Fantastic new book from our cheese fiends and friends The Ethicurean

Fantastic new book from OUR CHEESE fiends and friends at The Ethicurean

We could not be more pleased or excited for our friends at The Ethicurean on the launch of their long awaited, and hard earned cook book. We have watched them work so hard, every single day since they opened their restaurant (and in fact beforehand too) at The Walled Garden in Wrington.

The book is absolutely beautiful, full of fantastic recipes, beautiful photography from Jason Ingram and best of all, it’s spills the secrets for their Gorwydd Caerphilly and Nettle soup!

You couldn’t meet nicer people than Jack, Paula, Ian and Matt. They’ve been wonderful to work with over the years on our various little schemes. The event that we probably worked closest on was Cheese School in Autumn 2011 - an amazing outdoor event in a vintage marquee and in their cider barn.

One of the best things about the Ethicurean Family is their commitment to ‘all that is good and true’ in food. They are good people with  integrity, and you can’t get better than that.

They’re also generous. And just to prove it, here’s their wicked Welsh Rarebit recipe!

You can buy their book in most bookshops but here’s a link to buy online

No grass to eat

The dry, cold bleak weather means that there’s very little grass for the cows and sheep at the moment. This pregnant Gorwydd ewe has taken the matter in to her own ‘hands’ and has braved the patio for a raid on the bird seed and cheese scraps.

WAR VETERANS CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS WITH TRETHOWAN’S DAIRY

Press Release

5th December 2012

WAR VETERANS CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS
WITH TRETHOWAN’S DAIRY

Trethowan’s Dairy Ltd, based in Tregaron, was at the centre of the annual Ceremony of the Christmas Cheeses at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea in London today.

They donated two 4kg pieces of Gorwydd Caerphilly for the Chelsea Pensioners to enjoy this festive season.

The special Christmas ceremony, celebrated today, the 5th of December, dates back to 1692.

The tradition began when the Royal Hospital, Chelsea asked a local cheesemonger to provide the pensioners – retired veterans of the British Army – with cheese as a Christmas treat. Ever since, cheesemakers from all over the country have continued the tradition and donated a selection of cheeses for the Chelsea Pensioners.

This year army veteran and paralympic athlete Derek Derenalagi was on hand to help the pensioners celebrate the festive season.

Derek was on a tour of duty in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, when his car was hit by an IED. He was pronounced dead and placed into a body bag before a medic detected a faint pulse. As a result of his injuries both legs were amputated above the knee. Remarkably, he went on to compete as part of Team GB in this year’s Paralympic games in the Discus event.

The Dairy Council has been organising the donations for over 50 years. They are presented to the in-pensioners during a special ceremony at the Hospital.

Dr Judith Bryans, Director of The Dairy Council, said: “We are very pleased that once again the men and women of the Royal Hospital will enjoy over 200 kilos of fine quality British cheeses throughout this Christmas period. We are always very proud of the generosity that British Cheesemakers show at this time of year donating cheeses to these much loved war veterans. We are also very honoured to have Derek as our guest – a truly inspirational young soldier turned sporting hero.”

Among the pensioners taking part in the ceremony today were Dorothy Hughes, Alexander Murray and Douglas Clarke.

Music was provided for the ceremony Band of Household Division under the Direction of Major Darren Wolfendale.

For further information please contact Chessie da Parma at Media House International on 0207 710 0020.

ENDS

Notes to editors

Photographs available from Ken Lennox at Kenlennox@btinternet.com
07774679174

About the Dairy Council

The Dairy Council is a non-profit making organisation that provides evidence-based nutrition information on the role of dairy foods in a healthy balanced diet and lifestyle.

Winter Cheese Feast

This first Cheese School of 2013 is all about winter, indulgent feasting and cheese (and beer, wine, cider, spirits etc etc).

An evening event based at the consistently brilliant Source Food Hall and Cafe in Bristol’s St Nicholas Market, we will share 5 courses – in the shape of an array of deliciously indulgent cheese dishes, prepared by Head Chef Ross Wills – each expertly matched by Fiona  to a perfect accompanying drink.

We will be joined by cheese makers Todd Trethowan of Trethowan’s Dairy and Tom Calver (who incidentally has just won Best Food Producer at the BBC Food and Farming Awards) of Westcombe Dairy who will talk about their cheeses and what cheeses to look out for in the winter months. They will reveal the mystery of how milk changes through the seasons and how – such a simple ingredient can turn out so many different ways.

We are really excited to be joined by Andrew Cooper of the brand new Somerset brewery, the Wild Beer Co who will guide us through some of their barrel-aged beers. The Wild Beer Co is based at Westcombe Dairy and will therefore provide us with a really interesting territorial element to the tastings.

You will leave the Cheese Feast with a warm glow, a love for artisan cheese and beer and lots of ideas for cooking with it and matching it to the right drinks.

This is an unmissable event packed full of passion, knowledge sharing, insight and education – not to mention cheese.

The perfect treat.

 

Tickets cost £55 and include 5 courses of beautiful cheese dishes, wonderful wild beers, wines and spirits and an amazing depth of knowledge and passion.

Please note this is an evening event. It will start at 7 and end by 10pm. Tickets must be bought in advance.

Buy tickets here or email us for booking info

 

Go to www.cheeseschool.co.uk for more info

 

To Paris with Parsnips ….and Gorwydd Caerphilly by The Culinary Coach

Gorwydd Caerphilly was one of the stars of a Paris restaurant meal cooked by me (aka The Culinary Coach) and my partner, Michael Whitehouse in April 2012.  Invited by the owner of Le Coin de Table, a neighbourhood bistro in the 10th arrondissement to present English food to her clientele, we took up the challenge. 

When it comes to food and wine, the French are complete chauvinists. Their ideas about English food are tired and outdated, based on their memories of school trips. They rarely travel outside tourist London and don’t know how our food has improved out of all recognition.  This meal gave us  a chance to confound their prejudices. Mad?  Foolhardy? The BBC must have thought so because they asked to record our adventure for a BBC Radio 4 documentary, ‘To Paris with Parsnips,’ transmitted in July.

 The biggest risks were the cheese and the wine. After all, the British can’t compete with the French in these two areas, can they? Sophie, the restaurant owner, agreed to serve British cheese but initially refused to have English wine in her establishment. “Jamais du vin anglais dans mon restaurant!” She was won round, grudgingly, when the radio producer offered each guest a glass of aperitif wine. Chapeldown Bacchus Reserve 2010, a white made from the German cross of the same name, was a surprising hit with the diners. One-nil for the Brits!

Le Coin de Table serves inexpensive cuisine de grand’mère  so we couldn’t do anything too costly or elaborate. We also had make sure that there was nothing to frighten the diners,  so we had to consult French residents in the UK, including restaurateur Raymond Blanc. We found out that the French don’t like mixing sweet and savoury (they detest lamb with mint sauce), they can’t get their mouths round our wobbly jellies (trifle was off the menu) and that young people haven’t developed their parents’  taste for offal. Forget the steak and kidney pudding, then.

For our 8 euro-per-head budget, we decided on Jane Grigson’s  curried parsnip soup, Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall’s fish pie and a classic sticky toffee pudding.  Our cheese plate showcased the best of British artisan cheese – the Caerphilly, Cornish Blue, Appleby Red Cheshire and Isle of Mull Cheddar, served with our home-made plum chutney.

Stress levels were high on the night. Quite apart from radio presenter Jane Garvey and her producers sticking their microphones in our faces, we had 45 covers to rustle up from a miniscule basement kitchen. No major disasters or temper tantrums but some rather sticky moments.

So, were the customers won over by the British menu? You can hear the outcome on www.alfimedia.com .  Let’s just say that a restaurant full of French diners had to eat humble pie!

Clare Brigstocke

www.theculinarycoach.co.uk

http://www.lecoindetableparis.com

How and where we make Gorwydd Caerphilly

Ok, so Todd looks a bit younger and Maugan’s beard isn’t such a feature any more but we do like this film by Phil Vickery.

Caerphily: The Old Version is the best by Bee Wilson

We are delighted when people like our cheese – and even more so when they tell other people why. We loved this piece by Bee Wilson (@kitchenbee)

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