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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

Kington - George's Deli

Posted by Unknown Tuesday, August 20, 2013 0 comments

Good food shops, are like buses, often 3 come at once! George's deli is my third Kington business, and is opposite the Grapevine. It's a fascinating and quirky shop, selling nice things you can't easily get anywhere else.

I'm not sure why there were tributes to Haliax RLFC in this part of Herefordshire, and George turned out to be a cuddly toy (and not the owner). George was out on the day I called, no doubt visiting some of the local attractions.

There's too many things on sale here to list:

in this relatively small shop, but a special mention must go to the cheese counter, at the back of the shop.

There's a nice selection of cheese, including local, and sheep's cheese, but the helpful owner persuaded me to try some cheese from Doddington Dairy in the Cheviots and I was very glad I did. I asked him if Wallace (see first picture) was on the Taleggio, and not Wensleydale, but apparently he uses his ladder to move around and try different cheeses!

They also sell nice bread, like this: seeded wholemeal and French style country loaf:

To wash it all down they sell sell organic cider and perry from Dunkertons (7 miles away near Pembridge). If you prefer your cider and perry from Wales they sell this Ralph's (from the delightfully sounding Old Badlands Farm, which is 8 miles the other way, just over the border in Wales):

George's Delicatessen

25 High Street
Kington
Herefordshire
HR5 3AX

Tel: 01544 231400

Kington - The Grapevine

Posted by Unknown Saturday, August 10, 2013 0 comments

I love British cherries, and this year has been a great year for them. The boxes above were outside the Grapevine - a wonderful shop in Kington, which is a lovely historic market town.

Despite being to the west of Offa's Dike, Kington is actually situated in Herefordshire. It's near to Hergest Ridge, which Mike Oldfield made famous in the 1970s.

I had quite a job getting an unobstructed picture of the outside of the Grapevine :

as everyone who walked past this shop would stop, and look at the beautiful produce, and then go in. I'm not sure whether to describe this shop as a greengrocer, a fishmonger or delicatessen, - it does all three. They specialise in organic produce and also sell game when in season.

The displays of veg were stunning:

Much of the produce is very local, including these cherries.

A local supermarket was boasting "half price cherries", at the Grapevine they were a fraction of that cost (and better tasting).

Inside the shop they sold Welsh crabs and lobsters, I got there later than I intended and the lady in front bought the last one. I'll get there earlier next time!

The Grapevine
31 High Street
Kington
HR5 3BJ

Tel: 01544 231202

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

Barnard Castle - Cross Lanes Organic Farm

Posted by Unknown Wednesday, May 15, 2013 0 comments

I was on holiday in Durham, and got talking to the chef at the hotel restaurant where I was staying. As the restaurant was keen on sourcing local food, I asked the chef if he could recommend any good farm shops in the area. Without hesitating, he suggested I go to Cross Lanes Organic Farm near Barnard Castle.

Peter Coverdale is a highly respected stone mason, who with his wife Sue, decided to open an organic farm shop, café and horticultural centre. It has only been open for about a year, but has already won numerous awards.

It's been stylish designed, and with a lot of thought paid to environmental issues. You may notice old pews for seats

and even shelves made from recycled old tractor tyres!

The roof is green - it's a living roof, with sedum and meadow turf and around 25 varieties of wild flower and grasses. Even the toilets are green - there's an outdoor composting toilet with a Whitby heather thatched roof

The excellent butchers sell grass fed shorthorn beef (and dripping) comes from the farm next door

and other meat also comes from named local farms.

The organic bread is made on the premises, like this organic beer cob:

which is made with organic ale and molasses and browned off in their wood fired oven.

There's jams and preserves from Just Williams in Richmond (whose bitter and twisted marmalade has won a great taste award). Organic loose leaf teas from Steenbergs, in Melberby near Ripon:

There's also a good selection of beers, from local breweries like Allendale Brewery, North Yorkshire Brewery, Wensleydale Brewery, Black Paw and Yorkshire Dales Beer Company.

You can have a meal in the café:

Dishes are prepared using organic seasonal produce, locally sourced where possible.

Last of all, this blog has already told you about shops selling chocolate shoes, but have you ever seen chocolate wellingtons before?

Cross Lanes Organic Farm
Cross Lanes
Barnard Castle
County Durham
DL12 9SL

Tel: 01833 630619
Butchers: 01833 694395

Web: www.crosslanesorganics.co.uk

email: info@crosslanesorganics.co.uk

Alderley Edge - The Yard

Posted by Unknown Wednesday, March 20, 2013 0 comments

The Yard is a lovely new business, run by the Pickering family, in Alderley Edge. It's just off the main road, by one of the car parks, and not far from the station.

It's a curious mixture of businesses - at the front there's a deli:

where you can buy organic fruit and veg and unusual cooking ingredients. Next to that there's Si the butcher:

who clearly knows a thing or two about good meat. He sells fine, 28 day matured, beef from local farms:

There's also award winning Scotch Eggs from The Happy Belly in Bolton:

and on Thursdays Mal, from Northern Shoal, sells fresh fish from his van in the car park.

At the back there's a café, where you can have a special from the Organic Juice Bar, prepared by Sadie - who you may recognise as an actress in Waterloo Road, and something to eat.

There's all manner of events held here, like painting and garden workshops, butchery courses, yoga, and open mic nights!

I'll definitely be back - it's such a friendly place - and more like going to see old friends than shopping!

The Yard
32 South Street
Alderley Edge
Cheshire
SK9 7ES

Tel: 01625 586962

Web: www.theyardalderleyedge.com

Audlem - Hoc's Fat Pigeon

Posted by Unknown Thursday, January 17, 2013 0 comments

I thought I'd start this post with a picture of the church of St James the Great in Audlem. The earliest part dates back to the 13th century. In front of the church is the Buttermarket. Audlem was granted its Market Charter in 1296.

It's nice to see the village is still thriving. Whilst other villages are losing their shops, in Audlem new shops keep opening! Audlem is also where one of my favourites walks is.

A short distance from the church up Cheshire Street is Hoc's Fat Pigeon. It's a friendly shop which their Facebook page tells me "if its fair-traded, organic, natural, therapeutic, wholefoods and healthy you'll find it at the Fat Pigeon"!