5. Great Food Magazine March/April 2011

greatfood ISSUE 5

£3.20

CELEBRATING THE BEST LOCAL FOOD & DRINK

Leicestershire & Rutland

Fresh & local www.greatfoodleics.co.uk

£3.20

ISSUE # 5

Leicestershire lamb, Rutland trout and the brilliance of Belgrave Road

MICHELIN STARS Your map of the region’s best eateries

Country cocktails

Seasonal tipples from Stathern’s Red Lion

Tea & cakes!

Food itineraries for Mother’s Day

P26

BREW YOUR OWN ALE + EASTER CUPCAKES + PUB WALK

maiyango.indd 2

9/2/11 14:41:46

Welcome

Say hello to purple sprouting broccoli, spring lamb, wild garlic and the first barbecue of the year. OK, so the latter will be a battle against gusts and goosepimples, but boy it’ll feel good to get out among the blossom buds and into that spring sunshine.

This issue contains a selection of recipes and features designed to get local-food lovers in the mood for spring and beyond. Lamb plays a starring role but there’s also trout, beer, Easter cakes, cheese, limoncello, vegetarian curry and much more. And, of course, every article, recipe and photograph has a local flavour, because that’s what Great Food is all about.

Are you planning to take mum out somewhere special this spring? For inspiration turn to p26, where there are some food-focused suggestions that she’ll love. Or use the Michelin Map on p10 to find an excellent place to eat out. www.greatfoodleics.co.uk

Editor

matthew.wright@greatfoodleics.co.uk PS This issue, Great Food is donating 20% of all subscription income to a fantastic local charity that does an amazing job in Leicestershire & Rutland (see p19).

WRITE TO: Great Food, 7 Victoria Street, Melton Mowbray, Leics LE13 0AR. www.greatfoodleics.co.uk

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Matthews, Rachel Quine, Emma Ansell, Jan McCourt, Rosemary Jameson, Phillip Sharpe, Jane Mirfield, Sean Hope, Helen Tarver, Lucy Cufflin, Tim Brown; Philippa, Jane and Enzo Maffioli; Graham and Jill Wright; Rocco the Jack Russell.

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GREAT FOOD LEICESTERSHIRE & RUTLAND IS BI-MONTHLY: NEXT ISSUE OUT MAY 6, 2011 COVER WATERCOLOUR: Spring Lamb by Graham Wright

Welcome

Contents

NIBBLES 4 5 6 9 10 13

Try this!

Neil Hitchen’s lamb rump What’s Cooking?

Events diary Michelin Map Lucy Cufflin

STARTER 14 16 18 19

Lambing at Launde Abbey Leicester’s Belgrave Road Vegetarian curry recipes Subscription offer

MAIN COURSE 21 22 24 26 30 31 33 34 38

Long Clawson’s 100th birthday Food people: Debbie Boon Pasta puttanesca Ideas for Mothers’ Day Restaurant reviews Hambleton Hall Rutland & Derby deli-pub Fishing on Rutland Water The Insider

BACK FOR SECONDS 40 42 45 46 49 50

Lazy day planner Rosemary Jameson Limoncello bottle offer Make your own beer White Stilton Wild garlic

PUDDING 51 52 54 58 59

David Ellams’ recipe Easter cupcakes Evington’s Wines Wassail!

Pork in cider recipe

PETITS FOURS & COFFEE 60 62 64 65 66

Pub walk Pasta con le Sarde Foodie Gift Hunter Stamford Feast Updated Farm Shop Map

Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland 3

TRY THIS...

Local fruit & vegetables

Homemade cakes There’s no escape from temptation once you walk through the doors at Farndon Fields. When you’ve navigated the aisles, you’ll find delicious barriers blocking your way in the form of cakes in the farm shop café made at Kelmarsh Field Farm, Clipston, Northamptonshire. There are three types to resist Victoria Sponge, Coffee and Chocolate.

Among the array of luxury food on sale at Farndon Fields is fruit and veg grown on land just yards away, including leeks, three types of potato and five varieties of cabbage.

PRICES FROM: £2.95

Tiffin sauces

Tiffin curry sauces, made in Leicester, are a must for everyone who loves Indian food. Fresh, vibrant and better than many curry sauces you’ll eat in restaurants.

try this...

Quiches Lorraine, salmon and dill, and goats cheese quiches are made on site at Farndon Fields. It’s a challenging place to visit if you’re on a diet.

Farndon Fields Farm Shop Special…

Everything here is on sale at one of the region’s best farm shops – Market Harborough’s Farndon Fields PRICE: £2.95

Gopsall ice cream PRICE: £2.75

Gopsall Farm, Twycross, is home to 100 British Friesians whose milk makes this ice cream.

Flavours include this raspberry pavlova.

Wesses breads

Three types of freshly made flatbread – including this pepperoni and pepper creation – are available at Farndon Fields. They’re baked a few yards away at Wesses Bakehouse, Market Harborough.

4 Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland

PRICES FROM: £3.50

PRICES FROM: £1.50

Bellowhead Hedonism

by Potbelly Potbelly is a Kettering microbrewery. Farndon Fields sells a variety of their ale including Bellowhead Hedonism, a beer created in conjunction with folk band Bellowhead. It’s a long story.

PRICE: £2.45

CONTACT Farndon Fields Farm Shop: Farndon Road, Market Harborough, Leics LE16 9NP, 01858 464 838, www.farndonfields farmshop.co.uk

Recipe

Neil Hitchen’s lamb rump with braised lamb tongue Neil Hitchen is head chef at the Berkeley Arms, Wymondham. He loves to cook with ultra-local, seasonal ingredients. When you eat at his 16th century pub, expect some dishes to contain ingredients actually walked into the kitchen by pub regulars. Neil enhances his ever-changing menus with produce grown in customers’ gardens, shot by villagers on local shoots, or supplied by neighbouring farms. This helps to put the Berkeley Arms at the heart of the local community and gives its menus a unique edge.

With spring in the air, we asked Neil for a lamb recipe.

This is what he came up with. “Lamb’s tongue is delicious, says Neil. “Everyone should give it a go.”

BERKELEY ARMS 59 Main Street, Wymondham Leicestershire LE14 2AG 01572 787587, www.theberkeleyarms.co.uk

“Lamb’s tongue is

Serves 4

* 4 trimmed lamb rumps (about 140g each)

* 300g fresh peas (or frozen and thawed)

* 4 lambs’ tongues

(soaked in cold water for 24 hours)

* 1 large carrot, peeled

and roughly chopped * 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped 1 * stick celery, peeled and roughly chopped * 1 bay leaf * Knob of butter

To braise the lambs’ tongues 1 In a pan, fry the onion, carrot and celery until brown; then add the bay leaf, rosemary, tongue and stock.

2 Simmer for two hours and then peel tongues – the skin will come off easily.

To crush the peas Add peas to a pan of boiling water and blanch for 2-3 minutes. Drain, tip into a processor and pulse briefly to crush slightly. Transfer to a pan, add a knob of butter. Season and keep warm.

* Sprig of rosemary * 1 litre dark chicken stock

* 16 spears cooked asparagus

* 16 cooked new

potatoes Salt * and pepper

Cooking the lamb rump Season the lamb, sear in a frying pan until good colour all over. Place in the oven at Gas 4 (180C) for 8 minutes.

Leave to rest in a warm place.

To assemble the dish Warm potatoes, asparagus and peeled tongue in the stock. Place crushed peas in centre of plate, put sliced lamb on top, arrange potatoes, veg and sliced tongue around peas.

Drizzle stock over meat and veg.

tender and delicious”

Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland 5

What’s

Cooking?

RIGHT: John Harris LEFT: Rutland’s Olive Branch, which kept its Michelin Star

EDITED BY: MATTHEW WRIGHT

Small STAMFORD COOKERY SCHOOL LAUNCHED A cookery school located just off Wharf Road in Stamford, Lincs, will open in March. Run by French chef Thierry Daugeron and his business partners, Stamford International Cookery Academy will offer a wide range of courses aimed at complete beginners through to more advanced chefs. More next issue. www.thierrydaugeron.co.uk

EASTER COCKERELS Fashion designer turned poultry farmer Nick Ball is keen to show off his cockerels to Great Food.

“They’re plump, ready for Easter,” said Nick, of Fosse Meadows Farm, Lutterworth.

Nick, whose business has had a good first year, is now ready to sell in Rutland and other areas. www.fossemeadows.co.uk

LEICESTER MARKET It’s all go at Leicester Market. The opening of the Food Piazza, located within newly named Market Corner, will take place on Friday, April 8.

Expect delicious, ethnically diverse food from the piazza’s exciting mix of stallholders. Meanwhile, plans are hotting up for the market’s Summer Food & Drink Festival 2011 (May 29). www.leicestermarket.co.uk

LOCAL CHARITY Great Food is urging businesses to join us in supporting Leicestershire & Rutland charity Coping With Cancer’s 2011 fundraising initiative, the Thirtyfor30 Challenge. The charity’s Big Coffee Break takes place on April 15. More at: www.c-w-c.org.uk

6 Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland

MICHELIN CHALLENGE THROWN TO EATERIES “Aim higher,” urges Michelin’s agency director

A

successful Leicester businessman who works closely with Michelin has said that local eateries must aim much higher if any is to achieve a Michelin Star.

John Harris, food-loving director of Leicester media agency Rock Kitchen Harris, which has Michelin on its client roster, said that although Leicester’s and Leicestershire’s restaurants are heading in the right direction, most are well off the pace when it comes to chasing the pack of 143 UK and Ireland restaurants with one or more Michelin Stars.

His comments came after the January launch of the 2011 Michelin Guide, in which 14 Leicestershire pubs, hotels and restaurants were listed (see p10), but none were awarded a Star. In neighbouring Rutland, Hambleton Hall

of Hambleton and the Olive Branch of Clipsham retained their single Stars.

“Leicestershire’s eateries have got to aim higher,” said Harris. “When Michelin visit our offices in Leicester I don’t know where to take them out for lunch. It’s embarrassing.

“It’s high time an ambitious county or city pub, hotel or restaurant – new or old – nailed their colours to the mast and went for gold. We have such good food heritage here and it’s a shame we can’t back it up with a Star, or Stars.”

Nottingham boasts a Michelin Star in the form of Restaurant Sat Bains, Derbyshire has Fischer’s of Baslow, and Birmingham has three Michelin Starred venues.

Rock Kitchen Harris, a full service agency, has worked in Leicester for nearly 30 years.

WHO’S YOUR LOCAL HERO?

It’s Tiger nomination time!

Now’s the time to nominate your Tiger Local Hero 2011. It could be anyone who makes a difference in your local community, from the milkman who’s always raising money for charity, to the farmer who gives food to the homeless, to the accountant who does the shopping for Mrs Jones at No 15.

The right person is probably

under your nose, so have a think and give them a bit of wellearned recognition.

If they are eventually named Everards’ Tiger Local Hero 2011, they will receive £1000, half of which goes to their chosen charity. To nominate your local hero, go to www.everards.co.uk/ tigerlocalhero

ICE CARD SCHEME

NEW FARM SHOP LOYALTY CARD Earn points for eco-friendly shopping A

new customer loyalty card is helping farm shops to win more customers. Launched in January, Ice card works in a similar way to cards like Nectar, but you get points for spending in participating farm shops across the UK, which can in turn be swapped for goods and services.

Ice is talking to several local farm shops with a view to signing them up, but local people can already use the card with some online retailers who deliver nationwide.

{ } “Ice encourages shoppers to use farm shops, and its wider mission is to mitigate climate change via mass consumer power”

www.myice.com

Ice scheme’s wider mission is “to mitigate climate change via mass consumer purchase power”, and its partners are all audited for their environmental credentials. As well as farm shops, points can be earned with renewable energy suppliers and ethical clothing firms.

Ice chief executive Jude Thorn, formerly boss of AirMiles, said: “Research shows customers are used to getting rewards via loyalty cards.”

More at www.myice.com.

Tim Burke

Local food news

Rocco Recommends “Excellent pubs that let me in”

THE OLD BARN, GLOOSTON “Until I visited the Old Barn I thought gundogs were blundering buffoons with dreadful taste in collars. But in this hostelry I had my opinions well and truly challenged by Jemima – a quite delightful bitch.

Shooting parties often visit the Old Barn due to its location and because landlady Vivienne serves good, local produce. In fact, it was after a rare 8oz Leics fillet steak that Jemima made her presence felt. Oh, how the scales fell away from my prejudiced eyes!”

Old Barn, Glooston, Leics LE16 7ST 01949 842554, oldbarninn.co.uk

Ice Card

Ice is in talks with local farm shops

Yesim Patisserie

One of the wide range of ethnic eateries on Leicester’s Narborough Road, Yesim Patisserie offers a warm welcome and some of the best sweet and savoury pastries you’ll find in the region. Try the potent Turkish coffee with a flaky, feta-stuffed borek, followed by some decadent pistachio baklava.

Elif Kaplan (right) and Melek Tezcan with an array of Yesim delicacies

Yesim, 29 Narborough Road, Leicester LE3 0LE, 0116 2471120

Our noble Chippies…

GRIMSBY FISHERIES, WELFORD RD, LEICESTER

Probably Leicester’s most famous chippy, enormous Grimsby Fisheries has been around since the 1940s and today shifts up to 2300kg of Maris Piper potatoes a week. That’s getting on for 1000 bags of chips every seven days, or 137 servings a day, to be precise.

There’s a large restaurant attached and last year Grimsby Fisheries was named the Leicester Mercury’s Best Fish and Chip Shop.

Grimsby Fisheries, 338 Welford Rd, Leicester LE2 6EH, 0116 2709175

Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland 7

Fresh, local & seasonal food this spring at Barnsdale Lodge Barnsdale Lodge Hotel is set in a unique rural location in the heart of the glorious Rutland countryside with views of undulating hills and Rutland Water.

at Lowerfields Mushroom Farm, Packington, Leics we grow Maitake, Enoki, Buna Shimeji, Shiro Shimeji, Shiitake, Golden Enoki & Oyster Mushrooms - all picked daily on our farm.

Also on sale is our award winning Pedigree Hereford Beef, hung on the bone for a minimum of 7 weeks, again 100% home produced and butchered in our own on farm butchery.

OPENING HOURS: Mon-Fri 0800hrs-1700hrs, Sat 0800hrs-1230hrs

Visit our website:

www.themushroombasket.com

• Morning coffee, lunch, afternoon tea & dinner • Delicious food prepared with fresh locally sourced, seasonal ingredients • Private dining • Weddings • Conferences • Vicienté Beauty treatment & therapy room

Mothers Day Lunch Sunday 3rd April

3 course meal including a gift for mum

£23.95 per person

Easter Break Fri 22nd-Mon 25th April 2 nights £160 B&B 3 nights £210 B&B per room B&B, based on two people sharing a double/twin

e would like to welcome you to our shop in the heart of Melton Mowbray. Our aim is to bring you the finest cheese and dairy produce, much of it sourced in Leicestershire and surrounding counties; as well as the best from the UK, and a growing variety of continental cheeses.

Our cheeses from the local area include the complete Long Stilton is our speciality, ours Clawson range, Quenby Hall Stilton, is sourced directly from Long Lincolnshire Poacher, Godminster Clawson Dairy, based just five Organic Vintage Cheddar, Stafford miles outside Melton Mowbray.

Cheese from Bertelin Cheese, and nd e Sparkenhoe For a taste of th e th Farm Red om fr se ee best ch Leicester. no ea, why t

Melton ar ? come and visit us

Booking Now! The Avenue, Rutland Water, Nr Oakham, Rutland LE15 8AH enquiries@barnsdalelodge.co.uk

www.barnsdalelodge.co.uk

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8 Windsor Street Melton Mowbray Leicestershire LE13 1BU Tel/Fax 01664 562257

Opening Hours Mon 9.00 – 3.00 3.0 00 Tues 8.30 – 5.00 5.0 00 Wed & Thurs 9.00 – 4.0 4.00 00 Fri & Sat 8.30 – 4.0 4.00 00

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16/2/11 11:39:41

Events

Do this...

The best local food events for your diary

April 16-17

Where’s your nearest?

BURGHLEY HOUSE SPRING FINE FOOD MARKET

ASHBY DE LA ZOUCH

The first of three Fine Food Markets at Burghley this year, this free-to-enter event will feature around 25 local producers. It’s a good reason to visit Burghley, buy produce with provenance and see some of the house’s attractions (see p27). 10am-4pm. www.burghley.co.uk, 01780 752451

March & April

When? Third Saturday of the month, 10am-2pm Where? Manor House School, LE65 1BR

BLABY When? Fourth Sat of month, 9am-1.30pm Where? Blaby Social Centre, LE8 4GG

April 17

GARAGE DELI SUPPER CLUB

STEAM & FOOD FAYRE AT ABBEY PUMPING STATION

The Uppingham deli with a wood-fired oven transforms into a restaurant for its supper club evenings, serving dishes like pot-au-feu local beef and foie gras parfait. 7.30pm start. Dates tbc. £25. Call to book: 01572 823247

rs’ ts F ar me marke

Food stalls and cooking demos at Leicester’s old Victorian pumping station, which is now a museum. The theme will be food on a budget, with grow-your-own tips. Also learn how The Ministry of Food helped pull the country through the war years. 1pm-5pm.

Adults £3.50. 0116 2995111 DON’T FORGET

April 9

March 27: clocks go forward

LUTTERWORTH FOOD FESTIVAL

BURBAGE When? First Sat of month, 9am-1.30pm Where? Windsor St, LE10 2EF

CASTLE DONINGTON When? Second Sat of month, 9am-12.30pm Where? St Edward’s School, DE74 2LH

EARL SHILTON When? Third Sat of month, 9am-1pm Where? Wood St, LE9 7NF

HINCKLEY When? Third Thurs of month, 9am-1.30pm Where? The Market Place, LE10 1NT

KIBWORTH BEAUCHAMP

Expect more than 20 food stands at The Masonic Hall, Lutterworth, for this charity fundraising event. All money raised goes to the Lutterworth Town Mayor’s Appeal and St Mary’s Parish Church appeal, Lutterworth. 10am to 4pm £5 or £4 in advance. 01455 550556

When? Second Sat of month, 9am-1pm Where? Kibworth High School, Smeeton Rd

LEICESTER When? First Thurs of the month, 9am-2pm Where? The Market Place, LE1 5GG

LOUGHBOROUGH

Mar 12-13, Apr 9-10, May 7-8 JAM JAR SHOP CLASSES

Learn to make jam and preserves in the Old Smithy, Burley on the Hill, with Great Food’s very own Rosemary Jameson (see p42). Pick up tips and seasonal recipes. Coming up: Some Like It Hot, Lemony Lemons and First Fruits Of Spring. £75. www.jamjarshop.com

Throughout spring

CHOCOLATE MAKING AT CHOCOLATE ALCHEMY Private one-to-one or small-group sessions with Loughborough chocolateer Peter Gardner, who’ll teach you how to make creative delicacies using the best ingredients. Lesson times to suit. £39 per one-to-one session, 01509 238113, info@chocolate-alchemy.co.uk

Foodie diary dates…

MARCH 1: St David’s Day MARCH 8: Shrove Tuesday MARCH 17: St Patrick’s Day APRIL 3: Mothering Sunday APRIL 23: St George’s Day APRIL 24: Easter Sunday APRIL 29: Royal Wedding

When? Second Weds of month, 9am-3pm Where? Devonshire Square, LE11 3DW

LUTTERWORTH When? Second Sat of month, 9am-1.30pm Where? Lutterworth Town Hall Car Park, LE17 4EH

MARKET BOSWORTH When? Fourth Sun of month, 9am-2.30pm Where? Market Square, CV13 0JW

MARKET HARBOROUGH When? First Thursday of month, 9am-2pm Where? The Square, LE16 7DR

MELTON MOWBRAY When? Every Tuesday and Friday, 8am-noon Where? Scalford Road, LE13 1JY

OAKHAM When? Third Sat of month, 8am-2pm Where? Gaol Street, LE15 6AQ

STAMFORD

MORE LOCAL EVENTS...

APRIL 8: Grand Opening of Leicester Market’s Food Piazza MAY 29: Summer Food Festival, Leicester Market MAY 29: Feast Stamford, Stamford Meadows (see p65) JUNE 8: British Pie Awards, St Mary’s Church, Melton Mowbray JUNE 11-12: Artisan Cheese Festival, Cattle Market, Melton Mowbray OCT 1-2: East Midlands Food Festival, Cattle Market, Melton Mowbray

When? Every other Friday, 8.30am-3pm Where? Red Lion Square, PE9 1PA

UPPINGHAM When? Second Fri of month, 8am-1pm; and new market now on first Sat of month.

Where? Mercers Yard (Fri); Mkt Place (Sat).

Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland 9

MICHELIN MAP

All the region’s 2011 Michelin Guide-listed eateries The best restaurants in Leicestershire and Rutland, according to Michelin’s team of anonymous inspectors, are the Olive Branch of Clipsham and Hambleton Hall, Hambleton.

Both won a Michelin star. In the UK and Ireland, 123 places grabbed one star; 16 got two; and four claimed three. A Bib Gourmand (‘good food at moderate prices’) went to the Red Lion of Stathern and Jim’s Yard of Stamford. Appearing in the guide full stop is a fine achievement, so we’ve mapped out all those that made it in.

MICHELIN STAR Hambleton Hall ONE MICHELIN STAR Hambleton, Oakham, Rutland LE15 8TH web: www.hambletonhall.com tel: 01572 756991

1

THREE HORSESHOES

Olive Branch ONE MICHELIN STAR Main St, Clipsham, Rutland LE15 7SH web: www.theolivebranchpub.com tel: 01780 410355

2

A6

34 32

Ashby de la Zouch

BIB GOURMAND

THE WOODHOUSE

35

A42

Jim’s Yard BIB GOURMAND 3 Ironmonger St, Stamford, Lincs PE9 1PL web: www.jimsyard.biz tel: 01780 756080

3

M1 HOTEL MAIYANGO

The Red Lion BIB GOURMAND Red Lion St, Stathern, Leics LE14 4HS web: www.theredlioninn.co.uk tel: 01949 860868

4

Baker’s Arms ‘Good pub food’ Main Street, Thorpe Langton, Leics LE16 7TS web: www.thebakersarms.co.uk tel: 01858 545201

6

The Bell Inn ‘Good pub food’ Great North Road, Stilton, Peterborough PE7 3RA web: www.thebellstilton.co.uk tel: 01733 241066

7

The Belmont Hotel ‘Very comfortable hotel’ De Montfort St, Leicester LE1 7GR web: www.belmonthotel.co.uk tel: 0116 2544773

8

Boboli ‘Quite comfortable restaurant’ 88 Main Street, Kibworth Harcourt, Leics LE8 0NQ web: www.boboli restaurant.co.uk tel: 0116 2793303

9

10 Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland

23 10

BELMONT HOTEL

8 THE BOOT ROOM

MARRIOTT HOTEL

5

Barnsdale Lodge ‘Comfortable hotel’ The Avenue, Exton, Oakham, Rutland LE15 8AH web: www.barnsdalelodge.co.uk tel: 01572 724678

Loughborough

QUEEN’S HEAD

28

The Boot Room ‘Quite comfortable restaurant’ 27-29 Millstone Lane, Leicester LE1 5JN web: www.thebootroom eaterie.co.uk tel: 0116 2622555

Hinckley

10

Brownlow Arms 11 ‘Particularly pleasant restaurant’ Grantham Rd, Hough on the Hill, Lincs NG32 2AZ web: thebrownlowarms.com tel: 01400 250234 Chequers Inn ’Good pub food’ Main Street, Woolsthorpe by Belvoir, Lincs NG32 1LU web: www.chequersinn.net tel: 01476 870701

12

Collyweston Slater ‘Good pub food’ 89 Main Rd, Collyweston, Lincs PE9 3PQ web: collywestonslater.co.uk tel: 01780 444288

13

The Crown 14 ‘Comfortable hotel’ 6 All Saints Place, Stamford, Lincs PE9 2AG web: www.thecrownhotel stamford.co.uk tel: 01780 763136 The Crown ‘Good pub food’ 8 Duck Street, Elton Cambs PE8 6RQ web: www.thecrowninn.org tel: 01832 280232

15

Exeter Arms ‘Good pub food’ 28 Main Street, Barrowden, Rutland LE15 8EQ web: exeterarmsrutland.co.uk tel: 01572 747247

16

FIRENZE

M69

JOINER’S ARMS

24

KILWORTH HOUSE

25

19

Eating out The Falcon ‘Good pub food’ Fotheringhay, Cambs PE8 5HZ web: www.thefalcon-inn.co.uk tel: 01832 226254

17

11 BROWNLOW ARMS

FInch’s Arms ‘Good pub food’ Oakham Road, Hambleton, Rutland LE15 8TL web: www.finchsarms.co.uk tel: 01572 756575

18

Bottesford

22

LANGAR HALL

27 29

CHEQUERS INN

MARTIN’S ARMS

4

Firenze ‘Comfortable restaurant’ 9 Station St, Kibworth Beauchamp, Leics LE8 0LN web: www.firenze.co.uk tel: 0116 2796260

19

HARRY’S PLACE

12

21 THE GREGORY THE RED LION

The George Hotel ‘Very comfortable hotel’ 71 St Martins, Stamford, Lincs PE9 2LB web: www.georgehotel ofstamford.com tel: 01780 750750

20

BIB GOURMAND

A46

A607

The Gregory ‘Good pub food’ The Drift, Harlaxton, Grantham Lincs NG32 1AD web: www barnsdalelodge.co.uk tel: 01476 577076

21

THE OLIVE BRANCH

STAPLEFORD PARK

33

MICHELIN STAR

A606

6 18 FINCH’S ARMS

1

Rutland Water

THE GEORGE HOTEL

20

HAMBLETON HALL MICHELIN STAR

14

9

BOBOLI

OLD WHITE HART

Uppingham 16 A47

3

JIM’S YARD

13 COLLYWESTON SLATER

15

A6

THE FALCON

5 31

Marriott Hotel ‘Top-class comfort’ Smith Way, Grove Park, Enderby, Leicester LE19 1SW web: www.marriott.co.uk tel: 0116 2820100 Martin’s Arms ‘Good pub food’ School Lane, Colston Bassett, Notts NG12 3FD web: www.themartinsarms.co.uk tel: 01949 81361 Old White Hart ‘Good pub food’ 51 Main St, Lyddington, Rutland LE15 9LR web: www.oldwhitehart.co.uk tel: 01572 821703

30

19 BAKER’S ARMS

Lake Isle ‘Comfortable restaurant’ 16 High Street East, Uppingham, Rutland LE15 9PZ web: www.lakeisle.co.uk tel: 01572 822951

26

29

BIB GOURMAND

30

Kilworth House Hotel ‘Top class comfort’ Lutterworth Rd, North Kilworth, Leics LE17 6JE web: www.kilworthhouse.co.uk tel: 01858 880058

25

28

EXETER ARMS

26

The Joiner’s Arms ‘Good pub food’ Church Walk, Bruntingthorpe, Leics LE17 5QH web: www.thejoinersarms.co.uk tel: 0116 2478258

24

Langar Hall ‘Comfortable hotel’ Langar Village, Notts NG13 9HG web: www.langarhall.com tel: 01949 860559

THE CROWN

LAKE ISLE

Hotel Maiyango ‘Comfortable hotel’ 13-21 St Nicholas Place, Leicester LE1 4LD web: www.maiyango.com tel: 0116 2518898

23

27

2

BARNSDALE LODGE

Harry’s Place ‘Particularly pleasant restaurant’ 17 High St, Great Gonerby, Grantham, Lincs NG31 8JS tel: 01476 561780

22

12 MILES TO THE BELL INN

THE CROWN

17 7

15 MILES TO THE PHEASANT

The Pheasant ‘Particularly pleasant pub’ Keyston, Cambs PE28 0RE web: thepheasant-keyston.co.uk tel: 01832 710241

31

The Queen’s Head ‘Good pub food’ 2 Long St, Belton, Leics LE12 9TP web: www.thequeenshead.org tel: 01530 222359

32

Stapleford Park ‘Top class comfort’ Stapleford, Leics, LE14 2EF web: www.staplefordpark.com tel: 01572 787000

33

100 YEARS OF MICHELIN’S GUIDE The first edition of the Michelin Guide to the British Isles appeared in 1911.

Offered free, it was available from all Michelin tyre dealers, as well as from every hotel listed within it. A lot’s changed since then – you can no longer legally drink a bottle of Claret before firing up the Austin for the next leg of your journey, and the Michelin Man has given up cigars (he was seen puffing away in early illustrations). Many places listed in the 1911 edition are long gone but the George Hotel of Stamford (number 20 on this map) is one of the few to appear in the first and latest guides.

Three Horseshoes ‘Good pub food’ Main Street, Breedon on the Hill, Leics DE73 8AN tel: 01332 695129

34

The Woodhouse ‘Comfortable restaurant’ 43 Maplewell Road, Woodhouse Eaves, Leics LE12 8RG web: www.thewoodhouse.co.uk tel: 01509 890318

35

Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland 11

Welcoming, l ecia Charming, Sp The Joiners is a delightful gastropub serving simple, perfectly cooked food.

Michelin Eating Out In Pubs Guide 2011 - Inspectors favourites For further details please call 0116 247 8258 or see our website www.thejoinersarms.co.uk

THE BAKERS ARMS Thorpe Langton, Leicestershire Excellent tasty food served in a cosy and relaxed environment.

Gift Vouchers available

Tel 01858 545201 www.thebakersarms.co.uk

THE THREE HORSESHOES INN Breedon-on-the-Hill Derby DE73 8AN Tel: 01332 695129

‘Country Inn Dining· ….with Garden Terrace….

‘Gourmet Food & Gift Shop· ‘Our Own· and Locally Sourced Foods... with... Handmade Chocolates and Chocolate-Making Courses!... By BitterSweet ~ Morning Coffee & Brunch 10.30-12.00pm Lunch 12noon-2pm & Dinner 5.30-9.15pm Sunday Lunch from 12 noon ~ CLOSED Sunday Evening.

p12_GF_MarApr11.indd Sec1:8

17/2/11 10:10:06

Home cooking Lucy Cufflin Local chef Lucy is author of acclaimed cookbook Lucy’s Food.

She has recently opened a food and kitchenware shop in Leicester’s Stoneygate

East meets East Midlands

Spring lamb, reared on the rolling hills of Leicestershire, combined with fresh spices – isn’t this what multiculturalism is really about?

O

ne of my favourite Asian everyone – but in some areas they spice blends is panch puren. can’t compete. There is nothing like ‘Panch’ means ‘five’ in Hindi, going into a deli and getting the warm and is a word many of us will know smell of coffee, cheeses, salamis and already if we’ve ever had a glass of hams, and absolutely nothing to beat punch, as the original drink was going into the small retailers on made with five ingredients.

Evington Road (or Belgrave Road – see The blend is fenugreek, fennel, p16) in Leicester and being seduced cumin, black mustard and nigella by fragrant spices, oohing at the seeds, which combine glorious aubergines to give a warm, earthy and marvelling at “This recipe needs to spiciness but with no the huge, glistening be cooked until the meat heat – perfect for bunches of fresh is falling away from the bone. It’s excellent served chilli-phobics. While coriander. So, if with either special lemon panch puren makes a you’re in the area, rice or roast aubergine, fabulous curry have a trawl around chilli and mint rice.” ingredient, it also these wonderful Lucy Cufflin works brilliantly with independents and local favourites, being savour a part of wonderful on root veg, perfect with Leicestershire’s new foodie heritage. potatoes (roast or mash), fabulous If you’re struggling to find panch with fish and gorgeous with game. puren – don’t worry we stock it in our Next time you roast pork, add a little shop all year round, so pop in to see us ground panch puren to the roast at 6 Francis St, Stoneygate, Leicester. potatoes as you serve them.

We’re blessed in Leicestershire with LUCY’S FOOD Lucy’s new book contains wonderful traditional local more than 350 tested recipes ingredients and a diverse culinary to suit all tastes. Published by heritage with new cuisines being Hardie Grant, you can buy it from Amazon, Waterstones added all the time. I’m a fan of or Lucy’s Food on 6 Francis supermarkets – they’ve brought good Street in Leicester. quality, fresh food to the plates of

{ }

Lucy’s kitchen tips

1. Add the oven to your spring-cleaning list but once it’s sparkling protect it with a Teflon oven liner. It will be the last time you’ll need to clean the bottom of your oven!

2. Keep latex gloves in the kitchen drawer – any jobs you don’t like (handling raw meat, getting pastry in your fingernails), simply pop the gloves on and get stuck in.

3. Chopping garlic? – don’t. Buy yourself a zester or fine microplane grater and grate it: simple and effective.

North Indian lamb shanks Serves 4

* 1 onion, chopped * 4 tbsp vegetable oil * 4 lamb shanks (approx

* 2cm cube fresh ginger, grated

* 1 tbsp cumin * 2 tbsp vegetable oil * 400g chopped

* 1 tbsp malt vinegar * 1 tbsp brown sugar * 250ml natural yoghurt * 1 tbsp panch puren * 2 green hot chillies,

* 1 tbsp tomato purée * 1 lamb stock cube

* 1 tbsp garam masala * Fresh coriander, to serve

300g each)

tomatoes

chopped

1 Put the onions, half the oil and a tablespoon of water into a saucepan and cover. Cook for 10 minutes over a low heat or until onions are translucent – do not allow them to colour.

2 Rub the lamb shanks with the cumin and place in a roasting tin. Drizzle over the rest of the vegetable oil and bake for 15 minutes at Gas Mark 6 (200C).

3 Add tomatoes, tomato purée, stock cube, ginger, vinegar, sugar, yoghurt, panch puren and chillies to the onion base and bring to the boil. Pour over the lamb, cover with foil and return to the oven, reducing the temperature to Gas Mark 4 (180C). Cook for 1 1/2 hours. Check from time to time that there is enough liquid to cover the shanks completely. Add a little water if necessary. The result should be a sticky, thick, oily sauce. Remove the foil if you need to reduce the liquid.

4 The shanks can be cooked ahead and stored in the fridge for up to three days. They are actually better cooked ahead as the flavours improve. You can reheat, covered in foil, at the same oven temperature for 25 minutes. Stir in the garam masala just before serving.

5 Serve the shanks on warmed plates with all the sticky juices poured over. Top with lots of chopped fresh coriander.

Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland 13

LOCAL PRODUCER

LAMBING AT LAUNDE ABBEY

Gwilym and Gareth Owen are set for their busiest time of year ARTICLE: MATT GREGORY PHOTOS: MATT WRIGHT & HILL FARM

H

ill Farm, a stone’s throw from Launde Abbey, is aptly if rather unoriginally named, and the price paid for panoramic views across Leicestershire is the wind that’s had little to slow it down since leaving the Russian Steppe. Here, in east Leicestershire – almost Rutland but not quite – the fields are steep and the rolling parkland is entwined with ancient hedgerows and tracks that have somehow managed to get a B-number on the map.

But if the countryside is historic, the sheep farming taking place on it now is a thoroughly modern concern, and it’s

14 Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland

being embraced by brothers Gwilym and Gareth Owen, who run Hill Farm.

Their vision of being able to sell lamb born and raised on these slopes directly to people who are going to eat it, rather than to middle men, is one to which many farmers aspire.

Good grazing Armed with a little farming in the blood, a pocketful of certificates and the will to make it work, Gwilym and Gareth look after well over 1,000 ewes who roam over hundreds of acres. Getting the grassland right is high priority so that the sheep are hardy, healthy and tasty. Thus they

Launde Abbey Launde Abbey is built on the site of a 12th century priory, whose chapel is the only remaining part, having been subjected to the Cromwellian treatment in the 16th century.

The abbey was built at some point fairly soon afterwards and is now a Christian retreat with 45 bedrooms and 450 acres of parkland. More information at www.launde.org.uk.

can stay out in the field rather than having to come indoors to eat feed.

Using strong lowland mules – Bluefaced Leicesters crossed with Swaledale ewes – and not putting them into lamb until they are two

Prices

Buying a half lamb from Hill Farm – the most cost-effective size – works out at just £6.99/kg.

Launde sheep

‘The vision is to sell lamb born and raised on these slopes directly to the customer’

The Blue Ball at Braunston in Rutland cooks with Launde lamb

Great Food’s dapper writer Matt Gregory (right) and Gwilym Owen talk lamb

SHEEP BREEDS

Guide to local sheep breeds

‘Bahhh’

The county has links with several sheep breeds. Here are three...

Bluefaced Leicester First bred near Loughborough. Now one of the most popular breeds in Britain. Distinctive with Roman nose.

Hill Farm sheep are Bluefaced Leicester/ Swaledale crosses

Border Leicester

Meet the farmers

Very similar to the Bluefaced, but whiter of face.

Also important as a sire for cross breeding.

Brothers following in their grandfather’s footsteps Gwilym (right) and Gareth (above) moved to Hill Farm in the early 90s and have farming in their blood. Not from their father – who works in the City – but from their grandfather, who farmed in Husbands Bosworth. The brothers have completed differing but complementary formal agricultural education, equipping them for developing the family business into a fully functioning farm-to-fork enterprise for the 21st Century. years old means that they get a good lamb-per-ewe average. At the end of the season that’s a lot of lamb to sell, and they have set up their own butchery at the farm so they can supply what the customer wants.

Lambing time New season lamb is available at four to five months old, so with the first ones due on March 25, ‘spring lamb’ from Launde could be on the menu from late July (the Blue Ball at Braunston is a keen user). Lambs are kept for much

Leicester Longwool Potentially the starting point for the Border and Bluefaced in the 18th Century.

Large and shaggy.

longer than this too, with some making it beyond their first birthday and officially becoming hogget. This is definitely worth seeking out as the flavour is more developed (see p40).

Because of the on-site butchery, a full range of cuts are available at Hill Farm, and you can get beef and pork too, some farmed by Gareth and Gwilym, some supplied by friends running farms on a similar scale.

Gwilym is also happy to come out and spit roast you a lamb (or pig, or cow come to that) on his charcoal-fired

Perfect partners

It’s not only about mint – try enhancing lamb with grated lemon rind, root ginger or even anchovies.

spit – now that would be a real centrepiece for the summer.

It is best to give them a call before turning up at the gate as this is a busy working farm (“I don’t suppose you know a good shepherd looking for work, do you?”, asked Gwilym on our visit). In the coming months they need all the help they can get.

LAUNDE FARM FOODS Hill Farm, Launde, Leics LE7 9XB 01572 717560, laundefarmfoods@tiscali.co.uk Website coming soon

Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland 15

INDIAN FOOD

The Golden Mile

Leicester’s Belgrave Road provides an experience that everyone should try. Jack Thorpe is your guide

S

PHOTOS: LAURA HARVEY (BELGRAVE ROAD) AND JACQUES PORTAL (FOOD)

tilton, Red Leicester, pork pies vindaloo on the menu. Try the dahi – all products of which puris – bite-sized, crisp bread shells, Leicestershire can be rightly filled with lightly spiced potato and proud. Here’s another name chickpeas, topped with yoghurt, to throw into the mix: lilo chevdo. crunchy sev and chopped coriander – This sweet, sticky, spicy concoction an explosion of spice, heat, sweetness may have its roots firmly in India, but and coolness that both takes your for almost 30 years, Leicester – breath away and soothes your soul. specifically Belgrave Road – has been Just off Belgrave Road, at 3a Roberts its UK home. It’s a snack like no other – Road, is Sangam Pan House. Here you and draws customers from miles away. will find a constant stream of customers Take a trip along the A47 to Peterborough, a city with a – many visiting every day – getting their pan fix. Pan, for the thriving Indian community, scour the many Asian grocers uninitiated (as I was until recently) is a vine leaf, skilfully and sweet shops and lilo chevdo is nowhere to be found – wrapped around a selection of dry ingredients such as this truly is a Leicestershire speciality. Suresh Gosai, one of saffron, cardamom, fennel seeds, coconut and cloves, all three brothers who run the Sharmilee restaurant and shop stuck together with lime paste and acacia extract. at 71-73 Belgrave Road, has been making and selling lilo Ingredients vary widely, but the result is an incredibly chevdo (sometimes called lilo chevda or lilo chivda) since fragrant and refreshing taste – sometimes swallowed, his father opened sometimes, well, not.

Sharmilee in 1973.

As well as the Prepared every restaurants and sweet Saturday morning – and shops, Belgrave Road is only for sale at the rich with clothes, fabrics weekend – it comprises and jewellery – as well as potato chips, peanuts grocers stocking and gram dal (a dried everything you might split-pea). These are need to create your own soaked in a lemon juice Indian dishes. One of the and sugar mixture and best is Popat’s at 160 given a healthy Belgrave Road (best sprinkling of fresh accessed from the car coriander. In summer, park on Macdonald Road, pomegranate seeds or down the side of finely chopped mango Bobby’s). Here you will are added. You’ve never find everything from experienced ‘moreish’ industrial-sized sacks of until you’ve had a rice and chapatti flour, to Making pan at Sangam Pan House: Vine leaves are wrapped possibly the widest range spoonful of lilo. around dry ingredients like saffron, fennel seeds and coconut. The result Like most Belgrave is pan, an extraordinary taste sensation. If you haven’t tried it, you should. of spices in the region, plus Road residents and a huge selection of fresh businessmen, the Gosai family came to Leicester from East fruit and vegetables. Not sure what to do with a dudhi? Ask Africa – and this has shaped the road, known locally as The the staff – as with everyone you’ll meet on Belgrave Road, Golden Mile – into such a unique shopping experience. they are helpful, friendly and keen to share their passion for The most well-known establishment is Bobby’s, just over good food. In fact, it’s not so much a passion or a celebration the road from Sharmilee at 154-156. Like its neighbour, – it’s taken as read that food is something to be enjoyed, not Bobby’s is both restaurant and sweet and savoury snack just a means of refuelling. You only have to look at the shop and, like the vast majority of Belgrave’s Hindu-run displays in shops such as Sharmilee and Bobby’s to see how restaurants, is exclusively vegetarian. This isn’t your run-ofmuch pride is taken in their produce each and every day. the-mill ‘Indian’ restaurant food – you won’t find a jalfrezi or And that’s something we should all buy into.

16 Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland

Best of Belgrave Road THE BEST BITS OF BELGRAVE ROAD...

The best savouries: Bobby’s, 154-156 Belgrave Road.

The farrari chevdo (a dry mix of potato chips, peanuts, cashews, sultanas, chilli and salt) is a highlight, the buffet good value and the restaurant, particularly the chaats and puris, is of a high standard.

It’s called the Golden Mile due to the large number of jewellery shops

The best ingredients:

The best experience:

Popats, 160 Belgrave Road.

Stock up on spices (why not try new ingredients, such as black cumin or dried pomegranate seeds?) and marvel at the range of vegetables. Best place to buy kit to cook them all with is at Milan’s, 88-92 Belgrave Road.

Sangam Pan House, 3a Roberts Road.

For 70p you’ll get a taste unlike any other (see left). Yes, it’s an acquired taste, but worth it just to watch the skill involved in creating these perfumed delicacies.

Suresh Gosai of Sharmilee with some lilo chevdo

The best sweets:

The best restaurant:

Sharmilee, 71-73 Belgrave Road.

Mithai (condensed milk and sugar sweets), jelabi (deep-fried flour and sugar syrup) and lilo chevdo are enough to satisfy anyone with a (very) sweet tooth.

That, we could not say.

Everyone you ask has their favourite, with honourable mentions to Bobby’s and Sharmliee, as well as Sayonara Thali, 49 Belgrave Rd, and Jalsa, 87 Belgrave Rd. The only way to find out is to try them all…

Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland 17

INDIAN FOOD

Golden Mile-inspired recipes Jack Thorpe creates three simple dishes inspired by – and made using ingredients and cookware bought from – Belgrave Road

Aubergine curry

Fried bhindi

Forget the massive aubergines you use in moussaka and try the smaller variety. There are small thin ones and small round ones.

Take your pick, both are good – and don’t require any of the soaking or salting many people claim is necessary.

Bhindi, or okra, or lady’s fingers, if you will, has an ill-deserved reputation for being slimy and sticky. This super-simple recipe dismisses that reputation as sheer nonsense.

Serves 2

* A big handful of small aubergines

Tindura & potato curry Tindura is an incredible ingredient for a curry – and one you’ll want to use time and time again. It’s like a mini cucumber, but firmer and crunchier.

Serves 2

* 200g tindura * 400g potatoes (small, firm ones like Anya work best)

* 1 large onion, chopped * 2 tbsp ginger and garlic, blended into a paste * 2 tsp turmeric * 1 tsp mustard seeds * 1 tsp black cumin seeds * 1 green chilli * A squirt of tomato purée * Handful of coriander leaves 1 Trim the ends off the tindura and cut lengthways. Quarter potatoes lengthways.

2 In a pan with a lid, heat enough vegetable oil to almost cover in the base over a medium to high heat. Add the mustard and black cumin seeds for a minute or so, until they are sizzling, spitting and starting to give off an aromatic smell.

3 Add your onion, finely chopped, and cook until soft and translucent. Add the potatoes and turmeric and cover for five minutes, stirring to prevent any sticking, but try not to let the potato break up.

4 Add the garlic and ginger paste and chilli (chopped and deseeded), and stir through.

Add the tindura and stir gently to coat. Turn the heat down and cook, covered, until the potato is no longer raw. If the potato is taking longer to cook, add a splash of water – this will not detract from the flavour at all.

5 Add a small dollop of tomato purée, and salt to taste. Give it all another stir and cook, lid off, for five more minutes before serving, garnished with chopped coriander.

Don’t be afraid to mix up any of the ingredients on this page to suit your taste. Serve with plain boiled rice or chapattis.

18 Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland

* 1 large onion, halved and sliced * 3 medium tomatoes * 2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste * 1 tsp desiccated coconut * 2 tsp cumin seeds * 2 tsp coriander seeds * 1 tsp turmeric * 1 dried red chilli * 1 black cardamom pod * 2 cloves * Handful of coriander leaves 1 Trim the ends off the aubergines and cut lengthways into quarters (halves if using thin ones). Cut tomatoes into quarters, remove and discard seeds; roughly chop. Put coconut, cumin, coriander seeds, chilli, cardamom and cloves into spice grinder (or use pestle and mortar) and grind to fine powder.

2 In a frying pan over a medium-high heat, add a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil and, when hot, add a pinch of cumin seeds. Fry for one minute, then add onion. Fry gently until soft and translucent, then add garlic and ginger paste, stirring for one minute.

3 Add tomatoes and two teaspoons of the spice mixture (the rest will keep in an airtight container for a couple of weeks) and turmeric and stir through.

4 After five minutes, or when tomatoes have broken down a little, add aubergines, stirring to coat, and cook on a medium heat, stirring every now and then, for 15-20 minutes. Stir in coriander and serve.

One of the best bits about vegetarian curries is experimenting with flavours.

Serves 2 (good as a side dish)

* 250g bhindi * 1 small onion * 1 tomato * 1 tsp cumin seeds * 21 dried red chillies * /2 tsp turmeric * Small handful of coriander leaves

1 Remove stalk end of bhindi and chop into 1cm pieces. Thinly slice onion. Heat a tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat, add onion and fry until soft.

2 Add all the other ingredients (leave chillies whole – you can remove them before serving) with a pinch of salt, stir briefly, then cover, on a low heat, gently stirring a few times, but don’t overdo it – you don’t want the bhindi to break up. You’ll notice the bhindi producing a sticky, stringy liquid – once this has gone, the bhindi is cooked. It should take 10-15 minutes.

3 Once the stickiness has gone, add a few coriander leaves and serve.

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PROBIOTIC

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16/2/11 11:45:01

Happy 100th to Long Clawson Dairy!

Cooking Creatively with CHEESE

To celebrate its centenary, Long Clawson has published a rather tasty recipe book...

T

o mark Long Clawson Dairy’s 100th birthday, the Leicestershire cheesemaker has worked with Michelin-starred chef Tom Aitkens to publish a new book, Cooking Creatively with Cheese. The dish below is just one of the 45 beautifully photographed recipes it contains.

The hardback focuses on the successive decades that Long Clawson has been churning out the cheese, telling the dairy’s fascinating story and offering a selection of cheese-inspired recipes typical of each ten-year chunk. For example, 1910 features Aged Leicestershire Red-Topped Shepherd’s Pie alongside details of how the co-operative dairy was born, while the 1970s chapter shows you how to make a retro party buffet.

Cooking Creatively... is essential for Leicestershire & Rutland cheese lovers. It’s available on Amazon, priced £7.95. Q

Tom Aikens celebrates 100 years of Long Clawson Dairy

Some – but not all – of the cheeses made by Clawson

Above: Tom Aitkens on the book’s front cover

LONG CLAWSON DAIRY

* 8 sausages * 1 tbsp olive oil * 6 large potatoes,

peeled and chopped

* 300g Blue Stilton, crumbled

* 4 tbsp double cream * Salt and freshly

ground black pepper

Onion gravy

* Oil for frying * 1 red onion peeled and finely sliced

* 500ml beef stock

FOCU S OD

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CUS • F FO

Serves 4

Cheese

• FO O D

Bangers with Blue Stilton Mash

OOD FO •F

S CU

Long Clawson, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire LE14 4PJ, 01664 822332, www.clawson.co.uk

1 Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, add the sausages and fry for 10 minutes over a medium heat, until golden-brown on all sides and cooked through.

2 Cook the chopped potato in boiling water until tender.

3 Drain well and mash with the Blue Stilton and cream. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

4 To serve, pile the mash onto a serving plate and top with the sausages.

1 Place the oil in a non-stick saucepan, heat and then add the sliced red onion and cook over a gentle heat. Once the onions have started to caramelise and soften, add the beef stock and bring to the boil.

2 Reduce the heat and allow to simmer until the gravy thickens and reaches your preferred consistency.

“Clawson’s vast range of cheeses meant I could create some delicious flavours” – Tom Aitkens Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland 21

The art of FOOD PEOPLE

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illustration studio in West Bridgford, Nottingham,” says Debbie. “We ended up doing some property developing and this eventually took us to Wymondham and then to South Luffenham, where we’ve settled.”

As you might have guessed from her art, Debbie is inspired by food. “If I wasn’t an artist, I’d be working with food,” she says. “Its texture and colour inspires so much of my work. My pig paintings were informed by visits to Northfield Farm, Cold Overton, and a

Debbie’s art classes Debbie works mainly in acrylic paint but uses mixed media for 3D works

CONTACT DETAILS Debbie has artwork for sale and is happy to discuss commissions: 01780 722035, www.debbieboon.com. In May, she is displaying her work at Stamford Arts Centre in an exhibition called ‘Rural to Coastal’.

22 Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland

lot of my work is the result of being close to local produce. For two years I worked and cooked in the deli at Flores House, Oakham, where I sold my first piece of food art to a member of the public.”

Most of the children’s books that Debbie has illustrated – including My Gran and Something Wonderful – contain food images or kitchen scenes, and a series of six giant commissioned canvasses of fruit and vegetables painted in acrylic hang in chef Michael Caines’ highly rated restaurant in Exeter.

So what are Debbie’s favourite local food places? “Jim’s Yard in Stamford and Hambleton Bakery,” she says.

Debbie’s converted barn studio is the perfect venue for the relaxed private art tutorials she now runs. For more information, contact Debbie.

O CA

S

troll into Debbie Boon’s studio in South Luffenham, Rutland, and several giant tomatoes, a huge chilli pepper and an enormous corn on the cob smack you right between the eyes. A Gloucester Old Spot pig sporting what looks like real hair stands in front of two geese, who appear to be about to peck the porker.

Colour, life and three-dimensional texture invade your central and peripheral vision.

Debbie, an extremely youthful 51, and as energetic as the colours on her studio walls, is an artist, food-lover and teacher. She splits her time between creating commissioned works, educating private students, taking art classes at Stamford College and cooking (see p24).

“After studying graphics at Loughborough College in the ‘70s, my husband and I ran a design and

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Vibrant colour plays a central role in Debbie’s food pieces, while texture is used to give them a unique energy

A RTIST

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Debbie Boon

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A R T I ST

Meet Debbie Boon, a Rutland artist whose vibrant work is inspired by local food...

food

Debbie Boon

Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland 23

RECIPE

Debbie Boon’s twist on Pasta Puttanesca (‘lady of the night’s pasta’) Pasta Puttanesca literally means ‘working girl’s pasta’ and the ingredients are typical of southern Italian cooking. “I love this dish – it’s rugged and rustic with really strong flavours,” says Debbie, using words that also describe her art. Legend has it that Pasta Puttanesca was cooked to sustain ladies of the night, using leftover ingredients.

Serves 4

* 500g fresh pasta from Hambleton Bakery * Welland Valley rapeseed oil * Sea salt * 3 cloves garlic, chopped or grated * 8 anchovy fillets * 1 fresh red chilli from Charnwood Chilli Company * 800g chopped tomatoes * 200g black olives * 2 tbsp capers * Fresh basil * Grated parmesan

1 Warm two thinly sliced cloves of garlic, the fresh chilli and eight chopped anchovy fillets in a frying pan with a good splash of rapeseed oil.

2 Stir as it cooks for a couple of minutes until the anchovies start to disintegrate. Turn up the heat and add the chopped tomatoes.

3 Leave to cook for 20 minutes or so.

4 Cook 500g of fresh pasta in salted water.

5 When the sauce is ready, stir in the black olives and a couple of tablespoons of capers, then toss with the lightly drained pasta.

6 Serve your pasta puttanesca with fresh chopped basil, grated parmesan and crusty bread. “I like to add sundried tomatoes,” says Debbie.

“Rugged and rustic with beautifully strong flavours”

24 Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland

THE KING’S ARMS

TOP STREET, WING, RUTLAND LE15 8SE TEL. 01572 737634 EMAIL: INFO@THEKINGSARMS-WING.CO.UK

A 17TH CENTURY COUNTRY INN SET IN THE IDYLLIC VILLAGE OF WING IN RUTLAND.

Upcoming ‘Slow Food’ & Wine Evenings Slow Food with Deutz Champagne & Rhone Wine Taster Evening with Etienne DeFousse March 22nd

W INNERS OF E AST MIDLANDS TASTE A WARD 2009 & 2 AA ROSETTES

HOME TO JIMMY’S SMOKEHOUSE. SMOKERS AND CURERS OF MEAT AND FISH

£60 per person inclusive, booking essential.

Arrival 6.30 - 7 for drinks and seated for 7.30.

COME AND TASTE THE DIFFERENCE

Award Winning Pub

GRASMERE FARM Traditional Butchers ‘Taste the Grasmere taste’

Come and visit our helpful and friendly staff at 34 High Street, where as well as traditional Grasmere pork products, we offer a full range of lamb, poulty and 21 day matured beef.

GRASMERE GREAT VALUE PACKS 4lb Chicken Fillets £10 4lb Grasmere Sausages £10 3lb Stewing Beef £10 4lb Grasmere Pork Chops £10

Grasmere Farm, 34 High Street, Stamford PE9 2BB Tel. 01780 765563 Email: info@grasmere-farm.co.uk

p25_GF_MarApr11.indd Sec1:25

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

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

16/2/11 12:57:27

Say it with food!

MOTHERS’ DAY

You don't have to wait till April 3 to take mum out for a treat. Nothing says thanks like food in fine surroundings

F

lowers are very nice but to make mum feel really special this year – and you don't have to wait till Mothering Sunday – you could organise a truly memorable food experience. There is a huge variety of special things you can do locally. The ideas in this feature could be used to make any day special...

Afternoon tea at Stapleford Park CONTACT: Stapleford Park Country House, Stapleford, Leics LE14 2EF, www.staplefordpark.com, 01572 787000

S

et in 500 acres of landscaped grounds and exuding country luxury like a pair of velvet-lined Hunter wellies, Stapleford Park is the perfect place for a spot of high tea. Or maybe sherry with cucumber sandwiches. Sink into the comfortably sofas, place your Earl Grey and scones on the antique table, and inhale the refined 17th century atmosphere.

Afternoon tea: from £8.50 per person.

26 Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland

Eating out

Evening dining

on the Great Central Railway

CONTACT: Great Central Station, Great Central Road, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 1RW, 01509 230726, www.gcrailway.co.uk

T

here’s something pleasingly old fashioned, romantic and ever so slightly decadent about drinking wine on a steam train as it hurtles through rural landscape. Eating a six-course evening meal between sips, while admiring the view across Charnwood Forest from your first-class dining carriage is even better. The Loughborough-to-Leicester Great Central Railway, Britain’s only mainline steam railway, has been voted 12th in the 50 greatest train journeys of the world. It offers a dining service every weekend and on some weekday evenings. If mum loves Indian food, it’s worth taking a ride on the Maharaja Express, where the dining service teams up with Salim’s Indian restaurant of Loughborough.

Six-course Saturday evening meal: £47 per adult.

The Blake Room at Kilworth House. Below: Kilworth’s Orangery

Dining in style on the Great Central Railway

Cakes in the Orangery at Burghley House

CONTACT: The Orangery Restaurant, Burghley House, Stamford, Lincs PE9 3JY, 01780 761989, www.burghley.co.uk

B

urghley House on the edge of Stamford is one of the most stunning Elizabethan country houses in Britain. Its architectural impact and grounds are second to none.

Burghley’s bright and airy Orangery café/restaurant (pictured below), designed by Capability Brown, is under the new management of Absolute Taste, who have introduced a welcome policy of cooking with local produce, including Grasmere Farm sausages, Colston Bassett Stilton and local Longhorn beef.

Cakes: from £2.30; main courses: from £8.

Champagne

at Kilworth House Hotel

CONTACT: Kilworth House Hotel, Lutterworth Rd, North Kilworth, Leics LE17 6JE, 01858 880058, www.kilworthhouse.co.uk

V

ictorian opulence and a hint of theatrical flair are in the air at Kilworth House Hotel. The snore-inducing comfort of the public rooms – where you can relax with your fizz – contrasts with invigorating light that constantly floods the starched white tablecloths and ornate tiled floor of the Orangery. Theatre and opera regularly take place at Kilworth but even if there isn’t a show on it’s worth taking mum to literally and metaphorically drink in the luxurious surroundings.

Baron de Beaupré Brut champagne: £40 (bottle), £10 (glass)

Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland 27

Make a day of it...

MOTHERS‘ DAY

Prefer to spend a whole day with mum? Here are Great Food’s recommended cuisine-based schedules…

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ake a sprinkling of local knowledge. Add a pinch of imagination. Combine with flair to create an array of mouthwatering food itineraries.

No matter where in the region you live, you won’t have to travel far to enjoy a mélange of gourmet activities.

STAMFORD FOOD EXTRAVAGANZA A day trip to one of England’s finest stone towns is laden with great-tasting possibilities. After browsing the numerous boutiques (St Mary’s Street is a good place to start), refresh with excellent coffee at Fine Food Store before visiting impressively ancient and comfortable hotel, The George.

New restaurant The Barn just off St Mary’s Street should be on your agenda, as should fabulous old pub the Tobie Norris, where you can grab excellent pizza.

Before leaving the town, venture to Stamford Garden Centre on Casterton Road. Here you’ll find bags of local produce for sale in the farm shop (the Lincoln Red beef is excellent and reared just a few miles away in Great Casterton). You can also stock up on herbs, plants and seeds so that you can start to grow your own ingredients. A well-earned cake and possibly more in the Garden Kitchen café/ restaurant is an option, or you can sample all that wonderful local produce via the full lunch and evening menus.

Cafe Nevill at Medbourne's Nevill Arms is a good spot for breakfast

28 Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland

Tobie Norris of Stamford offers excellent pizza and a good wine list

HUNGRY IN HARBOROUGH Centring your day on Market Harborough opens the possibility of a first-class culinary schedule to please mum. Why not start with breakfast at Café Nevill at the Nevill Arms (a café within a pub) in the pretty village of Medbourne, just a few miles from Market Harborough? If the sun’s shining, the brook at the front of the pub underlines a beautiful scene.

After breakfast, you should certainly pay a visit to Farndon Fields, one of the region’s very best farm shops (also see p4).

Finally, and this is for mums who love the Leicester Tigers, eat at new Italian Harborough restaurant Timo, owned by Tigers stars Geordan Murphy and Martin Castrogiovanni.

Stamford Garden Centre is a café/restaurant, farm shop and nursery in one

BELVOIR BITES Historic Belvoir Castle – which has a restaurant and good gardens – is the best focus for your day out in the Vale. After that, if you want to eat out or just grab a drink, Great Food recommends the Red Lion Inn, Stathern (see p40), the

Chequers, Woolsthorpe-by-Belvoir, or the Manners Arms, Knipton. If you’re more interested in coffee in an excellent new deli/café, head to Barrowby to the Cakehole (be sure to try a slice of Scrimshaw’s pork pie). Further afield, Langar Hall is excellent.

The bar at the Chequers, Woolsthorpe-by-Belvoir

Eating out

Pork pies, cheese & cakes I

t’s said Melton Mowbray used to be the equivalent of Monaco during the height of the fox-hunting trend in the 19th century. Even the most passionate Meltonian would hesitate to make that claim today, but it is Britain’s rural food capital. And to give mum a true taste of rural food, set a Tuesday aside to experience the timewarp farmers’ market, where sheep, ferrets, geese and a variety of local produce are traded weekly. At the market you can visit the Melton Cheeseboard’s stand or wander to their shop in town to pick up some amazing cheeses, each marked with a label showing how many food miles it’s travelled. Next, venture to Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe on the High Street to stock up on award-winning pork pies. After all that you need to relax. Scalford Hall is the place to do it, in the company of a cream tea. Colonel Coleman, founder of Coleman’s, used to live here, so it definitely cuts the mustard.

Scalford Hall

Uppingham's Lake Isle

Rutland refreshment

R

utland’s county motto roughly translates as “a lot in a small space”, and that’s certainly true of the disproportionate number of highquality eateries. To give mother dear a true taste of Rutland, Great Food suggests dining at the King’s Arms, Wing, where local ingredients are used religiously in imaginative ways. Or for a truly special meal, visit Michelin-starred restaurants Hambleton Hall (see p31) or the Olive Branch, Clipsham. Gardeners could head to Barnsdale Gardens before eating at neighbouring Barnsdale Lodge. Uppingham shouldn’t be missed, where the Lake Isle takes some beating.

Mixing a Black Forest Gateaux cocktail at Hotel Maiyango

City cuisine

Barnsdale Lodge (left); Hambleton Hall (above)

I

f mum’s a city girl at heart, a shopping spree at Leicester’s Highcross might go down well. But after that you should take her for a cocktail at award-winning Hotel Maiyango in St Nicholas’ Place (double gold in the East Midlands Tourism awards). Great Food suggests you treat her to a sublime Black Forest Gateaux cocktail and a meal. Another urban option – and ideal for seafood lovers – is San Carlo on Granby Street, where you’ll experience a buzzing atmosphere.

Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland 29

LOCAL RESTAURANTS Menu samples

Hammer & Pincers, Wymeswold CUISINE: Grill, European, local, seasonal PRICE PER HEAD: £35-£40 (for three courses and drinks) KIDS WELCOME: Yes DOGS: Yes, in the bar CUSTOMER CAR PARKING: Large car park TIMES: Monday to Saturday: 12pm-2pm and 6pm-9.30pm; Sunday: 12pm-6pm.

‘W

e have a new butcher,’ said the email newsletter from Hammer and Pincers.

‘Harker’s Farm Shop of Clipston on the Wolds rear their own cattle and supply the best beef we’ve ever tried. So we’ve decided to focus on offering more steaks.’ Valentine’s Day beckoned and I made a reservation.

Sweethearts Danny and Sandra Jimminson trained at the Savoy under Anton Edelmann and settled in Wymeswold close to where Danny grew up. Their stylish restaurant was once home to the local blacksmith. An ancient hammer and pincers still hangs on the wall above waitresses offering quietly attentive, professional service. Every aspect of the restaurant shows attention to detail, from smart glass water jugs to a confident menu.

Dinner à deux began with homemade red onion focaccia with moist and moreish walnut

MAINS Pan-roast sea bream fillet, garlic cream & freshwater crayfish, £16 Sirloin steak garni with béarnaise sauce and triple cooked chips, £22

DESSERTS Chocolate fondant, pistachio ice cream & cherry compote, £6 Rhubarb & Custard Meringue, £6 and raisin bread. Velvety parsnip soup felt more like amuse-bouche than a complete first course, but twice-baked Colston Bassett Stilton Soufflé was light and savoury, apple compote cleverly foiling its richness.

No prizes for guessing my partner’s main course but with a range of cuts, weights and sauces, there are sixty different steak options.

A medium sirloin, well-seasoned, chargrilled and rested was sublimely succulent, full of flavour and surprisingly soft. Steak this good needs no adornment so fat triple-cooked chips (fluffy within and darkly crisp outside) were dunked into perfectly piquant béarnaise sauce. Next time we will try the variation flavoured with tomato purée, named after its creator, Alexandre Étienne Choron.

Caffe Italia, Melton Mowbray

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30 Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland

With a nod to the Big Fish Fight campaign, I chose sea bream – juicy and flaky with crisp skin, served on shredded savoy cabbage with garlic cream. Meaty morsels of freshwater crayfish, tomato concasse and diced new potato added colourful flashes.

The new steak menu is brave and inspired.

And if someone you love deserves the best steak and chips in the region, the Hammer and Pincers have it nailed.

Rachel Quine HAMMER & PINCERS 5 East Road, Wymeswold, LE12 6ST, 01509 880735, www.hammerandpincers.co.uk

Menu samples Three courses: £11.95 STARTERS Homemade soup with crusty Italian bread Garlic mushrooms on chargrilled focaccia bread

CUISINE: Italian PRICE PER HEAD: £15-£20 (for three courses and drinks) KIDS WELCOME: Yes DOGS: No CUSTOMER CAR PARKING: On street FOOD TIMES: Bistro: Friday and Saturday nights only from 6pm. Otherwise, Caffe: Mon-Sat, 9-3pm. Deli: Tue-Sat, 10am-4pm ucked away down Melton Mowbray’s prettiest street, near St Mary’s Church, sits not a pork pie seller or Blue Stilton shop, but an Italian café next door to an Italian deli.

Deli and Caffe Italia are two of Melton’s most delicious destinations, run by Alison D’Angelo and her Tuscan husband Gaetano.

On Friday and Saturday evenings, the café becomes a bistro serving simple, tastepacked Italian dishes and Italian wines, all at extremely reasonable prices. If you choose from the fixed-price menu (à la carte is available too), two courses will set you back just £8.95; three £11.95.

The bistro is compact, the tables arranged cleverly to make best use of space.

Accompanying your conversation with Italian-style hand movements may result in homemade soup going over one of the

STARTERS Mushroom & tarragon mascarpone risotto with parmesan crackling, £5 King prawns & queen scallops, pan-roasted with garlic & lemon, £9

MAINS Tortellini filled with spinach and ricotta in a sauce of butter, sage, nutmeg and cream Spicy meatballs in a tomato and basil sauce with roast potatoes

DESSERTS smartly dressed, attentive young waiters.

However, the bistro is charming rather than cramped and exudes the pleasant feel of a late-night European café. Low-level Italian music plays in the background, a counter displaying delicious cakes gives you the come-on, and cooking aromas rise from the basement kitchen. You could be in Sardinia if it wasn’t for the Leicestershire accents.

Selecting from the fixed-price menu, I ordered a primi of focaccia al aglio (garlic mushrooms on chargrilled focaccia), while my wife went for homemade soup. Service was conscientious and the starters, along with a perfectly chilled bottle of Frascati – just the thing to welcome the weekend – arrived quickly. The salty, garlicky mushrooms were tasty, quickly followed by the spicy Italian

Trio of Italian ice creams Homemade tiramisu

meatballs with roast rosemary potatoes in tomato and basil sauce – a piquant and satisfying dish. The meal was rounded off with a slice of homemade tiramisu.

Caffe Italia’s bistro is a delightful venue offering good, unpretentious Italian cooking at stunning prices. For a perfect night out in Melton Mowbray, why not plan a meal here followed by a visit to the town’s excellent Regal Cinema.

Matt Wright CAFFE ITALIA 10 Church Street, Melton Mowbray, Leics LE13 0PN, 01664 561 777

Review

Hambleton Hall, Hambleton Does the ‘Lunch For Less’ offer live up to this establishment’s formidable reputation?

CUISINE: Modern British/European PRICE PER HEAD: Lunch For Less: £22/27.25 for two/three courses KIDS WELCOME: Over-fives in the main dining room DOGS: Hotel yes, restaurant no CUSTOMER CAR PARKING: Car park in the grounds FOOD TIMES: Mon-Sun: 12-1.30pm, 7-9.30pm. Lunch for Less: Mon-Sat, excluding Bank Holiday weekends.

Menu samples

H

ambleton Hall has long been the brightest star in Leicestershire and Rutland’s food scene, but does its ‘Lunch For Less’ offer really offer the full Michelin Star experience?

It most definitely does. Settling down by the blazing fire in the drawing room, we enjoyed three stunning canapés, the standout being a surprising but exquisite beetroot meringue sandwiched with goat’s cheese. As we pushed on to the meal itself, we started to marvel at the depth and complexity of flavours from seemingly simple dishes. A well-made pea soup is always pleasing, but the composite layers of flavour in the pea and mint velouté here took it to a different level.

What’s more, such brilliance was just background to a chunky, meaty and moist raviolo of diced ham hock.

Blade of beef may not be a premium cut, but here it was chopped and rolled with a variety of wonderfully fresh herbs and wild mushrooms to stunning effect. Its accompanying sweet, sticky reduction of red wine, caramelised shallot and tarragon almost had me licking the plate. Even a rank-and-file fish like coley was transformed into something approaching a delicacy.

For dessert, a technically superb soufflé wobbled invitingly, its pillowy softness disguising strong but well-balanced flavours of coconut and lime.

Hambleton Hall hosts regular food events

Lunch For Less: £27.25 for three courses STARTERS

l Ballotine of guinea fow with piccalilli pea Raviolo of ham hock with and mint velouté

MAINS

saffron Pan fried fillet of coley, en beans gre es, ato tom es, ato pot wine sauce Blade of beef, rosti, red

Squadrons of staff glided around the room with grace, subtle skill and great attention to detail, and the dining room exudes oldschool country house luxury.

On all levels Hambleton Hall is a pleasure and, at lunch time at least, you might find it a surprisingly affordable treat.

TB Q

DESSERTS

with Coconut and lime soufflé coconut sorbet ries Lemon tart with raspber

HAMBLETON HALL Hambleton, Oakham, Rutland LE15 8TH, 01572 756991, www.hambletonhall.com

Dining room oozes luxury

Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland 31

Stunning Food, Beautifully Presented For Lunch & Dinner

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Call today to book your table.

01572 822951 16 High Street East, Uppingham, Rutland LE15 9PZ www.lakeisle.co.uk

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The Lake Isle Hotel & Restaurant is far too good to keep just for that special occasion or celebration, come and enjoy the amazing menu for lunch and dinner too.

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At Lubcloud Dairy, our herd of happy and d healthy organic cows graze out in fields that have had no fertilisers or chemicals used on them. The food that they eat is fully traceable and non GM, and the milk and cream that they produce is bottled here on the farm, resulting in a wonderful, fresh product. We have also chosen not to homogenise our milk or cream, leaving everything as pure as it can be, just as nature intended.

When you buy Lubcloud Dairy products, you are not only supporting local business, as we are organic, you are also supporting the environment too.

BUY FRESH, BUY LOCAL For more information and details of stockists:

www.lubclouddairy.co.uk w www.lubclouddair w bc Tele Te epphone: ep hone: 015 01509 1 Telephone: 505055

p32_GF_MarApr11.indd Sec1:32

16/2/11 11:51:02

Local pub

Antipasti with your pint, sir?

Leicester’s Rutland & Derby has been transformed into a deli-pub...

T

he Rutland and Derby in central Leicester was once a slightly scruffy student hang out. Then it became a rather flash continental bar. And now it’s born again – as the city’s first ever deli-pub.

So how come the 30 types of fancy lager and premium vodkas have been replaced by cask ales, three-year-old parmigiano and tubs of pesto? Part of it is location. Sited in the Cathedral quarter of St Martin’s, the pub is surrounded by brass-plaque offices and hungry professionals – just the sort who might appreciate a slab of high-quality cheese with a pint of Old Hooky or glass of pinot.

Sam Hagger, the implausibly youthful new owner, had first planned a restaurant for the site. As he got to understand the area better, he realised he’d be taking on two successful restaurants within 50 yards. But he did see lots of people walking into town at lunchtime to get their sarnies. When he then attended an industry seminar featuring a rural pub that saved itself by introducing a farm shop, the idea for the urban deli pub fell into place.

“My partner and I have always been fans of fine food and on our days off we’d go to delis and farm shops,” says Kirby Muxloe-born Sam, who had his first pub at the age of 21.

“But in the city we’d struggle to find

Is it a deli? Is it a pub? It’s both

something special or different. So we thought let’s make that our point of difference.”

So gone is the Rutland & Derby’s shining chrome and back is a comfortable yet sophisticated pubby feel, with one end of the room given over to a cabinet laden with multicoloured olives and unusual cheeses that have been burned in hay, buried in caves or flecked with white truffles. There’s plenty of handsome charcuterie and antipasti, too.

Inspired by a supplier with contacts to artisan producers linked to Italy’s Slow Food movement, the current offering is mainly

The Ten-Minute Meal Deal

Targeting busy professionals, the Rutland & Derby has introduced a Ten-Minute Meal Deal priced £15.95. Pop in after work and pick up a bag containing egg tagliatelle, Puglian semiroasted tomatoes, fresh Genovese pesto, mature parmesan and a bottle of an easydrinking chardonnay blend. “Pull the cork, put a pan on and in ten minutes you’ve got an amazing meal,” says Sam Hagger.

Sam Hagger with partner Kirstie Bradley

Mediterranean. Nocellara del Belice olives mix with char-grilled artichoke hearts and salamis made with rare breed-pork and flavoured with pistachios. These can be bought to take home or enjoyed in the form of the pub’s deli board selections – such the Flipin board, using a whole Flipin Robiolino, a ripe and creamy goat’s cheese from Italy’s North West, served with crusty bread and pomegranate balsamic.

Some local products are present such as Henry Morris pork pies, bread from Leicester’s Brucciani’s craft bakery and locally made, daily delivered samosas. Also on offer is venison paté made by the chefs at Sam’s other pub, The Forge in Glenfield.

“For us it’s a voyage of discovery,” says Sam. “As we evolve we want to feature more local produce. We’ve done really well with the pub but we know we’ve got a long way to go.”

Tim Burke RUTLAND & DERBY Millstone Lane, Leicester LE1 5JN, 0116 2623299, www.ssoosh.com

Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland 33

FRESHWATER FISH

Trout & about on Rutland Water

Our biggest reservoir provides the habitat for thousands of tasty fish. Isn’t it time you ate some?

ARTICLE: MATT GREGORY PICTURES: MATT WRIGHT

W

ith Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall metaphorically slapping supermarkets around the chops with net-caught tuna as part of his Fish Fight campaign, now’s a good time to consider what ethical, sustainable and local options we have in Rutland and Leicestershire.

A courageous handful of fishmongers still fight the good fight on certain high streets, and a slightly higher number operate regularly at local markets (see panel), but we also have an excellent resource in the form of rivers, lakes and most notably and least controversially, man-made reservoirs.

The two most significant reservoirs in the counties are the Eyebrook near Caldecott, and Rutland Water itself. Rutland Water – England’s largest reservoir by surface area – is much younger than the Eyebrook but is about six times bigger. Flooded in the mid-1970s to provide drinking water, and covering more than 3,000 acres, it offers some of the best reservoir fly fishing for trout in the country.

And nearby are a range of excellent pubs, so once you’ve caught your environmentallyfriendly Rutland trout for tomorrow’s dinner (or other species – see below), you can grab some après-fish refreshment.

It’s not just about the trout

Some of Rutland Water’s other edible fish…

RAINBOW TROUT

ZANDER Good eating.

BROWN TROUT

PIKE

You may take one pike up to 12lb from Rutland Water. Can grow as large as 40lb!

Rarer than rainbows. You may take up to two brown trout from Rutland Water.

Tasty, especially in winter. Most common fish in Rutland Water.

34 Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland

You can bag a zander up to 3lb from Rutland Water.

Out & about

How to go fishing on Rutland Water

T

o fish on Rutland Water you need a permit. These are available from the fishing lodge at Normanton on the east side of the reservoir, or from vendor huts in the car park near the cycle hire centre at Whitwell Creek. A day ticket costs £22 and allows you to catch and kill up to eight trout (and release any extra fish to fight another day).

With the average size of rainbow trout in excess of 2lb, fishing on Rutland Water is terrific fun, although the fish do have to be viewed as a bonus to a good day out! When Great Food ventured onto the water (as pictured here), the haul for the day was four rainbow trout, although a feisty fifth got away, snapping the line after a long struggle. Turn the page to see what you can do with your catch.

Hiring a motor boat to fish from for the day will set you back another £26, but you can get up to three people in a boat (other tickets are available). The water can get very choppy when the wind gets up, so make sure you wear waterproofs, and don’t forget to pack some lunch – fishing is hungry work.

You can only fish with flies on Rutland Water

If you’ve not fly fished before (this is the only type of fishing allowed on Rutland Water), you will need some tuition on how to cast, and with all that water to go at, a guide can make all the difference. If you are a complete beginner, taking a boat out increases your chances of catching the limit of your permit but at times fishing from the bank can be exceptional.

Turn over for cooking tips…

Freshwater fishing: the law CONTACTS

Fishmongers Hobbs’ Fishmongers, Market Harborough: 01858 464025 Scarborough Fare, Melton Mowbray: 01664 562426 L B Hunt: Market Place, Leicester, 0116 2517038 N Cavner & Son: Oakham and Uppingham markets, and by phone and email – 0780 2494946, n.cavner@fsnet.co.uk Fishing Matt Gregory (tuition): 07962 543763, mattgregory.freeblogit.com Rutland Water (advice and permits): 01780 686441, www.tinyurl.com/3xxzorn Rutland Fly Fishing Adventures: 01572 722422, www.rutlandwaterflyfishing.co.uk Rutland Fly Fishing: 01780 722466, www.rutlandflyfishing.com

When fishing in rivers you need a rod licence and the owner’s permission (usually a paid-for ticket). The law says you may take up to 15 small fish (up to 20cm from tip to tail) of native species, one pike of up to 65cm and two grayling of 30–38cm. Non-native species are not covered, including zander, which is excellent to eat. Lakes and reservoirs will be covered by individual owners’ or club rules.

Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland 35

FRESHWATER FISH

HOW TO...

Gut a round-bodied fish You’ve caught your fish. Now get it ready for the oven…

1

2

1

Don a pair of rubber gloves, and with a sharp knife make a slit in the vent of the fish large enough to get your thumb inside to provide some purchase. If you’ve never done this before, take things carefully and slowly. It’s a simple process and a very handy skill to have.

2 3

4

Holding the fish firmly, continue the cut, through the flesh only, up to the head.

Firmly take hold of the internal organs, cut the oesophagus and pull out towards the vent. Cut off at the vent. You’re now very nearly there.

3

{ } TOP TIP

Pack trout in table salt for 15 minutes, then rinse and dry to get firmer, sweetertasting flesh

5

4

Now run the knife down the inside of the spine to cut the blood channel (the fish’s kidney) and remove any remaining organs.

Running the tap is a good idea to help clean things up.

Plain, healthy, simple baked trout A quick and easy way to cook trout and produces tasty, moist fish. Works best with bigger (2lb+) catches.

* 1 small (up to 1lb) trout per person;

bigger ones between two or more!

* 1 lemon and 1 bay leaf 1 Clean the trout as above, or have your fishmonger do it for you. Use the salting Top Tip above.

2 Place trout in a roasting tray and put lemon wedges and bay leaves into the cavity. Do not cover with foil and do not put a glass of wine in the pan.

3 Place in a preheated medium oven (Gas 4/180C) for about 25 minutes.

4 The flesh will crisp in the heat so the fish will steam inside it’s own skin.

When done the flesh will be opaque and come away from the bone easily.

5 Serve with minty boiled potatoes and maybe some wild garlic (see p50).

36 Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland

5

Use a spoon to scrape out the kidney, and the handle end to break the few spinal vertebrae at the tail end to get all the blood out.

Rinse under running water. Job done.

Not feeling too squeamish, we hope.

Fish cakes and fingers * Flaked cooked trout * Cold boiled potatoes * A little milk and butter 1 Mash potatoes with milk and butter. Add finely chopped spring onion, parsley, salt and pepper, and a good grating of nutmeg.

2 Mix well and add the flaked fish, blending so that the fish does not go mushy.

3 Form into cakes and chill for half an hour, to help the cakes hold together.

4 Dredge through flour and fry over a moderate heat for 3-4 minutes a side. Not moving them helps to keep them together and brown evenly. Serve with tartar sauce and salad.

* Spring onion & parsley * Secret ingredient: nutmeg * Beaten egg, flour For fish fingers: Cut fresh raw fish into finger-sized pieces, dip into beaten egg and dredge through breadcrumbs. Fry over moderate heat for 3-4 minutes a side. These are popular with younger eaters, even those who “don’t like fish”.

Smoke your own fish!

The Snowbee Smoker

THE CROWN AT SPROXTON Restaurant – Pub – Courtyard Tel: 01476 860035 Award winning Pub and Restaurant

£45.00

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Roasted Pepper & Tomato Soup Prawn Cocktail with Marie Rose Sauce Chicken Liver Pate with Onion Con¿t & Toast Salmon & Crab Cakes with Garlic & Dill Mayonnaise Duck Cassoulet *** Roast Turkey with Cranberry Sauce Roast Sirloin of Beef with Yorkshire Pudding Stuffed Fillet of Salmon on a Lobster & Brandy Sauce Pan Fried Chicken Breast wrapped in Parma Ham with a Marsala & Mushroom Cream Sauce Twice Baked Cheese SoufÀé on Sautee Spinach with a Rich Emmental Cheese Sauce *** Choose from a Daily Selection of Desserts

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3 Courses £17.50

Rooms from £60.00 per night per room including breakfast

Available from -

Rutland Water Fishing Lodge, Normanton Road, Edith Weston, Oakham, LE15 8HD Tel. 01780 686441 Opening Times during March 9am - 3pm Weds to Sunday From 1st April 8am - 5pm 7 days.

1 Coston Road, Sproxton, Melton Mowbray LE14 4QB

www.thecrownatsproxton.co.uk 10 miles from Grantham on A607. In Croxton Kerrial turn left to Sproxton

Relax, Dine & Stay

Enjoy great food at The Nevill Arms Inn, Restaurant & Café Nevill Medbourne, Market Harborough Medbourne, Leicestershire

p37_GF_MarApr11.indd Sec1:37

Telephone 01858 565 288

www.thenevillarms.net

16/2/11 12:07:38

FOOD BUSINESS

THE INSIDER

What makes a brand great?

Success means knowing your customer, says Helen Chantrey

I

’ve been working with a business who asked me what makes a brand great. I pondered this while on my grand tour to find my top three local pies, and came up with four key things.

I hope my thoughts provide some handy tips for local foodie businesses around Leicestershire and Rutland.

The word brand began simply as a way to tell one farmer’s cattle from another – “it’s mine and no one else’s, don’t steal it”. The essence of that stays true today, though it is more than just a name tag – a brand defines the identity of a specific product, service or business. It not only tells us what a business does, but portrays how it does it and reveals its personality.

So what do great brands have in common?

1

Define a tight target

“He who tries to please everybody pleases nobody.”

This couldn’t be truer for great brands – they don’t try to please every person who’s a potential customer. Instead they define a tight group of existing or potential users who would be their ideal loyal fans. They then listen to these people closely, finding out what’s important in their lives and how they feel about their favourite things. If the brand can appeal to this loyal fan base, it is amazing how the popularity can spread.

2

Functional and emotive

Great brands not only offer excellent products or services but also draw consumers to them because of what they stand for and believe in. A business can offer a good, efficient service or delicious food, but when it manages to create an emotional link to the audience, that’s when it starts to become loved and cherished. Where we buy into a brand’s lifestyle or beliefs, we grow to love them more – so a brand should wear its heart on its

38 Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland

sleeve. For food products, there needs to be more of a story these days rather than to simply say it’s natural or locally sourced – what is it about that particular farm or the way the product is made that can make the brand experience more endearing to its target? When this is backed up with an outstanding product or service, a business is onto a winner. I think Hambleton Bakery of Exton (www. hambletonbakery.co.uk) is doing this well – its popularity grows not only because the loaves taste fantastic, but we also buy into the nostalgia of traditionally baked bread.

3

Consistency

It may seem obvious but I’m amazed at how many times businesses manage to change their look, feel and messages.

Apparently around 10,000 brands are born every day, so that’s a lot of new messages. Keep your message simple and consistent everywhere your brand is seen.

Use powerful visuals over words as people usually remember an image before the words.

4

Get talked about

Nothing sells a brand better than someone you like telling you about it. Brilliant brands manage to create stories that people talk about. We all remember Cadbury’s drumming gorilla. I’m not suggesting that local brands need or can afford TV adverts, but the point is that being unconventional can get you talked about. All that’s needed is a good dollop of creativity and people who are prepared to take the odd risk.

So why not try something slightly bold and different?

One local drinks business doing exceptionally well is Belvoir Fruit Farms from Belvoir near Grantham, so I went for a chat with Becky McCaul who runs their marketing to see how they manage their brand (see Case Study)...

The word ‘brand’ in business stems from farmers who branded their cattle

The Insider’s top three… local pies: To follow on from last issue’s topic of pies, I thought I’d be missing an opportunity not to travel around and partake in a spot of pie tasting. Here are my favourites: TRADITIONAL: After much local sampling, my favourite pork pie is from Bailey Butchers in Upper Broughton. On the spicy side with rich pastry.

Tel: 01664 822216 SOMETHING SWEET: A winner in the British Pie Awards, Northfield Farm’s apple pie (below) is superb. www.northfieldfarm.com A BIT DIFFERENT: Hambleton Farms Fine Foods Game and Apricot Pie. A beautiful sweet and savoury mix. www. hambletonfarms.co.uk

Case study WHAT: Belvoir Fruit Farms.

WHERE: By Belvoir Castle. They sell in the speciality fine foods sector and with major retailers across the UK and are developing their business in the USA, Hong Kong and Russia.

HISTORY: A family-owned firm, it was set up by Lord John Manners and his wife Lady Mary. It is now run by their son, Peverel Manners, who was brought up picking elderflowers for their now famous elderflower cordial.

WHAT’S BEEN KEY TO DEVELOPING THEIR BRAND? Despite growing fast, Belvoir have stayed true to who they are. They don’t cut corners and would never reduce the quality of the product to improve margins. Pev is the guardian of the brand and head of quality control: he taste-checks the drinks regularly and helps to develop new recipes.

Belvoir fully understand their affluent, foodie target customer.

And their branding communicates what this customer wants: a high quality, artisan drink made with real fruits and spices. Belvoir go out of their way to reassure that their drinks are just that little bit special and ever so slightly posh.

HELEN CHANTREY Helen’s new website is now up and running so do have a look and get in touch if you think she could help develop your brand and grow your business. www.hownowmarketing.com

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When ordering please allow 500gm either side of your ideal weight.

Also available are Free-range Bronze Turkeys and Geese

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your local garden centre the

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Experienced staff operate a fully-stocked EXWFKHU\ ZLWK RYHU ORFDOO\ VRXUFHG SURGXFWV LQFOXGLQJ WKH ZLGHVW YDULHW\ RI *DPH LQ WKH DUHD and we encourage supplier contracts with local farmers such as our Lincoln Red Beef from Walk )DUP LQ *UHDW &DVWHUWRQ :H DOVR PDNH RYHU D GR]HQ SURGXFWV LQFOXGLQJ &RUQLVK SDVWLHV Scotch eggs, Haslet, sausages of the month and gluten-free sausages.

the

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O Rare and Traditional Breed British Beef, Pork, Lamb, Poultry and Game.

O Melton Mowbray Pork Pies and Award Winning Apple Pies, plus other pastries all handmade here O Fresh Local Vegetables, Bakery, Cheeses and MUCH more O Tea Room and Restaurant open 7 days for meals, snacks, teas and coffees O Fabulous Amphora Wine Workshop on site WHISSENDINE LANE, COLD OVERTON, NR. OAKHAM, LEICESTERSHIRE LE15 7QF www.northfieldfarm.com 01664 474271 email: marc@northfieldfarm.com In 2010 we have received many accolades including Farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Weekly Local Food Farmer National Finalist Top 10 Farm Shops â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Times Best British Apple Pie â&#x20AC;&#x201C; British Pie Awards Gold Great Taste Award â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Rutland Panther Bacon Best Pork Sausages - Melton Christmas Fat Stock Show

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garden kitchen

3 chefs produce a homemade, daily changing menu using local, seasonal produce including local meat sourced from our own Farm Shop. :H DUH DOVR RSHQ IRU RXU Ă&#x20AC;QH GLQLQJ HYHQLQJV DQG IRU SULYDWH SDUWLHV

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01780 765656

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16/2/11 12:57:17

The lazy foodie’s day planner Whether it’s Easter, a Bank Holiday or just the weekend, plan a relaxing 24 hours with a little help from the chaps at the Red Lion, Stathern

F

eet up after a walk, coffee on, aroma of slow-cooked food drifting in from the kitchen, family members chatting idly in the dining room, white wine chilling in the fridge, while lazily contemplating mixing an aperitif cocktail. Sound good? Well, with a bit of planning you can enjoy that very scene.

After consulting proven lazy-day experts at Vale of Belvoir pub the Red Lion Inn – a temple of gastronomic contentment – Great Food has devised this planner to inspire

greater levels of satisfaction among foodlovers. Red Lion landlord Marcus Welford and head chef Sean Hope jumped at the chance to offer a lazy day recipe, plus cocktail and beer suggestions. Based on their experiences with the Red Lion’s vegetable patch, they were also keen to supply gardening tips aimed at postprandial flowerbed fiddlers.

The Red Lion recently received a Bib Gourmand from Michelin (see p10), so you’re in good hands. Relax and plan your lazy day.

YOUR LAZY DAY TIMELINE 9am Get up – lie in if poss. Have breakfast.

10am Time for brunch – how about leek and black pudding patties (see right)?

11am Get your hogget stew on 1.30pm Go for a walk (see below) 3pm Cocktails and nibbles (see opposite) 4pm Eat stew and drink wine/beer 5.30pm Toddle about in the garden – dig stuff up, plant some other stuff 8pm Go to the pub for a drink and some more food – you deserve it 11.30pm Fall asleep on the sofa PRE-STEW AMBLE THERE ARE SEVERAL fantastic walks in Leicestershire & Rutland (also see p60), including some beauties in the Vale of Belvoir around Belvoir Castle. Here’s a gentle three-mile circuit starting at the Red Lion, Stathern.

You’ll need your boots...

40 Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland

1 Turn right out of the Red Lion car park and head up Tofts Hill.

2 As the lane does a dog-leg left, follow the path that veers off to the left, with a stile by a gate. Head diagonally across the field, walking up towards the wood.

3 A fence allows access to a distinct footpath, which climbs through the wood. At a junction with a larger path,

Black pudding and leek patties are simple to make: combine finely chopped leek with chopped Grasmere Farm black pudding, flour and egg yolk. Shape into patties and shallow fry.

Perfect for brunch on St Patrick’s Day.

turn left, dropping down hill slightly.

When the path forks, go right.

4 When you reach a crossroads of tracks, turn left.

5 Just before the track leaves the woods, follow a path left, going alongside a field but keeping inside the woods. Cross the ditch using the marked plank bridge and turn immediately left, walking along the side of a field, keeping the

ditch to your left.

6 Pass through a metal gate, cross the field to your left, then pass through another gate. Here turn right to follow the track and then turn left, following the road back to the village.

7 Reaching Main Street, turn left, then left again into Red Lion Street.

Day planner

Red Lion Inn’s hogget casserole This recipe is from Sean Hope, head chef at the Red Lion and Olive Branch. It’s perfect for St Patrick’s Day on March 17 but good any time. It’s particularly suited to a lazy day because you can leave it for hours while it cooks.

Serves 4-6

* 1.5kg diced hogget leg

or shoulder 3 * large carrots, peeled and cut in half 2 * cloves garlic, crushed * 2 medium onions, peeled and chopped * 1 bay leaf

* 1 sprig rosemary * 1 sprig thyme * Chopped parsley * 1 lamb stock cube * 3 peeled Maris Pipers (waxy) and 3 King Edwards (floury), cut into large chunks

1 Place all ingredients , except parsley and potatoes, into a large pot or pan and barely cover with water.

2 Bring to the boil, skim, then reduce to a simmer.

3 Cover, then cook slowly for at least four hours.

4 Around half an hour before serving, add the potato chunks and cook out.

5 Serve in large bowls topped with sprinkled chopped parsley and chunks of sourdough bread.

Garden planner

The Red Lion have their own veg patch, which supplies the kitchen. Here are Marcus’s and Sean’s tips for what to plant and reap around March and April…

Country cocktails

Fantastic apéritifs using seasonal ingredients. These were created by cocktail-mixing Red Lion Inn landlord Marcus Welford...

RHUBARB ROYALE

* Sugar cube * Ginger wine * Rhubarb syrup * Your choice of fizz

Harvesting LEEKS

“Can be harvested all winter up until the end of March.

Grow well in damp soil.”

PARSNIPS “Just reaching the end of their season, having supplied the kitchen throughout winter.”

PURPLE SPROUTING BROCCOLI “Usually ready to be picked in March/April but the recent bad winter has taken its toll.”

Sowing

Place your sugar cube in a champagne flute and add a drop of ginger wine. Add two shots of rhubarb syrup (to make the syrup, simply heat some rhubarb in water and add sugar, then strain the liquid). Then top up with your choice of fizz.

RHUBARB MARTINI

* Measure of your favourite gin * Measure of dry Martini/Vermouth * Plenty of ice Take a Martini glass and dip the rim in sugar and then in rhubarb purée (to make purée, poach rhubarb in equal amounts of sugar). Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Shake, strain and then serve. Garnish with a rhubarb stick.

Be careful, this is a potent one

BEETROOT

“Shouldn’t be sown until the chance of hard frost has passed. April at the earliest.”

LETTUCE

FANCY A BEER WITH YOUR IRISH STEW? “Serve Grainstore’s Rutland Panther with your hogget casserole,” says Marcus Welford, landlord of the Red Lion.”It’s local, known as a dark mild, and has lovely bitter chocolate flavours.”

WHERE TO BUY...

“For home cooking, I use Nelson’s Butchers of Stamford to buy my meat,” says Sean Hope. “For sourdough bread to serve with your casserole, look no further than Hambleton Bakery of Exton – they make fantastic, traditionally baked loaves. For beer, you can’t go wrong with the Grainstore of Oakham, and for black pudding for your leek patties, Grasmere Farm do the job every time.”

“Young plants from garden centres put straight into the ground are ready in weeks.

Plant in April at the earliest.”

BROAD BEANS “Easy to grow and can be ready to dig up by summer.

Plant mid to late March.”

BOX OF DELIGHTS “If you’re new to growing, Rocket Garden [pictured] is a great idea,” says Sean. “It’s a box of baby organic veg and herb plants packed in straw.

Order online, then pop the plants into soil and start growing your own.” More info at www.rocket gardens. co.uk

THE RED LION INN Stathern, Leics LE14 4HS, 01949 860868, www.theredlioninn.co.uk

Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland 41

Lemon love JAMS & PRESERVES

Spring is here! Lambs, chicks, daffs. . . but not much fruit. That means it’s lemon time, says Rosemary Jameson

T

his is the time to shine a spotlight on what is, for the rest of the year, just one ingredient among many – the lovely lemon. Lemons are incredibly versatile and once you start using them you won’t be able to stop. All the things you make with them now will stand you in good stead for the rest of the year and will bring versatility to your preserving repertoire.

Look for bright, clear-skinned lemons, as all the luscious oils are stored there. Never throw lemon peel away – if you only need the juice then make sure you finely grate the zest before you squeeze them. Lay the shavings onto some kitchen roll and dry for a few seconds in a microwave or oven at the tail end of a baking session after you’ve switched the heat off: they will store in a jar for months ready to add intense flavour to cakes or casseroles. Or add to a jar of caster sugar to use for cakes or to sprinkle onto pancakes.

A spectacular store-cupboard standby well worth the effort is homemade crystallised mixed citrus peel – it’s so much better than the rubbery bought variety.

And lemon curd is a must – a perfect gift if you are a guest at Easter – look in charity shops for pretty pressed glass bowls instead of

The Guild...

The Jam Makers’ Guild is a preserving community that shares ideas. For more information, go to www.jamguild.com

42 Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland

JAM JAR SHOP CLASSES

using jars, but make sure you give clear storage instructions with your present as it must be refrigerated. It won’t last long anyway!

Coming up: Some Like it Hot, Lemony Lemons and The First Fruits of Spring. All classes are held at Jam Jar Shop’s base at The Smithy, Burley, near Oakham. More at www. jamjarshop.com.

Preserved lemons Scrub 10 unwaxed lemons and cut into 6-8 wedges. Press a generous amount of salt onto the cut surfaces of the lemons, then pack into warm, sterilised clip-top preserving jars (see picture, left). Add 2-3 tablespoons of extra salt to each jar and the juice of a lemon, then top up each jar with boiling water to cover the wedges. Seal the jars and leave to stand for up to four weeks before using. To use, rinse well, pull off and discard the flesh. Chop or shred the skin into strips according to taste.

Preserved lemons are especially good in Middle Eastern recipes.

Limoncello If you love making sloe gin in winter then you must make the summer equivalent – limoncello. It is so simple to make but oh so impressive to serve at summer parties. Just wash four unwaxed lemons and pare the zest into thin strips. Place in a large, clean jar with 1 1/2 cups of vodka. Seal jar tightly and shake frequently over the next two weeks. After that, mix one cup of sugar with one cup of water and heat just enough to dissolve the sugar. Leave until

Rosemary Jameson Rosemary produces preserves under her own label ‘From The Country Larder’.

She sells jam jars and kit via Oakham-based www.jamjarshop. com and is founder of The Guild of Jam and Preserve Makers.

Home cooking EXCLU S READ IVE OFFER ER LIMONC ON E KIT. TURLLO N TO P45

Lemon and dill mustard will perk up sandwiches

Lemon recipe checklist

Bring on summer... and chilled, homemade limoncello

*Lemon curd *Lemon cordial *Limoncello *Lemon & dill mustard *Crystallised peel – a great ingredient *Preserved lemons

CAMPAIGN

Don’t forget Jampaign!

Lemon curd is cracking with cake

cold. Squeeze the juice from four more lemons and add to the cold sugar syrup. Strain the vodka from the lemon zest onto the syrup mixture, mix well and then bottle in Jam Jar Shop’s magnificent Italian bottles (see p45). Serve ice cold in shot glasses. Or try pouring over good vanilla ice-cream together with a spoonful of your silky lemon curd.

Lemon and dill mustard Jam Jar Shop’s new mustard recipe uses lemon and dill.

Perfect with salmon, or try melting through some hot Jersey potatoes with butter and a handful of chopped spring onions – good enough to eat on their own. The recipe and method are on my website (www.jamjarshop.com), together with lemon curd instructions and more.

Jampaign is our crusade to get real jams and marmalades back onto the menus of tearooms, hotels and bed-and-breakfasts.

Let’s make sure preserves enjoy the same attention to detail given to teas, coffees, locally produced bread and other produce.

Rhubarb and date chutney

But it’s not all about lemons at this time of year.

Hooray for rhubarb! The first fruit of the season heralds hope for all the fruits to follow. I am soon to pay a visit to the Bermuda Triangle of rhubarb in Pontefract, where the famous forcing sheds house the first delicate stems of this remarkable fruit. But forced rhubarb – ready as early as January – is far too precious for preserving, we should wait until the main crop arrives in May when there will be plenty for rhubarb and ginger jam or my favourite, rhubarb and date chutney.

Try it for yourself…

Makes around 7-8 1lb jars

* 1.8kg rhubarb, cut into pieces * 450g dates, chopped * 450g onions, finely chopped * 15g ground ginger * 50g mixed spice * 7g curry powder * 15g salt * 900g brown sugar * 1 litre malt vinegar

1 Place the first three ingredients into your preserving pan, together with the spices, salt and sugar and 500ml of the vinegar.

2 Simmer together until soft, add more vinegar to prevent sticking. Stir from time to time. The whole cooking process will take around one-and-ahalf hours. The rhubarb may contain a lot of moisture that needs to be cooked off. That means up to 150ml of the vinegar may not be needed.

3 Pot at once into warm, sterilised jars and seal immediately.

Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland 43

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16/2/11 12:16:00

Coming up in Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland

NEXT ISSUE

Make sure you receive every issue: subscribe for just £15 – see p19

Asparagus time

Delicious recipes by local chefs

In search of the perfect curry…

The region’s best Indian restaurants

PLUS

* Brilliant Bank Holiday BBQ ideas * How to save a packet on your meat bill

‘Say Hello To Summer’ issue goes on sale May 6, 2011 Full list of stockists at www.greatfoodleics.co.uk

MAKE YOUR OWN LIMONCELLO! EXCLUSIVE OFFER for Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland readers!

Kit includes: Just0 12 bottles, £P3£41.50 RR labels, mini-funnel, STYLIS ITALIANH lemon squeezer, LIMBOOTNTCLEES – IS A GR LLO EASTEERAT muslin.

GIF T

GO TO WWW.JAMJARSHOP.COM/GREATFOOD TO ORDER YOURS NOW Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland 45

DIY BEER

1

DIY BEER

A beer you can call your own

1

The fermentable ingredients.

Your first brew could be ready to go for just £25. From left: fermenting tub; malt extract; hops; jug, spoon and hydrometer; brew enhancer; malt extract; Sparkling Ale.

2

How to get a brew on, by Matt Gregory

T

he word ‘homebrew’ is likely to conjure up memories of sickly concoctions your dad fermented in the airing cupboard far too many years ago. Banish that thought. Beer kits have come of age, as I discovered last summer.

It turns out that you can make a liquid at home from a kit that tastes remarkably like very nice beer. Truly a revelation. I thought I would have to set up boilers and mash tuns, buy huge tubs of malted barley and bales of hops to make genuinely good beer at home.

But no, a couple of tins, a fermenting bucket and some bottles were all that was needed to convince my harshest critic (the other half) that this was “actually really nice”. Fifty pence a pint (or less) is within your grasp.

Les Rands, from Burghley Homebrew near Peterborough, has been selling homebrew kits for 30 years and making his own for 50.

HOMEBREW ADVICE “There have been drastic “Always keep a record of improvements,” he says. the exact recipe you’ve “Homebrewing is followed,” says Les Rands of Burghley Homebrew. “If you casting off its bad image brew a great beer you’ll and people are starting want to know how to to realise that you can repeat it.” create genuinely highquality drinks at home – not just beer but wine, too. The quality of yeast has skyrocketed and the range of kits is growing all the time – for example, we’ve just started selling a raspberry wheat beer kit.”

The major difference in kits now is twofold: first, breweries are producing the kits rather than high-street pharmacy chains. Second, the days of using bags of white sugar to act as the main fermentable ingredient in the brew are pretty much over.

46 Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland

Today, far more complex sugars are available to produce finer, fuller, tastier beers: specially dried and sprayed malted barley, dextrose, blended brewing sugars and liquid malt extracts, just to start the list. There are also any number of tweaks and modifications you can make to your brew, from hop tea (for extra bitterness), dry hopping (for aroma) and even the addition of fruits and spices.

2

Sterilise and thoroughly rinse all kit that will come into contact with the brew. The bath is a good place to do this. Use dedicated sterilising powders or a 5% thin, unscented bleach solution.

3

Getting started First stop should be your local homebrew shop (see p48). “We offer customers advice over the telephone all the time, night or day,” says Les. “If you’re new to homebrewing, having someone experienced to talk to is extremely useful.”

You could also check out the website www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk, which I found to be an invaluable resource.

And it pays to ask friends if they’ll kindly keep their empty 500ml bottles after drinking beer at home – my contacts bent to this task with spectacular enthusiasm (“but Matt needs bottles, darling”).

Of all the advice I’ve been given, the best is to be patient: watching the fermentation does not turn it into beer any quicker. The other is to sterilise methodically (not really my strong point) as losing a batch of beer because you didn’t would be too much to bear.

3

Warm your kit’s tins in hot water to make them easier to pour (contents are gloopy). Don’t forget to clean and sterilise your tin opener, too. The cleaner everything is, the less chance of infection ruining your beer. It pays to be scrupulous.

4

The kit you’ll need...

For fermenting: Fermenting tub to hold 25 litres, measuring jug, long-handled stirrer, balloon whisk, hydrometer, thermometer (you can live without it though), sterilising powder/solution.

For bottling: Siphon, funnel, 45 500ml bottles or equivalent, crown caps and capper.

Or, if using a keg: Siphon, 25-litre pressure barrel.

4

Add boiling water to your hops.

A hop ‘tea’ will give both bitterness and some aroma to the beer. The longer the boil, the greater the bitterness. Don’t overdo it.

Homebrew

5

6

5

Add your dried malt extract to the mix.

This stuff will clump severely in hot water, so use cool water and mix with any other dry sugars you are using.

6

6

Make sure everything is completely dissolved in the hot water. A sterilised whisk is a very handy tool for speeding up this process.

8

7

7

Add the warmed contents of the two tins – concentrated malt extract and ‘Sparkling Ale’ – to the tub. The mix you are creating is known as ‘wort’.

9

9 8

Top the wort up to 23 litres and adjust the temperature using boiling and/or cold water. You are aiming for roughly 20°C.

Your hop tea can be strained, or not, for added aroma. Dry hops can even be added at this stage for yet more aroma.

10

11

12

10

11

12

Check the Original Gravity using a hydrometer before pitching (adding) the yeast. The higher the gravity, the higher the potential alcohol of your final beer.

Hopefully this will end up at about 5% ABV.

The all-important yeast. Each Take notes as you go, so you know homebrew kit comes with its own where you went right! Or wrong! After strain. Sprinkling it over the gravityadding yeast, you leave the wort in checked, temperature-adjusted wort is the last the fermenting tub for around ten days before step before leaving it for initial fermentation. bottling (see overleaf).

Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland 47

DIY BEER

513

6 14

13

14

After waiting around 10 days for the initial fermentation, you can either bottle your beer (good if you want to refrigerate it) or put it into a keg. The basic bits you need for bottling are a siphon with tap, yeast trap, funnel, crown caps and capping machine.

If bottling, the bottles must be sterilised. Again, this is done most easily in the bath. Gloves on as we’re using a 5% bleach solution. Each bottle should then be rinsed out thoroughly.

You will need 45 500ml bottles for a five gallon brew.

15

16

17

15 18

16

17

Check final gravity with a hydrometer.

Fermentation has finished if the reading stays the same for two days.

Ours finished at 1.012, down from 1.048.

Bottles have to be lower than the fermenting vessel for the siphon to work, and a tap (or a “little bottler” device) makes controlling the flow of beer easy.

Alcohol equals Original Gravity minus Final Gravity, divided by 7.46. Then add 0.5% for secondary bottle fermentation. So ours will be 5.3% ABV.

19

Crown caps are most easily sealed using a contraption like this. The caps are pre-crimped – they just have to be squeezed closed over the bottles.

18

20

21

Each bottle needs to be primed with a level teaspoon of sugar. This starts a secondary fermentation in the bottle and carbonates it, so don’t be heavy handed.

19

21

Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland’s inaugural beer ‘Snow Drop’ was all drunk well before the first flower of 2011 got its head above ground.

CONTACTS

20

And there she is, one bottle of beer ready for labelling – only another 44 to go. It’ll be worth it!

48 Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland

Burghley Homebrew: Calamity Gulch, Bridge Hill Road, Newborough, Peterborough, Cambs PE6 7SA 01733 810259, www.burghley-homebrew.com Homebrew World: 58 Earl Street, Earl Shilton, Leics 01455 841284, www.homebrewworld.co.uk Matchless Home Brewing: 32 Belvoir Road, Coalville, Leics LE67 3PN 01530 813800, www.matchlesshomebrewing.co.uk

Cheese

White Stilton will give spring salads extra flavour.

LOCAL CHEESE

Feeling Blue? Try White

Blue Stilton’s younger cousin is worth seeking out, says Tim Brown

F

ew people realise that the King of English cheeses, Blue Stilton, has a younger cousin – a Princess? – known as White Stilton. This is a much neglected product, although it enjoys the same protected status as Blue Stilton: it’s one of only 11 British cheeses with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) certificate and can only be made in three counties: Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Currently, there are seven producers licensed to make it.

White Stilton is made in a similar way to its Blue cousin, except no blue mould spores are added and it’s ready to eat at three to four weeks of age. It’s a simple cheese with a crumbly, creamy, open texture and needs to be eaten while it’s young and still has a pleasant, lemony tang, which should freshen the palate. It won’t keep for long and really needs to be consumed within a week or so of buying it. However, White Stilton is a good cheese for freezing, and will store wrapped in cling film or foil for up to three months.

Defrost in the fridge or in a cool larder for about 24 hours before use: slow defrosting is essential to stop the cheese becoming too crumbly. Once defrosted, use as normal but eat within a week and do not re-freeze.

White and Blue Stilton

At The Melton Cheeseboard we’re fortunate to have customers who’ve been brought up with White Stilton, so there’s a steady demand for it and we get lots of enquiries from people all over the country bemoaning the fact they can’t buy it where they live. One of our customers, Jim Murray, author of Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible, is a great fan of White Stilton and describes in one of his books how he often feels like he’s entered into Monty Python’s famous cheese-shop-that-sells-no-cheese sketch whenever he tries to buy it.

White Stilton is now extensively used as a base for blending with apricot, mango and ginger, or with citrus or vine fruits to create a range of dessert cheeses. Long Clawson Dairy were one of the first to realise the potential for

this style of cheese around 30 years ago and have a very successful business both at home and abroad based on White Stilton with various additions. Without cheeses like Stilton with Apricot, I reckon that White Stilton as a cheese in its own right would probably have died out.

So, next time you are looking for something local and different, why not try some White Stilton? It’s especially good for salads and summer dishes, and the Stilton Cheese Makers’ Association have come up with some great recipes – how about a White Stilton and avocado starter? Mix White Stilton with mayonnaise and a few chopped grapes, and use to fill a halved avocado for a delicious combination. Or for a simple White Stilton dip or salad dressing, crumble a few ounces into a bowl and use a fork to mix with enough plain yogurt (or fromage frais or soured cream) to give the desired consistency. Add lemon juice and seasoning to taste.

CONTACT Tim Brown runs The Melton Cheeseboard: 8 Windsor Street, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire LE13 1BU, www.meltoncheeseboard.co.uk, 01664 562 257.

Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland 49

Wild garlic SEASONAL EATING

A seasonal harvest for

W

ild garlic is a super little treat for the beginning of spring. If you can, track it down before it flowers as it’s a little brighter and less bitter on the palate. Wild garlic leaves are great put straight into a cheese sandwich, or indeed just rolled around cheese.

Wild garlic ‘pesto’ is a wonderful way to eat this stuff. First, pick your garlic. Shaded woodland, where you might have seen snowdrops and would anticipate seeing bluebells, is a good place to start. Late February is the very earliest you’ll find it. By late May it’s all over. Here, early April is prime time (the flowers are edible and very pretty too, just pop them on top of a salad). No matter how hard you try, you will pick up a few slugs, spiders and creepy crawlies while gathering.

Washing your harvest will take much longer then picking it, so don’t get too carried away.

Matt Gregory

WILD GARLIC

Sniff it out in shaded woodland between March and May.

the foragers among you

Wild garlic pesto

* Carrier bag full of wild garlic leaves * Walnuts, not that many * Rocket and/or a little basil (optional) * Parmesan * Olive oil, quite a bit * Lemon juice * Salt and pepper

Simply mix all ingredients together and jar it up...

1 Blitz it all together, tasting all the time. It will take more oil than you think, at least as much as the weight of garlic (and rocket if used), and probably half as much again. Taste, adjust, taste, adjust.

2 Jar it up in sterile jars, with a liberal spurt of oil on the top. It’ll easily keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge, probably longer (I’ve had it last a year, but that is slightly extreme). Use it just as you would ordinary pesto. It is poky stuff and to be used with some caution until you have the measure of it.

BURGHLEY HOMEBREW SUPPLYING EVERY THING FOR THE HOME BREWER We stock most beers, wines, and liqueur kits, and all ancillaries.

Every thing that is needed to make your own alcholic beverages.

It is very easy to do with full step-by-step instructions.

Free help and advice is just a phone call away.You may call at our extensivly stocked shop, or we can deliver via mail order.

CALAMITY GULCH, BRIDGEHILL ROAD, NEWBOROUGH, PETERBOROUGH, PE6 7SA.

01733 810259 burghleyhomebrew@unicombox.com OUR AIM IS YOUR SATISFACTION.

www.burghley-homebrew.com

Lunch for even less in 2011

2 courses for £11.00 (3rd course for £3.00) Offer valid – Monday, 17th January to Thursday, 31st March 2011 (offer available on Saturdays) Cooking Demonstrations with Brian Baker; Morning coffee, cooking demonstration, 2 course lunch and glass of wine £35.00 per person • 15th March- ‘From the Ocean’ • 17th May – ‘Al Fresco Dining’ • 20th September – ‘Easy Entertaining’ • 15th November – ‘Getting Festive’

Recipe

David Ellams’ Textures of Cauliflower Head chef at Stapleford Park near Melton Mowbray, 30-yearold David Ellams started cooking professionally at the age of 17. “My first job was at Park Hall Hotel, Wrightington,” he says. “From there I moved to Overton Grange, Ludlow and then Cringletie House, Peebles, Scotland.”

David joined Stapleford Park four years ago and was recently promoted to head chef. He serves this intriguing cauliflower dish at Stapleford’s regular gourmet vegetarian nights.

“Using one main ingredient interests me,” says David. “I like to see how many ways I can bring the best out of it. Cauliflower is very versatile. It tastes great raw and even better with a little effort during the cooking process.”

CONTACT: Stapleford Park, 01572 787000, www.staplefordpark.com

Serves 4

* 2 big cauliflowers * 1 litre full-fat milk * 250g butter * Truffle oil

* Rock salt * 50g baby capers * 50g plain flour * 15g cornflour

Caramelised cauliflower 1 Take both cauliflowers and remove the outer green leaves.

2 Take four large florets and set aside for later (for carpaccio and beignets).

3 Grate down to the root of the cauliflowers, leaving the thick stalks.

4 Place 100g of butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan.

Add the grated cauliflower.

5 Place over a low heat – the cauliflower will start to cook down. Heat until cauliflower is golden brown (this usually takes around an hour).

6 When cooked, drain off any excess butter and season to taste.

7 This can be warmed up when ready to serve.

* 5g baking powder * 2tbs chopped parsley

* 25ml chilled water

Cauliflower purée

Cauliflower carpaccio

1 Take the cauliflower roots you have left and dice into roughly 1cm cubes.

2 Place in a heavy bottomed pan and cover with 750ml of full-fat milk.

3 Cook slowly over a low heat for around an hour until the cauliflower is soft. Add more milk if necessary.

4 Once cooked, place in a food processor and blend.

Add one teaspoon of truffle oil and rock salt.

5 Pass through a fine sieve.

6 Take 25% of your purée and add the chopped capers and parsley – this part of the purée mix will sit underneath the beignets.

7 If not using straight away, cover the purées to be reheated before plating.

1 From three of the florets saved earlier, thinly slice the cauliflower (see tips).

2 Place in a bowl and marinade for 20 minute with one tablespoon of truffle oil.

Add rock salt to taste.

Cauliflower beignets 1 Mix the flour, cornflour, baking powder with the chilled water.

2 Take the remaining floret and cut down into smaller florets (three per portion).

3 Put these in the batter and coat all over.

4 Carefully place them in a deep fat fryer at 170C until golden brown.

5 Drain off on some kitchen towel, season to taste.

6 You are now ready to plate.

{ } DAVID’S TIPS “Use a dark plate as it will contrast well with the cauliflower. For the carpaccio, use a mandolin slicer to cut the cauliflower into wafer-thin sections”

Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland 51

The T he

Old Barn Inn

Enjoy our fresh local food Butchers

The Farm Shop Butchers offer a unique shopping experience where you can have your meat prepared to your own requirements. We have a full range of quality Beef, Lamb, Pork, Chicken and game, together with our large selection of homemade sausages. We buy our meat direct from Leicestershire Farms where possible.

Warm, rustic and welcoming The Old Barn Inn is exactly how a country pub should be.

The Old Barn Inn serves great fresh British food using a selection of locally sourced ingredients.

We cater for private parties of all sizes zes in our charming intimate venue. venue Give us a call to see what wee can do for you.

Farm Shop Café Our Café offers excellent lunches and salads plus a large selection of top-quality homemade meals using home-grown produce. Coffee, tea, fresh fruit juices and locally-made cakes are also available.

Plant Centre

Enjoy browsing our well-stocked plant centre which includes vegetable and herb plants, shrubs, fruit trees, pots and composts.

E-mail: mail@oldbarninn.co.uk - Telephone: +44 (0)1858 545215

THE OLD BARN INN, ANDREWS LANE, GLOOSTON,LEICESTERSHIRE, LE16 7ST GOOD GO G OO OOD OD D FOOD FO OO OD - CASK CA C ASK ALESALE LESS- ACCOMMODATION SACC CCOM OMMO MM MO OD DA AT TIIO ON N

2011 Events Calendar

Vegetarian Gourmet Evening - Friday 18th March 2011 £99 per person

Includes Champagne on arrival, a six course dinner, all selected wines and coffee

Stapleford Park Wedding Fair - Sunday 20th March 2011 Join us for the opportunity to meet not only our team of dedicated and passionate experts on all things hospitality but also a collection of exhibitors of wedding essentials.

Mother’s Day Sunday Lunch - Sunday 3rd April 2011

S TA P L E F O R D E V E N T S 2 0 1 1

£35 per person

Enjoy pre lunch drinks in the elegant drawing room before going through to the sumptuous surroundings of our dining room and indulging in a traditional Sunday lunch.

Each mum will receive a special £30 gift voucher for the Stapleford Park Spa. (Voucher is valid for 6 months and just excludes products).

Champagne & Shellfish Gourmet Evening Friday 20th May 2011 - £99 per person

Includes Champagne on arrival, a six course dinner, all selected wines and coffee

To make a reservation or for further information, contact us on 01572 787000 or visit www.staplefordpark.com

p52_GF_MarApr11.indd Sec1:52

16/2/11 12:25:07

Recipe

Jane Mirfield’s Easter cupcakes To make 24 For cakes

* 250g good-quality butter

* 250g self-raising flour (Claybrooke Mill)

* 250g caster sugar * 4 free-range eggs

(Jane’s are laid by hens on an allotment in Oakham) * Vanilla extract * Milk

For butter icing

* 250g good-

quality butter

* 500g icing sugar * Vanilla extract * Milk

Cakes 1 Cream butter & sugar until light and fluffy.

2 Add two eggs and a spoonful of flour. Mix. 3 Add the rest of the eggs and flour.

4 Finally mix in the vanilla and two tablespoons of milk.

5 Spoon in to cupcake cases (“I put a soup spoonful into each case,” says Jane).

6 Bake in a preheated oven at Gas 3 (170 degrees, or 160 degrees for fan-assisted ovens) until golden brown (around 15 mins).

7 Allow to cool totally before decorating.

Butter icing 1 Cream butter until it reaches a consistency where it just drops off your spoon.

2 Add 1/4 of icing sugar at a time and cream until light and fluffy each time. “When using a stand mixer, I allow it to mix for extra 3-5 minutes at the end,” says Jane.

4 Mix in the vanilla and two tablespoons of milk before piping the icing onto cakes.

Sheep cakes

To make the sheep you’ll need mini marshmallows and packs of Regalice (rolling-out icing) in black, white and green. You can buy Regalice and cake decorating kit from Sugar & Ice, 3-5 Cyril St, Leicester (0116 2630846). You may also want a food colouring pen to illustrate sheep eyes.

1 Mould and roll the Regalice into the shapes you need (see pictures), treating it like plasticine. “You can finish the sheep off with grass in the mouth, or a flower for a girl or hat or a boy. The possibilities are endless!”

2 Cover cupcakes with butter icing.

3 Place as many mini marshmallows as possible onto cupcakes.

4 Affix sheep heads, using a small amount of butter icing to secure each one.

JANE’S SWEET TREATS Jane from Braunstone, Leicester, offers bespoke novelty celebration and wedding cakes, cupcakes, sponges and tray bakes: 07709 426925.

Above: Jane’s son Daniel joins in with the cake decoration

Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland 53

LOCAL SELLER

‘80s sign offers parking advice in response to increasing traffic

Old Myers’s rum mascot watches over the shop

Memorable bottles

Sign erected to be in eyeline of passengers on city’s first double-deckers Left: Evington Road in the ‘50s

54 Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland

Simon March with a cheeky red

“I do remember a colleague sharing an ancient bottle he took as part of a settlement on a bad debt. He had no idea what it was – an old dusty bottle with no label. We opened it by breaking the neck off and found out from the cork that it was a bottle of 1908 Sandeman’s port. It was superb. Then there was a magnum of 1945 Clos Vougeot that we brought back from the time I worked there and I had on my 21st birthday – I can still taste it now”

Wine

Popping corks since‘26 Evington’s has served Leicester’s wine-lovers for 85 years ARTICLE: TIM BURKE

I

n 1926, the area around Leicester’s East Park Road was rather grand, with big threestory homes housing the city’s burgeoning middle classes. So when Mr Shirley March, a solid chartered accountant, realised no-one was selling them drink, it seemed an obvious move to go into partnership with one of his prosperous grocer clients. And thus Evington’s was born. Some 85 years later the fortunes of the area have changed but Evington’s remains a fixture.

On September 1, 2010 Shirley’s grandson Simon March marked 50 years behind the counter, over which time he has become one of the city’s best known fine wine retailers and established a thriving sideline in wine education.

Simon admits to an undistinguished school career at Leicester’s Wyggeston Boys’ School and working for the family business seemed the obvious route. “At that time, it was basic shop work in an off licence,” he says. “We sold a lot of blended whisky, South African ‘Sherry’, a bit of wine and things that have disappeared now – ready-mixed cocktails like Damson Cream and Late Night Final.”

Even then though, the shop did pride itself on stocking a small fine wine selection.

Bottles of 1955 Mouton Rothschild and Sauternes from Château d’Yquem were yours for a fiver – they’d fetch thousands today.

Simon’s father knew the wine trade was the way forward and in 1963 fixed up for his boy to get experience with wine importers in London. “At that time, much wine was bottled

in the UK,” says Simon. “The barrels were delivered to cellars on the back of horse-drawn drays. I spent months down there tapping the hogsheads, and corking bottles by hand. Of course, we tasted every bottling, including the really good stuff!”

More vital experience of the trade was gained up in the offices, not least from the liberal consumption of “ullages”, the unsaleable remains from the random testings of the Customs and Excise. The final stage of his early education was a stint out in Burgundy tending the vines at the prestigious Clos Vougeot near Nuits St Georges. Back in Leicester, Simon was keen to develop the business and pushed his dad into expanding into the property next door.

Things were beginning to change and Leicester folk were developing a taste for wine. In truth of course, much of it was hideous – remember Don Cortez Spanish Burgundy? But as Simon’s dad would say, they’ll soon move on to better stuff.

The range of wines available grew, and the quality, particularly from the New World, was vastly improved. “The Aussies were right at the forefront of all this,” explains

Changing tastes of the Leicestershire public

“The Australians had great success with their fruit-driven red and white wines and a noticeable use of oak, and that helped open the way for the rest of the New World,” says Simon. “There was a minor revolt against that and people started to ask for ‘anything but chardonnay’. The latest trend concerns strength. Many people are increasingly aware of the alcoholic content of the wine and make that part of their buying decision. The Australians have cottoned on and it’s also helped create a bit of a renaissance in German wines, with their fresher and cleaner style. At 8-9%, people know they can have a glass or two without feeling the effects too much.”

Great GreatFood FoodLeicestershire Leicestershire&&Rutland Rutland 55 19

LOCAL SELLER

Simon’s top tipples

Over the years it’s safe to say that Simon March has tasted a fair few bottles. There can’t be many with more wine experience. So who better to recommend a selection to Great Food readers? Here are his choices...

BUDGET: Tinto da Anfora, ‘06: £7.94 MID-RANGE: Urbina Seleccion, Rioja, ‘99: £13.59.

Alpha Domus, Wingwalker, Hawkes Bay, Viognier, ‘08: £13.35.

TOP: Hermitage ‘09, Rhone Valley, Bernard Faurie: £37.65.

Puligny – Montrachet Premier Cru, Les Folatieres, ‘07, Jean-Louis Chavy: £33.20.

Inside 120 Evington Road

Simon. “The new stuff was very easy to drink and what’s more, people could understand the bottle. That’s one of the reasons German wine went in the other direction.”

Demographic changes to the Highfields area of Leicester and the arrival of traffic lights right outside the shop have posed a serious challenge for Simon.

“If we relied on the footfall from Evington Road we’d have been gone a long time ago,” acknowledges Simon. But by offering deliveries and building a corporate business, the shop continued to earn its keep. Now in the internet age, Sadly there’s no longer anything Evington’s website under a fiver that meets Simon’s helps draw in new standards, but Evington’s is far from being only about fine wines. At any customers, especially one time there are around 500 lines those looking for in stock starting at £5.89 for a something specific.

South African Ruby Cabernet and Merlot blend. There’s plenty of In recent years, value around the £8-£12 mark with Simon’s role as an representation from all over the educator on wine has world, including a few emerging nations such as Lebanon and become important. In Georgia. At the top end are a range the 1980s he was of Burgundies and Clarets, some approached by Crown top Rioja Gran Reservas, and for those really pushing the boat out, Hills Community there’s the 1999 vintage of Penfold’s College to run an adult legendary Grange coming in at £165. education class: “I was

What’s in the store?

56 Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland

thrown in at the deep end,” he recalls, “but I put my back into it. Soon there were so many people keen to learn that I was doing three nights a week.” The classes moved to Judgemeadow College and later out to Houghton on the Hill, though eventually the bureaucracy became too much.

“But I knew I had this following of people, so I thought why not just do it myself?” says Simon. He now runs hugely successful weekly classes to groups of around 15 from his own shop. Each session tastes eight or more bottles at a range of price points and which exemplify a region or grape.

They are a useful way for punters to explore more extensively, and Simon sells a fair few cases off the back.

Ultimately it’s this kind of relationship with customers that has helped Evington’s survive in the supermarket age.

Many of Simon’s customers know him well and they realise that he doesn’t want to sell wines he wouldn’t drink himself.

“People often ask me what to drink and I can never be very convincing if I don’t like it. I can honestly say that I’d be happy to drink anything in this shop.”

CONTACT Evington’s Wine Merchants, 120 Evington Road, Leicester LE2 1HH 0116 254 2702, www.evingtons-wines.co.uk

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Where potions stir emotionsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Hand made Chocolates Chocolate making workshops Wedding Favours Corporate Gifts Coffee Shop 5 Churchgate Mews Loughborough LE11 1TZ

t: 01509 238113

p57_GF_MarApr11.indd Sec1:57

e: info@chocolate-alchemy.co.uk

16/2/11 12:27:33

LOCAL PRODUCER

Wassail!

Local farmer and cider-maker Andrew Fear holds a wassail every January at his Rothley orchard. This year Great Food joined in...

D

oors swing open and faces I believe a smaller, less intensive peer through the gloom at farming system is the way forward and the green-faced man it’s great to own a supermarket where holding a rifle. Behind him I can put this policy into practice.” and the raven-haired lady in a crown Andrew holds farmers’ markets at and black robes, a column of folk with Budgens, the next taking place on April blue faces and traditional musical 23, and puts on a free community bus instruments march through the service for customers. rapidly descending dusk towards the Back at the wassail, as dusk finally wood at the end of the village. If there takes over, the flickering fire lights up weren’t people talking on mobile painted faces and the green-faced phones you’d be forgiven for thinking ceremonial king reads out traditional you’d wandered into a scene from words before firing his rifle into the air.

Lord of the Rings.

You are transported back through the But this isn’t Middle Earth, it’s generations to a time when a good Rothley, a few miles north of Leicester, harvest was crucial and seeing off midand the elven folk are in fact Border winter must have been a huge relief.

Morris dancers from Braunstone.

They’re on their way to possibly the county’s only cider apple orchard to perform a wassail – an ‘good ancient ceremony held in ‘Waes Hail’ in old English means a January designed to health’. Here’s an extract from awaken apple trees from ... sing bles sail was l traditiona their winter slumber, banish evil spirits and “Old apple tree we wassail thee secure a good apple harvest And hoping thou will bear for the coming year. It’s a For the Lord doth know where ritual that draws a line we shall be under the dark mid-winter come another year les app Till and looks forward to spring.

Th e wa ss ail words

Farmer Fear Wassails have their roots in south-west England – traditional cider country – and Andrew Fear, who owns the Rothley orchard and who organised this wassail, comes from that part of the world. Andrew, who now lives in Sutton Bonington, makes Leicestershire’s only commercially produced cider – Thirsty Farmer. He also farms sheep and owns a supermarket.

“I bought Budgens in Mountsorrel [now branded Farmer Fear’s Budgens] in 2005 says Andrew. “Since then, my policy has been to support small, local producers. The meat we sell comes from my own and other local farms.

58 Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland

Farmer Fear pork in Thirsty Farmer Cider Serves two

*Small knob of butter *2 Farmer Fear pork loins *4 rashers Farmer Fear

smoked bacon, cut into small pieces *2 potatoes, cut into chunks *1 carrot, cut into large chunks

*1⁄2 small swede, cut into bite-sized chunks

*1⁄2 large cabbage , cut into smaller pieces

*1 bay leaf *100ml Thirsty Farmer cider *100g chicken stock

1 Heat the butter in a casserole dish until sizzling, then fry the pork for two-three minutes on each side until browned.

Remove from the pan.

2 Tip the bacon, carrot, potatoes and swede into the pan, then gently fry until slightly coloured. Stir in the cabbage, sit the chops back on top, add the bay leaf, then pour the cider and stock over it all. Cover the pan, then leave everything to gently simmer for 20 minutes until the pork is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.

3 Serve at the table spooned straight from the dish.

l For to bear well and to bloom wel So merry let us be Let every man take off his hat And shout to the old apple tree Old apple tree we wassail thee...”

Pork in cider with veg makes a quick and healthy meal

DID YOU KNOW....

Unique cider orchard Andrew Fear’s Rothley orchard near the village cricket pitch contains what he believes are Leicestershire’s only cider apple trees. Thirsty Farmer cider is made from mixed varieties of apples, some of which are grown here. “It’s cider made simply to a family recipe,” says Andrew. “It was first sold in a pub in Weston Super Mare in 1880 by my grandfather Metford Fear.”

For more information, go to www.farmerfear.com.

TURN T PAG O

TO FINDE 66 Y NEARE OUR ST FARM SHOP

Traditions Bakanalia Morris men

The Morris dancers behind this wassail are called Bakanalia. They are part of the Border Morris tradition, which is why they have blue and black faces. They have some impressive dances, including one called Aye Up Me Duck! www.bakanalia.com

Andrew Fear... a true thirsty farmer

Wassail queen Amy Gledhill from Leicester places bread in the apple trees â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a traditional part of the ceremony

Parathas.

Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland 59

PUB WALK View of the iron age hill fort at Burrough Hill

The walk

PARK ON THE ROAD IN Thorpe Satchville near Baker’s Lane opposite the children’s play area. Look for the public footpath sign (pictured right) and follow the arrow, walking across the play area towards the stile in the far corner.

1

PUB WALK

CROSS THE STILE and walk diagonally across the field towards the next yellow marker. Go over the next stile and continue straight on, following the hedgerow.

2

An ancient hill fort, prize-winning ale and Gallic cuisine A five-miler near Burrough-on-the-Hill that’s perfect for beer-loving, Francophile historians who’d like to burn some calories

Ordnance Survey mapping © Crown copyright. AM44/10.

T

his well-marked circular walk is Great Food suggests you park in Thorpe not only manna from heaven for Satchville and then time your walk so you food and drink lovers, it also can have lunch and drinks in Grant’s Free offers the equivalent of a fiveHouse or the Fox Inn (see opposite). course feast for fitness fans, nature lovers and Time Team viewers. Surely everyone OVERVIEW OF AREA falls into one of those categories?

Epicures can tuck into moules, lobster, frites and more at French restaurant La Table D’Yves at the Fox Inn, Thorpe Satchville, and/or sip award-winning beers at Grant’s Freehouse, Burrough on the Hill – a traditional pub situated literally next door to an award-winning microbrewery.

Meanwhile, binocular-wearing nature lovers can enjoy Burrough Hill’s unique wildlife and amazing views; caloriecounting joggers can skip up Leicestershire’s steepest, tallest At 210 metres, Burrough Hill is one of the hills; and professorial history buffs can stroke beards in wonder at the highest parts of Leicestershire. It’s topped amazing iron age hill fort at by an iron age hill fort attributed to the Burrough Hill.

Celtic Coritani tribe. The area has a place It’s worth noting that there in modern history, too: the Melton Hunt are several stiles en route, the total distance is around five miles and used to meet at Burrough and it’s said that there are a couple of rather steep Edward first met Mrs Simpson here. hills to enjoy/endure.

60 Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland

Burrough-on-the-Hill

}

AT THE NEXT MARKER turn right, go over the stile and follow the arrow to the next marker. You can either walk around the field or take the shortest route and go straight across.

3

CROSS THE WOODEN BRIDGE and head uphill, again following the yellow marker arrow. Walk diagonally across the undulating field with the wooded area on your right, looking out for the next wooden marker at the bottom of the hill. Beyond that, on the horizon, you can see another marker.

4

CROSS THE SMALL wooden bridge and go straight on up the hill, keeping to the left of the field. At the top of the hill at the next marker (the one seen on the horizon in Step 4) a fine view comes into sight – in front to the left is Burrough Hill, while Burrough-on-theHill village is straight ahead. Now follow the arrow, walking downhill across the field, bearing slightly left.

5

AT THE NEXT MARKER cross the bridge and go straight on, walking along the edge of the field, sticking close to the hedgerow. You’ll soon reach another marker.

6

HERE, CROSS A SMALL bridge and look to your right, where you will see another yellow marker. Follow this marker’s arrow, walking uphill with the hedge on your left. Prepare for quite a climb up to Burrough-on-the-Hill village.

7

Burrough-on-the-Hill

Detailed walk map

Ordnance Survey mapping © Crown copyright. AM44/10.

Grant’s, Burrough

AT THE TOP OF the hill walk towards the road. At the road turn immediately right, walking uphill towards the village.

GO THROUGH THE gate and into Burrough Hill Country Park. Ascend to the toposcope at the summit (the toposcope, pictured left, is visible from the bottom). Take your choice of routes to the top.

8

AT THE T-JUNCTION turn left along Main Street. Soon you’ll see Grant’s Freehouse on the right (see panel).

9

AFTER ENJOYING Grant’s, turn right out of the pub and follow Main Street as it bends left towards the church. Go through the church gate, following the footpath sign. Walk around the church and look for two markers. Ignore the one on the left and go through the metal gate.

10

13

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

It’s steep in places and likely to be muddy. Take a map – OS Explorer 246 – and allow enough time.

15

AT THIS MARKER, go straight on, following the Leicestershire Round.

CROSS THE ROAD and go straight on. At the next marker carry on uphill, bearing slightly left towards the next marker. Here, continue your ascent, keeping the hedgerow on your right.

11

CROSS A BRIDGE and carry on to the next marker. Here, go straight on to the next marker. When you reach this one, don’t follow the arrow but turn right around the edge of the field to the marker at the base of Burrough Hill. This will enable you to climb up to the hill fort.

DESCEND BURROUGH HILL and return to the marker and metal gate. Now join the Leicestershire Round footpath, turning right to walk around the edge of the field to the next marker.

14

16

FOLLOW THE PATH through a further five metal gates, making six in total. After going through the sixth, turn right and walk around the edge of the field towards the yellow marker on the right (there’s one on the left too, which you should ignore).

Follow the hedge.

AT THE TOP you reach a three-way fork. Take the left fork, following the sign to Thorpe Satchville. This track takes you back to Baker’s Lane (see Step One).

17

12

This cosy, welcoming pub is exceptional because there’s a brewery next door, and at least four Parish Brewery ales are always on tap. Walkers might find it hard to get going again after a stint here. Not only does the pub’s lower level contain an unusually extensive array of comfy chairs, Parish is also in the Guinness Book Of Records for creating one of the world’s strongest beers. Sample at your peril. Grant’s is open Tuesday to Sunday and serves lunch and dinner at the usual times. Dogs are allowed in but will have to make friends with Maddie, the pub terrier.

Grant’s Free House, 4 Main St, Burrough-on-the-Hill, LE14 2JQ, 01664 452141

Parish Brewery

Fox, Thorpe Satchville Great Food has heard good things about the Fox Inn, which contains French restaurant La Table D’Yves on one side and a Gallic-style bar/café on the other. It’s open every evening and lunchtimes from Tuesday to Sunday. Words we’ve heard bandied about by Fox visitors include “fun”, “charming” and “very French”. It looks like an interesting but slightly run down pub from the outside but inside owner/chef Yves has recreated a little bit of his motherland. Regular themed evenings like Moules Night and Lobster Sunday take place regularly. French lessons are also available.

The Fox Inn, 13 Main Street, Thorpe Satchville, Leics LE14 2DQ, www.tabledyves.co.uk

Burrough church

Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland 61

RECIPE

Fabio Vassallo’s grandmother’s Pasta con le Sarde Fabio Vassallo is manager of Leicester’s San Carlo restaurant on Granby Street. Great Food asked him for his favourite Italian recipe and Fabio had no hesitation in naming this – a dish his Sicilian grandmother used to cook for him. ”Nonna Teresa was a busy woman,” says Fabio. “She had to look after five children and help my granddad Guiseppe on the family farm.

“As a young boy I used to walk into the kitchen and she would be there smiling away and I would hope that she would be making my favourite dish – Pasta con le Sarde.

“I’m sorry to say that I was the greedy one and would plead with Nonna, ‘un kilo solo per me – one kilo just for me!’ She would

Serves 6

* 800g bucatini pasta * 800g fresh sardine

fillets * 4 bunches wild fennel * 2 large tbsp sultanas

laugh and tell me to go and get ready for school.

“At the end of the day I would rush back home, full of excitement that she had prepared my favourite meal.”

Head chef at San Carlo, Mauro Vitali (pictured above on the right, opposite Fabio), cooked his take on Teresa’s dish for the photograph on this page.

“It’s a typical Sicilian dish,” says Mauro, who comes from Rome.

“Very rustic and filling with lots of big flavours.”

* 1 large tbsp pine nuts * Saffron threads * 6 tinned anchovies, de-boned

* 1 large white onion

1 Clean the wild fennel and boil vigorously in salted water. Drain carefully, keeping the cooking water, then allow to cool and chop coarsely. Brown the fennel pieces in a small amount of oil.

2 Clean and chop the onion and brown in plenty of oil in another pan. Add the anchovies and the tomato paste, then stir briskly.

3 Add the sardines, browned fennel, sultanas, pine nuts and a few threads of saffron. Cook lightly for five minutes, adding

* 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil * Breadcrumbs * Salt * Pepper

some fennel cooking water if necessary. Add salt to taste.

4 Bring the rest of the fennel’s water to a boil and use it to cook the bucatini. When al dente, drain and mix in the sauce.

4 For extra texture, fry some breadcrumbs and sprinkle on top of the assembled dish.

CONTACT San Carlo, 38 Granby St, Leicester LE1 1DE, www.sancarlo.co.uk, 0116 2519332

“A typical Sicilian dish with lots of big flavours”

62 Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland

AN EXCITING LEICESTER RESTAURANT The Boot Room is one of only a few independently owned restaurants in Leicester, situated at 27-29 Millstone Lane – a stones throw away from Highcross Leicester and the Town Hall Square.

Whether you are just popping into the restaurant for a coffee, a light snack or taking advantage of our great value fixed price menu, you can be assured of a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere by Ian and the restaurant team.

Great quality local produce at great prices!

Granite Way, Mountsorrel Just off the A6 OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK Monday M - Friday 7.30am - 9pm, Saturday 8am - 9pm, 9p Sunday 10am - 4pm *Terms and conditions Apply & Minimum Spend of £25 in store required

Our philosophy “Buy quality ingredients, treat them well and let your customer enjoy the experience” has enabled The Boot Room to become one of the best restaurants in Leicester city centre.

THE BOOT ROOM EATERIE 27-29 Millstone Lane, Leicester. LE1 5JN 0116 262 2555

We are now specialising in steak – we have four different cuts of beef, cut to three different sizes.

The meat is very special, from Blackberry Farm, Clipston on the Wolds

WYMESWOLD LE12 6ST

Special lunch menu Monday to Saturday 12-2 and early Dinner Monday to Friday 6-7pm Two courses for just £15

A FEW SNIPPETS FROM OUR REVIEWS

GILES COREN FROM THE TIMES SAID

“in my top ten restaurants” 8.5/10 BECKY JONES FROM THE LEICESTER MERCURY SAID “culinary

perfection” +++++

TIM BURKE OF THE METRO SAID

“currently among the best places to eat the East Midlands” +++++ HARDENS RESTAURANT GUIDE SAID

Contact us... 01509 880 735, co.uk email hammerpincers@yahoo. k www.hammerandpincers.co.u

“Innovative way with local ingredients” 1 star out of a maximum 2 with a special note m on the ambience

OPEN MONDAY – SATURDAY 12-2 & 6-9.30, SUNDAY 12-6

p63_GF_MarApr11.indd Sec1:63

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FOODIE PRODUCTS

The Foodie Gift Hunter’s springtime tips

PRICE FROM: £52

Vale of Belvoir-based Helen Tarver, aka The Foodie Gift Hunter, blogs almost daily about fabulous gifts for food lovers at www.thefoodiegifthunter.co.uk.

If you’ve got a present problem, the Gift Hunter can solve it.

BIG DATES: April 3 is Mothers’ Day, while on April 29 a rather large wedding takes place, apparently.

Here are some gift suggestions for mums and food-loving couples

Muggins cheese dish If the person or people for whom you’re buying love cheese, then they need something to put it on. This cheese dish from Muggins Pottery of Cotes, Leicestershire, will not only do the job but raise a smile as well. The glazed plate is topped by a bell shaped cover, with cat and mouse detail.

01509 266582, www.muggins.com

The Rutland Weekender Hamper This Dickinson & Morris hamper is perfect for couples who like to go on romantic short breaks.

They can stow it away in their luggage and enjoy sausage and bacon for breakfast, pork pie for lunch, and Hunt Cake for afternoon tea.

01664 482068, www.porkpie.co.uk

love this...

PRICE: £XX

PRICE FROM: £35

…all the products on this page are made in or very close to Leicestershire & Rutland

Tea from Rutland Tea Company

Breakfast hamper

Rutland Tea Co. of Oakham imports a huge variety of leaves – from China White Peony to Aromatic Orange Blossom to Kurseong Valley Darjeeling.

Such exotic tea makes a lovely, healthy present. The Sencha ‘Ginger Lemon’ pictured has the metabolism-boosting benefits of green tea alongside a delicious flavour combination.

01572 724784, www.tea-time.biz

PRICE FROM: £28 FO OD G IF T S FO R M U MS & C OU PL E S

PRICE FROM: £1.99 64 Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland

Deliver the Chantry Farm Breakfast Hamper – from Chantry Farm Shop, Melbourne – with a promise to cook the contents, even deliver them to bed on a tray. Everything’s here for a fabulous breakfast: three types of sausage, bacon and excellent marmalade, jam and honey for toast.

All with great provenance.

01332 865698 www.chantryfarm.com

Kandy Cupcakes After tea, there must be cake. For a colourful, feminine gift, how about a box of cakes from Kandy Cupcakes? From pretty pastels to chocolate overload, there’s something for everyone, even sensitive types, as there are gluten-free and eggless options too.

01509 891121 www.kandycupcakes.co.uk

FROM £1.50 PER CAKE

DATE FOR YOUR DIARY

STAMFORD FEAST 2011

Sunday, May 29, 10am-9pm, Stamford Meadows

Stamford’s first food festival will take place on the town meadows.

There’ll be marquees and stalls. Plus...

Local food * Cooking demonstrations from * international chefs music including jazz, salsa, * World Cuban and steel bands and wine tasting * Food and Pimm’s tents * Champagne Children’s entertainment area *

To find out more or to become a trader/exhibitor, entertainer or volunteer, please contact Ali Hawley-Smith on 07791 334221 or email at alihs@stamfordtownpartnership.co.uk

The Pantry

From great places to eat to fantastic farm shops to cracking caterers, you’ll find an excellent selection of local foodie services here. To advertise in this section, please contact Andrea Marshall on 01780 754900 or by email a.marshall@bournepublishinggroup.co.uk

ANTIQUES

CAKES

OLD BAKERY ANTIQUES

White, Red and Rose wines made from grapes organically grown at South Kilworth.

The wines are made and bottled on site in our own winery.

Ideal present - specially for those who do not think that grapes can be grown in Leicestershire! Available from our farm shop, together with organic fruit and vegetables. Also from Naturally Good Foods, Cotesbach; Manor Farm Shop, Catthorpe; The Quarter Restaurant, Leicester and others.

Kitchen curios from old scales to pottery and much more.

An Aladdin’s Cave selling fascinating old items since 1990 on Main Street, Wymondham LE14 2AG. Tel. 01572 787472

Chevelswarde Farm Shop, The Belt, South Kilworth Tel. 01858-575309 john@chevelswardeorganics.co.uk

HOG ROAST

CAKES

Venison, wild boar, spit roasts, BBQs and so much more. Full catering services including marquee for no extra charge.

DELICIOUSLY DIFFERENT CAKES

Based in Rutland.

We use the finest meats available.

Tel. 01572 737581

www.thehogroastservice.co.uk

&/$66,),(' KDOI LQGG

LOCAL WINE

Stamford-based cake maker.

Renowned for bespoke novelty creations from racing cars to frogs!

Weddings, parties and more.

Tel. 01780 762978

TEA MERCHANTS 5XWODQG 7HD &R

Finest quality loose leaf Teas, herbal and fruit infusions from all over the World

Inside )RUGV RI 2DNKDP Department Store 8 Church Street, Oakham, Rutland. LE15 6AA

www.tea-time.biz

See what our advertisers say “A very worthwhile magazine to celebrate our region’s improved gastronomic offering.”

Tim Hart, Hambleton Hall

“Excited to be promoting our business through this great new publication.”

Ben Jones, MD, The Olive Branch, Clipsham

Deadline for the May/June issue is 12th April

Farm shop map Good farm shops sell great-tasting, fresh food that hasn’t travelled far.

Check opening hours before setting off.

This map is updated every issue

Keyworth, Notts

We’re surrounded by fantastic food yet we’ve all got into the habit of buying produce that’s 7 CHANTRY travelled half way across the country, or even FARM SHOP Melbourne around the world. Any chef will tell you that the best-tasting stuff is seasonal, fresh and hasn’t 29 been stored in the back of a lorry or jet plane PRIORY FARM SHOP Breedon-on-the-Hill for hours. The best restaurants tend to source A42 their produce from local farmers for this reason. If you don’t already, why not increase the quality of the food you eat THE MUSHROOM BASKET and support local farmers and businesses Ashby de Packington by giving your local farm shop or 25 la Zouch farmers’ market (see p9) a go?

Ashley Herb Farm (herb nursery & farm shop) 45 Main St, Ashley LE16 8HG web: www.ashleyherbfarm.co.uk tel: 01858 565722

1

THE CATTOWS FARM SHOP Heather

Attfields Farm Shop Countesthorpe Rd, Whetstone LE8 6LD web: www.attfieldsfarmshop.co.uk tel: 0116 2771476

2

22

A6

Loughborough STONEHURST FAMILY FARM & MUSEUM Mountsorrel

33

MEADOW VIEW FARM Sileby LITTLE MARKFIELD FARM Markfield

6

MANOR ORGANIC FARM SHOP Long Whatton

COOK’S FARM SHOP Newtown Linford

3

Brockleby’s Farm Shop Melton Road, Asfordby Hill LE14 3QU web: www.brocklebys.co.uk tel: 01664 813200

13

4

Brooklea Nursery & Farm Shop 1000 Loughborough Road, Rothley LE7 7NL tel: 0116 2302155

5

The Cattows Farm Shop Swepstone Road, Heather LE67 2RF web: www.thecattows farmshop.co.uk tel: 01530 264200

6

Chantry Farm Shop Kings Newton Lane, Melbourne, Derbys, DE73 8DD tel: www.chantryfarm.com web: 01332 865698

7

Chevelswarde Organic Growers Chevel House, The Belt, South Kilworth LE17 6DX tel: 01858 575309

8

Cook’s Farm Shop Markfield Lane, Newtown Linford LE6 0AB web: www.cooksfarmshop.co.uk tel: 01530 242214

9

66 Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland

WOODCOCK FARM Rothley

19 9

THE FAT HEN FARM SHOP Stapleton

Fancourts Farm Shop The Square, Ryhall, Stamford, Rutland PE9 4HJ tel: 01780 762698 Farndon Fields Farm Shop Farndon Road, Market Harborough LE16 9NP web: www.farndonfields farmshop.co.uk tel: 01858 464838

35

TOOLEY PARK FARM SHOP Peckleton

HIGHFIELD FARM Wigston

18

WOODHOUSE FARM SHOP Elmesthorpe

39

34

11 12

5

Leicester

GE TOMLINSON AND FAMILY FARM SHOP Stoke Golding

Crossroads Farm Shop 10 Eastwell, Melton Mowbray LE14 4EF tel: 01949 860242

24

38

BROOKLEA NURSERY & FARM SHOP Rothley

M1

Bouverie Lodge (bison and venison meat) Nether Broughton, Leicestershire LE14 3EX web: www.bisons.org tel: 01664 822114

17

HARKER’S FARM SHOP

Hinckley

ATTFIELDS FARM SHOP

2

Whetstone

M69

Hambleton Farms Gaol St, Oakham LE15 8AQ web: www.hambletonfarms.co.uk tel: 01572 724455

16

Fat Hen Farm Shop at Harker’s Farm Shop Greenacres Garden Centre 17 Blackberry Farm, Clipston, Ashby Rd, Stapleton LE9 8JE Keyworth NG12 5PB tel: 01455 290878 web: www.harkers farmshop.co.uk Grange Farm Shop tel: 0115 9892260 14 Poacher’s Rest, Newstead Lane, Highfield Farm 18 Newton Lane, Wigston Belmesthorpe PE9 4SA tel: 07711 205507 LE18 3SH tel: 0116 2880887 Grasmere Farm Shop 15 34 High St, Stamford Little Markfield Farm 19 Forest Rd, Markfield PE9 2LJ tel: 01780 765563 LE67 9UN web: www.grasmere-farm.co.uk tel: 01530 242173

13

CHEVELSWARDE ORGANIC GROWERS South Kilworth

MANOR FARM SHOP & TEAROOM Catthorpe

21

8

Farm shop map Bottesford

March House Farm Top End, Great Dalby, Leics LE14 2HA tel: 01664 563919

23

Meadow View Farm 156 Cossington Road, Sileby LE12 7RT web: www.meadowviewfarm.co.uk tel: 01509 815670

24

The Mushroom Basket Lowerfields Farm, Normanton Rd, Packington LE65 1XA web: www.themushroom basket.com tel: 01530 415862

25

CROSSROADS FARM SHOP Eastwell

10 BOUVERIE LODGE

Nether Broughton

3 20

A46

A607

BROCKLEBYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FARM SHOP

Asfordby Hill

Tooley Park Farm Shop Peckleton Common Road, Peckleton, Leicester LE9 7RF tel: 01455 822876

35

23

A606

OAKDALE FARM SHOP Rearsby

FANCOURTS FARM SHOP Ryhall, Stamford NORTHFIELD FARM Cold Overton

Rutland water

26

28 30

GE Tomlinson & Family Farm Shop Station Road, Stoke Golding, Nuneaton CV13 6EU tel: 01455 212199

34

4

MARCH HOUSE FARM Great Dalby

27

Stonehurst Family Farm & Museum Bond Lane, Mountsorrel LE12 7AR web: www.stonehurstfarm.co.uk tel: 01509 413216

Northfield Farm Whissendine Lane, Cold Overton LE15 7QF web: www.northfieldfarm.com tel: 01664 474271

Old Dalby

Stamford Garden Centre Farm Shop Road End Farm, Great Casterton, Stamford, Lincs PE9 4BB web: www.stamfordgarden centre.co.uk tel: 01780 765656

32

33

26

LOWER GRANGE FARM

Seldom Seen Farm Billesdon LE7 9FA web: www.seldom seenfarm.co.uk tel: 0116 2596742

31

PICKS ORGANIC FARM SHOP Barkby Thorpe

HAMBLETON FARMS

16

ROOTS AT THORPE FARM Barkby Thorpe

GRANGE FARM SHOP

15

STAMFORD GARDEN CENTRE FARM SHOP

SELDOM SEEN FARM Billesdon

A47

32

Stamford, Lincs

36

31

14

Belmesthorpe GRASMERE FARM SHOP Stamford

Oakham

11

WING HALL FARM SHOP Wing, Oakham

Uppingham A6 37

WISTOW FARM SHOP Wistow

1

ASHLEY HERB FARM Ashley

Oakdale Farm Shop 1870 Melton Road, Rearsby, LE7 4YS tel: 01664 424300

27

Picks Organic Farm Shop The Cottage, Hamilton Grounds, Barkby Thorpe LE7 3QF web: www.picksorganic.co.uk tel: 0116 2693548

28

Lower Grange Farm Gibson Lane, Old Dalby, Leics LE14 3LH tel: 01664 8236240 email: lgfarm@btinternet.com

20

FARNDON FIELDS FARM SHOP Market Harborough

Wing Hall Farm Shop Wing, near Oakham, Rutland LE15 8RY web: www.winghall.co.uk tel: 01572 737090

36

12

Manor Farm Shop 21 Main St, Catthorpe, Leics LE17 6DB web: manorfarmcatthorpe.co.uk tel: 01788 869002

Priory Garden Centre and Farm Shop Ashby Road, Breedonon-the-Hill, Leics DE73 8AT web: www.priorygarden centre.com tel: 01332 863494

Manor Organic Farm Shop 77 Main St, Long Whatton, Loughborough LE12 5DF web: www.manororganicfarm.co.uk tel: 01509 646413

Roots at Thorpe Farm King St, Barkby Thorpe LE7 3QE web: www.rootsthorpe farm.co.uk tel: 0116 2692526

22

29

Wistow Farm Shop Wistow Rural Centre Kibworth Rd, Wistow LE8 0QF web: www.wistow.com/rural.asp tel: 0116 2590041

37

Woodcock Farm 903 Loughborough Road, Rothley LE7 7NH tel: 0116 2302215

38

Woodhouse Farm Shop 1 Woodhouse Farm, Elmesthorpe, Earl Shilton LE9 7SE web: www.woodhousefarm.co.uk tel: 01455 851242

39

30

Have we missed a farm shop off the map? Email matthew.wright@ greatfoodleics.co.uk to let us know.

Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland 67

Visit our website to find out more and to nominate your local hero.

WWW.EVERARDS.CO.UK/TIGERLOCALHERO

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