FOOD NOTES

Food news, events and fabulous local produce

IN SEASON

For meat lovers the approach of spring brings happy memories of tender, succulent spring lamb. And when you’re buying lamb, buy local. On the butchery counter at Mainsgill Farm Shop you’ll find delicious home-reared, grass-fed lamb, grazed on the lush pastures of the Holmedale Valley in which Mainsgill resides. For details and opening times see mainsgillfarm.co.uk

Of course you can!

Do you love confectionery? Then what could be better than making your own delicious ganache-filled chocolates, flavoured truffles and Easter eggs? The half-day chocolatemaking course on 29 March at Swinton Cookery School will teach you all this and more. For further details and booking information visit swintonestate.com

PINK PERFECTION

The Yorkshire forced rhubarb season will soon be ending, so make the most of those tender pink stems while you can. Best cooked simply by poaching gently, using as little water as possible. Flavour with ginger, cardamom or star anise and sweeten to taste with sugar, honey or agave syrup. Serve with custard, cream or ice cream.

SPEAR TIME

British asparagus is at its best from late April until June, and connoisseurs are well aware that imported stalks simply can’t compare with the exquisite flavour and refined texture of home-grown produce. Get yours at Campbell’s of Leyburn (campbellsofleyburn.co.uk) and serve it lightly grilled with a poached egg, or wrapped in Parma ham and roasted.

Succulent Seafood

April heralds the start of the English brown crab season, and you can enjoy its sweet, juicy meat right through summer into early autumn. Low in fat and packed with important trace elements, it’s both nutritious and tasty. You can buy top quality fresh crab from Carrick's market vans or direct from their shop in Snape (carricksfish.co.uk)

Easter is great fun for kids – especially if they’ve cooked up their very own Easter treats beforehand! The ‘Parent & Child: Let’s Cook for Easter’ course at Humble Pie Cookery Kitchen in Hawes gives you and your little ones the chance to spend a day working together to create a variety of delicious baked goods to take home. Full details at humblepieyorkshire.co.uk

GRILL GIVEAWAY

Primo ceramic grills give outdoor chefs both the precise temperature control you expect from a gas grill and the fabulous wood-smoke flavour that makes barbecued food so delicious. Buy one now from A Bigger Splash (a-biggersplash.co.uk) in Brompton-on-Swale and you’ll get a meat pack from Mainsgill Farm Shop worth up to £50 (terms and conditions apply).

CEREAL THRILLER

Yockenthwaite Farm, near Skipton, has made a name for itself with its super-fresh, topquality breakfast cereals. The family farm started making their own-recipe granola a decade ago, and it soon proved so popular that they extended their range to include muesli, porridge and oats. You can buy Yockenthwaite cereals at Campbell’s of Leyburn, campbellsofleyburn.co.uk

SIMPLE PLEASURES

Super-complicated cordon bleu cookery has its place, but what most of us really want on a daily basis is simple home cooking that makes the best use of fresh seasonal ingredients. And that’s what TV presenter Kate Humble offers in Home Cooked: Recipes from the Farm (Gaia, hardback, £25). A treasure trove of easygoing and practical recipes.

Catering for all tastes

If you’re organising a celebration, be it a wedding, private party or corporate ‘do’, it might be a good idea to have a word with Fairhursts. The Middleham-based firm has more than thirty years’ experience of event catering and can provide you with anything from canapés and buffets to hog roasts and sit-down meals. Find out more at fairhursts.co.uk