HEREFORDSHIRE FOOD CHAMPION 2010

Thank you all who nominated me.  I was extremely pleased to be shortlisted for the award!


Please, please would you be kind enough to nominate me as a "Herefordshire Food Champion" in the up and coming Flavours of Herefordshire Awards 2010?  As you may know that I've won the Flavours of Herefordshire "Best Breakfast" for three years on the trot and am giving that one a break this year.  But the Herefordshire Food Champion award is a new category for this year and I'd love to be considered.

Your vote along with a few words to sum up what you feel is my ethos and approach to serving, promoting and supporting local Herefordshire food and food producers would be much appreciated.

Apparently, the HEREFORDSHIRE FOOD CHAMPION is based on the number of votes from the public!  If you would like to nominate me please send your entry including the following details:

The following bullet points are the criteria on which I'd be judged and I have made a few notes besides each.............

1. Length of service to Herefordshire Food and Drink? - I opened Lower Buckton Country House in 2000 when I made a conscious decision that my food and drink served would be sourced from Herefordshire and from within a twelve mile radius of Lower Buckton.  Everything either home-produced, grown reared, baked stirred & cooked at Lower Buckton or locally sought, bought and caught from small-scale, micro-businesses and farmers' markets which is all served in season.
2. Depth and breadth of knowledge of food produced in the county? Describe how aware the nominated champion is of the food produced in the county:  My depth of knowledge is demonstrated by the amount of food and drink which is sourced from small-scale micro producers in the county and my utter commitment to supporting local businesses and the rural economy.  I have a working knowledge of all the county's food/drink producers and the ability to impart my passion to all who're interested enough to listen!
3. Charisma and enthusiam of the individual?  Describe the nominated champion's enthusiasm for the county - do they do anything special?  Well, I'll leave you to comment on that but I hope that my enthusiasm is reflected in the passion I have for our local seasonal food in the county and that I believe that our food has a history, provenance and story to tell from plot to plate.  The fact that I can tell our guests not just the name of the person who makes the cheese but can show you the fields in which the cows grazed that produced the milk and the name of the farmer who milked the cows and so and so on.  The women who make our apple juice collect the apples from friends' non-sprayed, private orchards and press them at their small-holding about eight miles away; we think their juice sublime.  All our meat is either our own home-produced free-range pork or from Doug Griffiths' Butchers in Leintwardine who has the only remaining slaughterhouse for many, many, many miles at the rear of his traditional shop.  A true Food Hero indeed!  These are sort of food producers who interest me.  The small, the struggling, the ones who battle against all the odds.  The farmers who've diversified, who've learned a new art in order earn "value added" from their product.  The ones who've not been afraid of change but have remained principled and true to their roots in agriculture but developed to meet a more discerning and enlightened market.
4. How they promote Herefordshire in their work to the county, the UK and the rest of the world?  My Cookery Courses and Food Safaris are specifically devised to promote our local food and drink and to inspire participants through taste adventures exploring Herefordshire's food and drink rich culture and heritage.  The Cook Days evolve around whatever local, seasonal food is available at the time from which we're inspired to create spontaneous dishes.  My Food Safaris are magical mystery tours and regularly visit a cross-section of food and drink producers across the county.  Over the years I've made various TV and radio appearances: from a networked radio station in USA to prime-time TV in the UK all promoting Herefordshire produce.  The most recent was being featured on BBC R4 Traveller's Tree in May of this year when the reporter followed one of my Food Safaris.  I'm a founder member and committee member of Slow Food Herefordshire which organises various food-related events through the county.  I've twice represented Slow Food at the Salone del Gusto in Turin.  First as one of 30 cooks/chefs representing the UK at Terra Madre2006 and secondly as the Herefordshire representative at Terra Madre2008
5. FOOD FESTIVAL I regularly give cookery demonstrations at local shows and food festivals but the reality of my passion for local produce in Herefordshire is "my own" Mortimer Country Food Fair which I co-organise with a neighbouring business(Aardvark Books).  We started the fair as a show-case to specifically highlight our local businesses within our community and to bring them together for a day to promote our own special corner of north Herefordshire.  This fair has grown in size and takes place every year in Brampton Bryan.  It is living proof of my commitment to promoting our local businesses and therefore supporting our local community.
6. I'm constantly promoting Herefordshire food and drink through my websites, blog, Twitter and Facebook
7. http://www.lowerbuckton.co.uk
8. http://www.foodtourism.co.uk
9. http://www.mortimerfoodfair.co.uk
10. http://lowerbuckton.blogspot.com
11. http://twitter.com/agaqueen

BUT MOST OF ALL, I ENJOY SERVING MY BED AND BREAKFAST GUESTS "HEREFORDSHIRE ON A PLATE"..........

Please, please send your nomination details to:

Food Champion at Flavours of Herefordshire 2010, Visit Herefordshire, PO Box 4, Plough Lane, Hereford HR4 0XH

or email it to jlewis2@herefordshire.gov.uk

Don't forget to include my name and address, so that they know who you are nominating!

Carolyn Chesshire, Lower Buckton Country House, near Leintwardine, Herefordshire SY7 OJU

Please hurry because entries have to be in by Sunday 1 August which really means by Friday 30 July, I suppose!

Sausage Making for BBC R4 Traveller's Tree broadcast on Monday 10 May 2010

EASTER MONDAY TREATS

I'm slowly winding down from a very busy Easter weekend and there's still much hilarity issuing from the dining room. Henry's managing to eat something while all the guests are onto coffee and water-mint infusions. (It is nearly 11.00 pm so I let him eat....!)

Full-house for dinner plus a refugee from the Shepherd's Hut (which was extremely cosy with its wood-stove puffing away earlier) so we did Lower Buckton Pork. Always a winner!

A week or so ago I won a basket of fruit in a raffle. It was full of the sort of unseasonal stuff which I do
n't usually buy like hard, bullet-like unnaturally-looking black plums and under-ripe avocados.  Anyway, by tonight the avocados had, at last, softened so, as I abhor waste of any kind and the  avocados didn't ask to end up unwanted and unloved in my kitchen I set about "doing something with them".  I thought they'd probably be pretty discoloured when cut open and even if not, did I have a lemon to squeeze over them to stop the rot?  No!  Oh well, ............ Henry had already brought in from the garden some French sorrel and Welsh onions so I thought, sorrel, that's a bit "lemony", that will do!  A quick mash of the avocados (and amazingly they weren't discoloured at all), mix in the finely chopped sorrel and snipped chives, a grind of pepper, sprinkle of salt plus a slug of lemon-infused rapeseed oil www.justoil.co.uk saved the day!  Spread over some toasted soda-bread, it was delicious............

 Pudding was off the cuff........ I had a basin of tangy blackcurrant syrup-juice from last season's crop and had a sudden urge to make some grown-up jelly. I have a collection of over fifty antique molds which cry out to be used. So I chose a classic "sand-castle" type with turrets and things and made the jelly with a good glug of Herefordshire Cassis www.britishcassis.co.uk from Jo Hilditch and it turned out a real treat especially after the battlements were plastered with whipped Mawley Farm double cream. Eat your hearts out, Bompas & Parr!  (Oh and there was more chocolate as well........!)

HAPPY EASTER! MUTTON BAKED in HAY

For this year's Easter Sunday Feast I've decided to bake some mutton in hay.  I'm writing this post in "real time", having just returned from gathering some ransoms (wild garlic) from my secret place beside a babbling brook.  It's a gorgeous afternoon and I also tramped down to a hidden piece of water and sat on a log for a few minutes watching wild-fowl: swan, mallard, coot, moorhen, heron plus some unidentified (by me) wading birds.

The ransoms are smothering the vegetation on either side of the little stream, still young with leaves no more than about five inches and no sign of any flowers yet.  I scrabbled and slipped in the leaf mold on the banks of the stream, enjoying the dappled sun-light filtering through the bare hazel branches above.  Delighted to find a flowering primrose peaking through and a sweet patch of violets.

After filling my trug I returned home along a country lane which passes this delightful little church at Pipe Aston with its very special, early tympanum over the door.  I then travelled on in the hope of find the Jersey girls out at grass enjoying the afternoon sunshine.  They're some of the organic herd which supplies milk and cream for The Dairyhouse's delicious, organic yoghurts I serve at breakfast.  Anyway, there they were, chewing cuds and giving me curious looks as a sneaked some photographs of them.  However I'm such a rubbish photographer and the results are way too poor to publish here!  So I'll just have to catch them another day.

Stopping on Burrington Bridge afforded me a lovely view of the meadering river Teme plus a few ewes with lambs at foot.  Well, it is Easter and I am preparing to eat one of their relatives!  Goodness!  From this photograph you can't even see any but I can assure you they are there,,,, some where!

Now, on with the mutton story........

I've been out the garden and gathered some woody herbs: sage, thyme, rosemary, marjoram and bay.  Henry's brought in some sweet meadow hay from the centre of a fresh bale.  Jasper and Ayesha not too impressed at our commandeering their winter forage, but hey ho!

Here are all the ingredients laid out ready to go............

Note the Easter eggs with hen-cup, just to set the scene!

A rough chop of the ransoms then bash it altogether with some softening, local farmhouse butter, Welsh sea-salt and black pepper before slathering it all over the mutton.

Below is the mutton nesting on the hay before being covered with more hay, having some Herefordshire cider poured around it, getting covered with foil, a tin lid and going in the AGA for "as long as it takes".  Long and slow I think...........

Shall catch up with this blog later.  In the meantime I've a date with an Easter cake and a nice cup of tea!

Mutton baked in hay with wild garlic, part two!

I gave the guests a plate of oat biscuits topped with beetroot and chicken liver pate which I'd made yesterday.  I love beetroot and had pureed some with coriander and seasonings then added it to a basic chicken liver and garlic mixture before blitzing the lot together.  Ate some yesterday but by tonight the flavours had really developed well.  Will certainly be doing that again!

Decided to whizz up a quick soup from the some water-mint,  lemony French sorrel, Welsh onions and chives Henry had brought up from the garden this afternoon.  What a combo!  Threw in a pack of frozen peas, simmered then blended.........through the mouli.  Shan't be doing that again in a hurry.  Now I know why someone had donated the thing to a charity shop.  Next time, get out the Magimix and never mind the washing up!  Took a huge pot-ful through and served it with a basket of freshly made soda-bread - they all had seconds and some thirds!

After languishing in the Aga on a long slow cook the mutton beast was removed, unwrapped from its nest of hay and placed on a platter to rest.  I strained off the juices (which have a wonderful, grassy smell!) through the hay, threw in some chopped ransoms with a slug of cream and gave it good bubbling for a few minutes while Henry carved the meat in the dining room.  Fluffy roast potatoes, steamed purple sprouting and braised celeriac, carrot, parsnip with fennel fronds brought up the rear.  The mutton was SO sweet and meltingly tender and plates were licked!

With a pudding of apple and pear crumble and some meringues with lashings of cream followed by a round of The Ludlow Food Centre's "Cheese with no Name" with more homemade oat biscuits I think the only non-UK ingredient used was black pepper.  Absolutely everything else was either sourced/grown by us at Lower Buckton or was grown/produced within a ten mile radius of where we live.  True local, seasonal food with love.

My pro-Aga rant on The Guardian's "Word of Mouth"

Earlier today, Oliver Thring wrote something for Word of Mouth at The Guardian about Agas and all that's wrong with them.  http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2010/mar/15/aga-cooking 

I was pretty incensed so quickly knocked-up the following as a "reply" in the comments section below his article.

So read on.......

My Guardian AGA rant

What twaddle! You don't need one of those silly tennis racquet thingys to make Aga toast!

I run a busy bed & breakfast business and since installing my Aga I've turned off three radiators, don't use an electric kettle, toaster, bread maker, microwave or use other heat source for drying clothes. I'm very capable of cooking souffles, stir-fries and charring the best steaks on a griddle to perfect "blueness". Anything can "grilled" in the oven from comforting cheese on toast to rosy-pink lamb cutlets. The crackling from our own home-reared pork is the stuff of (culinary) dreams and amazing Yorkshire puddings are perfectly possible! There is nothing it can't cook. It's ready to go all the time and can turn out a five course dinner for 25 in two hours. Anytime! Oh and I rarely do stews! A properly running Aga does NOT take ages to heat up & doesn't cool down at the drop of a hat. Breakfasts are the best!

My Aga is like the Olympic flame: it never goes out. On its six-monthly service days I leave home, allowing my husband to tinker with its bits & I won't return until it's up to speed again! Sadly (luckily for me!) any hot summers we may have never permeate my kitchen enough to consider turning it off. Anyway it's my work-horse from which I earn my living. I also run Cook Days & Demonstrations from around my Aga specialising in cooking with local seasonal food from small-scale artisan producers.

There are no cooking smells, grease, condensation and steaming up to contend with. It's clean, cosy and comforting.

Never mind the stereotypical reasons for Aga ownership to dry boots & dogs, hatch eggs & keep tiddly lambs alive and just be a glorified meringue-maker! The Aga is truly my necessity and is absolutely not an extension some ego-centric-country-dwelling dream! (Although I do dry boots, make meringues and live in the country!).

I'm sitting beside it right now, laptop on knees, tea on the side and scones in oven, waiting for guests to arrive......

Come and experience my Aga in action! Stay at http://www.lowerbuckton.co.uk or follow me on http://www.twitter.com/agaqueen

Brock Hall Farm's Brockette goats' cheese with new-season's Worcestershire rhubarb & Seville orange relish.

Sarah at Brock Hall Farm near Ludlow rears and keeps a dairy-herd of goats and makes the most delicious, fresh-tasting cheeses.  Brockette is her latest addition and I think it makes a creamy partner to this zingy rhubarb sauce.

Serves two as a shared dish for light starter with some crusty bread

1 whole Brockette

for the relish..........

3 cups diced rhubarb (rinsed)

¾ cup sugar

1 Seville orange, zested & juiced

quarter tsp chili flakes

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 small onion, minced

(extra liquid)

Place all relish ingredients in a medium saucepan. Slowly, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring every so often, for about 10 minutes or until mixture thickens. Add more juice/water as required.  Cool and serve alongside the cheese

Fried smoked salmon skin

"Fried smoked salmon skin" doesn't sound like the most appetizing description for my next recipe!  You can hardly call it a recipe either: it's so simple and the best way to use up something that would in all probability be thrown away.  That's just pure waste.  So the next time you have a side of skin-on smoked salmon, here's what to do with it after you've enjoyed the flesh.

I get all my smoked salmon from The Organic Smokehouse which is just up the road from me at Clunbury Hall about seven miles away.  Michael and Debbie Leviseur have recently been awarded a Royal Warrant from HRH Prince of Wales and when I went there the other week their (huge) plaque had just arrived and they were lunching at the House of Lords!  All very grand.  However, they truly deserve it, their salmon is delicious and they smoke all sorts of other products including butter, cheese and salt.  So now you know!

Cut the salmon skin into strips, heat a heavy-based frying pan with a little olive oil and toss in a few strips at a time and fry until crisp and puffed.  Tip out onto absorbent paper and do the rest.  Easy!  Just serve on a platter with maybe a wedge of lemon, although I don't think they need it and they certainly don't need salt.  Eat alongside a glass of champagne as an appetiser before dinner or just anytime to you damn well like!

St Valentine's Day Chocolate Pots

Seriously perfect chocolate pots to make for St Valentine's Day

4oz/125g the best quality/organic 70%+ dark chocolate you can buy

1 large, organic egg yolk

1/4 pint/150mls organic double cream

Have six espresso cups lined up ready........

Put the egg yolk into a mixing bowl with a pouring lip and fork lightly

Break up the chocolate smallish into pieces and lay them on a flexible board or sheet of paper

Heat the cream in a small saucepan to just boiling point and immediately pour over the cream egg yolk, beating with a wire-whisk then quickly throw in the chocolate pieces and beat/stir until melted and smooth.  Add a small slug of alcohol (brandy or fruit liqueur) if you want to but I like the pure unadulterated version.

Pour evenly into the pots - scraping every last drop with a silicon spatula.  Chill for a couple of hours in the fridge.  They also freeze excellently so I always make a batch when I've yolks to use up after cooking meringues!  Always remove from fridge about half an hour before serving - way too cold straight from the fridge!

The very first time I made these pots I honestly thought that the amount would be too little for six servings so I doubled it up and poured it into six ramekins.  Absolutely no one, not even the hardiest of chocoholics could finish a whole pot so my greed won the better of me and I lost!  Since then I've always used espresso cups and tiny glasses until I found these cute, heart-shaped cups which seem just perfect.

In this photograph I've served them with blobs of home-made mint and vanilla ice-cream for a change!