The Goose Fat Information Service

October 27, 2008 By 1 Comment

GooseFat For a touch of Winter luxury – Just add goose fat!

Everyone knows goose fat is the key to heavenly roast tatties, but this not-so-secret chef’s favourite can do so much more!  As the nights draw in goose fat, with its savoury flavour and silky texture, is ideal for transforming all manner of dishes into sumptuous, warming feasts!

Used in place of butter or oil, goose fat is brilliant for adding a touch of winter luxury to vegetable side dishes, risottos, stews, omelettes and stuffings and for roasting vegetables, poultry and game.

So don’t bin that half full jar of goose fat after the Sunday roast, once opened it can be kept in the fridge for 2-3 months which leaves lots of time to experiment with cooking with it.

GooseFatJar For those struggling for inspiration there’s even a website and phoneline dedicated to helping people make the most of the fat. The Goose Fat Information Service, on www.goosefat.co.uk or 020 7631 3232, provides recipe ideas, hints and tips for storage, as well as nutritional information and facts on the history of goose fat.

Top chef and owner of classic French restaurant Racine, Henry Harris, features on the website and has long been a fan of the fat;

“Goose fat is widely used in cooking in the South West of France, particularly in the regions of Aquitaine, Gascony and Périgord where it adds its subtle meaty flavour to traditional dishes, such as a classic French bean stew. It is the perfect culinary ingredient and a chef’s best friend. There is no doubt it makes the ultimate roast potatoes, but at my restaurant I use it to add a luxurious silkiness to a variety of recipes that we serve all year round.”

Henry Harris has created a range of delicious, warming recipes to demonstrate the versatility of goose fat. These can be found on www.goosefat.co.uk.

Other fans of the fat include Nigella Lawson, Jamie Oliver, Rick Stein, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Paul Rankin.

Goose fat is widely available all year round in most supermarkets including Sainsbury’s, Budgens, Co-op, Morrisions, Asda, Tesco and Somerfield, as well as all good butchers, delis and farm shops.

RoastPotatoes_01 RoastPotatoes_02 RoastPotatoes_03

We tried our roast potatoes with goose fat, this Sunday’s roast and they came out really nicely – really crispy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside – the perfect roast potato!

Filed Under: Meat

Autumn at River Cottage

October 27, 2008 By 1 Comment

river_cottage_autumn_bilb_01 Last week saw the beginning of a new TV series from Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall – River Cottage Autumn. The Sky+ messed up, so I missed the first episode, however, I did catch it this week and I liked it…I liked very much indeed!

The humble cauliflower, a vegetable I have to admit that I rarely buy, is made a star with a  ‘Cheese Cauliflower’ – a wedge of deep fried smoked brie served with a creamy cauliflower sauce. It was so good that Hugh, a seasoned disliker of cauliflower, served it  in the River Cottage Canteen on a special vegetarian night to celebrate the Autumn bounty.

Another dish destined for the vegetarian night, a ‘Speltotto‘ – a risotto made from pearled spelt, looked awesome and is one I must try. Having been introduced to spelt bread at the Real Food festival, I’m quite fascinated by this ancient grain, although it does contain gluten.

One of the Bristol smallholders is learning how to butcher a pig, something I would love to learn how to do properly – not only do you learn about all the different cuts of meat and what to do with them but you also learn that fantastic dishes can be made using the cheapest of cuts. The use of the ‘unpopular’ pork belly made me smile as in Portugal it’s a very popular cut of meat, prized for it’s juiciness and flavour and it’s used so much more than in the UK. The crackling on the roast, stuffed pork belly made my mouth water, it looked and sounded so appetising.

I love the way Hugh introduces us to cheaper, perhaps less fashionable foods that taste just as good as their more expensive counterparts. Take sea bass and black bream for example, the bream costs approximately a third of the price of bass, yet it cooks just as well and tastes so similar even the fisherman helping Hugh can’t tell the difference.

For me, the most interesting and exciting part of the programme was the feature on the Abundance project in Sheffield. A team of volunteers has found a way to harvest and make use of the local glut of apples, pears, figs, peaches and plums that are often left to rot where they fall

The Abundance crew gain permission to pick the fruit from people’s gardens, shopping centres, derelict land and other unlikely urban corners. The fruit is then redistributed to poorer areas of the community on a non-profit basis, with some of the apples being pressed into juice.

What a fantastic scheme! Do you have any schemes like this where you live? I have no idea whether there is anything like it in my area but I’m definitely going to find out!

After such an enlightening and mouth-watering episode, I can’t wait for the next one! Right, I’m off to download the first episode to see what I’ve missed!

Filed Under: Events

12 Ways to save at your supermarket

October 27, 2008 By Leave a Comment

coinpot We spend on average 15% of our weekly outgoings on food. But with food rising 9% last year, what we eat is set to consume a larger slice of our salaries.

Today our trolleys can no longer just be about taste, we need to be cost conscious too. With staples soaring (a pint of milk has reached an all-time high of 33½p and sliced bread costs a record £1.20 in big stores), we’re not being left with much change at the checkout.

The cost of food is climbing because shortages of important crops around the world like rice and wheat, are pushing up the price of ingredients for food manufacturers. These extra costs are being passed onto us at the supermarket. We’re spending more on our weekly shop than we have for a long time, and could end up adding £1,000 to last year’s annual food bill!

But by being a bit more thrifty in the supermarket, it is possible to continue eating deliciously, while keeping a firm grip on your food finances.

Twelve Thrifty Tips

1.    Pays to plan – planning your family’s meals for the whole week will mean less wasted ingredients. If you’re nipping to the supermarket every other day, it’s much easier for expensive (and probably unnecessary) extras to creep into the trolley

2.    Favour fresh – fresh ingredients, such as lovely fresh leeks, are much more economic than pre-prepared meals – and likely to be far more nutritious too

3.    Shop seasonally – apart from being more environmentally-friendly, buying locally grown fruit and veg, is far cheaper than out of season produce that’s been shipped over using expensive fuel

4.    Double-take – cooking double quantities will cut down on wasted ingredients – and time spent in the kitchen the following evening

5.    Sarnie saver – take tasty leftovers into work the next day to save delving into the sarnie lady’s basket

6.    Back to basics – switching to own-brand ‘basics’ ranges for some of the staples could cut your food bill considerably

7.    Stay simple – stick to tasty but simple dishes that don’t require a trolley full of fancy ingredients

8.    Love loyalty – register for a loyalty card at your supermarket and reap the financial rewards

9.    In it to win it – enter competitions to win supermarket vouchers or even better, a special meal out. Scour the supermarket shelves for on-pack promotions, or else visit competitions’ website www.theprizefinder.com

10.    Waste not want not – we waste roughly a third of the food we buy each year (6.7 million tonnes – enough to fill Wembley Stadium eight times over!) at a cost of £10 billion. Wasting food isn’t good for our planet or pocket, so be creative with leftovers. Older fruit and veggies make delicious soups or smoothies

11.    Online only – shop online to avoid being tempted by (often naughty!) extras

12.    Supermarket survey – investigate different supermarkets for price and quality. 90% of us choose the nearest supermarket, rather than considering cost. Even if you’d rather stick to your usual store for fresh produce, a cheaper supermarket might be an option for the basics

Filed Under: Featured, Health

Good Housekeeping cookery book competition reminder

October 26, 2008 By 1 Comment

We have two of these inspiring cookery books to giveaway:

SaladsDressings BBQsGrills Salads & Dressings

From making your own mayonnaise or classic coleslaw, to the more exotic Warm Mussel, leek and herb Salad or Thai beef salad, this book contains everything you need to be inspired by salads and dressings.

BBQs & Grills

Bangers and burgers are definitely not the only option, this book shows you how to perfectly grill vegetables, create wonderful kebabs and introduce delicious, healthy grilled dishes to your every day eating.

For a chance to win a copy, answer the simple question below and let us know which book you would like by filling in your details on our Contact page.

Question: What does ‘GHRI’ stand for?

The competition is open to UK residents only and closes on Friday 31st October 2008. The winners will be announced on Saturday 1st November 2008.

Good Luck!

Filed Under: Books

British farmers need our support

October 25, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Next time you visit the supermarket, stop and think before you pick up your baked beans or butter – are they from Britain?  Buying British isn’t just about buying local produce, it’s about supporting our home brands too.  For example did you know that Country Life is the only major British butter brand?  The other two leading brands are from Denmark and New Zealand.

British Dairy farmers take great care with their herds to give Dairy Crest the British milk they use for Country Life butter. Their farmers are proud of their British heritage and believe that provenance has a huge role to play in the quality of their milk. Here’s the story of one of those proud British farmers.

PeterHawkins Peter Hawkins

Name of Farm: The Lingens Farm
Farm size: 160 acres
Number of cows: 85
Amount of milk produced every day: 1,100 litres

Peter Hawkins studied agriculture at college before travelling all over the world with his wife, Helen, working on farms in Canada, Australia and Saudi Arabia.

The Lingens Farm has been owned by Helen’s family since 1971 and when they returned to the UK in 1991 Peter and his wife took it over.

Situated in Broadwas on Teme, Worcester, The Lingens Farm is shrouded in heritage and still has many of its traditional 17th Century buildings including two threshing barns and old orchards that remain from the time when the farm was used for fruit and hops.  Peter is currently working with Natural England to try and restore the old buildings to their former state.

Cows were first introduced to the site by Helen’s father in 1971 and today Peter and his family work hard to ensure that the farm works as a profitable dairy farm whilst remaining true to its traditions.  To do this, Peter has created an environment where everything can live and over the years, as well as his cows, Peter’s farm has become home to many other species of wildlife including hares, foxes, sparrows, wrens and owls who like to nest in the old barns.

Peter’s farm is so unique that it has been awarded a high level stewardship scheme in recognition of all the work he puts into sustaining the conservation, wildlife habitats and historical features of his farm.  The scheme has been designed to support farmers in their efforts to protect and improve the countryside, and it aims to support farmers who put the time and dedication in to supporting the traditional aspects of the site whilst still maintaining a modern, working farm.

Peter really believes that consumers should make every effort to buy British, to show their support for British farmers, so that they can sustain their vital industry.  Peter genuinely believes that buying British is best for three main reasons:  “The quality of British products beats all others and the milk’s creamy taste is unique to us.  Consumers really need to start giving back to British farmers and with the issue of food miles high on the current agenda, it’s important that consumers take responsibility in order to make a difference.”

Filed Under: Featured, Interviews
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