Faversham's Foodie Heaven

A family function in Kent and the need to source and prep ingredients for a major cooking episode (more of which in a later blog), left me with a dilemma – Where to find the ingredients I needed, at the quality and provenance that was required?

Fortunately for me on the way home, and a favourite destination for my Parents was Macknade, a farm shop just of the M2 in Faversham. Annoyingly the sign posting for the shop is a brown tourist sign to a “Craft Centre”. Sure there is one there but it is much smaller than the un-advertised Farm Shop, Fishmonger and Wine centre.

On arrival a large low red brick former farm building awaits. Step through the door and an Aladdin’s cave awaits.

Part Farm Shop, part high class deli, part food emporium Macnade is a foodie’s heaven.

There is a long history to the farm, the 1st Fredrick Neame (think Sheppard Neame Britain’s oldest Brewer and Faversham based) started to farm traditional Kentish crops, such as apples, pears and hops, in 1847. Macknade was a magnet to thousands of East Enders who came to Kent to pick Hops in season and had a good reputation as both producer and employer.

 In 1979 Renato Cuomo developed a market garden, to grow courgette flowers, mangetout and purple raspberries.

The Original Farm Shop was called Fir Tree Farm and was a simple tent in 20 hectares of Pick Your Own. As demand grew a large shed was built as a replacement and the range of goods expanded, Macknade think that many people had their first experience of Mangetout, Courgette Flowers and Yellow or Purple Raspberries there.

Today it has moved on further and offers brilliant local produce as well as top quality imported goods.

A range of fresh potted herbs greets you and inside a fresh bakery counter offers organic breads, sourdoughs, continental breads and pastries with a small oven constantly making fresh artisan breads – it could not be further removed from a Supermarket Bakery Section.

A table has special offers on it – today’s was a big box of local tomatoes for £4.50. It had to be snapped up and will provide sauces for pasta and Ratatouille as well as some sauce to be frozen and tomatoes to be frozen whole for a little summer sun in winter.

Good dairy included un-homogenised milk, fresh local creams and crème Fraiche, cheeses, yoghurts and butters. Hard to fault, then on to good local bacons, sausages and hams as well as a range of continental meats - though not as many as the main Delicatessen section.

Finally in the chillers Salad Leaves. I needed some good quality leaves to give a strong and slightly bitter counterpoint to a dish that I planned and with Frisee, Watercress, Land Cress and Lambs Lettuce I was not to be disappointed. All found their way into the trolley along with some rather fine looking Golden Enoki mushrooms, visions of omelettes with a butter-fried Enoki filling and garnish sprang instantly to mind.

Huge shelves of fruit and vegetables were tempting; much of it very local and with three types of Aubergine, several types of Courgette, huge Banana Shallots, Green White and Red Onions, trays of fresh beans and carrots, potatoes brassicas and salad vegetables menu planning was a cinch. Again I loaded up and moved on.

A good range of traditional flours would have kept any home or artisan baker happy whilst for the starter in baking good ready mixes were available. I settled on a large bag of Shipton Mill Organic Flour and, just to try it a Sourdough mix. I make Sourdough and do not begrudge the time taken in the least but culinary curiosity made me buy the mix – can it possibly match the real thing?

Asian and European flours formed the next section along with spices and spice blends, whilst Rices finished the little area. A bag of Paella Rice crept into the trolley, partly because a large Paella Pan at a bargain price was on display and promptly snaffled. (This may have relevance to another future blog post, but my lips are sealed – possibly contractually!).

A quick break for coffee, a Double Espresso for me and a pre-11am Cappuccino for the long suffering Mrs K, and we hit the final leg the Delicatessen. (I had already decided not to enter the enticing world of Wines, Beers and Soft Drinks and to ignore (nobly) the cakes, biscuits, chocolates and exotic fruits in brandy or other alcoholically infused syrups.

The large Meat counter had all the usual hams, though these were local, sausages and chorizos, salamis and kabana’s all of great quality For my Welsh readers I was pleased to see, and purchased Cardiff based Franco Gorno's Pastrami and Salt beef whilst two types of cooking chorizo – Smoked and Green- made up the final purchases from that counter.

The cheeses would not have disgraced a dedicated Cheesemonger and offered a range of British, Irish and continental types from Ireland’s great Coolea to Gorgonzola and its younger relative Dolce latté, hard and soft French and German Cheeses, Manchego from Spain and several maturities of Gouda. It was again great to see many Kentish and Sussex cheeses, from hard mature Cheddars to the UK version of Parmesan, soft Brie or Camembert styles, Blues of varying vintages and strengths and all available to taste.

To be honest I could have stayed all day but time and my budget were pressing and I headed off to the car pausing only for Mrs K to slip a few punnets of Raspberries and Strawberries into the trolley “Well you can’t come to Kent and not buy local fruit” she stated – luckily for my straightened circumstances she forgot that there was brilliant Organic Double Cream back in Dairy.

Car loaded we headed off but one thing is certain, As Arnold Schwarzenegger said “I’ll be back”.

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Brilliant Bloggers

Blogging has been somewhat disrupted by the arrival of my grandchildren for their annual holiday, though cooking with them has provided some good stuff for a future blog.

 However I am back in the groove and would like to start with a couple of bloggers whom I admire and follow.

Both are so much more than mere bloggers, both are inspirational and both also have regularly published newspaper columns, and have written books.

First up is Mona Wise who blogs as Wise Words.

Mona is a Galway girl, well Claregalway to be precise, and provides a running commentary on family life, good seasonal foods and restaurant reviews. But Mona is so much more besides.

She recently commenced a degree in Creative Writing and, as part of her course work had to produce a major piece of writing. Throwing herself into the project Mona wrote and published her first book in an amazing 24 weeks, thus meeting the university deadline and earning a distinction to carry forward in the quest for her degree.

I first came across her when researching recipes for a Buttermilk plant and Google turned up her blog http://www.wisewords.ie/ . I was captivated by the writing style and rapidly added Wise Words to my favourites bar and followed her on Twitter (@WiseMona). In her own words “She writes, he cooks, the kids make a huge mess”. Mona writes about life as it happens and with a chef as a husband and an extended American Irish family there is a lot of cooking going on.

The Chef and I (a nourishing narrative) is the first book, I say first as Mona plans a trilogy and covers her emigration to the states, meeting and marrying Ron, establishing a restaurant, building her family and eventual return to Ireland. The writing style is entertaining and involving, often pulling the heartstrings, and to use a cliché “unputdownable”.

The second part of the book is a series of recipes from Ron, all very manageable and using good ingredients in a sensitive way to make the most of them.

The recipes are so good that Ron and Mona have a regular column in the Irish Sunday Times and- for those who cannot get it- they also appear on the blog.

I was gutted that I could not attend the book launch in Galway in May, the simple logistics of travel prevented me, but the book is one of my most treasured. Describing her studies Mona says that she was told to “find your voice”, in The Chef and I she certainly has found her voice and it calls to many of us.

The second blogger is a new entrant to the blogosphere but one that is well worth a follow, I am amazed that it has taken so long but, given her incredibly busy life I am not altogether surprised.

She is a personal inspiration, a legend in culinary circles, author, brilliant teacher and principal ofBallymaloe Cookery School , government advisor, President of Slow Food, Forager and all round star – Darina Allen.

With a number of great books behind her, and a regular column in the Weekend section of the Irish Examiner, TV and Radio appearances- both this side of the Atlantic and the other- Darina has taught many of today’s top chefs (think Rachel Allen, Thomasina Myers, Clodagh McKenna, Catherine Fulvio, James Ramsden, Lilly Higins) and has much to say not just about cooking but ingredients, the environment, supply chains and farming.

Well worth a read and, as the subjects of her first few blogs have been foraging and eating sea urchins on Inis Mean, edible tarantulas in Phnom Pen, Fluffy Chicks and Cookery books written by Ballymaloe Graduates.

Darina genuinely is an inspiration and you should definitely follow her blog http://darinaallen.blogspot.ie/

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Local and Great Live - the delayed preview

I really do believe that small strong local food producers and businesses are the way forward. By eating locally sustainably and seasonally we can reduce carbon footprints, lower food miles and support local economies and communities. Oh yes and heat a better, healthier diet!

This blog is a celebration of all of the above and concentrates on great producers and the benefits that accrue to our communities.

I was delighted, therefore, to be invited to run a session on Local and Great foods at Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff, and even more pleased to learn that I would share the stage with Alun Davies the Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and European Programme.

Amongst Alun’s responsibilities are:
Promotion of Welsh Farming and Food businesses
Rural development and European Funding
Agriculture
So who better to share a platform with?

Strenghtening rural communities and economies is vital for the continued development of the verall economy and retaining the money where it is generated. It is estimated that of every £1 spent locally 75p stays in the locality. Spend that £ in a supermarket and only 45p remains, buy online and the net retention is negligable,

Strong producers with strong local markets and producer networks are an essential.

Not only do they generate income but they provide real local jobs not just part-time minimum wage shelf-stacking or check out jobs.

So how do you illustrate this?

For me this was a simple question to answer and I headed off to Trealy Farm to collect some goodies for the demo.

Trealy make great award winning charcuterie, multi Great and True Taste winners they also sit at the centre of some local producer networks. Though a lot of their meats are home raised they also use local farms which meet their standards to ensure a consistent supply of high quality meats.

Some of their meats require smoking and here they are helped by Jo and Jonathon Carthew of Black Mountain Smokery who also smoke Blaenafon Cheddar for Susan Fiandr-Woodhouse. In addition to a range of smoked or flavoured cheddars Sue also produces Abergavenny Goat Cheese.

So armed with a good range of meats, Lamb,Pork, Beef and Venison all featured , and including a special Venison Kabano Style sausage developed for the Olympic Village, I headed for home and the production of some additional goodies.

First up a Smoked Salmon Quiche using Black Mountain Smoked Salmon, local organic eggs and Green Saffron Cubeb Pepper. This would certainly satisfy any pescatarians in the audience and for te vegetarians a Goat Cheese, Tomato and Spring Onion Tart using Sue's Cheese and vegetables from Ty Mawr Organics and Whitebrook Organics, with a light sprinkle of Halen Mon Sea Salt to finish and add a texture.

So lots of savouries but I needed something sweet as well.

Luckily I had recently been gicven the starter for a German Friendship Cake which would fit the bill relly well, and re-branded as a Community Cake would also fit the ethos of developing food communties.

A swift ferment and bake later the finished article was ready to roll!

The Community  Cake Instructions

A sourdough cake. It’s supposed to sit on your worktop for 10 days without a lid on.

You CANNOT put it in the fridge or it will die. If it stops bubbling, it is dead.

Day

1. You get a starter and put it in a large mixing bowl and cover loosely with a tea towel.
2. Stir well
3. Stir well
4. Add 1 cup each of plain flour, sugar and milk. Stir well.
5. Stir well
6. Stir well
7. Stir well
8. Stir well
9.  Add the same as day 4 and stir well. Divide into 4 equal portions, one to bake, one as a new starter and two to give away to friends with a copy of these instructions.
10. Starter is very hungry. Stir well and add the following:

1 cup sugar

• half tsp. (teaspoon) salt
• 2 cups plain flour
• 2/3 (two thirds) cup of cooking oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla essence
• 2 cooking apples cut into chunks
• 1 cup raisins
• 2 heaped tsp. cinnamon
• 2 heaped tsp. baking powder

Mix everything together and put into a large greased baking tin. Sprinkle with a quarter of a cup of brown sugar and a quarter of a cup of melted butter. Bake for 45 minutes at 170-180C.

The batter will be very thick but don’t worry, the melted butter will filter through as the cake rises and you will have a lovely light moist cake!

 When cold cut into finger pieces. Cake freezes well and is also delicious warm with cream or ice-cream.

If you don’t get given a starter no worries they are very easy to make.

In a large bowl mix together

1 cup of plain flour

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of milk

Cover with a tea towel

Starter Made!

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Hiraeth At Felin Fach Griffin

An intriguing tweet, from Julie at the Felin Fach Griffin, meant a slight adjustment to our planned morning at Brecon Farmers Market. Instead of meeting fellow blogger Gomez Adams (Corpulent Capers Blog) to shop and then head for coffee we headed straight to The Hours café to meet Julie who “might have a little something to tell you”

Arriving first we grabbed fortifying double espressos and waited for the others.

Mark (Gomez) had barely settled into his cappuccino – despite it being after 11 and therefore not acceptable in Italy – when Julie and Max the Felin Fach Dog arrived.

The little something that Julie had mentioned turned out to be a big and very exciting something indeed and we were the first to learn of it!

The Felin Fach Griffin are planning a one evening food and music festival on 7^th September from 6 till late!

Entitled “Hiraeth” which has no direct Welsh-English translation but means longing, homesickness, nostalgia and yearning has a very direct context of place, and it is place that lies at the heart of this one evening festival.

Most exciting was that it would be a "Field to Fork Production with a Musical Finale"

All of the activities, foods and drinks will have a direct connection to the Felin Fach Griffin and the garden in particular.

First the drinks that you would expect to be associated with a pub. Wines will come from Ancre Hill the Monmouthshire vineyard famed for their award winning sparkling whites made by the method champaignoise. Pip’s Cider will be available as it is every day in the pub and beers will come from Brecon Brewing and Waen.

Both Brewers have a good range of beers with Brecon having some seasonal ales including Six Nations – only available during the International Rugby tournament, and Merry Cwrw-istmas a cunning bilingual pun!

So where’s the link to the garden?

Both brewers will be making special festival beers incorporating ingredients from the garden in their flavouring. A Brew Off  between the ales will take place on the night with drinkers voting for their favourite! Just to ensure that you try both the admission price will include a voucher for ½ pint of each and you drop the voucher into a box of your preference.

Food on the night will come from the pub’s award winning chefs and incorporate ingredient from both the garden and Penpont Organics who supply vegetables to the kitchen. Meats will come from the regular suppliers and there could well be a butchery demonstration to boot, whilst there will be a large input from Black Mountain Smokery.

The award winning Talgarth Mill are also involved and may be producing a festival flour especially, but will certainly be providing the basis for rolls, tarts and cakes.

All of the foods on the evening will be cooked over either wood or charcoal and are all included in the admission price.

And if you are feeling full of good food and drink you can work off some of it by dancing! Several bands and artists are lined up including Johnny Crow’s Garden band led by the Griffin’s own Head Gardener!

A full range of demonstrations and talks are planned and for children there will be a wild life nature trail (adults can forage) and vegetable art.

Admission will be by ticket only at £20 for adults and £12.50 for children but with the food and some drinks included that looks an absolute bargain.

To get your ticket ring  01874 620 111.

See you at the Felin Fach Griffin on Friday 7^th September!

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Abergavenny Food Festival -The Excitement Mounts

The countdown has begun. At 9:30 this morning the box office for the Abergavenny Food Festival went live! As usual I was waiting with phone and card in hand though not counting down as per Euro2012.

Thanks to a subscription to Fork Magazine I had received the programme some weeks earlier and had time to plan my two day experience.

In addition to the 200 plus stalls there are a range of Tastings, Master classes, Food Talks, Book signings, Chef demos and foraging opportunities, a real cornucopia of choice. This year’s really big hitters have to be Richard Berthinet, Atul Kochar, Yotam Ottolenghi, Claudia Roden and Pierre Koffman so demand for tickets for their events will sell out rapidly.

 If you feel brave enough the scary Monica Galetti is running a master class and I am sure she is a lovely person in life and not at all like her television image!

I will be going to Atul Kochar’s “Curries of the World” master class on the Sunday. Having loved his food at Corrigan’s – tasting menu by Atul and Arun Kapil of Green Saffron – I really want to find out more and, short of a spell in his kitchen at Benares where better?

The other master class that I will attend is Tom Parker Bowles, Matt Tebbutt and Matthew Fort on the Saturday cooking recipes from Tom’s new book –Let’s Eat. Two years ago they put on a totally entertaining 45 minutes, the highlight of which had to be overheating chillis to the extent that a wave of chilli hot smoke rolled down the room reducing the audience to tears as if they had been gassed by Chinese Riot Police. Though a repeat is not hoped for the three have a chemistry that sparkles.

I shall, however, start on Saturday morning with Raw Milk 2. A tutored tasting. Last year Abergavenny Food Festival hosted the world’s first Raw Milk tasting, despite concerns raised by some over letting the public taste the stuff as nature intended. What was clear was that Raw Milk tasted a lot better than pasteurised and infinitely better than a certain “Triple Filtered” brand. The same held true for creams and butters. This year will be a taste off between unpasteurised milks, creams and butters from Jersey, Guernsey, Friesian and Shorthorn herds, with the audience determining the winner.

Just one other ticketed session is on my agenda (at the minute) Scott Davis from Cnwd leading us through the Gourmet Harvest of West Wales and, having enjoyed his Smoked Sewin from Riverside Market, this is  a must for me.

Beyond that there are new tastes to try, old friends to meet, Chef Demos to see and purchasing plans to be drawn up. You can’t do everything in a day so two days is the only realistic option and they will be two full days!

Most of Wales True Taste ward winners will be there including local producers such as Trealy Farm, Ty Mawr Organics,and Black Mountain Smokery. Otley Brewing will run the Blorenge Bar and a burgeoning Fringe Festival is developing year by year.

So get there! You can order weekend wristbands on line or by phone on 01873 858805 and get tickets for the talks master classes and tastings the same way. Whatever else happens on September 15^th and 16^th Abergavenny Food Festival is the only place to be.

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