It's all happening on Thursday...

 Lymm Artisan Market

Before we talk about this week, let's recap on Sunday...Zoe popped down to the market to stock up on local produce from the market.  She wasn't disappointed.  As you can see from the pictures, Kenyon Hall Farm were there again with their usual range of stunning local food.

Foodfest

Well, it is here at last: Lymm Festival starts on Thursday (www.lymmfestival.org.uk).  It is always a struggle to work out which of the diverse range of events we can fit onto the calendar in our house while the festival runs for 10 days.  The event which starts it all off is Foodfest at 6pm.  The centre of the village is closed to traffic, and food sellers come out to tempt passers by with their wares.  Low Carbon Lymm have a stall again this year, and we have a tasty menu of food and drink to give away (yes, you read that correctly GIVE AWAY!), plus some seedlings.  Pop over to see us next to Sextons bakery and sample some local produce. We would love to know what you think about any local food issues while you eat and drink too.


Hope to see you there!

Lisa Reid

Are you around Lymm on Sunday?

Radish glut?
I hope you are all enjoying being in your gardens, and those of you that grow your own food are starting to literally reap what you have sewn.  Last week I enjoyed my first crop - radishes.  My whole family were shocked at how peppery they were...'just like they used to be' cried the adults.  It was lovely to have them in the fridge and tuck into them for several days without them going soft, the way shop-bought ones do.  Don't forget to repeat sew crops like radish and lettuce to ensure a supply all summer. If you are visiting Lymm market today, I have compiled a list of recipe ideas to use up a radish glut and left them for you to pick up when you buy.  Ideas include braising and sandwiches.  Pete tells me he needs recipe ideas for British broccoli and beetroot, so I'll do those next. 

Local veg
If you would like to buy locally grown fruit and vegetables at the weekend, then look no further than Lymm on Sunday.  It is the next Lymm Artisan Market 10-3.  It even got a mention in Cheshire Life this month!  Ali and Pete are working really hard to reinvigorate this event at the Youth and Community centre situated next to the canal.  It is particularly important to go this week for two reasons: Firstly, the weather forecast for Sunday is dry and 18degrees, so a perfect reason to have a stroll into the village, have an ice cream and shop for local food.  Secondly, Ali and Pete have a commitment from Kenyon Hall farm to come to the market for a minimum 6 months while we build up the trade to make it worthwhile for the suppliers to come permanently.  If we don't use it, we will undoubtedly lose it in this case.  Kenyon Hall supply fabulous food from local growers.  I bought one of everything they took last time and worked out what to cook when I got home...great foodie fun!

Have a lovely weekend.  It won't be long until Lymm Festival starts (http://www.lymmfestival.org.uk/) The village is starting to look even lovelier with the festival bunting and banners up.  Look out for our table at Foodfest on the 19th in the middle of the village...we'll have lots of local food and drink to taste for free, and a lovely photo board made by Lymm Youth Club for you to photo yourselves in - yes the fabulous Su Williams has even managed to make that food-themed!

Lisa Reid

Elderflower Cordial

Bagging a Bargain
I don't know about you, but when out shopping I love bagging a bargain.  That habit also happens when I am out on my bike or walking, so I am constantly scouring the hedgerows of Lymm for free food.  We are well into spring now, and consequently there are lots of white flowers around.  At about hip height you will see cow parsley.  At about eye height in the hedgerows there are tiny hawthorn flowers (occasionally they will be pink too).  In among the hedgerows or perhaps above them are some slightly untidy looking small trees with upturned clusters of creamy white flowers on pale green stalks.  These are likely to be elderflowers. They smell divine - a sweet, musky aroma which makes me think of far more exotic locations than Lymm! 

Cordial
These elderflower blooms can be made into cordial.  All you need is some of the flowerheads, lemons, oranges, sugar and sterilised bottles.  It is a lovely thing to do with children.  Just pick the flowers while out and about...there are even some in Ridgway Grundy park next to the skatepark or on the canal towpath between Lymm bridge and the chipshop.  On your return follow this recipe:
http://www.rivercottage.net/recipes/elderflower-cordial/
Basically, it just means steeping them overnight with the fruit rind, draining it, then adding sugar and simmer for a few minutes.  It really is that simple.

Alcohol and other friends
This all sounds like just a pleasant thing to do on a warm day, doesn't it?  Wait though, because it gets even better...you can add a dash to cava to make a fabulous tipple.  The musky aroma really comes through into the flavour.  I also use it drizzled onto fruit or ice cream, and when the local gooseberries become ripe at our local pick-your-own farm very soon  (http://www.kenyonhall.co.uk/) I will stir it through some stewed goosegoggs.

Fizz
It is possible to make elderflower champagne too.  If you do fancy having a go at the champagne, a good friend tells me to use 2 litre pop bottles because they hold the pressure better than a glass one.  You can use champagne yeast to get the process going or my friend tells me that the most fragrant blooms are more likely to have captured naturally occurring yeast.

Berry Cordial
Don't take all of the flowers where you are picking.  Leave some behind and you can return when the flowers give way to berries to make an autumnal elderberry cordial with cloves. 

WARNING
If you ever intend foraging, particularly with children, always be absolutely certain that what you are picking is edible.  I usually print off pictures from the internet to take with me.

Lisa Reid

Are you in Lymm this weekend?

Well, this is it guys...a mini heat wave.  The met office is forecasting 20 degrees for the next 5 days, and dry weather until Monday morning.  If you are in Lymm this weekend and looking for something nice to do, the Lymm Artisan Market will be on this Sunday from 10-3 in the Youth & Community Centre on Bridgewater Street adjacent to the canal.  Alison and Patrick have been working really hard to re-launch the market lately, and have had lots of requests for stalls.  (if you are on twitter and want to follow them, they are @marketfairs)

The market is monthly on the 3rd Sunday of the month, so I'll be diarising a monthly trip in addition to my Abbey Leys visit on the 1st Sunday of the month.

There will be some craft stalls, but one of my favourite farm shops will have a stall too: Kenyon Hall Farm.  (http://www.kenyonhall.co.uk/)  These guys really know their business, and by that I don't just mean running a farm shop.  They have a very successful pick-your-own farm just a couple of  junctions up the M6, sell beautiful bedding plants and a wide selection of herbs in their nursery, and in the last year or two have built a new building to house a farm shop, café and toilets.  They are going to let me know when they have their first ripe strawberry, so watch this space!

In addition to the market, there are all the usual eateries which like to open on a Sunday: Nancy's Deli, the Gobstopper (try their ice cream), Café Salaar  and the pubs for starters.  Nancy tells me there is a great buzz in the village on Sundays, with people from outside Lymm taking a walk round the Dam then along the Dingle to visit the village itself. 

I'm going to join them this week, and have a local day with some local food shopping...after all, who wants to go to the supermarket in such lovely weather?

Gallons of real ale...hic

Having run (@LymmFood) a Twitter account for a few months now, I have become aware of a few changes to the pub scene in Altrincham and Warrington.  Whilst I love visiting the hostelries in Lymm it is nice to go further afield occasionally.  Determined to find out more, I contacted a few ale loving friends and set off to find out more about the Warrington ones on Saturday.

We have all been to the Lower Angel on Buttermarket Street before, and love it.  (lowerangel.co.uk)  It is one of those lovely old pubs which still have tiles on both the exterior and interior, and it boasts an in-house micro brewery, The Tipsy Angel.  What's not to like?!  They generally have a range of light, medium and darker ales on offer to suit a range of tastes. 

For that reason, we decided to go to 9Gallon first (9gallon.co.uk) - located near the Cultural Quarter. 

 

 

 

The thing that strikes you as you enter is the blackboard chalked up with up to 10 real ales on tap.  There were ciders in casks, a wine list and a large selection of whiskies too.  We felt the beers were very well-kept, but some were slightly too cold.  We really enjoyed being in this kind of bar in our local town.  It has a cosmopolitan feel but isn't too modern.  The only downside to the venue, was the level of noise.  As is popular with bars these days, it had no soft furnishings, so the noise just bounced around the room. 

 

Overall, it was good to return to our favourite Lower Angel, and to try out a new place.  We would all return to 9Gallon, but perhaps on a different night when the noise levels may be lower.  It was a shame that 9Gallon wasn't supporting any of the local breweries this week.  It would be good if they always have at least one ale out of 10 from the Cheshire area since we have so many great ales to celebrate. 

 

Lisa Reid

 

 



Roast belly pork success

Many of you will know that I have lately been trying to visit supermarkets even less than normal.  I'm proud to report that last month I only visited one only once.  The source of my success lies in my monthly trip to Abbey Leys farmers market on the first Sunday of the month at High Legh and my weekly Thursday trips into Lymm village. My supermarket visit is simply a necessity to get the storecupboard items and other household purchases that we need.  So last weekend I peeked in the freezer to see which of my Abbey Leys goodies I was going defrost for a family roast dinner.  I retrieved the belly pork joint which I bought from Little Heath Farm shop stall, did a quick internet search and set about making a Jamie Oliver recipe with it.

http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/chefs/jamie-oliver/pork-belly-roast-recipe

It was quite simply divine.  My whole family just wolfed it down.  The layers of fat which naturally occur in this type of joint dissolved to make the meat mouth-wateringly tender.  I worried that the gravy would taste burnt since the veggies caught in the hot oven, but my worries were unfounded.  I served it with new Cheshire potatoes and steamed spring greens.  I had to guard the leftovers carefully from the hoards wanting seconds because I had plans for them as a mid-week meal later. 

When we visited America last summer we ate pulled pork several times.  It gave me the idea to use this really tender meat to serve on buns with barbeque sauce and a side salad or coleslaw in the USA style.  So while the pork was in the oven I used a ketchup recipe to make homemade sauce.  I added a teaspoon each of several ground spices to give it a barbeque flavour: smoked paprika, fennel, coriander, cumin and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne. 

We had enough for that meal and for several barbeques in the summer. 

The 1.3kg belly pork made 8 portions over the two meals, which works out at £1.10 per portion.  I will definitely use these two ideas again.  It will please my teenage son, who said of the pork on a bun meal that he could eat it every day because it is 'a nutritious, tasty, balanced meal'.  He was allowed second helpings of pudding for that!!

Lisa Reid

Time flies when you are having fun

Its true, isn't it?  And I can't believe it has been two weeks since I last blogged.  I have been having so much fun outdoors in this gorgeous weather that my computer has been gathering dust. 

I often help at Oughtrington Community Orchard (http://www.oughtrington.co.uk/orchard/) , and they let me know that some weeding was needed on the path and vegetable beds.  I made a start by clearing the old rotted woodchip from the path to make way for an expected delivery of more.  I then weeded the rest around the bench so it will be a lovely place to sit and enjoy looking at the spring sun.

 


















I made a start weeding the asparagus beds.  We planted those a couple of summers ago, so it will be our first year for harvesting this season.  On first arrival at an outdoor spot it can be daunting looking at the work that faces you, but if the sun comes out and you can sit a while to look at the blossom and the results of your labour, you suddenly gain perspective.

A couple of weeks ago I was bemoaning the fact that although the weather is great, the temperatures aren't really high enough for seeds to germinate outdoors yet.  I went to my allotment and the weeds are making their presence felt, so it was down to weeding there too.

I left the plastic covering the beds in the hope that after the school Easter holidays I can remove it to make a late start. 

I have been visiting some of the local food traders to find out what they have available for food lovers to buy this Easter.  Hopkinsons bucher will be open on Good Friday and the Saturday.  They will have new season local lamb as well as all the other usual high quality meat.  They are one of the generous local businesses supporting our Duckrace on Easter Monday, and will be feeding the crowds with their homemade burgers again.

Nancy's deli and Sexton's have some pretty Easter themed cakes in stock.  Sexton's told me they are fervent believers in a traditional hot cross bun, which uses a fermented dough but no fruit peel.  I love it when businesses keep the true traditions alive.  If you would like some high quality UK cheese for your cheeseboard, look no further because both these outlets stock it. Nancy will be open Easter Sunday as usual for anyone popping in for a stroll around the village to get an appetite for their roast dinner.

There will be UK vegetables available at Lymm market as usual on Thursday.  They will soon be getting UK asparagus and new potatoes.  Fingers crossed they come in time for all our Easter feasts.  I have been loving their curly kale, which is ideal paired with new potatoes and local carrots with a roast dinner.  The leftovers make good bubble and squeak the next day too.

My most enjoyable foodie outing this month has been to the 10th anniversary Abbey Leys farmers market.  Can you believe it - 10 years supporting all our local farmers?  Janet and Tim had even organised a cake to celebrate.

 

It was a cracking atmosphere.  I met The Chocolate Tailor (chocolatetailor.co.uk) for the first time when I bought a pretty cranberry easter egg.  As well as the wares she brings along to the market, she can do a bespoke service, which caters to seasonal or personal interest.  Everything is made by hand from good Belgian couverture chocolate.  All ingredients are good quality and simple.

 

I am disappointed to be away for the next Lymm Artisan Market (email them at info@marketfairs.co.uk) at the Youth and Community centre on Easter Sunday, but I'm told they are doing a super job revitalising that monthly market.  I hope to catch up with them in May.

 

Lisa Reid