We will be there at the Ox Roast weekend on both Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd June.
On the Community Day – Saturday 1st June – we will be at the Market House from 10.00 am to 2.00 pm. Do come along and have a chat.
On the Ox Roast Day – Sunday 2nd June – we have a great series of speakers lined up at the Feathers Hotel. Just drop in – there is no charge. Donations will be invited to Ledbury Ox Roast, with all proceeds to support the work of St Michael’s Hospice. Our speakers will be:
Talks Programme
11.30
Why Cattle Still Matter – Will Edwards. Herefordshire farmer Will Edwards is a founder member of the newly formed Pasture-Fed Livestock Association. Will is going to talk about why grazing cattle on pasture is great for the cattle, the ecosystem and the health of the consumer.
13.15
Animal, Vegetable or Mineral? – Bill Sewell. Bill Sewell creates and runs cafés, including Café@AllSaints in Hereford. His well-known recipe books mean that he is perhaps thought of first and foremost as a vegetarian. Bill will tell the story of the journey that he and his cafés have made from pure vegetarianism to incorporating meat.
14.30
A Slap of the Hand – Bill Laws. ‘In those days a slap of the hand and the deal was done’. It’s more than 20 years since author Bill Laws founded Herefordshire Lore, and this voluntary group has been busy ever since collecting and publishing people’s memories. Bill will be sharing stories about the people and the animals that passed through Hereford Cattle Market, including the world-famous pedigree bull sales.
15.45
All in a Day’s Walk – Jess Allen. Jess Allen lives in a yurt at Caplor Farm near Fownhope. Last year, in the long dark wet and increasingly muddy days of December, she decided that she would eat only what she could source within walking distance of her home. She will tell us about how she uses walking and moving and talking in rural landscapes to address issues of environmental, social or political concern, and the new word ‘Tracktivism’ that she has coined to describe her work.
Many thanks to all of our speakers and to The Feathers Hotel for use of their room.
We also have a two page article coming out in June’s Ledbury Focus magazine – which will be distributed at the end of May. Do check it out.
Changes are afoot at Roots, the cafe and farm shop on the Hereford Road just outside Ledbury. Their kitchen has recently been moved and modernised, but more importantly so has their menu! Some old favourites have stayed, but alongside the jacket potatoes and sandwiches are some interesting seasonal soups and specials. I particularly liked the sound of beetroot & orange soup, although cauliflower & gorgonzola served with a pickled pear relish also got the taste buds going. Both are served with their own Orchard Loaf – a light wholemeal made from locally ground organic flour with just a splash of their own apple juice……. Starting to feel hungry?!
Linzy Outtrim, the manager there, says that the new menu was definitely a team effort. Linzy came into the business three years ago “to water the plants” and just sort of stayed. Like others in the team she got interested and involved, learning new skills along the way. It is obvious talking to her and the others that all the staff there are passionate about fresh, local, seasonal produce and can’t help but get involved in all aspects of the business. They love the challenge of dealing with the occasional glut of fruit or vegetables that come from the organic farm over in Rushwick, keeping the buying in of non-seasonal produce to a minimum. Recognising that for a lot of food outlets the vegetarian option is often an afterthought, Roots has made a deliberate effort to turn that around. While they do offer meat (the menu I saw included a sausage & bean hotpot) vegetables are the stars. And with a choice of cauliflower & chickpea curry, roasted vegetables, homemade hummus and a delicious looking vegetarian quiche and selection of salads on offer, who is arguing?
So, with wonderful bread made by Tony Wetherall, cake classics such as coffee & walnut, lemon drizzle and Victoria sponge, good coffee and tea, local juices and much more, there really is something for everyone. Customers are currently being invited to make suggestions for the children’s menu that is being developed. The team are just brimming with new ideas. A craft group on a Tuesday morning invites people to bring along any project they are working on, have a cup of coffee and enjoy the company while you are being creative. More special events along the lines of the ‘make an Easter bunny finger puppet’ held in March are also planned. Cooking demonstrations – already happening over at Rushwick – are being devised; starting perhaps with some ‘how to’ basic cooking techniques. I liked the sound of their ‘Foodie Nights’ too – three or four course meals with a theme, such as the Apple Evening held last autumn with apples in every course.
And I haven’t even mentioned the shop! A good selection of local produce; fresh fruit and veg, chickens from Rushwick, Just Rachel’s ice cream – I could go on and on! Such a lot happening, and all served with such enthusiasm and passion for what they are doing. Don’t take my word for it, go along and see for yourselves, you will not be disappointed.
Have you been to the new (ish) Wholefoods Market that has opened in Cheltenham? I was lured in by the advertising promising wonderful organic produce – and of course the need to investigate any new food outlets within a 25 mile radius in the name of the Ledbury Food Group!
First impressions? Despite attempts to make the entrance look homely & market-like, with glossy fresh fruit and veg on display just inside the door, what hit me first was the size of this operation. It is a big enterprise. Further investigation revealed that the Cheltenham store is the latest in a long line of stores – more than 340 in total – that span the USA, Canada and the UK. The company started with a store in Austin, Texas in 1980 and have grown exponentially in the intervening years. With sales in 2012 topping $11.7 billion the company is currently at number 264 in the Fortune 500 list. Not exactly the sort of place I usually shop in, but undeterred, I continued my “research”.
The variety of goods on offer is impressive. Name just about any fruit or vegetable that you have heard of (and some that you haven’t) and it will be there. And it is all perfect. Now, call me cynical, but fruit & veg just don’t grow that way, so what happens to the less than perfect crop? For those of you in a hurry or too posh to chop, there are ready chopped vegetables. Again they are all perfect, and at 4.30pm they hadn’t gone brown, dry or wizened. I asked what they had done to them to keep them “fresh” but the assistant denied that anything had been added.
So, on to the meat and cheese counters. Knowledgeable staff happily gave me samples of cheese (see how selfless I am on your behalf?) There was a wide variety on offer from around the globe, and they tasted good, but sadly not many were local cheeses. On to the meat. The beef looked good and again the staff were knowledgeable about its provenance, welfare etc. But it was from Cornwall, all of it. Similarly a glance at the drinks section revealed no local ciders.
Exploration of the grocery shelves revealed nothing out of the ordinary, indeed I don’t think there was much that one can’t get in Ledbury, and that includes the cosmetics (just think of what The Apothecary Shop offers). At this point I began to get a bit overwhelmed by the sheer size of the place and the fact that when you got up close to things, they disappointed. Take, for example, the spices. Heaped attractively in brightly coloured piles, I wandered over expecting to get the lovely smells that assail your nostrils when you go to spice markets in Africa. Nothing. Perhaps these are just for show, and the spices are packaged, I thought. But no, you help yourself from these piles which will have had as much taste as they had smell, I fear.
Looking at the company’s website http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/cheltenham their organic credentials seem good, and their ethics laudable. I came to the conclusion that we are lucky to have such a wealth of excellent local produce on our doorsteps, and that I have just got rather used to shopping for local produce at local shops. But do go and have a look for yourselves. The cornucopia offers a good half hour’s entertainment and there is a café alongside, just let me know what you think.
At a time when everyone is paying greater attention to the sourcing and provenance of what they eat, it is very appropriate to be talking with Caroline Handley who has been a staunch advocate for fresh locally produced wholesome food for many years and who owns the shop Handley Organics in Ledbury’s Homend. Caroline says:
I became interested in the connection between food and health when I was diagnosed with cancer and my consultant advised me to eat an organic diet. I created a vegetable patch and started growing for friends and family. I became passionate about organic produce and the patch grew and grew. Eventually I decided to start a business from it and Handley Organics was born.
Today, 25 years on, the enterprise includes a 32-acre Soil Association-certified organic farm near Bromyard producing fruit and vegetables, a wholefood shop at 82 Homend and the more recently opened Apothecary. There is also a monthly stall at the Talbot Market in Knightwick and Caroline supplies local pubs and restaurants with seasonal fruit and vegetables. She is the main grower on the farm, supported by two full-time and one part-time members of staff. In the summer, she employs up to 40 fruit pickers.
Caroline Handley – the main grower
Handley Organics aim is not just planting a few fruit and vegetables in a healthier way – it is more ‘global’ than that. For Caroline, growing organically is a way of protecting human health and the environment. She says:
I strongly believe that it’s not about making a premium, it’s about wildlife, protecting our ecosystems and providing people with safe, healthy food from a trustworthy source. We work tirelessly to produce excellent crops of exceptional quality vegetables – to do this properly is hard work. It’s not just a job; it’s a whole way of life.
I am a firm advocate of local sourcing and believe that shopping locally for fresher, healthier, less-travelled food supports our local producers and shop-keepers. Buying local organic food helps people reconnect with the land, the source of their food. When you eat with the seasons you can enjoy more unusual and traditional varieties and local specialties.
The benefits of buying local, organic food are:
It’s good for the environment – less road and air transport, less packaging, less pollution and less waste.
It’s good for the local economy – keeps money in the local area, creating jobs and businesses locally and giving farmers and growers a more economic return.
It’s good for the community – making links between people in the urban area and the countryside.
It’s good for your health – fresher food with improved nutrient levels, containing fewer contaminants.
I took a look around the shop at 82 The Homend, Ledbury. There is a wonderful array of vegetables supplied by Caroline and other organic growers. She also stocks a large range of wholefoods including tinned, jarred and pre-packed foods from Suma, Essential and Infinity together with a fantastic range of herbs and spices (fresh in season) sold loose or pre-packed. She keeps a range of teas and coffees from the best and most respected suppliers and baking products from the likes of Marriages and Doves Farm. There are tasty looking cakes and pastries from local producers and pre-packed bacon, gammon and mince from Cridlan & Walker, a prominent local organic meat producer. In the chiller units I discovered milk, local cheeses, butter, fresh yeast and many other choice products, some even handmade by Caroline. Loyalty Cards are now available from the shop which offers real savings in these challenging times.
Caroline – home baking
Handley Organics used to stock a range of non-food products. Caroline had a dream of creating an ethical and organic shop selling everything from the very best in herbs and supplements through to natural remedies, organic and ethical products for hair and skin care, toiletries and make-up, essential oils for aromatherapy and massage and ethically sourced household products. In 2010 this dream was realised when she opened The Apothecary Shop, also in Ledbury’s Homend, providing a tranquil place where customers can source products and information about natural remedies and treatments for health and wellbeing. There is a cosy treatment room at the back which is used by local practitioners for a range of alternative therapies.
The Apothecary shop
So whether you are looking for wonderful tasty, life giving local food or something to make you look or feel better, Handley Organics and The Apothecary have it covered for you on the High Street in Ledbury. Caroline says:
We see ourselves as trustees of the land and everything has to be taken into account – the wildlife, conservation, human values and an ethical business style.
Ask Ant Stevens if his background is in brewing and he smiles, “It’s a long story….” But we are sitting at a small bar in the Ledbury Real Ales brewery just outside the town, got a pint and a half in front of us and time doesn’t seem a problem. What comes through the story of how he and his wife Kate have ended up here brewing delicious ales in their converted garage is a real passion for the stuff, a passion that even led him to buy and run a pub in Croydon – which taught him a lot, he says. With his inside knowledge of the industry plus a degree in Biomedical Science and Microbiology he understands the chemistry as well as the practicalities of good brewing, and of course the extensive research arduously undertaken on his travels round the globe also helps!
The beers themselves all have a lovely bright hoppy bitterness to them, a rather old-fashioned taste that I love. There are three; the classic satisfying Bitter, a lighter Gold with a smooth refreshing taste and a Dark which has an almost Guiness-like intensity but is not heavy at all. They are available at various hostelries in and around Ledbury; the Oak at Staplow, The Feathers, the Green Dragon at Bishops Frome to name but a few. It is also rumoured that Ledbury Real Ales will be the official beer for the Ox Roast in June.
Ant is proud of the fact that his beer is as local as it possibly can be, with hops from Pridewood Farm at Ashperton for the Gold, from Stocks Farm at Suckley for the Dark, with the Bitter using both. Although using local malt is difficult because of the small quantities, the Stevens hope to be able to do this further down the line. And it is good to know that Ledbury Real Ale comes in casks made by Hereford Casks, possibly the last remaining cask maker in the UK.
Ant and Kate have big ambitions for Ledbury Real Ale, but are sensible enough to know that what really matters is the taste and the consistent quality of their brew, and to allow the business side of the enterprise to develop at its own pace. Ant says that at the moment he seems to spend more time cleaning than brewing as cleanliness is absolutely critical to reproducing a consistent taste, particularly at this scale of production. But as with any excellent product, expansion is inevitable, and, driven by local demand, this year will see them going from one barrel production to six, something that many people in and around Ledbury will be very pleased to hear.
We’ve all been talking about it and it would appear that both from the customers’ point of view as well as the participating cafes and retailers The Big Breakfast was a great success. Many have reported that they could see it being a regular event, or will definitely be putting some of their breakfast ‘specialities’ on their menus in future.
Muse Cafe Muesli, Compote and Yoghurt
The general consensus is that it was a good promotional profile for the town in every way, not only showcasing the area’s strengths in locally sourced and/or produced quality food but also marketing the town’s convivial atmosphere. Friday’s and Saturdays in Ledbury have always had that lovely ‘bustle’ a market town can provide. Residents and visitors alike love its ‘timeless quality’, individuality and inclusivity. Events like The Big Breakfast press home the message………..
I managed to sample the Continental Breakfast at the Muse Café and was recommended the homemade fruit compote by a customer – delicious with muesli and yoghurt! The table was burgeoning with homemade scones, jams, breads etc plus local ham and Hereford Hop cheese – I could have eaten the lot it was so tempting. Saturday we had Eggy Bread and bacon…and one full English bap (black pudding). The waistband was showing signs of tightening so I had to stop there… Members of the Ledbury Food Group have all reported their visits to various venues over the few days, so I suspect they have had a similar experience which speaks volumes for the fare on offer!! Of course we will have to do it again…. if only for us to get round to the ones we missed!!
Now I have to give credit to Griff and the food group members who did such sterling work drumming up support from retailers between Christmas and the event. The delivery of the National Farmhouse Breakfast week posters to venues, followed by the daily dispersal of advertising leaflets, (listing the participants and their locally sourced and produced ‘specialities’) to people in the street was crucial. I’m quite sure that without that input which encouraged Ledbury vendors to partake and subsequently help raise the awareness of the public, The Big Breakfast may well have been The Small Breakfast. And for many visitors to Ledbury, if they hadn’t been aware before of those destinations itemized and what they ‘do’ in our town – they are now……..which was the object of the exercise!
PS Thank you Fran for the handling of the publicity in the local press. It’s been good to see Ledbury and the Ledbury Food Group in the the papers for the best of all possible reasons…………….
Sixty years ago, on the 2nd June 1953, Ledbury celebrated the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by holding an Ox Roast in Ledbury High Street, close to the Market House. Sixty years later, on 2nd June 2013, an Ox Roast will again be held in Ledbury, coupled with a Food and Drink Festival and entertainment.
Norman Stanier, Chairman of the Ledbury Ox Roast Committee, will explain the history and introduce a film showing the original event at Putley WI on Wednesday 13 February at 7.45pm, in Putley Parish Hall. Everyone is invited to come and hear his talk, and to see the wonderful archive footage of the original event. admission is free and refreshments (in true WI style!) will be available.
