Cowdray Farm Shop & Cafe, Midhurst, West Sussex

Welcome to the Cowdray Farm Shop & Cafe nestled in the heart of the South Down National Park, West Sussex.

If you have an opportunity to explore the beautiful South Downs National Park in West Sussex this summer do make time to visit the Cowdray Farm Shop & Cafe located on the Cowdray Estate near Midhurst, West Sussex. For more information click here. 

I can highly recommend buying a box of Cowdray eggs; a flock of Light Sussex chickens occupy a rather lovely patch on the estate and are free to scratch around as much as they like which results in them having an incredibly diverse diet. The flavour of the egg is delicious and the yolk a fabulous rich yellow!

Sometimes it's the simple dishes you cook that can be the most enjoyable - for example an omelette made using organic, free range eggs accompanied by seasonal tomatoes - just delicious! At Cowdray they sell tomatoes sourced from Nutbourne Nursery, Pulborough, West Sussex. Click here to learn more about Nutbourne Nursery. 

On the other-hand you may fancy using a tasty cheese to make yourself Welsh rarebit on toast click here for recipe. I love cheese and would recommend the Sussex Charmer to you. It's produced by Bookham Harrison Farms based in Rudgwick, West Sussex and is a cross between Cheddar and Parmesan; it's a hard-pressed cheese matured for up to 1 year. To learn more about Bookham Harrisons Farms click here.

The Cowdray Farm shop is incredibly well stocked with a variety of organic, seasonal, artisan and locally sourced produce - who can resist a bar of chocolate!  To learn more about nomnom chocolate please click here. You have to try this.........

Do visit the Cafe too, the food is so good all made from scratch using traditional artisan techniques and the best Cowdray/local produce, I can certainly vouch for their toasted tea cakes and scones! 

Beginner's Guide to Kitchen Gardening - Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

A gift from Kew!

Yesterday I attended a day's course at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew called 'A Beginner's Guide to Kitchen Gardening'. The course was aimed at gardeners who were interested in starting a vegetable garden; its content included site preparation, sowing, growing, protecting and harvesting crops. It was hosted by Joe Archer, lead horticulturist and kitchen gardener who was featured in the series, on BBC 2, called 'Kew on a Plate' during 2015. He was responsible for growing heritage produce alongside Raymond Blanc and Kate Humble who spent a year at Kew growing produce and cooking delicious seasonal recipes. Joe is also the co-author along with Caroline Craig of 'The Kew Garden's Children's Cookbook: Plant, Cook, Eat click here. For more information on short courses at Kew click here.

Joe and a golden beetroot!

A small selection of garden tools needed to start your kitchen garden!

Beautiful cornflowers - these look amazing grown amongst the vegetables!

Beetroots pulled straight from the ground and cut to show their beauty.

The student garden for more information click here.

Double Chocolate Drop Biscuits

An organic recipe from Doves Farm's recipe book - Double Chocolate Drop Biscuits. Ingredients: 100g butter, 100g caster sugar, 1 x free range egg, half a teaspoonful of vanilla extract, one teaspoonful of baking powder, 2 teaspoonfuls of Green & Black's organic, fairtrade cocoa, 150g plain white, organic Dove Farm's flour, 25g of Montezuma's very dark, organic, fairtrade chocolate (chopped into small pieces).
Method: 1. beat together the butter and sugar 2. beat in the egg, vanilla & baking powder 3. mix in the cocoa, flour & chocolate pieces  4. place 12/14 teaspoonfuls of the mixture onto an oiled baking tray (leaving room for the biscuits to expand) 5. bake in a pre-heated oven (fan 160 celsius) for 10/12 minutes 6. Cool biscuits on a wire rack.

When you need a little 'pick me up' nothing can beat a homemade chocolate biscuit accompanied by a fresh and flavoursome cup of jasmine green tea! I made these biscuits yesterday using plain white organic flour from Doves Farm and Montezuma's 73% cocoa, very dark organic chocolate. Both companies are family owned and passionate about what they do - read their stories using the links below. 

Neatly stored away in a Kilner airtight jar. A perfect gift for a biscuit lover and I have just the person in mind!

Two key ingredients that go into making a superb double chocolate drop biscuit - Doves Farm organic flour (read here) and Montezuma's organic chocolate (read here).

Longueville Manor, St Saviour, Jersey, Channel Islands

Borage - its cucumber flavoured leaves are excellent for tea and other beverages; its blue flowers can be used to decorate salads and other vegetarian dishes.

Longueville Manor, an eighteen acre estate, located in the parish of St Saviour is reputed to be one of Jersey's finest hotels. Its fully restored Victorian kitchen garden is lovingly cared for and is, "at the heart of everything that happens in the Manor's kitchens". For more information click here

Enjoy my memories of Longueville's kitchen garden!

Beetroot is low in fat and high in vitamins and minerals - drinking its juice after exercise can allegedly reduce soreness and help your muscles recover. Delicious roasted accompanied by feta cheese.

Rhubarb - can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes.  Try cooking it with mackerel (in season at the moment) or pork.

Red onion - mild, sweet flavour - can be used raw in salads. Stores very well at room temperature.

Jersey strawberries - so sweet - tastes of summer!

Jerusalem artichokes - cook these in the same way as potatoes or parsnips - brilliant roasted!

Jersey, Channel Islands

If you haven't taken a trip to Jersey yet then you must definitely put this on your 'to do list' straightaway!

Jersey is the largest of the Channel Islands, between England and France - just 14 km (9 miles) from end to end and 8 km (5 miles) wide. It is an independent, English-speaking territory with a mix of British and French cultures. Here you will enjoy exceptional food, numerous beach activities, cycling, walking and learn about the island's history during its 5 year German occupation in World War II.

I hope my photographs will give you an appetite for Jersey!

St Aubin's Bay - ice-cream made from Jersey cattle; a breed popular for its high butterfat content and protein. 

Joe Freire Strawberries - Central Market, St Helier. Joe is the Island's largest commercial grower of summer fruit.

Fudge from Chocolate Express - Central Market, St Helier (click here)

Jersey Black Butter - Central Market, St Helier (click here)

Famous Jersey Royal potatoes - Central Market, St Helier (click here)

Quintessential Shere, Surrey

The Bakery

Yesterday I visited the quintessential surrey village of Shere, I hope you'll enjoy the images I captured on a perfect summer's day! For more information about Shere, its history and why so many film makers favour this village for 'location shooting' please click here.

The Greengrocer

Get involved, join the Shere Street Party on Sunday 12 June!

St. James Church used in the film Bridget Jones starring Renee Zellweger

A cottage garden

The film 'The Holiday' in 2006 starring Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Jack Black was shot on location in Shere 

A pretty row of cottages opposite the Shere Gift Shop

Strawberry Chia Jam

Strawberry Chia Jam

I've just made the most delicious strawberry chia jam using a recipe from Sarah Britton's book, 'My New Roots' (please click here for more information). I've used a variety of strawberry called Eve's Delight which has a reputation for being very aromatic and flavoursome; my local supermarket sells punnets from a grower in Berkshire. However, the piece de resistance with this easy recipe is the superfood, chia - its seeds are packed with many nutritional benefits (click here). 

As the strawberry season has begun why not enjoy a day out at your local PYO farm, I would recommend a trip to Garsons in Esher, Surrey (click here). Happy picking!

Marvellous Chia Seeds!

Watercress - Alresford, Hampshire

Watercress has always grown wild in the chalk streams and ditches in and around Alresford, Hampshire; today Alresford is regarded as the main producer of watercress in the country. To celebrate its watercress, Alresford stages an annual festival (click here).

If you would like to visit Alresford or New Alresford, I can highly recommend a stay at The Lodge, Arle Cottage owned by the delightful Clare Ashman (for further information please click here). I enjoyed a stay here during September 2014 when I attended the Alresford Agricultural Show (click here).

Watercress is actually part of the cruciferous (also know as brassica) family of vegetables along with kale, arugula and Brussels sprouts. Packed with vitamins and minerals, this peppery little leaf is one of our natural superfoods and tastes delicious too! A simple puree of peas, mint, watercress, lemon juice and creme fraiche makes a delicious accompaniment to salmon or river/sea trout.

Here we go!

Watercress - a little superfood!

A delicious and nutritious pea and watercress puree.

Denbies Wine Estate - Dorking, Surrey

Denbies Wine Estate, in the glorious Surrey hills, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year! The 265 acre vineyard was planted in 1986 and is now a major English wine producer; it's owned by Adrian White a water scientist, entrepreneur and inventor. His son, Christopher is currently in charge of Denbies and its wine. Click here

Adrian White bought the Denbies estate in 1980 when the hilly land was being used to farm cattle and pigs. A neighbour, Professor Richard Selling who was a Professor of Geology at Imperial College, London suggested a radical change; he realised that the bowl shape of the land was the same as the Champagne country of France. Assured that the soil and weather on the south-facing slopes could sustain the production of wine Adrian decided to have a go - the rest is history!

To fully appreciate the scale and beauty of the estate I would recommend you take the Vineyard Outdoor Train Tour followed by the Indoor Tour which includes a 20 minute Cinema Experience, a walk through the Working Winery and finally a visit to the Cellar for a Wine Tasting Session!

All aboard! Just about to start the tour.

'The Brokes' - Reichensteiner planted in 1988.

'Hill Side' - Chardonnay planted in 1991.

Quinta do Lago beach - Treasure from the sea!

I love foraging and these were just a few little treasures I found on a beautiful stretch of beach at Quinta do Lago (click here). The shells include Scallops, Mussels, Clams and remnants of an earthenware pot called an Alcatruz.

An Alcatruz is a vessel used to capture octupus; the pots (as many as 72) are attached to a main line (linha madre) and anchored to the bottom of the sea, parallel to the shoreline. The pots may be baited with cockles or mussels.

Ria Formosa - Cactos Figo (Opuntia ficus-indica)

The Cactos Figo plant known as the prickly pear, scientific name Opuntia ficus-indica belongs to the Cactaceae family. The plant is rich in sugar and has a considerable amount of potassium, magnesium, calcium and vitamins A, B1, B2 and C. The little pear can be presented in various colours: green, purple, red, white or yellow. Red is often used as a natural dye. The fruit is ready to harvest during the month of August and can be enjoyed in a simple salad or made into a delicious preserve!

Cactos Figo photographed by me during a walk in the Ria Formosa.

Ria Formosa Nature Reserve - Fish Tank/ Faro Fish Market

I photographed this tank (although so natural it doesn't look anything like a tank) created, in a marshy area, to permit the development of certain fish species. These include Gilt Head, Bass, Sole, Sea Bream and Eel. Among other functions, salt marshes have the capacity to remove some pollutants from water and act, to a certain extent, as a water purifier! If you look very closely you'll see the outline of several fish swimming close to the water's edge.

Staying on the fish theme, I just wanted to share with you a photograph I took of a fish counter in Apolonia, a shop located in Almancil, Portugal. The fish were sourced from a market in Faro and include, Sea Bass, Striped fish, Sea Bream, Hake, Blake John Dory, Zebra Sea Bream, Eel, Sole and Horse Mackerel. The fruits of the sea!

Ria Formosa Nature Reserve, Algarve, Portugal

What a real treat to experience the beautiful flora and fauna of the Ria Formosa during my trip to Quinta do Lago, Portugal. It is a protected area carrying the status of 'Natural Park' and was established by Decree Law in 1987. Click here

Quinta do Lago is located in the heart of the Ria Formosa Nature Reserve; it's a lagoon separated from the sea by a coastal dune system, which is broken up by various natural and artificial inlets. It includes a narrow strip of land and a series of coastal dunes running almost parallel to the mainland, formed by peninsulas and sandy barrier-islands which serve to protect the salt marshes, channel and islets.

Please enjoy these photographs taken during my trip!

Surrey Hills Cookery School, Tyrrells Wood, Surrey

Today I attended a cookery class called 'Fab Food for Friends' at the Surrey Hills Cookery School in Tyrrells Wood, Surrey run by Susie and Sara.

Sara is a Home Economist and Susie a Cordon Bleu cook and together in their warm and friendly kitchen you will learn that cooking is all about confidence.

Why not treat yourself or a loved one to a wonderful day full of food and laughter! Click here

Surrey Hills Cookery School, Tyrrells Wood, Surrey - Mango, Malibu & Orange Semifreedo

Surrey Hills Cookery School, Tyrrells Wood, Surrey - Asparagus, Sundried Tomato & Olive Loaf