Crumbs Cotswolds - issue 45

CRUMBS COTSWOLDS NO.45 SEPTEMBER 2016

Bitchin’ Ki20ll17er’s design Kitchens tr ends

A little slice of foodie heaven

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NO. September 2016

What do you call a nosy chilli pepper?

Jalapeño business!

Good Mill Hunting

LAtE sumMer lushness!

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£3 WHERE SOLD

Stuffing our faces at Shipton Mill

heaven,

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Impish

the region’s best cooks

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g u R n i n . ..

Local talent Gate- -plate gets radical

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brings pain –

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ChIlLi& pleasure

tummy-pleasing recipes from

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Hot as hell, virtuous as

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SO HOT RIGHT NOW

COOK WHO’S TALKING

Chefs chat at Cheltenham Lit Fest

e t A C O v d A

YOU THINK YOU’RE HOT STUFF? YEAH, YOU DO! And you’re right. Chillies are a hot topic, no joke. At the end of July the world’s hottest chilli went on sale in Tesco – the Carolina Reaper – causing a rush of nationwide masochistic eating competitions, and viral YouTube vids featuring grown men sobbing while gobbling them whole. The Reaper is 420 times hotter than your bog-standard jalepeno, apparently. Oof – it’s not for me. However, I do love most of the red (and green, and yellow) devils. Hurrah, then, for the oodles of chilli festivals that are popping up across the nation – everywhere from Dorset to Melton. Find out more about this ingredient of the moment on p8, plus there’s a veg-centric recipe that is cheap and quick, yes, but will delight anyway.

Of course, with a number of brilliant chilli farms in the UK now, we’re no longer having to import as many as we did, and our quest, as a nation, to bring down the food miles takes yet another baby step forward – there’s more on that, plus the everincreasing transparency of the food chain (hurrah!), on p50.

Elsewhere, we’re peering though the keyhole at your kitchens. Check out behind the scenes at Shipton Mill on p39, and elsewhere learn from Cotswolds experts about the latest trends you can achieve at home. Sound good? Let us know what you think of the issue by Tweeting us @CrumbsMag. Oh, and have you heard about the new Instagram hashtag, #CrumbsSnaps? It’s a thing – we’ll be looking for your pics!

APPLE

Charlie Lyon, Editor charlie.lyon@mediaclash.co.uk ANDROID

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Table of Contents

NO.45 SEPTEMBER 2016

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EDITOR

CHARLIE LYON charlie.lyon@mediaclash.co.uk DEVELOPMENT EDITOR

MATT BIELBY matt.bielby@mediaclash.co.uk ART DIRECTOR

TREVOR GILHAM DESIGN

VICKY MITCHARD ADVERTISING MANAGER

DANIELLE MORRIS danielle.morris@mediaclash.co.uk PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION MANAGER

SARAH KINGSTON sarah.kingston@mediaclash.co.uk DEPUTY PRODUCTION MANAGER / PRODUCTION DESIGNER

CHRISTINA WEST christina.west@mediaclash.co.uk CHIEF EXECUTIVE

JANE INGHAM jane.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk CHIEF EXECUTIVE

GREG INGHAM greg.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk

MediaClash, Circus Mews House, Circus Mews, Bath BA1 2PW; 01225 475800 www.mediaclash.co.uk large version

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© All rights reserved. May not be reproduced without written permission of MediaClash.

MediaClash reserves the right to reject any material and to edit such prior to publication. Opinions are those of individual authors.

Printed on paper from a well-managed source. Inks are vegetable-based; printer is certified to ISO 14001 environmental management.

This month we generally worked like dogs – eating, writing, eating, snapping, eating, tasting, visiting, eating – then flew to France for a welldeserved break full. Of. Wine. And. Food. Op, mon ventre plein!

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STARTERS ADDITIONAL RECIPES

8 HERO INGREDIENT We’re in hot pursuit of chillies 10 OPENINGS ETC New joints, new menus, new dates for your diary 16 TRIO Three cider producers you need to check out

08 Veg-centric squash chilli courtesy of Riverford 45 Sweetcorn fritters with courgette salad by Tess Lister

KITCHEN ARMOURY 39 COOKS WITH Business at Shipton Mill is flour-ing, says Tess Lister 46 WANT LIST Out of the blue are these cool kitchen accessories

CHEF!

Amazing recipes from the region’s top kitchens 24 The Ox’s Piotr Antkowicz spices up a quail 26 Summery ricotta chicken from Katriona MacGregor 28 Nourishing squash soup from Celia Duplock 30 A hearty Rendcombe game stroganoff 33 Soup of the season from Kathy Slack

MAINS 50 FROM GATE TO PLATE Cotswold food folk who are rolling back the miles 54 KITCHEN TRENDS Design ideas from the pros 56 CHELTENHAM LIT FEST Check out the tasty line-up

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AFTERS

New & notable restaurants, cafés, bars 60 Prithvi 62 The Greenway 64 Cogges Kitchen PLUS

66 LITTLE BLACK BOOK Favourite spots to eat and drink from Nick Deverell-Smith

INNOVATIONS, REVELATIONS AND TASTY AMUSE-BOUCHES

ShOw US YOUr LeMONS WE THINK THERE’S no such thing as an ugly fruit (apart from an ugli fruit, that is) and, thankfully, neither do Riverford organic farmers, as they’ve just saved six tonnes of lemons from going into the bin. The veg box pioneers stepped in to save the fruit after no fewer than two major supermarkets deemed them ‘unsuitable to meet retailer specification based on appearance’. Thankfully the Riverford technical team tested the sunshiney beauts and deemed: “The lemons are slightly green in areas due to not enough difference between night and daytime temperatures, and they have a few scars from hail damage.” They continued: “We’ve had our team of in-house chefs check them out, and inside they are beautiful, ripe, aromatic lemons with plenty of juice and flavour.” Hurrah! (Didn’t supermarket buyers ever hear that there's a kind of beauty in imperfection?) ✱ riverford.co.uk

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STARTERS

Hero Ingredients

chilli Fiery little devils with a virtuous streak – like Beelzebub doing his bit for Comic Relief – chillies are more than capable of bringing the pain, but they can ease it too. And life’s certainly never boring when they’re around…

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PEPPERS COME IN all shapes and sizes, but we call the small, fiery ones chilli peppers, and they’re one of the most fascinating, thrilling, passion-inducing ingredients in the kitchen. There are over 200 varieties, in all shapes (long and thin, short and squat) and sizes, and in various colours too, from green to yellow, orange to red. How hot they are also varies hugely – and not just between types, but between individual chillies from the same plant – though, as a guide, the smaller it is, the more wary you should be.

Mankind first came across the chilli some 20,000 years ago, as they crossed the land bridge from Russia to the Americas. There, they found a South American plant that hurt them to eat it – yet seemed worth persevering with anyway. Partly, this was because it livened up a dull diet. But partly, too, it seemed to be genuinely medicinal, for this seemingly evil little thing also made for a brilliant painkiller. Chilli’s active ingredient – the capsaicin oil you’ll find in the seeds and, especially, the pithy fronds that hold them – binds to the pain receptor that detects changes in temperature (it’s why chillies taste hot) but, after a while, our neutrons stop responding, thus ‘killing’ the pain.

Meanwhile, endorphins are released, making us happier. Is hot food actually addictive? Seems like it is…

We judge a chilli’s hotness in Scoville heat units – developed by Wilber Scoville, a New England pharmacist, in 1912 – which are the number of times a sample of dissolved dried chilli must be diluted by its own weight in sugar before it loses its heat. For a regular green bell pepper – not hot at all – this number is zero. But a jalapeño might score anything between 2,500 to 10,000; a Scotch bonnet between 80,000 and 350,0000; and the very hottest, like the so-called ‘Ghost Chilli’, over a million SHUs. (Pure capsaicin, by the way, is about 16 million.)

Though hot chilli is often a Satanic red, the capsaicin itself is colourless, odourless stuff, available in pure form over the internet – don’t do it! – and used in non-lethal weapons like pepper sprays.

Indeed, the use of chilli as a weapon has long existed in parallel with its food applications, the ancient Mayans burning rows of chillies to create a stinging, protective smoke screen.

Today, one thing’s certain: we’re eating far more chillies than we used to.

Consumption of the dried power has been

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going up a few percent each year for the past few decades, and a far wider variety of the fresh version is now available.

The ways we can buy chillies are myriad. You can go for fresh or dried (whole, flaked, or as chilli powder); for chillies preserved in an oil, which is infused with their flavour and heat; or for sauces made from chillies, most famously Tabasco. If you’re going for fresh, then treat them as you would any pepper – so ignore those that are shrivelled, marked, or with watery bruises – except take more care during the prep.

(No-one should ever rub their eyes after working with a chilli.)

Each type has its uses – mildly hot New Mexican ortegas are great in salsa, while punchy bird’s eye chillies crop up a lot in Thai cuisine – and none of them get any less hot through cooking. (It’s only by removing the seeds and veins that you can you reduce the heat, though – happily – this is easy. Just slice them lengthways and scrape out as much as you want.)

We use chillies in curries, stir-fries, and the classic chilli con carne, of course, but in a much wider range of dishes too. Marinades and sauces love a chilli injection – but so, perhaps surprisingly, do salads and kedgeree. Spicy Mexican eggs – huevos rancheros – are a classic, and everything from spaghetti to cheese on toast loves the extra punch they bring.

Oddly enough, though, chillies also work in sweet dishes, cutting intriguingly through the richness of chocolate, or teaming well with ginger, cinnamon or poached fruit.

One last bit of advice. If you’ve eaten too much hot chilli, and your mouth is aflame, what should you do?

Well, cold water – though tempting – isn’t the thing, and can actually maintain your pain. Reach, instead, for bread: the starch will help. But best of all is anything dairy, as capsaicin is fat-soluble. Basically, for these unfortunate moments in life, milk is your very best friend…

OOPS! Remember this? A delicious cherry, pistachio and chocolate pavlova. We featured it last issue, but forgot to mention it was created by the amazingly talented Katriona MacGregor. She’s the person behind brilliant website and blog katrionaskitchen.com.

Missed the recipe? Find it at crumbsmag.com/ recipes. Thanks again, Katriona!

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SQUASH and BLACK BEAN CHILLI (SERVES 4) INGREDIENTS

1 medium butternut, large onion or smallish crown prince squash 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for roasting 1 large onion, chopped 4 celery sticks, finely chopped 1 red & 1 green pepper, chopped 3 large garlic cloves, crushed 1-2 tsp crushed chipotle chillies (if you can’t source them, substitute another fresh chilli) 1 tsp dried marjoram, or a handful of fresh oregano 2 bay leaves 2 tsp ground cumin 1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes 2 x 400g cans black beans, rinsed and drained juice of 1 lime (approx 2 tbsp) small bunch of coriander, finely chopped salt and black pepper grated cheese and/or soured cream, to serve METHOD

– Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.

– Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds and pulp and roast until soft.

– Heat the oil in a large heavy pan over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery.

Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until soft.

Add the peppers and continue cooking for a further 10 minutes or so, stirring frequently.

– Stir in the garlic, and cook for another minute.

Add the chilli, herbs and cumin and season.

Give everything a good mix then add the tomatoes.

– Simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes.

Stir in the beans and continue to simmer for a further 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaves, stir in the lime juice and coriander, and adjust the seasoning to taste.

– Fill each roasted squash half with the filling mixture. Top with grated cheese or soured cream (or both). ✱ Recipe supplied by Riverford; visit riverford.co.uk or call 01803 227227

S T A R T E R S

SOAK IT UP

You may know AquaVitae – in central Cheltenham’s Regent Street – as more of a post-work drinks destination, but now there’s a whole new reason to visit, as local food joint Brew & Bake opens as a pop-up there for the next nine months. They’ll be serving up sarnies, sliders, tapas boards, and cakes with fine teas and coffees, 9am-6pm every day, alongside the regular offering. ✱ brewandbake.coffee

OH, DEER!

CHOW RIGHT NOW

For the first time at the inaugural Countryfile Live show at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, the annual National Trust Fine Farm Produce Awards celebrated the best produce from the National Trust’s 1,500 tenant farmers. The awards took place at the start of August, with Rob Macklin, head of food and farming, saying: “Now in its 11th year, our Fine Farm Produce Awards are setting an increasingly high standard for sustainable food production.” This year, 27 producers in total were recognised for 49 outstanding food, drink and countryside products, including an award for the fallow deer venison from Dyrham Park.

Fancy locally sourced food with a global feel, served up with a range of craft beers, cask ales and fine wines?

Of course you do! Luckily for you, then, the former Brown Jug pub on Cheltenham’s Bath Road has been given a grand overhaul and has reopened under a new owner as allday pub and eatery, Sup & Chow. In the kitchen will be up-and-coming Cotswold chef Dale Young, who’ll be serving up Indian-style chicken, spiced lamb, paella and African meatballs among other tasty plates. Mmm. ✱ supandchow.co.uk

✱ nationaltrust.org.uk

In the diary...

(8-19 Sept) Giffords Circus in Cirencester There’s horseplay, music and acrobatics, plus a three-course slap-up meal with the finest food from Cotswolds producers, every night at Stratton meadows. Tickets from £15. ✱ giffordscircus.com (17-18 Sept) Abergavenny Food Festival For two days the Welsh town will boast famous chefs, world-class markets, kitchen schools, music and parties. Tickets from £7. ✱ abergavennyfoodfestival.com (19-24 Sept) Hobgoblin Cheltenham Comedy Festival Our friends at Wychwood Brewery are sponsoring this year’s comedy riot, with acts including Sarah Millican, Katherine Ryan and John Cooper Clarke.

See website for prices. ✱ cheltenhamcomedy.com

Umbrian truffle risotto, courtesy of @lechampsauvage

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Scallops looking so pretty, dressed by @the_chefs_dozen crumbsmag.com

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S T A R T E R S

In the Larder

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P O TS A N D PAC K E TS Wholefood staples and treats for lil’ ones are among the new products hitting shelves at an indie near you this month...

1 GOING CACAO Ombar Buttons, £1.49/25g For something that’s dairy free and free from refined sugar, these Ombar Buttons are actually rather good. The raw cacao rounds are dark and bitter, sweetened slightly with cacao butter and coconut sugar. The ‘Mylk’ versions are given extra creaminess with creamed coconut and ground vanilla pods. Both are certified organic by The Soil Association. ✱ ombar.co.uk 2 OAT SO GOOD Wolfys Porridge Pots, £1.69/100g Porridge on the go is never as good as porridge made slowly at home. Or is it? Actually, it can be, as we’ve discovered by

black rice and chilli, both from the new ‘superfood’ selection. There’s also a miso broth range, including brown rice miso broth with mushroom, kale and tamari.

All are nourishing and tasty.

Available at Burford Garden Centre and Whole Foods in Cheltenham. ✱ tidefordorganics.com

tasting Stroud’s own Wolfys Porridge. There’s an oaty, creamy base served with a pot of deliciously fresh and natural jam, marmalade, honey or syrup. The Spiced Porridge with Pear and Ginger Pot has just won a Taste award, too. ✱ wolfys.co.uk 3 SOUPED UP Tideford Organics soup, £2.89/600g Tideford Organics have been busy preparing the UK’s “first organic, vegan soup and miso range”. The soups are totally dedicated to veg – and free from meat, dairy and gluten, as well as being low in fat and salt. We love the sweet potato, ginger and black onion seed soup, as well as the smoky tomato,

4 KETCHING UP WITH THE TIMES The Little Pickle Spiced Plum Ketchup £4/212ml Bring your barbie up to date by topping burgers, bangers and skewers with this tasty condiment that’s got just the right balance of sweet and spice. We’ve marinated our ribs in it too, and slathered it on a strong Cheddar sarnie – the possibilities are endless.

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Buy from Fosseway Garden Centre, The Cotswold Cheese Company and local food markets. ✱ thelittlepickle.co.uk 5 DOING IT FOR THE KIDS Bensons Joosed Junior, £3.49/4x250ml We love Bensons The Juicers, not only because they believe in supporting British orchards and using only naturally occurring fruit sugars in their drinks, but because they’re based in the heart of the Cotswolds!

Their Joosed Junior range has proved so popular they’re now selling in multipacks. Lil’ ones love the blackcurrant and apple, and orange and apple, flavours. Buy from Waitrose. ✱ bensonstotallyfruity.co.uk

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FREE Y ER les DELrIdV bott er 12 0 o if you e (within 1 r or mo f Tetbury). o miles

Independent wine merchant in the heart of the Cotswolds.

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• Free wine tasting for all client at our tasting bar in the Tetbury shop.

A great way to buy quality wine at a better price...

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So if you drink wine regularly, Vinotopia’s C+10 club is the perfect way to save you money. The club comes with access to exclusive wine tastings and first dibs on rare parcels of fine wines.

To talk about wine, or to arrange to taste some, give us a ring, email us, or pop in to our shop in the heart of the Cotswolds: 1-3 BAYTREE COURT | THE CHIPPING | TETBURY | GL8 8EU 01666 502262 | info@vinotopiawine.co.uk |

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S STTA A RRT E T RS E R S

New Kid kid on on the the Block block New

This right here is Joe Limbrick, new chef at Giffords Circus’ Circus Sauce restaurant

What’s the toughest job you’ve tackled so far?

As a chef at a Michelin-star restaurant, Texture in London. I’d never experienced a working environment like it. The regime was strict and the hours were long. The level of precision was outstanding, and everything had to be spot on to maintain the Michelin star. Although it was ruthless, I worked there for two years and loved it.

Proudest career achievement?

Being part of the Texture team when we won our fourth AA rosette was pretty momentous. There aren’t many one-star restaurants that also have four rosettes. Becoming sous chef at a two-rosette restaurant, The Muset in Bristol, was also a great moment.

Where might we know you from?

From Giffords! We’re a well-known community here. The open kitchen makes Circus Sauce a really theatrical experience. Diners can peer into the kitchen wagon and see what we’re up to, so we’ve become characters as much as the performers in the tent. I’m also known for popping my head ’round the curtain in the puppet show!

When did you begin cooking?

Straight out of school, at the age of 16.

I started cooking in professional kitchens – first at the Bathurst Arms in North Cerney, then on to Barnsley House. It was here that I first worked with Ollie Halas, head chef of Circus Sauce, after being school friends for many years.

Describe your style of cooking Texture was Scandinavian influenced, so I’ve started heading in that direction with a love of very clean and fresh flavours. We didn’t use any cream or butter in the last restaurant I worked in, which made the menu light and fresh, allowing the ingredients to shine.

What attracted you to Giffords?

Coming to work with Ollie again, the change in lifestyle and a desire to do something different. Ollie’s love of Giffords Circus is infectious. He has a great vision, and that was something I wanted to be part of.

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What have you brought to Giffords?

Ollie gave me the challenge of tarting up the puds at Circus Sauce, and I’ve really gone to town! We’ve created spectacular desserts to match the delicious menu of hearty, quintessentially British dishes that are designed to be shared, and diners can’t wait to stick their spoon into.

What are your favourite ingredients at the moment?

Today, crates of New Wave lobster have just arrived in the kitchen wagon, and last week we had some juicy heritage tomatoes.

Do you grow anything yourself?

We’re true foragers, and these ingredients form much of the Circus Sauce menu. In June we had homemade elderflower cordial on the tables, and earlier in the season nettle soup with crispy nettles was on the menu. We can’t get enough of wild garlic, either.

Any favourite suppliers?

New Wave is brilliant – no matter how out of the ordinary our requests may be. We use local butchers wherever we may be – Taylors & Sons in Minchinhamton and Butts Farm in Cirencester. Our lovely allotment lady, Rosa, rocks up when we arrive in Minchinhampton too, so vegetable risotto will be on the menu with Rosa’s courgettes and runner beans.

What and where was the best meal you’ve eaten?

A 15-course tasting menu at Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck in Bray. It was true culinary theatre, including a dish called The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.

Favourite cookery book?

North by Icelandic Chef, Gunnar Gislason. He’s the owner of a restaurant called Dill in Reykjavik. ✱ Circus Sauce accompanies Giffords Circus, and dinner can be had after the last performance each evening. Book at www.giffordscircus.com/resto

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PHOTO BY ANDRE W REES

A CARNY COOK

Got any foodie memories from your childhood?

My grandma was an amazing baker.

We used to make jam tarts, roly poly and all the classics. I was right by her side ‘helping’ (more like eating).

LIVE MUSIC EVERY OTHER SUNDAY FROM 3PM - 5PM August 21st Nikki Petherick September 4th John James Newman September 18th Nikki Petherick October 2nd John Adams October 16th Vince Freeman October 30th Mike Maddams

EVERY WEDNESDAY CHOOSE FROM 4 DELICIOUS BURGERS

S T A R T E R S

Trio

THE BRIGHT CIDER LIFE The Cotswolds are home to some proper good cider makers. Here are three particular corkers…

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BEARD & SABRE

Despite being founded by an unlikely pair – an ex-naval officer and an archaeologist! – and only just celebrating their first birthday, this Cirencester-based company are already winning awards with their craft drinks. They have a traditional and a craft range, all created in an old-school rack and cloth press house: CAMRA real cider lovers will enjoy the bone-dry, 5.5% cloudy Apple Smuggler, whereas younger swiggers look out for Berrymaster, a 4%, 100%-cider-apple alternative to the rehydrated ciders you’ll find in many bars. The flagship cider is Yardarm, a 5.5% medium cider that can be found on tap at The Golden Fleece, Stroud and The Fleece at Cirencester, as well as other pubs across the country. You can get your hands on some of the golden brew by visiting the press between 10am and 4pm each Saturday or Sunday. And don’t miss the open press event on 1 Oct! ✱ beardandsabre.co.uk

HARRY’S CIDER

Harry’s Cider came about four years ago, when owner Harry Fry realised the cider he was producing in the orchard planted by his late father in the ’70s was far too good to keep to himself. The company is based in Langport, Somerset, but is a favourite across the South West and the Cotswolds. Harry’s makes refreshing and aromatic sparkling and traditional ciders, with a focus on quality and provenance.

All of the fruit is grown in the family’s own orchards, and all of their ciders are made with 100% cider fruit. Harry and his son Toby are the farmers, growers, producers

and processors, giving full control over the whole process. No fruit concentrate or colourings are used, keeping it as natural and authentic as possible. They’ve won a number of high profile competitions over the past year, including a gold medal at the 2016 Cotswold Artisan Drinks Awards, as well as medals from the Taste of the West Awards, the British Cider Championships and the International Cider Challenge. ✱ harryscidercompany.co.uk

SEVERN CIDER

The Bull family – the people behind Severn Cider – have been making cider for three generations. It began as a social thing – making drinks to share with friends and family – but demand grew until they went into commercial production (always, however, keeping to traditional methods). Severn’s cider and perry is made only from freshly picked

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fruit, with no concentrates, colourings, or flavourings – always just real cider. There is a range of both bottled sparkling ciders and several still, draught ciders.

Severn Cider are passionate about what they make. It must be made traditionally, from locally sourced fruits – some made from just a single variety of apple, giving a special distinctive flavour. Taste it yourself by booking a cider tasting at the website below. You can also call by to purchase your favourite cider or perry.

The top taste of Severn Cider is confirmed by the Independent newspaper, which has voted them one of the 10 best cider makers in the UK. ✱ severncider.com

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S T A R T E R S

Kitchen Library The freshest, most inspirational cookbooks of the month

LEON: HAPPY SALADS

THE NO-COOK COOKBOOK

GREEN KITCHEN SMOOTHIES

FRESH INDIA

Whether we’re talking about its expanding chain of stores or award-winning books, Leon has become synonymous with the term ‘naturally fast food’ and Happy Salads builds on that message with 100 fabulous new recipes.

Divided into chapters covering ‘classics’, ‘naturally fast’, ‘food for family’, ‘food for friends’ and ‘lunchbox’, Happy Salads contains salads for all occasions and eventualities, whether it’s a simple dish to take to work for an aldesko lunch, or a dinner party at home to impress friends and family. Meat eaters will love the wasabi steak and ‘very peri-peri’ chicken, while vegetarians will enjoy spinach, chickpea and almond or the amusingly named kale Caesar. If fish is your thing, the ‘carry away’ mackerel or ginger and honey salmon are sure to float your boat. A brilliant book from a trusted brand.

No oven, hob or microwave is required for the 100 recipes in this second book from Sharon Hearne-Smith, who has worked as a food stylist and recipe tester with the likes of Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay and James Martin. These no-cook dishes include simple and quick breakfast options, such as poppy seed pancakes with lemon ricotta yoghurt, and ‘carrot cake’ overnight oats, a Bircher muesli served with a yoghurt-lightened cream cheese topping.

Other recipes for speedy snacks include sushi rolls filled with quinoa and colourful, healthy salads, from cauliflower-rice Buddha bowl to celeriac and hazelnut slaw with smoked mackerel. Further standout no-cook dishes for the summer include watermelon ‘pizza’ with fig, feta and raspberry dressing, and mango mousse cake.

Nutritionist Luise Vindahl and photographer David Frenkiel are the foodies behind the award-winning blog Green Kitchen Stories, and their latest book features recipes for more than 50 healthy smoothies. Vindahl’s passion for wheat-free and sugar-free recipes means that these liquid mealsin-a-glass are tailored for smoothie enthusiasts and those searching for healthy, guilt-free drinks.

The energising superberry and fennel or avocado, mango and lime smoothies win our vote for an energising start to the day, and the indulgent banana snickers shake is sure to appeal to kids over the summer holidays. With useful tips on what tools and appliances you need to make them, this book is sure to inspire you to shake up your daily routine.

The follow-up to Meera Sodha’s best-selling book Made in India, Fresh India focuses on simple vegetarian Indian food to cook at home. Full of flavour, quick to prepare and using easyto-find ingredients, the book covers classic Indian recipes like dahls, curries and pickles, often with a seasonal British twist – for instance Brussels sprout thoran, ‘Gardeners’ Question Time’ pilau, and green beans with cashew nuts and coconut.

Traditional Indian snacks are also given a contemporary tweak: think mushroom and walnut samosas, oven-baked onion bhajis, beetroot and paneer kebabs and roasted cauliflower korma. The desserts are just as delicious, and include salted peanut and jaggery kulfi, and carrot halwa and pistachio cake, with healthy drinks like ginger chai and ‘mum’s turmeric tea’.

Jane Baxter and John Vincent Conran Octopus, £15.99

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Sharon Hearne-Smith Quercus, £20

David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl Hardie Grant, £15

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Meera Sodha Fig Tree, £20

S T A R T E R S

Kitchen Library The freshest, most inspirational cookbooks of the month

SLOW DOUGH REAL BREAD Chris Young Nourish, £20

Chris Young is the co-ordinator of the Real Bread Campaign, which has tirelessly championed longproved artisan bread made without artificial additives and ‘processing aids’. This ‘real’ bread is a world away from the cotton wool loaves the majority of us buy from supermarkets.

This informative and accessible book tells you everything you could possibly need to know to make great quality bread at home, with tips and recipes from some of the UK’s top microbakers, including Duncan Glendinning of The Thoughtful Bread Company in Bath, and Victoria Osborne of Wraxall Real Bread in Wiltshire. From a no-knead white loaf or fougasse to fig and fennel sourdough or goat’s cheese and honey maslin loaf, this definitive book has it all.

RECIPE FROM

Leon: Happy Salads by Jane Baxter and John Vincent (Conran Octopus, £15.99)

PAELLA DELI SALAD (SERVES 4)

A TASTE OF Spain, at your dinner table. This is one of the longest recipes in the book, but it is basically an assembly job once the rice is cooked, and it couldn’t be more worth it. The ingredients here are just suggestions – you could substitute cooked squid rings, mussels, fish or chickpeas and different vegetables.

INGREDIENTS

pinch of saffron 250g long-grain rice 1 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped 1 tsp smoked paprika 350ml gluten-free chicken stock 100g cured chorizo salami (not cooking chorizo), either sliced or chopped 100g artichoke hearts, sliced 200g prawns, cooked 150g peas, cooked

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150g French beans, cooked 100g piquillo pepper strips 1 orange, cut into slices 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, to garnish For the dressing: 1 tsp sweet paprika grated zest of 1 orange 1 clove of garlic, crushed 1 tbsp red wine vinegar 3 tbsp olive oil METHOD

– Soak the saffron in 50ml of very hot water. Rinse the rice with cold water, then leave it, covered, in water to soak for 30 minutes. Drain well.

– Heat the olive oil in a large pan and cook the onion for 5 minutes. Tip in the drained rice with the smoked paprika and cook for a minute, seasoning

with salt and pepper and coating the rice with oil. Add the soaked saffron and chicken stock and bring to a simmer.

Cover, then allow to cook for about 15 minutes. Leave to stand for 5 minutes before fluffing up with a fork. Tip out of the pan and leave to cool.

– While the rice is cooking, whisk together the dressing ingredients and season.

Prepare all the other ingredients for the paella.

– Layer your ingredients up on a large serving plate, seasoning as you go. Scatter the rice over the plate, then top with the other ingredients, finishing with the orange slices and parsley leaves. Drizzle with the dressing.

Tip: This would also be tasty made with cooked black rice.

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Chef!

WHAT TO COOK, AND HOW TO COOK IT – DIRECT FROM THE KITCHENS OF THE REGION’S BEST CHEFS

Highlights ALL HAIL QUAIL

Throw a bird on the barbie, says Piotr Antkowicz Page 24

LEMONY SNICKETS Chicken, a la Katriona MacGregor, gets seriously tasty Page 26

THE WARM UP

Celia Duplock nails it with a nourishing soup Page 28

Whatever you do, never look up ‘quail feather’ on Urban Dictionary…

Plus

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30 WE’RE BIG ‘FAWNS’... ...of this swish school with its own venison source

24

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You’ve got

Chef!

quail

Piotr Antkowicz from The Ox in Cheltenham knows how to treat a bird…

Piotr is head chef at meaty mecca The Ox. But it’s not just beef he likes to cook up; he’s always searching out the bestquality meat and local produce to keep the menus at his restaurant interesting, and people coming back for more.

Here he’s shared a great recipe for a tasty quail that’s perfect for a latesummer barbecue.

TANDOORI QUAIL with SPICED LENTILS (SERVES 4)

INGREDIENTS

For the quail 4 quail 1 heaped tsp cumin 1 heaped tsp ground coriander 2 tsp smoked paprika ½ tsp cinnamon grating of nutmeg 250ml natural yogurt 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 small piece of ginger, grated juice of half a lemon For the tandoori sauce 1 shallot, sliced 1 tsp cayenne pepper 1 tbsp ground cumin 1 tbsp ground coriander 1 tbsp smoked paprika

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1 tsp cinnamon 1 tbsp tomato paste 8 ripe tomatoes, chopped For the spiced lentils 125g red lentils 100g finely chopped red onion 2 red chillies, finely diced 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground coriander 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger 100ml light soy sauce 50ml balsamic vinegar 100g sweet chilli sauce chopped coriander To garnish coriander black onion seeds toasted sesame seeds METHOD

For the quail – Break down the quail: take the legs off, then with a small sharp pairing knife take the breasts off the bone, being careful to leave the skin intact (or ask your butcher to do all this for you).

– Blitz all other ingredients together with a stick blender or food processor.

– Marinate the quail overnight.

For the tandoori sauce – Sweat out the shallot in some oil.

– Add dry spices and cook briefly.

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– Add chopped tomatoes and simmer gently to a sauce consistency.

– Blitz while warm and pass through a sieve.

– Season with salt and pepper, and a sprinkling of sugar to balance, if needed.

For the lentils – Simmer lentils in water until al dente, then drain.

– Sweat the onion, diced chilli and ginger in oil.

– Add dry spices and briefly cook out.

– Add soy sauce, balsamic and sweet chilli sauce and reduce until syrupy.

– Stir the dressing through the lentils and add the chopped coriander.

Serve warm.

To serve – Fire up the BBQ (preferably charcoal fuelled).

– Season the quail with a little salt and pepper and cook over the hot coals until nicely charred and ‘just’ cooked through.

– Spoon a small heap of lentils and a nice dollop of sauce on the plate. Top with the quail and finish with a sprinkling of the coriander and seeds. ✱ theoxcheltenham.com

Chef!

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Chicken this out!

You’ll love this deliciously light supper that’s sensationally easy to make, from Katriona MacGregor

We love Cotswold-based Katriona MacGregor for her simple yet supertasty dishes that nourish and delight.

They’re low-cost, so great for everyday dinners – but also special enough to cook for gatherings of friends and family. Lucky for us, she’s brought together her favourite recipes in new book Healthy Speedy Suppers, which includes this fabulous chicken dish with ricotta, lemon and basil.

Katriona says: “It’s a vibrant, summery weeknight recipe that is delicious served with steaming new or salad potatoes. Although I particularly love the mild flavour of ricotta, you can substitute other soft cheeses, such as mascarpone or goats’ cheese.”

CHICKEN with RICOTTA, LEMON and BASIL (SERVES 4)

INGREDIENTS

small bunch of basil 100g ricotta cheese 2 lemons 4 chicken breasts (skin on) rapeseed/canola oil, for cooking 1 onion, sliced 1 garlic clove, crushed 170ml white wine

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125ml chicken stock 2 bay leaves 1 tbsp double cream METHOD

– Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6.

– Finely slice half of the basil leaves, leaving the other half on their stems for later.

– In a small bowl, mix the ricotta cheese with the basil, the zest of 1 lemon and a little salt and pepper.

– Use a sharp knife to cut a horizontal pocket into each chicken breast, being careful not to cut all the way through.

Stuff a little of the ricotta mixture into the pockets with a teaspoon, being careful not to overfill.

– Heat a little oil in a large frying pan and add the chicken breasts, skin-side down. Fry for 2-3 minutes until the skin is golden and crisp. Flip onto the other side and cook for a further minute to lightly seal, and then remove to a plate.

– Return the pan to the heat and add the onion and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, until well softened. Pour in the white wine and stock, add the bay leaves and bring to the boil. Simmer for a few minutes to reduce the liquid to a syrupy consistency. Add the double/ heavy cream, stir well, and season with salt and pepper.

– Pour the contents of the pan into a

27

casserole dish and place the chicken breasts on top, pushing them down into the sauce, skin-side up. Cut the remaining lemon into wedges and nestle them around the chicken, along with the remaining basil.

– Place on the middle shelf of the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the skins are nicely brown and crisp. Test if cooked by cutting into one of the breasts with a sharp knife to make sure the juices run clear.

NOTE: If you are avoiding cow’s milk, then use soft goats’ or sheep’s cheese for the stuffing, and simply omit the double cream from the recipe.

✱ Recipe taken from Healthy Speedy Suppers by Katriona MacGregor (hardback, £16.99), published by Nourish Books; photography

by Andrew Crowley

Rooting for it Chef!

Combine squash and ginger for a mood-boosting meal, by Celia Duplock

With the arrival of autumn comes a range of fabulous, seasonal squashes available in all different shapes, colours and sizes. As well as being great value for money, squashes have impressive amounts of vitamins, including A, C and E, and are a good source of carotenoids and other important anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds. They are also rich in minerals, including magnesium, potassium, calcium and iron, and a great source of B-complex vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids.

Eating sweet, round vegetables such as squash on a regular basis is not only beneficial for overall health, but can also help to reduce sugar cravings when combined with other complex carbohydrates such as beans, whole grains and lentils.

Sprinkled with toasted pumpkin seeds and served with freshly made sourdough croutons, this soup is a well-balanced, healthy dish that will leave you feeling both satisfied and well nourished.

SQUASH, RED LENTIL & GINGER SOUP (SERVES 6-8)

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsps olive or sesame oil 1 large onion (150g) 1 medium carrot (100g) 1 stick celery (60g) 1 tsp sea salt 600g seasonal squash 100g red lentils 1.2l vegetable stock 2cm strip of dried kombu (kelp) 2 tbsps lightly toasted pumpkin seeds 2 tbsps fresh ginger juice (made from

grated and squeezed root) 1 tbsps white miso 2 tbsps fresh, chopped, parsley For the sourdough croutons 2-3 slices fresh, sourdough bread 2 tbsps olive or sesame oil 1 tsp dried thyme ¼ tsp salt METHOD

– Pour the oil into a large saucepan and heat gently over a low flame.

– Finely chop and dice the onion, carrot and celery and add to the pan with the salt, then cook for 5 minutes.

– Peel the squash, chop into 2cm chunks and add to the pan.

– Wash the lentils thoroughly in cold water until it runs clear, then drain and add to the pan.

– Wash the kombu strip and add it to the pan with the stock and bring the soup to the boil.

– Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until both the squash is tender and the lentils are cooked.

– Wash the pumpkin seeds and place them in a shallow oven dish. Toast them in a low oven 110C/225F/gas mark ¼ for 35-45 minutes, taking care not to burn them.

– Meanwhile, slice the sourdough bread into 2cm chunks and heat the oil.

– Season the bread with the salt and thyme and fry it in the hot oil until golden brown.

– When the soup is ready, remove from the flame and add the ginger juice and white miso.

– Blend to the desired consistency and season more, if needed.

– Garnish with chopped parsley and toasted pumpkin seeds and serve hot with the warm croutons.

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✱ CELIA is a macrobiotic cook and counsellor offering food coaching, menu planning and cooking lessons for individuals or small groups. Her ‘Healthy Brunches’ workshop will run at the Organic Farm Shop in Cirencester on Wednesday, 9 November. Call 07831 342214 or email enquiries@cotswoldmacrobiotics.com

Chef!

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Near and deer Treat loved ones to a hearty dish that’s full of flavour, from Phil Strongman at Rendcomb College

Head chef Phil Strongman joined Rendcomb College, Gloucestershire in October 2015, after a 28-year career in the Royal Air Force, serving on bases across the UK and Cyprus, as well as tours of Belize, the Falkland Islands and stints in Italy and Croatia. Enjoying a very diverse career, Phil has cooked under canvas, as well as prepared meals for royalty and several prime ministers. Now at Rendcomb College, Phil works with his team to cater for over 500 children and staff daily, serving lunch for all, and also breakfast and dinner for the boarders. The team also provide the local primary school, North Cerney, with school meals, as part of its charitable projects.

Fortunate to have a deer park within the college grounds, Phil uses the on-site venison for this recipe. He says: “I love venison, particularly Rendcombreared venison. It’s a great source of omega-3 fat, has a higher iron content than any other red meat, and has less fat than a skinned chicken breast.

“This is a really simple and tasty recipe using the venison that only takes about 15 minutes to prepare, and then 15 minutes to cook.”

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VENISON, SMOKED BACON and MUSHROOM STROGANOFF (SERVES 4)

INGREDIENTS

400g fresh green and white tagliatelle (or dried) 1 tbsp vegetable oil 40g butter 400g venison fillet or loin, cut into thin strips 100g smoked bacon 1 red onion, thinly sliced 1 large clove of garlic, chopped 400g chestnut mushrooms, sliced 2 tbsp of brandy or sherry 100ml good beef stock 2 tsp cornflour 150ml of double cream or crème fraiche 2 tsp of chopped thyme leaves 1 tsp paprika pinch of cayenne pepper pinch of nutmeg chopped parsley

METHOD

– Cook the tagliatelle in a large pan of salted water, until tender.

– Heat the oil in a large pan or wok until very hot, and then quickly stir-fry the venison and smoked bacon until browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.

– Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes. Next, add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for a further 4-5 minutes. Stir in the brandy and the beef stock.

– Mix the cornflour with a little water, add the crème fraiche, thyme, nutmeg, paprika and cayenne, and thicken with the cornflour.

– Return the cooked venison and bacon to the pan and then cook for another minute.

– Drain the tagliatelle in a colander, add the stroganoff mixture, and garnish with the chopped parsley.

– Serve with rustic bread.

✱ rendcombcollege.org.uk

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Lower Oddington, Glos, GL56 0UR 01451 870555 | info@foxinn.net | www.foxinn.net

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Veg Out

LETTUCE EAT! Blogger, private chef and keen kitchen gardener Kathy Slack tells you what to grow and how to cook it. This month, lush, leafy lettuce…

E

very year I make a promise to myself. It’s a solemn promise, and always in earnest. It is this: that I will not, under any circumstances, no matter how giddy I get, plant all my lettuce seeds at once.

I made that same promise to myself this year, like every year, in March. By May, flushed with the growing fever, I had abandoned all reason, forgot my vows and planted acres of lettuces.

Acres. And now I am dealing with the inevitable consequences.

But the trouble is that these consequences aren’t exactly dissuasive – I just have to eat a lot of

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really tasty lettuce, that’s all. It’s not actually that tough a job.

If you’ve done the same and are now left with no lettuce, having been forced to harvest it all at once: fear not. Or, indeed, if you are coming to the end of a nicely measured crop, harvested at regular intervals (oh, you restrained and measured soul), then now is the time to plant up for an autumn harvest. If the weather is fine, the end of summer isn’t too late to plant lettuce like Lambs Lettuce (also known as corn salad), Tom Thumb (a lovely green-hearted variety) and Merveille des Quatre Saisons (which, as the name suggests, is good for most

33

( feature )

seasons). As with many leafy crops, sow the seed thinly in shallow drills directly into the ground, cover with little more than 2mm of soil, water, and wait.

I find lettuce prefers to be sown where it will grow rather than transplanted, especially if the weather is warm, so I tend to over-sow then thin out the weedlings to leave the strongest plants (like favourite children!) with room to grow up. You’ll have a lettuce harvest by the end of September.

You can, of course, pick the whole head of lettuce in one go, but I like to take leaves from the outside of the plant and leave the centre to grow on.

This will prolong your harvest until, with luck, the first frosts of autumn.

Anyway, back to my current lettuce mountain. While reflecting on my lettuce-growing foolishness, I was nipping out the tips of the broad beans. I do this most years at the start of summer (when I remember) because, as well as preventing black fly congregating in the fresh shoots and stunting the growth of the plant, they also taste wonderful – like sweet, young broad beans.

These, together with my lettuce, make a lovely light soup that’s great for lunch or as an evening starter…

SUMMER SOUP ( SERVES 2 )

INGREDIENTS

½ onion knob of butter 1 very large hearting green lettuce, like Little Gem, Tom Thumb or Butterhead. Not Iceberg (too dull), and not Frisee (too bitter) 500g chicken stock handful of broad bean tips, optional handful of frozen peas (or fresh, if yours didn’t die like mine did) 1 tbsp of creme fraiche 1 tbsp soft goat’s cheese METHOD

– Finely slice the onion and sweat in a little butter until translucent but not browned.

– Add the stock and bring to a delicate simmer.

– Wash and roughly chop the lettuce, then add to the simmering pot with the broad bean tips and peas. Season with salt and simmer for no more than 2 minutes before removing from the heat.

– Whizz the ingredients to a smooth, creamy texture. You can use a stick blender for this, but I find the NutriBullet gives a perfect texture in moments. Adjust the seasoning as you blend.

– To serve, mix the goat’s cheese with the crème fraiche and spoon a dollop on top of the soup, then finish with a twist of pepper.

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✱ Kathy Slack writes the food blog, Gluts & Gluttony about the gluts she gets from her veg patch and the ensuing gluttony in the kitchen. To receive regular seasonal recipes and growing advice, sign up to the blog at glutsandgluttony.com

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Kitchen

Armoury CHOOSE YOUR WEAPONS

GOTTA CATCH ’EM ALL! Feeling the urge to collect kookily designed baking kit, just in time for Bake Off season?

Then look no further, says Matt Bielby, than the new Joseph Joseph baking range…

So, this time around you’ve found me… what? A futuristic shaving brush?

No, no, no! Glaze is a silicone pastry brush, and it’s the perfect mess-free tool.

How so? Well, the heads – there are two interchangeable ones – are non-drip, with flexible silicone bristles, and the whole thing is so soft to the touch there’s no risk of it causing dents or marks. Plus, the bristles won’t fall out, and they’re really easy to clean.

And what’s that other thing all about? It looks like the prosthetic fin for a friendly rubber shark.

That’s exactly what it is! Well, the ‘fin’ bit, anyway – that’s its name, you see. It’s actually a neat – and rather innovative – silicone bowl scraper, easy to use and just the thing to make sure absolutely no mixture goes to waste. Fin looks cool too, as the base of it makes a sort of foot,

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allowing it to stand jauntily on end when not in use. This doesn’t just earn style points, but actually has a purpose, too – it stops mess, as you’re not resting a sticky side on the surface at any point, and it makes Fin a doddle to store away as well.

And then there’s the whisk thing they do, too, isn’t there?

That one’s called Whiskle, and it’s the rarest Pokémon of them all. We caught him alongside Psyduck and Horsea, down by the lake, where some of the rarest Pokémon tend to hang out.

No, you didn’t.

Oh yeah, you’re right. (Sorry, got confused for a minute.) No, this Whiskle is actually the extra-attractive mutant cross between a decent-sized whisk and a silicone bowl scraper – you know, like a baking Labradoodle. Let me explain: it’s super-

Milling around

Frittered ingredients

37

cute to look at, has a great disposition, and does two jobs, saving time, space and washing up.

For once, I’m hoping, we’re not talking telephone number prices.

We’re so not! Glaze is £8, Fin is £6 and Whiskle’s just a tenner; bargain prices, especially seeing as Pokémon excitement is bound to cool off sooner or later, yet this year’s installment of Great British Bake Off fever is only just beginning. (Watch out for Team Rocket, though. If they ever get into baking, these cool bits of kit are the first things they’d steal.)

✱ The Joseph Joseph baking range is available at Kitchens Cookshop in Bath and Bristol, or other stockists, including Debenhams and John Lewis; josephjoseph.com

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V

V

The miller’s daughter

After a stint as a city lawyer, Tess Lister has come back into the family fold at Shipton Mill.

She shows us around the house she grew up in, and cooks us lunch

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Words by CHARLIE LYON Photos by KIRSTIE YOUNG

hen is a dog’s life not really a dog’s life?

When you’re Dusty Lister – the oneyear-old springerdoodle, fond pet and firm companion of Tess Lister.

Tess is the daughter of Shipton Mill founder John Lister, who discovered the derelict site in 1979 and restored it to what it is today – a beautiful organic stone-grinding mill, with cookery school.

It’s where Tess grew up (in the attached home) and, after a stint in London working as a lawyer, where she’s once again based, having rejoined the family company to work on the business development side.

She splits her time between the mill, just outside Tetbury, and Islington, London. As does Dusty.

“Dusty loves being at the mill,” Tess enthuses about the bundle of fur, who definitely knows he’s on camera today. “He is a very chilled out dog – but he really comes to life when he goes outside. He loves London too, though – it’s the only time he gets to ‘socialise’ with other dogs.”

No wonder Dusty loves Shipton Mill – pretty much everyone who visits falls in love with it. It’s a rural idyll with lashings of historic romance set in a verdant valley with stream, gardens and extensive veg plots. The mill itself – adjoining the family home – brings with it a real hubbub of activity: there are frequent grain deliveries, office staff, punters buying flour and the millers themselves, all creating a wonderful sense of community. Indeed, as a dog – or a human – you couldn’t want for more.

Since rejoining the business, Tess has been working on a Shipton Mill recipe book (A Handful of Flour, Headline, £27). With that comes the trials and tribulations of method perfecting, and Dusty has been here to help hoover up the mess of any failed bakes or makes. Today, in fact, as Tess prepares us one of the dishes from her book – sweetcorn frittas with a chargrilled courgette salad – he’s reclining on the sofa, but keeps one watchful eye on the work station in case of any falling ingredients.

As Tess starts to deftly chop shallots and coriander (she’s been practising, she admits), she explains that a recipe book has always been in the making, but her father just never found the time.

“One of the things that I wanted to do with this book was to provide information on how to choose different types of flour, and for some of the lesser-known ones, to describe what their tastes and properties are like. I wanted to encourage people to play around a bit more, and not feel like they should just stick to wheat flours all the time,” she says.

The mill produces a huge range of organic, speciality flours of the highest quality – over 150, in fact. From ancient Khorason to gluten-free gram flour and tapioca starch, they’re sought after by top restaurants and bakers across the country.

Although modesty keeps the family from shouting about the names of their most prestigious customers, we’ve heard Raymond Blanc is a devoted client.

Today Tess is keeping it simple for us self-confessed flour novices. The recipe uses just white flour to bulk out the fritter, and cornflour to bind it together – it’s an example of how flour can be used in everyday cooking as well as fancy puds.

It’s while eating at this family dining table that a lot of the ideas for Tess’s recipe book were sparked

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As well as flour, Tess loves to use fresh garden produce in her recipes. Her book, A Handful of Flour, is therefore filled with lunch, brunch, nibbles and fruity pud ideas

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“A lot of recipe books focus on the baking side rather than the ingredients,” Tess explains, as she capably slices the kernels from upstanding sweetcorn heads – not a wobble or waver in sight. “And I suppose it is quite unusual to pick one ingredient and focus on that so much, but I believe that flour can really change a dish – and picking the wrong one can have a detrimental effect. So, if you use the wrong flour for making your bread, you might come out with a totally different texture – but, at the same time, exploration and experimentation with flavours and textures is part of cooking as well.”

A keen home cook with a love of fresh, seasonal produce (she names Nigel Slater, Ottolenghi and River Cottage as inspirations), Tess has made sure that her book is filled with tasty recipes for brunch, lunch and dinners, as well as breads, puddings and cakes. Not only that, it’s a true exploration into flour – its heritage, history and modern-day uses.

“There’s more than one purpose for some flours,” continues Tess. “For example, our ciabatta flour is for bread, but also works very well for high hydration sourdoughs – in the book there’s a selection, and how you can use them.”

Tess’s brother Joe, who works at the second Shipton Mill site, is a regular face at the family home. And her mum, Siobhan Nolan, and dad live here still. As a family they’ve always been used to experimenting with flours in cooking, not only because of the business, but because Siobhan is coeliac.

“Just under a quarter of recipes in the book are gluten-free,” says Tess. “But my rule was that nothing should go into the book just for the sake of being gluten-free – it had to taste good, and the flour had to work well on its own merits. If the flavour tasted better with gluten, I wouldn’t put the recipe in.

“My mum was diagnosed 15 years ago, and that’s had a big part in developing our range of gluten-free flours.

“For the flour topping in the plum crumble you’ll find in the book, for example, I use brown rice flour and tapioca starch.

The rice flour is a bit coarser than the soft wheat flours, so you get more bite to the topping, which I like.

“Gluten-free flours can work really well in cakes, too – the lavender and orange madeleines in the book use chestnut flour, and there’s brown rice flour in the brown rice and muscovado date pudding (my version of sticky toffee pudding) – they all taste better for using the alternative flours.”

Along with these gluten-free flours, Tess’s book makes great use of other alternative flours made from ancient grains, like khorason and spelt, but each time the recipes are easy to manage and sound delicious – a testament to her love of simple, wholesome food that tastes great.

Despite the ongoing cake chat (we cover chocolate tart, blackberry cobblers, fig cranachan, pear cake, apple calvados – are you hungry, yet?), Tess manages to fry the fritters (without them splitting) and serve up a supremely tasty lunch, teaming them with grilled bacon and avocado.

Not wanting to be left out, Dusty takes station under the table, in the hope of any unwanted leftovers coming his way.

(Bad luck, Dusty – we scoffed the lot.)

With food that tastes this good, surely Tess’s book will be another rev in the motor that is Shipton, adding power to the organic flour movement that can only enhance the flavour of our foods in the future.

Tess and faithful companion Dusty are a regular sight at Shipton Mill

✱ shipton-mill.com

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Tess loves to make her fritters as sides for a main, or team them with bacon, avocado and chilli for lunch

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SWEETCORN FRITTERS (MAKES 20 SMALL OR 15 LARGE FRITTERS)

INGREDIENTS

100g plain flour 1 tbsp cornflour ½ tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder 4 small-medium sweetcorn heads, husks removed and corn sliced off (you need around 430g of kernels) 2 shallots, finely sliced handful fresh parsley or coriander, finely chopped 2 medium eggs, beaten oil for frying METHOD

– Combine the dry ingredients thoroughly in a bowl. Add the sweetcorn kernels, shallots, herbs and eggs and mix well.

– Heat the oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry tablespoons of the batter for 3-4 minutes on each side, until they turn from pale to golden and crisp up into fritters.

– Remove to kitchen paper to drain excess oil, then serve warm with bacon and avocado or dips of your choice (they go well with sweet chilli).

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1

TH E WA NT LI S T

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Feeling blue? We are – especially when it’s used on cool kitchen accessories!

1 BADMINTON TEA TOWEL £6.95 Riding and the Cotswolds go together like a horse and cart, so celebrate the tradition with this top kitchen buy. From Joules in Cirencester and Cheltenham. ✱ joules.com 2 BOTANIC CAKE STAND £34 Got a posh tea party planned?

Show off your finest bakes with this cool cake stand from fine pottery company, Portmeirion.

From Scotts of Stow. ✱ scottsofstow.co.uk

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3 FALCON PREP SET £58 Classic white enamelware with a blue trim looks smart – and is practical, too. From The Hambledon in Cowley Manor. ✱ thehambledon.com 4 WAITROSE PESTLE AND MORTAR, £27 There’s a bit of French kit here to add to your kitchen in the form of a chic pestle and mortar to make sauces and dips in style. From Waitrose in Cirencester. ✱ waitrosekitchen.com 5 BAKE OFF JUG £14.99 The GBBO is renowned for its innuendos, but we’re saying nothing about getting your best jugs out here. (Apart from that this is a fine enamelware example from Lakeland in Cheltenham.) ✱ lakeland.co.uk

5

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4 dates to choose from: Friday 16th December, Saturday 17th December, Thursday 22nd December OR Friday 23rd December 7pm Start • £59 Per Person (payable at time of booking)

Ticket includes: Canapés & bubbles on arrival, turkey dinner with wine, cheese & port, DJ & dancing Dress Code: Formal Free coach to and from Cheltenham Town Hall & The Hollow Bottom  01451 850392  hello@hollowbottom.com The Hollow Bottom Guiting Power Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL54 5UX

delicious diner

Situated in the heart of Frampton Industrial estate, formerly the home of Cadbury’s, Mrs Massey’s can be found in the original changing rooms which have been transformed into a contemporary diner offering breakfasts, coffees, lunches and afternoon tea – all cooked freshly to order using local ingredients.

Unit 5 - 7 // Frampton Industrial Estate // Bridge Road Frampton on Severn // Gloucestershire // GL2 7HE www.mrsmasseysdeliciousdiner.com 01452 740016 // lovefrommrsmassey@icloud.com

VOW

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From the makers of Crumbs, Bath Life, Bristol Life, Cardiff Life, Exeter Living and Salisbury Life Ad enquiries: Helen.Kembery@mediaclash.co.uk; Editorial: Matt.Bielby@mediaclash.co.uk; 01225 475800

M AG A ZINE

Mains NEW COMPANIES, AMAZING INNOVATIONS, CAMPAIGNS WORTH FIGHTING FOR, AND PEOPLE THAT MATTER

Fifty shades: grey is the new white, say top designers

Highlights INCREDIBLE JOURNEYS

IMAGE: SHADOWPLAY DESIGN

Minimising food miles is the name of the game around here Page 50

BY DESIGN

New kitchen trends that look cool, feel comfy – and don’t cost a bomb Page 54

READ MY LIPS crumbsmag.com

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Catch a host of foodie folk at Cheltenham Literature Festival Page 56

Including…

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GREAT PUB where a whole meal is grown, produced and cooked on site

Cotswolds producers are making waves when it comes to opening up transparency in the food chain – and cutting food miles.

(Hurrah!) Here they explain how...

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Mains

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Pecking order: eggs straight from a free-range farm are a world away from their supermarket counterparts

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ho’s tiring of the words ‘local’ and ‘seasonal’?

Not us! And, thankfully, not Cotswold producers and restaurateurs, either. This familiar pair are still big buzz words on menus right across the region, indicating chefs are going above and beyond to source responsibly – supporting local farmers, cutting out middlemen, and choosing quality over price. In return, we don’t mind spending a few extra pennies to make sure we know just where our food is coming from.

Yep, nip to the supermarket to buy a pack of mangetout, and – nice though it may be – it’s probably travelled some 4,300 miles to get there. Far better (and tastier) to chomp on some beans grown up the road.

WHAT IS GATE TO PLATE?

Pete Tiley, owner of the Salutation Inn, in Ham, Gloucestershire, is passionate about sourcing responsibly and ethically, and defines the ‘gate to plate’ conversation as “about a few things”.

“Firstly, it’s about transparency,” he says.

“It’s about having supreme confidence

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in knowing that what you are selling to your customers has been produced in the very best way possible, and that it has been produced ethically and to a standard that is sustainable, and harms neither the environment nor the consumer.

“I think it’s also a great way to engage the customers, and get them to think about how food should be produced and, when done correctly, how rewarding this is in terms of flavour and experience.”

Pete and his wife Claire produce food and drink for the Salutation Inn using traditional methods, and have a huge amount of fun doing it. They run what they’ve called the ‘ham, egg and chips project’, where they produce themselves all the components of their all-time favourite pub meal. They raise Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, use eggs from their own chickens, and grow the potatoes for the chips. The animals are killed humanely, and apparently nothing beats the eggs and potatoes for flavour. You can even wash it down with a pint of Tiley’s ale from their own brewery.

MEATY MATTERS

When it comes to meat, Ben and Katharina Hill at Coombe Farm also keep their methods traditional, and the farm has been

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certified organic since the ’90s. Instead of supplying wholesale to shops and supermarkets, they prefer to cut out the middleman and sell 98% directly to the consumer. They sell the rest of their meat to small caterers and to a company that makes bone broth for them.

Sustainability and ethics mean a lot to the couple. “We draw and purify all of our own water from a spring beneath the site, which is used on our farm, in our dairy processing factory, and then to fertilise our fields,” they explain. “We choose to not even use Soil Association-approved chemicals and pesticides, as the soil is so fertile anyway.

“We are natural, slow growing, and practice exceptional animal welfare. All energy on the site is gathered via our solar fields and paneled roofs – another example of our sustainable efforts. For our boxes we use recycled cardboard, as well as sheep wool, together with reusable ice packs for the insulation.”

For deliveries all around the UK they also use existing delivery routes to keep the carbon footprint as small as possible.

A BUSINESS CASE

Minimising food miles and transporting foods without refrigeration

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ROLLING BACK THE MILES Three more companies who are keeping things local

Thanks to their ‘nose to tail’ butchery, you can buy any cut of meat direct from Coombe Farm

ensures lower production costs and produce that is full of flavour. That’s why Cacklebean eggs are so revered in the Cotswolds, say owners Paddy and Steph Bourns. They’re passionate about ‘supplying fresh produce straight from the farm to the customer with minimal mileage and packaging’.

“We work with a number of national distributors who have the same ethos as our business, supplying top-quality ingredients in the most efficient manner,” they say.

It’s not just the taste that makes their business a real success, they reckon.

“Our customers have bought into the whole concept of Cackleberry Farm – they understand our ethos and the work we do to create our eggs.”

Katharina from Coombe Farm agrees: “People of all ages from all around the UK are interested in organic, healthy, high-quality produce with provenance.

“As well as for health reasons and the exceptional taste of our products (we’ve won three gold medals at the Taste of the West Awards), our customers appreciate the easy delivery service and knowing where their meat comes from.”

THE ORGANIC FARM SHOP Brilliant farm shop and excellent cafe with food that’s grown onsite clearly labelled. In summer nearly all café food is from the farm.

GIBSONS ORGANIC Organically grown fruit on the owner’s land, distilled and turned into delicious liqueurs and bottled on site then sold at farmer’s markets in the Cotswolds.

THE SWAN AND THYME AT SOUTHROP Boutique hotel, cookery school and pub serving up delicious breakfasts, lunches and dinners using seasonal produce from the kitchen garden and farm.

IS IT JUST A TREND?

Pete Tiley hopes our interest in shortening the food chain is not just a fad: “Some food trends go in cycles but it seems that as a society we became so detached from how our food is produced that we were happy leaving it to other people to produce our food in whatever manner they deemed to be the most commercially efficient, totally ignoring ethics or quality,” he says.

“As a result we’ve had various food scares and scandals, the most recent obvious example being the horse meat scandal, and now there is significant

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mistrust in how large companies produce our food and drink.

“Thankfully more recently there has been a strong movement towards local, small producers and people are more than ever interested in farming and food production methods.

“To be able to look your customers in the eye and tell them exactly how that pork chop or pint of beer ended up on their table is incredibly valuable and I think will continue to be so for a while longer yet.”

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Locavore’s address book Cacklebean, Stow-on-the-Wold GL54 1JY; cacklebean.com Coombe Farm, Crewkerne TA18 8RR; coombefarmorganic.co.uk Gibsons Organic, Westwell OX18 4JT; gibsonsorganic.co.uk The Organic Farm Shop, Cirencester GL7 5HF; theorganicfarmshop.co.uk Salutaion Inn, Ham GL13 9QH; the-sally-at-ham.com The Swan and Thyme, Southrop GL7 3NX thyme.co.uk

1 FALL TO THE FLOOR

“Concrete flooring has been a trend for a while now, but at a price of around £100 per square metre it’s not always affordable for homes,” says interior designer Kelly James of Shadowplay Design.

“More affordable options are concrete-effect tiles or pouring a resin floor, which both have their advantages. Tiles can offer a textured look and feel, whereas resin has a flat finish but comes in many colours.”

Interior designer Kelly James loves to team polished surfaces with natural furnishings like wooden stools, and low-level lighting

2 GOT A LIGHT?

“Industrial, oversized lighting is still on trend,” continues Kelly. “Hung low over a dining table it looks great, and offers low-level lighting while you eat. Glass shades are also popular, and look great hung in a row over a dining table or breakfast bar. The advantage of glass shades is they don’t block light: modern kitchens at the rear of a house often look onto a garden, and these type of shades don’t obscure the view.”

3 LOOKING ROSY

Rose gold is the official colour of 2016 – it started with jewellery, then moved onto the catwalk. It’s now making a statement in homes, especially kitchens. Dino Mussel from Parlour Farm Kitchens in Cirencester says: “Kitchen trends for 2016 are moving away from the chrome and brushed finishes, and into brand new golden accents: rose gold, copper and polished brass are the way to go.

These finishes are now available in everything from hinges to taps.”

THE KITCHEN HOUR Mains

Shaker-style is out, and modern, fluid lines are in – get the heart of your home looking cool with these ten tips from Cotswold design folk who know a thing or two about amazing kitchens...

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From top, clockwise: range cookers prove popular investments, as the housing market forces people to commit earlier to their ‘forever home’; open shelving shows off your pretty wares (just keep it tidy!); grey is here to stay (both bottom images, toast.com)

8 IN YOUR RANGE

“Due to financial constraints, younger consumers seem to be missing the ‘starter home’ and buying the family home or ‘forever’ home sooner,” reckons David Thacker, marketing manager at AGA Rangemaster.

“They are looking to spend a bit more on the right product that’s going to last, and are installing range cookers, traditional or modern, as the statement piece in a room.”

9 HERE TO STAY: GREY

When it comes to colour it’s grey all the way, says designer at Barbury Kitchens, Bridget Hall. “Any shade, any texture of grey is good,” she says. “The beauty of grey is that it is still neutral and complements any other colour.”

10 RELAX, MAN

4 SINK IT

When it comes to kitchens, Jason Homer, senior designer at Hunt Bespoke, says it’s all about creating a timeless look with modern twists.

Becoming more popular, he says, are “modern composite worktops with under-mount sinks”. These sinks are mounted below a solid work surface, rather than sitting on top of it, creating a continuous flow from counter into sink and giving a subtle and elegant look.

5 INDUSTRIAL CHIC

“Many of our clients are looking to create spaces with a commercial or industrial theme,” says Charlie Adeney from Hutchinson Furniture & Interiors.

“They choose worktops that look like concrete, or are made from wrapped steal or copper. High-quality, manmade quartz or resin-based options like Silestone, Corian and a product called Minerva are gaining popularity, meaning we are now able to find the perfect worktop for any style.”

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6 EASY ACCESS

“Clean, modern-style kitchens with flat panels are very current,” continues Charlie from Hutchinson. “As are finger pulls or push-to-open mechanisms, which are often used instead of conventional handles.”

7 METALLIC MADNESS

Sarah James, kitchen designer at John Lewis of Hungerford, has spotted a big trend for metallics recently: “Beautiful antique glass splashbacks are one of the most on-trend additions to feature in the kitchen this year, and hints of metallic or copper finishes in the glass make for an elegant focal point. Another metallic trend will be the use of copper accents in worktops.

“For those who are slightly less brave, but still want to incorporate the metallic trend into their kitchens, try metallic handles on your cabinets.”

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As a professional food photographer snapping some of the hottest chefs in the biz, Kirstie Young gets to nose around a lot of nice kitchens. She says: “There is a move away from traditionally fitted kitchens to an eclectic mix of reclaimed tiles and cupboards, industrial shelving and mismatched crockery. Open shelving is replacing blank fronted cupboards in many kitchens, as a way to show off handmade or vintage crockery.”

Quick!

Pop these contacts in your book…

AGA Rangemaster; rangemaster.co.uk Barbury Kitchens, Wroughton SL4 9LX; barburykitchens.co.uk Hunt Bespoke Kitchens & Interiors, Bloxham OX15 4LT; huntbespokekitchens.com Hutchinson Furniture & Interiors, Long Compton CV36 5JL; hutchinsonfurniture.co.uk John Lewis of Hungerford, Cirencester GL7 2AA; john-lewis.co.uk Kirstie Young Photography, Bristol; kirstieyoungphotography.com Parlour Farm, Cirencester GL7 1YT; parlourfarm.com Shadow Play Design, Cheltenham GL50 2XG; shadowplaydesign.co.uk

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Mains

The GReAT

british

BOOK OFF Cheltenham Literature Festival is just around the corner and – with plenty of fab foodie guests showing their faces – there’s tons to get you thinking, and eating, says Laura Page 56

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e’re all buzzing over the line-up at the upcoming The Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival, arriving in October – but not, we must confess, because of all the amazing literary writers that are expected. Oh, they’re all talented lads and lasses, no doubt – but cookbooks are huge business these days too, and Cheltenham’s leafy Montpellier district, and its decadent Spiegeltent in particular (ground zero for the fest, and decked out with mirrors and stained glass), will be fit-to-bursting with foodie writers too, all keen to impart their wisdom and passion.

The 10-day event, which runs Friday 7 to Sunday 16 October, would seem to have more foodie guests than ever this year, including such big names as Ella Mills (aka Deliciously Ella) – Insta-celebrity and bestselling health food author – and Marcus Wareing, Michelin-starred chef and MasterChef judge, as well plenty of up-and-comers you maybe don’t know about yet, but are sure to enjoy once you do.

Certainly, those queuing up for food inspiration will not be disappointed, whether you’re looking to up your recipe repertoire, find new ways with ingredients, hear heart-warming or hilarious tales, or just discover more modern cooking methods.

Clean eating has been a big thing in 2016, for instance, and amongst those promoting health trends, alongside the aforementioned Ella, is Joe Wicks – or, as he likes to be known, ‘The Body Coach’.

(That’s him dancing away at the top there.) Together, they’ll provide sparking motivation and tips to help you achieve a healthier body and mind.

As for building your culinary skills, heroes such as legendary, award-winning food author Diana Henry, and the 2015 Bake Off winner, Nadiya Hussain, will be showing off recipes from new books, as well as sharing their best tips and tricks – all accompanied by top-notch food and drink, naturally. (Don’t miss Nadia’s afternoon tea in the Spiegeltent.)

Elsewhere, award-winning food critic Jay Rayner brings an intriguing theory to the table, which might

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be just the thing for those searching for something a little bit different. In his book, The Ten (Food) Commandments, he comes up with some amusing yet insightful eating ideas, including worshipping leftovers and always eating with your hands. He’ll reveal all as you linger over a three-course dinner.

Not only does the festival open its arms to all ages and interests, but it embraces a huge array of cultures too. Miriam González Durántez’s (that’s right, Nick Clegg’s wife) takes you on a culinary tour of Spain (complete with two courses), and Sabrina Ghayour gives you a taste of the Middle East while imparting her knowledge of transforming cupboard staples into something delicious through the power of spices.

Tickets for Italian chef Antonio Carluccio’s talk, meanwhile, include a two-course lunch and wine.

Need something to keep the little ’uns entertained?

Then head over to the ‘Hyde and Squeak Family Brunch’ with children’s author/illustrator Fiona Ross.

There’s a tasty breakfast to be had, and goody bags to take away, plus captivating spoken word stories.

Mums should head over to ‘Still Knackered: A Night Out For Mums’, which promises a fun, feisty panel including Sarah Turner, Francesca Hornak, Hollie McNish and Bryony Gordon. It’s all accompanied by wine and nibbles. As for dads, perhaps try ‘Book And A Bottle’, where Damian Barr and Lionel Shriver chat about their novels over wine tasting. Or maybe join Marcus Brigstocke’s Big Sunday Brunch, which combines a full English with an entertaining review of the week’s papers.

Festival line-ups this year aren’t complete without something cool and Scandi, and this is no exception: best-selling Icelandic and Swedish authors will talk ‘Cool Crime from Cooler Countries’, and their presentations will be teamed with ‘towering smorgasbords’ to complete the experience.

Sounds good, doesn’t it? This Lit Fest is one of the oldest book events there is, having run successfully since 1949. It’s not one to miss out on, then – especially when the menu looks this hot. ✱ cheltenhamfestivals.com/literature

Afters NEW RESTAURANTS DEVOURED, NEW BARS CRAWLED, NEW SHOPS EXPLORED, AND EVERYTHING REVIEWED AND RATED

Highlights CURRY UP!

Don’t miss the new menu at Prithvi, Cheltenham Page 60

ONE FINE DAY When it comes to the interiors and the dining, everything’s fine at The Greenway

LUNCH STOP For a light bite with kiddie distractions, Cogges Kitchen is it Page 65

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There’s style in swathes at The Greenway

Including…

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deep-fried palate cleanser (much better than a sorbet)

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Af ters

( G R E AT R E S TA U R A N T S )

PRITHVI

Amazingly fresh produce elevated by balmy, fragrant flavours, and served up by the slickest front of house team – it’s Prithvi, of course, says Charlie Lyon

✱ PRITHVI, 37 Bath Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL53 7HG; 01242 226229; prithvirestaurant.com

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( feature )

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e talk a lot about Prithvi in this magazine. The name often crops up in our Little Black Book interviews, for one thing, as it’s repeatedly recommended by Cotswold foodie folk as the ‘best curry’ in the region. But calling it just that is doing Prithvi a disservice, really. (We should really change the question to ‘best Indian fine-dining experience’, and fill it in automatically for each of our interviewees.) Prithvi’s been open for four years now, but apparently people aren’t tiring of it. In fact, the restaurant’s going from strength to strength, winning gastro gongs in the last couple of months, including the ‘Fit for Foodies’ title in the National Restaurant Awards.

Part of Prithvi’s success is down to the fact the menu is regularly updated in line with the changing seasons, bringing repeat custom and encouraging a loyal following to build. Right now the summer menu is in full swing.

From the road, the restaurant is modest – fronted with windows encased in a plain black surrounds, the name whited out in an understated sans-serif font. It gives nothing away as to the grand experience you get inside.

On a warm Tuesday night we are ushered in to a neutral, clean and

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modern space that leaves room for the service and the food to take centre stage. The restaurant is full – couples celebrating anniversaries, and small groups toasting milestone birthdays.

Under the watchful eye of immaculately turned out manager Jay Rahman, the service is consistently swift and polished – no request is too big, and no detail overlooked.

The a la carte menu here is wellconstructed, with four starters averaging £10 each, and a perfect mix of six mains to suit all tastes – land, sea and field – coming in between £14.50 and £19.50.

For adventurers, the ‘Prithvi Tour’ tasting menu is the obvious choice – five courses (with a couple of surprises) for £43 and an optional wine flight (mainly white today, to complement the light summer dishes) for an additional £36.

T – the Yorkshireman in tow – is probably happiest to see that, despite the frippery, poppadums and condiments (£3.50) are on the menu too. He’s more than crestfallen, though. when I forbid the ordering of them.

The meal kicks off with mini balls of salmon croquette balancing on a good dab of creamy raita teamed with mini shells of spinach and coriander mousse: two bites of fragrant moreishness to get the juices going. (Better than poppadoms, T? Reluctantly, he concurs.)

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Next, an appetiser of brown shrimp consists of a huge spoonful of the fresh and fragrant salty crustaceans, teamed with baby asparagus and a perfectly creamy quail’s egg. Floral lemon balm wafts from somewhere in the dish.

There’s unbelievably succulent Cotswold chicken that tastes of a life well led. Here it’s dressed up with red chilli and star anise, a streak of wild garlic adding another flash of flavour.

There’s pani puri (Indian street food) next, fresh and cleansing with shallot and chickpea in a sour and spicy sauce.

Meaty halibut is brought to life with a mustard jus and tangy sea purslane.

Tender venison comes next, given back its sprightly youth with a soft fruit sauce and delicate plum segments.

For pudding, more French than Indian, is croustillant – buttery pecan and hazelnut crisps layered with white chocolate mousse and daubs of salted caramel. It’s a shame not to experience the more authentic-sounding cardamom-infused doughnuts or pistachio cake on offer, but, to be honest, this is a fine sweet.

With world wines to complement each course, every taste is a journey into the refined exotic. One meal here and you’ll be queuing up to join the band of loyal followers Prithvi has gathered in its last four years.

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( G A R D E N R E S TA U R A N T )

THE GREENWAY There’s a modern menu that’s mainlining colour and pizazz into the fine-dining offering at The Greenway Hotel in Cheltenham, says Amy Fleming

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Af ters

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ou can’t see The Greenway from the road, so expectation builds all the way down its long, shady driveway. And eventually, when the Elizabethan manor appears in plain sight, it doesn’t disappoint, with its imposing facade and mullioned windows softened by romantic swathes of ivy and roses.

The Greenway has two main eateries: the Orchard Brasserie, and the finedining Garden Restaurant, which is where we are indulging on this sunny summer’s evening. They have chosen the perfect spot for the restaurant, at the back of the house, where the views are spectacular. The French doors are thrown open, letting in a welcome breeze and leading to the terrace – a pretty stone affair with a neat pond covered with water lilies. Beyond are eight acres of grounds (anyone for pre-dinner croquet?), and grazing cows can be seen on the gentle slopes in the distance. In short: bucolic bliss.

The room itself is old-school plush, with chandeliers, heavy curtains, and high-backed chairs, upholstered in velvet. Vibe-wise, it feels quiet when we arrive, and we notice we’re not the only table talking in whispers, although the mood soon lightens as a few larger groups arrive.

In contrast to the decor, the menu is zingy and summery. We are intrigued by the velouté of pea and coconut, but I opt instead for the Devon crab salad, which isn’t as simple as it sounds, married with refreshing elderflower foam, salty olives and a kick of chilli. In fact, it looks nothing like a crab salad when it arrives, covered in the foam and decorated with three tiny purple flowers. Every mouthful is a delicate dance of wellbalanced flavours.

My companion’s cured Loch Duart salmon is equally good. It comes chopped and moulded into a circle like a steak tartare, with tiny zingy cubes of nectarine and delicate white slivers of crunchy almond, all drizzled with an elderflower reduction.

Summer on a plate.

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My main course of poached and roasted cod, with confit tomatoes, tapenade, borlotti beans and basil, leaves me greedily wanting more. The hunk of fish is moist, silky and just a little browned for extra flavour. The beans come in a jus, which is suitably light but still umami enough to warrant sopping up with bread, and the show-stopping tomatoes make me want to demand their recipe there and then. Fresh basil compliments the tomatoes with aplomb, and their intensity is matched beautifully by the tapenade. My glass of understated chablis goes swimmingly with both my courses, and feels just right for a grand summer’s dinner.

My companion’s Cotswold lamb chump is perfectly pink and tender, and can be dipped in either meat juices, mushy Iranian-style aubergine, goats’ yoghurt or – why not? – all blooming three at once. Another hit.

Beware: the puddings are pretty full on. My companion’s caramelised banana comes with chocolate, cremaux and condensed milk caramel, not to mention garnishes of fresh basil and roasted peanuts. New head chef Marcus McGuinness (Claude Bosi is one of his former mentors) has rendered this classic campfire dessert almost elegant.

I am ashamed to admit that my dark chocolate delice with salted caramel and malt defeats me. I love the contrast of textures, from powder to crunch to creamy chocolate, but the malt gets to me after a while, and, as a massive salted caramel fan, I want more salt.

Despite these personal peccadillos not being quite satisfied, I do manage to enjoy rather a lot of it, and it is, as I mentioned, full on. Big enough to share, for sure – but when it’s three courses for £55, you might as well go the whole hog and have a pudding each.

✱ THE GREENWAY HOTEL & SPA, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL51 4UG; 01242 862352; thegreenwayhotelandspa.com

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Kineton, Guiting Power, Cheltenham, Glos GL54 5UG www.thehalfwayhousekineton.co.uk info@thehalfwayhousekineton.co.uk 01451 850344

‘Rumour has it they do the best Sunday Roast in the County’

LUNCH SPECIALS FROM £5

KIDS EAT FREE ON SUNDAYS

Our Beef is Outstanding in its Field

“Excellent Sunday lunch” Reviewed 3 weeks ago

Thank you for a very good Sunday lunch today.

Faultless food, excellent service by happy helpful staff, and very good value for a high quality meal.

“Excellent gluten free food!”

Reviewed 3 weeks ago

“Dog friendly fantastic pub” Reviewed 12 June

Went for Sunday lunch with some friends after a long dog walk, Sunday roast as always was fantastic, staff very attentive without being overbearing, I can recommend this pub and a bonus the dog can come as well, table booking essential to avoid disappointment.

Dadinchelt A swift pint and one of the best roasts I’ve in the county! @ halfwayhousekineton #sunday #sundayroast #donningtonbrewery #beer #roast #dinner #beef #kineton #thecotswolds

SERVING LUNCH & DINNER

A historic country pub situated on the Bath road outside Nailsworth Great Steaks, Real Ale and a Friendly Vibe

01453 839 949 | info@tipputsgrill.com www.tipputsgrill.com The Tipputs Inn, Tiltups end, Horsley GL6 0QE

A C OU N T RY P U B I N T H E H E A RT OF T H E C OTS WO L D S

Family run country pub situated in the village of Andoversford.

Situated in the village of Oakridge Lynch, we serve fresh home cooked food & real ales.

Find fine dining inspired dishes mixed with pub classic, all expertly cooked and presented, using locally sourced beef and pork.

Great selection of cask ales and fine wines.

Call for a reservation: 01242 821426 email: theroyaloakandoversford@gmail.com www.theroyaloakcotswolds.co.uk

The Quoin – Our Self Catering cottage is ideal for overnight stays and weekends away in the heart of the Cotswolds.

The Butchers Arms | Oakridge Lynch | Stroud | Glos | GL6 7NZ Tel: 01285 760371 | alison@butchersarmsoakridge.com

www.butchersarmsoakridge.com

( feature )

( G R E AT C A F E S )

COGGES KITCHEN

Af ters

Fuel your great day out at Cogges Manor Farm with a brunch or lunch stop at this cool cafe that’s under new owners, says Charlie Lyon

R

ecently, they’ve been doing a good cup of coffee at Cogges Kitchen – the busy café at the heart of Cogges Manor Farm in Witney. Even on a hot July day, punters are carrying them out into the garden by the trayful, and always accompanied by a fat bit of cake – sticky ginger or uber-moist lemon drizzle with thick wedges of sweet/tart sugar on top.

But it’s not surprising, really, as the café is now being run by Rob Tudgey and partner Sarah McLean, the duo behind brilliant Coffeesmiths in Witney.

The pair, who also operate their own catering company, stormed in a few months ago, updating the interiors to a contemporary haven of sanded-back wood, whitewashed beams and fairy lights. The outdoor space is lovely too – with enclosed kids’ play area and picnic benches on a swish gravel courtyard.

You’ll find the cafe at Cogges Manor Farm a sanctuary for kids at a loose end, with petting animals and an adventure playground. Since Rob and Sarah have

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taken over, the café has really stepped up its food offering too. There are now meals for just £2.50 for the little ones (“all homemade food we’d feed to our own children,” promises Sarah) and some tasty grub for grown-ups too.

Apparently we’re too old for the £2.50 menu, so we peruse the main one, which focuses on cooked farmhouse brekkies (brought up to the present day with toasted sourdough and roasted tomatoes). There are ‘on-toast’ brunch items and homemade sarnies, soups and salads that are freshly made that day, and a few specials too.

It’s hot today, so the salads are a welcome sight. As are the cool drinks.

We kick off with ice-cold apple juice and a vanilla milkshake served up in jam jars with straws – so far, so kitsch.

There’s a pretty good wine list to boot too, and, of course, the excellent coffee.

Drinks having brought down body temperatures, we’re now in better minds to think about food. Good thick slabs of ciabatta with flavoursome

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tomatoes, plenty of garlic and, hurrah, torn mozzarella make up the bruschetta (£5) that’s big enough to keep you going till dinner. It’s good and fresh and not too oily. The pear and goats’ cheese salad (£7) comes with home-grown courgettes from the kitchen garden. It’s piled high, with fresh country garden flavour and just the right amount of creamy indulgence from the cheese.

Time ticks away in this place and, hey, when we finish eating and gabbing it’s coffee o’clock. Rumours of how good Sarah’s homemade cinnamon buns are echo around Oxfordshire – rumours which we can now verify are correct.

With their catering business now picking up speed, it seems this dedicated duo are causing a stir in east Cotswolds, and rightly so. Make a trip soon to get a bite of the action for yourself. ✱ COGGES KITCHEN, Cogges Manor Farm, Church Lane, Witney OX28 3LA; 01993 772602; cogges.org.uk/cogges-kitchen

Little black book Sometimes Nick Deverell-Smith, owner and head chef at The Churchill Arms, gets to take time out, and here’s where he heads to…

A GOOD BREAKFAST?

Quick!

Now add this little lot to your contacts book Huxleys, Chipping Campden GL55 6AL; huxleys.org Drinkwaters, Chipping Campden GL55 6BW; drinkwatersfruitveg.com Milton Stanford, Knowl Hill RG10 8QS; miltonsandfordwines.com The Wild Rabbit, Kingham OX7 6YA; thewildrabbit.co.uk Horse and Groom, Bourton-on-theHill; horseandgroom.info Soho Farmhouse, Chipping Norton OX7 4JS; sohofarmhouse.com Restaurant 56, Sudbury House, Faringdon SN7 7AA; restaurant56.co.uk Butty’s, Chipping Campden GL55 6DZ; 01386 840401 Pen Yen at Soho Farmhouse, Chipping Norton OX7 4JS; sohofarmhouse.com Old Butchers, Stow-on-the-Wold GL54 1AQ; theoldbutchers.com No 131 and Crazy Eights, Cheltenham GL50 1NW; no131.com Nick’s mum’s gaff; address withheld Cotswold Wildlife Park, Burford OX18 4JP; cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk Talli Joe, London WC2H 8HL; tallijoe.com The Churchill Arms, Paxford GL55 6XH; churchillarms.co

I don’t often get chance to eat breakfast out, as I’m usually cooking for my guests.

However, on my day off – Monday – you can find me at Huxleys in Chipping Campden. Scrambled eggs, cured bacon and avocado every time!

FAVOURITE GROCERY SHOP?

I always go to Drinkwaters in Chipping Campden for my fruit and veg – it’s all local, and as fresh as you can get.

BEST WINE MERCHANT?

This is an easy one! Milton Stanford are my wine suppliers. I couldn’t ask for more from them. Stan and his team are a big part of what we do here at The Churchill Arms, and they always make sure that the wine we serve here matches the high standard of the food.

SUNDAY LUNCH?

The Wild Rabbit in Kingham. The food is always so tasty!

FOOD ON THE GO?

I like Butty’s sandwich shop in Chipping Campden. It’s very simple, but it hits the spot!

AL FRESCO FEASTING?

Pen Yen, the Japanese restaurant, has just opened – and it’s amazing, I love the sushi and soft shell crab. It’s also in the most beautiful setting.

HIDDEN GEM?

The Old Butchers in Stow – maybe not hidden, exactly, but my go-to place.

WITH FRIENDS?

I like No.131 in Cheltenham. It has a real buzz to it, and lots of young people. I love the décor, too – it’s cool!

COMFORT FOOD?

My mum honestly cooks the most amazing spaghetti bolognese – I have it once a week!

WITH THE FAMILY?

QUICK PINT?

I am not a big beer drinker, but Will and Tom at The Horse and Groom in Bourton-on-the-Hill know a thing or two about a great pint.

CHEEKY COCKTAIL?

Soho Farmhouse do some fantastic cocktails, and I love the atmosphere there – it’s always really buzzing on the weekends!

POSH NOSH?

Restaurant 56 is great for a special occasion. Andrew Scott is a top cook!

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I have two nephews and a niece, and we love going to the Cotswold Wildlife Park – it’s a great family day out.

BEST CURRY?

Talli Joe on Shaftesbury Avenue in London – I got taken by Eric Chavot [French Michelin chef] last week. Amazing!

SOMETHING SWEET?

Churchill chocolate pudding for two at our gaff, The Churchill Arms in Paxford.

It’s seriously to die for! ✱ churchillarms.co

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