Feta, Spinach & Mint Tart in Linseed Meal Pastry

Photo: childsdesign

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This savoury tart is creamy and delicious, with a lovely salty tang from feta cheese. Spinach is an ideal partner for the cheese but the addition of fresh mint really lifts and brightens the flavour.
The pastry is quite special too as we’ve added some linseed meal giving an extra fresh nutty flavour.
The tart can be served warm or cold with a salad of tomatoes, cucumber,
red onion and black olives. It would also be ideal to take on a picnic too.

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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.

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Autumn Salad

Photos: © childsdesign

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Autumn salad may sound like a contradiction, because who wants to eat salad when the weather is damp and chilly?
This ‘salad’ however, is served warm and has a hint of spice for a cosy satisfying element.
As the cheese melts slightly over the warm roasted squash it makes for a very comforting meal.

This is more of a set of assembly instructions rather than a recipe. There are no strict rules and you are free to improvise but we hope it will inspire you to use some of the great artisan produce on our food trail.

British-grown onion squash is becoming more 
available in the shops now and is a great 
alternative to butternut squash. It is best to 
use a squash or pumpkin that has a denser 
textured flesh and the onion squash is perfect, 
plus it is such a gorgeous deep orange colour.

So what will you need?
Onion squash or butternut squash
Cold pressed rapeseed oil*
Fresh rosemary
Walnuts
Butter
Brown sugar
Ancho powder*
Chipotle powder*
Salt
Ricotta cheese
Smoked goat’s cheese*
Salad leaves eg. baby spinach, ruby chard, rocket
Raspberry Vinegar*

*denotes suggested Artisan Food Trail producers’ products




Putting the salad together
Remove the seeds from your squash and peel it, then cut into chunks or slices. Toss in some rapeseed oil (we used Yare Valley Oils) and sprinkle with chopped rosemary. Put on a baking tray and roast in a hot oven until soft and browned at the edges.

Prepare the nuts. Place a pan on the hob over a low to medium heat add add a knob of butter. When the butter has melted add a tablespoon of brown sugar and stir to melt. Add about half a teaspoon each of ancho and chipotle powder (we used Capsicana Chilli Co), some finely chopped rosemary and some salt to taste. Tip in a handful or so of walnuts and stir until they are well coated.
Tip out on to a plate to cool.

Put some salad leaves into bowls and lightly drizzle with rapeseed oil and some raspberry vinegar (we used Alan Coxon’s).
Put some roasted squash chunks on top and then crumble over the ricotta and smoked goat's cheese (we used some from
The Artisan Smokehouse).
Scatter over the spicy nuts and finish with a drizzle of more raspberry vinegar.
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper if you like.

Ricotta, Lemon & Raisin Tart

Photos: © childsdesign

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With added flavours of fresh lemon, warming nutmeg and rich fruity raisins, the tart is a real treat. Being very much like a baked cheesecake in texture crossed with the flavours of a traditional egg custard tart, there's something for everyone.

Please excuse us for not making our pastry but like many people these days we don't always have much time to spare. Besides it is possible buy very good quality sweet shortcrust pastry dough.

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Luxury hampers and gift packs from The Artisan Smokehouse

A new and exciting range of beautiful hampers are available from
The Artisan Smokehouse which have been carefully put together to meet all tastes and budgets. Choose from British, Italian, Vegetarian, Spicy, Award Winners, or Chef's Ingredients hampers, or why not spoil someone (or yourself) with the ultimate Luxury hamper. All products are beautifully presented in an elegant black presentation box and hand tied with ribbon.
Hamper prices start from as little as £18 and Spice & Herb gift packs from just £4.50, so giving a gift of the finest smoked produce couldn't be easier.

Orders required in time for Christmas need to be placed by 19th December (latest dispatch will be 22nd December).

The British Hamper
A classic hamper containing the best British products.
Contains:
Smoked British beef, smoked free-range duck breast, both hot and cold smoked Scottish Freedom Food salmon, smoked Suffolk garlic, smoked Suffolk rapeseed oil, smoked Stilton, smoked Cheddar and accompanying Artisan cheese biscuits.

The Italian Hamper
A delicious selection of finest Italian products. 
Contains: 
Parmesan cheese, smoked Milano salami, smoked Spianata Calabra salami (contains red chillies), smoked Italian olive oil, Italian dried herbs and smoked dried forest mushrooms.

The Luxury Hamper
A stunning hamper, which would greatly impress even the most committed foodie! 
Contains: 
Smoked British beef, smoked free-range duck breast, both hot and cold smoked Scottish Freedom Food salmon, smoked Milano salami, smoked Spianata Calabra salami (contains red chillies), smoked Suffolk garlic, smoked Italian olive oil, Parmesan cheese, smoked Stilton, smoked Cheddar, smoked goat’s cheese, Membrillo (quince paste to accompany cheese), Artisan cheese biscuits, smoked dried forest mushrooms, smoked coarse sea salt and smoked paprika.

The Vegetarian Hamper
A delicious selection of vegetarian friendly foods. 
Contains: 
Smoked goat’s cheese, smoked Stilton, smoked Suffolk rapeseed oil, smoked Suffolk garlic, smoked dried forest mushrooms, Membrillo (quince paste to accompany cheese) and Artisan cheese biscuits.

The Award Winners Hamper
A lovely selection of The Artisan Smokehouse's award winning products. 
Contains: 
Smoked British beef, smoked free-range duck breast, both hot and cold smoked Scottish Freedom Food salmon and smoked Suffolk rapeseed oil.

The Chef's Ingredients Hamper
For those budding chefs out there who like to experiment. 
Contains: 
Smoked dried forest mushrooms, smoked Italian olive oil, smoked coarse sea salt, smoked black peppercorns, smoked dried garlic, smoked chilli flakes and smoked paprika.

The Spicy Hamper
A hamper aimed at those who like the spicier side of life. 
Contains: 
Smoked Spianata Calabra salami (contains red chillies), smoked Habanero chillies, smoked Chipotle Morita chillies, hot paprika and cayenne pepper.

Spice and Herb Gift Packs
A beautiful selection of herb and spice gift packs. The perfect present for all those foodies out there. 
Choose from:
Smoked Sea Salt and Black Peppercorns – contains maple smoked sea salt and black peppercorns

Italian Herbs and Smoked Garlic – contains dried Italian herbs and maple smoked dried garlic

Smoked Chilli and Paprika – contains maple smoked chilli flakes and smoked paprika

Smoked Spice Selection – contains maple smoked black peppercorns, sea salt, paprika and dried garlic
Sweet Spice Selection – contains ground cinnamon, mixed spice, ginger and allspice berries

Fiery Spice Selection – contains hot paprika, cayenne pepper, black peppercorns & maple smoked chilli flakes

Mulled Wine Spice Kit – contains cinnamon sticks, allspice berries, ground ginger, cloves, a reusable muslin bag and a recipe card (contains several servings)

To find out more about The Artisan Smokehouse please visit their page on The Artisan Food Trail here where you will find links to their website to place your order.

Spicy Cheese Logs

Photo: © childsdesign

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Want to try something simple yet very tasty? Then this quick idea will have your taste buds tingling in a few minutes.
There have been some experiments going on in The Artisan Food Trail Kitchen using a new range of smoked seasonings from The Artisan Smokehouse. The Smoked Black Peppercorns and Smoked Chilli Flakes have already been put to good use to make coatings for some soft goats cheese.

They are very easy to make but produce exciting results. You will need two soft goats cheese logs weighing 125g each.
For the first log, measure out a tablespoon of Smoked Black Peppercorns and crush using a pestle and mortar (see picture to see how the texture should be). Tip the crushed peppercorns on to a plate and roll the goats cheese in them until completely coated, pressing them on – they will stick easily enough.

For the second log measure out two teaspoons of chilli flakes on to a plate and grate over the zest of one lemon and make sure they are evenly mixed. Take the second goats cheese and again, roll in the mixture until well coated.

Done.

There are two other smoked seasonings available; Smoked Paprika and Smoked Coarse Sea Salt so look out for more ideas coming from the AFT Kitchen soon.

PS: The Smoked Sea Salt is rather good on vanilla ice cream – sounds wrong, but tastes so right!

Holy Smoke: The Artisan Smokehouse

Based on the beautiful Suffolk coast, The Artisan Smokehouse is a small family-run business producing award-winning smoked delicacies. Passionate about food and aiming to create the highest quality smoked products, using ethically sourced ingredients prioritising British producers.

Husband and wife, Tim and Gillian Matthews make and sell a range of gourmet foods including Smoked British Beef Fillet, both hot and cold smoked Scottish Salmon, Smoked Salami, Hot Smoked Duck Breast, smoked cheeses such as Cropwell Bishop Stilton, Westcombe Cheddar and goats cheese. There’s also a selection of smoked ingredients to inspire the cook with Smoked Dried Mushrooms, Garlic and Italian Olive Oil.

The Smoking Process
All of The Artisan Smokehouse’s fish and meat products are dry cured for between 24 and 72 hours, using a mixture of sugar and salt. By keeping the curing mix simple a superior and purer taste is obtained.

Before smoking, the fish and beef are first dried for a period of 12 hours in order to assist the smoking process, enhance the flavour and aid preservation.

The majority of products are cold smoked. Cold smoking smokes but does not cook the product and is a very effective way of controlling the flavour of the food being smoked. It is during this process that the food changes both in colour and flavour.

The Artisan Smokehouse uses natural hardwood chippings that contain no additives. producing a cleaner smoke. The majority of food is smoked using maple wood, which gives a rich and distinctive flavour.

Tim is constantly experimenting with a variety of different foods and has even added the infusion of smoke to cinnamon. A visit to any of the shows or farmers’ markets they attend will usually reveal an unusual find or something that is not readily available through their website.

Visit The Artisan Smokehouse on The Artisan Food Trail here

The Big Cheese: Hafod Welsh Organic Cheddar

Hafod cheese is handmade on the 130 acre family farm, Bwlchwernen Fawr in West Wales by Sam and Rachel Holden. The farm has been under organic stewardship since 1973 making it the longest standing registered organic dairy farm in Wales.

It wasn’t until 2005 that Patrick Holden, director of The Soil Association who has been based at the farm for some 40 years, suggested the idea of developing a cheese to his son, Sam. Both Sam and his wife Rachel thought the idea appealing enough for them to give up their careers in London and move to country.

The Cheese
Hafod cheese is made in small batches using traditional methods on their purpose built dairy farm. The recipe is locally originated from the late Dougal Campbell, who learned to make cheese in the Swiss Alps before he moved to West Wales in the early 80’s.

Hafod first started to be made in 2007 and since then, a small batch is crafted every other day piping milk directly from their milking parlour into their Dutch, wooden sided open vat.
The recipe is very similar to that of cheddar, but it has a distinctive rich, buttery and nutty flavour, not unlike a Gruyere, harking back to its Swiss origins.

The cheese is made from raw (unpasteurised) milk from their Ayrshire breed herd. Ayrshire milk is rich in butterfat and protein and is widely regarded as being perfect for cheese making, resulting in a smooth and creamy texture.
The cheese is formed into 10kg rounds and matured for 10 to 18 months, developing a traditional mould rind.

The Herd
The choice to establish a herd of brown and white patterned Ayrshire cows was partly by accident and partly through lack of experience. A breed was needed that was well suited to the farm’s climate and high rainfall.
The only snag is that Ayrshire cows are not noted for giving high yields of milk, but this did not deter the Holdens as for what Ayrshires lack in quantity they more than make up for in quality.
The herd of 65, considered to be small by modern standards, is just right for Bwlchwernen farm to be able to sustain as they do not have to heavily rely on bought-in feed. It’s a small operation that turns out a superior product.

Photos: © childsdesign

Cheese To Your Door
To make mail order simple, the innovative ‘letterbox’ cheese is a cleverly cut large semicircular slice ideal for posting, so the cost is kept down and there’s no need to wait in for delivery.

Visit Hafod Welsh Organic Cheddar on The Artisan Food Trail here








Photos (unless otherwise stated): © Kiran Ridley www.kiranridley.com