Crumbs Cotswolds – issue 57

CRUMBS Cotswolds NO.57 AUGUST 2017

WE’RE HAPPY AS PIGS IN MUCK!

A little slice of foodie heaven

Yes, it was te qui r I hea you went sty-lish! to Percy Pig’s new house?

NO.57 AUGUST 2017

WHAT ER! A PORK

1HA4M-TASTIC RECIPTHEES

BaRK LIFE! MeET The TOP dOGs aT OUR FAVE PUBs

& Cafés

REVIEWED!

• COTSWOLD

GRANGE HOTEL • THE OLIVE TREE • THE BEAR OF RODBURGH

FROMION’s REG OKs BEST CO

MUST LOVE HOGS

PLUS!

LOOK WHO’S PORKING! hOW

FROM BACON TO BANGERS, GAMMON TO HAM, WE CELEBRATE

TO COOK ThE CUTS, BY •WhaTLeY MaNOR •The Ox CheLTeNhAM • COURT FaRM ShOP

crumb smag. c

om

PiG y d d Da

AND! EAT

LIKE A PIG aT TOdeNhaM

MaNOR FaRM

hOT DIGGITY hOG!

Indeed, eat the pigs!

“IT WAS FILTHY E E” WHEN WE GOT HER H TV’s NICK DEVERELL-SMIT TALKS THE RISE (AND RISE) OF

THE CHURCHILL ARMS

GettinG piGGy with it WHENEVER I THINK ABOUT PIGS (in meaty terms), I’m reminded of that episode of The Simpsons where Homer fails to believe that pork, bacon and ham can all come from “some wonderful, magical animal”.

Because, let’s face it, in edible terms pigs are about as magical as it gets. I don’t think there’s any other beast that’s quite so eminently edible from nose to tail. And Homer’s missed some of the best bits off his list, too. (Imagine just how blown his mind would be if he realised that ribs, black pudding, lardo and crackling also all come from a pig.)

That’s why this issue is a real celebration of the power of the porcine. As well as a piggy star on the cover, we’ve visited top pork producer Irayne Paikin at Todenham Manor Farm, and asked our favourite experts for the best ways to cook the cuts.

It’s not all about the trotters this issue, though. We also chat to Nick Deverell-Smith of The Churchill Arms at Paxford and meet some of the pampered pooches who reside in the Cotswolds’ hotels, pubs and restaurants. Superstars, the lot of them.

Plenty to get your teeth into, then!

Emma Dance Editor emma.dance@mediaclash.co.uk

Crumbs is now an app!

Search ‘Crumbs’, or go to crumbsmag.com

3

CRUMBSMAG.COM

crumbsmag.com EDITOR

EMMA DANCE emma.dance@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

KIRSTIE HOWE kirstie.howe@mediaclash.co.uk

Table of Contents NO.57 AUGUST 2017

PRODUCTION DESIGNER

DAWN GOOLD dawn.goold@mediaclash.co.uk CHIEF EXECUTIVE

STARTERS

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

large version

© 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 have been properly embracing the field to fork ethos, meeting (and eating – yes, we feel guilty) lots of gorgeous pigs!

ADDITIONAL RECIPES

MAINS 50 COOK THE CUTS All. The. Pig.

12 OPENINGS ETC Food news to peruse

23 Spiced roasted cauliflower with harissa and pomegranate yoghurt, by Miles Kirby, Laura Harper-Hinton and Chris Ammermann

14 IN THE LARDER Proper pigging out

34 Beans and peas with goats’ cheese, by Kathy Slack

18 SIX PACK Top Cotswolds caterers

44 Thai-inspired pork pancakes, by Irayne Paikin

CHEF!

KITCHEN ARMOURY

8 HERO INGREDIENT The power of pig

Amazing recipes from the region’s top kitchens 28 Railway lamb curry,

by Litu Mohiuddin 30 Melon and elderflower sorbet with tarragon,

by Robert Goves

39 COOKS WITH Making porcine pals at Todenham Manor Farm 46 THE WANT LIST Getting piggy with it

32 Pimm’s Jelly 2017,

by Joe Parkes

5

CRUMBSMAG.COM

54 IN THE SPOTLIGHT Nick Deverell-Smith gets Grilled 56 BARKS AND RECREATION Meet the pub pooches!

AFTERS

New & notable restaurants, cafés, bars 60 Cotswold Grange 62 The Olive Tree 64 The Bear of Rodburgh PLUS

66 LITTLE BLACK BOOK Simon Thomson of Cotswold RAW shares his fave hangouts

START E RS INNOVATIONS, REVELATIONS AND TASTY AMUSE-BOUCHES

PORKLIFE

Farms Not Factories has launched a new campai gn to promote ethical farm reared pigs over factoryproduced pork – and it has the backing of top chefs and farmers, including Mark Hix, Hugh Fearnley-Wittingst all and Helen Browning (wh o happens to have her org anic farm right on our patch!).

They’ve all signed up to help the cause, making videos which enc ourage shoppers to choose hig h welfare meat. And that’s for reason s concerning both ethics and quality.

Aside from the effects tha t short lifespan, cramped conditi ons and stress has on the me at, the antibiotics which pigs are regularly fed with in factory conditi ons are also detrimental to the qua lity of the pork. Helen says: “Some people are concerned about the cos t of eating organic pork, but for the sake of our pigs and the environme nt – and our own health, too – we should be eating less but better qua lity meat, ideally organic. Most farm ers would like to cater for this, but we really need to expand the marke t before farmers can be expected to change their ways.” farmsnotfactories.org

7

CRUMBSMAG.COM

S T A R T E R S

PIG

88

CRUMBSMAG.COM CRUMBSMAG.COM

THERE’S AN ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE WHERE DOMESTICATED PIGS ARE LIKE DOGS, AND NO HOME IS COMPLETE WITHOUT ONE. (GEORGE CLOONEY USED TO FAMOUSLY LIVE THERE.) IN OUR UNIVERSE, HOWEVER, THEY’RE SIMPLY THE MOST AMAZING – AND AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS – MEAT SOURCE KNOWN TO MAN….

w

e’ve been eating semi-domesticated pigs since perhaps as early as 9000BC, when Britain was still attached to Europe, and animal husbandry more or less began – a time when the human population of the world was fewer than we’ve currently got in London.

Hugely popular in both the West and the Far East – it’s actually the world’s most popular meat – it gets a trickier ride where those two worlds meet, as Islam, Judaism and some Christian sects all forbid us from eating it. Indeed, pork’s virtually impossible to find, and is even illegal, across much of the Middle East. Blame strangely specific passages from Leviticus and Deuteronomy, referring to the impure combination of “split hooves” and “not bringing up its cud”, for the Jewish (and some Christian) distaste – this means camels are also not kosher, but sheep and cows are – and more specific pork-naming passages in the Quran for the Islamic rejection of pig meat.

The first domestic pigs? Probably tamed Chinese wild boar, which were soon found to be adaptable, clever (more so than the average dog), usefully omnivorous (pigs made for good early rubbish disposal units, keeping settlements clean and producing useful fertiliser as they did so) and of reasonably manageable size, making them much easier to domesticate that more unwieldy rivals like cattle.

The beauty of the pig, of course, is not just that it tastes delicious, but that every part of the beast can be eaten, from the nose to the ears, the belly to the loin, the trotters to

9

the tail. (There’s not much meat in those curly little fellas, in fairness, but it’s always nice and crisp when roasted or fried and has a particularly strong flavour.)

And it doesn’t end there, for pig hide makes for good shoes (or shields), their bones can be turned into tools (or weapons) – and even their bristles make for decent brushes. Early man was in hog heaven with these things.

And, in time, we’ve even learned that the way pigs snuffle around searching for edible roots can be useful too, churning up the ground for easier ploughing, and uncovering the odd delicious truffle en route.

Though a year-round ingredient these days, pork was – for much of British history – a cold weather dish, pigs being born in the spring, growing in summer, and ready for slaughter at the end of the year. It’s one reason why apples, another autumn crop, were not only a traditional pigfattening food, but also became a classic culinary pairing with fresh pork, from apple sauce to simply sticking one in a suckling pig’s gob – thus, in slightly macabre fashion, your porker is eating its symbiotic food in both life and death.

WHEN BUYING PORK you generally want neat, moist, deep-pink cuts – nothing too clammy or oily, or grey or red come to that. In the main, the longer, more interesting life a pig has led, the deeper pink the flesh will be, and the tastier. Rare-breed pigs carry more fat (which keeps the meat succulent in cooking), take longer to mature than commercial types, and are mostly better cared for too.

CRUMBSMAG.COM

S T A R T E R S

Big lumps of pork store well in the coldest space in the fridge – think up to five days – while mince and smaller cuts are better eaten more or less straight away. This said, pork is also happy to be frozen.

And then there’s cooking the thing. There are two basic ways to roast your pig: slowly at low heat, or fast at a higher one. Stewing or casseroling works – not least on the tougher cuts like shoulder, which are rendered rich and tender – and pork also responds well to grilling, barbecue, spit-roasting, frying and stir-fry, where strips of pork cook lickety-split. Basically, if it heats the meat, it’ll work with pig.

BUT THERE’S MORE to pigs than just pork. Take, for instance, charcuterie – ‘cooked flesh’ in the French – which revolves around prepared meat products, mostly variations on pig. Think ham, sausages, bacon, terrines, pâtés and endless variations on the cured meat theme – most of them originally ways to keep beast flesh edible before refrigeration, but now prized for their flavours and textures.

Ham, for instance, is pork preserved through salting, smoking or wet curing – and, originally, specifically referred to the meat from a pig’s hind leg (‘ham’ is derived from the old English term for the bend of the knee). It’s especially delicious paired with cheese, perhaps as a pizza topping or in a croque-monsieur.

Bacon, meanwhile, is cured pork from side, back or belly cuts – either smoked or unsmoked – often sold in

10

thin slices, or ‘rashers’, for frying or grilling. And sausages, with their endless variations, are usually cylinders of ground pork with salt, spices and breadcrumbs in a thin, edible casing of intestine or similar – far more delicious, of course, than it sounds. Originally a way of using up less-than-appetising fat, blood, organs and meat scraps, they are one of the oldest prepared foods, referenced in Homer’s Odyssey – and virtually every culture has generated its own variations, from the Spanish chorizo to the Italian salami, the German Blutwurst to the Polish kielbasa.

SO, WHAT’S THE health situation like? Well, there’s no shortage of both good and bad, it seems.

Though it’s leaner than most red meats, pork is still high in cholesterol and saturated fat – but there’s plenty of protein in it too (and zinc, plus assorted B Vitamins, like thiamine), great for energy production. And studies appear to show that while too much plain, unmarinated pork might be a bad idea, marinating (and other traditional prep methods, as you’d find in ‘uncured’ bacon and hams) seems to alleviate most issues.

All things in moderation then, we’d say. Look at the famously long-lived Okinawans – these guys, from one of the southwest Japanese islands, oulast just about everybody, and supplement their largely vegetarian diets with a reasonable amount of fish and (marinated) pork.

As with a few things Japanese, you could do a lot worse, we reckon, than follow their lead…

CRUMBSMAG.COM

S T A R T E R S

FANTASTIC FEASTS

There’s not much not to love about a good barbie. (Are we right?) This summer, The Fish Hotel in Broadway is taking barbecues to another level with its new feasting deck.

The brand new deck of deliciousness allows groups of guests, from 10 people up to 20, to enjoy an indulgent threecourse barbecue spread prepared by the chef and his team. With charcoal and wood-fired ovens, and a state-of-the-art Weber barbecue on hand, the chef and his team will prepare an alfresco feast in front of the group, whilst sharing their top tips. (Sounds ace, doesn’t it? Well, that’s not all...) Diners will also have the chance to get stuck in and join the chef at the grill for a hands-on lesson in the art of barbecue. Or they can simply sit back and enjoy a glass of Pimm’s or wine.

A three-course barbecue feast costs £39.50pp, excluding drinks – so get a few mates together and get down there! thefishhotel.co.uk

the

instA FEED

@tesslister What is a salad without cheese?

Here’s a baked peach and burrata salad with toasted walnuts. Get the recipe from themillersdaughter.co.uk

SUMMER SIPS

The guys at Cotswolds Distillery have just launched the rather delicious Summer Cup. Made from a refreshing blend of their award-winning Cotswolds Dry Gin and handcrafted vermouth, topped with a touch of triple sec and a splash of their wonderful Spirited Sherry it is, we think, the perfect sip for summer. Owner of Cotswolds Distillery, Dan Szor says, “We’ve been tinkering with this one for weeks, so we’re thrilled to finally unveil it – it’s a limited release, available in our distillery shop and on our website.” cotswoldsdistillery.com/shop

@daylesfordfarm A tart that’s a true celebration of the mighty strawberry!

IN THE DIARY...

THE IVY LEAGUE

We are getting just a bit excited about The Ivy Brasserie coming to Cheltenham. The super-chic all-day dining venue will be opening at Rotunda Terrace in Montpellier, and although a date has not yet been set, we’ve been told that the plan is for a late autumn opening. We think it’s reason enough to start searching out your DJ or best frock and heels because, with oversized gilded mirrors, chandeliers, leather seating and deco tiling, it’s going to bring a wonderful bit of ritz to the town. ivycollection.com

12

CRUMBSMAG.COM

(August 4, 11, 18 & 25) MARKET GARDEN TOURS Join Daylesford Organic’s head gardener, Jez Taylor, for a tour of the market garden at Kingham, where more than 300 varieties of fruit, veg and salads are grown throughout the year.

Tours start at 2.30pm, and the best bit is they’re completely free! daylesford.com (August 25-27) THE BIG FEASTIVAL A fab fest of food and feel-good music on Alex James’ farm in Kingham, with tons of celebs and camping. thebigfeastival.com

S T A R T E R S

In the Larder 2

3 5

1

4

PIGGING Out

GET THESE PORKY TREATS IN YOUR LARDER PRONTO 1 FEELING SPOILT spoiltpig Smoked Back Bacon, £3.35/184g There’s been lots of talk about why eating meat that’s been given antibiotics is a mistake, so we think that spoiltpig’s bacon, which is raised without antibiotics, is probably a very good thing!

It’s cured by hand-rubbing with spoiltpig’s special salt cure, then being left to mature before being sliced. Order it from Ocado. spoiltpig.co.uk 2 TROT ON Mr Trotter’s Sausalami, £1.89 each Remember Peperami? Well, these are about a million times

better. Made from British pork and special seasonings, and then air dried (just like a salami), they’re an uber-tasty, proteinpacked on-the-go snack. There are three flavours – original, cracked black pepper, and our fave, a lip-smacking jalapeño – and you can get them (and other porky treats from Mr Trotter) at Gloucester Services. mrtrotters.com 3 CURE ALL Ross & Ross The Homemade Curing Kit… Bacon, £21 If you’ve ever fancied having a go at making your own bacon, well, now you can. This kit from Chipping Norton-based Ross &

14

Ross gives you everything you need (except the pork!) to make your own original, sweet and smoky cured bacon at home. And when you’ve done it, you can boast to your mates that you’re now a bona fide British artisan food producer! rossandrossfood.co.uk 4 GIVE A FIG Château Léoube Pork and Fig Terrine, £7.99/200g Château Léoube is Daylesford’s French sister estate, and this rather luscious and luxuriant terrine has been selected especially for them. The pork and fig combo is a total winner, with the juicy sweetness of figs an ace

CRUMBSMAG.COM

match with the meat. Munch it as a starter with salad, or on toast for a sophisticated snack. Pick some up at Daylesford Organic. daylesford.com 5 FAKE BAKE Seamore I Sea Bacon Seaweed Bacon, £5.99/75g Okay, so this isn’t actually bacon.

But it is actually seaweed – and, it turns out, it’s surprisingly good!

Fry it up and it goes all crispy, giving a tasty, salty, smoky kick. If you’ve got a veggie in your life, or if you’re just cutting back on the meaty munches, this is exactly what you need. Buy it from Whole Foods Market in Cheltenham. seamorefood.com

( A dvertising Feature )

Full of Eastern promise A Middle Eastern-inspired, fragrant cocktail made with Frobishers Pomegranate & Rose Cordial.

C

onjure up the exotic flavours of the East with this gorgeous cocktail recipe from Frobishers Cordials, featuring the fragrant flavours of Pomegranate and Rose. Easy to make and pleasing on the eye, this aromatic cocktail is sure to be a show-stopper at your next summertime party or family gathering.

Turkish Delight Ingredients: Glass: High Tumbler or Kilner Glass 25ml Frobishers Pomegranate & Rose Cordial 25ml Vodka Large squeeze of lime Lemonade or tonic water Ice Pomegranate seeds to decorate METHOD – In a cocktail shaker, shake the Pomegranate & Rose Cordial, vodka and large squeeze of lime with a few cubes of ice. Keep shaking until lovely & cold.

– Strain into your desired glass, top up with lemonade or tonic water & ice. Decorate with pomegranate seeds to impress your guests For more easy cocktail and mocktail inspiration, head to frobisherscordials.com to find a range of recipes featuring all of their imaginative flavours, including zingy Lemon & Mint, exotic Pomegranate & Rose, fruity Sloe & Raspberry, smooth Coconut & Kaffir Lime and juicy Peach & Lychee.

Plus stock up on Frobishers Cordials this summer at Waitrose with bottles on offer at £2.50 (RRP £3.25) until 8th August.

www.frobisherscordials.com

S T A R T E R S

Ask the Waitress Who knows the menu best? Who makes the greatest impact on your experience?

Who knows the menu best? Who is makes the greatest impact on your Front-of-house your friend! experience? Front-of-house is your friend!

And what’s the most challenging part of the job? Sometimes my feet feel the challenge! There’s a beautiful beer garden here, so when it’s busy I get a full work out running in and out with orders.

What sort of customers do you get? We get a diverse mix of people with a broad age range, which is really nice. Weekends are full of families dining, and we find a lot of birthdays get celebrated in the garden – and plenty of people have visited to see the art too, so it really varies.

What are the best-selling dishes at the moment? The panfried mackerel dish is very popular currently, but our steak and triple cooked chips is a favourite with a lot of customers!

And what are people quaffing? Tom Long and Budding from Stroud Brewery are popular ales, and we also sell a lot of gin and tonics – we have a lovely gin selection.

If you were a customer today, what would you order? The spiced crab cake starter, followed by Merguez sausages and lamb kofta as a main course.

What do you think makes the restaurant a special place to visit? The amazing food, the great design of the building – and the contemporary art. There’s always something new to look at here.

Our House

What do you think makes great customer service?

I think it’s important to be quick, calm, efficient and friendly.

Smiling is so important. I like to think I’m pretty good at remembering names too, so try to do that as much as I can.

SAY HELLO TO THE LOVELY KATY DONNELLY, BAR AND RESTAURANT SUPERVISOR AT BISLEY HOUSE

Where have you visited locally where the customer service was excellent? The service and surroundings at The Painswick never disappoint.

Hi Katy! So, how long have you worked at Bisley House?

I started here in March this year.

So you’re a relatively new addition to the team. Where were you before? I’ve been working with my sister, setting up an art agency – Donnelly Sisters. We curate and exhibit artwork from a host of brilliant artists. We currently have a display in Bisley House, our second exhibition there this year. There are nearly 20 different artists featured from Stroud and beyond.

That’s quite different from what you’re doing now, then!

What skills have you learnt since coming here? I have nearly completed my personal licence now, which is exciting.

What’s the best thing about this job? The people are great – and Lucas, the head chef, is the calmest chef I’ve ever worked for. It’s a homely, friendly vibe, like hanging out in a brilliant dining room – I wish it was in my house.

16

Where do you like to eat on your days off? I do love going to The Woolpack in Slad, or Dinner at Six in Stroud. There’s a new American diner opening soon in Stroud too, so can’t wait to go there for a good burger.

What do you cook at home? My signature dish at home is roasted sea bass with a lemon and caper sauce, and lots of green vegetables – it’s so tasty, and so good for you! bisleyhousecafe.co.uk

THIS COULD BE YOU! Contact emma.dance@mediaclash.co.uk

CRUMBSMAG.COM

1

2 Hey Pesto

Six Pack

PA RT Y TI M E

THROWING A SHINDIG, BUT DON’T LIKE TO BE STUCK IN THE KITCHEN? YOU’LL WANT TO HOOK UP WITH ONE OF THESE ACE CATERERS, THEN!

1 Ross & Ross Whether it be a festival-style barbecue, a relaxed sharing board supper or a fivecourse feast, Ross & Ross’ catering centres around three things: seasonal produce, quality ingredients, and making any event or wedding personal, memorable and unique.

This catering service for the Cotswolds has grown organically since opening in 2011, mainly through word-of-mouth recommendations from clients.

Ross & Ross creates bespoke menus tailored to personal preferences, budgets and dietary requirements. They can develop menus and canapés to different themes and tastes, and they provide a personalised wedding catering service. Produce is seasonal and sourced from well-established local suppliers and food producers, and they can also provide bar packages and a drinks service for all weddings and events. rossandrossfood.co.uk

18

CRUMBSMAG.COM

After running a successful restaurant for years, Chrissie Creed decided to embark upon a new adventure – outside catering.

A few years later she was joined by awardwinning chef Symon Gallagher, and ever since the company has been growing from strength to strength. Hey Pesto can cater for anything from a four-course fine dining banquet to relaxed and informal street food, but every job is given the same care and commitment, with a dedicated co-ordinator assigned to each client to help plan all the vital details.

Hey Pesto uses only the best ingredients, and the team loves to create the most exciting menus and food. Naturally, they’re happy to tailor menus to each individual client. heypestocatering.co.uk

3 Jacks Kitchen Rock ’n’ roll caterers Jacks Kitchen like to think they’ve got something for everyone, and make sure each event, wedding and private catering gig is the yummiest it can be.

Whether it’s a Thai banquet supper, seasonal

S T A R T E R S

5

2 fine dining dinner party, wood-fired pizza popup, canapé and fizz Christmas party, or a pie and mash wedfest, they will smash it for you.

The creative force behind Jacks is Chef Director Di Brindley, a top notch Michelin trained chef who earned her stripes working alongside many of the industry’s most revered names in London, Leeds and Australia.

She’s fanatical about delicious food and British produce, and champions everything Cotswolds, sourcing ingredients from local farmers, growers, suppliers and producers.

Co-founder Alex gives everything a quirky edge by making all the bespoke wooden boards and ceramics. For the bigger events they design and make the ‘pop-up’ elements, which can mean just about anything, from establishing a strong street food theme to digitally projecting sounds and dry ice vapour smells to deliver a truly all-senses sensation. jackskitchen.co.uk

4 Tailor Made Top Nosh Tailor Made Top Nosh is a small, privately run family business based near Burford on the edge of the Cotswolds, founded in 2009

by Paul Barnard. Paul is a chef with more than 45 years of experience, ranging from five-star London Hotels to his own Michelin starred and rosetted restaurant. In a bid to slow down a little, though, Paul and his wife, Peta, decided to step away from running their own restaurant and embarked on an outside catering career. The whole idea of slowing down went out the window in the first six months, mind you, but they have built up a thriving business catering across the country.

Paul is passionate about his food, sourcing first class ingredients, much of it locally produced, from a range of trusted farmers, growers and producers. Tailor Made Top Nosh designs bespoke menus for every client, so can cater for any budget and

3

5

4

6

occasion – and Paul and the gang are always happy to ‘go the extra mile’ to ensure that everything is as it should be. tailormadetopnosh.com

5 Foxy Ladies Foxy Ladies was established in 2002 with the aim of creating great tasting food to delight clients – and that’s exactly what they do!

Catering for anything from an intimate private lunch to a big wedding party, Sophie Meredith and her team make sure everything will not only taste delish, but look just as good, too. Having been in the business for more than a decade, Foxy Ladies has built up a huge network of contacts, so can help plan all aspects of your event – not just the food! foxyladies.co.uk

6 Rachel Wells Food Rachel Wells has been cooking professionally for 30 years, but she only set up her business, Rachel Wells Food, four years ago. In that time she’s built quite a reputation, with most of her clients coming through word-of-mouth.

Rachel can cater for all occasions, from

19

CRUMBSMAG.COM

weddings to shoot lunches, canapé parties and garden openings. She takes pride in the personal service she is able to offer, building a rapport with her clients and being involved in the whole process, from planning to execution.

Rachel’s all about cooking seasonally, and works closely with local suppliers to ensure she always has top notch ingredients to hand. rachelwellsfood.co.uk

S T A R T E R S

How have you approached the menu? I’ve come to learn that it’s best to keep things simple, allowing key ingredients to speak for themselves. People would much rather eat food cooked well, which they can understand and relate to, than be daunted by over-complicated menus and dishes. We have a regular local customer base, and it’s great nice to have so much support from the local community, but it also adds to the need for a constantly evolving menu and offering. I do a slightly more ‘fine dining’ menu on our Friday dinner nights, which allows me to showcase the best seasonal produce.

How many of you are there in the kitchen team? It’s just me and a kitchen porter as the only full time staff, but I have some part time help come in as well.

Which other local restaurants do you like to eat in? This is a tough one, as we live in an area where we are spoilt for choice. I enjoy returning to The Slaughters Manor House and Buckland Manor. I have worked at both of them, so it’s great to sample the head chefs’ latest menus.

What makes the local foodie scene so great? We are, of course, lucky to live in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and one blessed with so many wonderful producers, like Paddy and Steph of Cackleberry Farm, who supply us with their delicious CackleBean eggs.

BLOCK PARTY

What are your favourite ingredients at the moment? We’ve had some stunning local aspargus and strawberries come in, which I have utilised on our Friday dinner menus.

TA DA! IT’S ONLY CRAID STANLEY, DIRECTOR AND CHEF PATRON AT BLOCKLEY VILLAGE CAFÉ

Do you grow anything yourself? Well, I’m growing my first tomatoes this year, but finding time to grow much else is a challenge. However, I have a fantastic local allotment keeper, Harry Knight, who often pops in with some lovely vegetables that he’s grown.

Hi Craig! So tell us, what first inspired you to cook professionally? My first job was as a kitchen porter in a local pub when I was 15. It was that which first sparked my passion for cooking professionally. I saw the ‘buzz of the kitchen’, and how the chefs had a real influence and hands-on role in not just cooking a variety of dishes, but putting flavours together which their customers loved.

You’ve been in the industry a while, then. What’s the toughest job you’ve tackled so far? I started at Soho Farmhouse as a junior sous chef when it opened, so I was instrumental in the way the team operated and I ran several areas. The hotel was very busy from the start, and with a large team of chefs in several kitchens this wasn’t always easy. We were faced with several challenges as we tried to ensure smooth operations within a complex which had 24-hour kitchens.

What’s your proudest career achievement? This has to be establishing my own business, taking on the running of Blockley Village Café in March this year. I’m lucky to have a supportive committee who run the ‘Community Hub’, but it’s great to be able to create my own menus. Our offering is designed to suit not just locals, but serious foodies and those exploring the Cotswolds.

20

Do you have any favourite suppliers you use for the restaurant?

CackleBean Eggs, Todenham Manor and Paddock Farm.

Which piece of kitchen equipment couldn’t you live without?

Well, I certainly couldn’t live without my partner, Laken, who does so many jobs for me in the kitchen and is my unsung hero. As for equipment, my KitchenAid is a mechanical workhorse, constantly in use making scones, muffins and brownies – and even souflées I’ve done at dinner.

Top 5-a-day? Avocado is one of my favourites, and it’s become a popular choice on our breakfast menu, crushed with chilli. The others really do depend upon the season.

Favourite cookery book? Larousse Gastronomique is, of course, a kitchen staple – and my refer-to bible.

Foodie heroes? I’m very privileged to have worked closely with two of Britain’s most acclaimed chefs, Michael Caines and Tom Aikens, on several occasions, and they always inspire me. blockleyshop.com

CRUMBSMAG.COM

The Foxy ladies Canapé Co.

delivers fabulous food at a competitive price

We are a small boutique caterer based in the heart of the Cotswolds, we take pride in the personal relationships we build with our clients.

We are passionate about creating the finest canapés, which are carefully prepared using the best ingredients and locally sourced where possible. We are flexible and creative, so can pretty much adapt any of your favourite foods into a mini mouthful!

We have a dedicated and experienced team of girls committed to delivering the best possible customer service for parties up to 250 guests.

07966 415 766 catering@foxyladies.co.uk www.foxyladies.co.uk

Tailor Made Top Nosh specialise in catering for wedding receptions as well as private catering, corporate functions & dinner party catering throughout the Cotswolds.

We have a wealth of experience and are confident we can help you select a tailor made, bespoke menu to suit your special day, whether they be traditional, contemporary, inventive & unusual, paying particular attention to your specific requirements, as well as the season & location.

Paul Barnard has over 40 years of experience as a chef from 5* London hotels to his own Michelin starred & rosetted restaurants, so relax – you will be in very safe & experienced hands!

01993 852696 / 07584 514030 / paul.barnard@tailormadetopnosh.com www.tailormadetopnosh.com

B O O K

O F

T H E

M O N T H

MARK TAYLOR HAS SURE BEEN GETTING HIS FIVE-A-DAY, THANKS TO THESE VEGETABLE-FOCUSED READS...

CARAVAN DINING ALL DAY

Miles Kirby, Laura Harper-Hinton and Chris Ammermann (Vintage, £25) This is the long-awaited first recipe book from New Zealanders Miles Kirby, Laura Harper-Hinton and Chris Ammermann, founders of London’s award-winning Caravan restaurants and Caravan Coffee Roasters. This entrepreneurial trio is responsible for bringing the Antipodean all-day dining culture to the UK, and their stylish cookbook features more than 100 recipes that reflect Caravan’s global food ethos. Using vibrant and healthy ingredients with an emphasis on grains, vegetables and innovative ingredient combinations, recipes include jalapeño cornbread, chipotle butter, coriander and lime; aubergine purée with preserved lemon gremolata and poached eggs, and chargrilled lamb cutlets and chermoula. There’s also a chapter dedicated to coffee and how to make the perfect brew at home without the need to buy an expensive espresso machine.

SPICED ROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH HARISSA AND POMEGRANATE YOGHURT

SERVES 4

The harissa and pomegranate yoghurt give the dish that extra hit of flavour, and makes for lovely presentation too.

INGREDIENTS

1 large cauliflower 4 tbsp rapeseed oil or neutral-flavoured oil 1 tbsp olive oil 25g garam masala 75g Greek yoghurt 15g pomegranate molasses 100g harissa 1 tbsp nigella seeds 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds small bunch coriander cress, to garnish (or use picked coriander leaves)

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.

2 Cut the cauliflower into quarters and

23

CRUMBSMAG.COM

then cut each quarter in half, so you have 8 wedges of cauliflower. Heat the rapeseed oil in a large frying pan and fry 4 pieces of cauliflower on each side until golden brown. Remove from pan and repeat with the remaining 4 pieces.

3 Place the cauliflower into a large bowl, pour in the olive oil and garam masala and toss to ensure a good coating on all sides, then tip the cauliflower onto a large roasting tray and place in the oven for 8-10 minutes.

4 Meanwhile, combine the Greek yoghurt with the pomegranate molasses in a small bowl and season with salt; set aside.

5 Spread 1 tbsp of harissa over the base of each serving plate, then place a couple of wedges of cauliflower on top of that. Dollop on spoonfuls of the pomegranate molasses yoghurt and sprinkle with nigella seeds and pomegranate seeds. Finally, garnish with coriander cress or leaves and serve.

S T A R T E R S

VENETO: SIX RECIPES FROM SEASONS: AN ITALIAN A NEW COUNTRY WAY WITH KITCHEN VEGETABLES Valeria Necchio Faber, £20

Italian-born food photographer and writer Valeria Necchio captures the spirit and flavours of North Eastern Italy in her first cookbook, which was inspired by her popular recipe blog. This is essentially a book of Venetian home cooking, with ideas inspired by what’s good at the local markets. The recipes are straightforward and comforting – think tagliatelle with rabbit ragu, barbecued pork ribs, pancetta and sausage with rosemary, and stir-fried fine beans with basil and garlic. For those with a sweet tooth there are some delights including almond polenta shortbread tart, baked peaches with mascarpone cream, and lemon sorbet with Prosecco and grappa.

It’s all brought together with some beautiful photographs that will make you want to jump on the next plane to Veneto.

Joshua McFadden with Martha Holmberg Artisan, £30

Chef Joshua McFadden spent years cooking in some of the finest kitchens in New York, Chicago and San Francisco, but it was his two years on a farm in Maine that changed his understanding of how to make vegetables taste extraordinary.

Divided into six seasons, rather than the traditional four, to give a more accurate reflection of what’s happening in the fields, this book is a groundbreaking look at cooking with vegetables. Each chapter opens with recipes that feature raw vegetables straight out of the soil and, as each chapter progresses, McFadden uses grilling, steaming, sautés, panroasts, braises and stews.

An important book, its highlights include pasta carbonara with English peas; green bean, tuna and mushroom ‘casserole’; cauliflower ragu; and roasted beet, citrus and olive salad with horseradish.

24

VEGAN RECIPES FROM THE MIDDLE EAST

EAT, DRINK, LIVE

Fran Warde Ryland Peters & Small, £14.99

Parvin Razavi Grub Street, £18.99

Iranian-born Parvin Razavi says the starting points that inspired this book were ‘enjoyment, hospitality, tradition, creativity, sustainability and joy of life’, which certainly seems to have most things covered when it comes to home cooking for family and friends.

Think of Middle Eastern cuisine and you may immediately think of meat, but vegetables are treated with the utmost respect and this book makes them the star.

Taking the varied cuisines of Iran, Armenia, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco and Turkey, many of the dishes in the book are based around grains, nuts, vegetables and fruits. The recipes include cool and fragrant soups, delicate preserves, pilaff, breads, pickles, relishes and pastries.

We particularly like the stuffed aubergines with walnut and pomegranate, and the roast cauliflower with tahini dip.

CRUMBSMAG.COM

Chef Fran Warde’s philosophy is ‘to give people the confidence to cook and laugh in their own kitchens’, using ingredients that are readily available at the local supermarket. The 150 simple recipes are designed to leave time for sharing with friends and family, with inspirational ideas for table decorating.

From weekend brunches with friends and roast dinner with the family to romantic dinners for two and summer picnics, the range of recipes includes Middle Eastern barbecued lamb with preserved lemon and tomato pickle; Turkish toasted bread and watermelon and rosewater salad; and potato and watercress salad with mustard seeds. Backed up with some stunning lifestyle photography from Debi Treloar, this is an invaluable book for those who want to eat well despite having busy lives.

m Manor Fa a h n rm de

To GLOUCESTERSHIRE

Todenham Manor Farm specialises in producing high quality, outdoor-reared pork and beef. Our pasture land, situated in the Gloucestershire countryside, is grazed by our Aberdeen Angus and South Devon cattle and our generous outdoor pig pens are happily occupied by Gloucester Old Spot, Middle White and Saddleback pigs.

Especially for summer, Todenham Manor Farm is offering a speciality BBQ Box, featuring an array of award-winning meat including rare breed rump steaks, free range chicken thighs, pedigree beef and lamb burgers and traditional and merguez sausages.

To book your BBQ Box please visit the website to easily order online or pop in to see the onsite butchery which is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 2pm.

01608 654 341 info@todenhammanorfarm.co.uk www.todenhammanorfarm.co.uk

CH E F !

WHAT TO MAKE AND HOW TO MAKE IT, DIRECT FROM OUR FAVOURITE FOODIES

H I G H L I G H T S

CURRY FAVOUR

Spice up your life with this flavour-packed dish Page 28

WELL JEL

A summer jelly with a proper boozy kick!

Page 32

FULL OF BEANS

Oh, how we love a legume (especially with goats’ cheese) Page 34

What’s better than a big, juicy melon in summer?

A refreshing melon sorbet, that’s what!

Turn to page 30 for the recipe

I N C L U D I N G

16

27

DIFFERENT SPICES in one yummy curry!

CRUMBSMAG.COM

C H E F !

The SPICe IS RIGhT

INSPIRED BY A DISH FROM THE BRITISH RAJ PERIOD, THIS TASTY CURRY BY LITU MOHIUDDIN TAKES A WHILE TO PREPARE, BUT IS WELL WORTH THE EFFORT

28

CRUMBSMAG.COM

The East India Café takes recipes and creations from India during the British Raj period, a legendary era of culinary innovation, and transforms them with contemporary twists.

Combining the freshest produce from local suppliers and farmers in the Cotswolds with home-grown herbs, freshly-ground spices and ingredients from far-flung places, the restaurant provide diners with a mouth-watering and authentic taste of Anglo-Indian cuisine.

Among the favourite dishes for customers and chefs alike is the legendary Railway Lamb Curry, a dish first served on the East Indian Railway, which opened in 1867. The East India Cafe version is a hugely popular part of both the seasonal á la carte menu and the restaurant’s renowned seven-course tasting menu.

Here, owner and head chef Litu Mohiuddin shares that famous recipe. Check out eastindiacafe.com for side dishes, plus details of their monthly masterclasses.

RAILWAY LAMB CURRY SERVES 4-6

INGREDIENTS For the special mixed masala: 2 tsp mixed rock, cooking and black salt 3 medium dried red chillies 1 ½ inch cinnamon stick 1 tsp turmeric powder 1 tbsp coriander seeds 3 black cardamom pods 5 cloves 1 tbsp cumin 1 tsp crushed black pepper 2 tsp of mixed dried garlic and ginger granules 2 small dried plums with hard shell For the whole garam masala: 3 cardamom pods 2 bay leaves 4 cloves 1 inch cinnamon stick For the curry: special mixed masala (recipe above) 3 tbsp ginger and garlic paste 2 tbsp full fat Greek yoghurt ½ tbsp turmeric powder 3 tbsp ghee 1 ½ kg leg of lamb, cubed ½ kg of lamb bone 175-200ml vegetable oil whole garam masala (recipe above) 4 large cooking onions, finely sliced 1 tsp paprika 1 tbsp tomato purée 1 tsp raisins 1 tsp sultanas

METHOD 1 Prepare the special mixed masala by separately roasting all the ingredients, except for the salt, turmeric and dried plums, in a pan over a low heat. Be careful not to burn the spices.

2 Finely grind all the ingredients and mix together.

3 Mix two tablespoons of garlic and ginger paste, Greek yoghurt, turmeric, 1 tbsp of ghee and half of the special mixed masala together in a large bowl.

4 Add the lamb and the bone to the bowl and mix well, then put in the fridge to marinade for at least 12 hours.

5 Heat a large, thick-based non-stick saucepan over a high heat, then add five tablespoons of vegetable oil and 2 tablespoons of ghee.

6 When the fat is hot, add the whole garam masala and heat until the aromas are released, but be careful not to burn.

7 Add three of the onions and sauté until golden brown.

8 Add 1 tablespoon of garlic and ginger paste and stir continuously until the mixture is semi-smooth.

9 Add the remaining special mixed masala and fry for one minute.

10 Mix the paprika and tomato purée with two tablespoons of water to form a paste. Add the paste to the pan and cook on a medium heat for a couple of minutes, stirring continuously.

11 Put a lid on the pan and reduce the heat to low. Cook for a further five minutes until the oil rises to the top.

12 Add the marinaded lamb and mix well. Put the lid back on and simmer on a low/medium heat for an hour, stirring every 20 minutes.

13 While the lamb is cooking, stir the raisins and sultanas in warm water until they soften. Drain and set aside.

14 In a separate pan, fry the remaining onion until they’re golden brown and crispy.

15 Put half of the crispy onion in a food processor with the raisins, sultanas and 2-3 tablespoons of the sauce from the cooking pot. Pulse a few times to make a smooth paste.

16 Add the paste to the pan with the lamb, cover, and continue cooking until the lamb is tender – around a further 30 minutes.

17 When the meat is cooked, add the remaining fried onion, stir, and cook for five minutes.

18 Turn off the heat, but leave the pan covered until the oil rises to the top.

19 Serve with rice and your favourite side dishes. eastindiacafe.com

29

CRUMBSMAG.COM

C H E F !

30

CRUMBSMAG.COM

ICEd UP ROBERT GOVES FROM RELISH EVENT CATERING SHARES A FRUITY SORBET RECIPE

Not only is this recipe super-refreshing and full of summery flavours, but it’s also quick and easy to make too. (Just what’s called for when temperatures start to soar!) The key is to make sure your melons are good and ripe. Robert has used watermelon and canteloupe varieties, but any melon will work.

MELON AND ELDERFLOWER SORBET WITH TARRAGON SERVES 4-6

INGREDIENTS 250g of watermelon 250g of cantaloupe melon 150ml Bottlegreen elderflower cordial small bunch of fresh tarragon

METHOD 1 Prep the fruit into chunks, removing any large black seeds from the watermelon, and place on a tray lined with non-stick paper.

2 Put the tray in the freezer for at least three hours, or – ideally – leave it there overnight.

3 Remove the frozen melon from the freezer and weigh out 500g into a smoothie blender. (If you don’t have one of these, you could use a standard blender – although it will result in a coarser sorbet – or even make it in your Nutribullet.)

4 Pour in 150ml of Bottlegreen elderflower cordial and blend on the highest setting. You may need to move the sorbet about, or even add a little water if it freezes too hard.

5 Once fully smooth, you can serve immediately with a few sprigs of fresh tarragon, or scrape out into a plastic tub, lid, label and freeze for another occasion.

Tip: If you’re feeling playful, you can lace the sorbet with a good gin or vodka. Don’t overdo it – you won’t need loads to add a little kick – and adding too much will stop the sorbet from setting hard in the freezer.

Adding a 50ml double shot of regular spirit will make the sorbet about 4/5% alcohol, and a 100ml shot about 8/9% – so go steady!

Relish Event Catering; 01285 658444; relishevent.co.uk

31

CRUMBSMAG.COM

32

CRUMBSMAG.COM

C H E F !

pimm’s island

JELLY GOES ALL GROWN UP WITH THIS TEMPTING TREAT FROM STAR BISTRO’S JOE PARKES PIMM’S JELLY 2017 SERVES 6

This is my homage to Star Bistro’s original version of Pimm’s jelly, writes Joe Parkes. That one was entered into the Food Glorious Food competition in 2013 by my predecessor, Chef Matt Black, and the students of Star Bistro at the time.

In the restaurant, we use Pimm’s and gin and set it in a doughnut mould, so we can serve a cucumber sorbet in the hole in the centre, but you could use a mould of any shape.

I serve it with different variations and twists on the traditional Pimm’s cocktail garnish, but to simplify you can finish with some fresh summer berries coated in mint and sugar, a berry coulis, or an orange sauce. To make it vegetarian, and available to all our customers, I set it with agaragar instead of gelatin, but if you can’t find agar-agar then traditional gelatin will do the job just fine.

INGREDIENTS 700ml water 300g sugar 200ml Pimm’s 100ml gin (use your favourite) 5g agar-agar (0.5g per 100ml liquid) 2 lemons, peeled and juiced large thumb-sized piece of root ginger, peeled and grated 1 punnet fresh raspberries small handful of basil leaves small handful of mint leaves METHOD 1 Bring the water and sugar to the boil. Once boiling, add the lemon juice, lemon peel and ginger. Leave until cool. Place in fridge to infuse and chill.

2 Once chilled, strain into a pan and add the Pimm’s and gin.

3 Add the required amount of agar-agar and whisk to dissolve. Slowly bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes to hydrate the agar-agar.

4 Strain the mixture into a large jug. Pour the mixture halfway up the mould and chill to set.

5 Place a few raspberries, mint and basil leaves onto the set jelly.

6 Fill the mould to the top with the remaining mix and chill to set for at least an hour or, preferably, overnight.

7 Turn the jelly out onto a serving plate and finish off with your preferred garnish.

Star Bistro, National Star, Ullenwood GL53 9QU; nationalstar.org

33

CRUMBSMAG.COM

Veg Out

MaGIC BeaNS 34

CRUMBSMAG.COM

C H E F !

BLOGGER, PRIVATE CHEF AND KITCHEN GARDENER KATHY SLACK OF GLUTS & GLUTTONY TELLS YOU WHAT TO SOW AND HOW TO GROW IT. THIS MONTH, SHE’S LOVING HER LEGUMES.

I

t’s magic in the veg patch at the moment. Actual magic. Every time you visit there’s something else sprouting. It’s the time of year when I’m reminded of why I grow. It’s not just the satisfaction of having grown your own dinner, though this isn’t to be underestimated. What really gets me is the almost magical transformation from unassuming little seed to gargantuan, galumphing great plant drooping under the weight of its harvest. It’s a kind of alchemy. And I marvel at it every time.

The biggest transformations at this time of year can be seen amongst the legume family: one minute tiny, the next a huge vine to rival Jack’s infamous beanstalk. I love a legume. It’s a large and diverse family ranging from the humble pea to alfafa, lupins and, yes, peanuts. Peas, broad beans and green beans are the most popular, and rightly so since they are, I think, the easiest to grow.

Peas sown 5cm apart and 5cm deep any time between March and July will sprout, scramble up any netting you care to provide and crop within 2 months, given good weather. They need nothing doing to them except being introduced to something to climb up.

Broad beans are even easier. Plant in rows 20cm apart in early spring then wait. They don’t even need staking.

Green beans are a little more involved, but it’s all relative.

Sow in March undercover, then plant out in late May in pairs around a bamboo frame. They can be a bit dim, so you might need to tie them in to encourage them to grow up the cane rather than along the ground.

Whichever you grow – or, indeed, if you grow all three – you will have a spectacular harvest throughout the summer so long as you keep picking (which produces more flowers and more pods). That means you’ll have lots of small-ish crops quite often, which is ideal for salads and simple little suppers like this.

BEANS AND PEAS WITH GOATS’ CHEESE SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS 2 small rind washed English goats’ cheeses 1 small head of broccoli, cut into small florets handful broad beans, podded handful green beans, trimmed handful fresh peas, podded handful mangetout 2 spring onions handful herbs (mint, parsley, chives, basil) handful baby spinach leaves approx. 4 tbsp olive oil ½ lemon, juiced ½ tsp runny honey salt and pepper METHOD 1 Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Sit the goats’ cheeses on a tray and bake them in the oven for 10-15 minutes. The rind will stay the same, but the centre will go all gooey.

2 Meanwhile, bring a pan of salted water to the boil and set a steamer on top. Steam the broccoli for 2 minutes, then pop the broad beans, green beans, peas and mangetout into the water, set the steamer back on top and boil/steam the veg for a further 2 minutes. You want everything just cooked and still with a little bite.

3 Drain everything and rinse under cold water to stop it cooking further. Pat dry and transfer to a large bowl.

4 Chop the spring onions and herbs and add them to the bowl, together with the spinach leaves.

5 In a small jar, mix the olive oil, lemon juice and honey until combined and season to taste.

6 Pour the dressing over the beany mixture and toss it all together.

7 Remove the cheese from the oven and serve it in the middle of a plate with your home-grown greens around it.

Best eaten in the garden.

Kathy Slack writes a food blog, Gluts & Gluttony, about the gluts she gets from her veg patch and the ensuing gluttony in the kitchen. She hosts regular Thursday night pop-ups at Temple Guiting Shop and Tearoom, offering a cocktail and seasonal three-course meal inspired by harvests from the allotment for £45pp. The next one is on September 14. See glutsandgluttony.com/events for more. Twitter and Instagram: @gluts_gluttony

35

CRUMBSMAG.COM

A PLACE TO EAT WITH FRIENDS & FAMILY

NORTH COTSWOLD CAMRA PUB OF THE YEAR, 2017 (RUNNER UP) Character Pub with stone walls and flagstone floors Casual Dining – Excellent food served all day Passionate about well kept ales Famous Inn located on the Fosse Way (A429)

Come and choose your spice and let us do the rest!

Stunning riverside garden – Al Fresco dining

With a selection of different flavourings, you can go hot or extremely mild, and finish of with one of our great desserts!

9 beautiful en-suite bedrooms and two holiday cottages

01285 720721 Fossebridge | Cheltenham | GL54 3JS reservations@innatfossebridge.co.uk

www.fossebridgeinn.co.uk

GLOUCESTER STUDIO

Now open six days a week (Tuesday - Sunday).

The Loaded Grill, 37 Castle Street, Cirencester GL7 1QD Tel: 01285 641195 Email: info@loadedgrill.co.uk

www.loadedgrill.co.uk

Pick your own Strawberries and raspberries now

THE COSIEST RESTAURANT IN THE COTSWOLDS “It’s bonkers but it works!”

Michel Roux Jr

Nestled at the base of the Malvern Hills, within walking distance of the popular festival town of Upton upon Severn, you will find Clive’s Fruit Farm.

We are a family run farm, famous for growing fruit which is handpicked, pressed and bottled on site. We produce a large selection of single variety apple and pear juices and have extended our range by fusing flavours such as fiery ginger & pear or our delicious new apple & mango. These are all available in our farm shop, online and also many local stockists.

Why not come and try our juices and, if you’re brave enough, our traditionally produced farmhouse cider and perry “Wobblejuice”!

There is a children’s play area, café serving homemade treats, PYO in season and a well-stocked farm shop with deli counter and butchery.

Monday - Saturday 9am - 5pm • Sundays & Bank Holidays 10am - 4pm

Upper Hook Road, Upton upon Severn, Worcs. WR8 0SA

www.gloucesterstudio.com 01452 899888

01684 592664

www.clivesfruitfarm.co.uk

Choose your weapons

ONe FOR The POT

THE MUCH-LOVED FALCON ENAMELWEAR HAS COME UP WITH SOMETHING NEW: A POT! IT COULD BE LESS INNOVATIVE, SAYS MATT BIELBY, CHANNELING HIS INNER EEYORE. NOT SURE HOW, BUT IT COULD BE… You remember Eeyore’s birthday, don’t you?

Eeyore? What, the grumpy grey donkey in Winnie-the-Pooh?

The very same! A right old misery guts he was, even though his friends were always trying to do nice things for him.

Trying and failing. Remember the time Pooh and Piglet destroyed his house because they mistook it for a rotten old pile of sticks?

They did build him a new one.

True enough.

And they did get him a birthday present – which is what I was actually getting at in the first place.

What was it again? An old empty honey pot to keep things in, even though he didn’t own anything much, except that old red balloon that was popped?

And what did he do? Put the balloon in the pot, then took it out again. Hours of fun. And that’s what this thing reminds me of. A pot, which you can put things into, then take them out again. Brilliant.

It is a pot, granted. And you can put things inside it, true enough. And you can take them out again. The thing is, though, it’s not just any old pot, but a Falcon Enamelwear pot – their new utensil pot, in fact – and, as such, is highly covetable. It comes in four of their most popular colours (white with blue trim, red, grey and black), and will easily hold all three of their also-new utensils (a spoon, a slotted spoon and a ladle). Imagine how much fun Eeyore would have with that little lot!

C’mon, Eeyore didn’t care about cookware – not even old-school design classics.

Sturdy, functional, timelessly elegant old school design classics, I’ll have you know, which are chemical resistant, impossible to

burn and will never shatter, but just chip – at worst – even if you treat them horrendously (and then, of course, look better than ever).

Regardless, I still don’t know what he needs kitchen utensils for…

C’mon, he must have eaten something.

He did. Thistles. Raw, spiky thistles.

No wonder he was so miserable.

I suppose he could have taken a thistle, put it in this pot, then taken it out again...

Indeed! Now we’re getting somewhere. And we’ll soon get him cooking, I promise you. In fact, I can feel a Hero Ingredient on thistles coming on…

The Falcon utensil pot retails at £22; the new kitchen utensils are £12 each. Find ’em at the likes of Steamer Trading in Cirencester and Witney. For more, falconenamelware.com

THIS MONTH • PIGGY POWER • FIELD TO FORK • IT’S A WRAP

37 CRUMBSMAG.COM

C R U M B S

C O O K S

W I T H

TeLLING PORKIes

OWNER OF TODENHAM MANOR FARM IRAYNE PAIKIN INVITED US ROUND TO HER GAFF TO MEET (AND EAT) SOME OF THE RESIDENTS…

WORDS: EMMA DANCE PHOTOGRAPHY: ANDREW CALLAGHAN

39

CRUMBSMAG.COM

j

ewish, female and a self-confessed London girl, Irayne Paikin isn’t exactly what most people would expect from a pig farmer. And, to be fair, her current role has come as a bit of a surprise not only her friends and family, but also to Irayne herself.

“How I have ended up with pigs and cattle and chickens and dogs is a bit of a mystery,” she says. “It’s certainly not in the family. We never had any pets growing up, and when I turned up at my sister’s house recently with my dog she nearly had a nervous breakdown. I do remember, though, going to the garden centre with my mother and buying seeds. I’d go home and put them in the ground and, of course, they didn’t grow well, but there was obviously some kind of interest there. Whatever it is, it’s certainly got hold of me in a major way.”

When she first started, a lot of people thought what she was doing was really funny, and many of them still do find it quite amusing. “But,” she says, “as time has gone on and things have progressed – and people see how far we have come and what we’ve achieved here – then they’ve started to take me more seriously. I think they’ve been quite respectful that I’ve stuck to something.

“And, actually, I think there was more doubting from the local community here, about what I was doing and why I was doing it, than from anywhere else. I always say that if I wanted to do something simply for leisure, I would be selling cashmere scarves while lounging around the pool. I think people should spend time talking to me, rather than making judgements.”

She’s the first to admit, though, that the past decade or so has been a pretty major learning curve.

40

CRUMBSMAG.COM

C R U M B S

“When we came here I thought I’d just have a few chickens, and I was very happy with that,” she says. “That would have been completely wonderful. But there was this really overgrown wooded area, so I just thought I’d get some pigs to clear it up. So I Googled ‘pig breeds’, and then just had to get a Gloucester Old Spot because of where we are in the country. And I wanted a Middle White because they are just so ugly but also cute. The local farmer told me that Saddlebacks were very good, so I got one of those, and I got a Berkshire as well. I’d go out in the winter and break the ice on their water and thought it was all marvellous.

“But then off they went to the abattoir, when I was told it was time for them to move on. I was sad – but I coped with it. And then they came back all linked together sausage-style, and I remember being struck at just how enormous that bag of sausages was. And then when they were on my plate, I had to contemplate that ‘This is Davey, and this is Pierre…’ I mean, what a mistake that was to name them! What was I thinking? But even then I knew that I wanted to go on.

“The whole business has been based on me making things up! One day my husband came home and found me reading a book on 18th-century sausage making. I think that was when he knew that the bug had really hit.

“I always knew how I wanted things to look and the standard I wanted things to be, but where I ’d grown up, pigs and cattle where not exactly high on the agenda!”

41

CRUMBSMAG.COM

C O O K S

W I T H

But Irayne is clearly doing something right. Her sausages regularly scoop accolades, and she supplies meat to some of the area’s top hotels and restaurants. This success could, perhaps, be attributed to her rigorously high standards, which are the lynchpin of Todenham Manor Farm. Everything from the quality of the pig pens, to the welfare of the animals right up to slaughter, to the butchery – and even the recipes the sausages are made to – have to be personally approved by her. And this has been the case ever since the arrival of that inaugural bag of bangers prompted her to visit the abattoir herself.

“I joke with the guys at the abattoir that, when I turned up 10 years ago, they just thought, ‘That bloody woman from London. None of that’s ever going to happen!’”

But it certainly did happen, and more pigs arrived at the farm just outside Moreton-in-Marsh, then more. And a few pig pens turned into many pig pens, and now there are fields and fields of immaculate piggy homes, housing around 450 porkers (not to mention the 450-odd beef cattle that are roaming around as well).

“If you look after the animals, then you’re going to get a good product in the end,” says Irayne. “People ask if we’re organic and I say, ‘No, but we are happy.’ Our animals aren’t given antiobiotics or steroids. For me, it’s just about checking that they have everything they need to be happy and healthy.”

And as we watch the latest litter of piglets prancing around there seems little doubt that they are, quite literally, as happy as a pig in mud.

Everything that carries the Todenham Manor branding has been created at the farm.

42

CRUMBSMAG.COM

C R U M B S

“All the kebabs and meatballs are our own, and all the sausages and meatballs are hand-made,” says Irayne.

“It’s something that I have really stuck to. It does mean, though, that ‘barbecue’ is a bit of a dirty word in the butchery at the moment, because we can hardly keep up with demand. In fact, we’ve recently allowed an outside company to mix our sausages for us, because the volumes were getting too big – but it’s still to our recipes.

“It takes time for us to develop new ideas, as we do them properly and slowly. There’s a huge amount of tasting in the process, of course, and no-one seems to mind that.

Everyone gets involved – it’s certainly not just me!”

Inevitably the care that goes into producing this top notch meat means it’s pricier than your average supermarket buy, but Irayne believes it’s worth every penny.

“It’s about maintaining quality. If I start saying, ‘I can get you some cheaper steaks’, then you lose your consistency – and the moment you move away from that, people don’t know what they are buying and then you’re nowhere. The consistency is what has allowed the brand to grow.

“For me, a lot of it is about education. People might think what we charge is expensive for a pack of sausages, but when you explain to them why it costs what it does, people will say ‘okay.’ And I think you can really taste the difference in the end product.

“It might not be something that you can afford all the time, but if it’s something you can have sometimes then that’s brilliant. I think it’s quite a snobbish attitude

43

CRUMBSMAG.COM

C O O K S

W I T H

C R U M B S

C O O K S

W I T H

to believe that only people within certain income brackets should be knowledgeable and care about where their food comes from. And, actually, you could spend £4 on 400g of our mince and feed quite a few people out of that.”

In fact, it’s Todenham pork mince that Irayne is using when we visit to make some rather yummy Thai-style pork pancakes. And not one to ever make life easier for herself, she’s making the pancakes herself, too.

“This is a really nice, easy way to cook minced pork, which is something I feel like a lot of people don’t know what to do with,” she explains, while bustling around the kitchen. “I’m using spring onions, garlic, chillies and cucumbers from the garden, too. I like to use as much stuff we’ve grown as I can.

“I grew up with a mother who cooked constantly, and as a child I had a little mixer, so I always cooked. And at college I had this wonderful cookery teacher, Mrs Cooper.

You know how you get that one teacher who really inspires and encourages you, and you never forget them?

She was that teacher for me. We’re actually still in touch.

“For me, buying a cake is just not on the agenda. I make everything from scratch. I make hummus and pitta bread – not buy it. I will do anything and try anything, and if I do tend to make things difficult for myself, I enjoy it.”

Perhaps ironically, then, the one thing that Irayne never cooks is pork.

“I wouldn’t cook a joint of pork and serve it as a meal,” she says. “I love bacon and sausages, but being Jewish I never really grew up with pork, so I don’t know how to cook it!”

It turns out Irayne might not know how to cook a big chunk of pig, then, but there’s no doubt she knows how to produce some absolutely winning pork.

THAI-INSPIRED PORK PANCAKES SERVES 6-8

INGREDIENTS 500g minced pork 2 crushed cloves garlic 2cm piece of ginger, finely grated 1 red chilli (cut finely with scissors if you want to avoid chilli fingers!)

16 spring onions, 8 cut into thin slices and 8 cut into small rounds 2 tablespoons oil (Irayne uses Cotswold Gold rapeseed oil) bunch fresh mint, basil, coriander and chives juice of 1 lime 1 cucumber, peeled and seeded and cut into slim sticks salt and black pepper, to taste For the pancakes: (Irayne has made pancakes, but wraps serve just as well.)

500g plain flour, plus some more for rolling 300ml boiling water

todenhammanorfarm.co.uk

METHOD For the pork: 1 In a bowl, mix the pork with the spring onions, ginger, garlic, chilli.

This can be done early so that the flavours infuse. Keep refrigerated.

2 When you’re ready to cook, heat the oil in a frying pan and, when it’s nice and hot, add a third of the pork mixture. If you cook it all at once it won’t brown nicely, so just do it in two or three batches, adding a good handful of your chopped herbs with each batch.

44

CRUMBSMAG.COM

3 When it’s cooked, pour over the lime juice and season to taste.

For the pancakes: 4 Put the flour into a bowl and stir in the boiling water. If you need some more water to make a pliable but not sticky dough, then slowly add more.

5 Put the dough onto some flour on the work surface and knead until you have a smooth dough. Pop into a lightly floured bowl. Cover and rest.

6 Once rested, roll the dough into a sausage shape and then cut it into 10-12 even pieces.

7 Roll each one out at thinly as possible, flouring over and under the pancake, as they can get sticky.

8 Heat a good non-stick pan.

9 Once you have rolled your first pancake, brush it lightly with oil and place on top of it the second pancake and then place them both in the hot, dry pan.

10 Reduce the heat a little.

11 When the pancake starts to brown underneath, flip them both over and cook the other side until it starts to brown too.

12 Put on a warm plate under a damp cloth and cook the rest of the pancakes, piling them up as you go.

To serve: 13 Place a pancake on a plate and, in the middle, put some of your pork mixture, cucumber and spring onions.

14 Wrap up tight and enjoy!

Introducing our new exquisite range of handmade Belgian Chocolates Why not come down the rabbit hole to our magical Alice in Wonderland basement?

From breakfast to lunch, or our speciality teas Large groups catered for... Booking Essential.

Open 9.30am - 4.30pm Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri & Sat. 9.30 - 4pm Weds.

Closed Sundays & bank Holidays unless advertised.

Evening and Sunday group bookings taken by prior arrangement

16-17 Vine Mews, Evesham,Worcestershire, WR11 4RE. info@jellypicklejam.co.uk | www.jellypicklejam.co.uk

Food Fanatics Food Hall

Stocking a range of local, regional and international foods.

From every day necessities to that little indulgence.

Whilst you are browsing, why not stop for a sweet or savoury snack in our coffee shop and soak up the surroundings.

OPEN EVERY DAY 12 North Street, Winchcombe, Gloucestershire GL54 5LH

01242 604466

K I T C H E N

A R M O U R Y

The Want List THESE LITTLE PIGGIES WILL ADD SOME PORCINE CHARM TO YOUR HOME 1 HEREND PIG FIGURINE £99 How could you not adore this little face? Decorated in the signature Herend fishnet design, 24ct gold accents are hand painted on the trotters and snout giving the piece a unique and individual look. Find one at Cotswold Trading in Broadway. cotswoldtrading.co.uk

1

3

2 3 4 5

2 WAGGING TAIL PIG CLOCK £40 Get this porky charmer up on your kitchen wall and you’ll never lose track of time while cooking again! We’re particularly enamoured of his little wagging tail. Get yours from Cuckooland. cuckooland.com 3 PIGLET SALT AND PEPPER SET £12 This piggy pair is sure to add a bit of extra fun to mealtimes.

Made from white ceramic, one has two holes in his back for salt, while the other has three holes for pepper. Pick them up at OKA in Broadway. oka.com 4 PIG CERAMIC PIE FUNNEL £9.99 Banish soggy pastry from your life and invest in this delightfully cute pig pie funnel. Not only does it look lovely, but it will help you create perfect pies with beautifully crispy crusts – and helps stop your pie from sinking or losing any delicious filling over the sides of the dish. You need one. Available from Steamer Trading in Broadway. steamer.co.uk 5 SANDY & BLACK PIG HALF PINT MUG £19.95 These sweet little spotty pigs are sure to perk up any coffee time.

It’s part of Emma Bridgewater’s Year in the Country collection, so you could collect the whole farmyard. (Y’know, if you wanted to.) Get yours from John Lewis in Bristol or Swindon. emmabridgewater.co.uk

46

CRUMBSMAG.COM

delicious diner

We are quirkily found in the heart of an industrial estate in a beautiful quaker style building, we offer breakfasts, lunches and afternoon teas from 10am till 4pm. We welcome dogs and have a lovely indoor corner for children

Also available for private party hire Bring your own alcohol with no corkage fee Mrs Massey can prepare a menu of your choice Unit 5 - 7 // Frampton Industrial Estate // Bridge Road Frampton on Severn // Gloucestershire // GL2 7HE www.mrsmasseysdeliciousdiner.com 01452 740016 // lovefrommrsmassey@icloud.com

“It’s like dining at home but with us doing the hard work” www.theolivetree-nailsworth.com 28 George Street, Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, GL6 0AG 01453 834802

The Inn for All Seasons, is a former 16th century coaching inn set in the heart of the Cotswolds.

A warm and friendly hotel with a relaxed bar and a renowned restaurant offering the best of British and local produce including the freshest ďŹ sh sourced directly from Devon and Cornwall. The Inn offers comfortable en-suite accommodation, free parking & dogs are welcome.

The Inn for All Seasons | Little Barrington | Burford | Oxfordshire | OX18 4TN T: 01451 844324 | W: www.theinnforallseasons.co.uk THE INN IS NOW OPEN 7 DAYS PER WEEK FROM 8AM – 10PM

M AI N S TOP CULINARY CAUSES, FAB FOOD DESTINATIONS & PEOPLE THAT MATTER

Happy pigs make the tastiest sausages!

O V E R

T H E

P A G E

SNOUT TO SQUEAKER

Making the most of all the best piggy bits Page 50

ON THE UP

We put Nick DeverellSmith in the spotlight Page 54

BONE APPETIT

Say hello to some lovable Cotswolds canines Page 56

INCLUDING

8

pork-tastic recipes

49

CRUMBSMAG.COM

M A I N S

THIS LITTLE PIGGY...

OUR TEAM OF EXPERTS TELL YOU HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR PIG – FROM THE SNOUT TO THE TAIL!

50

CRUMBSMAG.COM

HEAD

The pig’s head is very tasty, but often overlooked, says Niall Keating, head chef at Whatley Manor. We take one whole pig’s head and blowtorch any excess hair from the head. We then cut the head directly in half and take out the brain. The head is then brined for 24 hours in a 10% salt water brine. Once the 24 hours is up, we make a soft vegetable mirepoix – take 2 carrots, 1 onion, and 6 Granny Smith apples and chop them into large dice. This then gets sweated down, and we add 50/50 chicken stock to water.

This is just enough to cover the pig head in a large pot. We then add the pig’s head and bring to a boil, skimming off any impurities that come to the surface, then turn down the heat and simmer for around 8 hours. We then allow the pig’s head to cool in the liquid before passing this off and removing the meat from the bone. Once the meat is picked down, we reduce the liquid to a gravy consistency and bind the pig head meat and vegetables back together before setting in a shallow tray in the fridge. The pig’s head could be reserved like this as a brawn (cooked pig head pâté), but we like to cut it into large cubes, coat it with breadcrumbs and fry until golden brown. whatleymanor.com

SHOULDER EARS

A favourite but often underused cut of pork, for me, is always a pig’s ear, says Todd Francis, executive chef at The Ox Cheltenham. Granted, this particular cut requires a bit of mettle and a decent constitution, but with a little work you can have a delicious crackling-like product that can be eaten as a snack, or added to a sharply dressed frisée salad with a little pickled onion and radish. To prepare it, burn off any hair with a blowtorch and wash the ears meticulously. Braise them in water or duck fat, until they are tender enough to pinch through with your fingers – usually about four hours. Allow them to cool slightly, then press between two trays and refrigerate. The slice them thinly and salt before baking between two baking sheets at 190C/375F/gas mark 5, until crispy. theoxcheltenham.com

The shoulder is ideal for slow cooking, says Irayne Paikin, owner of Todenham Manor Farm. This recipe takes some time, but is absolutely delicious. Preheat an oven to 230C/450F/gas mark 8 and then make slashes along a 3kg shoulder joint, 1cm apart, using a sharp knife.

Mix some sea salt with about 4 tbsps of olive oil and rub into the slashes, then put in the oven for about 30 minutes.

While that’s cooking, crush 4 tbsp fennel seeds and garlic into a paste, then add 5 chillies, the zest of 4 lemons, black pepper and 2 tbsps of olive oil and combine until you have a paste. Take the pork out of the oven, reduce the heat to 130C/250F/gas mark ½ , add the juice of 4 lemons to the paste, and then spread it all over the joint. Cover it with foil then return to the oven for six hours, basting occasionally.

After 6 hours, turn the oven up to 160C/320F/gas mark 3 and cook for a further two hours, taking care to top up the liquid if the joint starts to dry out. Rest for at least 30 minutes before serving. todenhammanorfarm.co.uk

LOIN

The loin makes a yummy Sunday roast created using your barbecue, says Rob Burton, butcher at Whole Foods Market in Cheltenham. Prepare your loin the night before by marinating overnight. You can use your favourite marinade, or whisk up olive oil, brown sugar, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, thyme, vinegar, parsley and seasoning.

On the day, score the skin and season with salt and pepper for that added crunch, then slow cook the loin for 4 hours on a low heat (140C/275F/gas mark 1), or use a slow cooker.

Cover it in a tangy barbecue glaze, then finish off on the barbecue for a few minutes and serve with wholegrain mustard mash, barbecue corn and greens for a Southern American comfort food feast! wholefoodsmarket.com

51

CRUMBSMAG.COM

M A I N S

RIBS

Everyone loves a lovely rack of ribs, and Court Farm Shop has created this delicious recipe. Combine 4 tbsp of brown sugar, 2 tbsp of smoked paprika, 2 tsp of cumin, 2 tsp of chilli powder and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cover a rack of ribs with the rub and leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes, or preferably overnight. Place them in a slow cooker and cook on low for eight hours, or on high for four hours. To create a sticky sauce, combine 1 cup of Stokes Original BBQ Sauce with ¼ cup of maple syrup over a low heat for 10 minutes. When the ribs are done, take them out of the slow cooker, smother in the sauce and put in the oven at 200C/400F/gas mark 6 for 20 minutes, until the ribs are crispy and caramelized on the outside. courtfarmshop.co.uk

BELLY

Don't be daunted by the thought of making your own pancetta, says Matt Wardman, head chef at The Swan on the Thyme estate in Southrop. It is really satisfying and utterly delicious. Ask your butcher for good quality pork belly, check where it comes from, and make sure he has deboned and derinded it for you – unless you have some very sharp knives in your kitchen and are an aspiring butcher. Hang it over a half-filled bucket of water to achieve the required humidity. Combine 90g salt, 34g Demerera sugar, 12g ground black pepper, 13g ground juniper berries, 2g ground bay leaves, 3.5g dried thyme, 5g ground nutmeg and 12g garlic powder, then lay 3kg of deboned and derinded pork belly on a flat surface and rub the spice mixture over the exposed meat. Roll it up and place in a large freezer bag (or equivalent) and seal. Place in the fridge for 10 days, turning the bag every few days.

After 10 days, take the belly out of the fridge and rinse the outside in cold water to remove any excess spice mixture.

Don’t soak the belly in water! Using a couple of meat hooks, hang the belly in a cool place for approximately 3 weeks. thyme.co.uk

FILLET

Pork tenderloin is always a popular menu choice, says Roli Miko, head chef at The Old Lodge in Minchinhampton. The team here prepare it by taking a whole pork fillet tenderloin, trimming any fat or sinew then cutting into medallions. The medallions are then wrapped in smoked streaky bacon, pan-seared on each side and finished for approximately four minutes in the oven. The medallions are then served with roasted shallots, celeriac gratin and cider jus. food-club.com

BLOOD

Every pork-loving nation has a way of using pork blood, says king of carnivores, occasional Lucky Onion supper club guest chef and author of Hog: Proper Pork Recipes From the Snout to the Squeak, Richard H Turner. This recipe is for Khao Kinchin (taken from the book), a steamed Thai parcel that uses blood to hold everything together. Cook 200g of rice with 1 stick of split lemon grass and 3 crushed garlic cloves, then remove the lemon grass and spread on a tray while still warm. Add 200g of minced pork, 250ml of pig’s blood, mix well and season. Lay out 4 large banana leaves and spoon some of the rice mix onto each, fold into tight parcels and secure with bamboo skewers. Steam the parcels for 20 minutes then serve with sliced shallots, cucumber julienne, fired bird’s-eye chillies and fried chopped garlic.

Hog by Richard H. Turner, published by Mitchell Beazley, £25; octopusbooks.co.uk

52

CRUMBSMAG.COM

Fresh, local produce cooked with style, imagination and flair...

Our meat is supplied by Jesse Smith butchers and we pride ourselves on our fresh fish and seafood, delivered daily from Cornwall.

The Stableyard, Black Jack St Cirencester GL7 2AA 01285 641497 | info@jessesbistro.co.uk

www.jessesbistro.co.uk ab

We are a small cafĂŠ by day serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and a Caribbean restaurant in the evening.

All food is freshly prepared and we use local suppliers wherever possible.

www.hummingbird-cafe.co.uk

43 Parsonage Street, Dursley, GL11 4BP 01453 299276

M A I N S

GeTTING NICKed FRESH FROM APPEARANCES ON SATURDAY KITCHEN AND GREAT BRITISH MENU, WE CATCH UP WITH NICK DEVERELL-SMITH, PROPRIETOR AND HEAD CHEF OF THE CHURCHILL ARMS AT PAXFORD

i

t’s been a pretty epic 12 months for Nick DeverellSmith. Last autumn he was scouted for Great British Menu, filmed it in October and appeared on screen at the start of June. He’s also done a turn on Saturday Kitchen, and has opened two new bedrooms at his pub near Chipping Campden.

Not bad, when you consider that he only opened The Churchill Arms in February 2015. Nick’s not stopping there, though, because this is a chef with some serious drive and ambition – and he’s already got his next Saturday Kitchen slot booked for November. (He’s remaining tight-lipped about what he’s cooking, however, but does reveal that, because of the time of year, it will probably be game. And given that his favourite meat is venison… Well, we’ll let you draw your own conclusions.)

In fact, Nick cooked a venison dish as his main course on Great British Menu, and while he didn’t manage to win a spot in the finals – and so the chance to cook at a banquet celebrating 140 years of Wimbledon – he’s got nothing but good to say about the whole thing.

“For me, it was a really positive experience,” Nick says.

“Of course, there were some frustrations, and things that I could have done a little differently – but not getting through wasn’t the end of the world. I liked how I came across and, for me, a lot of the reason for doing it was to showcase the pub and the sort of food we specialise in.

And I came away from it having made some new friends, so you can’t ask for much more than that.”

Shortly before his GBM heats were shown, Nick made his first appearance on Saturday Kitchen and he’s more than excited to be going back. “Great British Menu is a competition, so it’s very intense, but Saturday Kitchen is so relaxed that it’s just a joy to do,” he says. “I was so happy to be asked. It’s really massive, and a big institution in my family. My parents watched it, and I remember them saying, ‘One day you’ll be on there’ – and now I am!

“It’s good to get myself out there, of course, and put The Churchill Arms on the map. After all, if you want to be prominent in the industry you’ve got to push yourself.”

He’s keen to stress to young chefs, however, that appearances on TV, and in bookshops and magazines,

generally only come as a result of years of hard work, and that fame and fortune can never be guaranteed.

“A lot of young guys see all these chefs on TV and think ‘I want to do that,’” he says. “It’s a lot like footballers, where kids look at the stars and think the lifestyle looks great, but only a very small percentage will ever make it to that level, because it takes talent, luck and a lot of hard work.

“What Jamie Oliver did for the industry is amazing, but it’s not easy to do what he did. Not everyone can turn up with a pretty face and get a TV show. And Jamie trained extensively, and learned from the best.

“I’ve been in the industry for 20 years, and I’m only just starting to really reap the rewards now. The reality is that the hours are long, and most of the time there’s very little money in it. I started as an apprentice earning £80 a week,

54

CRUMBSMAG.COM

With plenty of TV appearances under his belt, Nick Deverell-Smith is very much a chef on the up (and when you’ve tried his food, you’ll know why)

churchillarms.co

55

CRUMBSMAG.COM

GRILLED

Nick went to work for Eric Chavot, who became a mentor.

“Eric is a crazy Frenchman, but a genius,” Nick says. “I have worked for some of the very best chefs, but he really stood out for me. He gave me his time, and it’s rare for someone at his level to take a personal interest in a young chef, but we had something in common – his son was disabled, as was my brother. I worked for him for almost five years, and his way was always the best way I’d ever done anything. But then he moved to America, and though he asked me to go with him I decided I wanted to stay in London and take my career to the next level” This turned out to be working for Soho House, where he learned more about the management side of the business. But then, in 2013, tragedy struck when Nick’s brother passed away.

“It was a real eye-opener for me,” says Nick. “He was only 39. It made me realise that life is short, and if you have a dream you have to go and chase it. Mine was always to have my own business, and now here I am.”

It’s been just over two-and-a-half years since Nick opened The Churchill Arms, and it’s going from strength to strength. “It was filthy when we got here,” he says. “I had to start everything from scratch, and had to get a brand new kitchen in. Everything was on a really tight budget, and to start with there was just me and a 21-year-old sous chef, and we were doing everything – even washing up. Now there’s four of us in the kitchen, and a pot washer. We’ve been building it ever since, and I think we’re creating something very special.

“Of course, places like London, Paris, New York and Tokyo will always be foodie Meccas, but you have to look at what you can realistically afford to do, and by opening here I gave myself half a chance to get it right. I love the Cotswolds, and we’ve got the most amazing produce here.

And you have to look at quality of life, as well. In London, I would be starting work at 6am and finishing at 1am.

I’m 35 and I’d like to start a family, and I’m not going to find superwoman who’s willing to put up with that. I love cooking, but I don’t want to be chained to the stove at 1am.

There are more important things to worry about.”

and I have worked just about every Christmas and New Year for the last 20 years. I know that I am never going to be able to sit down on a Saturday night and watch The X Factor with the family – which is lucky, as I don’t really want to. I’d much rather be out there, cooking for 70 people!”

And there’s no doubt that Nick has earned his stripes.

He began his career in Michelin-starred restaurants close to his home in Warwickshire, before coming runner-up in the Gordon Ramsay Scholarship and bagging himself a stint in one of Gordon’s restaurants in London.

“I got to be around the big boys,” he says. “It was another level, a real step up from what I’d been doing. I loved the fact that everyone is in a hurry to succeed. It’s how I feel.”

From there, Nick went to work for his idol, Marco Pierre White (there’s a huge portrait of Marco hanging in The Churchill). “He was my food hero,” says Nick. “His book, White Heat, changed my life. He was a rock star chef, he was like Mick Jagger. He made it exciting to be a chef, and broke boundaries. It wasn’t the right job for me, though, and I left after eight months.”

It proved a good move, though, as Marco suggested

ALFIE at The Maytime Inn, Asthall Alfie the Springer Spaniel is almost five years old, and is a real character. He’s usually found hanging out at the bar begging for gravy bones. He works for them, though – by performing tricks! He loves people, but is terrified of cardboard boxes, wet floors signs and pretty much anything that wasn’t there yesterday. He also has an odd obsession with the gravel on the pub’s petanque pitch.

Are there any special treats for canine guests? There’s free gravy bones, water – and even a special (non-alcoholic) doggy beer from Belgium! After all, why should the humans get all the fun?

BEN at The Craven Arms, Brockhampton Ben the Jack Russell has just turned three years old. Although he’s pretty laidback for a Jack Russell, he does occasionally get a fit of the grumps and barks at visiting dogs.

It’s pretty rare, though, because he’s sent straight to his room when he’s in a bad mood, and then he misses out on meeting and greeting visitors – and the cuddles and attention that comes with it.

All this socialising can be a bit tiring, though, so if you visit after lunch you might catch Ben having his daily siesta!

Are other pets welcome? You can bring any pet you would like to The Craven Arms, and horses have been known to visit on several occasions.

56

A dOG’s LIFE R

emember the days when you’d struggle to find a gaff that would welcome you and Fido with open arms? Unless your four-legged friend was a service dog, or the proprietor was particularly soft, you’d be left out in the cold with the smokers. Strangely enough, there’s never actually been a law that restricts four-legged guests from entering food establishments; instead, it’s always been down to the owner’s discretion, putting the onus on them to prevent contamination. These days, more and more restaurants are realising that pets – okay, it is mainly dogs – are good for business. And this little lot are so pet-friendly that they even have a resident hound or two, so say hello to the pampered pooches who reside in some of our fave Cotswolds pubs and cafés…

CRUMBSMAG.COM

M A I N S

DILYS AND NERYS at The Falcon Inn, Painswick

BERTIE at the Royal Oak, Cromhall One-year-old Bertie the black Labrador is full of energy, and likes nothing more than welcoming people to his pub – especially if he can persuade them to throw a stick for him! He loves playing with children and hanging out with the regulars. Sadly, he’s on a gluten-free diet, so any titbits are out of the question, but there are special treats for him behind the bar so he doesn’t completely miss out.

What is there for doggy guests? There’s a dedicated dog-friendly dining area, doggy treats always on offer, and they’ll even cook a special meal for your fourlegged companion.

The two Cockerpoo puppies are recent additions to The Falcon, but they are settling in well and winning the hearts of both the staff and guests.

Fortunately, Pingu the pub cat is so laid back that he’s barely batted an eyelid at the new residents! Just down the road at The Falcon’s sister pub, The Oak, you’ll find Hungarian Vislars Bolly and Tait.

Can I just turn up with my dog? While The Falcon is very pet friendly, there are limited spaces where dogs are allowed, so it’s best to call ahead if you’re planning on bringing your dog for dinner. If you want to stay the night there are pet friendly rooms available, too.

If you’re planning a trip out with your dog, then you’ll want to make a note of this little lot…

• Mrs Massey’s Delicious Diner, 5-7, Frampton Industrial Estate, Bridge Road, Frampton on Severn, Gloucester GL2 7HE; mrsmasseysdeliciousdiner.com • The Falcon Inn, New Street, Painswick, Stroud GL6 6UN; falconpainswick.co.uk • The Maytime Inn, Asthall, Burford OX18 4HW; themaytime.com • The Craven Arms, Brockhampton, Cheltenham GL54 5XQ; thecravenarms.co.uk • The Royal Oak, Tortworth Road, Bibstone, Cromhall, Wotton-under-Edge GL12 8AD; theroyaloakcromhall.co.uk • The Fish Hotel, Farncombe Estate, Broadway WR12 7LJ; thefishhotel.co.uk • The Inn at Fossebridge, Fossebridge, Cheltenham GL54 3JS; cotswolds-country-pub-hotel.co.uk • Masons Arms, High Street, Meysey Hampton GL7 5JT: masonsarmsmeyseyhampton.com • The Amberley Inn, Culver Hill, Amberley, Stroud GL5 5AF; theamberleyinn.co.uk • Café 53, 53 Long Street, Tetbury GL8 8AA; cafe53.strikingly.com • The Angel at Burford, 14 Witney Street, Burford OX18 4SN; theangelatburford.co.uk • The Ebrington Arms, Chipping Campden GL55 6NH; theebringtonarms.co.uk • The Killingworth Castle, Glympton Road, Wootton, Woodstock OX20 1EJ; thekillingworthcastle.com • Kings Arms, The Street, Didmarton GL9 1DT; kingsarmsdidmarton.co.uk • The New Inn, Coln St Aldwyns, Cirencester GL7 5AN; thenewinncoln.co.uk

MAISY AND LILLY at Mrs Massey’s Delicious Diner, Frampton on Severn This pair of pups are just six months old. A mix of Cocker and Springer Spaniel, with a bit of Poodle thrown in for good measure, they have bags of energy and they love to play! When they’re not in the diner entertaining customers, they like nothing more than a good walk across the fields, and if they spot any water there’s no stopping them jumping straight in!

What’s on the menu? Mrs Massey’s Delicious Diner offers breakfasts, coffees, lunches, teas and a takeaway service. Pets are welcome indoors all year around, and they’ll even cook a special meal for your dog if you ask very nicely!

57

CRUMBSMAG.COM

• Seagrave Arms, Friday Street, Weston Subedge, Chipping Campden GL55 6QH; seagravearms.com • The Lamb Inn; Sheep Street, Burford OX18 4LR; cotswold-inns-hotels.co.uk/ the-lamb-inn • Hare and Hounds, Westonbirt, Tetbury GL8 8QL; cotswold-inns-hotels.co.uk/property/ hare_and_hounds_hotel

A F T E RS NEW RESTAURANTS DEVOURED, NEW CAFÉS FREQUENTED, NEW BARS CRAWLED, AND THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT WE THOUGHT OF THEM

H I G H L I G H T S

TASTE OF THE MED Summer weather and sunny flavours at The Olive Tree Page 62

GRIN AND BEAR IT The Bear’s pub garden just got even better!

Page 64

P L U S

GOING TO TOWN

59

A hidden gem in Cheltenham CRUMBSMAG.COM

L

ife can often be a challenge for hotel restaurants – especially those close to the centre of a town. When there’s a ton of competition that has frontage as an actual restaurant, it’s not easy to convince guests to stay in the hotel instead of exploring – or to entice in locals either.

It’s a shame, though, as there can be hidden gems of places that are all too easy to overlook – like, for example, The Drawing Room at the Cotswold Grange Hotel.

It’s found on Pittville Circus Road, a quiet, leafy street just a short stroll into the town centre. It’s an ideal location for a hotel, but maybe not so much for a restaurant, as there’s pretty limited potential for any passing trade. Indeed, when we visit there are few people dining in the striking 35-cover restaurant. Still, it means we have the pick of the tables, and choose to install ourselves by the almost floor-to-ceiling windows where we can make the most of the evening sunshine.

The menu is a fixed price arrangement with two courses for £30 or three for £35, and is fairly small (four starters and four mains – and one of those, the beef rib-eye, comes at a supplement), but it is full of interesting things.

My starter of scallops, confit beetroot, pak choi and orange butter sauce is very pretty, and there’s clearly a lot of thought that’s gone into the presentation. The cooking of the scallops is spot-on, and there’s a gentle whisper of citrus from the

60

CRUMBSMAG.COM

A F T E R S

(HIP HOTELS)

THE DRAWING ROOM AT COTSWOLD GRANGE HOTEL EMMA DANCE DISCOVERS A HIDDEN GEM IN A TOWN CENTRE HOTEL sauce. I can’t help feeling, though, that it’s maybe drifting into the realms of style over substance, as the scallops really should be the star – but they are in danger of being overwhelmed by the accompaniments.

Wood pigeon, black pudding and spring vegetables prove that chef Tomer Ron has a really good touch. The pigeon is soft and pink, and well matched with the earthy black pudding.

My main of sautéed potato gnocchi, romanesco, fresh broad beans and peas and white truffle oil isn’t a complicated dish, but it’s certainly tasty. The gnocchi is light, and a creamy, well-seasoned sauce is lifted by the fresh sweetness of the veg. If I’m going to be picky I’d have liked a little more of the promised white truffle oil, but then I’m always a sucker for the heady luxury of the prized fungus.

Across the table there’s a roast fillet of sea bass with tomato and red pepper, potato

rosti and shellfish sauce. The fish flakes apart at the merest suggestion of a fork, and the dish is bursting with bright and sunny Mediterranean flavours. It’s not quite perfect – inexplicably the stalk has been left on the pepper and the rosti looked a little overdone (although it tasted fine) – but they’re minor gripes in a basically very enjoyable plateful.

My dessert of mille feuille of chocolate and red cherries is rich and decadent with the creamy sweetness of the chocolate tempered by the juicy cherries, while husband’s lemon meringue cheesecake with raspberry sorbet and mango coulis is light and zingy and a great finale to a meal on a scorching evening.

It feels as if a lot of thought has gone into creating the menu, and there’s some really sound cooking going on in the Cotswold Grange kitchen that’s definitely worth making the effort to hunt out.

61

CRUMBSMAG.COM

COTSWOLD GRANGE HOTEL, Pittville Circus Road, Cheltenham GL52 2QH; cotswoldgrangehotel.co.uk

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

THE OLIVE TREE EMMA DANCE EXPERIENCES A TASTE OF THE MED IN NAILSWORTH

I

n foodie terms I think it’s fair to say that Nailsworth punches well above its weight. It may be only a small market town, but there’s a whole plethora of indie restaurants, shops and producers here, offering all manner of gorgeous grub. And although I could probably have spent the best part of the day meandering between them all, on this occasion I was there to visit one particular venue – The Olive Tree, right in the heart of the town.

Since summer seems to have arrived we decide to make the most of the sun and sit in the courtyard, which seems only fitting since the menu is inspired by flavours of the Mediterranean. While we peruse the choices we nibble on some olives – a mixture of the delicate Italian Nocellara variety and bright, crunchy morsels from Halkidiki, all drenched in a fresh, citrus marinade that just tastes of summer.

My starter of baked avocado and crispy prosciutto is sublime in its simplicity. The creaminess of the fruit marries perfectly with the salty crunch of the ham, a drizzle of balsamic adding a note of sweetness, and a scattering of Parmesan shavings setting the dish off a treat. A smoked mackerel paté

62

CRUMBSMAG.COM

A F T E R S

across the table hits the flavour balances just as well, with a horseradish mayo adding the right amount of heat.

The Olive Tree menu changes regularly, but one dish that remains a constant is the traditional moussaka, made from a recipe that Paddy (the owner of The Olive Tree) brought back from the Peloponnese, so that’s what I choose. There’s rich, lightly spiced meat, soft aubergine and just a smattering of cheese. It’s not a particularly pretty or elegant plate, but it’s comforting and more-ish and full of heart, and it’s easy to imagine a big Greek mama dishing it out to her brood.

There’s selection of pizzas on offer, all named after Nailsworth landmarks,

and husband opts for a ‘Cossack Square’, which comes laden with caramelised red onions, chorizo, pepperoni, red and yellow peppers and fresh spinach and topped with a Parmesan and prosciutto crumb. It’s a topping combo that would no doubt appal an Italian pizza-purist, but who cares – it’s absolutely delicious.

He stays in Italy for dessert, opting for a tiramisu. It’s wonderfully light and there’s a good kick of coffee which stops the whole thing from becoming too sweet.

My strawberry shortcake is a tower of sweet strawberries and Chantilly cream sandwiched between two shortbread biscuits. It’s simple, but every element is done just right – the shortbread is wonderfully short, and there’s just enough vanilla in the Chantilly. The result is utterly delightful and I devour every last crumb.

The real beauty of what they do at The Olive Tree is in the simplicity. It’s not about fancy, gastronomic techniques but about letting the ingredients shine, and there’s a sensitivity and lightness of touch to the cooking which results in dish after dish that you really want to eat. It’s food to make you smile, and I don’t think there’re many things better than that.

63

CRUMBSMAG.COM

THE OLIVE TREE, 28 George Street, Nailsworth, Gloucestershire GL6 0AG; theolivetree-nailsworth.com

a

(AL FRESCO FEASTING)

THE BEAR PAVILION AT THE BEAR OF RODBURGH EMMA DANCE FINDS HER HAPPY PLACE AT THIS BRAND NEW GARDEN BAR

64

CRUMBSMAG.COM

good pub garden is a great thing. A great pub garden, therefore, is a truly wonderful thing. And they don’t get much better than the latest addition at The Bear of Rodburgh – The Bear Pavilion.

The Bear of Rodburgh has always been very pretty – full of Cotswolds charm and enjoying a dreamy location on Rodburgh Common – but the Pavilion has taken the outdoor space to a whole new level.

What was once a croquet lawn has been transformed into a spacious paved terrace with sofas for lounging and snacking, and proper tables for more serious eating endeavours, while the Pavilion is a now a fully stocked bar, so there’s no need to keep traipsing inside to get your drinks. When you walk from the car park onto the lawn, you’re greeted by a frankly idyllic scene of al fresco loveliness.

A F T E R S

The Bear Pavilion is all about fun with slushies (yes, of course we indulged – and we might have added a shot of rum, too!) and a popcorn machine, but there’s a menu with some seriously good food options too, because, well, fodder is no laughing matter.

The menu’s clearly been designed to cater for just about any munching needs you might have, with everything from small plates of snacks to properly big bites all present and correct.

Pork crackling with spiced apple dip is just the right side of tooth-breakingly crunchy, while antipasti skewers with black olives, feta, Parma ham and pepperdews are exactly the sort of nibble I really crave on a sunny afternoon.

There’s a section dedicated to Scotch eggs (with classic, veggie and black pudding versions), and mighty fine they are too, especially when coupled with the sharp, crunchy pickles and sweet chutney.

If you’re in the mood for sharing then there are boards for that, too. We got stuck into the fish board, which is laden with slivers of smoked salmon, crisp, golden goujons, crunchy whitebait and salty, silver anchovies, as well as – my favourite – sweet crayfish tails laced with a lush peppery mayonnaise. Yum.

A basket of scampi and chips gets delivered too – yes, it’s retro, but it’s also completely delicious, with a wonderful crunchy coating encasing succulent fishy goodness. We also cop an eyeful of the Big Bear Burger – a double stacked burger loaded with bacon, baby gem, red onion, mayo, crumbled blue cheese, gherkins, Monterey Jack, mushrooms and onion rings. There’s no doubt about it; this is a beast of a burger for big appetites only, and I promise myself that next time I visit I’ll come hungry.

I have, however, saved room for dessert, and nothing seems more fitting than that gloriously kitsch classic, a knickerbocker glory. There’s cream, there’s ice cream, there’s fruit – there’s all the good things you’d want in a summery dessert. My husband and I are sharing, though, so there’s the inevitable battles of the spoons to scoop up the choicest morsels, too.

Yep, The Bear Pavilion ticks all my boxes when it comes to al fresco feasting. And as soon as the sun decides to come out again, I’ll be back.

THE BEAR OF RODBURGH, Rodburgh Common, Stroud GL5 5DE; cotswold-innshotels.co.uk/the-bear-of-rodborough

65

CRUMBSMAG.COM

L I T T L E

B L A C K

B O O K

MARK LEWIS

HE’S CO-FOUNDER OF COTSWOLD RAW PET FOOD COMPANY, AND HERE’S WHERE HE LIKES TO HANG OUT… Breakfast?

I love Huxleys at Chipping Campden. It’s been recently refurbished, but it’s still got the same core team. It’s great out on the terrace in the summer or by the fire in winter.

Best brew?

Broadway Deli is an Aladdin’s cave of artisan produce, with top staff and amazing coffee.

Favourite grocery shop?

Lower Clopton Farm Shop is a mainstay for those living in the North Cotswolds. It has wonderful local game and a fantastic on-site butcher. It’s my go-to place when I’m planning the food for Christmas!

Best wine merchant ?

I always head to Talking Wines in Cirencester. It’s great because it features independent producers from across the globe, offers tastings and events, and has a free delivery service within 15 miles.

Quick pint?

I don’t think you can go wrong with The Fleece Inn, in Bretforton. It’s a historic country pub owned by the National Trust which is run with a love of tradition, and it serves an enticing range of guest ales.

Cheeky cocktail?

Dormy House Hotel on the Farncombe Estate has beautiful lounge and bar areas with a really creative bar team. It’s very dog friendly as well, and even features Cotswold RAW on the menu for your pet!

Posh nosh?

It’s got to be The Feathered Nest at Nether Westcote. The food is always top notch!

One to watch?

Keep an eye on Nick Deverell-Smith from The Churchill Arms in Paxford. With his recent appearances on Great British Menu and Saturday Kitchen, his stock is rising!

Best curry?

That’s easy. It has to be Sitara in Moreton-inMarsh every time!

Something sweet?

When I want a sugar fix I head straight to the Cotswold Chocolate Company in Stow-onthe-Wold.

Top street food?

I’m a big fan of Bar & Wok in Cheltenham.

It’s a really family-friendly venue with long canteen-style tables. The owner’s family grows their pak choi in the Vale of Evesham, so the emphasis is very much on local and fresh ingredients.

Pet friendly?

The Mount Inn at Stanton is very pet friendly, and with direct access onto the Cotswold Way. It’s a wonderful place to begin or end a glorious Cotswold walk. cotswoldraw.com

With the family?

Daylesford is great for families because there’s lots of space inside and out, plus very accommodating staff and healthy, tasty food.

QUICK! Add this little lot to your contacts book…

• Huxleys, High Street, Chipping Campden GL55 6AL; huxleys.org • Broadway Deli, St Patricks, 29 High Street, Broadway WR12 7DP; broadwaydeli.co.uk • Lower Clopton Farm Shop, Lower Clopton, Upper Quinton CV37 8LQ; lowerclopton.co.uk • Talking Wines, 2/3 Midland Road, Cirencester GL7 1PZ; talkingwines. co.uk • The Fleece Inn, The Cross, Bridge Street, Bretforton, Evesham WR11 7JE; thefleeceinn.co.uk • Dormy House Hotel, Willersey Hill, Broadway WR12 7LF; dormyhouse.co.uk • The Feathered Nest Inn, Nether Westcote OX7 6SD; thefeatherednestinn.co.uk • The Churchill Arms, Paxford, Chipping Campden GL55 6XH; churchillarms.co • Daylesford Organic Farm, Daylesford GL56 0YG; daylesford.com • Sitara, Lion House, High Street, Moreton-in-Marsh GL56 0LH; sitaramoretoninmarsh.com • Cotswold Chocolate Company, France House, Digbeth Street, Stow-on-the-Wold GL54 1BN; cotswoldchocolatecompany.com • Bar & Wok, 288 High Street, Cheltenham GL50 3HQ; barandwok.com • The Mount Inn, High Street, Stanton, Broadway WR12 7NE; themountinn.co.uk

66

CRUMBSMAG.COM