Church FarmYour Monthly Newsletter

Friday 7th October 2011

A Note from the New Grower

Hello!I’m Rik Humphreys, and I’m the new grower at Church Farm Ardeley, taking over from Kate Pheasant’s excellent work. My background in organic vegetable and fruit production stretches

back to the turn of the century! I’ve grown food successfully for two commercial certified organic farms, as well as a National Trust estate and

an environmental project in Southern Spain, but Church Farm is the biggest task I’ve taken on so far. It’s an exciting challenge, then, and one I’m really looking forward to. I’ll be living here in my van during the week, while my partner and our twin daughters stay home in Essex, but if all goes

well they will come and join me here.

In the long term, I’m hoping to expand the productivity of the vegetable fields and

polytunnels, while more immediately I’m looking forward to bringing in those gorgeous, delicious

winter squash and pumpkins (as well as all the other stuff, of course!).

Happily I’ve got a marvellous team to help, and they’re proving to be invaluable in getting the

jobs done and also in helping me to settle in, so a big thank you to all of them. Must close now, just remembered I’ve left the irrigation on in the

tomato tunnel! Rik

Community Day at the FarmAround 30 people from St Albans’ PricewaterhouseCoopers office visited the farm on Wednesday 5th October as part of their an-nual community day. They raised over £2500 to contribute to the materials and equipment used on the day - which wouldn’t have taken place without the fantastic guidance and organisation of local volunteer Kevin and the Director of Rural Care, Ann De Bock. The day involved making the Rural Care area more accessible for wheelchair users and renovating the Home Field area. They did a fantastic job and celebrated with a tasty meal and refreshing drink at the Jolly Waggoner Pub. Thank you so much for all your help!

Church Farm - 3 years on....This photo of the Red Poll cow (right) was taken on 1st October 3 years ago. Thanks to all your support the farm has developed so much since then. We now have a Farm Cafe, Farm Store, Butchery, Farm Bakery, a care farm (Rural Care), a weekly Farm Box Scheme providing fresh vegetables, meat, eggs and more for free delivery and collection, a pub serving real food and local ale (The Jolly Waggoner Pub) as well as organise a series of events, workshops and children’s activities. We welcome everyone to come to the farm to walk the footpaths for free and share in the Church Farm experience. In this issue we’ve tried to high-light on the various people you may come in contact with over the phone or face to face at the farm in the various departments. It’s always nice to put a face to a name. Your feedback is so important to us so do let us know your thoughts and ideas for future improvement. Best Wishes, Tim.

Meet the Grower

Meet the R

ural

Care Direc

tor

Meet Tim

the Farm

er

Weekly Farm BoxesFresh farm produce direct to your door at

supermarket prices! Boxes start from only £8.50

Real Ales: Real Food : Warm Welcome at the Jolly Waggoner

Our autumn menu is now out - try rare breed gammon steak, Red Poll sirloin steak, Red Poll burger, whole

roast partrdige, delicious salads picked fresh from the field and

more. Don’t forget to try Sunday lunch too! Book a table today to

avoid disappointment! Call 01438 861 447

www.thejollywaggoner.co.uk

Garlic Roast Pork with Caramelised Apples, Onions and Gravy

IngredientsPork leg, boned and rolled4-6 garlic cloves, chopped2 tablespoons orange juice1 tablespoon vegetable oil1 tablespoon wine vinegar1 teaspoon each salt and pepper, or to tasteFresh rosemary, chopped2-6 eating apples2-6 onions, peeled2-4 tablespoons honey700-900ml chicken or vegetable stock25g plain flour80ml orange juice, or to taste (for the gravy)

MethodPreheat oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Pat the pork dry. With a sharp knife, score the skin and fat of the pork deeply in a criss-cross or diamond pattern. In a blender puree the garlic with the orange juice, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper, and rub the mixture all over the pork. Place on a rack in a roasting tin and roast for the calculated cooking time. 50-60 minutes before the end of cooking, add the apples and onions to the roasting tin, or a separate tray, and drizzle with honey, and some chopped rosemary. After cook-ing, remove the apples, onions and pork to the carving board, and transfer 2 tablespoons of the fat from the roasting tin to a small saucepan. Pour or scoop off the remaining fat from the pan juices, add the stock and deglaze the tin over high heat, scraping up the brown bits. Add the flour to the fat in the saucepan, and stir for 2 minutes over low heat. Strain the mixture from the roasting tin through a sieve into the flour mixture, whisking all the time. Whisk in the orange juice, and simmer the gravy, whisking, for 5 minutes. Season to taste, and serve.

A gorgeous roast dinner to serve with your favourite sides like mash and steamed cabbage. The servings depend on the size of your pork leg – roast 30 minutes per 1/2kg (450g), plus 30 extra minutes. Allow 100-175g of raw meat per person. http://www.abelandcole.co.uk/recipes/

Boxes: Wondering who to speak to?

Meet Emma, N

icola a

nd

Fran the B

ox Schem

e Team

Meet Emma, Nicola and Fran our Farm Box Scheme team. If you’re interested in signing up to a Farm Box, have in depth ques-tions about how it works, or have a change or suspension to make to your current box order, Emma, Fran and Diana (no picture we’re afraid) are here to help. If your query is payment related, do feel free to pick up the phone or pop

in to see Nicola our accountant. Alternatively email info@churchfarmardeley.co.uk and your query will be responded to as soon as possible.

MEATFarm VarietyShoulder of Lamb, Diced Beef, Minced Beef and sausages.

Old English CutsOffal, Shoulder of Lamb, Diced Beef and bones bag.

Premium SelectionLeg of lamb, pork loin steak, minced beef and sausages.

VEGETABLESExtra Small (6 varieties)Potatoes, onions, carrots, mixed bag of kale, winter squash and celery.

Small (8 varieties)Beetroot/Kohl Rabi and Peppers

Medium (10 varieties)Courgettes/Patty Pans and Runner/French Beans

Large (12 varieties)Salad bag and Celeriac.

Extra Large (13 varieties) - Extra portions of staples

FRUITApples, strawberries and raspberries.

Please note that these are standard items and are subject to change. If you have asked not to be supplied with a particular item, a substitute will be provided in your box.

Meet Roxy &

Alan

the Cafe

Managers

We’d like to welcome Roxy & Alan to the Church Farm team. At the start of September they took on the running of the Farm Cafe -

everything is going great! Do pay them a visit and say hello! Oh yes and in the middle is Finnley their

son - he’s not quite old enough to do any waitressing to help Mum

and Dad out yet!

Mee

t Adr

ian

Che

f Ext

rao

rdin

aire

What’s in my box next week?

Try our Low GI Bread Inspired by the work of the herbalists and pharmacists on the site of their apothecary in Yorkshire, Dr Rose creates all-natural preparations to old-world formulas using the best ingredients. Pop into the store and see Jo our Farm Store Manager to buy your gentle and calimng footbath salts and mustard and milk of rose bath salts.

The glycaemic index (Gi) is a method of ranking foods on a scale of 1 to 100 according to the extent to which foods raise blood glucose levels after ingestion. A high Gi level is 70 and over, a low Gi under 56.Carbohydrate foods that break down quickly during digestion have the highest Gi values - their blood glucose response is fast and high.Carbohydrates which break down slowly, releasing glucose gradually into the bloodstream, have low Gi factors. These are known as good carbohydrates and form the basis of a low Gi diet. Carbohydrates with a high Gi (70-100) include corn flakes (90), puffed wheat (75), bagels (72), and white bread (70), while Country Oven Low Gi Mul-tiseed Bread (54), wholemeal pasta (45) and wholemeal pasta with tomato sauce and olive oil (35) are examples of low Gi foods. Ac-cording to a recent study by Professor Jeya Henry, Professor of Food Nutrition at Oxford Brooks University, there are four key advantages to a low Gi diet.

Farm Store Product of the Week

Pop into the Butcher’s Two news items - that 23 butchers’ shops are closing each week and that fewer people cook traditional British dishes - are connected. The butcher’s is undercut by the supermarket, which has improved the quality and range of its meat - but not enough. Supermarket meat is still usually too lean and under-hung to cook tenderly. And odds and ends such as fresh kidneys are hard to find there. The ingredients for many traditional British recipes are sold in an old-fashioned butcher’s - from suet to oxtail - just as we find the best veg to go with them at the small greengrocer’s.

Danny and Simon have been butchers for many years, working their way through the ranks, studying the craft of butchery the hard way from back breaking work of breaking down whole carcases to the art of curing and smoking. Nowadays most butchers receive hunks of pre packed meat which they cut into even smaller pieces to sit in pre packs on the supermarket shelves. “It’s great to be working in a proper butchery again” says Simon, “Supermarkets simply don’t hang their meat for long enough - it is on the shelves as quickly as possible after slaughter” explains Danny, “This means the meat is tough and tasteless in comparison to meat that has been properly hung.” Visit your local butcher, visit Church Farm’s Butchery.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/telegraph-view/3555868/Pop-in-to-the-butchers.html

• Low Gi foods can help people con-trol their hunger, appetite and blood sugar levels

• Low Gi diets can help people lose weight and lower blood lipids

• Low Gi means a smaller rise in blood sugar and can help control established diabetes

• Low Gi diets can reduce the future risk of becoming diabetic

Try our low GI bread handmade by Phil our baker. It tastes great offering a superb product that is good for you and your family!

Farm Butchery Special Offer

Half Price on Beef Roasting Joints

Meet Danny

the Butch

er

Meet Phil

the Bake

r

Meet Jo the F

arm

Store M

anager

Guest Landlord atThe Jolly Waggoner Pub

Tony JuniperCampaigner, Writer, Sustainability

Adviser and well-known Environmentalist

Tuesday 11th October 20116.30pm - 9.30pm

10% of takings go to charity

Please bring this voucher to the Farm Store at Church Farm Ardeley and collect your free bag of animal feed

Feed the Pigs or Chickens.This voucher can be redeemed for one Box of Food

Church Farm, Ardeley, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG2 7AH, T: 01438 861 447E: info@churchfarmardeley.co.uk www.churchfarmardeley.co.uk

#

£2 £2FREE FEED THE ANIMALS VOUCHER

Please cut out to redeem

Book your Party at Church Farm, Ardeley

We can cater for :

4 Christmas Parties

4 Birthday Parties

4 Weddings

4 Christenings

4 Wakes

4 Anniversary Parties

4 Office Parties and Away Days

4 And more....

Meet the Events Team

Halloween Songwriting for ChildrenSaturday 29th October. Compose your very own Halloween song with musician Neil Nayar. 2pm-4pm. £10.

Haunted Pumpkin HuntSaturday 22nd-Monday 31st October. Find 10 pumpkins as you go on a haunted hunt around Home Wood. Pick up your free activity sheet in the farm store any time. Free.

Eerie Egg CollectingFriday 28th - Monday 31st October. Feed the chickens and collect your own freshly laid eggs from the orchard - but beware of a few scary surprises in Grandma’s old chicken shed. 1pm-2pm. £5.00.

Spooky Pits Clay DaySunday 30th October. Dig clay from our ancient pits and make your own Halloween figure - will it be a witch, a ghost or something spookier? 10.30am-11.30am and 2pm-3pm. £5.

Hair Raising Hats and Mask MakingSaturday 29th October. Get creative and design your own hair raising hat and scary mask ready for Halloween. 10am-11.30am and 2pm-3.30pm. £5.

Pumpkin CarvingSunday 30th and Monday 31st October. Buy a pumpkin in the store and have it carved by one of our experts. You can draw on your own design beforehand or let us do the creepy deed for you. 11am-12pm, 3pm-4pm and 5pm-6pm. £5.

Half Term Halloween TreatsCome and enjoy a spooky day out at the Farm

To Book Call

01438 861 447

Listen to Neil Nayar’s

Halloween Song in the Jolly Waggoner

Pub on Monday 31st October 2011 from 8.30pm. Pre-booking only. To book, pop into the Farm Store, call 01438 861

447 or email info@churchfarmardeley.co.uk

Meet Fay

e and Rach

el

Book your Christmas luncheon at The Jolly Waggoner Pub!

The Alternative Bonfire Night

Saturday 5th NovemberCelebrate bonfire night on green and pleasant land at

Church Farm, Ardeley. There’ll be camping, jamming around the campfire and camaraderie. BOOK NOW!

Order your Christmas Produce Direct from the Farm

Norfolk Black Turkey, Embden Goose, Aylesbury Duck, Red Poll Beef, Traditional

Lamb, Rare Breed Pork and more...Order today! Call 01438 861 447