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Big Breakfast – more photos

Thank you to all those who made the Ledbury Big Breakfast 2014 such a successful event despite the weather by participating, breakfasting, buying to take home or just being there. The Breakfast Ice Cream from Just Rachel made it to the Cider shop on Saturday morning and Mrs K Clark nominated the winning sausage in the competition run by Trumpet Corner and Llandinabo Farm Shop – pork, black pudding and leek. Please let us know how you enjoyed the event or tell us how we can improve things next time on ask@ledburyfoodgroup.org (or Twitter @LedburyFoodGrp) or leave your comments here.

More on this event will follow but in the meantime enjoy the pictures.

Llandinabo Farm Shop James Bodenham & Bill the Bell with winning sausages P1000685
Llandinabo Farm Shop James Bodenham & Bill the Bell with winning sausages P1000685
Wallers -Matt Waller shows off the Full Monty Sausage P1000664
Wallers -Matt Waller shows off the Full Monty Sausage P1000664
Gurneys Butchers - Paul Gurney & Bill Wiggin MP P1000667
Gurneys Butchers – Paul Gurney & Bill Wiggin MP P1000667
Market House Cafe - Breakfast BruschettaP1000687
Market House Cafe – Breakfast BruschettaP1000687

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Variety is the menu at Ledbury Big Breakfast 2014

We’re looking forward to this year’s Ledbury Big Breakfast on Friday 31st January and Saturday 1st February. Twenty-one cafes, shops, hotels, pubs, delis and markets in Ledbury and District are taking part to celebrate Farmhouse Breakfast Week, featuring special breakfast offerings as well as their normal menus.

Waller's Full Monty Breakfast Sausage
Waller’s Full Monty Breakfast Sausage

What could be better on a cold winter’s morning than a delicious breakfast that sets you up for the day? From freshly made drinks and smoothies at Ice Bytes to a Hearty Herefordshire Breakfast at Mrs Muffins or the Café at Nice Things), there is something for everyone. You can feast on devilled lamb’s kidneys with toasted homemade brioche at the Feathers, or eggs benedict at Chez Pascal or the Retreat, or you can go for bacon and eggs at a number of places. You can even choose a bacon bruschetta. There are lighter bites of all kinds such as “Herefordshire porridge” at the Market House Cafe, local patisserie at Cameron and Swan and a continental twist at the Shop at Bromsberrow, bacon and cheese scones at the Muse Cafe, rhubarb breakfast muffin at Roots Herefordshire, fruit salad and yoghurts…the list is endless

For those who want a breakfast to take home, the butchers or food shops will all have special offerings for you – bacon, sausages, including the intriguing Full Monty Breakfast sausage at Wallers, a special offer on local eggs at Gurneys, and delicious fresh fruit granola from Four Oaks Delicatessen. The wonderful scotch eggs from the Handmade Scotch Egg company are available at Handley’s Organics. At the Three Counties Cider Shop you can taste local apple juices and jams and on Saturday 1st February from 9.30am Rachel Hicks from Just Rachel Ice Creams will be offering samples of her new creation – Granola and Honey Ice Cream.

On Friday the winning sausage from the Sausage Competition run by Trumpet Corner café and Llandinabo Farm Shop will be available to eat or buy to take home. Entries are really rolling in for this. Katie Rolfe from Trumpet Corner said, “We’ve had some interesting entries so far, including the quirky, the out of ordinary and the traditional”. Friday is also the day for hearing Bawdy Tales from the Inns of Ledbury courtesy of Gareth Calan Davies whilst enjoying a filling brunch at the Talbot.

Don’t forget the markets – the Country Market will be serving local eggs, toast, preserves, muffins in their “Breakfast on the Go” on Friday. On Saturday Noggin Farm’s home produced pork and sausages will be on offer at Ledbury Market for you to take home for next week’s breakfasts.

We can’t wait…

See the events listing for more details of what is available and where, plus times of availability.

Tim of Wallers with the Full Monty Sausages
Tim of Wallers with the Full Monty Sausages

 

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Get ready for the Big Breakfast …

Farmhouse Breakfast Week returns to Ledbury with the Ledbury Big Breakfast 2014 on Friday 31st January and Saturday 1st February featuring a feast of locally sourced breakfast food in and around Ledbury.

Big Break - Eggs Benedict at Cafe Sez
Eggs Benedict at Cafe Sez (now moved to Chez Pascal) – Big Breakfast 2013

Last year’s event, the first ever, proved really popular. The toughest part was choosing: a hearty full Herefordshire breakfast, scrambled eggs, Eggs Benedict, breakfast muffins, muesli, yoghurt and compote, frittata, scotch eggs, wild boar sausage, or just good old bacon and eggs?

This year we have even more venues and more choice lined up. The full list, with menus, will be published here shortly.

All kinds of breakfast and brunch will be available from the lightest breakfast to the heaviest in our cafes and pubs, including special menu items for the event featuring local produce. Our butchers will offer their home produced bacon, sausages and eggs, and our local delicatessens will have special menu items. You can eat in, take out, take away or take home.

We hope you will join us for breakfast in and around Ledbury on Friday 31st January and Saturday 1st February and bring family, friends, neighbours and colleagues too.

Muse Cafe Muesli, Compote and Yoghurt
Muse Cafe Muesli, Compote and Yoghurt – Big Breakfast 2013
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Stop Press – Christmas shopping!

This year I am doing quite well on the old Christmas present front – which actually means I have bought things for the easy people in my life (daughters/sisters), have got some ideas for the less easy (mother-in-law) and am racking my brains for the tricky ones like sons & brothers-in-law!

But a quick foray into Ledbury today provided at least some of the answers in the shape of interesting books.  So, if you are stuck for a gift, how about:

World’s Best Cider: Taste, Tradition & Terroir, from Somerset to Seattle by Pete Brown and Bill Bradshaw

An entertainingly written guide to the very best cider in the world, beautifully illustrated with lots of photographs, including one of Once Upon a Tree’s Simon Day (with dog) and Tom from Oliver’s Cider & Perry.  And if you go to the Three Counties Cider Shop in Ledbury you might just get a signed copy!

Made in Herefordshire by Jo Hilditch, Patrick Barrett and Simon Wild

A collection of delicious and inspiring recipes from local food producers all using our lovely Herefordshire produce.  In her foreword, Jo says: “the spirit of cooperation, friendliness and open-minded adventure that our locals possess has made this book a joy to put together” and it shows, a real celebration of what Herefordshire has to offer.

And finally a book which, while not strictly “local” shares the values and ethos of the Ledbury Food Group, so I have included it here.

The Ethicurean Cookbook is as much a joy as eating at the eponymous restaurant at Wrington near Bristol, visit their website and see what I mean: http://www.theethicurean.com/  Subtitled Recipes, foods and spirituous liquors, from our bounteous walled garden in the several seasons of the year, the book sets out their unequivocal credentials: “British seasonality, ethical sourcing of ingredients and attention to the local environment are the foundations of our business”.  What is such a delight is that their food is as delicious as their principles are admirable!

What have you found in the way of ‘local’ gifts?

A final word.  You could buy all of these books from Amazon.  But for not very much more you could have the pleasure of going into a local shop, discussing your purchase with enthusiastic and knowledgeable people, knowing that you are supporting the local economy.  Which are you going to do?

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Ludlow Food Festival

photo 1-5Before you say anything, I know that Ludlow is 32.9 miles from Ledbury and therefore, if we are being strict about such things, out of our orbit.  But the Ludlow Food Festival is such a celebration of local food, and such a great event, that I felt I had to share some of it with you!  And of course, there are some producers from nearer home who exhibit there regularly, look at the photos and you may find some familiar faces…

Since its beginnings in 1994 the Festival has grown magnificently, with a second Spring event photo 5-3starting six years ago.  When we went there on Saturday the main event in the castle was packed, with everyone enjoying sampling what was on offer (well, not everyone, see right)  But what was also clear is that the whole town embraces this event, with shops, restaurants & cafes taking part and even non-food shops having food-themed displays in their windows.  There were queues at all the butchers’ stands around the town, with people standing in line to taste their sausages and get a stamp – the famous sausage trail!  There are workshops, demonstrations and talks, children’s cookery sessions, a secret dinner party and a secret restaurant which takes you on a walk to see the food that you are then going to eat – must remember to book next year!

So what new food did I discover?  The Ludlow Nut Company have some very moreish nuts & fruits and their luxury muesli is equally tasty. They now sell tempting cake mixes  – easy, quick & delicious. If you fancy a change from the usual crisps Scott Farms near Evesham won Best New Product at the Festival with their latest venture; sweet potato chips. Scarlet Angel (I liked their “decadence with a conscience” strap line!) were offering sauces with a wonderful bite; Lime, Ginger and Coriander was my favourite and I am looking forward to their Beetroot & Ginger Chutney too.

photo 5It was interesting to see just how many farms have diversified from their traditional produce – a sign of the times – offering a wide range of charcuterie, from salami to bresaola.  The ones I tasted, from Wenlock Edge Farm, would not have been out of place in an Italian delicatessen – tasty, moist and showing both the quality of our local meat and the skill & imagination of farmers in these parts! Sadly I could not fight my way through the crowd thronging their stand to taste the pork, plum & ginger sausages – right up my street!  Some farms have really diversified.  A glorious array of scrumptious-looking cakes turned out to be the latest venture of Hodghurst Farm at Church Stretton – more about them next blog as they have a rather particular angle, as do Cradley-based Mulberry Tree Pies…

And finally, it was lovely to see people queueing up to taste Once Upon A Tree’s delicious drinks.  The fact that it was quite hard to get a photo of the stand shows how popular they are! The same was true of Oliver’s Cider & Perry from Ocle Pychard and Wright’s Culinary Delights (see my earlier blog).  I’m sure the same would have been true of well-established favourites Just Rachel Quality Desserts, Gregg’s Pit Cider & Perry and Whyle House Lamb who were at the Festival on Sunday.  If anyone went to Ludlow on the Friday or Sunday, I would love to hear their thoughts, impressions and, best of all, discoveries!

photo 3-4photo 5-2photo 2-2photo 3-3photo 4-2

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Redcurrants, Blackcurrants, Tomatoes and Charcoal!

Suddenly the fruit bushes were full of jewel-like redcurrants glowing like rubies in the bright sunshine!  And I mean full, it has been a bumper harvest which has meant jam-making on days when it was really too hot to be near a stove.jam  Some stored in the freezer for summer pudding to be eaten long after the memory of this wonderful hot weather has faded, some made into a spiced redcurrant jelly to go with lamb or pigeon breast (a friend was musing on just how good the pigeons who had eaten all her redcurrants would taste if only she could capture them!)  There will be more to make into a sweet redcurrant and raspberry jam, and some we have simply eaten, spooning it on to yoghurt for breakfast, or sneaking spoonfuls from the bowl in the fridge.  But the blackcurrants that don’t go into summer pudding or get poured over ice cream just have to be made into a traditional jam, thick, with a soft set and not too sweet.  I could eat it by the spoonful….

tomsTomatoes too are finally starting to ripen, much later than last year because of the cold spring.  Picking a handful of small plum tomatoes, a new variety to us called Lucciola, I couldn’t resist popping one in my mouth.  Sweet, with a deep flavour and delicious, the skin not tough because they have ripened quickly.  Perfect with home-grown basil, again aromatic and tasty because of the warm weather, some locally bought, if not manufactured, mozzarella (from Ceci Paolo, it’s worth it!) and olive oil smuggled home in our suitcases last year from Paxos.  That will be perfect for tonight’s supper, along with a green salad of lettuce and our own broad beans, and some freshly pulled radishes, nicely hot and crunchy. Bliss! pradish

If you are barbecuing during this hot spell – we have had to let the Aga go out as the dog was complaining he couldn’t sleep in the heat, so are using the ancient table-top barbecue we bought years ago for any roasting – then do consider this home grown charcoal.  charcoalIs it just my imagination or is it not only easier to use, lighting quickly and smoking less,  and gives a better heat, but also makes things taste better?  Probably, but hey!  We might as well cook our wonderful Herefordshire meat and vegetables over local charcoal while we wait for the scientific analysis of my claims.

Enjoy the summer, and all that it provides.

© Ledbury Food Group 2014-24