Welcome to our diary

As friends of Shires Cookery School you maybe aware that we are moving to a fabulous new premises in East Haddon, Northamptonshire. Our purpose built kitchen, will be housed in the grounds of The Red Lion, and is due to open late January 2011. Over the forthcoming weeks we will keep you up to speed with our exciting plans, post pictures as the build develops, introduce you to the project team and give you a behind the scenes tour online. We will diarise our progress and keep you in the loop via our website and the Red Lion website, facebook and twitter.

The picture above shows the fantastic old building where the school will be housed. As you can see, we have lots to do. By the end of January this building will be turned into a professional teaching kitchen – so follow our progress and let us have your feed back. Wish us luck!

After much anticipation, excitement and a certain amount of nerves, the winners of the seven categories in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2010/11 are finally celebrating being named the best of the county’s best!

The Awards, devised by Northamptonshire Enterprise Limited, were designed to celebrate all that is great about the county’s produce and drink, to recognise excellence within its dining venues and to reward those who work so hard within the culinary sector.

The results were announced at a glittering Awards Dinner (Weds 6th October) staged in the magnificent Elizabethan rooms of Holdenby House.

The winners and runners-up are:

Best Local Product:
Runner-up Original Brixworth Pâté by Brixworth Foods
Winner Chocolate Surprise Cupcake from Angelina Cupcake, Towcester

Best Local Drink:
Runner-up Champs D’Amour by Fleur Fields Vineyard, Brixworth
Winner Solstice Stout from Hoggleys Brewery, Litchborough

Curry Chef of the Year:
Runner-up Baldev Singh,of Mem-Saab, Northampton
Winner Hao Dang, of Dang’s Vietnamese Restaurant, Northampton

Community Pub of the Year:
Runner-up The Picturedrome, Northampton
Winner The Lamplighter, Northampton

Pub or Bar Restaurant of the Year:
Runner-up The Red Lion, Sibbertoft
Winner The Olde Red Lion, Kislingbury

Restaurant of the Year:
Runner-up Equilibrium at Fawsley Hall, Fawsley
Winner Oundle Mill, Oundle

Local Food Hero of the Year:
Winner Mrs Sheena Harris, Moulton
Winner Beckworth Emporium, Mears Ashby
Winner The Green Patch, Kettering
Winner Limes Farm, Farthinghoe

Julie Elliott of Angelina Cupcake, winner of the Best Local Product for her Surprise Chocolate Cupcake, was absolutely amazed at the announcement. “I only started the company just over a year ago after my twin boys started at school. Before that I’d just been baking for friends and family and it’s grown from there. So to have come up against some long established firms with some fantastic products and win is really overwhelming.”

Meanwhile for Julie Hogg of Hoggleys Brewery, winning the ‘Best Local Drink’ title for their Solstice Stout was all the more sweet because they’d come so close last year. “We were runners-up in 2009 for our Northamptonshire Bitter and really wanted this Award! We’re really proud of our beer and it’s wonderful to think that its quality is being so widely recognised.”

And for Ian Dorwood of Limes Farm, his wife’s reaction on the firm being named as a Local Food Hero said it all “Nicky had tears in her eyes as we walked up to fetch our trophy! That’s because our family business means everything to us and winning this award is wonderful recognition for our efforts. Sometimes it can get a bit demoralising, grinding on day by day but knowing that we’re appreciated by our customers makes it all worthwhile!”

The trophies – a beautifully handcrafted map of the county created from Northamptonshire leather by craftswoman Kate Lee from Northampton – were presented by celebrated Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton, the star of such TV shows as ‘Saturday Kitchen’ and ‘Great British Menu’. He spoke highly of the winners and also praised all those who had been short-listed; “20 years ago, when I was a lad learning my trade, we weren’t so bothered by the idea of ‘local’ but now the industry has come to realise the importance of sourcing good, fresh ingredients from on the doorstep. Clearly your pubs and restaurants are doing that and thankfully there are the producers and suppliers to meet the demand! I’m really impressed by what Northamptonshire has to offer and I think these Awards are a wonderful way of celebrating all that’s being achieved.”

As a perfect demonstration of that, former Northampton College student and now Executive Chef at Gary Rhodes’ Michelin-starred restaurant Rhodes Twenty Four, Adam Gray, prepared a mouth-watering Northamptonshire menu for the 140 entrants, judges, sponsors, media partners and supporters who attended, including judge Sophie Grigson and Holdenby House’s gracious owner James Lowther. They were treated to a smoked beetroot and goats cheese starter drizzled with a Northamptonshire red-wine dressing, local venison and an apple mousse with cider-glazed apples, the red wine and cider both coming from short-listed entrant Welland Valley Vineyard.

Said the competition’s co-ordinator, Rachel Mallows of Rachel Mallows Services to Business “We set a pretty high standard when we launched the competition last year, yet thanks to Carlsberg UK and our other sponsors, our partners in the Awards and most of all the hundreds that took part, this year has been even better. I hope that it encourages Northamptonshire’s foodies to get out and support the excellence that’s on their doorstep.”

Here at Shires we would like to extend a huge thanks to everyone who supported our competition to find Northamptonshires Budding Chef 2010.

Firstly the team at the Herald and Post in Northampton, who provided us with fantastic press coverage throughout the duration of  the competition, by publishing the entry coupon and profiling many of our judges and finally our fantastic winner and runner up.

Thanks to Helen Sparrow (pic above) from Abraxas Cookshop who donated gift vouchers to both our winner Millie Howells (pictured) and runner up Megan Loosley. We would also like to extend a huge thanks to Colemans Stationers, Cineworld Northampton and Brampton Stables, who all kindly donated gift vouchers.

The Funky Chicken

For the chicken

Remove the skin and the fillet from the supreme (retain the fillet), butterfly the remaining breast creating a pocket, cut the banana to size, season and roll in spinach leaves, then slide into the pocket in the chicken. Spread the reserved fillet out and fit over the top of the banana pocket sealing it in. Enclose the breast in cling film to create a barrel. Place it into boiling water for 15 – 20 minutes until cooked.

For the potatoes

Peel potatoes and finely dice, peel garlic and finely chop, place on a baking tray, season and drizzle with oil, and cook for 20 mins at 190 until golden brown

For the sauce

Make stock up and reduce by a 1/3, add 4 fl oz of Orange Juice then the shot of Cointreau, reduce by half, season and thicken if necessary

For the spinach

Saute the remaining Spinach in Olive oil and season, this will need straining as spinach releases lots of water

Alternatively you can take  the strain out of cooking and let Portfolio Events do it for you! They cater for dinner parties of 4 through to buffets for thousands. They can be contacted on  (01604) 686 726, or visit their website for more details www.portfolioevents.com

The quest to find Northamptonshire’s Budding Chef 2010 has concluded with Millie Howell, aged 9 from Irchester scooping the title.

The competition launched by Shires Cookery School, in association with the Herald & Post was created to  find all the budding chefs in the county.

Children aged 8-11 years from across the county were encouraged to write a two course menu that demonstrated the Taste of Summer, where possible using local ingredients, and show an understanding of the nutritional value of their dishes. The judges selected Millie as the winner, they felt she had provided all the recipe information needed and the supporting narrative that bought her recipes to life. Competition organiser, Wendy Carter said ‘Millie was a worthy winner, her recipes fulfilled all the criteria, and she clearly explained the inspiration for her menu.

Millie was invited to cook her dishes at the Holdenby Foodshow on bank holiday Monday, assisted by Richard Curtis, senior lecturer from Northampton College. A slightly apprehensive Millie took to the stage and charmed the audience by demonstrating her main course, chicken breast stuffed with mozzarella cheese, served with roasted garlic,red pepper and onion, cooked with mixed herbs and fresh basil, served on a bed of fresh linguini pasta. Millie’s Greek style dessert was a real crowd pleaser, with lots of fresh fruit, drizzled with local honey and Greek yoghurt, crushed walnuts sprinkled on top completed the dish.

Millie said ‘My menu reminds me of nice summer weather and my holiday in Greece. Some of my ingredients can be picked from my Mum and Dads garden and a lot of it is seasonal. You can also use local honey. It has over 6 portions of fruit & vegetables and is low in fat. Live yogurt is also very good for you.’ Mum Lisa said ‘ Despite Millie’s initial shyness she really did enjoy it and it was a great experience for her and us’

Megan Loosley, from Towcester secured the runners up position and also had the opportunity to cook her recipes, assisted by national chef competition winner Bethany Dare. Aged 15, Bethany has already started to build a blossoming culinary career by beating over 8,000 other youngsters, through four stages, into the final of the Future Chef competition.

She said she’s was delighted to be passing on some of her own experience to Megan, whose main course included local pork sausages, fresh garden vegetables, covered in a honey and mustard dressing, with a mouthwatering Strawberry mess meringue dessert.

Megan said ‘Sausages make me feel like summer barbeques in the garden and the honey reminds me of sticky sweet fruit and the busy bees making honey from all the summer flowers.

Fresh summer strawberries always taste better at this time of year, especially with extra helpings of cream. The sausages have iron, also the vegetables and the strawberries have vitamins’. Megan very studiously prepared her strawberry dessert, which the audience sampled and clearly enjoyed.

Both girls received gift vouchers from Abraxas Cookshop, prizes were also donated by Brampton Stables, Colemans Stationers, and Cineworld. As overall winner, Millie’s school will receive £200 cheque from Shires cookery School to buy kitchen equipment. Plus Waitrose Kingsthorpe branch will be delivering a healthy breakfast hamper for Millie and her class friends to enjoy. Wendy, owner of Shires Cookery School said ‘Overall I am delighted with how the competition has gone and we will be starting the search for our 2011 winner later in the year.

As promised the recipes demonstrated by Richard Curtis at the weekend 

Honey Roasted Northamptonshire Rabbit with a Hazelnut stuffing cider and apple jelly sauce 

Serves 2
Ingredients
1 Rabbit
1 Egg white
75ml Cold double cream
25g Roasted hazelnuts crushed
2 Slices palma ham
25g Maldon Salt
1 Clove garlic finely chopped
Sprig of thyme
100g Diced carrot onion and celery
125ml Game stock
20g Apple jelly
2 Lemons zest only
100ml Cider
1 Tin duck fat 

We are delighted to announce that the winner of the first Northamptonshires Budding Chef 2010 competition is Millie Howell, aged 9 from Irchester.

The judges felt that Millie’s recipes demonstrated a true Taste of Summer and fulfilled the judging criteria.

Jerk salmon recipe

Thanks to Richard for providing us with some Caribbean sunshine and flavours!
Fish supplied by Steve at www.freshfishtogo.co.uk Other ingredients supplied by Daily Bread www.dailybread.co.uk

Ingredients
Fillets fresh trout
1kg new potatoes
1 bunch asparagus
4 shallots
Fresh parsley
Fresh tarragon
250g unsalted butter
50ml white wine
25ml white wine vinegar
100ml double cream
10 white peppercorns
Table salt
White pepper
Seasoned flour

Method
Place new potatoes in to warm water bring to the boil until just cooked
Roughly chop the shallots and tarragon stalks as well and place in a pan with the white wine, vinegar and cream and the peppercorns reduce this on the stove by half.
Whilst the potatoes are cooking and the sauce is reducing cut the tips of the asparagus of so you have a spear that is about 4cm long.
The remainder of the asparagus slice in to fine rounds.
Place the trout fillets in the seasoned flour skin down and then season the flesh side with table salt
Place a non stick pan on a medium heat to warm up
Pass the cream reduction through a sieve and then gently whisk the butter in to the cream reduction over a low heat once you have started to add the butter you can not boil the sauce or it will split add, add the butter bit at a time and continuously whisk until its incorporated into the cream then season with salt and pepper add some chopped parsley.
Place the fish in the non stick pan with a touch of oil and cook for about 4-5mins skin faced down and flip over for 1minute and remove from pan.
Put asparagus into boiling water for about one minute crush the new potatoes with a fork season with salt and pepper add asparagus rounds and place in a ring or mould on the plate place spears on top and sauce round the outside and trout on top of the potatoes and asparagus.

 Thanks to Steve from http://www.freshfishtogo.co.uk for supplying the trout and Leafcycles for the vegetables www.leafcycles.co.uk

Thanks to Anthony for a great recipe.
Anthony Horn, Head Chef at the Red Lion, East Haddon www.redlioneasthaddon.co.uk/

Method 

1. Heat the oil in the pan, add the washed and dried rice, and cook quickly until the rice begins to crack. 

2. Lower the heat in the pan, add the onion and garlic and sweat. 

3. Pour on the white wine, sprinkle in the saffron and leave to simmer. 

4. Cut the courgette into four length ways, remove the seeds and cut into large dice. 

5. Check the rice, making sure it has not stuck to the bottom of the pan. 

6. Add a ladle of stock to the pan and the courgettes, continue to stir occasionally. 

7. When the rice is cooked, add the grated parmesan and butter, season to taste and serve.

Mediterranean Puy Lentil Casserole

Serves one
Ingredients 

50g Finely chopped red onion 
1 clove garlic finely chopped
4 tomatoes Eye removed
1 carrot finely chopped
1 stick celery finely chopped
6 french beans blanched and diced
100ml vegetable stock
50ml red wine
50g Puy lentils 
Miso to taste –
Soya sauce to taste
6 fresh basil leaves
Olive oil 

Method
1 Sweat the onion and garlic, add the carrots and the celery increase the heat and lightly brown the vegetables.
2 Dice the tomatoes, mix in with the vegetables and simmer, pour on the stock and red wine add the puy lentils and cook until the vegetables are soft and the lentils are cooked, if the mixture gets dry add water or more stock.
3 When the mixture is cooked season with the miso and soya sauce, sprinkle with torn basil leaves 

All the ingredients for these tasty recipes have been supplied by Leafcycles www.leafcycles.co.uk and Daily Bread www.dailybread.co.uk 

Huge thanks to Richard for the recipes