Most of us are lucky enough to live near a farm shop or farmers markets. These little places are potentially the future of shopping as we know it, so we had better get used to getting all of our fresh produce from them.
And why not? Seasonal, locally grown vegetables, organically produced dairy products, apple juice made from the fruit of apple trees that grow just up the road from you. Furthermore, if you buy organically produced goods from your local farm shop, you will, on average, save up to 25% than buying the same goods from your local supermarkets so-called ‘organic’ range.
Of course, there are always those who find that the supermarket is more convenient, closer by, and has everything else you need to get all under one roof. This is undeniably true. However, just a once a month visit to your local farm shop will provide you with the best tasting vegetables and meat you can find in the area.
You do have to exercise a little caution when you go organic food shopping. Not everything is as it seems. I know, almost unequivocally, that lemons are not a native fruit of the UK so when I see them displayed, all bright and yellow in their little straw baskets, that they are not from around these parts. However, I can’t blame farm shops for needing a little bit of filler and you can often find organic chocolates, ice creams and alcoholic beverages too.
My local shop, Spencer's Farm Shop, located in Wickham St Pauls, is a gr
eat example of a long-running, locally supported industry. Established over 30 years ago as a small Pick-Your-Own fruit business, they have expanded several times, most recently opening a thriving coffee shop which serves light lunches made, of course, from locally produced food.
We had the unexpected pleasure of eating there on Saturday, when my Mum treat us to lunch, taking pity on us for having very little money at the moment.
I had the homemade Asparagus and Blue Cheese Quiche which was as flavourful as the one my Mum has made for years. Normally I find other quiches to be a little flabby, too creamy and a bit insipid but this was a delightful treat. Paul had the Steak Sandwich which, having endured many over-cooked steaks, dripping with grease and embedded between two dry pieces of bread, I thought was a daring risk. However, the still slightly pink meat was tender and gristle free. Paul’s only complaint was the lack of cheese – he’s forgetting that us Brits don’t serve Philly Cheese Steaks yet.
My philanthropic Mum unfortunately had a slightly disappointing meal with a "seemingly impossible to get wrong" Ploughmans Lunch. The local ham was scant, fatty and sinewy, the butter for the bread was skimpy and I think some cheese wouldn’t have gone amiss.
However, we sat outside on the veranda in the middle of the glorious Essex countryside, smelling nothing but fresh air and the fragrant scent of strawberries waiting patiently to be picked and the slight disappointment over the food melted away.
In the shop we bought a locally farmed organic chicken (£6.40 compared to Waitrose £8.90), a large punnet of freshly picked Strawberries (£1.80 compared to £2.99 Co-Op), and some freshly pressed Apple Juice for the locally grown Red Pippins (£2.90 but incomparable). I also stocked up on Fresh Cream and salad vegetables which I utilised on Sunday with (if I say so myself) stunning results.
Sunday morning we awoke, slightly groggy from the night before. We had spent most of Saturday evening taste-testing burgers for our Ballyhoo and I had returned home with a mini-migraine, caused, I think, by sitting out in the sun too long. We also awoke to find that the cable on our laptop had finally decided to retire itself from commission, and wasn't hanging around to wait for it's gold watch. Hence, no post yesterday.
Paul had the barbecue leftovers (which was mostly just some Bratwurst he had cooked in beer - he is from Wisconsin after all) and I had tea and biscuits. Later on, we bought some eggs from our local organic egg supplier (we were girlie swots this weekend!) and then I got home to some well-earned cooking.
Firstly, I used some more of the puff pastry that I made for the Daring Bakers challenge to make a celebratory dish for Meeta's Birthday Monthly Mingle! It has been a year since her first mingle (and it is was her own birthday weekend too!) so congratulations Meeta!
And why not? Seasonal, locally grown vegetables, organically produced dairy products, apple juice made from the fruit of apple trees that grow just up the road from you. Furthermore, if you buy organically produced goods from your local farm shop, you will, on average, save up to 25% than buying the same goods from your local supermarkets so-called ‘organic’ range.
Of course, there are always those who find that the supermarket is more convenient, closer by, and has everything else you need to get all under one roof. This is undeniably true. However, just a once a month visit to your local farm shop will provide you with the best tasting vegetables and meat you can find in the area.
You do have to exercise a little caution when you go organic food shopping. Not everything is as it seems. I know, almost unequivocally, that lemons are not a native fruit of the UK so when I see them displayed, all bright and yellow in their little straw baskets, that they are not from around these parts. However, I can’t blame farm shops for needing a little bit of filler and you can often find organic chocolates, ice creams and alcoholic beverages too.
My local shop, Spencer's Farm Shop, located in Wickham St Pauls, is a gr
eat example of a long-running, locally supported industry. Established over 30 years ago as a small Pick-Your-Own fruit business, they have expanded several times, most recently opening a thriving coffee shop which serves light lunches made, of course, from locally produced food.We had the unexpected pleasure of eating there on Saturday, when my Mum treat us to lunch, taking pity on us for having very little money at the moment.
I had the homemade Asparagus and Blue Cheese Quiche which was as flavourful as the one my Mum has made for years. Normally I find other quiches to be a little flabby, too creamy and a bit insipid but this was a delightful treat. Paul had the Steak Sandwich which, having endured many over-cooked steaks, dripping with grease and embedded between two dry pieces of bread, I thought was a daring risk. However, the still slightly pink meat was tender and gristle free. Paul’s only complaint was the lack of cheese – he’s forgetting that us Brits don’t serve Philly Cheese Steaks yet.
My philanthropic Mum unfortunately had a slightly disappointing meal with a "seemingly impossible to get wrong" Ploughmans Lunch. The local ham was scant, fatty and sinewy, the butter for the bread was skimpy and I think some cheese wouldn’t have gone amiss.
However, we sat outside on the veranda in the middle of the glorious Essex countryside, smelling nothing but fresh air and the fragrant scent of strawberries waiting patiently to be picked and the slight disappointment over the food melted away.
In the shop we bought a locally farmed organic chicken (£6.40 compared to Waitrose £8.90), a large punnet of freshly picked Strawberries (£1.80 compared to £2.99 Co-Op), and some freshly pressed Apple Juice for the locally grown Red Pippins (£2.90 but incomparable). I also stocked up on Fresh Cream and salad vegetables which I utilised on Sunday with (if I say so myself) stunning results.
Sunday morning we awoke, slightly groggy from the night before. We had spent most of Saturday evening taste-testing burgers for our Ballyhoo and I had returned home with a mini-migraine, caused, I think, by sitting out in the sun too long. We also awoke to find that the cable on our laptop had finally decided to retire itself from commission, and wasn't hanging around to wait for it's gold watch. Hence, no post yesterday.
Paul had the barbecue leftovers (which was mostly just some Bratwurst he had cooked in beer - he is from Wisconsin after all) and I had tea and biscuits. Later on, we bought some eggs from our local organic egg supplier (we were girlie swots this weekend!) and then I got home to some well-earned cooking.
Firstly, I used some more of the puff pastry that I made for the Daring Bakers challenge to make a celebratory dish for Meeta's Birthday Monthly Mingle! It has been a year since her first mingle (and it is was her own birthday weekend too!) so congratulations Meeta!I have been eking my puff pastry out as though it were gold-dust. I just cannot bear for it to run out but I likewise cannot bear the idea of making another batch. It's just too soon!
I made a Greek inspired pastry or, I suppose you could call it a pasty, a sort of Bourekia if you will, stuffed with spinach, mushrooms, feta cheese, truffle paste and spring onions. I am not listing the recipe here because I didn't log the ingredients (naughty me), but the method, very roughly is this:
In a small saucepan, sweat down a couple of finely chopped spring onions in a little butter, add some sliced white mushrooms and a good grinding of black pepper. Meanwhile, cook the spinach until it collapes, drain and chop well. Add this to the
softened and reduced onion/mushroom mixture and boil quickly, stirring all the time, to ensure that any excess water has evaporated.
Leave to cool for a couple of minutes then stir in a couple of teaspoons of Truffle Paste and crumble over some feta cheese. Stir well and taste for seasoning.
Roll out the puff pastry until it is incredibly thin. Cut into rounds, place on a lightly oiled baking tray. Place a small teaspoonful of mixture in on one half of each round and fold into crescent shapes, gently manipulating the elasticy pastry to completely seal the filling in. Brush with some beaten egg and milk and bake at 180c for about 10-15 minutes.
Serve hot or cold.
I enjoy working with puff pastry so much more than shortcrust. It always does what it's supposed to. You can pull it about and it never complains and it doesn't need moistening for sealing. Paul says it's his favourite pastry.
So, this was our lunchtime snack whilst I mulled over lunch. I knew that Paul had a tuna steak in the fridge, leftover from some Tuna Burgers he has made. I also knew that if I didn't cook it,
Paul would forget to freeze it for later consumption and it would just go bad. A devilish plot entered my head: Salade Nicoise.
Salade Nicoise is a classic French salad, 0riginating from Nice. It comprises of several unwavering ingredients that make it the Nicoise: Black Olives, Green Beans, Tuna, Hard Boiled Eggs. Other additions to this substantial salad could be broad beans, sliced potatoes, anchovies, artichoke hearts etc. The more you add though, the less like the classic Nicoise it becomes.
But...I had no olives (or at least, what I did have were green and had floaty mould growing on them) or green beans. Ok. So, I'll make a Nicoise inspired salad.
And that is what I did. Of course I had to use the potatoes, delicious Jersey Royals, boiled until they are still firm but no longer crunchy, vine tomatoes, Cos Lettuce, Yellow Pepper, Red Onion, Seared Tuna, Boiled Eggs, whole anchovies and a Dijon Mustard Dressing that complemented everything perfectly.
We ate the salad straight from the bowl, two forks, watching the Story of Threes Company and it felt like we had a little bit of the Mediteranean in our basement living room.
As you can see, the recipe is fairly interchangeable and just because you are missing one element, doesn't make this dish a disaster.
SALADE NICOISE - serves 2 greedy people
Ingredients:
Salad:
1 Tuna Steak, griddled and flaked. Or, alternatively, a tin of good quality Tuna (like Ortiz or Brindisia)
Half a Head of Cos Lettuce, ripped up into pieces
4 Vine Tomatoes, cut into quarters
Half a Red Onion, peeled and thinly sliced into crescents
Half a Pepper, thinly sliced
4 Anchovies (or to taste)
250g Boiled Salad Potatoes, still warm, cut into halves
2 Hard Boiled Eggs (but try and keep the yolk a little bit soft if possible), peeled and quartered
Handful of Black Olives
Some cooked Green Beans
Dressing:
1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard (or mustard of your choice)
8 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Clove Garlic, finely chopped
Salt and Pepper
2 Tablespoons White Wine or Tarragon Vinegar
METHOD:
Assuming that you have prepared all of the ingredients as directed above, make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, garlic and vinegar, then add the olive oil in a slow trickle until it has all amalgamated. Taste and season. Leave to one side whilst you prepare the salad.
In a large salad bowl, place the ripped up lettuce in the bottom, then add all the other ingredients, except for the hard-boiled egg quarters and the anchovies. Add some dressing and gently toss together.
Decorate with the egg and anchovies, drizzle over some more dressing and serve.
Enjoy!
Dessert was Balsamic Strawberries with Fromage Blanc, one of the most heavenly ways to serve whipped cream I have ever encountered and it is all thanks to the wonderful Nigel Slater.
Gently mixing the local cream with natural yogurt, whipped egg white and some icing (confectioners) sugar produces a euphoric, cloud-like texture in your mouth that, when combined with slightly tart strawberries is pure ecstacy. Paul went so far as to call it 'beautiful' - a word he very rarely uses.
This is the perfect dessert for a warm summers meal: one bowl with the soused strawberries, the other with the billowy cream and all your guests will float home happy.
BALSAMIC STRAWBERRIES WITH FROMAGE BLANC - serves 4
Ingredients:
Strawberries:
700g Strawberries, halved or sliced, depending on size
1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Caster Sugar
Fromage Blanc:
150ml Double Cream
100ml Natural Yogurt
1 Egg White
Icing (Confectioners) Sugar to Taste
METHOD:
Place the sliced strawberries into your serving bowl, sprinkle with the sugar and balsamic vinegar. Turn them over in the thick, dark syrup until all the strawberries are glistening, then leave to steep for at least 10 minutes. Longer won't hurt.
To make the cream, whisk the double cream in a large bowl until it peaks softly, then fold in the yogurt.
Whisk the egg white in a separate bowl until that softly peaks, then fold into the creamy/yogurty mix. Sprinkle over some icing sugar and stir gently, tasting and adding more sugar as you need it. Gently pour into your serving bowl and chill for at least an hour.
To serve, spoon some of the ambrosial cream into bowls, then stain them with the maroon strawberries and syrup.
You will never want to serve strawberries any other way!
I made a Greek inspired pastry or, I suppose you could call it a pasty, a sort of Bourekia if you will, stuffed with spinach, mushrooms, feta cheese, truffle paste and spring onions. I am not listing the recipe here because I didn't log the ingredients (naughty me), but the method, very roughly is this:
In a small saucepan, sweat down a couple of finely chopped spring onions in a little butter, add some sliced white mushrooms and a good grinding of black pepper. Meanwhile, cook the spinach until it collapes, drain and chop well. Add this to the
softened and reduced onion/mushroom mixture and boil quickly, stirring all the time, to ensure that any excess water has evaporated.Leave to cool for a couple of minutes then stir in a couple of teaspoons of Truffle Paste and crumble over some feta cheese. Stir well and taste for seasoning.
Roll out the puff pastry until it is incredibly thin. Cut into rounds, place on a lightly oiled baking tray. Place a small teaspoonful of mixture in on one half of each round and fold into crescent shapes, gently manipulating the elasticy pastry to completely seal the filling in. Brush with some beaten egg and milk and bake at 180c for about 10-15 minutes.
Serve hot or cold.
I enjoy working with puff pastry so much more than shortcrust. It always does what it's supposed to. You can pull it about and it never complains and it doesn't need moistening for sealing. Paul says it's his favourite pastry.
So, this was our lunchtime snack whilst I mulled over lunch. I knew that Paul had a tuna steak in the fridge, leftover from some Tuna Burgers he has made. I also knew that if I didn't cook it,
Paul would forget to freeze it for later consumption and it would just go bad. A devilish plot entered my head: Salade Nicoise.Salade Nicoise is a classic French salad, 0riginating from Nice. It comprises of several unwavering ingredients that make it the Nicoise: Black Olives, Green Beans, Tuna, Hard Boiled Eggs. Other additions to this substantial salad could be broad beans, sliced potatoes, anchovies, artichoke hearts etc. The more you add though, the less like the classic Nicoise it becomes.
But...I had no olives (or at least, what I did have were green and had floaty mould growing on them) or green beans. Ok. So, I'll make a Nicoise inspired salad.
And that is what I did. Of course I had to use the potatoes, delicious Jersey Royals, boiled until they are still firm but no longer crunchy, vine tomatoes, Cos Lettuce, Yellow Pepper, Red Onion, Seared Tuna, Boiled Eggs, whole anchovies and a Dijon Mustard Dressing that complemented everything perfectly.
We ate the salad straight from the bowl, two forks, watching the Story of Threes Company and it felt like we had a little bit of the Mediteranean in our basement living room.
As you can see, the recipe is fairly interchangeable and just because you are missing one element, doesn't make this dish a disaster.
SALADE NICOISE - serves 2 greedy people
Ingredients:
Salad:
1 Tuna Steak, griddled and flaked. Or, alternatively, a tin of good quality Tuna (like Ortiz or Brindisia)
Half a Head of Cos Lettuce, ripped up into pieces
4 Vine Tomatoes, cut into quarters
Half a Red Onion, peeled and thinly sliced into crescents
Half a Pepper, thinly sliced
4 Anchovies (or to taste)
250g Boiled Salad Potatoes, still warm, cut into halves
2 Hard Boiled Eggs (but try and keep the yolk a little bit soft if possible), peeled and quartered
Handful of Black Olives
Some cooked Green Beans
Dressing:
1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard (or mustard of your choice)
8 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Clove Garlic, finely chopped
Salt and Pepper
2 Tablespoons White Wine or Tarragon Vinegar
METHOD:
Assuming that you have prepared all of the ingredients as directed above, make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, garlic and vinegar, then add the olive oil in a slow trickle until it has all amalgamated. Taste and season. Leave to one side whilst you prepare the salad.
In a large salad bowl, place the ripped up lettuce in the bottom, then add all the other ingredients, except for the hard-boiled egg quarters and the anchovies. Add some dressing and gently toss together.
Decorate with the egg and anchovies, drizzle over some more dressing and serve.
Enjoy!
Dessert was Balsamic Strawberries with Fromage Blanc, one of the most heavenly ways to serve whipped cream I have ever encountered and it is all thanks to the wonderful Nigel Slater.
Gently mixing the local cream with natural yogurt, whipped egg white and some icing (confectioners) sugar produces a euphoric, cloud-like texture in your mouth that, when combined with slightly tart strawberries is pure ecstacy. Paul went so far as to call it 'beautiful' - a word he very rarely uses.
This is the perfect dessert for a warm summers meal: one bowl with the soused strawberries, the other with the billowy cream and all your guests will float home happy.BALSAMIC STRAWBERRIES WITH FROMAGE BLANC - serves 4
Ingredients:
Strawberries:
700g Strawberries, halved or sliced, depending on size
1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Caster Sugar
Fromage Blanc:
150ml Double Cream
100ml Natural Yogurt
1 Egg White
Icing (Confectioners) Sugar to Taste
METHOD:
Place the sliced strawberries into your serving bowl, sprinkle with the sugar and balsamic vinegar. Turn them over in the thick, dark syrup until all the strawberries are glistening, then leave to steep for at least 10 minutes. Longer won't hurt.
To make the cream, whisk the double cream in a large bowl until it peaks softly, then fold in the yogurt.
Whisk the egg white in a separate bowl until that softly peaks, then fold into the creamy/yogurty mix. Sprinkle over some icing sugar and stir gently, tasting and adding more sugar as you need it. Gently pour into your serving bowl and chill for at least an hour.
To serve, spoon some of the ambrosial cream into bowls, then stain them with the maroon strawberries and syrup.
You will never want to serve strawberries any other way!
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