Bray's Cottage Christmas Pie Offer

© Bray's Cottage

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Good news for pork pie lovers, Bray's Cottage has given Artisan Food Trail readers and supporters 10% off any pie orders up until the end of December.

Visit www.brayscottage.com to order online.
Use code AFT10 at the checkout to receive your discount.

Everything is sent in beautiful chilled packaging which is a real joy to receive not only for personal pie feasts but as a perfect gift too.

Choose from small and medium pies cooked and ready to bake at home in a variety of flavours. They also have large pies available and you can even add bespoke a message for a very personal pie gift.

The last delivery date before Christmas will be for pies to arrive 
on 21st December.

THIS OFFER HAS NOW ENDED

© Bray's Cottage

A very important customer for Norfolk pork pies

We like to share good news especially when it comes to members of
The Artisan Food Trail, so when pork pie maker, Sarah Pettegree of
Bray’s Cottage Pork Pies dropped us an email telling us about her little
(yet no less significant) triumph, of course we were happy to broadcast it…

North Norfolk based, award winning, Bray’s Cottage Pork Pies had a most unexpected and exciting customer recently (5th December 2015) at the bustling Creake Abbey Farmers’ Market. Legendary celebrity chef, Albert Roux OBE, father of Masterchef’s Michel Roux Jnr, tasted some of the pork pies and liked them so much he promptly bought four.

Sarah Pettegree, who runs the business from Bayfield Brecks near Holt in North Norfolk said:
“I was amazed to see him standing in front of my stall and just delighted 
that someone so hugely important in the food world, and a real hero 
of mine, wanted to buy our pies. It took me quite a while to compose 
myself afterwards”

“It’s a real triumph for Norfolk’s great food producers that he came to the farmers’ market on a shopping expedition.”

French born, multi Michelin star restaurateur, Albert Roux also bought a jar of chutney and a bottle of cider from other local producers at the market.

Sarah, who has previously served her pork pies to a glittering array of famous names including Heston Blumenthal said:
“It sounded like a perfect Norfolk lunch in the making! Curiously, we have developed a core of French fans of our pork pies. I think it’s because they are very different to supermarket pork pies and have a complex seasoning that people compare to the classic French delicatessen specialty, pâté en croûte”

Bray’s Cottage Pork Pies are sold in independent farm shops, pubs and delicatessens around the UK and every month (except January) at Creake Abbey Farmer’s Market in North Norfolk and at The Norfolk Diet Farmers’ Market at The Forum Norwich.

To find out more about Bray’s Cottage Pork Pies visit their page on 
The Artisan Food Trail here

More pies pass the taste test from Bray's Cottage

Photo: © childsdesign

*** 
You may or may not know that Bray's Cottage Pork Pies make a variety of porky fillings for their delicious pies and we had the opportunity to test two more.

Read full review

We are pleased to award both pies our 

Artisan Food Trail Approved status!

For more information about Bray's Cottage Pork Pies visit their page on The Artisan Food Trail here

Photo: © childsdesign

Fathers' Day Chilli Fiesta bringing spice to Bedfordshire this Sunday!

Nicely planned to fall on Fathers' Day, the 2012 Chilli Fiesta will take place at The Mansion House, Old Warden Park on
17th June.
Last year's event was a staggering success with thousands of people flocking from across the UK. This year is set to be bigger and better than ever before.

There's no better way to spend a fantastic Father's Day with guaranteed fun for all the family. Just a few of the treats in store include: demonstrations from award winning chefs in the Chilli Kitchen; Chef's Academy Cook-along and stalls offering free samples and selling everything chilli from cheese to chocolate.
If things get too hot, you can quench your thirst in the Chilli Bar which sells chilli beer and other refreshments. To keep children entertained there will also be circus games, a funfair and entertainers.

Among the many food exhibitors, these are the 

Artisan Food Trail producers that are confirmed as taking part:

Cardona & Son
A small and family run producer of the loveliest and tastiest rare breed pork - on menus in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire pubs.

Edible Ornamentals
Situated in Chawston, Bedfordshire where market gardens are abundant and growing delicious vegetables is simply a way of life. Passionate, slightly obsessive chilli growers.

Samphire
Award winning food from Norfolk smallholding.
Gary Rhodes said their rare breed sausages were the best he's ever tasted and Giles Coren gave their pork pies 10/10.

Alder Tree
Award winning ices are handmade on their fruit farm in Suffolk to a traditional family recipe. Made with only fruit, cream and sugar, they are naturally delicious!

Bray's Cottage Pork Pies
Famous award winning hand made pork pies well known amongst foodies nationally for being the pork pie unlike other pork pies.

Yare Valley Oils
Producer of a high quality Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil in Norfolk.

Breckland Orchard
Award winning ‘Posh Pop’. Produced with passion and available throughout the UK.



Here are just a few of the fun activities on offer at the 2012 Chilli Fiesta...

Chef's Academy Cook-Along
Spice up your meal times and join in cooking some of the hottest dishes around. All the equipment and ingredients is provided so you just have to turn up, pay £5 and be prepared to have some fun!
What's more, there will be an Academy Award prize of free tickets to the Rhythm Festivals for whoever creates the best dish.

Chilli Arena
Sit back, chill out and enjoy the live music, circus acts, flame-throwers and a wide range of other entertainment throughout the day at the Chilli Arena.

Chilli Bar
If things get too hot, you can quench your thirst in the Chilli Bar which overlooks the entertainment area and sells chilli beer, real ales, soft drinks and other refreshments.

Chilli Kitchen
Can you stand the heat of the Chilli Kitchen?
Showcasing some fabulous, fiery food these free demonstrations are presented by award winning chef Raj Mandal throughout the day.

Chilli Eating Contest
How much heat can you handle?!

This competition is only for the brave! See if you can you beat last year's winner.
Only £3 to enter and you could win free tickets to this summer's Rhythm Festivals at The Mansion House.

Gardening Academy
Throughout the day there will be demonstrations from a range of gardening experts including Artisan Food Trail member Joanna Plumb from award winning Edible Ornamentals demonstrating the secrets of growing a successful chilli crop. In addition, Kathy Brown will talk about edible flowers and local honey man Wally Thrale on bee-keeping.

What's more the fiesta will host its very own version of Gardeners' Question Time. A panel of horticulture experts from Shuttleworth College will be able to answer any gardening questions you may have. Just turn up with your question on the day.

Garden Quarter
For those of you with green fingers this area will provide you with a wide range of unusual plants, seeds and equipment. Not to mention a wide range of chilli plants of course!

World Food Quarter
The world is your oyster in the World Food Quarter. You can wonder from stall to stall at your leisure, try before you buy and give your taste buds a well deserved treat!

For more information about the event visit the website: www.chillifiesta.org

Our Stars of British Pie Week

***
Samphire
A pork pie with crunchy pastry, well seasoned rare breed pork and just the right amount of jelly. What more could you ask for? Unless you’d like to add a little sweetness ….. perhaps one with onion marmalade?

Brays Cottage Pork Pies
Pork pies made with the best bits of pork and bacon and their own blend of herbs and spices. Varieties available are, Onion Marmalade, chilli, Chorizo and Naked.

Annie's Market Garden
Inspired by her Grandad and her Mum, Annie shares her family tradition of baking wonderful pies using local ingredients.
Varieties available are Beef & Kidney Pie, Beef & Ale Pie, Beef & Onion Pie, Minced Beef and Vegetable Pie, as well as pasties and pork pies.

Norfolk's Own: Bray's Cottage Pork Pies

Bray’s Cottage Pork Pies are well known amongst foodies nationally for being the pork pie unlike other pork pies.
Hand made by a small team in a beautiful flint building above the spectacular North Norfolk coast the pies feature local outdoor pork and beautiful biscuity pastry.
They believe in the Slow Food philosophy, that eating should be satisfying and fun and that if you eat something you should understand it.

They use only the very best pork from outdoor and lovingly reared (in North Norfolk) pigs. Not offcuts, not the bits that you wouldn’t want on your plate, just the very best.
Winners of numerous taste tests and awards, their most popular pies contain a little smoky bacon with the fresh pork, a touch of onion marmalade and their secret blend of herbs and spices.

Early on the team discovered that filling the pies full of high quality meat left no room for jelly, they stopped including it and discovered that – a) no one minded as the pies were so moist and delicious and b) lots of people find the jelly off-putting, so the jelly-less pork pie was born!

Photos: © childsdesign

All this means that they make pork pie that makes you feel better after eating it, not worse. A celebration of real food, using real kitchen ingredients. A pie that’s for sharing, not a guilty secret. Bray’s Cottage are always thrilled to hear the great lengths that people will go to buy one of their pies and and how they organise days around visiting the growing list of wonderful shops that stock them.

Bray’s Cottage don’t have their own shop at the bakery, although you might strike lucky and find them in with warm pies to sell, but they supply the best Norfolk Farm shops and delis and take their pie-stall to events around the county, they are also supplying to a number of delis and pubs beyond Norfolk. Their lively Twitter feed is the best place to keep up with their activities.

Visit Bray's Cottage Pork Pies on The Artisan Food Trail here

Pork Pie Workshop: 25th September 2011

As part of the Norfolk Food Festival 2011, Bray's Cottage Pork Pies we will be holding a “Make your own pork pie” workshop at Pie HQ between Holt and Blakeney, North Norfolk. You’ll learn the secrets of hot water crust pastry without tears, be shown how to make pork pies of different sizes, decorate them and you’ll make your own to take home.


It is designed to be fun (all ingredients are supplied), there’ll be plenty of tea and coffee on hand and a light Norfolk lunch will be provided. Run by Sarah Pettegree, there should be plenty of information about Norfolk food to be learned too.

If it’s a nice day why not go for a walk in the beautiful North Norfolk lanes around HQ while your pies are baking and gather a few blackberries and rosehips for you to take home.

Because HQ’s kitchen is quite small numbers 
will be strictly limited to 6 places.
Cost: £45 including lunch.
Email: info@perfectpie.co.uk
Call: 01263 712958

Visit Bray's Cottage website: www.perfectpie.co.uk

Where is the event?

View Pork Pie Workshop: Bray's Cottage Pork Pies in a larger map

Keep an eye on the weather 
(in case you want to go for a stroll)

17th & 18th September 2011: British Producer Fayre at La Hogue Farm Shop

La Hogue farm is holding its 6th annual Producer Fayre on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th of September 2011, which has now grown into one of the largest food festivals in East Anglia.

Over 60 producers, including many from Suffolk, will be offering free tastings of their products together with information on how they are produced. The producers include local meat and game farms, bee-keepers, fishermen, quail producers, cheese producers and their cows!

At the time of writing we know of four of The Artisan Food Trail's listed producers that will have stalls at the event:
Bray's Cottage Pork Pies
Breckland Orchard
Capsicana Chilli Co
Great Glen Game (not in person but their charcuterie will be available for tasting)

The fayre takes place between 10:00am & 4:00pm both days and entry is FREE.

This year’s special guest is BBC Masterchef finalist, Dr. Tim Kinnaird

More info:
www.lahogue.co.uk

Where is the event?


View La Hogue Producer Fayre in a larger map

Bray's Cottage on BBC Radio Norfolk

Sarah Pettegree of Bray's Cottage Pork Pies will be joining Helen McDermott on BBC Radio Norfolk tomorrow (13th September) at 11am.
We don't know exactly what they'll be talking about but expect the focus to be on pork pies.

Although the programme has been and gone, thanks to the internet, you can listen to it again.
Click here to be taken to the iPlayer. (about 1:28:05 in)

North Norfolk Food & Drink Festival: 3rd & 4th September 2011

A celebration of all that is best about food grown, reared, caught or made in North Norfolk, will take place in the lovely old Courtyard of Holkham Hall, home of the Earl of Leicester.

Karen Nethercott, Samphire

The festival will host up to 60 of North Norfolk’s finest food producers including Samphire a local smallholding that rears rare breed pigs that are turned into smashing sausages and pies, Bray's Cottage Pork Pies will have a choice of tasty pies to eat there or if you can wait, to take home. Come and ‘meet the producers’ face to face and find out what’s good to eat in North Norfolk!

Sarah Pettegree,
Bray's Cottage Pork Pies

Also some of the best North Norfolk chefs and producers will be sharing their culinary secrets and talking you through their dishes in the cookery theatre.


Further information:
North Norfolk Food & Drink Festival
Holkham
Samphire
Bray's Cottage Pork Pies



Where is the event?


View North Norfolk Food & Drink Festival in a larger map

Keep an eye on the weather

UPDATED!: Out & About: Events coming up this week and over the Bank Holiday

View Larger Map

UPDATED!
We've been keeping our ears and eyes open and have found out that some of our listed producers will be at a variety of events this week and over the August Bank Holiday…

When: Wednesday 24 August
What: Felbrigg Hall Honey Fair
A celebration of the sweet stuff and the insects that produce it! Various stands with products made using honey and wax and beekeeping items. Information for those interested in bees and displays of beekeeping equipment.
Where: Norfolk
Who: Bray's Cottage Pork Pies have been busy making some limited edition honey and mustard pork pies especially for the event – well worth a try.
Info: Felbrigg Hall
Honey Fair
Bray's Cottage Pork Pies

When: Thursday 25 August
What: Monmouthshire Show
Over 150 years celebrating the best in farming, rural interests and country living in Monmouthshire and the border counties.
Where: Monmouthshire, Wales
Who: Breckland Orchard will be travelling the breadth of the country to bring a variety of 'Posh Pops'. From real lemonade to delightful dandelion & burdock – ideal thirst quenchers.
Info: Monmouth Show
Breckland Orchard

When: Saturday 27th August
What: Malham Show
Held in the heart of beautiful Malhamdale in the Yorkshire Dales, under the shadow of Malham Cove this traditional agricultural and family country show has been taking place for over 100 years.
Come to The Malham Show Farmers Market which includes many local food suppliers and producers from the Yorkshire Dales.
Where: Yorkshire Dales
Who: Paganum Produce – pick up some beautiful traditional breed beef, pork or lamb and don't forget to take home a Yorkshire Chorizo.
Info: Malham Show
The Malham Show Farmers Market
Paganum Produce

When: Saturday 27th August, 11am – 3pm
What: Capsicana Tasting Event
Held in The Natural Kitchen a deli and cafe, some dishes will be prepared using gourmet chillies for you to try and hopefully inspire you to get creating your own meals using them.
Where: The Natural Kitchen, Marylebone, London
Who: Capsicana Chilli Co – If you like what you try, then do buy some chilli products to take home and have a go at cooking something up yourself. Capsicana's website has all the recipes.
Info: The Natural Kitchen
Capsicana Chilli Co

When: 27th – 29th August
What: Voewood Festival
Described as the literary garden-party of the year, this festival is set in the grounds of the magnificent Arts & crafts style Voewood House. Entertainment carries on through the evening with live music from top names.
Where: Norfolk
Who: Samphire will be selling fine festival sustenance in the form of pork pies and their famous sausage rolls.
Info: The Voewood Festival
Samphire

When: 28th – 29th August
What: Hedingham Castle Joust with Food & Craft Market
An echo of sounds of the past, the Knights of Royal England show their worth to the mighty medieval lord. Wander the streets of food and crafts traders and buy some medieval style goods to take home.
Where: Essex
Who: Alder Tree will be on hand to help you cool down with a delicious fruit ice.
Info: Hedingham Castle
Alder Tree

UPDATED!
When: 28th – 29th August
What: Benington Lordship Chilli Festival
Started in 2006 the Chilli Festival is a very popular family event attracting thousands of visitors over two days, offering a chance to buy Chilli plants, products and sample foods from around the world. Stalls are set up in the sheltered courtyard and Rose Garden where many different dishes are cooked fresh. A wide range of refreshments is provided to help you cool down, including cold beers and ice creams.
The garden is open as normal so after sampling the produce visitors can relax in the grounds.
Where: Near Stevenage, Hertfordshire
Who: Capsicana Chilli Co will be cooking up some wonderful adobo sauce to try. Edible Ornamentals will be selling their Bedfordshire-grown chillies and plants as well as a variety of chilli sauces and relishes.
Who Else: Don't quote us, but a little bird told us that none other than The Hairy Bikers will be there for a chilli eating competition.
Info: Benington Lordship Chilli Festival
Capsicana Chilli Co
Edible Ornamentals

UPDATED!
When: Monday 29th August
What: The Aylsham Show
The Aylsham Show is a traditional one-day agricultural show and, with an average attendance in the region of 16,000, is the largest one-day agricultural show in East Anglia. The parkland setting of Blickling Park, a National Trust Estate, is one of the most beautiful sites in the Country with fine views over the lake and towards the Hall.
Where: Blickling Park, Norfolk
Who: Samphire will be selling rare breed pork goods produced on their Norfolk smallholding. Bray's Cottage Pork Pies will be selling... er... pork pies!
Info: The Aylsham Show
Samphire
Bray's Cottage Pork Pies

www.artisanfoodtrail.co.uk

Country Cooking

Sarah Pettegree of Bray's Cottage Pork Pies is featured in the current issue of Country Living magazine (May 2011), pictured next to one of her monumental wedding pies which contains a whopping twenty kilograms of pork. We think it would be very fitting for a certain royal wedding taking place next week!