• Cakes

David Upson, together with his wife Rebecca run Stoke Farm Orchards in Battisford, Suffolk. The small Suffolk orchard has become internationally renowned for its award-winning Appletree Hill brand of freshly-pressed apple, pear and quince juices. David and Rebecca, originally started out as pig farmers in 1984. And even when they started to grow fruit, the idea to turn it into juice wasn’t sparked until 1993 as part of a BBC Radio Suffolk visit to the Battisford orchard.Today Stoke Farm is famed for using the quintessentially English, and notoriously juicy, Discovery and Cox apples. And the business still keeps the Upsons’ busy every day with the couple taking control of every stage of production - from blossom to bottle.Stoke Farm Orchards has been pressingly busy in the run up to Christmas 2014 creating a limited edition Spiced Apple Juice.Available in selected East of England Co-op stores in Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk at £2.49 for a 750ml bottle. It is delicious served warmed.

 

 

Spiced apple juicecropped

 

Tuesday, 09 September 2014 21:30

Adam from Turners Fish Van

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Our Dish of the Day is Adam, selling his fresh Lowestoft fish of the day. Find him on Thursdays in Long Melford 2.30pm - 5.00pm. On Fridays at Clare Market Hill 8.00am - 10.00am, Lavenham Market Place 11.00am - 1.00pm and Depden Farm Shop 2.00pm -5.00pm. On Saturdays he is at Willow Farm Shop, Glemsford from 9.00am to 1.00pm

We really enjoyed having Amy, our work experience student from Thurston Community College, this week. She showed us her favourite recipe: Birdy's Brownies! 

Birdy’s Brownies!

Ingredients:

  • 185g unsalted butter
  • 185g cooking chocolate
  • 85g plain flour
  • 40g cocoa powder
  • 100g best dark chocolate
  • 3 large eggs
  • 275g golden caster sugar

Method:

  1. Cut 185g unsalted butter into smallish cubes and tip into a medium bowl. Break 185g cooking chocolate into small pieces and drop into the bowl.
    Melt over a pan of boiling water.
  2. Turn the oven on to 160C/conventional or 180C/gas, so it has time to warm up. Using a shallow 20cm square tin, cut out a square of non-stick baking parchment to line the base.
  3. Now tip 85g plain flour and 40g cocoa powder into a sieve held over a medium bowl until all lumps have gone.
  4. With a sharp knife, chop 100g of dark chocolate into chunks (rough squares) on a chopping board.
  5. Break 3 large eggs into a large bowl and tip in 275g golden caster sugar. With an electric mixer on maximum speed, whisk the eggs and sugar until they look thick and creamy, like a milk shake
  6. Pour the cooled chocolate mixture over the eggy mousse and gently fold together with a rubber spatula. Plunge the spatula in at one side, take it underneath and bring it up the opposite side and in again at the middle. The idea is to marry them without knocking out the air, so be as gentle and slow as you like – you don’t want to undo all the work you did in step 4.
  7. Hold the sieve over the bowl of eggy chocolate mixture and resift the cocoa and flour mixture into it. Gently fold in the powder, in the same figure of eight action as before. Finally, stir in the chocolate chunks until they’re dotted all of the way through.
  8. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, scraping every bit out of the bowl with the spatula. Gently ease the mixture into the corners of the tin and paddle the spatula from side to side across the top to level it. Put in the oven and set your timer for 25 minutes.
  9. Leave in the tin until cool. Once cool, cut into small squares or triangles.
Thursday, 24 April 2014 13:53

Our May Dish of the Day is Mrs Bennett

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Thank you Mrs Bennett for sharing your Mango Chutney recipe with us. Keeley Bennett makes pickles and chutneys from her home in Polstead, Suffolk using recipes handed down through four generations of the family. You will find Mrs.Bennett's Pickles and Chutneys at Lavenham Farmer's Market or look out for her products in farm shops and local deli's. Keeley says that she finds most people like a mango chutney with their poppadoms even if they don't like a chutney with their cheese!

 

MANGO CHUTNEY

Ingredients:
900g ripe mangoes - peeled, stoned and chopped
300ml of cider vinegar
225g cooking apples - peeled, cored and chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large clove of garlic (or two small ones) - crushed
200g demerara sugar
5cm root ginger - peeled and grated
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds

 

Method:
1. Prepare the mango and place in a bowl with the salt. Set aside while
you prepare the rest of the vegetables.
2. Place the vinegar in the pan and heat gently (do not boil). Add the
sugar slowly until all of it has dissolved.
3. Add all of the remaining ingredients to the pan and bring to the
boil, stirring frequently so that the ingredients do not catch on the
bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 1 hour,
stirring occasionally and until the chutney is thick.
4. Place into sterilised jars*. Leave for approximately 3 weeks to
allow the ingredients to mature.* You can easily sterilise jars by placing clean jars (and lids) into a hot oven for 10 minutes. Obviously taking care when handling them.

Monday, 03 March 2014 15:17

Meet the students from West Suffolk College

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A charity dinner last month in the training restaurant Zest, at West Suffolk College saw the return of former student Des Artiss who worked with the current students(pictured) to create a fabulous dinner.  Des recently won the Restaurant Associates Award for Culinary Excellence and came back to thank the college for his firm grounding in the industry. We ate:

 

Salmon. Cured Loch Duart Salmon, Miso Creme Fraiche, Cucumber and Salmon Crackling

  salmon

 

Goats Curd. Goats curd, Heritage Beetroot, Chicory, Golden Raisin and Toasted Walnut Dressingbeetroor

 

Beef. Slow Roast Fillet of English Beef, Braised Cheek, Salt Baked Carrots, Horseradish Mash and Braising Juicesbeef

 

Rhubarb Cheesecake. Vanilla Fromage Blanc, Poached Yorkshire Rhubarb, Rhubarb Sorbet, Ginger Crumb

rhubarb

Sunday, 02 February 2014 12:07

Pratik the perfect guest

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Pratik cooked us a mean burger, topped with Kiddertons Ash Reserve Goats cheese and a fabulous tray of chocolate brownies.  My idea of a perfect guest.pratikburger

 

 

Tuesday, 17 December 2013 21:35

Meet Xoliswa Ndoyiya personal chef to Nelson Mandela.

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Xoliswa Ndoyiya was Nelson Mandela's personal cook from 1992. Her job interview consisted of just one question: “Can you cook our home food?”

 Here is the recipe for Umphokoqo, a porridge made of maize meal and sour milk which was one of Madiba's favourite foods.  He had it made whilst staying at The Dorchester in London.

Mr Suffolkfoodie having been brought up in South Africa also enjoys a bowl of this on most mornings.

 

Ingredients

 

2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt 
2 cups mealie meal ( polenta )
1 litre amasi (sour milk similar to buttermilk, buttermilk will do)

 

Method

 

Bring the salted water to a boil.

 

Add mealie meal, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and, stirring throughout, cook until the porridge is soft, approximately 25 minutes.

 

After 25 minutes, stop stirring. Reduce the heat to an absolute minimum and cover the pot with a lid for 15 minutes or until the texture is totally soft (if there are still granules, the mixture is not yet cooked).

 

Remove from the heat, turn the contents of the pot into a large bowl and allow it to cool completely.

 

Serve with soured milk on the side so that each diner can determine how sour they would like their umphokoqo to be. The soured milk is then stirred into the porridge.

 

Wednesday, 13 November 2013 13:54

Our Carnivorous Dish of the Day - Peter Bayless

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In this video Peter Bayless from Braxted Park Cookery School in Witham, Essex explains how to cook the perfect steak. Peter won BBC Masterchef in 2006.

Steak is a staple of the Great British diet but all too often it doesn't get the attention it deserves. Peter shows how easy it is to cook up an exciting meal, and reveals how to make sure your steak is cooked exactly how you like it every time. Follow Peter's step-by-step guide to cooking the perfect steak accompanied with a tangy chimichurri dressing.

You will need the following:

 1 sirloin steak (or steak of your choice)

Olive oil & seasoning

Cast iron griddle pan with ridges

Kitchen foil

Tongs

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