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Shropshire

Bishop’s Castle

A friendly market, which is held in the town hall, you will find meat, cakes, preserves, plants and organic vegetables.
Third Saturday of every month
9am – 2pm. Tel. (01588) 630260

Church Stretton

This market has a selection of local food and craft stalls all situated around the market square.

2nd and 4th Saturday of every month

Tel. (01694) 722133

Craven Arms

A monthly food and farmers market with over 20 stalls, located at the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre.

First Saturday of every month

9am – 3pm Tel. (01588) 676000

Knighton

Stalls located in the Community Centre on Bowling Green Lane offer a range of locally produced goods as well as refreshments and a bar.

2nd and 4th Saturday of every month

9.30am – 1.30pm Tel. (01547) 520096

Ludlow

A large and very popular market covering the castle square with over 30 stalls.

2nd  and 4th Thursday of every month

9am – 2pm Yel. (01584) 878298

Much Wenlock

Based at the Guildhall, there are several stalls selling a variety of locally produced goods.

1st and 3rd Friday of every month

9am – 1pm Tel. (01952) 727509

Newport

Held on St Mary’s Street this is a small market selling a variety of goods.

Last Saturday of every month

Shrewsbury

Located in the heart of Shrewsbury this market offers a wide range of local produce and seasonal food and drink.

1st Friday of every month

Tel. (01746) 785185

www.heff.co.uk – HEFF is an organisation that aims to help food and drink producers in the Heart of England fine foods region develop profitable and sustainable markets for products. HEFF also offer advice to consumers on how and where to buy local.

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www.slowfood.org.uk – Slow Food Uk works to ensure food tastes good, that it is produced in a clean way which is fully respectful to the environment, human health and animal welfare, and that producers are paid a fair wage. They aim to raise awareness of the sustainability and social justice issues surrounding the food we eat and protect traditional UK foods as well as promoting food education.

www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/shropshire – The Love Food Hate Waste campaign aims to raise awareness of the need to reduce food waste. The campaign aims to show that by doing some easy practical everyday things in the home we can all waste less food, which ultimately benefits our purses and the environment.

www.thikvegetables.co.uk – Think Vegetables is full of recipes, pictures, news and much more all about fresh tasty veggies.

www.thinkfoodandfarming.org.uk – Think Food and Farming is a long term project led by Farming and Countryside Education (FACE) whose primary aim is to educate children and young people about food and farming in a sustainable countryside.

www.shropshirekitchen.tumblr.com – Is a new free quarterly magazine for everyone with a passion for simply delicious food and drink. The magazine has recipes galore as well as restaurant and pub reviews.

www.tasteliving.co.uk – Taste Living is  a free food tourism magazine and website full of delicious recipes, great producers, wonderful places to eat out and visit from Cheshire to Herefordshire, from Powys to Worcestershire, Birmingham and Staffordshire.

www.ludlowfoodcentre.co.uk – Ludlow Food Centre is a unique food venture that specialises in making and selling local produce. They not only produce their own food including cheese, sausages and jams but also stock food from the regions finest producers.

www.visittheheartofengland.com – Fing out about all the things you can do across the Heart of England from places to stay to places to visit.

www.bigbarn.co.uk – Big barn is an online farmers market, it helps people buy local, sustainable and fresh. Simply enter your postcode and a list of local suppliers will appear.

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www.foodloversbritain.com – Events, food news, recipes, buy food and other products and much more.

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www.shropshirefoodanddrinkguide.com – Discover local food and drink, producers, restaurants and shops, places to stay and places to visit.

www.shropshirehills-buylocal.co.uk –  Search for local producers by entering your postcode. Find places to stay and places to eat out as well as great places to visit.

To find out more about The Stewing Pot please visit www.stewingpot.co.uk

Stewart Leggett

Stewart was passionate about food from a young age and at 17 began his training at The Glenagles Hotel in Scotland. Following the completion of his training Stewart worked as sous chef at The Chateau le Chaire in Jersey before returning to The Glenagles Hotel a couple of years later as Chef Tournant. In the years that followed Stewart worked in some of the top hotels and restaurants in the country. Between 1999 and 2002 he opened Castle House and then Left Bank in Hereford which he took to four AA Rosettes in six months. Finally in 2005 Stewart embarked on The Stewing Pot which he opened to much local acclaim.

He is a full member of the Master Chefs of Great Britain and writes a regular cookery column for Wye Valley Life magazine.Whilst running The Stewing Pot Stewart can also often be found demonstrating around the country and beyond. In 2009 Stewart received a Diamond Award from Heart of England Fine Foods and was one of ten chefs selected from across the Midlands to cook a 10 course meal at the Rico Stadium in Coventry to mark the 10th anniversary of the awards ceremony. To view Stewart’s latest recipe click on ‘read the rest of this entry’

Briased Herefordshire Ox Cheek in Hobsons Postman’s Knock, Glazed Winter Vegetables and Creamed Potatoes.

Ingredients:

• 2 Ox cheeks trimmed of fat and sinew and halved to form four nice steaks
• 2 bottles Hobsons Postman’s Knock
• 2 tbsp plain flour, seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 55g unsalted butter
• 24 baby onions, peeled
• 6 peeled garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 4 tsp soft dark brown sugar
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1litre good beef stock
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the mashed potato

• 1 kg floury potatoes, peeled, washed and cut into 2.5cm chunks
• salt and ground white pepper
• 85g unsalted butter
• 150ml double cream

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 140C/285F/Gas 1.
2. Place the flour and meat in a polythene bag and shake to coat the Ox cheeks.
3. Heat half the butter in a deep casserole and fry the cheeks until caramelised and crusty all over. Remove the meat and set aside. Add the remaining butter to the same pan and fry the onions, celery and carrot until soft. Add the thyme, garlic and bay leaf and cook gently for two minutes. Add any remaining flour and stir to combine.
4. Slowly pour in the Postman’s Knock and carefully bring to the boil. Reduce to a beef stock.
5. Return the cheeks to the pan, stir to combine, add remaining ingredients and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and skim any fat from the surface. Cover the casserole with a lid and place in the oven.
6. Cook for at least four hours until the meat is very tender, don’t forget to adjust the seasoning. When ready you should be able to almost push a wooden spoon through with little resistance. If the sauce appears a little thick add a few drops of water or more Postman’s Knock. If a little thin reduce the sauce on the hob.
7. For the mashed potato, simmer the potatoes in salted water for 12-15 minute. Drain then put the colander over the pan on a low heat for 2 minutes to dry the potatoes.
8. Return the potatoes to the saucepan with a pinch of salt and ground white pepper and mash until smooth. Fold in the butter and cream and beat until combined. Serve the beef with a dollop of mashed potato.

To find out more about The Butchers Arms please visit www.butchersarmswoolhope.com

Stephen Bull

“Stephen Bull is a genuine food hero” Fork Magazine, Autumn 2009

Stephen left behind a successful career in advertising at the age of 27 and brought his first restaurant in North Wales, where he taught himself to cook and launched himself on a remote, unsuspecting public. In 1970 Stephen then moved to Richmond and opened Lichfields, where he was awarded a Michelin Star and Newcomer of the Year in the Good Food Guide. Over the years additional restaurants followed – Stephen Bull (Time Out’s Best Modern European Restaurant), Stephen Bull’s Bistro, and Fulham Road where Stephen was awarded a Michelin Star. In 2000 he left London behind to open the Lough Pool Inn near Ross on Wye. Stephen now owns the Hole in the Wall near Cambridge and the Butchers Arms, Woolhope, both of which have a Bib Gourmand from the Michelin Guide for good value cooking.  Stephen has appeared several times at Hay and Abergavenny Festivals, and several times on Radio 4′s food programme. To view Stephen’s latest recipe click on’read the rest of this entry’

Beef Stew with Shropshire Ale

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs stewing beef, cut in 2-inch chunks
• 1 oz flour, seasoned with ground black pepper, in a plastic or paper bag
• 1 medium onion, finley chopped
• 1 stalk celery and 1 medium carrot, cut into 1 -inch pieces
• 3 spring fresh (or 1tsp dried) thyme, 3 bay leaves, 3-4 stalks parsley and 2-3 inch piece orange peel, all tied together
• 2 peeled, crushed cloves garlic
• 1 pint stock (if made with two cubes remember they are salty)
• Half a pint Hobsons Twisted Spire
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp sugar
• Salt
• 1 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp butter for browning

Method:

1. Dry the beef and jumble the pieces in the bag so they are well coated. In a frying pan heat the oil and butter till the foam subsides and brown the meat on all sides (about 5 minutes), a few pieces at a time.Remove to a pan with a lid.
2. Brown the vegetables for 10 minutes, adding a little more oil if necessary. Add these to the pan with the rest of the ingredients and season lightly.
3. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook gently (the liquid should bubble very quietly) for an hour and a half. Check for tenderness and continue to cook if necessary. Depending on the cut of meat (chuck, shoulder or topside are best) this could take up to 3 hours.
4. At the end of cooking, remove the bouquet garni and garlic. Strain off the cooking liquid into a wide pan and boil hard for a few minutes to concentrate the flavour. When you are happy with the flavour add the sauce back to the pan and check the seasoning. If the flavour is right but the sauce is still a bit runny, thicken with a little cornflour mixed with a tablespoon of water.

To find out more about Fusion Brasserie please visit www.fusionbrasserie.com

Felice Toochini

Born in Porcari a small village just outside Lucca in Tuscany, Italy, Felice was raised with a strong connection to food, the countryside and its way of life.  His love of food prompted him to enrol on a 3 year course at the Ferdinando Martini Catering College in Montecatini Terme. Following his graduation in 1982 and at the age of only 16 Felice and his future wife Fiorinda moved to Stratford Upon Avon where they worked at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre Company Restaurant, positions originally intended to last 1 year. 6 years later following stints in both the kitchen and front of house Felice was appointed Chef Manager of the Shakespeare Company’s newly acquired Seymore House Hotel. Over the 16 years that Felice ran Seymore House he collected AA Rosettes, a listing in Michelin, Heartbeat awards and many more.

In 2000 Felice was approached by the British Sprouts Association and has been their honorary chef ever since. Working with the association has brought considerable media attention including apperances on Country File, GMTV, One Show, BBC Good Food Show and Midlands Today. Some of Felices quirky sprout recipes like “sprouty cake” have gained global media attention with coverage in the USA and Australia. Over the years Felice has also worked with schools to promote fresh local seasonal produce something he is passionate about. In 2004 Felice and Fiorinda left the Royal Shakespeare company and opened Fusion Brasserie, which thanks to Felice’s love of fresh produce with a “fusion twist” has proven a great success. Felice continues to work with the British Sprout Association as well as local schools and has made several appearances at the BBC Good Food Show and Malvern Show. To view Felice’s latest recipe click on ‘read the rest of this entry’

Cornish Whiting in Twisted Spire and sesame seed batter, with triple cooked chips.

Ingredients:

• Oil for deep frying
• 4 x 175g Cornish Whiting fillets (you can use almost any fish)
• 225g plain flour plus extra for dusting
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 33oml Twisted Spire
• 1 tbs each of black and white sesame seeds
• 6-8 large floury potatoes, Maris Piper, King Edwards, Desiree preferably

Method:

Start with the chips, this is a long process, but well worth the effort and they keep well in the fridge.

1. Peel and square off the potatoes into rectangles, then cut them into chips about 2cm thick. The length of the pieces is unimportant, but you do want to keep them the same thickness, so that they cook at the same rate.
2. Place them in cold running water to rinse off some of the starch.
3. Bring a large pan of unsalted water to the boil add the potatoes, bring back to the boil and simmer gently for about 15 minutes, or  until the point of a knife easily penetrates the chips.
4. Carefully lift the potatoes out of the water and place them on a tray. Cool down before placing in the fridge for at least a couple of hours.
5. For the next stage heat a deep-fat fryer to 130c and plunge in the chips. Cook for about 5 minutes, but do not let them brown. Drain and leave to cool before putting them in the fridge.
6. Once all the above is done prepare the beer batter: Sift the flour into a large bowl, add the sesame seeds and whisk in the beer to create a batter with a consistency of a thick double cream that should coat the back of a wooden spoon. Add a little extra beer if it seems over thick. Do not add the salt at this stage as it keeps the batter more crisp.
7. Season the fish and dust lightly with flour to enable the batter to stick to the fish.
8. Dip the fish in the batter and fry at 180c for 6 – 9 minutes until golden and crisp.
9. Remove from the fryer and keep warm.
10. Plunge in the chips and cook until golden brown. This may take 8-10 minutes.
11. Season with salt and serve.

To find out more about The Boyne Arms please visit www.theboynearms.co.uk

Jamie Yardley

“Jamie is one of the most talented chefs I have ever worked with” Jean Christophe Novelli.

Jamie trained at Guilford Technical College before travelling to Australia to work at the age of 17. Whilst in Australia Jamie worked at several restaurants including O’niell’s fish restaurant located at Sydney harbour and several steak houses across the city. After 8 months in Australia Jamie returned to the UK to work in London at the Naval & Military Club and the RAF club. After working in the City for 5 years he moved out of London to Hertfordshire where he worked firstly as temporary head chef  at Hitchin Priory and then sous chef at Brocket Hall. After a year Jamie was promoted to head chef and worked alongside Jean Christophe Novelli and later Steven Saunders. In 2006 Jamie took over the Boyne Arms and fully renovated the pub in 2007. To view Jamie’s latest recipe click on ‘read the rest of this entry’

Beef and Ale pie

Ingredients:

• 5kg diced Burwarton chuck steak
• 3 large onions diced
• 500g button mushrooms halved
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 200g seasoned flour
• 4 glasses of Rioja
• 4 pints of Hobsons Old Henry
• 1 pnt of Guiness
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tbsp Hp sauce
• 2 tbsp horseradish sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 4 ltr beef stock
• 5 tbsp of English mustard
• 5 bay leaves
• Large sprid of thyme
• 1/2 bunch of parsley chopped

For the pastry

• 1.5kg flour (750g plain flour, 750g self raising flour)
• 750g salted butter (cut into cubes)
• Salt and pepper
• 500 ml cold water

Method:

1. Heat two large heavy bottomed frying pans on a high gas. Pat the meat dry and toss lightly in the seasoned flour, fry small amounts of the beef at a time in the hot pans, placing into a large stewing pot when browned. Repeat until all meat is sealed.
2. Add the onions, garlic and herbs to one of the pans and lightly fry, add to the meat. Stir in the tomato puree, season with salt and pepper and then add the rest of the ingredients apart from the mushrooms and parsley.
3. Bring to the boil and cover with a lid, place in a medium oven gas mark 5 until the meat is tender.
4. Add the mushrooms and pour into a plastic tray to coll. Stir in the parsley and check seasoning.

For the pastry

1. Cut the butter into cubes and add to the flour, season with salt and pepper. Mix until the butter is almost completely incorporated.
2. Add the water small amounts at a time, mixing with your hands each time until the flour starts to bind together (the pastry may not require the full amount of water).
3. Keep kneading the mixture until it is completely bound together, cover with cling film and leave to rest for at least one hour.

Constructing the pie

1. Cut the pastry in half and roll out to the size of the baking tray, prick the pastry and blind bake at gas mark 6 until golden brown.
2. Now ladle the pie filling onto the pastry base. Roll the rest of the pastry out and place on top of the pie mix.
3. Max an egg wash (1 egg yolk and 50ml of cream) and brush all over the top layer of pastry. Place the pie on the bottom shelf of the oven and cook on gas mark 6 until the pastry is golden brown and firm to the touch.

The Stagg is a rustic pub with a small bar that is home to 200 pub jugs and some very friendly gossiping locals and three dining rooms. Housed within a beautiful old building that is part medieval, part Victorian and a bit 1970s, The Stagg has an informal atmosphere with wooden tables and no background music. They have been serving Hobsons since they opened 12 year ago and are also enthusiastic promoters of local cider and perry.

To find out more about The Stagg Inn please visit www.thestagg.co.uk

Steve Reynolds

“Steve Reynolds is a splendid cook. Fine ingredients are just the beginning. He knows what to do with them…” Jonathan Meades, The Times.

Steve studied photography and was working as a freelance architectural photographer until he decided to change careers. He wrote to The Gavroche in Mayfair where he went on to do his basic training. Steve moved back to Herefordshire and began working at the Riverside in Aymestry where he built up a local following. In 1997 he and Nicola brought the run down Stagg Inn in Titley and reopened in March 1998 following refurbishments. The food critics and guides were quick to follow him and in 2001 he was awarded a Michelin Star which he still holds in the 2010 guide. Steve still enjoys photography but his passion is cooking. To view Steve’s latest recipe click on ‘read the rest of this entry’

Slow cooked Belly Pork, Smoked bacon and beans with baked apples and pears

Ingredients:

• 10 rashers of smoked bacon
• 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic, a diced carrot and diced onion
• 500g haricot beans (tinned are fine)
• 1 whole pork belly, scored (free-range and rare bread, we use Middle White)
• Bunch of sage
• 2 heads of garlic, halved
• 1 pt of cider
• 2 pts chicken stock
• 4 cox apples
• 4 conference pears
• 100g butter
• 100g caster sugar
• 500ml apple brandy

Method:

1. Scatter sage leaves and half heads of garlic in a baking tray, place pork on top and pour cider and stock around. Cover and bake at a low temperature for 4 hours or until tender. Remove pork and press under a tray with weights (bricks in tin foil are handy) for 24 hours. Put the cooking liquid in a pan and skim off all fat, reduce by half then cool.
2. Fry onion, garlic, carrot and bacon, add beans and the stock reduction. Set aside.
3. Cut the apples and pears into quarters, remove the core and cut in to 1 cm pieces. Melt the butter in a small roasting tray, add the apples and pears and lightly colour. Add the sugar and place in a medium oven for 4-5 minutes until they just start to soften, remove and pour on the calvados and flame it off burning out the alcohol.
4. Slice the pressed pork into 10 pieces and season, place skin side down in a very hot pan for 3 minutes then put into the oven for 20 minutes.
5. Place the beans on the plate and scatter the apples and pears over, slice the belly and place on top. Serve with a bottle of Hobsons Town Crier.