Abergavenny 2014 - a sneak preview

September may seem a long way off, but if you are planning something as big as the Abergavenny Food Festival you are already hard at work planning and preparing.

Certainly the office was buzzing when I called by to spend some time with Chief Executive Heather Myers. With the festival heading rapidly for its 16^th Anniversary and a new team in place over the last 18 months or so, I was keen to find out what we could expect this year.

The departures of Kim Waters and Martin Orbach, key players in the development of the festival, have given an opportunity to review and plan ahead.

Foot and Mouth devastated local farming communities and businesses and the festival developed partly to refocus communities, develop business and show the resilience of farmers and the towns near which they live. Over the years it grew and grew and is now the premier food festival in the UK attracting around 30,000 visitors each year.

With the town having only 13,000 residents they are outnumbered 2:1 each year Heather recognises this and is determined to foster a sense of community - very much part of the original ethos of the event -  by finding new ways for local people to engage with the Festival .

One way is by offering a 10% discount on ticket prices to anyone with a (local) NP7 postcode. Another innovation is the introduction of the Night Market (in the Brewery Yard) this year which will start after the main festival has closed for the day and will offer street food as well as an opportunity to visit at a quieter time. Admission is free to anyone with a wristband or for a small fee without.

 The Food Festival is still a social enterprise, and as part of this remit supports the community by giving local voluntary organisations eg clubs the chance work alongside the core team on elements of logistic support such as car-parking  to help raise funds for local community benefit.  Schools in particular are heavily involved here, supplying many of the Criw who steward, assist and help both exhibitors and visitors alike.

Of the 30,000 visitors each year around 20,000 come on the Saturday so this year Sunday will be marketed as more family friendly, less crowded and more room for buggies etc.

There are also plans to help smaller and start-up businesses for whom the 2 day festival can present big problems of cost and logistics, particularly for those exhibiting fresh products such as bread. Baking all night Friday, exhibiting all day Saturday then baking overnight again to have fresh product on Sunday is a killer!

The Priory Yard has been designated for them and a special pricing structure introduced. For small Monmouthshire producers a special rate is offered again to demonstrate that the festival wants to support and help small businesses grow. This should help businesses with limited stocks and resources to exhibit on what is a recognised big stage and build for the future.

So in many ways a back to the start approach aimed at supporting the community and developing small businesses – much to be welcomed.

But it’s not all backward looking.

With Martin Orbach leaving the post of Director of Planning Joanna Busk, the editor of Fork Magazine has been drafted in and is looking to develop the festival further.

 

The Children’s Food Academy, sponsored by the Organic Centre Wales, will be housed in the Castle Grounds again but hopefully in a larger marquee and, whilst top chefs will continue to mentor the participants, the ingredients may well become more family friendly, after all we don’t all have a spare Pheasant Breast and a little Truffle Oil knocking around in the fridge.

 

The Castle will still hold the Saturday Night Party but it will become more centre stage during the day as well. Already hosting the Rude Health Rants, where some of the burning issues in food are discussed, the Festival Debate is likely to join them. Usually the Debate, which attracts some major names to discuss serious issues about food, is held at the end of the day and maybe loses a little of its importance by being peripheral to the festival rather than a main plank. Moving it to the Castle for a lunchtime start will attract a bigger audience and provide some talking points for visitors.

 With Rants both before and after the Debate the Castle will be the focus of the more serious side of the festival, but still offer a lot to see, do and eat! Enrol the children into the Food Academy, grab some lunch and enjoy the debate!

Back in the main areas it’s business as usual, over 200 stalls over several venues, Chef Demonstrations and Masterclasses. Abergavenny has a great reputation for attracting the best and this year will be better than ever. Although the full line-up has yet to be announced, it will involve leading lights of the culinary world and will be as big an attraction as ever.

 

Whilst it may be too late to influence this year’s line-up, Heather and Joanna are looking to the future and will be travelling to the Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine in May to make connections and learn what makes a new festival shoot to prominence after just one year. Expect changes to Abergavenny in the future, but building on strong traditions.

In practical terms there will be a few changes this year, but all aimed to improve the visitor and exhibitor experience.

Last year an App for the festival was introduced and proved popular, though the limited bandwidth available in Abergavenny made it quite slow. Approaches are being made to boost the bandwidth available over the festival weekend to speed things up and, whilst there will not be a dedicated App this year the website http://www.abergavennyfoodfestival.com/  is being redesigned to make mobile access easier and faster.

The website itself has undergone change too, the bright orange used in logos for years has now been supplemented with a brown ‘paper’ treatment, more in keeping with the soil from which all good food derives.

As mentioned local residents will be able to get 10% off admission prices but everyone can benefit from reduced prices as Stroller Tickets can be bought online at 2012 prices from April 7^th till August 31^st.  Saturday £8.00, Sunday £6.50, Weekend £12.00 (prices from 1 September will be: £10.00, £8.00, £15.00) and there’s Free entry to children under 16

 

Keep in touch with developments by signing up for the newsletter here http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=001qbttOa0cV5pIstewD4RdbQ==

So put the weekend of 20^th and 21^st September in your diaries and head for the UK’s best food festival. See you there!

 

 

 

Cornwall's Baking Tradition and a couple of recipes

Think of Cornwall and one of your first images will be of  a Clotted Cream Tea.

The plate piled high with scones, freshly churned butter a jar of good home-made raspberry or Strawberry Jam and a golden mountain of clotted cream waiting to crown the scone and jam.  In Cornwall the cream has to go on top, whereas Devon folk put the jam on top – more fool them as you can put much more cream on a Cornish tea!

 

 

To wash the confectionary delight down - a cup of tea, perhaps from the only tea plantation in the UK at Tregothnan or a pint of Scrumpy.

Perfection.

 

But wait a minute! The scone is a recent interloper. Traditional Cornish Teas should always have the Cornish Split as the vehicle for buttery, jammy creamy goodness.

A sweet bun, the Split has much to commend it, and as a Baker, I would rather a bread base than a cake one, even though the scone is a close first cousin to Soda Bread.

Sadly the Split has fallen out of fashion, probably because Scones are quicker to make and easier, but there is no doubt that it is the better accompaniment to the tea.

One of the few bakeries still making the traditional Split is the Chough Bakery on Padstow, right on the harbour and still independent; I used their recipe for the perfect Cornish Split.

 

Cornish Splits (makes 15)

Preheat an oven to 180c

This is a two stage recipe.

Stage 1

160g Strong Flour

25g Fresh Yeast (12.5g dried)

250g tepid water

25g Sugar

Mix the yeast, water and sugar together then whisk in the flour. Cover and stand aside. The mix will double in size then fall back as the yeast consumes the sugar. Takes about 45 minutes.

Stage 2

360g Strong Flour

60g Sugar

70g Butter

15g Milk Powder (I used 1 tbsp. full fat milk)

Pinch of Salt (Cornish Sea Salt gives a true provenance)

Mix the dry ingredients then rub in the fat. In a mixer slowly pour in the ferment whilst mixing on low speed with a dough hook until it is all absorbed. Turn speed up and mix till the dough goes shiny. Cover and leave for about 30 minutes.

Turn the dough out and fold it a couple of times then divide into 15 and shape into small rolls. Place on a greased baking tray or on one lined with Parchment Paper. Leave to double in size.

Cook the rolls for 16 minutes then tap to make sure they sound hollow. Turn onto a cooling rack and dust with Icing Sugar. Resist as long as possible then slather with Butter, Jam and Clotted Cream.

(I have also made them with Halen Mon Sea Salt with Organic Vanilla, from Anglesey. This gives an added depth of taste and remains Celtic if not strictly Cornish)

 

Another great Cornish traditional bread is Saffron Bread. Many English counties have their own fruit breads and here in Wales we have Bara Brith (Speckled Bread) whilst Ireland has Barm Brack. The defining feature here is the Saffron dating back to times when Cornwall had a thriving port business and sat at the hub of international trade.

Again I used the Chough Bakery recipe.

 

Saffron Bread Makes 1 large or 2 small loaves, 13 buns or 1 small loaf and 8 buns

2tbsp Water

Pinch of Saffron

 

575g Strong Flour

60g Castor Sugar

125g White Shortening (I used Lard)

 

25g Fresh Yeast (12.5g dried)

275g Warm Water

 

230g Mixed Fruit and Peel

Mix the saffron and 2tbsp water, heat and allow to cool.

Put all the dry ingredients into a mixer bowl, leaving the mixed fruit to one side.

Whisk the yeast water and saffron together, pour into the dry ingredients and mix for 2 minutes at low speed with a dough hook fitted. Turn up to high for another 2 minutes. When the dough is smooth and elastic add the dried fruit and mix together.

Cover and stand aside to double in size.

After the dough has risen take from the bowl, fold and shape.

A small loaf should weigh about 465g, rolls 100g each and a large loaf uses all of the mix.

Cover and leave to rise for 45 minutes or so.

Bake in a 160c oven, Rolls take 16 minutes, loaves of whatever size 30 minutes.

Turn onto a cooling rack and whilst hot glaze them in a sugar syrup made of 2tbsp Sugar dissolved in 2 tbsp. Water. This will give them a shiny, sticky glaze.

Serve cut thickly with lots of good Butter.

Of course you need great butter whether for Splits or Saffron Bread and great Cornish butter and cream, not to forget Clotted Cream is made by Roddas and, fortunately, available in supermarkets across the UK.

 

 

Incidentally, I'm fairly sure Enid Blyton's Famous Five would have enjoyed a good cream tea, or several, during their regular adventures in Cornwall, but, writing in a post war Britain where rationing was in force their teas consisted mainly of "lashings of hard boiled eggs, tomatoes and radishes" which were not on the ration book, and their tipple of Ginger Beer would have been homemade from a Ginger Beer Plant. But I am equally sure that their tea would have included Cornish Splits not Scones.

 

Two  Cornish Breads that are definitely Local and Great.

 

 

 

Cornwall's Alive and the Old Coastguard proves it

Despite a severe battering in the recent storms, and the railway line at Dawlish being severed Cornwall is still alive and still open! The A30 runs right across the county and, like Cornwall it's open for business.

Certainly there are signs of the winter battering, some shops in Newlyn have sandbags strategically placed, and the entrance to Mousehole Harbour is protected by planks to lessen the effect of any tidal surge, but the hedgerows are coming back to life and the Three Cornered Leeks - one of our native Wild Garlic plants - line many roads.

Planks protect the harbour

We popped down for a short break and had a great time!

Our base was The Old Coastguard in Mousehole, a sister to the Gurnards Head over the moor in Zennor, and the Felin Fach Griffin near Brecon. With Winter and Spring breaks available in all three, including dinner and breakfast they really are worth a visit.

Style wise they remind me of the relaxed atmosphere at Ballymaloe House, and the food has similar characteristics, not surprising as Charles Inkin trained at Ballymaloe Cookery School, and Darina Allen enjoys stays at the Old Coastguard.

Just 100 yards (genuinely!) from the centre of Mousehole the hotel has great views and a pleasant garden to sit or dine alfresco. But it's a place for all seasons and a sign says "where better to watch the wild weather than from the warmth of the lounge?"

No wild weather during our stay and seas so calm that we could see a pod of dolphins hunting fish about 20 yards off the hotel garden.

Arriving in time for lunch, but on a package that included dinner, we settled for a light lunch.

We both had a great Roast Rib of Beef. The Ballymaloe influence was clear in the vegetable accompaniment, Red Cabbage, Kale, Carrot and  Mashed Swede with a fresh Horseradish cream.These ARE seasonal vegetables, not the "Seasonal Vegetables", "Chefs Selection" or "Market Vegetables" that are on so many menus and are Carrot, Broccoli and French Beans 12 months a year. IF the chef selected them the only market that would have them a in season at the same time is the Supermarket, and the freezer section at that. A pint of the Scrumpy style Skreach Cider was an entirely appropriate drink to go with the roast.

A dessert just demanded to be eaten and we chose from the Iberian Month menu which runs through March as a special and both opted for Ice Cream with Pedro Ximinez soaked raisins. Wonderful.

Some hours later Dinner approached. An initial three kinds of freshly baked breads. was followed for me by Potted Salmon with Piccalilli (Romanesco florets instead of the more usual Cauliflower) whilst Janet went Iberian with the Charcuterie plate of Jamon Iberico

Mains were a Fish Stew with Mussels, in a rich tomato bisque for me and a whole grilled Plaice for Janet. Again the vegetables were entirely seasonal, Janet's Plaice resting under Wilted Spinach, Grilled Fennel and Brown Shrimp.

Janet finished the meal with a rich chocolate mousse whilst I had a simple vanilla ice cream.

Breakfast again showed the Ballymaloe influence, a table groaning under fresh breads, home made muesli, pastries, cereals and several home made jams, compotes, curds and marmalades. Yoghurt and milk were available to wash down the cereals and grains and toasters were available to toast your own.

The hot breakfast featured local ingredients including the Hogs Pudding - a Cornish White Pudding, made by Lenterns of Penzance and fish from Newlyn, just around the corner of the coast.

On the first day Janet opted for the Cornish Breakfast whilst I went for Kedgeree with Smoked Newlyn Haddock. The Cornish breakfast delivered hugely on taste and quality of ingredient - I had it for the second day's breakfast and was clearly sourced from good animals and butchers. The Kedgeree was the best I have had. Saffron rice with Wilted Spinach shot through. two large portions of flaky Haddock and a Poached Egg that split at the touch of a knife to send golden yolky goodness cascading through the rice.

Set up for the day we went out in search of good local ingredients to buy and take home.

Here the staff were terrific. They advised on suitable shops, the chef suggesting butchers and cheese shops, reception advising on Farm Shops and providing printed maps and routes and even locating a Farmers Market which would be open on a Tuesday and only 8 miles away - a must for our second and final morning.

Several hours of visiting shops, arranging to pick up goods the following morning and buying items that didn't need chilling such as the iconic Cornish Sea Salt led us via the moor to Zennor and the Gurnards Head, a sister to the old Coastguard.

A light lunch of Pork and Duck Rillettes, with Pickles for Janet and Gougons of Plaice with a home made Tartare Sauce for me, with a pint of Tribune Ale filled any minor gaps and we set off to complete the circuit of the peninsula, but not before Janet had a dessert of Vanilla Rice Pudding with Rhubarb and Apple Compote.

Arriving back at the hotel Janet opted for a walk along the coast whilst I sat on the balcony, admiring the view and with a mug of coffee. The Tea and Coffee tray in the room again showed the commitment to good food with a Cafitiere and locally ground coffee and Leaf Tea for those who prefer tannin to caffeine.

Our second dinner matched the first in terms of quality. After more of the delicious breads Janet had three Oysters whilst I had Porchetta style Suckling Pig.

Mains were pan roasted Pollock for Janet and Ale Braised Ox Cheek for myself. The Pollack had a glorious crisp skin and blindingly white, succulent flesh served with wilted spinach. The Ox Cheek fell apart to the touch and had a rich flavour that was almost very good barbecue in taste. We shared a bowl of Bubble and Squeak as an accompaniment.

Janet opted for an apple tart on thin crisp pastry which was well worth the 20 minutes that it took to bake from scratch, I had a single scoop of Chocolate Ice Cream which was all I could handle!

Our two night stay was wonderful and I cannot praise The Old Coastguard enough. Extremely good food, comfortable rooms and above all a friendly, caring and committed staff. If you want to visit Cornwall this is the place to stay.

It truly is Local and Great.

Some photos by Janet King, the rest and all typos, spelling and grammar is down to me.