We have some new stock on the farm, our first two pedigree Oxford Sandy & Black breeding gilts….

Oxford Sandy & Black Pigs

Yorkshire Pudding

OK so which is the best Yorkshire Pudding Recipe?

Delia Smith suggests a mixture of water & milk whilst The Hairy Bikers suggest an all whole milk mixture?

The key elements regardless of precise quantity must be a really hot tray pre greased with a little spot of lard, oil or butter and it must be hot before you put the mixture into it, so that’s a really hot bun tray or cake tin so the oil/fat is smoking…

My simple recipe is:-

4oz plain flour, 2 really fresh free range eggs, half a pint of full fat milk, a little lard or oil

Method:-

Sieve flour into dish, create hollow in flour and crack egg in, gradually add milk whilst whisking by hand, no need to rest the mixture just pour into a really hot bun tray or baking tin which must have smoking hot fat.

Tradition states that Yorkshire Puddings should be served with gravy as a starter, the idea being that when meat was in short supply or just out of the family budget you could fill up on Yorkshire’s and then have less meat with the main course.  Now we always have the Yorkshire Puddings with the main course filled with delicious beef gravy but Mum also used to serve them as a dessert or should that be “for pudding” just like a crepe or pancake but a different shape! served with butter, a little milk and sugar or simply drizzled with golden syrup.

Small Yorkshire puddings are also perfect for canapés or bite size party snacks, with a slither of beef, a drizzle of gravy and a dollop of horseradish sauce!  mmm a fantastic alternative to smoked salmon on brown bread..

Delia's Happy Christmas Recipe Book

Delia Smith has a new book out – “Delia’s Happy Christmas” available from the 15th October, the follow-up or sequel to her original “Delia’s Christmas” book first published nearly 20 years ago.

Delia has revisited Christmas with both traditional and new versions of classic Christmas fayre.  Sections include how to cook ahead and prepare and avoid the last-minute panic!   including pickles, preserves and cooking for the freezer and if you still leave everything to the last-minute a section on fantastic fast recipes.

Another new section is the Armchair Shopping section listing 18 of Delia’s favourite suppliers, sure to cause a pleasant panic with some traditional food businesses.

Delia’s Happy Christmas is available now from all good book shops and Amazon here

The Lister Arms in Malham are hosting a Pumpkin carving competition from 2pm on Saturday the 31st of October.

Lister Arms Malham Pumpkin Carving Competition, Craven Herald

Several local chef’s and food producers will be entering pumpkin creations, come along and join in the fun, apple bobbing, Paganum sausages and pumpkin soup will be available on the day.

Prizes for best carved pumpkin and fancy dress.  Anyone can enter and different classes for Adult & Kids entries.

Lister Arms, Finkle Street, Malham, Skipton, North Yorkshire, BD23 4DB 01729-830330

And for all that pumpkin flesh from hollowing out and carving your pumpkins Terry Quinn, Chef Patron at the Lister Arms suggests this pumpkin soup recipe:-

Ingredients:-

• pumpkin flesh
• red onion chopped
• carrot
• green & red chilli to taste
• salt & pepper
• pinch of cumin, thyme & rosemary to taste
• garlic
• chicken or vegetable stock
• fresh orange juice squeezed into finished soup

Method:-

1. soften the chopped onion in a little butter (or Yorkshire rape seed oil)
2. add chilli, garlic, chilli & herbs and fry a little to release flavours
3. add diced pumpkin flesh and soften only for a minute or 2
4. then add stock and simmer for 40 mins or leave to simmer in oven for an hour (bottom oven of the Aga)
5. squeeze a little fresh orange juice before serving or a swirl of cream

Photo from Craven Herald, many thanks to Terry & Kirsty and all the staff at the Lister Arms, Malham for putting on a great family event and to all 17 fantastic entries in the pumpkin carving competition.

Pumpkin carving results :-

1st Olivia Dewhurst, Kirkby Malham,
2nd Chris Wildman, Paganum Produce,
3rd Granville Boocock, Victoria Inn, Kirkby Malham

Fancy Dress :-

1st Gemma Darwin, Kirkby Malham
2nd Millie Bradley, Malham
3rd Laurie Petrucci, Hanlith

Following my recommendation of the wonderful creamy Hetton Pale Ale, I spotted Hetton Best Bitter in the Tempest Arms at Elslack when dropping off my Chutney Competition entry last night and thought it rude not to try it!

This is another great beer from the tiny Dark Horse Brewery at Hetton in the Yorkshire Dales near Skipton and well worth seeking out to try.

Hetton Best Bitter, 3.8% abv,  Dark Horse Brewery, Hetton is a lovely pint, great condition was served in a branded glass and has a nice sharp dry bitter taste, a great mid brown colour, this is a real session beer that leaves you wanting more!

The Tempest Arms at Elslack is now firmly on my “must visit soon” list as they have a great selection of beers and a fantastic, varied menu of local produce including Bolton Abbey Lamb, Homemade Game Broth, Yorkshire Puddings as a starter, Game Pie, Breast of Partridge, Cornbeef Pie and Roast Belly Pork to name a meaty few.

Beer on tap at the Tempest at the time of my visit in October 2009 included :-

• Hetton Pale Ale, 4.2%, Dark Horse Brewery, Hetton, Skipton
• Wainwright, 4.1%, Thwaites Brewery, Blackburn
• Landlord, 4.3%, Timothy Taylors Brewery, Keighley
• Theakston Best Bitter, 3.8%, Theakston, Masham
• Hetton Best Bitter, 3.8%,  Dark Horse Brewery, Hetton, Skipton
• Moorhouse’s Elslack, 4%, Moorhouse’s, Burnley

Need a quick lunch with ingredients to hand! then try my version of a Spanish omelette or maybe we should call it a Mediterranean or even Yorkshire omelette as this version contains no potato which is normally an essential in a Spanish Tortilla.

Ingredients on hand, please fee free to add sliced cooked potato, mushrooms, ham, sliced sausage whatever you have in the fridge:-

• 1 red & 1 green pepper
• 1 green chilli
• 1/2 large red onion
• chopped fresh tomato
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• sliced chorizo
• sea salt & black pepper to taste
• 7 fresh free range eggs
• splash of milk
• oil to cook, I used a glug of rapeseed oil

Method:-

1. use a large non stick frying pan
2. soften the onions in a little rapeseed oil, add crushed garlic
3. then add the sliced peppers and soften a little more
4. add the chorizo & tomato
5. mix the eggs and a splash of milk with seasoning to taste
6. pour egg mixture over the contents of the pan
7. omelette will start to set, if necessary transfer to oven or grill to finish
8. use a spatula to gently ease around the edges of the omelette then turn over contents onto a serving plate or bread board
9. eat immediately with a few hunks of fresh bread

A birthday tea treat with the family, we set off not really knowing where to go, we passed The Angel @ Hetton? The Devonshire @ Cracoe? The Fountaine @ Linton? maybe somewhere different for a change so we headed for The Old Hall Inn at Threshfield just before Grassington.  The Old Hall always looks welcoming as I’m driving past but had not tried eating here for years.  I had heard good things about the staff, the food & the beer so we parked up and headed in, on a Wednesday night the place was really quite busy and got busier as the night progressed.

The menu is displayed all around the lounge bar and specials on blackboards above the bar and all in addition to the standard menu, a lot to digest! we settled down with a creamy pint of Timothy Taylors Landlord and studied the vast selection, lots of meat & fish choices and I did briefly glimpse some vegetarian stuff!

We ordered a typical mix of steak for the boys and fish for the girls, I don’t know why but that’s the way it was!  Rather than my usual and preferred unadulterated steak both big brother and I went for the Mexican Rib Eye Steak with lime, garlic & chilli marinade and sauteed pots served with a  ramekin of  perfectly cooked veg (7 different vegetables crammed into a small ramekin!)  Eldest son must have been feeling peckish and choose well, going for the Mixed Grill and a good example it was, with steak, gammon, sausage, black pudding, pork chop, lamb chop and egg.  Youngest son went for a lighter option of the House Pate with a side order of chips and the Lady had the fish dish, apologies didn’t catch the fish dish details but it was duly polished off and looked well!

Puddings to finish were all excellent and included a Chocolate Pudding with Chocolate Sauce, Caramelised Baked Lemon Tart with Creme Fraiche & Creme Brulee.

Total bill £100 for 5 people including drinks, good value for great food, great pub and great staff…  as we were leaving the Wednesday quiz was starting and the pub was packed!

Did someone say free Rum! I was invited to a bloggers meet up in Leeds with the offer of free Havana Club! my personal favourite (really it already was!) so how could I resist….

On arrival at Azucar on Brewery Wharf in Leeds (near Oracle) we were introduced to our lovely hosts for the evening and offered either a Mojito or Cuba Libre rum cocktail, mmmm we started with the Mojitos.

Once the Mac was fixed!! (by Jonny) we were shown the Havana Cultura website and browsed around various other peoples blogs & projects and generally introduced ourselves to the Leeds Blog Scene, an eclectic mix of people & characters.

The Azucar bar is a relatively new creation for Brewery Wharf and describes iself as a South American inspired tapas and cantina bar, which is exactly how it looks and feels.  Local Leeds legend and author Howard Marks is involved with the bar and images of him can be seen around the walls and bar.  The tapas we tried were great, looked reasonably priced and compliment the easy dining atmosphere, we tried:-

• JALAPOS – Green jalapeno peppers filled with cream cheese in a crispy crumb (AKA Buffalo Turds! sorry that’s what they get called at BBQ’s in Malhamdale!)
• CALAMARES A LA ROMANA – Battered squid rings with alioli
• ALBONDIGAS DE CERDO – Pork meatballs in tomato sauce
• CORN TORTILLA CHIPS – Chilli beef with cheese and jalapenos

After we had been fed & watered at Azucar we moved on to Normans Bar on Call Lane for a more soul-tinged Cuban themed fun from the decks.  A great night all round.

Havana Club Rum need no introduction and are sponsoring various events in Leeds over the coming weeks in support of there Havana Cultura Project a window on contemporary Cuban creativity! They have also teamed up with Gilles Peterson to fashion some funky Cuban tunes on a new CD which officially launches on October the 26th.  More events in Leeds, Manchester & London to support this and also a twitter Treasure hunt to win some great Havana Club prizes, you can find out more on the following links.

Discover the Spirit of Havana – “El Ron De Cuba” Havana Club Website
Havana Cultura website – a window on contemporary Cuban creativity!
You can follow the events and competitions on Twitter @_havanacultura_ and watch out for the Twitter treasure Hunt starting on the 19th October #havanatreasurehunt to win a weekend for 2 in Paris and VIP tickets for the Gilles Peterson Album Launch party….

We have been trying a few different local rape seed oils and now have a favourite – Metcalfes Yorkshire Extra Virgin Coldpressed Rape Seed Oil from Stephen Metcalfe’s Farm near York, a beautiful rich yellow oil with a nutty, earthy taste, fantastic in dressings or for cooking due to the much higher burn point of rape seed oil over olive oil.

Buy ready bottled in kilner style flip top bottles or the eco option is you buy an empty bottle and fill yourself from the bulk 5 litre bottle, which makes it very economical.

Yorkshire Rape Seed Oil in Kilner Bottles

Yorkshire Rapeseed oil is high in Omega 3 & Omega 6, contains half the saturated fat of Olive Oil is high in unsaturated fat and low in saturated fats.  This oil is just cold pressed, filtered and bottled on the farm, no heat or chemicals are used.

A few Rape seed oil fact & figures:-

• excellent for dipping, dressings, stir frying, marinating and roasting
• very high burn point makes it ideal for cooking
• high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (89%)
• lowest saturated fat content of any oil
• contains natural vitamin E
• cold pressed to retain full flavour and natural goodness
• rich in Omega 3, 6 & 9
• half the saturated fat of olive oil
• no artificial additives

We tested out the oil on a few local friends & chefs with some great feedback, recipes and suggestions.

It’s great for baking! cakes baked with rapeseed oil – taste good, stay moist, longer shelf life than butter + dairyfree from @katethebake

and from an old work colleague Simon a recipe for beef carpaccio:-

Beef Carpaccio Ingredients
100g/3.5oz beef fillet, very finely sliced
2 tsp Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil
Pinch rock salt
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 sprigs fresh thyme, to garnish
For the herb salad:
Large handful fresh mixed herbs, such as basil, chervil, parsley, coriander (leaves only)
1 tsp Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil
Dash soy sauce

Method for the beef carpaccio, place the beef slices between two sheets of cling film and lay on a work surface. Flatten out the beef slices using a meat mallet or rolling pin until very thin, then place onto a serving plate.
Place the Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil, salt and Worcestershire sauce into a bowl and mix well.
Drizzle over the beef slices and garnish with the thyme.

Method for the herb salad, place the herbs into a bowl, drizzle over the Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil mix add soy sauce and stir well.

To serve, place the herbs onto the plate with the beef carpaccio.

Extra virgin rape seed oil is available from Paganum Online Farm Shop in refillable Kilner Bottles in a variety of sizes, 1 Litre, 500ml & 250ml and in bulk 5 Litre Bottles to refill the kilner bottles or your own oil bottle.

Green as grass?

We’d like to be. Especially the lush green grass of the rolling Yorkshire Dales. When you live in a place as breathtaking as this, you realise just why it’s so important to look after the environment. At Paganum we are always looking for new ways to cut our carbon footprint and look after the place we love. Here are just some of the things we do.

On the way home passing Malham Cove, Yorkshire Dales

Keeping it local

Wherever possible we use local suppliers and producers, keeping food miles and business miles to a minimum. All our meat, poultry, game and gourmet produce is sourced from within a 30 mile radius of Paganum here in Kirkby Malham. Meat is butchered just 10 miles away in the bustling market town of Skipton, the Gateway to the Yorkshire Dales and we use local expertise for everything from web design to vehicle servicing.

“I was lucky enough to try the sausages and they are, without exaggeration the best I’ve ever had!” Local Food Advisor

Eco-friendly packaging

OK everyone knows that wool keeps you warm, but it’s also brilliant at keeping things cool because it’s a fantastic insulator. We use this 100% natural product to deliver your order of fresh Dales produce in perfect condition. Our chiller boxes are made from recycled, recyclable and bio-degradable cardboard lined with British Sheep’s Wool insulation sealed in recyclable wrapping. With an ice pack inside they have been rigorously tested to the highest food standard requirements and have been proven to keep produce at the correct temperature of below 5^oC for at least 24 hours. Other packaging is made from recycled and recyclable materials wherever possible. We’re not perfect yet, but improving all the time.

Sheep’s wool insulation – the facts

• Natural – made from 100% natural, British sheep’s wool, washed and carded
• Effective – better insulating properties than polystyrene
• Compostable – helps your plants grow
• Reusable – simply return in the postage paid envelope provided
• Versatile – excellent for lining hanging baskets and good in a wormery!

“No waste – natural sheep’s wool insulation ensures your fresh produce arrives in perfect condition.”

“Thanks again for your wonderful produce and wonderful efficiency in sending them. I’m particularly impressed with the sheep’s wool you used as insulation.” Fiona Kearns

Modern distribution

Aren’t computers wonderful! They mean we can synchronise our home and trade deliveries and plan the most effective delivery route. Plus, because we source and pack locally we are much more efficient than some larger organisations, who trundle animals and meat from one end of the country to butcher, pack and store then back again. All of which means reduced food miles and a lower carbon footprint (or hoofprint if you prefer!).

Traditional farming methods

Of course, our Dales farmers have been looking after the environment for years. Planting trees and hedgerows, keeping rare breeds for biodiversity and using natural methods of rearing animals to avoid the need for fertilisers, antibiotics and growth hormones. It’s these traditional methods that keep our animals happy and which mean that our meat tastes better.

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