From this….to Hillfarm extra virgin cold pressed rapeseed oil
Written by Claire
Delicious to dip bread in - as you would olive oil - only we don't do that so much in this country. Bright yellow just like the fields, tastes nutty and is my favourite salad dressing by itself or with a squeeze of lime.
Have already been recommended for their sausage rolls. This place has everything, fresh and frozen. And their plants are good too. Mick the Baker makes the bread at the back and he said if I come back earlier next time he'll make me a cup of tea.
... have arrived in Suffolk. The Whoopie Pies are on the cover of the Sainsbury's magazine and for sale in M&S. The only ones I've eaten so far were my sister's who had made them weeks ago - being a keen food trend spotter. But my real new favourites are Macaroons - those French ones in all colours - on sale at Wyken Farmers Market - which means they are expensive, but probably worth it? Have a look at www.delicedeparis.co.uk
What a great day for the market...I bought fresh peaches, a big pineapple, gorgeous cherries, strawberries, new potatoes - Bury market isn't always this good but it beats a supermarket for fruit & veg any day in a summer like this.
Wyken Farmers market – new friends and older ones too
Written by Claire
This is the bargain of the week - a rolled breast of lamb from Asda, already cheap, but reduced to £1. I have cooked this lots of times, and it's been tasty, crispy but as tough as hell. This time I read the intructions in a recipe book instead of guessing and rushing, and it said SLOW cooking. So I put it on at 100, went to work for four hours and came back to the most delicious and tender piece of meat ever. Turned it up for twenty minutes to crisp up and WOW, what flavour! It's not for everyone as it's very fatty, but with rosemary, broad beans and the first new potatoes out of the garden it was as tasty as anything I have had lately. Next time I will unroll it, put some stuffing in and serve it to my best friends.
Free gift number two has just arrived! And here is what we made with it - a dip, raita, yoghurt cake (see recipes) and a delicious dessert terrine for a party.
Found out that we can buy fresh local blueberries right on our doostep here in West Suffolk. Jo Garden grows them at Hepworth www.gardenberries.co.uk and makes the best blueberry jam there too. She also sells the bushes ( currently on a special offer) if you want one in your garden to sprinkly a few on your cereal every day. Of course you can buy blueberries cheaper in supermarkets but it's a bit like blackberries - why would you buy them from a supermarket when you can get them from a farm or a hedge near you?
Suffolk foodie is one year old today. Celebrate by going to Lidl for my utter favourite bar of dark chocolate with nuts in, and find Caribbean meat patties! Expecting them to taste awful but they are surprisingly authentic (well, they are made in Birmingham) with just the right amount of heat from scotch bonnet peppers. Although home made ones would have more filling it's not bad for Stowmarket!
Aka a pumpkin (or squash) I bought from a side of the road, kindly labelled by the grower as I wouldn't have known what a Blue Hubbard was. A tiny bit under-ripe I thought, but very tasty as a roast vegetable, cooked and mashed into a fritter or made into a slightly curried soup.
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Often go to this bakers in Eye, just the thing to warm up after a cold morning out but would like to have more time to go to the cafe down the road - how is the coffee?
So wot if you can't spell
When I worked in a Suffolk restaurant the thought of a food critic discovering us, writing amazing things and launching us into celebrity-land was always tempered by the fact that they might not get it, would write something rude and send us in a nosedive into even greater obscurity. Like a Michelin star it's as much a blessing as a curse. And although the critics still have some influence, now that anyone can have an opinion I'm sure it keeps them on their toes. Tracey MacLeod, food critic of the Independent, ventured out not too long ago to review The British Larder, a Suffolk country pub that has a food blog of the same name.