Flavour South West issue 57

for people who love local food

South West | Issue 57

An Italian Experience Bringing the Mediterranean closer to home

www.flavourmagazine.com

away in the Cotswolds

Explore the garden of the South West

WIN!

An overnight stay at Stanton House

Flavour’s CoFFee Culture Delve into a world of cafes and contentment

INSIDE Your regular Greenliving edition

Follow us @FlavourMagazine

The Queens Arms Corton Denham

Champagne & Seafood Evening 7pm, Friday March 15 The Queens Arms, Taittinger and Enotria Wines have come together to produce one special evening for customers.

Enjoy a five-course, specially selected seafood-based menu accompanied by some great Champagnes and enjoy a talk from one of the finest Champagne houses.

Tickets now on sale. ÂŁ50 per person including five glasses of Champagne.

The Queens Arms is situated at the heart of the ancient village of Corton Denham, nestling on the Somerset/Dorset border just north of Sherborne.

Surrounded by stunning countryside, this late 18th-century British pub with rooms will delight those in search of good drink, good food and real comfort.

The eight en suite rooms have received AA HHHH Inn rating and a The Queens Arms, Corton Denham, HHHH silver accolade Visit Britain Somerset DT9 4LR telephone: 01963 220317 award. email: relax@thequeensarms.com Why not pay us a visit and see just what other people are talking about?

www.thequeensarms.com

Editor Nick Gregory Email: nick@flavourmagazine.com

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Art Director Becky Hamblin Email: design@flavourmagazine.com Advertising Miranda Coller, Director of Sales Email: miranda@flavourmagazine.com Maggie Fox, Account Manager Email: maggie@flavourmagazine.com Becky Baxter, Account Manager Email: becky@flavourmagazine.com

welcome

Photography Jeni Meade Contributors Martin Blunos, Tom Bowles, Nick Harman, Duncan Shine, Megan Owen, Mitch Tonks, Laura Roberts, Angela Mount, Rob Magnuson Smith Flavour Magazine 151-153 Wick Road, Brislington, Bristol, BS4 4HH Tel: 0117 977 9188 | Visit: www.flavourmagazine.com For general enquiries Peter Francomb Email: peter@flavourmagazine.com For competition entries Email: competitions@flavourmagazine.com

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For more information, please contact Peter Francomb Tel: 0117 977 9188 Email: peter@flavourmagazine.com Visit: www.flavourmagazine.com Competition Terms & Conditions In addition to any specifically stated terms and conditions, the following applies to all competitions.

All information forms part of the rules. All entrants are deemed to have accepted the rules and agree to be bound by them. The winner will be the first entry drawn at random from all the entries sent back after the closing date and will be notified by either post, email or telephone. The prizes are as stated; they are non-transferable and no cash alternative will be offered. All entrants must be at least 18 years old. Competitions are open to UK residents only. One entry per person. Proof of postage is not proof of entry. flavour accepts no responsibility for entries lost or damaged in the post. Entrants agree to take part in any publicity material relating to the competition. The name of the winner will be published in the next edition. The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Prizes do not include unspecified extras (such as travel). All prizes are subject to availability.

Please state if you do not wish to receive any further correspondence from flavour or competition organisers. You may be required to collect your prize.

Please recycle this product.

I will not be mentioning anything about horsemeat, I promise. What I will dwell on, however, is the fact that we are leaving the winter behind us and with that comes the opportunity to get back outdoors without looking like The Michelin Man. With that in mind, we have decided to run a coffee feature (page 39) that should get you in the mood to venture out, take a seat and people watch over some freshly roasted and filtered beans.

Inside...

05 WiN! An overnight stay for two at Stanton House 12 in Season Tom Bowles brings us the best of the season’s produce 19 Away in The Cotswolds This tiny enclave of England offers bags of delights 32 Angela Mount gets Mezze…

Clutton offers up the latest from this celebrated group 39 Flavour’s Coffee Culture Delve into a world of cafes, coffee shops and contentment 53 An italian Experience Bringing the Mediterranean closer to home

If you really feel like exploring the charms of our area, then look no further than a trip to The Cotswolds (page 19), where you will find an abundance of great hotels, cafes, pubs, independents and of course scintillating walks.

Although it may not be balmy out there just quite yet, it is the time to start thinking about the summer and to facilitate that interest we have a great little Italian feature (page 53) that will certainly get you in the mood and brings that touch of the Mediterranean a little closer to home.

Please do let us know about anything ‘food or drink’ that is going on over the next couple of months and we will try our best to get it covered in the next issue.

Nick

NiCk GrEGory

If you have any news or events that you would like to share with us here at flavour then email enquiries@flavourmagazine.com

this month

Photo: ©christopher Jones

Mitch Tonks adds a modern twist to the golden age of silver service train dining working with first Great western, restaurateur Mitch tonks has launched a new, south west sourced menu on the UK’s only remaining silver service train restaurant.

Mitch has worked hand-in-hand with first Great western to deliver a menu with a truly west country origin. from fillet steak direct from the farms of somerset to red gurnard harvested from the sea off the devon coast, all food is cooked on board by highly skilled chefs allowing you to rediscover the pleasure of eating freshly prepared food while the train takes the strain. the Pullman service is available on two evening trains from london to the west country and two lunchtime trains from the west country into london, five days a week.

BrIstol chef wIns Gold for the second year… the opportunity to take part in a prestigious cooking contest has given some of the area’s top and aspiring chefs the chance to prove they are culinary champions. this was the eighth year the chef v chef competition has taken place in the shrubbery restaurant at the city of Bath college, with the over-23 and Under-23 categories judged by scott lucas of the craft Guild of chefs, celebrity chef Martin Blunos and Jonathan newberry of the Valley smokehouse. cash, trophies and other prizes were on offer to the top performers. for the second year running stephen whittaker, 28, who is now at Graze restaurant in Bristol took the Gold award in the over-23 category. silver went to Martin Blake of the Priory hotel, Bath and the Bronze to christian abbott of Brace and Browns in Bristol, who was the Gold winner in the Under-23 section last year.

In the Under-23 category the Gold award was given to lewis dixon of lumiere, cheltenham, silver to Paul Goulding of stanton Prior hotel chippenham and Bronze to andrew campbell of the royal crescent hotel, Bath.

CoMPeTITIon WInneR Congratulations go to Gemma Thornton James from Somerset, who wins an overnight stay for two at The Bath Priory

Well done!

Consumers head for their local Q Guild butcher following horsemeat scare Pylle-based butchers Jon thorner’s has seen trade increase by 10 per cent since the horsemeat scandal swept the nation, with freshly made beef burger sales up 30 per cent.

Managing director and founder Jon thorner says “we can’t believe how many beef burgers are flying off our shelves.

More and more customers are coming through the door; this has been a real win, not just for us but the Q Guild as a whole.” sales figures from all members of the Q Guild, a membership organisation of the UK’s 110 best independent butchers, show consumers are heading back to the high street following the scare, which has dented consumer confidence in the major supermarkets.

Win!

Wine OF THe

An overnight stAy for two At stAnton house

MOnTH

Tim McLaughlin-Green, sommelier and wine consultant of Sommelier’s Choice, was shortlisted for the Harpers & Queen Sommelier of the Year award.

His philosophy is to search for and work with family-owned wineries, producing high-quality wines in small quantities, aiming for something really special.

A modern twist on a classic hotel…

Situated in the charming village of Stanton Fitzwarren on the edge of the Cotswolds, Stanton House Hotel is a classic country manor house with a modern twist.

Surrounded by beautiful gardens designed in the 18th century and overlooking Stanton Lake and Park, they offer the peace and tranquillity that is craved in today’s world, while offering all of the comforts that you would expect in an AA three-star hotel.

The winner will receive dinner, bed and breakfast for two people at Stanton House, including an executive or fourposter room (depending on availability) and dinner in the Rosemary Restaurant. To be taken by the end of June.

For your chance to win, email competitions@ flavourmagazine.com with Stanton House in the subject header and your full contact details in the email body.

Good luck! www.stantonhousehotel.co.uk

WIN!

Hearty food and full on wines are my desire for this time of year. You can imagine the scene of a roaring fire, freezing temperatures outside and dinner of a comforting bowl of stew.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s book Three Good Things has the perfect recipe of beef, shallots and tomato and, of course, some buttery mashed potato or, if you desire, polenta, I’m more of a mash man. Prepare the dish in the morning, cook slowly during the day – quite simply serve.

Now for the wine.

Domaine Lafran Veyrolles Bandol Rouge 2009; the grapes are handpicked for this wine and the estate uses organic methods.

Bandol is usually produced using the Mourvèdre grape variety with the addition of Carignan, Grenache and Cinsault. This Bandol has wonderful ripe fruit fully integrated with the oak. Some Bandol reds are tight and hard to approach, however this is quite the opposite.

There are wonderful herb notes to the wine with hints of blackberry, prune and blackcurrants. The finish is fresh and classy with rounded tannins; silky smooth, generous and serious at the same time.

Don’t you just love the winter?

Available from Allaboutwine.co.uk, Priory Wines, Highbury Vintners and sommelierschoice.co.uk price £14.85-£20.00.

All wines available from:

www.sommelierschoice.com

> flavour this month

Calling all Bristolians, your favourite restaurant needs you!

Do you have a chosen restaurant, café or deli in Bristol that you feel deserves recognition for its excellence? Is there a local food or drink producer who makes you proud? If so, here is your chance to let everyone know.

To kick off the judging process, the public will vote first and then the five businesses in each category that have polled the most will be independently assessed by a panel of judges made up of some of the most renowned people in the industry.

Guide2Bristol is launching the Bristol Good Food Awards 2013 and inviting all Bristolians to vote for their favourite restaurant to win an award in a number of different categories such as Best Restaurant, Best Wine List and even Best Breakfast. The awards are designed to showcase Bristol’s finest, proving the city’s worth as a national foodie treasure.

If you would like to place your vote please go to the Bristol Good Food Awards website.

www.bristolgoodfood.co.uk/vote

The Liquid Alchemists’ Lounge If you are fed up with forking out for a cocktail that just doesn’t quite hit the spot then try out Door 34, where mixology gets personal.

You can, of course, pick up one of their menus cleverly disguised among the paperbacks on the bar and now you can head into the newly opened back room den, check out the artwork where the recipes for 34 classic Door 34 cocktails decorate the walls and then make up your mind.

The bar is reminiscent of a booze-drenched chemistry lab and on the rare occasion that any experiments don’t hit the mark, well they can be sent back. You can’t go wrong and you get to have a lot of fun in the process – this is cocktail art! www.door34.co.uk

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> flavour this month

rhoDeS @ The DoMe openS iTS DoorS Gary rhodes, one of the world’s top celebrity chefs, authors and presenters, has opened his latest venture, rhodes @ The Dome, the largest new ‘celebrity’ restaurant and function facility opened in the South West this decade. rhodes @ The Dome comprises the 70 covers Bar rhodes and waterfront terrace and a 105 covers restaurant, rhodes Kitchen, with stunning interior design.

The menu, which features many classic Gary rhodes dishes, and some new recipes created just for rhodes @ The Dome, is a real joy and will undoubtedly help to cement plymouth’s growing status as the ‘foodie capital’ of the South West. www.rhodesatthedome.co.uk

Editor’s Pick Quench GinGer Beer The challenge with healthy eating and drinking is not to get bored. Bland food and dull drinks are the enemies of restraint. What you need in both is a touch of spice and, drinks-wise, there’s no better kick than ginger.

if you’re giving up the booze altogether, ginger beer makes a widely available and inexpensive substitute for wine or beer, much less cloying (and less calorific) than most fruit juices, especially if served chilled with a slice of lemon.

And it’s been all go at Bradleys Juices, a family run business in rural Somerset, as they have extended their Quench range to meet the demand for great tasting drinks.

They have recently started brewing their own ginger beer using a traditional recipe.

it’s not just us that think their drinks are great Bradley’s recently also picked up three Gold Stars from the Great Taste Awards and also won the Best non-Alcoholic Drink at the Bath Good Food Awards in 2012.

i love ginger beer – always have, always will – and so when owner Miles Bradley gave me a chance to sample this latest concoction i was blown away. There are a couple of ginger beers i always look out for on the shelves, but i’ve a new favourite. unlike most ginger beers they use fresh ginger root, made in the time honored tradition of taking a whole seven days to brew a batch.

So if you like ginger, you will love the allnatural Quench Ginger Beer from Bradley’s in rural Somerset!

Bradleys Box Bush Farm, Box Bush Lane, near hewish, north Somerset BS24 6uA call 01934 822356 www.bradleysjuice.co.uk

WiN! WiN A MeAL For TWo @ The DoMe For your chance to win a meal for two at rhodes @ The Dome, simply email competitions@flavourmagazine.com with your full contact details and making sure to put rhodes @ The Dome in the subject header. Good Luck 7

> flavour this month

Great Western Wine launches new wine school Bath wine retailer Great Western Wine is launching its own wine school, in partnership with Bath-based wine educator Tristan Darby, who also runs the Bristol Wine School.

The school has a simple aim – to demystify the world of wine, and give hands-on learning through tasting experience via a series of one-day courses, or more in-depth six-week courses. They will be run by Tristan Darby, a former actor and singer with 15 years of catering experience, who set up the Bristol Wine School four years ago, and has run courses for many of the top restaurants in the Bristol area, with a focus on teaching the principles of food and wine matching.

Further information and details of the courses can be found on the website. www.greatwesternwine.co.uk/wine-school

WeDDinG Fair near TaunTon

SunDay 3rD March, 10.30aM Till 3.30pM The Walnut Tree hotel is set to host its annual Wedding Fair on Sunday, March 3rd from 10.30am till 3.30pm. The event will be perfect for those planning weddings in Somerset or Taunton, as it will provide brides-to-be with a ‘one-stop wedding shop’.

There is a £1 entrance fee that will go towards supporting this year’s chosen charity – children’s hospice South West. www.walnut-tree-hotel.co.uk

LocaL catch Launches iPhone aPP To embrace the new season this year, local catch have brought out an iphone/ipad app, showing the nearest places to buy locally caught fish, get recipe ideas and watch videos on how to prepare fresh fish and seafood. local catch is the web- and app-based hub of information about the latest catch of the day, your nearest fishmongers, seafood restaurants and fishermen. it also gives support on how to prepare seafood, recipe ideas and factsheets about the species caught off the coast. consumers downloading either the android or iphone app also receive the latest alerts about the catch of the day, events and seafood information. alerts can also be found on the homepage of the website. local catch was developed in conjunction with fishermen, fishmongers and consumers to make it easier for buyers to find locally caught seafood. Since its launch last year in the South east of england, local catch is now rolling out across england.

The app is not just for consumers; local chefs and restaurants can get involved too. www.localcatch.co.uk 8

Calling all CoeliaC speCialists… no longer does being a coeliac mean you are excluded from enjoying fine produce, exciting dishes and tasty treats, with many more establishments now catering for all dietary requirements.

We would love to hear from you, whether a coeliac yourself, a producer or a supplier of gluten-free produce.

We want to know where we can get the goodies! please get in touch and contact maggie@flavourmagazine.com to discuss further.

> flavour this month

Rock SalT café & BRaSSeRIe This unassuming newcomer in Plymouth is both café and brasserie, popular with the local community and those out for a special meal.

The staff are cheery and chef David Jenkins manages to produce everything from an all-day breakfast and brunch to impressive evening food.

Win! A luxury escApe to the exeter Food And drink FestivAl

WIN!

flavour has teamed up with the exeter festival of South West food & Drink and the Mill end Hotel and Restaurant, Dartmoor to offer one lucky reader and partner the ultimate foodie escape, with weekend festival passes and a two-night bed and breakfast hotel stay.

www.rocksaltcafe.co.uk

celebrating its 10th birthday in 2013, this year’s anniversary event will be filled with the region’s best food, drink, producers and chefs from friday 26th–Sunday 28th april in Northernhay Gardens and exeter castle, exeter.

Visitors will discover world-class West country produce, have the chance to buy from over 100 of the South West’s best artisan food producers and get inspiration from over 30 top chef demonstrations.

Riverford – Meat You C an Trust Wondering what’s in your sausage after the latest reports of horsemeat on supermarket shelves? If you’d rather keep surprises for birthdays then Riverford helps you know just where you stand with your food. The organic delivery company takes ethical business and animal welfare very seriously, both on its own farms and in working with its partners – local and national.

one of the region’s finest country hotels, Mill end Hotel and Restaurant is just a 25-minute drive from the centre of exeter, but also in the heart of Dartmoor National Park, encompassing 15 individually styled bedrooms, crackling log fires and fine candlelit dining. for your chance to win, email competitions@flavourmagazine. com with ‘exeter food and Drink’ in the subject header and your full contact details in the email body. Good luck!

No stone is left unturned and all suppliers are checked regularly for quality and their commitment to animal welfare. Meat used in sausages, burgers, mince and pies can be traced back to the small farm it came from, giving you peace of mind and no surprises. www.riverford.co.uk

www.exeterfoodanddrinkfestival.co.uk www.millendhotel.com Terms and conditions; The prize includes a two-night stay for two people in a double or twin room. The hotel stay is for friday 26th and Saturday 27th april 2013 only. The prize includes two weekend passes to the food festival. Travel is not included. any other costs incurred are payable by the competition winner.

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t s a e f a g n i s Showca l a n o i g e r d of local an e c u d o r p s u o i scrumpt

T S A FE

pluS lIVE MuSIC pluS KIDS ENTERTAINMENT pluS CRAfT, HOME & GARDEN pluS fuN & GAMES fOR All THE fAMIlY

k c o d d a P e At th

MARCH 23rd & 24th

10AM-5pM

THE pADDOCK, WIMBORNE, DORSET VENuE pOSTCODE fOR SATNAV BH21 1QB Please note that many stall holders will not have credit card facilities and there is no cashpoint on site. Plenty of parking is available within easy walking distance, but none available on-site.

Come along to Feast at the Paddock and meet Katsuma and Poppet from the MOSHI MONSTERS at intervals on Saturday 23rd March

Meet Peppa Pig & George

Peppa Pig will be making personal appearances at intervals throughout the day on Saturday 6th April at Best of Festival, Wimborne St Giles BH21 5NA Peppa Pig © Astley Baker Davies Ltd/Entertainment One UK Ltd 2003.

ApRIl 6th & 7th

BROuGHT TO YOu BY

10AM-5pM

B E S T o f F E S T I VA L

WIMBORNE ST GIlES, DORSET BH21 5NA Please note that many stall holders will not have credit card facilities and there are no cashpoints locally. Free parking on-site.

follow ‘Best Of festival’ on facebook for regular updates, ticket offers – and be the first to hear about our special guests!

ENTRY £5 / uNDER 12s £1 fOllOW uS ON fACEBOOK fOR OffERS & upDATES fAMIlY TICKET 2 ADulTS + KIDS = £10

www.bestof-festival.com Email info@bestof-festival.com Call 07427 120 152

> flavour fab foodie reads

fab foodie reads

For bookworms who love nothing more than cooking up a feast for family and friends, our monthly selection of new releases is enough to keep anyone entertained!

WhaT kaTie aTe kaTie QuiNN Davies, CoLLiNs, £25

PiCk of The moNTh!

What Katie Ate is a feast for your eyes as well as your table; a perfect gift for those who love Tessa Kiros’ Apples for Jam or Falling Cloudberries, fans of Nigel Slater, Lorraine Pascale or Nigella, or anyone who enjoys cookbooks and good food but wants something new.

This debut cookbook is full of honest, doable recipes, part inspired by Katie’s love for throwing a good meal for friends and family and part inspired by the diversity of the good ingredients. A cookbook like no other, this features over 100 simple, elegant recipes you immediately want to cook, plus ideas on how you can adapt them.

Love, Bake, Nourish amBer rose, kyLe Books, £18.99

Amber Rose’s beautiful collection of ‘healthier’ cakes hits the shelves and is packed full of fabulous ideas for cake and dessert lovers who like the lighter side of life.

Amber, who is proud to have made cakes for Stella McCartney, believes that cakes look and taste wonderful by using ingredients such as fruit and honey, as well as ancient flours such as buckwheat, spelt and chestnut flour, rather than traditional processed flours and sugars.

In Love, Bake, Nourish Amber covers a multitude of sweet treats – cakes, puddings, meringues, custards and compotes, small bakes, pies and crumbles.

suPerGraiNs — eaT your Way To GreaT heaLTh

a TasTe of PorTuGaL

Chrissy freer, murDoCh B ooks, £ 14.99

It is amazing that in these times of passion for food from every corner of the globe, the cooking of Portugal remains unexplored by so many, especially given its vibrant flavours and simple, domestic style.

Packed with flavour and nutrients, supergrains have gained worldwide attention for their incredible health benefits, from helping weight management to reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and some cancers.

In her new book, nutritionist and food writer Chrissy Freer explores 12 supergrains, providing information on their history, uses and their unique health benefits along with delicious recipes incorporating the grains quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, brown rice, chia seeds, millet, oats, kamut, spelt, barley, farro and freekeh.

Among the 100 easy recipes are 40 gluten-free recipes suitable for those with food allergies or intolerances.

eDiTe vieira, GruB sTreeT, £20

In this authoritative and fascinating book Edite Vieira traces the rich legacy of her country’s culinary excellence from medieval through to modern times lacing it with history and anecdote and a collection of authentically delicious recipes.

From simple and wholesome peasant fare to elaborate celebratory meals, fresh pork is much in evidence as well as ham (presunto), pork and red pepper sausages (chouricos) and black pudding (morcela) – all foods very much in present vogue.

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> flavour in season

Cavolo Nero This is a delicious black cabbage originating from Tuscany. This time of year brings us some beautiful brassicas and cavalo nero is no exception. This cabbage does not form a head but grows long, loose leaves with a tough central stalk running through. It’s a fairly easy one to grow and matches some warming winter slowcooking recipes and comforting soups perfectly.

Like parsnips it’s also best picked after the first frost. Look for crisp, unblemished leaves and avoid leaves where the core has dried out or split. Remove the core before cooking and discard any damaged leaves. It will keep well in a fridge for a few days but will start to wilt so don’t store it for too long.

At their best

right

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> flavour in season

Beetroot Beetroot has a sweet, earthy flavour with a beautiful deep red colour. As root veg goes, beetroot is fairly straightforward to grow and is available in lots of different shapes, sizes and colours. Their leaves are also a great source of nutrition but must be used within a day or two.

When picking out beets, look for ones that are smooth and firm to the touch. Like parsnips, larger roots may be a touch woody so try to avoid those. They will keep well in a fridge for couple of weeks but again, watch they don’t wither and turn soft. Their rich red colour makes them a welcome addition to any plate.

Shred finely with some other seasonal roots to make an earthy, deep red coleslaw.

After a hard winter there are only a handful of stars from the veggie patch.

Brassicas and roots love cold, freezing conditions and a good frost does wonders for their flavour. Here are a few of the best picks for March.

now

Hartley Farm Shop and Café is located just outside Bath, selling a fresh and colourful selection of local, seasonal produce. Visit: www.hartley-farm.co.uk Follow Hartley Farm on Twitter: @hartleyFarm

Purple Sprouting Broccoli After a bleak winter, finally hints of a milder spring arrive with the bright and bold shades of purple sprouting. It can require a bit of effort to grow it yourself as it takes a year to establish the plant, but homegrown purple sprouting can be eaten when young and tender. It is also best eaten when just picked, which is another advantage of growing your own, and it’s packed with vitamins and minerals. It can be cooked just as normal broccoli but makes a great addition to a stir fry with a bit more flavour. Look for darkly coloured stems with crisp stalks that snap when bent.

Purple sprouting doesn’t store too well and will wilt fairly quickly, so be sure to eat it as fresh as possible 13

In Season Recipes Winford Manor’s

TiMs dairY’s

Costelette al cavolo nero; pork chops with Tuscan cabbage

Raw beetroot with feta and Greek yogurt

ServeS 4 ingredienTs • 400g cavolo nero, shredded • 4 tbsp olive oil • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped • 4 pork loin chops • 175ml red wine • 1 sprig parsley, finely chopped • Salt and pepper

MeThod 1. Cook the cabbage in boiling salted water for 15 minutes and drain well.

2. In another pan, heat the oil and gently fry the garlic until brown. Add the chops to the pan, pour in the wine and season with salt and pepper. Simmer over a low heat until the wine has evaporated. Remove the chops from the pan and keep warm.

3. Put the cabbage and parsley in the pan and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, return the chops to the pan and heat through before serving with a drizzle of the pan juices.

Visit www.winfordmanor.co.uk 14

ServeS 4 ingredienTs • 150g Tims Dairy Greek-style natural yogurt • 200g feta cheese, crumbled • 2 spring onions, finely sliced • ½ teaspoon of ground cumin • sea salt and coarse black pepper • 500g raw beetroot, washed and peeled

Top London Greek chef, Theodore Kyriakou, has teamed up with Tims Dairy to create some fantastic recipes with their awardwinning Greek-style yogurts. See www.timsdairy.co.uk for the full list of recipes.

> flavour in season recipes

Better Food’s

Purple sprouting broccoli with carrots and lime dressing Method 1. I always make this recipe in the food processor as it is much easier. Put the feta and yogurt in a food processor and whizz until you have a smooth sauce. Scoop out into a large bowl. Add the chopped spring onions, cumin and seasoning and mix well.

2. Wash the processor bowl and then fit the julienne disc or if not, the grater disc. When all the beetroot is grated, turn it into the large bowl and toss so everything is mixed well together.

ServeS 4 IngredIents • 2 carrots, thinly sliced on the diagonal • 450g purple sprouting broccoli, chopped dressIng • 1 tbsp dark sesame oil • 1 tsp soy sauce • 2 tsp honey • 3 tbsp fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)

Method 1. Boil the vegetables for about five minutes, until crisp-tender. While the vegetables cook, mix together all the dressing ingredients.

2. Drain the vegetables and then plunge into cold water. Drain again and chill until ready to serve.

3. Mix the vegetables and dressing together just before serving.

• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

“The perfect accompaniment for grilled lamb chops,” says Theodore Kyriakou.

Visit www.betterfood.co.uk 15

> flavour the natterjack inn

flavour correspondent Emily Richards and her family savoured the delights of a true British pub…

The Natterjack Inn W

alking in to The Natterjack Inn on an early Saturday evening with our two children we immediately felt welcome. A handful of friendly locals were at the bar and the reserved tables were prepared in anticipation of a busy night.

Our first impressions were good. Dried hops adorned the beams and the decor was pleasant: some nice features without looking like the ubiquitous gastro pubs.

This pub has no pretensions.

We were offered a good selection of regional beers; the pint of Tribute went down well. Like the beer, the food comes from carefully chosen local suppliers; vegetables come from the garden, as do the eggs produced by the resident rescue chickens.

Settling in, we shared a deli platter with big chunks of bread, enjoying the Parma ham, manchego cheese, nicely marinated olives, stuffed bell peppers, sundried tomatoes, tasty chorizo and a sweet chilli dip which had a good kick to it. The vegetarian version looked equally appealing. This worked well as a starter, allowing us to relax, chat and graze without getting too full. Even at the start of the meal the boys are thinking about their puddings.

The highlight of the meal for me was the delicious Spanish style fish stew. With big chunks of fish, tender octopus and robust chorizo in a rich tomato and cannellini bean sauce flavoured evenly throughout with the fennel. This was a brilliant addition to the

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specials board. Hunks of bread and a glass of red wine complemented the hearty meal.

The other specials also looked interesting, including roast duck breast and beef madras.

Our trip to The Natterjack left us satisfied, happy and relaxed. It’s a good pub, serving proper food, with a great atmosphere and friendly staff.

My husband’s main course, taken from the menu, was traditional fish and chips.

The haddock was cooked in light batter and was a good man-sized portion, perfect for a February evening in the pub. Other options included steak and ale pie, chilli and lasagne – faithful pub favourites cooked with care. The children’s choices were generous and well cooked – the scampi (which ‘was bliss’) and the tasty home-baked cheese and tomato pizza were accompanied by peas and thick-cut chips.

Again the pudding menu was a good balance of traditional favourites such as chocolate fudge cake and some interesting

variations, including red berry pavlova and baked rhubarb and lemon cheescake.

My son continued his rigorous testing of regional ice creams and was pleased with the organic Marshfield ice cream chocolate and mint choc chip flavours.

We sampled a marvellously mountainous banoffee Eton mess. Perfectly ripe bananas and chunks of crumbly, sticky meringue were mixed with enough whipped cream to bind the whole pudding together without being too rich. A triumph!

The Natterjack also has five attractive bedrooms located in a converted cider house, each named after cider apples. It’s a great place to stay for visitors to the Bath & West showground which is a mile and a half away in Shepton Mallet. And you can bet the breakfast would be pretty special.

Our trip to The Natterjack left us satisfied, happy and relaxed. It’s a good pub, serving proper food, with a great atmosphere and friendly staff.

As we were preparing to leave, the bar and restaurant were filling up nicely: happy groups of people enjoying the jollity of a night in the pub. This is what Saturday night in Britain should sound and taste like. And we like that.

The Natterjack Inn Evercreech, Shepton Mallet BA4 6NA Call 01749 860253 Visit www.thenatterjackinn.co.uk

L ast Minute Offer For September 2013

Saturday 7th and Saturday 28th September 2013

Only £75.00 per guest To include a glass of prosecco and canapés on arrival, a three course wedding breakfast served with wine, a glass of prosecco to toast the bride and groom and late night food The offer also includes a Complimentary DJ Plus…

Upgrade to Exclusive use for only £7,000 reduced from £9,000!

Quote “Your Bristol and Somerset Wedding” to receive your complimentary Bridal Suite!

CHARLTON HOUSE SOMERSET

g ddin We wcase Sho y 21st da Sun April m – 6p 2pm

Shepton Mallet | Somerset | BA4 4PR | T 01749 342 008 | F 01749 346 362 enquiries.charltonhousehotel@bannatyne.co.uk | www.bannatyne.co.uk

Minimum of 60 Guests and on the above dates only.

> flavour cookery schools

Away in the Cotswolds The Cotswolds are a range of hills in south-western and west-central England, an area 25 miles across and 90 miles long. What we find within The Cotswolds is a plethora of country houses, terrific pubs, extraordinary independent shops and a region blessed with some of the most outstanding produce in the UK. Although the area may be relatively small, to enjoy all its offerings could take you a lifetime...

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> flavour the cotswolds

The Raged Cot

Windrush House

The Ragged Cot, a 17th-century coaching inn with an intriguing history of highwaymen and pilferage, sits high in the Cotswolds hills outside the ancient market town of Minchinhampton.

The presence of the working owners makes Windrush House B&B stand out from the crowd and deliver some of the best hospitality and service in The Cotswolds. Located five minutes walk from the centre of Broadway, this is a quite place to relax and fully appreciate the lovely village.

It’s a pretty special place; roaring fires to dine beside, comfortable bedrooms, well manicured gardens and set beside National Trust common land. For a romantic weekend, family meal or just a quick pint, you’ll find it hard to leave.

Five, individually decorated rooms and a comfortable guest lounge await your arrival, while the large garden is a haven to chill out in. Wi-Fi is available throughout the house.

The Ragged Cot

Windrush House Broadway, Worcestershire WR12 7DE

Cirencester Road, Minchinhampton, Stroud GL6 8PE

Call 01386 853577 Email info@windrushhouse.com

Call 01453 884643 Visit www.theraggedcot.co.uk

Visit www.windrushhouse.com

Over Farm Market

The Red Lion

Over Farm Market has one simple aim in mind ... to provide the best locally grown, fresh, seasonal produce, alongside a wide selection of local pickles, preserves, wines, beers and ciders.

The Red Lion Inn at Cricklade combines the best of everything that makes the British pub a widely loved institution, with all the modern aspects of eating and drinking out that people have come to enjoy and expect.

The bar is cosy and atmospheric with a huge open log fire, deep coloured walls and plenty of interesting bric-a-brac, while the adjoining restaurant has a lovely log burner.

The Red Lion caters for everyone; from the enthusiastic ale drinker to the foodie. In addition there is a huge sunny garden and five beautiful bedrooms should you wish to stay and enjoy every aspect of this unique pub.

There’s much more to do besides shopping! Children love to feed and pet the animals in the adjoining paddocks, and for the summer we’ll be growing plenty of fresh, juicy strawberries for you to pick-your-own. We also have a beautiful renovated barn we use to host events, which can also be hired out for functions and weddings.

Find us on the A40 at Over, near Gloucester Over Farm Shop Over, Near Gloucester GL2 8DB Call 01452 521014 Visit www.overfarmmarket.co.uk

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The Red Lion Inn The Hop Kettle Brewing Company, 74 High Street, Cricklade, Wiltshire SN6 6DD Call 01793 750776 Visit www.theredlioninncricklade.co.uk

> flavour the cotswolds

Charingworth Manor

The perfect Cotswold manor house hotel in warm Cotswold stone, Charingworth has commanded views over idyllic rural Gloucestershire countryside for 700 years.

Every one of the 26 bedrooms has been carefully refurbished to the highest standard offering contemporary style, all-new beds and duvets, plasma TVs, tea and coffee facilities and, most importantly, fabulous bathrooms.

Ideally located for exploring this beautiful part of England and the perfect hotel location for the delightful town of Chipping Campden, Charingworth Manor is a peaceful location for an important conference or elegant Cotswold wedding.

Choose from suites and four-poster rooms, all with their own character and many with private terraces and views over five counties.

Dine in the intimate AA-rosetted restaurant with a seasonal menu that makes the very best of fresh Cotswold produce, or unwind in the leisure facility with its gym, sauna, steam room and pool.

And there is the heart of England on the doorstep, with historic houses and world famous gardens to explore, Shakespeare’s Stratford to discover and the delightful Cotswold towns of Chipping Campden, Broadway and Burford just a short drive away.

Bring your dog – Charingworth is a petfriendly hotel and welcomes your dogs if they are well behaved!

Girly Weekend

LATE Winter Offer

Sleepy Sunday

Stay for a minimum of two nights and receive a free manicure or pedicure.

Treat yourselves to a late winter getaway with break from £149 for a Classic Room with a three-course dinner and a bottle of Prosecco gently chilling in your room.

£45 bed and breakfast (standard room)

Charingworth Manor Nr Chipping Campden Glos GL55 6NS Call 01386 593555 Visit www.classiclodges.co.uk/charingworthmanor 21

> flavour the cotswolds

The Hop Kettle Brewing Company AT THE REd LIOn Inn, CRICKLAdE

When landlord Tom Gee took over The Red Lion Inn at Cricklade five years ago, it was his aim to open up his own microbrewery on site and serve his beers to customers and festivals alike.

After a few gruelling courses and many an hour learning the trade, Tom successfully started The Hop Kettle Brewing Company last July. He has not looked back since.

So far, Tom has brewed 15 different beers, ranging from the house best bitter North Wall (ABV 4.2%) to the more adventurous higher ABV stouts. He has three beers on the go at any one time and they sell out as fast as he can make them.

A brewery tap fed through to the pub’s beer garden is an obvious draw as “first and foremost this is a pub with a brewery, rather than a brewery with a pub”, but Tom’s passion for the creation of beers to suit all paletes is never far away from the ethos of The Red Lion – a real beer drinker’s haunt.

Tom’s passion is not just restricted to brewing; he has more than 70 bottled beers from around the world that he matches to the food menu in the pub.

You could try for instance the American beer Sierra Nevada Tumbler that, as you might expect, is perfectly matched to barbecued pork, smoked meats and chargrilled vegetables.

You can find Tom’s beers all over the West Country at various beer festivals, events and shows, but for the perfect outing, it’s best to nip up to Cricklade and settle down at The Red Lion Inn for the full Hop Kettle Brewing Company repertoire.

The Hop Kettle Brewing Company 74 High Street, Cricklade, Wiltshire SN6 6DD Call 01793 750776 Visit www.theredlioninncricklade.co.uk 22

> flavour drops by

drops by... flavour

Whole Foods Market PuttIng the suPer back Into suPerMarket…

Whole Foods Market re-defines the word ‘supermarket’; a store where you can eat, drink, cook and learn more about natural food, drink, health and beauty. It focuses on high-quality, natural foods, beauty and health products that are grown or sourced as locally as possible.

This is Whole Foods Market’s only English store outside of the five existing London stores (plus one in Glasgow) and puts it firmly on the map at the heart of the Cotswolds. With its American heritage and being the world’s largest natural retailer, many may be surprised to find over 330 locally sourced products from Gloucestershire as well as a staggering 50 products just from Cheltenham itself, but this is one of the many things that stands Whole Foods Market apart from its competition.

Shoppers entering the store for the first time will see what makes Whole Foods

Market different. Fresh, locally sourced food tempts you in and the majority of its produce is loose and unwrapped so the ripeness and quality is there in plain sight – it smells great too.

With everything under one roof, shoppers can find exactly what they need for their weekly shop. The grocery aisles feature the best artisanal foods, sourced from Gloucestershire or the Cotswolds. Bottled fruit juices from Hail’s and Days Farm sit near the Artisan Kitchen’s handmade jams and preserves. Fresh local eggs (available singly) go alongside some speciality eggs – including ostrich! The store also sells local milk, dry-aged meat, offers sustainably sourced seafood, a wonderful aromatic cheese counter and wines from around the world.

Unique to Whole Foods Market is its ‘cook’ section where you can scoop as much or as little from a range of store cupboard

ingredients as you need. Popcorn, rice, pulses, dried fruit, grain, coffee, nuts and seeds are all available so you only buy what you need.

It’s all in the eating…

The Whole Foods Market Cheltenham, is a place to eat as well as a place to shop.

Tasting, sipping and pouring come easily to the team of chefs preparing to serve restaurant-quality food all day from 8am to 10pm Monday to Saturday and 11am to 5pm on Sundays. There’s something for every appetite. ■

Whole Foods Market Gallagher Retail Park Tewkesbury Road, Glos GL51 9RR Call 0800 975 7870 www.wholefoodsmarket.co.uk/cheltenham 23

> flavour the cotswolds

Sudeley Castle

Like most of Britain, the Cotswold countryside has remained green all winter.

From sweeping hillsides to ancient Cotswold stone cottage gardens, the worst of the snows have by-passed this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and green is the predominant colour.

Nestled in this verdant landscape is an historic property where green is almost a religion: Sudeley Castle. Garnishing the golden Cotswold stones of the ancient buildings trail naturalised clematis, contrasting with the formal topiary and knot garden.

The joys of the dinner plate are not overlooked among all this decorative greenery, for Sudeley has gardened organically for many years and boasts a Tudor physic garden where herbs for the table and medicinal uses are grown. In fact this area is just as pleasing on the eye, while the aromatic leaves of clearly labelled plants beguile the senses.

Sudeley offers guided tours of the

gardens and this season has joined forces with celebrated culinary expert and horticulturalist, Lyn Hall. Lyn, who lives locally, is the author of many books on cookery and delights in showing people the garden she has fallen in love with.

Herbs, with their fragrance, medicinal properties and importance to our wellbeing, have always been Lyn’s passion.

From her lifetime in professional cooking, she will give an insight into both the culinary and therapeutic aspects of the plants and their cultivation. In addition, Lyn leads tours describing how Sudeley gardens encourage wildlife: a project in association with the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust. Sudeley supports hundreds of wildlife species within its many niche

gardens, castle ruins and medieval stew pond, including slow worms, toads, bee orchids, disease-resistant elms, bumble bees, dragonflies, kingfishers and nuthatches, to name a few.

Lady Ashcombe and her gardening team are determined that Sudeley will play a part in maintaining vital ecology, which in turn supports the decorative and edible plants essential to our way of life.

Sudeley is open from March 17 to November 3 and the dates of the guided tours, which are mainly on Fridays and Saturdays, are found on the website.

Groups are very welcome if booked in advance and tours can be arranged to suit your itinerary.

Sudeley Castle Winchcombe, Gloucestershire GL54 5JD Call 01242 602308 Visit www.sudeleycastle.co.uk 24

> flavour the cotswolds

The Feathered Nest

In August 2009, Tony and Amanda Timmer saw the potential of the old Westcote Inn in the picturesque village of Nether Westcote, nestled in the heart of the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Painstakingly, a 14-month project was undertaken to re-build, refurbish and update The Old Malthouse and restore it to its original beauty. All the gardens have been re-landscaped and the verandah areas extended.

On those warm, balmy sunny days the garden terrace, with views overlooking the Evenlode Valley, allows for outside dining, naturally shaded by the old sycamore tree.

The pub also offers four beautifully decorated bedrooms for those who wish to linger longer – and it seems many do as rooms are booked well in advance.

The reason? It is the quality of the food that is at the heart of The Feathered

Nest, offering modern British cooking of the highest standards. Head Chef Kuba Winkowski and his team persevere to source ingredients and produce from local suppliers where possible and, not only does it attest to the freshness of the ingredients, it in turn supports local farmers and suppliers, while reducing the carbon footprint.

The kitchen garden supplies many of the herbs and vegetables and Kuba can frequently be found foraging the land and hedgerows for seasonal produce to enhance his creations.

A daily market menu offers relaxed eating in the bar and garden, while their seasonal menus provide an exciting alternative to be enjoyed in one of the

informal dining areas of this truly unique Cotswolds pub with a twist.

Lovers of wine will be in their element too, with an eclectic list boasting over 240 bins.

Hurry along as word is spreading fast, especially since The AA recently bestowed upon The Nest three highly coveted AA rosettes for culinary excellence.

Only a handful of pubs in the United Kingdom have achieved this level.

This gastronomic haven should feature on any food lover’s wish list. Indeed many guests return from far and wide to enjoy the warm welcome and hospitality while sampling some of the exciting dishes created by Kuba and his team.

The Feathered Nest Country Inn Nether Westcote, Oxfordshire OX7 6SD Call 01993 833030 Email reservations@thefeatherednestinn.co.uk Visit www.thefeathrednestinn.co.uk

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> flavour the cotswolds

Checketts Family Butchers

Checketts Traditional Family Butchers, based in Moreton in Marsh, offers top quality meat and fresh local vegetables – the produce locally sourced and perfect to grace any Cotswolds’ table.

Hog roasts are also available but book well in advance as it’s a really popular service!

FREE dELIVERy WITHIn 5 MILES Checketts Family Butchers 24 The High Street, Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire GL56 0AF Call 01608 629405 Visit www.checketts.co.uk

Get closer to nature than ever before

Feed exotic birds from all around the world

Make a splash in our fun outdoor playground

Handle the amphibians at toad hall

Welly Boot land

See wildlife from a canoe*

Under fours go free

Watch our family of otters at their feeding times

Free parking Open all year round. *extra charge applies

Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, GL2 7BT, T 01453 891900

Visit wwt.org.uk/Slimbridge Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) registered charity in England & Wales, no. 1030884 and Scotland, no. SC039410

The Catherine Wheel

REAL ALE, GREAT FOOd, BEAUTIFUL SURROUndInGS

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The Catherine Wheel enjoys a warm and inviting ambience, enhanced no end by the gentle crackling of open hearths and the murmuring of contented diners. Using local produce when available – all food is freshly prepared in this traditional Cotswold village pub.

Three comfortable en suite guest rooms with TV and tea and coffee making facilities, perfect for a base to explore The Cotswolds. Dogs welcome.

The Catherine Wheel The High Street, Marshfield SN14 8LR Call 01225 892220 Visit www.thecatherinewheel.co.uk

© philscoble.co.uk

Fir Mount House · Higher Contour Road · Kingswear · DEVON · TQ6 0DE · 01803 752943 · mannafromdevon.com · info@mannafromdevon.com

facebook.com/mannafromdevon

@mannafromdevon

Woodfired Ovens · Bread Making · Fish Cooking · Mediterranean Food · Asian Cooking · Family Classes

Classic Greek Style Yogurts with true heritage, great taste and natural ingredients.

Made in the Chilterns, Buckinghamshire.

Available in selected branches of Asda, Budgens, Waitrose, Whole Foods Market and online at Ocado.

Top London Greek Chef, Theodore Kyriakou,, has teamed up with us to create some fantastic recipes with our award winning Greek Style Yogurts. See www.timsdairy.co.uk for the full list of recipes.

www.timsdairy.co.uk

Koliosalata – Sm Mackerel Salad oked Dip 150g Tims Dairy Gr 200g smoked ma eek Style Natural Yogurt 20ml extra virgin ckerel boneless strips, chopped fi nely ½ bunch dill, fine olive oil ly Zest of one mediu chopped Sea salt flakes an m size lemon and the juice of ½ a lemon d freshly ground black pepper Using a fork mix the chopped fish juice, dill and yogu with the oil, lemon Mix well in order rt. Add a touch of sea salt and bla zest and to make a pulp wit ck to that of taramos h a smooth textur pepper. alata. e, similar Serve on blinis, wa Honey Yogurt bre rm rye bread or ad with watercre ss.

Good meze for 4 people.

@timsdairy

> flavour wine school

Back to School

With Great Western Wine

By AnGelA Mount

O

ne of the questions I’m most frequently asked is ‘How do I find out a little more about wine, and how do I know what to choose?’ We are a nation of wine lovers yet there is still so much uncertainty and nervousness, if only deep down, in selecting which wine to buy. Price, style, country; all these factors come into the equation, but in so many cases these then get blurred because the subject is quite frankly confusing and often over-complicated.

I love the history, geography and geology of wine culture; so do thousands of others.

But to many this is all too intense and engenders a sense of nervousness when choosing a wine. Wine is a pleasure to be enjoyed and appreciated; the process of choosing which wine shouldn’t be an uncertain and stressful experience, yet it often is!

Angela Mount is a wine expert, writer and presenter. Probably best known for having her taste buds insured for £10m by her former employers Somerfield, she is passionate about helping wine drinkers discover new and exciting wines. She also writes and presents events about wine and food matching, judges at all the major UK wine competitions and chairs the judging panels for the Bristol and also the Bath Good Food Awards.

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Like a white knight racing to the rescue of hapless, mildly confused wine lovers, comes the launch of the Great Western Wine School, with head teacher Tristan Darby at the helm.

Wine educator Tristan runs the Bristol Wine School and has linked up with Great Western to launch a bespoke range of courses for Great Western Wine customers and wine lovers in Bath, from a series of one-day introductory sessions to more involved and detailed six-week courses, all aimed at demystifying wine, building confidence and teaching a few principles of food and wine matching.

Known as the ‘singing sommelier’, Tristan is well versed in entertaining and communicating to his audience, having spent eight years as an actor and singer, while simultaneously gaining experience in the catering world where his fascination with wine began. He has run numerous courses for top restaurants and wine merchants in Bristol over the last few years, and has a clear view of what wine drinkers really want to learn about.

This isn’t a professional course with an exam at the end, it’s an enjoyable, learning experience in a relaxed atmosphere for a maximum of 15, where people can learn as much or as little as they like, but will leave with more confidence and with their palates tantalised to explore new wines.

All wines are tasted blind so that no preconceptions are brought into the tasting room! “The aim is to make wine knowledge more accessible, have some fun and help people make more informed buying decisions” said Tristan. He also wants to help his audience think a little more about wine and understand the impacts of various production techniques on wine styles, and major issues such as duty rates on wine and the true value of wine costs.

I asked Tristan to choose four wines from the Great Western Wine selection which he would be using on his courses, and tell me why these wines are perfect examples of the information he is imparting to his students:

> flavour wine school

MARQUES DE RISCAL SAUVIGNON BLANC 2011, £10.95 “This is a great example of how good the Spanish are at making fresh, accessible white wines, and perfect for any New Zealand Sauvignon fans looking for a change. It’s incredibly fresh and tasty, with inviting aromas of citrus and tropical fruits, with a stylish acidity and minerality.”

TRIMBACH RIESLING RESERVE 2010, £18.50 “This is one of my favourite Rieslings, from my favourite, award-winning Alsace winemaker. It’s a beautifully made wine and a great introduction to Riesling to the students on the course who may not yet have discovered this fantastic grape variety, or may have avoided it.

It’s engagingly vibrant and elegant, with a a delicious, dry, long lasting flavour of ripe peach, and citrus.

A superb food wine.”

BOGLE OLD VINE ZINFANDEL 2010, £13.50 “This wine never fails to impress; it’s a cracking wine and everyone who tastes it falls in love with it. It’s a real ‘hug in a mug’ wine and a real winter treat, but would work equally well with springtime barbecues. It’s soft, rich and concentrated, with juicy black fruit, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, with a long, lingering finish.”

PLANETA SANTA CECILIA 2008, £23.50 “This is a great eye-opener to Italian wine, it really does open up a journey of flavours and experiences. Many people are still nervous about choosing an Italian wine, outside the traditional comfort zone of Chianti, but this gives them an easy to understand introduction to Sicilian wines. It’s a combination of the new and the old; Planeta are one of the most pioneering producers in all of Italy, let alone Sicily, and combine tradition and heritage with modern techniques. This wine takes the palate on a long and pleasant journey through chocolate, spice, blackberries and savoury notes. Stunning.”

All wines are available from Great Western Wine Shop Wells Road, Bath Call 01225 322810 Visit www.greatwesternwine.co.uk Tickets to the Wine School; www.greatwesternwine.co.uk/wine-school 29

> flavour chef profile

chef profile flavour catches up with Manuel Monzon, head chef at the Old Down Manor, a magnificent Victorian gothic manor house

Name: Manuel Monzon Age: 43 Where from: An eclectic mix! I was born in Belfast, brought up in Spain until the age of seven and then settled in the UK Where is home: Just over the bridge with my lovely lady and newborn daughter Head chef at: Old Down Manor

I remember being 16 and watching a programme on Channel 4 called Take Six Cooks featuring culinary legends Raymond Blanc, Nico Ladenis and Marco Pierre Wight and being excited by their obvious passion for their life vocation.

Not really knowing what to do on leaving school up to this point I thought ‘this could be for me’ so I enrolled in college and got a part-time job in an authentic little Italian in Wolverhampton – and this is where I got my first taste of good food (and the odd sneaky glass of red wine!)

After completing college I left Wolverhampton for the bright lights of London. I found myself on the ladder and working in a 3 rosette restaurant in Gatwick. I discovered that not only did I love cooking, but I loved the discipline that was required in the kitchen. From there I moved into London and worked in the world of Michelin stars before moving to Seville where I had my first sous chef position and a taste of leading a brigade.

On return to the UK I again settled in London, which at the time was the centre of fine dining in the UK. I’m inspired by books, suppliers, guests, eating out whenever possible and these days there are masses of video clips on YouTube of fantastic chefs both here in the UK and overseas. I am also really fortunate at Old Down to have fantastic game on the doorstep. So when you have a whole venison or pig in front of you, you want to do the best for that animal. It’s an

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appreciation of what you’ve been given and wanting to make sure that you utilise as much of the animal as possible and giving the guest a dish that they will enjoy.

No two days are ever the same in the kitchen. Along with Old Down Bistro we have Old Down Manor, which is a beautiful venue overlooking the Severn Estuary and we also have Old Down Park and coffee shop which means life is varied!

My passion for food and for the customer means that it doesn’t matter which of the outlets I am spending my time in everything is done with pride and ensuring we’re delivering the very best for our guests. I don’t think that my enthusiasm for my job will ever wane as long as I can use good produce and have guests to feed.

I remember the first time I came to Old Down Manor – it’s like a secret hidden behind a beautiful stone wall.

The views towards the Severn Estuary are breathtaking and the Bistro has been sympathetically renovated keeping the feeling of the original barn. You do feel that you are really at a unique venue.

My aim is to make sure that the food complements this.

Like a good Iberico ham I have matured over time! What’s important to me is giving the customer what they want. The great thing about Old Down Manor is that I get to meet our guests who may be getting married or having an event and we talk

> flavour chef profile

about what they want. It’s my job then to make sure that we use the best produce, get the best out of the dish and ensure the best presentation. It’s also fantastic when you get inspiration from your guests; perhaps a ‘eureka’ moment on how to do something differently or you learn something new.

At Old Down we use great homegrown ingredients along with fantastic British produce. I have a great supplier of Spanish produce, which means that not only do I get the best of what’s on offer but I also get to practise my Spanish! You could say our menu is the best of British with a Spanish hint, but give me any food to work with and I’m happy. I love learning and most recently we hosted an Indian wedding at the manor. At first I was more than a little apprehensive that I may not be able to deliver the authenticity of what was required. However after research (fortunately I have a small collection of Indian cookbooks in the library!) and after talking to the bride and groom I found my feet and dived head in. Using some of the more modern cooking techniques coupled with an array of spices we delivered a ‘take’ on the Indian traditional fare and I have a new-found love!

Old Down Manor Foxholes Lane, Tockington, Bristol BS32 4PG Call 01454 414081 Visit www.olddownmanor.co.uk 31

> flavour Mezzé at The Warwick Arms

Clutton provides Angela Mount with a feast fit for more than one princess…

MEZZÉ T

he Mezzé mini-chain has been quietly expanding its reach across the Bristol area, refurbishing and relaunching old traditional pubs on the outskirts of the city, with a modern, vibrant, relaxed dining environment.

A family-run venture, there is a strongly-focussed Mediterranean (and particularly Greek) focus, brought here by the owners who have produced a little dreamy piece of the sunny Med to some picturesque West Country pubs.

Having opened in Thornbury, Congresbury and Downend, the Mezzé group cast their eyes south and have just re-opened the Warwick Arms after a £400,000 refurb.

A 19th-century coaching inn, on the A37 between Bristol and Wells, it’s a 15-minute drive south of Bristol, but driving there on a dark, rainy Friday night, given the out of town location, I was expecting a quiet evening with relatively few tables filled.

How wrong I was! The 160-cover restaurant was packed, from the relaxed bar area to the more intimate restaurant area. With its signature Mezzé–engraved frosted windows – the Warwick Arms is a rabbit-warren of nooks, crannies and corners and manages to capture different moods and vibes.

A bustling bar area, with an impressive range of spirits for their wide-ranging cocktail menu, has a relaxed, laid-back feel combining traditional pub culture with a modern edge, where guests can enjoy dishes from the lengthy mezze menu. A cosy alcove, featuring eye-popping Barbiepink coloured velvet banquettes is great for party groups, while the panelled walls of the main restaurant are decorated in muted shades of Farrow & Ball grey, with heavy, chunky wood tables and chairs making for a stylish but relaxed environment.

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at The Warwick Arms

On to the food… the menu is vast with over 50 different small mezze dishes on offer, ranging from traditional Greek to Spanishthemed tapas and a few selections from India, China, Morocco and Mexico, usefully split into ‘vegetarian’, ‘fish’ and ‘meat’ sections. The mezze menu is available throughout the establishment, while the à la carte is restricted to the restaurant section. Despite the heavily Mediterranean descriptions of the dishes there is a real focus on using local produce, with Chew Valley smoked trout, local cheeses and chorizo and meat from local butchers.

shank cooked in red wine and herbs) to a classic Mediterranean bouillabaisse. My guest opted for pan-fried fillet of monkfish and tiger prawns; perfectly cooked with a delicate shallot and Champagne cream sauce. My choice of chargrilled lemon and herb-marinated chicken arrived on a brightly coloured platter, complete with crispy paprika French fries, and a vast Greek salad. The portion would have easily fed both my two boys, but the chicken was deliciously flavoured with crunchy skin and succulent, well-cooked meat.

Be prepared for very generous portions!

We started with a mixed starter plate of vegetarian, seafood and meat mezze; a veritable cornucopia of signature Mezzé dishes, beautifully presented on a white platter of seemingly massive proportions.

These included jewel-coloured, fruity couscous, creamy, mildly-spiced red pepper and coriander hummus, marinaded sweet red peppers, a yoghurt and spinach dip, and juicy, mammoth olives and feta.

This little selection was complemented by more substantial mezze of scampi; beautifully crisp but very tender calamari, juicy chicken souvlaki spiced up with sweet Middle-Eastern spices, herby, fragrant pork koftas and deliciously fragrant and melt-inthe mouth borek – little filo parcels full of prawns, dill, crab meat and goat’s cheese.

Desserts include lots of sweet, sticky treats including ginger baklava, and a heavenly delight called sticky toffee and banana pudding. I always judge a restaurant by its crème brûlée, and Mezze’s blueberry version did not disappoint, with its dense, creamy sweetness and just the right amount of crunchy caramel topping.

One of these platters would do very well for two people for a ‘grazing’ evening in the bar.

We, however, moved on to the mains and were again amazed at the size of the portions. Not for the faint-hearted – go for just one course if you are not extremely hungry. The options are broad, from chargrilled prime sirloin and Mezzé mixed grill, to some hearty and flavoursome mains, ranging from the restaurant’s top selling kleftico (a slow-roasted lamb

Mezzé at Warwick Arms also has eight stylishly refurbished bedrooms and serves breakfast from 7am – a great stop on the commute up to Bristol.

While a cold February night had us huddling in the warmth, there is a smart outdoor restaurant overlooking lawned gardens, and a fully enclosed children’s play area. Opening soon is a bespoke Marshfield ice cream parlour to add to the children’s delight.

With plenty of parking and an easy to find location, it’s a great evening out, within easy reach of both Bristol and Wells and is also guaranteed to be a firm favourite at weekends for families, especially in the summer months.

Visit www.mezzerestaurants.com/clutton

I always judge a restaurant by its crème brûlée, and Mezzé’s blueberry version did not disappoint

The Natterjack Inn Whether it’s accommodation, a family or celebratory meal, working lunch or just a drink to unwind, we aim to make your visit a pleasurable one.

The Natterjack is a truly traditional pub, offering a wide choice of locally sourced, home-cooked food, Cask Marque beers and fine wines.

• Large scenic garden • Superb, eclectic menu Evercreech Junction, Evercreech, Shepton Mallet BA4 6NA Telephone 01749 860253

www.thenatterjackinn.co.uk

Fine Dining

at Old Down Bistro n Great atmosphere n Great location n Great food Old Down Bistro is open every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening for fine bistro style dining from 7.00pm.

Our chef has introduced new dishes to complement the new season’s produce and to further enhance your dining experience.

And we can accommodate private parties on other evenings by arrangement to provide a perfect setting for your celebration or function.

Old Down Bistro, Foxholes Lane, Tockington, Bristol BS32 4PG

Booking advisable 01454 414958 www.olddownbistro.co.uk

> flavour chef Q&A

Battling the trend...

Twenty-fiveyear-old Leigh Evans has been head chef at The Chequers, Bath, for two-and-ahalf years. We caught up with him to find out how things are shaping up in the early part of the year…

This is normally a quiet time of year in your trade, how has business been?

The Chequers has ticked along really nicely since Christmas. We were nice and busy in January, with February even busier so far! I changed the menu at the start of the year and the feedback has been better than ever.

So what have you got on your new menu and what is selling well?

We have got a really great balance in our menu at the moment, and it’s working really well. Starters wise, we have a lovely cured mackerel dish with beetroot, blood orange and celeriac; a beautiful pressed pig’s head terrine, pickled apple, shallots and celery; also seared scallops with Bath Pig chorizo, red pepper and salsa verde. Our mains at the moment are fairly wintery and classical in terms of their flavours. The best-seller is the game tart with pigeon, parsnip textures and duck fat chips. This dish has proven to be a winner and the concept will stay on our menu now, just changing the accompaniments with the seasons.

Which piece of equipment could you not do without?

I’d have to say it’s my Clifton water bath. I do a fair amount of sous vide cooking. It’s great for the consistency of cooking and also helps with the speed of service. So if we have 90 covers on a Saturday night it cushions the blow a bit!

But there is also a second and that would have to be my bread mixer. We make all our breads, and have great spelt bread with cheese and pickle butter on at the moment.

What exciting times are ahead for yourself and the Chequers?

Well, we have another inspection from AA to look forward to, so fingers crossed for two rosettes. As I write this it’s only a week until the Bath Life awards, in which we are shortlisted for best gastro pub. And I think another year of consistency is exciting in itself, especially in this current financial climate.

Why do you think you have a winning formula at the Chequers?

It’s taken a few years of really hard work to find out what works, what the customer wants and what suits the building. I think we have cracked it now. We have a great food offering with the sort of dishes mentioned above to a burger, fish and chips or steak. We want to appeal to all customers, so we run a more ‘up market’ menu with a bar menu alongside, so no one feels over or underwhelmed. Even though we do pride ourselves on our food, we are still a pub, and I think the atmosphere generated in the bar runs nicely alongside people enjoying a meal. And finally my kitchen team’s hard work would be nothing without a great front of house team which I feel is as good as anyone’s in Bath.

50 Rivers Street, Bath BA1 2QA 01225 360017 www.thechequersbath.com 35

With obvious links to the railway, The Old Station features an old Pullman carriage as its restaurant, which has been lovingly restored to all its former glory.

Al fresco dining with a woodburning stove and barbecue is available in the warmer months and dining under the stars on our deck is a must for the romantic.

We are open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, open all day Friday–Sunday. Meals served all day Sundays. £17.95 for three courses and all you can eat dessert buffet Easter Sunday & Mothering Sunday.

Telephone 01761 452228 Wells Road, Bristol BS39 6EN

01749 813213 The Montague Inn, Shepton Montague, Wincanton, Somerset BA9 8JW info@themontagueinn.co.uk www.themontagueinn.co.uk

www.theoldstationandcarriage.co.uk

The Labyrinth Restaurant at Winford Manor Hotel

The Labyrinth’s food is uncomplicated yet varied, using fresh, seasonal ingredients and including a full vegetarian menu. They believe that your choice should not be limited simply because you have different dietary requirements. As all of the food is cooked fresh to order, they are able to adjust the dishes and accommodate any special dietary needs.

Situated in the garden room with far-reaching views of the stunning Chew Valley, The Labyrinth strives to cook only the finest foods, sourced as locally as possible and prepared in the kitchen at Winford Manor.

The Labyrinth’s aim is for delicious simplicity; uncomplicated, traditional food cooked amazingly and served in abundance in beautifully peaceful surroundings.

Winford Manor Hotel Old Hill, Winford, Bristol, North Somerset BS40 8DW

www.winfordmanor.co.uk 01275 472292

> flavour romy’s kitchen

romy gill is a chef, businesswoman, writer, wife, mother and runner!

She focuses on the nutrition and healthy aspects of Indian cooking.

s ruMstICreKeK ChICKenIthddr leaves Ied fenug boneless w

Passionate about good health, romy has lost a great deal of weight and devised her recipes – ‘Curries without Calories’ – to complement her own branded range of pickles and sauces.

Romy has performed in food festivals all over the country, has appeared on TV and used to be a presenter on a local radio station Thornbury FM. She is proud to be heavily involved in youth culture and gives talks and cookery demonstrations in schools and cookery classes, where she discusses how food is grown, the importance of eating seasonal food and its impact on the environment.

Visit Romy’s site at:

www.romyskitchen.co.uk Follow Romy Follow Romy on Twitter @romyskitchen Find Romy on Facebook under romy’s Kitchen

this is a very simple yet tasty dish that works well as a starter or main, but I prefer it as a starter with a glass of wine, cider or beer....

IngredIents • 500g of chicken (marinate the chicken in lemon juice, salt and turmeric powder and keep aside) • Juice of ½ lemon • 1 tsp turmeric powder • 1 tsp cumin seeds • 2 medium red onions, finely sliced • 3 tsp grated ginger • 2 tsp soya sauce • 2 bay leaves • 4 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (not seeds) easily available from most supermarkets • 1 green chilli, chopped • 1 tsp rapeseed oil • Salt to taste

Method 1. Heat the oil in a pan then add the grated ginger and two bay leaves. Cook for a minute. Add the marinated chicken, turn up the heat and keep stirring until the chicken is brown on all sides. Add the soya sauce and dried fenugreek leaves. Mix well and cook for another minute.

2. Add the sliced red onions and chilli.

Mix all the ingredients well and, on a medium heat, keep stirring occasionally until the chicken is cooked (roughly 15-20 minutes boneless, 30-35 minutes with bones).

3. Once cooked, cover the pan and let the chicken rest before serving.

This is so easy to make and the warmth of the ginger and fenugreek leaves combine very well.

37

www.buxtonbutchers.co.uk

We offer an award winning selection of handmade chutneys and pickles from Wiltshire, including seasonally varying products, and larger packs for cafes and restaurants

Proud to supply Bristol’s Michelin-starred chefs and you!

Bespoke orders to your requirements All our beef locally sourced and aged for 30 days Tailor-made meat boxes a speciality Opening times: Tuesday–Saturday, 7am–3pm Call us today 01454 773213 62 Bradley Avenue, Winterbourne BS32 1HS email nigel@buxtonbutchers.co.uk

Contact: Stephanie Anderson 01225 722255 www.inapicklefoodco.co.uk twitter @inapicklefoodco.co.uk

Tel. 0843 507 1388

Coffee Culture

> flavour cookery schools

flavour’s

We’ve shaken off the new year blues and are now getting out and about again. With that comes visiting new places, shopping, walking the high streets and most importantly taking time out to sit down and enjoy a relaxing cup of tea or coffee, a cake and a rewarding session of people watching. This area has an abundance of just the sort of place that facilitates those deserving desires...

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> flavour coffee culture

The Jazz Café

Café la Strada

The Jazz Cafe is an independent licensed café overlooking Kingsmead Square in the centre of Bath, serving a variety of homemade dishes, fantastic English breakfasts (all day) including the famous Jazz Café Big Breakfast, lunches from the specials board, filled ciabattas and toasted sandwiches.

Café la Strada was established in 2002, born from a passion of community and hospitality. It’s a fantastic meeting place which provides a warm, professional welcome with an eclectic mix of food and drink that includes all the best coffees from the ‘Illy’ grind, breakfasts, lunches, pastries and snacks.

The coffees are made with beans imported and roasted

by Bristol firm Extract Coffee Roasters. The menu is available all day, every day. Open Monday to Saturday, 8.30am to 5pm and on Sunday from 10.30am to 4pm.

Senso Ice Cream – high-quality, artisan ice cream – is made on the premises, with many delicious and diverse flavours to choose from, while there are also many fine loose chocolates from around Europe and the UK, boxed and ribboned for those special occasions.

The Jazz Café

Café La Strada

1 Kingsmead Street, Bath BA1 2AA

Cheap Street, Frome, Somerset BA11 1BN

Call 01225 329002 Visit www.bathjazzcafe.co.uk

Call 01373 474374 Visit www.cafelastrada.co.uk

Beans and Machines Ltd Over 50 per cent of the population drink at least two cups of coffee a day, which is why Rob Norman and Jane Dunford have put their expertise and knowledge of the industry together to form Beans and Machines Ltd, a local business that can support the growing needs of consumers in the UK for outstanding machines and coffee.

Distributors of the premium Italian brand Astoria Espresso Machines, Coffetek and Azkoyen, they supply pubs, restaurants, schools and cafes among others.

They have a machine to suit all business needs, also offering the option to purchase refurbished equipment to suit those with lower budgets. Not only are they passionate about their equipment but they also have their own branded coffee beans that are freshly roasted to their very own specific secret recipe.

The business prides itself on its customer focus and, with each having over 20 years’ experience in the industry, Rob and Jane know just how important it is to ensure that customers receive outstanding service.

Beans and Machines 32 Old Mills Industrial Estate, Paulton, Bristol BS39 7SU Call 01761 418882 Visit www.beanandmachine.co.uk 40

> flavour coffee culture

Fairtrade Coffee at

The Better Food Company Bristol’s organic micro chain, The Better Food Company, takes its coffee seriously, not only in the café and deli, but also on the shop shelves.

All the coffee on offer is either organic or Fairtrade, and in most cases both.

But ethical consuming in itself is not enough – it’s got to taste great as well.

The St Werburgh’s café and Whiteladies Road deli both proudly serve Origin Coffee, roasted in deepest Cornwall by an amazing group of coffee innovators who source and roast their own beans, and provide excellent support to ensure every cup of coffee tastes as good as it should, and infuse everything they do with 100 per cent ground enthusiasm.

So why does it matter where coffee beans come from?

The focus of The Better Food Company’s shops, café and deli is on organically produced goods, but beyond a concern for sustainability and the environment is a connected belief in the well-being of people.

Foundation works to prevent exploitation, corruption and discrimination, and to provide the producers with skills necessary to ensure they get fair prices, safe working conditions and establish stable, ongoing trading relationships.

“We only buy goods from producers who take their production practices and the environment as seriously as we do,” says Lucy Gatward, Better Food’s Marketing Manager. “Anything less would degrade the Better Food brand.

This principle is at the heart of our sourcing policy and business strategy.”

By choosing Fairtrade products, you are helping to ensure that farmers around the world can develop sustainable livelihoods so that they in turn can invest in their futures and communities.

Farmers and workers in developing countries producing goods such as coffee, cocoa, sugar and wine face a difficult and uncertain future with rising fuel costs, climate change and volatile market prices. The Fairtrade

Buying from roasters like Origin Coffee, and other coffee suppliers, such as Grumpy Mule and Wogan’s (based in Bristol), you also tend to be buying from smaller organisations who still have the ‘personal touch’, and really care about customer service and the quality of what they’re making.

Seems like a win-win situation …

The Better Food Company The Proving House, St Werburghs, Bristol 0117 935 1725 • 94a Whiteladies Road, Bristol 0117 946 6957 Visit www.betterfood.co.uk 41

> flavour coffee culture

Mark’s Café

Murrays

Situated next to Mark’s Bread Bakery in Southville you will now find Mark’s Café, featuring expertly roasted coffee supplied by Extract Coffee Roasters.

Established in 1984, Murrays is a delicatessen, artisan bakery, Italian wine shop, cafe bar and online shop.

From 8.30am to 5pm Tuesday to Saturdays, try the toast and homemade jam, amazing bacon butties, croissants, soup and sourdough, cakes and tarts, all fresh from the bread oven.

Mark’s Café 291 North Street, Southville, Bristol BS3 1JR

This is a small independent business that prides itself on seeking the finest foods Italy, Britain, and particularly Somerset, have to offer with the provenance, welfare and quality being of great importance. Set on Hill Road, Clevedon, just 200 yards from the famous Victorian pier, Murrays has gained a reputation as one of the leading food and shopping destinations in the South West and further afield.

Murrays 91 Hill Road, Clevedon BS21 7PN

Call 0117 9537997 Email info@marksbread.co.uk

Call 01275 341555

Visit www.marksbread.co.uk

Visit www.murraysofclevedon.co.uk/shop

Café Britalia

Fairtrade Fortnight

Cafe Britalia Est has changed from what used to be a local greasy spoon cafe to a decent, family-run café bar offering quality, freshly prepared food, Lavazza espresso beans and Drury filter coffee in a clean, warm and friendly environment.

Open Monday to Saturday from 8am, Café Britalia is a great place to come for breakfast, lunch or just to catch up with friends with freshly brewed filter coffee or one of the many teas on offer.

Fairtrade Fortnight (25 February until 10 March) is upon us, and Bristol Fairtrade Network has a whole host of activities, talks and workshops to celebrate.

Please visit the website for more information and an in depth guide as to what’s going on in your area.

Café Britalia 111 Wick Road, Brislington, Bristol BS4 4HE Call 07554 941604 42

Visit www.fairtradesouthwest.org.uk

> flavour coffee culture

Coffee Compass The Coffee Compass is a specialist artisan coffee roastery that has been providing a rare and unusual range of quirky, top-quality coffees to independent coffee shops, restaurants and coffee enthusiasts across the UK since 1990.

They create bespoke blends and unique flavours to give the businesses they supply a reason for their customers to both return and recommend. “Standing out with an exceptional offering while remaining commercial is the answer which can only be achieved by a direct genuine roaster/retailer partnership where the offering is at the forefront of every coffee served,” said founder and head roaster Richard Jansz.

“There are many middlemen coffee companies who buy industrial, bulk produced coffees and sell on to consumers and businesses at a substantial mark up, in packaging that masks the nature of the company supplying and the coffee within.

“The culture of coffee is rapidly changing; the average coffee drinker is becoming far more aware of quality and preferences often ahead of the businesses that seek to serve them. They now get to taste coffees in many different establishments and know when they have been presented with excellence or indifference.

“Interestingly, although this shift has been very prominent in the London Café sector, in recent years we’ve seen a real increase in restaurants, pubs and bars approaching us from outside of London that want our help to significantly improve their coffee offering.

“A growing number of restaurants that we deal with also sell little bags of their bespoke blend, pre-ground or beans – provided by us, to their customers which enhances the perception and reputation as a quality focused establishment proud of their business.”

You may think that the reason behind serving bad coffee is cost related, but Richard points out that ordering direct from the roaster actually cuts the supply chain, meaning fewer people adding costs along the way. The Coffee Compass sources all their coffees from ethical farms, which is then hand-flame roasted to order and sent straight out on overnight delivery so that the coffee arrives as fresh as possible, often at a similar cost to a bag of industrial coffee.

If you’re interested in significantly improving your coffee offering contact Richard and his team.

Coffee Compass Email sales@coffeecompass.co.uk Visit www.coffeecompass.co.uk 43

> flavour coffee

The Coffee Den The Coffee Den, owned by Jon Thorner, has been serving up light lunches, main meals, homemade cakes and delicious coffees since 2010. In 2012 they were voted as having one of the best full English breakfasts in Somerset. Their secret? The meat – it’s all sourced from Jon Thorner’s farm shop right next door, which uses local farms and suppliers from the South West.

If you’re looking to treat your mum this Mothering Sunday, the Coffee Den offers a delicious menu, using quality ingredients with welcoming, friendly staff.

Opening times Monday–Thursday 9.00am–4.30pm Friday 8.00am–4.30pm Saturday 8.00am–5.00pm Sunday 9.30am–4.00pm To keep up-to-date with offers and promotions follow us on Twitter; @JonThorners or like us on Facebook; Jon Thorner’s

Coffee Den Mother’s Day Menu Sunday, March 10 Three courses £18.95 Two courses £14.95 One course £12.95

Starters

Mains

Minted pea and ham soup Smoked haddock and spring onion risotto Chicken and pork terrine with toasted brioche and onion marmalade Creamy garlic mushrooms with toasted ciabatta (V)

Somerset Sirloin roast beef and all the trimmings Oven baked salmon wrapped in Parma ham, served on a warm salad of green beans, cherry tomatoes, new potatoes and a citrus vinaigrette

Desserts

Apple and blackberry crumble Rich chocolate, cognac and cherry mousse Strawberry tart with crème Anglaise Sticky toffee pudding Somerset cheeseboard

Mustard and herb crusted pork loin with scallion mash

Sittings 12.00 & 2.30pm Booking essential for four or more

Breaded turkey escalope with a smoked bacon and mushroom sauce Lentil, mushroom and pumpkin seed roast (V)

The Coffee Den Stockwood Farm Buildings, Pylle, Shepton Mallet BA4 6TA Call 01749 838938 44

To Finish

Tea or coffee with homemade fudge

> flavour coffee culture

Wild at Heart

Wild at Heart, emporium of the wonderful, is a speciality coffee, hair and beauty boutique based on Broad Street, Bristol. The café offers only the very best from Extract Coffee, Canton Tea and fabulous locally sourced treats.

Wild at Heart’s unusual and eccentric space currently holds some amazing events and is available for private parties.

The soon-to-be open bar will let you wind down with beautiful cocktails and glorious live music and DJs. If it’s a special vintage number and a spot of tea you are after, look no further than the amazing Heartfelt on Alma Vale Road.

Tea Monkey is a café with a difference – the main focus being customer service; they are extremely personable and always trying to find ways to delight customers.

There are over 40 types of tea as well as award-winning coffee and hot chocolate – something for everyone.

The food offering includes delicious cakes, pastries and savouries, while there is also a selection of gluten-free products.

Wild at Heart 51 Broad Street, Bristol

Tea Monkey

Call 0117 92391613

Unit SU19, Little Southgate, Bath BA1 1AS

Visit www.wildatheartemporium.co.uk

Call 01225 312592 Visit www.tea-monkey.com

The Fat Fowl

Open from 9.30am and serving Italian Segafredo Coffee, Mr Jones’ Teas,

homemade cakes, pastries, scones and

100 percent fresh fruit smoothies, The

Fat Fowl is the hub of Bradford on Avon.

Community groups meet upstairs in the mornings, while mums and babies pop in regularly for Babychinos and lattes. The infamous carrot cake and chocolate brownies, made with 89 per cent Belguim chocolate and white chocolate chips are made daily and are to die for.

When conditions warrant, the outside terrace is perfect for a bit of sunshine and to absorb the hustle and bustle of the beautiful town centre. The Fat Fowl has rapidly become a Bradford on Avon institution.

The Fat Fowl Silver Street, Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire BA15 1JX Call 01225 863111 Email info@fatfowl.com Visit www.fatfowl.com 45

> flavour coffee culture

Living Room Barista

By Megan Owen

Coffee shops; where the smell of freshly ground coffee permeates the air, the sight of a counter bursting with delicious cakes persuades you to indulge, and the sounds of people’s voices, clanging coffee cups and milk being steamed offers comfort and joy.

Whatever the day, whatever the weather, and whatever the occasion, coffee shops offer a mutual ground for friends, couples and loved ones to while away the hours, chatting, laughing and reminiscing.

When there is a lot of catching up to do however, coffee dates can become very expensive, so why not avoid the queues, save some money, and make the catch up more personal by bringing the coffee shop culture and all of its niceties to your home?

With the right ingredients, you can recreate your own caramel latte, hazelnut hot chocolate or chai tea for a fraction of the cost. All you need is a good mug, a cosy spot to sit, and a friend or two. Oh! And some scrumptious cake, of course!

Here’s some tasty treats to help you impress your guests.

Chocolate Ganache Cake IngredIents

Method

For the sponge • 200g margarine • 200g caster sugar • 4 eggs • 170g self-raising flour • 30g cocoa powder • 1 teaspoon baking powder

For the ganache: Pour the cream into a saucepan, and gently heat until you can only just hold your finger in the liquid. Break the chocolate, add it to the cream, and stir until it is melted and fully combined. Allow to cool, and then place in the fridge to stiffen.

For the ganache topping and filling • 300ml double cream • 300g milk chocolate (approx. 30% cocoa solids)

For the sponge: Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line two 7” cake tins.

Place the margarine, caster sugar, eggs, flour, cocoa powder and baking powder in a large bowl, and mix using an electric whisk. If preferred, you could use the traditional creaming method.

Evenly spoon the mixture into the two cake tins, and smooth out. Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until springy to touch.

Remove the sponges from the oven, allow to rest for a couple of minutes and then turn onto a cooling rack.

Once cool, spread half of the ganache on one sponge and sandwich the other sponge on top. Spread the rest of the ganache on top of the cake. If you would like to cover the whole cake, double the cream and chocolate quantities.

Present on a cake stand for a true coffee shop feel.

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NOW ALSO OPEN AT

THE WARWICK ARMS CLUTTON 01761 453 594

BOUTIQUE HOTEL ROOMS WITH FREE AIRPORT PARKING

w w w. m e z z e r e s t a u r a n t s . c o m COMING SOON Mezzé at the White Lion, Portishead

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M e z z é a t t h e A n c h o r, H a m G r e e n

> flavour martin blunos

MARTIN BLUNOS DOES TAPAS!

By Angela Mount

The concept of Martin Blunos, two Michelin star chef, and a born and bred South West boy, cooking tapas as a pop-up at Harveys Cellars in Bristol, was too intriguing to resist. So on an icy, snowy January evening, I slithered along the narrow streets to Denmark Street, Bristol, cursing my stilettos to be transported into a haven of warmth, relaxed ambience, and a touch of Spanish charm.

Tucked away in a quiet street behind the Bristol Hippodrome, which makes it a perfect place for pre-theatre tapasstyle suppers, Harveys Cellars is only noticeable by the two sherry casks which flank the entrance. An underground experience in this 13th-century building, the restaurant pays homage to its roots with a nod to its sherry lineage, and a wall of Bristol blue glass close to the entrance.

New ownership in 2011 changed the focus of this historic restaurant from formal dining to a relaxed and atmospheric, tapas-style venue, with sherry and cocktails to the fore.

After a welcome cocktail of Harveys Bristol Cream infused with orange peel (surprisingly delicious), we were greeted by the star of the show, who was cooking for one night only, as guest chef Martin Blunos, one of our best-known and loved celebrity chefs, teamed up with Bristol

wine merchant Raj Soni to bring a suitably flavour-packed range of dishes to the table, matched to a range of sherries and Spanish wines.

With his inimitable charm and laid-back style, Bristol-born and bred Martin firstly told his guests how much he loved getting back to his roots! His explanation of the menu emphasised that tapas food is not about fine dining, it’s about ‘tasty, honest food for sharing and getting involved in the experience’. As a passionate supporter of local and seasonal food, Martin inevitably put the right twist on this predominantly Spanish menu using locally produced ingredients, including one of the key fare, Chorizo, from Bristol-based producer Castellanos.

The entire meal was served, tapas-style, with each of the four courses, matched to a specific sherry. Sherry – that muchmaligned and underestimated drink – is at long last undergoing a revival with sherry bars popping up all over London and increasingly outside the capital, with the clear message that it’s one of the greatest wines in the world, in all its different guises, and the perfect food wine.

From searingly dry, tangy Manzanilla to intensely lusciously sweet Pedro Ximenez, there is a sherry for every taste and style.

We began with three starter dishes, matched to a richly flavoured, intense, walnut-infused, yet searingly dry Palo

Cortado sherry, which coped well with the all the intense flavours – a savoury chickpea fritter with sweet, succulent peppers; a richly-textured duck egg frittata with a kick of chilli jam; and my favourite – a dreamily, creamy medley of goat’s cheese with a sherry and dried apricot jelly, an ideal juxtaposition of flavours which married perfectly.

The second course was all about fish.

First up was a meltingly tender, fleshy hake with traditional romesco crust – savoury, sweet, and divine; followed by achingly sweet, giant grilled prawns served with aioli, which transported me immediately to a seafront tavern in southernmost Spain. But the dish that made me applaud on this course was Martin’s Latvian twist on tapas, producing a tender, earthy, smoky delight of mackerel, marinated in sherry and then grilled – a perfect fusion of cultures.

Course three stayed more traditional in style, with chorizo spiced-up chicken wings, savoury, succulent lamb cutlets with the acid bite of capers and, topscoring for me and many of my fellow guests, the rich, sumptuous and simply sublime, melt-in–the-mouth flavours of the slow-cooked pork in sherry. Some decent Rioja would be perfect with these dishes, but Raj stuck to the sherry theme and the Oloroso he chose was powerful, intense and concentrated, with raisiny flavours, but again, the freshness and

Follow me on Twitter: @martinblunos1

One of the South West’s most talented chefs, Martin Blunos was born and brought up near Bath, his parents having come to England from Latvia just after the Second World War. He has held two Michelin stars for more than 15 years and appears regularly on television and radio with slots as guest chef on BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen with James Martin, BBC Market Kitchen, ITV Daily Cooks and ITV’s Saturday Cooks.

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> flavour martin blunos

intensity to work with the powerful flavours in these dishes.

Finally, the last of four beautifully served wooden platters came to the table. For this course we were served a lusciously rich Pedro Ximenez sherry, the perfect match to the sweetly deliciously delights that we were served. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not normally a great dessert fan, but in this instance I was a convert and loved Martinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s take on Spanish desserts.

Using a traditional Spanish ingredient, he created a turnover (or pasty) of apple, almond and membrillo quince paste; for the chocoholics there was an intense tartlet of deep, dark chocolate infused with Spanish honey; its crust crisp and its centre oozingly rich. But for me, the refreshingly perfect finale was a blood orange and passionfruit jelly with pistachio â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a wake-up call to jaded taste buds; a riot of citrus, zingy, tangy flavours, which just hit the spot.

All credit to Harveys Cellars (under new management) to try to maintain the heritage of their roots and to develop the sherry culture in Bristol. There are countless restaurants now doing tapas.

What top chef Martin Blunos did was provide his own, unique twist on the tapas style of food, merge two cultures, keeping the ingredients local and adding an exciting new dimension to tapas-style cooking.

Harveys Cellars 12 Denmark Street, Bristol BS1 5DQ Call 0117 929 4812 Visit www.harveyscellars.co.uk 49

> flavour bertinet talks chocolate

Richard Bertinet delves into the world’s most favourite and staple of treats

Chocolate – the ultimate treat Just this week, three people have told me that they are celebrating. Not a win on the lottery, not even a birthday – no, the celebration is for the end of their new year diet and once again they are able to treat themselves.

The weather might be cold and dreary but suddenly the world seems a better place when that freshly brewed coffee comes with a sweet crunchy biscuit, or when your afternoon cuppa with a friend also involves a slice of cake and two forks.

or a chocolate tart in sweet short pastry, something with chocolate always seems to hit the spot. So here are two delicious things with chocolate to make at home. The first is the perfect indulgent pudding. My wife shares my fondness for dark chocolate but she also adores cherries in kirsch so I put the two together for her. The second is my recipe for chocolate truffles. They make a wonderful gift so you can share your chocolate fix (and some of the calories so you don’t undo all the good work from the new year’s diet!!).

For my part, the ultimate treat has to involve chocolate. There is just no substitute for the creamy sweetness. Be it an unctuous salted caramel chocolate brownie

You do not need much in the way of equipment. Some metal dariole moulds are the best thing for the chocolate fondant but ramekins will do. The only other thing

Chocolate Truffles

Method

• 30g unsalted butter

1. Put the cream into a pan. Bring to the boil then immediately take it off the heat.

Bring your bain-marie to the boil, then turn the heat down low. Break the chocolate into pieces and place them in the bowl.

• 200g good quality dark chocolate • 4 tablespoons rum • 2 tablespoons strong instant coffee or espresso • 100g cocoa powder

2. Let the chocolate melt slowly then remove from the heat and mix into the hot cream, stirring well.

Whisk the cubes of butter into the chocolate and cream mixture, add the rum and coffee and stir well.

3. Pour the mixture into a shallow dish to cool and set and put into the fridge to set overnight. Next morning, break the set chocolate into small, irregular nuggets and then roll in the cocoa powder. If you manage not to eat them all straight away, you can keep the truffles in an airtight container in the fridge for two to three weeks.

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In both recipes I suggest that you use 70% chocolate. The percentage refers to the amount of cocoa solids that are used in the chocolate and most good chocolates will state the cocoa percentage. The higher the percentage the darker and the more bitter the chocolate will be but the less of it you will need to get that chocolate hit and satisfy the cravings.

Makes 24–30

Ingredients • 80ml double cream

you will need is a bowl that fits snugly over a saucepan, with the base of the bowl well clear of the bottom of the pan. Filled with boiling water this makes a perfect bainmarie for melting chocolate. The fit needs to be good, as it is important to keep the steam well away from the chocolate or it will stiffen and become dull.

The Bertinet Kitchen 12 St Andrew’s Terrace, Bath BA1 2QR Call 01225 445531 Email info@thebertinetkitchen.com Visit www.thebertinetkitchen.com

> flavour bertinet’ talks chocolate

Chocolate Fondant a la Mrs B Serves 4

Ingredients • 350g dark cherries in syrup or kirsch • 120g caster sugar • 2 large eggs and 2 egg yolks • 160g good quality dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids) • 160g unsalted butter plus a knob to butter the mould • 30g plain flour • 125ml kirsch • Strained syrup from the jar or tin of cherries • 4 dariole moulds

Method 1. Strain the cherries over a bowl, reserving the syrup. Put the cherries in a bowl and pour over the kirsch. Put into the fridge to macerate, preferably overnight but up to a week if you have time to plan ahead.

2. When you are ready to make the puddings, pre-heat your oven to 180°C and lightly grease the dariole moulds with the knob of butter.

3. Put the reserved cherry syrup into a pan over a low heat with 50g of the sugar and stir to dissolve the sugar. Strain off the kirsch from the bowl of cherries and add it to the pan.

Let it bubble and reduce until there is about 1cm left in the pan. Leave it aside to cool.

4. Put the remaining sugar into a mixing bowl with the whole eggs and yolks and whisk until they are a pale straw colour and have a creamy, mousse-like appearance.

Bring some water to a simmer in the saucepan (enough to be close to the bottom of the bowl when it sits on top but not to touch it). Turn the heat down low. Break the chocolate into pieces, place it in the bowl and let it melt slowly. Add the butter and stir well until it is completely melted. Take the pan off the heat and add to the sugar and egg mixture, stirring well. Gently fold the flour into the chocolate, sugar and eggs.

5. Spoon about half the mixture into the moulds so that they are half full. Place three or four cherries in the centre of each mould and push gently into the chocolate mix, keeping them away from the sides. Spoon the rest of the chocolate mix on top.

6. Bake in the oven for seven minutes until springy to the touch. Don’t leave them in any longer because the centre should be runny. Turn the puddings out onto individual serving plates and drizzle over some more cherries and some of the kirsch sauce.

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> flavour italy

An Italian experience There is something rather special about Italian food.

Whether that’s because we associate it with ingredients such as tomatoes, basil and olives, or whether it’s because we love the tastes and textures of fresh pasta or a moist dough, the simple case is I don’t think we would be completely happy without it. Going out or staying in, Italian cuisine more often than not fits the bill...

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> flavour italy

Rachel Demuth’s Italian homage…

I’m often asked where I like to go on holiday. For me it has to be food led and as I choose vegetarian, in Europe, Italy is my first choice; where you can happily eat in restaurants without making a fuss.

The further south you go the more abundant the vegetables. One of my favourite regions is Puglia (Apulia), the undiscovered heel of southern Italy. Puglia’s cooking is rooted in the countryside and making use of everything; it’s simple food and was thought of as ‘la cucina di povera’, but is now known to be very healthy with its abundance of fresh vegetables, pulses and olive oil.

Puglia produces 40 per cent of the olive oil in Italy. Almond and fig trees grow among the ancient knarled olive trees. In spring, the fields are filled with wild greens, herbs, asparagus and chicory and in the gardens vegetables are grown underneath the citrus and pomegranate trees.

With Puglian cooking, think beans, tomatoes, artichokes, courgettes, peppers, aubergine, fennel, chillis, garlic, pasta and luscious fresh green peppery olive oil served with hunks of sourdough bread and strong deep red wine.

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Eating out in Italy is a joy: Start with appero, rather like Spanish tapas; little dishes to go with your drink followed by antipasto and then primi piatti – the pasta course – and you will be so full that you won’t need to ask for the secondi piatti which tends to be meat or fish.

lightly steamed, and served with soft sheep’s cheese.

On a recent trip to Rome we ordered Prosecco and it came with a large plate of griddled aubergine and courgette, sun-dried tomatoes, and griddled bread – almost a meal in itself!

Orecchiette is their signature pasta and shaped like a small ear. In Spongano we watched it being made by the women. The pasta is deftly rolled into a very thin sausage, chopped into small segments and then pushed with a knife into the ear shapes.

Antipasto means ‘before the meal’. In Apulia at an agro-tourism restaurant, we asked for vegetarian and the small dishes kept on coming, We ate chicory steamed and then sautéed in olive oil with garlic and served with Puré di Fave. Delicious with the creaminess of the beans offset by the bitterness of the chicory and ‘bruschetta’ thick slices of sourdough bread, toasted on a griddle and topped with a choice of crushed tomatoes, asparagus or the first pick of broad beans,

Primi piatti is the pasta course. Pasta in Puglia is traditionally made by hand and constructed with hard durum flour, water and salt and no eggs so perfect for vegans.

Orecchiette is served with traditional le cime di rape (turnip tops). In Puglia they love their turnip tops! Or served with fresh, raw, sweet cherry tomatoes and pungent basil.

This autumn, Demuths Vegetarian Cookery School is organising a sunshine filled cooking week in Apulia, staying in the magnificent Palazzo Bacile di Castiglione, surrounded by ancient olive trees, citrus groves and fig trees, with fantastic vegetable

> flavour italy

Basil Pesto This pesto is a favourite at The Vegetarian Cookery School and uses a generous amount of fresh basil, nuts and olive oil and it’s well worth it!

Photo: Monica Shaw

markets, close to the sea and unspoilt villages.

On the course we will cook every day with a combination of hands-on cookery and demonstrations where we will create delicious Italian meals together using the best seasonal vegetables, local oils and wines.

We will shop for vegetables at the local market, visit local cheese and olive oil producers and have a special wine tasting.

We will have an evening out at an excellent agrotourism restaurant and a visit to Otranto, a lovely town on the coast with an amazing ‘tree of life’ mosaic that covers the entire floor of the cathedral.

To make the most of the autumn sunshine, there will be time to relax and unwind, swim in the palazzo pool, a dip in the sea, cycle or walk through the olive groves.

To find more about this holiday or to come on one of our popular southern Italian cookery courses check out the website…

ServeS: 4-6

MethoD

Dietary: vegan

1. Take the basil leaves off the stalks. In a food processor or in a pestle and mortar crush the pinenuts and hazelnuts roughly and then decant them into a bowl and set aside.

ingreDientS • 75g pinenuts, toasted • 75g hazelnuts, roasted and skins rubbed off • 3 garlic cloves, peeled • 175ml extra virgin olive oil • 75g fresh basil • 2 tbsp lemon juice • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar • 1 tsp apple juice concentrate • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2. Pureé the garlic with a pinch of salt in a little of the olive oil, then add the basil leaves and the rest of the olive oil and pureé just enough to break up the basil to a rough texture.

3. Add the lemon juice, vinegar and apple juice concentrate and mix. Pour the basil and garlic mixture into the crushed nuts and stir in. Season to taste.

Tips: Pesto is great as a dip, served on bruschetta or used as a pasta sauce, salad dressing or pizza topping.

Can be made with watercress, rocket, baby spinach leaves or a mixture.

www.vegetariancookeryschool.com 55

> flavour italy

La Bandiera, Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Jacqueline Lane and Silvia Quaranta produce and bottle La Bandiera Extra Virgin Olive Oil on the privately owned estate in Bolgheri, on the coast of Tuscany.

The olive groves are all on the property so La Bandiera is a single-estate olive oil. The olives are harvested from the moraiolo, leccino and frantoio trees when they are just beginning to ripen, from the end of October through to the end of November. The timing is so important in order to capture and preserve those characteristics so typical of olive oil from the region – full-bodied with fruity and spicy aromas.

For the past two years, La Bandiera Extra Virgin Olive Oil has been a winner in the Great Taste Awards, the judges describing the oil as “having a very interesting nose – the aroma of herbs and hay, meadow flowers in abundance, rustic but balanced and the warmth is very good – flavoursome, clean and long.”

The oil is delicious with fish, chicken, cooked or raw vegetables, bruschetta and salads.

La Bandiera Extra Virgin Olive Oil is available in 250ml and 500ml bottles as well as 1, 3 and 5 litre cans.

La Bandiera Call 0207 243 5150 Visit www.labandieraoliveoil.com

Yeo Valley’s Roasted Pepper Risotto ServeS 4 Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 40 minutes ingreDientS • 225g risotto rice • 2 red peppers, halved and deseeded or use 2 roasted red peppers in oil, drained and cut into long strips • 1 tbsp olive oil • 1 onion chopped • 2 cloves garlic, crushed • 2 tomatoes, deseeded and chopped • 6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped • 450ml hot vegetable stock • 150g Yeo Valley Greek-Style Yogurt • 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped • 3 tbsp Parmesan • Freshly ground black pepper Storage: Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days

MethoD 1. Place the red pepper halves, cut side down, on a baking sheet and grill under a high heat for 15 minutes until the skin is blackened. Remove from the oven and place in bowl. Cover with clingfilm and leave until cool enough to handle. Peel off the skins and discard. Cut the peppers into long strips. Set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onion and garlic until soft. Add the rice, tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, peppers and a little stock. Bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes adding the stock a little at a time and stirring occasionally, until the rice is cooked through.

3. Stir through the Greek yogurt, parsley and cheese. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Spoon into bowls and sprinkle over a little additional cheese to serve.

For more recipe ideas from Yeo Valley visit www.yeovalley.co.uk 56

Maddalena Caruso’s

> flavour italy

Mafaldine con scampi e zafferano

Mafaldine pasta is soft in the middle and firm around the edges when cooked. I find it just right for this recipe: it takes up the saffron perfectly and contrasts divinely with the texture of the scampi.

ServeS 4 ingreDientS

1. Wash and peel the scampi tails, carefully removing the black filaments. Place in a bowl to marinate with the garlic and lemon zest. Moisten with plenty of olive oil, sprinkle with the saffron threads, cover with cling film and refrigerate for 2 hours.

2. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil over a high heat, add the mafaldine, reduce the heat and cook for 10–13 minutes, until al dente.

• 18 raw scampi tails, in the shell • 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped

MethoD

• zest of ½ lemon, finely grated • 100ml extra virgin olive oil • Pinch of saffron threads • 480g mafaldine pasta • Handful of flat-leaf parsley • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3. Remove the scampi and the marinade from the refrigerator, put in a large frying pan and add salt to taste. As soon as the pasta is ready, remove from the heat and drain. Add to the pan containing the scampi, toss together and place over a medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring gently and occasionally. Meanwhile, chop the parsley finely.

4. To serve, remove from the heat, add pepper to taste and a couple of pinches of parsley.

Mafaldine with scampi and saffron

Grape & Grind Italian wines are one of Grape & Grind’s specialities and one of its best sellers. A wide range is always available from delicious whites to rich reds and they are always happy to help you choose one to complement your food.

Tasca d’Almerita Regaleali Rosso, Sicily 2010 £10.50 Produced from selected Nero d’Avola vineyards in the heart of the island, producing a concentrated bitter cherry and mulberry fruit.

Grapes are grown in every region of Italy, producing a vast array of styles from almost 1000 different varieties. Its famous wines Barolo, Brunello and Chianti come from the north but it’s in the south that some of the most exciting and best value wines are found.

A Mano Primitivo, Puglia 2011 Casa Vinicola Botter Caleo Inzolia, Tenuta Adolfo Spada ‘Gallicius’ £7.99 Deeply coloured with Sicilia 2011 £7.25 A fabulous Falanghina, Campania 2011 perfumes of ripe, red fruit and white wine. A delicate scent of £10.75 An inviting combination of a spicy, smoky edge from the honeysuckle with a hint of almond, perfumed, floral notes and tropical oak ageing. In the mouth this is on the palate there is a round fruit on the nose with delicate fresh youthful and full-bodied, with texture with enough acidity to make citrus fruits and a pronounced blackberry and blueberry notes. the wine refreshing mineral streak on the palate.

For all of these plus wines from around the world, cider and beer, do drop into the shop at 101 Gloucester Road, Bristol.

Call 0117 924 8718 Visit www.grapeandgrind.co.uk 57

> flavour italy

La Bandiera’s

Chestnut cake

Café Britalia

with extra virgin olive oil

ingreDientS

• 6 egg whites • 130g caster sugar • 150g chestnut flour • 50g white flour • La Bandiera 150g Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• 150g semi-skimmed milk • 30g organic baking powder, gluten-free MethoD

Café Britalia is a cafe by day, offering a full range of food from an all-day breakfast, jacket potatoes, paninis and a selection of pastas.

Café Britalia 111 Wick Road, Brislington, Bristol BS4 4HE

1. In a large bowl place the six egg whites, add the caster sugar and whisk until stiff, then pour in the extra virgin olive oil little by little, continuing to whisk. In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and milk; add this mixture to the egg whites and beat until you have a lump-free batter.

2. Pour the mixture into a cake pan, previously lined with butter and sprinkled with flour, place into the oven at 165° C, cook for 45 minutes.

Tip: take the cake out of the oven straight after it has finished cooking, do not leave it to cool down in the oven. If you do not have a ventilated oven check the cake often to ensure it is cooking evenly.

Call 07554 941604

Telephone 0207 243 5150 Visit www.labandieraoliveoil.com

But on a Friday and Saturday evening from 4pm the ambience is changed and candles light the tables to create a different atmosphere, ready to serve pizza and pasta where you can ‘bring your own’ alcohol.

All pizzas and pastas are prepared in house using good quality ingredients. Pizzas are stone-baked in the Italian pizza oven in a matter of minutes.

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For full details, terms and conditions, please visit our website – www.bottelinos.net *drinks not included 58

> flavour future chef

F uture Chef one to watch...

We put Jamie Cahill, City of Bristol College’s Apprentice of the Year 2012, in the hot seat.

Jamie starts his day at 7am with the breakfast service. As most of us are still sleeping sweet dreams, Jamie is preparing the day’s meals.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Learning new things every day like techniques, dishes, produce and methods of cooking. Everyone in the kitchen and front of house get along well which makes it a nice environment to work in.

What apprenticeship are you doing?

I am finishing an NVQ Level 3 professional Cookery Apprenticeship.

Describe a typical day at work?

7am–9am; breakfast service.

9am–3pm; do prep for the section I will be working on for that day, check all lists in case any jobs need doing, make bread.

5pm–7pm; prepare for dinner service.

7pm–10pm; dinner service After service; write all prep lists for the following day, order anything needed for the next day, set up for breakfast.

Who is your employer?

I work at Berwick Lodge, which is a boutique hotel situated near Cribbs Causeway shopping centre, Bristol.

Why did you decide to do an apprenticeship?

I wanted to gain hands-on experience of a professional kitchen, to earn money and still be in education.

What would you like to do in the future?

Be the head/exec head chef of a restaurant abroad, or own my own small restaurant. ■

What were you doing before?

I was in full-time college education, taking NVQ Level 1 and 2 Professional Cookery.

How easy is it to combine working with studying?

I feel that it’s easy enough. Work helps a lot with college, as what I learn in the workplace ties up with what I’m learning at college.

59

> flavour moorland garden hotel

flavour sent Jo Raines to Devon to find out more about a lovely retreat on the moor…

Moorland Garden Hotel T

his boutique-style retreat is, as its name suggests, something of a gentle oasis in the rugged terrain of Dartmoor. It’s perfectly located as a base for exploring the moor and its quaint pubs, and a short drive from the market town of Tavistock, with its Pannier Market and foodie shops.

Following an extensive refurbishment programme, the hotel’s new owners have made the most of its beautiful setting. It’s a long, low building, part 1930s, part 19th century, and in the style of old coaching inns, you drive right up to the front door under an arch in the building that leads to a courtyard.

We arrived at dusk — the driveway was lined with lights — and were directed up to our first-floor room. The ‘Forget-Me-Not’ suite we were booked into was delightful, with a white four-poster, white chandelier and funky over-sized swivel chair. There was a little dressing room with tailor’s mannequins and a giant vintage mirror, and the bathroom was the size of some hotel rooms. There were lovely touches – a jewellery stand, and mineral water for example, and the décor was modern and fresh, with well-chosen colours complementing the white furniture.

A bottle of Marsanne-Viognier, chosen for its good value as well as rarity on a wine list, was chilled for us in the Dartmoor Bar as we considered the menu. I really liked the sound of the sea bream, but the lemongrass cream didn’t appeal, so Martin the restaurant manager said he

60

would ask the chef what else was available to accompany the fish. Prawn butter, was the reply, and it sounded perfect. I made a mental note to try the chilled crab lasagne next time.

On going through to the Wildflower Restaurant, we were shown to a table at the window. There were a few other couples eating and a small party celebrating a 21st birthday. The tables were well-spaced and all circular, and the room subtly brought to life with a floral theme, on the wallpaper and fabrics as well as artwork. Bread was served immediately, and our starters followed soon after; a smoked cheese tartlet for me and a divine-looking scallop dish for my partner, complete with bisque sauce and crispy pancetta. My tartlet was the perfect size for a starter and the red onion marmalade was balanced by balsamic dressing.

After a pause our main courses arrived, his a venison dish and mine the promised bream with prawn butter. The fish was delicious, simply steamed and served on crushed potatoes, with the prawns on top. The roasted saddle of venison was proclaimed more than adequate, with its red cabbage, port sauce and mini game suet pudding, and a glass of Tempranillo washed it down well.

For me, the best was certainly saved ‘til last; saffron poached pear and ginger icecream, which I matched with a beautiful glass of Muscat de Frontignan. The pear was soft and luscious, the wine was intense, sweet and grapey. I have to say

that Martin looked after us impeccably throughout the meal and nothing was too much trouble for him or his team.

The next morning we discovered that our suite also had a very large balcony, and as it was a clear, bright morning we had a good view of the grounds, the hotel’s paddock and the moor beyond. This would be the perfect spot in warmer weather – secluded and private but not at all confined; afternoon tea relaxing on the recliner with a good book would be my idea of bliss.

Breakfast, again in the restaurant, involved a full English for both of us; there was a very good choice of alternatives, but we were planning a long walk and felt we’d burn off the extra calories. Afterwards I had the chance to look at the ‘Crystal Room’, which is a split-level function room that you can book for wedding ceremonies and receptions. It’s very impressive, with 12 glittering crystal chandeliers, French windows out to the garden and its own separate lounge bar.

By the time you read this, spring flowers will be in bloom – in fact, the day after our stay, I saw a tweet from the general manager, Andrew Jenkins, who’d just spotted the first daffodil buds in the hotel grounds.

Moorland Garden Hotel Yelverton, South Devon PL20 6DA Call 01822 852 245 Email stay@moorlandgardenhotel.co.uk Visit www.moorlandgardenhotel.co.uk

a gentle oasis in the rugged terrain of Dartmoor

Your lifestyle guide to all things eco...

Connect through Car Sharing Let your social opportunities flourish

Waste Reduction Challenge Feast on a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;rubbishâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; diet along with other fantastic ideas...

Exploring Cotswold Farm Park A wealth of attractions with Adam Henson

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p u e k a W

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Would you like to save Money in 2013?

Make new connections through car sharing Have you thought about car sharing? It’s a great way to save money and meet new friends at the same time.

Most of us share cars regularly with friends and family without thinking about it. But there are times when we do regular journeys with empty seats because we don’t know anyone going our way. Maybe you have been travelling the same way for years and never even considered sharing your journey?

Car-sharing schemes are becoming increasingly popular with hundreds of people signing up in the UK everyday. Whether you are travelling to work, taking the children to school or going out socially the benefits of car sharing speak for themselves. Saving on fuel costs, cutting congestion and reducing your carbon footprint are the most obvious but there are personal benefits to you and the community too.

A real bonus of car sharing is the social aspect, for example people are making new friends in their neighbourhood who they may never otherwise have met.

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Try the savings calculator to see how much you could save each month, money that could be spent on social and leisure activities. Based on a five-mile return journey and sharing with one other person five days a week you could save up to £294 a year (estimate based on a 1.4 litre petrol car) Why not give it a go? Find out more at ...

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greenliving

Not letting a good idea go to waste Six finalists trialling new ways to reduce waste in bid for challenge prize…

Six finalists are in the running for a challenge prize for ideas that encourage communities to come together and tackle the growing issue of waste reduction through giving time, skills and resources. With the recent finding that we waste 2 billion tonnes of food a year - almost half of all produced in the world – it is clear that urgent change is needed, and not just when it comes to food.

The finalists have been selected as part of the Waste Reduction Challenge Prize run by Nesta, the UK’s innovation foundation, and funded by the Cabinet Office. Ideas include a ‘rubbish diet’ where dieters work towards a slimmer bin, a mobile kitchen that uses surplus food to create free meals for local communities and a museum of bad design where designers can collaborate to improve wasteful designs.

Each of the Finalists will receive funding of up to £10,000 and additional help to set up and test their innovations over the next six months. This might include prototype development and support to take existing ideas to a bigger scale. The winner will be selected in November following the test period and will receive the £50,000 prize. The winning idea will be the initiative that reduces, reuses and/or recycles the greatest level of waste by engaging communities in giving their time, skills and resources.

Tris Dyson, Director of Nesta’s Centre for Challenge Prizes, comments, “We’re really pleased to be supporting such an innovative and inspiring range of projects. Through the Waste Reduction challenge prize these projects will be supported to put their plans into action and make real change in their communities; where projects have already started work we’ll help them to take their idea to a scale that will have real impact.”

Nick Hurd, Minister for Civil Society, said, “Waste reduction is something in which everyone can play their part. These projects are great examples of what can be achieved when communities come together and find imaginative solutions to tackling issues like this head on.”

Gary Harvey, designer and Waste Reduction judge, said, “Each project adds a value to something that was once considered worthless waste and either redirects it from entering landfill by changing the process that creates waste, takes the waste and adds value by transforming it to a usable commodity e.g. a meal, a bio fuel etc. or informs and educates others to revaluate how they dispose of their waste.”

october 2012

greenliving

re: The six projects a

Brixton People’s Zero Waste Alliance Kitchen, Mobile Kitchen UK, The Rubbish Diet For the last year, the Brixton People’s Kitchen has been turning food surplus from local businesses into free, healthy meals for local people. It is now inviting local people to design and build a Mobile Kitchen that will travel throughout the diverse communities in Brixton and beyond, to inspire positive action against food waste by acting as an open, convivial platform for food education, community building and skills-sharing. https://vimeo.com/55745674

Billed as ‘WeightWatchers for your bin’, dieters weigh their fortnightly waste collection and aim to lose weight each fortnight by reducing the amount they throw away by recycling, composting and finding other uses. Dieters join a ‘support group’ where they identify key targets and share ideas. https://vimeo.com/55619385

Museum of Bad Design Feeding the 5000, Gleaning Network The Museum of Bad Design aims to create a collaborative design team from all fields to come together to tackle the issue of bad design and production of waste. It is going to create an online platform where industry’s best brains can come together with the collective intelligence of this community design team to generate solutions to design out waste. https://vimeo.com/55663355

It diverts 36,000kg of wasted fruit and vegetables from farms to charities providing food to the most vulnerable groups in society. The network uses outgraded produce that doesn’t make it into supermarkets because of shape or size and channels it towards those in need. https://vimeo.com/55534709

FareShare and FoodCycle, Just-in Time Food Network Through its Just-in Time Food Network, FareShare and FoodCycle are working with big suppliers and supermarkets to redirect leftover stock to over 700 diverse charities. Together they have created a framework to empower local communities to collect surplus food in an effective, safe and efficient way that can be replicated. https://vimeo.com/55785537

Proper Oils Proper Oils is working to make it easier to recycle household cooking oils, by providing households with storage vessels and community collection points. It is working with collection partners to educate them on how to collect, store and recycle cooking oil.

In return, Proper Oils will reward the host of the collection point, before the recovered oils are processed to make biodiesel. https://vimeo.com/55788408

greenliving

Cotswold Farm Park

Adam Henson’s Cotswold Farm Park is one of the Cotswolds’ original visitor attractions. Adam’s father, Joe Henson, who last year was given an MBE for his services to rare breed farm animals, started it 41 years ago.

Get lost! Good old-fashioned fun in the Cotswold Quest Maze.

Adam went to agricultural college and followed in his dad’s footsteps, taking over the running of the farm park with his old friend Duncan Andrews. The Farm Park’s popularity grows year on year, as visitors, who came as children, now return with their children and grandchildren – and Adam’s popularity as a television presenter also helps!

Indoor Touch Barn Where visitors of all ages can cuddle, stroke and feed many smaller animals, from rabbits, guinea pigs, goats and day-old chicks.

Cotswold Farm Park sits on top of the beautiful Cotswold Hills, close to the village of Guiting Power. It’s open every day from 10.30am and offers an exciting range of outdoor and undercover attractions for people of all ages. Highlights include: The Rare Breeds through History Tour A chance to learn about the part rare breed animals have played in the history of farming.

Sheep shearing and milking demonstrations Highlighting their commitment to, and passion for, British farming.

Farm Safari A tour around the perimeter of the farm in a tractor – with audio by Adam.

New for 2013 The Jurassic Dig Combining the excitement of discovering dinosaur footprints in a simulated archaeological dig - with an education about geology and Cotswold Farm Parm uses limestone in agriculture today. Visitors of all ages can ‘dig’ in the site to find footprints and fossils of creatures living ‘at’ the Farm Park 165 million years ago. Footprints to be found are those of a Therapod (three toed dinosaur) and the smaller Megalosaurus.

Adam’s Kitchen Selling locally sourced and produced food; from meatballs to the farm’s own sausages.

Adam’s own beer Rare Breed produced by South West brewery Butcombe.

For more information about Cotswold Farm Park visit www.cotswoldfarmpark.co.uk

> flavour nick harman

The proof is in the eating…

Nick Harman gets the bit between his teeth when confronted by blinkered diners Last month in Madrid for the annual three-day meeting of world chefs ‘Madrid Fusion’ and, fashionably late getting to lunch in the press room as usual, I went straight to a counter serving steak tartare in lettuce cups. They were delicious, if a little bit peppery, I ate three and went and sat down. ‘How was that horse then?” asked a fellow writer. ‘It wasn’t horse,’ said another, ’it was colt.’

As a kid I regularly watched my parents eat lamb’s heart for dinner – it sat on the plate looking like a 3D model from the school biology lab. I could never, ever, eat one. But my parents also rather liked pig’s trotters, tripe and all manner of nutritious tasty and cheap things because they came from a generation that couldn’t afford to be fussy. And I ate the food with them and still like it now.

So there you go, I unwittingly not only ate raw horse but baby raw horse to boot.

You’re possibly feeling a bit ill now, but I wasn’t. The fact is that if you don’t know what you’re eating, then you judge it purely on what it tastes like. We Brits miss out on a lot by being a bit squeamish and horsemeat is a prime (cut) example.

What we eat as adults is so often influenced by what we ate as children. I have no real interest in burgers because when I was growing up there were hardly any Maccy Ds in the country. Like most other teenagers of that time I ate almost entirely at home and so I ate almost everything my parents ate. So today

I am open to any kind of food, except andouillette, which I will never eat again, not even at gunpoint.

Today ‘young people’ are spoiled. They aren’t obliged to eat with their parents and they can eat what they want, and what they want is non-threatening. When they go out they like to eat American food, because Americans will happily eat like children until the day they die, even building multinational corporations to export the concept.

So don’t shy at horsemeat, give it a try.

You’ve probably already had some without knowing it, which is quite rightly a scandal, but that doesn’t mean the meat is bad. For some of us in fact, it’s odds on favourite!

Nick Harman is editor of www.foodepedia.co.uk and was shortlisted last year for The Guild of Food Writer’s Restaurant Reviewer of the Year.

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Enhance your cookery skills and master new techniques at Lucknam Park’s New Cookery School...

Offering a range of 24 courses that include, Health is Wealth, Michelin Star Cooking at Home, Seasonal Vegetarian and authentic Indian cuisine brought to you by Cookery School Chef, Hrihikesh Desai. Learn how easy it is to create great food at home.

Courses run Monday – Friday, 8.30am – 4pm at £175 per person to include: tuition, all ingredients, refreshment’s throughout the day, lunch with wine and course folder.

Whether you are an accomplished Chef or enthusiastic amateur we will have the perfect course for you, hone your skills, learn how to cook good food from start to finish and most of all have fun!

Why not stay over and enjoy all that Lucknam Park has to offer? With our ‘Stay and Cook’ package, please view our website www.lucknampark.co.uk for our up to date packages.

Courses available in March 2013 Monday

4th Fully Booked

Tuesday

25th

26th

6th Seasonal Vegetarian Cookery 13th A Master Class with Hywel Jones 20th Classic British Puddings 27th

Michelin Star Cooking at Home

Meat Cookery

Fish & Shellfish

11th It’s all About Pasta 18th An introduction to Patisserie

5th Michelin Star Cooking at Home 12th Seasonal Brasserie Dishes

Wednesday

19th Fully Booked

Thursday

Friday 1st Health is Wealth 8th Street Food of India

7th Spice Route of India Southern Cuisine 14th Fish & Shellfish

28th

29th

Afternoon Tea Entertaining

Fully Booked

21st Fully Booked

15th Meat Cookery 22nd Fully Booked

Visit our website www.lucknampark.co.uk or call 01225 742777 for further details.

Colerne, Chippenham, Wiltshire SN14 8AZ

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04/02/2013 15:09