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Tebay Services

Posted by Unknown Monday, April 28, 2014 0 comments

I'm not very keen on motorways, and dislike most motorway services. However Tebay services (just North of Junction 38 of the M6 in Cumbria) are like no other (yet), and I love stopping here.

It's run by the Dunning family, who are also local farmers. Apparently the big boys weren't interested when it was opened in 1972, and their loss is our gain.

You can get papers, drinks, sweets, and some interesting and unusual gifts.

There's a large farm shop:

With a proper butchers

where you can still get a shoulder of mutton

and some very nice beef ribs:

They can tell you exactly where their meat comes from, if it's not from their own farm.

There's bacon and sausage from Slacks of Raisbeck and Kitridding Farm:

There's smoked ham or turkey, chorizo and salami :

and Scotch eggs - including a "Vegetabularian" one, made with chickpeas, cheese, tomato, onion and garlic!

There's a nice range of pies:

How about a duck pie with plums and armagnac?

Like all good food shops, there are tasters available:

There's an interesting selection of breads from More? at Staveley, including crusty ancient baguettes, overnight bloomers,German rye bread and all sorts of sour dough:

There's a good choice of cheese:

including Cotherstone, Dewlay and Mrs Kirkhams Lancashire, Swaledale and Wensleydale:

and, from further afield, Cornish Yarg, Hereford hop, Sparkenhoe Red Leicester, as well as some nice blue cheeses:

As we're in Cumbria, how about some damson fruit cheese to go with your cheeses?

There's also fresh fruit and veg:

and some non-food items including stylish clothing as well:

If you want something to eat, the café sells home-made dishes:

using locally sourced ingredients, where possible.

In this light and airy area you can look out across the fells, or admire the ducks on the pond.

I was going to finish this post by saying I wish there was more services like Tebay. But the good news is there soon will be!

The same company are opening Gloucester Services, on the M5, on Wednesday 7th May. Unlike the big 3 (Moto, Welcome Break and RoadChef) it won't be a clone of its sister (200 miles north). It will sell local Gloucestershire food, and I can't wait to visit.

I wonder if they'll sell a copy of Schumacher's Small is Beautiful?

Tebay Services
Westmorland Place
Orton
Penrith
Cumbria
CA10 3SB

Tel: 015396 24511

Web: www.westmorland.com/farm-shops

Cardiff - Allen's Bakery

Posted by Unknown Thursday, April 17, 2014 0 comments

Allen's Bakery is exactly the sort of place I like to feature in this blog! I think I first read about it in another blog (Gourmet Gorro), and after finding they're also one of Rick Stein’s Food Heroes, I knew I had to visit this traditional bakery.

A lot of local people aren't even aware of its existence, down an alley near Roath:

but it's well worth hunting out. Follow your nose!

Inside the bakery:

there's all sorts of traditional bread and cakes. By now a queue of locals had formed, and everyone was recommending different things to buy. My wife likes the chocolate shortbread and, as it's Good Friday, we can definitely recommend the hot cross buns:

Allen's Bakery

Arran Place
Cardiff
South Glamorgan
CF24 3SA

Tel: 029 2048 1219

Web: http://www.allensbakery.com

Sheffield - Seven Hills Bakery

Posted by Unknown Tuesday, April 8, 2014 0 comments

Seven Hills Bakery started when Matina Mitchell, Laura Bullock and John Travers met at a bread making course at the School of Artisan Food, and then decided to start a bakery near Hunters Bar in Sheffield. Word has evidently got out about how good this bakery is, so I had to wait for the queue outside to go:

There's an amazing choice of bread, including batons, ciabatta, fougasse, roast potato and rosemary, soda bread, sunflower seed and wheat germ & honey:

Sour doughs include apricot and hazelnut, beetroot, fig & walnut, linseed, and raisin & fennel.

We enjoyed this red onion focaccia:

At the back of the shop there's a small café:

where you can have soup, sandwiches, toast, pizza and Monmouth coffee or leaf tea.

There's traditional cakes, like this Victoria sponge:

and lots of interesting items, like these vanilla bean buns:

which don't look anything special, but tasted really nice. We would especially recommend this orange semolina cake:

which was wonderfully moist and tasty.

If you like brioche, you'll also be well catered for. There's sour cherry and marzipan, or lemon and cardamom brioche buns:

and cinnamon brioche swirls:

There's attention to detail here, so the brownies are made with Valrhona dark chocolate.

This lemon almond and poppy seed loaf was wonderfully moist and very lemony (it also smelt lovely). It's also gluten free.

Seven Hills Bakery
129 Sharrow Vale Road
Sheffield
S11 8ZP

Web: www.sevenhillsbakery.co.uk

Oxford - Maison Blanc

Posted by Unknown Sunday, April 6, 2014 0 comments

No guide to fine food shops would be complete without a mention of Maison Blanc in Oxford.

I'm not big on "celebrity chefs", but I've always have had the highest regard for Raymond Blanc. Raymond is clearly passionate about everything he does, and loves and knows good food. Maison Blanc in Oxford is not far from Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, - a place I'd love to visit.

So, if you want a bit of affordable luxury, such as artisan breads, pastries, savouries, cakes and pâtisserie:

visit Maison Blanc!

Maison Blanc
3 Woodstock Road
Oxford
Oxfordshire
OX2 6HA

Tel: 01865 510974

Web: www.maisonblanc.co.uk

Kirkby Lonsdale - Lunesdale Bakery

Posted by Unknown Tuesday, March 11, 2014 0 comments

The Lunesdale bakery and café has been serving locals and visitors to Kirkby Lonsdale for as long as I can remember.

They make proper artisan bread. I arrived a bit late in the day, so they were beginning to run out of bread:

Their loaves include multi seed, olive bread, 100% rye bread, spelt, sundried tomato bread, and walnut & stilton bread.

There's also a nice range of cakes:

They make savoury quiches (like broccoli and brie, cheese and courgette, smoked salmon, or wild mushroom) and fruit tarts:

These pecan tarts are always popular:

and I always like Japonais cakes - which you don't see too often these days.

Lunesdale Bakery
50 Main Street
Kirkby Lonsdale
Cumbria
LA6 2AJ

Tel: 015242 71296

Web: www.facebook.com/pages/Lunesdale-Bakery/105239746233918

Darlington - Clervaux Bakery

Posted by Unknown Wednesday, February 26, 2014 0 comments

Earlier this year I'd dash home from work to watch the latest recording of Britain's Best Bakery. I'm full of admiration for bakers, and the standards in this competition have been extremely high. When I learnt that one of the entrants did fine pâtisserie, had a café and was in Darlington - I thought that'll be Robineau (one of my favourite visits last year). However I was wrong!

So I watched and learnt about the wonderful Clervaux Bakery:

The more I heard about this bakery, the more I wanted to visit.

They make a wide range of delicious artisan breads every morning and use only the very best ingredients including organic flours and local produce:

They're listed in the Real Bread Finder, their white organic tin loaves are proved overnight to make a better loaf.

They do a cheese & onion bread, and their sourdough boule uses wild yeast and is proved slowly over 24 hours to give a distinctive flavour and delicious crust:

There's also multigrain and rye, date and pecan bread and these pretty batons:

They do a good selection of rolls:

They also make delicious croissants, scones and some really nice teacakes:

They make vanilla and cinnamon palmiers:

and there's desserts like treacle tart or double chocolate brownies.

At the back of the shop:

there's an attractive café:

We were there at breakfast time, and couldn't decide whether to go for a continental breakfast:

or the full English:

Both were really nice.

If you're there at lunchtime there's light meals like this Chickpea, Panzella Salad - with chickpeas, tomato, cucumber, pepper, croutons lemon oil & balsamic:

Or salmon coconut & wild rice salad - with garlic, lime, pepper & pepper yoghurt

Or you could have a Bishops Rarebit - organic ale and caramelised onions on cheese and onion bread served with home made chutney:

Best of all, at the very back, is a viewing window:

where you can watch them making the bread and cakes:

The bakery works with the Clervaux Trust, a local charity, supporting vulnerable adults. So not only are you eating great food in a lovely setting, you're also helping to make the world a better place.

They're also getting a new name – Olivia’s Artisan Bakery and Cafe which their other bakeries (in Northallerton, Thirsk and now also Stokesley) are already using.

Clervaux Bakery
38 Coniscliffe Road
Darlington
County Durham
DL3 7RG

Tel: 01325 351879

Web: www.oliviasbakeryandcafe.co.uk