11 minute read
MARCHING ON TO CHRISTMAS
Mary meets an award winning pie maker and talks Christmas food
Images: Nico Morgan
Christmas is looming over the horizon, getting closer and closer at quite an alarming speed. And this year, Boris willing, it looks like we might all be able to get together en famille again. So that means for many of us, big gatherings and lots of food.
So of course the doom-mongers in the national press and the BBC are taking great delight in telling us there won’t be enough food to go round this year and the traditional
Christmas dinner is going to be ruined because of supply chain issues; there will be a shortage of turkey and forget ever seeing a pig in blanket again. They are revelling in it all and sadly many people are now panic buying food that will just go to waste.
But there is a way around this; forget the large supermarket chains. Shop locally and even better, shop at your local farm shop. You know exactly where your meat is coming from; many can even show you which field they were grazing in. Your veg will be grown locally and in plentiful supply; cakes and puddings are baked on the premises and quite often your shopping will be delivered to your door.
Farm shops and local shops have thrived during the pandemic with many expanding and taking on more staff, which is excellent. One which has done this in a big way is
March House Farm in Great Dalby which is on the Oakham side of Melton Mowbray.
The Belchers have been farming here for many generations, with Dan and brother Tom, the third. Their parents were pretty innovative and opened a butchery in 1999 selling from the farm gate and farmers’ markets which quickly gained a strong local following. All the meat that went through the shop was produced on the family’s farms either at Great Dalby or Little Dalby. Beef, lamb and pork, and turkeys at Christmas from the farms, with free range and pasture raised chicken bought locally. The meat isn’t organic but the animals are antibiotic free and free range.
The term is regenerative agriculture so there is as little intervention as possible and stock is grass fed.
In 2017 the farm shop was opened and in 2019, the café.
By now Dan and Tom were running the farm and Dan’s partner Jo was heavily involved with the shop and the café.
As all of the meat sold in the shop, apart from chicken, is produced, prepared and sold on the farm there are zero
food miles involved. Jo and Dan have a strong ethos that all produce sold should be local and many small artisan businesses are encouraged to supply products. As well as supplying meat to the shop the family also supply roasts and other products to local restaurants and hotels.
Today the vast majority of produce sold in the shop is made on site including cakes and pastries. Emma is the baker who is currently busy making Christmas puddings and cakes. Flour is bought from the local mill at Whissendine, eggs come from a nearby farm. ‘Anything with chocolate or caramel flies off the shelves,’ she says with a grin.
There are now five butchers employed on site as well as a trainee which is excellent to see. March House Farm sausages are popular, joints fly out of the door not literally but the pièce de résistance has to be their handmade pies.
But first we need to go back a step to the dreaded pandemic. Like every café in the country the one at March House had to shut, and it had barely been open a year and had gained a great following.
Along with virtually every other farm shop in the country an and o were rushed off their feet trying to keep country an and o were rushed off their feet trying to keep up with demand. They were delivering food as well as up with demand. They were delivering food as well as trying to run a click and collect system so the caf space was uickly turned into more shop space which was doubled in size almost overnight. This meant that more doubled in size almost overnight. This meant that more products were introduced and, with demand being so high, products were introduced and, with demand being so high, more chefs were needed to hand make pies and pork pies to run alongside the renowned butchery; between 25 and 30 people now work in the business. people now work in the business.
Jo was savvy and turned a horrid situation very much to their advantage, and at the same time turned quite a few their advantage, and at the same time turned quite a few lives around. Because of the lockdown and closure of all hospitality there were of course a lot of very talented chefs hospitality there were of course a lot of very talented chefs who either suddenly found themselves out of a job or on who either suddenly found themselves out of a job or on furlough. sed to working anti social hours those with furlough. sed to working anti social hours those with young children suddenly found themselves enjoying family time. And two of those very talented chefs have now joined Jo and her team at March House. Head chef Glen Cowl had worked at the live Branch and tapleford and deputy worked at the live Branch and tapleford and deputy Aaran worked with Tom erridge and had been at Aaran worked with Tom erridge and had been at Hambleton Hall as well, and then there’s Derwent who is Hambleton Hall as well, and then there’s Derwent who is the key pie maker. As Glen says we all have young families and needed more job security after all the restrictions. And we wanted to work more sociable hours to fi t in with our families.’
o what do you do with all this latent talent ou make pies and you enter competitions - and you win them! These very talented chefs turned their attention to pie making. The hand raised pork pie made on site is a best seller. But mention must go to the steak and ale pie that is the award winner; made from scratch at the shop, no artifi cial ingredients are used. or the fi rst time of entering March House farm shop won a gold award at the Pie Awards which took place in Melton in eptember. ntries came from all over the country, there were steak and ale pies, and theirs won a gold award and was highly commended for being in the top three. And they won two more bronze awards as well; not bad for the fi rst year of entering. I can attest for the gold award winner, it’s absolutely delicious, huge and stuff ed full of great uality beef. ust what a pie should be. And they’re not stopping there as they are entering many more competitions and as we speak some of their sausages are winging their way to France to compete.
But now attention must turn to hristmas. The pumpkins have been and gone and the bonfi re night fi reworks imminent. But there are ample free range turkeys to go round and orders can be placed from the beginning of November. There will be special Christmas pies available, gammon, beef, pre made and bespoke hampers all waiting for you. ou can add locally produced sloe gin as well as many other local, artisan products. Delivery is available, you can order online or turn up in person. If you do that, make sure you enjoy one of mma’s cakes, or a hot lunch which is available from the off ee ut which has now been moved outside, but there is under cover seating as well.
And there defi nitely won’t be a shortage of pigs in blankets at March ouse arm.
Shop at farm shops for local meat
WE HAVE FOUND a couple of other farm shops who follow the same mantra: meat bred and produced on the farm through regenerative, sustainable agriculture; local products and friendly service. Remember support your local shops and they will support you.
Waterloo Cottage farm shop in Great Oxendon is mainly supplied by the meat that is sustainably produced on the farm, where the shop is located. This award winning shop sells antibiotic-free meat that is sustainably grown, free range and pasture fed, and what isn’t produced on the farm follows exactly the same ethos. Renowned for its great quality meat, homemade sausages and their own air dried charcuterie and pies, it’s worth a visit. You can also purchase a selection of local beers, wines and spirits and much more. o let’s find out a bit more about the owners and their ethos.
Angus and Kirsty’s journey is much more than just growing healthy, happy animals. Small scale regenerative farms like Waterloo Cottage better support their livestock and ensure nutritiously dense meat to keep us humans healthy, and help support the recovery of nature.
One example of this is the mob grazing techniques used to graze their Highlanders. The cattle draw carbon dioxide out of the air, encourage a deeper root system of plants and a stronger thatch to cover bare soil. Angus and Kirsty work with arable farmers combining cover crops with livestock to enable these farmers to reduce the use of chemicals on their arable fields to better support the recovery of nature and help with profitability and resilience . atch out for their new blogs that will explain more about how regenerative agriculture is helping the recovery of nature.
Early next year, if you are interested in learning how to run your own smallholding, you will be able to download short videos on how to rear pigs, sheep and cattle. If you then want to learn more there will be farming mornings where you can work alongside Angus and his animals to gain more experience.
Behind the shop there is a Community Garden where you can help grow fruit and vegetables and enjoy a share of the harvest. You can book a staycation in a Country Bumpkin Yurt on the farm and enjoy a short break being at one with nature.
Support for ground breaking small farms is so important for the recovery of nature. And you can help by shopping at local farm shops buying your festive fare and gifts for your family and friends. And then you can enjoy their tasty, nutritionally dense food; just like food used to taste.
To make life very simple you can buy Christmas in a box from the shop and it’s an excellent idea. Everything you need for a fabulous lunch is made and packed for you including the gravy and stu ng. All you have to do is cook it! The Christmas Boxes include their products and many other local award winning producers’ products too.
To order go to www.edible16.org.uk
Christmas gift vouchers are available for sausage making, pork pie making and butchery courses as well as farming mornings. www.waterloocottagefarm.co.uk
Enjoy a New Lodge Christmas
NEW LODGE FARM, which is half way between Stamford and Corby at Bulwick on the A43, is a farm shop selling home bred meat which is produced and prepared on their traditional livestock farm. The Singlehursts pride themselves on their sustainable agriculture which in turn leads to great tasting meat; I don’t think I’ve tasted a better bacon anywhere.
Their in-house butchery has a great reputation and a strong local following; sausages and burgers are also a firm favourite with many.
What isn’t produced on the farm is sourced and supplied by local suppliers who follow the same ethos. Bread comes from just down the road from a local bakery and vegetables are available at the weekends from a nearby supplier. The cakes are delicious and you must have a look at the dairy counter with its wide range of cheeses, milk, creams and eggs too; all locally sourced.
As well as fresh products there are preserves, alcoholic drinks, flour, homeware and beauty products available.
And when it comes to Christmas the boat is really pushed out. Traditional barn reared turkeys and chickens will be available which are hand plucked and have a wonderful taste and texture; place your order now.
Duck and geese are also available along with festive joints of beef, pork, lamb, gammon and ham as well as sausages and sausagemeat, all prepared in the on-site butchery.
If that isn’t enough, Christmas hampers are also available. You can create your own or there are themed ones for cheese lovers, gardeners, those with a sweet tooth, bakers and those who love cider! And of course you can buy your Christmas tree and decorations here as well.
Whilst ordering your Christmas food and gifts you need to make the most of the award winning café. This newly extended caf offers plenty of seating, inside and out, and excellent freshly prepared food including breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea. The staff are friendly and the food is delicious.
