around the land. “We grow Megaton, Belton, Darwin, Kenton and Galvani varieties,” he says, pointing to the leeks surrounding Dick. “There’s purple sprouting broccoli, there’s the wet garlic we planted at the end of October just poking through, and next door are cabbages – January King, Tundra Green and Wintessa Savoy. We grow lots of varieties of the same vegetable for a couple of reasons. First, the soil at Sacrewell varies dramatically, even within individual fields, so we try to match vegetable variety to soil type. Second, it means we haven’t got all our eggs in one basket – if Darwin doesn’t do too well, then Belton can come to the rescue.”

Everything is harvested by hand at Sacrewell. The 7000 or so veg boxes per week that are packed in the farm’s cold store and then distributed across the Midlands equate to between one and two tonnes of produce. This entire quantity is picked by four workers.

One of those is Dick Mace, whose silhouette moves slowly around the now-distant leek field, straight into a biting northerly. Seeing this wintry scene puts you in touch with the reality of organic farming, and the time and effort needed to put those delicious leeks in your pan. Q A small Riverford box containing eight varieties of veg feeds two to three people a week and costs £12.85.

CONTACT Riverford at Sacrewell Farm, Peterborough PE2 6HJ 01780 789700

16 Great Food Magazine

A winter cabbage catches the sun.

Rob Prendergast from Yaxley is one of 12 Riverford office workers at Sacrewell.

Around 30 local packers work at the farm’s cold store.

Charlotte Falkingham with Sarah Lyon and Janet ??????

Riverford’s meatbox Riverford is now able to deliver organic meat boxes as well as veg boxes. Its small meat box costs £53.95 and will feed two adults for at least a fortnight, while the Winter Warmer box – containing cuts perfect for slow cooking – is £29.95. All the meat is currently sourced from West Country farms. In the future, Sacrewell Farm may become home to livestock: “The land is available,” says Nigel Venni, “but it’s not possible economically at this stage.” For more information, visit www.riverford.co.uk

Riverford

‘Everything is harvested by hand at Sacrewell Farm’

Sacrewell farmer Nigel Venni grapples with organic Brussels.

Great Food Magazine 17

RECIPE

Adam Gray’s steamed mutton and onion suet pudding with crushed swede As a youngster, Adam Gray used to wash pots in his local, The Red Lion at East Haddon, Northamptonshire.

Adam now co-owns the pub. Until recently he was head chef at Rhodes 24 in London but left to focus on the Red Lion, which won a Michelin Bib Gourmand a few months ago. Adam’s mutton dish is not only delicious but also ideal for a satisfying winter session in the kitchen.

Braised shoulder of mutton – serves 6

Suet pastry

Creamed grain mustard lamb sauce

* 600g self-raising flour * 300g shredded beef suet * 400ml water * Salt This lines six half-pint pudding basins.

1 Sieve together flour and salt in a bowl.

2 Add the suet. Do not break into the flour but leave as whole pieces.

Carefully stir in.

3 Stir in the water to form a fairly firm dough. Wrap in cling film and allow to rest for 20 minutes. The pastry is now ready to roll to half-inch thickness to line the pre-buttered pudding basins.

Crushed swede

* 2 medium swede * 50g butter (diced) * Salt * Ground white pepper

* 1 shoulder mutton * 1 head celery (mirepoix) * 10 sage stalks * 1 bottle white wine

1 Cut the shoulder of mutton in half and seal in a large hot frying pan in the rapeseed oil until lightly golden brown all over. Remove.

2 Add mirepoix to hot frying pan and cook until golden brown.

3 Add sage stalks and chopped tomatoes and cook for a further 10 minutes.

4 Deglaze with wine. Reduce by three quarters.

5 Remove all the ingredients from frying pan and place in a deep tray. Add the shoulder of mutton.

* 400ml lamb stock (see right) * 60ml double cream * 25g grain mustard * Salt * Ground white pepper

1 Bring lamb stock (see right) to the boil and reduce to 250ml.

2 Add double cream and simmer gently for 2-3 minutes.

3 Add grain mustard and whisk together thoroughly.

4 Season to taste. The sauce should be café au lait in colour.

BLOW IT!

DUNCAN MURRAY’S WINE TIP

Celler Cal Pla 1 Peel and cut the Grapes: Garnacha, Carinena and swede into rough Cabernet Sauvignon two-inch pieces.

Flavour: This stunning red from 2 Place swede in a Priorat, a tiny wine-growing area saucepan, cover with south of Barcelona, delivers the cold water and add power and complexity that salt to taste. this dish needs: robust fruit 3 Bring to the boil and flavours of plum and simmer gently until the cherry. Price: £14.99 swede is tender, but not soft.

4 Drain the swede in a colander and leave to stand for 8-10 minutes.

5 Pass swede through a potato masher while still warm.

Add the diced butter and season with salt and pepper.

6 Serve with a dice of butter sitting in the middle of the swede.

18 Great Food Magazine

* 3 onions (mirepoix) * 1 bulb garlic (mirepoix) * 5 litres chicken stock * Rapeseed oil

* 6 large carrots (mirepoix) * 10 plum tomatoes, chopped * 1 litre veal stock 6 Cover with the chicken stock and veal stock.

7 Place the tray on the stove and bring to boil.

8 As it comes to the boil, remove from the stove and cover with foil, sealing the edges.

9 Place in a pre-heated oven at 180ºC for five hours until tender.

10 Leave to cool in liquor. When cool enough to handle, break down all the meat from the bone, making sure that the mutton is also clear of any gristle or fat and sinew.

Lamb stock

* 4kg lamb bones * 6 carrots * 10 tomatoes * 1 head celery * 2 leeks * 4 onions * 1 head garlic * 1 bottle white wine * 1 bunch rosemary

Mutton gravy Strained mutton cooking liquor (see mutton recipe above).

Mutton pudding filling 1 Lightly caramelise sliced onions until golden. Cool.

2 Add some chopped parsley and sage to onion mix.

3 Once pudding basins are lined with pastry, insert with a layer of deboned, desinewed mutton meat (see top of page), then a layer of onions and repeat until 1cm from the top, leaving enough space to add the lid. Egg wash the top of each basin and seal.

4 Wrap each pudding tightly with BUDGET a top sheet of foil and greaseproof paper. Steam DUNCAN for 75-90 minutes.

MURRAY’S 5 Serve mutton WINE TIP puddings with swede Chateau du Donjon Tradition (see below), and Grapes: Grenache, Syrah with mutton gravy and Carignan and mustard sauces Flavour: A rich, full wine from a in separate jugs. small producer in the Minervois, southern France. Intense aromas and flavours of prune and stewed black fruit will work well with the robust mutton. Price: £8.99

We use only the finest ingredients to make our handcrafted, fabulous food, for your freezer. Call into the shop in Stoneygate, stock up and all you have to do is decide what to eat and when. Fantastic food at your fingertips

Pie and a pint for only £11*

Banish the winter blues with our fabulous slow cooked winter dishes – perfect to come home to on a dark winter evening!

Available Monday to Saturday lunch and Monday to Thursday dinner throughout January and February*

See off those extra pounds after the festive season with our new low fat calorie counted range.

Choice of a pie from the pie menu, served with potatoes and vegetables, along with a pint** (or a soft drink or 175ml glass of house wine). *Starts from 2nd January 2012 and excludes Valentine’s Day night. **Adnams or Carlsberg.

Gluten free? We have dishes made especially with you in mind Try our new we make you bake range – we make the mixture you take it home and bake it – wonderfully fresh cakes and biscuits from your own oven – no fuss! - choose from Lemon drizzle, chocolate brownies and simply the shortest shortbread, yumyum ’

Fantastic range of must have’ kitchen gadgets in stock We can deliver to your door Visit us at 6 Francis Street, Stoneygate, Leicester, LE2 2BD tel 0116 2700885 Shop open 10am – 5pm Monday to Saturday

Visit our website www.lucysfood.co.uk www.facebook/lucysfood

t. 01780 763136

t. 01780 756321

21 Stamford Road, Easton on the Hill, PE9 3NS All Saints’ Place, Stamford, PE9 2AG reservations@theexeterarms.net reservations@thecrownhotelstamford.co.uk www.theexeterarms.net www.thecrownhotelstamford.co.uk

t. 01780 740 250 Main Street Ufford, Stamford, PE9 3BH info@whitehartufford.co.uk www.whitehartufford.co.uk

For all enquiries contact Sally Rouse on 01780 763136 or email sally@thecrownhotelstamford.co.uk All Saints’ Hotels Ltd. All Saints’ Place, Stamford, PE9 2AG t. 01780 763136

“Our family has worked hard to ensure the true Italian traditions remain at San Carlo.

We wouldn ’t have it any other way. ” Carlo Distefano Chairman

Marcello Distefano Managing Director

Alessandro Distefano Manager

Marissa Distefano Marketing Manager

WINNER OF EIGHTEEN PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS

38 – 40 Granby St, Leicester LE1 1DE | 0116 251 9332 leicester@sancarlo.co.uk | www.sancarlo.co.uk facebook.com/sancarlogroup

@sancarlo_group

Originale Cucina Italiana

San Carlo is not a theme restaurant we are proud to be able to provide the true essence of authentic Italian food, with Italian directors, management and chefs.

San Carlo | Birmingham Bristol Leeds Leicester Liverpool Manchester Milan Rome Signor Sassi | London Kuwait Beirut Bangkok

p19_GF_JanFeb12.indd Sec1:19

14/12/11 15:14:35

FORAGING

Forest fruits Great Food attends Survival School in the National Forest and samples chickweed, pigeon, and dogrose, all washed down with a cup of Douglas fir tea WORDS & PHOTOS: TIM BURKE

T

he food and drink scene is as prone to buzzwords as any other. One is ‘foraging’ – the notion that you can forget supermarkets because, hey, nature’s got a whole larder out there just waiting for you.

It’s a concept that’s entered the finest of fine dining experiences, with the double-Michelin starred Sat Bains Restaurant creating a dish catchily entitled NG7 2SA, which is made with produce foraged from the Nottingham restaurant’s postcode. Wild food is so modish that it’s even had a backlash, with influential Metro critic Marina O’Loughlin railing against “weeds” taking over restaurants in the form of “pools of sulphuric khaki sludge”.

We wanted to assess some of the possibilities for regular cooks to find good flavours in the great outdoors. With help from the people at the National Forest we contacted Jonny Crockett, an ex-Royal Marine who now runs Survival School, a leading company that teaches people bushcraft and survival skills, promoting understanding of and respect for the environment.

‘We return to our base and cut a small piece of horseradish root –

20 Great Food Magazine

Foraging food SUBSC RIBE LIKE

T MAGA HIS TURN T ZINE? O P23 TO MA K YOU G E SURE ET THE NEXT IS SUE

Out in the wilds A day out with Jonny is a real revelation. We meet in the heart of the National Forest a few miles outside Burton on Trent and immediately step into the autumn woodlands, Jonny’s eyes darting around, looking for tell-tale signs. He’s reading the countryside like the face of a well-loved friend.

“The forager has to get into the habit of remembering plants,” says Jonny. “In exactly the same way as you recall where things are positioned in certain shops, it’s possible to build up a stock of memories that pinpoint where different plants grow at different times of the year.”

First up was a quick and easy win – a couple of pears go in the bag. Then Jonny pulls down a branch of berries – they’re haws and he gets me to nibble around the core of the bright red fruit. “What are you getting?” he asks. To my surprise, it’s apple. “That’s what I get – and maybe a little avocado.”

And you know, he’s right.

We move on and carefully pick a few sprigs from Douglasfir trees. “This is an all year round treat – it makes a lovely cup of tea,” claims Jonny. Later we brew up and where I’m expecting a resinous, retsina flavour, what actually appears is a delightful citrus drink with distinctive grapefruit notes and even a touch of mandarin.

There are some hips on a dogrose – they’re a great alternative to buying out of season raspberries, advises

Survival School

Survival School offers a range of courses from foraging to extreme survival in venues around the UK. For more info visit www.survivalschool.co.uk. For details of other woodland craft activities in the National Forest, visit www.nationalforest.org and look under ‘Forest Experiences’.

Ex-Marine Jonny Crockett makes a mean coniferous cuppa.

Douglas fir

Tea made with the needles of this evergreen conifer is surprisingly refreshing, lemony and sweet.

Simply soak in boiling water, allow to infuse and drink (see below).

Jonny. Watch out for the seeds though, he stresses, they’re used for itching powder. I’m suddenly even more grateful that I was never on a Royal Marine expedition.

I’m starting to get excited by the breadth of unusual and intense flavours offered by what seems like a perfectly ordinary stretch of Midlands forest.

Next up, Jonny dives off into the undergrowth and comes back with two pretty much identical plants – one is a dock, one is horseradish. We return to our base and cut a small piece of horseradish root. It blasts the nose with delicious pungency.

The rules The similarity between dock and horseradish highlights one of the more difficult aspects of foraging, though. How do you what’s good and more importantly, what’s safe?

“There’s no substitute for being shown properly by someone who knows,” says Jonny. “But there’s lots you can learn on your own. Most people walking around this wood would know, say, 10 plants. So why not make it 11 next week? And 12 the week after. By the end of a year, you’re up to 60!”

Snouting out a horseradish root.

it blasts the nose with its pungency’

Great Food Magazine 21

FORAGING

Jonny prepares dinner. Step 1.

Wild cooking at its finest.

Hawthorn berries have an appley tinge.

There are some other basic rules to consider for anyone who wants to get out and forage. In terms of what you’re allowed to collect, think of the four f’s – fruit, fungi, flowers and foliage. Basically, you don’t take the whole plant or the roots. You should not collect for commercial gain and you should not touch anything that’s on a protected list – if you’re collecting small plants or herbs, Jonny reckons the amount held in your cupped hands is plenty enough.

Deeper in the woods we find other aromatic little plants with evocative names – opposite-leaved golden saxifrage is an acquired taste but works well in salads and soups, while

The golden rule of foraging

You can’t go wrong with a juicy pear or two.

If you’re not sure, don’t eat it. This applies to absolutely everything, especially fungi.

‘Opposite-leaved golden saxifrage is an acquired taste but works well in salads’

hairy bitter cress has an intense pepperiness as it rests on the tongue. Even the ubiquitous chickweed adds nice, spicy notes (and sometimes makes an appearance in Sat Bains’ NG7 2SA dish).

Dinner time

What to forage when spring finally arrives...

Early in the season there’s birch sap, a traditional favourite in Eastern Europe, which can be made into a delicious wine.

Beech leaves at this time are lovely in a cheese sandwich.

Slightly later comes wild garlic – Jonny recommends looking near beech trees in April, before the forest canopy is in place – and suggests muddling the leaves into a sauce to serve with pigeon. “Then there’s burdock, nettles for soup… the countryside around the National Forest is heaving with foliage and flowers in the spring,” says Jonny. “It’s a question of getting your eye in.” Roll on spring!

22 Great Food Magazine

After a while we decide it’s time to eat. I collect wood, while Jonny produces a pigeon, shot yesterday and left in a cold store. In true man-of-the-woods style, he rips off the head, and reveals a crop packed full of berries.

I’m glad it enjoyed a great last meal. The wings are twisted off, the body turned inside out, thumbs are slid under the breast bone and in 30 seconds, with no knife and no blood, we’ve got two plump breast fillets. A skillet goes on the fire, we caramelise some slices of pear, add a selection of the leaves we’ve collected, and then cook the pigeon.

Eaten as we sit on the dappled forest floor and washed down with that refreshing Douglas fir tea, this is hugely enjoyable food.

“I’m not a chef, but this isn’t a dinner party,” chips in Jonny. “I do think that something happens to food when it’s wrapped in cellophane. Out here, with the food and flavours you’ve collected yourself – now that is something special.”

SUBSCRIBE AND GET FREE MEMBERSHIP

Six issues of Great Food delivered to your door and free annual membership to Great Food Club for £17.50

WHY SUBSCRIBE? You’ll be able to look forward to a unique magazine that focuses on local food and drink. You will also get free membership to Great Food Club, enabling you to save money at local restaurants and farm shops using your membership card.

SPECIAL OFFER!

SUBSCRIBE AND GET FREE MEMBERSHIP AT GREATFOODMAG.CO.UK OR GREATFOODCLUB.CO.UK OR FILL OUT THIS FORM (PHOTOCOPIES ARE OK) AND SEND A CHEQUE I’d like to subscribe for six issues, starting with the next issue (Issue 11, out Mar 5), and receive free annual membership to Great Food Club, all for £17.50 I’d like to a buy back issue/s for £3.20 each (please select which) ISSUE 1 ISSUE 2 ISSUE 3 ISSUE 4 ISSUE 5 ISSUE 7

ISSUE 8

ISSUE 6

ISSUE 9

YOUR DETAILS Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms First name.............................................................................................................................

Surname ........................................................................................................................................................................

Address .......................................................................................................................................................................... ..............................................................................................................................................................................................

Postcode........................................................................................................................................................................

Tel no ...............................................................................................................................................................................

Email ................................................................................................................................................................................

SEND YOUR COMPLETED ORDER FORM AND CHEQUE FOR £17.50 TO: Great Food, 7 Victoria St, Melton Mowbray, Leics LE13 0AR. Please make cheques payable to Rocco Media.

Or, to subscribe online, go to www.greatfoodmag.co.uk and click ‘subscribe’.

Important information: Offer open until Feb 28, 2012. Unless you state otherwise, subscriptions will start with the next issue (Issue 11). The minimum term is six issues. Your personalised Great Food Club membership card may take up to six weeks to arrive. Full terms & conditions at www.greatfoodmag.co.uk Opt-out option: Great Food Club offers are updated regularly and to keep you informed, Great Food would like to contact you by email or by post. We will never share your details with anyone else. However, if you’d prefer not to be contacted by post or email, please tick here [ ].

Great Food Magazine 23

HOW TO MAKE...

Hare three ways

Now’s the perfect time for hare, says fur fanatic Matt Gregory

H

are is a rare treat. It is like rabbit only in appearance; in flavour it is considerably stronger, richer, meatier. It is also a whole lot bigger.

Although not exactly rife, wild hare populations are strong in some areas,

including the Midlands, so your conscience can be clean should you be fortunate enough to find one offered for sale. There is no official closed season for hare, but it cannot be sold between March and July, a measure designed to protect the species during breeding season.

I am not a big fan of traditional jugging – where the whole animal is stewed in a casserole – so I cook the three main parts of hare in different ways. Your butcher should be more than happy to provide shoulder, loin and back legs in separate portions.

Recipe #1 Loin of Hare

The two loin pieces are very fine pieces of meat, having no fat, a dense texture and massive flavour. Combined they will weigh in the region of 300-350g Serves 4 (6 as a starter)

* Loins from one hare * 2 to 3 sausages, de-skinned. Or, if

you’re an offal fan, the heart, liver and kidneys from one hare, plus one sausage de-skinned * 8-10 rashers streaky bacon * Salt and pepper to taste

1 If using the offal rather than sausage meat, finely chop and mix together the heart, liver and kidneys from the hare and combine with a little sausage meat.

2 Lay streaky bacon flattened out with a knife on to cling film. Spread the offal paste (or just sausage meat if you aren’t using offal) thinly over the centre section of the bacon.

3 & 4 Place loins thin end to fat in the middle of the paste. Carefully roll the bacon up in the cling film, making sure not to roll the film up inside the bacon.

Twist the ends to form a compact sausage and refrigerate for at least an hour. When cold you can slice the roll into 3cm rounds whilst still in the cling film – it should neatly hold its shape once the cling film is removed.

5 Place in a hot (220°C) oven for 15 to 20 minutes, rest for five. Serve with roast root veg, braised greens or even wild mushrooms.

24 Great Food Magazine

HARE DIVIDE

1&2

3

4

5

There are far more hares in the east of England than the west. This is probably because the east has more arable land, which offers easier living for hares than the dairy-focused west.

Hare

Recipe #2

Confit Hare Haunch The two back legs from a hare are neatly single-portion sized, weighing approximately 250g each on the bone A delicious and totally non-traditional way to cook hare legs is to use the classic southern French method of preserving duck, but modified. The big difference, of course, is that ducks are very fatty, so come with their own cooking medium; hares are not, so we have to be creative.

Lard may seem to be the very devil of foods to some, but it is an extraordinary cooking fat, and not nearly as bad as it’s made out to be. Used in place of duck fat, it has a transformational effect on the lean muscle of the hare; also, due to the low moisture content of the meat, the period of pre-salting can be omitted.

Serves 2

* 2 back legs from a hare * 500g+ lard * 2 bay leaves, several cloves of garlic and a few black peppercorns

Not Dr Jekyll’s lab but a normal sight in Matt Gregory’s kitchen.

1 In a pot with a tight-fitting lid, just large enough to take the two legs, melt enough lard to cover the legs.

2 Add a couple of bay leaves, several cloves of garlic and a few black peppercorns. Pop the legs in and put the lid on. Place in a very low oven, Gas 1/2 (120°C) for about five hours.

3 Once cooked, transfer the legs to a sealable jar and top up with the stillhot lard. Allow to cool, then

refrigerate. The longer you leave it, the finer the flavour – I have left them for up to six months, but that might be a little extreme.

4 When you are ready to eat it, bring the pot up to room temperature, carefully remove the legs from the pot and scrape off as much fat as possible.

Heat in a hot oven (Gas 5, 190°C), for about 15 minutes and serve with colcannon and roast carrots.

Recipe #3 Hare Ragu

The meat from the hare’s front legs and rib cage is ideal for making into sauce for pasta Being lean and rich, hare benefits from the addition of a little pork and/or beef mince to prevent it drying out and to provide enough sauce for decent portions. Don’t be tempted to put hare through a mincer – it mysteriously turns to a sand-type substance.

Serves 4 to 6

* 2 hare front legs and meat from the rib cage

* 500g beef or pork mince, or a combination of the two

A fantastically gamey take on ragu sauce.

* 50g pancetta or smoked

streaky bacon * Sofrito veg: 1 onion, 2 carrots, 2 sticks of celery, 4 cloves garlic, 4 juniper berries, thyme, olive oil * Glass red wine * Tin tomatoes * 250ml chicken stock * 1 tbsp tomato purée * Salt and pepper to taste * 300g pappardelle pasta * 50g Parmesan cheese

1 Marinate the hare pieces overnight with sofrito veg (onion, carrot, celery, garlic), some juniper berries and maybe some thyme, all slicked up with some olive oil, but no wine.

2 Fry hare and mince in a pan big enough to take all ingredients, just long enough for the meat to gain some colour.

3 Remove and set aside, add lardons of pancetta or sliced streaky bacon and fry until brown and

then add all the marinade veg to sweat down.

Add the wine, tomato purée and bring to the boil.

4 Return the hare and mince, top up with a little stock, bring to the boil and simmer over a low heat for about two hours.

5 Remove bones from hare and tear up any larger pieces. Return to the sauce.

6 Serve with pappardelle pasta topped with grated Parmesan.

Great Food Magazine 25

LOCAL PRODUCER

NATIONAL TREASURE

Nottinghamshire’s Country Victualler was producing and delivering fantastic food before most Brits had even heard of delis

T

hirty-eight years ago, Richard Craven-SmithMilnes was often seen driving around London in a taxi with no rear seat. Bouncing in the back were a pile of baked hams, a small mountain of cheese and bags of ground coffee. Hands on wheel, A-Z on knee, it must have been an exciting if fraught time for Richard and his wife, Jane. Richard had just given up his City job with Lloyds and paid £50 for a ramshackle food business called the Country Victualler; he was delivering victuals to many intriguing characters around the capital.

Forty-odd years later, Richard is still the Country Victualler but is now based at Nottinghamshire’s Winkburn Hall. And instead of delivering personally to flats, he’s sending hams and more to the likes of Fortnum & Mason and Selfridges.

Taking the business to where it is today has been an incredible journey

26 Great Food Magazine

ARTICLE & PHOTOS: MATT WRIGHT

and the Country Victualler’s history is as rich as its Christmas puddings.

“I bought the business in 1973 from a chap called Colonel Dickinson, who used to be in the Royal Ulster Rifles,” says Richard. “He ran a village shop in Alderton, Suffolk but also delivered hams to London clients.” Richard’s £50 bought the Colonel’s client list, the rights to produce and sell his excellent

The hall Built in 1695, Winkburn Hall is the ancestral home of the Craven-SmithMilnes. Richard bought it and returned it to his family in the ‘70s. At that point it was in such a state that the seller advised him to see a psychiatrist.

Alderton ham (see opposite page) and two deep freezers, one of which finally gave up the ghost in 2010!

Back then, Richard and Jane lived in Kensington. “I built our first kitchen in the basement,” says Richard. “I did all the gaswork, electrics and plumbing – you’d go to prison now! We used to cook the hams there. Our dog and three children were in the same house.”

The country was less obsessed with health and safety back then, and it didn’t care much about food, either.

“The whole attitude to British food has changed dramatically,” says Richard.

“In the 70s, selling delicatessen foods was considered very odd. Back then we had no competition at all but were trying to convince people that there was something better.”

“You could barely buy a fresh egg in London,” says Jane. “And if you lived in – say – Putney, the nearest place to get decent coffee was Jacksons, Piccadilly.”

The Country Victualler

Richard’s mother’s cookbook. Below: Richard and Jane Craven-Smith-Milnes.

A favourite of Rick Stein.

Alderton ham

The Country Victualler’s flagship product The original recipe for Alderton ham came from Colonel Dickinson, the man who founded the Country Victualler in the 1960s and then sold the business to Richard for £50 in 1973. “We steam the hams for four hours, take the skin off, cover them in marmalade and then dry bake for another four hours. That means the marmalade permeates the entire joint.” As well as a delicious, rich flavour, the cooking process gives Alderton ham a balanced texture – not too dry but not too moist.

“We buy as many hams as possible from Nottinghamshire,” says Richard, “but sometimes we’re forced to look further afield to Circencester. Colonel Dickinson originally used Polish hams from very small farms but that became far too expensive. Also, one batch tasted completely different from the next.”

Family jewels

Sitting on the kitchen shelf at Winkburn Hall is Richard’s mother’s handwritten recipe book, which she compiled over many years. It contains a treasure trove of dishes – some rather rich for today’s tastes – and has inspired some of the Country Victualler’s products, including its Christmas pudding. The recipe below for Georgian chicken soup was lifted directly from the book.

Georgian chicken soup * Chicken stock * 4 oz butter * 2 tbsp flour * A little lemon juice or vinegar

* 4 good-sized onions * 2 eggs * Salt, pepper, sugar * 1 smoked chicken

1 Chop the onions finely and cook them gently (you do not want them to brown) in the butter.

2 Add the flour.

3 When the onions are cooked, pour over a little of the chicken broth and slowly bring to the boil.

4 Add the remaining broth and simmer for about an hour.

This was fertile ground for a high-quality food producer/deliverer, and at the same time the country’s first delis started to open. “Deli pioneer Justin de Blank was our first shop customer, and our second was Partridges, which is still going,” says Jane. “In fact, we attended its opening.”

The Country Victualler’s client base grew. Richard continues: “On Mondays we phoned customers to ask what they wanted and then I delivered. Clients gave me the keys to their flats – I had about 20 bunches, including those of Labour chancellor Roy Jenkins: I’d let myself in, leave food in the fridge and collect money. One customer employed a butler who regularly put in an order of £100. It transpired that the

5 Meanwhile, shred chicken meat.

6 After the hour is up, add shredded chicken and warm through.

7 Just before serving, break two egg yolks into a large bowl and whisk with a dash of sugar.

8 Pour into the hot soup, stirring all the time.

9 Add lemon juice to taste. butler was ordering and selling the food on, while his boss paid the bill.”

Eventually, Richard and Jane moved their kitchen to Nottinghamshire, farmed out the distribution and became – primarily – producers.

Today, the Country Victualler makes a range of highly regarded foods, including its famous Alderton ham, chicken liver and brandy paté, smoked salmon paté, duck liver terrine with vine fruits and a rich fruit pudding made to Richard’s great grandmother’s 1878 recipe, which Richard The Country discovered in his Victualler is part of mother’s old cookbook Great Food Club (see above). www.greatfood

The name A victualler (pronounced ‘vittler’) is a person who sells food and alcohol. The official food supplier to the Royal Navy in the 19th century was the Victualling Board.

“My love of food comes from my mother,” says Richard. “After the war, when everyone ate nothing but clear soup, she was known for her culinary skills.” No doubt, then, she would have enjoyed the visit of Rick Stein to Winkburn Hall in 2005 – having heard about Alderton ham, the Cornish chef came along to film there.

Driving his delivery taxi in 1973, Richard couldn’t have known how much his new £50 food business was going change his life, but there’s no doubt he got what he was looking for.

CONTACT The Country Victualler, Winkburn Hall, Winkburn, Nottinghamshire NG22 8PQ 01636 636465, www.alderton.co.uk

club.co.uk

Great Food Magazine 27

OUT & ABOUT

BBC Winter Good Five days of food in Birmingham. Photos by Hazel Paterson

B

irmingham’s NEC was crammed with food from November 23-27 for the Beeb’s Winter Good Food Show. According to organiser Haymarket Events, more than 80,000 people paid over £20 to get in. Five days is a long time for a show, especially for the 400 or so exhibitors, but happily – as Great Food cook/ photographer Hazel Paterson can testify – there was a variety of alcoholic samples to be imbibed, which helped maintain smiles.

Star of the show was the Producers’ Village, an area devoted to small, locally focused food businesses from all over the UK. The atmosphere here was fun, with a farmers’ market feel and plenty of fascinating produce to try and buy. There were many other zones too, including a Saturday Kitchen stage and an area populated by larger food businesses.

This was a huge T-Bone steak of a show with masses to see and do.

Charlotte Gregg Glass Falkingham with from the Compass xxx x x xx xBox x Whisky Co. pours a few wee drams.

Charlotte According Falkingham with to the the Peat xxxphotographer, x x xx x x Monster was a winner!

Charlotte

Joe Delucci’s Gelato – from Lighthorne, Warwickshire – had one of the busiest stands at the show.

Above: Masterchef 2010 runner-up Tim Kinnaird – who runs Norfolk’s Macarons & More – with Jenna Farrow.

28 Great Food Magazine

TV chef Mark Sargeant blends merrily on the Saturday Kitchen stage.

Falkingham with xxx x x xx x x

Above: Karen Nethercott from award-winning Norfolk smallholding, Samphire. Below: Samphire’s lauded pies.

&

AB

UT

•OUT

& ABOUT

Food Festival

UT O

OUT • O

d Food Show

UT & AB •O

Ben Preston (left) and John Hendy from Leedsbased Womersley Foods, which has specialised in fruit and herb vinegars and jellies since 1979.

Below: “Womersley’s Golden Raspberry and Apache Chilli Vinegar was just incredible,” says photographer Hazel Paterson (see p34).

Left: You want meat?

We’ve got meat. The stand belonging to West Country butcher Gerald David & Family meant few carnivores left the NEC steak-free.

Right: Isle of Wight’s Garlic Farm.

Sussex’s Rossmore Oysters were selling Jersey Rock and Scottish Native varieties.

Great Food Magazine 00 29

LOCAL PRODUCE

Get on the shelf!

How easy is it for local producers to get their food and drink in the shops?

George Dryden investigates…

ARTICLE: GEORGE DRYDEN PHOTOS: SHUTTERSTOCK & MATT WRIGHT

A

s shoppers, we’re wising up to the merits of the field-to-fork philosophy. Whether thanks is due to Jamie’s school dinners rant, Hugh’s conscience-pricking fish fight or we are just becoming more discerning, there’s no doubt about it – we’re all starting to care more about where our food comes from. Cottage industries are on the up, no more so than when it comes to producing good quality food, especially at a local level.

But have you wondered how smaller companies actually get their wares on to the shelves of supermarkets, farm shops and delis? It would appear that it’s not just consumers who have wised up, so too have the buyers at some of the bigger stores, who claim to be just as eager to support small-scale food producers as we are. As the recession hit, sales in organic and fair trade produce fell, but according to Tracey Marshall, a local and regional product manager for Waitrose, sales in local, small-scale produce has continued to increase year on year by 16 per cent.

30 Great Food Magazine

Food retail

{ } Local growth

“Out of the 2500 local produce lines Waitrose sells, 1700 of them are sold in fewer than seven branches” Tracey Marshall

Tracey’s office receives four cold calls from would-be suppliers every day, but the company still sends out buyers and even branch managers to scout for talent.

“If somebody comes to us with the right product at the right time with the right packaging, the process of getting that item into a store might take only three months but it’s six on average,” says Tracey. “It all depends on the risk level of the food.”

Along with colleague Oliver O’Mara, it’s Tracey’s job to hold the hands of small businesses who have never before seen their goods stacked on a supermarket shelf, and perhaps never thought they would. “Out of the 2500 local produce lines Waitrose sells, 1700 of them are sold in fewer than seven branches,” she says. “Some may even only supply their nearest store.” Tracey and Oliver help such businesses by giving advice on barcodes, trading standards practices, and marketing. “There’s room for big and small suppliers, and we know from research that the more local a product is, the more affinity it has with the consumer,” she continues. “We do have a number of suppliers who actually make their products in their own kitchens.”

One of the first things Tracey normally does is to put the producer in touch with their regional food group, of which there are 10 in the UK (see ‘How we did it’ panel, p33). It’s the best network for keeping producers in touch with changes in the law and new opportunities.

Your regional food group can also help with product distribution, printing, marketing and spreading the word about sales events. Many small-scale suppliers will deliver their goods direct to the stores rather than to a distribution depot, helping to nurture the relationship between store and producer, as well as keeping food miles to a minimum. It also means a more relaxed attitude to delivery schedules which are made for the supplier’s convenience rather than that of the store.

The Pickled Village Run by Camille

Ortega McLean (right), this Northamptonshire producer’s quirkily named chutneys and marmalades – including The Amorous Breakfast and Rapscallion – are listed by Waitrose.

Leicestershire Handmade Cheese Jo and David Clarke make cheese in west Leics and supply Booths and Waitrose, among others.

Local producers Camille Ortega McLean is one of Waitrose’s shining stars, after being spotted by a buyer at a food fair. The founder and sole owner of The Pickled Village, Camille produces marmalades, pickles, preserves and chutneys in a room at the back of her shop, Bulwick Village Stores in Northamptonshire.

“My experience with Waitrose has been great. They’re keen to work with small producers and will even help with advice on packaging. I am in the process of creating a special line for another major supermarket, which will hopefully take 22 lines in 20 of its stores.”

Leicestershire cheese-maker Jo Clarke tells a similar tale. Setting up Leicestershire Handmade Cheese Company in 2005, Jo and her husband and co-founder David Clarke became the first traditional makers of unpasteurised cheese on a dairy farm using Leicestershire milk since 1956.

Selling to scores of delis and farm shops all over the country, but particularly in London and Leicestershire, the pair quickly knew they had hit on the perfect solution for an ailing dairy market. The uniqueness of their Sparkenhoe Red Leicester cheese meant it wasn’t

MICRO PRODUCING

Rutland Preserves It’s a year since Karen Taylor and her business partner Emma Dobson started Rutland Preserves in Whissendine in January 2011, yet their 17 products can now be bought in 35 delis, farm shops, butchers, and cheese shops in Rutland, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire and Lincolnshire. “We don’t want to go into supermarkets because we don’t want to become mass-produced and sacrifice

quality. There are only two of us making everything, so we have complete control,” says Karen, who usually approaches a shop by emailing photos and information, then follows up with a phone call. “People generally want to see us after that. I think that’s because we have a strong brand identity. And after that, it’s taste. If you haven’t got a good brand, then you’re just another preserves maker.”

Great Food Magazine 31

LOCAL PRODUCE

Deli Flavour is in Leicester’s Stoneygate.

Deli Flavour

Leicester’s Deli Flavour team uses experience to predict if a product will sell before stocking it. From left: Arminder Banger, Jasmyn Mears and Andy Ritchie.

long before the larger market beckoned. Jo explains: “We had already got our cheese into Neal’s Yard Dairy in Covent Garden and soon after Waitrose approached us.

We sell to them through a cheese wholesaler based in Buxton, which also takes care of the packaging, on advice from Waitrose.” It took eight months from the start of negotiations to actually sending out the stock – 300kg a week to 140 stores, each packet of cheese proudly bearing the company’s name.

“Waitrose’s standards may be high, but they are sensible with it – they understand the small producer, but equally the customer. They appreciate that the customer wants to be educated about the cheese and

Farndon Fields

This bustling Market Harborough farm shop, run

by Milly and Kevin Stokes (pictured above), judges each product individually.

GET SALSA’D

The Taste Gourmet Spice Company Mark Hughes, founder of The Taste Gourmet Spice Co, insists on the personal approach when approaching delis and says that it pays dividends, as does the determination not to take no for an answer. “It’s simple advice but persistence pays off, no matter who you want to sell to. When I go to food festivals I always ask people to name their local deli to build up my knowledge.” Mark’s Asian and Eastern inspired spiced vinegars, oils and rubs are on the shelves of 22 delis and farm shops across the East Midlands after he started the business up in 2011, hitting

32 Great Food Magazine

the food fair circuit with gusto. He is now setting his sights on the big boys from his base in Weldon, Northamptonshire. But before he could even think about contacting a major buyer he had to tackle the red tape – a SALSA accreditation. SALSA is a food safety standard, combining the legal requirements and best practice expectations of buyers. A non-profitmaking scheme, SALSA is run by the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), Food and Drink Federation (FDF), the British Hospitality Association (BHA) and the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

“No large retailer will consider buying from you unless you have this in place,” explains Mark. Even with part-time help from his partner Kerry Jackson, Mark has his hands full with selling and everything that goes with running a business, so applications take time. “It can take a few months but it depends on how much spare time you have,” he says. “I could have done it quicker if I hadn’t been so busy.”

exactly how it is different to, say, a Leicestershire cheese made in a factory. I’d advise any small producers to create as much awareness of their product as possible – it doesn’t have to be expensive, just take samples to as many shops and delis as you can.”

Farm shops and delis Deli Flavour in Allandale Road, Leicester has a steady stream of local food producers lining up to supply it, including Lubcloud Dairy (Leicestershire), Spice Entice (Leicester), Just So Italian (Market Harborough), Jam on the Hill (Oakham) and Langton Ales (Thorpe Langton, Leicestershire).

Co-owner Andy Ritchie says: “I would say that more than half of the items we stock are from the local area.

We look at the product and make sure that it’s good quality and will sell.”

Likewise, Green and Brown which has bustling stores in garden centres at Trentham, Derby and Newent, Gloucestershire follows a similar ethos, says Susie Keenan, who owns the business in partnership with Blue Diamond garden centres.

“Locality is our priority, followed by the ability of a product to fill a gap in our overall offering. And the story behind each product is also important because that’s what Stories sell makes it special.”

“The story behind Current producers each food and drink supplying Susie product is important, include Incognito as that is what makes Cakes (Ripley), it special” Coriander Garden Susie Keenan chutneys (Allestree) and Nutbrook Brewery (near Derby).

Well before the supermarkets began their localsourcing drives in the UK, Milly Stokes and her husband Kevin were already responding to the demand for locally produced, high-quality food and drink. Farndon Fields, in Farndon Road, Market Harborough was launched in 1983 from the couple’s garage, selling fresh fruit and veg from their own farm.

{ }

Food retail HOW WE DID IT: Tips from producers

{ }

The business has Quality is king continued to grow “Each product is judged and now has the on individual merit and names of many we believe in putting local, small-scale the maker’s own producers on its name on the label” Milly Stokes books, insisting on minimal additives, E-numbers and preservatives wherever possible.

“Ideally, we look for people with an unusual product that is not available in any of the major supermarkets,” says Milly. “Each product is judged on its individual merit and we believe in putting the producer’s own name on the label if we haven’t produced it ourselves,” she continues. “Around 70 per cent of our stock is from within a 30-mile radius.”

Local producers whose goods pack the shelves at Farndon Fields Farm Shop include Welland Valley Wines (Marston Trussell), Hambleton Bakery (Exton) and Rutland Preserves (Whissendine).

Other big retailers Asda stocks more than 6000 local products in its stores from more than 500 local suppliers, including Kirtons Bakery in Leicester and rapeseed oil producer Heart of Gold, based in Leicestershire.

C-J Antal-Smith, category director for local sourcing, says: “Local sourcing is a fundamental and growing part of Asda’s business and its ethos is to help small producers and get their products listed.

“Our local sourcing managers and buyers take a tailored and flexible approach with suppliers, whether they want to supply one store, ten stores or a whole region of stores. We make sure they grow in line with their capabilities. We also work with customers to understand regional tastes and are always on the

FIRST THINGS FIRST: If you want any shop to take you seriously, you need SALSA accreditation. Go to www.salsafood.co.uk

shoppers in a busy supermarket? If not, it’s probably worth investing money in a reputable marketing consultant to get it right.

THE LEGAL STUFF: Contact your local trading standards agency and the Food Standards Agency (www.food.gov.uk) early on, so you know exactly what is expected from the outset. This will save a lot of time, money, and possibly heartache.

WHAT’S YOUR PRODUCT’S STORY? What makes your product unique? Are you communicating this in your packaging? What will a buyer want included in your initial proposal?

KNOW YOUR ALLIES: Contact your regional food group for advice, information, contacts and events.

These groups are familiar with the supermarkets, what they expect and what they look for in a new product.

For the East Midlands contact the Food and Drink Forum on 0115 9758810 (foodcampus.com). For the West Midlands contact HEFF on 01743 452818 (heff.co.uk).

DO YOUR SUMS: Don’t forget to make a profit, particularly after those to delivery costs!

HIT THE FOOD FESTIVALS: Many supermarkets send scouts and buyers out to such events specifically to spot unsung food heroes. Several of the major food retailers also hold their own showcase events.

PACKAGING AND MARKETING: Would your current packaging and marketing arsenal catch the eyes of

Brown & Green With three

outlets, B&G is a growing stockist of local artisan producers. Below: founder Susie Keenan and Derby shop manager Tom Stanley.

PASSION IS POWER: Are you passionate enough about your product? If you are, this will help you through the busy, stressful times. And if you don’t believe totally in what you are offering, who else will?

PATIENCE AND PERSISTENCE: Visit lots of local farm shops and delis with samples of your products. The personal approach will often get you further. And remember, becoming a supplier to a supermarket may take many months, depending on the risk factor of your product.

WHO ELSE DO YOU SELL TO? Try to think quality rather than quantity. If you’ve managed to get on to the shelves of a small-scale but prestigious shop, this may carry considerable weight with the larger retailers.

WHERE IS YOUR BUSINESS GOING? If you want to keep things small-scale, a supermarket willing to work with smaller order sizes would probably suit you best.

{ }

lookout for great new Rise of local local products.

“Many customers want “Working with a large to buy regionally supermarket can be sourced food that reflects local tastes intimidating and and traditions” confusing so we try to Sainsbury’s spokesman simplify the process. We give producers a guide to supplying us, arrange direct deliveries to a local hub rather than into depot, and offer flexibility with minimum orders and faster payment terms.”

A Sainsbury’s spokesman says: “Our local teams on the ground meet directly with producers and suppliers to build strong relationships. They are also local to the area so know exactly what sort of regional variations the community might be interested in.

Many customers want to buy regionally sourced food that reflects local tastes and traditions and helps support rural communities.

Sue McNally, category specialist at Midlands Co-operative Society, says: “Our ‘Taste of Local’ range is in its infancy and has been introduced to selected stores to offer customers locally sourced food and drink products, many of which are unique to certain areas.

“This has allows us to support local suppliers as well as give customers the opportunity to try something a bit out of the ordinary. We now stock a variety of products from a diverse number of Midlands suppliers, including Jam on the Hill, Grainstore Brewery, Everards and Gadsby’s Bakery. We select according to quality, as well as location of production.” Q

Great Food Magazine 33

SEASONAL RECIPES

Recipes from

WYLDELIGHT KITCHEN

Great Food’s new cook Hazel Paterson has been busy in her Melton Mowbray kitchen creating dishes for you to try at home

I

love this time of year – the local game is plump (as are many of us after the Christmas indulgences) and the root veg is still going strong. Despite the days slowly getting longer and brighter, the weather calls for warming casseroles and hearty fare to carry us through to the new shoots and meats of spring. The dishes and recipes I’m sharing with you here have all been tried and tested at home by me. I hope they improve your winter.

Slow Cooker Partridge Tagine

You don’t have to have a slow cooker to make this – you can use a heavy-based casserole dish and bake it gently in the oven.

I

love the sheer laziness of my slow cooker and it’s more energy efficient than having the oven on for hours. For the ultimate lazy supper you can put everything straight into the slow cooker without browning it first – it will still be lovely – just add a teaspoon of cornflour mixed into a paste with a dash of water. I used dried apricots and prunes but you could use olives, blanched almonds, or whatever dried fruit you like. The sweetness against the gaminess of partridge works so well in this dish, but you could also use rabbit, chicken, pheasant, beef, lamb… whatever you fancy!

Roast new potatoes are good with Super Dukkah.

The beauty of the slow cooker is that you can leave it to gently do its work all day while you get on with other things.

34 Great Food Magazine

* 2 partridges * Handful flour * 4 tbsp rapeseed oil * 1 medium onion peeled and thinly sliced * 2 garlic cloves, chopped * 1 tbsp cumin seeds * 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and grated * 1 cinnamon stick * 1 heaped tsp smoked paprika * Big pinch saffron strands (or turmeric if you prefer) * 2 tsp Ras el Hanout (a Moroccan spice blend) * 1 tin plum tomatoes * 2 preserved lemons, rinsed and quartered (see over the page)

1 Lightly flour the partridges; then, in a heavy-based casserole pan, brown them in half the oil. Remove and place in the slow cooker.

2 Add the rest of the oil and the cumin seeds to the casserole pan and gently fry for about 30 seconds, then add the onion and soften until it starts to caramelise slightly. Next, add the garlic, grated ginger and cinnamon stick. Cook gently for a minute; then tip pan contents into the slow cooker.

3 Add the remaining ingredients (except the lemons). Top up with the chicken stock so that the partridges are covered by liquid. I like a bit of bite to my lemons so I add them about half way through cooking, but you can throw them in at the beginning with everything else if you like.

* Handful dried apricots * Handful dried prunes * 2 tbsp Chestnut Honey (or

whatever honey you prefer)

* Chicken stock to top up * About 10 Lapsang Souchong tea

strands (optional but gives a lovely smoky, earthy flavour) * A few grinds of black pepper

To serve

* Couscous * Baby roasted potatoes * Super Dukkah (see opposite page) * Toasted flaked almonds and pomegranate seeds to garnish

The beauty of the slow cooker is that you can leave it to gently do its work all day while you get on with other things. And you don’t have to worry about it drying out, either. Once ready, make your couscous as per the packet instructions and, if using them, gently toast the flaked almonds in a dry pan.

Serve on a bed of couscous and sprinkle with the flaked almonds and pomegranate seeds.

It’s usual to serve couscous with a potato side dish but all the different tastes and textures work so well – just pick up a baby potato and dunk in the juices and then the dukkah.

Alternatively, forget the couscous and serve with just potatoes and spice dip! I have a spoonful of hot lime pickle on the side too for a bit of a kick.

Recipes

Dukkah is an Egyptian side dish and contains spices, nuts and herbs – you can use it as a dry dip

Super Dukkah

L

ots of people will be on some sort of New Year health kick about now. My contribution to that is this wonderful Super Dukkah, so called because it contains tons of nutritional goodness.

Dukkah is an Egyptian side dish, and contains spices, nuts, and herbs. Use it as a dry dip for bread, roast potatoes and chips, sprinkle on salads and stews, mix with breadcrumbs, and spread onto mustard-covered lamb and roast beef. It’s really versatile and great added to your dough when making bread. I tend to make a large batch and then store in sterilised, recycled jam jars.

These quantities are just a guide so do adjust to your taste – if you like chilli, maybe add dried chilli flakes. There are no real rules to Dukkah – every Egyptian family will have their own take on it so you can’t go wrong. If this all seems a bit of a faff then you can buy a beautiful Pukka Dukkah from Northamptonshire-based Taste Gourmet Spice Company (www.tastespice.co.uk).

High-energy, high-taste mix that goes with most things.

* Half cup walnuts * Half cup hazelnuts * Half cup pistachio nuts * Half cup hemp seeds * Half cup sunflower seeds

* 2 tbsp coriander seeds * 1 tbsp cumin seeds

Preserved Lemons * Sterilised kilner jar * Rock salt * 2 bay leaves

* 6 unwaxed lemons * 4 peppercorns * 2 juniper berries

* 2 tsp linseeds * 2 tsp each white and black sesame seeds

* 11 tbsp poppy seeds * /2 tsp flaked sea salt * Few grinds pepper * 1 tsp ground cinnamon * 1 tsp sweet paprika

1 In a dry pan, gently toast the first seven ingredients, moving the pan all the time to ensure they don’t burn. Once you start to smell the spices cooking, remove from the heat and leave to cool.

Then pulse them in a coffee grinder (or bash them with a mortar and pestle). You want them to still be quite coarse. When you are happy with the mix then add the remaining ingredients and stir to mix. Taste and adjust your seasoning. Store in airtight jars.

1 Slice the lemons into quarters but don’t cut all the way down to the bottom (see below).

2 Squeeze open the lemons and put some rock salt inside. Pack them into the jar, squashing as you go and adding your salt and seasonings. As you squash, the juice will come out and mix with the salts, forming its own brine.

3 Once the jar is full, top up with extra lemon juice and salt to cover the lemons and seal. Leave at room temperature and gently agitate for a few days, then leave for about six weeks.

Dead easy. I use bay leaves, pepper and juniper but you can use whatever spices you like the taste of.

Great Food Magazine 35

SEASONAL RECIPES

Great as a side dish.

Cheesy Leeks

I adore leeks and they are excellent at this time of year. This is my all-time favourite leek recipe – it’s just ridiculously easy and tastes wonderful. * 6 leeks, rinsed and chopped

into round discs * 250ml carton of cream (single or double – it’s up to you) * 100g Parmesan, grated

(supermarkets sell 100g pots of grated Parmesan – this is the only recipe that I use them for and they’re perfect) * Knob butter & pepper to taste

1 On a medium to low heat, soften the chopped leeks with the knob of butter in a sauté pan – you don’t want them to brown or turn to mush. Add the carton of cream and continue to cook until the cream is hot, then tip in your grated Parmesan and stir.

The cheese melts almost instantly. Just add a few grinds of black pepper and it’s ready to serve.

Rhubarb Martini

Forced rhubarb is about at the moment so here is a tasty cocktail to celebrate its arrival! If you can’t be bothered to make the rhubarb syrup then just use tinned rhubarb in syrup. * 2 tbsp rhubarb syrup * 50ml vanilla vodka * 1 tsp runny honey

* 50ml good quality

(leave out if you want it more tart)

Mead (such as New Quay Honey Farm sweet mead – thehoneyfarm.co.uk)

1 Put the egg white and ginger cordial in a cup and using a milk frother (or whisk), foam it up until it forms very soft peaks.

2 Place all the other ingredients

Rhubarb syrup * 6 rhubarb stalks chopped * 2 cups water

* 1 fresh organic egg white

* 1 tbsp Belvoir Fruit

Farms Ginger cordial

into a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake until the outside of the metal shaker frosts, then strain into a chilled Martini glass. Spoon over the foam and enjoy!

* 2 cups sugar

1 Put everything in a pan and heat until boiling then simmer until the sugary mixture coats the back of a spoon (about 10-15 minutes).Strain mixture through muslin overnight and then decant syrup into a sterilised bottle and keep in the fridge.

‘A fantastic cocktail to celebrate the arrival of forced rhubarb!’

36 00 Great GreatFood FoodMagazine Magazine

C e l e b ra t e The Olympic Year Available throughout January A ®

www.thepickledvillage.com Tel. 01780 450774

2 Course lunch for 2 Monday - Saturday

£20.12 3 Course dinner £20.00 per person add a glass of wine for 12p

Bespoke Outside Catering Weddings, Dinner Parties, Events, and Hog Roasts We only use ethically and wherever possible locally sourced produce; our menus are tailor made to your taste and budget.

Contact Head Chef and Proprietor Malc Rollings to discuss your specic requirements.

Tel 07796 273453 www.charnia.co.uk

IRNS] ]SYV E HE] [MXL E 6MZIVJSVH ZIKFS\ SVKERMG ZIK QIEX HEMV] QSVI JVIWL JVSQ SYV JEVQ [MXL JVII HIPMZIV] [[[ VMZIVJSVH GS YO WEGVI[IPP

£20.12 theB R A S S E R I E atB a r n s d a l e Hall Hotel 01572 757901

Barnsdale Hall Hotel, Oakham, Rutland, LE15 8AB, United Kingdom *subject to availability

www.barnsdalehotel.co.uk

SVKERMG

ERH GIVXMJMIH F] XLI 7SMP %WWSGMEXMSR

IXLMGEP

[I [SVO GPSWIP] [MXL SYV PSGEP KVS[I VW XS KMZI IZIV]SRI E JEMV HIEP

SYXWXERHMRK JPEZSYV

[I XVMEP ERH GLSSWI ZEVMIXMIW JSV JPE ZSYV RSX XLI SRIW [MXL XLI FMKKIWX ]MIPH

KVIEX ZEPYI

GSRWMWXIRXP] GLIETIV XLER WYTIVQEV

E[EVH [MRRMRK

OIXW

[IqVI VIMKRMRK GLEQTMSRW EX XLI 3F WIVZIV )XLMGEP %[EVHW X[S ]IEVW VYRRMRK

JVII HIPMZIV]

JVSQ ]SYV JVMIRHP] PSGEP ZIKQER

6M Z

I V J SVH JVII HIPMZIV]

7EGV I [ IPP *EV Q

p37_GF_JanFeb12.indd Sec1:37

:,11(5

15/12/11 11:41:03

LOCAL PRODUCER

HOT ENOUGH?

Edible Ornamentals is the world’s only PYO chilli farm and grows the hottest little plants in the world. Brace yourself…

B

edfordshire: home to Luton Hoo, the RSPB, Duxford’s Imperial War Museum, Biggleswade and... Edible Ornamentals – the fieriest pick-yourown chilli farm in the world. In fact, owners Jo and Shawn Plumb claim that theirs is the only PYO chilli farm on earth. Some of the tiny red and green flashes grown here in the village of Chawston are seriously hot. They can literally put you in hospital, as contestants at a curry-eating competition in Edinburgh recently discovered. The Dorset Naga, Bhut Jolokia and Trinidad Scorpion all measure well over one million on the spice-measuring Scoville Scale – not to be messed with.

But it’s not all about tear-inducing heat, although that’s definitely a big draw for some chilli fans. Many of the

plants grown at Edible Ornamentals are incredibly beautiful – hence the farm’s name – and they also produce delicate, wonderful flavours.

Getting started Jo and Shawn purchased the Edible Ornamentals site, which now

Shawn and Jo Plumb, among the Trinidad Scorpions.

comprises a farm shop and several packed growing houses, as a derelict garden nursery in June 2007. There were no chillies when they arrived, just dead plants and abandoned greenhouses. “It was like a ghost town,” says Jo, who had been growing chillies at her parents’ garden centre a few miles down the road. Jo caught the chilli bug in Texas, America, where she and Shawn lived after meeting in England when Shawn was stationed here with the US Air Force. On returning to the UK, they started cultivating chillies as a hobby.

Growing concern Edible Ornamentals’ propagating greenhouse is where the chilligrowing process begins. Planting starts in January: seeds are put onto compost and then covered in more

Making delicious chipotle in the smoker.

38 Great Food Magazine

Chilli farm

Colourful fingers of fire inside Edible Ornamentals’ growing tunnel.

The Numex Twilight This beautiful chilli plant is the inspiration behind the Bedfordshire farm’s name – it’s both edible and highly ornamental. The Numex Twilight was found growing wild in Jalisco, Mexico.

compost or vermiculite and left in temperatures of 20-25ºC. By April, the plants have gained four leaves and are moved into the ‘selling’ greenhouse to mature and eventually be harvested.

Hotter varieties such as Habeneros, Dorset Naga and Bhut Jolokia take longer to propagate.

A stroll around Edible Ornamentals’ PYO glasshouse takes in more than 50 varieties of chilli, and people can come along to stock up.

Want to pluck the hottest in the world?

“You’ll need the Trinidad Scorpion,” says Jo. “That’s the current hottest but the title changes hands all the time. There’s a large macho market for mega-hot chillies, so growers are always trying to outdo each other.”

Beautifully hot As Jo guides Great Food around her plants, their beauty is striking. To think of chillies as just hot food misses the point, because they look brilliant, and they can easily be grown in the UK (see p41).

“The Numex Twilight [see above] and Italian Adorno are particularly attractive,” says Jo. “The Numex starts off purple, then turns yellow, orange and red. The Adorno is purple and red, with a lovely dark foliage.” Around the growing houses there are also flashes of yellow, orange and brown among vibrant green leaves.

The names are just as evocative as the colours: Serenade, Anaheim, Aurora, Apache, Orozoco...

Then there’s the more familiar Bird Eye chilli.

“Its name comes from the fact that this variety tends to be wolfed down by birds, which don’t have oral pain receptors like us.

The birds eat them in the plant’s native South America, then fly to the Caribbean Islands. That’s how the seeds are spread.”

Other fascinating varieties include the Hungarian Hot Wax (“large and perfect for stuffing – slit them lengthways, remove the seeds, fill with tuna and diced onion, bake and then add cheese towards the end”); the mild Mexican favourite Poblano; and,

Dan’s Hot Sauce Labelled with the warning

“only sold to the extremely brave”, Dan’s Hot Sauce is made by Edible Ornamentals’ cook Dan Wells (above). It’s feisty.

of course, the classic Jalapeno (“to make Jalapeno Poppers, stuff with full-fat soft cheese and wrap with bacon, then bake”).

Jo finishes the tour by telling us about chipotle, which are dried, smoked chillies. “Chipotle is excellent for slow cooking – the chillies impart a delicious smokey flavour that’s perfect in beef and red wine casserole or in a chilli con carne [see overleaf]. Q

CONTACT Edible Ornamentals, Cherwood Nursery, Blue Bells, Chawston, Beds MK44 3BL 01480 405663, www.edible ornamentals. co.uk

WORLD OF CHILLIES Trinidad Scorpion

Bird’s Eye

Currently the hottest chilli in the world, measuring 1,463,700 Scoville heat units.

Used extensively in south-east Asian cuisine and so-called because their seeds are spread by birds.

Rocoto Native to the Andes region so tolerates cold. Tomato sized and shaped but very spicy, and some have liquid inside.

Poblano Mild and very popular Mexican chilli that is often stuffed with cheese and rice, then deep-fried in batter (‘Chiles Rellenos’).

Habanero Very spicy variety with a citrus flavour.

Traditionally the type added to tequila to give the spirit even more punch!

Great Food Magazine 39

RECIPE

Shawn Plumb’s Rocoto Con Carne * 500g beef * 2 large fresh green chillies * 1 large fresh Poblano chilli * 2 red Jalapenos * 2 large Rocoto chillies * 1 large red onion

* 3 cloves of garlic * 100g tomato puree,

double concentrate * 1 large tbsp dried oregano * 400 grams of chick peas * 1 chicken bouillon cube

“This recipe incorporates Rocotos – rare chilli peppers from Bolivia,” says Shawn.

“One of the most emotionally-charged subjects when discussing chilli con carne is whether to cook it with beans. I’m definitely in the no-beans camp but you’ll find chickpeas in this one. Don’t be afraid to mix up the type of fresh chilli peppers you use.

For me it depends on what I’ve picked from our PYO chilli farm.”

1 Chop and de-seed the chillies. Peel and chop the onions and garlic. Chop the beef into small chunks and season with the Jamaican jerk seasoning.

2 Fry the chillies, onions, and garlic together in good quality olive oil for several

* 2 large tbsp paprika * ô tsp garlic salt (or

regular salt) * 1 generous tsp of honey * 1 chipotle chilli * tsp cumin

* 1 bottle Cave Creek chilli beer (or Corona)

* 1 splash of red wine * Jamaican jerk seasoning * Black pepper * 25g of good dark chocolate

minutes. Dissolve the chicken bouillon cube in boiling water as per the instructions.

Add the chicken broth to the frying pan with the vegetables. Bring to a boil in the pan for about one minute and then decant everything into your slow cooker. Or, if cooking in the oven, into a casserole dish.

3 Fry the beef pieces in olive oil and then place into the slow cooker or casserole.

4 Chop your chipotle chilli into bits and add to a cup of boiling water. Leave for 20 minutes, then add the water only to your pot, straining the chilli.

5 Drain the water from the chick peas and add them to the slow cooker.

6 Add the whole bottle of Cave Creek chilli beer (chilibeer.com), including the Serrano

chilli, to the slow cooker. Add oregano, honey, cumin, and the dark chocolate.

Add a generous splash of red wine. I use my father-in-law’s homemade stuff, which is fantastic.

7 Cook on the high setting of your slow cooker for one hour, then turn to the low setting for two additional hours.

Alternatively, cook in the oven on a low heat for around three hours. Add masa flour as needed to thicken, plus salt and pepper to taste.

8 Serve with a baked potato, by itself, on top of a chilli dog, or the way Lyndon Baines Johnson, 37th President of the United States, enjoyed his chilli con carne: with a glass of milk and some saltine crackers.

‘Don’t be afraid to mix up the type of fresh chillies you use’

40 Great Food Magazine

HOW TO...

Grow your own chillies It’s easier than you think, says Craig McKnight, and the start of the year is the best time to begin

P

eople associate chillies with hotter climates but it is actually really easy to grow them here in the rainy UK! All you need is some multipurpose compost, a multi-cell seed tray and some seeds.

Get your seeds from a specialist supplier (see ‘Seed Suppliers’, below). By doing that you can be sure the seeds are fresh – which gives them the best chance of germinating – and try varieties you’ve never heard of.

Any variety of chilli can be grown at home.

The only thing to be aware of is that the hotter varieties take over 100 days to reach maturity and to produce fruit, while the milder ones can produce fruit in ideal conditions within 60 days. The hotter varieties will also take longer to germinate.

To my mind, the best time to start planting your chilli seeds is January or February.

Starting this early will give your seeds and plants a good head start, so you can enjoy lots of lovely chillies throughout the summer months.

Here are my tips on how to give your chilli seeds the best chance of germinating, and to grow into big healthy plants that will produce a good harvest of chillies all summer long.

STEP TWO Light is not a factor in germination but heat and moisture definitely are. Germination can take up to six weeks depending on the variety, although most seeds germinate in the first two weeks. Electrically heated propagators help and start at about £10 from the larger DIY stores for a basic tray with heat. If you want more precise control over the heat, use one with a thermostat but these will obviously cost a bit more.

If you haven’t got a heated propagator, cover your seed tray with cling film, which will hold the heat in and keep the humidity up; then place in an airing cupboard, on top of a boiler or somewhere near a radiator.

STEP THREE Keep a regular check on your tray because as soon as the seedlings are up they will need maximum exposure to light to stop them going straggly and getting weak. You should also gently spray them again with water if the compost looks like it is drying out.

As before, the aim is make sure that your compost does not dry out so SEED keep your growing medium moist SUPPLIERS but not sodden.

Craig recommends the

‘Any variety of chilli can be grown at home’

STEP ONE The easiest method is to fill a multi-cell seed tray with multipurpose compost, firm down and moisten with a little water. Then place a

seed in each cell of your tray and lightly cover with around a half-centimetre of compost. Next, water the tray very gently, either using a fine rose or a spray bottle. Make sure the compost in each cell is moist but not sodden.

following seed suppliers: Dartmoor Chilli Farm (dartmoorchillifarm.com) and Simpson’s Seeds. (simpsons seeds.co.uk)

STEP FOUR

When your fledgling chilli plant has developed its second set of leaves it is time to re-pot it … but I’ll tell you all about that in the next instalment of my chilli growing guide!

It can take three to six weeks for the plant’s second set of leaves to appear, depending on how much light it is exposed to after germination. Q

About the writer

Plant your chilli seeds in a multi-cell tray, then expose them to moisture and warmth. When they’ve come out to meet the world, they need loads of light. Come summer they’ll be blowing the roof off your mouth.

Craig McKnight from Nottingham has been growing his own chillies for many years and is passionate about growing. And chickens.

Great Food Magazine 41

FOOD PEOPLE

{ } The TV game

LOCAL CHEF

Curry Commando

“When Gordon’s crew came to research the restaurant for Kitchen Nightmares, we made sure we made mistakes.”

Great Food visits Nottingham’s Curry Lounge to find out why an ex-Kitchen Nightmares chef is cooking for 700 Royal Marines

F

our years ago, Gordon Ramsay was in Arfan ‘Raz’ Razak’s kitchen, yelling expletives. “Not a day goes by even now without someone mentioning Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares,” says Raz, head chef and owner at Nottingham’s Curry Lounge.

“We agreed to appear on the show mainly for PR reasons and it’s worked massively for us. It still does. Only the other evening a couple from Belgium walked in, saying, ‘This is Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant’. It turns out that they’d watched a recording of the programme the night before.”

The Curry Lounge’s nightmares – if there were any in the first place – are history now. This large, sophisticated restaurant, situated in the heart of Nottingham, serves exceptionally good curries in a comfortable

environment. Raz – like his mentor Gordon – is a fantastic cook with a deep knowledge of curries. Also like Mr Ramsay, he is passionate about what he does and knows his mind.

The Curry Lounge’s interior is a symphony of smooth, dark wood, leather chairs and water features. But

Inside Nottingham’s palatial Curry Lounge.

Chicken Karahi base sauce.

In the kitchen.

despite the sophisticated layout, the food here is created using traditional, home-style Indian and Pakistani cooking techniques. “I’m a self-taught chef,” says Raz, “although in fact a lot of what I do was originally taught by mum. As kids we were all shown how to cook. I remember making dinner at home in West Bridgford, aged seven.”

Raz’s roots are in Pakistan. His extended family live in Mirpur, Azad Kashmir, including an uncle who’s a senior judge and an aunt who’s a doctor. Raz visits regularly, topping up his curry knowledge while there.

For some time, Raz’s career was miles away from its current path.

Following his family’s tradition of high achievement, he studied medicine before working as a sales director at Pfizer. “Looking back, medicine and sales were never things I really wanted to do – I always wanted to be a chef,” says Raz. “But in Pakistan – unlike India – a chef isn’t an especially respected profession.”

A big moment came in 2005 when Raz missed his third daughter’s birth because he was at a sales conference.

“That upset me and made up my mind to get out. At the time I just wanted to

‘Raz’s roots are in Pakistan: his extended family lives in Kashmir – 54 Enjoy 42 Great great Food Magazine food Leicestershire & Rutland

The Curry Lounge RAZ’S HOME COOKING TIPS

1

Use water to keep your curry base sauce moist. “We don’t use a lot of oil at the Curry Lounge.

Instead we use water, which evaporates but leaves the flavour behind. It’s healthier too.”

2

Use a heavy, flat-bottomed pan when cooking curry, otherwise the high heat needed can create hot spots and burn your ingredients.

Shah Jahan chicken Serves 2-3

* 100 ml veg oil & knob of butter * 300ml water * 21 onions, finely chopped * 1/2 tsp coriander seeds * /2 tsp ginger and garlic, finely chopped * 8 almonds, blanched and split into halves

* 5 tbsp of yoghurt * 1 tbsp pistachio nuts,

coarsely ground * 41 tbsp of coconut milk * /2 tsp chilli powder * 500g boneless chicken or turkey, cubed * 2 tbsp fresh cream

* 2in block fresh ginger, cut into juliennes

* 1/2 tsp turmeric * 4 tbsp fresh coriander &

2 mint leaves, finely chopped

* 1/2 tsp white pepper * 2 green chillies, finely chopped & half red pepper, cubed

3

Let your meat rest for half an hour before cooking. “Meat shrinks when cold, so letting it get up to room temperature before cooking makes sense.”

4

Cook the onions and spices right down before adding meat. “It takes longer that you think to let those flavours develop.”

be a chef but after looking into it decided to set up my own restaurant.”

Raz opened the Curry Lounge in 2007 on the site of the old Co-op. He’s never been busier, running the restaurant day to day, teaching cookery classes every fortnight and researching the possibility of launching a curry kit.

Supporting Marines Two years ago Raz experienced something that would change his outlook. “A chap used to come into the Curry Lounge a lot. He was in his early 30s and never said what he did. He booked his stag do here. A few weeks later his mum called to cancel, explaining that Steve was a Royal Marine and had passed away as a result of his injuries in Afghanistan. My heart sank.” Raz attended the funeral and spoke with several injured Marines.

Ever since, Raz has supported Commando Spirit, a Marines charity.

He’s cooked curry for 700 soldiers at 40 Commando in Taunton and is training to abseil from St Pancras Station.

It goes without saying that the chaps at 40 Commando are over the moon to have discovered their own personal curry chef. Q

“This is an excellent feel-good curry,” says Raz. “The Moghul Emperor Shah Jahah is said to have requested this curry in the mid 16th century – legend has it that it was the final dish he ate in the Taj Mahal.”

1 Heat the oil in a pan. Fry the onions with the coriander seeds until onions are translucent.

2 Add the chopped ginger, garlic, turmeric, chilli powder and 150ml water and stir into a paste until sauce begins to boil, then stir in the yoghurt.

3 Add the coconut milk, stir and cook until the oil separates from the paste.

4 Put in the chicken or turkey pieces and fry for five minutes.

5 Add the juliennes of ginger, coriander, mint, water and salt and pepper to taste.

6 Cover and cook over a low heat for around 10 minutes.

Add the almonds, pistachio and raisins. Continue cooking until the chicken is ready.

7 Add the cream and white pepper and stir.

8 Add a knob of butter, the green chillies and red pepper.

Stir well. Finally, garnish with coriander and serve with naan bread or fresh green vegetables.

CONTACT The Curry Lounge, 110 Parliament Street, Nottingham NG1 6LN www.currylounge.co.uk 0115 9418844

he visits regularly, topping up his curry knowledge while there’ Enjoy great food Leicestershire Great Food & Magazine Rutland 43 55

PRESERVING

Not-so-mellow yellow Mustard musings, by Rosemary Jameson

M

ustard – not a major part of most people’s lives, I suppose, but once you start delving into its history, a fascinating picture unfolds. Our English word mustard derives from the AngloNorman ‘mustarde’ and the old French word ‘mostarde’. However, it is likely that the Romans were the first to use the ground seeds mixed with unfermented grape juice or ‘must’, to make ‘burning must’ or ‘mustum ardens’ in Latin. I think we can see the origins of mustard here.

The earliest recipe known is from a Roman recipe book dated to around the 4th or 5th century. Interestingly the ingredients are ground mustard

seed, pepper, caraway, lovage, coriander seed, dill, celery, thyme, oregano, onion, honey, vinegar, fish stock and oil – used as a glaze for spit-roasted boar. It sounds absolutely delicious! By the 10th century the Romans had exported their knowledge as far as France, and the monks of St Germain des Pres in Paris began making mustard professionally. By the 13th century Dijon was becoming the centre of excellence for French mustard as it is still known today. It is still regarded by some as the mustard capital of the world.

In Britain, the town of Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire became famous for mustard production, which remains

Wholegrain mustard with beer * 200g yellow mustard seeds * 200g black mustard seeds * 177ml cider vinegar * 1 tbsp sea salt * 1 bottle Everards Tiger beer * 6 tbsp runny honey – organic, preferably local * 1 tbsp freshly grated nutmeg 1 Soak the seeds in the beer overnight.

2 Next day, add all remaining ingredients and blend in small batches to the desired consistency.

3 Combine all batches together and stir before potting up in 225g jars.

Great care should be taken to expel air

Rosemary’s tips

Don’t forget the Marmalade Awards Held at Dalemain House, Penrith, February 25-26, the World Marmalade Awards will be fun for all the family. I’ll be there, making marmalade – come and have a go! See marmaladeawards. co.uk. Also, the Great British Mustard Bash is coming to Scalford Hall, Leicestershire, on March 11 – hope to see you there, too!

the case today. The good burghers of Tewkesbury mixed ground seed, flour and cinnamon with a little wine, rolled the resulting paste into balls and set them to dry. Once dried, the mustard balls could be stored or carried when travelling and easily crumbled to be mixed with wine or vinegar, ready for use. Tewkesbury supplied these mustard balls all over the country and they were even mentioned by William Shakespeare in his play, Henry IV, Part 2.

Today, many varieties of mustard are made all over the world. There are hundreds of recipes and delicious mustard is extremely easy to make at home – go on, give it a try! Q

Clove spiced mustard * 75g yellow mustard seeds * 50g soft brown sugar * 1 tsp salt * 1 tsp black peppercorns * 1 tsp whole cloves * 1 tsp ground turmeric * 207ml distilled vinegar

pockets in each jar before sealing.

Remove these by pressing down on the mustard with the back of a teaspoon or a round-ended knife.

4 Mature for two weeks before eating.

When you have made your mustard, don’t just put it into a ham sandwich - try stirring it through mashed potato for a tangy treat. Mix plum jam with grain mustard as a glaze for gammon, use a couple of teaspoonsful in vinaigrette dressing, mix with mayonnaise to improve an avocado, stir into gravy for roast beef. What makes your mustard magic?

1 Place the mustard seeds, sugar, Tiny yellow spheres salt, peppercorns, cloves and turmeric of piquant pleasure. into a blender or food processor and blend evenly.

2 Gradually add the vinegar, one tablespoon at a time, blending well between each addition. Then continue blending until you have a coarse paste.

3 Leave to stand for 10-15 minutes to thicken slightly, then spoon into warm sterilised jars and seal.

4 Ensure there are no air pockets in the mustard by pressing down on it with the back of a teaspoon.

5 Allow to mature for two weeks before using.

Cloves add a distinctive tang.

Rosemary Jameson is a mustard, jam and pickle fanatic. She runs preserving workshops at her cottage – Jam on the Hill – near Oakham, founded the Guild of Jam Makers and owns kit retailer jamjarshop.com. Rosemary is behind the Great British Mustard Bash (p13)

44 Great Food Magazine

Award Winning Pub

A Happy New Year from everyone at Barnsdale Lodge

A charming building with 7 unique rooms over 3 floors and a large enclosed patio We have 5 real ales including our own White Hart Ale and an expansive wine list that we import ourselves from around the world. We specialise in stone baked, handmade pizzas, plus a wide range of other dishes.

12 St Pauls Street, Stamford, PE9 2BE Tel: 01780 753800 info@tobienorris.com www.tobienorris.com

Join us for morning coffee, lunch, afternoon tea or dinner. All our dishes are delicious, local and made from fresh, seasonal ingredients. We have lots of exciting events planned for 2012 including:

Booking now!

Burns Night

£25 per person

Fri 20th & Sat 21st January 2012 Cock-a-leekie soup | Haggis, neeps & tatties | Steak & Ale pie | Cranachan | Coffee

***

Jiggin’ tae the Ceilidh Band

‘Where potions stir emotions’ Chocolate making workshops for 2 people £70

Special accommodation rate for Burns Night £70 B&B double room

9DOHQWLQH·V %DOO

6DWXUGD\ WK )HEUXDU\ FRXUVH GLQQHU ZLWK ZHOFRPH JODVV RI SLQN À]] (QWHUWDLQPHQW _ 5DII OH ZLWK H[FHOOHQW SUL]HV $OO SURFHHGV WR +HDGZD\ 7LFNHWV For bookings or more information please call, email or visit the website.

Truffle making parties/hen parties £20 per person T: 01509 238113 E: info@chocolate-alchemy.co.uk W: www.chocolate-alchemy.co.uk 5 Churchgate Mews, Loughborough, LE11 1TZ

p45_GF_JanFeb12.indd Sec1:45

The Avenue, Rutland Water, Nr Oakham, Rutland LE15 8AH tel: 01572 724678 enquiries@barnsdalelodge.co.uk

www.barnsdalelodge.co.uk

14/12/11 15:24:24

HELEN TARVER

The Foodie Gift Hunter

Resolve smarter

Helen Tarver says Brussels to masochistic New Year’s resolutions and suggests a few you might actually enjoy

S

o, all that’s left of New Year’s Eve is the hangover. That, and a nagging sense of despondency brought on by the spectre of New Year resolutions. To me, the worst of all is the January diet. Closely followed by the January diet bore. There can be no worse time of year to deny yourself the pleasures of the table. Who wants a salad, even an interesting one, when it’s only just

above zero and we hardly see daylight? How much better, and easier, would it be to go for lighter eating in say May, when days are getting longer and the weather warmer?

So why not forget making those kinds of resolutions, which are likely to be out of the window by January 17? What about resolutions you could have a crack at keeping...

Waste less food IT’S BETTER FOR your wallet, which has to be a good thing, and better for the planet – also good. Don’t do this by eating more, just cook and shop for what you really need and stop being tempted by buy one get one frees that you don’t really need. And get a stockpot. And use it.

Bake your own bread IT’S NOT TRICKY, you’ll know exactly what’s in it and there is no better smell to wake up to than your own freshly baked loaves. Need some inspiration? Take a course.

Buy better, buy local MANY STUDIES SHOW that when we spend money with local businesses it circulates in the local economy for much longer than if you spend with the big boys.

With so many great independent food producers, delis and farm shops in the Heart of England, why wouldn’t you want to exercise that kind of choice?

Get a local veg box

TWO BIRDS WITH one stone.

Support a local business. Eat more fruit and veg. The joy of a veg box is never quite knowing what will arrive, though in February you may need to get to like cabbage. A lot.

Have a pantry swap YOU KNOW THAT jar of chestnut puree you’ve been meaning to use?

Don’t waste it, swap it! You never know what you might get in return.

Cook with your kids PASS ON THE skills and the passion for food.

Don’t be hard on yourself, either DON’T GO FOR all six at once. Do one. Then maybe add another. Then another. Before you know it the spring will be here, the sun will be back and maybe, just maybe, you’ll feel like salad.

Vale of Belvoir-based Helen Tarver, aka The Foodie Gift Hunter, blogs almost daily on her website: www.thefoodiegifthunter.co.uk. She’s @presentsqueen on Twitter

46 Great Food Magazine

GREAT FOOD FOR THE YEAR AHEAD Farrington’s Mellow Yellow Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil On the theme of buying local, it’s amazing how many food products have fabulous British alternatives.

Rapeseed oil is gaining ground on olive oil among the chef fraternity and Farrington’s is one of the Heart of England’s largest producers, working from seed to bottle.

Deliciously subtle and nutty, you can use this anywhere you’d normally drizzle olive oil – and beyond. And you know that you are supporting a great British product.

Rapeseed oil is also recognised for its health benefits, and is the oil of choice at Champneys Springs near Ashby De La Zouch.

CONTACT: www.farrington-oils.co.uk FROM £4.50

Seville Oranges If there is one bright spot in the dark days of January then for me it’s the arrival of Seville oranges.

They have a short season but it’s worth making the most of it. There are lots of things you can do with the Seville but if you want to carry the sunshine through into other months then you need to get into marmalade making. If you’ve not done it before then it’s worth having a look at the marmalade classes run by Rosemary Jameson at Jam Jar Shop (p44). Taking place throughout January and February, these will teach you everything you need to know about preserving.

CONTACT: www.jamjarshop.com FROM: £85

T HE W ILLIAM C EC IL

at Stamford

New Year! New You!

ˆ -RXVSHYGMRK RI[ 7TIIH] 'IGMP 0YRGLIW SRP] † JSV GSYVWIW

ˆ &SSO RS[ JSV ]SYV :EPIRXMRI´W (MRRIV SRP] † TIVWSR [MXL E KPEWW SJ ½^^

'EPP VIWIVZEXMSRW JSV QSVI MRJSVQEXMSR SR 01780 750070

The William Cecil St Martins, Stamford. PE9 2LJ E: enquiries@thewilliamcecil.co.uk

p47_GF_JanFeb12.indd Sec1:47

01780 750070

www.thewilliamcecil.co.uk

14/12/11 15:26:12

HOME COOKING Lucy Cufflin Chef Lucy is author of cookbook Lucy’s Food and runs a deli in Leicester’s Stoneygate.

She has also launched a cooking club – email lucy@lucysfood.co.uk

Paella party!

W

e’ve been making oven-cooked paella during our cookery demos at our Leicester shop, Lucy’s Food. It’s a fun dish and can contain anything from leftovers to exotic seafood. This foolproof recipe will lighten the post-Christmas dark-night blues. For a special paella, use high-quality fish stock (all you Leicester readers note there’s a new fishmonger called Brady’s on Allandale Road that sells delicious home-made stock). The seafood for mine was supplied by LB Hunt at Leicester fish market.

Paella Serves 3-4 * Mix of fresh fish and seafood * 1 sachet paella spices (judge amount visually)

* 1/2 large onion, sliced * 3 tbsp robust Spanish

olive oil * 100-150g chorizo sausage (choose your favourite) * 300g paella rice (bomba rice is traditional but you can use risotto rice) * 1 litre fish or chicken stock

(see hints below) 2 * cloves garlic, finely grated (grating is the fastest way to flavour a dish evenly) * 4 handfuls frozen peas/ frozen soya/edamame beans/ peeled broad beans or asparagus tips * Zest and juice of 1 lemon (wonderfully aromatic finale)

1

1

Pre-heat oven to Gas 4. In an ovenproof pan, fry onions and chorizo.

3

3

Sprinkle in those fantastic paella spices and give it another good stir.

5

Lucy’s paella hints

You can buy great fresh stock these days but you could use a fish or chicken stock cube in its place. Paella spice mixes are used in the best Spanish restaurants, so don’t feel they are second best. My shop Lucy’s Food sells ready mixed paella spices but you could make your own: for four people mix 1 tbsp mild paprika, 1 tsp turmeric or a pinch of saffron, cayenne pepper to taste and a little lemon juice.

48 Great Food Magazine

5

Now place your pan into the oven for 10 minutes and while it’s in, prepare your seafood.

7

7

After stirring well, add raw seafood and fish. Pour in more liquid if needed. Return dish to the oven and continue cooking.

2

2

PHOTOS: SAM RAFTER

Chase away the dark nights with a spicy taste of sunny Spain

Add the paella (or risotto) rice and grated garlic; stir well.

4

4

Add three-quarters of boiling stock; throw in peas and lemon juice.

6

6

After 10 minutes, remove from oven, stir well for a few minutes and add more stock if required.

8

8

Remove when fish and seafood is cooked (about 10 minutes). Add chopped parsley and lemon zest (not traditional but adds zing).

Recipe BLOW IT!

DUNCAN MURRAY’S WINE TIP Chateau du Vieux Parc La Selection Blanc Grapes: Vermentino, Viognier Flavour: This white from Corbières in the south of France has it all: its rich, savoury, mineral qualities will partner the tapenade and the light, fruit flavours will flatter the cod. Price: £12.99

BUDGET

DUNCAN MURRAY’S WINE TIP Domaine Fontareche Pays D’Oc Grapes: Vermentino, Colombard Flavour: This white from the Languedoc will work well with the light cod and robust tapenade.

Zesty flavours of green apple and grapefruit will perfectly partner the fish, while tangy, mineral notes will go with the olive. Price: £7.99

The Confident Cook’s roasted cod with crushed new potatoes and black olive tapenade The Confident Cook is Leicestershire-based Samantha Scott and her new mobile cookery school.

Rather than going to a cooking class, Samantha comes to you. And she teaches according to your needs, whether you want to create healthy menus for the children or produce five-course fine dining menus for your other half.

Before launching The Confident Cook, Samantha worked as a tour caterer, so she might also be able to share tales of the time she cooked mung bean stew for Ozzy Osborne. www.confident-cook.co.uk

Serves 4

* 4 x 225g cod fillet

pieces * 500g new potatoes

* 1 medium red onion * 95g chopped sundried tomatoes

1 Pre-heat oven to Gas Mark 4 (180˚C).

2 Peel the new potatoes and place them in a medium saucepan – bring to the boil and simmer for around 20 minutes.

3 Place the cod fillets on a lined baking tray. Cut the lime into four wedges and squeeze the juice of a wedge over each piece of fish. Season each fillet with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil. Place in the oven for 15 minutes.

4 Chop the red onion in half and slice thinly to make half-moon shapes and gently fry in two tablespoons of olive oil. Make sure they don’t go too brown. This may take up to 10 minutes. Add the chopped sundried tomatoes and turn off the heat. Leave to one side.

* 1 lime * Black olive tapenade * Green pesto

* Olive oil * Salt & black pepper * Fresh basil for garnish

5 Take four dessertspoons of pesto and place in a medium-sized bowl. Add enough olive oil to make the pesto slightly runny.

6 Once cooked, drain the potatoes and crush in a large bowl. Ensure there is plenty of texture. Add a small knob of butter, the onions and chopped tomatoes. Mix well.

7 Place a portion of the potato mix onto the centre of the serving plate and drizzle the pesto around it. Take the cod out of the oven and sit it on top of the crushed potato. Drizzle the rest of the pesto dressing around the edge of the plate.

8 Add a teaspoon of black olive tapenade onto the cod and decorate with a large basil leaf.

Enjoy with a glass of dry white.

Great Food Magazine 49

• Family run business • Professional 3D Design and Planning service • Full installation service or supply only • Extensions, building alterations - project managed Flooring also avaliable.

HOME TO J IMMY’ S

7 C OMFORTABLE ROOMS

GREAT FOOD ON THE INTERNET

SMOKEHOUSE. SMOKERS AND CURERS OF M EAT AND FISH

TWITTER: @GREAT FOOD MAG

Go to www.greatfoodmag.co.uk for restaurant reviews, blogs, local food news and events CHECK OUT OUR ONLINE EVENTS DIARY

Visit the website to stay in touch with the magazine between issues and to see exclusive content, including our series of First World War recipes

www.greatfoodmag.co.uk 50 Great Food Magazine

Food business

THE INSIDER

In with the old, in with the new

Helen Benton reflects on the past year’s food trends and predicts what’ll be hot in 2012

T

his time last year I predicted 2011’s food trends. Which took off, which are set to stay for 2012 and which new trends are likely to appear? Of my five top predictions for 2011, three have been particularly prevalent: ‘Back to British’, ‘The Real Local’ and ‘Home Cooking and Entertaining’.

1

Back to British

This theme has touched every deli, supermarket and pub in some way. Royal wedding fever got the ball rolling and since then, brands from boutique to mass market have incorporated an element of Britishness in their products and packaging. We’ve seen Union Jacks appear on products such as Hovis bread and Long Clawson Blue Stilton. In a recent poll, 53% of customers said they tried to buy British where possible and brands have responded – for instance Happy Eggs, based in Lincoln, promoted the fact that its eggs are all sourced from “selected British farms”.

2

Real Local

This trend was about using the power of local provenance to engage customers.

It was bang on and is set to continue in 2012. Last year, the Red Lion in Stathern,

Leicestershire, and the Olive Branch at Clipsham, Rutland, got this right: they publish a map on their menus showing the location of each of their suppliers. The King’s Arms in Wing, Rutland has just launched a website that uses a similar device.

Experts have predicted that the local trend is set to continue.

Producers can gain from not only labelling ingredients as locally sourced, but also by sharing stories about the particular farm that they came from.

3

The British is Best theme was big for the food industry in 2011 and looks set to continue.

Retro revival

Home cooking

The past year has seen this theme become even stronger. Leicestershire lady Holly Bell was runner up in the Great British Bake Off and has since set up a recipe website and is running baking classes (www. recipesfromanormalmum.com).

Virtuous Bread is a new concept where a network of people around the world run their own home baking businesses. Rosie Clark is the Midlands’ very own ‘Bread Angel’, baking and selling loaves to many businesses locally. She is working closely with Everards brewery to do this. Virtuous Bread has a great website that celebrates everything to do with breadbaking, offering recipes and tips.

The year ahead In 2012, the above three trends are set to continue.

But what new themes are coming up?

Labelling eggs as ‘British’ boosts sales

Celebrating heritage and nostalgia is going to be on the menu for 2012.

McDonald’s has started the trend with its 1950s glass giveaway.

Restaurants could take advantage by adding old family recipes to their menus, and brands by sharing stories of the historical origins of their products.

Flirting with flavours

Above top: Leicestershire’s Great British Baker, Holly Bell.

Above: The Red Lion at Stathern shouts about its local sourcing.

Some intriguing flavours are becoming popular in the US, and they could well provide inspiration for our taste buds, too. How about grilled-cheese infused vodka, which has hit the bars of San Francisco? This may be a little extreme but appetiser ingredients could easily inspire new cocktails.

Comfort foods with a twist are hot for 2012, so how about customising your chips with a hint of local Stilton, for example? Fir and eucalyptus flavours are on the hot list this winter, and expect to see more wholegrains and healthy ingredient alternatives such as quinoa to suit dietconscious eaters. Q

Helen Benton specialises in business and brand strategy, innovation and communication planning. Contact her if you think she could help grow your business – www.hownowmarketing.com or 07900 212204

Great Food Magazine 51

PUB WALK

The walk

Napton locks and the Oxford canal.

There are lots of gates, kissing gates and gates merged with footbridges on this walk. The word gate will be used in the singular in most cases.

START AT THE church car park in Napton. Walk to the right around the wall, then left behind the church and along a track.

Go past a gate sign – ‘Church Leyes Farm’ – on your left, and continue past a T-junction, also on your left. Walk straight ahead on a metal road. You will see a windmill and the wartime viewing area on your right.

1

Napton on the Hill, Shuckburgh and a steady flow of pubs A seven-and-a-half mile circuit to help burn off – or add to – December’s excess

OVERVIEW OF AREA

52 Great Food Magazine

Coventry Blitz

}

Near St Lawrence’s Church in Napton on the Hill is a vantage point from where observers watched the terrible scene of the Coventry Blitz unfold, and the numerous dog fights that took place overhead.

important to the area and Napton Locks are an impressive sight – one of the most photographed scenes in the UK. Walking along the canal tow path is almost a social event, with people passing on narrow boats, making every effort to be friendly.

Arriving at the Shuckburgh estate adds a new dimension to the adventure. The Shuckburgh hills are beautiful and it’s possible to scramble up Cannon Bank to see the beautifully preserved cannons on display. It was here that Oliver Cromwell watched the battle at Edge Hill. Nearby is the Shuckburgh family church.

After walking through the deer park, you’ll make your way slowly back towards Napton, where you can enjoy a well-earned calorific reward in The Folly.

Ordnance Survey mapping © Crown copyright. AM44/10.

N

apton on the Hill in Warwickshire is a quintessentially English village.

It has a vibrant rural community, with every resident seeming to know each other. This walk takes in Napton, plus two canal systems, a windmill, a medieval church, a large country house – Shuckburgh Hall – and, of course, a number of friendly pubs.

One thing that strikes you about this route is that the vistas stretch as far as the Malverns.

The canals also make an impression – the water system is

Walk towards the windmill and at the gate turn right and walk alongside a tall hedge on your left. Continue through the next gate and ahead, taking care along the side of a ridge and down a steep hill to a stile. Continue downhill, bearing left and passing some massive stones, and on down to a road.

2

TURN RIGHT AND continue to a bridge. Cross over and turn right down a steep ramp, through a gate and turn left onto the towpath. Continue to bridge no. 111.

Napton Bridge Inn is on your left.

3

YOU NOW SEE Napton Marina on your right. Continue along the towpath to Napton junction and go up the incline and over the bridge. Turn left and bear right and take a sharp right again under the bridge. On the opposite bank you will see a signpost. You are going to follow the Warwick sign. You have now left the Oxford Canal and are walking along the Grand Union canal. Continue to Calcutt Locks and marina.

4

BESIDE THE second lock gate is a signpost pointing right.

Continue along the path to a gate, turn left and follow the hedge to a gate in the corner of the field. Walk through and turn right, following the hedge to a gate. Go straight on to the next gate and continue ahead.

5

6

YOU WILL GRADUALLY join a track. Go through the gate at the side of the cattle grid.

Napton on the Hill and Shuckburgh

Detailed walk map

PUB WALK

Ordnance Survey mapping © Crown copyright. AM44/10.

The Folly

Continue along the track.

Ahead, you will see before you a hill, known locally as Cannon Bank. Continue past a T-junction on your right and bear left but now leave the track and follow the hedge on your left. Go over a stile and start to look for a black and white iron footbridge behind the house on your right. Continue to the next stile and then bear right to cross the footbridge.

CONTINUE AHEAD to a gate and pass Shuckburgh Church on your left. Cross the A425 to a path and continue bearing left across a field to two gates below Park Farm.

After going through the second gate, strike up the hill going past the way mark and eventually downhill to a gate.

the wood on your right to another gate and stile, and turn immediately right down to a stile and footbridge.

TURN LEFT AND continue ahead to a stile and metalled track. Continue and turn left through a gate and immediately right through another small gate. Turn right and head diagonally across to a third gate in front of a telegraph pole. Go straight ahead to a fourth gate and forward to a fifth gate and footbridge.

Cross the field to yet another gate and down a slope to, yep, another gate.

Walk diagonally across a field to an eighth gate and over a bridge.

10

7

CONTINUE UP the hill to the beacon. Go through the gate and ahead to another gate and then straight on, with the wood on your right. At the end of the wood turn right over a stile. If you look behind, you will see the Shuckburgh family church showing above the trees.

Shuckburgh church.

8

NOTES: We’ve done this walk and believe that the instructions are clear and accurate.

Take a map – OS Explorer 222 – and allow enough time.

CONTINUE AHEAD to a short track, which soon bears right, but walk straight ahead to the brow of the hill and then through a gap following the track to a gate and stile.

Stick ‘em up.

Continue along the edge of

9

TURN RIGHT ONTO the road and immediately left through a gate. Walk to the lake side and then take a path to the right, within a few yards bearing right again through a gap and then diagonally left to a gate in the corner. Cross the road to a gate, go over a bridge and walk directly left to another bridge and gate.

11

FOLLOW THE PATH ahead through a first and then a second gate and cross over the lane and go through a third gate. Walk straight up the hill towards Napton and eventually you will see a gate beside a house on your left at the top of the field.

You may now wish to visit the Crown Inn on your left. Cross Vicarage Road to the footpath and you will see a white notice board. Continue along the path up the hill and back to the church car park.

12

If you want to eat after your walk then you could do worse than the Folly pub, which is beside the iconic Napton Bridge on the Oxford Canal.

To get there, drive towards the centre of Napton along Vicarage Road, which soon becomes High Street. Go past the post office and you soon see Folly Lane on the right.

The Folly is at the end of Folly Lane and is a traditional country pub. Our village insider tells us that it is very welcoming to walkers, children and dogs.

Food – served 12-2.30pm and 6pm-9pm Monday to Saturday, and 12-4pm on Sundays – is fresh and simple.

Choose from the likes of lamb shank and gravy, homecooked ham, egg and chips, and – you’d better have done the whole walk if you choose this – steak and cheese pie.

As you’d expect in a classic village local, there are real ales on tap and there’s a cosy woodfired range and an inglenook fireplace to warm your cockles on winter days.

All sorts of antiquities hang from the walls, from ancient milk churns to old hats, and there’s even an antique gramophone. Furniture consists of simple wood tables, chairs and pews, which sit on quarry tiles.

The Folly hasn’t been mucked about and is all the better for that. Let us know if you manage that steak and cheese pie!

The Folly, Folly Lane, Napton, Warwickshire CV47 8NZ, 01926 815185

Great Food Magazine 53

RECIPE

Dameon Clarke’s Seaside Favourites This is the intricate dessert that Dameon Clarke, chef patron at Stamford’s Assiette, cooked to wow judges on ITV’s Britain’s Best Dish in December. Dameon, cooking on the show against Hans Schweitzer from Cambridge’s Cotto restaurant, was inspired to create this by childhood holidays.

Assiette’s chef used all the skills learnt under Michel Roux Jr. at Le Gavroche in London and at Tetsuya’s, Sydney, and won plaudits for his technical ability. He was pipped by a brilliant pudding from Hans on the day but Dameon’s Seaside Favourites is hard to beat for originality and sheer Britishness.

GET THE BOOK Dameon’s recipe is included in Britain’s Best Dish: The Chefs, published by The Good Food Guide, to accompany the television series. The book is available for around £15 at book shops or online at www. thegoodfoodguide.co.uk/shop

Serves 2

For the lavender cream

For the lavender cream * 200ml double cream * Bunch cooking lavender * 25g caster sugar * 1g gellan gum (optional)

Pour the cream into a pan and add the lavender, sugar and gellan gum (if using), and bring slowly to the boil. Remove from the heat and allow to cool, then chill. Pass the mixture through a sieve and pour into a bowl. Whip the cooled cream with a whisk until the mixture reaches ribbon stage and then return to the fridge.

For the honeycomb * 100g runny honey * 25ml liquid glucose * ô tsp bicarbonate of soda For the chocolate filling * 100ml double cream * 1 tsp salted butter * 100g dark chocolate (67% cocoa solids), broken into pieces For the lavender and honeycomb cones * 1 egg white * 25g butter, melted * 25g icing sugar * 25g plain flour * 1 tsp cocoa powder For the chocolate ice cream * 150ml double cream * 3 egg yolks * 15g caster sugar * 50g cocoa powder * 20g dark chocolate (67% cocoa solids), broken into pieces For the chocolate and peanut coating * 50g dark chocolate (67% cocoa solids) * 10g salted peanuts

Dameon Clarke’s Assiette is part of Great Food Club: www.greatfood club.co.uk

54 Great Food Magazine

For the honeycomb Mix the honey and glucose with 100ml of water in a pan and cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes until caramel in colour. Remove from the heat, add the bicarbonate of soda and mix. Tip out onto a silicone mat or baking parchment, leave to cool and then break into small pieces.

For the chocolate filling Pour the cream into a pan. Add the butter and bring slowly to the boil. Remove from the heat.

Put the chocolate into a glass bowl, then pour the warm cream over it and stir until the chocolate has melted. Leave to cool and then chill in the fridge.

For the lavender & honeycomb cones

the base of each cone and reserve the remaining filling for the lollipops. Fill the cones halfway up with the lavender cream. Sprinkle some honeycomb over and then fill with the remaining lavender cream. Sprinkle over more honeycomb and place in the freezer.

For the chocolate ice cream 1 Pour the cream into a pan and slowly bring to the boil. Remove from the heat. Mix the egg yolks, sugar and cocoa powder together in a bowl. Pour the hot cream over the egg mix, stirring continuously, then add the chocolate and stir the egg mix until the chocolate has melted.

2 Pass the mixture through a sieve and into a clean pan; cook over a low heat until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Leave to cool, then churn in an ice-cream machine until it sets.

3 For each portion of chocolate ice cream, half fill a lollipop mould with the reserved chocolate filling and freeze. When it is solid, remove it from its mould, half fill the mould once again, but this time with the chocolate ice cream, and push the frozen chocolate filling into the centre. Return to the freezer and leave to set.

1 Preheat the oven to Gas 4 (180°C). Whisk the For the chocolate & peanut coating egg white in a bowl until soft peaks have formed.

1 Preheat the oven to Gas 4 (180°C). Melt the Fold in the butter, icing sugar, flour and cocoa chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. powder and mix to a smooth paste. Chill in the Spread the peanuts out on a baking sheet and fridge for about 20 minutes until firm. roast in the oven for five minutes. Remove from 2 Draw two 10cm equilateral triangles with one oven, leave to cool and chop into fine pieces. side curved to look like a cone on some baking 2 Remove the frozen ice-cream lollipops from parchment. Spread the chilled paste within the their moulds and dip in the melted chocolate to lines of the cone shapes and cook for about six cover. Roll in the chopped roasted minutes until golden brown.

A taster heaven peanuts to cover the whole lollipop Remove from the oven and, and return to the freezer. while still hot, wrap around Great Food recently tried Dameon Clarke’s taster 3 To serve, blitz the remaining cone moulds to form two menu at Assiette. It was honeycomb in a blender to a fine cones. Leave to cool. memorable. A highlight powder to resemble sand and form 3 To assemble the cones, included beef fillet the base of the dish. Stick the pour one tablespoon of the carpaccio with deep-fried cones and lollipops into the sand. chilled chocolate filling into

{ } truffle ice cream

Where to

EAT & DRINK Your guide to local pubs, farm shops, delis and more P72

Derbyshire

Welbeck

Bakewell

Lincoln Ollerton

Matlock

Mansfield

JT BEEDHAM Sherwood

Newark

P57

Lincs

Notts

Ashbourne Nottingham

Derby

THE PEACOCK

Sleaford

Grantham

Rowsley Burton

Staffs

Leics

Melton

Rutland

Oakham

Lichfield

Stamford

Leicester

Peterboro’

Warwicks

Corby

Market Harboro

Birmingham

Kettering

P58

Selihull

Rugby Warwick

DOG & HEDGEHOG Dadlington

Oundle

P64

Stilton

Cambs

Northants Northampton

Beds

BARNSDALE LODGE Exton

Great Food Magazine 55

WHERE TO EAT

Where to eat

LOCAL RESTAURANT NEWS What’s simmering, stewing and steeping at some great local venues. By Tim Burke Local restaurant news is sponsored by Great Food Club

KAYAL AND INDIGO Artist‘s impression of After Jamie Oliver’s visit to Lincoln‘s Electric Bar. Paddy’s Marten Inn, more celebrity chefs have been seeking inspiration from Leicester’s Indian restaurants.

The Hairy Bikers visited Keralan restaurant Kayal for a masterclass in making idli and masala dosa. The restaurant was featured in the Bikers’ Best of British programme on December 16. Channel 4’s River Cottage featured Hugh FearnleyWhittingstall also the Electric menu Stratford upon Avon and learning dosa skills, are the likes of Nuthurst Grange, Solihull.

Hairy Bikers at this time from fillet of local beef MPW Steakhouse, 200 Leicester's Kayal. chefs at Leicester’s with braised shin, Wharfside St, The Cube, vegetarian parsley risotto and Birmingham B1 1PR, 0121 restaurant, Indigo. The crisp fried bone marrow.

6343433, mpwsteakhouse programme saw Hugh help The Electric Bar and Restaurant, birmingham.co.uk prepare dosas at a wedding Brayford Wharf North, Lincoln feast for 750 at Leicester’s LN1 1YW, 01522 668870, THE COD’S SCALLOPS De Montfort Hall. electricbarandrestaurant.co.uk Part of the new breed of gourmet Kayal, 153 Granby St, Leicester fish and chip LE1 6FE, 0116 2554667, MPW STEAKHOUSE restaurants is the kayalrestaurant.com AND GRILL retro-styled Cod’s Indigo, 432 Melton Rd, Leicester Marco Pierre White Scallops in Wollaton, LE4 7SN, 0116 2611000, has opened his latest Nottingham. The venue indigos.co.uk restaurant on the combines takeaway, 25th floor of eat-in restaurant and THE ELECTRIC BAR AND Birmingham’s Hotel wet fish counter. There Birmingham's RESTAURANT, LINCOLN Indigo at the city’s are daily deliveries from Cube building.

Lincolnshire diners have been landmark Cube east coast ports. The eagerly awaiting the opening of development restaurant is the latest this restaurant in the Lincoln (pictured). The MPW Steakhouse initiative of Moleface, the Hilton. Behind the stove is Alex and Grill boasts 360-degree outfit behind four Nottingham Maxfield, who learnt his trade at views of the city and an al fresco gastro pubs including The The Fat Duck in Bray and balcony. Steaks such as 16oz Larwood and Voce at Trent Hambleton Hall. Before the T-bone are from 28-day aged Bridge, and The Wollaton. official opening on December 21, beef and come with chips fried in The Cod’s Scallops, 170 Maxfield helped fuel the buzz by dripping, beef tomato and onion Bramcote Lane, Nottingham hosting a two-day pop-up rings. Head chef is Matt Osborne, NG8 2QP, 0115 9854107, restaurant at Lincoln College. On previously of Baraset Barn in codsscallops.com

56 Great Food Magazine

THE LORD NELSON Closely modelled on the success of sister establishment The Tobie Norris in Stamford, Lincolnshire, new pub The Lord Nelson is housed in what used to be Nick’s restaurant in Oakham’s Market Place. The Lord Nelson combines a relaxed pub environment – no reservations, order at the bar – with high quality food including stonebaked pizzas and Mediterranean classics.

The Lord Nelson, Market Place, Oakham LE15 6DT, 01572 868340, thelordnelsonoakham.com THE GATE New on Leicester’s lively Braunstone Gate is The Gate Bistro. Chef/director Adam Lynch presides over a menu that includes seafood or Spanish ‘grazing boards’, 28-day matured Herefordshire steaks and bistro specials such as pork tenderloin wrapped in sage leaves and Serrano ham. Daily-changing specials boards are also promised. From Friday to Sunday, breakfasts are available from 9am including full English, poached eggs benedict or smoked salmon and scrambled egg for around a fiver.

The Gate, 32-36 Braunstone Gate, Leicester LE3 5LG, 0116 2559993, thegatebistro.co.uk The Gate.

Rural retreats

The Peacock at Rowsley

Fine dining and country comfort in historic surroundings

Sample menu (à la carte) Starters Celeriac soup with crispy quails’ eggs and truffle toast Duck liver ballotine, smoked eel, pickled red cabbage purée, raisins

Mains Fillet of beef, glazed shin, crispy ox tongue, smoked ratte potato purée, watercress, vegetable risotto Monkfish with poached oyster, broccoli and Parmesan

Dessert Dark chocolate tart, peanut parfait, salted caramel ice cream £55.50 for three courses

Dining room at The Peacock.

SPECIALITIES: Fine dining; local food FOOD TIMES: Fine dining – 7-9pm (Tue-Sat); bar menu – 12-2pm (Mon-Sun) and 6.30-9pm (Mon-Sat); 7-8.30pm (Sun)

T

he charming 17th century Peacock at Rowsley, Derbyshire is the perfect place for a food lovers’ weekend getaway. It’s in a great spot for exploring the Peak District, oozes country style and serves seriously good food, having just been awarded a third AA Rosette for its fine dining menu. It’s the sort of hotel where, from the moment you walk through the door, you lose yourself in comfort, great service and the unique ambience of a 360-year-old building.

The writer was lucky enough to spend his wedding night here in 2004 and visited again in February 2010. One of the highlights on both occasions was a first-class English breakfast, followed by a beautiful walk to

‘You can really kick back in the bar, surrounded by ancient stone walls’ FOOD AT THE PEACOCK

The Peacock takes great pride in its food and drink. Head chef Dan Smith runs the show and has created a superb fine-dining à la carte menu (hence the three AA stars).

Local suppliers are used where possible and include EW Coates Butchers of Two Dales, Matlock, LW Hancock Butchers of Stoney Middleton, Peak District Dairies and Country Fresh Foods of Sheffield. The more laid-back bar menu comprises dishes such as venison bourguignonne and haddock in beer batter.

The Peacock was built in 1652 and is surrounded by beautiful Peak District countryside.

Bakewell through Manners Wood (the hotel will supply you with walk directions). Chatsworth House and Haddon Hall – the latter of which is owned by The Peacock’s custodian, Lord Edward Manners – are also within striking distance.

The hotel’s cosy bar – complete with open fire, of course – is another jewel in this venue’s crown.

Here you can really kick back, surrounded by ancient stone walls and wood beams, and there can be few places in England where a glass of single malt in front of a roaring fire feels as appropriate, or as pleasant.

Feasting your eyes on the menu from the comfort of the bar is recommended, before

MOUSEMAN FURNITURE The Peacock’s chairs were crafted by furniture maker Robert ‘Mousey’ Thompson and carry his mouse carving.

being led to the dining room. The Peacock takes a formal approach to its fine dining experience – expect white gloves and silver salvers – but you can remain in the bar if you wish.

The 16 bedrooms are as well-appointed as you’d expect for an historic, luxury hotel.

The Peacock used to be both a farmhouse and the Dower House for Haddon Hall, becoming an inn in 1828. The peacock that sits above the front porch (a peacock is part of the Manners’ family crest) was carved in the 19th century by the same chap who carved Rowsley’s village fountain. This is not a hotel short on history.

Prices start at £175 per night for a standard double room, including three-course dinner. Q CONTACT The Peacock at Rowsley, Bakewell Rd, Rowsley, Matlock, Debyshire DE4 2EB 01629 733518, thepeacockatrowsley.com

Great Food Magazine 57

LOCAL PUBS

Martin‘s Arms, Colston Bassett CUISINE: Modern British PRICE PER HEAD: £35-£50 (for three courses and drinks) KIDS WELCOME: In restaurant only but no highchairs are available DOGS: No CAR PARKING: Car park to the side FOOD TIMES: Mon-Sat: 12-2pm and 6-10pm; Sunday: 12-2.30pm

N

estled in a picturesque corner of the beautiful Vale of Belvoir is a real gem.

The Martin’s Arms at Colston Bassett is not only a fine dining pub and restaurant but a haven of good taste and tranquility. It has top-end prices, but offers top quality too.

We visited mid-week for a quiet bar meal before Christmas and settled at one of the oak tables in front of a roaring fire. The décor is traditional and comfortable: squashy banquet seating, feather cushions, hunting paintings and a Jacobean fireplace festooned with food trophies, including its latest gong – Nottinghamshire Dining Pub of the Year 2012.

The copper-topped bar is incredibly well stocked and if you are a real ale drinker then there are many treats to behold: Woodforde’s Wherry, Timothy Taylor’s Landlord, Greene King IPA or perhaps a pint of Black Dog. A

Menu samples STARTERS Soup of the Day with Martin‘s Arms bread £5.50 Smoked salmon roulade, chive crème fraiche and crouton £7.95

MAINS Braised blade of beef, bourguignon flavours, salt-baked celeriac £17 Venison pie, savoy cabbage, mashed potatoes, gravy £17.50

DESSERT distinguished range of whiskies and brandies plus an extensive wine list are also on offer.

The service from Spanish maître d’ Silvio was just the right mix of attentive and friendly.

To kick off we chose mushroom mousse with winter root crisps, which was fresh, light, and clean on the palate, and my husband had a pretty chicken and globe artichoke terrine.

Since a couple of dishes on the menu were not available, Silvio offered us a fillet steak with mushrooms and the most perfectly cooked chips I have tasted. My husband opted for a very rich and manly braised blade of beef, which kept him quiet until the plate was clean. On Silvio’s advice we didn’t order any sides and, to be fair, he was right!

To finish, we decided to share a light and fluffy cheesecake with a pear and mulled wine sauce, which if I am honest was a little too heavy as an accompaniment and drowned the

Dog & Hedgehog, Dadlington

Baked rice pudding, plum jam, ginger bread £5.50

delicacy of the cheesecake – but a wondrous cheese board made up for it completely. The decadent selection of English and French cheeses, home-made chutney and crackers plus another bottle of excellent house red polished off a wonderful pre-Christmas treat.

By the time we had tucked all that away, it was 11.30pm. The fire had died but the atmosphere was still roaring. We shall return.

Rachel Dorsett THE MARTIN'S ARMS School Lane, Colston Bassett, Notts NG12 3FD 01949 81361, themartinsarms.co.uk

Menu samples STARTERS

CUISINE: Traditional British PRICE PER HEAD: £25-£35 (for three courses and drinks) KIDS WELCOME: Yes DOGS: Yes CUSTOMER CAR PARKING: Large car park to rear of pub FOOD TIMES: Mon-Sat: 12-2.30pm and 5.30pm-9pm; Sun: 12-2.30pm

12oz sirloin steak from Frank Parker Butchers with fries, tomatoes and mushrooms £17.95 Homemade Pie of the Day £9.95 Sunday roast with all the trimmings £11.95

O

Sticky toffee pudding £4.95 Sparkenhoe Farm (Market Bosworth) cheese platter £5.95

n a wintry Sunday afternoon we ventured to west Leicestershire – almost Warwickshire – having heard the words “dog and hedgehog” mentioned favourably in passing, and the pub‘s unique name sticking in the mind like Christmas pudding to the ribs.

Being late and disorganised we were happy to find that the large, ivy clad pub situated on the green in the hamlet of Dadlington served Sunday lunch until 3.30pm.

On arrival we received a warm welcome and were impressed throughout by the friendliness of the staff. Three local ales were available, including Dadlington Hamlet by Quartz Brewing, Staffordshire, and Webb Ellis from Rugby‘s Wood Farm Brewery. Slightly less pleasing was the 1950‘s American rock and roll being played loudly through tinny speakers, but one man‘s musical nirvana is another man‘s breaking point.

58 Great Food Magazine

Cod cakes £5.45 Baked brie in filo parcel £5.45

MAINS

DESSERT

This isn‘t a small, cosy country pub with lots of crannies in which to hide, but a large, bright, warm, practical space, well equipped for big groups. There were at least three sizeable family gatherings taking place amid the bustling atmosphere as we ate, and the pub makes a point of putting no pressure on anyone to give up their tables.

Also impressively sized were the portions.

Our Sunday roasts arrived quickly and were enormous. The quality of ingredients was good, with beef from Frank Parker Butchers of Nuneaton, pork from nearby Gosling Farm, and free range chicken from GE Tomlinson‘s farm shop, Stoke Golding. Some like huge

piles of food and equate this with good value, but I prefer to be able to walk comfortably after clearing my plate.

The Dog and Hedgehog does not offer a fine dining experience but doesn‘t claim to.

It has an impressive local sourcing policy and is a solid place for families and friends of all ages to get together. The food is plentiful and you‘ll be met with a smile. The beer‘s not bad, either.

Matt Wright THE DOG AND HEDGEHOG 2 The Green, Dadlington, Leicestershire, 01455 213151

Reviews

Frank’s Steakhouse, Northampton CUISINE: Locally-sourced steaks PRICE PER HEAD: £23-£28 (for three courses excluding wine) KIDS WELCOME: Yes DOGS: No CUSTOMER CAR PARKING: On-street FOOD TIMES: Tues to Sat: 11-2.30pm and 6.30-10pm; Sun: 12-4pm

STARTERS Classic prawn cocktail £5 Brixworth chicken liver paté with toasted brioche £6

MAINS Rump steak (280g) £12 Fillet steak (220g) £18.50 Cote steak (450g) £19.50 Haloumi Salad £10 All steaks are cooked over charcoal and served with a choice of potato and pepper, Stilton, or herb butter sauces.

N

orthampton had been missing a good steakhouse. It now has Frank’s on Wellingborough Road, where you can enjoy steaks sourced locally from renowned Leicestershire butcher Joseph Morris of South Kilworth. We were lucky enough to be invited to the opening night and what great tasters we had. But what’s so special, I hear you ask? Well, the steaks are cooked over charcoal in a big Josper oven, which is basically an indoor BBQ that creates a lovely unique flavour, with the high temperatures keeping the meat moist.

We booked a table and returned a few weeks later. We decided to avoid starters, which included Brixworth paté and beetroot cured salmon, as we wanted to save room for the main event. The girls chose sirloin steaks while I went for a T-Bone and we selected sides including creamy leeks (lovely), garlic mushrooms and a mixed salad. The steaks

Menu samples

are reasonably priced and come with a choice of potato dishes and a sauce.

Beef can be difficult to prepare well but we had no problems with our choices: each was perfect and we all agreed that they were the best steaks we had eaten – they really were that good. The twice-cooked chips were lovely, too: soft and floury on the inside and crunchy on the outside.

With the mains dispatched we decided to sample the puds, choosing lemon posset,

chocolate bread and butter pudding, and chocolate and chilli cake. Again these were reasonably priced and thoroughly enjoyed.

We had a fantastic night: the food was delicious, the staff were polite and the table arrangements look great. My sister Helen booked a table of 10 for a work night out and it went extremely well with rave reviews from everyone. We will definitely be back.

Andy Hunting FRANK’S STEAKHOUSE 176 Wellingborough Road, Northampton NN1 4DZ, 01604 949804, frankssteakhouse.co.uk

‘at the heart of Leicester’s Cultural Quarter’

Valentines Day bookings now being taken “contemporary dining space, combined with traditional Indian hospitality” s Business Lunches s Stylish Bar and Late Lounge s Venue Hire Available s Open Plan Kitchen s Elegant Dining Room s Pre & Post Theatre Menu

Tel: 01664 444737 www.kingsarms-scalford.co.uk

s Reduced NCP Parking Rates

41 Halford Street, Leicester LE1 1TR - Tel: 0116 251 1889

www.chutneyivy.com

JOIN THE CLUB F Eat the best local food, support View all offers at www.great foodclub. co.uk

O UP TO FF 25% ANY AT M CES PLA

JOIN, EAT, SAVE

Greatfoodclub.co.uk showcases high-quality independent local restaurants, producers and delis, and saves you money when you shop or eat with them. When you join you receive a personalised Great Food Club card that you can use to claim the offers, which are all listed and updated regularly at www.greatfoodclub.co.uk

HOW DO I JOIN?

Go to www.greatfoodclub.co.uk and click ‘join now’ to pay by credit or debit card. Joining for £17.50 means you’ll receive Great Food magazine for one year (six issues delivered to your door) as well as get your personalised Great Food Club membership card.

Alternatively call 01664 853341 with your card details or fill out the form on p23 and send a cheque

Join at www.greatfoodclub.co.uk 60 Great Food Magazine

FOR JUST £17.50 local producers and save cash

A FEW LATEST OFFERS: Assiette: 15% off lunch Hambleton Hall: free room upgrade for club members The Olive Branch: 20% off a stay at Beech House Jam Jar Shop: 10% off jam kit Boboli: 25% off lunch

OFF 20%AY AT T S A OLIVE THE A CH BR N

1 2 FOR E AT TH RY CURN GE U O L

Tori & Ben’s Farm: 10% off locally raised Longhorn beef The Old Barn: 20% off dinner Fosse Meadows: 10% off poultry Firenze: 25% off lunch

and many more...

OFF 15% D AT O O F NG’S I K E TH RMS A

Save 10% on Tori & Ben’s delicious Longhorn beef.

Hambleton Hall’s Whissendine veal, which club members could enjoy along with a room upgrade.

Great Food Magazine 61

Restaurant map “Where shall we eat out tonight?” is a question that can cause serious chin stroking. This map is designed to cut that out. It’s not a random selection – it has been chosen by listening to reader recommendations and, of course, by visiting as

many venues as possible ourselves. Great Food Club eateries, where members can use their cards to take advantage of exclusive offers, are marked by blue panels. To tell us about a restaurant that should be on the map, email editorial@greatfoodmag.co.uk

Albero Northampton NN1 3DE albero-restaurant.co.uk 01604 400800

The Dial Burton upon Trent DE14 1BN, thedial.uk.com 01283 544644

The King’s Head Wadenhoe PE8 5ST wadenhoekingshead.co.uk 01832 720024

Assiette Stamford PE9 2BE greatfoodclub.co.uk 01780 489071

Entropy Leicester LE3 0RB greatfoodclub.co.uk 0116 2259650

Kilworth House Hotel North Kilworth LE17 6JE kilworthhouse.co.uk 01858 880058

Barnsdale Lodge Oakham LE15 8AH greatfoodclub.co.uk 01572 724678

The Falcon Fotheringhay PE8 5HZ thefalcon-inn.co.uk 01832 226254

Lake Isle Uppingham LE15 9PZ greatfoodclub.co.uk 01572 822951

The Bay Tree Melbourne DE73 8HW baytreerestaurant.com 01332 863 358

Firenze Kibworth Beauchamp LE8 0LN, greatfoodclub.co.uk 0116 2796260

Beckworth Emporium 5 Mears Ashby NN6 0DL beckworthemporium.com 01604 812371

Fischer’s at Baslow Hall Baslow DE45 1RR fischers-baslowhall.co.uk 01246 583259

The Berkeley Arms Wymondham LE14 2AG theberkeleyarms.co.uk 01572 787587

Fox Inn & La Table d’Yves Thorpe Satchville LE14 2DQ tabledyves.co.uk 01664 840257

Boboli Kibworth Harcourt LE8 0NQ, greatfoodclub.co.uk 0116 2793303

Hambleton Hall Hambleton LE15 8TH greatfoodclub.co.uk 01572 756991

1

2

3

4

6

7

The Boot Room Leicester LE1 5JN thebootroomeaterie.co.uk 0116 2622555

8

Brownlow Arms Hough on the Hill NG32 2AZ thebrownlowarms.com 01400 250234

9

Byzantium Kings Heath, Birmingham B14 7SA 0121 4445444 byzantiumtapas.co.uk

10

Chequers Inn Woolsthorpe by Belvoir NG32 1LU, chequersinn.net 01476 870701

11

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

Hammer & Pincers Wymeswold LE12 6ST greatfoodclub.co.uk 01509 880735

23

Hart’s Nottingham NG1 6GN hartsnottingham.co.uk 0115 9881900

24

Hotel Maiyango Leicester LE1 4LD maiyango.com 0116 2518898

25

Jackson Stops Stretton LE15 7RA greatfoodclub.co.uk 01780 410237

26

The Cholmeley Arms 12 Burton Coggles NG33 4JP theeastonestate.co.uk 01476 550225

Jim’s Yard Stamford PE9 1PL jimsyard.biz 01780 756080

Chutney Ivy Leicester LE1 1TR chutneyivy.com 0116 2511889

The Joiners Bruntingthorpe LE17 5QH thejoinersarms.co.uk 0116 2478258

The Crown Inn Old Dalby LE14 3LF thecrownolddalby.co.uk 01664 823134

Kababish Moseley B13 8EH kababish.co.uk 0121 4495556

Curry Lounge Nottingham NG1 6LF greatfoodclub.co.uk 0115 9418844

The King’s Arms Wing LE15 8SE greatfoodclub.co.uk 01572 737634

13

14

15

62 Great Food Magazine

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

Langar Hall Langar Village NG13 9HG langarhall.com, 01949 860559

34

Marquess of Exeter Lyddington LE15 9LT marquessexeter.co.uk 01572 822477

35

Mallory Court 36 Leamington Spa CV33 9QB, mallory.co.uk, 01926 330214 Mansion 37 Derby DE1 2SN mansionderby.com 01332 343665 Martin’s Arms Colston Bassett NG12 3FD themartinsarms.co.uk 01949 81361

38

Nevill Arms Medbourne LE16 8EE thenevillarms.net, 01858 565288

39

Northfield Farm Cold Overton LE7 3DB northfieldfarm.com 01664 474271

20

Bakewell

The Red Lion East Haddon NN6 8BU greatfoodclub.co.uk 01604 770223

47

The Red Lion Stathern LE14 4HS greatfoodclub.co.uk 01949 860868

48

Ashbourne

Restaurant Sat Bains Nottingham NG7 2SA restaurantsatbains.com 0115 9866566

49

San Carlo Leicester (LE1 1DEL) and Birmingham (B2 5BN) sancarlo.co.uk, 0116 2519332

50

Simpsons Edgbaston B15 3DU simpsonsrestaurant.co.uk 0121 4543434

51

Burton

Snooty Fox Lowick NN14 3BH thesnootyfoxlowick.com 01832 733434

52

Staffs

Stapleford Park Stapleford LE14 2EF greatfoodclub.co.uk 01572 787000

53

Lichfield

Three Horseshoes Breedon, DE73 8AN, greatfoodclub.co.uk 01332 695129

54

40

The Old Barn Inn Glooston LE16 7ST greatfoodclub.co.uk 01858 545215

41

The Olive Branch Clipsham LE15 7SH greatfoodclub.co.uk 01780 410355

42

Oundle Mill Oundle PE8 5PB oundlemill.co.uk, 01832 272621

43

The Pheasant Keyston PE28 0RE thepheasant-keyston.co.uk 01832 710241

44

Tobie Norris Stamford PE9 2BE tobienorris.com 01780 753800

55

Tollemache Arms Buckminster, NG33 5SA tollemache-arms.co.uk 01476 860477

56

Turners 57 Harborne B17 9NS turnersofharborne.com 0121 4264440 The White Hart Ufford PE9 3BH whitehartufford.co.uk 01780 740250

58

The Plough Great Casterton PE9 4AA theplough-greatcasterton.co.uk 01780 762178

The Woodhouse Woodhouse Eaves LE12 8RG thewoodhouse.co.uk 01509 890318

Purnell’s Birmingham B3 2DH purnellsrestaurant.com 0121 2129799

World Service Nottingham NG1 6AF worldservicerestaurant.com 0115 8475587

45

46

46 51

50

Birmingham

57 10 29

Solihull

59

60

Always check opening hours before setting off

16

Some of the region’s best restaurants. This map is updated every issue – email your tips to editorial@greatfoodmag.co.uk Welbeck

Lincoln

Key

Ollerton

Matlock

Mansfield

Part of Great Food Club – find out more at www.greatfoodclub.co.uk

Newark

Derbyshire Nottingham

Michelin starred establishments

Notts

9

Sleaford

24 15 49 60

Grantham

11

34

Derby

38

37

Lincs

48 4 54

16

14

23

59

56 53

6

40

Rutland

Melton

Leics

21

Leicester 17

Oakham

25

12

42 26

3

45

22

2 55

30

13 8 50

33

19

7

41

24

18

Coventry Leamington 36

Warwick

Stilton

Oundle 31

Kettering

47

43

Corby

Market Harborough

Rugby

Peterboro’

39

28 32

27 58

35

Warwicks

Stamford

Northants

52

Cambs 44

5

Northampton 1

Map by Graham Wright

Great Food Magazine 63

RESTAURANT

Barnsdale Lodge, Oakham A hotel and restaurant inspired by its farming roots

Sample menu Starters Barnsdale terrine – game and chicken with plum chutney and toasted brioche, £6.25 Beef Bresaola, confit tomatoes, olives, dressed salad and shaved parmesan, £7.50

Mains Rutland rainbow trout, deep fried courgette matchsticks, tomato and herb gnocchi, £13.95 Roast breast of duck, celeriac mash, sautéed kale, port and elderberry sauce, £17.50

Dessert Upside down fig pudding, £5.75

Conservatory dining room.

SPECIALITIES Cooking with local ingredients, homemade honey, homemade chutneys FOOD TIMES: 12-2pm and 7pm-9.30pm, seven days a week

W

WINE AND BEER Ales from Oakham’s Grainstore Brewery are a constant in Barnsdale’s bar, while the wine list comprises 72 varieties.

64 Great Food Magazine

Barnsdale’s bees will soon be producing honey, while the kitchen garden supplies a variety of veg.

They won’t have done anything to harm its standing in the eyes of local lass and TV presenter Julia Bradbury either, who when asked to describe her perfect Sunday said it involved late lunch at Barnsdale Lodge.

Inside, there’s an interesting mix of rooms, including a bright and airy conservatory (above, main picture), a laid-back lounge bar suited to evening relaxation (above right) and a more formal dining room (below left).

Before 1989 these rooms were part of a farmhouse, which was converted into a hotel in 1989 by Thomas Noel, son of the Earl of Gainsborough. Barnsdale Lodge is part of Exton Park and has been in Thomas’s family since 1760.

This is an individual hotel making efforts to stay true to its farming roots. A small shop at the reception desk sells the hotel kitchen’s own produce, such as marmalade and plum chutney, while there is also Spanish extra virgin olive oil available. Paul explains: “Our financial director Charles Randall runs a farm in Spain.

He makes organic olive oil and sends it back to us here: we can sell it for an excellent price and also use it in the kitchens.” Q Barnsdale Lodge is part of Great Food Club – see p60 or visit www.greatfoodclub.co.uk

FOOD AT BARNSDALE

AT FOO RE G

D

orking beehives and a field of Highland show cattle are the latest arrivals to the grounds of Barnsdale Lodge, a relaxed rural hotel/restaurant just a stone’s throw from Rutland Water’s northern shore.

“The hotel used to be a farmhouse and we’re trying to bring that feel back,” says hotel manager Paul Freeman. “Soon, for breakfast you’ll be able to have honey from our apiary drizzled over homemade granola, and for lunch enjoy vegetables from the kitchen garden served with Longhorn steak.”

Barnsdale Lodge works closely with Hambleton Farms, which has a shop in Oakham and a herd of Longhorn beef on Hambleton Peninsula, just two miles away.

The additions boost the rustic charm and food credentials of the 44-bedroom hotel.

Barnsdale Lodge’s head chef is Steve Conway. “There’s so much local produce on tap here,” he says. “As well as the TO bees, local beef and kitchen P R AT E D garden, we work closely with Nick Hamilton at Barnsdale Gardens, located just yards away. He grows all sorts of fruit and vegetables. Just a few weeks ago he gave us huge amounts of quince, which we turned into jelly.”

Restaurant

CONTACT Barnsdale Lodge Hotel, The Avenue, Exton, Rutland LE15 8AH 01572 724678 barnsdalelodge.co.uk

AN EXCITING LEICESTER RESTAURANT The Boot Room is one of only a few independently owned restaurants in Leicester, situated at 27-29 Millstone Lane – a stones throw away from Highcross Leicester and the Town Hall Square.

e 1 Not So Larg pizza with da 2 toppings an beer pint of selected

Is Now Open

Whether you are just popping into the restaurant for a coffee, a light snack or taking advantage of our great value fixed price menu, you can be assured of a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere by Ian and the restaurant team.

We have 5 real ales (including White Hart and Rupert’s Wardog), a selection of continental lagers and an expansive wine list that we import ourselves from around the world. Our speciality is stone baked, handmade pizzas with a wide choice of toppings, anything from the traditional to the slightly quirky! We also have a range of other dishes that are sure to delight your taste buds.

Our philosophy “Buy quality ingredients, treat them well and let your customer enjoy the experience” has enabled The Boot Room to become one of the best restaurants in Leicester city centre.

for just £9.95 7pm Mon-Sat 6pm-

2 Not So L pizzas, 2 to arge pp and a bott ings le of white, red rosé hous or e wine

£19.95

Mon-Sat 6p m-7pm

11 Market Place, Oakham, Rutland, LE15 6DT

THE BOOT ROOM EATERIE 27-29 Millstone Lane, Leicester. LE1 5JN 0116 262 2555

t. 01572 868340 info@thelordnelsonoakham.com www.thelordnelsonoakham.com

We specialise in advising investors on how to maximise their income potential.

There are two key factors employed in our strategies – Achieving maximum tax efficiency, even if you are a basic rate tax payer.

Growing both capital and income in order to overcome the effects of inflation.

Why not visit our website and see what our clients say about us and why we are different to other financial advisers?

-

0 3 Over

years’ experience

Call us on 0116 230 3663 or visit www.blyth-richmond.co.uk

Blyth-Richmond | Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority

p65_GF_JanFeb12.indd Sec1:65

14/12/11 15:53:59

Delis and more Temples of taste in the Heart of England.

Updated every issue in response to your feedback On this map we show some of the best local delis, wine shops, bakeries and more for you to visit and enjoy. Thanks to your feedback, this issue we welcome The Country Victualler of Winkburn, Nottinghamshire; Brady’s Fish Counter, Leicester; Capeling & Co of King’s Heath, Birmingham; Taste Gourmet Spice Co of Northamptonshire; and Loaf Community Bakery, Stirchley (opening soon). To recommend somewhere or someone, email editorial@greatfoodmag.co.uk

Alexander Wines 1 Coventry CV5 6EE 024 76673474 Amphora Wines Cold Overton LE15 7QF amphora-wines.co.uk

2

Amp’s Fine Wine Oundle PE8 4BQ ampsfinewines.co.uk

3

Anderson & Hill Birmingham B2 5HU andersonandhill.co.uk

4

Barrowby Cakehole Barrowby NG32 1BZ barrowbycakehole.co.uk

5

Chocolate Alchemy Loughborough LE11 1TZ chocolate-alchemy.co.uk

15

Christopher James Deli Leicester LE2 1TU christopherjamesdeli.co.uk

16

Collyweston 17 Community Shop Collyweston PE9 3PW collywestonshop.co.uk Colston Bassett Store Colston Bassett NG12 3FE colstonbassettstore.com

18

Beckworth Emporium Mears Ashby NN6 0DL beckworthemporium.com

The Country Victualler 19 Winkburn (online shop & phone orders) greatfoodclub.co.uk

Ben’s Wine Shop Oakham LE15 6QS greatfoodclub.co.uk

The Deli 20 Kibworth Beauchamp LE8 0HS 0116 2790077

6

7

Boutique Aromatique Welbeck S80 3LW boutiquearomatique.com

8

Deli 53 Ashby LE65 1AG 01530 415706

21

Deli at Black & Blossom Ashby LE65 2FH blackandblossom.co.uk

22

Brady’s Seafood Market Leicester LE2 2DA greatfoodclub.co.uk

9

Brown & Green Derby Garden Centre DE21 5DB brown-and-green.co.uk

10

Deli Italia Melton Mowbray LE13 0PN caffedeli-italia.co.uk

11

Cana at Bank Chambers Harbury CV33 9HW canaimport.co.uk

12

Capeling & Co 13 Birmingham B14 7SA capelingandco.wordpress.com The Cheese Shop Nottingham NG1 2HN cheeseshop-nottingham.co.uk

14

66 Great Food Magazine

Deli Flavour Leicester LE2 2DA deliflavour.net

23

Delilah Fine Foods Nottingham NG1 7DX delilahfinefoods.co.uk

24

Dickinson & Morris Melton Mowbray LE13 1NW porkpie.co.uk

25

Duncan Murray Wines Mkt Harboro LE16 7LT greatfoodclub.co.uk

26

The Fine Food Store Stamford PE9 2DF thefinefoodstore.com

27

The Food Hall Deli 28 Northampton NN1 1JW northampton-delicatessen.co.uk

The Garden Barn Cotesbach LE17 4HS gardenbarn.co.uk

Northfield Farm Bakery 47 Cold Overton LE15 7QF northfieldfarm.com

Gourmet Delis Oundle PE8 4EF gourmetdelis.co.uk

North’s Rothley LE7 7LD dominic-davidnorth.co.uk

29

30

Hallam’s Grantham NG31 6LH 01476 591911

31

Hambleton Bakery Exton LE15 8AN greatfoodclub.co.uk

32

Hambleton Bakery 33 Oakham LE15 6AL

34

Hambleton Bakery Oundle PE8 4AU

35

Hambleton Bakery Stamford PE9 1PL

Kendall’s of Earlsdon Coventry CV5 6EJ kendallsofearlsdon.com

Bakewell

48

Old Theatre Deli Southwell NG25 0HE theoldtheatredeli.co.uk

49

Otters Deli Oakham LE15 6EA greatfoodclub.co.uk

Ashbourne

50

The Malt House Deli Bottesford NG13 0AH 01949 843699

51

Paxton & Whitfield Stratford CV37 6JF paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk

52

The Pickled Village Bulwick NN17 3DY thepickledvillage.co.uk

53

36

Kibworth Wines Kibworth Beauchamp LE8 0HQ kibworthwines.co.uk

37

Kitchen Garden Café Kings Heath B14 7SA kitchengardencafe.co.uk

38

Landins Kimbolton PE28 0HB landins.co.uk

39

The Larder Castle Ashby NN7 1LF thelarderuk.co.uk

40

Loaf Community Bakery Stirchley, Birmingham (coming soon) loafonline.co.uk

41

Local Not Global Deli Nottingham NG9 1EN localnotglobal-deli.co.uk

42

Lucy’s Food Leicester LE2 2BD greatfoodclub.co.uk

43

Maiyango Deli Kitchen Leicester LE1 4LD maiyango.com

44

The Melton Cheeseboard 45 Melton Mowbray LE13 1BU greatfoodclub.co.uk No 8 Deli 46 Nottingham NG2 5LN no8deli.co.uk

Relish Deli Tamworth B79 7DF relishdeli.co.uk

54

Rutland & Derby Deli 55 (in pub) Leicester LE1 5JN everards.co.uk

Burton

Staffs

Salvador Deli Leicester LE2 1TU thesalvadordeli.co.uk

56

Lichfield

Simply Simon’s 57 Market Harboro’ LE16 7LT simplysimons.co.uk

54

Squisito Deli Monks Kirby CV23 0RA squisito-deli.co.uk

58

St Giles Cheese Northampton NN1 1JF stgilescheese.com

59

St Martin’s Tea & Coffee Leicester LE1 5EW stmartinscoffee.co.uk

4

Taste Gourmet Spice Co. Weldon (online shop & markets) greatfoodclub.co.uk

38

60

61

The Tall Frog Deli Nottingham NG2 6ET thetallfrog.co.uk

62

Three Horseshoes Deli Breedon DE73 8AN thehorseshoes.com

41

Birmingham

13

Solihull

63

The Waltham Deli Waltham on the Wolds LE14 4AH walthamdeli.co.uk

64

Not everyone featured on this map has a physical shop – some trade online.

Also, always check opening hours before setting off

52

map

Key

Deli

Wine shop

Cheese shop

Baker

Choc maker

Fishmonger Outlets where you can buy Great Food

8

Welbeck

Matlock

Lincoln Ollerton

Mansfield

Derbyshire

Nottingham 10

14

Derby

Lincs

19 49

Newark

Notts

24 46 62

42

Sleaford 51 5

22

11

45 25

Melton Mowbray

Leics

2 47

48

Oakham

37

Coventry

Stamford

32

35 27

Rutland

17

Peterboro’ 53

20 57

58

50

7 33

9 56 Leicester 43 23 60 44 16 55

Warwicks

Grantham

64

15

21

31

18

31 63

Part of Great Food Club – see p60 and www.greatfoodclub.co.uk

61

Corby

26

Market Harborough 29

Stilton 3 30 34

Oundle

Kettering

36

Cambs

1

Leamington Warwick

12

Rugby

Northants Northampton

28 59

39

6 40

Beds Map painted by Graham Wright

Great Food Magazine 67

DELI

Maiyango Kitchen Deli, Leicester Tim Burke investigates one of the region’s newest delis

Sample menu Chutneys Including spiced celeriac; pear and date; pickled sweet cabbage

Flavoured oils Including lemon, herb and chilli

Homemade pasta Including basil, pasta and squid ink varieties

Jams, preserves and curds Including strawberry, chilli & vodka preserve; lemon curd; blackcurrant

Fruit vinegars Including raspberry, tarragon and blackberry flavours

Fresh breads Including brioche, rye and plain white

Maiyango chef Gareth Ducker enters bearing gifts.

SPECIALITIES: Freshly made breads, pastries and tarts. Seasonal produce OPENING TIMES: 10am-6pm, Mon-Sat

I

68 Great Food Magazine

Barista Szilvia Griffin.

G

proportion of the produce stocked at Leicester’s Maiyango Kitchen Deli is produced in its own kitchen at the neighbouring restaurant. It means that it can be both t’s 10.30am and a chef in full AT FOOD responsive to customer demand and E R whites comes through the door focus exactly on what it does best. carrying a basket of still-warm “We avoided going down the road breads. This time it’s an inviting of lining the walls with jars of selection of sun-dried tomato, chutneys,” explains owner Aatin PR poppy seed and cheese and onion – Anadkat. “That’s all just dead stock.

OFILE but you might also find brioche, rye Our approach is to vary things and or a lovage seed loaf. replenish regularly in small amounts – you It’s a typical moment at this unusual deli, might call it limited-edition food.” The deli which makes more sense when viewed also wants its display to allow alongside Hotel Maiyango next door. A large the beautifully packaged products “room to breathe”.

Right now the deli is not able FREE COFFEE FOR to produce its own charcuterie EVERY READER or cheese, but Aatin doesn’t want to just buy it in to re-sell.

Present this voucher (or whole magazine) “This place is about our at Maiyango’s new deli and you can claim a free cup of coffee. Deli manager Szilvia own produce, lovingly Griffin is an experienced barista and is made,” says Aatin. working on a range of coffees inspired by “That’s the joy of it. The Maiyango’s cocktail menu. “We want to chefs make some and provide something interesting and when it’s gone, it’s gone. quirky,” says Maiyango proprietor Aatin There’s less waste and Anadkat. “This coffee offer is about that’s good business but encouraging people to support local, it’s good on a moral basis independent businesses – that’s what’s too.” If some of those breads don’t sell going to get the economy moving again.” they can be used that night in the Offer ends 5pm on Feb 29, 2012. restaurant. I’m trying not use the word “synergy” here – but it’s hard.

Having opened in the autumn of 2011, Maiyango Kitchen Deli fulfils a longheld ambition. The company felt there was a gap in the market and had been waiting for this particular bijou unit to become available. It was never just about retail, says Aatin: it’s an extension of the brand. “It’s about introducing

Deli

ourselves to people who might find the restaurant too expensive. It’s about enabling everyone to take a bit of Maiyango home.”

So while you won’t find some of the staples often found in delis there’s still an inviting array of foods. So far the bread, pretty tartlets, cupcakes and other baked goods have proved popular. Then there are olives, hummus, sun-dried tomatoes and so on, plus those limited edition, small batch jams, chutneys and flavoured oils. In December you could find the likes of pear, apple and cardamom jam, spiced celeriac, pear and date chutney, rosemary and garlic oil and saffron linguine. In the early autumn, a strawberry, chilli and vodka concoction did well, but despite strong demand it won’t appear again until the strawberries return.

Then there’s catering for the lunchtime trade. The fatly-packed sandwiches also follow some of the seasonal produce being used in the restaurant – if ham hock is on the menu, it may appear in a sandwich. Q CONTACT Maiyango Kitchen Deli, Highcross Street, Leicester, 0116 2518898. www.maiyango.com

Medium-roast Colombian Excelsior beans – a variety with a nice, nutty flavour – are marinated in flavoured oils for 24-48 hours.

The beans absorb the oil – a mixture of almond oil and flavourings – and are left to dry, after which they behave just like normal beans. Before flavouring, the beans are roasted by hand in Halifax, Yorkshire – it’s all done by eye. The roaster stops when the beans reach the right shade.

Cherizena was launched 12 years ago by two local ladies – Cheri and Zena – and purchased

by Kate and Tom in 2002. “The

“Almond Amaretto, Chocolate Orange, Irish Whiskey Cream, Caramel Fudge... you name it,” says Kate. “Christmas Coffee is our biggest seller by miles and we regularly try new ones – we trialled Toffee Apple flavour in the run up to Halloween. We sell normal coffees, too.”

Cherizena flavours its own coffee on site in Wartnaby.

founders did a bit of mail order but we thought there was more potential.” And so it has proven: Cherizena now has an online shop (cherizena.co.uk) and four sales teams who stand at events up and down the country, from Nottingham’s Christmas market to the Nantwich Show to the Beeb’s Good Food events in Birmingham. The teams are

FOCU S OD

O

CUS • F FO

M

elton Mowbray – the home of pork pies and Stilton cheese. And now there’s a new visitor in town – coffee. “When people hear that tons of coffee are sent out around the world from Melton it surprises them,” says Kate Jones, who runs Cherizena Coffee Beans with her husband Tom. “And the number of folk who ask whether we make pork pie flavoured coffee... well, you wouldn’t believe it!”

Cherizena, based in Wartnaby, a couple of miles from Melton, specialises in flavoured coffees – 22 different varieties to be precise.

Coffee beans

• FO O D

Melton’s Cherizena is a leading producer of flavoured coffees

OOD FO •F

S CU

Land of pork pie, Stilton and... coffee

Coffee

Cherizena produces 22 different flavours.

Below: Kate Jones.

‘Colombian beans are marinated in flavoured oils for 24-48 hours’

Grinding beans before bagging up.

Inside Cherizena’s Wartnaby flavouring and packing unit.

CHERIZENA BEANS

EMPEROR BLEND: Very highly roasted Colombian and Sumatran Arabica coffees: very strong and mature.

ITALIAN ROAST: Colombian Excelsior beans roasted until they just start to release the oils and colour up: medium, dark colour and smooth.

ETHIOPIAN YIRGACHEFFE: A typical earthy Ethiopian bean but with an unusual yet refreshing flowery or winey aroma and good body.

Kate’s tip: Grinding your own beans is best because the coffee tastes fresher.

self-employed sales agents who sell under the Cherizena banner: one is based near Lincoln, there are two in Northampton, another is in Colchester, and the last is also located in the south-east.

Cherizena also exports its flavoured beans. “Last week we were contacted by a lady who had been working in Colombia. She’s moving to Spain and wants to sell flavoured coffees there, so she came to us. We also export a lot to Germany – Germans love flavoured coffee.”

However, it’s unlikely that anyone from Munich will be ordering Cherizena’s very own Melton Mowbray blend. And before you ask – no, it hasn’t been anywhere near a pork pie, but is a mild blend tailored to the typical Midlander’s palate.

CONTACT Cherizena, The Granary, Wartnaby Estate, Wartnaby, Leics LE14 3HY, www.cherizena.co.uk, 01664 820111

Great Food Magazine 69

Farm shops & Some of the region’s best farm shops, producers and butchers. If we’ve missed somewhere you love, please let us know. Updated every issue The aim of this map is to show you some of the best sellers and producers of good local food.

We can’t include everyone, so we’re featuring shops and producers you have recommended or ones we’ve tried. This issue you’ll find new farm shop Hortors of Kinoulton, plus Tori & Ben’s Farm, Diseworth; Fosse Meadows Farm, Frolesworth; Arrow Farm Shop, Worksop; Riverford at Sacrewell Farm, Peterborough; and Edible Ornamentals, Chawston. To recommend somewhere, email editorial@greatfoodmag.co.uk Arrow Farm Shop Steetley, Worksop S80 3DZ, arrowfarmshop.co.uk

1

Ashley Farm Shop Ashley LE16 8HG ashleyherbfarm.co.uk

2

Attfields Farm Shop Whetstone LE8 6LD attfieldsfarmshop.co.uk

3

Becketts Farm Shop 4 Wythall B47 6AJ beckettsfarm.co.uk Berry’s Farm Shop at The Cholmeley Arms Burton-le-Coggles NG33 4JP, theeastonestate.co.uk

5

Bluebells Farm Shop Derby DE21 7BU bluebelldairy.co.uk

6

Chantry Farm Shop Melbourne DE73 8DD chantryfarm.com

7

Chase Farm Shop Roughley B75 5RL chasefarmshop.co.uk

Edible Ornamentals Chawston MK44 3BL edibleornamentals.co.uk

14

Farndon Fields Market Harboro’ LE16 9NP farndonfieldsfarmshop.co.uk

15

Flitteriss Park Farm Oakham LE15 8QX (online shop and markets) greatfoodclub.co.uk

16

Four Seasons Farm Shop Sleaford NG34 8NY fourseasonsgardencentre.co.uk

17

Fosse Meadows Farm 18 Frolesworth LE17 5EE (online shop and markets) greatfoodclub.co.uk Gonalston Farm Shop Gonalston NG14 7DR gonalstonfarmshop.co.uk

19

Harker’s Farm Shop Clipston NG12 5PB harkersfarmshop.co.uk

Chatsworth Farm Shop Bakewell DE45 1PP chatsworth.org

Hortors Farm Shop Kinoulton NG12 3ED hortors.co.uk

21

10

Malt Kiln Farm Shop 22 Stretton-Under-Fosse CV23 0PE, maltkilnfarm shop.co.uk

11

Manor Farm Shop 23 Catthorpe LE17 6DB manorfarmcatthorpe.co.uk

Croot’s Farm Shop Duffield DE56 4AQ croots.co.uk Crossroads Farm Shop Eastwell LE14 4EF

Roots at Thorpe Farm Barkby Thorpe LE7 3QE rootsthorpefarm.co.uk

27

Saxon Farm Shop Clifton-U-Dunsmore CV23 0BB, saxonfields.co.uk

Chellaston Butchers 11 Derby Road, Chellaston DE73 5SA, 01332 701131

5

Clarke’s of Queniborough Queniborough LE7 3DB clarkesqueniborough.co.uk

6

28

Scaddows Farm Shop Ticknall DE73 7JP scaddowsfarm.co.uk

29

Scotch Lodge Farm Shop Earls Barton NN6 OHQ http://tinyurl.com/3eccbho

30

Spring Lane Farm Shop Mapperley NG3 5RQ springlanefarmshop.co.uk

31

Smiths Farm Shop Chapel Brampton NN6 8AA, smithsfarmshop.co.uk

32

Stamford Farm Shop Stamford PE9 4BB stamfordgardencentre.co.uk

33

Stonehurst Farm Shop Mountsorrel LE12 7AR stonehurstfarm.co.uk

34

Tori & Ben’s Farm Diseworth DE74 2QQ (markets and food shows) greatfoodclub.co.uk

35

Welbeck Farm Shop Welbeck S80 3LW thewelbeckfarmshop.co.uk

36

20

8

9

Riverford at Sacrewell Farm Thornhaugh PE8 6HJ (online orders) greatfoodclub.co.uk

26

Bakewell

Wing Hall Farm Shop Wing LE15 8RY winghall.co.uk

37

Wistow Farm Shop Wistow LE8 0QF wistow.com/rural.asp

38

Derek Jones Butchers 51 King St, Melton LE13 1XB, 01664 565328

8

GW Dundas Breaston DE72 3DX gwdundas.co.uk

9

Jason’s Organic Butcher Cotesbach LE17 4HX jasonsorganicbutchers.co.uk

10

Gamble & Hollis 11 Syston LE7 2JT 0116 2603300

Clive Lancaster Bingham NG13 8BD clivelancasterbutchers.co.uk

14

Joseph Morris South Kilworth LE17 6EG joseph-morris.co.uk Nelsons Stamford PE9 1PB nelsonsbutchers.co.uk

16

Frank Parker Nuneaton CV11 5DT frankparkerbutchers.co.uk

17

F Bailey & Son Station Rd, Upper Broughton LE14 3BQ, 01664 822216

Sauls of Spratton Spratton NN6 8HH saulsofspratton.co.uk

Doddington Hall Doddington LN6 4RU doddingtonhall.com

Northfield Farm Shop Cold Overton LE15 7QF northfieldfarm.com

JT Beedham & Sons Sherwood NG5 2FS, jtbeedham.co.uk

WF Chapman Lutterworth LE17 4AT wfchapman.co.uk

70 Great Food Magazine

4

4

Solihull

19

Trendall’s Oundle PE8 4BQ trendalls.com

25

Birmingham

18

Bates Butchers 4 Church Sq, Market Harboro’ LE16 7NB, 01858 462400

13

8

15

Mark Patrick Birstall LE4 4NB markpatrickbutchers.co.uk

3

Lichfield

Hambletons Fine Foods 13 Oakham LE15 8AQ hambletonfarms.co.uk

Mellors Farm Shop Milton NG22 0PP mellorsfarmshop.co.uk

24

Staffs

Grasmere Butchers Market Deeping PE6 8DL, grasmere-farm.co.uk

Dovecote Farm Shop Newton NN14 1BW dovecotefarm.co.uk

12

Burton

12

BUTCHERS W Archer & Son 1 99 Queens Road, Leicester LE2 1TT, 0116 2707876

2

Ashbourne

David Cox Butchers Stathern LE14 4HW www.butchercox.co.uk

7

20

21

Not everyone featured on this map has a physical shop – some trade online and at markets. Also, always check opening hours before setting off

9

butchers

Farm shops & butchers

Key

Butchers

1

Outlets where you can buy Great Food

24

36

Welbeck

13

Part of Great Food Club – see p60 and www.greatfoodclub.co.uk

Lincoln

Ollerton

Matlock

Farm shops or producers

Mansfield

Newark

Derbyshire 10

Notts

4 6

Derby

Lincs

19

31

Sleaford 17

14

Nottingham

Grantham

20 21

9

7

5 2

7 35

11

29

5 8

Melton

34

Leics

Rutland

6 11 18

25 27

Oakham 13

Leicester

Warwicks

18

37

Leamington

2

Corby

15 3

20

Oundle

Stilton

12

10

Kettering

23 28

Rugby

Peterboro’

38

15

21 22

Coventry

26

Market Harborough

17

12

Stamford 16

16

1

3

33

19 32

Cambs

Northants 30

Warwick Northampton Map by Graham Wright

14 Great Food Magazine 71

LOCAL BUTCHER

Johnny Pusztai at JT Beedham, Nottingham Over 70 varieties of sausage and an Observer food award

J

ohnny Pusztai could justifiably claim to be Britain’s best butcher. The larger-than-life Nottingham meat magician recently won Observer Food Monthly’s prestigious Producer of the Year award, and receives huge acclaim from those he supplies.

Nottingham’s double Michelin star winner Sat Bains is a big fan, as is one of the city’s most famous sons, fashion designer Sir Paul Smith, who hires Johnny to barbie at his annual summer ball.

So what is it about this Hungarian immigrant’s son that makes him such a superb butcher?

Great Food visited his Sherwood shop – which sits unassumingly between Bargain Booze and a Polish restaurant – to find out.

“I grew up across the road from this shop,” says Johnny. “I first worked here in 1975 – it was JT Beedham & Sons even then. I was 12 and desperate to get my foot in the door. It was the shop.”

Johnny learnt his trade under George Beedham, an ex-army major and a “bull of a man who demanded respect”. Johnny stayed at Beedham’s and took on the business in 1991. “I left briefly to work on the boning line at a slaughter house to get the money

Johnny Pusztai in the cold store at Beedham’s.

to buy the shop, but I knew that I wanted to take on the business.”

Rather than change the name, which was well known in the local community, Johnny added the prefix, “Johnny Pusztai at...”

Throughout the conversation, Johnny’s passion for butchery and his respect for the trade – and the man who built up the business – shines through. “George Beedham

Above left: Johnny in Observer Food Monthly. Above: Beedham’s apprentice Joel Goddard, who’s “a demon with a knife”.

Hundreds of magnificent sausages!

Johnny produces award-winning bangers and is passionate about them. “We make 70 different styles and are working on more all the time. Putting a sausage together is a science and an art – you have to get the technique right, the mixing right, and add the peppers in the right order.” Great Food recommends you try them.

is the man who made this shop what it is,” he says. “I’m lucky to have been given the chance to take it on.”

But Johnny could have gone into many trades – his dad was a steel worker who came to England after the Hungarian Uprising of 1956 – so why butchery?

“I think I was drawn to food because of my heritage,” he says.

“My dad’s Hungarian mates used to come round to our house.

They’d buy their pork and make sausages together out in the yard.

They’d have vests on, be hammered on wine, and be smoking fags, but I tell you, they’d make the most amazing sausages, not to mention goulash and pörkölt. My mates thought it was absolutely amazing.”

As Johnny talks, another Nottingham legend springs to mind: Brian Clough. Maybe it’s the accent, maybe it’s the passion for his profession and his straighttalking. “It’s a good job I own this business ‘cos I’m unemployable these days,” he says. “Do I look like I’d wear a suit, duck?”

Johnny currently buys his meat from two farmers – Roger Jackson at Hoveringham, 11 miles away, who supplies beef and lamb; and Andrew Baugh based 18 miles away at Wellow, who supplies pork. “You need rapport with your suppliers,” says Johnny. “I have to be able to phone up and say I need two pigs tomorrow. Not want.

Need. Sat [Bains] will call at weird times and I have to come up with the goods. I’m 24-7. Have to be. My wife puts up with a lot.”

The secret of Johnny’s success?

He’s one of the most passionate butchers you’ll meet and also one of the hardest working. Q CONTACT Johnny Pusztai at JT Beedham, 556 Mansfield Rd, Nott’m NG5 2FS, 0115 9605901 jtbeedham.co.uk

72 Great Food Magazine

G

Farm shop

Crossroads Farm Shop, Eastwell Oozing village charm with a superb butchery counter

AT FOOD RE

Farm shop TO

P R AT E

D

Some of the chunkiest, tastiest pies you’ll find.

SPECIALITIES Homemade pork pies, haslet and sausages; fresh vegetables OPENING TIMES: Thurs 10am-5pm; Fri 9am-5pm; Sat 9am-4pm

K

nobbly faggots. Hunking great homemade faggots. And storbing pies.

Chunky, irregular pork pies that the police could use to quell riots. Crossroads Farm Shop at Eastwell in the Vale of Belvoir is the sort of place that sells such items... alongside home cured bacon, ham, delicious sausages and spectacular haslet. This is traditional food at its best.

Walking into Crossroads Farm Shop is like stepping into a particularly mouthwatering episode of Edwardian Farm. The shop is housed in an ancient barn and there’s exposed stonework everywhere. It doubles up

‘It really is a delightful place to visit and feels wholesome’ as a museum devoted to village life – on the walls are old pitchforks and ancient signs. The fresh vegetables – grown locally but not at Crossroads Farm – are on display in an antique wooden flour tub. It really is a delightful place to visit and feels thoroughly wholesome and bucolic.

The shop is run by Jane and Alan Hewson, who also farm the adjacent 100 acres. Alan’s grandfather came to the farm in the 1930s and the family has stayed here ever since.

Alan Hewson, master of the chopping block.

Alan started out selling potatoes and eggs at the farm gate about 10 years ago and the shop has evolved organically.

Unusually, Alan and Jane keep a herd of rare Red Poll cattle, which was enlarged recently with the addition of seven heifers and four calves from The Queen’s Sandringham estate. Crossroads Farm now has the largest herd of milking Red Polls in the country. “We love them and are passionate about keeping the breed going,” says Jane. They are dual-

Sausages are made on site.

RECIPES “We scour old books to find our recipes,” says Jane Hewson.

“Charity shops are a goldmine for old cook books. Our cheese will be made using recipes we found in the attic.”

purpose animals, used for both dairy and beef, which suits Alan and Jane perfectly.

Much of their Red Poll milk goes to Long Clawson Dairy, where it is used to make Stilton and other cheeses, while beef from the steers is turned into fantastic produce for the shop and also sold elsewhere. Later in 2012, Jane and Alan plan to make several varieties of their own cheese, including a farmhouse cheddar, which will no doubt make their farm shop an even more delicious place to visit and add to the region’s impressive portfolio of cheesemakers.

Also on sale at Crossroads Farm Shop are homemade cakes and an award-winning pasty made from potato pastry. “It won gold at the Robin Hood Championship in Newark recently,” says Jane. “Potato pastry is 50% lower in fat than shortcrust pastry and is proving very popular.” Q CONTACT

Shop assistant Paul Gardener.

Plenty of fresh fruit and veg are on sale.

Crossroads Farm Shop, Eastwell, Melton Mowbray Leics, LE14 4EF, 01949 860242

Great Food Magazine 73

How to create your...

VEG PATCH FROM Time to get planting and cooking, says Charlie Boyd

I

s it spring yet? My veg patch has been looking sad and bare for so long now that I fear it may never forgive me. I could be accused of poor organisation, but instead I’ll claim that I lack only space and also point my finger at the heavens for supplying us with the warmest autumn on record. Had we not had an unseasonably warm October and November, my patch would have been stripped bare and refilled with broad beans, onions and peas.

Instead, I left it – well, there were still tomatoes growing – and ripening – in the last week of November!

So what can we do now? One project for me, as soon as the ground softens up a little, is to dig myself another veg patch, doubling my growing space for 2012.

There are so many things I want to try that the extra space is vital.

Despite my yearning for spring and the sight of blossom on my plum tree, there’s plenty of sowing and planting to be done in January and February (and harvesting, too, if you were more prepared than me).

Here are a couple of ideas for what to plant now – both fit into the ‘quite expensive in shops’ category.

Asparagus Asparagus is one of those vegetables I would love to grow but shy away from. I love the taste and, once established, you’ll get up to 20 years of spears – but it’s getting there that puts me off. Growing asparagus takes commitment because it will be at least two years before you can eat any of your crop.

First, pick the right place to plant.

Asparagus loves a sunny spot but needs shelter from the wind (a raised bed is suitable but a pot just won’t work). Dig a trench about 30cm wide and 20cm deep, then pour soil down the length of the trench, about four inches high, making a kind of W shape. Place your asparagus crowns (weird, alien

Plant in late February and harvest next winter

PHOTOS: LAURA HARVEY

looking things) on the mound, about 30cm apart, then cover with 10cm of sifted soil and water. As the stems grow, add more soil to cover. By autumn the trench should be filled.

Keep well watered during dry spells and resist the urge to harvest any!

For the first two years the plants should be left alone to grow lots of ferny leaves. Keep the beds weeded and, in autumn, cut the stems down to 5cm stumps. When the time finally comes to eat your asparagus, wait until the spears are 10-12cm long, then cut them with a knife about 7cm below the surface and harvest no later than June, to give the plant a chance to build up energy for the following year.

GET PLANTING Other veg ready to plant or sow in late winter and early spring are beetroot, broad beans, carrots, garlic, leeks, onions, parsnips, potatoes and tomatoes.

Jerusalem Artichoke (plant in late February)

Not from Jerusalem and not an artichoke, these are actually related to the sunflower – and when you see them grow you’ll see why.

Although the edible bit is under the ground, the stalks and leaves grow two metres and higher!

Because of this they need support from canes and strings, especially if planted somewhere with little shelter from the wind. Plant your tubers about 40cm apart, 12cm deep. If you’re arranging them in rows leave 70cm between the rows.

As with potatoes, when the shoots are 30cm high build a little earth up around them. In autumn the leaves will turn yellow and brown – when this happens cut the plant down to 30cm. This acts as a marker. You can dig up your Jerusalems from November through to March as and when you want to eat them.

74 Great Food Magazine

Now’s the time to plan and give your patch some TLC.

Charlie is going to double the size of his veg patch in 2012.

If you want to have a go at growing asparagus – and have the patience – now is the time to get going.

S

SCRATCH part five Seasonal veg recipes

Scallops with black pudding and Jerusalem artichoke puree Serves 4 as a starter

If you haven’t grown your own Jerusalem artichokes you should be able to find them at your local farmers’ market, greengrocer or supermarket. You can treat it like a potato and fry it, roast it or mash it, but I like this silky smooth puree.

* 250g Jerusalem artichokes * 12 medium scallops, cleaned and trimmed

* 150g black pudding, sliced * 80g butter * 1 tbsp crème fraiche

Juicy scallops go well with Jerusalems.

1 Peel your Jerusalem artichokes and cut to a uniform size (you can put them in a bowl of water with lemon juice to stop them discolouring). Add them to a pan of boiling salted water and simmer for 10-15 minutes until tender.

2 Drain and place in a food processor with the crème fraiche and about 25g of butter.

Blend until smooth and return to a clean pan over a low heat. Season to taste and stir to 4 Remove and keep warm on a plate. prevent sticking.

Using the same pan, lower the heat a little and 3 Rub a non-stick frying pan with a tiny splash add the black pudding and of vegetable oil and heat until butter (with a little chopped very hot – almost smoking.

TOP TIP parsley if you like), turning the Add the scallops and cook on Salted water takes black pudding when crisp on the longer to boil – add a medium-high heat for a your salt once the bottom (this should only take a minute each side. If you put water is boiling minute or two). them in the pan in a clockwise 5 Spoon the artichoke puree order, you’ll remember which onto warmed plates and add a slice of black ones went in first and therefore need to pudding, topped with a scallop. come out first.

Curried cauliflower soup Cauliflower soup is a comforting winter classic and curried cauliflower is always a side-dish highlight at any Indian restaurant worth its salt, so why not combine the two? Use whatever spice mix you prefer. There are loads of good ready-mixed ones out there, but I like to experiment and stick a load of bits in a spice/coffee grinder to see what comes out.

* 2 medium onions * 4 cloves garlic * 1 tsp garam masala * 1 tsp ground cumin * 1 large cauliflower * 1 medium potato, * 1 litre chicken or vegetable stock

* Handful chopped,

* 4 tsp curry powder

(shop-bought, or homemade. I used turmeric, cumin, coriander, fenugreek, fennel, black cardamom, clove, mustard seed, coconut, cinnamon, dried red chilli and mace)

fresh coriander

1 Chop and gently fry the onion and garlic in a little oil, in a large, heavy-based saucepan.

2 Add all the spices and stir for a minutes until everything is coated.

3 Break cauliflower into florets and add to pan with diced potato.

4 Stir for a minute and then add your hot stock.

5 Bring to boil, cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until veg is tender.

6 Blend soup (with a hand blender if you have one, or transfer to a large blender) and return to the same pan.

7 Bring to a simmer and season to taste. Scatter fresh, chopped coriander on top and serve in a big bowl with a big roll.

A healthy and warming dish of spicy sustenance.

TOP TIP

Experiment with spice combinations until you’re happy.

Then write it down!

Great Food Magazine 75

WEDDING VENUES

“I do!Now let’s eat” Some local wedding venues where the food is as memorable as the setting

FOOD Hambleton Hall has an

award-winning restaurant and wine list. The hotel’s Michelin-starred head chef Aaron Patterson and his skilled team use the best local produce to create stunning seasonal dishes. If you want your wedding breakfast to include a spectacular dish like fillet of local beef with foie gras flavoured cabbage, caramelised shallots and red wine sauce, then Hambleton Hall is the place to come.

The wine list – named the best in Britain by the AA recently – is compiled by sommelier Dominique Baduel, who can recommend the perfect choice for your special day.

There are four rooms at Hambleton in which civil ceremonies can be held: the Study and Croquet Pavilion each seat 12, the Private Dining Room seats 20, while the Main Dining Room will cater for 40, and can be combined with the Private Dining Room for 64. The hotel also has 17 individually decorated bedrooms.

CONTACT: Hambleton Hall, Hambleton, Oakham, Rutland LE15 8TH www.hambletonhall.com, 01572 756991

76 Great Food Magazine

HAMBLETON HALL One of Britain’s best

This small country house hotel overlooks Rutland Water and is a wonderful setting for a dream wedding and unforgettable day. Hambleton Hall is part of the world renowned Relais & Châteaux group and one of the region’s favourite Michelin-starred fine dining destinations. The interior is stylish and supremely comfortable, with a combination of elegant surroundings and spectacular lakeside views.

Aaron Patterson’s honeycomb pavé: art or pudding?

Celebration food

HOLDENBY HOUSE Historic Northamptonshire venue

S

ituated a few miles from Northampton, Holdenby House is a family home and the surviving wing of a palace built in 1583 by Sir Christopher Hatton, Lord Chancellor to Queen Elizabeth I. It’s steeped in history and Charles I was imprisoned here after his defeat.

Holdenby is licensed for civil ceremonies and can hold up to 108 for a seated meal in one room, and up to 200 for evening dancing. For larger weddings, it is possible to put up a marquee in the Arches Field, to be used in conjunction with the house. Couples can organise their own wedding or leave it to the team at Holdenby.

FOOD Holdenby’s recommended caterer is family-run Portfolio Events of Lamport, Northamptonshire. Portfolio has 20 years’

wedding experience and some inventive dishes up its sleeve. One of its suggested winter dishes is orange and ginger glazed chicken with a root vegetable mash and a simple chicken jus.

CONTACT: Holdenby House, Northampton NN6 8DJ, www.holdenby.com, 01604 770074

Portfolio Events’ delicate elderflower champagne fruit terrine.

BELVOIR CASTLE Gothic castle magic

I

t’s hard to imagine a more romantic wedding location than Leicestershire’s Gothic-style Belvoir Castle, home to the Duke and Duchess of Rutland. Castles have stood on the spot since around 1100, with the current building constructed in the early 19th century. Belvoir can host religious or civil ceremonies in either the Guardroom, Ballroom or Rutland Family Chapel. The Rose Garden is a superb location for a sunny drinks reception.

STAPLEFORD PARK Country luxury

V

oted one of The Independent’s top 50 UK wedding venues, Stapleford Park country house near Melton Mowbray is an enchanting place for a reception. Its Capability Brown-landscaped grounds provide an atmospheric backdrop and there is an 18th century church – St Mary Magdalene – on site. This country house hotel also has a spa for some prewedding pampering.

FOOD A variety of wedding

menus (and dining rooms) are available at Stapleford. In-house head chef David Ellams regularly puts on gourmet evenings here and demonstrates the standard to expect. Examples of Stapleford’s wedding dishes are roast Scottish salmon and veal en crépinette.

FOOD Fiona Herbert Catering

of Newark is Belvoir’s chosen caterer. “One of the reasons we work with FHC is its reputation for Guinea fowl dish

by Fiona Herbert Catering

using high quality local produce,” says Belvoir events manager Kate Bowles. “We provide food from the estate too – partridge during shooting season, for example.”

CONTACT: Belvoir Castle, Grantham, Leics NG32 1PE, belvoircastle.com, 01476 871002 Romance in front of the turrets

CONTACT: Stapleford Park, Leics, LE14 2EF, stapleford park.com, 01572 787000

Stapleford’s Orangery is suitable for up to 150 guests.

Great Food Magazine 77

WEDDING FOOD

KILWORTH HOUSE HOTEL Victorian opulence

K

ilworth House Hotel is a blend of Victorian opulence, good food and contemporary luxury set in 38 acres of landscaped parkland.

One of this former family home’s best features is its ornate Victorian Orangery (pictured), which overlooks green fields. The choice of reception venues includes said Orangery, plus the Shakespeare Room for a more intimate gathering, the Library Restaurant with its domed ceiling and chandeliers, the Staging Post (a log cabin) for something unique, and the Cellar Bar.

FOOD Bespoke menus are available and the emphasis is on locally sourced ingredients.

At Kilworth, the focus is on classic English cooking

CONTACT: Kilworth House Hotel, Lutterworth Road, North Kilworth, Leics LE17 6JE 01858 880058, www.kilworthhouse.co.uk

‘An ornate orangery, good food and contemporary luxury’

BARNSDALE HALL HOTEL Rutland romance with wonderful views

B

arnsdale Hall Hotel is set in conservation parkland and boasts stunning views across Rutland Water. It has a selection of areas where you can hold your wedding reception. There are also excellent outdoor facilities to hold a drinks reception or evening barbecue as the sun sets over the reservoir. Adjacent Barnsdale Spa is available for pre-wedding pampering. The hotel has a total of 66 bedrooms.

HOTEL MAIYANGO An urban treat

M

aiyango is a 14-bedroom boutique hotel in the heart of Leicester. A great party venue, Moroccan-themed Maiyango will work closely with you to create a bespoke event. “We specialise in hosting intimate weddings with exceptional attention to detail,” says Maiyango wedding planner Helen Anadkat. The hotel can cater for between 10–150 people (it also has use of nearby St Martin’s House).

Attention to detail is what it’s all about at Hotel Maiyango.

78 Great Food Magazine

FOOD Maiyango is a gold

medal winner in the East Midlands Excellence Awards. Inventive head chef Phillip Sharpe uses local produce to create dishes like slow-roast blade of Leicestershire beef with parsnip mash and shallot jus. Maiyango’s cocktail menu is extensive and legendary.

CONTACT: Maiyango, 13-21 St Nicholas Place, Leicester, LE1 4LD, 0116 2518898, maiyango.com

FOOD Six classic wedding

menus have been put together for you to choose from. Dishes include roast loin of Grasmere Farm pork (from Market Deeping,

Lincolnshire) with sage and onion stuffing, dauphinoise potato and seasonal veg; and garlic and rosemary roast rack of lamb with olive crushed potatoes.

CONTACT: Barnsdale Hall Hotel, near Oakham, Rutland, LE15 8AB, 01572 725181, barnsdalehotel.co.uk

Inside Barnsdale’s Edith Weston Suite.

The Black Bull

Market Overton, Rutland Kev & Kristy give a warm welcome and a fun, friendly atmosphere

Live Music Real Ales Cosy Rooms Fine Wines Great Food Locally Sourced

01572 767677 www.blackbullrutland.co.uk

H O T E L

&

T H E A T R E

p79_GF_JanFeb12.indd Sec1:79

14/12/11 15:58:28

Show us your

DREAM KITCHEN OWNER PROFILE NAME: Collette and Bill Peace and their two children, Kane and Lillia.

LOCATION: Huncote, Leicestershire.

HOUSE TYPE : Modern detached.

OCCUPATION: Both Collette and Bill work for Audi – in Leicester and Derby respectively.

Each issue we nose around a reader’s kitchen and photograph it in all its glory PHOTOS: HAZEL PATERSON

WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOUR KITCHEN?

“It’s changed the way we live,” says Collette. “Now we have the breakfast bar and wallmounted TV, our kitchen has become the heart of the home – we all enjoy being in here, it’s such a nice space.”

C

ollette and Bill Peace from Huncote, Leicestershire, spent a year searching for and planning their dream kitchen.

“We were tired of our old kitchen, which was about half the size.

There was a pantry where the fridge now stands [see ‘Units’ picture, below] and we wanted to open everything up.” It wasn’t until they came across Astley Kitchens – based in Broughton Astley, Leicestershire – and owner Greg Leckenby that Collette and Bill thought they’d found the right people for the job. “Greg was on our level. I knew what I wanted and he made it happen.”

Astley knocked through and extended to form the new kitchen.

Building work took three and a half weeks; the kitchen two weeks.

Underfloor heating was installed and high quality laminate flooring put down. The couple chose to source their own appliances. “While on holiday in Wales we stayed in a cottage with a big range cooker and Americanstyle fridge freezer that we fell in love with, so they were a must!”

One of the highlights of this kitchen is the clean Keller units, which conceal all appliances.

CONTACT This kitchen was fitted by Astley Kitchens of Broughton Astley, Leicestershire, 01455 286254 www.astleykitchens.co.uk

80 Great Food Magazine

High-quality Quick-Step laminate runs throughout the ground floor and sits above underfloor heating

UNITS

Smooth, handleless cupboards from Keller, integrated appliances and plenty of disguised storage give the kitchen a very clean look.

COOKER

This is a Rangemaster Pro 6, which retails at £1900. You feel guilty unless you’re cooking a three-course meal with it.

LIGHTING

Lights under the cupboards and spotlights that sit flush with the ceiling ensure a bright environment even on grey days.

COLOURS

Neutral tones a offset by a brig re ht and fun yellow feature wall

WORKTOPS

Quartz work surfaces are extremely hardwearing and almost stainproof, so Collette can spill curry sauce and chop vegetables with abandon.

Great Food Magazine 81

The Practical Pantry

GET ONLINE For blogs, news and more, visit greatfoodmag co.uk

ALMONDS ARE FOREVER

New year left you feeling nutty? Then it’s time for almond therapy, says Shelly Preston

W

elcome to the Practical Pantry.

Each month I explore how seemingly simple, seasonal ingredients can mean more to us than just food on our plates, and how they can transform a meal, our mood, and our overall wellbeing.

Why do January and February feel so very looooong? Our summer holiday seems an age away and while a lucky few jet out to far-off places, we’re stuck in the middle of winter craving sunshine while

bemoaning cold, dark nights and our festive bulge. It’s time to take control.

Almonds are much more than a lowcalorie, mood-boosting super food. As well as producing a precious essential oil, they provide us with one of the most absorbent, skin softening carrier oils nature has to offer. Upping our intake of almonds can inject us with some of the highest levels of magnesium found in all of nature’s fruits, nuts and vegetables; this mineral is essential for stabilising mood and

combating feelings of fatigue and lethargy.

It’s the perfect counter strike for the January blues. Let’s go!

FOOD

DRINK

SNACK

Steamed broccoli with almonds and sultanas This makes a good side dish to accompany most fish and meat. You could bulk it up with couscous or brown rice for a healthy one-dish supper. It’s particularly enjoyable with slow-roast lamb.

* Broccoli (one head) * Handful of blanched, whole almonds or almond flakes

* Handful sultanas * Lemon juice * Rapeseed or olive oil * Handful chopped, flat leaf parsley * Salt & black pepper to taste

Almond milk Of all the dairy alternatives, almond milk is one of the most palatable and a doddle to make. It’s clearly great for anyone allergic to dairy but it’s also low in natural sugars.

So, if you’re counting your carbs after Christmas feasting, why not give it a go?

* 2 cups almonds * 6 cups water (preferably mineral)

1

Steam the broccoli until it’s just tender – make sure it still has a little bite. Make a simple dressing with the lemon juice, oil, and salt and pepper.

2

Once the broccoli is ready, toss everything together, scatter with parsley and serve warm.

Put all the ingredients in a blender and blitz until the mix becomes quite brown.

You could drink the milk at this point but for a clean and smooth finish, strain through a double layer of muslin or nylon mesh until the liquid is extracted and the remaining pulp quite dry. Squeeze in a little honey if you prefer it sweeter. Almond milk is fabulous in porridge.

Packed with magnesium

Let’s face it – a handful of smoked almonds is going to do us more good than a packet of smoky bacon crisps. Genuine smoked nuts are actually quite difficult to find.

Check the packet; most supermarket versions are coated with a smoked ‘flavour’, weirdly Frazzle-like and unnecessarily high in salt. Some of the best hickory smoked nuts I have come across are from: www.smokednuts.co.uk

SKIN

Sweet almond oil I could wax lyrical about the wonders of sweet almond oil all day long. It is light, odourless and especially good if you have itchy, dry skin and perfect (and perfectly safe) for stretching, itchy, pregnant bellies. Ditch your face and body moisturiser and replace with almond oil and you will soon reap the rewards. While moisturisers merely treat the very upper layers of the epidermis, oils penetrate deep into the skin and nourish from within. You’ll save a packet in the process too.

Try Tisserand for inexpensive carrier oils and useful tips on how to effect results with essential oils, for a more intense skin treatment: www.tisserand.com

Shelly Preston (pictured right) is founder of Boutique Aromatique, a brand specialising in fine fragrant chocolates that has an outlet within Welbeck Farm Shop near Worksop – www.boutiquearomatique.com and @BAromatique on Twitter

82 Great Food Magazine

NEXT ISSUE Coming up in Great Food magazine

Spring is coming!

The Guyrope Gourmet is in town Campsite cooking has never been so tasty

Subscribe and get the next issue delivered – p23

Who is the Guyrope Gourmet? All will be revealed next issue

Also coming up....

MAKING THE MOST OF WILD GARLIC SEASON Where to find it and what to do with it

PLUS

Must-try pubs and restaurants The region’s best farm shops Manor Farm’s award-winning yogurt Bright and breezy spring recipes

Issue 11 is out on March 3 Great Food Magazine 83

NEW YEA AR, NEW WARDROBE

www.everards.co.uk

FEATURED

4.99

ONLY

T-SHIRTS £

Reduced from £11.99!

A SAVING OF

7.00!

£

OTHER ITEMS AVAILABLE•HURRY WHILE STOCKS LAST! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter WWW.EVERARDS.CO.UK

everards.indd 2

6/12/11 09:20:42