Bishops Castle "It's Not Just Tennis" Day, Saturday 30 May

I was delighted to be invited to take part in the Healthy Eating and Exercise Day at Bishops Castle Tennis Club.  Janie of Janie Cremer Feel Good fame (www.janiecremerfeelgood.co.uk) was there with her invigorating work-outs, salsa classes and healthy eating .  We had a tent to ourselves and Janie gave a talk on the benefits of eating certain foods and drink and I then gave a cookery demonstration with the said foods.  It was all very light-hearted and fun.  Considering we had not discussed together what either of us would be talking about or cooking, I was really pleased to see that my chosen foods and recipes matched Janie's talk and foodie ethos. (Phew! Not much butter and cream about that day!)

THE RECIPES........

I was so pleased to receive a goody bag of various oats from the lovely people at Mornflake in Cheshire.  (This is all because we Twitter like mad together!)  Yes, they're the ones who've been milling oats "man and boy" since 1675 and most of the oats seen growing in the Herefordshire/Shropshire fields around where I live will be heading their way.  So it's good to eat the view......... try kicking off the day with this rather yummy summer porridge.......

LOWER BUCKTON'S  SUMMER PORRIDGE

Use berries in season as the summer progresses.  On this day in late May it was just strawberries but the raspberries and so on are around the corner and of course, baked rhubarb would be wonderful.  Apples?  Find UK bramleys - they are still plentiful until the first early summer Discovery apples are available.  The point of eating local and seasonal is completely missed if imported apples and berries are used........

Lower Buckton Summer Porridge - serve 2

75g Mornflake jumbo/organic rolled oats 


200ml Tickmore Farm apple juice 


150g Dairy House organic natural low-fat yoghurt 


2 tbsp Herefordshire soft berries: raspberries/tayberries/loganberries


1 to 2 tbsp Shropshire runny honey 


6 Shropshire strawberries, hulled

1 unpeeled Shropshire apple 



METHOD

In a large bowl, soak the rolled oats in the apple juice for about 30 minutes.

Add the yoghurt, soft berries and honey and mix well.

Grate the apples directly into the bowl (quite OK to use pips and core) then quickly toss through.

Slice the strawberries on top of the mixture. 



Divide the porridge between two bowls drizzle with a little extra honey and strew with any seasonal nuts: hazel, cob, walnut and so on, then eat!

Shropshire chicken with Puy lentils

2 tbs Shropshire rape seed oil

4 Free-range chicken breasts, skinless (lovely Bryn Derw is available at Strefford Hall Farm Shop and the Ludlow Food Centre)

1 Onion, chopped

2 Cloves garlic, crushed

1 Red pepper, de-seeded & cut into ½ inch dice (UK grown are available in veg boxes and Farmers' Markets throughout the summer)

150 mls White wine find some from the Wroxeter or Ludlow Vineyards (drink the rest)

350 mls Chicken stock (if not using fresh, homemade use Kallo organic cubes)

115 g Organic Puy lentils – rinsed well in cold water (these little French darlings are so easy to use: the UK not being big on growing lentils, in season or not!)

225 g Fresh tomatoes, chopped

1 tbs        Rosemary, pulled apart

S & P

Heat half the oil and brown the chicken on all sides, remove to a plate.  Add the rest of the oil and soften the onion and garlic & pepper.  Pour in the wine and boil for 1 minute, then add the stock and bring to the boil.  Pour in the lentils and the tomatoes – bring back to the simmer and add the rosemary.  Simmer for about 20 minutes.  In the meantime cut the chicken into “bite-sized” chunks and add about half-way through the cooking time.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve with a green salad and griddled aubergines/courgettes/tomatoes…………..

SPELT & COURGETTE GRIDDLE CAKES makes about 8

450g/1lb courgettes

Grate coarsely into a clean tea-towel, sprinkle with 2 tsp salt, roll up and leave for ten minutes, squeeze out the excess moisture and transfer to bowl

1 Egg

150ml milk

75g Bachledre Mill wholemeal spelt flour

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp cayenne

½ tsp cumin

6 spring onions

2 tbs chopped parsley

S & P

2 tbs Shropshire rapeseed oil

In a large bowl beat the egg and milk together then add the flour together with the baking powder and the spices and mix well

4    Trim and finely chop the spring onions

5    Squeeze out the courgettes and add to the flour mixture with the onions, parsley + S&P - mix in  together.

6    Heat a heavy based frying pan with the some oil…..and drop in four table spoons of the mixture, flatten carefully with back of spoon and cook until light brown then flip over and do the same for the other side - takes a couple of minutes or so each side.  Remove and keep warm and repeat with remaining mixture.

 "HARD CHEESE" BEETROOT, ORGANIC PEARLED SPELT & MINT SALAD serves 4

50 g organic pearled spelt – cooked (like rice) until tender

2    50 g cooked beetroot

      1 small onion  

½ cucumber

handful chopped parsley

handul chopped mint

3tbs Shropshire rape seed oil

lemon juice

S & P 

Dice the beetroot and chop the onion into a large bowl

Peel the cucumber, halve lengthways and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon, then chop into small dice.

Chop the herbs finely and add to spelt mixture

In a small jar, shake up the oil, lemon juice & S & P

Add to the spelt mixture – stir & chill (over night)

 Before serving – shave over some hard, Parmesan type cheese – Pecorino or Worcestershire Little Urn or soft goat’s cheese if preferred

SPRING GREEN COLESLAW

For the Dressing

150 g plain low-fat Dairy House yoghurt

2 tbs Shropshire rape seed oil

1 tbs vinegar

S & P

For the Slaw

115 g roots (celeriac/carrots/parnips/whatever)

175 g cabbage

4 sticks celery – trimmed

½ green pepper

½ bunch spring onions

1 tbs chopped green herbs (parsley/coriander/whatever)

Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a serving bowl

Julienne the root veg on a mandolin

Shred the cabbage – discarding any tough, ribby pieces

Cut the celery finely

De-seed the green pepper and slice finely, diagonally

Trim the spring onions and slice finely.

Add all ingredients to dressing and toss together.

Sprinkle with crushed/chopped hazlenuts if fancied!

COEURS A LA CREME WITH STRAWBERRIES

Sweet, rich little puds, traditionally made in ceramic, heart-shaped moulds with small drainage holes in the bases.  Makes four

300 g/10 oz either curd cheese or fromage frais (from The Dairy House, Weobley)

1 tbl spoon clear, Shropshire honey

150 ml/5 fl oz/ crème fraiche or plain yoghurt (from The Dairy House, Weobley)

Strawberries to serve (from Kirkennel Farm, Ashford Carbonel)

Mix the curd cheese/frais with the honey then beat in the crème fraiche/yoghurt

Line four holey-moulds/dishes with dampened fine muslin or cheesecloth

Spoon in the mixture, level off, place on a plate or tray, cover and chill over night

Turn out onto plates and serve with strawberries and/or red berry sauce

If you don’t have molds, cut down six paper cups to make them shorter (2”-3” high) and using a wooden cocktail stick, poke holes in the base of each cup, enlarge the holes slightly with the stick.  Line the cups with dampened cloth as above…….. or make a large one in a lined seive....

This recipe appeared in the Shropshire Star on Saturday 13 June 2009