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Shrewsbury - HEFF Local Food Store

Posted by Unknown Saturday, March 22, 2014 0 comments

I am full of admiration for Heart of England Fine Foods (HEFF), our local regional food group. They do a fantastic job promoting and supporting the sorts of business I like to feature in this blog.

Last year I was rather disappointed when I heard their Savour the Flavour Local Food Store at Battlefield was to close, but this turned out to be good news - as they've now got a bigger (and better) shop at Shrewsbury College:

Today was a particularly good day to visit, as there were lots of their suppliers present, offering samples:

A lot of the stuff here you wont find in a supermarket. There's a lot of award winning produce from small independent producers.

There's fresh dairy products like Tiresford Guernsey Gold yoghurt:

and local free-range eggs from Hollowdene Hens:

There's an interesting selection of cheeses, like Shropshire Blue or Hereford Hop:

and quite a range of pickles to go with them. I tried quite a few different chilli jams, from Jumokeh:

Their Chilli Jam with Vanilla Pod is apparently good with cheesecake, apple pie & custard, ice-cream, sticky toffee pudding or bread & butter pudding.

Talking of ice-cream they sell may favourite - from Just Rachel in Ledbury:

Flavours include Damson & Sloe Gin, Ginger, Lemon with Lemon Curd and Salted Caramel.

There's great nuts and granola from the Ludlow Nut Company:

and cakes from Sugar n Spice

Suppliers of drinks include the wonderful Hobson's Brewery in Cleobury Mortimer:

which reminds me, I must visit Hobson's new visitors centre.

If you're visiting friends, it's a great place to pick up a gift where they'll say "wow" rather than "oh"!

Chocolate lovers are particularly well catered for:

with chocolate from Louis Barnett, Sue Gilmour and Nova Chocolates.

Not everything is food and drink - there's some nice books, and I bought some potato-bakers from Thinking Cooking:

which allow you to cook crispy baked potatoes - similar to those slow oven-cooked potatoes - in a microwave, fast.

The staff are friendly and helpful - I think they've tried and tested everything they sell (I wonder if they have any vacancies)!

They also share the college's Origins Restaurant, which on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays becomes HEFF's Taste Kitchen:

I'd already had breakfast, but couldn't resist ordering this:

I can't wait to go back!

Local Food Store

Shrewsbury College

London Road

Shrewsbury, Shropshire

SY2 6PR

Tel: 01743 452818

Email: shop@heff.co.uk

Web: www.heff.co.uk/pages/FOODIE/Buying-Local-Food/LOCAL-FOOD-STORE.htm

Ludlow Cicchetti

Posted by Unknown Monday, December 23, 2013 0 comments

If you don't understand why Ludlow is one of may favourite places in the world, I can only guess that you've never been! Another of my favourite places is Venice where, when you need a rest from the amazing architecture etc., you can relax in a bàcari and have something to eat and drink. Cicchetti is like the Spanish tapas, but better (in my humble opinion). You can have a little plate as a snack, or lots of different plates to make a meal.

So when I heard that chef Martyn Emsen, and his wife Jayne, had opened Ludlow Cicchetti at the top of Broad Street, I couldn't get there fast enough!

Martyn has already had a mention in this blog, as he owns Ludlow Traditional Smokehouse. Amongst other things, he makes the most amazing hot smoked trout pâté and smoked salmon pâté.

Inside the shop:

you'll find all manner of Italian food and drink. There's extra virgin olive oil and superior balsamic vinegars, and mostarda di frutta (candied fruit in a mustard flavoured syrup).

There's great attention to detail here, Martyn (pictured at the top of this post) is passionate about where he sources his food. Meat is cut with a hand turned slicer, so that he can control the speed the blade turns, so it doesn't melt the fat.

You can sit down and have something to eat:

like Bruschetta - with their own goat's cheese ricotta, white truffle honey, Mozzarella Bocconcini, chilli, basil, mint, mixed mushrooms, 24 month Parmesan (served warm), smoked salmon or prosciutto, scrambled egg, fruit toast, honey berries and ricotta salata.

To drink you can have a ristretto, a Bellini (Prosecco and peach purée), and I'm struggling to think of anywhere else where I can get a glass of Italian wine for just £2.30! If you prefer to keep it local, you could have marmalade or rhubarb vodka form Chase Distillery.

I love the way this place has been decorated - a sign on the wall says "small plates, large conversations". It's a great place to chill out this Christmas and enjoy the crazy mixture of very local and very Italian food.

Ludlow Cicchetti
10 Broad Street
Ludlow
Shropshire
SY8 1NG

Tel: 07890 412873

Shrewsbury - Pomona Grocery

Posted by Unknown Sunday, July 7, 2013 0 comments

Shrewsbury is a lovely town, we frequently take the train to do our shopping there. As you come out of the station there's a beautiful walk up the hill, by the castle to the town centre. We usually stop at the Shrewsbury Bakehouse and Shrewsbury Coffee House (who serve Has Bean coffee). and just a few yards up the road is Pomona Grocery:

It's a lovely shop, which specialises in local and organic foods where possible.

They're big on what's in season here, and often have fruit and veg that's hard to get elsewhere. Earlier this year they were selling fresh 'wet' garlic, which is milder and sweeter than stored garlic.

They were at the first ever Shrewsbury Food Festival last week, with a stunning display:

They also sell speciality items, that are hard to get elsewhere, and wholefoods:

There must be a Sheffield influence here, because they sell Henderson's Yorkshire relish (see here if you don't know what that is).

There's all sorts of other things in this packed shop, like quirky and retro confectionery. Having gone in to get some onions you may find you've also bought some chilli or lavender plants or a pretty mug!

I always enjoy going in, as I never know what I'm going to find next!

Pomona Grocery

1-2 Castle Gates
Shrewsbury
Shropshire
SY1 2AQ

Tel: 01743 366660

Web: www.facebook.com/pages/Pomona-Grocery/106858282756713

Cleobury Mortimer - Carrot Tops

Posted by Unknown Wednesday, January 9, 2013 0 comments

The lovely town of Cleobury Mortimer, in South Shropshire, was one of the first places to be mentioned in this blog. Since writing that piece both Copes and Hems butchers have closed down, as has Courtneys Deli, and Brown's - which was a great bakery.

However it's not all bad news in Cleobury. Bowketts have opened a shop and the Cleobury Cafe sells Ashley's bread and cakes, and across the road the Crusty Cob sells Reg May's fantastic pork pies and Richard Swift's wonderful bread.

One of my favourite new businesses is Rachel Siddall's Carrot Tops:

They source locally from over twenty different suppliers. The produce is always fresh and every time I go in I find something new! The latest thing is Carrot Top's Jonagold Apple Juice and Conference Pear Juice:

which is produced by Mannings Juice in Bromyard. We've tried them both and they're delicious.

They've recently enlarged the shop. At the back you'll find delicious dried fruit and nuts, luxury muesli and porridge mixes,from the Ludlow Nut Company.

I particularly like looking in their fridge!

There's unusual cheeses, brawn, Shropshire pork, pastrami, mixed salami from Clun Valley Foods and fantastic charcuterie from Forest Pigs (who I visited last Summer).

They'll also make you a hamper:

and if you're in the area they'll even deliver to your door.

There's also Mawley Milk, Netherend Farm Butter and Saddlers Barn Farm Eggs and Bagginswood Preserves and much more besides.

Carrot Tops

28 High Street
Cleobury Mortimer
Worcestershire
DY14 8DQ

Tel: 01299 272886

Web: www.carrottops.info

Local to Ludlow

Posted by Unknown Saturday, July 28, 2012 0 comments

Ludlow has had numerous mentions in this blog already, it's in a lovely area full of artisan food producers. Local to Ludlow organises the Ludlow Local Produce Market and promotes food and drink produced within 30 miles of the town. This weekend it's organised Get Closer Open Days - an opportunity to visit some of these producers (some of which are not normally open to the public).

My first visit was to Forest Pig Charcuterie. It was great to see pigs wallowing:

Jeremy and Sally Levell only raise a small number of rare breed pigs, like these large blacks:

The older pigs live in the Wyre Forest and I believe have very happy lives.

We learnt how they made their fantastic salami:

with fantastic flavours like Fennel and Spiced walnut:

Their air dried pork loin cured with black pepper and juniper berry:

is (in my opinion) better than the finest Parma or Serrano ham. They're not normally open to the public, but you can buy from shops featured in this blog (see here for details) or online.

Forest Pig Charcuterie

Web: www.forestpig.com

My next visit was to Kim and Rob Hurst's The Cottage Herbery, another business not normally open to the public - apart from special events:

I'd heard Kim talk about herbs, and their culinary uses, some years ago at Ludlow Food Festival.

She's very knowledgeable and enjoys finding and growing rare and unusual plants like African blue basil, buckler leaf sorrel and myoga ginger.

I bought some Good King Henry:

Which is a cut and come again perennial spinach type herb, which once was more widely grown. Kim told me the flowers are also eddible and could be an alternative to asparagus.

I'm going to grow their cut and come again salad leaf mix:

with Greek cress, curled and French parsley, tree spinach, chervil, corn salad, 2 sorts of rocket, bulls blood beet and other baby salad leaves besides.

You'll think ordinary strawberries are tasteless, after trying their wild strawberries:

Kim's enthusiasm is infectious so I ended up buying quite a few other plants!

The Cottage Herbery

Web: www.thecottageherbery.co.uk

Augernik Fruit Farm is at Hopton Wafers, - a South Shropshire village where I worked on a farm for a year as a teenager.

The Auger family produce fruit and nuts without any artificial inputs or chemicals so their produce may not win awards in supermarket beauty contests, but does taste good.

Sadly the cherries were over, but they had plenty of gooseberries and I picked some blueberries

to go with my gooseberries.

Augernik Fruit Farm

Hopton Wafers

Cleobury Mortimer

Kidderminster

Shropshire

DY14 0HH

Web: www.augernikfruitfarm.co.uk

My final visit was to Mahorall Farm Cider:

Your sat nav is unlikely to find this farm, so check here for details on how to get there.

Their cider is made from 100% pure apple juice and fermented by wild natural yeast. You can buy their cider from the barrel or in bottles:

They're keen on conservation on this farm and there's also a nature trail on the farm.

Mahorall Farm Cider

Nash

Ludlow

Shropshire

SY8 3AH

Tel: 01584 890296

Mobile: 07977811626

Web: www.farmcider.co.uk

I really enjoyed this event, and was sorry that I couldn't visit all 21 venues. It's great to meet the producers, who are all clearly passionate about what they do, and taste and buy their fantastic produce.

Web: www.localtoludlow.org.uk/opendays