Blog

Posted on

“Blossomtime is back!”  News from the Big Apple

The Big AppleThe buds are starting to burst on the apple trees, last autumn’s cider is getting ready to be tasted, and the time is fast approaching for Blossomtime in and around Putley where the Big Apple has been welcoming visitors for thirty years.  Having cancelled this spring event in 2020 and 2021, the community organisation behind the Big Apple is delighted to be able to invite them back again on Sunday 1st and Monday 2nd May. 

“When we were able to hold our autumn event last October, visitors were enthusiastic about the opportunity to enjoy being out and about in the countryside”, says spokesman Jackie Denman.  “Our cider and perry community responded so positively when we managed to arrange a delayed Big Apple Cider and Perry Trials in July 2021.  Now we can bring it all together again, with a Grand Cider Tasting at Putley Parish Hall, time spent under the apple trees at Dragon Orchard, and one-off events at Court Farm Aylton and Pixley Festival Church.  The full programme is available online at www.bigapple.org.uk.  We can’t wait to get back!”

As well as opportunities to taste a whole range of entries to the Cider and Perry Trials, cider and perry on sale will include Artistraw Cider and Perry, Bartestree Cider, Gregg’s Pit Cider and Perry, Halfpenny Green Cider Company and Pope’s Perry.

Highlights include:

  • ‘#RethinkCider’, a talk from Jane Peyton, the UK’s first accredited ‘pommelier’ and founder of the School of Booze.
  • The Elmley FoundationDrop-in printmaking with Laughing Betsy, supported by the Elmley Foundation, using ‘kitchen lithography’ and inspired by objects and images on loan from local families associated with cidermaking and apple growing.
  • Three guided walks each day will tell the stories of the orchards in and around Putley – will it be Norman’s Gap, Dorothy’s Delight or Nigel’s Pride? 
  • And, of course, there will be the usual delicious lunches and teas (and this time a brunch) provided by local community groups. 
Posted on

Eat More “Nose to Tail”: Return of the Simmered Bone Broth

Our guest blogger Liz Pearson Mann explores the parts of the animal our thoughts may not normally reach, shares her personal views with us and provides some recipes:

A native African mother gives her baby its first solid food, according to local cultural wisdom.  She offers up raw liver, which she has first thoughtfully chewed.  People of the Sudanese/Ethiopian border also highly value liver. They believe that their soul resides in the liver, and that a person’s character and physical growth depends on how well they feed the soul by eating it. Indeed, liver is so sacred that it cannot be touched by human hands. This report was given by Weston A Price in the 1930s. He was a Canadian dentist and researcher of indigenous tribes and their approach to health through food.

Liver – this is just one component of “nose to tail” eating.  Cheek, heart, liver, tripe (stomach), kidneys, blood, ribs, tail bone, trotters and more could be added to the list depending on your tastes, of course.  Although this is food we’ve long been eating (until recent decades), you might ask if we’d want to return to it. However, if you want to enjoy a healthy diet, and be sustainable in your eating, read on.

You could be forgiven for thinking that nose to tail eating is merely a frugal way to make do, and poor fare at that. But, this is the way our ancestors ate.  They used knowledge passed down through generations in order to maintain the health of whole communities through the food they ate, and the health of their local natural landscape.  Yet, those eating habits of small, remote indigenous communities are still relevant, even here in a modern Herefordshire landscape.

Wheat and Meat

On the Ledbury Food Group blog, in Diversify Your Grains: Throw in Some Beans we told how the stiff, fertile clay soils surrounding Ledbury have been the focus of heavy wheat crops for centuries, but not without problems.  Even fertile soils can be worn out through constant cropping, if not rejuvenated by fallow periods, with grazing and manuring with livestock in the mix.  Professor Thorold Rogers, in the Victoria County History of Herefordshire, explained how land during medieval times was let to lie fallow every three years, sometimes reduced to two.  He wrote “But fallowing alone could not keep the land in good heart, so that by the end of the 15th century the arable land was being worn out.”  There is only ever so much wheat we can grow and eat, and conversely only so many animals we can ever raise and eat. Balance has always been key.  Enter “nose to tail” eating as part of the balance.
 

Sheep grazing in a fallow field
Sheep grazing in a fallow field

Ancestral Food and Thrifty Fare

The most nourishing minerals, vitamins and compounds (like gelatine) are to be found in parts of an animal we rarely eat these days.  People have always known this without the need for modern science.  They’ve observed the connection between health and food, passing this knowledge down through descendants by word of mouth for most of human existence: this is ancient nutrition.  For instance, if you’ve ever bought glucosamine capsules for joint pain, you’re buying a medicine that is found in collagen and gelatine released in a pot of slow-simmered bone broth. You could see this as ancestral food versus techno food, and natural health versus Big Pharma.

“Nose to tail” eating is easy on the budget too; after all, liver, kidneys, black pudding, sausages and slow-roast joints of meat are well known for being thrifty fare.  Farmers can’t raise just a pork chop, lamb shank, or beef topside joint – they have to raise the whole animal.  Many say that to eat the whole animal is to respect the life of the animal.  Though some may not wish to eat meat, or any part of an animal, a truth we may find harder to accept today is that all diets require the sacrifice of life.  We are all part of the circle of life, however we eat.

Here are some ideas for “nose to tail” cooking:

Cheeky Recipes: Beef Cheeks

With rising interest in slow-roasting, slow-simmering and ‘slow food’, beef cheeks have seen some attention in the cooking world recently.  D T Waller and Sons butchers, at The Homend in Ledbury, rate ox cheeks as a good buy at certain times of the year, so check in with them to find out when they may have them in stock.

If you’re looking for recipes, then here’s one that covers some basics:

How to cook ox cheeks by Farmison

And, if you like to try recipes from famous chefs:

Beef cheeks in red wine from Jamie Oliver

Braised beef cheek from Great British Chefs

The Middle and the Tail End of the Story

Sally Fallon, in her book about ‘Nourishing Traditions’ points out that American cook books of only a century ago were full of “nose to tail” recipes. The same could be said of a cook book I own which was my great-grandmother’s. Coombs Unrivalled Cookery for the Middle Classes was published in 1911 with a title which wouldn’t sit well with many people today!

My Great-Grandmother’s cookbook – full of nose to tail recipes.
My Great-Grandmother’s cookbook – full of nose to tail recipes.

Many of the recipe names in my book sound rather up-market (it’s the style), and though made from simple, basic ingredients, they’re still good.  Here’s an easy one for grilled kidneys:

Grilled kidneys a La Maître D’hôtel – Serves 2

3 sheep’s kidneys
1 tsp lemon juice
1oz butter
1 tsp chopped parsley
Pepper and salt

Method:

  • Skin and core the kidneys and cut into halves
  • Grill for seven minutes, and serve with butter in each

For the butter:

  • Put all the ingredients on a plate and work with a knife until the butter absorbs the lemon juice and parsley.

 Stewed Oxtail and Tomatoes – Serves 5 – 6

Here’s an oxtail recipe from my great-grandmother’s cookbook.  It was more commonly seen in previous decades, but it still lives on, mostly as commercially-made oxtail soup.  You’re unlikely to see oxtail (bone with the meat) in a supermarket, and it’s even hard to get it from a butcher’s, but D T Waller and Sons on The Homend in Ledbury sell it.  It would be worth asking at any local butchers whether they normally sell it, or would order some in for you.  (Please note, though, that modern food safety requirements restrict what butchers can sell today compared with butchers of the past.)

1.5 kg oxtail joints
Chopped ham (to taste)
1oz of cornflour
4 or 5 tomatoes
1 1/4 pints warm water
Little pepper
1 small onion
1 oz butter
1/2 tsp gravy powder*

* The original recipe lists ‘Coombs gravy salt’, which isn’t made anymore, but I take this to mean gravy powder, now mostly superseded by gravy granules. I suggest using the instructions on the back of the packet and adjust for 1 1/4 pints of water.  If you can make your own stock, it will be tastier and more nutritious.

Method:

  • Wash and remove the fat from the oxtail, melt the butter in a pan, and fry until brown.
  • Also fry the ham (adjust amount to taste), the onion (sliced), and the tomatoes cut into slices.
  • Add the water and simmer slowly for two hours
  • Put the tail on a hot dish
  • Mix the cornflour with a little cold water, thicken the sauce with this, add pepper and gravy powder, and pour over the pieces of tail and serve. The sauce can be strained if liked

If you find you have some left over, you can freeze if for another tasty meal.

Find Out More

For more information, try:

It Takes Guts: A Meat-Eater’s Guide to Eating Offal by Ashleigh VanHouten

Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook That Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats by Sally Fallon (with Mary Enig)

Liz Pearson Mann is a writer, archaeologist, crafter and grower. She writes about being rooted in landscape, traditional culture and evergreen skills. She is author of Eat Like Your Ancestors (From the Ground Beneath Your Feet): A Sustainable Food Journey Around the English West Midlands

Thanks to Matt Waller of D T Waller and Sons for information and help in the preparation of this blog,

Posted on

The Ledbury Big Breakfast 2022 – a big thank you!

 Many thanks to all who contributed to the success of last weekend’s Ledbury Big Breakfast celebrating a healthy start to the day and Ledbury and district’s riches in local food.

Nineteen local food businesses – Hotels, cafes, pubs and delis – provided the widest range of breakfasts of all sizes from the lightest to the “super heaviest” for those who chose to “eat out”.  Local butchers, delis and the Country Market had local favourites for those who fancied a breakfast at home. 

There were Full English Breakfasts of all sizes for the cognoscenti, but also lots of other delights including a Breakfast Nest, a twist on Eggs Benedict, breakfast salmon, breakfast baps with all kinds of filling, a loaded breakfast rosti and a breakfast waffle. Increasingly there more vegetarian and vegan options on the menus this year.

On Friday, “Breakfast Bells” pealed from the Church to mark the opening of the Big Breakfast weekend.

 

The High Sheriff of Herefordshire Jo Hilditch, The Chair of Herefordshire Council Cllr Sebastian Bowen, Deputy Mayor Phillip Howells, Town Clerk Angela Price and members of Ledbury Food Group celebrated the event with breakfast at the Market House, followed by visits to some of the businesses taking part.  They also visited the Ukrainian Aid centre in the Market House and the new premises of Ledbury Food Bank.

On Saturday, the busiest day, local MP Sir Bill Wiggin toured businesses in Ledbury to thank them for taking part and meeting most of our “first-timers”.

On Sunday there was more choice this year for those who fancied a special Sunday breakfast.

We hope that next year we can run the event at the end of January its
“traditional” time.

Please let us have your feedback and suggestions for next year.

Again many thanks!

Posted on

March 2022 Recipes

FAST CHEESY HERB MUFFINS – Makes 12

Good with soup, salads or for eating on the go!

275g. / 10ozs. self raising flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
50g. / 2ozs. butter, melted
1 large egg, beaten
250mls. / 9fl. ozs. milk
75g. / 3ozs. cheddar, grated
leaves of 1 bunch of basil, chopped
75g. / 3ozs. pitted black olives, chopped
2 tbsps. sun-dried tomato paste

  1. You will need a 12 hole muffin tin and 12 muffin cases.  Preheat the oven to 200c/180c fan/ gas mark 6.
  2. Measure the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.  Mix the butter, egg and milk together in a jug.
  3. Add the cheese, basil and olives to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix well.  Pour in the wet ingredients and gently stir everything together using a fork.  Mix in the sun-dried tomato paste right at the end to give a rippled effect through the batter.
  4. Divide the mixture between the cases and bake in the oven for 18 – 20 minutes until well risen and lightly golden brown.
  5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.  Serve warm or cold.

TIPS

These are best made and eaten on the day but will keep for 2 days in the fridge in an airtight container.  They freeze well for up to a month.  Defrost and warm through at a low heat in the oven to refresh.

If you can’t find muffin cases you could use cupcake cases, they are larger than fairy cake cases but not quite as deep as muffin cases, so the mixture may stretch to a few extra muffins.  Gently swirl in the sun-dried tomato paste, without stirring it in completely, as this gives a lovely hit of tomato when you eat the muffin.

CHICKEN AND LEEK SUET CRUST PIE – Serves 6

2 tbsps. oil
4 slim, small leeks or 2 fat ones, trimmed and sliced
3 carrots, peeled and cut fairly small
4 skinless and boneless chicken breasts (about 450g. in weight)
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 tbsps. plain flour
150mls. (5fl. ozs.) Marsala or sherry
200g. / 7ozs. full-fat creme fraiche
2 tbsps. chopped parsley

For the pastry:

150g. / 6ozs. self raising flour
75g. / 3ozs. suet
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten

  1. You will need a 26cm. / 10 1/2 inch pie dish that can hold about 1.2 litres (2 pints).  Preheat the oven to 220c/200c fan/ gas mark 7.
  2. Heat half the oil in a large frying pan.  Add the leeks, carrots and onion and fry until soft.  Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.  Remove from the pan and set aside.
  3. Heat the remaining oil, season the chicken and fry over a high heat until browned.  Remove from the heat and set aside.
  4. Whisk the flour and Marsala / sherry in a bowl until smooth then tip into the pan.  Add the crème fraiche and stir until thickened and combined.  Add back in the leeks, chicken etc.  Add the parsley, season, spoon into the pie dish and allow to cool.  You could do this step the day before.
  5. To make the pastry, measure the flour, suet and salt into a large bowl and pour in enough water (about 100mls. / 3fl. ozs.) to make a soft dough.  Add the water gradually, do not tip it all in at once, and stir with a knife as you go.  Bring together with your hands and lightly knead.  Roll out on a floured surface to about 1cm. / 1/2 inch thick and large enough to cover the top of the pie dish.
  6. Brush the edge of the dish with a little of the beaten egg, then carefully lay the pastry over the filling.  Trim the edges and press to seal.  Brush with more beaten egg and make a small hole in the middle of the pastry to allow steam to escape.  Place on a baking sheet and cook for about 25 – 30 minutes until lightly golden.
  7. Serve with boiled or mashed potatoes and a green vegetable.

TIPS

I had a pie dish of exactly the right dimension, but I also have 2 that are deep and oval, so if you can get the filling in, a dish of that type would be fine.  You wouldn’t need as much pastry for covering the top with a dish of that shape.

If you have a pie funnel (I have 2) I suggest you use one as it keeps the lid from getting soggy on the bottom by holding it up.  You can still buy pie funnels in a good kitchen shop (I have seen them in the one in Ledbury).

The pie can be totally assembled up to 6 hours ahead and baked to serve.  The pre-baked pie freezes well.  Bake straight from frozen for 40 – 45 minutes.

Posted on

Full details of the 2022 Ledbury Big Breakfast now available

Join us for Ledbury’s Celebration of Breakfast over the weekend of Friday 11th, Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th March – the 10th Ledbury Big Breakfast (postponed from January). 

19 local venues in and around Ledbury are taking part on one or more days in this event organised by Ledbury Food Group to celebrate our local food and drink producers and retailers and a healthy breakfast.  The event takes place at cafes, pubs, hotels, butchers and delis in and around Ledbury.

Again there is lots of choice from the lightest to the heaviest breakfast showing the ingenuity of our local food venues – check through the listing below for something to sample, savour and enjoy

Visit our butchers – Gurneys and Wallers – to discover their breakfast delights for you to take home and enjoy. 

Our delis will feature a wide range of local produce to take home to make a special breakfast.

Ledbury Refugee Support are again holding a special Middle Eastern themed breakfast at The Organic Café (above Handley Organics) on the Saturday to raise funds. 

The Country Market at Burgage Hall on Friday will have lots of local produce for sale for your breakfast at home. 

Things get very busy on the Saturday morning – if you see something or somewhere you fancy please book in advance where possible to avoid disappointment.  More places now offer breakfasts on Sunday.

See below for full details of what specials are available, where and when – many venues will also offer their normal breakfast menu.  A number offer vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options.

The full listing of special offerings – what, where and when?

Based on information provided by the participants.  Many will also have their usual breakfast offerings available and will be open during their normal hours.

Cafés, Hotels and Pubs 

Corner House Cafe, 1 The Southend

9.45-16.00 FRI, SAT & SUN        

Phone 01531 635752                  Take-aways Bookings

  • English Breakfasts of all sizes –full, mini, non-meat, hard-worker’s, apprentice’s
  • Free tea, coffee or juice before 11 .30

Produce from: Willow Bromyard (eggs), Sessions (sausage/bacon), Bakers Dozen, Waller’s (Meat products)

Vegetarian, Gluten Free

The Feathers Hotel, 25 High Street

8.00-11.00 SAT only                   

Phone: 01531 635266                  Bookings

  • Hot smoked salmon with spinach omelette and cream cheese
  • Bacon meatball with white pudding and bine tomato baguette and mushroom ketchup
  • Rarebit, glazed muffin and fried egg.

Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free

Janey’s, 15 The Homend

9.00-13.30 FRI & SAT

Phone: 01531 248008                 Take-aways Call & Collect

  • Full English.
  • Savoury and Sweet Breakfast Waffles
  • Granola/cereal station with yogurt and fresh fruit.

Produce from: Bakers Dozen (Bread etc.), Jenkins Greengrocer

Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free

The Ledberry, 36 The Homend

9.00-12.00 SAT & SUN

Phone: 01531 632676                 Call & Collect  Bookings

  • Waller’s Bacon and Sausage baps
  • Smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels
  • Ham and smashed avocado bagels
  • Overnight oat pots with fruit compote

Produce from: Waller’s (meat products), Bakers Dozen, Hedonist Bakery, Jenkins Greengrocer

Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free

Ledbury Rugby Football Club, Ross Road   

9.00-11.00 FRI & SUN                  

Phone: 01531 631788                 Take-aways Bookings

  • Full English
  • Breakfast Baps
  • Freshly made Omelettes
  • Freshly made Pancakes

Produce from: Gurneys Family Butchers

Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free

Malthouse Café & Gallery, Church Lane

9.30-15.30 FRI & SAT,               

Phone: 01531 634443                 Take-aways Call & Collect Bookings

  • A range of special breakfasts to sort all tastes from our ever changing menu

Produce from: LDA Meats, Peter Cooks Bread, Mays (eggs)

Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free

Market House Café, 1 The Homend

9.00-15.00 FRI & SAT, 10.00-14.00 SUN         

Phone: 01531 633011                 Take-aways Call & Collect Bookings

  • “Breakfast Nest” – crispy bacon, Sunnyside egg, melted cheese nestled in hollowed out baked potato with chives
  • “Café Pancake Platter” – pancakes, maple syrup, berries, bacon, scrambled egg, chocolate chips, fresh cream

Produce from: Waller’s (meat products), Baker’s Dozen, Jenkins Greengrocer, Total Produce (fruit & vegetables), plus local eggs

 Gluten Free

The Organic Cafe (Handley Organics), 5 High St

9.00 – 13.00 FRI & SAT (last orders)               

Phone: 01531 631136                 Booking advised for Saturday

  • Friday only – Mixed roast vegetables (made in house) on toast (bread made for us by la Delice) with dressing (made in house)
  • Saturday only – Specially inspired menu supporting Ledbury Refugee Support Group – Falafel wrap and dips (both made in house).

Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free

Pot & Page, 8 New Street – vegan specialist cafe

10.00-15.00 FRI, SAT & SUN      

Phone: 01531 248743                 Bookings

  • Loaded rosti stack with a savoury compote.

 Produce from: Tuston Market Garden (Ashperton)

Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free

Pot and Page are also running a tea tasting event featuring British grown teas on Friday 11th March evening – find out more at https://potandpageevents.square.site/events

Weston’s Cider Scrumpy House, HR8 2NQ

9.00 – 12.00 FRI, 10.00-12.00 SAT & SUN      

Phone: 01531 660626                 Take-aways (1 Hr notice) Bookings advised

  • Full English with vintage cider sausage
  • Vegan Breakfast Hash – Potato, peppers, mushroom, roast tomato on toasted sourdough
  • Eggs Benedict with cider baked ham

Produce from: Neil Powell (cider sausage) LDA Meats, Country Flavours (eggs), Total Produce (vegetables), St George’s Bakery (Corse)

Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free (on request)

Seven Stars, 11 The Homend

9.00-11.00 SAT & SUN               

Phone 01531 635800                  Take-aways + Call & Collect (Baps only) Bookings

  • Full English
  • Small full English
  • Vegetarian Breakfast
  • Sausage or Bacon Bap

Produce from: LDA Meats

 Vegetarian, Gluten Free

Sunrise Café, 23 High Street

9.00-12.00 SUN only                  

Phone 01531 634111                  Take-aways Call and Collect.  Bookings

  • Our full English breakfast with a free drink.

Produce from: Gurneys Family Butchers, Total Produce

Vegetarian, Gluten Free

The Nest, Hereford Road, HR8 2PZ

10.00-13.00 FRI, SAT & SUN (last bookings for special breakfasts 12.30)

Phone: 01531 670816                 Call & Collect (1 Hr notice) Limited Bookings. 

  • Benedict Stack – eggs benedict with pesto, prosciutto and hollandaise
  • Little Verzons Breakfast Roll – Ploughman’s Scotch Egg Mix (or Veggie option with Beanie HMSE Mix or Vegan Option with Negg HMSE Mix as a pattie) accompanied with  Willys Kitchen balsamic, Nest onion marmalade dressing and a fried egg (Veggie and Meat) 
  • Homemade baked beans on toast – Vegan and GF
  • Banana and Carrot muffins – Vegan
  • Sweet and Spicy BC – A Chorizo, sausage and marmalade casserole – using Severn Spots chorizo and homemade marmalade with bread – Veggie option available.

Produce from: Willys (Balsamic), Severn Spots (Chorizo), Burger mix from HMSE, Nest Marmalade, Local Eggs from Filly Brook (Bishops Frome), Peter Cooks Muffins, Bakers Dozen Muffins, LDA – Meat, Netherend Butter, Nest Pesto, Cotteswold Dairy, Nest Coffee, Trumpers Tea

Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free

The Talbot, 14 New Street

8.00-10.00 FRI, SAT & SUN        

Phone: 01531 632963                           Bookings

  • Severn & Wye smoked salmon and eggs
  • Full English breakfast
  • Full Veggie Breakfast
  • Eggs on toast “your way”
  • Bacon or Sausage sandwiches

Produce from Severn and Wye Smokery, Walter Rose Wiltshire Sausages

Vegetarian, Gluten Free

Trumpet Corner Cafe, Trumpet HR8 2RA

9.00–14.00 FRI, SAT & SUN       

Phone: 01531 670082                           Take-aways Call & Collect Bookings

  • Full English breakfast
  • Full Veggie breakfast
  • Smoked salmon & scrambled egg on toasted bagel
  • Brûléed porridge with fresh berries
  • Fresh pastries

Produce from: Legges of Bromyard, Jus apple juice, Macneil’s salmon, Berries Unlocked (Munsley)

 Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free

Delicatessens & Shops

Ceci Paolo, 21 High Street

9.0-1700 FRI & SAT                   

Phone 01531 632976

Local breakfast produce including smoked fish, yoghurt, cheeses, bread, honey and our own delicacies.

Local producers products sold include: • Severn and Wye Smokery, Three Counties Honey, Peter Cooks Bread, Charles Martell (cheeses), Neal’s Yard Creamery

Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free

Handley Organics, 5 High Street

All day FRI & SAT            

Phone: 01531 631136

Lots of local produce and ingredients to make a tasty breakfast to take home including cereals, eggs, croissants, bread etc.

Organic, Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free

Butchers

Gurneys Family Butchers, 21 The Homend

All day – FRI & SAT

Phone: 01531 632526

Try our new recipe sausage – the Gurney’s Banger – as part of your breakfast.

David T Waller and Sons, 71 The Homend

All day – FRI & SAT          

Phone 01531 632739

Taste and take home our special breakfast sausage. Tastings 9.00 to 12.00

Country Market

Burgage Hall, Church Lane

9.00 – 12.30 FRI only

Local produce for you to take home for a special breakfast (or other meal!)

Posted on

Recipes for February 2022

CAULIFLOWER AND WALNUT CREAM

Serves 4

1 medium cauliflower
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
450mls. / 3/4 pint chicken or vegetable stock
450mls. / 3/4 pint milk
45ms. / 3 tbsps. walnut pieces
salt and pepper
paprika and chopped walnuts to garnish

1. Trim the cauliflower of outer leaves and break into small florets. Place the cauliflower, onion and stock in a large saucepan.

2. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the milk and walnut pieces, then puree in a blender or food processor until smooth.

3. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper, then reheat. Serve sprinkled with a dusting of paprika and chopped walnuts.

MARMALADE QUEEN OF PUDDINGS

Serves 4 – 6

10g. butter, plus extra for greasing
565mls. full fat milk
100g. breadcrumbs
zest of 1 lemon
50g. caster sugar
3 medium eggs
2 generous tbsps. thick cut marmalade

1.Heat the oven to 150 C/ gas mark 2. Butter a medium baking dish. Heat the milk until it just reaches the boil. Remove from the heat and add the butter, breadcrumbs, lemon zest and 25g. of the sugar. Thoroughly mix so that the butter really melts.

2. Set this aside for 15 minutes to swell and melge. When it is a little cooler separate the eggs and add the yolks to the custard. Use a small hand whisk to amalgamate. Pour this mixture into the buttered dish and place in the oven for about 30 – 35 minutes until just set.

3. Meanwhile melt the marmalade in a saucepan and spoon over the baked custard base.

4, Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Whisk in the remaining sugar and spoon this on top of the pudding. Return to the oven for a further 15 minutes or until the soft meringue is beginning to turn golden. Wait for about 15 minutes before eating.

TIPS

1. You will always get a smoother soup with a blender than with a food processor.

2. You can make Queen of Puddings with a jam rather than marmalade. I have used this recipe as it is the marmalade making season. I used brioche bread to make my breadcrumbs and cut it into slices the night before, spreading it on a rack so that it was stale by the time I used it. Do not use ready made breadcrumbs.

3. We ate the leftovers cold and still liked it. If you try heating meringue in a microwave it will disintegrate. I used to volunteer in a Lunch Club for older people and would watch them asking for lemon meringue pie to be heated in the microwave, The meringue would virtually disappear.

Posted on

January 2022 Recipes

CHICKEN AND BACON PUCHERO – Serves 4

1 tbsp. oil plus a little extra
1 yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into bite size chunks
2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
200g. baby potatoes, halved or quartered
2 onions, chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
700g. skinless and boneless chicken thigs cut into bite size pieces
200g. back bacon rashers, visible fat removed and sliced
900mls. boiling chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. mild or medium curry powder
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
4 tomatoes, deseeded and roughly chopped
400g. can chickpeas, drained
200g. green cabbage leaves, roughly chopped

  1. In a lidded non stick pan heat 1 tbsp. oil.  Add the pepper, carrots and potatoes and fry for 6 – 8 minutes, until lightly browned.  Transfer to a plate.
  1. Add a little more oil and the onions, chilli and garlic and stir fry for 6 – 8 minutes until softened.  Add the chicken and bacon, season to taste and stir fry for 10 – 15 minutes.
  1. Pour in the stock and add the bay leaves, curry powder and vinegar.  Bring to a simmer and let it cook for 12 – 15 minutes, then add the tomatoes, cover and cook for a further 10 minutes.
  1. Stir in the pepper, carrots and potatoes, chickpeas and cabbage.  Cover and cook for 10 – 12 minutes or until the cabbage has wilted and the other vegetables are tender.  Serve hot in bowls with rice if you prefer.

TIPS

This is a Spanish slow-cooked stew (the name means stewpot) and it can be found with different ingredients and spices throughout the Spanish speaking world.  This is a version from the Philippines and the curry replaces smoked paprika.

There is quite a lot of liquid with this dish. When I made it I did not bother with rice as I didn’t think it needed it. 

SPICED BEETROOT AND CARROT CURRY – Serves 4

1 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. black mustard seeds
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 green chillies, deseeded and chopped
1 tsp. curry powder
2 tsps. cumin seeds
1 cinnamon stick
400g. beetroot, peeled and cut into batons
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into batons
2 carrots, peeled and cut into batons
2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
600mls. boiling vegetable stock
100mls. reduced fat coconut milk
juice of 1 lime
chopped fresh coriander to serve

  1. In a wide non stick frying pan heat the oil and add the mustard seeds and as soon as they begin to pop, add the onion, garlic and chillies and stir fry for 3 – 4 minutes or until the onion has started to soften.
  2. Add the curry powder, cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, beetroot, potatoes and carrots and stir fry for 2 – 3 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and stock and season to taste.  Turn the heat to low and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.
  3. Stir in the coconut milk and let the curry bubble nicely for another 5 – 6 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly.  Remove from the heat, stir in the lime juice and check the seasoning.  Scatter over the coriander and serve hot with rice.

TIPS

  1. This dish too has quite a bit of liquid.  You could try reducing the amount of stock used in both recipes by at least 100 mls.
  2. Do wear thin rubber gloves when chopping the chillies and beetroot, or make sure you do not touch your eyes, or any part of your face after touching the chillies.
  3. Both these recipes come from a Slimming World book so are good if you have over indulged at Christmas.  You could always use full fat coconut milk if you are not worried about calories.  Give the tin a good shake before using.  Handley Organics do a very good range of spices upstairs.
  4. Any leftover coconut milk can be used when making a rice pudding or cooking rice.

Happy New Year,

© Ledbury Food Group 2014-24