Ledbury Food Bank – your help is appreciated!

One of our aims for last weekend’s Ledbury Big Soup was to raise awareness of the work of Ledbury Food Bank.

Mark Lister from the Food Bank has provided the following update…

Founded in 2012 to provide emergency food and support at St Katherine’s Hall, over 70 volunteers are now delivering the Food Bank’s services from an industrial unit at Homend Trading Estate, near Ledbury Railway Station to which it moved in 2021.

The new premises allow for more flexibility and capacity for service delivery and is open on Wednesday and Friday from 10am to midday. We are now also open each Thursday evening between 6.00 and 8.00pm.

People needing the Food Bank’s help (clients) may be referred there by local agencies, but can seek help directly by phone or in person when the Food Bank is open.  Clients’ needs are assessed and they are given a shopping list from which they can pick from a range of regularly stocked items (food and household), which is then made up for them.  They can also select other items not on the list including seasonal fruit and vegetables and other donated food.

But it’s more than just food.  The Food Bank’s skilled coordinator staff will check to see if other help can be provided to the client.  This could be assistance in sorting out non-receipt of the correct state benefits, debt advice, budgeting, housing advice and addressing fuel insecurity.  The Food Bank links with other local support agencies to help people from reaching a crisis point, and make sure they can afford the essentials like food.

At the same time the Food Bank offers a safe and welcoming hub where people can meet and perhaps share a breakfast. The food bank is also now a Warm Space. It is open each Wednesday and Friday between 12.00 and 4.00 for anyone to spend some time in a warm environment over the winter.

Mark Lister said ‘These are very worrying times for many people, the food bank is here to try and help remove some of the stress for people struggling with the rising cost of living’.

How can we help?

Donating food – use the collection points at the Co-op, Tesco and One Stop or schemes run by local churches or businesses.

Donating produce – contact the Food Bank if you have a surplus of seasonal fruit or veg from your garden or allotment.  It will be a welcome addition to what’s on offer.

Donating money – Money is used to keep up the stock of staple items, for running costs and for professional services, including advice services – the Food Bank has over 50 regular donors, and one off gifts always help. You can give online, by standing order (ask for bank details) or in person.

Donating time – contact the Food Bank if you can help as a volunteer.  There are many ways you can get involved.

Contact Details

Phone: 07581 283092

Email: food@ledburyfoodbank.org

In Person: Unit 1, Homend Trading Estate, Ledbury HR8 1AR

Opening Hours: Wednesday and Friday 10am to midday, Thursday evenings between 6pm and 8pm.

Website: www.ledburyfoodbank.org (online donations)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full details of the 2022 Ledbury Big Soup now available  

Join us for Ledbury’s Celebration of Soup over the weekend of Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th November.

Sixteen local food venues in and around Ledbury are taking part on one or more days in this event organised by Ledbury Food Group to celebrate soup.

The event takes place at cafes, pubs, hotels, butchers and food shops in and around Ledbury.

There is lots of choice showing the ingenuity of our local food venues – check through the listing below for something to sample, savour and enjoy, whether you eat in, take away or take home. 

Our independent food shops have a wide range of local produce to take home to make your own special soup.

We celebrate the recently launched Herefordshire Food Charter which encourages us to eat good, locally produced food like soup as part of a sustainable diet.

Please remember too our local Ledbury Food Bank which is supporting local people in crisis in our community.  Find out how you can help at https://ledburyfoodbank.org/index.html#help

On Sunday the Ledbury Christmas lights event will be on all afternoon with a food and craft market, musical entertainment and Father Christmas.  The lights will be switched on at 5pm.  Check below for cafes serving their special soups on Sunday.

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

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

Based on information provided by the participants

Ceci Paolo, 21 High Street

9.0-1730 SAT                   

Phone 01531 632976                  Take-aways – Call & Collect (Soup)

We will be serving a hot soup to our special recipe today.

Look around our store for ingredients for your own soup.  Peter Cooks Bread

Vegetarian

Corner House Cafe, 1 The Southend

10.00-16.00, SAT & SUN            

Phone 01531 635752                  Take-aways – Call & Collect

  • Vegetable Broth served with a Sub roll
  • Five bean, chunky vegetable and chorizo soup plus savoury cheese scone or a panini

Say you have come for the Big Soup and get 10% off your soup

Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free

The Feathers Hotel, 25 High Street

12.00-21.00 SAT & SUN             

Phone: 01531 635266      

  • Smoked ham, red lentil and autumn vegetable soup
  • Hereford Hop cheese and Ledbury Ale soup
  • Roasted parsnip and local pear soup with parsnip chips

Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free

Handley Organics and Organic Cafe, 5 High Street

All day SAT            

Phone: 01531 631136                           Take-aways – Call & Collect

  • Lots of local produce and ingredients to make a tasty soup
  • We hope to be serving hot organic soup as well – check with us

Organic, Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free

Janey’s, 15 The Homend

10.30 – 3.30 SAT & 13.00 – 16.00 SUN

Phone: 01531 248008                 Take-aways Call & Collect

  • Broccoli and Stilton soup with Fresh Crusty roll or Bread and freshly made Croutons.

Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free

MA & TA Jenkins, 29 The Homend

7.30 – 16.00 SAT

Phone: 01531 632537

  • Visit Ledbury’s Fruit and Veg shop for soup ingredients
  • We will have potatoes, swede, parsnips, carrots, onions, celery, leeks, squash, celeriac, courgettes, beetroot, shallots, fruit and so much more!

Vegetarian, Vegan 

The Ledberry, 36 The Homend

12.00 till finished SAT

Phone: 01531 632676                 Take-aways

  • Our special locally produced soup of the day – it changes daily!

Vegetarian, Gluten Free

Ledbury Rugby Football Club, Ross Road   

11.00 – 15.00 SUN             

Phone: 01531 631788                 Take-aways – Call & Collect

  • Cauliflower Cheese and Mustard soup served with Cheese Straws
  • Ledbury Rugby Pot Roast soup
  • Caire’s Carrot and Coriander soup

Coincides on Sunday with our junior and colts games

We may also be serving soup on Saturday

Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free

Malthouse Café & Gallery, Church Lane

9.30- 16.00 SAT               

Phone: 01531 634443                 Take-aways Call & Collect

  • Smoked haddock chowder
  • Lamb and vegetable cawl
  • Curried cauliflower and sweet potato soup with peanut, coconut and coriander

Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free

Matt’s Kitchin, Unit 3, Homend Shopping Mall, 32 The Homend

10.00 – 16.00 SAT

Phone: 01531 632418

  • Have you tried our chilled soups?
  • Take home our soup of the day

Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free

New Market House Café, 1 The Homend

10.00-16.00 SAT, 11.00-17.30 SUN      

Phone: 01531 635059                

  • Smoked haddock and shrimp Chowder served in a toasted sourdough bread

20% of price of each soup sold will be donated to Ledbury Food Bank

Vegetarian

Pot & Page, 8 New Street – plant based food cafe

10.00-14.00 SAT & 10.00 -14.00 SUN   

Phone: 01531 248743                 Take-aways

  • Miso soup –made from a mixture of lovely, varied and speciality ingredients.

Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free

10% of the price of all Big Soups sold will be donated to Ledbury Food Bank

Pot and Page are also hosting a warm hub on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons serving soup.

Scrumpy House @ Weston’s Cider, Much Marcle HR8 2NQ

12.00 – 16.00 SAT  

Phone: 01531 660626                 Take-aways – Call & Connect

  • Hereford Hop cheese and vintage cider soup with bread and butter
  • Fish soup made with cider brandy, rouille and croutons
  • Gently spiced Moroccan Chorba (Vegan)

Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free options

Seven Stars, 11 The Homend

12.00 – 21.00 SAT & 12.00 – 20.00 SUN                   

Phone 01531 635800                 

  • Roasted Butternut squash and sweet potato soup with toasted seeds and crusty bread
  • Leek and Potato soup with croutons and crusty bread

 Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free

The Nest Ledbury, Little Verzons Farm, Hereford Road, HR8 2PZ

11.45 -16.30 SAT & SUN  

Phone: 01531 670816                          Take-aways. 

  • Delicious Leek and Potato soup
  • Nourishing Tomato soup
  • Tasty Spicy Winter Vegetable soup

Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free

David T Waller and Sons, 71 The Homend

8.00 to 16.00 SAT            

Phone 01531 632739

  • Discover our special offering for the Big Soup
  • Meat ingredients for your home soup making

Bon appetite!

 

 

And now… The Ledbury Big Soup

Soup is a great food for Autumn and Winter.  We are inviting local food shops, hotels, cafes and butchers to tempt you with their best offerings in the Ledbury Big Soup being held on Saturday 26th November. 

More than 15 local businesses will be taking part and the format will be like the Ledbury Big Breakfast.  There will be soups to eat in or take out, and food shops will have the ingredients for you to create your own soup at home.  We will have recipes available for you to experiment.

Businesses will be offering their normal fare as well, and some may be serving soup on Sunday 27th November for the Ledbury Christmas Lights switch on.

Remembering the increasing needs of our Ledbury community, businesses taking part are being asked to make a contribution in cash or food to Ledbury Food Bank

Details of who is offering what and when will be available at this website from early November. 

Soups made with local seasonal produce are just the kind of sustainable and nourishing foods that the recently published Herefordshire Food Charter encourages us to eat.

Find out more about the charter and how you can sign up to it at https://herefordshirefoodcharter.org.uk/

Come along to the Food Group’s stall in the Charter Market on Saturday 19th November from 9am to 1pm to find out more about local food.

Ledbury Food Bank will be there to tell you how you can help them to help the community

Good souping!

Recipes for August 2022

Chicken With Curried Fennel Sauce

SERVES 4

15g. / 1oz. butter
4 chicken breasts
2 large fennel bulbs
3 cardamom pods
2 large garlic cloves
2.5cm. / 1 inch piece of root ginger
1 fresh red chilli
1 tsp. gd. coriander
½ tsp. gd. cinnamon
½ tsp. gd. cloves
1 tbsp. plain flour
150mls. / ¼ pt. natural yoghurt
8 tbsps. lemon juice
1 ½ tbsps. tomato puree mixed into 300mls.
 ½ pt. water

To serve:

Handful of fresh coriander leaves

  1. Set the oven to gas mark 4 / 180.  Heat the oil and half the butter and add the chicken pieces and brown them all over.  Put the chicken into a large casserole.
  2. Cut off the base and stalks of the fennel and remove any marked outer parts and cut the bulbs into 6 – 8 pieces each.  Blanch the pieces in boiling salted water for a few minutes to soften slightly.
  3. Put the fennel in the dish around the chicken.  Roughly crush the cardamom pods and scatter them in with the fennel.  Peel the garlic and ginger and chop finely.  Cut the chilli open lengthways and discard any seeds and slice very thinly.
  4. Put the frying pan back on the heat, adding the remaining butter.  Add the garlic, ginger, chilli and the ground spices and stir for 30 seconds.  Stir in the flour and continue to stir for 1 minute.  Stir in the yoghurt in one direction only, add the lemon juice to the tomato puree mixture and stir into the fried spices.
  5. Bring to the boil and stir until the sauce thickens, season to taste with a little salt.  Pour the sauce over the fennel in the casserole dish.  Cover and cook for one hour.  Serve with basmati rice and a green vegetable.

You will require an apron and tea towel, a large frying pan and a large casserole dish plus foil to cover and clingfilm.

TIP

The reason for telling you to stir the yogurt in one direction is that it can split.  Adding a teaspoon of cornflour to your yogurt prevents this.  You could, of course, use creme fraiche instead of yogurt if you are worried.  I have never known that to split ever.

Plum & Hazelnut Cake Or Pear & Walnut Cake

SERVES 6

8 – 10 large red plums, halved & stoned or 3 pears
125g. / 4 ½ ozs. soft butter, plus extra for greasing
100g. / 3 ½ ozs. caster sugar, plus 1 extra tbsp.
3 medium eggs, lightly beaten
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
100g. / 3 ½ ozs. self-raising flour, sifted
100g. / 3 ½ ozs. toasted hazelnuts ground or walnuts
2 tbsps. whole milk

  1. Cut each plum half into 3 slices or the cored pears into about 1 cm. / ½ inch thick slices.  Butter a 20cm. 8 inch springform tin and line the base with greaseproof paper or baking parchment.
  2.  Put the butter, sugar (minus the extra tablespoon), eggs, lemon zest, flour, nuts and milk into a food processor and whiz until smooth.  Spoon the batter into the tin and arrange the plum or pear slices, cut-side up, in circles on top.  Make sure you pack them well together.  Sprinkle with 1 tbsp. caster sugar (or more if the plums are very tart) and bake in an oven preheated to 180C / gas mark 4 for 40 minutes.  A skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean.
  3. Let the cake cool in its tin for 15 minutes, then remove it, peeling off the greaseproof paper on the bottom, and put it on a wire rack to cool completely.

You will need a 20cm. / 8 inch springform tin, apron, teatowel and baking parchment or greaseproof paper.

TIP

Bentleys Fruit Farm near Newent have lovely plums which they say will be available until well into September.

AGM notice and Find out about Ledbury Food Bank and how you can help

We’ve invited Ledbury Food Bank to tell us about their significant role in alleviating food poverty in Ledbury and district following our short AGM on Monday 8th August at 6pm at the Burgage Hall, Church Lane, Ledbury.

Mark Lister, Chair Lead Team for Ledbury Food Bank has kindly agreed to join us to enable us all to gain greater knowledge of the operations and needs of the Food Bank’s work and to discuss how we might contribute or help. For example:

    • How does the Food Bank work?
    • When is it open?
    • Where does the food stocks come from?
    • Can/do local producers contribute or supply produce?
    • What are the items needed most?
    • How can I contribute food or money or my time?
    • How do I introduce someone who may be in need?
    • What has the new premises enabled – do you do more than distributing food stocks?

All are welcome!

AGM of Ledbury Food Group for the year 2021/22

Notice is given that this meeting will be held at 6pm on Monday 8th August at the Burgage Hall, Church Lane, Ledbury.

Agenda

    1. Apologies
    2. Report from the Secretary
    3. Report from the Treasurer
    4. Approval of Accounts for the period to 31st March 2022
    5. Election of a Committee for the year 2022 to 2023
    6. Election of Officials for the year 2022 to 2023 – Chair, Secretary, Treasurer
    7. Any other business

Please access the following documents in advance of this meeting by clicking below.

Agenda for AGM on Monday 8th August 2022 Secretary’s Report for the year 2021/22 Income & Expenditure 1 Apr 2021 to 31 Mar 2022

 

GJ Holliday
Secretary, Ledbury Food Group
01531 633637

 

A Sizzling Ledbury Celebration!..Thanks

If you came to the Ledbury Celebration last Sunday (10th July) many thanks for coming and supporting the event – we were pleased to see you!

If you were not able to come this is what went on…

Alice from Tuston Market Garden
Local Farmer John Davenport displays his vegetables
Mayor and Palestinian Visitors
Rayeesa offers sauce tastings
Steady Trading at Ledbury Celebration
Taking the shade at the Celebration
Voices Unlimited give it all
Hay Charcuterie on their first visit to Ledbury
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The Ledbury Celebration celebrates the local food and drink of Herefordshire and its neighbouring counties with an added menu of music, poetry and our historic heritage.

Held in historic St Katherine’s, Ledbury, the event featured 20 local food and drink producers selling both street-food to enjoy on the spot and specialities to take home.  Trade was good thanks to the support of those who came to the event.

This intimate festival also featured local potters selling wares and “hands on”, Kid’s Kitchen where children could enjoy making a meal and several Sustainable stalls.

The entertainment “menu” included poets Dave Pitt, Emma Purshouse, and Leena Batchelor stirring the crowd with their passionate poetry, and Beth Calverley’s magical Poetry Machine creating intimate poems on demand.

The musical menu featured Ledbury Community Choir – Ledbury’s own massed voices, Keith Baldwin, guitarist and singer, The Ledbury Singers serenading in the heat, and the fiddle playing of Gruig.

A first for Ledbury, one-of-a-kind Voices Unlimited brought their unmistakable Wall of Sound” to the Performance Area setting alight what was already a hot afternoon.

Sustainable Ledbury’s Community Art Project, “The Tale of the Bird and the Tree”, reached its conclusion when the Bird took flight and soared over to join the Tree.

Special visitors to the event included the Mayor and Town Clerk of Ledbury, the Ledbury Carnival Court and a group of young people visiting from Palestine.

This event was assembled as a partnership between Ledbury Food Group, Ledbury Poetry, Ledbury Fringe and Ledbury Town Council, and featured the Town Council’s newly acquired gazebos.

Ledbury Food Group thanks the many volunteers who had made the event possible and the public for supporting the event. 

Please provide us with your feedback at ask@ledburyfoodgroup.org                                  

Recipes for July 2022

TRIPLE TOMATO TART – Serves 6

250g. / 9ozs, ready made puff pastry (all butter is best)
3 tbsps. sun dried tomato puree, or ordinary tomato puree
250g. / 9 ozs. ripe vine tomatoes, sliced
150g. / 5 1/2 ozs. cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 tbsps. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 egg yolk
125g. / 4 1/2 ozs. Italian sliced salami, chopped
salt and pepper
handful thyme sprigs

  1. Preheat the oven to 190C / 375F / Gas Mark 5.  Roll out the pastry to form a rectangle 36cm. / 14 inches long and 25cm. / 10 inches wide and lift on to a heavy duty baking tray.
  2. Spread the tomato puree over the pastry, leaving a 3cm. / 1 1/4 inch margin around the edge.  Arrange the vine tomato slices over the tomato puree, scatter over the cherry tomato halves, top with the rosemary and drizzle with 1 tbsp. olive oil and the balsamic vinegar.  Brush the edges of the pastry with egg yolk and bake for 10 minutes.  Scatter over the salami and bake for a further 10 – 15 minutes.   
  3. Remove the tart from the oven and season with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with the remaining oil and scatter over the thyme.

TIPS

You could make this into a vegetarian version by leaving out the salami and instead using feta or goat’s cheese.  Another alternative is roasted peppers and pine kernels instead of the salami.

Some sun dried tomatoes, cut into strips,  could be added at the same time as the salami.

A LEMONY HAZELNUT AND BLUEBERRY CAKE – Serves 8 – 10

115g. hazelnuts
260g. unsalted butter, really soft
225g. white spelt flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 large eggs
130g. honey (or golden caster sugar)
130g. maple syrup
finely grated zest of 1 large unwaxed lemon

For the filling:

350mls. double cream
2 – 3 tbsps. honey
2 – 3 tbsps. blueberry jam
200g. fresh blueberries

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C.  Grease and line 2 x 20cm. loose-bottomed sandwich tins.
  2. Toast the hazelnuts in the oven for 5 – 7 minutes but check after 5.  Remove from the oven and leave to cool then whizz in a food processor into fine meal.
  3. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl and beat in all the other ingredients using an electric handmixer.  Be careful not to overmix.  Scrape the mixture into the tins and level the tops with the back of a spoon.  Bake for 25 – 30 minutes until the cakes are risen and golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes before removing from the tins and placing on a wire rack.
  4. When cool, lightly whip the cream until soft peaks form, drizzle in the honey and whisk again.  Take one spoonful of jam at a time and carefully marble it through the cream.  Carefully place one cake on a cake plate, spoon over two thirds of the marbled honey cream and place the second cake on top.  Spread the remaining third of the honey cream on top of the 2nd cake, then sprinkle the fresh blueberries over the cream.

TIPS

You could use ground almonds instead of toasting hazelnuts and whizzing them in your food processor.

If you want to cut down on the cream content, I would use half the amount and just put it in the centre.  I would then lightly poach the blueberries and put those on the top.  You could use 1 tbsp. of jam for the centre filling and spread 1 tbsp. of jam on top which would help to anchor the blueberries.