10. Great Food Magazine March/April 2012 by Great Food Club

greatfood I S S U E # 11

www.greatfoodmag.co.uk

HANDMADE IN THE HEART OF ENGLAND

£3.20

Celebrating local food & drink

Ale, pies & MUSTARD

Delicious seasonal recipes inside

Microbrewers, bakers and growers lead traditional food revival

116

Breweries on your local ale map

Wild garlic Where to find it and what to do with it

EAT LOCALLY FOR LESS

Join Great Food Club on p82

SPRING LAMBS A frolic at Tori and Ben’s Farm

Also inside... LOCAL PUB & RESTAURANT REVIEWS Barkers at Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire

P77

The Black Bull at Market Overton, Rutland

P75

Sniffing out the region’s hardest-to-find restaurant

PLUS..

Camping it up in Rutland Pub walk for wine lovers The UK’s best artisan yogurt Midlands’ food events diary

MAR/APR 2012

P74

Why you should give it a go

£3.20

The best places in the Heart of England uncovered

FANCY SOME SQUIRREL?

maiyango.indd 1

7/2/12 09:49:39

Welcome

Creating a map of the region that shows every single local brewery – big or small – was a challenge. But it was well worth it, not least because it gives us a hitlist to work through when sampling local brews! Take a look at that map (p16). Multiply the number of breweries you see by at least ten. That will give you some idea of the number of small, artisan food and drink producers in the Midlands, from mustard growers (p22) to pie makers (p12 and 26), from farmhouse yogurt producers (p38) to lamb and cattle rearers (p4). If you want visual evidence that we live in an area rich in produce – and that we’re enjoying a revival in traditional artisan food and drink making – then you’ve got it on page 16. But that’s not the half of it – there are also all those restaurants, gastropubs, cafés and tearooms to discover. You can read about some of them in your Where To Eat section, starting on p69. Enjoy the issue and start sampling those local beers!

Contents NIBBLES 4 6 8 9 10

The Big Picture News Tiger Hero Recipe competition Events diary Local farmers’ markets

STARTER 12 14 16 18 20 22 26

Pie Awards preview Rise of the microbrewery Brewery map Brewster’s Brewing Co Lamb casserole recipe Mustard growers Scrimshaw’s pork pies

MAIN COURSE 30 32 36 38 42 45

Back issues and subs offer Recipes from Wyldelight Kitchen The Practical Pantry Manor Farm Yogurts Wild garlic Helen Tarver

BACK FOR SECONDS 46 50 51 52

Guyrope Gourmet in Rutland Squirrel Lucy Cufflin Stuffed chine

PUDDING

Editor

matthew.wright@greatfoodmag.co.uk WRITE TO: Great Food, 7 Victoria Street, Melton Mowbray, Leics LE13 0AR. www.greatfoodmag.co.uk

Twitter: @greatfoodmag EDITOR: Matt Wright ADVERTISING: BPG Ltd Julie Cousins – j.cousins@ bournepublishinggroup.co.uk 01780 766199 (ext 213) SUBSCRIPTIONS: 01664 853341 PUBLISHED BY: Rocco Media PRINTED & DISTRIBUTED BY: Warners Midlands plc CONTRIBUTORS: Graham Wright, Andrew Brackenbury, Steve Westby,

Welcome

Rachel Cullis Dorsett, Hazel Paterson, Shelly Preston, Matt Gregory, Helen Tarver, Josh Sutton, Lucy Cufflin, Jack Thorpe, Laura Harvey, Craig McKnight, Beth Wilmshurst, Helen Benton, Enzo and Jane Maffioli, Tim Burke, Richard March, Erin Huckle and... Rocco the Jack Russell. WEBSITE: @paulbunkham Full Ts & Cs are on our website STOCK PHOTOS: Shutterstock

COVER: Pie, Beer & Mustard by Graham Wright.

GREAT FOOD MAGAZINE IS BI-MONTHLY: NEXT ISSUE OUT MAY 4, 2012 Great Food was shortlisted for a Media Pioneer Award by the Specialist Media Show – www.thespecialistmediashow.com

54 57 58 62 63 64 66

Notes from the veg patch Grow your own chillies WW1 recipes Herb-crust lamb The Insider Pub walk: Naseby and Sibbertoft Dream Kitchen

DIGESTIF 70 72 73 74 75 76 77 79 80 82

Local restaurant news Review: The Albero, Northampton Profile: Al Barakah, Birmingham Review: Barkers at Clumber Park The Mystery Muncher hits Leicester Profile: The William Cecil, Stamford Profile: Black Bull, Market Overton Profile: Electric Restaurant, Lincoln What’s coming up in the next issue? Great Food Club map Great Food Magazine 3

Spring lambs a THE BIG PICTURE

The arrival of the lambs at Tori & Ben’s Farm on the Leicestershire /Derbyshire border heralds the start of the new season

ARTICLE & PHOTOS: ANDREW BRACKENBURY (www.abrackenbury.com)

n many ways, the birth of the lambs takes place at our most exciting time of year – it’s the beginning of a new cycle,” says Ben Stanley, who with his wife Tori runs 130-acre Woodhouse Farm at Diseworth on the Leicestershire/ Derbyshire border. I nod in acknowledgement from behind the camera lens, trying not to startle the Jacob lambs. With Ben and Tori, the animals are fearless – the boldest ambles up and rubs noses with their dog, Tilly. Slowly, more of the four-week old lambs join them and the couple smile like a proud mum and dad. It’s clear that this farm is far more than just a business – it’s at the heart of their lives.

Yet they only took over the tenancy of what’s now known as Tori and Ben’s Farm in April 2010. The day they moved in was, in every sense, the best day of their lives: “We moved in on our wedding night,” says Tori, laughing. “Instead of a honeymoon we came back here, decorated the rooms a bit and had a night in. One of our ewes was expecting, but luckily the lambs didn’t come till the next day!” For Tori, taking on the farm was a full commitment to a new lifestyle – when she met Ben she was studying graphic design, so for her the journey to the point where they’re actually running a farm together has been

TORI AND BEN REGULARLY SELL AT THESE FARMERS’ MARKETS... Burbage (every first Saturday) Sutton Bonington (every first Wednesday) Loughborough (every second Wednesday) Lutterworth (every second Saturday) Ashby de la Zouch (every third Saturday) Nottingham(every third Friday and Saturday) Blaby (every fourth Saturday) 4 Great Food Magazine

Tori and Ben specialise in producing Longhorn beef

“emotional, hard but incredibly rewarding”. For Ben, it’s the continuation of a long family tradition – his family has raised rare-breed Longhorn cattle for generations. The breed is native to Leicestershire and renowned for the quality of its meat. To get this quality takes time and effort – Longhorns don’t suit intensive farming techniques, rearing them requires careful breeding and handling. It’s not a road to instant riches, yet for Ben it’s the only way he knows: “I couldn’t imagine doing anything else,” he says, “it’s such a privilege to work so closely with the animals, doing everything you can to give them the best lives possible.”

at Diseworth

Local producer

Spring surprise

This dedication to animal welfare has paid dividends. Tori has won many prizes for her Jacob sheep and the farm even starred in an episode of The Hairy Bikers, being named ‘Beef Choice for Leicestershire’. The couple sell their produce face to face at local farmers markets and are passionate about the relationships they’ve made – “we’re so lucky, our customers are incredibly loyal,” says Ben. So how would they describe the taste of the food they produce? “The lamb is full of flavour and very tender,” Tori begins, “and the beef has a nutty, meaty creaminess – it’s hard to describe but we have customers coming back to us saying they’ve never had beef quite like it before.” Q

This year’s lambing season started with a surprise – well, four of them – when Marri, one of Tori’s prizewinning ewes, gave birth to quads. “It’s rare for this to happen and the mother needs help raising them, so we’ve been really hands on,” says Tori, as she gently bottle-feeds baby Eleanor (pictured with Tori), the fourth of the lambs to arrive. “We’re lucky to still have her,” explains Tori, “when she was born she had so much fluid on her chest that Ben had to swing her for ten minutes to get her breathing. She was so thin and weedy that for the first 24 hours I really thought she wouldn’t make it.” Three weeks and a lot of care later and Eleanor’s a woolly picture of health – Tori’s already talking of how she will some day be mum to another prize-winning generation of Ben and Tori’s Jacob sheep.

Tori & Ben’s Farm is part of Great Food Club www.greatfood club.co.uk

Great Food Magazine 5

What’s

Cooking? EDITED BY: MATT WRIGHT

Small THE FOOD WORKSHOP The Food Enterprise Workshop is running at Leicester’s indoor market. The free workshop comprises a two-day introduction to food business for Leicester residents aiming to create their own food start-ups. For a limited time, workshop attendees can apply for a £250 food business start-up grant. www.thefoodworkshop.co.uk

VINTAGE CRATES A new Nottinghamshire company specialising in old food and drink crates is supplying businesses across the region. Vintage Crates of Newark sells old ‘chitty’ (potato) trays, wine crates and ‘half bushel’ crates, all of which can be personalised with text and colour. Customers include Gonalston Farm Shop and The George Hotel of Stamford. www. vintagecrates. bigcartel.com

NEW LIFE FOR COV PUB A Coventry pub that once hosted gigs by U2 and the Eurythmics, and which featured in the video of The Specials’ hit Ghost Town, has reopened as a coffee and ice cream shop. The General Wolfe in Foleshill Road is now called Mushtaq’s.

FARMERS’ MARKET A Notts market set up by students is going from strength to strength. Nottingham University’s Sutton Bonington campus farmers’ market, held on the first Wednesday of the month during term time, started with 11 stands in May 2011. The Christmas 2011 market attracted 35 stands and around 300 customers. Twitter: @SBFarmersMkt

LOCAL MILK Valley Farm Dairy of Ibstock, Leicestershire, has started selling milk and other dairy products directly to customers. Email: valleyfarmdairy@yahoo.co.uk

6 Great Food Magazine

John Evans of Whittlebury Brewery will be using the new ‘Made in Northamptonshire’ mark

‘MADE IN NORTHANTS’ KITE MARK UNVEILED Is the time right for a national ‘locally made’ mark?

orthamptonshire is the latest county to launch a logo to indicate the local provenance of its food and drink. The move has been well received by producers and highlights the possibility of a nationally recognised ‘locally made’ logo to inform buyers that a product has been made nearby. The ‘Made in Northamptonshire’ mark was unveiled by the county’s food networking group in January 2012. “The desire to buy from and support local producers has never been stronger but it’s often hard to know where a product comes from,” said Rachel Mallows of The Mallows Company, who set up the Northants food networking group in 2011 and is the driving force behind the new mark. To use the logo, local producers must be members of the ‘Made in Northants’ Group. Membership is free following approval by The Mallows Company. Jonathan Chaplin from Flore-based apple juice company The Village Orchard, said: “This will be a great way of showing potential buyers that they’re supporting local business.” Meanwhile, John Evans, who runs Whittlebury Brewery near Towcester said: “The logo does

just what it needs to – it says Northamptonshire, says local and most importantly says quality.” Other ‘locally made’ food marks exist in the UK – the Colne-U-Copia (Colne Valley) and Pembrokeshire Produce logos, for example – but their presence is scattered and producer take-up inconsistent. A Leicestershire Produce label scheme was initiated in 2005 but didn’t get off the ground. In 2011, European Parliament proposed a European logo for local food and drink to aid consumer choice, with a suggested definition of ‘local’ as products made within 30-50km. Suggested benefits of such a scheme included “lower emissions due to shorter supply chains and promotion of local jobs.” The possibility of a nationwide ‘locally made’ logo or brand has been mooted at food conferences run by rural communities support group The Plunkett Foundation. “The idea of a national local food brand seems to split the local food sector,” said Plunkett head of communications Mike Perry. Should there be a national ‘locally made mark’? Email editorial@greatfoodmag.co.uk

VIRTUAL ALLOTMENTS

Grow Lincolnshire carrots from your sofa! Abbey Parks Farm of East Heckington near Boston has launched a website that allows customers to manage real allotments in rural Lincolnshire without leaving their sitting rooms. The farm’s i-Grow website enables you to rent land, plant veg and herbs of your choice, harvest them and have them delivered with just a few mouse clicks. Each plot is 3m x 2m and gives you eight rows of vegetables. Once you

have selected your plot online, you choose your veg – for example, in March and April you could select to plant beetroot, broad beans or baby carrots. Abbey Parks then sows these for you and manages the land. When the crop is ready it will be delivered to you. Renting a 6m2 allotment for one year costs £125, including seeds, planting, harvesting and delivery. The website is at www.abbeyparks.co.uk/allotments

Harry Lowth of Abbey Parks Farm helped to create i-Grow

For restaurant news, turn to p70

Local food news

FOOD AWARDS

REDHILL FARM STARS AT FOOD & DRINK AWARDS

Great Food Club member scoops Producer of the Year title

pecialist pork producer and Great Food Club business (see p82) Redhill Farm of Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, was named Producer of the Year 2012 at the Lincolnshire Food and Drink awards, held at the Double Tree Hotel, Lincoln, in January. Redhill Farm MD Jane Tomlinson said: “To be named Lincolnshire Producer of the Year at a time when Lincs holds the UK Food County title is about as good as it gets! [Lincolnshire was voted the UK’s top food county during British Food Fortnight 2011]. As always, this award

reflects the hard work and dedication of our team at the farm – this is for them.” Other winners at the Lincolnshire Food & Drink awards include Lincolnshire Herbs of Bourne (Grower of the Year), Pipers Crisps of Elsham (People’s Choice Awards) and Thierry Daugeron Catering of Stamford (Best Caterer). The Lincolnshire Food and Drink Awards are organised by the Tastes of Lincolnshire and Select Lincolnshire partnership, which aims to highlight the importance of Lincolnshire produce. More at www.eatlincolnshire.com

Rocco Recommends “Excellent places that let me in”

LORD NELSON, OAKHAM “My master has had a baby. ‘Congratulations!’ I hear you cry. Don’t even go there. No longer can I sleep upstairs, my basket’s been moved and I’m being trained again. The little blighter has created more commotion than a cat at Crufts. Praise be for Oakham’s new pub The Lord Nelson: being able to hide away in one of its many cosy corners with a pint of Ufford Ales’ White Hart is a godsend.” The Lord Nelson, 11 Market Place, Oakham LE15 6DT, 01604 812945, www.thelordnelsonoakham.com

Jane and Terry Tomlinson of Redhill Farm

Thierry Daugeron

Derbyshire cheese is back!

Tasty towns

MARKET DEEPING, LINCS

After a three-year dry spell, Derbyshire finally has its own cheesemaker again. Joyce Wagner (pictured) and Brian Dawson are making traditional Derby cheese at Franjoy Dairy in Hazelwood and selling it at local farmers’ markets and delis. Derbyshire has not had its own cheesemaker since the closure of Hartington Creamery in 2009.

Leicestershire pops up Chef Lucy Cufflin has launched a pop-up restaurant – where diners eat in a space converted to a temporary eatery – in Leicestershire. The first pop-up took place in February at Powder Blue on Francis Street, Leicester. On the menu were Rutland venison and duck terrine from The Country Victualler of Newark. The next takes place on March 28 and 29 at a secret venue. To find out more, follow @LucysFood on Twitter.

Lucy Cufflin

Market Deeping is surely the region’s chippy capital, with two of the town’s shops winning major titles at the 2012 National Fish & Chip Awards. Linfords in Market Place is East of England Fish and Chip Shop of the Year for the fifth time, offering a range of sustainably sourced fish. Meanwhile The Boundary chippy on High Street won the national Contribution to the Community Award. The restaurant supports a range of local charities and has raised £5,000 for a local medical practice. TB www.linfordsfish andchips.co.uk; www.boundaryfish andchips.co.uk

Great Food Magazine 7

What’s

Cooking? Small CALÇOTADA COMES TO LEICESTER Catalan food expert Rachel McCormack is holding a calçotada – an evening of traditional Spanish food and fun – in Leicester. The event will take place on April 10 from 7.30pm at The Crumblin’ Cookie, 68 High St. Rachel said: “Catalan food is all about fun. Whatever you eat, the idea is to have a good time. On April 10 we will bring that fun to Leicester.” Calçots are a long, thin type of onion that are barbecued, and eaten with your hands. The price of the evening, including food and wine, is £32. To book, call The Crumblin’ Cookie on 0116 2531212 or email: katinncc@ googlemail.com. For more on Rachel and calçotadas, go to www.catalancooking.co.uk

COOK LIKE A TIGER Get your entries in for the Tiger recipe competition

ulinary creatives are being invited to enter imaginative recipes for Everards’ Tiger Hero Recipe cooking competition 2012. The challenge is to come up with the most inventive use of Tiger Best Bitter. The winning

recipe will pocket its creator £250 plus a month’s supply of Everards Tiger, and will be published in the Tiger Hero Recipe cookbook. The ten best entries – voted for online and submitted before the

Last year’s cook-off contestants

April 9 deadline – will appear in the Tiger Hero Recipe book. The top three entries, voted for by the public, will proceed to a cook-off to be held at the end of May. Last year’s winner was Neil Morton, who created Tiger Cheeks – beef cheeks braised in Tiger Best Bitter. Runner up was a dish called ‘Crouching Tiger, Smoking Chilli’. The first 10 Great Food readers to submit recipes will receive Tiger Best Bitter aprons from Everards. Recipes can be submitted online at www.everards.co.uk/ herorecipe or by filling out the leaflets available in all Everards pubs from March 26.

gardenbarn C O T E S B A C H

home & garden

emporium espresso bar & café gallery.

Easy to find on the A426 Lutterworth to Rugby Road, between Junction 1 of the M6 and J20 of the M1. LE17 4HS open : Tues - Sat 9.30-5.30. Sunday 11-4. CLOSED ON MONDAY T: 01455 550900 gardenbarn.co.uk

Out and about

Do this...

The best local food events for your diary

March 31 & April 1

March 6 & March 13

SEAN HOPE COOKERY DEMOS The Red Lion in Stathern (March 6) and The Olive Branch in Clipsham (March 13); £40-£45; www. theolivebranch pub.com, 01780 410355

‘LEMONY LEMONS’ PRESERVING CLASSES

Great Food Club member

With Rosemary Jameson, Burley on the Hill near Oakham, Rutland; £85; www.jamjarshop.com, 01572 720720

March 31-April 1

SPRING FOOD FEST Thoresby Courtyard, Notts; 10am-4pm both days; free; www.adelanta.co.uk/springfoodfest. html, 0115 9756979

March 7-10

April 12

The Charotar Patidar Samaj, Leicester; £3.50; 5pm-11pm Weds, 11am-11pm Thurs & Fri, 11am-10pm Sat; www.leicestercamra.org.uk

‘For Little ‘Uns’ – ages 3-6 (using flour milled on site), Green’s Windmill, Nottingham; booking essential; 0115 9156878, www.greensmill.org.uk

LEICESTER BEER FESTIVAL

April 13-14

March 11

COVENTRY BEER FESTIVAL

THE GREAT BRITISH MUSTARD BASH Scalford Hall near Melton Mowbray, Leics; £5 per car; 10am to 4pm; www.mustardbash.co.uk

March 16-18

Stoneleigh Park, Warwicks; 10am-5pm all days; £12 in advance; www.theediblegardenshow.co.uk, 0844 3388001

March 29

April 21-22

Knebworth; £8; 10am-5pm; www.oakleighfairs.co.uk, 0800 141 2823

April 25

BRITISH PIE AWARDS

GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOUR HERB GARDEN

St Mary’s Church, Melton Mowbray, Leics; www.britishpieawards.co.uk

Doddington Hall & Gardens, Lincs; £18; 10am-12.30pm; www. doddingtonhall.com, 0845 6121253

March 29 EASTER BAKING

Throughout spring CHOCOLATE MAKING AT CHOCOLATE ALCHEMY

Great Food Club member

Loughborough, Leics; £35; phone to book; www.chocolate-alchemy.co.uk, 07943 876 578

Evening with Shelly Preston at Welbeck Farm Shop, Welbeck, Notts; £10 per person; www.welbeck.co.uk, 01909 511218

FREE TASTINGS AT DUNCAN MURRAY WINES Every Saturday in his Market Harborough shop, Great wine expert Food Club Duncan Murray member holds a free, laidback tasting session from 12-3pm. Duncan knows his wines and beers inside out, having lived in Montpellier in the Languedoc region of central southern France in the late 90s. In 2010 he won the Portuguese Independent Wine Merchant of the Year award.

LOOKING FURTHER AHEAD…

MAY 7-13: Real Bread Maker Week MAY 12-13: Artisan Cheese Fair, Melton Mowbray MAY 27: Summer Food & Drink Fest, Leicester Market JUNE 2-10: English Wine Week JUNE 13-17: BBC Summer Good Food Show, NEC, Birmingham JULY 4-8: Nottingham Food Festival, Nottingham City Centre SEPT 22-23: Stratford Upon Avon Food Festival OCTOBER 6-7: East Midlands Food Festival, Melton Mowbray AUGUST 26-27: Northampton Food Show, Holdenby House

High days and holidays….

THURS, MARCH 1: St David’s Day SAT, MARCH 17: St Patrick’s Day MARCH 18: Mothering Sunday APRIL 6: Good Friday APRIL 9: Easter Monday MON, MAY 7: Early May Bank Holiday Please check with organisers of all events before setting off

Burghley Fine Food Market April 14-15

March 31

East Haddon, Northants; day course starting at 9.30am; £95 for the day; www.shirescookery school.com

Coventry Rugby Ground; £3; 12 noon-4pm and 6pm-11pm; 02476 673680, www.covnwcamra.org.uk

EAST OF ENGLAND FOOD FESTIVAL

EDIBLE GARDEN SHOW

EASTER CHOCOLATE AT SHIRES COOKERY SCHOOL

BREAD BAKING

Every Saturday

Great Food Club member

Local producers selling wares against the backdrop of Elizabethan Burghley House is an attractive proposition. You’ll be able to stock up on fantastic local produce including Longhorn beef and Poacher cheese. Free entry and promises to be a very tasty day out: www.burghley.co.uk

Great Food Magazine 9

EVENTS & MARKETS

Coming up at Hambleton Hall...

Great Food Club member

Gastronomic happenings at Rutland’s Michelin-starred hotel

March 10

May 3

March 29

May 15

BORDEAUX RED TUTORED WINE TASTING AND LIGHT LUNCH

NIGHTINGALE EVENING WITH TIM APPLETON AND DINNER

‘SAVAGE SELECTION’ WINE DINNER WITH MARK SAVAGE, MASTER OF WINE

MUNDY CRUISING LUNCH www.mundycruising.co.uk

May 19

WHITE BURGUNDY TUTORED WINE TASTING AND LIGHT LUNCH

June 19

GARDEN DAY AND LUNCH To book, call 01572 756991

Farmers’ markets Leicestershire & Rutland

CONTACT Hambleton Hall, Hambleton, Rutland LE15 8TH,

Where’s your nearest?

LOUGHBOROUGH

MANSFIELD

When Third Sat of month

When Second Weds

When Third Tues

BLABY

LUTTERWORTH

NEWARK

When Fourth Sat of month

When Second Sat

When First Wed

BURBAGE

MARKET BOSWORTH

NOTTINGHAM

When First Sat

When Fourth Sun

When Third Fri and Sat

BROUGHTON ASTLEY

MARKET HARBOROUGH

RETFORD

ASHBY DE LA ZOUCH

When Second Sun

www.hambletonhall.com

When Third Sat

BIRMINGHAM HIGH ST HARBOURNE

NORTHAMPTON

When Second Sat

TOWCESTER

BIRMINGHAM JEWELLERY QUARTER When Third Sat

BIRMINGHAM NEW STREET

When Third Thurs When Second Fri

WELLINGBOROUGH When Last Thurs

Lincolnshire

SOUTHWELL

When First and third Wednesday

When Third Thurs

COLESHILL

WEST BRIDGFORD

When Fourth Fri

When Second and fourth Sat

COVENTRY

Nottinghamshire

WOLLATON

LEAMINGTON SPA

When Third Sat

When Fourth Fri

NUNEATON

LEICESTER

BINGHAM

Derbyshire

When Third Fri

LINCOLN CASTLE SQUARE

When First Thurs

When Third Sat

RUGBY

When Third Sat

When Last Thurs

LINCOLN CITY SQUARE

SOLIHULL

When First Fri

LINCOLN HIGH ST

STRATFORD-ON-AVON

When Second Weds

When First and third Sat

LINCOLN NORTH HYKEHAM

CASTLE DONINGTON When Second Sat

EARL SHILTON When Third Sat

HINCKLEY When Third Thurs

KIBWORTH BEAUCHAMP

When First Thurs

MELTON MOWBRAY When Every Tues and Fri

OAKHAM When Third Sat

BEESTON

When First Sat

ALFRETON BELPER

Bobby’s stand at Leicester Market

When Second Sat

CHESTERFIELD When Second Thur and last Sun

DERBY

When Fourth Sat

SUTTON COLDFIELD

When Third Thur

When Second Fri

HEANOR

WARWICK

When Third Sat

When Fifth Sat (irregular)

RIPLEY

Northamptonshire

When First Sat

SWADLINCOTE

10 Great Food Magazine

When Second Thurs

BRACKLEY

When Third Sat

Warwickshire

When First Sat

DAVENTRY

ATHERSTONE

OUNDLE

When Third Sat

When Second Sat

BEDWORTH

HIGHAM FERRERS

When Last Weds

When Last Sat

BOSTON

When Third Weds

BRIGG When Fourth Sat

GAINSBOROUGH When Second Sat

HORNCASTLE When Second Thurs

When Fourth Fri

LOUTH When Fourth Weds

SLEAFORD When First Sat

STAMFORD When Every other Fri (Mar 9, 23 etc) NB We’ve used a number of sources to compile this list. Always check market is running before setting off. In general, markets start at around 9am and run till 2pm but some may vary.

ADVERTORIAL

Local Cider Company Bucks cks the economic ttrend d.

n award winning local Cider ns company, Farmer Fear’s Cider, plans to increase it’s production following an order from local Brewery, Everards. Andrew Fear is proud of his achievements but is even more proud off his Cider saying “In recent years cider er, has seen somewhat of a revival, however, h to produce a traditional ‘real’ cider, with w no additives or preservatives and to now have the chance to work with Everards means that more people will enjoy a genuine taste of the country”. Working together Everards & Farmer Fear’s Cider, will, from February this year be able to offer draught “Thirsty Farmer” cider in a number of Everard’s pubs & restaurants countywide. To make sure it’s your local, ask the landlord to get you some in! Everards Sales Director Nick Arthur iss just as pleased with the agreement to add a local cider to the already comprehensive range of local beers & ales available at Everards Pubs. He says

“It is a pleasure to supportt a quality local producer in this way, Cheers! To a successful 2012” Thirsty Farmer Cider is a traditional, long fermented, still farmhouse cider, rich amber and slightly cloudy in colour with a ripe apple scent. Tasting only of sweet, bitter apples. Just as it should. The Fear family have made Cider for as long as anyone can remember, but it was in 1880 that the first commercial batch was sold by Mr Metford Fear to a public house in Weston Super Mare. Then, for many years, the same cider was made for friends, family and colleagues by Mr John Fear on his farms in the South West. John continues to help his son Andrew to make the cider today, having passed down the art of real cider making that Metford Fear taught him. In 2005, Andrew, having settled in Leicestershire and having been lucky enough to find what is possibly the only cider apple orchard in Leicestershire realised the commercial potential of the

Budgens advertorialOK.indd 1

cider and began to produce it, as “Thirsty Farmer Cider”, to sell in his own Shop and at Country Fetes and Shows. Since then “Thirsty Farmer Cider” has continued to grow in popularity. So much so that it won CAMRA’s Best Cider in the East Midlands in their East Midlands & Yorkshire Cider Competition 2010 and more recently was awarded 2 Gold Stars by the Guild of Fine Food in the 2011 Great Taste Awards. Today Thirsty Farmer Cider is considered the original Leicestershire Cider and continues to be enjoyed by an ever growing number of people, both at home and in local public houses throughout the counties of Leicestershire & Nottinghamshire.

Farmer Fear’s range of ciders, in bottles and flagons, are available to buy to enjoy at home from Budgens stores at Granite Way Mountsorrel & Launden Avenue, Groby as well as at Budgens, Keyworth, Nottinghamshire. Alternatively 20 litre boxes of cider are available, ideal for parties & BBQ’s, by contacting info@ farmerfear.co.uk.

20/2/12 13:10:44

WHO’LL BE PIE KING?

ast year, Mrs King’s of Cotgrave, Nottinghamshire, was named champion Melton Mowbray pork pie maker at the British Pie Awards. On the same day, pastry-making minnow Morecambe Football Club pulled off the shock of the pie-making calendar, seeing off stiff competition to claim the Supreme Champion trophy for its Chicken, Ham and Leek pie. It was a happy day for Mrs King’s and Morecambe, the latter’s victory proving that anyone can win this great British bake-off and spurring on small producers up and down the country to prepare their filled pastries for the 2012 event. After the flour had settled, Morecambe Football Club’s head chef Graham Aimson said: “Winning the Supreme Champion Pie Award was an unexpected surprise and honour. We are a small team of chefs at a football club, so we never thought we had a chance of winning when up against specialist bakers and pie makers. Winning swept us all off our feet and we were amazed at the publicity and interest in our

THE JUDGES

An impressive array of more than 60 judges have been lined up for the 2012 British Pie Awards. These include Telegraph food writer Xanthe Clay, Evening Standard critic Charles Campion, Great Food contributor Rachel Cullis Dorsett, Melton Cheeseboard owner Tim Brown and Stapleford Park head chef David Ellams. The judging process ensures that every pie is tasted and graded in several different ways, from pastry quality to filling quantity and that all-important overall taste.

12 Great Food Magazine

The Pie Awards return to Melton Mowbray on April 25 for what promises to be a truly great British bake-off LAST YEAR’S

BIG WINNERS Supreme Champion Chicken, Ham and Leek Pie produced by Morecambe Football Club of Morecambe, Lancashire

Best Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Mrs King’s Pies of Cotgrave, Nottinghamshire

Best Pork Pie Sainsbury’s All Pork Gala Top, from left: Chairman of judges Hugh Weeks with Morecambe’s winning entry; Mrs King’s pies; Charles Campion; judges Xanthe Clay and Richard Watkin. Above: St Mary’s Church, Melton Mowbray

pies. Our sales have soared throughout our stadium and the local area.” The 2012 event is rapidly approaching. The fifth British Pie Awards take place on April 25, 2012, at what has become the event’s home – St Mary’s Church in Melton Mowbray, the rural capital of food and home town of Great Food magazine. Entries are coming in thick and fast and on track to top last year’s total of 619 (including one eel and chocolate pie). The closing date for putting your pie forward for judging is April 13 and forms can be downloaded from the awards website: www.britishpieawards.co.uk. The price is £20 per entry and it’s worth noting that the organiser’s definition of a pie is simply “a filling totally encased in pastry”. The Supreme Champion will win £1000 (a new striker for Morecambe FC, it was joked by some last year). And being named Class Champion will pocket you £50 (there are 18 classes, ranging from Melton Mowbray Pork Pie to Dessert Pie to Celebration Pie).

produced by Walkers Charnwood Bakery of Leicester

Best British Apple Pie Bouverie Lodge Quality Foods of Nether Broughton, Leicestershire

Best Hot Savoury Pie Chicken, Leek and Laver Bread Pie produced by Leonardo’s Delicatessen of Ruthin, Denbighshire

Best Cold Savoury Pie Chicken and Ham Pie produced by Chunk of Ottery St Mary, Devon With so many classes and entries, it’s little wonder that 60 judges are needed from 9am4.30pm to prod, poke and analyse each pie. Tastings are blind, ensuring objectivity. The Awards are hosted and organised by the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association, which was formed in 1998 to protect the quality and reputation of the Melton Mowbray pork pie. The stated aims of the awards are to celebrate the heritage of the British pie, protect and promote regional specialities, recognise the craft of bakers, butchers and other producers, and to support British produce. Visit our website (www.greatfoodmag.co.uk) on April 26 to find out if Morecambe and Mrs King’s have successfully defended their titles. Q

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18th March

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20/2/12 13:16:11

What’s

Cooking?

RISE OF THE MICROBREWERY There are now over 100 breweries in the region and growing. What is behind this cask ale tidal wave?

ast year, 15 cask ale breweries opened across the Midlands. A further four are due to begin producing this spring, bringing the total number of breweries in Great Food territory to 116 (see p16). Then there are our cider makers – more

than 20 across the region (we plan to publish a cider map next issue). In terms of local food and drink, the brewing surge is one of the biggest trends out there. But what’s behind it? We spoke to some industry experts and new brewers to get a few insights.

“Drinkers today want local beer. Pubs – including the big boys – are stocking more of it because it pulls in customers. However, the main reason for the growth is Progressive Beer Duty: since 2002 smaller brewers have had to pay less tax.”

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STEVE WESTBY, CHAIRMAN, NOTTINGHAM CAMRA

“Real ale is a traditional product, shunned by multinational corporations, dominated (in perception terms) by microbrewers whose lack of scale is part of their appeal. There’s a massive diversity of flavour and style, a refreshing lack of standardised, bland frames of reference, making real ale one of the few products with any cultural significance where we can still enjoy a personal journey of discovery.” PETE BROWN, BEER WRITER (WWW.PETEBROWN.BLOGSPOT.COM)

“It’s interesting that the industry has gone full circle. The original brewers in this country were small concerns that supplied the local market.” MARK TETLOW, EVERARDS

14 Great Food Magazine

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“I’ve harboured an ambition to brew real ale ever since seeing a microbrewery in St Ives, Cornwall, 23 years ago. On turning 50 I promised myself that I would do it. My wife is going to run the business side of things and I will brew the beer around my shifts. Short-term I will carry on working full time.” RICHARD BOWER OF NORTH STAR BREWERY, ILKESTON, WHO BEGAN BREWING IN MARCH 2012

THERE ARE NOW OVER 800 REAL ALE BREWERIES IN THE UK

News feature

“There’s been an upsurge in non-CAMRA members drinking real ale. The demand for locally produced food has slowly filtered through to beer.” SARA BARTON, HEAD BREWER, BREWSTER’S BREWING COMPANY OF GRANTHAM

“THERE ARE SOME AMAZING MODERN TAKES ON CLASSIC BEERS BEING PRODUCED – BY THE LIKES OF DERBYSHIRE’S THORNBRIDGE BREWERY, FOR EXAMPLE. A HUGE VARIETY OF HOPS IS AVAILABLE THESE DAYS – FROM ENGLAND, FROM THE US, FROM NEW ZEALAND – AND THIS IS DRIVING THE MASSIVE VARIETY OF BEERS.” ANTHONY HUGHES, LINCOLN GREEN BREWERY, HUCKNALL,

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“The rise in craft breweries is due to people’s desire to consume locally made products. People want beer that reflects the care and passion of the brewer and enjoy sampling different varieties. It’s a great voyage of discovery to find the gems out there. The resurgence is great for the whole industry as it is bringing a renewed vitality to the profession. It also means there’s a big variety of ales and this lends itself well to matching beer with food.” MARK TETLOW, QUALITY ASSURANCE MANAGER OF EVERARDS, LEICESTER

“If I had to predict the future, I can see regionals flourishing and the more successful microbrewers increasing in size and merging to form quite large breweries, concentrating on what they do best: traditional British ales with both cask and bottle conditioned products. This is happening in the USA.” STEVE WELLINGTON, BREWER WITH 45 YEARS’ EXPERIENCE, WRITING IN THE CASK ALE REPORT 2011/12

DAVE DYSON OF LANGTON BREWERY, THORPE LANGTON NEAR MARKET HARBOROUGH

“The number of styles of cask ale is increasing too. The Americans are leading the way, brewing around 60 different styles of beer. British brewers are following suit and becoming more experimental. The days of just mild and bitter are long gone.”

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“I have always loved real ale and have been a keen home brewer. When I was made redundant and the opportunity came to set up a brewery, I jumped at the chance. Pubs in general might be in decline but the ones selling a good variety of local beer are thriving.” ANTHONY HUGHES OF LINCOLN GREEN BREWERY, HUCKNALL,, WHO BEGAN BREWING IN MARCH 2012

“The rise in microbreweries is down to customer pressure – drinkers want to experiment with an everchanging choice and are rejecting the big brands.”

STEVE WESTBY, CHAIRMAN, NOTTINGHAM CAMRA

Great Food Magazine 15

Brewery map 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

ABC Brewery Witton Alcazar Brewery Old Basford Amber Ales Ripley Ashover Brewery Ashover Aston Manor Brewery Birmingham Backyard Brewery Brownhills Barlow Brewery Barlow Barrowden Brewing Co Barrowden Belvoir Brewery Old Dalby Beowulf Brewery Brownhills

Black Hole Brewery Unit 63GF, Imex Bus. Park, Shobnall Rd, Burton, Staffs DE14 2AU, 01283 534060, www.blackholebrewery.co.uk

Black Iris Brewery Derby The Blue Cow Inn Brewery 13 South Witham

Blue Monkey Brewery 10 Pentrich Road, Giltbrook Industrial Park, Giltbrook, Notts NG16 2UZ, 0800 028 0329, www.bluemonkeybrewery.com

Bottle Brook Brewery 15 Kilburn Brampton Brewery 16 Chesterfield Brewsters Brewing Co Unit 5 Burnside, Turnpike Close, Grantham NG31 7XU, 01476 566000, www.brewsters.co.uk

Brunswick Inn Brewery Derby Burton Old Cottage 19 Beer Co Burton Upon Trent

Byatt’s Brewery 20 Unit 10, Lythalls Lane Ind Estate, Lythalls Lane, Coventry CV6 6FL, 07960 588206 www.byattsbrewery.co.uk Castle Rock Brewery 21 Nottingham Castor Ales 30 Peterborough Road, Castor, Peterborough PE5 7AX, 01733 380337, www.castorales.co.uk

Cathedral Heights Lincoln

16 Great Food Magazine

24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34

Caythorpe Brewery Caythorpe Church End Brewery Nuneaton Coppice Side Brewery Heanor Copthorne Brewery Darlton Dancing Duck Brewery Derby Derby Brewing Co Derby Derventio Brewing Co Darley Abbey Digfield Ales Barnwell Double Top Brewery Worksop Dow Bridge Brewery Catthorpe Draycott Brewery Buckden

Everards Brewery Castle Acres, Narborough. Leics LE19 1BY, 0116 2014100, www.everards.co.uk

Falstaff Brewery Derby Flipside Brewery 37 Colwick Freedom Brewery 38 Abbots Bromley

Frog Island Brewery The Maltings, Westbridge, St James Road, Northampton, NN5 5HS, 01604 587772, www. frogislandbrewery.co.uk

Fun Fair Brewery 40 Elston, Notts Grafters Brewery 41 Willingham-by-Stow Grafton Brewery 42 Worksop Grainstore Brewery Station Approach, Oakham, Rutland LE15 6RE, 01572 770065, www.grainstorebrewery.com

44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51

Great Oakley Brewery Great Oakley Griffin Inn Brewery Shustoke Handley’s Brewery Barnby in the Willows Hoggley’s Brewery Litchborough Hopshackle Brewery Market Deeping Hunsbury Craft Brewery East Hunsbury John Thompson Brewery Ingleby Julian Church Brewing Co Kettering

Langton Brewery Grange Farm, Welham Rd, Thorpe Langton, Leics LE16 7TU, 01858 540116, www.langtonbrewery.co.uk

Leadmill Brewery Denby Village Leatherbritches Brewery 54 Smisby

Lincoln Green Brewing Co Unit 5, Enterprise Park, Wigwam Lane, Hucknall, Notts NG15 7FN, 07748 111457, www.lincolngreenbrewing.co.uk

56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64

Magpie Brewery Nottingham Mallard Brewery Maythorne Marlpool Brewery Heanor Marstons Burton on Trent Maypole Brewery Eakring Melbourn Bros Brewery Stamford Merry Miner Brewery Grendon Middle Earth Brewery Etwall Milestone Brewery Cromwell

Mr Grundy’s Brewery 32-34 Ashbourne Rd, Derby DE22 3AD, 01332 340279, www. mrgrundysbrewery.co.uk

Muirhouse Brewery 66 Ilkeston The Naked Brewer 67 Westwood Navigation Brewery 68 Nottingham Nene Valley Brewery Oundle Wharf, Station Road, Oundle PE8 4DB,07950 234497 www.nenevalleybrewery.com

Newby Wyke Brewery Grantham Nobby’s Brewery 71 Guilsborough North Star Brewery 72 Ilkeston

Nottingham Brewery 17 St Peter’s Street, Radford, Nottingham NG7 3EN, 0781 5073447, www.nottinghambrewery.com

Nutbrook Brewery West Hallam

Oakham Ales 2 Maxwell Road, Woodston, Peterborough PE2 7JB, 01733 370500, www.oakhamales.com

Oldershaw Brewery 12 Harrowby Hall Estate, Harrowby, GranthamNG31 9HB, 01476 572135, www.oldershawbrewery.com

102

Bakewell

Every brewery in Great Food territory – tiny or large – is shown here. We hope it’s a definitive piece of work. We also hope that some of you set out to try at least one beer produced by every brewery here. A good place to start would be the golden triangle of Nottingham and Derby – surely Britain’s Cask Ale Capital? We want to see pictures of you drinking these beers, pumpclips in shot: email them to editorial@greatfoodmag.co.uk. Highlighted breweries have contributed a small amount financially to the map’s creation. 1

113

Derbys

Ashbourne

Parish Brewery 6 Main Street, Burrough-onthe-Hill, Leicestershire LE14 2JQ, 01664 454801, trudygrants@yahoo.co.uk

78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96

Peak Ales Chatsworth Peakstones Rock Brewery Alton Poacher’s Brewery North Hykeham Potbelly Brewery Kettering Prior’s Well Brewery Hardwick Village Purity Brewing Co Great Alne Quartz Brewing King’s Bromley Rainbow Inn Brewery Allesley Raw Brewing Co Staveley Reality Brewery Chilwell Rock & Roll Brewhouse Shirley Rockingham Ales Blatherwycke Rowditch Inn Brewery Derby Shardlow Brewing Co Cavendish Bridge Shottle Farm Brewery Shottle Slaughterhouse Brewery Warwick Sleaford Brewery Sleaford Son of Sid Brewery Little Gransden Spire Brewery Staveley

Springhead Brewery Robin Hood Site, Main St, Laneham, Retford, Notts DN22 0NA, 01636 821000, www.springhead.co.uk

104 59 Burton

Staffs

109 107

Birmingham 88

Solihull

Thornbridge Brewery Riverside Brewery, Buxton Road, Bakewell DE45 1GS, 01629 641000, www.thornbridgebrewery.co.uk

102

Lichfield

Swaton Brewery Swaton Taddington Brewery 99 Blackwell Tap House Brewery 100 Smisby The Atomic Brewery 101 Rugby

11 19

Thanks to Steve Westby and Ray Blockley of Nottingham CAMRA for their encyclopaedic knowledge and help with this map: www. nottingham camra.org

32 105 96 86

Welbeck

Matlock

111

Ollerton

114

Derbyshire

3 15 30

58 14 74 72 66

112 29 12

36 18

Nottingham 73

28 65 90 Derby

Newark

Lincoln

Mansfield

56 21 68

Sleaford

Notts

116

98 70

17 Grantham

Lincs

50 9 13

103 54 100

Melton

Leics

Oakham

Leicester

Rutland

62 35

Stamford

61 108

8 22

89 45 106

Warwicks

Corby

115

Market Harborough

Coventry Leamington 110

Oundle

Kettering

101 71

Rugby

104

Tower Brewery Burton on Trent

105

Townes Brewery Staveley

Tunnel Brewery 106 Ansley Two Towers Brewery 107 Birmingham

Ufford Ales 108 Ufford Urban Brewery 109 Birmingham Warwickshire Beer Co 110 Cubbington

Welbeck Abbey Brewery Welbeck Estate, Notts, 01909 512539, www.welbeckabbeybrewery.co.uk

111

Cambs

Tollgate Brewery 103 Woodville

Stilton

Northants

Northampton

Warwick

51 81

Peterboroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

95 49 Wood Farm Brewery Coal Pit Lane, Monks Kirby, Warks CV23 0SL, 01788 833469, www.woodfarmbrewery.co.uk

115

Wentwell Brewery Chaddesden Whim Ales 113 Hartington Wirksworth Brewery 114 Wirksworth

112

116

8 Sail Brewery Heckington

Map by Graham Wright

Great Food Magazine 17

LOCAL PRODUCER

The Brewster

Sara Barton founded Brewster’s Brewing Company in 1998. Matt Wright finds out how it all began...

ara Barton is a brewster – the Old English word to describe a female brewer. Fittingly, Sara runs Brewster’s Brewing Company, a Grantham brewery she founded in 1998. A bit of social history: before the industrial revolution most brewers were women, but then men, sniffing huge beery profits after the birth of the steam engine, decided that this brewing lark was their cup of tea after all. “Going back to medieval times, both bread making and brewing were female roles,” says Sara. “Many widows brewed beer as a way of making ends meet. But after industrialisation, the large breweries took over.” Now the brewster is back. All over the UK, female beer producers are fermenting and mashing again, with Sara helping to blaze the trail. She recently set up Project Venus – an initiative to bring female brewers together and promote drinking beer to women in general. The project has resulted in a collaboration between 14 brewsters from up and down the country who have pooled knowledge to produce several beers, the latest being a brew called Venus Gold. But as interesting as all this is, it’s the taste of the beer that counts. And happily Sara’s brewery is doing rather well in this regard too. It has picked up several gold medals over the years, most recently for its German-style lager called Helles Belles. Hophead is another Brewster’s award winner.

DID YOU KNOW?

Marquis The second beer that Brewster’s produced – Marquis – was brewed specially for a TV programme about John Manners, Marquis of Granby (1721 to 1770). Son of the 3rd Duke of Rutland, the Marquis commanded an army in Germany during the Seven Years’ War. He returned to England a hero and improved his stock further by giving pensions to his soldiers. Many of them set up pubs with the cash, which is why there are so many called The Marquis of Granby. Sara’s Marquis of Granby pub is in Granby village and thought to be the original.

18 Great Food Magazine

PHOTOGRAPHY: GRAHAM FLEMINGTON

Birth of Brewster’s So how did Sara come to run her own brewery (and pub – she has jointly owned the Marquis of Granby in Granby near Bingham for five years)? She explains: “The origins of Brewster’s stretch back around 25 years. I couldn’t get a job after completing a biochemistry degree so ended up furiously flicking through university prospectuses thinking, what can I do now? I spotted a brewing post-grad course at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. It sounded interesting and I took a punt. As a result I

eventually ended up working in Reading for what was then Courage. But the problem there was that the brewing process was run by computers, as it is at all large breweries. I’d learnt about the chemistry behind brewing at Heriot-Watt, and getting hands-on with that was what interested me. So I thought what I really need to do is run my own brewery. “Eventually, in 1998 I decided to go for it and returned to the Midlands – where I’d grown up – to start brewing beer in a barn behind my parents’ house in Stathern, a small village in the Vale of Belvoir. Our first beer was called Maiden Brew. The second was Marquis [see below left].” From day one Sara received support from the team at Stathern gastro-pub The Red Lion, who were happy to stock such locally brewed beer. Today, Brewster’s ales are regularly on tap at several popular local real ale pubs including The Wheel at Branston, The Ship at Oundle, The Chequered Skipper in Ashton and, of course, Sara’s own pub, The Marquis of Granby. Online stockists include Beers of Europe and Ales by Mail.

Still going strong In 2006 Brewster’s moved from Stathern to an industrial unit in Grantham. Since relocating, Brewster’s has continued to go from strength to strength and in February 2012 added two gleaming ‘cylindro-conical’ vessels to its 10-barrel (1600-litre) set-up. “You can both brew and condition in them,” says Sara. But despite the technical appearance of the various vats and pipes, it’s worth remembering that all that goes into them are local water, Brewster’s own yeast, barley grown in Lincolnshire and malted in Grantham, and hops from around the world. It’s tribute to Sara’s knowledge and her passion for brewing that Brewster’s is thriving and producing award-winning beers. If she hadn’t followed her nose into brewing there would be one less brewster, and the Midlands would be a poorer place for it. CONTACT Brewster’s, Turnpike Close, Grantham, NG31 7XU, 01476 566000, www.brewsters.co.uk

One of Brewster’s 160-litre barrels

The name game

Brewster’s comes up with some of the most creative beer names and pump clip designs in the business. Its Wicked Women series includes Pandora, Jezebel and Cruella , while its new range of 4% ‘Whimsicales’ comprises Winter Draws On and Hoptical Illusion (a nod to Grantham’s most famous son, Sir Isaac Newton). Its Stilton Porter (no cheese involved!) is a reference to a £30,000 cheese robbery that took place at Long Clawson Dairy in 2004.

Head brewer Richard Chamberlin

Sara Barton gets busy with a bag of hops

Inside Brewster’s of Grantham

Parathas.

RECIPE

Lamb casserole with shallots and Chantenay carrots Serves 4

* 800g lamb neck fillet, cut Recipe courtesy of www.UKShallot.com

into 2.5cm cubes

* 750g potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

* 12 shallots, peeled and left whole * 250g Chantenay carrots * 2 tbsp flour * 2 tbsp olive oil * 500ml hot water * 2 bay leaves * 1 sprig rosemary * 1 clove garlic, crushed * 2 tbsp Worcester sauce * Salt and black pepper

1 Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 3 (170°C). 2 Put the flour on a plate and season with salt and pepper. Roll the cubes of lamb in the flour to cover them lightly. 3 In a large frying pan or oven-proof casserole, add the olive oil and fry the lamb a few cubes at a time over a high heat to brown it on all sides – it is worth making sure you get a good bit of colour on the meat as this will really improve the flavour of the dish. As the lamb is browned, remove to a plate and continue until it’s all done. 4 In the same pan, add a little more oil if necessary and fry the whole peeled shallots until they are slightly brown.

‘Scrape the bottom to get off all the sticky caramelised bits that add so much flavour’ 20 Great Food Magazine

5 Return the lamb to the casserole and add the potatoes, herbs, garlic, Worcester sauce and hot water, giving everything a good stir and scraping the bottom to get off all the sticky caramelised bits that add so much flavour. If you started browning the meat and shallots in a frying pan, now is the time to transfer it to an oven-proof casserole. Bring to the boil, put the lid on and cook in the oven for an hour. 6 Remove the casserole after an hour, add the carrots and taste to check seasoning – use a little more salt and pepper if necessary. Cover and return to the oven for 30 minutes to an hour, or until the lamb is really tender.

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20/2/12 13:20:36

LOCAL PRODUCERS

Guardians of the mustard seed In 2007, mustard growing in the UK nearly died out. But these Fenland farmers just couldn’t let that happen…

ive years ago, English mustard growing was on its knees. For at least 200 years, the flatlands of south Lincolnshire and north Cambridgeshire have produced almost the entire English mustard crop. The seeds sown and grown here have been used by Colman’s since the legendary brand’s birth in 1814, and at every harvest since have been taken to Norwich, milled, put into yellow jars and sold, eventually being used to spice up Sunday roasts up and down the land. But this long tradition nearly died out in 2007 due to declining

Winter mustard on the flatlands near Thorney – this will soon be livening up Lincolnshire sausages

22 Great Food Magazine

yields and the fallout from the 1995 sale of Colman’s to Unilever. The fact that mustard growing on the Fens still takes place at all – and is now on the up again – is thanks to 11 farmers who decided to join forces to scrap for the crop’s survival. “In many cases, our families have been growing mustard here in the east of England for more than 120 years,” says Michael Sly, acting chairman of the Thorney-based English Mustard Growers Cooperative. “We all thought, hang on a minute, we can’t just give up without a fight. And it’s down to the sheer

Members of the growing co-operative. From left: Michael Sly, Tom Gee, Greg Bliss and Adrian Gee.

sentimentality and dogged determination of this growing cooperative that the Colman’s English mustard crop still exists.” If they had stopped growing, Colman’s would have had to import all its mustard from abroad, and its famous English mustard would have been no more. Other small English

The clock was mounted on xxxAll Saintch in 1879xx

MUSTARD: A LITTLE HISTORY The Romans probably exported mustard seed to Britain. They are known to have mixed unfermented grape juice, known as ‘must’, with ground mustard seeds to make ‘mustum ardens’ (burning must) – hence ‘must ard’. An early use of mustard as a condiment in England was in the form of mustard balls – coarse, ground mustard seeds combined with flour and cinnamon, moistened, rolled into balls, and dried. Growing co-operative member George Hoyles has another nugget of mustard history: “When the Pilgrim Fathers set sail from Boston in 1623 to discover America, they were a religious lot and used to pray five or six times a day. They took mustard seed with them – as the bible says, it is the smallest, fastest growing seed there is. Whenever they prayed they threw down some seed so they could retrace their footsteps. These mustard trails can still be picked up by satellite today.”

Mustard crop in flower

Brown mustard seeds are milder and more aromatic than the more potent white variety

‘We couldn’t just give up the mustard crop without a fight’ mustard growers do exist – in Yorkshire and the Cotswolds – but nowhere near on the scale of the Colman’s suppliers. Before 2007, there was no mustard growing co-operative but several farmers supplying Colman’s individually. After a disastrous harvest that year combined with declining yields, some growers threw in the towel. A crisis meeting was held. “We decided to form a growing cooperative of 11 farmers,” says Michael. “Our aims were to secure the English crop, boost the yield and improve the seed in time for Colman’s bicentennary in 2014.” The group of farmers – now 14 strong and producing around 1300 tons of mustard a year on 1400 acres – is on track to achieve these goals. George Hoyles, whose family has been growing mustard in south Lincs since

Did you know?

English mustard is one of the strongest of them all, being made from only mustard flour, water, salt and, sometimes, lemon juice – but not with vinegar.

1912, says: “Much more knowledge has been gained as a result of the group coming together. Before the cooperative was formed, the mustard growers did their own thing whether it was correct or not. Now everything is considerably more transparent and best practice is being shared.” Greg Bliss’s family has also grown mustard here since 1912. “Since we came together to save the crop, Unilever has been supportive and surprised at how quickly we’ve moved forward,” he says. The growers now handle seed development rather than Colman’s, which makes sense.” The co-operative is also trying new methods, such as growing brown mustard in winter for the first time. “Winter growing means you avoid wet springtime periods and pests,” says Greg. “One problem with spring mustard is that it flowers just as the oilseed rape finishes, so all the bugs jump from the rape to the mustard.”

Next on the agenda is a push to gain Protected Geographical Indication status for English mustard, in the same way as Melton Mowbray pork pies and Blue Stilton cheese. “We can see the potential of the Colman’s brand and the crop,” says Greg. “And it’s worth fighting for.” Michael continues: “Financially we don’t own the Colman’s brand but morally and spiritually we feel like we are its real custodians. The Fens have always been a mustard producing area and we’re proud of that history.” Michael ends with a story: “It’s said that Jeremiah Colman [founder of Colman’s] used to come to Wisbech to check the crop. The farmer would tip his mustard seeds into a bowl. Mr Colman – sitting at a table with a cutout section to incorporate his impressive girth – would scoop the seeds round with his hand to check the quality. If he was happy he would seal the contract by giving you a cigar.” With so much heritage at stake, it’s a good job the English Mustard Growing Co-operative have fought to keep the Colman’s crop. No doubt Jeremiah would give each of them a big cigar. Q

Colman’s Mustard One of our most iconic food brands, Colman’s Mustard was founded in 1814 when flour miller Jeremiah Colman took over a mustard making business near Norwich. Today, Colman’s is owned by multinational giant Unilever but its famous yellow packaging and bull’s head graphic has remained the same since 1855. It has always used mustard seed grown in the Fens.

CONTACT English Mustard Growers Ltd, 7 Park Farm, Sandpit Road, Thorney PE6 0SY, 01733 270298, www.parkfarmthorney.co.uk

Great Food Magazine 23

MARCH 11, 2012 SCALFORD HALL MELTON MOWBRAY Mustard truly deserves its own festival and what better place for it than Scalford Hall near Melton Mowbray? Not only is it Jeremiah Colman’s old home, it is also in the middle of pork pie country – see you there! www.mustardbash.com

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LOCAL PRODUCER

Pie Revival After 60 years, Scrimshaw’s pork pies are back, relaunched by their creator’s granddaughter ARTICLE: RACHEL CULLIS DORSETT PHOTOS: OLIVIA SCRIMSHAW & MATT WRIGHT

f you lived in Nottingham in the 1930s and ’40s, you were never far away from one of Thomas Scrimshaw’s butcher’s shops. The name Scrimshaw was well known at the time, and with 13 of his stores dotted around the city, he was one of the most successful butchers and confectioners of his time. Fast forward a staggering 60 years and the name Scrimshaw has been revived – and is on the right path to become just as popular and well known as it once was, thanks to Thomas’s granddaughter Olivia, who is determined to keep the heritage of the once-loved Scrimshaw’s range of pork pies very much alive. “My family is crazy about pork pies,” she laughs. “I have always known about the

26 Great Food Magazine

Scrimshaw business and what my grandfather used to do and have often talked with my family about bringing the Scrimshaw’s pie back to life.” But it wasn’t until Olivia left Nottinghamshire to begin working as a marketing brand consultant in London that it struck her as a serious proposition. “There was always a picture hanging in my parents’ hall of a trolleybus carrying a Thomas Scrimshaw advert – it stands out in my memories of growing up. “When my late aunt sent me the actual photograph of the tram, which she had found among some old papers, it became clear just how powerful an image it was. Working in branding, I realised that companies spend so much time and money trying to position themselves in the marketplace and bring

some kind of heritage to their brand – and here was this picture, which told such a brilliant story of true provenance,” she explains. “I thought I really need to do something with this.” She goes on to explain: “A good pork pie isn’t hard to find if you are living in the Midlands, but in London where I live now there is a real gap in the market.” Olivia began the process of launching the new Scrimshaw’s pork pie at the end of 2010 and within six months the product was sitting on the shelves of Harvey Nichols’ Food Hall, as well as in several other delis in London, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. The trolleybus takes pride of place on the black and white packaging around every Scrimshaw’s pork pie and the

Pork pies

OLD MEETS NEW

A 1930s Nottingham trolleybus displaying a Scrimshaw’s advert sits at the centre of the revived brand’s black and white packaging. Olivia has launched a range of chutneys to go with her pies and is now planning Scrimshaw’s sausages.

PIE LADIES Above: Olivia Scrimshaw at a Harvey Nichols tasting session in London. Below: Making Scrimshaw’s pies at Bailey’s in Upper Broughton.

image is now synonymous with the brand. “It’s a wonderful feeling to have revived Scrimshaw’s and I know my family is hugely proud to see my grandfather’s name back on the shelves,” she says.

Park Stores, Nottingham – and Olivia hopes to increase her stockists in this area during the coming months. The pies come in various sizes but the medium 450g variety is traditionally hand-raised rather than baked

‘It’s a wonderful feeling to see my grandfather’s name back on the shelves’ THOMAS SCRIMSHAW Olivia Scrimshaw’s grandfather ran 13 butcher’s shops in Nottingham in the 1930s. When he passed away the Scrimshaw’s brand disappeared. Now it has been revived.

Given modern tastes, the recipe has been adapted slightly but the pie uses good quality pork from a Lincolnshire farm and is made by F Bailey & Son Family Butchers in Upper Broughton, located on the Leicestershire/ Nottinghamshire border. This means the packaging can carry the Protected Geographical Indicator mark to show it is a genuine Melton Mowbray pork pie. Scrimshaw’s pies are on sale in the Midlands at On The Sands Deli, Long Clawson; The Cakehole, Barrowby; Old Theatre Deli, Southwell; and The

in a mould. They each have a distinct peppery flavour, a beautiful crisp pastry and just the right amount of jelly. Just over a year after launch, all the hard work is paying off and the pies are now a huge success for Olivia, who runs the business in her spare time while still holding down her full time job as a brand marketing manager for a large London property developer. “I would say Scrimshaw’s pork pies are a huge passion of mine; if they weren’t I wouldn’t be able to devote the time and attention to the brand. My weekends are spent hosting tastings in stores such as Harvey Nichols, as well as visiting food fairs

Great Food Leicestershire Great Food & Magazine Rutland 27 19

LOCAL PRODUCER A SLICE OF NOTTINGHAM HISTORY Map showing the locations of the 13 Scrimshaw’s shops in Nottingham in the 1930s. Right: Frontage of one of the outlets. Ordnance Survey mapping © Crown copyright. AM44/10.

and events up and down the country to promote them. My evenings are often taken up with looking for new suppliers, invoicing and sorting out deliveries,” she says. “But it’s great to have brought the family business back to life – especially for my dad, who was very young when my grandfather died. “One of the best things about it is that my family still live in Nottinghamshire and we get the occasional person contacting us to say

GENUINE MELTON PIES

that their parents or grandparents remember Scrimshaw’s. We had a lovely note from one guy who said his grandfather remembers working for Thomas at his farm in Nottinghamshire, and that when he got married my grandfather gave him a week’s salary as a wedding present and personally made his wedding cake for him. It’s fantastic to hear stories like that and makes what I am doing now so worthwhile to me.”

Below and above right: Scrimshaw’s pies are handmade using traditional methods at F Bailey & Son Butchers in Notts, meaning they can be labelled Melton Mowbray pork pies.

With the pork pies firmly on the shelves, Olivia is now turning her attention to developing other products that will carry the Scrimshaw name. “Thomas was also well known for his sausages, so that’s something I would love to do at some point, and just before Christmas we launched a range of three chutneys that complement the pies perfectly,” she says. “The three flavours – Apricot and Ginger, Christmas and Tomato and Chilli – proved to be very popular for the festive market, so I will definitely be looking for stockists in the Midlands over the coming months,” she explains. At the moment Olivia is turning her attention to the forthcoming wedding season, and will again be providing a Pork Pie Wedding Cake to brides and grooms up and down the country who want something a little bit different to offer their guests. “It was popular last summer and I already have quite a few orders in for 2012. It’s basically a tier of pork pies arranged on different stands and I work with the florist or provide whatever decoration is required. “I think people always like a point of difference at their wedding. Also, when you’ve had a few drinks you don’t really fancy cake at the end of the night – you want something with a bit more substance so a pork pie is perfect!” she says. Thomas Scrimshaw died aged just 42, which led to the closure of his shops as there was no heir old enough to continue the work. He would undoubtedly be proud of his granddaughter’s achievements. “I hope he is up there with a smile on his face thinking, ‘I never saw that coming!’,” she laughs. Q CONTACTS Website: www.scrimshawsporkpies.com Twitter: @scrimshaws Facebook: Scrimshaw’s Pork Pies

28 Great Food Magazine

why not visit... For a tasty gift

The Melton Cheeseboard W

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 Stilton is our speciality, ours area include the complete is sourced directly from Long Long Clawson range including Clawson Dairy, based just five their award-winning miles outside Melton Mowbray. Aged Leicester, Lincolnshire Poacher, Cote Hill Blue, Sparkenhoe For a taste of the Leicester, Bosworth the best cheese from t y no Field and Melton area, wh ? Battlefield Blue. come and visit us 8 Windsor Street Melton Mowbray Leicestershire LE13 1BU Tel/Fax 01664 562257

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Leicestershire-based Cherizena Coffee is launching a new salted caramel flavoured coffee for 2012. Combining the rich flavour of caramel with a zingy twist of salt, Cherizena’s salted caramel flavoured coffee is perfect for hot drinks as well as cold frappés. To celebrate the launch of the new coffee get free post & packing on all consumer orders until 1st May 2012. Quote code GFMag.

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Forthcoming events at Barnsdale Lodge

Body Intelligence Weekend hosted by Sally Carmichael March 3rd & 4th 2012 Sally develops awareness of the connection between thinking, feeling and moving. Barnsdale Lodge are offering a two day retreat so that you can discover how these amazing techniques can help to improve your skills development for any sport, injury rehabilitation and/or creative performance. You will have a complete body check to map your weaknesses and strengths and workshops throughout the 2 days that will help you to link how you think and feel to how you move. Residential price includes room and full board £345 (£395 single occupancy) Non-residential includes lunch & refreshments £195 To book or for more details contact:Dee Spurdle on 01572 725971 or email dspurdle@barnsdalelodge.co.uk or visit the website.

St. Patrick’s Day Lunch or Dinner Saturday 17th March 3 courses £22.50

10% discount for parties of 6+

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Great Food Magazine 31

SEASONAL RECIPES

Recipes from

WYLDELIGHT KITCHEN

Great Food’s resident cook gets you in the spring mood with more beautifully crafted dishes, all tried and tested in her Melton Mowbray kitchen

pring is officially in full swing – the woods and fields are bursting into life, the days are longer and everything seems bright and fresh. These are some of my favourite recipes that celebrate fresh flavours but are still comforting and, of course, really easy!

You will need:

* 1.5kg pork belly, skin scored (your

butcher will be happy to do this for you)

* Sea salt flakes, such as Halen Môn For the Wild Garlic Pesto:

* 100g fresh wild garlic leaves, washed * 3-4 tbsp good olive or rapeseed oil * Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon, grated * Freshly ground pepper * 100g freshly grated Parmesan * Few grinds black pepper * Pinch sea salt flakes * 70g shelled walnuts (pistachios make a great substitution)

1 Preheat your oven to its highest temperature (Gas 9 or around 230ºC). Pour a kettle of boiling water over the skin of your pork belly, then dab dry with kitchen roll, rub in a good pinch of sea salt flakes and leave while you make your pesto. 2 For the pesto simply pop everything into your food processor and blend until the pesto has a coarse but well mixed consistency. 3 Lay your pork belly skin side down, then spread your pesto over the meat. Roll and tie tightly using butchers’ string every two inches. 4 Lay your joint in a roasting tin and roast for 20-30 minutes to get the crackling nice and crispy, then turn your oven down to Gas 2 (150ºC) and continue to gently cook for a further two hours. Remove the joint from the oven and allow to rest for 20 minutes before slicing and serving with your favourite accompaniments.

32 Great Food Magazine

Wild Garlic Stuffed Roast Pork As soon as the wild garlic starts sprouting I get excited about this dish. Pork belly is a cheap cut of meat and the results are fantastic: crispy crackling, juicy meat and a spring treat hidden inside.

Wyldelight Kitchen The Best Scratchings and Dip

For me, a good pork scratching is one of life’s greatest simple pleasures and a pile of these served with a bowl of this punchy dip to dunk them in is a sure fire hit whenever I make them. For the scratchings:

* Pork skin

* Sea salt flakes

For the dip:

* 80g shelled pistachios * Pinch of dried chilli flakes * 1 tbsp tarragon vinegar * 2 large handfuls flat leaf parsley * 1 clove garlic, very finely grated * Leaves from about 15 stalks of mint * Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon * 3 tbsp good quality rapeseed oil * Good pinch freshly ground black pepper * Sea salt flakes (depending on how salty you like your scratchings) 1 Preheat your oven to its hottest setting. Pour a kettle of boiling water over your pork skin, then leave to dry (I hang mine from a hook by the open kitchen window, which has proved to be by far my most successful method). While the skin is drying make your dip... 2 Using a mortar and pestle, grind your pistachio nuts – you still want a good crunch to them so don’t grind them too finely. Remove the nuts and set aside. Place the rest of the dip ingredients into the mortar and grind well, then add this to your pistachios and mix well. This can now be left while your scratchings cook, allowing all the flavours to come together and develop. 3 Rub a good pinch of sea salt flakes into your dry pork skin, then, using a Stanley knife or good pair of kitchen scissors, cut the skin into strips about the width of your finger. The length of your scratching is up to you but I like to cut the skin widthways, giving a nice long scratching of about 15cm. 4 Lay the scratchings on a metal rack inside a roasting tray – this will allow the fat to drip down through the bars, ensuring you get a lovely, crispy scratching. Place in the oven and roast for about 15 minutes, depending on your oven. Your scratchings can go from beautiful bubbly crispy treats to horrible bitter black bits of burnt fat in the blink of an eye, so keep an eye on them but try to avoid unnecessarily opening the oven door. 5 As soon as they are ready, take them out and immediately pop them on a kitchen towel and sprinkle with sea salt flakes so that they stick to the hot scratchings. Serve with the dip. Enjoy!

Rosewater will add something completely different to your cheeseboard

Rose and Honey Infused Goats’ Cheese

Not everyone’s a fan of the taste of rose, but my cheeseboard is never complete without this beautiful addition.

ou can buy fresh soft goats’ cheese in small 100g plastic tubs, which I find perfect for making this as it means you use the minimum of rose water. I buy the rose water from my local Asian supermarket for 99p for 190ml, which is much cheaper than the baking section of most supermarkets!

* 100g soft goats’ cheese * Enough rose water to cover (about 50ml) * Your favourite runny honey (I use sweet chestnut honey) 1 This couldn’t be easier – simply peel back the lid of the goats’ cheese container (or if it doesn’t have one, pop it in a small container) and pour in enough rose water to cover. Secure the lid, add a covering of tin foil (so your cheese doesn’t take on any other fridge smells), and pop back into your fridge overnight. 2 When ready to serve, simply drain the rose water, place on your cheeseboard and drizzle with the honey. If you like pistachios then a few broken up and scattered on top is really lovely.

Great Food Magazine 33

SEASONAL RECIPES

Wyldelight Cheesecake

This is the most wonderful cheesecake and apart from melting the butter, it involves zero cooking. There are a few stages to making it but believe me it’s well worth it! This recipe uses a fresh unpasteurised sheep’s curd made by Homewood Cheeses of Somerset – it’s wonderfully fresh and creamy and therefore perfect for this recipe. If you can’t get hold of ewe’s curd you could use ricotta instead.

You will need:

* 100ml Smoked Tea Rum

(see right) * 50g sultanas * 100g stem ginger biscuits * 30g butter (melted) * 150ml whipping cream * 150g fresh sheep’s curd * 1 jar stem ginger in syrup * 5 sprigs fresh rosemary * 1 egg white * Fine white caster sugar * 4 glass tumblers

34 00 Great GreatFood FoodMagazine Magazine

Three days before you need your dessert… 1 Place your sultanas in a cup and pour over the smoked tea rum (see below right), making sure all the sultanas are covered. Cover the cup with cling film and leave to infuse for three days. This may seem a long time but after around 72 hours the sultanas will be so plump that they pop when you bite into them, releasing a burst of flavour. 2 Take a clean sprig of rosemary and push it into the centre of your jar of stem ginger and syrup to allow it to infuse.

The day before… 1 Dip the remaining sprigs of rosemary into the egg white, then using a small sieve (a tea strainer is perfect) gently dust the rosemary with the caster sugar, coating evenly but lightly. 2 Lay the sprigs gently on a baking sheet and leave overnight in an airing cupboard to crystallise.

On the day… 1 Crush the stem ginger biscuits and add the melted butter. Stir to combine, then divide the mixture between four glasses and push down gently to even off, using the back of a spoon. Pop into the fridge to set while you make the next layer.

2 Whip your cream until it will happily stay stuck to a spoon when held upside down. Stir in the sheep’s curd and make sure it is evenly mixed, then stir in the sultanas and rum. Take your glasses out of the fridge and divide the mixture between them, carefully pushing the cream down onto the biscuit base to avoid air gaps and leaving room at the top for a layer of rosemary ginger syrup. 3 Pour over the syrup, then top each dessert with a small sprig of rosemary. The beauty of making these in glasses is that as your spoon travels through the layers you pick up all the flavours, and it’s a lot less faff than using dessert rings!

To make the smoked tea rum: (five days before dessert required)

* 250ml golden rum * 12 strands good quality Lapsang Souchong tea (St Martin’s Coffee in Leicester sell a wonderful one – www.stmartinscoffee.co.uk)

1 Pop the strands into the rum and leave to infuse for a minimum of two days. I’ve said use 250ml rum as it keeps well and improves with time so it’s there for future use (it’s also amazing in cocktails!).

Wyldelight Kitchen Limoncello Lychee Martini

I love this cocktail – it’s like a tropical fruit sherbet lemon and always puts a smile on the faces of anyone I make it for. I tend to use gin as opposed to vodka because the botanicals add an extra level of flavour. Canned lychees can be found in most supermarkets. * 50ml of your favourite gin or vodka (I use Bombay Sapphire gin)

* 50ml lychee syrup (from the can) * 25ml limoncello * Lychee to garnish * Ice cubes 1 Pop some ice cubes in your martini glass and top up with water to chill your glass while you make the cocktail. 2 Put a handful of ice cubes into your cocktail shaker and add the gin (or vodka if you prefer), lychee syrup and limoncello. Shake until the outside of your shaker becomes frosty then empty your chilled glass, fill with the cocktail, garnish with a lychee and enjoy! 3 I have been known to put popping candy inside the lychee, which then explodes in your mouth when you eat the lychee at the end of the drink – it’s not exactly the height of sophistication but then neither am I!

‘I’ve been known to put popping candy inside the lychee’

Hazel’s Taste Test

A good stock is essential in the kitchen. Whenever I can I make my own, but quite often I reach for the cupboard or fridge for a ready-made variety, so I was excited to hear about this new stock on the block from Essential Cuisine.

ssential Cuisine makes stocks for professional kitchens and has now released smaller, more convenient sized pots of instant stock for home chefs. Its range includes Chicken, Beef, Vegetable, Fish and Veal and contains no artificial colours, preservatives, MSG, or hydrogenated oil. They are suitable for coeliacs and people on a gluten-free diet. I have been busy trying all of the

Essential Cuisine stocks over the last few weeks and have been really impressed. They are all packed full of flavour and as they are in a powder form you have total control over how much you use. VERDICT: Definitely give them a go. www.homechef.essentialcuisine.com

This store cupboard essential gets the thumbs up from Hazel

Get in touch with Hazel – email: hazelpaterson@me.com – Twitter: @HazelPaterson – web: www.itsnotfingrocketscience.com

Great GreatFood FoodMagazine Magazine 00 35

The Practical Pantry

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HELLO, HONEY!

Honey’s antiseptic qualities make it one of the most useful jars in your pantry. By Shelly Preston

oney is no foot soldier. It’s a high-ranking ingredient with a long list of talents. Most of us are pretty well acquainted with its flavour and nourishing benefits but more often than not we reach for refined sugar for our daily ‘fix’, or for an over-the-counter lozenge or syrup to treat bugs. A shame considering we can quickly throw together a high-potency, bacteria-busting remedy from our own store cupboards. Invest in a very good quality antibacterial honey. It

will go far and serve you well. Gloria Havenhand, biologist and lecturer, owns two bee farms in Derbyshire. Gloria says: “High antibacterial bioactive honey is a rarity. Medibee Bee Bio-Active antibacterial honey is probably the best you can buy. It has been scientifically tested at Sheffield University by Professor Milton Wainwright and is proven to inhibit E.coli and MRSA, among many other bacteria.” It’s truly delicious, too – take my word for it. Let’s get busy!

SKIN

WELLBEING

Avocado mask for mature skin – recipe via The Joshi Clinic It may seem terribly faffy and a little bit 1970s to be concocting a store cupboard face mask but this recipe is age-old, inexpensive and one of the best. Moisturising, nourishing and soothing – what more could we ask?

* 1 ripe (soft) avocado * 1 tsp organic running honey * 1 tsp evening primrose oil (or squeeze out 2 capsules)

1 2

Mash the avocado to a slushy pulp. Mix in the honey and oil.

Press all over your face and neck and relax for 20-30 minutes. Rinse off with water or better still wipe off with cottonwool balls soaked in rosewater or orangeblossom water. www.joshiclinic.co.uk

{ } Top tip

A spoonful of honey can give us an immediate energy boost; it’s a nourishing pick-me-up for tired children and a brilliant alternative to caffeine for grown-ups. Try it before hitting the gym. It works.

Honey works as an anti-bacterial agent

Sore throat soother It’s often the throat and tonsils that will us send an unwelcome and painful reminder that our immune systems have been weakened. In conjunction with rest and lots of sleep, this is the most brilliant recipe to sooth a wretched, bruised throat. I always reach for this drink at the first signs of pain. It’s the ultimate soother and streets ahead of anything you will find at the chemist.

* 2 tsp Medibee Bee Bio-Active honey * 1 cup warm, boiled water * Pinch sea or rock salt (be generous)

1 2 3

Put all the ingredients into a cup and give everything a good stir.

Find local honey producers at www.beedata.com

Gargle and swallow until the drink is finished.

Taking additional teaspoons of honey throughout the day – letting it glide down your throat – will do you no harm. www.medibee.co.uk

FOOD

Citrus-infused honey It’s easy to introduce more honey into your diet so why not swap sugar for the good stuff?

* 150ml runny/flowing honey * Juice and zest of 1 lemon (unwaxed)

Delicious on pancakes

Add the honey, zest and juice from the lemon directly into a pan. Put on a moderate heat until the honey is warm, quivering (do not boil) and thinner in viscosity.

Take off the heat to set aside to steep. Slather over hot toast or crumpets. It’s marvellous over lacy thin pancakes.

Shelly Preston (pictured right) is founder of Boutique Aromatique, a brand specialising in fine fragrant chocolates that has an outlet within Welbeck Farm Shop near Worksop – www.boutiquearomatique.com and @BAromatique on Twitter

36 Great Food Magazine

zZZ

your local garden centre 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. 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

garden farm

shop

Experienced staff operate a fully-stocked butchery with over 100 locally sourced products including the widest variety of Game in the area and we encourage supplier contracts with local farmers such as our Lincoln Red Beef from Walk Farm in Great Casterton. We also make over a dozen products including Cornish pasties, Scotch eggs. Haslet, sausages of the month and gluten-free sausages.

the

garden kitchen 3 chefs produce a homemade daily changing menu using local, seasonal produce including local meat sourced from our own Farm Shop. We are also open for our fine dining evenings and for private parties.

the

garden store We stock a wide variety of competitively priced plants, shrubs, herbs and seasonal stock as well as hard landscaping, sheds and summerhouses. We also have a new gift shop in our purpose built shop.

Stamford Garden Centre, Casterton Road, Open Mon- Sat 9am to 5pm, Sun 10am to 5pm

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

01780 765656

www.stamfordgardencentre.co.uk

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p37_GF_MarApr12.indd Sec1:37

20/2/12 13:42:57

LOCAL PRODUCER

Winning culture

It’s taken 30 years, but the world is finally realising that Manor Farm makes some of the best yogurt you’ll taste ARTICLE: RACHEL CULLIS DORSETT PHOTOS: RACHEL & MATT WRIGHT

verything comes to those who wait – and after 30 years in the business Peter and Cheryl Holmes of Leicestershire’s Manor Farm Yogurts can finally polish their new trophies displayed on the mantelpiece. From their Thrussington-based dairy farm in the picturesque Wreake Valley, the couple have quietly and stoically been producing the most wonderful farmhouse yogurts, which have now been recognised with prestigious awards from the food industry. They have seen British farming go through many changes in three decades, but have never once strayed from their love of producing good quality fruited and natural yogurts. From the BSE scares of a decade ago, to the slow and steady decline of the village shop, Peter and Cheryl Holmes have survived it all and managed to successfully guide their business and their small staff of six through all that farming could throw at them. But the business hasn’t stood still and Manor Farm’s product range has grown to include flavoured and natural low fat yogurts, as well as thick and creamy varieties and the recently launched probiotic range. In the last two years they have won five awards at the 2010 Nantwich International Cheese Awards, two Gold Stars at the 2011 Great Taste Awards and most recently a Q Guild trophy in the Local Foods category. “The awards and the success have been unbelievable,” says Peter. “They have come as a very pleasant surprise and we are grateful for the support that local people have given to us over the years.” But Cheryl is at pains to mention that they couldn’t have done it without their team of six staff. “They have all been so

38 Great Food Magazine

ABOVE: Peter Holmes with his fourth generation herd LEFT: Manor Farm’s yogurt dairy (right) is attached to the farmhouse in the village of Thrussington, Leicestershire

supportive, not to mention loyal. Some have been with us for 30 years,” she smiles. Peter and Cheryl took the step of introducing probiotic yogurt to their range in 2010. “The culture is sensitive to temperature and produces a mild flavour so we have been able to take sugar out of the recipe, which is good for the digestive system,” says Cheryl. “We asked for help from Christian Hanson, the company that has been supplying us with cultures since we started – and the result is a wonderful creamy texture with a beautiful rich flavour. The natural probiotic is our best seller now, as well as an award winner.”

The team

From left: Jim Bartram (packing and production), Peter Holmes, Nicola Watson (deputy manager), Cheryl Holmes, Jeff Holloway (production manager), Pat McCabe (dairy manager), Sheila Needham (packing and production) and Gary McCabe (distribution manager)

How it all began

Manor Farm is primarily a dairy farm and its 250-strong herd of pedigree Friesian cows has been producing milk to make Stilton cheese for the last 25 years. Peter’s father Norman,

Hard graft

Production manager Jeff Holloway (left) is in charge of making sure the fresh milk gets turned into delicious yogurt

The real stars of Manor Farm Dairy â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Friesians

LEFT: Peter with trophies won at the 2010 International Cheese Awards

RIGHT: Adding the all-important culture to the cow juice LEFT: Milk being pasteurised

Parathas.

Great Food Magazine 39

LOCAL PRODUCER

Manor Farm’s latest award – a Q Guild Local Foods trophy

who died only a year ago at the grand old age of 95, purchased the farm from the Everard estate in 1939 and the family has been there ever since. “I was brought up on this farm and I saw my father run it before me. Up until he and my mother both passed away last year, they still lived in the big farmhouse and were actively involved with the farm,” he says proudly. “Dairy farmers are just one on their own – we are all passionate about our cows and he and I are both the same on that score. “We have four generations of the same Friesian family on this farm, still producing high quality milk that makes the most fantastic Stilton. “A lot of cows have good milk yields but none can compete with the Friesian. They last longer and produce a very high protein and high fat milk. This is what we use to make our yogurts and the rest goes to Long Clawson Dairy to make great cheese.” The yogurt production at Manor Farm takes place three days a week – but deliveries are every day. Peter and Cheryl supply more than 50 farm shops, delis, village stores and butchers around Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, as well as schools, universities, health farms and three local branches of Waitrose. “One of the issues when supplying fresh food is the amount of shelf life it has,” Peter explains. “Because our yogurts are made with milk that’s literally still warm and we send out the finished product only a day later, they have a shelf life of over two weeks, which is very good,” he adds. “We are producing 500 litres of yogurt a week at the moment and Waitrose has helped enormously with that. We started to supply them following our first award at Nantwich in 2010. They now take over 100 pots of the large natural probiotic a week and it’s wonderful to see how popular the product is becoming – of course, there is always room for improvement,” he smiles. Peter and Cheryl still go out to host tasting events at local food fairs, armed with a tray of yogurts and a bag of

40 Great Food Magazine

The milk is strained before going into the oven

The yogurt-making process

First, the fat is separated from the milk. Some may be put back later depending on the variety of yogurt. The milk is then pumped into a vat and heated to 85ºC for the pasteurisation process to take place. Skimmed milk powder is added as a thickening agent and the milk is held at this temperature for 30 minutes before cooling to 45ºC. At this point the culture is added, which begins the yogurt making process. It is then syphoned off and strained twice before going into the oven, where it cooks for two hours at 46ºC. This turns it from alkaline to acid - the perfect yogurt has a pH of 4.6. After cooking it is cooled rapidly and 24 hours later has natural fruit added (if a fruited variety), before being packaged, labelled and packed ready for distribution. spoons. “Seeing people’s faces when they try our yogurt will always be one of the best things about this job,” he says. “At a recent tasting in Waitrose an elderly couple came up to me. She loved yogurt and he had apparently had hated it all his life. By the end of the conversation he was licking the spoon and asking for more. It was wonderful.” Peter is passionate not only about his herd of pedigree Friesians but also about good quality local food with provenance. He always buys local British produce, so the demise of the once omnipresent village store saddens him greatly. “I can’t quite believe how little value British people place upon their food these days. It has changed dramatically in the 30 years we have been farming and it is very sad to see. People want cheaper and still cheaper food and yet the only ones profiting from this are the supermarkets,” he says.

Support village shops

“In the 90s we were producing much more yogurt each week and supplying most local shops within a fifty mile radius. When you look back it was so incredibly different to how it is today. Every village had a shop but

slowly and surely nearly all of them have had to close. It is something I really hope is resurrected in the coming years because those shops weren’t just about providing great food but they also had a real community spirit about them,” he explains. “There are three shining beacons in the darkness when it comes to thriving local shops – Kinoulton [Hortors, 01949 81199], Tilton on the Hill [Tilton Stores, 0116 2597200] and Billesdon [Post Office, 0116 2596407] are wonderful examples of thriving community businesses. If every shop was supported by their local community in the way that these three are, it would be wonderful,” he says with a smile. Manor Farm Yogurts are available from farm shops and delis around Leicestershire and are priced at around 50p for the small 125g pot and £1.39 for the 450g pot. Visit the website to see all the local stockists. Q CONTACT Manor Farm Yogurts, Thrussington, Leicestershire, LE7 4UF, 01664 424772, www.manorfarmyogurts.com

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

Exclusive Great Food Club Offer: 3 Courses for the price of 2

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Morning Coffee & Brunch 10.30-12.00pm Lunch 12noon-2pm & Dinner 5.30-9.15pm Sunday Lunch from 12 noon ~ CLOSED Sunday Evening.

The Lake Isle Hotel & Restaurant prides itself on the celebration of the seasons by using the very best seasonal produce for each of its mouthwatering menus. And now, as an exclusive offer for Great Food Club Members, you can enjoy 3 courses for the price of 2 until 30th June 2012. Simply, one of your courses must be a main course and then you have the cheaper of the starter or dessert free when you show your Great Food Club card. Come and enjoy the delights of the 2 AA Rosettes restaurant. We look forward to welcoming you soon.

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

p41_GF_MarApr12.indd Sec1:41

20/2/12 13:45:23

FORAGING

Go wild!

Wild garlic season is here. Matt Gregory gets picking and plucks recipes from some of the region’s top chefs... ARTICLE: MATT GREGORY PHOTOS: MATT WRIGHT & SHUTTERSTOCK

he appearance of wild garlic is one of the signs the bulbs, leaves, flower stems, flowers, seed pods and even that spring really is on its way. If you know a the seeds as the season progresses. wood with an abundance of bluebells come late Each part of the plant has a slightly different garlicky spring, you probably know a good place to find flavour, texture and preparation method. Remember, this pungent plant already. The bluebells might be easy to though, that it is illegal to dig up wild flowers without the spot, but earlier in the year you are more likely to smell the landowner’s permission; picking the leaves is OK as long as wild garlic before you they are not for re-sale. spot the white flowers or Most recipes call for the green, spearheadjust the washed leaves, shaped leaves. but experiment with Preferring the shade other parts to see what and damp of the suits your palate. Fill a woodland, this versatile carrier bag when you herb’s season is hot on are out for a walk – once the heels of snowdrops. picked you need to get Although wild by on and wash and use it name and nature, it is pretty quickly as it goes perfectly possible to over very swiftly. grow wild garlic from You can use wild either seed or bulb in garlic to enhance all your garden, though be manner of dishes, warned that it can be although the leaves extremely invasive so is need to be wilted into not suited to small things at the last gardens (or those without Pretty and pungent: Wild garlic tends to thrive in damp woodland minute rather than shade). All parts of the used at the beginning from late winter and throughout spring; combined with Parmesan, pine nuts and olive oil, it makes cracking pesto. herb are edible, including like bulb garlic.

James Goss’s Rutland trout

James Goss runs a small smokehouse from his pub

Chef patron at the King’s Arms in Wing, Rutland, shares one of his favourite local dishes

Poached Rutland trout fillets & wild garlic crème Serves 2

* 2 skinned and boned trout fillets, about 70g each * 2 finely chopped shallots * 100ml each of white wine, fish stock, chicken stock and double cream

* 20g whipped cream

* 50g butter * 20 finely

sliced wild garlic leaves

Trout fillet is great with garlic

1 Sauté shallots in the butter and then add the wine and stock. 2 Add the trout and poach for three minutes. Remove and keep warm. 3 Sieve the poaching liquid, add the double cream and reduce to a thick sauce. 4 Stir in the whipped cream and wild garlic. Season. 5 Serve with new potatoes and glazed carrots.

42 Great Food Magazine

Wild garlic

Wild garlic flourishes in shady woodland near water

Adam Gray’s soup Co-owner of The Red Lion at East Haddon, Northants, offers a classic starter

Spinach soup with warm wild garlic toasts Serves 6

The soup

* 35g butter * 800g spinach leaves * 600ml vegetable stock (boiling hot) * 125g onion, finely sliced * 100g potato, finely sliced * 25g wild garlic leaves

Matt Gregory’s simple specials Great Food writer’s no-fuss ways to incorporate wild garlic into your everyday springtime menus

Salad, lemon and flowers

A salad of wild garlic leaves needs to be leavened in several ways, otherwise the flavour can be both aggressive and overwhelming. Firstly, always chop or shred the leaves so that you don’t get a huge mouthful of them. Secondly, mix them with other leaves that will play off the flavour – rocket and watercress are excellent choices. Thirdly, don’t skimp on the lemon in the dressing – there is a well-known affinity between garlic and lemon, and wild garlic is no exception. Lastly, if at all possible garnish the salad with wild garlic flowers – not only do they look splendid, they are delicious.

1 Sweat and soften the shallots and potato in the butter. 2 Add spinach and wild garlic leaves. Sweat for a further minute. 3 Add stock and liquidise immediately to retain fresh green colour. Pass through a fine sieve into a bowl sitting on ice to retard cooking process. Season.

Pigeon breasts in wild garlic leaves

Serves 2 as a hearty starter or light lunch

* 4 pigeon breasts * 12 good sized wild garlic leaves * 200ml chicken (or game) stock * Juice of a lemon * Purple sprouting broccoli 1 Steam the broccoli until just tender and in the meantime fry the pigeon breasts in a medium hot pan for 60-90 seconds on each side; then add the stock, cover and cook for a further minute or two. 2 Remove the breasts from the pan and wrap each in two or three leaves of wild garlic. Allow to rest for four minutes. 3 Reduce the stock to a couple of tablespoons full. 4 To serve, pop the broccoli and pigeon onto plates and give both a good squeeze of lemon. Finally, spoon the thickened stock over the wrapped pigeon breasts.

The toasts

* Philadelphia cream cheese * 30g raw wild garlic, finely chopped * 1 egg yolk * Salt and pepper * 6 brown bread rolls

1 Mix all ingredients except bread rolls together and season. Slice top and bottom off rolls and then cut in half. 2 Thickly spread the cheese mix on one side, place the other half on top. 3 Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Fry on both sides until golden brown.

Scrambled eggs Serves 2 for brunch

* 5 eggs * Handful wild garlic leaves * 2 slices good toasted bread and butter Your wild garlic leaves will need a good wash before use – simply douse them in the sink.

Cheese sandwich

Serves 1 for a perfect working lunch

Not really a recipe, but perhaps my favourite and most used way of eating wild garlic. It works particularly well with Lincolnshire Poacher but a cheddar with a bit of bite is excellent too. Fresh, washed leaves, a little butter and a smear of mayonnaise.

1 Blanche the wild garlic in salted boiling water for 30 seconds and then cool quickly in very cold water. Dry off and slice thinly. 2 Place a heat-proof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Beat the eggs and transfer to the bowl. Stir the egg constantly – it will take longer this way but the extra creamy results are worth it. 3 When the egg has nearly finished forming the curds, add the wild garlic and continue stirring for the final minute. Transfer to the toast and season with salt and pepper.

Great Food Magazine 43

FORAGING

Nick Funnel’s favourites Head chef at the RSC’s Rooftop Restaurant, Stratford-upon-Avon, offers two very different wild garlic dishes

Wild garlic bubble and squeak Serves 4 as a starter, 2 as a main course

* 500g cooked and mashed Maris Piper * 1 small onion, chopped * Salt & pepper * 200g wild garlic leaves, finely shredded * 100g smoked bacon cut into small dice * õ spring cabbage, finely shredded * 75g unsalted butter 1 Heat onion in butter. Do not allow it to colour. 2 Add the bacon, cabbage and wild garlic and cook out until soft and just starting to colour. Remove and drain on kitchen paper until cool. 3 Stir it into the mashed potato. 4 Check the seasoning before moulding into small cakes. Chill for half an hour. 5 Dust with flour and fry until golden. 6 A poached egg on the top is optional.

Wild garlic with pickled fennel and smoked eel Serves 4 as a starter, 2 as a main course

* 200g wild garlic leaves, shredded * 2 fennel bulbs * White wine pickle liquor * 200g rocket * Squeeze of lemon, salt, pepper and rapeseed oil * 200g smoked eel, sliced 1 To make the pickle liquor, dilute a cup of white wine vinegar with half a cup of water and add a little caster sugar. Place some smashed juniper berries, whole cloves and a crumbled cinnamon stick in a muslin wrap and place into the liquor. Bring the liquor and wrap to the boil, then simmer gently for 10 minutes. Check for sweetness and acid – it should be well balanced. 2 Slice the fennel bulb very finely, straight across from head to tail. Bring the liquor back to the boil and pour it over the fennel in a shallow dish, so that everything cools relatively swiftly. 3 Make a quick dressing with the lemon juice, rapeseed oil, and salt and pepper. Dress the wild garlic and rocket. 4 Drain some of the pickled fennel and lay over the leaves. Finally, scatter the eel over evenly and season.

ALE SOMMELIER

DUNCAN MURRAY’S BEER TIP Samuel Smith’s Pure Brewed Lager This lager’s soft, hoppy aromas will harmonise with the wild garlic and smoked eel, balanced by a refreshing lemon note that will counteract the richness of the fish and pick out the herbal element of the pickled fennel. Price: £2.69

44 Great Food Magazine

Helen Tarver

The Foodie Gift Hunter

What is a deli?

The word deli is being used and abused. It’s time to stop, says Helen Tarver

here are many over-used words and phrases in the food world. Examples include delicious, sustainable, iconic and “doesn’t get tougher than this”. These just bore me after a while, whereas some are simply misused – and they make me really mad. Take the word deli. How many shops masquerading under this name are actually anything like a deli? To me, deli is not just another name you put above the door of a sandwich shop in an attempt to add an extra pound to the price of our favourite snack. Nor should the word deli be attached to a shop containing a gathering of posh picnic hampers (containing no food), cookbooks and celebrity chef cookware – even if there are a few jars of jam and chutney strategically positioned alongside them. And, of course, a few fancy bottles of indeterminate oil stuffed full of chillies nearby.

centre, which is a combination of cooking and deli, where lots of products are made on site by people who care about the food and where it comes from, and who deliver it with knowledge and passion. What I can’t abide are misnamed places like one particular local ‘deli’ that is really a coffee shop with a display of pre-cut and

wrapped cheeses, some sad-looking salami and some dusty jars of jam. Not only is it misnamed on the deli front but I’ve had vending machines serve up better coffee, and probably had more interaction with said machine than the staff in this place. This is not a deli. This is a business about to fail. And part of me thinks it serves them right.

Enthusiasm and knowledge

Artisan cheeses and charcuterie – essentials in any good deli

Keeping it real My old faithful dictionary defines a delicatessen as 1. various foods, especially unusual or imported foods, already cooked or prepared and 2. a shop selling said foods. It does not seem to mention sandwiches. That said, I can live with somewhere like Maiyango Kitchen Deli in Leicester city

When I did a straw poll on Twitter, several common themes emerged as to what people expect from a deli. Artisan cheese and charcuterie got numerous mentions, as did lots of choice and products that you can’t find anywhere else. The two other things everyone wanted were a complete lack of pretension and enthusiastic, knowledgeable staff. Which doesn’t exactly sound unreasonable. And with so much great food being produced here in the UK – even things that aren’t necessarily associated with Britain, such as excellent charcuterie – there really is no excuse for homogenous ranges appearing in every new ‘deli’ that comes into being. That smacks of lazy buying and owners and staff who are not that interested in food. Which probably tells you whether or not it’s the kind of place in which you want to spend your hard-earned cash! Q

ONE TO VISIT...

ONE TO TRY...

WHILE YOU CAN pop into this new Leicester deli and get a superb sandwich, there are plenty of other great things to tempt you too, made by the experienced Maiyango kitchen team. There’s the freshly baked stuff like banana and hazelnut meringues or dark chocolate and pistachio cookies, through to things for your larder such as pear, apple and cardamom jam. Grab a seat, a good coffee, and take time making your mind up.

I THINK ANY deli in the heart of England is spoilt for choice when it comes to local artisan cheese, and one of my favourites is Cote Hill from Market Rasen, Lincolnshire. Regulars at food festivals, and appearing in a growing number of good local delis, the Cote Hill Blue stands up well to its French cousins, being soft and creamy with the right level of sharpness. If you prefer your cheese a little harder and more sliceable, try the new Cote Hill Red, perfect for a sandwich or for shaking up a cheeseboard after dinner.

Maiyango Kitchen Deli

Cote Hill

Cote Hill Yellow

Vale of Belvoir-based Helen Tarver, aka The Foodie Gift Hunter, blogs almost daily on her website: www.thefoodiegifthunter.co.uk. You can stay in touch by following her on Twitter – @presentsqueen

Great Food Magazine 45

AL FRESCO COOKING

CAMPING IT UP

We invite Yorkshireman Josh Sutton – aka the Guyrope Gourmet – to pitch his tent in Rutland and cook up a storm ARTICLE: GUYROPE GOURMET PHOTOS: MATT WRIGHT

pparently you’re never more than seven miles from the county line in Rutland. So if he wanted to, the sheriff could actually escort undesirables on foot to the bounds of his domain before banishing them. But that’s not likely to happen, as I recently discovered on my first trip to England’s smallest county. I’ve always had a hankering to visit Rutland. It sounds so different from the shires that immediately surround it and the ‘sets’, ‘sexes’ and ‘folks’ further afield. I truly did find Multum In Parvo – ‘much in little’ – as the county motto boasts. The first thing that struck me as I left the A1 towards Melton Mowbray via Buckminster was that I was deep in food lovers’ territory. People are proud of their produce round these parts. I passed field after field of well-tended crops. On a smaller scale, I found driveways with homegrown vegetables, honey and preserves proudly displayed on rickety wooden tables. There were hand-painted signs pointing out honesty boxes laden with change. Good honest food for good honest customers. I’ve never been one to turn down the opportunity to cook up a feast, especially when it involves a tour of local producers and an amble round a market in a town I’ve never visited. I collected my host from a secret rendezvous in Melton Mowbray and we headed south-east towards Oakham. The mission was simple: demonstrate to the editor of a certain well known food magazine that good grub can be cooked up on a campsite using the most basic of equipment. An easy task for the Guyrope Gourmet if ever there was one.

Local food safari As a keen camper, I’m no stranger to farmers’ markets, local producers and farm shops; in fact they’re some of the reasons I enjoy

46 Great Food Magazine

Canvas cook Josh Sutton travelled from

his Otley home to Rutland after we invited him over to inspire us to get cooking while camping.

camping so much. Spending time under canvas in the great outdoors is actually an excellent way to try out local produce. You’re never pitched far from a farm shop so fresh ingredients are usually abundant. What’s more, local food is often cheaper when bought at source. So as well as saving on transportation costs and reducing carbon footprints, you end up with more money in your pocket. Searching out local food is a great way of exploring a new area and adding to the camping holiday experience. It makes sense to take advantage of this and cook up a feast that’s better than the traditional camping fare of bangers ‘n’ beans. On this trip, I wanted to cook outdoorreared pork loin in a sage, anchovy and caper dressing, accompanied by wilted spinach with toasted garlic and a Guyrope Gourmet take on a dauphinoise. With some essential ingredients plucked from the cupboard at home, we began our food safari of Rutland.

“Whether you’re a camper or not, these dishes make for a superb meal, at home or in the tent”

First stop was Northfield Farm just off the A606 near Cold Overton, where a fence full of pheasant almost changed my mind. With colourful plumage resplendent in the afternoon sunshine, the birds caught my imagination as well as my eye. I was tempted to swap pork for game, but they’d not had a chance to hang, so I decided to stick with my original idea. With no loin chops available in the farm shop at the time, I opted for a snack of Northfield Farm pork pie instead – after all, you can’t visit the environs of Melton Mowbray and not eat a pie. A quick jaunt across the farmyard to Amphora Wines to pick up a bottle of 2010 Maison Mayol cabernet sauvignon to accompany our meal and then we were off to our next stop.

Spoilt for choice Oakham market is a little gem. A stroll around a market will tell you a lot about a place. It’s an ideal opportunity to chat with the stallholders and discover those little food secrets dotted around the countryside. I stopped to marvel at the Flitteriss Park Farm stall and farmer James MacCartney’s lamb. Again, I had brief second thoughts about my choice of meat. Amazed and flattered to find that James follows @guyropegourmet on Twitter, I promised myself a shoulder of lamb for later, but in the excitement of my food safari, forgot to return to the stall. There’s always a next time! With two vegetable stalls on the market I was spoilt for choice. I bought locally grown potatoes and some emergency purple sprouting. I’d planned to do a side of wilted spinach with toasted garlic, but plans were foiled as neither stalls had any. We took a slow stroll down Gaol Street to Hambletons to pick up a couple of juicy pork loin chops. When I say slow, I mean it. Editor Matt tipped a nod to a dapper looking chap in a jacket – “that’s Jan, he’s the Northfield Farm

Stocking up on pork in Hambletons, Oakham

Tempted by pheasants hanging at Northfield Farm, Cold Overton

In the van The Guyrope Gourmetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s VW Type 2 camper van has seen some spectacular meals over the years

James MacCartney of Rutlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Flitteriss Park Farm at Oakham market

Rutland feast After seeking out local produce in Oakham, Josh and Great Food travelled to Wing Hall campsite near Rutland Water, where the recipes on the opposite page were created. It was mid-winter so we ate in the van!

WHO IS THE GUYROPE GOURMET? The Guyrope Gourmetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission is to inspire young and old to marry excellent food with good camping. Passionate about canvas, open fields, fresh air and cooking stoves, his aim is to prove that the culinary campsite experience can and should be far better than bangers and beans. More at www guyropegourmet.com

48 Great Food Magazine

Al fresco cooking Guyrope Gourmet’s Valentine pork

Wilted spinach & toasted garlic

Serves four

* 4 pork loin chops * 1 tbsp plain flour * Ground black pepper * Flaked sea salt * Olive oil * 8 fresh sage leaves, chopped 1 Mix the flour with a generous grind of black pepper and a decent pinch of flaked sea salt. Coat the loin chops on each side with the seasoned flour. 2 Fry the chops for two or three minutes on each side in olive oil in a non-stick frying pan. 3 While the pork is cooking, melt a generous knob of butter in a separate pan over a medium heat and add the chopped garlic and anchovy fillets.

* 1 large clove garlic, finely chopped * 6 anchovy fillets * Large knob of butter * 2 dessertspoonful capers * Juice of a small lemon 4 After a minute or so, the garlic will take on a little colour. Throw in the capers and the chopped sage leaves and give it a quick stir. The anchovies will have disintegrated by now (they’re supposed to!). 5 Finally, squeeze in the juice of a small lemon. Remove the cooked chops to a plate. Spoon the caper sauce over the pork steaks – don’t be shy! Delicious.

* A large bunch of fresh young spinach (baby leaf is ideal but not essential)

* 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped * Olive oil 1 Peel and chop the garlic. Warm a splash of olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. 2 Throw in the chopped garlic and stir. Be very careful not to burn the garlic, keep it moving in the pan until it just begins to turn a golden colour. 3 While the garlic cooks, trim the stalks from the spinach. If you have large leaves, chop them roughly, otherwise you can chuck them in whole.

Sautéed potato stacks Serves four The key to cooking with basic equipment is improvisation. This is a sort of improvised dauphinoise, without the cream or an oven to cook it in, but plenty of imagination by way of a substitute! It works well, looks impressive and tastes even better.

man”. The thing about shopping in Oakham with the editor of Great Food magazine is that it takes a long time to get around. Having bagged our ingredients, we headed to Wing Hall to make camp. With beautiful views south to Glaston, Morcott and beyond, the campsite sits on a ridge just outside Wing village. It’s a superb site with a family-run feel to it. In terms of produce and diversity, the farm shop – which also serves as the booking office – has to be one of the best I’ve come across on a campsite. A posse of well-fed chickens closely guarded the door. Making my way cautiously around the cock, I stepped inside where to my delight I found a bag of baby leaf spinach for sale. The original menu was back on track. If only every campsite were as well served by such a shop.

Fire up the stove Making good food on a camping gas stove is not difficult, but it does take planning. Some might baulk at the idea of campsite cookery, but I see it as an elaborate extension of the great British barbecue. For little extra effort, the rewards are manifold. One

4 Turn off the heat and add the spinach to the hot pan. Stir it with a wooden spoon until the leaves begin to wilt.

of the biggest challenges is keeping food warm while you are preparing the other dishes. The lack of oven to pop the potatoes in while you brown the meat just means that you have to think on your feet. I find that a cooker with a grill comes in handy for this, but it does have limitations. Unlike at home, where I often prep vegetables on the go as I’m working my way through a recipe, when camping I always do all the prep up front. This way, everything is ready to hand when you need it. But perhaps the greatest challenge of all when cooking on a campsite is the washingup. It can often be a bit of a trek to the hot tap and washing-up area on a campsite, so I’ve recently taken to throwing everything into a large plastic trug, where it sits until after the meal. If you are really lucky, one of your pals will valiantly offer to help out, but failing that a couple of kettles of boiling hot water and some washing up liquid will soon sort it out. A glass of wine at this point will take the edge off the chore, as will the view, which is bound to be better than the one from the kitchen sink back home.

* Two or three medium waxy potatoes (Charlottes are great)

* Large knob of butter * Salt & pepper * Dozen baby spinach leaves 1 Peel the potatoes and cut them into 5mm slices. 2 Sauté the potato slices in the butter until soft, turning them from time to time. Season to taste. 3 Once cooked through, stack the slices onto the plate, placing a spinach leaf between the slices of potato. The heat from the potatoes will wilt the spinach.

Whether you’re a camper or not, the above recipes make for a superb meal, at home or in the tent. For me though, a view over the countryside and the sound of birds chirruping in the hedgerow seem to enhance the flavour. I’ve called this dish Valentine Pork as I saw Valentine Warner cook it a couple of years ago in his excellent TV series, What to Eat Now. Unfortunately it’s not in his book, but it was so simple that I made a mental note of it at the time. Anchovy and caper dressing is an age-old treatment. The fresh sage and lemon juice bring the pair together like nothing on earth. It’s a fantastic dish and one of my favourites – I regularly make it at home as well as on the campsite. It’s the anchovy and caper sauce that does it for me. It’s made in a matter of minutes and good with a crunchy salad or boiled minted new potatoes and wilted spinach or Swiss chard. Perfect for camping! Q CONTACTS Wing Hall, Rutland: winghall.co.uk, 01572 737090. The Guyrope Gourmet: guyropegourmet.com, @Guyropegourmet on Twitter.

Great Food Magazine 49

HOME COOKING

Grey squirrel This truly free range meat is surprisingly tasty. By Matt Gregory

pparently Elvis grew up on them, but let’s not hold that against them. However, we can blame grey squirrels for the fact we don’t have any red squirrels in the Heart of England. Why not get your own back by eating them? The meat is by definition free range – truly wild, in fact – and inevitably locally sourced. It is lean and extremely tasty. A cliché it might be, but it’s the only wild meat

Serve at a dinner party if you dare!

I’ve eaten that tastes close to chicken – a really good, slightly nutty, very small chicken. Getting hold of squirrel to eat can be a problem – if your butcher looks at you in an odd way when you ask if he has any rabbits, imagine his look when you ask for squirrel. You can, of course, try to catch your own, trapping being the easiest and most reliable method, although you must be aware of your responsibilities with regard to the law. Trapping squirrel is legal, but releasing one back into the wild is not. They must also be humanely dispatched. There are any number of traps available online, even Amazon sells them! The website www.wildmeat.co.uk based in Suffolk sells whole skinned grey squirrel weighing approximately 230g for £4.50 before delivery. If you have to skin a squirrel yourself, try to get a young one: the skin (not the meat) of older ones is tough to get off, but it slips off a younger one relatively easily. It’s still a harder job than skinning a rabbit though, and the yield is a lot smaller.

Recipe #1

* Back legs from 3 squirrels (three legs per person) * Mixed salad leaves: watercress, rocket, lamb’s lettuce, dandelion leaves, wild garlic, wilted nettles

Squirrel Thai-style curry

For the dressing: * Lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper * Croutons

1 Dress two plates with mixed leaves and make a dressing in the following proportions: 3 to 1 olive oil to lemon juice plus crushed garlic, salt and pepper. 2 Get a heavy frying pan moderately hot with a very small amount of oil and fry the legs for three minutes each side. Remove from the heat and allow to rest for five minutes. Top up the oil in the pan and fry off the croutons while the meat is resting. 3 Dress the leaves and the squirrel with the dressing and sprinkle with croutons. 4 A chilled Cabernet Franc from the Loire is excellent with this.

I recommend just using the back legs, the rest of the body has very little meat on it. Most recipes for rabbit are adaptable, but squirrel cooks more quickly. Q

Recipe #2

Pan-fried grey squirrel Serves two

Being quite chickeny, it’s good in a Thai curry

Legs are the only bits worth bothering with

Serves four

* Back legs from 4 squirrels * 1 tbsp green

Thai curry paste * 2 tins coconut milk * 1 green or red pepper, roughly chopped Small bunch of spring onions, * finely chopped * 2 pak choi quartered long ways

1 In a large pan heat the curry paste until sizzling and then add the squirrel and fry briefly. Cover with the coconut milk and add all the aromatics and the pepper. 2 Bring to the boil and simmer for around 40 minutes. Then add the spring onion and pak choi and simmer for a further

Aromatics: * Thumb-sized piece of ginger finely chopped, 2 cloves garlic crushed, 2 kaffir lime leaves, stick of lemon grass beaten with the back of a knife, 1 tbsp of golden syrup * 4 nests of fine egg noodles

5-10 minutes. At the same time cook the noodles. 3 To serve, ladle the curry over the noodles in shallow bowls. 4 To drink, try a light and aromatic white – Riesling and Gewürztraminer are ideal.

About the writer: Rutland-based Matt Gregory is a passionate fisherman and forager who can often be found bidding at Melton Mowbray market’s fur and feather auctions. Follow him on Twitter – @familygregory

50 Great Food Magazine

Home cooking Lucy Cufflin Chef Lucy is author of cookbook Lucy’s Food. She runs a food and kitchenware shop in Leicester and has just launched a pop-up restaurant (see p7)

Don’t chuck it! Turn that bowl at the back of the fridge into something glorious

he new year is far from new anymore, festivities are a distant memory and with many of us resolving to tighten our belts in these straitened times, the shops, supermarkets and internet are bombarding us with special offers to keep us spending. Even if we have resolved to trim down our waistlines and weekly shopping bills, it’s sometimes hard to resist the incredible deals out there. Even I succumbed: on my supermarket shop the other week I simply could not ignore the carrot offer – good British carrots, in season and beautiful; I bought four kilos for the price of two. With just my son and I at home, this

amount of root veg is quite a lot. I’m not short of recipes using carrots and Sam likes them so we have used most, but when I have a glut of something I always cook extra, meaning that we now have a fridge full – roast, grated, boiled and mashed carrots. There’s only a small amount of each, but there they are, in bowls waiting to be used. So, here is my resolution for 2012: to persuade us all to stop looking at leftovers as leftovers and to see them as ready-made ingredients primed to be transformed into fabulous food. To save the world one leftover at a time! A bit grand, I know, but you get the idea. I am not aiming to make three course meals for the whole family

Carrot hummus

Sunday lunch samosas

Children adore this as it has a sweeter taste than standard hummus and a wonderful sticky texture.

* 2 large cooked carrots

(can be boiled or roast)

* 400g tin chickpeas, drained * 100ml olive oil * Lemon juice to taste * 1 clove garlic, finely grated * 12 sprigs fresh coriander 1 Blend all the ingredients together to make a smoothish paste adding lemon juice to taste.

Combine a few chickpeas with leftover carrots to make delicious hummus

from one tablespoon of leftover carrots – I have seen cookbooks that attempt to do this but they usually require you to buy 10 new ingredients to make each recipe happen. All that is far too contrived for me but I think that even a small amount of leftovers can be transformed, with some clever store-cupboard ingredients, into a perfect snack, lunch or pre-dinner nibble. So don’t chuck it, make something of it and join me in a quest to find quick and quirky recipes to use up those goodies lurking at the back of your fridge. Here are a couple of leftovers recipes that helped me use up my carrot glut.

Want to know more?

Join Lucy on Twitter – @lucylovesleftovers – and on her new leftovers blog at www.lucysfood.co.uk

Use Sunday lunch leftovers to make tasty baked samosas

Leftovers from Sunday lunch – wrap them up, bake them and enjoy! These are perfect for a pack-up for the office or a weekend outing and great warm or cold. There’s no need for frying – these are baked.

* 2 tbsp chopped leftover vegetables per person (peas, carrots, roast potatoes, beans etc) * Curry powder, paste or chosen Indian spices to taste (around 1 tsp curry powder per person) * 1 large filo pastry per person * Vegetable oil

1 Heat oil in a pan and cook curry powder/spices for a minute. 2 Add a splash of water, the peas and potato. Season to taste. 3 Lay out the filo, brush with a little oil and pile the mix at one end. Fold over and then fold again to form a triangle shape (but the parcel can be any shape really, just as long at it is sealed around the contents). 4 Lay on a greased baking tin and brush again with oil. 5 Bake at Gas 4 (180ºC) for around 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Great Food Magazine 51

LOCAL DELICACY

Lincs legend What’s the story behind stuffed chine? Hazel Paterson talks to local experts to find out WORDS & PICTURES: HAZEL PATERSON

nless you’re from Lincolnshire then the chances are you’ve never heard of stuffed chine. I was introduced to it last year by Maureen Dennis who, along with her friend Bridget, travel from Lincolnshire to Melton Mowbray every week with their fantastic homegrown vegetables, pastries and preserved goods to sell at the Sunday Market. Maureen is incredibly proud of Lincolnshire’s food heritage and one day she brought along some slices of her homemade stuffed chine for me to try. I immediately fell in love with it. Unique to Lincolnshire, stuffed chine is a traditional dish made with cured pork and parsley. Once a county staple, its

52 Great Food Magazine

popularity has declined over the years as the younger generation looks to more modern cuisine and the older cuts are slowly forgotten. In the days before fridges and freezers, families would cure their meat to last them through the lean winter months. Each family would have a couple of pigs to kill – some of the meat would be salted and hung, and the rest used fresh. Communities were tightly knit and there was often a friendly agreement between neighbours to stagger their kills and share fresh meat among the families, who then reciprocated when they in turn killed their pigs. Neighbours would pass on and receive this

Chine: often served with a little vinegar

Stuffed chine

Making stuffed chine Left and right: Hambletons’ Ian Lewis butchers a pig’s neck before stuffing it with parsley. Centre: Steve Swales and Jimmy Harris, also of Hambletons, which is one of the few producers to make chine in the traditional way, curing the meat for three weeks using a secret recipe.

“pig cheer” all through the winter months while the pig killing went on, thus ensuring they always had fresh meat. Once spring approached, however, they would look to use up some of the meat that had been salted and put away. Stuffed chine was traditionally served when the May Hiring Fair was in town (a kind of outdoor employment exchange, where people made themselves available for temporary work), and the largest chine was usually saved for Christenings – seeing a fresh row of parsley growing in a garden was often the sign that there was a baby on the way!

The method When the time came to use the chine it was soaked in cold water overnight, then carefully sliced from the spinal side towards the rind. Finely chopped parsley was packed tightly into the deep pockets in the flesh, then the joint was turned over and the process repeated on the other side. Next, the chine was very tightly wrapped up in muslin or an old pillowcase and simmered until cooked through. The cooked meat was left to cool still wrapped in cloth in order for it to set. Once completely cooled it was unwrapped, sliced thinly and served with a sprinkle of vinegar to cut through the fat. Few butchers still use this traditional method as the cooked chine has to be carefully sliced by hand to avoid the bones, which due to the large bone-to-meat ratio makes it quite an expensive cut. For this reason many butchers choose to use collar bacon instead, which contains no bone and can therefore be sliced by a machine.

A trip to Hambletons I visited Hambleton Farms’ butchery in Mareham-le-Fen, Lincolnshire, where they still make stuffed chine in the traditional way. Neck chine is a cut taken from between the shoulders that includes the muscles either side of the spine. This is removed and cured for three weeks using Hambletons’ secret recipe. Once the joint is cured, it’s sliced, stuffed full of dried parsley and vacuum-packed before being very gently steam-cooked for several hours. Once cooled the stuffed chine is unwrapped, ready to be sliced. The French poet Paul-Marie Verlaine spent a year as a schoolmaster just north of Boston, Lincolnshire, in the

DIY stuffed chine This recipe uses collar bacon, which is available from your butcher. It will have a slightly different taste than the traditional on-the-bone chine. Using fresh parsley is paramount, and you will need lots of it. 1 Put your collar rind-side down on your cutting board, then very carefully make five deep cuts down towards the fat, taking care not to cut through it. Each cut should be about an inch from the next. 2 Stuff each cut full of your parsley then, using butchers’ string, tie the joint up tightly and wrap in muslin. 3 Bring a large pot of water to the boil, then pop in your bacon and simmer gently for about an hour and a half. 4 Once cooked, remove the bacon parcel and leave, still wrapped, to cool completely so that it sets. Once cold you can unwrap and slice thinly. We ate ours the following

You’ll need... * 3lb collar bacon * 3 large bunches

parsley, chopped

{ } Top tip

Having tucked into your wonderful chine, look in the mirror before heading out and smiling at people – parsley teeth are never a good look!

day with boiled new potatoes, a dash of vinegar and parsley sauce, and have since polished off the rest in sandwiches – delicious!

mid-1870s and it is said that he became enamoured with this Lincolnshire delicacy. Verlaine continued to search for stuffed chine as he journeyed around Britain, but as is still the case today, he failed to find it outside Lincolnshire. There is something rather beautiful about the strips of pink salty pork divided by the flashes of punchy green parsley that immediately draws you in when you see it standing proudly in the butcher’s shop. I for one certainly hope to see it there for many years to come. Q

CONTACT Hambleton Farms sells chine at Doddington Hall, at Johnsons of Boston, and at its HQ in Mareham. www.hambleton farms.co.uk, 01507 568235

Great Food Magazine 53

Growing your own...

NOTES FROM THE V Keep improving your patch and get creative in the kitchen, says Charlie Boyd

emember that Guinness advert with the surfer and the sea, and the crashing white horses? “He waits, that’s what he does... Tick followed tock followed tick followed tock...” The makers of that advert could easily have replaced the gnarled old sea dog with a vegetable gardener, mug of tea in hand, staring at a bare patch. It probably wouldn’t have sold many pints of the black stuff, but the sentiment would have rung true. Patience is a virtue, they say, and we veg plotters are a virtuous bunch. March and April are all about planting, sowing and waiting…

Pallets – a gardener’s friend

Until recently I was always bemused by those signs you see at the side of the road: ‘Pallets wanted’. What on earth would anyone want with one of those? But then I moved into a house with a couple of old, broken pallets kicking around in the garage. And at the same time, I wanted to create a vegetable patch. Those pallets became my best friends. They may have been a bit of a struggle to dismantle, but now the two blue pallets have been reincarnated as the edging to my semiraised beds and as matching containers for my herb garden (I like to think of them as industrial chic, whatever that is). But you don’t need to dismantle a pallet to make it a useful garden item. By simply turning it into a self-contained planter not only will RS MIND THE CRITTE you save a lot of time and swearing, you’ll also have a place to grow herbs, Take care when giving your compost cherry toms, chillies – st thru ly inded ntm abse I . turn a heap anything small, basically.

a fork into mine and was startled when a mouse ran up one of the prongs before diving for cover – a close shave for the little fella.

You’ll need: * An unbroken pallet * Small roll of landscape fabric * Two big bags of potting soil * Staple gun and staples * Sandpaper

1 2

Take your pallet (you can often find them outside industrial units going spare, but ask before you take one) and sand down any rough bits. You can also paint it if you want. Cover the back and three of the four thin sides with a double layer of the fabric and staple it in place. Don’t scrimp on staples! The open thin side will be the top of your planter, while the uncovered face will also be used for planting (see picture below left).

Move your pallet to the sunny spot where it will live, lay it down open-face-up, and wedge in the plants you want to grow. Jam them in tightly, then fill the pallet with soil. You can then add your thyme, sage etc to the slots in the large side. Nearly done, but here’s a an important bit: leave your planted pallet laying face up for two Don’t forget! weeks, to let the Our thoughts may be roots grow and turning to blossom and ensure everything is lambs but spring can bring held in place when frosts that will kill you stand your seedlings. Keep an eye on pallet up. Water the weather and bring in or regularly and enjoy. cover delicate plants.

Down to work This January we decided to double the size of our patch and give it a tidy up. A new herb garden replaced the old one, in which only mint had prospered, and walkways were created around the two plots. It’s not an exact science this, but it’s all part of the learning curve. Peas, courgettes and runner beans were popular last summer, so we’re planting more, along with the Jerusalem artichokes I mentioned last time, celeriac, asparagus, purple carrots, sweet red peppers, squash, parsnips and tomatoes. I’m also on the look-out for an old trough to use as a planter for my daughter, who wants her own area. Our patch is somewhere between a raised bed and a regular patch. The wooden edging acts as a barrier to grass and weeds (and looks quite nice too). If digging is out of the question, then a raised bed is the best option. You’ll just need enough wood or bricks to build your frame, then fill it in with soil and compost.

54 Great Food Magazine

Example of a pallet planter – it sits upright

Deconstructed pallets make good borders for semi-raised beds

Charlie introduces compost to his patch extension

Voila. One doubled-in-size Rutland vegetable patch

VEG PATCH Recipes for March and April produce

Sprouting broccoli with garlic and oyster sauce One of the earliest garden veg to be ready for your plate – and one of the easiest to grow – is sprouting broccoli, which is seriously under-rated. In the past I’ve grown it in pots on a patio, and the following year self-seeded plants have grown up between the slabs. It’s great simply steamed or boiled to go with your mash and chops, but it’s equally at home as a replacement for harder-to-get Chinese green vegetables. Next time you have a stir-fry or, even better, Chinese five-spice roast belly pork, have this on the side.

Serves two as a side dish

* 1 fat clove garlic, sliced as thinly as you can * 8-10 stalks sprouting broccoli * 2 tbsp oyster sauce * 1 tbsp vegetable oil * Splash of sesame oil 1 If any of your stalks are on the thick side, slice them in half. Rinse and dry. 2 Boil or steam for no more than three or four minutes – you want them softened, but still with a little bite. 3 Plunge the sprouting broccoli into a

A great side dish with virtually any main course

bowl of ice cold water to maintain the bright green colour. 4 Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium-low heat and add the garlic. Keep it moving to prevent burning and, after 30 seconds, add the broccoli

and toss and turn until warm once more. 5 Add the oyster sauce and a few drops of sesame oil (you only need a small splash), and toss for a few moments until everything’s coated. 6 Turn it all out into a heated serving dish.

Braised lettuce and peas Late last year, almost every dish on Masterchef: The Professionals seems to involve braised lettuce. Call me on trend or call me a bandwagon jumper, but I’m going to do the same. The fresh smell of this side dish is what a kitchen garden is all about. If you’re not growing a crispy lettuce, such as iceberg or little gem, do it now, just so you can make this quick and easy dish one night after work. You won’t regret it.

Serves four as a side dish

* 1 small onion, finely chopped * 4 little gem lettuces * 200ml chicken or vegetable stock

* Big double handful of fresh garden peas

* 4 tbsp crème fraiche (optional) 1 Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the chopped onion. 2 Remove any damaged outer leaves from your lettuces and trim the bases, though keep enough to hold the lettuces together. 3 Wash the little gems, then cut in half lengthways. When the onion is soft – probably after about five minutes – place your lettuce halves, cut side down, on top of the onions. Cook for 30 seconds, then turn over and cook for a further 30 seconds. 4 Add the stock, cover with a lid or double layer of foil,

A reason in itself to start growing your own vegetables

and cook on the lowest heat for ten minutes. 5 After 10 minutes, carefully remove the lettuces and put in a sieve over a bowl to drain any excess water. 6 Turn up the heat to reduce the liquid in the pan by half, then add the peas and crème fraiche (if using), season and cook for one minute. 7 Arrange the lettuces in a serving bowl and pour over the pea and broth mixture.

Great Food Magazine 55

PROBIOTIC

Awarded to Natural Probiotic Thick & Creamy

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Quality yogurt produced just 8 hours after milking, BUY FRESH, BUY LOCAL AWARDED THE INTERNATIONAL GOLD AWARD FOR THE BEST NEW DAIRY PRODUCT 2010 *

Awarded to Rhubarb Thick & Creamy Winners of the L ocal Chilled Food Section Award

FOR PROBIOTIC LIVE NATURAL YOGURT

Available at your local farmshop 01664 424245 (office) 01664 424772 (dairy)

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How to

HOW TO...

Grow your own chillies...part 2 Your embryonic heat bombs are above soil. Craig McKnight shows you what to do next

different names such as HID, Envirolights and EPS. For now I will only discuss the simplest and by far the cheapest option – simple fluorescent tube lights that can be bought from any DIY store.

n the last issue I gave you some tips on how to give your chilli seeds the best chance of germinating and starting to grow into big, healthy chilli plants. So, you’ve planted your seeds, crossed everything that wasn’t painful, and your dreams have come true! Your chilli seeds have sprouted! But before you get ahead of yourself, just hold on a second: you’ve got to make sure you look after them well if you’re going to be rewarded with precious fruit. When your chilli seedling has developed its second set of leaves, it’s time to repot it. A mistake that some people make at this stage is to put it straight into a huge pot. If you do this, all that will happen is the chilli plant will grow its roots to fill the pot and concentrate on producing foliage, but not the all-important stems and flowers. If your plant doesn’t produce flowers, then you won’t get any chillies. In addition, if the pots are too big for the root system then the roots won’t be able to use up all the moisture you add every time you water the plant because they simply can’t reach the edges and bottom of the container. This can mean the roots end up sitting surrounded by sodden compost, which encourages fungus and rot. Definitely not what you want.

LET THERE BE LIGHT I have had much success in the past using a simple lighting set-up that cost less than £20. All you need is to head to your local DIY store and pick up a couple (depending on the number of seedlings) of fluorescent strip lights. The one downside with fluorescent lighting is that it tends to give off lots of heat, which can scold or even kill the seedlings. This problem can be eradicated using bulbs known as ‘cool white’. From experience most light fittings will come with normal bulbs so be sure to spend a few extra pounds on these. Keep an eye on your plant and water it if the compost looks like it’s drying out. Again, the idea is to keep the compost moist but not drenched. In the colder months, you will only have to water once every two days or so, but as the weather heats up, you will probably need to water every day. When flowers start to appear on the plant, you can give it a helping hand by adding liquid tomato feed to the water. It should be diluted to half the concentration recommended for tomato plants. Alternatively, you could use one of the feeds specifically designed to be used with chillies. In the next instalment, I’ll be giving you tips on how to make sure that all the flowers on your chilli plants turn into lovely chillies. See you then! Q

‘Remember that your chilli plants also need light’

NURTURING YOUR SEEDLINGS As a rule of thumb, beyond the initial transfer of seedling from seed tray to pot, your chilli plant should then be given a larger pot each time its roots start to appear out from the bottom of its container. Personally, I initially put plants into three-inch pots, then five-inch pots and eventually seven-inch pots. Lever the seedlings out of the soil with a small utensil such as a table knife. If necessary lift the plants by their leaves but not their stems – if you lose a leaf, it can grow back, but if you break the stem below the leaves, the plant won’t make it.

When your chilli seedling gets its second set of leaves it’s time to repot it and give it lots of light

After placing it gently in the new pot and lightly filling with multipurpose compost, very gently firm the soil down. Next, give the repotted plants a light watering (using a watering can with a fine rose). This helps bed the compost around the roots. Remember that your chilli plants need light, and the more you give them, the faster and stronger they will grow! One method often used by growers to avoid straggly plants is to introduce artificial lighting known as grow lights. There are many complicated (and often expensive) options with several

About the writer Chicken-fancier Craig McKnight from Nottingham has been growing chillies for many years. Follow him on Twitter – @WeGrowOurOwn

Great Food Magazine 57

FOOD HISTORY

COOK FOR VICTORY!

A 1918 Ministry of Food cookbook gives Beth Wilmshurst a taste of culinary life during the Great War

s the British soldiers of the First World War fought valiantly, there was a food battle in action on the Home Front. With the introduction of rationing in 1918, the Win-the-War Cookery Book played a vital role with its waste-reducing advice through revised versions of traditional recipes.

Fish Sausages * Two teacupfuls cooked fish tbsp cooked rice (more if liked) * Two * 1/2 tsp dried herbs * Salt and pepper to taste * 1 small egg, or 1 tbsp of the water the rice was boiled in

I wasn’t initially enticed by the name of this dish. Fish-lover I am, but surely a fish and a sausage should never cross paths? Then I thought a little more and decided that if a fish finger and a fish cake were to marry, this would be the result. Of course, one must remember to be forgiving of dubious titles and unusual ingredients – rationing leaves little space for conventional cooking. So I donned my imaginary Edwardian apron and got to work.

Great Food stumbled across this patriotic piece of food history on eBay and asked me if I wanted to blog about it at www.greatfoodmag.co.uk. I said yes. The challenge: create four recipes from the book. With ingredients such as cow heel, maize meal and dripping being called for, I dug out my hair net and started to scour the pantry…

The first ingredient on the list: two teacupfuls of cooked fish. I spent more than a few minutes deliberating what constitutes a teacup, and concerned myself deeply with how much fish I should squish into said cup. Eventually, concluding that guesswork was a happier approach, I overcame this hurdle and the rest followed. The outcome was definitely edible, and quite tasty. I was pleased with the golden exterior, and positively beaming at the well-seasoned haddock interior. The sausage shape was not so easy to achieve. Sporting a potato croquette look, mine were stumpy. I’m sure a dollop of ketchup should help disguise that, unless I’ve exceeded my rations…

Fish sausages – surely coming to one of Heston’s menus soon? 58 Great Food Magazine

WW1 recipes

Barley Bread * 12oz barley flour * 8oz wholemeal * 8oz flour * 1 tsp of salt * 11 tsp castor sugar * /2 oz yeast * 3 gills tepid water I am a bread-making virgin. Despite the self-professed baking fanatic that I am, this is the shameful truth. So as if to scold myself, I am returning to the old traditions of bread-making – well, as old as early 20th century, anyway. My opponent: Barley Bread. The initial obstacle was where to locate barley flour. Surely, I thought, this hasn’t served as an ingredient since 1918? Though proved wrong when I finally discovered one lonely bag in an organic food shop, its packaging certainly led me to believe it had been sitting there since WW1. In the kitchen, more battles awaited. Gills: previously thought to be part of a fish’s anatomical make-up but presented here as a measurement. I was baffled but managed to find out that one gill equates to ¼ pint and added the “three gills of tepid water” accordingly. The other hurdle was kneading. I wasn’t instructed as to how long to do this, simply that I should do it “well”. My patience clearly needs

Golden loaf of rustic barley bread doubles as shell to bombard enemy trenches some exercising, as this part of the process was perhaps where I fell short. I think I was missing the vital air pockets that produce a light, fluffy loaf. So was it a victorious attempt? Well, the overall finish admittedly produced a golden, rustic (brick-like) exterior. The centre, on the other hand, was not so triumphant: dense and stodgy. Perhaps it’ll make a nice bread and butter pud… or a nuclear bomb shelter.

A tepid gill is added to the barley flour

Parkin * Two breakfastcupfuls coarse oatmeal * 6 tbsp butter or margarine * 1 tsp ground ginger * 1 saltspoonful salt * 6 tbsp treacle * A little milk There is no doubt that women on the Home Front had this cooking lark nailed. The speculative nature of the

Oatmeal and ginger – a combo to put hairs on your chest

processes outlined in each recipe’s method suggests these ladies had a great deal of natural intuition. Most instructions lack not only exact timings but also contain units of measurement that can only be described as rather vague. Hmm… wish me luck. Having experimented with a hot savoury dish and tried my hand at baking bread, I decided to go for a sweet treat this time. Research revealed that Parkin is traditionally made and devoured on Bonfire Night in the north of England. There are actually a few versions of this treacley snack – some are more cake-like, while the original Yorkshire Parkin is nearer the biscuit end of the spectrum. My attempt seemed to be

closer to the latter variety (well, as near as I could get it). But like the teacup mystery of the Fish Sausages, I first had to take time to contemplate the sizing of a breakfastcup. I don’t think I ever really sussed this out, but nonetheless, in

Great Food Magazine 59

FOOD HISTORY

went a portion of coarse oatmeal. A teaspoon of ginger followed (I can do teaspoons), then a touch of salt. I added the margarine as instructed, and the treacle in its tablespoonfuls, but my heart sank when I saw the recipe’s closing words: “A little milk”. I decided to pour the milk in for the amount of time it takes to say “a little milk”, and this may have been unwise. The mix became sloppy when it was supposed to have the consistency of a “firm paste”. The only solution was to contribute more oats, and this seemed to do the trick. Formed into biscuit shapes and popped into the oven, I had no idea what temperature to select or how long to bake them for. Guessing, I settled for Gas Mark 2 (150ºC) until golden brown (about 45 minutes).

Don’t dip them – you might break your teacup

Hardly delicate, but not bad considering the distinct lack of method The outcome was a thick, gingery, crumbly biscuit, which actually tasted quite good. The added oats killed the sweetness a little… but I guess that

Surrey Stew * 1lb stewing or any lean beef * 2 carrots * Small bunch of herbs * Seasoning to taste * Flour to thicken

* 1 tbsp butter, dripping or margarine * 2 onions, sliced thinly * 1 turnip * 2 cloves

makes for a more guilt-free treat. Now I just need a flask of tea, gloves, a woolly hat and a bracing walk among fallen leaves, and I’m all set.

Delving for possibly the last time into this relic of food heritage, I took my culinary adventure south – to Surrey and a simple stew. Trying to dig up the roots of this casserole dish, I failed to find any snippet of evidence to explain its birth. The only thing to assume is that some hungry soul in Surrey made a casserole one day, added a personal twist (the cloves, perhaps?) and

dubbed it a hometown classic. Unlike my previous WW1 creations, I did not struggle to translate measurements, or grapple with the time conundrum. I’m all too familiar with the process of making a humble casserole. My main challenge, in fact, was resisting the urge to add a bottle of ale. Fortunately I remembered the luxurious nature of such an element, felt a torrent of shame, and focused my efforts back

Trying to resist adding beer and garlic was the main challenge 60 00 Great GreatFood FoodMagazine Magazine

WW1 recipes More stew recipes...

Flavoursome, warming Surrey Stew – but where does the name come from? Answers to editorial@greatfoodmag.co.uk please onto this wholesome meal of basic, rationed ingredients. The first part of the recipe involved browning the pieces of beef in butter, having coated them thoroughly in well-seasoned flour (“not wheat” – so I chose barley). I was a little worried and reluctant – when making my beef-in-beer stew, I tend to just chuck the meat straight in, pink and mooing, and let the slow cooking do the job. I persisted with the instructions, however, adding the onions, carrots,

turnip, spice and herbs before seasoning well and popping the stew into the oven for a few hours. Victory. A delightfully tender and delicious stew emerged from the oven and warmed all its devourers from head to toe. “But no stock?!” they gasped; “No garlic?!” they exclaimed. Indeed, it was a surprisingly flavoursome dish (though I won’t be giving up the missing elements any time soon), and a classic finale to my WW1 journey.

BETH’S VERDICT, PLUS MORE WW1 RECIPES TO TRY The Win-the-War Cookery Book was published in 1918. Its aims were to save bread and make food go as far as possible.

A real cookery lesson So here I am, still with my patience for cooking intact, the signs of culinary battles etched in the cracks of my wooden spoon. Yes, my journey through the Win-theWar Cookery Book was a turbulent one. That is not to say I did not enjoy the challenge. The measurement and timing

guessing games, the sport of having to resist adding inappropriate ingredients – these all contributed to the unfolding of a new world of cooking. I have learnt the real extent to which food was treasured, preserved and substituted during those tough times. I have also learnt that fish

sausages are not as scary as they first sound. A cookbook to win the war on? It certainly was. Beth Wilmshurst’s blog – Bear’s Digest – can be enjoyed at www.bears digest.tumblr.com

Great GreatFood FoodMagazine Magazine00 61

RECIPE

Franco Bellomusto’s Herb Crust Rack of Lamb Easter is a busy time for family gatherings so we asked Franco Bellomusto – executive chef at the award-winning Italian restaurant group San Carlo – to provide us with a recipe that’s perfect for bringing everyone together. Franco said: “In Italy we love a family meal, whether it’s a small gathering of immediate family or a meal fit for a king with parents, children, cousins, friends, neighbours and people from work. Whoever sits at the Italian table is family. “Nothing beats the delicate taste of sweet, tender lamb, particularly when it is presented as herb crusted rack of lamb – individually prepared for each person.”

For each person you will need a four-bone best-end rack of lamb and the following ingredients: Herb crust: * 2 tbsp of chopped parsley * 1 tbsp of rosemary * 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped * Black pepper and salt to taste * 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil * 50g bread crumbs (stale bread) * 1 tsp French mustard Sauce: * 4 tbsp mint sauce

Franco Bellomusto is executive chef at San Carlo Group and is based at the restaurant in Temple Street, Birmingham city centre, which this year celebrates its 20th anniversary. San Carlo is an Italian family-owned business, founded by Carlo Di Stefano, with restaurants in Leicester, Bristol, Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds. It is expanding internationally with its Signor Sassi brand, originally founded in London’s fashionable Knightsbridge Green, opposite Harrods.

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1 Sear the lamb in a pan with a little olive oil. 2 Transfer the lamb to a baking tray and cover the bones only in foil. 3 If serving pink – which I advise – cook in the oven at Gas 6 (200ºC) for approximately 10 minutes. 4 Take the lamb out of the oven and spread the French mustard over the meat. 5 In a separate dish mix all the herbs together. 6 Dip the lamb into the herb mixture, ensuring all sides are completely covered. 7 Put back in the oven for a further five minutes – or until the lamb is cooked to your liking. 8 Warm up some mint sauce in a pan over a low Franco’s tip heat and add a little water Franco recommends to thin. Drizzle to serve. the lamb is served with

{ } roasted vegetables and sautéed potatoes. A glass of Barolo wine is the perfect accompaniment.

ALE SOMMELIER

DUNCAN MURRAY’S BEER TIP Phipps India Pale Ale Phipps was a well-loved Northampton brewery that ceased trading many years ago. Phipps IPA is now brewed by Oakham’s Grainstore. Its malty dried fruits with restrained sweetness will complement the lamb perfectly. Price: £2.79

Food business THE INSIDER

The Big Cheese Long Clawson Dairy is one of the region’s most successful food businesses. Helen Benton finds out why…

his issue I want to focus on a successful local food business and look at why it is thriving. There are few more successful than Leicestershire cheese producer Long Clawson Dairy – it now exports to 37 countries worldwide – so I went to speak with its CEO, Martin Taylor. Long Clawson Dairy was born in 1911 when 12 farmers joined forces. Since then, although the business has grown hugely and is now supplied by over 40 local farmers, its ethos has stayed the same: making high-quality products, providing excellent service to retailers and ensuring long-term profits for its farmers. From speaking with Martin, four key reasons appear to have shaped Clawson’s success.

On the factory floor

Sign displayed by Clawson-supplying farms

Thinking long-term

The dairy does not make quick decisions that would only benefit in the short-term. Instead, everything it does is about investing for the long-term future of the business and supporting future generations of farmers. This was clear after looking around the site: Clawson is building a huge storage facility and buying new cutting machinery.

Consistent service

Long Clawson Dairy has three principles that it stands by, no matter what changes are taking place. These are health and safety, product quality and service delivery. With a constantly expanding site, sticking to these can provide challenges, but maintaining standards no matter what leads to all-important long term consumer satisfaction.

Understanding retailers

The cheese producer distributes to a wide range of retailers, from small outlets like The Melton Cheeseboard to large supermarkets. Each has different needs but the dairy embraces this and goes the extra mile to understand each one, leading to firm, long-standing trading relations.

The heart of the Clawson business – local cows!

A few cheese facts Blue Stilton is generally matured for between six and 14 weeks. Milk contains, on average, about 9% fat and protein. This is what makes the cheese. The rest is water, which needs to be discarded. 60% of Long Clawson Dairy’s cheese is Stilton – 30% of this is sold during the Christmas period. In the US, Blue Stilton is sold for between $25-30 per pound.

Innovation

What I loved about the ethos at the dairy was the idea of embracing change and trying new things. Clawson is trying to innovate and find ways to exploit gaps in the cheese market. There are some exciting plans in place for 2012 so look out on the supermarket shelves. The dairy is about to launch its own cheese brand called Claxstone, which draws on the heritage of the local area. Also, Clawson is developing some exciting licensed products by teaming up with well-known household brands to tap into the kids’ market and offer new formats. Heinz Tomato Ketchup and Lea & Perrins fans should watch this space! Q

Helen Benton specialises in business and brand strategy, innovation and communication planning. Contact her if you think she could help grow your business – www.hownowmarketing.com or 07900 212204

+RZ 1RZ 0DUNHWLQJ

Great Food Magazine 63

PUB WALK

The walk

St Helen’s church at Sibbertoft

FROM THE Red Lion at Sibbertoft, turn right through the village to a T-junction. Turn left to the church and you will see a Jurassic Way signpost pointing through the churchyard. Continue on this path to the gate, turn left and carry straight on, parallel to the hedge on your left.

GO THROUGH a gate and down a path to the road. Turn left and continue to Welford Road, bearing right for 200 yards before entering a footpath on your left. Continue diagonally to a gap in a hedge and then on again towards the end of a hedge ahead.

TURN RIGHT to a gate and go diagonally across the field to a stile by a pond and trees. Continue straight ahead through the gap and cross the road onto a track ahead. Go through the gate at the point where the road bends and continue along the reservoir. Walk straight ahead.

Battle your way to Welford and enjoy wine fit for a king

A five mile circuit near Naseby Battlefield that takes in one of the UK’s best wine pubs

OVERVIEW OF AREA

64 Great Food Magazine

Battle of Naseby

}

It was on the open fields around Naseby on June 14, 1645, that around 15,000 soldiers belonging to Parliament’s New Model Army took on and defeated 12,000 Royalists fighting for King Charles I.

lane, rolling open countryside and the site of the medieval village of Old Sulby. You will walk past both Welford and Sulby reservoirs, separated by a causeway, frozen over during our visit, and Welford village. As you near Home Farm just past the Royal Mail box you may encounter an amazingly inquisitive pheasant. He is not aggressive but you won’t forget the experience. The latter part of the route encompasses the Naseby battle area and it is certain that as you approach Sulby Abbey, a beautiful 18th century house, you are walking where Roundheads and Cavaliers once pursued each other in the heat of battle. The walk continues through a delightful green lane and into a wood, and then flattens out to provide an easy walk back to the village. EM

ibbertoft is a typical Leicestershire/Northamptonshire village on the edge of a very historical area of Great Britain. It was a few miles from here at Naseby that Oliver Cromwell engaged in the most decisive battle of the English Civil War, defeating the Royalists in June 1645. We started out on a cold, wintry day in early February, the ground blanketed in snow. The walk itself – a five ` mile circuit – is not too taxing and is part of the Jurassic Way, encompassing Sibbertoft church, a pretty stroll through a village

YOU WILL eventually see a Royal Mail box on your right. Continue ahead for 100 yards and then bear left along a footpath behind farm buildings and continue ahead to a kissing gate. Cross the field to a stepped stile ahead.

CONTINUE TO a signpost and across the footbridge and stile. You can now see Sulby reservoir ahead. Cross the causeway and turn right through a gate and continue by the side of the reservoir until you come onto a track and down to the road. (To your right you can see the Wharf Inn, a friendly pub, which is about a minute’s walk away).

A few nags en route are inevitable

Napton on the Hill and Shuckburgh

Detailed walk map

PUB WALK

The Red Lion

TURN LEFT along Naseby Road and continue past Welford Grange to a footpath on your right. Continue downhill behind a barn to a gate. Bear right and cross the footbridge. Turn immediately left up the field to an iron gate. Continue with the hedge on your right to the next iron gate.

THERE IS now a permissive path sign on your right, which you can use if you wish. Otherwise, turn left diagonally across the field, to a post. Continue ahead through a gap in the hedge and go straight on. Follow the drain on your right and continue to a track.

TURN LEFT and then right and left again to the road. Turn left and walk past the fork in the road and continue until you see a sign to the Red Lion pub. Turn left and walk back to the village.

CROSS THE bridge and follow the stream, bearing left to a stile. Go over the stile and straight ahead towards Sulby Abbey in the distance and continue over a bridge to a gate.

BEAR SLIGHTLY uphill to a track (passing Sulby Abbey to your right); you are now in the battle area. Cross over, bearing left to the top corner of the field. Turn right at the road and then left along the bridleway next to the Oak Tree Farm sign.

CONTINUE ALONG the green lane and through the wood ahead and then cross the field to a gate. Turn right and follow the hedge on your right. Continue to the hedge in the adjacent field.

This way for vino!

NOTES: We’ve done this walk and believe that the instructions are clear and accurate. Take a map – OS Explorer 223 – and allow enough time.

Above and below: the bar and dining areas of the Red Lion wine pub at Sibbertoft

The Red Lion wine pub and restaurant at Sibbertoft on the Leicestershire/ Northamptonshire border is one of those gems that crops up from time to time. It’s an ideal place to end your walk, especially if you’re partial to a glass of red, for the Red Lion was The Publican’s British Wine Pub of the Year 2010. It was also a finalist in the Northamptonshire Food & Drink Awards 2011/12. From the outside the Red Lion appears to be a small, traditional village pub but inside is a combination of old and new, with a number of rooms including a welcoming bar area and a dining room. Proprietors Andrew and Sarah Banks have built an excellent reputation for the pub and are passionate about their work, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The menu is varied, and when we arrived it had just been changed, which chef Andrew tries to do at least every month. We ate from the a la carte menu, starting with warm bread and olives, a grilled goats’ cheese dish, a truly superb smoked salmon salad, followed by pork valentine, and chicken with haggis and whisky. Considering its award we were not surprised at the quality of the Sauvignon Blanc. The bill, including a bottle of wine and pot of tea, came to £48 (for two people), which we thought was good value. The Red Lion, 43 Welland Rise, Sibbertoft, Leics LE16 9UD, 01858 880011, www.redlionwinepub.co.uk

Sulby Abbey

Great Food Magazine 65

Show us your

DREAM KITCHEN DESIGNER PROFILE NAME: Chiselwood of Saxilby, near Lincoln

COMPANY BACKGROUND:

Chiselwood was founded in 1989 and is a former Lincs Business of the Year. It is run by founder Martin Holliday, who is also the design director and was named Kitchen Designer of the Year in 2005.

Each issue we show off an envy-inducing kitchen from Great Food territory. Here, arts and crafts meets modern

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Chiselwood undertakes private commissions throughout the UK and does not have standard ranges. First, hand-drawn plans are made up, then a 3D model is created before the cabinets are built and installed. A bespoke Chiselwood kitchen costs from £35,000.

his stylish and beautiful kitchen sits within an arts and crafts-period house in the centre of Lincoln. (The arts and crafts movement ran from 1860 to 1910). The owners wanted their new cooking area to be modern but also to speak in the original language of the building. The brief was to create a light and airy atmosphere, to make the room look bigger than it actually was, and to include a mix of cooking appliances. The owners wanted to use their new kitchen as a space in which to entertain regularly but also somewhere suited to intimate dining. The kitchen installation was part of a bigger job – the house was gutted and reworked through three stories.

The result The stunning half-moon stained glass window – installed by Chiselwood – is the focal point of the room and sets the tone of old meets ultra modern. The extra light this window provides creates the desired feeling of more space. “We are so pleased with the way the kitchen works that we haven’t stopped entertaining since we moved in,” say the owners. CONTACT Chiselwood, Fossdyke House, Gainsborough Road, Saxilby, Lincoln LN1 2JH, 01522 704446, www.chiselwood.co.uk

66 Great Food Magazine

DRAWERS The wide drawers are made from English oak and built in the traditional dovetailed manner. The handles are a combination of stainless steel and glass, while the work surfaces are zirconium.

CHROME

Mirror and chrome surfaces on the walls and square glass handles on the units give a modern feel. The mirrors also reflect light from the windows opposite, making the whole kitchen appear more spacious than it actually is.

COLOURS

The furniture is painted in subtle ‘Garlic’ from the Chiselwood Paint Collection. Detailing is in ‘Oak’ and ‘Zabrano’.

GOT A GREAT KITCHEN?

To have yours fea tured, email editorial@ greatfoodmag. co.uk

The central island’s rounded edge leads to a curve on one side, drawing you into the dining area

WINDOWS

Light streams into the dining section from two windows above the curved seat, creating a light and airy eating area.

WOOD

The central island is sectioned off from the dining area by a decorative dividing wall that incorporates olive ash. There are two floor surfaces, divided by a small mosaic.

COOKER

All cooking appliances are by Miele. An art deco inspired overmantle houses a steam oven and combi microwave, plus warming drawers.

Great Food Magazine 67

WINNER OF THE UK’S BEST WINE PUB

TOP FOOD, TOP WINES, AT PUB PRICES! Lunch time snacks and an ever-changing a la carte menu available Wine dinners, classic gourmet menu, 3-Course Wednesday @ £12 once a month Mothers Day, 18th March – £19.95 per person for 3 delicious courses.

Monday-Saturday Evening: 6.30-11.00, Wednesday-Saturday Lunch: 12.00-3.00 Sunday Lunch: 12.00-5.00

AT THE HAMMER & PINCERS RESTAURANT, WYMESWOLD, WE PRIDE OURSELVES IN SOURCING THE FINEST LOCAL INGREDIENTS, AND MAKE EVERYTHING WE SERVE IN HOUSE.

Our seasonal COMFORT MENU is now available – £12.50 FOR TWO COURSES or £15.00 FOR THREE COURSES (lunch 12-2pm Tues-Fri, dinner 6-7pm Tues-Fri). STARTERS:

Spiced Parsnip Soup, Coriander Chantilly, Curry Oil & Home Baked Bread • Smoked Haddock Welsh Rarebit, Watercress Salad, Tomato Vinaigrette • Blackberry Farm Lamb Shoulder Hotpot in Miniature.

AVAILABLE AS A STARTER OR MAIN COURSE:

• Family run business • Professional 3D Design and Planning service • Full installation service or supply only • Extensions, building alterations - project managed Flooring also avaliable.

Fresh Egg Pasta, Spicy Chorizo, Smoked Paprika Roasted Chicken & Olive Ragu • Beetroot Risotto, Herb Crusted Goats Cheese, Ruby Chard Dressed with Walnut Oil • Wild Brancaster Mussels, Cooked Marinière (served with French Fries as a main). MAIN COURSES:

Tandoori Cauliflower, Bombay Potatoes, Courgette, Onion & Coriander Pakora • Beer Battered Responsibly Sourced Fish & Hand Cut Chips, Crushed Peas, Tartar Sauce • Long Whatton Game Pie with Cracked Pepper Crust, Butter Mash, Peas & Carrots. DESSERTS: Brûlée Crusted Vanilla Rice Pudding, Homemade Red Berry Confiture • Baked Stem Ginger Pudding, Whiskey Mac Toffee Sauce, Rhubarb Ripple Ice Cream • Cropwell Bishop Stilton & Vintage Lincolnshire Poacher, Accompaniments • A Selection of Home Made Ice Creams & Sorbets.

The Hammer & Pincers 5 East Road, Wymeswold, Loughborough LE12 6ST t: 01509 880735

w: www.hammerandpincers.co.uk

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Where to

EAT & DRINK Your guide to local restaurants, pubs and more P74

Derbyshire

Welbeck

Bakewell

Lincoln Ollerton

Matlock

Mansfield

BARKERS

Clumber Park

Newark

P73

Lincs

Notts

Ashbourne Nottingham

Derby

AL BARAKAH

Sleaford

Grantham

Balsall Heath Burton

Staffs

Leics

Melton Oakham

Lichfield

Rutland

Stamford

Leicester

Peterboroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Warwicks

Corby

Market Harboro

Birmingham

Oundle

Kettering

Selihull P72

P77 Rugby Warwick

ALBERO

Northampton

Stilton

Cambs

Northants Northampton

Beds

THE BLACK BULL Market Overton

Great Food Magazine 69

WHERE TO EAT

Where to eat

LOCAL RESTAURANT NEWS Keeping you in touch with what’s simmering and stewing across the Heart of England. By Tim Burke Local restaurant news is sponsored by Great Food Club

EAST LODGE HOTEL AND RESTAURANT East Lodge has joined The Peacock (profiled in Great Food’s Christmas 2011 issue) to become the second venue in the Derbyshire village of Rowsley near Bakewell to hold a coveted third AA rosette. The upgrade follows a £250,000 kitchen refurbishment designed to give full rein to head chef Simon Bradley. According to the AA, at East Lodge you can expect “modern food with up-to-date cooking techniques to the fore, and fine Derbyshire produce at its core”. The evening menu recently featured dishes such as grouse three ways with mushrooms, pearl barley and East Lodge apples. www.eastlodge.com East Lodge

ITALIAN MASTERCLASS Lino Poli, chef patron of Firenze in Kibworth Beauchamp, south Leicestershire, is teaming up with nearby cookery school Bridge 67 to run a series of masterclasses on Italian food. Each month in 2012 he will be highlighting either a region or an ingredient – such as Sicilian cuisine on May 10 and a ’tutto pesce’ day on April 19. For full details visit the website: www.bridge67cookeryschool.co.uk

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LUNCH FOR Langar Hall EVEN LESS A group of the region’s best restaurants has extended its joint ’Lunch for Even Less’ offer until March 31. Designed to get jaded palates out again after Christmas, the scheme sees the restaurants offer two courses at considerably reduced prices of between £11.95 and £16.50, with an extra course available at between £3 and £5. Taking part are the Berkeley Arms in Wymondham, Langar Hall in Langar, The Red Lion in Stathern, The Marquess of Exeter in Lyddington and the Olive Branch in Clipsham. Hambleton Hall was also in the promotion until March 3. Check offers and book with the restaurant concerned. FUMO Italian restaurant group San Carlo is to open a Venetian tapas-style bar in the heart of Birmingham. Fumo is set to launch in April on Waterloo Street, close to the original San Carlo, which is also being refurbished during March. Food at Fumo will be similar to San Carlo’s Cichetti brand, offering small plate dishes such as lobster ravioli and carpaccio of beef with Parmesan and rocket. www.sancarlo.co.uk WATSON FOTHERGILL’S The celebrated architect of Victorian Nottingham is

commemorated in a new pub bistro. Sited in one of the great man’s buildings near the foot of Nottingham castle, Watson Fothergill’s offers a fixed bistro menu and is promising to focus on local produce and beers from nearby microbreweries. The evening menu offers mains at £10.90, two courses for £13.90 and three for £17.90. The venue is run by the Eversosensible group, which also owns the Le Mistral bistro chain with branches in Nottingham, Sherwood, Wirksworth and Bakewell. www.eversosensible.com/ fothergills RESTAURANT 23 Leamington Spa fine dining venue Restaurant 23 moves to a brand new home this spring.

After six years at Dormer Place it is relocating to a fully renovated Victorian building in Holly Walk that includes a 50-seat main dining room, a 36-seat outdoor courtyard and a stylish cocktail bar called Morgan’s, also open to non-diners. Doors were set to open at the new location on February 22. www. restaurant23. co.uk NEW IRANIAN IN COVENTRY An Iranian restaurant focusing on authentic kebab and rice dishes has opened on Foleshill Road in Coventry. Persian Seasons serves dishes such as saffron chicken with barberries and pistachios, and chargrilled lamb fillet. It features live music on Saturdays. Persian Seasons on Facebook

Inside Fumo, San Carlo's new Birmingham tapas restaurant

Is Now Open We have 5 real ales (including White Hart and Rupert’s Wardog), a selection of continental lagers and an expansive wine list that we import ourselves from around the world. Our speciality is stone baked, handmade pizzas with a wide choice of toppings, anything from the traditional to the slightly quirky! We also have a range of other dishes that are sure to delight your taste buds.

e 1 Not So Larg pizza with a d 2 toppings an beer pint of selected

for just £9.95 7pm Mon-Sat 6pm-

2 Not So L pizzas, 2 to arge pp and a bott ings le of white, red rosé hous or e wine

£19.95

Mon-Sat 6p m-7pm

11 Market Place, Oakham, Rutland, LE15 6DT t. 01572 868340 info@thelordnelsonoakham.com www.thelordnelsonoakham.com

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REVIEW Menu samples STARTERS AND MAINS

The Albero, Northampton

Confit pork belly and braised cheek with smoked paprika chickpeas, potato bravas and quince aioli,

CUISINE: Mediterranean PRICE PER HEAD: Around £25 to £30 for food; red and white wine ranges from £13.50 to £27.50 a bottle KIDS WELCOME: Yes DOGS: Guide dogs only CUSTOMER CAR PARKING: Multi-storey car park at the college FOOD TIMES: Tue to Sat – noon to 3pm; early supper 5.30-7pm; dinner 6pm-11pm

f you heard about a restaurant where they served inventive, carefully prepared, beautifully presented food at good prices, you’d give it a go, wouldn’t you? What if I said this restaurant was in Northampton College? If anyone asks me to recommend a good place to eat in Northampton I often suggest The Albero, which is in the college’s Lower Mounts building. This can bring quizzical looks so I hastily explain that it’s not the college canteen and not run by beginners. Far from it. The staff includes college apprentices and head chef Liam Goodwill was once a Northampton College student himself. I popped in for lunch with a friend recently. The entrance takes you into a foyer. Turn left and you end up in the beauty salon, but turn

£7.20/£16

Braised onion and Lancashire cheese tart fine with pickled red cabbage, chervil and pecans, £5.60/£12.50 Escabeche of sea bream with new potatoes, cherry tomatoes, olives and baby basil, £6.50/£14.50

DESSERTS

Set vanilla cheesecake with blood orange and star anise jelly, £7.50 Baked apple terrine with prune purée and acorn ice cream, £6 right and you are in the warmly decorated and softly lit restaurant. A set lunch menu offers two courses for £9 and another lists a range of dishes that can be served in starter or main course sizes. For example, grilled vegetable roulade with taleggio, chive risotto and herb oil is £5.50 as a starter and £12.50 as a main course. We went for two courses on the set lunch and I chose crisp breast of lamb and shallot tart with roast artichoke and spinach – a lovely combination. My friend selected pan-fried coley with fennel and saffron stew: tender fish on a tasty stew. She came away resolving to go back for an evening meal with her partner.

We finished with the lemon mousse. I have often found the desserts the highlight at The Albero. On previous visits I have tried a towering, light soufflé, a dainty crème brulee and a deconstructed lemon meringue pie. Today’s pudding was just as good with a perfectly intense lemon flavour combining with a scoop of the creamiest ice cream. Good value, pleasant service – going back to college was enjoyable. Yvonne Martin THE ALBERO Lower Mounts, Northampton NN1 3DE, 01604 400800, www.albero-restaurant.co.uk

1RUWKÀ HOG )DUP 6KRS

5HVWDXUDQW O Restaurant - “A slice of foodie heaven” Open Thursday – Sunday for lunch 12am – 3pm Thursday – Saturday 7pm – late for evening meals Perfect venue for small parties & business meetings O Rare and Traditional British Beef, Pork, Lamb, Poultry O Award- winning butchery O Artisan Breads, Brownies and Pastries from our Bakery O Home-made Black Pudding, Local Cheeses and much more from our Shop O Fabulous Amphora Wine shop on site O Delicious Hedgerow Spirits (Sloe Gin) produced on site WHISSENDINE LANE, COLD OVERTON, NR. OAKHAM, LEICESTERSHIRE LE15 7QF (follow Brown Signs on A606) www.northfieldfarm.com 01664 474271 email: marc@northfieldfarm.com

Introducing our Chefs With each of their individual styles, the Head Chefs at The Crown Hotel, The Exeter Arms and The White Hart enthuse at using local, seasonal produce, much of which is from the Tallington farm. Reservations can be taken for restaurant bookings as well as weddings, christenings and celebrations.

We look forward to welcoming you soon.

t. 01780 763136 www.thecrownhotelstamford.co.uk

t. 01780 756321

t. 01780 740 250

www.theexeterarms.net

www.whitehartufford.co.uk

Great Taste Awards winners in every year of entry As featured on BBC2 GREAT BRITISH FOOD REVIVAL.

All Saints’ Hotels Ltd. All Saints’ Place, Stamford, PE9 2AG t. 01780 763136

Review

Al Barakah Lebanese Bakery, Balsall Heath

Delightful Arabic food cooked in a seven ton stone oven Baked snapper is served regularly on Wednesdays

Two pieces of sambousek will set you back £1

Sample menu STARTERS

Warak inab b’zeit (stuffed vine leaves) £2.50 Laham ba’ajiyn (flatbread topped with spiced minced lamb) £1.50

MAINS

Baked whole sea bass with saffron rice and vegetable side dish £5

DESSERT

Homemade baklawa

from £2

CUISINE: Lebanese (take away or eat in, limited seating) PRICE PER HEAD: £10-15 KIDS WELCOME: Yes DOGS: No CUSTOMER CAR PARKING: No FOOD TIMES: Mon-Sat – 9am to 9pm; Sunday – 9am to 5pm

is the specially imported Lebanese stone stew of cod with beans, garlic, tomato, lemon oven, weighing more than seven tons, that and spiked with bokharat – a distinctive was installed prior to the bakery’s opening blend of pepper, paprika, cumin, coriander, two and a half years ago. Ably assisted by his cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and cardamom. wife Youmna and his two daughters and son, As well as tasty lamb kofte there were this family business serves a daily changing potatoes stuffed with minced lamb, and a menu of traditional selection of vegetarian Lebanese dishes. dishes including potato hara, Abbas in front of To accompany the baked green wheat, saffron his seven ton oven well travelled musician friend first pizza-like baked breads rice and mela musqah – a recommended Al Barakah Lebanese with toppings – manakeish spectacularly rich and Bakery to me, proclaiming it to serve zaatar (topped with unctuous dish of aubergine, AT FOOD the best home-cooked Arabic food goats’ cheese), potato and chick peas. RE she had encountered on these laham ba’ajiyn With prices from £1 for two shores. Situated in Balsall Heath, (minced lamb) and pieces of sambousek (a Birmingham, Al Barakah offers a fatayer bi sabanekh stuffed baked pastry) up wide range of freshly prepared (spinach) – are freshly to £5 for the daily special, PROFILE baked breads, pastries and sweets as made hummus, baba Al Barakah offers well as meat, fish and vegetable dishes ganoush and tabbouleh, all amazingly good value and to eat in or take away. flavoured with the aromatic authentic home-style Freshly baked Over a plate of handmade falafel, crispy on spices of the region. Lebanese cuisine. flatbreads the outside and deliciously moist within, On Saturdays and Wednesdays Richard March proprietor and chef Abbas explained to me Al Barakah serves baked seafood that the secret of Al Barakah’s delicious fare and on the day of my visit there was a choice of whole sea bass stuffed with CONTACT pepper, coriander, spring onion, parsley, Al Barakah, 167 Mary Street, Balsall Heath, Birmingham lemon, chilli, garlic and olive oil, alongside B12 9RN, 0121 4400312, whole baked snapper, juicy prawns with info@albarakahbakeries.co.uk lemon, garlic and paprika; and a delicious

Bakery

‘A spectacularly rich and unctuous dish of aubergine, potato and chick peas’

JAQUEST )RRG 6SHFLDOLVW )DUMDOV &RXQWU\ )RRGV

5(':22' 6PRNHKRXVH

Established in 1989 we specialise in “Extremely High Quality” food products. We use traditional methods of Curing & Smoking of Fresh British Produce, using Sea Salt, Raw Cane Sugar, Herbs & Spices.

Jaquest Food Specialist, Bolsover Business Park, Off Woodhouse Lane, Bolsover, Near Chesterfield S44 6BD Tel: +44 (0)1246 827 972 Fax: +44 (0)1246 827 972 Email: info@jaquest.co.uk www.jaquest.co.uk Affordable, tasty Lebanese cuisine

Great Food Magazine 73

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WHERE TO EAT

Restaurant

Barkers Restaurant at Clumber Park Decadent dining in a beautiful National Trust setting

Nelly’s Room at Barkers – a stylish backdrop to fine dining

P R AT E D

Sample menu Starters

Soup of the day, homemade from local produce, £4.95 Cured Hardwick ham and melon with a garnish of seasonal leaves, £7.95

Mains

Stewed Derbyshire mutton with leek mashed potato, £15.95 Pan-fried venison on a bed of red cabbage, £18.95

Desserts

Jamaica mousse on crunchy ginge r nut biscuits, £5.95 Mincemeat money bags with vanil la clotted cream ice cream, £6.05

SPECIALITIES: Fine dining, local seasonal produce, some historically inspired dishes FOOD TIMES: Wednesday to Sunday 10am-5pm; Friday and Saturday 6-9pm

Expect well presented food

arkers Restaurant, nestled in the heart of Clumber Park in north Nottinghamshire, is a first for the National Trust – an exploration into fine dining. Aiming to take National Trust eateries to a whole new level, Barkers offers a menu of seasonal and locally sourced food, prepared to the highest standard. Set alongside Clumber Park’s Walled Kitchen Garden inside the former head gardener’s house, Barkers is named after former resident digger-in-chief, Samuel Barker, who was in post from 1899 to 1935 and tasked with serving the Duke of Newcastle and his family (residents at Clumber) with exotics like pineapples and grapes. Today Barkers is still enjoying the fruits of the garden next door, with glasshouses providing the crisp and colourful salad greens and super sweet

The service team is attentive and welcoming, making you feel right at home whether dropping in for a table for two and a cup of tea or attending a special lunch in the private dining room upstairs. When it comes to the food, head chef Uwe Siwy has created a seasonal British menu with a modern twist. Sunday lunch when we

‘Barkers is still enjoying the fruits of the garden next door’

tomatoes that accompanied our meals on the day we dined – a chilly Sunday in January. Each of the rooms within this beautiful old house has been decorated in a kitsch and contemporary style, with the patterned wallpaper and beautiful light fittings creating a very special setting. The house has an almost Alice in Wonderland charm to it, with a new discovery behind every door – such as the fantastically decorated peacock-themed ladies’ bathroom and the grand sweep of the original wooden staircase.

74 Great Food Magazine

visited offered delights such as local beef roasted to rare perfection, and a ‘bird within a bird within a bird within a bird’ roast of pheasant, wood pigeon, turkey and chicken, as a nod to the decadent meals enjoyed on this estate in times past. The starters were simple and fresh. We tried the smoked salmon and gravadlax, and the roasted goats’ cheese, both of which were the perfect introduction to the quality produce on the menu here. The daily lunch offer is updated with the seasons and has a focus on robust British flavours – from pan-fried venison to stewed Derbyshire mutton and Hardwick ham – and perfectly accompanied by a carefully selected and reasonably priced wine list. Barkers is also proving popular for its classic afternoon teas, celebrating the traditional with treats such as homemade fruit cake and shortbread, freshly baked scones and finger sandwiches, with the option of a champagne accompaniment if you fancy. After working up an appetite with a stroll around the beautiful lake, a wander through the Walled Kitchen Garden or a cycle ride through the 3,800 acres of parkland, Barkers is the perfect reward. Q EH CONTACT

There’s plenty to see in the gardener’s old house

Clumber Park, Worksop, Notts S80 3AZ, 01909 544925, barkers@nationaltrust.org.uk

Where to eat

THE MYSTERY MUNCHER

The hardest to find restaurant in the Midlands? New columnist The Mystery Muncher gets lost in Leicester

heard rumours of a great Italian restaurant in Leicester some years ago. Any decent restaurant in Leicester is a rarity, so I decided to try to find it, first by car. I was told that it was in the centre and not far from Belvoir Street but no joy. In the end I parked in the Phoenix car park and walked down said street (pronounced ‘Beaver’ in Leicester, not in the French fashion) and looked for the tricolore that might indicate an Italian restaurant. There was absolutely nothing. In the end I asked a likely passer-by and was directed to a little side street, which I walked down twice without finding anything. I was about to give up when someone burst out of an unmarked green door shouting in Italian on the phone – he didn’t sound happy. I followed him back through the door and found myself in a timewarp. Pine furniture straight out of the 1970s, odd Italian pictures that most of us remember seeing from early holidays (but sadly no plastic lobsters in fishing nets hanging from the ceiling). Despite all the retro the place was heaving on a Tuesday lunchtime, so I decided to look at the menu. Here again were the same choices that you might have found when the Great Caruso was in vogue but I noticed that most of the customers weren’t looking at the menus, they were looking at the blackboard or talking to Roberto or Francesco, the guys who owned the place. I got the message. Roberto has run this restaurant for 30 years, so after I’d checked the blackboard I asked him to bring me some sea bass and quizzed him on how he would cook it. He said he refused to cook the sea bass in any way because the sonofabitchofafishmonger had not sent him the quality of bass that he normally delivered. In the end I left the choice to Roberto and he brought

“Alas...” Casa Romana owner Roberto re-enacts Hamlet with a puffball mushroom

“He said the sonofabitchfishmonger had not sent him the quality of sea bass that he required” Scallops Con Spinaci – caramelised scallops in a special sauce with thyme, passatta and double cream. It was absolutely fabulous. For my main course he chose the ubiquitous Saltimbocca alla Romana. Ubiquitous it may be, but at this place you can see why the original dish became so popular. I realised that I still didn’t know the name of the restaurant so I checked on the menu and saw it was known as Casa Romana – a suitably unpretentious name in these brand-conscious days. The whole place was a opera but I loved it: they filleted fish on the bar but with great expertise, they cared more about the quality

of their ingredients than the slickness of customer service, they argued among themselves constantly, but every bit of food looked as though it had come out of a great Italian kitchen, not out of a bag. Casa Romana in Albion Street, Leicester, was the place I visited. Don’t look for any signs outside to identify it, but if you fancy an antidote to all the formulaic and franchised chain restaurants that litter our towns and cities, then it’s really worth seeking out. There’s a small photograph below to help you find it. Go through the green door. Q CONTACT Casa Romana, 5 Albion St, Leicester LE1 6GD, 0116 2541174, www.casaromana.co.uk

Great Food Magazine 75

WHERE TO EAT

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William Cecil, Stamford You can eat locally in ‘quirky luxury’ at this new hotel SPECIALITIES Local produce, Saddleback pork (the hotel’s own), luxury surroundings FOOD TIMES: Mon-Sat – 12-2.30pm & 6-9pm (9.30pm on Sat); Sun – 12-9pm

The dining areas transmit an Imposing grandeur

Menu samples Starters

Venison Scotch egg, dandelion salad , radish and English mustard, £8 Brancaster mussels with Bloody Mary sauce, £8/£10.50

Dessert

Star anise panna cotta, £7

remodelling of the William Cecil – carried out by local craftsmen – was inspired by nearby Elizabethan crowd-puller Burghley House. Hillbrooke managing director Christoph Brooke says: “The creation of the hotel was

The tea room at The William Cecil – made for scones and Earl Grey

FOOD AT THE WILLIAM CECIL

76 Great Food Magazine

OFILE

Mains

‘The menu features the hotel’s very own Saddleback pigs’

Head chef at The William Cecil is Neil Dowson, who moved to Stamford from The Master Builders at Beaulieu, Hampshire – another Hillbrooke Hotel. Neil’s menu is influenced by local, seasonal ingredients. These include venison from the Burghley Estate, Lincoln Beef, smoked fish from Smith’s Smokery and the

10-hour Chipotle pork shoulder with soft tortilla, guacamole and salsa (from the ‘This Little Piggy’ menu), £8.7 5 Pan-fried halibut, £18

incolnshire’s county boundary envelops most of Stamford, but lying as the town does within a pinch of five shires, it’s fair to say that the residents of Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire wouldn’t say no if it tried to decamp there from the land of chine (see p52). As a ‘destination’ town – especially during the lucrative Burghley Horse Trials in September – the hospitality and hotel business here is highly competitive. For years, Stamford’s Lady Anne’s Hotel played distant second fiddle to the impressive, ancient but exceptionally traditional George Hotel just a few yards down the road. Now there’s a new player in town. The William Cecil is the result of a six month renovation of the building formerly known as The Lady Anne’s by London-based hotel group Hillbrooke, whose tagline is ‘Quirky Luxury’. The same group operates The Bull & Swan a few doors away. The 2011 interior

Restaurant

William Cecil’s very own Saddleback pigs, which were kept in the woods near the hotel and have spent the winter months being fattened up. The Saddlebacks are now the mainstay of the hotel’s ‘This Little Pig Came to The William Cecil’ pork menu, which was launched in February 2012.

The drawing room

influenced by Burghley’s gardens and its history. While the interior design does not faithfully copy the Burghley State Rooms, it does give a flavour of their grandeur and a hint of travels past.” No expense has been spared – much of the Cecil’s furniture was created specially in Rajasthan and some of its 27 bedrooms – all individually designed – contain bathrooms with roll top baths. All rooms are unique. The dining room – an imposing mix of carved, dark wood and the chunkiest chairs you’ll ever park your bottom on – can accommodate 75 and features high settles and bookcases as well as more intimate areas. The hotel has also been designed with weddings in mind. One area has been created as an option for a bridal couple, with its own private terrace and garden and two large adjoining rooms. Outside, in the newly landscaped gardens, is a permanent marquee that can seat up to 140 and boasts its own bar area and separate toilets. There is also an outdoor terrace with space for 50, where coffee, lunch, afternoon tea or dinner can be enjoyed under parasols. Alternatively, you can relax in the new conservatory or in the light and airy tea room. Considerable time, money and effort have gone into creating The William Cecil and it’s good to see a passionate newcomer on the Stamford scene. Q CONTACT The William Cecil, St Martins, Stamford Lincolnshire PE9 2LJ, 01780 750070, www.williamcecil.co.uk

Rural retreats

The Black Bull, Market Overton A classic village pub that’s perfect for local food-loving escapists

On display in the bar area

Sample menu Starters Tomato & basil soup served with warm homemade bread, £4.50 Deep fried Brie de Meaux with our own spicy tomato chutney, £5.75

Mains New woodburner makes this the cosiest spot in the pub

SPECIALITIES: Local produce, steaks, homemade puddings, cosy dining FOOD TIMES: Mon to Sat – 12–2.30pm; Sunday lunch – 12-3pm f you like kicking back in unpretentious, comfortable, friendly village pubs that serve locally sourced, home cooked food – and who doesn’t? – then you should try the Black Bull at Market Overton. A thatched, WHAT’S IN A NAME?

According to local historian Kate Don, until 1855 The Black Bull was just known as The Bull. She says: “In medieval times the Papal Bull, a ‘policeman’ sent by the Pope to ensure all was in order at the church, would possibly have stayed here, hence the name.”

Right: Kevin and Kristy Housley

Dessert Sticky ginger pudding with freshly grated stem ginger, ginger wine and brandy sauce, £6.25

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cosy 17th century building where the woodburner is always aglow on cold days and the beams in the bar are low enough to make six-footers duck or grouse, it does what all good pubs should do – provide a cosseting space where you can escape from the world. Run by Kevin and Kristy Housley since 2008 and situated next to Market Overton’s fantastic community shop – “there’s a great community spirit in the village,” says Kristy – the couple have an impressive local sourcing policy. “Steaks have become our speciality and the beef is from Harker’s Farm Shop at Clipston, Notts, while our pork is from Redhill Farm, Gainsborough (see p7). We get free range eggs from Anthony Watchorn

10oz sirloin steak (hung for at least 28 days) with Stilton and port sauce, £18.50 Rutland trout fillet, flaked in a salad of new potatoes, £10.95

of Loodall Farm, Whissendine, and local farmers bring us game. “The other day a shooting party turned up at TO P R AT E D 5.30pm and begged to be let in in exchange for six pheasants. I let them in!” says Kristy. There’s also a large number of allotments opposite that provide fresh fruit and veg. The couple took on the Black Bull just as the credit crunch struck so have had to work tirelessly and be inventive to grow the business. Also, before their arrival the pub had been unloved for some time. They now run a pudding club – showing off Kristy’s homemade puds – on the last Friday of the month, and Kevin has invested in a 15-seater courtesy bus. If you’re a dining group of four or more within 10 miles of Market Overton, he’ll pick you up and drop you off – a great idea. There’s also a good old fashioned pub quiz every other Thursday. The Black Bull is a classic village pub that can be summed up in three words: comfort, warmth and puddings. Q

Country pub

CONTACT

The dining room

The Black Bull, Teigh Road, Market Overton, Rutland LE15 7PW, 01572 767677, www.blackbullrutland.co.uk

Great Food Magazine 77

Award-winning, freshly produced locally sourced food

Book now for Mothers Day 18th March and Easter 8th April LUNCH FOR LESS – 2 courses for £10 TUESDAY EVE PIE & PINT FOR £10

Not visited Stoneygate shops recently? Come and find us this spring. Lots of exciting thing to sample at Lucy’s food shop opposite the old post office.

We use the best ingredients to make hand crafted, fabulous meals for your freezer. Simply stock up and all you have to do is choose what to eat and when. Fantastic food at your fingertips. Orders now being taken for our unique orange, almond and white chocolate cake for Mother’s day We have a range of fresh cakes, locally made bread, cookies & biscuits Fridays & Saturdays Locally produced jams, chutneys and store cupboard ingredients. We can deliver to your door Visit us at 6 Francis Street, Stoneygate, Leicester Tel. 0116 270 0885 Shop open: Monday to Saturday 10am – 5pm Visit our website, www.lucysfood.co.uk, to see our new menu.

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EAT FOO GR

Restaurant PR

Electric Bar & Restaurant,

OFILE

Lincoln

One of the region’s most enticing new venues. By Tim Burke

SPECIALITIES: Fine dining in a modern setting FOOD TIMES: Mon-Sun – 12-2pm (till 3pm on Sun) and 6-9.30pm

incoln has some fine, well-established restaurants. It also now has an exciting newcomer with an ambitious young chef who hopes to raise the profile of the city as a dining destination. The Electric Bar and Restaurant is in the Doubletree by Hilton, a new hotel in the heart of the city. Hotel restaurants in provincial cities may not have the best reputation, but head chef Alec Maxfield is happy that he has enough independence to pursue his dreams: “We’re serving the hotel but we’ve got our own website, our own phone – it’s similar to what Gordon Ramsay does at Claridges.” With banqueting facilities for 250 and several food outlets around the hotel, it represents a formidable challenge for Maxfield, who is only 29. But no chef is going to turn down the chance of running a state-of-the-art kitchen – “the size of a football field!” – with more or less

Head chef Alec Maxfield

12-hour braised cheek of pork

expect? It’s this kind of question that sends the already garrulous Maxfield into overdrive. “It’s fine dining in the restaurant but the menu is written clearly and simply. So we’ve got a dish called ‘Posh and Chips’ – pan-fried halibut, potatoes confited in beef dripping, pea and mint puree and a reduction of an incredible cabernet sauvignon vinegar I found. Our best

‘Posh and Chips’

overdo the local produce thing, but that said I’m a firm believer that when your local produce is the best you should support it,” says Maxfield. “Moving to Lincoln and setting up new suppliers has been challenging but rewarding. I’ve discovered some fantastic local produce. The likes of Redhill Farm pork [see p7] and Foster’s butchers – their beef is stunning.

‘I’ve discovered some fantastic local producers such as Redhill Farm and Foster’s butchers’ carte blanche to set up your own suppliers, recruit your own teams and define your style. Maxfield is an East Midlander who returns to the region having spent most of his professional life around Suffolk and Essex. He has a formidable CV that also takes in spells at Midsummer House, Hambleton Hall and the Fat Duck, and he’s earned three AA rosettes as head chef in his own right. But as he repeatedly says: “It’s what happens next that matters.” “Up on our fifth floor we’ve got gorgeous views over Brayford and the city,” says Maxfield. But vistas aside, what else can diners

seller so far has been the roast loin of venison with smoked bacon, caramelised pineapple, a gin and tonic jelly and glazed baby turnips.” Also proving popular in the first month of opening is a weekday set dinner at £20 for three courses including half a bottle of wine. This might feature the likes of home-cured, hot smoked salmon followed by fillet of hake with bouillabaisse sauce and tomato artichoke risotto, finished off with a lemon plate dessert including lemonade, meringue and sherbet. Part of the joy of setting up from scratch is discovering new producers. “I think people

“I’ve been given a great opportunity here that most chefs wouldn’t get until well into their 40s. They have shown faith in me and I want to pay that back. Long-term I want three rosettes but we don’t cook for awards – they don’t pay the bills. The most important thing is that the restaurant is full every night and that customers walk away happy.” Q CONTACT Electric Restaurant, Brayford Wharf North, Lincoln LN1 1YW, 01522 565182, www.electricbarandrestaurant.co.uk

Great Food Magazine 79

NEXT ISSUE Coming up in Great Food magazine

The region’s tastiest places uncovered * Fabulous farm shops The Midlands’ best outlets revealed

* Heart of England vineyards Where to enjoy a drop of local red

* Al fresco!

Picnic spots and pub gardens

PLUS

Meet Birmingham’s artisan B14 collective

Also featured....

UNMISSABLE LOCAL FOOD MAPS PUB & RESTAURANT REVIEWS

and much more

Issue 12 out on May 4 ORDER THE NEXT ISSUE NOW!

Go to www.greatfoodmag.co.uk or fill out the form on p31 80 Great Food Magazine

ST TOUCAHY IN W US AT ITH WWW.G REATF OODMA G.CO.U AND C K HAT W US DA ITH IL Y O N TWITT TWEETER – TO @GREA T FOODM A

Enjoy our fresh local food Farndon Fields fresh vegetables! In season now, our cabbages, leeks, sprouting broc, potatoes & more.

This Easter cook a great roast dinner with our butchers joints, our fresh vegetables and gourmet stuffings! Celebrate Mothers Day Visit our cafe; enjoy our homemade meals & cakes.

Mother’s Day

We’ve got flowers, gifts and great food to make the day extra special!

The discerning pedigree and heritage of Stapleford Park is perhaps one of the reasons why excellence is such a given throughout the house. And yet when it comes to dining at Stapleford Park, perhaps the truest definition of excellence can be appreciated and enjoyed. Dining is quite simply an experience of sheer unadulterated pleasure, a chance to sit back and enjoy not only amazing cuisine but also to enjoy an ambience and splendour rarely encountered today.

Stapleford Park - home to Special Occasions

A member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World

If you would like further information, contact us on 01572 787000 or visit www.staplefordpark.com

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GREAT FOOD CLUB MAP

A GUI TO HDE E REGIT ON’S BEST

Bakewell

Superb places where subscribers can use their membership cards to claim exclusive offers The places on this map are part of Great Food Club – a growing network of the region’s very best local food businesses. All have been handpicked by Great Food and are offering exclusive deals to subscribers of this magazine. Go to www.greatfoodclub.co.uk to see details of all the offers available and to join the club. 1 BARNSDALE LODGE

The Avenue, Exton, Rutland LE15 8AH barnsdalelodge.co.uk, 01572 724678

2 BAT & BOTTLE

19 Pillings Road, Oakham, Rutland LE15 6QF, batwine.co.uk, 01572 759735

3 BOBOLI

88 Main Street, Kibworth Harcourt, Leics, bobolirestaurant.com, 0116 2793303

4 BRADY’S FISH &

SEAFOOD MARKET

8 Allandale Road, Leicester LE2 2DA, bradysseafoodmarket.com, 0116 3198363

5 CHOCOLATE ALCHEMY

5 Church Gate Mews, Lough’boro, LE11 1TZ, chocolate-alchemy.co.uk, 01509 238113

6 COUNTRY VICTUALLER

Winkburn, Newark, Notts NG22 8PQ, alderton.co.uk, 01636 636465

7 THE CURRY LOUNGE

110 Upper Parliament St, Nottingham NG1 6LF, currylounge.co.uk, 0115 9418844

8 DUNCAN MURRAY WINES

10 Adam & Eve St, Mkt H’boro, LE16 7LT, duncanmurraywines.co.uk, 01858 464935

9 ENTROPY

42 Hinckley Road, Leicester LE3 0RB, entropylife.com, 0116 2259650

10 EVERARDS

BREWERY SHOP

Castle Acres, Narborough, Leics LE19 1BY, everards.co.uk, 0116 2014100

11 FIRENZE

9 Station Street, Kibworth Beauchamp, Leics LE8 0LN, firenze.co.uk, 0116 2796260

12 FOSSE MEADOWS FARM

Frolesworth, Leics LE17 5EE, fossemeadows.com, 01455 202702

13 FLITTERISS PARK FARM

Knossington Rd, Braunston in Rutland, LE15 8QX, thesausagesite.co.uk 01572 722266

14 GOURMET SPICE CO

Online company based in Northamptonshire, tastespice.co.uk

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15 HAMBLETON BAKERY

Cottesmore Road, Exton, Gaol St, Oakham and Ironmonger St, Stamford, hambletonbakery.co.uk, 01572 812995

16 HAMBLETON HALL

Hambleton, Rutland LE15 8TH, hambletonhall.com, 01572 756991

17 HAMMER & PINCERS

5 East Rd, Wymeswold, Leics LE12 6ST, hammerandpincers.co.uk, 01509 880735

18 HOTEL MAIYANGO

19-21 St Nicholas Place, Leicester LE1 4LD, maiyango.com, 0116 2518898

19 JACKSON STOPS

Rookery Lane, Stretton, Rutland LE15 7RA, thejacksonstops.com, 01780 410237

20 JAM JAR SHOP

25 Pillings Road, Oakham, Rutland, LE15 6QF, jamjarshop.com, 01572 720720

21 JOHNNY PUSZTAI AT

JT BEEDHAM & SONS

556 Mansfield Road, Nottingham, NG5 2FS, jtbeedham.co.uk, 0115 960590

22 THE KING’S ARMS AT WING

13 Top Street, Wing, Rutland LE15 8SE, thekingsarms-wing.co.uk, 01572 737634

23 LAKE ISLE

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

24 LUCY’S FOOD

6 Francis Street, Leicester LE2 2BD, lucysfood.co.uk, 0116 2700885

25 THE MARTIN’S ARMS

School Ln, Colston Bassett NG12 3FD, themartinsarms.co.uk, 01949 81361

26 THE MELTON

CHEESEBOARD

8 Windsor St, Melton Mowbray, LE13 1BU, meltoncheeseboard.co.uk, 01664 562257

27 NORTHFIELD FARM

RESTAURANT

Whissendine Ln, Cold Overton LE7 3DB northfieldfarm.com 01664 474271

28 THE OLD BARN INN

Andrews Lane, Glooston, Leics LE16 7ST, oldbarninn.co.uk, 01858 545215

Ashbourne

29 THE OLIVE BRANCH

Main St, Clipsham, Rutland LE15 7SH, theolivebranchpub.com, 01780 410355

30 OTTERS SMOKEHOUSE

3a Mill Street, Oakham, Rutland LE15 6EA, ottersdeli.co.uk, 01572 756481

31 REDHILL FARM

Gainsborough, Lincs DN21 3DT, redhillfarm.co.uk, 01427 628270

32 THE RED LION AT EAST HADDON

Burton

Staffs

East Haddon, Northants NN6 8BU, redlioneasthaddon.co.uk, 01604 770223

33 THE RED LION

AT STATHERN

Red Lion St, Stathern, Leics LE14 4HS, theredlioninn.co.uk, 01949 860868

Lichfield

34 RIVERFORD ORGANICS

Sacrewell Farm, Thornhaugh, PE8 6HJ, riverford.co.uk/sacrewell, 01780 789700

35 RSC’S ROOFTOP

RESTAURANT

Waterside, Stratford, Warwicks, CV37 6BB, rsc.org.uk, 01789 403449

36 THE THREE HORSESHOES

Main Street, Breedon, Leics DE73 8AN, thehorseshoes.com, 01332 695129

37 TOLLEMACHE ARMS

Birmingham

8 Main Street, Buckminster, NG33 5SA, tollemache-arms.co.uk, 01476 860477

38 SIMPLY SIMON’S DELI

23 Adam & Eve St, Mkt H’boro LE16 7LT, simplysimons.co.uk, 01858 440964

Solihull

39 SHIRES COOKERY SCHOOL

Main St, East Haddon, NN6 8BU, shirescookeryschool.com, 01604 621640

40 STAPLEFORD PARK

Stapleford, Leics LE14 2EF 01572 787000, staplefordpark.com

41 TORI & BEN’S FARM

Woodhouse Farm, Isley Cum Langley, Diseworth, Derbyshire, DE74 2QQ 07884 112812, toriandbensfarm.com Always check opening hours before setting off

Welbeck

Lincoln Ollerton

Matlock

HOW DO I JOIN AND GET A MEMBERSHIP CARD?

Mansfield

Simply by subscribing to this magazine for £17.50. You’ll get six issues of Great Food delivered to your door and receive a Great Food Club membership card, enabling you to claim offers at the places on this map (more coming soon) for one year. Subscribe at www.greatfoodclub.co.uk, at www.greatfoodmag.co.uk, by calling 01664 853341 or by filling out the form on p31.

Newark

Derbyshire

Notts

Sleaford

Nottingham Derby

Join at www.great foodclub.co.uk or by calling 01664 853341

Lincs

Grantham

25 33

37 36

17 5

Melton

Leics

Leicester 9

Oakham 15

13 18 24 10 4

Warwick

Stamford

Corby

Market Harborough

Kettering Rugby 32 39

Peterboro’

Coventry Leamington

Warwicks

Rutland

Stilton Oundle

Cambs

Northants Northampton Map by Graham Wright

Go to www.greatfoodclub.co.uk Great Food Magazine 83

HERO RECIPE

E S T.

2 0 1 1

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17/2/12 13:27:30