Winter 2013 ...for food lovers!
I can’t believe that 2013 is almost over… after such a bleak and miserable start to the year, it is amazing how fast the months have flown by! Once again we are delighted to say that the shop is still going from strength to strength. That is due in no small part to our fantastic customers and hard working staff. We were very excited to have been nominated for two awards this year: The Scottish Countryside Alliance Awards for local food and the Farm Shop & Deli Awards for Farm Shop of the Year. For both awards it was customer nominations that got us through and we are currently waiting to hear how we got on. Christmas is just around the corner so let us inspire you. We have wonderful hampers, award winning foodie gifts, free range turkeys, ducks and geese, Christmas events and a host of other things which will tempt your taste buds. We have ready meals to make your life easy such as ‘partridge stuffed with pear’ and ‘rhubarb and ginger cheesecake’ or alternatively, the best local ingredients to make your Christmas extra special. Enjoy!
News from Rob on the farm… What a super summer we have had. It has allowed harvest to progress quickly with few hold ups with weather. Second cut silage was easily made as the sun shone. The cattle have enjoyed lying in the sun and look forward to high quality forage in the winter. Oilseed rape, winter barley and wheat have all been established in ideal conditions. It is great to see fields green from side to side, unlike last year where there were wet patches and bare bits. Some of the cattle are already in for the winter ;the rest are still tidying up a late bite of grass. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with new products, events and news.
In season Beetroot, broccoli, green cabbage, red cabbage, savoy cabbage, carrots, hispi cabbage, romanesco cauliflower, cauliflower, courgettes, white cabbage, black kale, curly kale, leeks, lettuce, main crop potatoes, squash, pumpkins, spinach, onions, spring onions, tomatoes, fennel, mushrooms.
Oct
Jerusalem artichokes, turnips, beetroot, broccoli, cabbages, carrots, romanesco cauli, cauli, celeriac, Red Duke of York potatoes, sharpes express potatoes, golden wonder potatoes, maris piper potatoes, curly kale, black kale, leeks, parsnips, pumpkins, squash, sprouts, mushrooms, spring onions, tomatoes, spinach, fennel.
Nov
Jerusalem artichokes, turnips, beetroot, broccoli, cabbages, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, Red Duke of York potatoes, sharpes express potatoes, maris piper potatoes, golden wonder potatoes, curly kale, black kale, leeks, parsnips, pumpkins, sprouts, squash, spinach, spring onions, fennel, apples, pears.
Dec
Hampers galore!
Saturday 30th November Sunday 1st December
9am-5.30pm 9am-4pm
A unique opportunity to view & buy quality handcrafted gifts from local craft-workers & artists.
Savoy Cabbage and Minced Beef Pizza Recipes and photographs provided by Anna Pettigrew www.cameraandclementine.wordpress.com Dough 300g strong organic flour ½ tsp fast action yeast 2 tbsp olive oil 170ml water ½ tsp salt (Or use our frozen dough from the Northern Dough Company) Topping ½ head savoy cabbage 1 onion 1 tsp cayenne pepper 2 tbsp green pesto salt and pepper
400g minced beef 3 garlic cloves 1 tsp hot paprika 1 splash of olive oil
We have lots of hampers available for Christmas from wine and gin hampers to chocolate hampers. We will have some already made up ready to buy or you can choose whatever you like and we will make it up for collection at a later date. Don’t forget we also have gift vouchers available. The voucher can be for any amount and doesn’t need to be spent all at once.
cular motion, start to gather the flour from the sides of the well. Keep going until all the flour is incorporated. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 min. Place back into the bowl, cover and leave to rise for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 220 °c /fan 200 °c/Gas Mark 7. Lightly knead the dough again. Divide the dough into two equal balls and roll out using a rolling pin and place on 2 baking trays.
1 tbsp dressing of your choice
Make the filling by finely chopping the cabbage and garlic and slice the onions into rings. Heat the olive oil in a pan and gently fry the mince and onion for a few min, then add the cabbage, garlic and spices.
Method Tip the flour, salt and yeast into a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Pour the water and oil into the well and in a cir-
Spread the pesto over the pizza bases and pile the topping on top. Bake for 12-15 min. Once cooked, sprinkle a little extra paprika and dressing over and serve.
Producer in focus... We recently visited our poultry suppliers ‘Gartmorn Poultry Farm’, idyllically set in 100 acres in the heart of Scotland near Alloa. Owners Roger and Sue gave us a guided tour and we were on a mission to learn as much as we could about this fantastic farm, their poultry, their methods and their philosophy regarding rearing the best, free-range produce possible.
Approaching the traditional, beautiful, black feathered Bronze Turkeys, you could be forgiven for assuming you had stumbled upon a flock of wild birds, naturally grazing amongst the long, grasses with all the space they could ever need. Nearby stood their immaculately maintained shelter. Although spacious, it was warm and comfortable and a perfect roosting place away from the elements. Further along the tour we were introduced to the more familiar White Turkeys which were just as happy and just as content. Continuing on, we came to a cosy pen of yellow, cute, fluffy baby chickens – all of us were instantly in love with these
Written by Leona adorable little chicks. These will be slow reared on natural, organic feed and given free range to ensure their life is as happy and comfortable as possible. Reluctantly, we moved on only to come to another pen of equally cute chicks! This time it was very young and very fluffy Pekin Ducklings. The older ducks were outdoors blissfully splashing around in the free flowing water that is available to them to provide a peaceful, natural environment.
our Christmas orders will be delivered. Whether you have requested a whole bird, a crown or a rolled breast, you will receive it in an easy to carry presentation box . This will also contain giblets, a pop up timer and cooking instructions, all We progressed through our tour on this part of the process of purchasing a high vast farm, all the while admiring the quality product ensuring your Christmas spectacular views from all around us. We meal will be of the highest standard came across a small flock of shy Guinea possible and giving you at least one thing Fowl then finally we arrived at a large less to worry about! grassy pasture of plump Geese - a sure sign that Christmas is fast approaching. Roger and Sue explained to us how each different type of bird was fed, the ground they preferred to forage on and how diverse strains of each breed are specifically selected to ensure that a varied range of sizes will be available to meet all our customer requirements. Roger continued on to describe how the poultry is humanely killed, butchered, packaged and stored – all on site, ensuring very little stress, as none of the birds require to be transported away from the farm. He demonstrated how
Our Christmas price list is now available. Please pick up a copy in store, check our website or email us for a copy. The order book will close on Sunday 8th December.
News from Fiona in the kitchen
News from the Veg Field
Now the weather is turning cooler our thoughts have been turning to soups or at least the soup packaging. We have designed a sleeve to replace the old labels and we hope they reflect the quality of our homemade soups. Let us know what you think. We have been asked many times for homemade chilli con carne and we think we have at last come up with a winner. Find it in the freezer next to the steak pies
Autumn is certainly the season of plenty. In the 8 years we have been growing vegetables for the shop, I can’t remember such a rich season. The veg tables are literally groaning under the weight of the produce. We grew onions for the first time this year and they have been a fantastic success. Find them strung up in the shop or in the baskets beside our veg table.
We are fast approaching a great time of year, when the children are excited, the adults look forward to a few days of socialising and Christmas music fills the air. The last thing you want to dwell on is how you are going to fit in the time to collect the turkey and steak pie, not to mention all the nibbles for any unexpected guests. Let this be the last time you think about it and ask for your delivery with your order. Caroline will be out and about delivering in our very own Ardross sleigh, just before Santa. This will be on Monday 23rd December and Monday 30th December for Christmas and New Year deliveries, with normal deliveries resuming on Thur 6th Jan. Ardross Farm Shop Elie Fife KY9 1EU
There is some late broccoli to be planted out. I think we have sown them a little too late in the season but the plants are there so we will give it a try. It is then a case of sterilising all the trays and cleaning out the poly tunnel ready for the spring.
Our squash and pumpkins have also been a great
Pittenweem’s Mini Farmers Market Saturday 23rd November 10am—3pm. We will be there with an array of veg!
...for food lovers!
success It’s amazing what a little sunshine can do.
Opening Hours for Christmas and New Year Monday 23rd Dec 9am - 5.30pm Tuesday 24th Dec 9am - 3.00pm Wednesday 25th Dec CLOSED Thursday 26th Dec CLOSED Friday 27th Dec CLOSED Saturday 28th Dec 9am - 5.30pm Sunday 29th Dec 9am - 5.30pm Monday 30th Dec 9am - 5.30pm Tuesday 31st Dec 9am - 3.00pm Wednesday 1st Jan CLOSED Thursday 2nd Jan CLOSED Friday 3rd Jan CLOSED Saturday 4th Jan 9am-5.30pm
Tel: 01333 331400 Email: info@ardrossfarm.co.uk Web: www.ardrossfarm.co.uk
Open 7 days a week Mon- Sat 9am-5.30pm Sun 9am-4pm