Panfulls of partridges and the onset of winter

Half a dozen seared partridges resting on a bed of red cabbage
 and cider, waiting to be slow roasted.

From the beginning of October in England the game season starts. Firstly partridge (see above) and then the pheasants. Suddenly our household becomes tired of chicken, salads and Mediterranean fare. Now is the natural shift to casseroles, brassicas and root vegetables. Gravy becomes a staple sauce and root vegetables marry darker, more pungent meats.

Winter heat: spicy vinegar and a blazing woodburner

Just the other day, I had some white wine vinegar that I was using for another recipe. I was inspired to use the rest for some flavoured vinegar. It helps if you obsessively collect small glass bottles like me, but if you ever buy mini bottles of white wine, these receptacles are perfect for the cause. Simply pour in the vinegar and add sliced chillies and bay leaves. They make such pretty gifts and are the perfect accompaniment to a winter salad.

A row of pretty vinegar bottles, punctuated with chilli slices and bay leaves

A winter sunrise. A 7am view over Briston, Thurning, Wood Dalling and, in the very far distance, Heydon and Salle.

This time of year inspires indoor living, baking and crafts. At weekends I rarely feel inspired to depart the warmth of the kitchen. However weekday early mornings are stunningly ethereal; the perfect start to the working day.

Mushroom madness and other pleasures

A parasol protruding from the woodland floor

This autumn has been blessed with a plentiful harvest of mushrooms. There is something so exciting about picking the different varieties that grow in the hedgerows and woodlands near our house. With names like parasols, puffballs, shaggy inkcaps and blewits, they impart an air of magic for the enthusiastic fungus forager. Whilst caution is undoubtedly needed when eating wild mushrooms, finding varieties that you can collect with confidence and frying them in some butter and garlic is a treat we look forward to every year. Wild mushrooms are far superior in flavour than their cultivated 'button' relations and they look much prettier as well.

A basket of mixed wild mushrooms picked in the woods near our house

      

Young shaggy parasols before their caps are open

Parasols have been most plentiful over the last few weeks. They are best picked young, before or just after they have opened their caps (above right), as they can be prone to maggots; the trouble with the mushrooms that grow in the wild is that it's not just us that wants to eat them! Puffballs give a nice flavour to a mushroom omelette, but they often need peeling due to their tough skin. We also found our first blewits of the year a few days ago; this is a sure sign that the weather is becoming much colder and more damp, conditions enjoyed by these purply-blue wood mushrooms.

Fried with garlic on toasted homemade bread is by far the best use for smaller harvests. If you can collect a basketful of different varieties, then risotto, tart or casseroled with game birds or venison are our favoured recipes.

Basketfuls of early autumn bliss

Fall, fire and fruit

I do admire the way the Americans do autumn-or fall. All that pumpkin, turkey, Thanksgiving and quirky jumpers causes a little county/country envy. Anyway, post title aside, I have had a busy weekend with chillies, mustard and grapes.

Oh what should I do with this year's chilli harvest? I know, I'll try and make chilli jam like the wonderful and unmatchable Chillis Galore (http://www.chillisgalore.co.uk/). I am such a fan of their range of chilli condiments and seek them out at food fairs and farmers markets. Whilst there is no way I could make a chilli jam or jelly as delicious and perfect as theirs, I do intend on making a rustic, spicy spread to slather on cheese sarnies and pork pies. 

To be completely honest, this wasn't easy. I blended my chillies with an onion, lots of garlic and a squeeze of lemon. I bought expensive Aspell cider vinegar and dissolved a kilo of jam sugar in it. I threw in the chilli mixture and brought it to a rapid boil. I really thought it had got the 'wobble' so I poured it into jars-only to realise it hadn't reached setting point. So annoying!! So I poured it all back into the pan and re-boiled. Second time lucky. Drawing on my jam making experience, I did the blob-on-a-cold-saucer wrinkle trick to great success.

Believe me, this jam has superb flavour. VERY hot but with a lovely lemony, garlicky flavour. I intend on giving this as Christmas presents for my spicy-palated friends. 

Needless to say, I eventually got my chilli jam to setting point and set about making labels and lid covers. I think these will make lovely Christmas presents. 

Now on to the next homemade condiment of the day: piccalilli. From my conversations with friends and colleagues, I have come to the conclusion that there is an element of the Marmite effect with piccalilli. You will either love it or loath it. We love it. Smeared in cheese or ham sandwiches or spooned over a Bray's pork pie, piccalilli has a reserved space on our pantry shelves.

The whole house smelled seasonally of vinegar as we spooned the Norwich-based, Coleman's Mustard, vinegary, turmeric-laced sauce over our combination of homegrown veg. Pickles are the perfect way of using up cauliflowers, lumpy cucumbers and onions that didn't grow very large. 

Having recommissioned our old Kilner jars with new lids and seals, these pretty receptacles  were the perfect containers to adorn our pantry shelves. 

An excess of piccalilli liquid inspired me to chuck in a load of dried chillies in an attempt to replicate a Jamaican-style hot mustard sauce.

From hot to sweet. We planted some vines to scramble over the barns three years ago and this is the first year they have done anything. Whilst there are probably only just enough to make a gallon of real wine, I feel really proud. The dusty purple fruits look beautiful against the golden green leaves. I love the way that spiders move in and make a home in the most stunning of locations!

Little Miss DB foraged this bowl of grapey, tomatoey, raspberry delights. This receptacle of juiciness lasted little more than half an hour. She is quite the little hungry survivor!

Rosehips bejewel the hedgerows at this time of year. They can be turned into all manner of produce, namely jellies and wine. Yesterday we threw handfuls of chopped hips into a bucket of apple wine for colour and a vanilla flavour.

It is a fiery fall so far and we haven't even celebrated Halloween or Bonfire Night. The evenings are drawing in, we are starting to chop firewood and stew is on the stove. Time to start thinking about crochet projects, homemade Christmas gifts and winter curtains.

The promise of autumn

I have been in denial for weeks about our shift towards autumn; I'm still wearing my Birkenstocks and summer dresses and refusing to give in to the dreaded tights. That said, we have had a log fire for the last five evenings in a row and I am the first to complain each morning at work about the distinct nippiness in the air! 

When I do finally relent to the seasonal change and pull my jumpers and boots out of the cupboard, I will admit that this is my favourite time of year. Autumn is never a disappointment. It does what it says on the tin: it will rain, there will be mud, bonfire smoke will prevail in the air and the house will get colder. All of this will be accompanied by the most stunning Norfolk skies, where the sun is low and turns everything warm and golden. The hedgerows are laden with free food to be turned into jam, wine and pickles, and the garden continues to provide us with gluts of late summer vegetables. 

Our late summer vegetables look so pretty in the trug that it seems a shame to chop them up. However, rainbow carrots, golden beetroot and stripy courgettes brighten up evening meals as well as provide flavour and nutrition.

Our espalier peach tree was laden with fruit this year

Considering the size of the tree, we harvested at least twenty sweet and juicy peaches, proving that such fruits can be grown successfully in an English garden.

Little Miss DB can often be found amongst the raspberry canes stuffing these sweet ruby fruits in her mouth like a hungry blackbird. 

Autumn means MUSHROOMS! I gleaned a small basket of mushrooms on my Sunday dog walk that provided enough for an omelette. I found three of our trusted varieties: Shaggy Inkcaps (see above), Stump Puffballs and The Prince. The Prince is fairly rare, but we've been picking them from the same spot for years. They have a wonderful almondy flavour and grow quite large without being attacked by worms or slugs. 

Stump Puffballs have a lovely flavour and texture equal to the Common Puffball. They just don't get very big. Shaggy Inkcaps need to be gathered young before they go dark and disintigrate into an inky mass!

We know The Prince well but you have to be careful not to confuse them with Panthercaps which would make you very poorly!

In my view, a basketful of wild mushrooms need only to be gently fried in good butter, garlic and sea salt and served with homemade bread. Because my basket was not exactly overflowing, I added three beaten eggs and turned it into a delicate mushroom omelette with some grated parmesan on top.

A trip to the Cake and Bake Show at Earl's Court over the weekend inspired my son and I to try making a few different breads. This white plait was flavoured with rosemary, brushed with egg yolk and sprinkled with sea salt. We ate it with tomatoes drenched in olive oil, garlic and fresh basil. 

My son also made his granny and grandad a loaf of wholemeal spelt bread to show off his new-found bakery skills. I love this note he wrote on the paper bag containing his fresh bread-even better is the random capitalisation!!

On the left is my light rye loaf and on the right, my son's wholemeal spelt. His rose better than mine!

Dahlias in autumnal shades, pinched from my dad's allotment! I also love my new olive -adorned tablecloth given to me today by my parents for feeding their chickens and watering their tomatoes while they were in Italy. They also presented us with a huge slab of Parmesan, a whole salami, spaghetti spice, dried porcinis and rich Italian coffee. It was a pleasure!!

Autumn holds so much promise. I'll keep you posted!

Scotch eggs and other fillers

As mentioned in the previous post on the food festival, I am partial to a quail's egg or two and, having had success making hen's Scotch eggs before, I was keen to try Jamie Oliver's mini version.

With their varying speckledy shells, it seems a shame to peel these quail's eggs.



You simply boil the eggs in their shells for 2-3 minutes depending on how soft you like your yolks.

Pearly white peeled eggs resting on rare breed pork sausagemeat.

Having mixed some good quality sausagemeat (mine was from Martin's Farm, Hindolveston) with some sage, rosemary and nutmeg, flatten out a lump the size of a large marble and place the tiny egg in the middle. Bring up the meat around the egg, molding and shaping until the egg is in the centre and there are no gaps or holes in the outer layer. This can be tricky but imagine you are making a primary school-style clay pot. The layer of meat needs to thin but without breaking or splitting.



Breadcrumbs, flour and egg for dipping.

Next you roll the meat-covered egg ball in flour, then egg and then finally the breadcrumbs (I add a little turmeric and seasoning to my breadcrumbs). Place the finished eggs on a plate and refrigerate until you are ready to cook them.

The two big ones are made with hen's eggs because I had so much sausagemeat.

Shallow fry in hot oil until golden brown, turning over all the time

Remove the Scotch eggs from the oil when they are golden brown all over and place on some kitchen paper.

I'm afraid the quail version of these Scotch eggs disappeared so quickly into my children's mouths that I couldn't take a picture of them, but here is a snap of the hen version. I love my eggs soft boiled, but if you like your yolks firm, all you do is boil them in the water for longer. When you fry the Scotch eggs, the heat probably won't penetrate into the middle enough to firm up the yolks because the oil is so busy cooking the meat.

Fresh from the oven

In addition to the eggs, I made a couple of loaves to fill up the children the next day. My husband enjoys being in the garden more than having to worry about catering arrangements and at least with some fresh loaves, they can fill up on bread and jam.

The crusty white bread above is topped with our own poppy seeds collected from the garden. Thank you Barbara Jane for this suggestion.

Oaty honey bread mix from Denver Mill

The second loaf I made was a bread mix from the Denver Mill stall at the Norfolk Food Fair. I threw away the packet and can't remember what it was but I added honey and used fresh yeast. The loaf rose so quickly, it split slightly, but it had a wonderful flavour and looked very rustic!

I went on to make a courgette, onion and Parmesan quiche.

And my son finished the pastry by making a stack of raspberry jam tarts.

None of this food cost me much to make and proves that with a few essential store cupboard ingredients you can knock up a lot of food to feed a lot of children!



Norfolk Food Festival at Holkham Hall

Once again I have been a little tardy with my posts; such is the reality of having to get up and earn a living again. Whilst this week has been somewhat of a shock to the system, it is wonderful to be back and start a new term. Anyway, less about that. I hope you like my new seasonal background. The honey bees are all over my Sedum at the moment, even though it is not in full flower. 

Last night I took great pleasure going through my photographs from last week's Norfolk Food Festival held in the grounds of the stunning Holkham Hall, a unique, sandy-coloured Palladian pile that matches the amber tones of the beach that runs adjacent to the estate. 



The wonderfully suitable Rig-a-Jig-Jig-well I would say that wouldn't I!?

Having caught a lift with a couple of traditional local Norfolk musicians, one of them being my husband, I found myself in the very melting pot of Norfolk food providers. Every food type imaginable was available for tasting, discussing and purchasing. I'm not exactly sure where to start and I haven't included everyone, mainly because my camera battery died before I could photograph everything, but also because I have mentioned these food producers before and they will start thinking I have stalking tendencies. Needless to say the wonderful Brays Cottage Pork Pies were there (see photo and review in Aylsham Show post). I did snaffle half a chorizo pork pie from the band food supply, which served the purpose of staving off the hunger pangs for a short while. Once again, the inspirational Norfolk Deli were there (Aylsham Show) and this time I treated myself and Miss DB to one of their Merguez sausages in a bun and a handful of their homemade Jerky for later. Norfolk can excel in deli products!

All these savoury snacks needed washing down with some local ale and this beautifully packaged Moon Gazer Ruby Ale is refreshing, as well as having a deep fruity flavour.

Moving onto another of my old favourites; Chillis Galore are a must-try (http://www.chillisgalore.co.uk/). I searched frantically for them at Aylsham Show for my fix, but sadly it was their first time away for years. This company make addictive chilli jams, jellies, sauces and relishes in a range of heat-types. I'm a fiery sort, so I was drawn to their new Naga Chilli Jam-the perfect accompaniment to some Norfolk Cheese.



Chillis Galore have a sauce to suit everyone and, being growers of the chillis as well as producers of all things saucy, their products reflect seasonal varieties of chilli types, from the mild Jalapeno to the hot and flavoursome Naga and Habenero.



Speaking of cheese, I couldn't resist a slab of Binham Blue from Mrs Temple. I just can't get enough of it!



Binham Blue from Mrs Temple; perfect with a cracker and a blob of chilli jelly/jam from the above.



Fielding Cottage's array of goat's cheese.

New discovery of the day award went to Fielding Cottage (http://www.fieldingcottage.co.uk/) based at Great Ellingham. Their range of goat's cheese is spot on for keen cheese-lovers, as well as cooks who require a range of goat's cheese textures and flavours in their dishes. My personal choice has to be the familiar Norfolk Mardler which is a mild, firm cheese as opposed to the crumblier types.

In addition to the feminine fromage and goat's milk, Fielding Cottage make use of their 'boy goats' and sell both 'Billy Burgers' as well as diced goat meat.



I have been searching for goat meat ever since discovering Madhur Jaffrey and here we are. Not in some Halal butcher's on Magdalen Street but Great Ellingham!



That evening we feasted on Billy Burgers for supper, cooked on a medieval style open fire (courtesy of the wonderful Monika and Richard). I also made my first curried goat two days later. It was a surprisingly delicate flavour. Dark, well textured and mildly lamby. I am now dreaming of a new incarnation: Billy Burger topped with crumbly mature matching goat's cheese in a Denver Mill flour bun. Heavenly.



Dereham-based Ethnic Fusion tempted me with their samosas, pakoras and bhajis



As well as their mouth-watering Indian snacks, Ethnic Fusion sell their own spice mixes and provide demonstrations and cookery classes for those interested in learning about traditional Indian Cuisine. I must admit, their spicy canapes are to die for and I wish I had had the willpower to save my pakoras to accompany the curried goat.

On a more traditionally English note, the variety of wholesome sausages displaying a certain Norfolkness was impressive!





Locally named sausages from Binham-based Arthur Howell



Norwich food producers, Kettle, show off a new range as well as their best-sellers.

At the bargain price of £1 per bag, I couldn't resist stashing away a few family-sized packets of Kettle's new range of tortilla chips.

Elveden Estate vegetable box growers and pickle producers displayed their wares so artistically. In spite of the fact that we grow all this stuff ourselves, including the colourful varieties of carrot, beets, chard and radishes, I was impressed by the contents of each box. For £15 per box, some people with no veg gardens must have bagged themselves a culinary treat.

Another fabulous stallholder was Castle Quail based in Castle Acre (http://www.castlequail.com/). I've always been a bit of a quail-fancier and now I know how easy they are to keep and how quickly they go into lay, I'm convinced this is the next project for us. They are £3 each, are ground dwellers and start laying from seven weeks. Sold! The first step is to buy a small chicken ark and we can contact these breeders. They also sell exquisite quail's eggs and I have included pictures and a recipe in my next post.

Authentic Norfolk music to serenade the visitors

This fiddle and dulcimer duo can be booked as they are; experts in playing historical local folk and dance music that originated amongst the Norfolk fishermen, countrymen and pub-goers of old. They also expand to a full country dance band too, with four other members playing Norfolk country dances with harmonica, banjo, ukulele and harmonium. (http://www.rigajigjig.co.uk/)



There was a heady atmosphere of enjoyment and appreciation of good food.

The final highlight of the day was seeing the cricket match by the estate lake. Watched by families sprawled out on deckchairs and colourful blankets in the sunshine, this was the epitomy of Englishness and the perfect end to the summer holidays. I came home inspired and with a deeper knowledge of what Norfolk has to offer our plates. Following many discussions with stallholders, it was also fantastic to know that their produce is finding its way so effortlessly into our local shops and supermarkets. Long may this continue to grow!