Thursday, 28 September 2017 10:27

Great Gusto Food Superheroes

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Organised by Gusto Pronto, The Great Gusto Food Superhero challenge encouraged young diners to use their creativity and come up with an imaginative food superhero. Some fun ideas created! Here are the winners...
The One Bull @ Bury St Edmunds – Jess Lewis (age 10) for Flossie Flash who is super fast and shoots sticky candy floss.  Jemima (age 6) for Fruit Girl who throws fruit into the mouth of anyone eating an unhealthy snack and Georgina (age 3) for Flavour Girl and her Flavour Machine who adds delicious flavour to food.
The Cadogan @ Ingham  - Megan (age 11) for Bubble Gum Girl who traps villains in bubble gum, Harriet Sykes (age 8) for Super Blueberry who knocks people out for an hour and can fly and Austin Speed (age 4) for Noodle Boy who shoots out laser noodles.
The Crown @ Hartest – Amelia Clarke (age 6) for Captain Carrot who can fly and Mr Strong Apple who has super strength and Oscar (age 1) for Potato Man who mashes and crushes baddies. The pubs tweeted their best entries each week during August using #TheGreatGustoFoodSuperhero if you want to take a look.

Sunday, 10 September 2017 21:26

Tarragon Cream with Blackberries

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The first of the blackberries and it's beginning to feel like autumn. I created this recipe for an article I wrote for the Herb Society. Tarragon usually survives in my garden until the first winter frosts and it lends a warming aniseed flavour if used generously in a Coq au Vin. It is excellent in egg dishes and with vegetables such as Jerusalem artichokes, mushrooms and marrow. Its warm flavour makes it a perfect contrast to pulses and it is delicious with flageolet beans and nearly always better in cooked dishes than served raw. It is an essential ingredient of fines herbes and béarnaise sauce. However with its liquorice like flavour, fresh tarragon marries particularly well (and interestingly) in fresh cream desserts and served with blackberries or poached plums has to be the ultimate autumn dessert.

Tarragon Cream (makes 6)

600 ml double cream

150 ml milk

4 large sprigs tarragon

3 sheets leaf gelatine

140g caster sugar

Method

Place the gelatine leaves in a bowl and cover with cold water

Put the cream, milk, sugar and tarragon in a heavy based saucepan and bring slowly to the boil.

Or place together in a jug and microwave.

Remove from the heat and add the softened gelatine, squeezing out any excess water out first.

Stir well and then strain through a sieve into a jug.

Divide the mixture between six ramekins or glasses.

Place in the fridge until set.

(Can be turned out like a jelly if preferred)

 

Thursday, 21 September 2017 21:04

Wild Suffolk at Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival.

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A spectacular new area at Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival, bringing together all the elements from the sky, sea and land - things that all go to make up our wonderful 'Wild Suffolk'. Find me in the Food Writers Corner, telling you exactly what I think about the modern forager.

Tuesday, 29 August 2017 17:35

Whole lotta lovage

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Hardly ever seen until this year but now it's trendy and on every menu. It grows like a weed in my garden. My favourite way to use it is to rub my salad bowl with a big handful of the stuff and it will impart a lovely savoury Bovril like flavour. When used raw in dishes it can be very overpowering. The first young stalks of spring are the best for a delicious delicate flavour.

Tuesday, 15 August 2017 17:18

Anya

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Lovely waxy, nutty, knobbly Anya potatoes from Steve and Nick Lewin in Norfolk. They're a cross between a Pink Fir Apple and a Desiree potato and named after Lady Sainsbury. That's why you won't find them in any other supermarket.

 

Tuesday, 08 August 2017 18:54

Are you curing your egg yolks?

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If you are not salting, curing, preserving and pickling you are just not cool. Here's how to cure your egg yolks to grate on pasta.

Friday, 07 July 2017 12:21

How to have a party for 200 people in a farm shed

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My notes!

Brisket 5 x briskets – slow cooked Thurs and sliced (Ruth) with horseradish and chutney on side. I’ve got tons of chutney.

Coronation Chicken 30lb whole chickens. Roasted Thurs (Ruth) and cut up and made into Coronation Chicken on Friday. (mayo, curry, grapes, celery)

Fresh Salmon 30lb fresh salmon filleted into sides, served on shredded lettuce with lime and coriander mayo and prawns to garnish. To be assembled on Saturday.

Samosas Ruth will get from Leicester (serve with raita)

Spanakopita -the Guardian/Hugh Fearnley Whittingstalls recipe online is very good. His recipe will make enough for 12 people so suggest recipe x 8.

Hummus and breads and butter (garnished with whole chickpeas and drizzled with olive oil and pickled lemons)

Cheese, (Baron Bigod, Dorset Blue Vinny, Mrs Kirkhams) crackers and grapes a wonderful display!

Chinese noodle salad – noodles, water chestnuts, bean shoots, red peppers, spring onions, carrot ribbons, tom juice, soy sauce, honey and ginger dressing.

Coleslaw – carrots, cabbage, mayo (Sat morning Ruth)

Tomato and mozzarella salad – garnished with basil and salt and pepper, balsamic and oil (Sat morning Ruth)

Green salad – lettuce, rocket, cucumber, green stuff

Potato salad – potatoes, mayo, chives

Roasted vegetable and cous cous  - med veg, olives, herbs etc

Welcome drink - Prosecco or Elderflower Fizz

48 bottles Prosecco

EldeflowerFizz (Cordial/Sparkling Water/Lemons/Mint)

On the tables – Wine – Two whites, Rose and Red (45 bottles for the tables the rest to sell behind the bar

48 Sauvignon Blanc (white)

48 Esmerelda (white)

48 de Bortoli (red)

24 Rose

 Bar –

Beer and cider

2 x 36 pints polypin Old Cannon best bitter

40 litres/70 pints canned lager

40/50 bottles Aspalls cyder

Mojitos & Elderflower Collins Cocktails and Spirits (Gin, Rum and Vodka)

6 litres rum

6 litres gin

6 litres vodka

6 x Gomme syrup

6 x Elderflower cordial

6 x Jiffy lemon juice

24 lemons

48 limes

5/6 bunches mint

Light brown sugar for mojitos

36litres each of soda, sparkling water, tonic, lemonade, diet coke, coke and orange juice

8kg ice cubes

6kg crushed ice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday, 07 July 2017 12:20

Buckshot Sauces

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I'm loving the green chilli sauce that Buckshot sauces sent me. It's slightly astringent with lots of ginger and cumin and I am pouring it over everything! I can't eat a samosa without it. Maybe I am addicted. (We really liked the brown sauce too).

Friday, 07 July 2017 11:17

Breakfast in Hesset

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The place for a fresh local farmhouse breakfast on Saturday September 2nd will be the Heath Farm farm pop-up at Hesset village hall. We went to one last Saturday and had a tasty sausage bap (£3) and home-made sausage rolls (£2.50) cooked on the spot. You can have a full English breakfast with eggs laid that day, and a lamb and tzatziki-slaw bap for brunch too - from a small but tasty menu of locally produced meat which is also for sale on the day.

Friday, 07 July 2017 10:55

I'm going foraging at the Co-op

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If you go to your local park and pick elderflowers it isn't foraging. If you go to your back garden and pick up some windfall apples, it isn't foraging. If you have a basil plant on your balcony, that isn't foraging either. Foraging for edible wild plants and all the new names for what we used to call weeds is OVER - time to stop.

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