Friday 13 November 2009

BBC Radio 4 "Lives in a Landscape" broadcast Friday 13 November 2009

As I write this I'm listening to BBC R4's "Lives in a Landscape".  Listening to local people from my nearest shopping/market town, Knighton, just seven miles up the road across the Welsh border into the old county of Radnorshire, now known as Powys.  Knighton has a split personality: the river Teme runs through and the town to the south bank is in Wales and the town to the north bank is in Shropshire, England.  But that's not the only way the town is split. I'm listening to people, many of whom I know, talking about the proposed windfarm planned for Stonewall Hill which is just to the south east of the town.  I'm listening to the people of Knighton who're bound together in this ancient market town yet opinions are split and views divided about the wind turbines which threaten to dominate this most beautiful wild place with its panoramic views for miles; sparsely populated with outlying farms and cottages along this ancient border between England and Wales.  I ride up there.  Through its old green lanes, mediaeval roads and sunken bridlepaths.  It's home to red kites, buzzards and ravens..... and sheep.  This photograph shows Knighton in the valley and we're riding through a mediaeval road which is the proposed access road for vast construction lorries and subsequent service vehicles.  This road leads to a spider's web of ancient foot paths and bridlepaths across Stonewall Hill and if the planners and the rich landowner get their way these will be lost to all for the future.

For a MUST read, the "Wind Farm Scam" by Dr John Etherington - this book literally blows the wind industry away.www.swindlefarms.com  

Stay for bed and breakfast here at Lower Buckton www.lowerbuckton.co.uk and we'll introduce you to this unique "Life in a Landscape"

Thursday 12 November 2009

LOCAL TO LUDLOW MARKET










On my way to Ludlow this morning I called in at my local butcher, Doug Griffiths of Leintwardine to order 56 lbs of his "pet mince" with which to feed my pride of Ginger Cats and all the local felines who've discovered this source of fresh meat without the bother of hanging around a rat hole for hours on end.  Opposite his shop is a strip of raised grass verge with some old tree-stump remains, beside which was a carpet of funghi.  I took this photograph in the hope of meeting someone who'd tell me if I should pick and eat........

The scents of the quinces waft through the narrow lanes leading to the market square, luring me siren-like to unmistakable smell of ripening fruit.  How I love these misshapen golden orbs which will transform a humble apple pie, create a glorious autumn tart and render into jewel-like jellies to serve with winter game and cheese.....These quince are from Old Sandlin Fruit Farm near Malvern, stalwarts of the Ludlow Market and from whom you can buy apples and pears almost until the next season's is ready
 Bearing in mind I'm running a Non-meat Cooking Day this Saturday I was on the look out for fresh vegetables other than those Henry will give me from Lower Buckton's garden.  I struck gold at "Roots at Rushwick", organic farmers with a passion for their craft.  I quickly filled my basket with bunches of beetroot still with their stalks and leaves attached (more of those later), bundles of Tuscan black cabbage & Russian spinach plus some pack choi.  After chatting away with Will for sometime he eventually offered me his "under the table" special.  These were certainly not on show!  Imagine my delight on being offered bags of cannellini beans still in the pod.  Part of the pleasure of visiting your local farmers' market is strolling around, meeting and chatting with friends, showing them your purchases and sharing the delights of what you've bought and from whom.  Luckily, when I bumped into my friend Lesley Mackley and found her coveting my cannellini, there were some left for her to buy.  We were lucky indeed because Will had brought them in for my fellow Terra Madre cook Clive, down at the Green Cafe on Dinham's Millenium Green.  Clive has a fab daytime cafe which serves simple food, beautifully prepared and cooked with style and panache.  It's good news for we in and around Ludlow that his first evening opening is tomorrow and his second will be for a Slow Food Terra Madre event on Thursday 10 December.sSome Staffordshire oatcakes from fellow Twitterer @Fareground caught my eye.   Shall use them on Saturday and fill them with a delicious vegetable and green salad mixture....... although I liked the sound of his bacon/cheese suggestions......



I also bought a fresh, young round of Welsh goats' cheese, some Gilly flowers which I may get round to planting in the old trough by the entrance to Lower Buckton plus a huge bag of fresh walnuts from Augernik Farm which is just outside of Ludlow. Shall make a parsley paste using these and some of Lightwood's Little Urn cheese which I bought at Mark's Mouse Trap shop in Church Street.  Pictured above is Mark in his shop thinking of a £number£ to write on my account!


Down to Clive's to pay for Terra Madre dinner tickets and I couldn't resist staying for some lunch and a chat....... Delicious leek and rosemary soup with homemade soda bread.  His lively cafe is beside the River Teme in a restored mill building on the site of the old swimming pool.  Obviously the mill-site is heaps older than the pool-site but I do have loads of memories of sunny days spent splashing about in the pool and scrabbling about on the river bank beside the mill-race and weir netting water-creatures into jam-jars tied with string as carrying handles.











Thursday 5 November 2009

Guy Fawkes Night Country Beef Stew


Tonight I wanted something really warming and to feed some German guests who're staying here. Had to be totally "English style", seasonal and of course completely locally grown.  So, you can't get nearer than our garden and the Leintwardine village butcher......this is how I started.........

Three pounds of Mr Doug Griffiths' prime beef stewing steak, especially selected by the ever-obliging Gordon (known by me as GallopingGordon).

Three onions from Henry's stash in the shed - he really must grow more next season.

A clove of garlic, from same stash - he really is a hoarder!

Couple of tbs of Bacheldre Mill flour
Tsp of Coleman's English mustard
Grind of black pepper corns

Pinch of Halen Mon salt - only tad, because will be adding pickled walnuts later and they can be a little on the salty-side.......


Ensure the beef is "dry" (press in a clean tea-towel if necessary) then mix the flour, mustard & pepper on a flat dish.  Heat some oil, (I like to use Shropshire Rape-seed Oil) in a heavy-bottomed frying pan and add a knob of English butter.  Roll chunks of beef in the flour mix and place in the hot fat enough to cover pan base.  Quickly brown on all sides using tongs to turn.  The butter helps to caramelise and brown the meat.  Transfer the pieces to oven-proof stew-pot as you go along.  Add a little more oil/butter as needed to sizzle-brown all the meat.






 Peel and dice the onions, add more oil/butter to frying pan and cook till softened and slightly coloured. Bash the garlic on a board with the back of a chopping knive, remove the skin and crush then add to onions and cook together for a minute. Scrape all into the meat in the stew-pot then pour some liquid into the frying pan and bubble up, scraping all the meat residue in the pan. (I used apple juice from the Ludlow Vineyard)  Pour into the stew pot then top up to just about cover the meat with some cider.  The one here is a new to me, found it at the Herefordshire Food Festival and is call Orgasmic Cider.  (Just hope it works for both of us!)  Add some bay leaves (these are from the tree in garden of our holiday cottage in Ludlow), chopped sage leaves and some fennel seeds - these are all from our garden.  Bring everything up to a simmer, stirring all the time then put in oven for a couple of hours.  Bring out, check that the meat is becoming tender and add some quatered pickled walnuts............ Bring back up to the simmer and put back in a low oven for a minimun of another 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and check for seasoning, you may need to add salt if preferred........


Here it is, straight out of the oven served with a dish of Lower Buckton leeks in cheese sauce and a bowl of the creamiest, buttery mashed organic potatoes you'll find! The leeks' sauce is made with Ludlow Food Centre's new blue cheese, Mawley Town Farm milk and Netherend English organic butter.  Bliss!
The Germans loved it all............





Sunday 1 November 2009

Halloween Night Stuffed Pumpkin


We had a house party of people staying over the weekend of Halloween which happened to fall on the Saturday.  I took them all hunting during the day and wanted a simple, tasty dinner to prepare and cook for when we all returned, weary and tired in the afternoon.  I'd previously bought a couple of pounds of quality stewing beef and minced it myself.  I like to do it this way so that I'm in total control of what goes into my mince.......!  Then I peeled and chopped a couple of onions and softened them in butter/oil mix in a large, cast-iron cooking pot, adding a couple of crushed garlic cloves as well.  For the fiery spiceyness I tore up a last year's dried red chilli and pounded it together in a pestle with some freshly grated ginger and some fresh coriander seeds gathered from the garden.  Gave it all good bashing and add to the onions then add the meat, turn up the heat and brown it all, grinding in some black pepper too.  When beef all browned, I threw in a large spoonful of flour, cooked that into the mix for a couple of minutes before adding a pound of chopped-up soft tomatoes from the greenhouse.  Cook it all up to a simmer adding water or stock until bubbling as you like it.  Add a good handful of chopped flat mushrooms and some green herbs from garden.  Put on lid and cook for sometime until all thick and amalgamated.  Taste for seasoning and add salt as required.

Meanwhile slice "lid" off chosen pumpkin and scoop out the seeds.  Place in pan and spoon in the mince mix.  Replace lid and secure with wooden cocktails sticks if necessary.  Cover with sheet of silver foil and bake in a low oven for "hours"!  Check for tenderness of pumpkin flesh as you go along.

To serve make a large batch of blue cheese sauce, I used the Ludlow Food Centre's new Ludlow Blue.  A big batch of garlic bread and crisp green salad is just perfect!