Jersey Lavender

We were fortunate to visit Jersey Lavender when the lavender was in flower, it's one of my favourite plants. Jersey Lavender sell lavender jelly, lavender and honey mustard, lavender fudge and their own dried lavender flower heads, which are specially sieved and cleaned for you to use in your own recipes. Lavender can provide an interesting twist to both sweet and savoury dishes, providing you don't overdo it! Try using it instead of rosemary in savoury dishes or in Valentine Warner's lavender cream meringues.

Jersey Lavender also distill lavender to obtain the pure essential oil for fragrances:
The National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens also have their collection of Lavandula here.

Jersey Lavender Limited

Rue du Pont Marquet

St Brelade

Jersey

JE3 8DS

Tel: 01534 742933

Fax: 01534 745613

Nothing to do with food, but literally next door to Jersey Lavender is Reg's Garden:
It's spectacular and free to visit!

St Helier - Beresford Fish Market

On Beresford Street, not far from the Central Market, is Beresford Market, St Helier's Fish Market. It was built in 1841, and subsequently restored 3 times. It doesn't just sell fish, there's a shop selling chocolates and Jersey icecream, and there's Relish:
a delicatessen selling cheese and wine.
The main reason for coming to this market, apart from gullible tourists and bloggers looking for lobsters to be photographed with:
is for the fine selection of fish, shell fish and other sea foods.
There's four different fishmongers
and the quality of the produce (especially the lobsters) was excellent.

Beresford Market

Beresford Street

St Helier

Jersey
JE2 4WN

St Helier Central Market

Regular readers of this blog will know that I can't resist a good market, and St Helier has 2 excellent markets (I'll deal with the fish market in the next post). Central Market was built in 1882, and has a fine cast iron roof. Apparently the floor is a Site of Special Interest, but I was to busy looking at the stalls to notice!

There's butchers and delicatessens

and a fruit and veg shop which had my name on it:

Just William sold those flat doughnut shaded peaches which I first saw in the market in Bologna a few years ago:
They've got a very good flavour, but you don't see them much in the UK. Our supermarket buyers probably think they misshapes?

I went in search of a Jersey Wonder:
which I found in the market. It's vaguely like a doughnut. According to the BBC, the Jersey housewives cooked their Wonders as the tide went out. If they cooked them on an incoming tide, the fat in which the Wonders were cooked would invariably overflow the pan! I think they're called Jersey Wonders because they wonder why the tourists buy them....
To finish on a happier note, I definitely recommend the Pure Charity coffee shop, in the middle of the market next to the rather tacky fountain. The prices are very reasonable, it's in a great location, the food and drinks are great and all the profits go to charity. If I've not yet convinced you, did I tell you they sell banoffee cupcakes?
Pure Charity Cofee Shop

103/107 Central Market

St Helier

Jersey

JE4 4WI

Tel: 01534 724609

Web (coming soon): www.purecharity.org.je

Jersey

Have just got back from a pleasant short break on Jersey.

Jersey ice cream was widely available.....

and (if you know where to go) you could have half a lobster, with Jersey Royal new potatoes and a salad and get change from £10.

The Farm - Burscough

The Farm at Burscough is run by the Neale family. Last year they won best Best Producer in Lancashire in the North West Fine Food awards. It's near Rufford Old Hall and their land borders Martin Mere Wetlands Centre. There's even a farm trail where you can go birdwatching.

There's locally sourced meat, bread,milk and cheese:

They sell their own free range eggs and homemade jams, chutneys, cakes and preserves. Try their lemon curd! Most of the vegetables are grown on the farm, or sourced locally.

There's also 18th century tea rooms and a fishing lake. You can stay on the farm in their renovated barn or on their camping and caravan site.

The Farm

Martin Lane

Burscough

Lancashire

L40 0RT

Tel: 01704 894889

Web: www.thefarmburscough.co.uk

Gooseberries Galore

It's been a phenomenal year for gooseberries in my garden this year. I've filled my freezer, we've had crumbles and fools and I've made gooseberry curd, gooseberry jelly (jam), and gooseberry pickle. So yesterday I decided to visit some of the the mid-Cheshire Gooseberry Shows....

First stop was at The Crown at Lower Peover (pronounced Peever unless you want to annoy the locals). Goosebeeries are weighed in pennyweights and grains. 24 grains = 1 pennyweight and 18 pennyweights = 1 ounce. The first premier gooseberry here was won by P Riley (variety Edith Cavell weighing 28 pennyweights and 15 grains).
Next stop was the Victoria Club in Holmes Chapel.
The premier gooseberry here was won by B Stafford (variety Mr Chairman weighing 35 pennyweights).
Then on to the Red Lion at Lower Withington.
Below is a picture showing the gooseberries being weighed.
The premier gooseberry here was won by K Archer (variety Edith Cavell, weighing 38 pennyweights and 14 grains).
I finished up at The Crown in Goostrey.
I have to say this one was was my favourite. They have 38 members (6 none growers) and this society insists that members have to be a householder in Goostrey or some surrounding parishes (some other societies allow outsiders to join).
A leaflet was given to me explaining that "The Drama starts on the Friday night when the berries are picked in the presence of a witness". They are then put into boxes, the one I photographed here is 90 years old:
and tied with string and the knot is sealed with wax and stamped. The seal must be intact when brought to the show.
There is a dedicated person who weighs the berries, and a carrier who carries the members' berries to the scales. Scrutineers are appointed to resolve disputes over varieties.

There's a Premier Class for the heaviest gooseberry, a Twin Class for two berries on a single stem, Coloured Classes to find the heaviest Red, Yellow, White and Green berry and finally the Plate Classes for the twelve heaviest berries on one plate.
All the berries are placed in a showcase which will be displayed in the Crown until Monday evening when they will be sold.
If you want to visit a Gooseberry Show there's another four coming up soon in Cheshire, and one in Egton Bridge (near Whitby) in North Yorkshire.

Details here: www.rhs.org.uk/Learning/Publications/pubs/garden0808/gooseberries.htm

Southport - Lilibet's of Paris

A friend once said told me that "you can never get a decent meal on the A5", the point of his story being that businesses don't have to do as much to get customers if they're on a busy road. Lilibet's of Paris (despite its name) is situated in Southport on Stanley Street. It's a little street running parallel to and between the town's busy Lord Street and the Promenade. You could easily miss it, which would be a great shame! It's run by chef pâtissière Elizabeth Connard, who trained at Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School in Paris.

My photos don't do this shop justice (it was very sunny)! They sell entremets (mousse cakes), like bavarois aux trois chocolats (equal layers of dark, milk and white chocolate Bavarian cream on a chocolate lady finger base), and traditional French patisserie. I bought a tarte passion meringuee (a sweet shortbread pastry case filled with passion fruit cream and crowned with Italian meringue) and a tarte au citroen (the classic French lemon tart).

Remember to take your cool box, to take home some of their home made ice cream. We tried the lavender ice cream, it was superb.

Lilibets of Paris

24 Stanley Street

Southport

Merseyside

PR9 0BY

Tel: 01704 536001

Web: www.lilibetsofparis.com

Southport - Di Silva's Delicatessen

Di Silva's is an attractive new delicatessen in Southport. You can eat inside or out, or take away and they sell the usual range of deli items. I hope they take up my advice to sell more local foods, like Southport shrimps.

Di Silva's Delicatessen

20 Hoghton Street

Southport

Merseyside

PR9 0PA

Tel: 01704 532000

Southport - Cake Creations

I stumbled across Cake Creations by chance, and was glad that I did! Ruth Davies started her career at the Bakery College in Liverpool and was a teacher at the Mary Ford Cake Artistry Centre in Bournemouth before opening her own business in Southport.
There's the usual range of celebration cakes and some exquisite new ideas including a tower of highly fashionable macaroons.

Chocolate lovers will like Coco:

Cup cakes seem more popular than ever now, so this one would make a nice cake for a christening:

This cake is made up from Belgian chocolate desserts:

and for girls that like shoes, you can have a Jimmy Choo cake!

Cake Creations

4B Bold Street

Southport

PR9 0DD

Tel & Fax: 01704 541137

Web: www.cakecreation.co.uk

Email: r.davies@cakecreation.co.uk

Southport Market

I'm always a big fan of local markets. You're more likely to see local food and, because the rents are usually lower than the rest of the high street, you're more likely to get a bargain. In Southport market I think you can also have your palm read!

Southport Indoor Market has got 3 good butchers

and a fruit and vegetables stall:

It's future was in debate recently, but a trader told me it is just about to be refurbished, so it should get even better.

Southport Indoor Market

King Street

Southport

Merseyside

PR8 1LA

Tel: 0151 934 2009

Southport - Wesley Fish

More fish would probably be an improvement to most peoples' diets, so it's a pity there are more shops like Wesley Fish in Southport.

There's a very colourful display in the window:
and inside the shop there's an excellent choice of fresh fish - and some good special offers.
It's also a place where you can buy Southport Potted Shrimps which are also sold in baskets in some local pubs.

Wesley Fish Ltd

27 Tulketh Street

Southport

Merseyside

PR8 1AG

Tel: 01704 542778

Southport Farmers Market

I always think of Southport as being in Lancashire, but it's now in Sefton and classified as being part of Mersyside. In recent times there has had a lot of money spent redeveloping Southport and making it even more attractive.

Southport has the second longest pier in Britain which is 3,650 feet or 1,113 metres in length. On a clear days, you may get a glimpse of Anglesey, the Welsh and Cumbrian Mountains, the Blackpool Tower and possibly even the sea! It's a joke that you can never see the sea at Southport (it's a very flat beach so at low tide the sea goes a long way out. Like Queen Victoria:

I turned my back on the sea (and the town's Lawn Mower Museum) and went in search of good food. If you go on the last Thursday in the month (except December) you can visit Southport Farmers Market.
My pictures show it in front of Southport Town Hall, but as from this month (30/07/09) it will move to Chapel Street.
It's not a big market, but there are some good stalls, including one selling fresh fish, J & R Holt from Great House Farm:

and cheese from Leagram Organic Dairy:

Here you could buy with (amongst many other alternatives) Lancashire cheese with cranberries, garlic, ginger or even marmite!

Southport Farmers' Market

Chapel Street

Southport

Merseyside

Tel: 0845 140 0845

Web: www.sefton.gov.uk/Default.aspx?page=4202

Knighton

The last time I went to Knighton was about 12 years ago, and I remember buying a Bara Brith which I thought was rather good...
I returned recently expecting this town to be full of good food shops. I could find antique shops, but struggled to find good food shops which I thought the town would be full of :-(.
I managed to find one baker (in the entrance to a supermarket).
and was told that there was a good butcher in the other supermarket:
As supermarkets go, Harry Tuffin is a bit special and one day I'll do a post on them.

However it was Knighton Farmers' Market where I found what I wanted.
It's held in the Community Centre on the second and fourth Saturday in the month.
There's locally produced meats and organically grown vegetables, Fair Trade goods, local beers & ciders and I bought some very pretty flowers.

You can also buy crafts and a young girl was playing the recorder when I called.

There's everything from Bara Brith, smoked garlic to goose eggs:

Knighton Farmers' Market

Knighton Community Centre

Bowling Green Lane

Knighton

Powys

Much Wenlock Farmers' Market

Much Wenlock seems to have all the things I like! It's got an abbey, which got attacked by Vikings and replaced by a Cluniac priory. Wenlock Priory is now in ruins, but is open to the public. There's also a fine parish church:

and a beautiful Guildhall, built in 1540.

It's here where Much Wenlock Farmers' Market takes place, on the first and third Friday of the month.
The open space on the ground floor, where the Farmers' Market is, used to be the Corn Market. Much Wenlock Farmers' Market Stall holders include Ashford Farm Shop, Park Gate Farm, Wenlock Edge Farm and Willows Kitchen.

Whilst you're in the Guildhall have a look at the signs from when Wenlock was a Borough:

I particularly liked this sign on the wall:

It seems that there's nothing new about bad parking on market days...

Much Wenlock - The Flower and Vegetable Garden

Another shop that sells locally sourced produce where possible, with produce from local growers and the Vale of Evesham.

The Flower and Vegetable Garden

5 High Street

Much Wenlock

Shropshire

TF13 6AA

Tel: 01952 728811

Web: www.flowerandvegetablegarden.co.uk

Much Wenlock - Catherine's Bakery

According to Mintel, less than 16% of adults in the UK regularly shop at bakeries. I wonder if that is because many places have now lost their bakery? Thankfully Much Wenlock still has a bakery:

Catherine's Bakery

20 Barrow Street

Much Wenlock

Shropshire

TF13 6EN

Tel: 01952 727483

Much Wenlock - A Ryan & Son

When I went to A Ryan & Son butchers in Much Wenlock, there was a queue outside the shop and I decided to go back later. That was a big mistake, when I returned the queue was even longer (so sadly I decided it was too busy to take pictures inside the shop).
The queue is not due to lack of staff, it's because too many people know about Paddy Ryan's good quality meat and reasonable prices! Their meat is sourced from within five miles of the town, and their pork pies are hand made each day by Mrs Ryan. Try their brawn or pressed beef.

They open each morning at 6.00 am (they're closed on Wednesdays and Sundays) and I'm told there's sometimes even a queue at that time! It just goes to show that if you do things right, you'll never be short of customers.

A Ryan & Son

60 High Street

Much Wenlock

Shropshire

TF13 6AE

Tel: 01952 727409

Much Wenlock

This year is the bicentenary of the birth of Dr William Penny Brookes 1809 – 2009, the founding father of the modern Olympic Games. The first ever Olympian Games were held in Much Wenlock in 1850. These games helped inspire the modern International Olympic Games, which were first held in Athens, 46 years later in 1896. The 123rd Olympian Games start today in Much Wenlock.

Whilst in Much Wenlock, you could do the Olympic Trail or have a meal in the Wenlock Deli:
They don't do those Olympic Breakfasts, but they do have French style bread baked daily on the premises.

The Wenlock Deli

11 High Street

Much Wenlock

Shropshire

TF13 6AA

Tel: 01952 727429

Local to where?

Last year I spotted this label in Tescos in Ludlow, Shropshire advertising "Tesco Local Choice Dorset Skimmed Milk"!

I climbed up St Laurence's tower to see if I could spot Dorset, but I could only see Ludlow Market:

and many small shops which Ludlow is famous for:

If you want local food in Ludlow, might I suggest you use this site:

www.localtoludlow.org.uk?

Criccieth - Cadwalader's Ice Cream

Criccieth is a pleasant seaside resort, complete with castle ruins (built by Llywelyn ap Iorwerth in 1230). A friend of mine, who was from Criccieth, first told me about how good Cadwalader's ice cream is (should ice cream be one word or two?). The shop used to have fun notices up like "Smoking is allowed, but DO NOT exhale"!

Cadwalader's started in Criccieth in 1927, they now have 7 cafés in Wales and one at Trentham Gardens in Staffordshire.

The vanilla ice cream is my favourite, but they do a wide range of flavours from strawberry to dragons breath or chocolate porridge!

Cadwalader's Ice Cream

Castle Street

Criccieth

Gwynedd

LL52 0SB

Tel: 01766 523665

Web: www.cadwaladersicecream.co.uk

Email: info@cadwaladersicecream.co.uk

Bearstone Fruit Farm

The remarkable thing about the punnet of strawberries at the top of this post is that I picked it in less than 5 minutes! I've never found strawberries so easy to pick! The strawberries were big but still had a good flavour. The Roberts family have been at Bearstone for 38 years. All their produce is grown in open fields, they don't use grow bags or tunnels. They also use plenty of straw to make sure you get good quality fruit.
They're open now for strawberries, raspberries, black and red currants, gooseberries, rhubarb, new potatoes, broad beans, carrots, garlic and beetroot , with other fruit and vegetables to follow shortly. They're only open for a few weeks of the year, so make the most of them whilst you can!

Bearstone Fruit Farm

Napley

Market Drayton

Shropshire

TF9 4DP

Tel: 01630 672120

Bagginswood - Heath Farm Meats

Heath Farm belongs to Clive and Clare Gittens and has already had a mention in this blog as it was a stop on this year's Cleobury Food and Ale Trail.

It's an attractive shop, situated in an old farm building

The beef, pork and lamb come from their own animals.

The beef is hung on the farm for three weeks, to ensure good flavour and tenderness.
Unlike many farm shops, they do their own butchery, and will provide you with exactly what you want.

Heath Farm Meats

Heath Farm

Bagginswood

Cleobury Mortimer

Kidderminster

Worcestershire

DY14 8NB

Tel: 01746 718732

What's on my food?

I found this site today: www.whatsonmyfood.org.

It's an American site, run by a campaign group - the Pesticide Action Network.

According to the UK branch of the Pesticide Action Network, 31,000 tonnes of pesticides are sprayed on UK land every year.

According to PAN, the UK's worst ten foods for residues are:

• flour
• potatoes
• bread
• apples
• pears
• grapes
• strawberries
• green beans
• tomatoes
• cucumber

It might pay to ask a few questions about how your strawberries were grown......