How to make perfect roast potatoes

Photo: © childsdesign

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To be served a roast dinner without roast potatoes would be a serious misdemeanour. The meal would not be complete without these heavenly golden crunchy caskets encasing the fluffy potato within.

You can never make too many either as we don't know anyone who doesn't love a roast potato, so they're bound to want second helpings!

For the best results you will need floury potatoes such as Maris Piper, King Edward or Desiree.

How to make perfect roast potatoes
Peel your potatoes, removing any eyes or blemishes and cut the potatoes into halves. Put into a pan of cold water and bring to the boil.

Add about half a teaspoon of salt. Don't skip this part as the salt the allows the potato's cells to crumble which will give a crunchier texture.

Parboil the potatoes for 7 minutes if the chunks are large or 5 minutes if they are small. Drain into a colander and leave to allow the steam to evaporate off and dry out.

Give your potatoes a good shake in the colander to break up their surfaces, but be careful that you don't smash them completely to bits. The fluffy surface you have created will crisp up when roasted.

There are various approaches to the next stage – adding the fat.
You can choose from a variety of fats and oils – it's up to you. Some people swear by goose or duck fat, pork lard or even beef dripping for that traditional old fashioned flavour but you could you use olive oil, but we like to use cold pressed rapeseed oil for ours (see below for producers).
Many cooks heat the fat in the tray before adding the potatoes, but we've found that by coating the potatoes in the cold oil first then tipping them into a very hot tray produces a good thick crunchy crust.

You'll need to get your oven good and hot, 220C / Gas 7, to heat the tray. Once you place the tray of potatoes into the oven turn down the heat to
190C / Gas 5. This works best as some fats are prone to spoiling at very high heats. Put your potatoes on the top shelf and roast for about an hour. Sprinkle them with a little flaked sea salt, and if you like, add some sprigs of rosemary or thyme. Turn the potatoes twice throughout their cooking time. You should get nice evenly roasted potatoes with a golden colour and thick crust.

Once cooked remove the potatoes using a slotted spoon and keep warm in a serving dish. Don't leave the potatoes sitting in the cooking fat. They should stay crisp for at least 20 minutes, but the sooner you get them on the plate
the better.

Cold pressed rapeseed oil producers:
Yare Valley Oils
Filbert's Fine Foods
The Artisan Smokehouse – produce a smoked version

Artisan Food Trail members exhibiting at IFE 2015

A number of Artisan Food Trail members will be exhibiting at the UK's largest food & drink event –  IFE 2015 at London's ExCel from 22nd – 25th March.

Named as the ultimate product sourcing event, IFE 2015 provides the opportunity to meet a huge variety of food and drink producers, keep up to date with the latest trends and network with the industry’s finest.

Large retailers, convenience stores, independents, wholesalers, distributors, hotels, cafes, restaurants or contract caterers, will find exciting products and innovative ideas to inspire their businesses.

Many of our AFT members are taking advantage of IFE 2015 to launch brand new products and the producers confirmed so far are:

Breckland Orchard
A boutique soft drinks company making a range of award winning drinks known as Posh Pop! All drinks are gently carbonated and contain no artificial colours or flavours. Stand N1120

Capsicana Chilli Co
Capsicana was founded in 2009 with a tremendous passion for chillies and Latin American cuisine. At IFE 2015 they will be launching their brand new and unique single use cooking sauce range. Stand N1111

Emmett's of Peasenhall
A family business that has been making ham and bacon since 1820. All production takes place behind the store in Peasenhall where the original smokehouses are situated. Stand N1167

Filbert's Fine Foods
Producers of award winning nut snacks using 100% natural ingredients and without the usual method of deep frying, making them a much tastier and healthier choice. Filbert's are always concocting new and exciting flavours so do stop by and try their new recipes. All snacks are gluten and dairy free, and suitable for vegetarians. Stand N1125

Fudge Kitchen
Meet the Fudge Kitchen team boasting over 30 years experience in producing luxury fudge items from silky smooth sauces to indulgent drinking fudge. Maker and retailer of luxury, gourmet fudge products. Handmade and hand decorated in small batches by experts. Stand N1368

Holy Lama Spice Drops 
Spice Drops are concentrated natural spice extracts, a convenient alternative to dry herbs and spices and exceptionally versatile in a wide variety of food, bakes and drinks (hot and cold). Stand N1480

TruffleHunter
A UK based family food business, sourcing truffles from their Sibillini Mountain location in Central Italy. Specialising in selling the absolute freshest high quality Italian truffles and truffle products. Stand N1626

For more information about the event visit: www.ife.co.uk

WIN a Gluten Free Bread Mix, Nuts & Tasty Seeds Goodie Bag or How to Grow a Flower Garden Workshop in our Christmas competition

Make sure you take part in our spectacular 12 Days of Christmas competition as we have some fantastic prizes on offer, 37 in all.
Over the next few days we'll be telling you about the prizes you could win and today we feature the sixth three…

Bake Your Own Gluten Free Bread Mix from Harnell Cottage Bakes

Owner, Jenny was diagnosed as gluten intolerant herself over 10 years ago and has made it her quest to offer a tasty gluten free alternative, not a second best. This would make a perfect treat for yourself or a great fun gift to get kids baking.
A lovely soft sandwich loaf. All the instructions for making the bread are in the packet, but all you have to add is eggs, milk oil, vinegar and butter. Alternatively substitute the butter and milk for non-dairy alternatives.

Find out more about Harnell Cottage Bakes on their website here

A Goodie Bag of Nuts & Tasty Seeds from Filbert's Fine Foods

Mr Filbert's handmade snacks contain all completely natural ingredients and taste fantastic. Try their nuts and seeds as a nibble with drinks or scatter into salads.
You could win a cotton shopper bag filled with three kinds of nuts; Peruvian Pink Peppercorn Cashews & Peanuts, Mexican Sweet Chilli Mixed Nuts and Italian Herb Peanuts & Hazelnuts.
Two bags of their new Tasty Seeds: Herb Roasted and Honey & Coconut.
And last but not least a 500ml bottle of Rapeseed Oil with which to make the best roast spuds at Christmas!

Find out more about Filbert's Fine Foods on their website here

How to Grow a Flower Garden Workshop from Roots Shoots Leaves

Roots Shoots & Leaves offers a range gardening courses, rural skills and craft courses in south Hampshire.All courses are run from their very own home and garden.
Learn how to grow a flower garden and even if you are not a beginner, you can gain a lot as herbs and foliage are incorporated from the wider garden. Creating a flower garden to grow and pick your own flower display is THE way to have flowers nearly all year round. You'll also be shown you which edible flowers you can grow for your cooking. 
How to prepare your plot and how to grow in pots too, from choosing what to grow and planting seeds, to on-going maintenance and when to harvest. Tips on keeping flowers longer and how to use other elements from the garden to make beautiful bouquets and wreaths throughout the year.

Find out more about this Roots Shoots & Leaves workshop on their website here

There are many more prizes in our 12 Days of Christmas competition so why not head over to The Artisan Food Trail website and
This competition has now closed

Look out for further posts where we focus on the prizes you could win and remember the competition closes at midnight on 12th December 2014.

Mixing it up with Mexican Sweet Chilli

Photo: © childsdesign

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Nuts are the perfect snack or accompaniment to a drink and as much as we like good old roasted peanuts, they can be quite boring.
That's where Mr Filbert’s comes in to perk up the taste buds with something more exciting. Those peanuts were feeling a little lonely so some cashews and almonds have joined them at the party with a dash of spice to liven things up.

© Mr Filbert's

These Mexican Sweet Chilli Mixed Nuts are the business where flavour and texture is concerned. With three different types of nuts, there are varying levels of crunch as well as taste.
Mr Filbert's have come up with the exact balance of salt and sweet, a whiff of garlic and warm smoky tones of chipotle chilli to make the nuts really special.

No need to worry about any strange additives as the flavours are all completely real and natural
which also makes this snack dairy and gluten free too.

We are pleased to award Mr Filbert's our 'Artisan Food Trail Approved' status for their Mexican Sweet Chilli Mixed Nuts.

To find out more about Filbert's Fine Foods visit their page on The Artisan Food Trail here.

Mr Filbert’s French Rosemary Almonds Approved

Photo: © childsdesign

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Of all the garden herbs, rosemary has to be one of our favourites with its heady fragrance and wonderful aromatic flavour. There’s nothing like a good sniff of rosemary to lift the spirits and clear the head.
It complements lots of different foods too especially lamb but is equally good with chicken, roasted vegetables or even fish. It only takes a little sprig of rosemary to infuse a dish because the leaves are so full of oils.

Read full review

We are pleased to award Mr Filbert's our 'Artisan Food Trail Approved' status for their French Rosemary Almonds.

To find out more about Filbert's Fine Foods visit their page on The Artisan Food Trail here.

Well dressed for dinner with Mr Filbert's

Photo: © childsdesign

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Whilst writing our review we are experiencing quite an intense heatwave, which as a result, salad has become a regular mealtime choice. So just as well we have a couple of Mr Filbert's drizzles to hand.

Mr Filbert's sent some for us try and we can say that they have been thoroughly tested since unpacking the parcel.
The dressings, or drizzles as Mr Filbert's calls them, are made in true artisan style and crafted using their own extra virgin rapeseed oil and locally produced vinegars as the base. You can really taste the subtle nuttiness of the rapseed oil, which is the perfect foil for the other flavours.
The consistency is just right meaning that the dressing clings well to foods but isn't in any way gloopy. As with most oil and vinegar dressings they do separate and a good shake of the bottle will amalgamate them again.

We tried two varieties which are quite different in character:

Dorset Honey & Mustard with Zingy Gooseberry
This one is refreshing in flavour with a nice tang and a little kick from mustard and black pepper. A delicate sweetness and perfume from some local honey gives it balance.
We liked the fruity twist from English gooseberries – they really give the dressing a little lift.
We reckon it would be smashing with mackerel.

Tangy Apple & Balsamic Vinaigrette
By contrast, this drizzle is decidedly richer in flavour than the first. Dark in colour and savoury in character it is certainly more robust. At first we couldn't quite pin down what gives it such a savoury taste and on closer inspection of the ingredients, noticed that it contains soy sauce. Not something we were expecting but the end result is desirable nonetheless.
Sweet complex balsamic vinegar combined with fresh apple makes it particularly delicious. There's a hint of garlic too. It was wonderful on an Italian style salad with Parmesan.

Don't just reserve these drizzles for the salad though, they are so good and can be enjoyed in their own right as a simple dip for bread.
You can even use them as a quick fix marinade. We used the Tangy Apple & Balsamic Vinaigrette in this way and added it to chunks of raw chicken, red onion and peppers, left to marinate in the fridge for a few hours and then chargrilled. Of course this would be ideal for the barbecue at the moment.

We are pleased to award Mr Filbert's our 'Artisan Food Trail Approved' status for their Dorset Honey & Mustard with Zingy Gooseberry Drizzle and Tangy Apple & Balsamic Vinaigrette.

To find out more about Filbert's Fine Foods visit their page on The Artisan Food Trail here.

Note: Mr Filbert's have just recently rebranded so the samples we were sent we're from the old-look range. According to their website the drizzle range consists of four varieties and the Tangy Apple & Balsamic Vinaigrette seems to be no longer made, however (at the time of writing) old stock is still available in their shop.

Really interesting snacks from Mr Filbert’s

Photo: © childsdesign

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Mr Filbert’s is going through a rebrand of their products at the moment.
The package design has changed to be more reflective of the high quality product within, as we found out when Mr Filbert’s sent us some of their nuts to try.

Read full review

We are pleased to award Mr Filbert's our 'Artisan Food Trail Approved' status for their Italian Herb Peanuts & Hazelnuts and Moroccan Spiced Almonds.

To find out more about Filbert's Fine Foods visit their page on The Artisan Food Trail here.

  We’re nutty about facts so here are some to ponder…                

• Rich in Vitamin E, a handful (30g, about 20 nuts) of almonds provides 85% of the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) for Vitamin E. Originating in the Middle East almonds are now found growing in Southern Europe, California, Africa and Australia.
• Hazelnuts are also known as cobnuts, and filberts and contain significant amounts of B group vitamins They have the highest in fibre and lowest in fat content of all the nuts. Hazelnuts have been eaten by humans since the Stone Age period, as they are abundant in hedgerows throughout Great Britain and the rest of Europe.
• Also known as monkey nuts or groundnuts, peanuts are true legumes. They are grown throughout South and North America and the tropics, forming a staple food of tropical cuisine. Peanuts are a rich source of protein, iron and zinc.

Two Artisan Food Trail producers scoop Taste of the West Awards

We are proud to announce that two of
The Artisan Food Trail's producers have received recognition in the Taste of the West Awards 2012.

Established nineteen years ago, the Taste of the West Awards is one of the most highly respected in the food and drink industry which highlights many successful and high quality businesses across food and drink production, hospitality and food retail.

David's Chilli Oil based in Gloucestershire, 
received two awards, both GOLD 
for their Hot Chilli Oil and Medium Chilli Oil

Filbert's Fine Foods in Dorset also picked up two awards. GOLD for their Californian Lightly Salted Almonds with
Fresh Rosemary & Sea Salt and BRONZE for their
Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil

You can see all the winners here

AFT Producers at The Exeter Food & Drink Festival: 13th – 15th April 2012

The annual festival is held in the courtyard of Exeter Castle and the surrounding Northernhay Gardens, right in the centre of Exeter. Taking place over three days, the Festival also includes two evening Festival After Dark Events featuring live music, chef demos and a great atmosphere.

Now in its 9th year, the 2011 festival attracted more than 15,000 visits, with people flocking to Exeter to indulge in top-notch South West food and drink, see national TV celebrities, to learn from the many cookery demonstrations and workshops and to enjoy family hands-on activities. 2012 promises even more!

Exeter Castle Courtyard: Here you will find the Festival Cookery Theatre, the Festival Bar and a host of stalls serving delicious food and drink through the day and during The Festival After Dark.

Northernhay Gardens: 3 Food Pavilions with over 100 individual producers stalls selling a mouth watering array of food and drink , the Darts Farm Food is Fun Teepees with demonstrations and hands on activites, the Festival Gardens bar, the Little Cookies at the Festival and so much more await you in the gardens.

If you're going please visit the following Artisan Food Trail members who'll be exhibiting (click their names to be taken to their AFT page):

David's Chilli Oil
A rich, exotic, healthy and intensely flavoured chilli oil perfect for drizzling over food, cooking, marinating and dipping. Made with quality produce from the Cotswolds.

Filbert's Fine Foods
Producers of amazing award winning hot air roasted nut snacks – made with 100% natural ingredients and each with their own unique flavour twist.

For more information about the event visit: exeterfoodanddrinkfestival.co.uk