Wild and Furrow Oat Drink

God bless the vegans and all that, but not really being of that ilk I’ve been a bit wary of the idea of milk-type stuff made from nuts, grains and so on. But at a visit to the opening event of Pratik Master’s Not Just a Corner Shop 2 in Swithland I met with Miles from Wild and Furrow oat drink and I was a convert at first taste.

Miles and his brother Angus are from an arable farming family, growing crops at Marston Trussell near Market Harborough. He has also worked in the coffee industry and saw the potential for new alternatives to milk, with oats being the most viable. They have nothing against the dairy industry, they are just motivated by the market opportunity for a great product.

The drink is made with their own oats and those from other local selected farms and is basically oats and water mixed and heated, then finessed with a little cold-pressed rapeseed oil and sea-salt. The taste is rich, oaty and creamy – think of the cream around your porridge once it’s had a chance to steep. It is being used in coffee in cafes around the county and can be bought – in returnable glass bottles – in a rising number of delis and fine food stores in the region.

I’m a bit sceptical that it will improve my single origin yirgacheffe of a morning – I’ll give it a go at some point – but I do love it simply as a nice drink, and looking forward to using it on porridge and breakfast cereals. For further details of the business, their philosophy and where you can get the product visit the Wild and Furrow website.

A little treat from Maastricht

This lockdown I have enjoyed Leicestershire wine – specifically this spritely, disarmingly fruity rosé (right) from grapes grown just outside the city by Liz Robson at Rothley Vineyard. I’m not a regular rosé drinker but for me this was up with the best of that vineyard’s work, such as their Gundog white and High Hopes fizz.

I’ve come to respect English wine, but what I didn’t expect this summer was to find myself enthusing over Dutch wine. I’ve written before of my enthusiasm for most things Dutch, but it’s tended to be beer, cheese and fine restaurants. Vines? From reclaimed North Sea land that’s great for tulips?

Well that of course drastically, offensively even, misunderstands the Netherlands. The southernmost region of Limburg is quite distinct from (the province of) Holland, with gentle hills, pleasant climate and limestone soil which is suitable for wine making. It’s on the same latitude as England’s south coast (currently also making fine wines) and not that far from the Moselle region in Germany.

Not  a windmill in sight – the vineyards of Maastricht

It’s said that Napoleon grubbed up all the vineyards in Limburg because he was worried about the competition. It wasn’t until 1970 that the Apostelhoeve vineyard in the city of Maastricht started the modern tradition of winemaking that now sees 180 vineyards across the country.

As part of a virtual press tour of Maastricht from the comfort of my sofa, I tried a bottle of their 2019 Muller Thurgau. This is one of those hardy grapes like Bacchus that the French will be sniffy about but is a relatively easy to grow, productive grape that is useful for winemakers in less favourable climates. And here they have done a really good job with it – light and bright, it doesn’t hit you over the head with texture or fruit, but it has real character and is a perfect summertime aperitif. It comes in a handsome flute which makes a strong, visual allusion to those hugely drinkable Picpoul de Pinets that now crop up on restaurant lists all around Europe.

Winemaker Matthieu Hulst now produces 110,000 bottles a year at Apostelhoeve, including a Riesling and Pinto Gris, and declares himself “a happy man” as the climate warms and he can start to expand further across those gentle south-facing hills above the river Maas: “We’re now planting viognier, the first in The Netherlands, and who knows, in the future we might even plant pinot noir for a red?”

To be frank, you are unlikely to find Apostelhoeve wines in the UK – it’s all sold to local shops and restaurants. The good news is that you now have a good reason to go and explore this lovely part of the world. There’s a reason Maastricht was chosen for the discussions for the eponymous Treaty – it’s at an historic crossroads of Europe, just 30 minutes from cities such as Liege in Belgium to the South and Aachen in Germany to the East. It has a medieval heart with more protected heritage buildings than any Dutch city other than Amsterdam and its people have an enthusiasm for the good life – hence the many café terraces in its squares and its reverence for fine produce whether it’s wine, cheese or bread and pastries made from ancient-grain spelt flour milled at the 7th century Bischopsmolen water mill in the centre of town.

It’s high on my list for a real visit “when this is all over” – try Visit the Netherlands for more information.

Melton – A Grand Day Out

So yesterday I had a little day out in Melton Mowbray, primarily for the Tuesday market at the cattle market. It’s the largest town centre cattle market left in the UK, and it’s a terrific place to visit.  And here’s a little (mobile phone) photo essay.

Visiting the cattle market is first rate theatre – from the patter of the auctioneers to the eyebrow raising of the tweedy, flat-capped farmers replenishing their herds. It’s not just good fun but should really be visited by anyone who eats meat, drinks milk or wears wool. Just to see.  

 

On Tuesdays there is the extra attraction of the fur and feather market where you can bid for all sorts of fancy fowl for laying or breeding plus rabbits and the like. There’s also a farmers’ market with some first rate butchers, cheesemongers, bakers and speciality stalls. Good coffee and huge bacon cobs are of course on offer. Then there’s a sizeable bricabrac section too.

The town of Melton is also worth a quick spin around  – on the day we visited we ran into local legend Matthew O’Callaghan giving a guided tour to a bunch of tourists. Matthew is the man behind the protected status of the Melton Mowbray pork pie and is responsible for the growing status of the British Pie Awards (for which I’m honoured to be a judge),  the Artisan cheese fair and several other events which bolster Melton’s status as the “Rural Capital of Food”. The day-trippers were also to get a hands on pie-making experience in the surroundings of what is becoming another must-visit town venue, the Round Corner Brewery Tap on the cattle market site.

They are producing some outstanding brews – I can’t wait for their forthcoming  Donkey Jacket Vermont IPA later this Spring  – and they show an admirably collegiate approach to working with neighbouring food businesses. It’s worth making your visit by train simply to make sure you don’t miss out here (but check for opening times).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brentingby – craft gin from the heart of rural Leicestershire

For the second in an occasional series of meetings with go-ahead drinks producers in Leicestershire, I went to the tiny hamlet of Brentingby just outside Melton Mowbray. In a converted garage by a converted church, guarded by a gaggle of guard-geese, Bruce Midgely has in less than two years built up Brentingby Gin into one of the country’s most dynamic craft gin companies.

Bruce came from his home city of Durban to play rugby for the Leicester Tiger’s Colts. A sporting career didn’t work out, but he did do extremely well in the oil and gas industry. Once the appeal of expat life in Africa, China, Singapore and beyond wore off, he was looking for something he could put his considerable energy into back in the East Midlands.

Bruce Midgely with Ayanda – his 10 -plate copper still

Gin not only appealed as an emblem of good times, but he knew it was something where he could utilise his engineering skills. And indeed his self-designed, bespoke ten-plate copper still has become the engine of the business, producing exceptionally smooth spirit. When it came to devising a recipe, there’s no substitute for hard work and Bruce educated his palate with some 300 trial runs using a mini-still. Hibiscus, a common coastal plant back home, was always going to be a key element. But it was the involvement of industry legend Tom Nichols that enabled him to refine and perfect the recipe and also opened up doors in the industry when it came to sourcing rare supplies and entering key markets.

Brentingby’s core range then started with a London Dry, juniper-led of course but with both floral and spice notes creeping in. It’s complemented by the Black Edition, which boosts up the pepper and piney charactersitics with the additionof the likes of locally-picked meadowsweet. And then there’s a pink gin, not so sweet as many but featuring subtly-introduced exotic floral notes from hibiscus, rooibos and baobab. All three are exceptionally clear, clean and well-balanced.

Bruce acknowledges he was lucky to launch at a time when there was a slight lull in the relentless launching of new gins. With the kudos of a new Tom Nichols gin, he found doors opened to him and when the five star reviews started roling in from bloggers and key influencers such as Diffords Guide, the stockists were keen to give him a go. So ever since, his van is up and down to London where the gin is in big demand in upscale Mayfair bars and retailers such as Harvey Nicks. It’s recently been introduced as a choice for First Class passengers with British Airways.

Some 6,000 bottles a month now leave the tiny distillery, including regular one-off small batches for the likes of old Tigers chum Matt Hampson and his Foundation’s Get Busy Living centre.

Not only is this a genuinely great product, but it’s good to see Bruce is incorporating sustainability into his production. A windmill produces effectively free energy, all water is recycled and even the unusable heads of each distillation are used as cleaning materials.

Ready to drink pink gin

This one man band is now expanding with the recruitment of a business manager, and the aims are ambitious. In the short term there are new products such as a bourbon barrel-aged gin – perfect for an Old Fashioned – and possibly a vodka and whisky too. The craft gin world’s first ready-to-drink cans are also now taking off. In the longer-term, there’s a parcel of land opposite the distillery that Bruce hopes can be developed into a gin school and a pub.

That would see an already hectic pace of achievement turn into a major Leicestershire success story.

Wines from Rothley and Puglia

Just to keep things ticking over here, I thought I’d mention a couple of – very different – wines I’ve tried recently.

Froggy assesses Rothley Wine’s King Richard

As this is a Leicestershire blog, I was very keen to try a bottle of King Richard – a dry white wine made here in Leicestershire by Rothley Wine. The grapes are new ones to me – allegedly 77 per cent Solaris and 33 per cent Siegerrede (I know, someone’s maths or proofreading needs improving). English wines are improving at breakneck pace – the wines made by Chapel Down for example, on the chalk downs of Kent and Sussex are superb and their operation in Tenterden is highly professional. Leicestershire is 150 miles further north and notwithstanding global warming this is marginal territory.  But Rothley have done a fine job of building their operation with the support of local people.

So, King Richard 2015. First off – it’s really pretty good. The makers say it’s in the style of a gewurztraminer and suggest flavours of melon, grapefruit and ginger – and I get all of that. But as well as those brighter, zingy flavours there was also a whiff of the farmyard that I found off-putting. Some may like some funk in their wines but while I was more than happy to finish off the bottle, it was enough for me to think at £11.50 a bottle it was an interesting experiment rather than “get a case in”. Unfair maybe to compare to similar wines of established areas such as Alsace or the Loire, and you can certainly be disappointed with wines from those regions, but we’re not there yet.  Definitely worth supporting though because English wines can, and I am sure will, continue to improve in years to come.

My second bottle I’m only recommending because I’ve bought all the bottles I can find already.   Lidl’s Wine Tour selections are available for a couple of months on a “when it’s gone, it’s gone” basis and often feature wines from just outside top appelations which come in between around £5 and £9. They are always worth a try, but rarely prove anything other than you get what you pay for. However I do think their Selone Negroamaro from Puglia is truly spectacular value at £5.69.  Coming in at a hefty 14.5 per cent it has gentle but firm tannins and a depth of fruit, spice and vanilla that is rare at this price point. It can be drunk on it’s own but is super with red meat or cheese.

Froggy assesses Lidl’s Selone Negroamaro

Put the local back into the cornershop

I paid a visit last week to  a corner shop in Wigston that is taking a brave new approach to retailing.

Many Leicester food lovers will know Pratik Master for the indefatigable enthusiasm he brings to the running of his top-end Indian restaurant Lilu. Now he’s turning his attentions to the family shop on Carlton Drive in the heart of suburban Wigston. On Saturday 2 March Master’s General Store will relaunch as the News and Deli – which will continue with newspapers and other basics for the local community but will also be a platform for the region’s finest artisan food producers.

Out go the bottles of Echo Falls and in comes both excellent Leicestershire wine from Rothley and fine bottles from the list at Lilu. The standard sliced bread will be replaced by loaves from Hambleton Bakery and Bisbroke Artisans, with fine dairy products from the highly regarded Vine House Farm. Leicester producers and retailers such as Gelato Village, Cocoa Amore, Choux’tique and Christopher James deli will also be represented and no-waste retailers Nada will be supplying a wide variety of dry goods.  The kitchens at Lilu will also be producing items such as their popular pineapple relish for sale at the deli to complement fine cheeses and locally-cured charcuterie.

“What was clear was the shop as it had been was not really working,” said Pratik. “My Dad’s heart was no longer really in it and he was ready to retire. The family felt we needed to do something more, and since running the restaurant I’ve got to know many fine local producers .  I phoned around and asked them if they felt they’d like a stage where they could showcase their produce and I think I got to number 15 before I got  a no. ”

So during February Pratik, wife Bee and family and friends have been clearing out the old stock, making arrangements with new suppliers and converting the shop from a run of the mill newsagent to an atmospheric deli. The opening day event on 2 March (10am to 2pm) will see a wide range of producers present on the day to introduce their wares to locals, and others will be there over the following Saturdays. If you want to follow on social media look out for #notjustacornershop. Sadly I’ll be eating fish in a port-side restaurant in the Algarve at the time but looking forward to revisiting in March to see how it’s going.

• News and Deli, 29 Carlton Drive, Wigston, Leicestershire LE18 1DF

 

 

Choux’tique – French patisserie from Leicester

I suspect quite a few readers will have dreamt of chucking in their day job to set up a little food business. Nathalie Salles has done it. And lovers of authentic French choux pastry should be delighted.

I met Nathalie selling her glorious little sweet and savoury choux buns at Belgrave Food Fair last month under the name Choux’tique. She came to England from France to study product design at De Montfort but eventually tired of the corporate world. It turns out she’s an old friend of a friend and is baking out of her home just around the corner from me near Victoria Park, Leicester.

She’s now on a mission to broaden our awareness of just what can be done with choux pastry – and not least to correct our notion of the éclair. “Here you see eclairs filled with whipped cream – but in France that’s not an eclair! We use different flavours of crème patisserie.”

Her core range then includes little choux buns filled with divine praline or chocolate crème pat, and chouxquettes, favourites back in France but relatively unknown here, which are simply sprinkled with pearl sugar.

Then there are savoury versions – gougères topped with cheese or filled with bacon or, in the case of “le petit toad”, sausage. She’s also now producing non-choux savoury loaves, speckled with ham and olives or sundried tomato and olives. Wherever possible she’s sourcing from local traders – “It’s really good to develop a relationship with your suppliers,” she explains. “And the quality tends to be so much better than supermarkets.”

These treats are beautifully light and very versatile. Whether sweet or savoury they are perfect for a mid-morning break and as snacks or finger food at meetings, parties and events. Nathalie would love to help establish the French tradition of turning up to friends with a little gift of patisserie. Bigger, showstopper items such as Gateau St Honoré a spectacular Piece Montée can also be ordered.

She’s currently building up awareness at fairs and foodie events and direct sales are taking off too – they can be picked up from Victoria Park Road or orders over £20 can be delivered free within two miles. If you want to give them a try call on 0116 210 8168 or 07974 140515, or check out more information www.facebook.com/tryit.itsfrench or on instagram it’s choux.tique .

 

 

 

Gelato in the Square

Details out today of the Gelato in the Square festival put together by Gelato Village.  Daniele and Antonio have been regularly going back to Italy and building a name for themselves in the gelato fraternity – with such effect that the flow is being reversed and some of Italy’s top makers are coming over to Leicester to celebrate all things gelato and  the Slow Food approach in general.

Over the weekend of 27-29 October there will be a huge range of talks, demonstrations and events in the St Martin’s Square café. Every hour or so from 11am on Friday there will be presentations from both local partners such as Belvoir Ridge Creamery who supply their milk and from also Italian artisans such Paolo Brunelli, a man celebrated as the “visionary poet” of gelato.

Others will talk about wine, biscuit and cone making, while local bars and restaurants will also be represented with Charlotte Wood from Manhattan 34 leading a session on cocktails and gelato and Antoni Scarpatti of Anstey’s marvellous  Sapori will address food matching.

There will also of course be chances to sample and purchase exciting flavours of gelato made in Leicester by the visiting makers. It all looks an lot of fun. All events are take place in the shop and are free on a first come first served basis. The full programme is attached below, and should be readable once you click on the images.

Gelato Village wins big

 

Many congratulations to Gelato Village  in St Martin’s for gaining two star awards for three of its flavours in the Great Taste Awards.  This is one of the most highly-respected of such schemes and only about 15 per cent of the awards are at two star level. The winning flavours were pistachio, hazelnut and almond and orange. Great to have such fine produce available our city centre.

Peppercorn Catering

A quick plug for family-run Leicestershire caterers Peppercorn, who’s double decker bus known as Ella Louise can now be found parked up at Abbey park over the summer. Peppercorn, who already run two cafes in Barrow and Anstey, have taken on the Pavilion café in Abbey Park which will open later this summer once a complete refurbishment is done.

They have also launched a new, next-day-delivery, postal service for their traybakes and they were kind enough to send me a selection.  I’ll have a good hefty slab over a mimsy cup cake any time and their bakes have all the virtues of the style – white chocolate tiffin (right) had a solid layer of chocolate with a rich, sweet, coconutty biscuit underneath, leavened with glace cherries.  Peanut butter brownies were also substantial but didn’t have the cloying texture of others I’ve had. Rocky Road  was full of badness in all the right ways.

A dairy and egg free apple cake seemed underspiced, underfruited and a bit dull though. I’m sure it must be hard to make much of interest without butter or eggs, so full marks for trying – I’m sure it will be appreciated as will others such as the gluten free chocolate slice and strawberry and honey cake.

For more information, visit Peppercorns by Post