Food & Drink

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CELEBRATING SOMERSET GOODNESS, TEALS OFFERS RESPONSIBLY SOURCED GOODS FROM FANTASTIC LOCAL PRODUCERS.

It features a restaurant, food market, butcher, bakery, cheese counter, bottle shop selling wine local cider, and beer, a gift shop with independent-label gifts and healthy food to go. A healthy kitchen will serve nourishing plates from across the region. We can’t wait to welcome you, through our doors to sample the local produce and enjoy the orchard. If you fancy a trip out with a friend or an alternative to shopping in the supermarkets this is a great destination worth exploring.

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01963 361755

GENERAL ENQUIRIES

hello@teals.co.uk

OPENING TIMES

8am-6pm 7 days a week

WESTBOUND

A303 1 ORCHARD LANE, SOUTH CADBURY, YEOVIL, BA22 7FS

NORTH /SOUTH CADBURY JUNCTION NORTH CADBURY

NORTH /SOUTH CADBURY JUNCTION

SOUTH CADBURY A303

EASTBOUND

Joanna Weinberg, Teals

Iam standing on a ridge overlooking a valley with a classic pastoral view falling away from me: a patchwork of hedgerow-edged fields dotted with cows. The wind blows and the trees sway – a timeless scene of the English countryside. Some of the herd are small brown Jerseys, others are slightly bigger with the familiar black and white markings of the Friesians that have populated our countryside over the past halfcentury. This is the dairy herd of Holy Cow Organics in North Perrott, 40-minutes down the road from Sherborne and supplier of the milk sold in our shop and used at the café and restaurant.

And holy moly, it is good milk. It is rich and sweet, with a mild yet characterful flavour. It is organic and unhomogenised, with a thick band of cream that rises to the top overnight. This is milk that harks back to another time, when milk came straight from the farm, and we were all more connected to where our food came from. It is also milk that nutritionists and parents love. Rich in protein and high in butterfat and essential amino acids, it’s more digestible as well as more nourishing than conventional milk, with no additives or preservatives.

‘One of the reasons our milk is so good is the range of crops we grow for grazing, including red and white clover, lucerne, rye grasses and other species,’ says farmer Matthew Senior. Automatic gates allow access to different grazing areas, changing the direction of the gates to send cows into the different pastures, making sure that they graze a combination of crops, and protecting the land and growth of the different areas.‘The dryness of this past summer was quite a challenge, and we had to go to our winter forage but we’ve made it through ok,’ he says.

Matthew and Coral established Holy Cow some thirteen years ago, at first with an exclusively Jersey herd for the quality and richness of milk, and over time, bred them with Friesians, to increase their yield. The cows spend 9-10 months a year grazing outside, and each produces 18-20 litres of organic milk a day – about half the volume you’d expect from a conventionally farmed dairy herd. They look, even to my untrained eye, healthy and relaxed, wandering between the grazing pastures and the yards freely, confident around people, their coats shiny, and, well, they look happy.

They are friendly animals, and beautiful, too – their big, liquid eyes fringed with thick lashes. Noticeable for a dairy herd, their udders are not swollen and distended with milk. This is because they are completely free range, gaining entry via the big black necklaces they wear, to a milking robot which opens the gates to let them in, as well as recording data from each milking session. ‘I call them their Pandora necklaces,’ smiles Matthew. The necklaces have mostly become established practice with large herds of primarily indoor animals, but Matthew finds them easy and rewarding to work with. Not least because it means his day starts closer to 7am rather than the 5am start that many dairy farmers endure. ‘We love them being completely free range,’ says Matthew. It’s the cows that choose when they want to be milked, whether they want to shelter from the wind for a while or graze their 350 acres.

About 10% of the milk produced goes directly to the local Holy Cow refill stations, the closest of which to Sherborne can be found at Teals. Holy Cow is also the sole supplier of milk to fabulous Dorset gelato-makers Baboo, whose string of beachside shacks have become one of the Dorset seaside highlights (and which coincidentally, can also be found at Teals, right next to the milk station).

‘You have your good days and your bad, but I love all the different elements to this life,’ says Matthew. A good day on the farm might be when a calf is born, or simply being outside in the sun all day. Soon, they expect their daughter, Bethan, back from New Zealand where she has also been dairy farming, and hope that she might put her experience to use on the family farm. She would be working alongside her brother Morgan, who does all the tractor work, and sister-in-law, Rachel, who works in the office. Even their tiny dog, Olive, a daschund-terrier-cross looks very involved in the everyday work of the farm, trotting confidently behind Coral. They have no plans currently for expansion. ‘We have the right number of cows for the land, and it’s possible to manage it as a family-run business. We’re proud of our milk and love being able to connect directly with our customers.’

teals.co.uk holycoworganic.co.uk

POACHED HALIBUT WITH TOMATOES

Jack Smith, The Green

Image: Katharine Davies

This is a very simple yet well-balanced classic Georgian dish which always impresses friends and customers alike!

Ingredients Serves 4 600g halibut fillet 2 medium-sized shallots, peeled, thinly sliced and separated into rings 2 tablespoons chopped dill 1 tablespoon dill, chopped 1 tablespoon basil, chopped 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped 1 tablespoon of fine capers 100ml white wine 300ml water 4 whole cloves 3 allspice berries 1 bay leaf 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 6 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and diced 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped 1/2 lemon, juiced and zested Dorset sea salt Black pepper

Method 1 Season the fish with salt and pepper to taste and place in a large flat saucepan, arrange shallot rings and herbs over the top. 2 Add capers, white wine, water, cloves, allspice and bay leaf then bring to the boil. Cover and poach until fish is just cooked – approximately 8 to 10 minutes. 3 Meanwhile in a frying pan heat the oil and fry tomatoes over a medium heat with garlic, lemon zest, salt and pepper to taste. Cook the tomatoes for 4-5 minutes, occasionally whisking to help break the tomato apart. 4 Place your poached halibut onto a plate along with the shallots and herbs and spoon over the tomato sauce. Serve with mashed potato and enjoy.

SMOKED MUSSEL GRATIN

Mat Follas, Bramble Restaurant

This is a version of the mussel gratin I serve in my restaurant. It is rich and sumptuous and is always a popular choice for guests. Take care not to over smoke the mussels as it will overpower their delicate flavour. If you do not have a barbecue, simply mix canned smoked mussels with shelled freshly cooked mussels to achieve a rich, smokey flavour.

Preparation time: 45 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes Serves: 4

Ingredients 2 slices of white bread Pinch of salt 100g Parmesan cheese, grated 2kg mussels, cleaned and de-bearded 200ml white wine 1 litre shellfish stock 100g cheddar cheese, grated 2 tsp Dijon mustard 100ml double cream a dash of Tabasco 2 tsp fish sauce (Nam Pla), to taste

Method 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C. 2 Put the bread slices directly onto the shelf of the preheated oven and bake for 5 minutes, until it is crispy and golden. Cool then place in a resealable bag. Crush to coarse breadcrumbs using a rolling pin, add a generous pinch of salt and 1/2 tablespoon of the Parmesan, reseal the bag and shake to combine. 3 Keep the oven on. 4 Put the mussels, white wine and 200ml of the stock in a large saucepan set over a medium heat.

Cover and cook until the mussels just open. Strain the mussels, reserving the liquor for later. Take the meat out of the shells and place on an ovenproof plate, discarding the shells. 5 To smoke the mussels, sprinkle the soaked wood chips generously over the top of the preheated barbecue. You will need to use a baking tray that will fit under the lid of the barbecue. Cover the baking tray with a 2.5cm layer of crumpled foil, then place the plate of mussel meat on top (the foil is to insulate the mussels from the direct heat of the barbecue). Close the lid and leave to

smoke for 5 minutes (or longer if the smoke is not particularly intense). 6 Pour the reserved cooking liquor from the mussels and the remaining stock into a large saucepan set over a medium heat. Bring to a simmer, then whisk in the remaining Parmesan and cheddar cheeses, the Dijon mustard, double cream and Tabasco.

Taste and add a little fish sauce until the sauce is seasoned to your liking. 7 Divide the smoked mussels between individual ovenproof dishes. Pour over enough sauce to almost cover them, then sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture. Bake in the still-warm oven for 10-12 minutes until hot and bubbling and the breadcrumbs are lightly browned. Serve at once.

bramblerestaurant.com

Recipe from Fish by Mat Follas, published by Ryland Peters & Small (£14.99)

PREPARING MUSSELS

If you’re unfortunate enough to have suffered the consequences of eating a bad mussel, you’ll know it’s an experience best avoided. Here are a few steps to help minimise the risk of ruining an otherwise perfect evening.

1 Fill a large bowl with cold, salted water and add your mussels. After 20 minutes, discard any that are floating on the surface. Your mussels should be alive before cooking and if they’re floating they’re dead. 2 If you find any that are open, give them a gentle tap or a squeeze. If they close up, great. If they don’t, chances are they’re dead so bin them along with any that are cracked or damaged. 3 Give your remaining mussels a good scrub under cold running water, removing barnacles and anything scary like ’beards’ or tendrils with a knife. 4 Follow your recipe and, once cooked, make sure that you discard any mussels that have not opened.

Image: Tory McTernan

PLAIN WHITE SOURDOUGH

Paul Collins, Chef

One of the things that cannot be beaten in my opinion, is a loaf of good bread, at any time – breakfast, lunch or dinner – no meal feels complete without it.

So, this month I’d like to share with the Sherborne Times readers, some of my organic sourdough starter. It is 15 years old, and it has moved with me whenever we have moved as a family, and it remains in the same tub it started its life in.

As we keep hearing about the cost of living and prices of food, it is so much more economical to make your own and when you think that a loaf of good sourdough can command prices of up to £5 a loaf, it does make sense to have a go at making it yourself. If I told you that you could make it in the time it took to boil a kettle, then there is even more of an incentive to make it.

Over the year if you made 3 loaves a week, which is what we probably make in our house, and sometimes a few more, then you could save in the region of £600 per year. We also use it for our pizza dough on a Saturday evening.

I can make a loaf for about £1 so the cost is in the time and oven usage, but once you have mastered making it, there will be no looking back.

I am very happy to do a Zoom call with anyone who would want a little guidance on making it. No special equipment is needed – a bowl, a tea towel, some scales, and a spoon. You can invest in a banneton if you like, but a bowl with a tea towel does the trick.

Ingredients 400g strong bread flour (I use organic bread flour) 240ml water 120g starter 6g salt (I use Maldon Sea Salt)

Method 1 Weigh the water into a bowl, add the starter and stir. 2 Weigh out flour and salt into the same bowl and mix thoroughly with the spoon. Knead for a minute or so. Leave to prove overnight in your kitchen. 3 In the morning, knock back (knead out the excess air) and place into well-floured banneton, allow to prove again for 4 hours. 4 When ready, turn the dough out onto a floured tray and put in a preheated oven at 220°c for 30-40 minutes. If you feel creative you can score a cross on the top of the dough before cooking it. The cooked loaf will look like it has come from a bakery! 5 When the dough goes in the hot oven you need to throw a cup of water on the bottom of the oven to create some steam – be careful when you do this and shut the door immediately to keep the steam in the oven. Best to use an old tray. 6 Take out and tap the underside of the loaf to see if it is cooked. 7 Allow to cool before cutting into it…if you can wait that long!

chefpaulcollins.co.uk

FROM

FIELD TO TABLE

Our Tamworth pigs are bred for quality and flavour. They are outdoor-reared and homebutchered to the highest welfare standards here at our farm in Sandford Orcas, just outside Sherborne.

Sausages, joints, bacon and burgers available to buy online for home delivery, click-andcollect or direct from the farm every weekend. BUY LOCAL!

Lavender Cafe & Shop Winter Opening Hours

Saturday & Sunday 10am-2.30pm Pizza Night Fridays 5-8pm

Enjoy our beautiful views, lavender field, garden and animals together with our homemade cakes, warming drinks, sausage rolls, scotch eggs and much more! Please contact James and Charlotte Tel 07802 443905 | info@thestorypig.co.uk The Story Pig, Lavender Keepers, Great Pitt Lane, Sandford Orcas, Sherborne DT9 4FG See more at www.thestorypig.co.uk

THE CAKE WHISPERER Val Stones FIG AND PUMPKIN SPICE JAM

Ihave a mature fig tree in my garden and it fruits really well, probably because it’s in a sunny spot. My sister and brother-in-law, Susan and Wilhelm, gave me the tree as a 2ft shrub and they have guided me over the years with tips for ensuring a good crop. It is now 8ft tall. I will keep it pruned to this height and let it branch horizontally.

I enjoy figs simply cut into quarters and added to my breakfast yoghurt, cereal or porridge. They are lovely baked in red wine and honey but this latest development is absolutely delicious. The jam can be spooned into your porridge, yoghurt or on top of cereal. It is perfect for spooning onto vanilla ice cream and folded into apples when making a crumble or a pie.

I use powdered pectin in this jam as the set would be too light otherwise – powdered pectin also works well when making jams with other low-pectin fruits such as strawberry.

Makes 3 x 1lb jars Preparation 20 minutes Cooking 20-25 minutes

Ingredients 1kg ripe figs, quartered (or if large into smaller pieces) 140ml water 1 teaspoon of powdered pectin 450g granulated sugar Zest and juice of a large unwaxed orange Zest and juice of an unwaxed lemon 4 drops of pumpkin spice extract * (or 1 level teaspoon pumpkin spice mix) *Holy Lama Spice drops are available online

Method 1 Place 3 clean jars in the oven on 80C fan for 20 minutes to sterilise them. 2 Put the figs in a heavy-bottomed pan with the water and bring to a simmer. Allow the figs to simmer for 10 minutes or until the pieces of fruit are soft and juicy. 3 Stir the powdered pectin into the sugar until it is well combined and stir into the fig mixture allowing the sugar to dissolve, add the orange juice, orange zest, lemon juice, lemon zest and spice. 4 Allow to boil for 10 minutes stirring regularly (I set a timer for 3 minutes then stir). After 10 minutes, turn it down to a slow simmer and test the jam by putting a spoonful onto a cold plate.

After 5 minutes if you run your finger across the jam and it doesn’t run back, the jam is set. If the jam runs back then bring the jam back to the boil for a further 5 minutes. 5 Remove the pan from the heat and allow the jam to sit for 10 minutes. Pour the jam into the jars, seal with waxed circles and seal with lids and label. 6 The jam will keep well sealed for a year in a cool dark place.

A MONTH ON THE PIG FARM

James Hull, The Story Pig

Image: Katharine Davies

Idon’t get off the farm much, actually mostly my own choice. Charlotte is the one who goes shopping. She loves it, even though it’s mostly for the cafe that she peruses. Me, I’m happiest at home, wellies on, doing pig stuff or happier still, at the end of a busy day on the farm, escaping to the lavenders and gently trimming them into shape for the winter. There I said it… winter, yuck!

On Monday we did leave the farm, although still strictly work-related – we were doing some market research, so we visited several other farm shops between here and Bath. As I have mentioned here before, farm shops come in various guises, all generally bigger than ours though. Whilst looking around we are both always drawn to the meat counter, actually to the pork section. Here I always get a sharp stab of pride, that our meat is so different from what is on offer at these large farm shops. What’s different about it? I hear you ask, well, just look at the colour, lying there – it’s a pale, slightly insipid colour, wet and lacking structure. There was zero fat on it, actually just the skin. The person on the counter asks if they can help. I say politely, ‘I’m just looking as we

have our own pig farm.’ ‘Oh,’ they answer, in a slightly disinterested manner. ‘Do you know where these pigs come from?’ I ask. ‘Sorry, no I don’t,’ they say, and that’s the natural end of the conversation. We leave sad at the standard of meat on sale, but happy and chatting for many minutes about the difference from our meat. ‘What’s different?’ I hear you ask. Well, if you come to us to buy our pork, it’s a dark rich red colour, more akin to beef. There is a marbling of fat that runs through the meat and there is a layer of fat that covers the meat. When you get the meat home and handle it you will notice how it has texture and a firmness that is different. And when you cook it and taste it, well, that’s when all the elements of our pigs and pork come together to give you pork that has flavour! You may think this is an unashamed plug for our pork, well it is really. You see if you come to us and ask Charlotte or me about our meat you will get the full story, if you want it, of which pig they are eating, how old it was, when it was born, which paddock it was from. We are so proud of the story of our meat and how our pigs live that we called ourselves The Story Pig and always have pigs outside the cafe so you can see for yourselves how they live.

So, why is the meat different? It’s surely not down to living next to a tipi? Well, it’s mainly in the breeding. Tamworths are an old-fashioned breed that haven’t been messed around with – they are so packed with flavour. Then there’s the fact that they live outside – they have the sun on their backs filling their fat with vitamin D. They run up and down our hills developing their muscles, giving them a depth of texture that is second to none – all this adds up to pork that is unashamedly amazing.

Meanwhile, as for winter, we have moved the tipi back into the barn for the winter time, the lights are on, the heaters are out, the bunting is back up and we are cooking pizzas as fast as we can. The lavenders quietly wait out these dark months, hunkering down in their tight balls. The garden is asleep and regenerating for the next season. The pig jobs have become a real chore for the next few months, mud and slipperiness a big feature of my days. It’s head down and look forward. Charlotte is good at helping with that – how lucky am I to have her by my side every step of the way!

thestorypig.co.uk

chef PAUL COLLINS

PRIVATE DINING IN THE LUXURY OF YOUR HOME

‘Not only was the food absolutely delicious, it was beautifully presented, and most definitely of the same quality or higher as some of the top restaurants in London.’

‘He turned our vague wishes into amazing dishes. We and all guests were totally delighted. A superb meal and most memorable dinner and evening.’

‘Paul is great on all the little details that make a simple dish into a great dish…a great way to entertain at home – we’ll definitely be booking again’

‘As a top UK chef, his resume says it all…’

BESPOKE LUNCHES & DINNER PARTIES IN YOUR HOME BY A MICHELIN AWARD-WINNING CHEF

www.chefpaulcollins.co.uk paul@chefpaulcollins.co.uk Mobile 07774 866902

John Couture/Shutterstock

WINES FROM THE AMERICAN ATLANTIC SEABOARD

David Copp

As a would-be historian, I have always taken an interest in the British attempt to colonise North America. Sir Walter Raleigh, one of our more dynamic if not successful adventurers, brought back tobacco and potato plants and encouraged British settlers to go to Virginia. But perhaps the most important influence on the development of American wine was that of Thomas Jefferson, the US Ambassador to France in the run-up to the French Revolution.

Jefferson was impressed with the great French wines and took advantage of his position to visit the great domains of Burgundy and Bordeaux, buying their best wines and sending them back to be cellared at his home in Monticello, Virginia. Jefferson experimented with many different grape varieties and eventually settled on those he considered best for the soil and somewhat humid conditions of Virginia.

At first, a profusion of wild grapes was grown but after the phylloxera blight agronomists developed French-American hybrids, several of which – Chambourcin, Seyval Blanc, Vidal Blanc, Vignoles – are still widely grown. The European grape, Vitis vinifera, only took root with the advent of modern fungicides and the development of techniques to prevent difficult winter conditions. American viticulture was blessed with the arrival of an outstanding oenologist, Dr Konstantin Frank who came from the Ukraine in the 1950s. There are now more Vitis vinifera grapes than hybrids and growers have learned to better match varieties with terroir.

The reputation of the wines of the Atlantic Seaboard is now on the rise as their unique character attracts growing numbers of wine enthusiasts. The thirst for different and more interesting wines is driving dramatic growth in wine sales and tourism. The number of East Coast wineries has tripled since 2000. The most promising regions are Virginia, Carolina and the New York States’ Finger Lakes, 800 miles to the north. They differ in terms of terroir, wine history, grape varieties grown, and development.

On my visit, I delighted in meeting such outstanding winemakers as Jim Law and Luca Paschina at Barboursville Vineyards, Michael Schapps in Virginia and Dr Konstantin Frank and Herman J Weimer in the Finger Lakes. The region is now beginning to attract young winemakers from all over the world. Homegrown winemaking talent is being developed in the ecology department at Cornell University and through the work of viticultural consultants such as Lucie Morton and the great Frenchman Stéphane Dernancourt.

Because the climate of the eastern seaboard tends to be humid with rainfall throughout the growing season, it puts a premium on grape varieties that have thick skins and good disease resistance. Of the white varieties Petit Manseng, Vermentino, and Viognier have shown the greatest promise. Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot are the most promising among the reds.

Climate warming has helped by extending the growing season. As a result, over time we can expect continued changes in the grape varieties successfully grown. There are already highaltitude vineyards in the Blue Ridge Mountains and prime sites in the Shenandoah Valley which are beginning to produce great wines from Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc. Also look out for the Finger Lakes Rieslings which are growing in character as that region continues to warm.

Corton Denham Winter Opening Times

5 days a week, Wednesday to Sunday

www.thequeensarms.com | info@thequeensarms.com | 01963 220317 Now Taking Christmas and New Year Bookings