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Cooking Good Food Cookery Courses at Lower
Buckton.....
 Having cooked her fingers to the bone for the last six years at
Lower Buckton, Carolyn has constantly been asked for her recipes, to
write a cook book or at least impart some of her cooking secrets,
tips and ideas to guests and visitors who've shared convivial meals
and get togethers over the years.
So at last here is the launch of Cooking Good Food Cookery Courses.
Designed to follow the seasons and using the freshest of local
produce available and in the best tradition of Lower Buckton's
house-style, Carolyn offers day courses for six people in her sunny
country kitchen. Equipped with a four oven AGA, a six burner gas top
with gas oven and a conventional electric oven, there is plenty of
scope for all styles of cooking.
 Whether it's a hands-on practical approach or sit back and watch,
the day is planned around a theme to suit the time of year and
ingredients available.
DATES
Combined food safari/cookery courses.
Thursday 13th & 27th March
Thursday 10th & 24th April
Thursday 8th & 22nd May
Thursday 12th & 26th June
Thursday 10th & 24th July
Thursday 14th & 28th August
Thursday 11th & 25th September
Thursday 9th & 23rd October
Thursday 13th & 27th November
Thursday 11th December
A short food safari/cookery course combining a morning visit to the
Local to Ludlow Food Market where you'll be introduced to the stall
holders all of whom are small-scale producers within 30 miles of
Ludlow. Here we'll have some tastings and source the ingredients for
the day's themed menu and return to Lower Buckton for a cook-in.
The day includes morning coffee, lunch and afternoon tea and costs
£75.00 each person for up to six people.
Email carolyn@lowerbuckton.co.uk availability and other available
dates.
Also - coming soon..........
Food Safaris..........
Herefordshire, Shropshire, Worcestershire and
Wales all on a Plate!
 Fully chauffeured days out visiting local food producers, farmers
and artisans. Discover their special crafts, sample their food and
drink and take home more than a memory. An "on a Plate" food tour
includes morning coffee, lunch at well known gastro-pub and
afternoon tea at an award-winning tea-shop plus an in-car goodie
hamper and all transport from and to the agreed meeting point. These
are bespoke days out for six people and can be tailored to your own
specialist interests or chosen area. They cost £120.00 each person
up to six people.
All FOOD at LOWER BUCKTON is HOME GROWN, PRODUCED & PREPARED or
LOCALLY SOUGHT, BOUGHT & CAUGHT within a 10 MILE radius.
DIARY DATE for
2008.............
The Ludlow Marches Food and Drink Festival is on Friday 12th, Saturday
13th and Sunday 14th September.
What did Carolyn do at the 2007 Food Festival?
Sat on a panel chaired by Henrietta Green for an open debate on Local
Food v Organic Food.
Took part in the highly hilarious pantomime produced by the Local to
Ludlow team.
Demonstrated some Slow Food themed recipes with Therese Savarin from
France.
CIAO BABY! ITALIAN STYLE BRUNCH IS ON
THE MENU FOR SUNDAY'S COOKERY DEMONSTRATION FROM LOWER BUCKTON.
Sunday 10 September in the Food Festival's Demonstration Marquee at
11.00 am.
Slow Food aficionado, Carolyn Chesshire from Lower Buckton Country
Guest House is off to the International Salone del Gusto, Turin,
Italy in October to attend the Terra Madre as one of 30 cooks
representing the UK and to celebrate she'll be introducing some
Italian-style recipes to her Slow Food Brunch demonstration this
Sunday at Ludlow Marches Food and Drink Festival. On the menu will
be ingredients from Lower Buckton's Kitchen Garden and this
Thursday's Local to Ludlow Market plus luscious pork from her own
"Lower Buckton Berkshires in the Back Yard". Carolyn says that she
intends to blend the freshest, local produce using an Italian
influence to create recipes from food which is "good, clean and
fair" - the essential components of food quality and the theme of
this year's Slow Food Festival in Italy
LOW FOOD MILES = SLOW FOOD!
SLOW FOOD - KEEP IT LOCAL!
LOCALLY SOURCED, BOUGHT and CAUGHT!
 Please note that Lower Buckton is a multi-national, supermarket-free
zone!! We do NOT shop in huge, 'out of town food stores' whose names
I will not mention here! We prefer to spend our money within the
local business community, with people we know and have a connection
with the food they sell - also at a competitive price.
Apart from growing and producing our own Free-Range, rare-breed
Berkshire Pigs which turn into the most delicious Pork, we keep a
few hens for eggs, have fruit trees and an extremely plentiful
vegetable garden.
Game, including venison, pheasant, partridge, quail and rabbit come
wild from the forest, local estates and farms.
We love fish but don't serve a lot of sea-fish because we feel that
it doesn't really sum up our 'local food' ethos. However, we do
serve a lot of locally fished rainbow trout, brown trout (when we
can get it), wild, organic or smoked salmon and make delicious
home-cured gravadlax.
We take pride in all our food cooked at Lower Buckton, vegetables
are served in season, the meats are top quality and the other
ingredients carefully chosen. Obviously we use some imported foods -
where would we be without wonderful pungent spices, coconuts and
lemons for example? But our philosophy is to use what we can in
season throughout the year. The anticipation of Seville oranges
arriving for marmalade-making after Christmas, autumnal figs and
September pineapples at their best, the best Hunza apricots are all
examples of the Food Calender. Our style of cooking is simply
Classic Country with a Twist. Let us know what you like and we'll
devise a menu to suit from what's available at the time of you
visit.
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TOMATOES
During the natural British season for
Tomatoes we grow our own and buy from local growers - as you can
imagine, you won't find an imported Spanish or Dutch tomato at Lower
Buckton.
Therefore I was so pleased to come across this latest addition to
our Local to Ludlow theme in all that's good to eat. This
wonderful, smooth and flavoursome Tomato Juice from Drews at Little
Witley has solved the problem of "tomatoes out of season". for
Winter breakfasts.
Served really well chilled in small shot glasses with Worcestershire
Sauce available as required and you can even have a slug of Vodka to
cure that 'morning head'!
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Our LOCAL SUPPLIERS are -
The Dairy House at Weobley - lots of organic yoghurts, try
the Damson! Organic Jersey cream, curd cheese, crème fraiche,
Cheddar cheeses and Herefordshire butter.
Bartonsham Farm Dairy, Hereford - Herefordshire Milk and
Cream delivered to Leintwardine.
AH Griffiths, Butchers, Leintwardine - award winning
sausages, traditional homecured bacon and locally reared beef, lamb
and poultry - this butcher has its own slaughter-house at the rear
of the premises)
Leintwardine Village Shop - for General Groceries and
Deliveries of Swifts' Bakery Breads.
Leintwardine Garage Shop - "open all hours!" and good for
general groceries, newspapers, magazines, petrol, diesel, plus it
stocks all my favourite Dairyhouse products and Tyrrels Crisps!
The Mouse Trap, Ludlow - an amazing specialist cheese shop
with loads of local ones including all the cheeses they make
themselves at the Monkland Dairy which include Little Hereford &
Hereford Sage. Ragstone, an unpasturised goat's milk cheese and
Finn, an organic unpasturised cow's milk are from the Neals Yard
Creamery, Dorstone, Herefordshire. The Malvern Cheesewrights Company
in Worcestershire make a much commented on sheep's milk cheese,
called funnily enough, Malvern! We're also very fond of Mrs
Appleby's Cheshire cheese, confusingly made at Hawkstone in
Shropshire using unpastursised milk from the family's herd of dairy
cows. We normally have a good cheese selection which is served with
our special homemade oat cakes and homemade chutney.
The Organic Smokery, Clunbury - fabulous smoked salmon &
organic salmon & wild salmon - all things good and fishy from the
best possible waters.
Tickmore Farm, Brimfield Common, nr Ludlow - home-pressed
apple juices with NO additives!
Kirkennel Fruit, Nr Ludlow - for strawberries in season.
The Fruit Basket, Church St, Ludlow - for local vegetables &
fruit when our garden's a little thin!
The Ludlow Nut Company, Ludlow Market - all manner of dried
fruits, nuts and seeds including a fab mix called Fruits of the
Forest.
Richard Swift, Bakers - shops in Ludlow, Clee Hill & Tenbury
Wells - specialist bakers for all my bread supplies and they
deliver to Leintwardine Village Shop. My favourites are an organic
white with soya and sunflower seeds and Shropshire Brown, a sweet
and delicious malty loaf - try them both at breakfast time!
Bacheldre Watermill, Churchstoke, Shropshire - artisan
millers of exceptional flours - simply the best for all cooking and
baking - the ONLY ones to use!
Tyrells Potato Chips, Stretford Bridge, Leominster - for
crisps not as you know them! Try the hand-fried Mixed Roots or the
salt-free Naked Crisps - we serve them before dinner!
Osmin Olives, Ludlow Market - specialist suppliers of all
manner of marinated olives, peppers and award winning oils. A small,
committed company based in Leintwardine - I just love them! Try some
before dinner!
Shepherds Ice Cream, Hay on Wye - deliciously flavoured ices
made from sheep's milk.
Tipsy Fruit Gins, Tipsage Farm, Tenbury Wells - the only
alcohol for your hip flask!
Harry Tuffins, Knighton or Craven Arms - not really like a
super-market, just a giant shop run by a local family for local
people and very good at stocking local produce alongside the usual
stuff - has a great £pound£ shop too!!
Penderyn Distillery, Breconshire - for Brecon Special Reserve
Dry Gin which has been distilled in the Brecon Hills and just
perfect for 'ice and a slice' and makes a fab refreshing G&T Jelly!
Poultry - our lovely friends, Ali and Chris raise poultry in
their orchard just a few miles up the road. These chickens and ducks
find their way to our Aga, pot and freezer. The taste is of
something vaguely remembered from childhood - of what chicken used
to be - true flavour long forgotten! When did you last see light and
dark meat on a super-market chicken or even a supposed 'free-range'
one? The stock obtained from the carcasses makes the most amazing
soups too.
Farmers' Produce Markets - there is a monthly "Local to
Ludlow" Farm Market in The Square, Ludlow and a regular Farmers'
Market in Knighton - good hunting-grounds for local honey & jams
(for if mine are in short supply!)
11.00 am Saturday 10 September - BREAKFASTS IN
A DASH
Carolyn Chesshire, of Lower Buckton, Leintwardine, demonstrates some
of her award-winning breakfasts, all made from local ingredients
DEMONSTRATION-DAY DIARY! plus RECIPES
An early start............I think that
was the 'dash' bit...........tearing over to Ludlow from Lower
Buckton after having cooked and served breakfast to our weekend
house party guests. They had, very wisely, bought their sausage
trail tickets weeks ago and were aiming to be in Ludlow for 10.00 am
so as not miss out on any tempting tastings.
Mine was the first demonstration of the festival in the new kitchen
demo area. I always forget something no matter how much 'meticulous'
planning is done and this year it was the milk. A willing helper was
despatched to the streets of Ludlow to search for a cow! After what
seemed like an age our milk-maid had not returned and time was
getting on. So Henry decided that in a crisis one should call in the
British Army! Luckily the chefs from the 143 West Midlands Brigade
were camped in the next door tent and they had done the milking that
morning..............so jug of milk was sent over and the Army had
saved the day!
I decided to cook up a Sunday Brunch type menu starting with some of
Griffiths' fat pork sausages and their deliciously traditional
homecured bacon. Placed on a rack above field mushrooms and garden
tomatoes, it was all left to cook in a medium hot oven while I
started on the first recipe...........
SAVOURY MUFFINS
400F/200C/Gas Mark 6/top oven of Aga
2 x12 hole mini-muffin tins and 24 mini-muffin cases.
Sieve 275g/10oz Plain Flour, one level tablespoon of Baking
Powder, pinch of Salt and grind of Black Pepper
into mixing bowl.
Whisk together One Egg & 230ml/9fl.oz Milk in a jug.
Next fold in carefully with a metal spoon the egg/milk mixture into
the flour (but leave a little with which to brush the tops of the
uncooked muffins).
Halve the gloopy mixture into another bowl and very carefully fold
in a different flavouring to each. Spoon the mixtures into greased
tins or tins with paper cases or silicon moulds and brush the tops
with the left over beaten egg/milk and bake for 10 -20 minutes or
until risen and golden - keep an eye on them!! Eat as warm as
possible.
Ideas for flavours...........
1/ Finely chop and sauté until soft a couple of Shallots or a
small Onion in a knob of Butter with a splash of Olive
Oil added to prevent burning. When soft add a few crushed and
shredded fresh Sage leaves for a few seconds to release the
flavour. Grate about 50g/2oz of some hard Cheddar type
cheese and add the onions and cheese to the muffin mix.
2/ Melt butter & oil in a pan and soften a small Red Onion
add to 50g/2oz of soft Goats's Cheese and some leaves
stripped from a 2" sprig of Rosemary fold into the muffin mix
3/ 25g/1oz chopped Parma Ham, 25g/1oz chopped Sundried Tomato
and some torn Basil leaves - add to muffin mix
For Sweet Muffins - to a small batch of muffin mix add half a
handful of some delicious dried Forest Fruits (tiny
strawberries, raspberries, blue berries & blackberries)
Next on the menu were some
SPECIAL LOWER BUCKTON PORK BALLS
Place 250g/8oz of good quality minced Pork in a bowl
with a finely chopped Onion, a handful of finely chopped
Mixed Herbs, 25g/1 oz of Dried Fruit (Raisins/Apricots etc)
which have been soaked in a little Apple Juice, 1" grated Fresh
Ginger and some Sea Salt & Black Pepper. Mix in well and
form into golf-ball size balls and place on a baking sheet, slightly
flattening each one with your hand. Bake in a hot oven for about
10/12 minutes until brown.
It's good to have something fishy and
these little cakes always go down well at anytime! Serve them with a
sweet chilli dipping sauce for a little 'punch' first thing in the
morning............
FISHY CAKES
Place 250g/8oz Mashed Potato in a bowl and add about 50
g/2oz of flaked Cooked Fish (Salmon, Trout, undyed Smoked
Haddock etc) handful of finely chopped Parsley, a good
spoonful of Crème Fraiche, a grind of Sea Salt and
Black Pepper and a squeeze of Lemon or Lime Juice,
combine all the ingredients and form into little flattened rounds at
a size to suit you and sauté gently in 25g/1oz Butter and a
little Olive Oil in a heavy based pan until lightly golden
and turn them over to brown the other side and then flip out onto a
serving plate lined with some peppery wild rocket or water
cress.........delicious!
Scrambled Eggs with Organic Smoked
Salmon and Dill
Pull apart about 50g/2oz of Smoked Salmon and soak in a bowl
with a little Milk. Toast some good quality Slices of
Bread and stand in a rack in a warm place. In a heavy-based
well-seasoned cast-iron pan or a non-stick pan melt a largish knob
of Butter with a splash of Extra Virgin Olive Oil,
crack into this half a dozen Free-range Eggs, break them up
with a whisk or fork, stir and fold the eggs gently to cook and when
still quite runny fold in the Salmon & Milk plus some chopped
fresh Dill and a grind of Black Pepper to taste and
continue to cook to amalgamate the eggs and fish. Turn out onto the
warm toast and serve.
Having laid out some bowls of muesli;
I mix mine using equal quantities of different cereal varieties
(toasted wheat flakes, jumbo oats, barley flakes, mostly organic -
there're a lot about from which to choose), mixed dried Forest
Fruits, hazel nuts and sunflower seeds. Serve with
bowls of organic yoghurt and stewed fruits of
whatever's in season and don't forget bottles of lovely, local
Apple Juice.
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