Farm and Forage at The Small Holding

Will Devlin at The Small Holding, Kilndown, Kent

Farm and Forage at The Small Holding, Kilndown, Kent

Will Devlin, chef owner of The Small Holding, a kitchen and farm on a country lane in the pretty village of Kilndown on the Kent and East Sussex borders, has created a Farm and Forage day for guests to experience a day in the life of the restaurant.

Launching on Wednesday 1 May, the day will start with coffee and homemade pastries before pulling on wellies for a walk around the farm to learn more about the 200 varieties of fruit and vegetables being grown on site for the restaurant. After feeding the pigs and chickens, guests will venture down the lane to the woods and fields to go foraging with Will to find what’s in season including wild garlic, blackberries, elderflower, cobnuts, mushrooms and wild strawberries.  

On returning to The Small Holding, guests will be greeted with a glass of awarding-winning Squerryes’ English sparkling wine before being seated for a 5 course t tasting menu.

Launching on 1 May, the Farm and Forage days are only available on Wednesday and Thursdays throughout the Summer from May until 29 August, priced £145 per person, including a 5-course lunch and arrival drink and a goody bag with seasonal treats to take home.

Bookings can be made direct via www.thesmallholding.restaurant or by calling the restaurant on 01892 890 105.

About The Small Holding

“Homely village restaurant secreted away in glorious Kent countryside… simple, ingredient-led dishes are fiercely seasonal… triumphant standouts are the village reared pork – served as a cube of beautifully fatty pork belly, a tiny, offaly faggot, homemade blood pudding and a lovely, sticky gravy – and a dish of sweet strawberries with an intense basil ice cream and shortbread.” The Good Food Guide 2018

“A thoughtful, original and completely delicious meal. I loved the foraging walk with all the culinary tips and sage gardening advice. I will definitely be back for more. The L’Enclume of the South in the making in a beautiful Kentish setting.” Sudi Pigott, national food and restaurant writer

Kent based Greensand Ridge is the UK's first carbon neutral distillery

Greensand Ridge London Dry Gin

Greensand Ridge, a craft-distillery near Shipbourne, in the Weald of Kent, has achieved one of its original green goals by becoming carbon neutral, the first UK distillery to do so.

The Kent-based distillery was launched in 2015 with the aim of being ultra-low impact on the environment while also having a positive impact by using surplus produce from local farmers, such as plums and apples, which the supermarkets won’t take.

“Our carbon neutral certification is the culmination of a great deal of work over the last year” says Greensand Ridge founder and distiller, Will Edge. “It doesn’t change our spirits but it’s a statement of what is important to us as a new and growing business.”

The assessment makes up part of the distillery’s inaugural Sustainability Report which details all the work that is done at Greensand Ridge to minimise the environmental footprint through schemes such as renewable power, heat recovery systems, removing plastics and being chemical free.

Will’s approach to use surplus produce or byproducts directs the spirits he brings to market. “We work with local farmers to mitigate their waste and so make a lot of fruit spirits like our Apple Brandy and Raspberry Ghost”, he says, “even our Wealden Rum is made from a locally sourced byproduct.”

Now in its fourth year, Greensand Ridge took some time to achieve carbon neutrality. “The regulations demand a significant ongoing investment in time and resources and we needed to be well established before we undertook the work. Hopefully, that work can be a template for other businesses in the industry”.

Greensand Ridge’s 2019 Sustainability report is available online at www.greensanddistillery.com, and spirits can be purchased directly, from fine food outlets or by the trade directly from the distillery or through distributors.

Sample box spirits

The multi-award-winning London Dry Gin is distilled from eight local botanicals, including gorse, rosehips, oak moss and bay that grow within a mile of the distillery in the fields, woods and orchards beneath the Greensand Ridge in Kent. These are married with seven classic botanicals to create an exceptionally smooth and delicately balanced premium gin. (70cl, £35.50)

Raspberry Ghost is a delicious Eau de Vie that captures the aroma of late Summer Kentish raspberries. The berries are infused in 100% wheat spirit before distillation. The spirit is called Ghost in homage to the German name for this technique, Geist. Drunk as a gin with tonic, the delicate raspberry flavour is present from start to finish. (70cl, £36.50)

Wealden Rum is a delicate and smooth rum with a floral nose, giving way to subtle honeycomb and roast cobnuts on the palate. A long finish with raisin and oak with a sweet, full taste. (50cl, £36)

Our cask-aged Apple Brandy is a delicately perfumed spirit made from quality surplus apples, every Autumn, from fruit growers in the Weald of Kent and Sussex. The sweet juice from dessert apples, such as Gala and Golden Delicious, is fermented long and slow to develop complex vanilla and caramel flavours before being distilled. The true whisky of the Weald. (50cl, £38)

Rye Cask Gin is an unbelievably smooth and complex sipping gin, matured ten months in Rye Whiskey casks for a warm fruitiness and dry spiciness. A warming treat on a chilly evening and perfect as a base for a Negroni or Old Fashioned. (50cl, £38.90)

Our PX Cask Gin is a rare and unique expression of what a cask-aged gin can be. Greensand’s London Dry Gin is aged in Pedro-Ximenez casks for ten months creating a spirit infused with layers of raisin, molasses and Christmas spice, lifted by bright orange citrus. (50cl, £39.90)

About Greensand Ridge Distillery

Greensand Ridge Distillery launched in July 2015 with the mission to reduce food waste at the farm gate by fermenting and distilling quality fruit that supermarkets won’t take and combining these with local botanicals such as cobnuts, gorse and bay to make a range of unique spirits.

Powered by 100% renewable electricity and with a zero target for chemical use and non-recyclable waste, Greensand Ridge Distillery is a truly sustainable business.

Gin lovers can visit the distillery, set in a beautiful location overlooking the Weald of Kent, just outside the village of Shipbourne, as part of a Gin Experience, where visitors can create their own full bottle of gin to take away with them.

The business is run Will Edge who worked in IT, marketing and finance before he undertook a Masters’ Degree in Brewing & Distilling in order to return home to Kent and set about turning his love of spirits and craft cider-making into a livelihood.

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For more information please contact:
founder and distiller Will Edge (will@greensanddistillery.com / 07971 164688)
or Hannah Blake (hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk / 07730 039361)

Notes to editors:

2019 Sustainability Report: https://bit.ly/2HiqBpk
Hi-Res images for download & reuse: http://bit.ly/2H8Oqkn 
Image Gallery: http://www.greensanddistillery.com/photos/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreensandRidge/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greensand_ridge/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gsrdistillery

Big Green Egg x River Cottage

Tom Grffiths, Flank London

Tom Griffiths, chef owner of Flank, London is cooking a masterclass event with Big Green Egg at River Cottage on 17 April. Serving up his modern take on British food - expect nose to tail dishes cooked over fire on the Big Green Egg. Tom is cooking with Big Green Egg chef Ross Anderson and River Cottage chef Andy Tyrell.

Book here.

The Small Holding wins Best Restaurant at Taste of Kent awards

Will and Matt Devlin with Alisa Sweeny from Thomson, Snell and Passmore

The Small Holding, a 28-cover kitchen with one acre of working land, has won Best Restaurant in Kent at the Taste of Kent Awards. The judges commented that The Small Holding was a “unique experience, strong on its local sourcing with a good story and scored highly on its customer service”.

Organised by Produced in Kent since 2004, the Taste of Kent Awards showcase the best of Kent’s food and drink products. It is the county’s longest running and most prestigious annual awards, voted for by the public. The range of categories has grown year on year and now incorporates every product that Kent, the Garden of England, is renowned for including beer, wine, cider, apples and cherries.

Thackeray’s in Tunbridge Wells and Corner House, Canterbury were runners up in the Best Restaurant category.

Will Devlin, chef owner of The Small Holding, comments, “We’re thrilled to have won this award from Produced in Kent. Being voted best restaurant by the general public is a massive boost for the kitchen and garden teams. Everything we do at The Small Holding is about sustainability, traceability, growing and rearing our own produce and working with genuinely local suppliers and farmers. For a restaurant that’s not been operating a full year we’re really thrilled our hard work has been recognised.”

Farm, Food, Flavour at The Small Holding

Kent Chef of the Year is a new client at The Dining Room

I’m delighted that Will Devlin, chef owner of The Small Holding, Kilndown is a new client at The Dining Room.

“Homely village restaurant secreted away in glorious Kent countryside… simple, ingredient-led dishes are fiercely seasonal… triumphant standouts are the village reared pork – served as a cube of beautifully fatty pork belly, a tiny, offaly faggot, homemade blood pudding and a lovely, sticky gravy – and a dish of sweet strawberries with an intense basil ice cream and shortbread.” The Good Food Guide

Will Devlin, 30, is the chef owner of The Small Holding, a kitchen and farm on a country lane in the village of Kilndown on the Kent and East Sussex borders. The 26-cover restaurant has been named as one of the best restaurants in Kent at the Taste of Kent Awards and is set in one acre of land, permitting a unique connection between farm and table. Growing, foraging and cooking the best ingredients is at the core of The Small Holding, with daily changing menus, using home-reared and home-grown ingredients from the farm, which is less than 10ft from the kitchen.

The ten-course Full Acre menu offers the diner a full experience of the farm and kitchen starting with home-made sourdough and butter, made on site with the rich yellow cream from a local Guernsey here. This year The Small Holding is growing nearly 200 varieties of vegetables and fruits. During the peak growing months, the raised beds and poly tunnels are full of lettuces, chard, beans and legumes, tomatoes, courgettes, raspberries, gooseberries and blackcurrants, plus the foraged bounty from the woods over the lane from the restaurant which offers wood sorrel, blackberries, wild garlic, chestnuts and mushrooms. Rare breed Berkshire pigs, chickens and ducks roam the farm and there are plans this year for cows and goats. The five-course Half Acre menu offers a sample of the Full Acre menu, plus vegetarian and vegan Half and Full Acre menus with wine and non-alcoholic flight pairings.

Sample dishes from the March 2019 menu includes Nettle, Garlic, Black pudding; Skate, Dandelion, Sorrel and for pudding Gypsy Tart, Rhubarb, Cream.

“Growing our own produce on the farm brings an understanding and honesty back to the kitchen, and vital freshness. Making the most of our harvests when the ingredients are at their prime – whilst also preserving and conserving them to use throughout the year, keeps us concentrated on the natural cycle of the land and helps us to create full flavoured and imaginative dishes.” Will Devlin

For more information please contact Hannah Blake at The Dining Room PR on 07730 039361 or hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk

Cooking and conversation

Little Duck | The Picklery

James Whetlor from Cabrito Goat Meat will be guest chef at Little Duck | The Picklery on 25th February. Cooking alongside group head chef Tom Hill, James is preparing a 5 course goat feast along with conversation and plenty of hints and tips on buying, cooking and eating goat. Tickets are £75 and include a glass of wine on arrival. Places are limited to 14 seats - buy here. Not to be missed!

Big Green Egg x Kelly Bronze Turkey

It wouldn’t be Christmas without a Kelly Bronze Turkey. It would be such a shame to see one of these incredible turkeys go to waste in a regular oven. In Mr Kelly’s opinion there’s no better way to cook one of his birds than on a Big Green Egg. That’s why, this year, when you buy one of Egg’s special bundles you’ll get a Kelly Bronze absolutely free. www.biggreenegg.co.uk/kellybronze

Chocolate and pears at River Cottage

Scrumptious

This chocolate tart with grilled pears is too delicious not to share. Serve with pride and a spoonful of crème fraiche.

By Gelf Alderson, executive head chef of River Cottage

Serves 6-8

For the pastry:

75g coconut oil
55g golden syrup
75g ground linseeds
185g ground almonds
15g cocoa powder

Melt the coconut oil and golden syrup, add the dry ingredients mix thoroughly and press into 20 cm tart case, freeze until solid.

For the filling:

80ml olive oil room temperature
500g dark chocolate
200ml almond milk, room temperature
75ml Somerset cider brandy
A pinch of fine sea salt

Grilled pears:

4 firm pears such as conference or comice

Gently melt the chocolate in a bain marie over a sauce pan of simmering water. Remove from the heat and cool slightly before adding the oil and almond milk, a pinch of salt and the brandy. Mix thoroughly and pour into the tart case. Re-fridgerate for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

When ready to serve, halve and core four pears. Heat a griddle pan until smoking. Cook the pears until lightly charred and tender but still holding their shape. Serve with ice cream or crème fraiche.

Ottolenghi at River Cottage Food Fair 2019

Exciting news.

A very special guest for the River Cottage Food Fair 2019... Yotam Ottolenghi.

Ottolenghi is an acclaimed chef, restaurant owner, and food writer. He has published seven cookbooks including Ottolenghi, Plenty, and Jerusalem and his latest book Simple. He writes a weekly column for The Guardian’s Feast Magazine and a monthly column in The New York Times. Yotam has also made two Mediterranean Feasts series for More 4, along with a BBC 4 documentary Jerusalem on a Plate.

Yotam Ottolenghi will be giving a demo on stage on the Saturday, so visitors to River Cottage HQ will be able to see him in action and learn more about his food philosophy. 

Yotam will be joining all the River Cottage regulars. Hugh will be speaking and signing books, and Steven Lamb, Gill Meller and John Wright will all be taking part. More special guests to be announced soon.

2019 is 20 years of River Cottage and at the annual Food Fair there will be celebrations of this momentous occasion all weekend. Held on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 May, the Food Fair is a real family occasion with under 16s going free. It is packed full of activities and family fun - from chef demos, fire pits, artisan food stalls, kids’ workshops, talks and live music, to garden and foraging tours.

Tickets on sale now from www.rivercottage.net

Mussels and celeriac

Sustainable and delicious. We should be eating more mussels.

Mussels with celeriac, seaweed and cider

Rope grown mussels are the most sustainable form of seafood going, we all need to eat more of these delicious, salty morsels. Mussels and cider is a classic pairing but including celeriac and seaweed in this recipe by Gelf Alderson, executive head chef at River Cottage, takes this cheap and sustainable dish in a deliciously new direction.

“Everything about mussels reminds me of walking on the beach but combining them with earthy celeriac and the light orchard flavour of cider is just perfect.”

Serves 2

200g celeriac, peeled and finely diced
40g butter
200ml organic scrumpy cider
1 tsp dried, flaked English seaweed
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 kg mussels rope grown (not dredged)

Put the butter in a large saucepan (with plenty of room for the mussels to fit and expand and with a well-fitting lid) heat until foaming and add the celeriac and garlic, cook until they gain a little colour. Add the mussels, seaweed and cider and place a lid on, cook on a high heat shaking the pan every minute for 3 minutes or until all the mussels have opened. Discard any unopened mussels and serve with proper sourdough to match the scrumpy flavour.

Part of a series of River Cottage recipes in Indy Eats.

Goatober 2018

There are Goatober events in 2018 in New York to London, Ibiza to Cornwall

GOAT MEAT CAMPAIGN GOES INTERNATIONAL IN OCTOBER 2018

Goatober 2018 launches with events in London, Bristol, Manchester, Cornwall, Rome, Frankfurt, Nantes, Amsterdam, New York and Ibiza

Goatober, the month-long goat meat celebration, has become an international campaign bringing together dairies, farmers, NGOs and individuals who are passionate about ending food waste in the goat dairy system. This October, there are events, dinners and talks from London to New York to Ibiza with one aim: put more goat meat on the menu and put all male goats born into the dairy system in to the food system.

Goatober 2018 is the most exciting yet as events in New York and Brooklyn see all the strands of Goatober pulled together. Until now there has been no coordination between the USA, UK and European events. The Goatober campaign now has senior level strategic direction with dairies, farmers, suppliers and chefs in dialogue and working together to share best practice, ideas and contacts to try and solve the food waste issue in this part of the food system.

In October 2018, there are Goatober events in London at The Jugged Hare, Palatino and the Sustainable Restaurants Association dinner; at Flour and Ash in Bristol; at The Creameries in Manchester and at The Gurnard’s Head in Cornwall. Restaurants putting a goat dish on the menu throughout the month included the ETM group, HIX Group, St John, Ottolenghi and River Cottage Kitchens in Axminster, Bristol and Winchester. Goatober is also collaborating with TABASCO®️ Sauce during its 150th Anniversary year, with TABASCO®️ pepper sauces featuring in several dishes. James Wheltor from Cabrito Goat Meat is speaking and cooking goat meat at the global food symposium Food on the Edge in Galway, Ireland. Working in partnership with the Interreg ‘food heroes’ project, which aims to end food waste in farming across the EU, there are events at the Nantes Food Forum and in Laval in France and in the Spessart region (near Frankfurt; Germany), The Netherlands, Rome and at the Amorevore Food & Arts Festival in Ibiza. In New York, there are dinners at Claro in Brooklyn and Huertas in the East Village, Manhattan, and an event with Farm Africa at Grow NYC in Project Farmhouse, a new sustainability and education centre exploring environmental issues through food, horticulture, arts, recycling and cooking.

Goatober originated in New York in 2011 and was the brainchild of Heritage Foods USA, the largest distributor of rare and heritage breed meats in the USA dedicated to supporting a network of over 50 family farmers who raise their livestock humanely, outdoors, on pasture and never with antibiotics or growth hormones. Its founder, Patrick Martins is also the founder of Slow Food USA and Heritage Radio Network. Patrick comments, “2018 marks our eighth year of Goatober. We offer cuts of goat meat to home cooks from coast-to-coast via HeritageFoods.com and work with more than 100 restaurants who participate annually around the country during the month of October. What started with the desire to help dairies and the destiny of male goats in New England has turned into an international movement to support the consumption of goat meat. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to co-host Goatober events with our partners in the UK and Europe this year who have taken this project further than we ever imagined.”

James Whetlor from Cabrito Goat Meat, a Devon based ethical meat champion and producer, has been at the forefront of bringing Goatober to the UK, comments, “This is a really exciting year for the Goatober campaign as it shows there is an international calling and drive to solve and end the systematic culling of male billy goats born into the dairy system and considered a waste product. By centralising the Goatober campaign and taking it global we can end this practice, while also making goat meat a mainstream product. We are already in discussion with Australia to join the campaign in 2019, so Goatober is something that’s going to get bigger and bigger.”

Marjon Krol, Project Leader at ZLTO (the Netherlands) for the European project Food Heroes “Last year, in 2017, we organized for the first time a Goatober campaign in the Netherlands. Together with some top chefs we had a huge billy goat dinner in the Netherlands during the World Design Event in Eindhoven. It is great to see people’s reaction and to see that the attention for this challenge is growing. Within the Food Heroes project, we try to tackle food waste on several themes together with farmers and stakeholders. This year the partner countries within the project, Germany and France, are also taking part in the Goatober campaign to try to solve the food waste issue of the billy goats.”

For more information about Goatober please visit www.cabrito.co.uk/goatober and follow @GoatoberNews on Instagram.

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About Goatober

Goatober originated in New York in 2011, when Erin Fairbanks, Heritage Radio Network’s Executive Director, had an idea. While working for Heritage Foods USA in Brooklyn, she and renowned cheesemaker Anne Saxelby wanted to end the practice of euthanising young male goats that the dairy industry had no use for. From this senseless waste Goatober was created and with it a month-long celebration of putting goat meat on the menu of New York restaurants. The campaign had quick success and now there are over 100 restaurants involved in Goatober from New York to Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Goatober arrived in the UK in 2016 and mainland Europe in the following year. There are vibrant dairy industries across the UK and Europe who want to change the practice of euthanising and Goatober is part of the solution. The campaign aims to put a goat dish on restaurant menus and to encourage people to try cooking goat at home themselves, for all or part of October.

About Cabrito

On moving back to Devon ex-chef James Whetlor called on his 12 years cheffing experience and contacts in London to set up Cabrito Goat Meat working with goat dairies to supply top restaurants including Quo Vadis, HIX Group, ETM and St John. Cabrito has won many awards including Observer Food Monthly Award for Best Ethical Producer, Good Housekeeping’s Champion Meat Producer and the Young British Foodies. Today, Cabrito supplies over 70 well-known establishments including Temper, Marksman, Morito and Pidgin. James’ first book Goat: Cooking and Eating is published by Quadrille (£20) and has been described as ‘genre defining’.

For more information about Goatober or for interview with James Whetlor at Cabrito
please contact Hannah Blake at hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk or 07730 039361

River Cottage at 20

It’s been 20 years since Hugh first appeared on our TV Screens

Twenty years of River Cottage

River Cottage has been a household name in Britain since 1999, when Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall first brought his hands-on, ethical food ethos to our TV screens.  Since then, the River Cottage books, TV series and Hugh’s hard-hitting campaigns have changed the eating habits of the nation, as well as improving the welfare of our farm animals and the sustainability of our fish.

River Cottage HQ, situated on the Devon-Dorset border, is a thriving organic smallholding. It’s also home to a cookery school and chefs' school, and the base for unique dining experiences and events including weddings and private parties. The award-winning River Cottage Kitchens in Axminster, Bristol and Winchester manifest the River Cottage philosophy using the best seasonal ingredients from the surrounding area. Alongside organic fruit, vegetables and wild foods, the Kitchen menus use sustainable fish and shellfish from the West Country day boats and organic meat and dairy products from local farms.

In March 2019, River Cottage will celebrate its 20th anniversary and Hugh and the team want to hear stories from people who have been influenced by River Cottage. Over the years, so many people have been inspired by Hugh and the River Cottage ethos to make changes in their lives. That might be to eat organic meat and milk or to learn how to grow their own vegetables or keep chickens or even manage a small holding themselves. Or it maybe they were so inspired they decided to change career and start their own business in cheesemaking or curing or preserving or as a cook or restaurateur.

People sharing their story of how River Cottage has influenced them may be included as part of the twenty-year celebrations. If selected they will win a dinner for two at River Cottage HQ and be invited to join a panel discussion at the River Cottage Food Fair over the late May bank holiday, which will be hosted by Hugh.

Share your River Cottage story to gemma.rodway@rivercottage.net

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For further press information, interviews or images, please contact:

Hannah Blake at The Dining Room on 07730 039361 or hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk

Notes to Editors

The River Cottage twenty-year celebrations will run throughout 2019

The first episode of Escape to River Cottage was shown in March 1999. Positioned as a docu-drama, it followed the story of Hugh, a city-dweller, trying to simplify his life by moving to a smallholding with an acre of land. It showed how Hugh learnt to garden, grow and forage for his own food and raise animals to provide meat and milk for the table

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall will be available for interview about the celebrations and his own twenty years at River Cottage

River Cottage HQ, Trinity Hill Road, Axminster, Devon, EX13 8TB

www.rivercottage.net

Twitter: @rivercottage Instagram: @rivercottagehq

Feast over Fire

Baked goat's cheese wrapped in walnut pastry with fig relish from Honey & Co. At Home (Pavilion Books)

Honey & Co. Feast Over Fire

This year River Cottage is introducing long table dinners at the Summer Festival and are thrilled to welcome Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich, the award winning chefs and authors behind Honey & Co.

Sarit and Itamar, celebrated London restaurateurs famed for showcasing traditional Middle Eastern dishes, will be at River Cottage for the first time and will be hosting the Saturday evening Feast Over Fire. They will be reverting to traditional methods cooking the majority of the feast over fire, including mouth-watering dishes from their latest cookbook Honey & Co. At Home. Join them and other guests at their table by the Fire Pit for a celebratory ‘Salcombe & Tonic’ from Salcombe Gin followed by an incredible three course Middle Eastern inspired supper. Ticket can be bought here.

‘Salcombe & Tonic’ by Salcombe Gin

Burnt aubergine salad, Pickled peach salad and Griddle bread

Lamb chops with figs, Cauliflower shawarma, Carlin-pea salad with roasted peppers

Feta in fig leaves with raw honey & melon

Roast carrots, beets, spring onion and redcurrants

Summer in a plate

Summer salad from Gelf Alderson, executive head chef at River Cottage

This is one of my favourite types of salad. Lots of summer flavours and vegetables with a surprising hit of tartness from the redcurrants.

Roast carrots, beets, spring onions and redcurrants

Serves 2

5 new season summer beets
5 small new season bunched carrots
2 tbsp extra virgin rapeseed oil
1 tsp nigella seeds
2 spring onions, trimmed and sliced
70g redcurrants (blackcurrants or orange segments are excellent alternatives)
1 small bunch dill or fennel tops, picked
Salt and pepper
Candy beetroot, peeled and thinly sliced, to garnish

Start off by preparing your veg. Top and tail the beetroots, and then simmer until just tender.

Peel the carrots and slice length-ways. If they are really young then this isn't necessary.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4. Place the carrots on the baking tray and mix with the oil and seeds, and roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

While the carrots are in the oven, peel and dice the beetroots. Once the carrots are cooked, remove from the oven, add the beetroots, mix and return to the oven for another 5 minutes.

Remove from the oven, place in a mixing bowl while hot, add the spring onions, redcurrants and fennel tops and season. 

Serve and garnish with the candy coloured beetroot to give the salad an extra hit of vibrant colour.

River Cottage Summer Festival

River Cottage Festival, 25-26 August 2018

- Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Prue Leith, Satish Kumar, Caroline Lucas -

Over the late August bank holiday, festival goers can immerse themselves in all the delights River Cottage has to offer at the annual summer Festival. This laid-back weekend on 25-26 August is jam-packed with events including food masterclasses, wellbeing and yoga tents, live music and family-friendly festival fun.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall will be in attendance and joined by Prue Leith, Caroline Lucas MP, leader of the Green Party and Satish Kumar, a former monk and long-term peace and environment activist. Also, on the line up are River Cottage regulars, foraging expert John Wright and River Cottage curing and smoking expert Steven Lamb, who will be hosting the Garden Stage over both days of the Festival.

The Festival Gig Nights will ensure the evenings at the River Cottage Festival are unforgettable with a brilliant line up of bands and musicians. On Saturday, folk rock and gypsy jazz band Mad Dog Mcrea will headline the main stage and get everyone up and dancing, while on Sunday, singer/songwriter Lauren Bannon, who takes influence from the likes of Sia and Norah Jones and was a finalist on BBC One’s The Voice, will perform.

Over the weekend there are masterclasses for adults and children. Kids can make their own pizza or summer fruit fool with cats’ tongue biscuits and crystallised flower petals, while the grownups can make gluten-free galettes or ferment seasonal produce into pickles and drinks with River Cottage resident nutrition guru Naomi Devlin.

The Fire Pit is a new cooking demo area at the Festival this year. Throughout the weekend, the chef’s demos will show why this ancient cooking technique has become such a roaring trend in the 21st century. Over the weekend cooks including James Whetlor from Cabrito Goat Meat, food and travel writer John Gregory Smith; BBC One Masterchef runner-up Billy Wright, chef and food writer Oliver Rowe, supper club host Kathy Slack who writes the award-winning blog Gluts and Gluttony; Aine Carlin, the bestselling author of The New Vegan; artist, author, cook and stylist Alexandra Dudley; and cookery teacher and author of Mountain Berries and Dessert Spice Sumayya Usmani will be showing why this back to basics cooking with fire delivers smokingly good food.

Festival goers can see behind the scenes at River Cottage HQ and enjoy a Farmhouse Feast, with a changing 2 course menu with dishes made with fresh, homegrown ingredients from the kitchen garden. River Cottage street food will join forces with local producers including Rebel Town Pizza, Louisiana Chilli Shack, Baboo Gelato and Marourde Mead. There is also a fully licensed bar serving local ciders, craft beers and organic wines or visit the Cocktails under Canvas tent and take part in a wild cocktail masterclass.

Kick back and enjoy an experience at the Festival by shaking out any stress with a restorative yoga session or enjoying a holistic massage, reiki or aromatherapy. Gaze at the stars under expert tuition, learn a new willow weaving craft, take a guided wildlife walk or go foraging with River Cottage’s John Wright.

This year the Festival is sponsored by Pukka who will be offering their expertise on herbal wellbeing.

With a friendly party atmosphere, the whole family is welcome to stay the weekend. The grounds are open to campers, either to bring their own tent or to enjoy a glamping experience by booking a stay in a luxury bell tent. Arrive on the Friday for an exclusive campers’ party with food, drink and live music to kick off the weekend.

Visitors can choose from a variety of tickets including Weekend, Day & Gig Night, Daytime, Gig Night or Luxury Camping, all available from the River Cottage website. Children under the age of 16 go free.

For more information and to book event and masterclass tickets, please visit the website.

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For further press information, interviews or images, please contact:

Hannah Blake at The Dining Room on 07730 039361 or hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk

 Notes to Editors

The River Cottage Festival will be at HQ on the weekend of 25-26 August
River Cottage HQ, Trinity Hill Road, Axminster, Devon, EX13 8TB
Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th August 2018
10am-11pm.

Tickets:
£10 (gig night 6-11pm)
£17.50 (day ticket 10am-6pm)
£25 (day& gig night ticket 10am-11pm)
£95 weekend camping ticket Friday 4pm-Monday 11am
Under 16’s go free
Glamping tents from £495 for 2 person tent for the weekend includes festival entrance & on-site parking
Free park and ride

About River Cottage:

River Cottage has been a household name in Britain since 1998, when Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall first brought his hands-on, ethical food ethos to our TV screens.  Since then, the River Cottage books, TV series and Hugh’s hard-hitting campaigns have changed the eating habits of the nation, as well as improving the welfare of our farm animals and the sustainability of our fish.

River Cottage HQ, situated on the Devon-Dorset border, is a thriving organic smallholding. It’s also home to a cookery school and chefs' school, and the base for unique dining experiences and events including weddings and private parties. There are River Cottage Kitchens in Axminster, Bristol and Winchester. These award-winning restaurants and delis manifest the River Cottage philosophy by using the very best seasonal ingredients from the surrounding area. Alongside fresh, seasonal fruit, veg and wild foods, the Kitchen menus showcase fish and shellfish from West Country day boats and organic meat and dairy products from local farms.

www.rivercottage.net

Mother's Ruin at the Garden Kitchen

Still on the Move 

Mother’s Ruin

Gin workshop | 7 June | 3.30-5.30pm
FREE event with a G&T and bites to share

Join the team at the Garden Kitchen to create a small batch craft gin made with botanicals foraged around The Beacon.

On 7 June, Cosmo Caddy, creator of Still on the Move, the UK’s first ever mobile gin distiller is hosting a gin workshop at The Beacon. Affectionately known as ‘Ginny’, the authentic copper still, on a vintage 1937 VW truck, tours the country, packed full of different spices and botanicals, spreading the joy of gin.

The Garden Lane G&T is a favourite at The Beacon so the chance to create our own small-batch premium gin is the best way to experiment with flavours and botanicals to create something totally unique. All gin must have a dominant flavour of juniper, but the team wanted to create not just a Kent gin, but something that has flavours and aromas specific to The Beacon in the 17 acres of woods, that surround the restaurant.

The Beacon's creation is Mother’s Ruin. On the palate, it is a strong, well-rounded and balanced gin with hints of citrus, green cardamom and coriander seed with earthy undertones complimented by garden botanicals foraged in the grounds including wild fennel and wood sorrel.

At the workshop, enjoy a Garden Lane G&T with platters of bites and nibbles and listen to Cosmo talk about the craft of distilling gin and show how to use fresh and dried botanicals. The house serve at The Beacon is with a slice of grapefruit, juniper berries and a few wood sorrel leaves, served over fresh ice and Fever Tree tonic water.

A bottle of Mother’s Ruin distilled on the day will be available to buy at the special price of £30 (normal price £35).

This is a FREE event. There are limited places available so please email david@illbemother.co.uk to register your place.

Normal ain't enough

Big Green Egg x Cabrito It's Not Normal

Never thought you could cook a whole goat on your EGG, did you? If you’ve come here expecting just another barbecue, don’t! A Big Green Egg barbecue isn’t normal, and it certainly isn’t normal to smoke and slow cook a whole goat on a BBQ.  James Whetlor from Cabrito Goat Meat is launching ‘It’s Not Normal’ showcasing that the Big Green Egg is not a normal piece of kit. Fancy slow cooked goat tacos or oak smoked oysters? Don’t be afraid of not being normal, it’s better on the other side!

This summer fire up the EGG for a whole kid goat shoulder cooked low and slow for a beautifully tender meat, sear some simply marinated kid chops in oregano and preserved lemon or create the ultimate kid burger with classic gherkins and ketchup all piled into a brioche bun. The options are endless.

The It’s Not Normal campaign launches with a ‘Half Goat Box’ retailing at £120 which includes (approx weight) a 4kg shoulder, 2kg Mince, 15 chops, 2kg of boned leg meat, perfect for kebabs and skewers or chopping finely for burgers or kofte. 

James had fun cooking a whole kid goat on an XL Big Green Egg for the It’s Not Normal campaign. 

The EGG is made with NASA inspired ceramics and patented technology and will safely cook large joints of meat with ease. Feel confident about putting more expensive cuts of meat on a barbecue - remember this is not a normal piece of kit and will help you cook seriously good food, all year round.

For more information, interview, images and video assets please contact Hannah Blake at The Dining Room PR on 07730 039361 or hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk

Established 40 years ago in the USA, the Big Green Egg is a charcoal based ceramic cooker that offers a wide range of precise cooking modes. It can grill, roast, smoke or bake pizzas in temperatures ranging from 80 – 400C. In essence the EGG introduces a whole range of techniques previously never thought possible on the traditional British BBA. Rapidly gaining favour amongst UK foodies, the EGG is also used by some of the UK’s best chefs in Michelin starred restaurants and gastropubs.

Gill Meller at Chelsea Flower Show

Credit Matt Austin

River Cottage partners with Kadai Firebowls® by Wilstone and launch new range at RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Based on stand RHW617, Kadai will showcase their award-winning fire pit barbecues, exclusive show offers, live fire cooking demos and new products.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s right hand man and founding Head Chef of River Cottage, Gill Meller will be cooking breakfast on the Kadai Firebowl at 9.15am on press day, 21 May.

Gill’s cooking has always been deeply rooted in nature and represents the ethos that underpins River Cottage. Cooking on fire is one step closer to nature and has always been Gill’s passion. Gill says, “Cooking outdoors on fire gives me great practical and professional satisfaction. Stepping out of the kitchen to cook your own food is an adventure in technique and taste. Understanding the interplay of wood, fire and flame deepens your cooking experience, contributes to the final flavour and places you directly in the landscape in which the ingredients are gathered. Part of cooking on fire is to be aware of where you are in the landscape and I take my inspiration from that.”

Christo, Co-founder and Managing Director of Wilstone says “The Kadai Firebowls change the way that we enjoy outdoor living. Whether you are cooking for friends on the bowl or simply relaxing and enjoying the warmth of the fire these spectacular centrepieces are a must have addition to any size garden."

The Lost Gardens of Sevenoaks

Rare rhododendrons on site at Reuthe's

Reuthe’s in Seal Chart, Sevenoaks, is opening its doors this bank holiday weekend after months of renovation work to the historic gardens.

Reuthe’s are the Lost Gardens of Sevenoaks, an acclaimed plant nursery founded in 1902 by a German plant hunter, set in 11 acres of woodland, part of the horticultural miracle that is the Green Sand Ridge in the Weald of Kent.

The historic site has been bought by local plantsman Oliver Schneider who is restoring the gardens, including a new café by Birch's, to its former glory. In its heyday Reuthe’s won Gold 17 years’ in a row at the Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show.

Opening on Saturday 5 May at 8.30am, Reuthe’s will welcome back visitors to explore the woodland, jungle-like pathways and walks up through the Hidden Valley. Here they will find plants and trees so rare they are the only ones in this country and discover hidden pockets of wild mushrooms, wild garlic and blueberries. 

Reuthe’s is situated on a north-facing woodland on a gently sloping hill with acidic, sandy and free-draining soil, part of the Green Sand Ridge. The Lost Gardens offer ideal growing conditions for the 300 varieties of rhododendrons growing on site and other acid loving plants such as rare trees, shrubs, azaleas and camellias.

Evening campfire feast at Wealden Literary Festival

For the first time at Wealden Literary Festival there will be an evening campfire feast on the evening of Saturday 30 June. Michael White from Rural Courses is a local woodsman, forager, wild food chef and sources many of his ingredients from within a stone’s throw of the Festival site.

As the sun sets at Boldshaves Garden, Michael will cook a simple, yet sumptuous lamb and nettle tagine cooked over an open fire. Grab a bowl, find your spot by the fire and enjoy open-air dining Kentish style. Vegetarian option also available.

Adults – £12
Children – £7

6.30pm - 9.30pm
Prices exclude drinks (but include marshmallows). A selection of local wines, beers, ciders and juices will be available.

Limited spaces available. Book your place via the box office.