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| DUNSTALL ESTATE ENGLISH BEEF |
01 September 2008 |
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We have been looking for a worthy English successor to our Scottish beef and after a great deal of searching have finally found them.
Recently we were lucky enough to receive samples from Dunstall Estate which literally knocked the socks off our taste buds. With an outstanding depth of flavour and a melt-in-the-mouth texture it was in a class of its own. It made such a lasting impression on us that we decided to exclusively stock their beef.
Farmed in the Staffordshire hills by Simon Clarke, Dunstall Estate Beef is traditionally reared to the highest of welfare standards. Skilled stockmanship, the best animal husbandry and natural feed has resulted in extra matured beef of the finest quality, full of tenderness, flavour and succulence.
The stock is exclusively premium Charolais and south Devon cross taken from young heifers under 20 months old. Reared on a natural feed of grass, hay, root, cereals and always free from additives and hormones. Their herds are all located less than 5 miles away from the abattoir, reducing stress and keeping food miles to a minimum.
Dunstall Estate beef is extra matured in the traditional way. Hung on the bone for a minimum of 21 days, allowing the beef to naturally develop its distinct and succulent flavours.
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| NEW RANGES |
01 September 2008 |
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This month sees the return of “Patchwork Pâté” who have been creating fantastic award winning pâtés for over twenty five years.
Patchwork was established in 1982 by Margaret Carter, a talented home cook who found herself divorced with three children to look after. With a start up cost of just Ł9.00, saved from the housekeeping, she began selling her home made pâtés to pubs nearby Llangollen. As Margaret attracted more and more customers and the business successfully started to expand she moved the business from her house in 1987 to a purpose-equipped factory in the heart of Ruthin.
Despite the commercial scale today, everything is still hand-made in small batches, without artificial colouring, additives or preservatives, to Margaret’s original recipes.
The seductive French brandy laced in their classic chicken liver pâté brings a warming glow to every occasion. It’s perfect for an elegant buffet, a dinner party or to share on a quiet night. Tawny port and chicken liver pâté is topped with chopped hazelnuts, combining depth of flavour with a nutty textures and aromas. The delicious duck liver pâté, with a sublime mild duck liver taste, is embellished with apricots and further elevated with brandy. Stilton and Guinness pâté is elegant and light, the supreme complex flavours of finest blue cheese and stout dissolve and linger on the palate for hours.
We are now stocking the simply awesome range of “Jude’s” ice cream. Back in 2002, Jude`s husband decided to follow a different way of life. In a barn at his home in Hampshire he immersed himself in the subtle art of creating the finest ice cream, which he lovingly named after his wife.
He originally made them as a hobby, selling to the village pub. However, with the passing of time (admittedly not very much) the whole family joined in, and Jude`s is now enjoyed across the south east of England.
Jude`s is an all inclusive family business that strives to have a positive impact on the local community and environment. They recycle everything possible, use local suppliers to reduce food miles, and their lovely dairy staff are from the area.
Jude`s actively supports local causes, donating 10% of profits each year to charity.
Milk and cream from local cows go into their delicious ice creams. They then find the world`s finest ingredients: whether it`s Madagascan bourbon vanilla pods, elderflower from a nearby field, or Cox and Bramley apples from a friend at Hill Farm in Hampshire.
Their flavours change with the seasons, and we are currently stocking Blackberry Fool, Butterscotch Crunch, Ginger Spice and Chunky Choc.
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| SEASONAL PRODUCE |
01 September 2008 |
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Food that has been grown locally and is in season tastes better, so look out for it when you can. Climate change is extending the British season for some produce, so you have longer to enjoy homegrown fruits and vegetables. The beginning of each crop`s season will vary slightly depending on the weather in any particular year.
Starting this month are swedes, parsnips, turnips, French salsify, French celeriac, Cavolo Nero cabbage, Coxes, Russet, Bramley and Worcester Permains apples, squashes, pumpkins and maincrop potatoes.
Coming to the end of their season in August are new potatoes, plums, damsons, currants, blueberries, bobby beans, courgette flowers, corncobs and runner beans.
Now in full swing are courgettes, marrows, Hispi cabbage, broccoli, large bunched beetroots and carrots, baby bunched carrots, turnips, leeks and fennel, salad leaves, Pink Fir Apple potates, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries and outdoor rhubarb.
Note – all fruit and vegetables are English unless otherwise stated
“Glorious 12th” of August saw the start of the game season with the first shoot of wild grouse. Prices were very high, but now seem to be coming down to a more sensible level and they should be available until the first week in December. We should see the arrival of wild duck very soon and if the weather conditions are right, even Snipe. Of course squab pigeons and English quails are available all year round.
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| 100% COMMITED TO ENGLISH MEAT |
01 September 2008 |
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All of our beef, pork, lamb and chicken is now reared in England.
We have well-flavoured cuts of Dunstall Estate beef, matured on the bone for a minimum of 21 days. Farmed in the Staffordshire hills by Simon Clarke, Dunstall Estate Beef is traditionally reared to the highest of welfare standards. Skilled stockmanship, the best animal husbandry and natural feed has resulted in extra matured beef of the finest quality, full of tenderness, flavour and succulence.
Our pork comes from Plantation Pigs, who farm traditional breeds that naturally thrive out in the fields, roaming completely unrestricted within their social groups. Plantation Pigs live on GM free diets from traditionally grown crops, are fully traceable and regularly monitored. Their lifestyle produces beautiful, firm textured, juicy pork. Plantation pork is also used in our home-made sausages.
Brety farm assured lamb comes from the Falder family, who has been farming for over 100 years in the South Derbyshire hills. The stress-free environment, along with the grass based diet, gives all the right qualities to produce succulent and tender lamb.
All of our poultry is English, including our entry level barn-reared Bamham chickens. We also stock English free-range poussin, Packington free-range chicken, duck and guinea fowl, all of which have a delicious depth of flavour. Sutton Hoo organic chickens complete our range of poultry.
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| NEWS FROM THE KITCHEN |
01 September 2008 |
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We have been busy updating our range of sandwiches, pies and panibois in the kitchen and are also working on a new extenive outside catering menu which will be available in the autumn.
Ready to pop in the oven in our special wooden panibois baking dishes we have a range that includes lasagne, traditional shepherd’s pie, creamy fish pie packed to the brim with salmon, haddock and prawns, a pasta bake with herb roasted chicken breast and spinach in a rich mornay sauce and a roast butternut squash, ricotta and sage pancake gratin. Freshly made in small batches in our kitchens using the best ingredients and packed to the brim with delicious flavours.
Our range of sandwiches has always been popular so we have been very selective with our changes and left many varieties as they are. The biggest change is to the ciabatta fillings which now includes goat’s cheese, roast pepper, toasted pinenut and sunblush tomato and a delicious pastrami, Swiss cheese and dill pickle with a mustard dressing. New to our range of baguettes is coriander and lime chicken breast with Coronation dressing and ripe vine tomatoes. All of our fillings are made on the premises and many recipes have been improved to ensure the very best sandwich. We will also look to be including more seasonal choices over the coming months.
Our counter menu includes some delicious salads such as butter bean and chorizo picante in an aromatic tomato and olive oil sauce and roasted sweet potato with chilli pesto and toasted cashew nuts. Free-range Scotch eggs continue to be a favourite, as do our classic fish cakes. Other dishes include chicken breast goujons in a spicy peanut, coriander and lime tempura batter, baked salmon steaks with braised fennel and roast cherry tomatoes, butternut squash and Parmesan risotto and Plantation pork belly slowly roasted with new potatoes, pears, shallots and sage.
Our pastry range is simply diverse and includes all-butter croissants, pain au chocolat, brioche and muffins. We have a delicious range of quiche, freshly baked every day and in varying sizes. Choices include goat’s cheese & caramelised red onion, classic quiche Lorraine and spinach & feta. All quiches are made using free-range eggs and double cream. Our Tunisian cake is truly to die for and makes a great dessert or just enjoyed with an espresso. Our selection of slices includes flapjacks, chocolate & pecan brownies and a delicious `Rocky Road`. Our cup cakes are an institution and come in a variety of sizes and flavours. You can buy them individually or ready boxed if you want a selection for a party or special occasion.
Within our selection of pre-packed products you will find a diverse choice. Our sweet offering includes natural yoghurt with summer berry compote and granola, creamy lemon cheesecake, Banoffi pie or chocolate mousse filled profiteroles with a rich ganache topping. The choice of soups includes a flavoursome chicken and vegetable broth, spinach and pea and creamy butternut squash. Our dips include smoked mackerel pâté, a duo of salmon and creamy houmous.
If you are having a special meal or just want us to do a little cooking for you, let us know and you can pre-order your selection ready to collect on the required date. Why not bring in your favourite dish, let us do all the hard work and pretend you spent hours at the stove.
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| ELIZABETH KING PIES UPDATE |
01 September 2008 |
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We have recently updated our range of Elizabeth King Pies and are now making them in two sizes. We have opted for a smaller size than before which means it is great as part of a lunch pack, a snack to enjoy on its own or with creamy mashed potato for an evening meal. The larger size is designed to feed three to four people and will look great in the centre of the table on any occasion. They now come with a shortcrust base and an all butter light and flaky puff pastry lid.
With all of our pies we use the very finest meats from our Butchers, cooked long and slow until tender and moist. English Dunstall Estate chuck steak is braised in plenty of Guinness with chestnut mushrooms and thyme for four or five hours until melt-in-the-mouth tender. Boneless pieces of British barn-reared chicken are cooked with free-range dry cured ham, rosemary and a touch of cream. A classic steak and kidney pie is new to the range and is packed full to the brim with delicious flavours. We will look to add seasonal fillings to our range of pies over the coming months.
A new addition to the menu is our very own pork pie, made using Plantation free range pork. Baked until golden brown, the pastry is light and moist. The jelly is made using hack hocks braised in chicken stock, giving plenty of flavour. We will look to add a game pie and a free range turkey and ham pie in the very near future.
We continue bake in the kitchen our own flaky and mouth-watering free range pork and herb sausage roll along with a traditional Cornish pasty made the way it should be, with beef, root vegetables, salt and black pepper.
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| SEASONAL RECIPE |
31 August 2008 |
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Roast Grouse with Sage Butter and Bread Sauce
Serves 4
4 oven-ready young grouse
Few sprigs of sage, leaves finely shredded
100g salted butter, softened
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 rashers of free-range smoked bacon
Bunch of watercress, to garnish
For the bread sauce:
1 large onion, peeled
6-8 cloves
300ml whole milk
1 bay leaf
1 tsp black (or white) peppercorns
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
60g fresh white breadcrumbs
50g butter
Leaves from few sprigs of thyme
1. Start by making the bread sauce. Stud the onion with the cloves and put into a saucepan, along with the milk, bay leaf, peppercorns, and a pinch each of nutmeg and salt. Slowly bring to the boil, then remove the pan from the heat and leave to infuse for at least an hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 190C/Gas 5. Clean the grouse and pat dry inside and out with kitchen paper. Mix the sage leaves into the softened butter and season well with salt and pepper. Rub the seasoned butter all over the grouse and into the cavities. Place the birds on to a lightly oiled roasting tray, then drape the bacon slices over the breasts. Roast for 30-35 minutes, until the juices run clear when a skewer is inserted into the thickest part of the thighs. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes.
3. Strain the milk into a clean saucepan and discard the solids. Reheat gently, then stir in the breadcrumbs and butter. Be careful not to boil. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more hot milk until you’ve reached a desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in the thyme leaves.
4. Stuff a small bunch of watercress into the cavity of each grouse to garnish. Serve with the bread sauce and your choice of potatoes. Game chips are the traditional accompaniment to this delicious and moist game bird.
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| FOOD MATTERS |
01 August 2008 |
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As you are all aware the living conditions of chickens have been highlighted recently in many campaigns, with Hugh Fernley Whittingstall`s perhaps being the most high profile. We are very much supporters of high standards of animal welfare and our range of chickens in our butchers reflect this.
We now stock three grades of chicken and do not sell cadged birds of any description. Our entry grade Banham hens are covered by the RSPCA Freedom Foods and Red Tractor mark and are reared in large barns with plenty of room to move around. We also have Banham free range chickens which sit alongside our Packington poultry free range birds. Finally, we stock a Sutton Hoo organic chicken which is packed full of flavour.
Check out our links for Hugh’s website and add your support to an important campaign.
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| COLSTON BASSETT STILTON |
01 August 2008 |
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| Colston Bassett are one of the smallest Stilton Dairies in the country. They buy milk from 5 farms surrounding the dairy. They have been buying from the same farms since the 1920s. Since 1920, there have only been 4 head cheesemakers at Colston Bassett: Tom Coy, Ernie Wagstaff, Richard Rowlett and this year Billy Kevan took over. Their Stilton is more traditional than any other. The curd is hand-ladled before draining. This treats the curd more gently and preserves its structure which results in a luscious, creamy texture when the cheeses are mature. The cheeses they make for us are made with traditional animal rennet rather than vegetable rennet. Animal rennet is used by the most exacting cheesemakers because it makes better cheese. With Colston Bassett Stilton, the texture is more full-bodied when made with animal rennet and the flavour is deeper, more complex and longer lasting than that of cheeses made with vegetable rennet. |
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| DELICATESSEN MEAT RANGE |
01 August 2008 |
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We continue to stock our popular range of packaged meats in the delicatessen, all prepared in Elizabeth King Butchers located next door to the delicatessen.
A number of standard products are on offer such as chicken breasts, roasting joints, our free range sausage selection, lamb cutlets and rib-eye steaks. In addition to this range, we have developed a number of items, ready-to-cook. Currently the choice includes chicken breasts wrapped in Prosciutto, filled with Mozzarella and pesto, chicken Kiev with a delicious garlic and herb butter, Bretby lamb rack with a herb and toasted pinenut crust, lamb cutlets in a zesty lemon, garlic and rosemary glaze, chicken pieces in a Moroccan chermoula marinade, meaty Plantation pork ribs in Chinese flavours and scored chicken breasts coated in Peri Peri spices. Our burgers made from Scottish chuck steak, salt and cracked black pepper will compliment any BBQ menu you chose from our marinated meats range.
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| CHEFS TIPS |
01 July 2008 |
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Freezing ginger - cut into the ‘bulb’ shaped pieces which naturally occur, then remove the skin with a peeler. Place in an air-tight container or a plastic bag and put in the freezer. When you require ginger for a recipe, simply grate from frozen and then return to the freezer until required again. This method minimizes waste considerably.
Caramelised onion - onions are good to buy in bulk and cook slowly when you are at home for a couple of hours. Peel and finely shred your onions, then pour a good glug of olive oil into a heavy based saucepan. Tip in the onions and stir occasionally over a very low flame or use a heat diffuser if you have one. The intention is to soften the onions until they are melting soft without colouring. After two hours, remove from the heat and allow to cool. Place the onions in an ice cube tray, with a flexible one being the most suitable. Put in the freezer and when required, pop out the amount of caramelised onion you need. Great mixed into a sauce to make onion gravy, placed in a tart base to make Stilton and caramelised onion tart and also spread on pizza dough, topped with salted anchovies and olives for delicious Pissaladiere.
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