Jun19

Raise a glass to the British seaside

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Raise a glass to the British seaside

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If our July issue (out now) has inspired you to explore the Suffolk coastline this summer then be sure to make a trip to the seaside town of Southwold. There’s been a brewery in the town since 1345 and, this year, to continue its support of the Marine Conservation Society, local producer Adnams has launched a limited edition beer, with proceeds from every sale going direct to the charity.

The beer, appropriately named Fat Sprat, is a mix of pale ale malted barley, Munich, Cara and Black malt, Columbus, English Goldings, and Cascade and Chinook hops, and is described as having a citrus, grapefruit aroma with spicy notes, suited to serving alongside British seafood – sustainably caught, of course.

Head to The Crown and try a refreshing glass for yourself then enjoy Southwold’s pristine beaches (Adnams has been organising clean-up events since 2002) and visit the other wonders of the area – see A Month in the Country (Country Living, July 2013) to find out more.

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Jun18

Community Shops Fortnight

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Community Shops Fortnight

Community shops fortnightDo you have a local shop which you can’t imagine life without? One in which you are always made to feel welcome and which you know always stocks the vital items you’re after and offers the services you couldn’t do without? Hundreds of communities feel that way about their village store and when faced with the possibility of it closing down, join together to take decisive action.

Community-ownership provides a viable alternative to those facing the thought of their community without its store. The Plunkett Foundation, who help rural communities to come together to take control of issues affecting them, is running its second Community Shops Fortnight from 15 June up until 29 June.

Last year’s inaugural event saw over 100 community-run shops celebrate the fortnight running everything from BBQs, local food tasting sessions and coffee mornings to food festivals and even a clay pigeon shoot. Shops involved used the fortnight to communicate what they do to local residents as well as to thank customers, volunteers and suppliers.

The statistics bode well with very few community-owned shops failing, in fact 96% of those opened remain in business. 25 new ones opened in 2012, none of which have closed. For further information or to get involved head to the Plunkett Foundation website or follow them on Twitter @PlunkettFoundat

This year promises more of the same and the foundation hopes to inspire new communities to join up in a bid to save their local store through community-ownership. We’d love to hear your stories and see your pictures if you’re involved. Don’t forget to tune in to today’s webchat at 1pm over in our forums with Alice and Andy of Stiffkey Stores, Norfolk for their pearls of wisdom.

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Jun17

Setting up your dream village stores is easy – log on to the CL forums to find out how

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Setting up your dream village stores is easy – log on to the CL forums to find out how

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If you’ve been inspired by our Start Your Dream Business series in the July issue of Country Living (out now) to set up a village stores where you live, help is at hand.

On Tuesday, 18th June, at 1pm, in the Country Living forums, Alice Burnet and Andy Griffin of Stiffkey Stores in Norfolk, the business featured, will be online to answer any questions you have about how to launch a post office and shop in your area. They’ll be joined too by Emma Jones, CL’s small-rural-business expert and founder of Enterprise Nation, who’ll be sharing her tips and practical advice on getting started.

Find out how to source stock, ways to expand your services and stand out from high street competition. It’s easy to take part. Simply register on the Country Living forums by clicking here, then post your questions any time from now, here. Alternatively, email your queries direct to talent@countryliving.co.uk.

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Jun16

Summer berry pavlova

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Summer berry pavlova
Summer Berry Pavlova. Photo: Cristian Barnett

Summer Berry Pavlova.
Photo: Cristian Barnett

 

 

Summer is officially here and even if the sun isn’t shining, you won’t fail to cheer everyone up with this charming dessert…

Summer berry pavlova
A soft, sweet, mallowy meringue makes the perfect partner for slightly tart summer berries, infused with the flavours of a good pudding wine.
Preparation: 35 minutes Cooking: 1 hour Serves: 6-8

4 medium egg whites
225g white caster sugar
1 teaspoon cornflour
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon rose water
450g mixed summer fruits
4 tablespoons pudding wine, such as Orange Muscat & Flora
300ml double cream
1 tablespoon icing sugar, sifted
unsprayed edible flowers to decorate

1 Heat the oven to 140°C (120°C fan oven) gas mark 1. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment.
2 Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Gradually whisk in half of the sugar until thickened and glossy, then fold in the rest with a large metal spoon, followed by the cornflour, vinegar and rose water.
3 Pile half of the mixture onto one of the baking sheets, swirling into a 20cm circle – it doesn’t have to be perfect as peaks and troughs add to the charm. Make another circle on the other sheet with the remaining mixture.
4 Bake for 1 hour until the meringue is crisp on the outside and peels away easily from the paper. Cool on a wire rack.
5 Meanwhile, marinate the fruit in the wine for 30 minutes. Drain, reserving any wine.
6 Whip the cream with the icing sugar and 1 tablespoon wine juices until it just holds its shape. Cover one half of the meringue with the cream and top with the other half.
7 Just before serving, pile the fruit on top and decorate with edible flowers.

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Jun15

Festival Fever

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Festival Fever

The weather may be trying to tell us otherwise but summer is upon us and that can only mean one thing – it’s festival season! But don’t let the typical British weather put you off booking a ticket. Sun is sure to be on the horizon and, with tickets for many of this year’s events already selling out fast, you could be left disappointed. Here’s our pick of the favourites – with five more revealed in the July issue of Country Living, out now.

For families: Grassington Festival, Grassington, Yorkshire

Grassington

14-29 June (grassington-festival.org.uk)

There’s still time to enjoy this annual extravaganza of music, art, craft and food –sure to entertain every member of your family. Taste Yorkshire’s finest produce at tomorrow’s farmers market, forage for wild ingredients Taste the Wild’s Chris Bax on 19th June and discover the Dales on a guided walk on 21st.

 

For music lovers: Womad, Malmesbury, Wiltshire

Womad

25-28 July (womad.co.uk)

The music may be international – Mali’s Rokia Traore is appearing alongside homegrown talent, including Sam Lee, Capercaillie and Alice Russell – but you’re guaranteed British ingredients at the food market. Don’t miss The Bath Pig’s surprising chorizo stew, made using pork from Large White pigs.

 

For foodies: Sausage and Beer Festival, Ipswich, Suffolk

Jimmys Farm

27-28 July (jimmysfarm.com)

Celebrate those two traditional favourites with producers from all over the UK. There’ll be a prize for the best banger and a competition to see who can eat the most, as well as activities for all the family such as a craft market, nature trail, animal petting corner and live music.

 

For vintage hunters: Goodwood Revival, Chichester, West Sussex

Revival

13-15 September (goodwood.co.uk)

Step back in time at this annual celebration of all things vintage. Go shopping in the period Tesco supermarket, buy antique treasures from the market, get a Grace Kelly-inspired makeover, then rock n’ roll the night away to Mike and the Rhythm Stars.

 

For crafters: Somerset Arts Weeks Festival, venues throughout Somerset

Somerset Arts

21 September-6 October (somersetartworks.org.uk)

It may be planning ahead, but with over 400 local artists and craftspeople opening their studios to the public, and a programme of exciting events taking place throughout the county, this 16-day celebration of British artisans is worth taking time out for.

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Jun14

Get a taste of the country: Silcocks Farm Shop

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Get a taste of the country: Silcocks Farm Shop
Silcocks

Words by Bethany Munns

Not far from the picturesque Cinque-Port town of Tenterden in Kent lies Silcocks Farm, where David and Juliet Fenton have been producing meat and dairy products from their own flocks and herds for more than 25 years.

Meat is a speciality here, and all derives from animals born and reared on site: beef comes from their Hereford cattle; rose veal from their Hereford cross dairy calves; a Romney breed indigenous to the county produces their award-winning lamb and hogget; and they have Gloucester Old Spot pigs for pork, not forgetting all kinds of game, when in season.

Silcocks Farm Shop-Gourmet Britain

In addition, the farm shop, set in a converted barn, stocks Silcocks Farm dairy produce such as their creamy Boresisle cheese, traditionally produced in France, fresh milk and cream, and seasonal flavours of ice cream, including summer raspberry, gooseberry, rhubarb and custard and cinnamon, come winter.

What they can’t make themselves, David and Juliet source locally – organic fruit and vegetables come from a nearby farm in Sandwich, while preserves and condiments are homemade by a local expert – meaning you can fill your basket safe in the knowledge that your weekly shop will be 100 per cent British.

On a sunny day, finish your visit to Silcocks with a refreshing stroll around the idyllic Kent countryside along the recently opened nature walk; alternately, watch one of David’s expert butchery demonstrations, and take home a handy new skill alongside the top quality British produce Silcocks is sure to supply.

Silcocks Farm Shop, Grange Road, St Michaels, Tenterden, Kent TN30 6TL; 01580 763351

silcocksfarm-organics.co.uk

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Jun14

Hen shopping

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Hen shopping

Having hens sure is handy when you’ve a custard to whip up! At the weekend I needed half a dozen and it was wonderful just being able to pop down the garden to top up those already in the tray on the worktop and collect some still-warm beauties instead of scrambling to the shops. Though I have to say that young, productive laying hens are rather thin on the ground these days. After an initial late-springtime flush, the nesting boxes are looking a little bare lately. And some of the offerings are unsaleable such as the ‘jelly eggs’ as we call the ones in the sack but no hard shell, and then there are others with very textured almost scratched-looking shells which aren’t very appetising… Read the rest of this blog by clicking here

Our Rhode Island Red (foreground) is a spring chicken at three years old, compared with our Pied Suffolk, who must be pushing six

Our Rhode Island Red (foreground) is a spring chicken at three years old, compared with our Pied Suffolk, who must be pushing six

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Jun13

Pedal power

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Pedal power

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I travel every day to the CL office by bike – a 30-minute ride from home through some rather busy streets but definitely the best way to start the morning and avoid the stresses of travelling by public transport. At this time of year, I love to cycle around the countryside at weekends, too, although the speed of traffic on some roads always takes me by surprise. So I was recently delighted to come across a copy of Lost Lanes by Jack Thurston. It includes 36 glorious bike rides around southern England, which wind their way around narrow lanes, off-road paths and tracks, through pastures, meadows, ancient woods and heathlands. There’s no need to pack the book as each map can be downloaded from the website, and there are plenty of pit stops at traditional tearooms and inns along the way, plus each starting point is accessible by train

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I’m determined to try out the following three Kent-based routes, as I can reach these easily from home, but there are some wonderful rides around Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire, the Thames Valley, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, as well as Suffolk and Essex. Or plan your own itinerary by digging out an Ordnance Survey map and plotting a route along the thin yellow lines.

 

1. Between Downs & Weald

A meandering ride following the twists and turns of the River Eden, through the tiny village of Crowhurst (home to a giant yew tree) past Hever Castle, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, and along the most beautiful lane in Kent complete with a rambling old farmhouse and dovecote.

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2. The Fifth Continent

A weekend exploration of the mysterious Romney Marsh (above) and Dungeness – the bleakly beautiful ‘land’s end’ of south-east England. Narrow lanes criss-cross ancient sheep-grazed marshland towards the isolated tip of Dungeness and Derek Jarman’s famous shingle garden (below).

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3. The Loneliest Landscape

A spin around the Hoo, a remote north Kent peninsula, where the River Thames ends and the Thames Estuary begins. Beginning on a straight, traffic-free path along an abandoned canal and then railway line, this ride passes three nature reserves run by the RSPB including Northward Hill, which has Britain’s biggest colony of little egrets.

 

And please let me know any of your favourite pedals, too…

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