RECIPES & WINE Delicious food to

In the KITCHEN

Whether this month brings bad weather and plummeting temperatures or – hopefully – early spring sunshine and lots of reunions with friends and family, this should be your go-to dish. It’s a cinch to prepare, it suits winter and spring alike, and it’ll easily scale up to feed more people if lockdown is lifted... there’s even a one-pot supper variation that’s fast enough to provide an easy mid-week meal solution.

BAKED MEATBALLS with TOMATO & MASCARPONE

Preparation Time: 10 minutes. Cooking Time: 30 minutes. Serves four. 1⁄2 tbsp olive oil • 300g pack reduced fat British beef meatballs • 200g pack swiss chard 3 garlic cloves, crushed • 680g bottle passata - Cirio Rustica is a decent brand • 2 oregano sprigs • 2 tbsp mascarpone

Preheat the oven to 180 C, gas mark 4. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof casserole dish, sauté pan or frying pan over a high heat. Add the meatballs, season and fry for five minutes until browned all over. Meanwhile, strip the chard leaves from the stalks. Finely slice the chard stalks and add to the pan with the garlic; fry for a minute. Pour in the passata, add the oregano sprigs, then season (you may want to add a pinch of sugar too). Transfer the uncovered pan to the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and stir in the mascarpone. Tear the chard leaves into large strips and stir into the sauce. Return the pan to the oven for five minutes, then serve with couscous or pasta, if liked. For a one-pot meal, stir a pouch of ready-cooked freekeh or can of drained butter beans into the sauce along with half the chard leaves, before baking for the final five minutes. n

BRING SOMETHING TO THE TABLE

The Chubby Castor’s Chef Patron Adebola Adeshina launches his new range of tableware to bring the look of a fine dining restaurant into your home...

Plates, 1: Narumi Shower plate, 28cm - matte or shiny, £20.23. 2: Degrenne Modulo Nature plate 28cm - warm grey, £7.42. 3: Narumi Esprit deep plate matte/shiny white, 27cm £35.15. 4: Narumi Forest plate 28cm - matte or shiny, £20.23. 5: Montgolfier Clair de Lune dinner plate 25cm, satin white, £43.18 6: Montgolfier Boheme charger plate 30cm - linen, £57.71. Bowls, 7: Montgolfier Clair de Lune Couscous plate 24cm, £43.18. 8: Narumi Ena rock plate 10 x 10 x 4.3cm - white, £21.19. Glassware, 9: Italesse Etoile Blanc glass, 57cl, £7.22 and Italesse Champagne flute, 29cl, £7.00. Cutlery, 10: Radford Bright table knife and table fork, £5.43, £4.90; Perceval 9.47 steak knife in white and beige, £76.25/set of two.

Visit www.goodfellowsathome.com or call 0844 334 5232. The Chubby Castor is based at Castor PE5 7AX. To book, call 01733 380801 or see www.thechubbycastor.com.

Kitchen Ade

Local chef Adebola ‘Ade’ Adeshina launches his new range of designer tableware...

Chef Patron of The Chubby Castor Adebola Adeshina has partnered with G&G Goodfellows to launch his own range of dinnerware, bringing the luxury of dining out, to your home. G&G Goodfellows are firmly established and affectionately known as the home of ‘Sexy Plates’ proudly supplying the nation’s favourite chefs and restaurants. Now, after six superb years of working with the best in the industry, they have teamed up with Adebola and other celebrity chefs to bring the restaurant look to your home. “Food is art and when plating a dish, it is all about the finer details,” says Adebola. “Our new range of tableware allows you to take food presentation to the next level and really impress your dinner guests.” Since opening in 2017, The Chubby Castor has been recommended in the Michelin Guide three years consecutively and has received 2AA Rosettes. n For more information see www.thechubbycastor.com.

Blueberry Thrill: the perfect spring and summer drink?

We think we’ve found the perfect summer drink! A speciality cider produced in collaboration with Oundle-based Blue Aurora and cider producers Long Brothers... What could be better than the refreshing tang and playful fizz of an English artisan cider? How about that same cider with a twist of hand-picked English blueberries too? Oundle based Blue Aurora and Long Brothers have produced this quintessentially English cider, lightly sparkling, with a wonderfully dry, crisp and refreshing taste. A great aperitif to enjoy in the sunshine! £11.95 per bottle, 75cl each, 6.5% ABV, call 07766 696403 or see www.blueaurorawine.co.uk.

The Wine Cellar

Wine of the Month

Beaune 1er Cru Nicolas Rolin, Bordeaux, 2011

£62 / 75cl / 13.5% ABV

It’s been a rotten winter so far... so we think you deserve a treat. That’s why we’re introducing you to this premier cru Bordeaux with its bright, cherry tartness which balances the elegant oak, and tucked under the perfume of red-berry fruit is a hint of spicy chocolate oak. Brand new to Waitrose, it’s at the higher end of the market, certainly, but find a reason and you’ll enjoy a full-bodied wine founded on Pinot Noir that’ll chase away the winter blues! Available from Waitrose Cellar, www.waitrose cellar.com.

MARCH SEES BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS FOR THE RIESLING GRAPE, A NEW ARTISAN GIN FROM PETERBOROUGH AND BETTER WEATHER IN WHICH TO ENJOY BLUEBERRY CIDER... All Roads Lead to a Gin & Tonic!

MARCHING TOWARDS SPRING: A trio of Riesling wines to chase away winter blues...

1. March 13th 2019 was the first annual Riesling birthday. Villa Maria’s example makes the most of the grape and of New Zealand’s climate to produce this ripe, citrus wine. £7.79 / 75cl / 12% ABV.

2. For those keen to exploit the potential of Riesling as a dessert wine, Seifried from New Zealand’s Nelson region is a symphony of honey, rosy apple, lime and passion fruit. Deliciously sweet and an ideal digestif. £16.29 / 37.5cl / 10.5% ABV.

3. And for those who really appreciate the grape, this Leitz Rosenbeck Riesling is from Germany’s Rheingau and is dry and powerful. £36 / 75cl / 12.5% ABV. Peterborough’s newest artisan gin distillery is Nene Valley Spirits, and last month the company unveiled its two flagship sprits, Ermine Street and its sister gin, Colibri. Ermine Street is a stylish and refined Gin with a lemon devotion, that’s complemented with locally foraged rosemary. It’s produced by the distillery in the newly renovated artisan’s courtyard of Nene Valley’s Sacrewell Farm and you can purchase both spirits from the distillery or online. £35 / 70cl / 40% ABV, nenevalleyspirits.co.uk.

n Our featured wines are available from the best local independent wine merchants, supermarkets and online, prices are RRP and may vary from those stated.

A ‘Gold’ Armed Forces

LINCOLN’S International Bomber Command Centre stands proudly over the city as a unique reminder of the county’s famed RAF history.

From the famous 617 ‘Dambusters’ Squadron of 1943 to today’s RAF Waddington - the UK hub for Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance – the county’s military importance has remained steadfast.

Civilians too, have been celebrated for their Armed Services’ work. Those familiar with Lincoln will remember the name Gilbert Blades whose legal office was based in the city centre. In general practice for more than 40 years, he spent 25 of those specialising in military law and was renowned for his Court Martial work and his role in introducing procedural reforms. In 1998 Gilbert Blades was merged with Wilkin Chapman solicitors and whilst the company name no longer exists, the latter’s dedication to military law and supporting the Armed Forces community is a true focus.

Evidence of this was the recent award to Wilkin Chapman, of the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award. This is the highest recognition of its kind, received by businesses that encourage employers to support defence, whilst also assisting serving personnel, their families, Reservists, and veterans.

With an established military sector, the firm has specialists across its five regional offices. Supported by the wider Wilkin Chapman team, the sector has a growing, national client base. Importantly too, it recognises the value of employing ex-service personnel with transferrable skills and qualities.

Former RAF Data Analyst Roly Freeman is now a Partner within the agriculture team at Wilkin Chapman in Lincoln and has first-hand experience of how firms are becoming aware of the benefits of employing such personnel.

Roly enjoyed an RAF career for 12 years before seeing structural change within the organisation as an opportunity to start again. Whilst extremely happy with military life, he decided he could have an equally good future outside the Armed Forces and opted to take a law degree.

“I was 28 at that time and saw it as a real opportunity. My experience of the RAF is of an organisation that produces highly skilled and highly qualified individuals who are also extremely motivated,” said Roly.

An experience whilst working in London opened Roly’s eyes to a reluctance amongst some to employ such professionals. Waiting to go to University, he applied for a position in advertising.

“There was definitely a slight nervousness, however they were thrilled when they realised, they had employed a skilled, motivated person with the right qualities. In fact, the firm then

service in Lincolnshire

began to seek people from the military as employees,” added Roly.

Wilkin Chapman’s Armed Forces Sector head, James Marsden, further highlighted the skills within his team, which allowed it to offer a full range of support.

“Our exposure to military personnel has enabled us to hone our expertise in meeting the varied legal demands that are thrown at the Armed Forces community. Very often those legal challenges are different to those experienced by civilians,” said James.

James’ work, and that of his colleagues, often focuses upon clients who have left, or are leaving, successful careers within the Forces and have needs around pensions, the making of Wills, divorce and partnership breakdowns, and property transactions. To assist this passage into civilian life, the firm offers a discount to serving personnel and members of the Armed Forces community, the latter by advertising through the Defence Discount Service.

“There is often a real need for people to focus upon a Will that suits them and offers the correct level of protection. While serving a purpose, Forces’ Wills, using the MOD Form 106, are basic and can have a disastrous impact if completed with no legal guidance,” said James.

“The breakdown of a marriage or partnership often results in the need for specific advice to ensure an Armed Forces Pension is protected. Whilst a military divorce is no different to a civilian divorce in terms of practice and procedure, the intricacies of service life, and the complexities that arise from the regular Armed Forces Pension Schemes, 1975, 2005 and 2015 and the Reserve Forces Pension Scheme 2005, are such that we receive instructions from members of the Armed Forces community throughout England and Wales when they are facing the prospect of divorce,” added James.

Reflecting on the Gold award, he said: “It was obviously a huge honour for the firm. But what we can give back to the Armed Forces community is only a small token of appreciation for the sacrifices that are made by its members, past and present, and their families.” As a member of Forces Law, in 2019 Wilkin Chapman provided more than 350 hours of free legal advice to the Armed Forces community nationwide. Its charitable work in this sphere is also extensive, and it offers a flexible approach to the employment of former services personnel or those who are married or partnered to members of the community.

The firm’s Lincolnshire offices are in Lincoln, Horncastle, Louth, and Grimsby. For further information, please contact us on 01522 512345 or visit wilkinchapman.co.uk.