Halloumi Lentil Salad

Photo: © childsdesign

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Like our Autumn Salad this is another hearty delicious meal that suits the colder months.
To be honest it was one of those dishes where we looked in the fridge and thought, ‘what would go together to make something tasty’, so the recipe that follows is as flexible as you want to make it.

Having a good chunk of Halloumi cheese to play with, we chose ingredients that complemented it. Something robust and flavoursome with hints of the Mediterranean seemed appropriate.

Halloumi cheese is a magical substance as it does not melt when you cook it, so is perfect for frying. This produces a lovely crispy exterior with soft, warm milky interior.

This is lovely dressed with some fruit vinegar which adds a little sparkle to everything.

View recipe

Chocolate & Beetroot Cake

Photo: © childsdesign

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Chocolate and beetroot is actually a very good combination and even if you say you don’t like beetroot, it really does take on a whole new taste sensation this way.

This is a cake of contrasts and contradictions. So dark in colour it should be exceedingly rich, but surprisingly it is quite light. The beetroot lends a little sweetness and also its reddish-purple juice manages to tint even the darkest of chocolate.

Serve with a dollop of cream or creme fraiche.

View recipe

Photo: © childsdesign

Find AFT producers at these upcoming events…

There are fair number of major events coming up focussing on food and gifts for those wanting to find something special for Christmas.
We're pleased to tell you that there will be some Artisan Food Trail producers attending too, so we hope you will get to meet them and buy some of their exceptional produce.

Information listed below and clicking on the producer's names will take you to their pages on The Artisan Food Trail website for further details.

Ideal Home Show at Christmas
13th – 17th November 2013
Earls Court, London
Fudge Kitchen
Morgan House Foods
www.idealhomeshowchristmas.co.uk

BBC Good Food Show London
15th – 17th November 2013
Olympia, London
Cotswold Gold
Fudge Kitchen
The Artisan Smokehouse
www.bbcgoodfoodshowlondon.com

Country Living Christmas Fair, Glasgow
21st – 24th November 2013
SECC, Glasgow
Great Glen Game
Trotter's Independent Condiments
www.countrylivingfair.com

Taste of Christmas
21st – 24th November 2013
Tobacco Dock, London
Edible Ornamentals
www.tasteofchristmas.com

BBC Good Food Show Winter
27th November – 1st December 2013
NEC, Birmingham
Cotswold Gold
Edible Ornamentals
Fudge Kitchen
www.bbcgoodfoodshowwinter.com

Big stockist for Mortimer Chocolate Company

The Mortimer Chocolate Company has made its first deliveries of its award-winning hot chocolate products into Sainsbury’s Supermarkets all over the UK, just in time for customers to warm themselves up with the delicious chocolate drinks.

Their award-winning West African Chocolate Powder (which is already stocked in Waitrose) is going into nearly 600 Sainsbury’s stores, while their Ecuador Chocolate Powder will be stocked in nearly 400 stores.
This is good news for The Mortimer Chocolate Company which aims to bring fine chocolate drinks to a UK market dominated by sugary drinks lacking a real chocolate credential.
“Having our chocolates in the two top quality supermarkets in the land shows just how good our chocolates are!” said Adrian Smith, managing director of the Mortimer Chocolate Company. “Walking into my local Sainsbury’s and seeing two of our products side-by-side on the shelf is a great feeling! I want to tell all their customers how good a drink it is. And it is now available all over the UK!”

The Artisan Food Trail says: “Both chocolate powders have received our AFT Approved status and we are pleased for Adrian and Felicity whose knowledge, passion and hard work has produced a fine chocolate product which will now be available to a greater customer base.
Wider availability also means customers have more choice and the opportunity to make a better choice.
Being stocked in a supermarket has not meant that the products have been compromised though. Mortimer Chocolate Company have stuck to their original principles and it is heartening to know that they are getting the recognition and respect from the larger stores.”

Adrian added,“Our customers tell us how much they love our chocolate, now we hope that Sainsbury’s shoppers will fall in love with it too.”

To find out more about Mortimer Chocolate Company visit their page on The Artisan Food Trail here

Truffled Potato & Celeriac Bake

Photo: © childsdesign

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Creamy baked potatoes and celeriac taste sublime but add a little truffle oil and they’re heavenly. The addition of dried mushrooms gives the dish a decidedly ‘woodland’ character – they are something a little extra that we felt would make things more interesting, but you can leave them out if you want.
This is great as a side dish with roasted meats or even with a crisp green salad or just on its own. As it cooks the smell of truffles fills the kitchen as well as making us impatient to eat to it.

View recipe

A new place to eat & drink with all the right ingredients

This post is a little out of the ordinary as we don't normally cover things that are not on The Artisan Food Trail (as it were), but this time we felt compelled to make an exception.

After receiving an invitation to attend a preview party at Cambridge's newest eating and drinking establishment, we took ourselves to Pint Shop last night and we can honestly say we were very impressed.
Pint Shop's statement tagline is simply 'MEAT. BREAD. BEER' which is simply done, very well.

We enjoyed great food and drink and were spoilt for choice when it came to the selection of craft beers and the large array of gins. The food tastings were delicious (and generous): Slow braised rabbit pasties, sweet beetroot with chunky pesto on toasted artisan bread, perfectly seasoned pulled pork with plums, stuffed breast of lamb, the most amazing steak cooked over hot coals and to finish, Cox's apple & gin sorbet. The jars of handmade pork scratchings on the bar were just a little too moreish!
It looks like we somehow missed out on the scotch eggs as we went upstairs for a couple of talks from The Cambridge Distillery and Barker Brothers.

Pint Shop work closely with the traditional local butchers, Barker Brothers in Great Shelford to source the highest quality meat and they have also had a specially tailored gin made by The Cambridge Distillery which interestingly, contains peas. We can assure you that it does taste very nice.

Anyway back to the real point here for this post. Pint Shop shares the same ethos as The Artisan Food Trail – sourcing the best quality food (locally where possible), respect for great ingredients and supporting small producers. The Pint Shop team enjoy passing on their knowledge and spreading enthusiasm for the best in food and drink.

Pint Shop have bagged themselves a great premises too, right in the centre of Cambridge in Peas Hill.
We suggest that you go and see for yourself when it opens next Monday 4th November. We think you'll enjoy it too.

Thank you Pint Shop for inviting us and we'll definitely be back for more – let's keep in touch.