3. great food magazine nov/dec 2010

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!" p'fect pi"! Local baker shows you how to make the best

PUB & RESTAURANT REVIEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Your guide to a delicious Christmas, from Belvoir goose to Melton Sloe Gin

Meet the county’s only shiitake farmer

greatfoodCELEBRATING THE BEST LOCAL FOOD & DRINK

Leicestershire’s exotic ‘shrooms

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The new magazine all

about food and drink in

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Leicestershire & Rutlandwww.greatfoodleics.co.uk

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Tasty Rutland route revealed

PUBWALK

19 GREAT RECIPES INSIDE

Winter Plum Chutney, Christmas Gift Cookies,

Twelfth Night Cake...

T: 0116 251 88 98E: [email protected]

13-21 St Nicholas Place, Leicester. LE1 4LDAA Rosette forCulinary Excellence

The Best Small Hotel and Restaurant in the East Midlands.

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Double Gold Award Winner in the ‘Small Hotel’& ‘Taste of the Region’ categories in the2010 East Midlands Tourism Enjoy England Excellence Awards

Book now for Christmas parties and New Year’s Eve and enjoy our intimate, luxurious surroundings.

Visit www.maiyango.com for more information

MAIYANGO AD.indd 1MAIYANGO AD.indd 1 21/10/10 13:12:5821/10/10 13:12:58

This year every member of my family is going to receive locally-made food and drink as gifts. Judging by the high-quality goodies uncovered while compiling this issue, everyone’s going to be delighted. The produce that stars throughout the magazine shows what an embarrassment of riches we have in the area, from Scotch

Bonnet jam from Charnwood (p6) to exotic mushrooms from Ashby de la Zouch (p38). Then there are Belvoir geese (p18), delicious Quenby stilton (p8 and p32) and a huge range of spectacular, locally-made pies (p6 and p51). That’s to name just a few. I suppose I ought to be buying gym memberships in the New Year.

Of course, if you fancy getting creative you could also make some presents. The jam-making feature on p24 should give you a few ideas. Probably the best gift you could buy, though, is a subscription to Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland! Details on p17.

Have a great build up to Christmas and a very tasty festive break. See you in the New Year!www.greatfoodleics.co.uk

NIBBLES4 Make the perfect pork pie 6 Local foodie products8 Local cheeses10 Leicestershire & Rutland drink12 What’s Cooking? Local food news15 Win a meal for two! At the Red Lion Inn

STARTER17 Subscribe! Just £15 for one year18 Botterills’ farm: Plus goose-cooking tips22 Reviews: Entropy & The Old Barn Inn23 Review: The Berkeley Arms

MAIN COURSE24 We go on a jam-making course25 Recipes: Plum chutney & jam; mustard29 Recipe: Twelfth Night Cake31 Recipes: Spiced truffles; confit duck32 Profile: Freddie de Lisle of Quenby Hall37 Recipe: Tim Hart’s rum punch38 Profile: The Mushroom Basket39 Recipe: Exotic mushroom risotto42 Recipe: Christmas Gift Cookies

BACK FOR SECONDS43 Recipe: Christmas Granola44 The Longhorn Beef Company45 Sean Hope’s steak tips & recipe47 Lubcloud Dairy48 Game guide: By Matt Gregory50 Recipe: Pan-fried venison & beetroot

PUDDING51 Hambleton Farms Fine Foods52 Local food history: pears54 Your Dream Dish57 The Locavore’s Christmas58 Recipe: Mont Blanc by Danny Jimminson

PETIT FOURS & COFFEE60 Pub walk: Exton – Fort Henry - Greetham62 Love This! With the Foodie Gift Hunter64 Events: Dates for your diary65 Next issue: What to look forward to66 Farm Shop Map: Updated

[email protected]

Welco!

GREAT FOOD LEICESTERSHIRE & RUTLAND IS BI-MONTHLY: NEXT ISSUE OUT JANUARY 4, 2011 COVER WATERCOLOUR: Christmas Geese by Graham Wright.

EDITOR: Matthew Wright ADVERTISING: BPG Ltd Julie Cousins – [email protected] 766199PUBLISHED BY: Rocco MediaPRINTED BY: WarnersCONTRIBUTORS: Mark Hamilton, Matt Gregory, Emma & Chris Ansell, Jan McCourt, Rosemary Jameson, Tim Hart, Sallie Hooper, Sean Hope,

Tim Burke, Helen Tarver, Julie Duff, James Goss, Danny Jimminson, Steve Fitzpatrick, Sarah Lyon, Peter Gardner, Paul Freeman, Tim Brown, Vanessa Kimbell, Rupert Matthews; Philippa, Jane and Enzo; Graham & Jill; and, of course, Rocco the Jack Russell.WEBSITE: Paul Bunkham – www.dobit.co.ukFull terms and conditions, privacy and security policies are on our website.

Contents

WRITE TO: Great Food, 7 Victoria Street, Melton Mowbray, Leics LE13 0AR. www.greatfoodleics.co.uk

Twitter: greatfoodleics

Welcome

Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland 3

RECIPE

4 Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland

To make a single 1lb piePastry

* 113g plain flour

* Pinch of salt

* 50g lard

* 30ml water

* Beaten egg to glaze

Filling

* 225g lean pork, chopped

* Salt and pepper

* 125ml pork stock & 15g gelatine

I t’s a great Leicestershire and Rutland tradition to eat pork pie on Christmas morning with a glass of what you fancy. So why

do pork pies have such strong connections to the region? Are Leics and Rutland folk pie-addicts, or is there a better reason?

To condense hundreds of years of history into a few words, the pork pie connection exists for the following reasons: good-quality grazing led to lots of milk, which led to Stilton cheese. The waste product of Stilton is whey, which provides economical food for porkers. When fox-hunting became fashionable in the 19th century, hunters flocked to Leicestershire and Rutland because of its fine sport, and wanted energy-packed snacks for eating on the hoof. Bakers decided to wrap seasoned pork meat in pastry and pack it all in with jelly. They sold like hot cakes. Or hot pies. The rest is history.

The Christmas morning pork pie tradition has its roots in farm labourers’ festive celebrations, when they’d eat the pork lovingly raised over summer, while their masters tucked into a bit of swan or goose.

The recipe and tips are provided by Stephen Hallam (pictured opposite) of Dickinson & Morris, Melton Mowbray.

Protected statusMelton Mowbray pork pies have had Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status since July 2009. This means the hallowed words ‘Melton Mowbray’ can only be applied to pork pies if they’re:1) Made within a certain geographical area that focuses on the Vale of Belvoir. 2) Made with fresh, uncured pork – pies containing cured (salted) meat have a pink filling that looks like bacon or ham; genuine Melton Mowbray pork pie filling is not cured and has the same colour as a cooked pork chop or joint. 3) Baked with no support.

Make the perfect Melton Mowbray pork pie

Have a go at baking your own this Christmas...

HOW TO...

Make the pastrySift flour and salt into a warm bowl and rub in 15g of lard. Gently heat the remaining lard and water together until boiling, then add to flour, mixing until mixture is cool enough to knead. Knead well. Reserve a quarter of the pastry for the lid. Shape the remaining piece into a ball-like dome and leave in the fridge overnight.

Raise the pieRemove the pastry from the fridge two hours before making the pie case. Gently temper the pastry by squeezing so it becomes pliable [1]. Using your hands, carefully mould the pastry up and around a floured dolly or jam jar, ensuring the sides are of even thickness [2, 3 & 4]. Remove the pastry case from the dolly or jar.

The fillingChop pork and season with salt and pepper. Place filling into the pastry case [5]. Roll out pastry for lid, damp the rim of the pastry case with egg and press together [6 & 7]. Brush the top of the pie (not the crimp) with egg and make a hole in lid centre. Chill thoroughly, preferably overnight.

BakingBake at Gas 4 (220C) for one and a half hours. When baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly [8].

JellyingWhile baking, make jelly by dissolving gelatine in pork stock. After baking, make two holes in the lid and pour in jelly. Place pie in a fridge overnight.

EatingEat cold and remove from the fridge at least an hour before serving.

Dickinson & MorrisDickinson & Morris has been baking pies at Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe since 1851. 10 Nottingham St, Melton, Leics LE13 1NW, www.porkpie.co.uk, 01664 482068

The logo...Foods of Protected Geographical Indication – including Melton Mowbray pork pies – must display this logo.

Stephen HallamStephen Hallam has been managing director of Dickinson & Morris at Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe in Melton Mowbray since 1992. He’s a passionate baker and advocate of

local food.

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Thanks to Dickinson & Morris for its help with this feature. D&M sells a range of award-winning pork pies.

Pork pie


Stephen Hallam shows how it’s done

Stephen’s four tips“Have all ingredients weighed and ready before you start. And don’t over-knead your pastry – it’s not bread.”“Your pastry needs to feel like Play Doh before you start to make the pie case. If it’s too cold it will crack and you’ll have to start again.”“Using just pork belly meat may create a filling that’s a bit greasy, while leg meat alone will be firm and quite dry. A mix might work well but it’s up to you.”“Care needs to be taken when baking as no two ovens are the same. Keep checking – opening the door is fine. You may need to lower the oven temperature during the last half hour – to about Gas Mark 2.5.”


Time for a turkey? Fosse Meadows, a family farm in Frolesworth, south Leics, rears free-range bronze

birds alongside chickens. Farmer Nick Ball – an ex-London fashion designer

who used to live in ‘Peck’em’ (so says the

press release!) – believes the fact his poultry roams free results in a great flavour.

Contact: 07886 340752,

www.fossemeadows.co.uk

Fosse Meadows Farm turkeys

try this...

Hambleton piesTurn your tea-time table into a Christmas decoration with these awe-inspiring, centre-piece pies. Hambleton Farm Fine Foods (see p51) of Oakham is the proud creator of these duck (above) and pork with black pudding (below) pies, and they’re just the tip of the iceberg. Hambleton has a great range and can cook to order.

Contact: 01507 568235, www.hambleton farms.co.uk

Game pâté with port You can’t get much more Christmassy or local than pâté made with Leicestershire & Rutland game and laced with port. Created by Val Walker of Hay Meadow Farm in Wing, Rutland, this is perfect for festive starters or snacks.

Contact: 01572 737193, [email protected]

Chilli jamsFeeling brave? Wake up to some Chilli Lemon Curd or Scotch Bonnet Jam from Charnwood Chilli Company on your toast this winter. The curd’s got an edge, and the jam’s like rocket fuel! Makes a great gift, too.

Contact: 07929 420556, www.charnwoodchillis.co.uk

Local food that’ll turn Christmas into your tastiest yet

PRICE: £3.00

PRICE: FROM £2

PRICE: FROM £8

PRICE: £3.00

PRICE: £3.95


TRY THISC!"tm# $ecia%

Melton Hunt CakeAllegedly made to the same secret recipe since 1854, this fruit, almond and Jamaica rum cake is said to have been originally served to members of the Melton Hunt. “The perfect accompaniment to afternoon tea,” says the blurb. Good for breakfast, too, we say.

Contact: Available at Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe, Melton Mowbray

Drunken Jam (Red)

This is jelly made with wine, which sounds like a rather fine idea. The Red

here contains Cabernet Sauvignon and is said to

be excellent with roast beef or good when added

to onion gravy. Made in Deeping St James, Lincs.

Contact: 01778 347993, www.winejellar.com

Festive chutney The Pickled Village of Bulwick, over the border in Northants, produces a

mind-boggling array of brilliantly creative preserves, from ‘The Cuban

Breakfast’ (lime marmalade made using the ingredients of a Mojito

cocktail) to this, The Christmas Cheer – a warming, fruity chutney designed to taste like mulled wine.

Contact: 01780 450774, www.thepickledvillage.co.uk

Rum, fruit and nut cakeBejewelled with cherries and nuts and laced with rum, this stunner is from award-winning cake-maker (and author) Julie Duff of Church Farmhouse Cakes, Croxton Kerrial (see p29), Vale of Belvoir. Julie, who bakes for Fortnum & Mason, uses free-range eggs and flour from Whissendine Windmill. The price includes gift-wrapping and postage.

Contact: 01476 870150, www.churchfarmhousecakes.co.uk

PRICE: £26

PRICE: £2.00

PRICE: £3.50

PRICE: £3.50

Goose fatSeldom Seen Farm of Billesdon, east Leics, is renowned for its free-range geese. It also grows potatoes, so for the most local of side-dishes you could roast Seldom’s spuds in this fat. As it says on the jar, they’d probably be the best roasties in the world.

Contact: 0116 2596742, www.seldomseenfarm.co.uk

PRICE: £8.95


A dozen local cheeses to grace your festive table

1. Windsor RedMature cheddar infused with port and brandy,

from Long Clawson Dairy.

2. Cote Hill BlueDelicious soft, buttery, blue cheese made at Cote

Hill Farm, near Market Rasen, Lincs.

3. Thomas Hoe Aged LeicesterRed with a distinctive caramelly, nutty taste.

Another offering from Clawson.

4. Long Clawson Blue StiltonClassic, traditionally-made Leicestershire

Blue Stilton with an open texture.

5. Lincolnshire PoacherA bit like West Country Cheddar but with its own

thing going on. Made in Alford, Lincs.

6. Quenby Hall Blue StiltonArguably the mildest and creamiest of the

Blue Stiltons. More on page 32.

7. Sage DerbyThis version of this famous old cheese has a band

of sage leaves running through it.

8. Lincolnshire RedFrom the same people who make Poacher, with a

creamy texture and delicate flavour.

9. StaffordshireNow with Protected Designation of Origin status,

this is mild, creamy and universally liked.

10. Stinking BishopYe gods! The World’s Smelliest Cheese, made in

Dymock, Glos. Tasty, but keep the fridge door shut.

11. Sparkenhoe Farm Red LeicesterAward-winning red made in Upton, south-east Leics.

Nutty taste but different to Thomas Hoe.

12. Cropwell Bishop Blue StiltonSome say this is the strongest of the Blue Stiltons.

It has a salty tang and high moisture content.

try this...

Thanks to: Melton Cheeseboard, 8 Windsor St,Melton, 01664 562257, www.meltoncheeseboard.co.uk

PRICE: £13.50/kg

PRICE: £11.50/kg

PRICE: £13.00/kg

PRICE: £19.70/kg

PRICE: £15.00/kg

PRICE: £12.60/kg

PRICE: £13.80/kg

PRICE: £15.20/kg

PRICE: £28.20/kg

PRICE: £15.30/kg

PRICE: £13.80/kg

PRICE: £12.50/kg


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leics handmade cheese.indd 1leics handmade cheese.indd 1 25/10/10 16:22:1225/10/10 16:22:12



try this...

Azorieblue Coffee

Having good coffee in the house is a must during

festivities. Azorieblue is made from Brazilian

Arabica beans grown in ethically-approved estates,

and marketed by Adrian Rose from Melbourne, on the Leics/Derbys border.

Contact: 0207 6925670, www.azorieblue.com

Drinks with Leicestershire links

Spiced Berry

CordialAdd hot water for a

comforting, fruity clove and cinnamon-

infused winter warmer. Good as a

pud ingredient, too. World-conquering

Belvoir Fruit Farms is located in the

village of Belvoir.

Contact: 01476 870286, belvoir fruitfarms.co.uk

PRICE: £9.99

PRICE: £3.99

EverardsSleighbell, 4.5%

Popular seasonal beer from Leicestershire’s biggest

brewery, with a rich flavour and ruby colour. Available in

selected Everards pubs. www.everards.co.uk Oakham Ales

Mompesson’s Gold, 5%Copper-coloured with a

floral hop aroma and taste, and a sweetness that leaps

to a long, hoppy, bitter-sweet finish. Brewed

in Peterborough. www.oakhamales.com

Wicked Hathern

Gladstone Tidings, 5.1% A dark, hoppy bitter with a

rounded finish brewed only at Christmas. Named after

Gladstone Street in Hathern, north Leics, the result of a

name that beer competition. www.wicked-hathern.co.uk

Jollydale Sparking Medium Cyder, 6.0% Fruity and quite sweet – even in Medium and Dry forms – this is made at Woodnewton, ten miles south of Stamford.www.jollydalecyder.com

Langton Brewery

Welland Poacher, 7.5% A well-balanced, powerful

ale that’s perfect for Christmas. It’s chestnut in

colour and has a satisfying, warm, bittersweet finish.

Brewed in Thorpe Langton near Market Harborough.

www.langtonbrewery.co.uk

Farmer FearThirsty Farmer Cider, 5.5%

Brewed partly from apples grown in Rothley, this is a traditional-tasting

cider: not much fizz and a distinctive Scrumpy flavour. Made to his

grandfather’s recipe by local farmer Andrew Fear, who owns the

Budgens store in Mountsorrel. www.farmerfear.co.uk

Melton Sloe GinMade using sloes that grow wild on infuser Rachel Birch’s family farm in Sproxton, near Melton Mowbray, this sweet, warming liquor is perfect for putting in a hip flask and taking with you on the walk on p60.

Contact: 01476 861058, www.meltondrinks.co.uk

PRICE: £14.99

ALSO AVAILABLE AT MAJOR RETAILERS NATIONWIDE

dickinson and morris.indd 1dickinson and morris.indd 1 30/9/10 10:16:0330/9/10 10:16:03


New square will reflect city’s culinary influences

CITY’S FIRST DELI PUBLeicester city centre pub the Rutland & Derby is being refurbished, shortly to emerge as the city’s first ‘deli-pub’. It will offer a range of drinks but also sell “an exciting range of foods, from gorgonzola piccante to prosciutto da cinta”, for consumption on and off premises. The people behind it are Ssoosh Inns, a Kirby Muxloe-based firm that has developed The Forge in Glenfield and The Willow in Thurmaston.By Tim Burke (read his food blog at www.riponia.wordpress.com)

NEW ABATTOIRA multi-species abattoir will shortly open at Six Hills, between Melton and Loughborough. Currently, most local animals are taken to South Kilworth, near Market Harborough, or Grantham, Lincs, to be killed (and Melton has a lamb and goat facility). Andrew Nelson, director of Hambleton Farms of Rutland, said: “The new Six Hills abattoir is great news for the area. Animals will have to travel less distance and so undergo less stress.”

LUCY’S NEW FOODIE SHOPLucy Cufflin, whose new book Lucy’s Food has just been published, is to open a

shop at 6 St Francis Street, Leicester. On sale will be “timeless classics and contemporary dishes, plus a range of useful gadgets and store-cupboard must-haves”.www.lucysfood.co.uk

PARTY ON IN OAKHAMOakham’s Victoria Hall will host a series of parties consisting of three- and four-course dinners over the Christmas and New Year period. The food will be sourced from several local producers, including Northfield Farm, Hambleton Bakery, Grainstore Brewery and Leeson’s Butchers. www.silverskyevents.com

After winning £600,000 of funding from the City Council, Leicester Market – Europe’s biggest outdoor covered

market – is to get a new multicultural food piazza to echo the city’s diverse ethnic mix.

An area of the market will be deconstructed in January 2011. The old canopy will come off to create an open-air square – space for 20 stalls plus seating – with Continental-style umbrellas providing cover. The piazza will be flanked by plants, the aim being to open up an area in which people will shop, sit, eat and drink.

At the heart of the piazza, which is set to open in April 2011, will be around 20 food stalls reflecting Leicestershire and Leicester. An exciting mix of traders – yet to be decided – will sell British, Asian, Caribbean, Italian, Spanish, Chinese and Thai foods. There will also be a guest producer/restaurant stall.

The idea of the piazza is based on the success of recent food festivals held at Leicester Market (25,000 attended the last one

Cooking?EDITED BY: MATTHEW WRIGHT

What’s

GET SET FOR NOVEMBER 21

Save some Christmas shopping for Sunday, November 21, when Leicester Market will hold its second Winter Food Festival. Last year this event attracted 200 stalls and 15,000 visitors.

Taking place between 11am-5pm, and hosted by celebrity chef and Leicester Market

Ambassador Rachel Green, expect local produce and plenty of variety. The festival will coincide with the switching on of the Christmas lights.

Interested in taking a stall? Call Joe Harkin on 0116 2232371. Leicester Market, Market Place, Leicester LE1 5HQ

Leicester’s Winter Food Festival

Sm!... as will traditional British fare

Asian food will be a crucial part of the new food piazza...

LEICESTER MARKET TO CREATE MULTICULTURAL FOOD PIAZZA

Artist’s impression of the piazza. Right: Joe Harkin.

in May), and inspired by the city’s popular Mela, Caribbean Carnival and Farmers’ Markets.

Joe Harkin, Market Development Manager, said: “The ambition is to attract high-calibre producers of such diversity that Leicester Market will become one of the most talked-about food centres outside of London.”

Food will dominate the piazza on Fridays and Saturdays; from Monday to Thursday the space will have themed days, such as arts and crafts.

If you are interested in taking a stall in the new piazza, tender applications will be live from mid-November at www.leicestermarket.co.uk, or call Joe Harkin on 0116 2232371.

Local food news


Local eateries win medals galore at tourism awards

In the Kitchen !"i# placesPUBTHE CROWN AT SPROXTONThe Crown, between Grantham and Melton Mowbray, has been getting considerable word-of-mouth praise since the new management took over and refreshed the pub a year ago. This has now been crystallised with a bronze at the regional tourism awards (see left). Offering bar meals and restaurant dining, as well as three guest bedrooms, The Crown is rapidly becoming a country pub with a big pull. Watch this space for a full review.

The Crown at Sproxton, Coston Road, Sproxton, Leicestershire LE14 4QB, 01476 860035, www.thecrownatsproxton.co.uk

BUTCHERJASON’S ORGANIC BUTCHERS, COTESBACHJason’s Organic Butchers is located at Cotesbach Hall, just south of Lutterworth, and is part of an artisan enclave that also comprises an organic food shop and a stained-glass studio. Jason prides himself on good, friendly service, and all his meat is locally-reared: he farms his own sheep, while his beef and pork is from Oakley Grange, Shepshed. All butchery takes place on-site.

Jason’s Organic Butchers, Stable Yard, Cotesbach Hall, Leics LE17 4HX, 07754 697577, www.jasonsorganicbutchers.co.uk

FARM SHOPBERRY’S, THE CHOLMELEY ARMS, BURTON COGGLESNewly opened, Berry’s Farm Shop is a beautifully converted outbuilding behind The Cholmeley Arms in Burton Coggles, just over the border in Lincs. Cholmeley Arms landlord and chef John Berry has combined pub and farm shop to offer customers something extra. Specialising in meat, much of it from the Easton Estate on which the shop is located, Berry’s also sells veg from the Fens, homemade cakes, and a fine wine selection from Amphora Wines.

Berry’s Farm Shop at The Cholmeley Arms, Village Street, Burton-le-Coggles, Lincolnshire NG33 4JP, 01476 550225, www.tiny.cc/959lo

GOLDS FOR MAIYANGO & GC RAILWAY

New food venues at RSC

Hotel Maiyango of Leicester grabbed double gold at the 2010 East

Midlands Tourism Enjoy England Excellence Awards on October 7, winning both Taste of the Region and Small Hotel categories.

The boutique hotel and restaurant sources many ingredients locally (see p54), and was recognised for its all-round approach and customer service.

There were other local winners, too. Great Central Railway of Loughborough, which offers fine dining on steam trains, won gold for Best Tourism Experience and silver for Outstanding Customer Service. And in the Pub Experience category, there was silver for the Horse & Jockey of Manton, Rutland, and

EM TOURISM AWARDS The restaurant at Hotel Maiyango.

The Horse & Jockey, Manton

The Crown of Sproxton

If you’ve always wanted to scoff at Shakespeare, here’s your chance. On

November 24, The Royal Shakespeare Company is opening a new rooftop restaurant and riverside café/terrace at Stratford-upon-Avon.

Situated only an hour’s drive from Leicester, the new venues, with their unique surroundings and impressive riverside views, are tempting destinations for anyone who likes a bit of Hamlet after their ham hock.

The two new eateries were a big part of the RSC’s freshly completed, four-year, £112.8 million Stratford transformation project.

The rooftop restaurant will feature reclaimed pieces from the old theatre, and the design will be contemporary.

“I want a welcoming atmosphere, great food and friendly service,” said new Head of Catering Rob Fredrickson.

An example of a dish served at the restaurant is slow-braised daube of beef with pommes mousseline and roasted roots. Starters will be £5-£8, mains £12-£18.

Bookings are now being taken – www.rsc.org.uk, 0844 8001110.

bronze for The Crown at Sproxton (see right).

King’s Arms of Wing (p50) snared silver in Taste of the Region award, the Grey Lady of Newtown Linford bronze. Barnsdale Lodge of Oakham took bronze in Small Hotel; and Leicester’s Belmont bronze in Large Hotel.

{ }“Mystery shoppers who visited each finalist were so impressed they

want to return as customers.”

Ruth Hyde, EM Tourism

Director

{ } “I hope the new eateries will offer something for all

customers, budgets and occasions –

coffee and snack to special celebration”

Rob Fredrickson

Cutaway of refreshed theatre – the rooftop restaurant is on the left.

Calling all pizza-loving Leicester Tigers’ fans. San Carlo restaurant in the city’s Granby Street has created a special Tigers pizza, topped with Tiger prawns and Leicester cheese, and cooked in the venue’s wood-fired oven.

San Carlo’s Tigers Pizza

Cooking?What’s


CREATE RECIPES, WIN BEER!

Store pledges to support local producers and community

NEW OADBY WAITROSE MAKES ‘LOCAL’ PROMISE

Ale ice cream, Coq au Beer and Prawn Marie-Booze – three ideas that could make it into the Everards Hero Recipe competition.

The Leicester brewery is inviting cooks to come up with recipes containing the most creative use of Tiger Best Bitter. The ten best will go into a new Everards recipe booklet, with the top three going forward to a cook-off. The creator of the finest recipe will be rewarded

with a £250 gift card and a year’s supply of Tiger.

After consulting local chefs, Great Food has a few ideas up its sleeve and will be entering (more next issue). We’ll also print some of the best recipes.

To find out more and enter your Tiger recipe, go to www.everards.co.uk/herorecipe.

Reco!endsR"o“Excellent pubs that let me in”

TOBIE NORRIS, STAMFORD“This pub is really rather special. Possibly my favourite in the area, truth

be told. It welcomes my canine brethren and I with open arms and full water dishes. But almost as impressive is the ancient interior. Stretching out on the flagstone floor, one really does appreciate being in a building that dates from the 13th century. It’s undoubtedly one of the finest pub restorations. The beer is excellent with local representation – Ufford Ales – and master eats the huge pizzas with embarrassing speed.”

The Tobie Norris, 12 St Paul’s St, Stamford, PE9 2BE, 01780 753800, www.tobienorris.com

Our n#l$ Chi%ies…ROTHLEY FISHERIES & TIME & PLAICE RESTAURANTRegarded by locals as one of the finest chip shops in the county, Rothley Fisheries and adjacent Time & Plaice restaurant in Rothley, north of Leicester, regularly attract queues that spill out the door. It’s said customers travel from miles around, and booking is advised for the restaurant. The best in Leics and

Rutland? You tell us. Email matthew.wright@great foodleics.co.uk.

Rothley Fisheries, 19-20 Cross Green, Rothley, Leics LE7 7PF

NEW COOKERY SCHOOLAschool for cooks of all levels,

from beans-on-toast-burners to flambé-ing virtuosos, has opened in Smeeton Westerby near Market Harborough. Purpose-built Bridge 67 Cookery School, located on Binleys Bridge Farm, comprises six Falcon range cookers and a teaching kitchen on one floor, with a dining room to seat 24 upstairs.

Three chefs are on hand to teach a wide range of cuisines and cooking techniques.

Courses range from ‘Basic Everyday Meals’ and ‘Men in the Kitchen’, to ‘Christmas Canapés’ and ‘Italian Cookery’.

“Lessons have a relaxed atmosphere,” said proprietor Jill Vickers. “You learn in a hands-on way using seasonal ingredients, many of them from the farm. We teach small groups so there’s plenty of individual attention,

and we advise where to shop for food and how to store it, too.”

Jill has been holding private cookery lessons on her farm since 2006, but a grant from East Midlands Development Agency – which is due to be wound up in March 2012 and replaced by Local Enterprise Partnerships – has enabled her to expand the business.

Why ‘Bridge 67’? “Because a bridge on the farm spanning the Grand Union Canal wears that number,” said Jill.bridge67cookeryschool.co.uk

A new 24,600sq ft Waitrose store opened in Oadby on October 21, with a commitment to

play a positive role in the community and support high-quality local produce and producers.

The new store will employ 206 people – or partners, as Waitrose refers to its employees – including all 70 who have transferred from now-closed Waitrose Evington.

Talking to Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland on launch night, Amy Hayward-Paine, Waitrose Corporate Communications Manager and Leicestershire resident, said: “Local food and producers are important to us. This store has a small local food section, and we’re always on the search for exceptional new local suppliers.”

Store manager Ian Fraser said: “We’re looking forward to being part of Oadby’s community and continuing to show our commitment to the area.”

The new Oadby store – in addition to other local branches – stocks preserves by The Pickled Village of Bulwick (see p7) and organic pork pies from Brockleby’s of Melton Mowbray.

The shop will have a pattisserie, rotisserie chicken, olive bars and 60-seater café.

Local food news

Competition, Great Food, 7 Victoria Street, Melton Mowbray, Leics LE13 0AR. Full terms and conditions are available on the website.

The dining room at the Red Lion Inn

Do!’t m"s...WIN A MEAL FOR TWO AT THE RED LION, STATHERN

The 17th century Red Lion in Stathern, Vale of Belvoir, is a food and

drink-lover’s paradise. With its own veg garden, a raft of carefully researched local suppliers, good beer, a fine head chef in Ed Leslie (his boss is Michelin-starred Sean Hope) and an award-winning landlord in Marcus Welford, how could it be anything else?

To celebrate the launch of the Red Lion’s new menu (we’ve tried their steak and it’s fantastic – see p44), we’re offering you the chance to win an all-expenses paid meal for two at this award winning country pub.

To enter, simply go to www.greatfoodleics.co.uk and fill in the form. Alternatively, send a postcard with your name, address, phone number and email address to Red Lion

Debbie Hoult’s Mobile Diner was brought to our attention by a chef who swears by her sandwiches. Debbie, from Thistleton, Rutland, drives her

two vans to Market Overton, Sewstern, Melton and Ashwell. “I started the business seven months ago after quitting my factory job,” says Debbie.

LUNCH ON THE GO

DEBBIE’S MOBILE DINER{ }“As well as sandwiches, I sell hot homemade takeaway meals like beef stew with veg

grown in Thistleton by my mum-in-law.”

Debbie Hoult

NORTHFIELD FARM CHRISTMAS FAIRSaturday, November 20, will see Clarissa Dickson Wright return to Northfield Farm, Cold Overton, for the farm shop’s Christmas Fair and re-opening of its newly refurbished tea room. Expect craft and food stalls, mulled wine, mince pies, a bar and plenty of great sausages. www.northfieldfarm.com

BURGHLEY HOUSE CHRISTMAS FOOD MARKETBuy festive gifts and supplies in the awesome shadow of Stamford’s Burghley House, at a food market that will run from December 3-5, 10am to 4pm. The market will be in the stable courtyard and is free. There’ll be cookery demos, too. www.burghley.co.uk


To enter, just go to www.greatfoodleics.co.uk and fill in the online form, or send us a postcard

THE CROWN AT SPROXTONRestaurant – Pub – Courtyard

Tel: 01476 860035 Award winning Pub and Restaurant

Our Christmas Fayre Menu is now available2 Courses £17.50 - 3 Courses £21.95

Or why not join us for Christmas DayAdults £50.00 - Children (under 12) £26.00

Come and join us for some fabulous home cooked food in a warm and friendly atmosphere

1 Coston Road, Sproxton LE14 4QBwww.thecrownatsproxton.co.uk

10 miles from Grantham on A607. In Croxton Kerrial turn left to Sproxton

North eld Farm Shop

WHISSENDINE LANE, COLD OVERTON, NR. OAKHAM, LEICESTERSHIRE LE15 7QF

www.northfi eldfarm.com 01664 474271email: marc@northfi eldfarm.com

In 2010 we have received many accolades includingFarmer’s Weekly Local Food Farmer National Finalist

Top 10 Farm Shops – The TimesBest British Apple Pie – British Pie Awards

Gold Great Taste Award – Rutland Panther Bacon

Rare and Traditional British Breed Beef, Pork, Lamb and Poultry, Game, Turkeys and Geese. Great British and Continental Cheeses, Fresh

LOCAL Vegetables, Bakery … and MUCH more!

Refurbished TEA ROOM re-opens soon! Fabulous Amphora Wine Cellar on site!

20TH NOVEMBERFREE Entry – Plenty to see, do, taste and enjoy – Bring the

family and have a great day! Local Foods and Crafts to buy, and meet CLARISSA DICKSON WRIGHT signing her new book.

TH NOVEMBER

Christmas fair and open day

OPEN 7 DAYS

- Call us on 0116 230 3663Blyth-Richmond | Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority

or visit www.blyth-richmond.co.uk

30Over

years’experience

Blyth-Richmond Investment Managers is a 100% fee-based, independent family business run by father and daughter team Enzo & Philippa Maffi oli. We pride ourselves on investing our clients’ money in the right places. We have many years’ experience in this fi eld and offer a full spectrum of investments. Customer service is top of our agenda and we encourage regular face-to-face meetings with our clients.

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CHRISTMAS GIFT !


If the birds on the Botterills’ Vale of Belvoir farm can’t convert you to goose this Christmas, nothing will. Go on, live a little…

LOCAL PRODUCER

Free to flap!

Richard Botterill surveys the view from his family’s 500-acre farm at Croxton Kerrial near Grantham, on

the border of Leicestershire and Lincolnshire. “There’s not much wrong with where I work,” he says understatedly, as we take in the gently rolling patchwork of fields.

The Botterills’ geese (and turkeys and chickens) make it to the table of some of the finest restaurants in the area, including the Olive Branch in Clipsham, and Hambleton Hall on the

We want to produce the maximum number of top-quality birds.”

The Botterills start with day-old hatchlings from a hatchery in Norfolk. When the birds are fully feathered – at seven to eight weeks – they’re moved to the yards outside, where they’re free to roam, though they’re kept in at night, mainly to protect them from foxes. So the birds spend most of their lives freely wandering around their land in the Vale of Belvoir and don’t leave the farm until they’re ready for customers’ ovens.

Hambleton Peninsula, so you know they have to be good. But why?

“I put it down to one thing,” says Richard. “We do everything on the farm. We’re in control of the birds from day one till customers get hold of them.” The only thing left to the customer is to cook their own goose. “It’s in our interests to look after them.

Father and son... Richard (right) and Gerald Botterill

Nottingham Goose FairGeese have a long association with the area. Nottingham Goose Fair is so called because geese used to be driven to market in the city every Michaelmas from surrounding counties. The earliest record of the fair – which still takes place every October (although it’s more waltzers than livestock these days) – is 1541. In the olden days it’s said that the geese’s feet used to be painted with tar to protect them on the long journey to Nottingham.

ARTICLE: MARK HAMILTON PHOTOS: MATT WRIGHT


Botterills’ geese

Cooking your gooseKeep it simple and you’ll have a masterpiece on your table

The Botterills are so married to this philosophy of ‘birth to plate’ that they’ve invested £150,000 in their own slaughterhouse on the farm, so birds never have to suffer the stress of travelling off-site.

Richard’s grandfather Wilf moved from his farm in the Lincolnshire Wolds to the current location in the early 1930s, then his father took over the tenancy. The farm now comprises 300 acres of arable, on which they grow wheat, oil seed rape and beans, with

the remaining 200 acres given over to poultry and breeding ewes.

“We’ve been farmers for generations,” says Richard, who’s lived on the farm all his life. These days that means they have to be able to turn their hands to various things.

When we stop for a cuppa in the farmhouse, Richard’s mother Ann sums it up: “We’re jacks-of-all-trades.” Richard’s wife Jo would agree: she does the company accounts, on top of a full-time job with John Deere.

From cows to geeseThe geese are mainly fed on wheat from the farm and locally sourced cereal-based products, supplemented with soya-based protein for six weeks before slaughter to ensure they’re in tip-top condition.

Richard’s 72-year-old father Gerald is still the tenanted farmer – the land they farm is part of the huge Belvoir Castle estate. And it was Gerald who decided to give geese a go back in 1987. They used to keep cattle on the

PRICESThe Botterills’ geese are £9.35/kg and turkeys £7.95/kg. A 4kg goose will serve four; a 6kg bird will feed eight. A 4kg turkey will be a match for eight, while an 8 kilo gobbler will fill a whopping 15.

Goose has a thick layer of fat that not only makes the meat taste rich but keeps it moist. There’s not as much fat in the legs and wings, so it’s best to cover them with foil to avoid burning.

Rub salt and pepper all over the skin, then roast whole. For flavour, pop a couple of chopped apples and some herbs in the cavity, before putting the goose in an oven dish on a trivet, which will allow the fat to drain.

For a 4kg bird, give the bird half an hour at Gas 7 (220°C), then turn down to Gas 4 (180°C) for a further two-and-a-half to three hours. Baste after an hour and again around half an hour before it’s ready. Ensure the juices run clear and allow to rest for 30 minutes before serving.

You get a lot of fat from the bird, which can be stored in sterilised jars and used for all sorts of things (see overleaf).

Goose tastes richer than turkey, but it’s not as strong on the palate as duck. Serve with red cabbage, roast potatoes and parsnips, other seasonal vegetables and a sauce like gooseberry or apple.

TURN TO PAGE 22 FOR TWO LOCAL RESTAURANT REVIEWS


LOCAL PRODUCER

CONTACTWE Botterill & Son, Lings View Farm, Croxton Kerrial, Grantham, Leicestershire NG32 1QP, 01476 870394, www.freerangebirds.co.uk

farm but the price dropped so much at the time that they were forced to try something else – and they haven’t looked back. “The farm wouldn’t be here if we hadn’t tried something,” says Richard. Customer demand is a phrase that keeps coming up. Customers kept saying that they wanted turkeys too, so the Botterills added bronze-feathered turkeys a few years after the geese. More recently, they’ve introduced chickens, at the request of a butcher.

Free to roamBotterills’ birds are free-range (very much so), but not organic. “We couldn’t see how it would take things any further on,” says Richard. “And there was a five-year lead time.” Added to that, there was (and arguably still is) confusion about what organic food was and where the benefit lay.

“When customers asked, we explained the birds were free-range and lived outside, and people were happy with that,” adds Richard.

The geese are brought in the night before slaughter and kept overnight in

the dark. They’re all hand-finished and dry-plucked, so they never come into contact with water, which can encourage bacteria. The meat is blast chilled overnight to get the temperature down to below +2°C before being hung in a cooler for 14 days. Richard explains that this assists the maturation process, and that the dry plucking and hanging also help to give the geese a long shelf life of approximately a week.

Conversation turns to local restaurants (instigated by me – I’m obsessed) and Richard admits he doesn’t often eat out. He’s used to home cooking using ingredients from the farm and is often disappointed when he does eat out. He’s horrified by the suggestion that he’d eat anywhere else than round the big table in the middle of the kitchen with the rest of the family at Christmas. He’s equally taken aback by the idea of not having festive turkey or goose. “It’s a family tradition,” says Richard. And that’s what lies at the heart of the Botterills’ birds: family and tradition. Maybe that’s why they taste so bloody good.

Charge of the geese brigade... when the Botterills let the birds out every morning, they make their way to the open fields, where they stretch their wings

They’re hand-finished and dry-plucked, before being

hung in a cooler for 14 days

Take your goose a step furtherBored of just roasting? Try a classic French rillette

RECIPE IDEA

A classic French recipe for goose legs and wings is a rillette – a coarse paté or potted meat. The meat is rubbed with pickling salt and herbs before being cured in the fridge for up to 24 hours. It’s then cooked in stock and a splash of white wine for four to eight hours until the meat is falling off the bone. Discard the skin and shred the meat, mix with a little goose fat and stock until it becomes creamy, and finish off with thyme and Armagnac or Cognac (or whisky), before placing in ramekins and topping with a touch more goose fat. It will taste better

if you can restrain yourself for up to a week. Spread liberally on hot toast.

Or you could try a classic confit by slow-cooking goose legs in goose fat.

www.meltoncheeseboard.co.uk

8 Windsor StreetMelton MowbrayLeicestershireLE13 1BUTel/Fax 01664 562257

Opening HoursMon 9.00 – 3.00Tues 8.30 – 5.00Wed & Thurs 9.00 – 4.00Fri & Sat 8.30 – 4.00

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Stilton is our speciality, ours is sourced directly from Long Clawson Dairy, based just fi ve miles outside Melton Mowbray.

We would like to welcome you to our shop in the heart of

Melton Mowbray. Our aim is to bring you the fi nest 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 area include the complete Long Clawson range, Quenby Hall Stilton, Lincolnshire Poacher, Godminster Organic Vintage Cheddar, Stafford Cheese from Bertelin Cheese, and Sparkenhoe Farm Red Leicester.

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HOME TO JIMMY’S SMOKEHOUSE. SMOKERS AND

CURERS OF MEAT AND FISH

A 17TH CENTURY

COUNTRY INN SET IN THE

IDYLLIC VILLAGE OF WING IN RUTLAND.

THE KING’S ARMS TOP STREET, WING, RUTLAND LE15 8SE

TEL. 01572 737634EMAIL: [email protected]

COME AND TASTE THE DIFFERENCE

WINNERS OF EAST MIDLANDS TASTE AWARD 2009 & 2 AA ROSETTES

To experience an authentic ‘Rutland

Christmas’ join us this yuletide at

! e Kings Arms. Artisan Cooking, using honest local produce to conjour up a taste of the past. 2 courses

from £16.50 and 3 from £22.50.


LOCAL PUBS & RESTAURANTS


Entropy, LeicesterCUISINE: Modern British/European. PRICE PER HEAD: £30-£35 (for three courses and drinks).KIDS WELCOME: Yes (“crayons, paper, toys and books available”).DOGS: No.CUSTOMER CAR PARKING: On-road parking on Hinckley Road and side streets.TIMES: Mon to Fri 11.30am–10pm; Sat 10.30am –10pm; Sun 10.30am–5pm.

Sited on the corner of a terraced street, Entropy may seem like just a

neighbourhood gem. But Tom and Cassandra Cockerill’s restaurant and bar, now celebrating its tenth year, is achieving nationwide acclaim.

We visited the Good Food Guide’s Midlands Restaurant of the Year on the first really cold day of autumn and got stuck into some superior comfort food. Roasted vine tomato soup had marvellous depth of flavour, elegantly presented with a swirl of peppery olive oil. A big hunk of homemade sourdough bread filled it out nicely. In contrast to the finesse of the soup, deep-fried Old Spot cheeks were a gutsy treat. The cheeks offer little gobbets of rough and ready-looking but particularly tasty meat. They were well-

Menu samplesSTARTERS

Terrine of Gressingham duck, ham hock and foie gras, £6

Cropwell Bishop Stilton and leek souffle, £6.50

MAINSSalmon fillet poached in

olive oil & beetroot risotto, £12Belly of English lop, spiced apple

and prosciutto, £18DESSERTS

Dark chocolate & rosemary mousse, £5.50

Carrot cake, raisin purée & jasmine tea ice cream, £5.50

matched here with a tart sauce gribiche, combining eggs, capers and herbs.

Mains impressed with simple treatment of high-quality ingredients. Northfield Farm sausages were beautifully herby, and the smooth mash, caramelised onions and pokey red wine gravy did them proud.

We knew a shepherd’s pie here would be out of the ordinary, and it was. Braised

shoulder and breast of Southdown lamb are combined with sweetbreads to give a rare intensity of flavour. A bit more gravy wouldn’t have gone amiss though.

Chewy pastry disappointed in a pineapple tarte tatin, but other elements were superb. Caramelised fruit contrasted with a lime and chilli syrup, while coconut ice-cream and a shot of frothy pina colada finished things off.

Friendly, informal – a class act. Tim Burke

ENTROPY42 Hinckley Road, Leicester LE3 0RB0116 2259650, www.entropylife.com

The Old Barn Inn, GloostonCUISINE: British.PRICE PER HEAD: £25-£35 (for three courses and drinks).KIDS WELCOME: YesDOGS: Yes (we met a beautiful gundog called Dylan)CUSTOMER CAR PARKING: At rear.FOOD TIMES: Tues-Sat 12-3pm and 6-9.30pm; Sun 12-4pm & 6-9pm.ACCOMMODATION: Three rooms.

The Old Barn in the hamlet of Glooston, near Market Harborough, was a well-

known destination for food-lovers in the ‘70s and ‘80s, but steadily went into decline. It is now undergoing a speedy resurgence under new landlady Vivienne French. Since she took over in February 2010, the pub has gained an Enjoy England four-star rating and gone a long way to regaining a good reputation.

We arrived as a local shooting party came in for lunch and were met by a friendly front-of-house team, who immediately made us feel at home. The Old Barn, which dates from the 16th century, is in two parts: it’s a typical country pub at the front, with quarry-tiled floor and oak beams. But the surprise awaits when you move into the refurbished restaurant, which is on two levels. It’s

Lunch menu samplesSTARTERS

Stilton & mushroom tart with dressed salad, £4.95

Creamy garlic mushrooms on garlic bread, £4.95

MAINSCider-braised ham with two eggs, chips and salad, £7.95

English lamb shank, £12.95 With redcurrant & rosemary gravy, fresh veg and choice of potatoes

DESSERTSChoice of puddings or cheese from the menu board, £4.95

tastefully appointed and functional, with attractive, comfortable modern seating, and a superb oak stairway to the lower level.

Vivienne has worked in catering for most of her life and, in conjunction with her chef, she is fulfilling an ambition to produce the best of traditional British food at a competitive price.

From the lunch menu, I chose the chicken liver paté, followed by short-crust chicken and ham pie with hand-cut chips, and lemon posset to finish. The attention to detail and quality was obvious from the start; you can often judge a pub meal by the vegetables, and mine were cooked to perfection. There were three house whites to choose from and we selected a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc.

Most of the kitchen’s ingredients are locally sourced – including award-winning lamb from Lowerfields Farm, Packington (aka The

Mushroom Basket) – and Vivienne has spent a lot of time and effort creating her supplier list. There are three menus: lunch, dinner and Sunday lunch. It is good to hear that dinner comprises just one sitting.

It was very refreshing to experience the revival of the Old Barn and to see it achieving such a high standard of dining. This is a restaurant that is re-defining itself... at long last! Enzo Maffioli

THE OLD BARN INNAndrews Lane, Glooston, Leicestershire LE16 7ST. 01858 545215, www.oldbarninn.co.uk

custodians (they took over in January 2010) who understand what makes a superb country pub, and who are passionate about good service and excellent food and drink.

Inside the Berkeley Arms is a quarry-tiled bar area with wooden furniture and cosy fireplace surrounded by comfortable sofas. The ancient wooden beams on the ceiling point to the building’s age – it was built in the 16th century. In an adjacent room there’s a slightly more formal dining area.

Head chef Neil, originally from Uppingham, uses local, seasonal ingredients throughout his cooking, and changes the menu daily. “Villagers bring me all sorts of ingredients,” he says. “A generous chap brought me some blewit mushrooms the other day, and soon after another friendly regular gave me just about every apple he’d picked from a tree up the road. Vernon Moore, the local estate agent, supplies us with partridge and pheasant from a local

THE BERKELEY ARMS59 Main Street, Wymondham, LE14 2AG 01572 787587, www.theberkeleyarms.co.uk

Menu samplesSTARTERS

Twice-baked Lincolnshire Poacher

soufflé £6.95Grilled local pigeon breast, baby

beetroot & hazelnut dressing £5.95

MAINSFillet of wild sea bass, tomato risotto,

mussels & cockles £16.95

Rump of lamb, spicy aubergine &

tomato casserole & cous cous

£15.95PUDS

Local apple & blackberry crumble

with custard £5.50Cinnamon panna cotta with

blackberry poached pear £5.50

Fireplace, quarry tiles and a place to relax.

Lamb with spicy aubergine casserole.

shoot. It’s fantastic that everyone gets involved – we’re really grateful.”

Sitting beside the fire, I tuck into my starter of Lincolnshire Poacher soufflé, followed by rump of lamb served with a distinctly Moroccan aubergine and tomato casserole (pictured). It’s excellent. My dining partner chooses slow-cooked beef brisket, which is packed with flavour and as tender as they come. Louise tells us that the beef has been marinated for two days in red wine and aromatics, before being cooked for 12 hours. That’ll explain it. For pud we can’t resist the apple and blackberry crumble, and cheeseboard, comprising Lincolnshire Poacher, Clawson Stilton and Somerset brie.

Here’s an idea: next time you’re trying to chill out, turn off your iPhone and go to the Berkeley Arms; eat like a king, then doze off on the sofa in front of the fire.

PERFECT COUNTRY

PUB

CUISINE: British, local, seasonal. PRICE PER HEAD: £35-£40 (for three courses and drinks). KIDS WELCOME: Yes. DOGS: Yes – in the bar area when dining by prior arrangement. CUSTOMER CAR PARKING: Good-sized car park at the rear of the pub. FOOD TIMES: Mon 6.30pm-9pm; Tues-Sat 12-2pm and 6-9.30pm; Sun 12-3pm.

Relaxation is hard to find these days. We’re all so busy replying to emails and

answering iPhones that we’re turning into headless turkeys.

Forget therapy. Ditch the spa treatment. Head instead to the Berkeley Arms in Wymondham, east Leicestershire. It provides an oasis of calm in the form of a traditional country pub serving good beer and outstanding seasonal food.

The beautiful village of Wymondham deserves a pub as good as this, and in husband and wife Neil and Louise Hitchen, the Berkeley Arms has recently gained

Excellent seasonal food in relaxing surroundingsThe Berkeley Arms, Wymondham

Louise and Neil Hitchen

Out & about


JAM MAKING


Jam-making is back in vogue. Why? We spoke to Jam Jar Shop of Oakham to find out and picked up some tips at its first jam-making class

!" jo#$ rea% ja&!T here’s something incredibly satisfying

about making jam. Only a few years ago, most people saw it as a chore but times have changed. Now it’s regarded as the very

height of domestic bliss, the perfect antidote to fast food, the polar opposite of rushing to Tesco after work for a microwave-ready meal.

Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland is not alone in revelling in the Aga-and-Labrador wholesomeness of preserve-making. Even ex-Sun editor Kelvin McKenzie loves it. Writing in his Sun column recently, he told readers how he’d discovered Oakham’s Jam Jar Shop during his search for equipment to aid his blackberry jam making. Meanwhile, Waitrose recently reported a boom in sales of preserving sugar (up 181%), and said that the most commonly downloaded recipe from its website was for crab apple jam.

Rosemary Jameson runs Jam Jar Shop, now the UK’s leading online retailer of jam-making kit (she also writes for Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland). “Keeping up with demand for kit from jam-makers is tough,” says Rosemary. Her husband Trevor, who handles online development, agrees: “We get half a million hits a month at www.jamjarshop.com – which equates to around 40,000 visitors. We have mailed

Recipes & tips


Wh!e"ai# Mu$%d w&' B(rTo make 6-7 smaller jars(225g size)

* 1 teacup yellow mustard seeds

* 1 teacup black mustard seeds

* 150ml cider vinegar

* 1 bottle (500ml) Everards Tiger

* 1 tbsp sea salt

* 6 tbsp organic runny honey

* 1 tbsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 Place the seeds in a large bowl or jug and pour over the beer – cover loosely with a cloth or film and leave to soak overnight. 2 Next day, add all the remaining ingredients and mix together.3 Place batches into a liquidiser and process to your desired consistency.4 Pot up into washed, warmed jars and seal immediately.5 Store for a couple of weeks before use – if you can resist.

Rosemary’s top tipsWhen filling your jars with mustard, stop air pockets gathering by gently pushing down on the mustard seeds with a teaspoon. Air pockets are bad news because they provide a place for bacteria to gather.When making jam or chutney, put your jam jar lids on when the jars and ingredients are still hot. As things cool down and shrink, a vacuum is created. This means the jars will make a satisfying pop when first opened.

Win)r W%* +u* Chut,yTo make 6-8 large jars(454g size)

* 1.5kg plums, halved and stoned* 500g cooking apples, peeled and

chopped* 250g sultanas* 500ml red wine vinegar* 500g dark brown sugar* 1 tbsp sea salt

Spices tied into a muslin bag* 1 cinnamon stick* 2 tsp all spice berries* 1 tsp cloves* 1 piece fresh ginger, roughly chopped* 2 tsp black mustard seeds

1 Combine all ingredients in a large preserving pan, stirring thoroughly. 2 Place over a low heat until heated through, increasing heat slightly to soften the fruit. 3 Bring to the boil, tie the muslin bag of spices to the pan handle and immerse in the chutney. 4 Turn down the heat to simmer gently until the chutney is dark, thick and spicy. This will take around two hours.5 Wash your jars in soapy water and rinse, then place them into the oven to warm. Get lids or cellophane cover ready to hand.6 Turn off the heat and carefully remove jars from the oven, placing onto a board or heatproof surface. Using a funnel, fill jars almost to the top and seal immediately.

+u* Ja*To make 6-8 large jars(454g size)

* 1.5 kgs plums, any variety

* 1.5 kgs sugar

1 Wash the plums – if they are nice and ripe, cut them in half and take out the stones. If not so ripe, make a slit in the skins, count the plums, and put them in the pan. 2 Put over a low heat until they start to soften, then increase slightly until fruit is soft. Lift out any stones and put on a plate. 3 Add the sugar, stirring until dissolved, then increase heat and boil together until ready to test for a set. Place a small amount of the jam onto a cold saucer – put in the fridge for 5-10 minutes: if the jam ‘crinkles’ when you push it with your finger, the setting point has been reached. Make sure you have the same number of stones as plums you started with.4 Pot up jam into warmed, washed jars and seal straightaway. With a nice hand-written label this will make a great Christmas gift.

HOW TO...

Make a muslin spice bagLay out a 40cm square of sterilised muslin (using boiling water) and fill with spice ingredients [1]. Gather up all edges of the muslin, bring together and tie with one metre of string [2]. Knot the muslin securely above the tie, folding in the raw edges to enclose any loose threads. Roll the muslin from the top down towards the knotted string, wrap the string around the roll and then form a loop with the rest of the string [3]. When putting your muslin bag in the pan among the fruit and vegetables, use the loop to secure it to the pan handle so when the fruit or veg breaks down you can easily fish it out. Don’t leave the bag in too long or you’ll overpower the flavour.

1 2

3

JAM MAKING


out more than one million jam jars this year, and it’s a growing trend. I ordered 5000 jam jar labels to fulfil orders last year. This year, 5000 labels sold out in just under three weeks!”

Rosemary has now started to run jam-making classes to satisfy the growing thirst for knowledge. But

she’s sharing her years of experience for another reason, too: “Running Jam Jar Shop is fantastic but hugely time-consuming. I want to carry on making jam in a hands-on way. I love it – it’s what I do!”

We went along to Rosemary’s very first class – entitled Autumn Harvest – held at The Old Smithy at Burley-on-the-Hill near Oakham. The course lasts a full day and we came away not only with several jars of delicious jam, chutney and mustard that we’d made ourselves, but got lots of valuable tips, too. For example, it’s said that your jam’s ready to jar up when you can run a spoon through it in the pan leaving a clear valley behind. Other tips are dotted around this feature, along with the three recipes we followed on the day.

So what did the jam-makers make of Rosemary’s class? “As relaxing as a day at a health spa,” says Philippa Maffioli,

an investment manager from Melton Mowbray. “The Old Smithy is a fantastic old building and a perfect

venue for making jam.” (In fact, The Old Smithy, or a man who once

worked there, is thought to have inspired The Village Blacksmith, a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Try Googling it).

“I also enjoyed meeting other jam makers and the camaraderie of working together,”

says Philippa. “The kitchen is brilliantly organised and it felt good to make use of the

food that grows around us. Rosemary puts on a brilliant lunch, too!”

Making use of food growing around us – maybe that’s why jam-making is booming again: it reconnects us with nature, natural produce and our instinct to preserve.

GET A FUNNEL!Trying to pour hot jam into jars without a funnel is pretty much impossible. “If you get one thing, get a funnel,” says Rosemary. A large metal pan beats trying to use your slightly-too-small saucepan, too. For a special offer on a funnel and pan, turn to p43.

SUGARSilver Spoon Sugar is made with sugar beet from East Anglia – a significant saving in air miles over buying cane sugar. It also makes excellent jam and helps to support British farmers. Why not use local sea salt, too?

Rosemary’s top tipWash your jars in warm, soapy water and then rinse. Don’t dry them with a cloth but put them in the oven on a low heat for several minutes to evaporate all the water. This will ensure your jars are bacteria-free.

CONTACTRosemary Jameson has some Christmas-focused jam-making classes coming up. Price: £60. Go to www.jamjarshop.com for more details.

Exclusive special offer for Great Food readers. Get a stainless steel maslin pan and funnel for just £29.95, saving £16.50 on the usual

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Recipe

Twelfth Night CakeJulie Duff shares her discovery of a theatrical and historic festive cake

1 Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, and then beat in the treacle.2 Sift the flour into a bowl and stir in the ground almonds and spices. Lightly whisk the eggs and then fold gently into the butter and sugar mixture, alternating with flour, ground almonds and spices. When thoroughly mixed, add the fruits, nuts and brandy, stirring well, and spoon the mixture into a greased and lined 7-inch round cake tin, smoothing the top.3 Place in the centre of a preheated oven at Gas Mark 3 (160C), baking for approximately 1 1/2 hours. 4 Remove from oven and gently lay a sheet of greaseproof paper

on the cake tin and reduce the temperature to Gas Mark 1 (140C). Bake for around another hour, or until the cake is golden brown and firm to touch. When cooked, a skewer inserted into the centre will come out cleanly. 5 Leave cake to cool overnight, covering it with a cloth, turning it out onto a wire rack when completely cold. If not decorating that day, leave on the baking paper and wrap closely in foil, storing in a cool place.

Twelfth Night Cake is delicious eaten uniced, but decorating it and making it look as ‘theatrical’ as possible is half the fun. Great for children to help too!

Cakes often have amazing histories and Twelfth Night Cake – part of the traditions of Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, London – is no exception.

Over 200 years ago, an actor named Robert Baddeley, on his passing in 1794, left a legacy of £3 a year to provide cake and wine to the theatre. It was Baddeley’s wish that performers appearing on January 6 (Twelfth Night) would always be able to eat cake and to toast each other.

The ritual of eating Twelfth Night Cake at Drury Lane continues today. An extra twist is that tradition at Theatre Royal states a ‘lucky bean’ is baked into the cake, the finder being crowned ‘King Bean’!

After baking, the cake would be covered with almond paste and iced, ready for decorating, and although no particular design exists, this is where your imagination comes in.

If you like the idea of putting a bean into the cake, please do be careful when eating: being a King Bean might be fun, but being an A&E admission is not quite so jolly!

Serves 8* 225g butter

* 225g dark muscovado sugar

* 1 tablespoon black treacle

* 225g plain flour

* 50g ground almonds

* 1 teaspoon mixed spice

* 4 large eggs

* 225g raisins

* 225g currants

* 225g sultanas

* 50g chopped mixed peel

* 50g red cherries, halved

* 50g green cherries, halved

* 50g flaked almonds

* 1 tablespoon brandy

* 1 baking bean (optional!) * Almond paste, fondant

icing and lots of decorative flair!

CONTACT: Julie Duff runs Church Farmhouse Cakes of Croxton Kerrial, Leicestershire, and has written two acclaimed cake books. Here she’s pictured with her daughter, Si. www.churchfarm housecakes.co.uk

Give organic a go this ChristmasAsk anyone what the festive period means to them and chances are they’ll say a glutton of fi lthy lush food, possibly overindulging on a suitably seasonal tipple followed by feet up and forty winks before the Queen’s speech has even begun.

Okay, okay, they might say presents, but food is sure to be not too far behind. This year let’s all go back to the

traditional meaning of Christmas dinner – succulent meat full of fl avour, vegetables full of crunch and natural goodness plus the obligatory fi ne Christmas pudding to top it off.

In short - wholesome goodness, and when you buy it from Riverford you’ll know that

it’s not been fl own half way round the world to get to your table.

Get everything you need for a slap up meal and enough leftovers for a delicious Boxing Day supper, from the essential veg box to mouth-watering meats; rich, fruity mince pies, and of course a potent selection of organic wines, beers and ports. Best of all, there’s no need to panic about your delivery slot, once your order’s been placed; you’re GUARANTEED to receive your order on the day we deliver to your area.

And to help get the Christmas spirit pumping in one and all, we’re offering you the chance to win yourself a large Riverford Organic veg box and copy of the Riverford Farm Cook Book to help you gracefully glide through the festive season.

For your chance to win, simply answer the question left. The winner will be drawn from the Christmas hat on 30th November, ready, of course for your pre-Christmas delivery.

A large organic veg box and Riverford

Farm Cook Book! For your chance to win a luscious

organic veg box and all the recipes you need for a scrumptious Christmas feast, answer the question below, returning this form with your name, address and contact details.According to the 12 days of Christmas, how many ladies were dancing?............................Return to: Riverford on Sacrewell Farm, Sacrewell Lodge Farm, Thornhaugh, Peterborough, PE8 6HJ

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RIVERFORD.indd 1RIVERFORD.indd 1 25/10/10 11:25:4125/10/10 11:25:41

Saint Domingue Winter-Spiced Truffles

Stephen Fitzpatrick’s Confit Duck Legs

Enough for 24 chocolates* 300g 70% Single-origin Saint

Domingue chocolate (available at Chocolate Alchemy) – 200g for truffle filling, 100g for truffle coating

* 140ml Lubcloud cream

* 1 cinnamon stick

* tsp ground nutmeg

* tsp ground ginger

* 50g dark chocolate flakes (available at Chocolate Alchemy)

Christmas isn’t just about turkey and goose – why not try a few new recipes this winter? This dish could be just the ticket to beat turkey malaise. It’s a fave of Stephen Fitzpatrick (pictured right), head chef and owner of the acclaimed Boot Room Eaterie in Leicester.

Serves 8* 8 large duck legs

* 700g duck or goose fat (enough to totally submerge duck legs)

* 150g sea salt

Aromatics

* 2 good sprigs thyme

* 1 head of garlic, split in half

* 4 star anise

* 8 black peppercorns

* 4 bay leaves

1 Wash and pat dry the duck legs and put into deep-sided roasting tin.2 Sprinkle with the sea salt and then sprinkle over the aromatic ingredients.3 Cover with baking parchment and leave for 24 hours, by which time the salt should have drawn the moisture from the duck skin. Pat the duck legs dry and put back into roasting tin with the thyme, garlic, star anise, peppercorns and bay leaves.4 Cover with the duck or goose fat.5 Re-cover with baking parchment and foil, and place in the oven at Gas 1/2 (120C) for five hours.6 Remove from the oven and cool as quickly as possible, leaving the duck legs to set in the cooking fat. If

Want to know more?For info on Peter’s chocolate courses, call 01509 238113. Chocolate Alchemy, 5 Church Gate Mews, Loughborough.

Want to know more?For information on The Boot Room, go to www.thebootroom eaterie.co.uk or call 0116 262 2555 The Boot Room, 26-29 Millstone Lane, Leicester

PH

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1 Heat the cream in a pan over a low heat until simmering. Don’t boil.2 Take the cream off the heat and infuse with the cinnamon stick, nutmeg and ginger for ten minutes.3 Remove cinnamon and return cream to heat until simmering, then pour it into a bowl over 200g Saint Domingue chocolate, causing chocolate to melt.4 Leave the mixture to set in the fridge for four hours or until firm.5 With a spoon, scoop out a small quantity of mix and roll into a truffle-sized ball. Repeat with rest of mix.6 In a bowl, heat the remaining 100g of the chocolate couverture in the

microwave on full power for 20-second bursts, stirring each time. When the chocolate begins to melt, microwave it for 10-second bursts until just about liquid. Take out of microwave and continue to stir, letting any remaining lumps of chocolate gently melt under their own heat.7 Using disposable gloves, roll the balls of the truffle mix in the melted chocolate, giving them a nice, even coat. Before the chocolate sets, roll each truffle in chocolate flakes.8 Kept somewhere cool and dry, the truffles will stay fresh for around five days. Do not refrigerate.

This recipe is from Peter Gardner (pictured right) of Chocolate Alchemy, an independent, handmade-chocolate shop located in Loughborough.

29-year-old Peter opened the shop in January 2010 after teaching himself to make chocolates. “I make my own ganaches, bars and truffles,” he says. Examples of his recent creations are Chinese five-spice pralines and Cornish sea salt caramels.

Peter has now started running courses where he teaches chocolate-making techniques.

submerged in fat these will keep well in the refrigerator for five days.

TO SERVE1 Remove duck legs from the fat and place skin-side down in a non-stick

roasting tray and put in a pre-heated oven at Gas 5 (190C) for around 25 minutes – until duck skin is crisp and the meat is piping hot.2 Served with seasonal vegetables, roasted ceps and garlic mash.


Recipes


Drive up the long, tree-lined avenue – if you are lucky enough to be invited – leading to Quenby Hall and

you will be transported to another age. From behind the sweeping boughs rises the Hall, built in Jacobean times.

Quenby in the morning of a young autumn. A veil of mist melts away in the sun’s rays from the ragged grassland near Hungarton village. First one, then many English Longhorn cows wander up the pasture near the drive. Quenby has strong historical links with this great old breed of cattle. Ancient paintings clearly show Longhorns grazing in the Hall’s grounds.

Freddie de Lisle took over Quenby in 1997. Although it is Longhorns that most strike those visiting the Jacobean estate, it is Quenby Stilton cheese that Freddie is even more passionate about.

“Of the businesses I have created, Stilton is the one about which I never had any doubt,” says Freddie. “It is probably the only one that’s never given me sleepless nights.”

It’s fair to say that Freddie is a businessman first and most other considerations come further down the list. In addition to Quenby Hall Stilton and Longhorns, he has built, and still continues, a very successful career in recruitment.

“When I took on Quenby, the cattle were a practical solution to an obvious problem,” says Freddie. “How could I manage the 800 acres or so of ancient grassland pasture in a low-maintenance, low-risk yet high-value way? The choice of English Longhorn was made on the merits of the breed rather than its historic links to the family and its estates. I matched breed with land.”

The decision to make Stilton cheese, however, was made with the Hall’s history in mind. There had always been a story within the family that Stilton cheese was first made at Quenby. The legend goes that a lightly pressed blue cheese

was created by the housekeeper at Quenby, who passed the recipe to her daughter when she married Cooper Thornhill, innkeeper of The Bell Inn in the village of Stilton in Cambridgeshire.

“The Stilton story had always fascinated me and so, much like when I started the Longhorn herd, I researched carefully,” says Freddie. “I am not a cheesemaker, but I saw an opening for a mild, creamy cheese – other Stiltons in the market at the time were drier. But it was not a case of waking up one morning and deciding to make cheese. Quenby Stilton is the result of four or five years of painstaking research, followed by taking expert advice from Steve Peace, former chairman of the Stilton Cheese Makers’ Association.”

Stilton, known sometimes as the King of Cheeses, is protected under European Law. It is a pasteurised, medium soft cheese, and Quenby was the first new member of the Stilton Cheesemakers’ Association for some years. The admission of Quenby to this hallowed membership, established in 1936, bears witness to the readiness of the Association to accept new members, but they may only join if they comply with

the rules of the game. The most sensitive of those rules seems to be the issue of pasteurisation. Unpasteurised Stilton production ceased in 1989. All Stilton must now be pasteurised, and from 20 producers at its height, there are now only six.

No conversation with any food producer is complete without discussing supermarkets. Says Freddie: “My aim is to ensure as many people as possible eat my cheese and say, ‘that’s fantastic’. Supermarkets help me achieve my aim.”

Stilton is essentially a handmade product, yet de Lisle maintains there is no limit to the volume of production that can be achieved. “The limitation is consumer demand,” he says, and does not rule out making other cheeses to complement his 400 tonnes annual production of Stilton.

Freddie de Lisle of Quenby Hall has coolly turned his Jacobean family estate into a food-producing powerhouse

Freddie’s whey

For more information on Quenby Hall, go to www.quenbystilton.co.uk or call 0116 2595403

ARTICLE: JAN McCOURT PHOTOS: MATTHEW WRIGHT

LOCAL PRODUCER

ABOUT THE WRITER Jan McCourt runs award-winning Northfield Farm in Cold Overton, Rutland, which he set up after working as an investment banker in the City – www.northfieldfarm.com


Quenby worker Helen Smith in the new creamery

One of Quenby’s fittingly-named English Longhorns

Say cheese... Freddie de Lisle inside Quenby Hall

LOCAL PRODUCER


I mention to Freddie that there cannot be many owners of historic houses who have chosen to build a food factory within a stone’s throw of their exquisite home. “First and foremost this place, no matter how beautiful, is a place of work,” he replies. “The Great Hall, though stunning to our modern eyes, was used as the administrative office for the estate. Throughout this and nearby counties, whether in grand houses or farmhouses, cheese was made in and near the actual houses. The new creamery was built as close as possible to the original, which is now a listed building.”

Before talking to Freddie de Lisle, I expected his principal ventures of beef and cheese to have been founded in his

vision of history and continuity. I expected him to be bursting with pride for his Stilton in particular. However, my preconceptions have been proved wrong.

“I am proudest of all that I have been able to create jobs and careers – 20 new ones just recently,” says Freddie. “The cheese has been the vehicle for that creation.”

His vision is that his role is one of guardian, his job to make the most of his own talents within the context of this

role. What his successors may choose to do, he has no idea – when the next guardian takes over, it will be up

to that individual to decide how to take Quenby forward. Freddie says he has no intention of

imposing his methods on his successors. He may not intend that his future ghost will haunt the estate, but I am certain

his spirit will live on as part of the amazing tapestry of Quenby Hall.

‘‘I’m proudest of all that I’ve been able to create jobs and careers – 20 new ones just recently”

Quenby Hall – located 10 miles east of Leicester – was built in 1627

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At Lubcloud Dairy, our herd of happy and healthy organiccows graze out in fi elds that have had no fertilisers orchemicals used on them. The food that they eat is fully

traceable and non GM, and the milk and cream that theyproduce is bottled here on the farm, resulting in a wonderful,fresh product. We have also chosen not to homogenise ourmilk or cream, leaving everything as pure as it can be, just as

nature intended.When you buy Lubcloud Dairy products, you are not onlysupporting local business, as we are organic, you are also

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Fresh, local, seasonal food and a warm welcome at Barnsdale Lodge

The Avenue, Rutland Water, Nr Oakham, Rutland LE15 8AH [email protected] www.barnsdalelodge.co.uk

Barnsdale Lodge Hotel is set in a unique rural location in the heart of glorious Rutland countryside.

We have a delicious Christmas menu with locally sourced ingredients.• Morning coffee, lunch, afternoon tea & dinner • Delicious food prepared with fresh locally

sourced, seasonal ingredients including beef from Hambleton Farm, berries and asparagus from Manton Farm and Rutland Water trout

• Private dining • Weddings • Conferences • Exclusive hire of the whole hotel possible • Vicienté Beauty treatment & therapy room

Bring your party to ours! From £25 pp for dinner and disco. For bookings or more info please call, email or visit the website.

Last few available rooms Christmas/New Year.

Packages available from £420 pp for 3 nights

For a monthly fee we will do all the hard work - feeding piglet, and generally making sure he/she has a good life in our lovely woodland. You can visit your pig if you wish, feed him, and and see what�’s involved in looking after a rare-breed porker.

At about 26 weeks old, we make the arrangements with a local, family-run, butcher to supply you with your succulent, additive-free, rare-breed pork and sausages. It�’s as easy as that! And you�’ll be helping to maintain a rare breed too.Saddleback and Mangalitza piglets also for sale.

01780 720660 WWW.CHATERVALLEY.COM

Ever wanted to keep your own pig but don�’t have the land - we have the answer...

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LONG CLAWSON CHEESE SHOPOpen from Wednesday 1st December

Hickling Lane, Long Clawson, LE14 4PJ

Monday – Friday 8.30am – 4.30pmSaturday 8.30am – 12.30pmSunday – Closed

OPENING TIMES Visit our website www.clawson.co.uk for further details & directions. Stay in touch with us on facebook www.facebook.com/clawsondairy Share a Tweet with us on Twitter www.twitter.com/clawsondairyltd

Pat, Mauricia & Lisa are ready to extend awarm and friendly welcome once again thisDecember to the Long Clawson DairyCheese Shop. With a brand new entrance on Hickling Laneand ample car parking for all the shopcontinues to offer a fantastic range of cheesefor the festive season.

Stilton® in a variety of cuts and anabundance of cheese blends to try thenbuy will be available. We look forward to seeing you!

A celebration of local produce

Christmas Market: 3rd-5th December

2011 MarketsSpring: 16th-17th April

Summer: 28th-29th August

The Courtyards • Burghley HouseFREE ADMISSION

Telephone 01780 752451 • www.burghley.co.uk


and then the final assembly took place. The fumes were excellent and thoroughly intoxicating. However, this punch isn’t too strong, but is very

warming. Luckily Phil was my best friend and I was able to extract the two halves of the recipe from the pair.

Enjoy, and stay away from horses if you have one too many!

M y father made punch once a year for the visit of the fox hounds to our house for a

lawn meet in December. His punch was much admired and enjoyed. So much so that guests used to arrive early to have a few glasses before setting off. As a boy I remember being called on to help a large and ancient sportsman back into his saddle when he slithered off his horse after an overdose. I pushed and heaved for a while with no result. The man was massive. I eventually found a passer-by to help and our co-ordinated efforts propelled him

upward. He see-sawed over the saddle for a moment before crashing down on the other side of his horse.

The recipe was a secret. Not so much a closely guarded secret as an inadvertent one because my father knew half of the recipe and his right-hand man, Phil, knew the other half. They each made their own part of the punch

!nc" u#!

‘It’s not too strong but is very warming’

* Weak Lapsang Souchong

* Cloves

* Ginger

* Cinnamon

* Allspice

* Orange & lemon juice plus zest

* Muscovado sugar

* Dark Jamaican rum

Quantities

* 50% tea and spice infusion

* 25% juice zest and sugar

* 25% dark Jamaican rum

Tim’s punch

1 Prepare enough orange and lemon juice with zests to make 1/4 of the final mix, and sweeten with muscovado sugar to taste.2 Make a weak Lapsang tea in a saucepan, wrapping the tea and the spices in a muslin bag. The spiced tea will make up half of your finished punch. 3 Pour the juice and zests into the tea and keep hot but not boiling until you are ready to serve.4 When thirsty friends arrive, pour the rum cold into your punch bowl or jug, and strain the hot mix onto the rum.

TIP: If your guests are going to arrive in dribs and drabs (as my father’s did), it’s a good idea to keep the tea/juice mix hot on a hotplate or low flame and ladle into individual glasses primed with rum.

HAMBLETON HALLHambleton, Oakham, Rutland LE15 8TH 01572 756991 www.hambletonhall.com

{ }“I was called on to help a large and

ancient sportsman back into his saddle when he slithered off after a punch

overdose.”

Tim Hart

Infuse the tea with spices in a muslin bag


Recipe

Tim Hart, owner of Hambleton Hall, recreates the rum punch of his youth


Since 1985, Leicestershire’s The Mushroom Basket has slowly been mastering the art of growing delicious, exotic fungi

LOCAL PRODUCER

The taming of the ‘shroom

thought more-exotic oyster ‘shrooms were the way to go. “People’s tastes had moved on,” Tim says. “We had to offer something more than button mushrooms.” Trouble was, growing exotic fungi was going to be harder than producing common buttons.

“When we converted that first coal shed in 1985, we didn’t really know

North-west Leicestershire isn’t where you’d expect to find an exotic mushroom farm. Yet The Mushroom

Basket has been flourishing in Packington, just south of Ashby de la Zouch, since 1989. It’s not a small concern, either, employing 60 people and producing two tons of fungi a day. Its 65 on-site polytunnels provide growing environments for a spectacular array of ‘shrooms, namely oyster, enoki, maitake, buna shimeji, shiroshimeji and shiitake.

The Mushroom Basket is run by two brothers, Tim and Simon Livesey, who set up the business in 1985 by converting an 8ft x 6ft coal shed into a fledgling oyster mushroom farm. Since then, the Livesey brothers have slowly turned The Mushroom Basket into the UK’s biggest fungi farm.

The beginningsIt was Tim and Simon’s father Tom who planted the spores that have grown into The Mushroom Basket. “My father started producing button mushrooms in Smisby [just over the border in Derbyshire] in 1960, when poultry farming got tough,” says Tim. “He converted his chicken houses into mushroom sheds, and I worked with

BUNA SHIMEJI Hypsizygus tessellatus. Versatile mushroom with a unique zesty, nutty flavour and a shelf life of around 20 days. Don’t remove individual mushrooms but cook the whole cluster.

ENOKI Flammulina velutipes. ‘Enoki’ means winter mushroom, as they grow at around 1˚C. Long, thin and with an excellent flavour. The fourth most eaten mushroom in the world.

Tim and Simon Livesey grow and import all sorts of fantastic fungi. Here are four types that they grow on the farm in Packington, north-west Leics...

Y!r quick gui"... to mushrooms

him as a youngster.” Tim then went off to agricultural college in Lincolnshire and on returning expected to join his dad’s farm. “I got home in 1985 expecting to start on the family farm but my father told me to get a job instead. He wanted to retire!”

Tim got down to work and decided to follow in his father’s footsteps, but rather than button mushrooms, he

Brothers Tim (right) and Simon Livesey.

Livesey Bros’ stand at the 2010 East Midlands Food

and Drink Festival

The Mushroom Basket

what we were doing. We used compost as substrates [the material mushrooms grow in] and luckily our oysters grew. I took them to Bruce Sangster, head chef at Rothley Court Hotel – back then a Michelin-starred venue – and he agreed to take them.”

Business blossomsAt that time, Tim and Simon had a unique product and demand proved strong. “Next stop was North’s deli, also in Rothley,” remembers Tim. “They took our oysters, too, and from

Serves 4

* 440g butter

* 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped

* 300g risotto rice

* 1 fresh sprig of rosemary, leaves only, finely chopped

* 150ml dry white wine

* 1.25l hot vegetable stock

* 2 tbsp olive oil

* 350g mushrooms such as baby button, chestnut or closed cup, wiped

* 100g exotic mushrooms such as shiitake, oyster or buna shimeji

* Salt and freshly ground black pepper

* 3 tbsp fresh chives, chopped

* Shavings of fresh parmesan to serve (optional)

1 Melt 25g of the butter in a large pan, add the onion and gently sauté for three minutes until soft but not coloured. Stir in the rice and rosemary, then cook for two minutes, stirring to coat the grains in the butter. 2 Add the wine and cook, stirring, until absorbed. Add a ladle of stock and cook, stirring occasionally, until also absorbed. Repeat until you have just one ladle of stock left – this takes about 15 minutes. 3 Meanwhile, heat a frying pan, add the oil, then toss in the baby button, chestnut or closed cup mushrooms and sauté over a high heat for five minutes or until pale golden. Stir in the remaining mushrooms and sauté for two minutes more until browned. Set aside. 4 Add the last ladle of the stock and the mushrooms to the rice and cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in the remaining butter and chives, then season to taste. Serve in warm bowls, sprinkled with parmesan shavings.

Exotic mushroom risotto

Environmentally friendlyTim and Simon don’t use pesticides or chemicals on their crops, and return all spent substrates (mainly sawdust) to the soil, which is then grazed by their beef and lamb. The overpicking of wild fungi is a problem, especially in Europe, and farming it protects against this.

there we started to sell them in London wholesale markets. I remember setting off for the capital at 8.30pm, weaving our little VW Golf between the night-time juggernauts. You could fit 52 trays of mushrooms into that Golf if you packed it right! I used to get back to our farm at Smisby at 4.30am, ready to start work at 7am.”

Between 1985 and 1989, Tim and Simon were the only exotic mushroom growers in the UK. “To keep up


MAITAKE Grifola frondosa.An intense flavour and a reputation for boosting immunity. A maitake and bacon omelette is said to be awesome.

GREY OYSTER Pleurotus ostreatus. These will add a silky texture to your favourite dishes. Particularly good in stir fries, fish dishes and creamy sauces. Shelf life of around four days.

Oyster and shiitake mushrooms are perfect

for bringing risotto to life

Mushroom Basket from the air

Button Don’t forget the humble

button mushroom

OysterThe variety that started it all for

the Liveseys


LOCAL PRODUCER

THE MUSHROOM BASKETLowerfields Farm, Normanton Road,Packington, LE65 1XA, 01530 415862, www.themushroombasket.com

Cooking with exotic mushrooms“Spoiling mushrooms through cooking is very difficult,” says Tim. “They’re incredibly versatile and easy to cook with – you can fry, grill, bake, batter or eat raw in a salad. Buna shimeji are great in creamy pasta, and all mushrooms are healthy, low in calories and contain protein.”

‘Yo! ca" fr#, gril$, bak%, batter or eat the& ra' i" ( salad ’with demand we converted more poultry units at Orton on the Hill. Our growing methods were inefficient but the prices were good and competitors few and far between.”

Steep learning curveAll the time, Tim and Simon were learning more and more about exotic mushrooms. After succeeding with oysters, they added yellow oysters to the repertoire, honing their knowledge of growing temperatures, substrates and ideal humidity levels.

“By 1989 we were supplying Waitrose and Sainsbury’s,” says Tim. “To meet demand, and to be able to expand, in the same year we bought our current 18-acre site in Packington and built ten mushroom houses.”

With things going well, but more competition appearing, in the mid-90s Tim and Simon started importing shiitake mushrooms from the Far East. This enabled them to sell mixed boxes. “The British public had stopped seeing oyster mushrooms as exotic, so it was important we evolved.”

By 2001, the Liveseys decided to grow shiitake themselves. “We went to Japan to look at the growing processes,” says Tim. “We returned with some kit and started cultivating buna and enoki varieties. Since 2001 we’ve invested £2 million in kit.”

HOW TO...

Grow exotic mushrooms“All mushrooms we grow are wood-destroying fungi,” says Tim. “So the substrates we use have to recreate decaying wood. Each type of mushroom has its own needs. We put the mycelium into sterilised sawdust and then alter the conditions – effectively change the climate from summer to autumn – to force the mushrooms to fruit. The Japanese use wood types and rice that we can’t, because it’d be uneconomical to import them.”

Tim Livesey’s (above) tip for eating out in Leicestershire: “The Old Black Horse Inn at Market Bosworth.” www.theblack horserestaurant.co.uk, 01455 290278

Bright futureToday, The Mushroom Basket produces two tons of fungi a day, a ton of which comprises Japanese varieties. It also imports three to four tons a week. “We’re the only mushroom farm in the UK who make our own growing mediums, and we’re the largest by volume and diversity. We’re constantly experimenting and don’t feel we’ve got anything 100% right yet – not even oyster growing, which we’ve been doing for 25 years.”

In the future, The Mushroom Basket would like to cut out imports and keep the business a family affair, while continuing to move forward. Tim also sees the need to educate the public. “Some consumers are afraid of mushrooms and we need to give them the confidence to try them.”

Tim’s favourite dish? “Maitake on filo pastry with tomato purée, camembert or brie. The salt in the cheese really draws out the unique taste of the mushrooms.”

Why not try some of these fascinating – and truly tasty – varieties of fungi and introduce them into your daily cooking?

In theknow...

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Makes 24* 220g self-raising flour

* Pinch of salt

* 120g dark brown sugar

* 130g caster sugar

* 45g cocoa powder

* 60g walnuts, roughly chopped

* 150g dark chocolate, chopped

* (120g soft butter)

* (1 egg)

1 Sift the flour in a bowl and add salt.2 Mix dark brown sugar and caster sugar. Make sure it is well mixed to stop the brown sugar clumping.3 Layer the flour, cocoa powder and sugar into a 1-litre jar. Add the walnuts and chocolate as the top layers.4 Hand-write a label with the following:5 “To make cookies, pre-heat oven to Gas 4 (175C). Tip contents of jar into a food mixer. Add 120g soft butter and egg and mix for 2–3 mins.”6 ”Form into walnut-size pieces and pop on a baking tray.”7 ”Cook in oven for 10–12 minutes. Remove and leave to harden for a few minutes (the chocolate needs to set), before transferring to a wire wrack to cool off completely.”

Dark, rich and melt-in-the-mouth, these cookies are so easy – just what you need at Christmas. Put in a jar, the mixture also makes a superb gift, especially for young children to make. Simply write the recipe label out (see Step 5) and tie it to the jar with a ribbon – advise that the mix is to be used within eight weeks. The dark chocolate can be substituted for milk or white chocolate, and I love to add a 1/4 teaspoon of extra cardamom powder and use white chocolate drops to make them really festive.Vanessa Kimbell

Vanessa is writing Prepped! – a cookbook for time-short foodies. More (plus recipes) at www.prepped.co.uk

Vanessa Kimbell’s DIY Christmas Gift Cookies

RECIPES


BARNSDALE LODGE HOTELThe Avenue, Exton, Oakham, Rutland LE15 8AH, 01572 724678 www.barnsdalelodge.co.uk

Recipe

‘People began asking to take some home, so we started selling it in packets’

Barnsdale Lodge’s Christmas Granola

* 150g porridge oats

* 25g sesame seeds

* 50g pecan nuts

* 25g sunflower seeds

* 25g desiccated coconut

* 25g flaked almonds

* 25g pumpkin seeds

* 50g walnut halves

* 50g dried apricots

* 50g dried cranberries

* 50g sultanas

* 100ml maple syrup

* 25ml vegetable oil

* 50ml honey

Makes around 5 portions

1 Mix non-fruit ingredients together.2 Warm maple syrup, vegetable oil and honey together and mix with non-fruit ingredients.3 Spread thinly on trays; bake for 10 minutes at Gas 1 (140C).5 Cool, stir, and add dried fruit (chopped).7 Serve with milk, or for a treat with Manor Farm’s probiotic yoghurt topped with spiced fruit compote.8 The granola will keep up to a month in a sealed container.

“A version of this has become a favourite with breakfasters here at Barnsdale Lodge Hotel,” says head chef Paul Freeman. “So much so that people began asking to take some home – so we started selling it in packets.”

Great Food picked some up recently. It’s rich and packed with energy – perfect, in fact, for combating festive fatigue.


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At our pubs – The Red Lion Inn of Stathern and Olive Branch of Clipsham – we’re always on

the search for the best ingredients and suppliers that the region has to offer. The Longhorn Beef Company of Whatton-in-the-Vale, Notts – just a few miles west of Leicestershire’s northern-most tip – certainly fall into that category. They are the proud suppliers of some of the finest beef I have ever tasted.

The slow-reared English Longhorn breed that they farm is well known for excellent meat, the raw product having regular marbling (the white strands of fat you see in uncooked steak), which is exactly what I’m looking for. During cooking, this

marbling melts into the beef, enhancing taste and texture.

Our new menu at the Red Lion Inn (don’t forget to enter the competition on p15) is showcasing The Longhorn Beef Company’s great steak cuts, from fillet to rump, served simply with twice-cooked chips, grilled heritage tomatoes from the village of Wing, and roasted flat cap mushrooms, deglazed with a splash of Worcestershire sauce. All this is presented with a perfectly executed Béarnaise sauce.

We are also taking advantage of the less prime cuts, using mince for our Red Lion house burger and cottage pies, and stewing steak for our warming suet puddings.Sean Hope

A local supplier of spectacularly good steak, says Sean Hope

LOCAL PRODUCER

Red Lion & Olive Branch All StarsEach issue, award-winning sister pubs The Olive Branch of Clipsham and The Red Lion Inn of Stathern introduce their food superstars – partners who help make their menus so renowned

Meet the producerThe people behind the Longhorn Beef Company are Peter and Cathy Player – also thoroughbred racehorse breeders – and their son Edward and daughter-in-law Katherine.

Peter and Cathy have kept Longhorns for 35 years, and farmed in Suffolk before moving to their 450-acre farm in Whatton. Katherine looks after the beef side of the business, and having worked at award-winning Gonalston Farm Shop for five years, she knows her food.

“Longhorn beef has fantastic depth of flavour, which I believe comes from the way they’re reared: slowly, in a stress-free environment,” says Katherine. “Our cattle are slaughtered

Did you know?Katherine Player (above) and her family also breed ultra-rare Suffolk Punch horses.

Longhorn Beef Company

The

‘To take a 170g steak to medium rare, cook for two to three minutes each side, remove and rest for the same amount of time each side’



Red Lion & Olive Branch All Stars

Serves 4-6* 2 egg yolks

* 1 shallot, finely diced

* 1 tbsp sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar

* 1 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped

* 1 level tsp English mustard

* 200g fresh, unsalted, melted butter

1 Combine shallot, egg yolks, tarragon and vinegar into a round-bottom bowl. 2 Whisk over a bain-marie (hot-water bath), so the heat from the steam causes egg yolk to go fluffy. 3 Take melted butter and very gradually pour into bowl, whisking ingredients all the time until mixture starts to thicken up. If it gets too thick, dilute with hot water. 4 At last minute, add the mustard and season to taste. Serve with your steak.

at a butcher’s three miles away – Taylor’s of Bottesford – and are taken there in the same vehicle used to transport them around the farm. The meat’s hung for no fewer than 25 days.”

Katherine, originally from Northumberland, worked as an investment banker in the City before moving to Whatton. Her tips for eating out locally? “Apart from the Red Lion and Olive Branch, of course, I like Paul’s in Bottesford, Farndon Boathouse in Newark and the Tollemache Arms, Buckminster.”

LONGHORN BEEF COMPANYManor Lane, Whatton-in-the-Vale, Notts NG13 9EX, 07765 898727, www.thelonghornbeefcompany.co.uk

Sean Hope’s English mustard béarnaise

Perfect steak and chipsGreat Food Leicestershire & Rutland travelled to The Red Lion in Stathern to talk to Sean and try the Longhorn steaks pictured here – we felt it only right and proper! “The key to steak is a good supplier,” says Sean. “Look for a rich, deep-red colour with even marbling. Stay away from bright red cuts. Before cooking, sprinkle with black pepper and sea salt flakes, then place onto a very hot pan, not before the oil or butter’s sizzling. To take a 170g (6oz) steak to medium rare, cook for two to three minutes each side, then remove and rest for the same amount of time each side. The resting is crucial.” To win a meal for two at the Red Lion, turn to page 15.

If you can achieve a beautiful colour like this, then you’re doing well.

‘To take a 170g steak to medium rare, cook for two to three minutes each side, remove and rest for the same amount of time each side’


Did you know?

Michelin-starred Sean Hope (above

and left) is partner and head chef at The Olive Branch and Red Lion Inn.

He’s passionate about great

ingredients and good cooking, and

is also Rutland’s first official Food

Ambassador.

Before sealing, season with sea salt flakes

and black pepper.

Longhorn bull is sturdy to say the least.

Good Longhorn steak has regular marbling.

Christmas in style - using our on-site butchery & herb garden,seasonal fruit, vegetables and wild plants our chefs have created

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FESTIVE SEASON AT THE MARQUESS OF EXETERCome and celebrate the festive season at The Marquess of Exeter. Enjoy a warm, friendly, relaxed atmosphere in front of the open log fi res in the bar, perfect for a glass of mulled wine and homemade mince pies, or why not enjoy a festive meal in our large spacious restaurant great for getting together with all the family and friends.



Do you remember ‘top of the milk’? We used to fight over it in our house at breakfast time. It was our phrase

for the very top layer of milk in the bottle, the part that was creamiest and most delicious, which made even Shreddies taste nice. It was so good and full of nutrients that sparrows used to peck through the foil to get at it.

Sadly, top of the milk, cream top, or whatever you want to call it, is now rarer than a speeding milk float. It’s become exactly the same as bottom of the milk and middle of the milk, and that’s because almost all supermarkets demand that the milk they sell has been subject to a process called homogenisation.

However, I recently rediscovered ‘top of the milk’ in Charnwood Forest, just a few miles from Loughborough. Nestled in lush farmland is organic-certified Lubcloud Dairy, which doesn’t homogenise, and still produces milk the way nature intended (apart from pasteurising, of course) from its herd of Holstein Fresians.

“Homogenisation is an mechanical process designed to make milk completely uniform, so it looks and tastes the same all the way through the bottle,” says Phil Newcombe (pictured), the farmer behind Lubcloud Dairy. “During the homogenisation process, milk is passed through pipes and filters at a pressure of 2500psi. This breaks down the fat into fine globules that remain in suspension and don’t rise to the top. It changes the molecular structure.”

Homogenising, which was introduced in the USA in 1932, also makes milk look whiter, and therefore – so the logic goes – more appealing. In fact, the only reason for subjecting milk to the process is cosmetic, a marketing ploy.

LUBCLOUD DAIRYCharley Rd, Oaks in Charnwood, Leics LE12 9YA, 01509 505055, www.lubcloud dairy.co.uk. You can buy Lubcloud milk and cream at most farm shops on p66. Or call the dairy for more info.

Above & main image: Phil Newcombe doesn’t use any

artificial nasties on his pasture land. Centre: Lubcloud

pigs and the farmhouse

The creamWhy Lubcloud Dairy won’t homogenise WORDS & PHOTOS: MATT WRIGHT

Local producer

For this reason, in Denmark and Norway the authorities do not allow homogenised milk to be called organic.

“There are some fuzzy health issues surrounding homogenisation,” claims

Phil, “which is part of the reason we prefer not to do it.”

The challenge for Lubcloud, however, is re-educating customers used to homogenised milk. Lubcloud milk is different – thicker, fuller of flavour and, of course, with a creamy top. In the same way that supermarkets have trained us

to avoid curly carrots and bumpy tomatoes, we’ve been conditioned to expect homogenised milk.

Next time you’re at your local farm shop, or even if you’re driving past Lubcloud Dairy, pop in and pick up a bottle of Lubcloud milk. Grab some cereal, pour it over and rediscover ‘top of the milk’.

WINTER COOKING


!a" th# ga$!Game season’s in full swing. Oakham’s Matt Gregory, who can pluck with the best of them, advises you to give it a go...

DEER (VENISON)SEASON: Roe: bucks – April 1 to Oct 30; does – Nov 1 – Feb 28. Fallow: bucks – Aug 1 to Apr 20; does – Nov 1 to Feb 28. Muntjac: all year.WHAT TO EXPECT: Full-favoured meat with a fine-grained texture.HANGING TIME: 7-12 days.

PIGEONSEASON: All year.WHAT TO EXPECT:

Pigeon is a fairly dense meat with a full flavour.HANGING TIME: 1-3 days.

RABBIT & HARESEASON: Rabbit is in season all year, but hare is not for sale between March and July.

WHAT TO EXPECT: Hare has more robust qualities than rabbit, but both are mildly gamey and terrific value. Farmed rabbits can taste ‘hutchy’.HANGING TIME: 1-2 days for rabbit; 3-7 days for hare.

Ga$ facts... seasons, flavours and hanging times

No, not a can of pilchards, but venison. The roll call of game that has positive dietary attributes is as long as the number of edible wild animals. So, apart from being good for us (which, frankly, is not a strong enough reason in itself in my book), why should we eat it? Well, the primary reason is the same as for any food: it tastes fantastic. By its very nature most game is also local, seasonal and, happily, mostly affordable. Your local butcher will have access to all manner of game throughout the season, but you may have to order it. Most butchers will be more than happy to do this for you. Alternatively, there are game wholesalers who may be willing to deliver to you (see list overleaf) and when it comes to venison, you can also

ow in fat, high in iron, low in cholesterol and containing lots of omega 3.

LEnzymes begin to break down the proteins in the flesh to produce a more tender and flavoursome meat. Hanging times are generally now much shorter than they were historically, resulting in a milder flavour, rather than the occasionally off-putting ‘high’ quality strived for in the past. A cool (not cold), airy and dry environment is needed to prevent the meat going off, and hanging times vary depending on the animal. Only deer

purchase directly from the producer. You may also know someone who shoots, and although it might be tempting to turn down the offer of fresh game because it will need to be hung/plucked/skinned and generally dealt with, these rural tasks should be embraced.

On hangingThe hanging of game is essential to bring out the flavour of the meat.

WATERCOLOUR : GRAHAM WRIGHT

Game


Fres! gam" wil# need to b" dealt wit!, but thes" rura# tasks should b" embraced!Game: A Cookery Book, Tom Norrington Davies and Trish HilfertyThe Game Cook Book, Clarissa Dickson Wright and Johnny Scott Countryman’s Cooking, WMW Fowler

Further reading

Chestnuts: good with game

Hanging game brings out the flavour

Sprouts had to appear once

Roast pheasant makes a good festive dish

needs to be gutted before hanging, otherwise it is guts in, skin on. Feathers: head up; fur: head down.

Furred gameRabbit, hare and deer have, basically speaking, the same anatomy as all mammals, so keep that in mind if you do find yourself with a whole animal.

Indeed, when it comes to rabbit and hare then some would argue against getting your butcher to do the work for you because they are more likely to joint them with a cleaver rather than a knife. This can result in shattered bone in the meat, which is very hard to remove. Rabbit and hare will only need a knife, but you will need a hacksaw for taking apart a deer.

Use back legs as roasting or braising joints, loin from either side of the top of the spine for fast cooking and fillet from the underside for posh nosh. Rib meat, front legs and neck are good for stews and sauces. The back leg of a deer provides the noble haunch of venison, which could give a rib of beef a run for its money in the impressive stakes at a festive dinner.

GROUSE SEASON: Aug 12 to Dec 10.WHAT TO EXPECT: The richest, most expensive and most gamey of the game birds. HANGING TIME: 3-10 days.

PARTRIDGESEASON: Sept 1 to Feb 1.WHAT TO EXPECT: A relatively mild flavour, but tender and can be excellent. HANGING TIME: 3-12 days.

PHEASANTSEASON: Oct 1 to Feb 1.WHAT TO EXPECT: Full-flavoured if not too old and carefully hung. Badly shot birds can be bruised and barely edible. Older, short-hung birds can be tough. HANGING TIME: 3-14 days.

What to serve with game…ROAST BEETROOT – See recipe overleaf: keep a stockpile in your freezer.BRAISED CABBAGE – Toss shredded cabbage in hot oil in a large pan with a glug of balsamic vinegar to finish.ROAST CHESTNUTS – Score with a knife and roast for around 30 minutes at Gas 6 (200C). Peel before serving.POACHED APPLES – Keep a stockpile in your freezer.CELERIAC MASH – Earthier and heartier than plain mash.ELDERBERRY SAUCE – Perfect with venison.JAPONICA JELLY – A sharp but fragrant savoury jelly.

Feathered gameYou know how to carve a chicken, and game birds are exactly the same, except ducks are a bit flatter. Plucking and drawing birds is not a quick or clean job, but it is simple if you take your time. Don’t try to pluck too many feathers at a time and keep the skin taut to prevent tearing. If you have a few birds and they are destined for a stew pot rather than the oven, then skinning them is even easier. Simply nick the skin at the breast and take it off like a jacket, removing wing tips and feet with poultry shears. Even faster, if you have a glut of pigeon, is to simply skin the breasts and take the meat off the bird in two neat little portions to cook in the pan.

TURN OVER FOR A GREAT VENISON RECIPE FROM A LOCAL CHEF

Venison haunch is a top-class cut

MALLARDSEASON:

Sept 1 to Jan 1.WHAT TO EXPECT:

Much more flavour than farmed duck, and less fatty, too. Well worth a try.HANGING TIME: 0-2 days.

WINTER COOKING


Sweet, earthy flavours go brilliantly with venison

Making use of the entire beast

Matt Gregory (right) on tasting duties

Parsnips, pancetta and apple

Tender loin gets 3-4 minutes each side

Bouverie Lodge: Bison and venison farm with an on-site shop – well worth a detour. To be found In Nether Broughton, near Melton Mowbray. www.bisons.org. British Deer Farmers’ Association: Looks after the interests of deer farmers all over the country and will be able to help you find your nearest retailer, and restaurant that serves venison. Lots of good recipes too. www.bdfa.co.uk.

N Cavner & Son Seafoods: Market fishmonger who sells a good range of oven-ready game. See them at Oakham and Uppingham markets. 0780 2494946, [email protected]. Cuckoo Farm (aka Rutland Organic Poultry): Raisers of organic fallow deer and poultry. Hare and other wild game available on an ad-hoc basis. No longer attending farmers’ markets, so mail order or collection only. Based in Ketton.www.rutlandorganics.co.uk.

Fen Farm Venison: Farmers of red deer and attendees of farmers’ markets, where they sell fresh meat and cook up a storm with their venison burgers. www.fenfarmvenison.co.uk Keythorpe Game: Pheasant specialist based in Tugby, Leicestershire. 0116 2598472. Leicester Market: The food hall at this great local food-and-drink institution usually has a selection of game for sale. www.leicestermarket.co.uk.

Melton Mowbray Market: A ‘Fur and Feather Market’ is held at Melton Cattle Market on Scalford Road every Tuesday. www.meltonmowbraymarket.co.uk. Waitrose: The supermarket with branches in Oadby, Lutterworth, Blaby and Stamford stocks game. www.waitrose.com. Your local butcher or farm shop: If in doubt, ask here. They’ll be able to help or, if not, point you in the direction of someone who can. See map on p66.

LOCAL GAMEY CONTACTS

James Goss is head chef at the King’s Arms in Wing, Rutland. The menu at his pub is firmly seasonal and this venison dish is typical of the fare that James produces: big on flavour, using the best local ingredients, and pretty on the plate. You can’t just knock this up, though – a certain amount of forethought and preparation is required. Most prep can (and should) be done the day before or earlier, otherwise cooking it might take all day.

However, if you’ve made the stock and roasted the parsnips and beetroot in advance, you’re looking at a quick and easy yet posh weekend supper. The combination of sweet, earthy and gamey flavours make it a real treat.Preparation: Reduced stock adds great depth of flavour and is the secret of this dish. Time spent on the stock will pay dividends. Make it with roasted

James Goss’s pan-fried loin of venison with beetroot Serves 2

* 300g venison loin, in two pieces

* 50g finely diced pancetta or streaky bacon

* 8 baby parsnips, halved long ways

* 4 beetroot, quartered

* 1 apple, cored and cut into eighths

* 3 or 4 leaves of kale

* 1 tbsp heavily reduced, good stock

bones – chicken is as good as any unless you’ve butchered the deer yourself, in which case deer bones will be perfect. Layer the bones up tightly in a large pan with a couple of chopped carrots, two chopped celery sticks, a quartered onion, six peppercorns, a few cloves and two or three bay leaves. Top up with three or four litres of water. Boil and simmer, reducing to 400-500ml, which will take several hours. In this state it should set to a firm jelly in the fridge. Skim off the

surface fat before use. The parsnips and

beetroot are coated with honey, a little balsamic vinegar and oil, and then roasted for about 40 minutes at Gas 4 (180°C) – separately, otherwise you get

pink parsnips. These could be done beforehand and stored in the freezer.The quick bit: 1 Coat the loin pieces with oil and salt. Pan-fry the pancetta until it takes a little colour and gives enough fat to fry the venison in. Remove and set aside. 2 Fry the venison over a moderate heat for three to four minutes on each side, and rest somewhere warm while you complete the next stage.3 De-glaze the pan with a spoonful of stock, and retain. Return the pancetta

to the pan with roasted parsnips and apple pieces. Gently sauté until the apple begins to soften and take colour. Glaze with a little butter.4 Bring a pan of salted and buttered water to the boil and quickly wilt the kale for less than two minutes.5 Lay the wilted kale on two plates, followed by the apple, parsnips, beetroot and pancetta. Cut the loin pieces into four or five slices and lay on top. Dress with warmed-through stock mixed with the juices given up by the roasting beets.

James Goss specialises in nose-to-tail cooking

The stock

Try some of James’s venison dishes at... The King’s Arms, 13 Top Street Wing, Oakham, Rutland LE15 8SE 01572 737634

King’s Arms

Local producer


Overton – the Nelsons (for Hambletons is a family affair) source meat from other farms, mainly in Lincolnshire. They have to, because they sell enough food through their outlets to slaughter ten beasts a week.

Large rangeAnd it’s these tasty meat products that drive the business. The Oakham shop sells pies, sausages, steaks, chops and more. They’re cut and baked in Hambleton’s engine room in Mareham-le-Fen, Lincs, where six butchers and three bakers create mouthwatering food.

“We bake our pies in hoops to create thin, crisp pastry,” says Andrew. “We don’t use preservatives except salt and pepper. The cooking and processing’s crucial, but so is the sourcing. We know our animals are unstressed, and therefore tasty, but we have to be sure the beasts we get from other farms are the same, so we choose with care.”

I f you’re ever strolling through Oakham, nip down Gaol Street. On one side of the road is Hambleton Bakery – selling

delicious, locally-baked breads, cakes and pasta – and on the other is Hambleton Fine Foods – offering an awe-inspiring array of meats and a fine deli counter. They’re both superb, but the only other thing the two shops have in common is the name.

Hambleton Farms Fine Foods, the Gaol Street deli/butchery, is owned by Andrew Nelson, a business-savvy farmer from Hambleton, Rutland. His Oakham shop is one of six Hambleton outlets. He also has outlets scattered around the east of England, including some in garden centres, like Van Hage in Peterborough, and a few in farm shops, such as Doddington Hall in Lincolnshire.

In addition to produce from their own farmland – comprising 1000 acres in Hambleton, Exton and Cold

A super-butchers with fingers in several excellent pies

CONTACTHambletons, Gaol Street, Oakham LE15 6AQ, www.hambletonfarms.co.uk

THE NELSONSAndrew and Gill Nelson at home in Hambleton

‘The sourcing’s crucial: animals on our farms are unstressed and we

choose others with care’

Inside the Oakham shop. From left: Richard Short of Melton, shop manager Lindsay Cottrell of Oakham, and Sue Meyer of Great Easton

Hambleton Farms Fine Foods

If you want to do a lot of Christmas food shopping in one go – and make your festivities special – you could do worse than go to Hambletons.

You can buy seven types of pie from

Hambletons, plus a range of chutneys, honey, cakes, oils

and snacks...

LIFE OF PIE!

LOCAL FOOD HISTORY


Pears have been scoffed by Leicestershire folk for thousands of years – but catching them ripe has never been easy, says Rupert Matthews...

I suppose you know that old saying, “a pear is only ripe for half an hour”. In my experience, it is true. But what a glorious half an hour it is.

When I first met my wife she was living in a little cottage in Bottesford in the northern-most tip of Leicestershire. Her neighbour had a pear tree – a fine old veteran with gnarled trunk, twisted branches and more fruit than you could shake a stick at. One weekend in October when visiting — it was the autumn before our wedding in the following February — there was a knock at the door. It was my wife-to-be’s neighbour.

“Come on,” she said. “I need your help. My pears are ripe.” We trooped next door to find the good lady’s husband up a

ladder with his head invisible among the old branches and a bag bulging with pears slung from his shoulders. Pretty soon I was put to work ferrying the contents of his bag back to the kitchen where the two ladies had donned aprons and were hard at work wielding knives and juggling with weighing scales. It was a fun afternoon, and I was sent home with several jars of pear jam, a few plastic tubs of stewed pears for the freezer and a truly magnificent pear pie. Recipes are given opposite.

Hello, old fruit!I didn’t know it then, but pears are just about the oldest fruit to be cultivated in Leicestershire. It does not matter how far back the archaeologists go, wherever they push a trowel into the rich Leicestershire soil they find all manner of pear pips. Iron-age hill fort at Breedon on the Hill? Check. Neolithic site in Asfordby? Check. Roman town at Coalville? Check. Roman villa at Rothley? Check. The Romans, apparently, never ate pears raw as they thought this would cause all sorts of stomach diseases. They preferred to stew them with honey, which sounds rather tasty.

The pear is one of the very few fruits native to Britain. The vast number of varieties grown today are all derived from just two wild subspecies: Pyrus communis pyraster and Pyrus communis caucasica. These grew wild in southern Britain, and are

• FOOD HISTORY • FOOD H

ISTO

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#$ gl%i&s ha' h&r

Priory Church, Breedon: site of iron-age hill fort

that millennia passed until somebody thought of turning pears into a drink in the same way that apples are turned into cider. What an oversight!

Until the last issue of this magazine, I thought nobody was making perry commercially in Leicestershire any more. Everards used to supply perry to its houses some years ago, but seems to have stopped. It now appears that Rockingham Forest Cider of Market Harborough makes perry. It’s good that Leicestershire has a producer again, and that we’re not only importing from the West County.

The above recipes are from my wife’s former neighbour. They’re for cooking pears. Dessert pears will cook much more quickly, in about a quarter of the time or even less.

Pears


FURTHER READING...Rupert Matthews is author of the excellent Leicestershire Food & Drink. The book contains all sorts of interesting facts about local food history and offers plenty of tasty recipes, too. Try Amazon.

Stilton is left to mature for 12-13 weeks.

Burgun! "#s w$% St&to' (ea) This dessert dish is easy to prepare, but will make any cook look like a world-class chef. The flavours are very complementary and it’s always good to serve Stilton at a Leicestershire dinner. I’d recommend rustling this up as a dessert at a dinner party to serve after a robust main course involving beef or game.

Serves 4* 4 ripe pears

* 1/2 bottle of good red wine

* 57g sugar

* 1 bay leaf

* Piece of lemon peel

* Piece of orange peel

* 1/2 cinnamon stick (or 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder)

* 6 black peppercorns

* 2 cloves

* 113g Stilton

* 177ml cider

* 148ml double cream

1 Peel the pears, removing the core but leaving the stalks in. 2 Place in a large pan with the wine, sugar, bay leaf, lemon peel, orange peel, cinnamon, black peppercorns and cloves. 3 Gently bring to a boil. 4 Skim off any impurities and simmer for eight minutes until the pears are just cooked. Allow them to cool.5 Meanwhile, combine the cheese, cider and cream in a pan. 6 Simmer for two minutes, then liquidise. Place each pear in a dish.7 Pour a little of the cream over each pear and serve the remainder in a sauceboat.

S*+d pe#sUse as many pears as you have to spare and for each large pear (or two small ones) allow the following...

* 14g white sugar* 1 clove* 1/4 glass ruby port (you can finish

off the bottle later)* 1/4 port glass of water

1 Peel the pears, cut them in half and remove the stalks and cores. 2 Place them in a large saucepan and add the other ingredients.3 Bring very gently to a low simmer, on no account allowing the pears to boil.4 After about three or four hours, the fruit should be soft and tender. Switch off the heat and allow the fruit to cool.5 Eat at once with fresh cream, or freeze for future use.

Pears ar, just about th, oldest fruit to b, cultivated i' Leicestershir,

Fresh Leics fruit on sale at Picks Organic Farm Shop, Barkby Thorpe

now found most often in Devon and Cornwall, but later generations bred hardier varieties that could fruit plentifully in Leicestershire. Most modern pear trees can survive winters as cold as -15ºC, which should be fine for the foreseeable future. For some obscure reason it would seem

"# pieYou can’t go wrong with this recipe. It’s a beautiful dish to serve as the finale to Sunday dinner, after a long walk:

Serves 4-6* 910g stewed pears

* 45g shortcrust pastry

* Milk

* Demerara sugar

1 Roll out half the pastry and use it to line a nine-inch pie dish.2 Fill the pie dish with the stewed pears.3 Roll out the rest of the pastry and cut into a circle 11 inches across.4 Damp the edges of the pie with milk and place on the lid, pressing down the edges to seal. 5 Trim off spare pastry. You could use to decorate the lid with pear shapes. 6 Brush the top of the pie with milk and scatter with sprinkling of demerara sugar.7 Bake for 40 minutes or so in an oven – Gas 7 (220C).8 Serve with either piping hot custard or cold cream (or both).

YOUR DREAM DISH


L ike a culinary Jimmy Savile, Phillip Sharpe of Hotel Maiyango is in this issue fixing it for Jane McKenna, a

management consultant from Birmingham, to enter food paradise.

From now on, Phillip, who’s 32 and lives in Leicester, will become Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland’s Mr Fixit – the man who creates the dishes you’ve always fantasised about but never dared to make at home (he’ll supply the recipes, too). In future issues, Hotel Maiyango’s head mixologist Peter Bailey will also recommend a seasonal cocktail to complement your dish. So if you want Phillip to cook your utopian feast and Peter to shake up a storm, get in touch and it could be you next time.

Our first guinea pig Jane took no time to decide what she wanted – a festive, fruity game dish, which gave Phillip plenty of leeway. After some thought, Phillip suggested partridge breasts with plum chutney samosas. “Partridge is in season, is plentiful and the plummy flavours complement its richness, while adding some sharpness,” he says.

Phillip and Hotel Maiyango, who have just won Gold Medals at the 2010 East Midlands Tourism Awards in the Small Hotel of the Year and Taste the Region categories, make a great deal of effort to create fine food and drink combinations using local, seasonal produce. Phillip’s cooking also scooped Maiyango the title of ‘Best Leicestershire Breakfast’.

“There are great ingredients all around us,” says Phillip. “We get superb vegetables from Sarah Field, who grows at Saffron Lane community allotments in the city. She’s passionate about what she’s doing and her veg rocks!”

Partridge breasts with plum chutney samosasEach issue Phillip Sharpe, head chef at Hotel Maiyango in Leicester, helps a reader to achieve food nirvana…

YOUR DREAM DISH

Flambé! Phillip and Sarah introduce

brandy to the mix

“Delicious,” says Jane, tucking into

her dream dish

READER PROFILE

Jane McKenna graduated from Queen’s University in Belfast and moved to the West Midlands in 1983, where she began a career in the recruitment industry. She now specialises in management training. “I was brought up in Belfast eating meat and two veg,” says Jane. “Now I’ve gone completely the other way and it’s my aim to never eat a boring meal.” Jane’s website is www.thejanemckennashow.com

1 Remove two partridge breasts from the bone, using a sharp knife.

Ask your local butcher to do it for you before buying if you prefer.

2 Season breasts with salt and pepper. Here Phillip is also adding

some pre-made sorrel sauce.

3 As described in the method above, cut your spring roll pastry

to the size pictured and place plum mixture at the bottom of the sheet.

4 Carefully fold a triangle of the sheet over the mix and then use

your best origami skills to create a neat, triangular samosa. Don’t worry if you make a mess – it’ll still taste great – and practice makes perfect.

5 Cook your samosa in a hot pan to get a nice brown colour on both

sides – this won’t take long.

6 Now for the artistic plating up. Place a dome of mash in the

centre and balance partridge and samosa on top, putting vegetables around the edge (see above).

1 3

2

5 6

4

Recipe


Partridge with plum chutney samosaServes 2

* 2 partridge

* 1 carrot (finely diced)

* 1 red onion (finely diced)

* 1 tsp chopped rosemary & thyme

* 25ml brandy

* 30ml ruby port

* 100ml reduced game stock

* 40ml double cream

* 2 plums

* spring roll pastry

* 2 large baking potatoes

* 4 sorrel leaves

* 50g butter

* sunflower oil

* salt and pepper

* celeriac, green beans

CONTACT Hotel Maiyango, 13-21 Saint Nicholas Place, Leicester LE1 4LD. www.maiyango.com, 0116 2518898

To have your dream dish cooked by Phillip and win a meal for two at Maiyango (full terms online), simply

email [email protected]

FULFIL YOUR DREAMS!

Ready to serve: Jane’s dream dish

For the partridge1 Remove breast from bone and season. In a very hot pan start to cook breasts and add diced carrot and onion. Once you have a nice colour on one side, turn breasts and flambé with brandy and port.2 Add chopped rosemary and thyme and reduced stock, and cook for about one minute. Remove from heat.

For the mash1 Bake potatoes until cooked; scoop potato out of skins. Mash and season.

2 Meanwhile, reduce half the cream and butter, then add mashed potatoes and chopped sorrel. For the samosa1 Dice plums and divide into two. In a hot pan add half diced plum with 2tbsp of water and a splash of port and cook for one minute until plums are soft. 2 Mix with remaining plums and allow to cool. Cut one sheet of spring roll pastry in half and at the bottom of the sheet place plum mixture in the shape of a triangle and fold over (see below).

Carry on folding until you are at the top. Rub a little oil onto the samosa and cook in a hot pan until you have a nice colour on each side.

To finish1 Remove partridge from pan, reduce sauce with remaining cream and place hot mash in centre of plate.2 Put partridge on top of mash and sprinkle vegetables and sauce around plate. Place samosa atop partridge.

“We get all our fish from LB Hunt of

Leicester Market,” says Phillip. “I’m addicted to the

scallops!”{ }Where to buy?

Step by step

AN EXCITING LEICESTER RESTAURANTThe 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 fi xed 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 BOOT ROOM EATERIE27-29 Millstone Lane, Leicester. LE1 5JN

0116 262 2555

CHRISTMAS

SEASON 2010

Lunch £19.95 or

Dinner £24.95

BOOK

TODAY

Christmas at StaplefordChri!mas at Stapleford Park is magical. Feel the warmth of crackling "res throughout the house as boughs of pine and holly from the e!ate adorn the grandiose "replaces and !airs. Whether it’s your o#ce party or a special lunch with friends - where better to experience a happy Chri!mas?If you would like further information, conta! us on "#$%& %'%""" or visit www.(aplefordpark.com

Wines from all over the worldchosen with love

Christmas Wine TastingFriday 26th November 6.30pm to 8.30pm

The Grand Hall, Oakham Castle£5 on the door

OpenWednesdays 10am to 2pmFridays 10am to 7.30pmSaturdays 10am to 2pm

10b Northgate, Oakham LE15 6QS01572 759735 [email protected]

benswineshop.co.uk


PUDDINGChristmas pudding is not a favourite chez Hooper in Wymeswold, so this year I’m cheating with a frozen summer pudding made with Wymeswold Fruit Farms berries (01509 880230), Kings

Road Bakery bread from Melton Mowbray (www.

kingsroadbakery.co.uk), and Lubcloud extra thick cream from Charnwood

(www.lubclouddairy.co.uk). Who could resist mince pies with buttery pastry

made at home using Claybrooke Mill flour from Claybrooke Magna (www.claybrookewatermill.co.uk), served with

cream from Mount St Bernard Abbey near Coalville (www.mountsaintbernard.org)?

Those still thirsty can have award-winning North Star from Eglantine near Loughborough (www.eglantinevineyard.co.uk).

CHEESEBOARD It has to be Stilton, the King of Cheeses, partnered with

Sparkenhoe Red Leicester, Lincolnshire Poacher and farmhouse chutney by Brambletree Preserves and toasted sourdough by Paul’s Organic Bakery of Melton Mowbray (www.soyfoods.co.uk).

CHRISTMAS CAKES Where to start? Creations baked by Church

Farmhouse Cakes of Croxton Kerrial (see p29), Debbie Campbell Cakes of Anstey or extra small delicacies from Little Jems of Fleckney.

Where can you find all of these producers and products, I hear you cry? Well, working

with the Leicestershire Rural Partnership, Leicestershire Food Links has launched a Food and Drink directory. It’s online at the address below and has a search facility.

The locavore’s Christmas How much festive fare can you source locally? Sallie Hooper plans her Christmas menu

NIBBLESTo build the appetite we can begin with olives marinated in Welland Valley Rapeseed Oil and local herbs, all from the Olive Tree Company of Fleckney, Leicestershire (www.olivetreecompany.co.uk). Plus we’ll open a bottle or two of Fleurfield Vineyard’s award-winning sparkling wines from Brixworth, Northamptonshire (www.fleurfields.co.uk); or maybe Tickled Pink – a sparkling rosé from Welland Valley Vineyard near Market Harborough (www.welland-vineyard.com).

STARTEREnjoy smoked trout paté topped with slivers of smoked trout from Belleau Smokery in Alford, near Louth in Lincolnshire (www.belleausmokery.co.uk), served with homemade blinis made with flour from Whissendine Windmill (01664 474172); garnished with a hefty dose of horseradish cream – horseradish from your back garden and cream from Manor Farm Dairy in Thrussington (01664 424245).

MAIN COURSEIt has to be Three Bird Roast from Seldom Seen Farm, Billesdon, Leicestershire (www.seldomseenfarm.co.uk). This is a goose stuffed with a chicken, stuffed with a pheasant, and layered with spiced pork and orange. Serve with roast potatoes, sprouts, carrots, spiced red cabbage and homemade apple sauce. You could get your fruit and veg (and more) from Sacrewell Farm, Peterborough (see p30), Corner Plot of Thurmaston (www.cornerplotvegetables.co.uk); Farndon Fields, Market Harborough (www.farndonfieldsfarmshop.co.uk); or Raw ‘n’ Pure Organic Box Schemes near Loughborough (www.rawnpure.org). Or, of course, grow it yourself. For banger lovers, Woodhouse Farm of Elmesthorpe (www.woodhousefarm.co.uk) produces fine sausages.

More wine? Halfpenny Green Vineyard of south Staffs has a selection (www.halfpenny-green-vineyards.co.uk), or try an organic wine from Chevelswarde Vineyard of South Kilworth (www.chevelswardeorganics.co.uk).

Sallie HooperSallie is co-ordinator for Leicestershire Food Links, a group set up to promote local food and drink and its many benefits. When it comes to local food, Sallie’s the oracle

CONTACTSearch for local food and drink at www.leicestershirefoodlinks.org.uk

Olive Tree Company of Fleckney produces baclava and Turkish

Delight as well as olives.

Delicacies

Have cream made by the Cistercian monks of Mount St Bernard

Abbey, near Coalville, on your mince pies

Pass the cream!

Flour powerClaybrooke Mill of south

Leicestershire uses water power to grind its flour

Why not try a Leicestershire red with your Stilton?

Perfect combo Cupcakes There are plenty of

options for cupcake-seeking locavores

Leicestershire Food Links


Chestnut time

W hen conkers are lying on the floor, chestnuts aren’t far behind. In Britain they’re ready

from October, but you can still find them as late as the first week of December. If you have a tree close to you then you should get in there quickly – squirrels are particularly fond of them. In fact, I have a customer who’s been promising to bring in a squirrel for me to try, so if he makes good on the offer I think a terrine of squirrel and chestnuts would be a fitting way to serve it. I don’t think it will make it on to the Hammer & Pincers menu, mind you. But I digress...

Chestnuts are quite versatile. When I was working in Switzerland we used chestnut flour to make something called spatzle, which is a bit like a

pancake batter that’s first poached in

strands, then fried in butter. It’s an interesting

alternative to pasta and when you make it with chestnut flour it has a wonderfully nutty flavour.

If you haven’t got access to a tree, or the squirrels have beaten you to it, you can buy chestnut paste, but this stuff is usually sweetened so can only really be used for desserts. The other

option is vacuum-packed peeled chestnuts, which are

popular because they can be a pain to peel straight from the tree.

My tip for peeling is to run a knife all the

way around the nut, then boil them for 20

minutes: they peel a lot more easily when they are still

warm, and then you can just dry them off and roast. If you want to roast them raw then you must pierce the shells first or you will effectively be placing little bombs eager to explode into your oven.

What can we do with chestnuts? A classic dessert is Mont Blanc – a tartlet with a crisp meringue topped with a vermicelli of chestnut purée. In the recipe (see right) I’ve suggested you use the tinned version of chestnut purée and cream, but if you’re feeling adventurous, score 300g of fresh chestnuts and boil them for about

20 minutes, peel, then poach in 300ml milk, 300ml double cream

and 100g sugar until they’re soft. Remove the chestnuts and purée in a food processor,

adding the milk and cream mixture until you get the

required consistency.

Danny JimminsonDanny is head chef and owner of the Hammer & Pincers in Wymeswold. When he’s not creating spectacular puds, he’s out trying to beat the county’s squirrels to the nuts

1 Preheat the oven to Gas 3 (170C).2 In a bowl combine the ground almond with the icing sugar, plain flour and softened butter. Add the egg and mix well. Transfer this almond cream to a piping bag and pipe it into cupcake cases, filling them three-quarters of the way up to the top.3 Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until the sponge is cooked and golden brown. 4 Spread one teaspoon full of orange marmalade over each sponge, then place a small meringue on top.5 In a bowl, combine the sweet chestnut cream with the sweet chestnut purée. Transfer this chestnut cream to a piping bag fitted with a special Mont Blanc nozzle and pipe it on top of the meringues to cover them well.6 Dust the Mont Blanc gâteau with icing sugar.7 Spoon the whipped cream into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe a cream rosette on each gâteau. Top with a whole glazed chestnut.

* 50g ground almonds

* 50g icing sugar

* 50g plain flour, sifted

* 50g softened butter

* 1 egg

* 6 tsp orange marmalade

* 6 small meringues, the size of a ball of cotton wool

* 100g sweet chestnut cream (crème de marrons)

* 100g chestnut purée (purée de marrons)

* 6 glazed chestnuts

* A little icing sugar from a shaker, for dusting

* 100ml whipped cream

Mont BlancServes 6

Find a source, gather this great ingredient and use it to make some interesting dishes...

HAMMER & PINCERS5 East Road, Wymeswold, Leics LE12 6ST, 01509 880735, hammerandpincers.co.uk

HOME COOKING


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PUB WALK

This is the perfect pub walk to blow away the cobwebs. As you stride out into farmland between Exton and Greetham, you’re guaranteed

to be woken up by a refreshing wind that gives the expansive views and big skies added impact. The route’s mainly flat, so the walking’s easy, but remember to wrap up warm and take a hat – you don’t want too many gusts of wind down your lugholes.

Exton (meaning ‘ox farm’), near Oakham, is a beautiful old ironstone village with a memorable rectangular green at its centre, scattered with impressively ancient-looking trees. Overlooking the green, matching the trees for stature, is the Fox and Hounds pub – a grand old chunk of a building.

Exton has been dominated by Exton Hall and Park for 500 years. Exton Park, which this walk dips in and out of, started life as a deer park in medieval times before the Noel family (the Earls of Gainsborough), developed it and built Exton Hall in the Tudor period. That burnt down in 1810 and a new hall was built, which still remains.

Greetham is an equally pleasant village but in a different way. With its village shop and pubs it has a slightly less aristocratic air than Exton, but is none the worse for that.

1PARK IN EXTON at The Green and with your back to the Fox & Hounds, walk away

from the pub (if you can bear it!) up Stamford Road (the road on the right). At the T-junction, go straight over the road, following the National Byway sign onto New Field Road.

2AT THE END of New Field

Road, cross the cattle grid and walk forward along the track. Cross a second cattle grid and follow the track into arable fields.

3CARRY ON FOR around 500 yards until you reach a fork in the track. Go straight up the

grassy path, following the middle sign. Descend towards the wooded area and join a concrete track. Follow the track downhill, admiring the lake views to your right and left.

4AT THE SECOND public footpath sign, turn left, following the ‘Footpath To

Greetham’ sign. As you walk through the ancient trees, Fort Henry becomes visible on your left.

5FOLLOW THE GRASSY path around the lake and past a line of tall trees. Walk through

a wooded area with a tiny brook on your left. Climb the wooden steps, turn right and then immediately left to descend more steps.

6CROSS A WOODEN bridge and follow the path around Greetham Valley golf course,

following the yellow markers.

7WALK PAST THE driving range and through the golf course car park. Look

for a metal gate to the right of the clubhouse. Walk between the wooden bollards to the right of the gate. Carry on to the next yellow post and follow the arrow to walk down the gravel

OVERVIEW OF AREA

The walk


LOCAL PUB

WALK

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Wrap up and stride out into Rutland for a refreshing 5.5-mile walk through Exton Park. Allow time for pub stops...

Exton, Greetham and Fort Henry (via three pubs!)

}Fort HenryOn this walk you pass a mock gothic

fishing folly on the edge of a beautiful lake covered with water lilies and swans. The building is called Fort Henry and

was constructed in 1788 by William Legg for one of the Earls of Gainsborough

Fort Henry in winter

Exton & Greetham

path. Follow the track to the right of the trees and at the yellow post go straight on (hedgerow on your right).

8A FEW YARDS after a gnarled, dead tree sticking out of the hedgerow, turn right

over a stile. Then turn left and walk around the edge of the field. At the marker in the corner of the field, hop over the low fence and drop down to walk over a wooden bridge. Turn right, aiming for Greetham church spire.

9WALK ALONG the edge of two fields, with a stream to your right, all the way into

Greetham. At the end of the second field, follow the very short track and join the main road. Turn left, or alternatively pop in for refreshment at The Wheatsheaf.

10WALK PAST THE Black Horse (closed at the time this magazine went to press) and

look out for a garden on the right with a dovecote (when Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland did the walk there was a bird of prey tethered on a perch in the garden). Just past Great Lane, turn left, following a well-hidden sign to the Viking Way and ascending nine steps. Alternatively, carry on to The Plough (see right).

11FOLLOW A NARROW path, go through a gate, over or around the stile and onto a

broadish, gravelly track. Follow the

The Fox and Hounds, Exton

Well-deserved!


Detailed walk map

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Spotted near Exton

The Fox & Hounds looks like a proud, aristocratic pub from the outside, but inside feels more homely, with farmhouse-style furniture and quarry tiles in the dining room. It’s definitely more of a restaurant than a pub (unlike The Plough below), although you could settle in for a pint in the bar if you want. When we went for Sunday lunch, the food was tasty and filling – a cut above most pub fare – with homemade bread and pasta offering a carb-fest before tackling the walk. The Fox & Hounds, 19 The Green, Exton, Rutland LE15 8AP. 01572 812403, www.foxandhoundsrutland.co.uk

The Plough calls itself a pub that serves food, rather than a restaurant with a bar. It was named CAMRA’s Pub of the Season last summer and holds its own Pie Night and Banger Wednesday, giving more clues as to its no-nonsense, proper-ale-and-decent-grub approach.

The Plough also has one of the best and most extensive lunchtime sandwich menus we’ve come across – and people we’ve spoken to rate the sarnies very highly.

If you’re a hungry, thirsty walker, The Plough is just the sort of place you want on your route – a proper village local.The Plough, 23 Main Street, Greetham, Rutland LE15 7NJ. 01572 813613, www.greethamplough.co.uk

The Plough, Greetham

track and go through a small metal gate to the right of agricultural buildings and out into a grassy field. At the end of the field go through a gate and over a stile. Turn right and then immediately left, following a slightly raised gravel path.

12STICK TO THE PATH as it bends to the right and drops downhill. At the bottom of the

hill, climb over the stile, cross a wooden bridge and walk diagonally left over the field to the next stile. Climb over and go straight on uphill. At the T-junction, turn right, following the Viking Way to Exton.

13FOLLOW THE FLAT road and when you reach the tall trees, take the left fork. Stick to the

road, go over a cattle grid and towards farm buildings. Follow the road to the left, go through the gate, then right, following the Viking Way sign into Exton.

14STICK TO THE ROAD as it bends left, then turn right at the buttermarket and onto

the High Street. At the end of the street you’ll see The Green.

NOTES: We’ve done this walk

and believe the instructions to

be clear and accurate.

However, do take a map – OS

Explorer 234 – and give yourself

enough time.

The Wheatsheaf, Greetham


love this...

Handcrafted pepper grinderHandmade by Grimsby- based woodturner Martin Pidgen, who travels the country selling a range of attractive, food-related items, this grinder is constructed from a wood known as olive ash. Contact: 01472 873342, [email protected]

FOODIE PRODUCTS

PRICES FROM £416

Westaway chicken housesLike the idea of keeping chickens, with its promise

of fresh eggs from the bottom of the garden? If you’re going to do it, you’re going to need the right kit.

This attractive 1.53m x 1.53m x 1.7m chicken house from Rutland-based Westaway Poultry will house up to 15 birds. Westaway can also supply you with chickens,

bedding, feed and all the expert advice you need. Contact: 01572 737310, www.westawaypoultry.com

Old bottles and tins

Add character to your kitchen with old containers

that mention local places. And who remembers Bile Beans?

Contact: Old Bakery Antiques, Wymondham, 01572 787472

PRICES FROM:

£10

PRICES FROM: £30

Just SoapsNow you can nourish your skin as well as your stomach with fantastic, locally-produced food. This goats’ milk and honey soap from Cossington-based Just Soaps is made with Swithland Spring Water, goats’ milk from Keythorpe, oats from Claybrooke Mill and honey from Littleover Organic Apiary. All Just Soaps products are chemical and preservative-free, and even the lavender they use is grown locally. Contact: 01509 813535, www.just-soaps.com

PRICES FROM: £3.35

Top stuff that’s available locally, plus pressie ideas from The Foodie Gift Hunter

Spice kitsSpice up Christmas with these clever little kits from Spicentice of Leicester. Perfect as stocking fillers, or for stocking up a spice lover’s cupboards, these give you all the spices you need for authentic, great-tasting meals. Choose from dishes like lamb rogan josh or Bombay potatoes, or work your way around the world with flavours from Portugal, Thailand, Mexico and Morocco.Contact: 0116 2672270 www.spicentice.com


Love this...

The Foodie Gift Hunter’s Christmas tips

Vale of Belvoir-based Helen Tarver, aka The Foodie Gift Hunter, blogs almost daily about great gifts for food lovers at www.thefoodiegifthunter.co.uk. She’s got a reputation for unusual gift giving to maintain.

There’s something satisfying about finding fabulous festive presents which are just that little bit different. Here are three to please any food lover…

COOK’S ZONE

PRICE: £16 FOR 12

PRICE: £45/MONTH

Rent-A-PorkerFor a confirmed meat lover, or smallholder without any land, then how about Rent-A-Porker from Chater Valley of Pilton, Rutland (as featured last issue)? Someone else does all the hard work of raising the pig, takes care of having it dispatched to the butcher and then has it jointed up and sent out. The recipient gets a freezer full of fabulous pork, from a well-looked-after, very tasty local pig. Contact: 01780 720660, chatervalley.com

PRICES FROM:

£1.99

Allergy-busting browniesBuying food gifts for people with food allergies can be tricky, but not so with Gower Cottage Brownies. These impressive award-winning boxes of brownies are available in dairy and gluten-free varieties, and both are deliciously squidgy and chocolatey.Contact: www.gowercottagebrownies.co.uk

The Original Cookware Company of Leicester’s Christmas tipsAll products here are available at The Original Cookware Company, 12-14 Silver Walk, Leicester, 0116 2512842, www.originalcookware.co.uk

AN OLD FAVOURITE

REDESIGNED

PRICE: £9.99

CUISIPRO BASTERCuisipro make tools for cooks who have an eye for design and quality. This innovative baster has a ‘shower head’ that treats your turkey evenly with one simple squeeze. Interchange the spray head with an injector head to inject sauces, marinades or alcohol (for medicinal purposes, of course!). A truly great tool and not just essential for your Christmas turkey, but great for any time of year.

Joseph Joseph is internationally recognised for producing the most

stylish and innovative kitchen products around. The Index-Plus contains four individual chopping boards with four matching knives designed to reduce

cross contamination, and to look great.

Just in from Switzerland is this new battery powered icing pen with three nozzles. Choose between two speeds for a controlled flow. It’s easy to refill and comes with three chambers, so you can swap over and use different colours. It has a mixing attachment to combine colours and six nozzles for a host of effects.

KUHN RIKON FROSTING DECORATING PEN

PRICE: £19.99 PRICE:

£64.99

JOSEPH JOSEPH ‘INDEX-PLUS’

CHOPPING BOARD SET

NEW, FUNCTIONAL

AND GORGEOUS

N!emb" 6LUTTERWORTH WINE FAIRLutterworth Town Hall, Market Square, Leics LE17 4DS. 10am-4pm. Tickets: £5.Contact: 01455 556616

N!emb" 13MEDIEVAL BANQUET AT DONINGTON-LE-HEATHManor Road, Donington-le-Heath, Coalville, Leics LE67 2FW. Booking required. £30.Contact: www.leics.gov.uk/donington, 01530 831259

N!emb" 20CHRISTMAS FAIR AT NORTHFIELD FARMWhissendine Lane, Cold Overton LE15 7QF.Food, mulled wine and more. 9am-4pm. Free.Contact: www.northfieldfarm.com, 01664 474271

N!emb" 20PACKINGTON FOOD GUSTOMemorial Hall, Packington LE65 1WH. 9.30am-4pm. Contact: www.foodgusto.co.uk, 01530 411337

N!emb" 21LEICESTER’S WINTER FOOD FESTIVALMarket Place, Leicester. Free. Contact: www leicestermarket.co.uk,0116 2232372

Decemb" 1BOSWORTH BATTLEFIELDCHRISTMAS FAYRE Sutton Cheney, Leics CV13 0AD. Free.Mulled wine, mince pies & Santa. 4pm-8.30pm. Contact: 01455 290429.

Decemb" 5CHRISTMAS FOOD & GIFT FAIR,MOUNTSORREL Budgens, Granite Way, Mountsorrel LE12 7TZ.Farmers’ market, plus crafts. 10am-2pm. Free. Contact: 01509 416695.

Decemb" 7FAT STOCK SHOW AT MELTON Melton Cattle Market, Scalford Rd LE13 1YJ.Which is the finest pig, sheep and cow? Contact: www.meltonmowbraymarket.co.uk, 01664 562971

Decemb" 18-19CLUMBER PARK CHRISTMAS FEASTWorksop, Notts S80 3AZ. 11am-5pm.Contact: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/

clumberpark, 01909 544 917.

Decemb" 12-17BELVOIR CASTLE CHRISTMAS FANTASIA WEEKBelvoir Castle, Grantham, Leics NG32 1PE.Chestnuts roasting, roaring fires, choirs and traditional Christmas dishes in the restaurant.Contact: www.belvoircastle.com, 01476 871002

Decemb" 19CHRISTMAS FINE FOOD FAIR AT CALKE ABBEYTicknall, Derbys DE73 7LE. From 11am.Contact: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-calkeabbey, 01332 863822

Always check before setting off.

N!emb" & Decemb"E#ntsNOVEMBER

Dates for your diary, with a wine theme this issue...F$%&’ m$'tsASHBY DE LA ZOUCHWhen? Third Saturday of the month, 10am-2pmWhere? Manor House School, LE65 1BR

BLABYWhen? Fourth Sat of month, 9am-1.30pmWhere? Blaby Social Centre, LE8 4GG

BURBAGEWhen? First Sat of month, 9am-1.30pmWhere? Windsor St, LE10 2EF

CASTLE DONINGTONWhen? Second Sat of month, 9am-12.30pmWhere? St Edward’s School, DE74 2LH

EARL SHILTONWhen? Third Sat of month, 9am-1pmWhere? Wood St, LE9 7NF

HINCKLEYWhen? Third Thurs of month, 9am-1.30pmWhere? The Market Place, LE10 1NT

KIBWORTH BEAUCHAMPWhen? Second Sat of month, 9am-1pmWhere? Kibworth High School, Smeeton Rd

LEICESTERWhen? First Thurs of the month, 9am-2pmWhere? The Market Place, LE1 5GG

LOUGHBOROUGHWhen? Second Weds of month, 9am-3pmWhere? Devonshire Square, LE11 3DW

LUTTERWORTHWhen? Second Sat of month, 9am-1.30pmWhere? Lutterworth Town Hall Car Park, LE17 4EH

MARKET BOSWORTHWhen? Fourth Sun of month, 9am-2.30pmWhere? Market Square, CV13 0JW

MARKET HARBOROUGHWhen? First Thursday of month, 9am-2pmWhere? The Square, LE16 7DR

MELTON MOWBRAYWhen? Every Tuesday and Friday, 8am-noonWhere? Scalford Road, LE13 1JY

OAKHAMWhen? Third Sat of month, 8am-2pmWhere? Gaol Street, LE15 6AQ

STAMFORDWhen? Every other Friday, 8.30am-3pmWhere? Red Lion Square, PE9 1PA

UPPINGHAMWhen? Second Fri of month, 8am-1pm; and new market now on first Sat of month.Where? Mercers Yard (Fri); Mkt Place (Sat).

N!emb" 26Game-themed Gourmet Evening STAPLEFORD PARK Stapleford, near Melton, Leics LE14 2EF. Six courses. £90. Booking required. Contact: www.staplefordpark.com, 01572 787000

Tastings are being held at Oakham Castle on Nov 26, and at

Amphora Wines, Cold Overton, on Nov 12 and Dec 10. Amphora: 01664 565013. Or for Oakham Castle info, call 01572 759735.

Wine tastings in Rutland

Where’s your nearest?

WANT YOUR EVENT TO APPEAR HERE? EMAIL EVENTS@GREATFOOD LEICS.CO.UK

DECEMBER


NEXT ISSUE

PLUS

Coming up in Great Food Leicestershire & Rutland...Guarantee the next issue by subscribing for just £15 – see p17

Fireside food Warming recipes from local cooks

The January/February issue is out on January 4, 2011

* Leicestershire & Rutland’s cosiest eateries revealed* Meet more local producers

+ Food news+ Pub walks

From great places to eat to fantastic farm shops to cracking caterers, you’ll fi nd anexcellent selection of local foodie services here. To advertise in this section, please contact Andrea Marshallon 01780 754900 or by email [email protected]

LOCAL WINEWhite, Red and Rose wines made from

grapes organically grown at South Kilworth. The wines are made and bottled on site in

our own winery.Ideal Christmas present - specially for those who do not think that grapes can be grown in Leicestershire! Available from our farm shop, together with organic

fruit and vegetables. Also from Naturally Good Foods, Cotesbach; Manor Farm Shop, Catthorpe; The

Quarter Restaurant, Leicester and others.Chevelswarde Farm Shop, The Belt, South Kilworth Tel. [email protected]

FARMSHOPS

HIGHFIELD FARMSHOPFamily run farmshop, selling home-produced Rare breed pork, sausage, bacon etc. Farm Assured Lamb and Mutton (seasonal), and

Barn eggs. We also sell a selection of quality jams, marmalades, chutneys, Maincrop potatoes when in season. Shop is open

Wednesday-Saturday, 9am-2pm.Tel: 01162880887 or 07759861357 for availability before you set off. Find us on Newton Lane, Wigston, Leics. LE18 3SH.

CATERING FARMSHOPS

The SmithyFarm Shop

Top Quality fruit and vegetables.

Cheese, poultryand meat.

Opening Times:Mon-Thurs 8.45am-5.45pm.

Friday 8.30am-6pm.Saturday 8.30am-4.30pm

Sunday 9am-1pm

Warton Lane, Grendon, Atherstone,

Warks, CV9 3DUTel: 01827 714216

Christmas Poultry

Orders now being taken

SWEETS & CHOCS

SWEET NOTHINGSHomemade confectionary

including peppermint creams, coconut ice and a variety of

fudge. Handmade gift boxes also available. Based near Melton

Mowbray.Tel. 07951 015502

www.sweetnothings.org.uk

The Pantry


Hinckley

Ashby de la Zouch

Loughborough

Leicester

Ashley Herb Farm(herb nursery & farm shop)

45 Main St, Ashley,Market Harborough LE16 8HGweb: www.ashleyherbfarm.co.uktel: 01858 565722

Attfields Farm ShopCountesthorpe Rd,

Whetstone LE8 6LDweb: www.attfieldsfarmshop.co.uktel: 0116 2771476

Blackbrook Traditional Meat

Springbarrow Lodge Farm,Swannymote Rd, Grace Dieu, near Coalville LE67 5UTweb: www.blackbrook-longhorns.comtel: 01509 503276

Bouverie Lodge (bison and venison meat)

Nether Broughton,Leicestershire LE14 3EXweb: www.bisons.orgtel: 01664 822114

Brockleby’s Farm ShopMelton Road,

Asfordby Hill LE14 3QUweb: www.brocklebys.co.uktel: 01664 813200

Brooklea Nursery & Farm Shop

1000 Loughborough Road,Rothley LE7 7NLtel: 0116 2302155

The Cattows Farm ShopSwepstone Road, Heather

LE67 2RFweb: www.thecattowsfarmshop.co.uktel: 01530 264200

Chantry Farm ShopKings Newton Lane,

Melbourne, Derbys, DE73 8DDtel: www.chantryfarm.comweb: 01332 865698

Chevelswarde Organic Growers

Chevel House, The Belt,South Kilworth LE17 6DXtel: 01858 575309

Cook’s Farm ShopMarkfield Lane,

Newtown Linford LE6 0ABweb: www.cooksfarmshop.co.uktel: 01530 242214

Crossroads Farm Shop Eastwell, Melton Mowbray

LE14 4EF tel: 01949 860242

Fancourts Farm ShopThe Square, Ryhall,

Stamford, Rutland PE9 4HJtel: 01780 762698

Farndon Fields Farm ShopFarndon Road, Market

Harborough LE16 9NPweb: www.farndonfields farmshop.co.uktel: 01858 464838

Fat Hen Farm Shop at Greenacres Garden Centre

Ashby Rd, Stapleton LE9 8JEtel: 01455 290878

Grange Farm ShopPoacher’s Rest,

Newstead Lane, Belmesthorpe PE9 4SAtel: 07711 205507

Hambleton FarmsGaol St, Oakham LE15 8AQ

web: www.hambletonfarms.co.uktel: 01572 724455

Harker’s Farm ShopBlackberry Farm, Clipston,

Keyworth NG12 5PBweb: www.harkersfarmshop.co.uktel: 0115 9892260

Highfield FarmNewton Lane,

Wigston LE18 3SHtel: 0116 2880887

9

Great-tasting, fresh food that hasn’t travelled far – what’s not to like about farm shops? Give them a buzz to check opening hours before setting offWe’re surrounded by fantastic food yet we’ve all got into the habit of buying produce that’s travelled half way across the country, or even around the world. Any chef will tell you that the best-tasting stuff is seasonal, fresh and hasn’t been stored in the back of a lorry or jet plane for hours. The best restaurants tend to source their produce from local farmers for this reason. If you don’t already, why not increase the quality of the food you eat and support local farmers and businesses by giving your local farm shop or farmers’ market (see p64) a go?

F!" sh# ma$

HIGHFIELD FARMWigston 18

MANOR FARM SHOP & TEAROOMCatthorpe 19

MANOR ORGANIC FARM SHOP

Long Whatton

20

BROOKLEA NURSERY & FARM SHOP

Rothley

6

STONEHURST FAMILY FARM & MUSEUM

Mountsorrel32

HARKER’S FARM SHOPKeyworth, Notts

17

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

THE MUSHROOM BASKETPackington 23

MEADOW VIEW FARMSileby

22

TOOLEY PARK FARM SHOP

Peckleton

34

WOODCOCK FARMRothley

37

WOODHOUSE FARM SHOPElmesthorpe

THE FAT HEN FARM SHOPStapleton

GE TOMLINSON AND FAMILY FARM SHOPStoke Golding 3833

14

ATTFIELDS FARM SHOPWhetstone

2

BLACKBROOK TRADITIONAL MEATGrace Dieu 3

COOK’S FARM SHOPNewtown Linford

10

CHANTRY FARM SHOPMelbourne

8

9

CHEVELSWARDE ORGANIC GROWERSSouth Kilworth

THE CATTOWS FARM SHOPHeather

7

M1

M69

A42 A6

Farm shop map


Rutland water

Uppingham

Bottesford Meadow View Farm156 Cossington Road,

Sileby LE12 7RTweb: www.meadowviewfarm.co.uktel: 01509 815670

The Mushroom BasketLowerfields Farm,

Normanton Rd, Packington LE65 1XAweb: www.themushroombasket.comtel: 01530 415862

Northfield FarmWhissendine Lane,

Cold Overton LE15 7QFweb: www.northfieldfarm.comtel: 01664 474271

Oakdale Farm Shop1870 Melton Road,

Rearsby, LE7 4YStel: 01664 424300

Have we missed a farm shop off the map? Email [email protected] to let us know.

Manor Farm Shop & Tearoom

Main St, Catthorpe LE17 6DBweb: www.manorfarmcatthorpe.co.uktel: 01788 869002

Manor Organic Farm Shop

77 Main St, Long Whatton,Loughborough LE12 5DF web: www.manororganicfarm.co.uk tel: 01509 646413

March House FarmTop End, Great Dalby

LE14 2HAtel: 01664 563919

Stamford Farm Shop2B Gooches Court,

Stamford PE9 9FA tel: 01780 767711

Stamford Garden Centre Farm Shop

Road End Farm, Great Casterton, Stamford, Lincs PE9 4BBweb: www.stamfordgardencentre.co.uktel: 01780 765656

Stonehurst Family Farm & Museum

Bond Lane, Mountsorrel LE12 7ARweb: www.stonehurstfarm.co.uktel: 01509 413216

GE Tomlinson & Family Farm Shop

Station Road, Stoke Golding, Nuneaton CV13 6EUtel: 01455 212199

Tooley Park Farm ShopPeckleton Common

Road, Peckleton, Leicester LE9 7RF tel: 01455 822876

Picks Organic Farm Shop

The Cottage, Hamilton Grounds, Barkby Thorpe LE7 3QF web: www.picksorganic.co.uktel: 0116 2693548

Roots at Thorpe FarmKing St, Barkby

Thorpe LE7 3QEweb: www.rootsthorpefarm.co.uktel: 0116 2692526

Rutland Farm ShopAshwell Road, Ashwell,

near Oakham LE15 7QNweb: www.rutlandvillage.co.uktel: 01572 759492

Seldom Seen FarmBillesdon LE7 9FA

web: www.seldomseenfarm.co.uktel: 0116 2596742

HAMBLETON FARMS Oakham

16

FANCOURTS FARM SHOPRyhall, Stamford 12

WISTOW FARM SHOPWistow

36

MARCH HOUSE FARMGreat Dalby 21

NORTHFIELD FARMCold Overton

24

OAKDALE FARM SHOP

Rearsby

25

PICKS ORGANIC FARM SHOP

Barkby Thorpe

26

ROOTS AT THORPE FARM

Barkby Thorpe

27

RUTLAND FARM SHOPAshwell

28

SELDOM SEEN FARM

Billesdon

29

FARNDON FIELDS FARM SHOPMarket Harborough

13

GRANGE FARM SHOPBelmesthorpe

15

STAMFORD GARDEN CENTRE FARM SHOPStamford, Lincs

31

STAMFORD FARM SHOPStamford, Lincs

30

ASHLEY HERB FARMAshley

1

19

20

21

22 30

31

32

33

34

Wing Hall Farm ShopWing, near Oakham,

Rutland LE15 8RYweb: www.winghall.co.uktel: 01572 737090

Wistow Farm ShopWistow Rural Centre

Kibworth Rd, Wistow LE8 0QFweb: www.wistow.com/rural.asptel: 0116 2590041

Woodcock Farm 903 Loughborough Road,

Rothley LE7 7NHtel: 0116 2302215

Woodhouse Farm Shop1 Woodhouse Farm, Elmesthorpe,

Earl Shilton LE9 7SE web: www.woodhousefarm.co.uktel: 01455 851242

35

36

37

38

23

24

25

27

26

28

29

WING HALL FARM SHOP

Wing, Oakham

35

BROCKLEBY’SFARM SHOPAsfordby Hill

5

BOUVERIE LODGENether Broughton 4

CROSSROADS FARM SHOP

Eastwell 11

A46

A47

A6

A607

A606

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