Feature – Page 2 – Yellowbelly Food

Mount Pleasant Windmill and True Loaf Bakery

March 15, 2011 Emma Chapman Leave a comment

Mount Pleasant Windmill. Photo: Emma Chapman

Built in 1875, the traditional four sailed brick tower mill is now owned by Mervin and Marie-Christine Austin, who bought the mill in 2000.

The Austins reside in the house next door to Mount Pleasant Windmill, which was purchased as one big complex with the land around it as well.

“I’ve always wanted to buy a windmill,” says Mervin. Prior to the windmill Mervin was a baker in London so when it comes to the technicalities of milling he says: “I know what flour looks like, or what it should look like, and I’m not totally stupid as far as engineering is concerned so I worked out roughly how to get it and worked out what to do. I taught myself when we came up here. The guy gave me four hours instruction and then went. Never saw him again”.

The mill now offers 10 different pure stone-ground organic flours using organic wheat from Britain. The flours are unbleached, untreated and nothing is added or removed.

The mill is operated daily throughout the year and therefore freshness is guaranteed in all of their products as well as the flour. Their bread is sold at farmers’ markets and from the tea shop located next to the mill. The flour is sold wholesale at the co-op, a few bakeries and from mail order.

An 18 tonne wood fired oven was built next to the mill, and bakes the 20 types of organic breads as well as cakes that are sold in their tea rooms and from their website.

Mervin uses organic oats to make his bread. Photo: Samantha Viner

This iconic windmill has attracted media companies to feature the business on programmes such as The Hairy Bikers, Secret Supper Club and Radio 4, Mervin says: “The media attention is good for business, but it doesn’t keep people interested for long unfortunately”.

When it comes to income Mervin says the business isn’t a big money maker, he has to rely a several sources of income. People visiting the mill, the café, flour sales and baking classes that Mervin has recently started teaching.

This is the first year that the tea room has been closed over the winter period. Mervin says: “I think it might have been a bad move because the result is like this now [empty]”. However, Mervin did say that the previous weekend, when they opened again, was successful. He says: “We need a build up of people getting to know we’re open again”.

The organic factor is very important to Mervin, he explains why: “You should think about what you eat. I don’t want to eat pesticides basically, especially in wheat. Any grain is sprayed, and it can be sprayed up to 13 times a growing season, and it’s not washed. So it goes straight into the combine, straight into the mill and it’s in your food. With organic, because of the traceability factor, you can be pretty certain it hasn’t been sprayed at all”.

Organic flour is hard to come by in Lincolnshire according to Mervin: “Occasionally I’ll buy off dealers; sometimes I’ll buy off the farmers. But I can only buy organic so there is very little in Lincolnshire. There is a lot of imported stuff about at the minute from Kazakhstan, it’s a big organic growing wheat area but it’s not very good wheat, it’s very hard, doesn’t mill very well”.

So what’s next for Mervin? He says: “I quite like the idea of a watermill”.

Myers plum loaf is fit for the Queen

March 1, 2011 Samantha Viner Leave a comment

Myers Bakery in Horncastle. Photo: Samantha Viner

In 1977 the Queen tasted Lincolnshire plum loaf from Myers Bakery based in Horncastle. The fruity bread proved so popular that a request was made for more.

The business was born in 1901 when Charles Myers purchased a mill and village shop in Alford. Charles and his sons, Lewis and Reginald, then milled flour, baked bread and became known locally as Myers Mill.

In 1932 Lewis moved his family to Southery where they set up their own bakery and shop. After several successful years they moved to Mareham Le Fen where they bought the village shop and mill.

Lewis’ son, Derek, took a keen interest in the business and baking. So much so that he went to Grimsby College to study the craft of baking where he was awarded with the Renshaw Cup for being the best student. In 1970 Derek opened another bakery, to run alongside the Mareham shop, in Horncastle.

After 10 years, the decision was made to close the Mareham shop and concentrate on the business in Horncastle. Myers is still a thriving business 110 years later.

Walking around Horncastle you see numerous paper bags with the Myers logo splashed on the front. The bakery is so successful that there is also a cafe and a deli next door.

When you taste the savoury pastries and sweet delights it’s clear to see why Myers Bakery is so popular. The family are dedicated to running a successful business with locality being key.

Feature

The fishy history of Grimsby’s ports

February 15, 2011 Emma Chapman Leave a comment

Grimsby's fishing docks and market. Photo: Roger Damm

Grimsby is linked worldwide with the sea fishing industry, which once gave the town much of its wealth.

In the late 1800s the fishing fleet was greatly expanded. In a rare reversal of the usual trends, large numbers of fishermen from the South-East and Devon travelled North to join the Grimsby fleet.

During the Second World War many fishing boats were used as warships, and then converted back to trawlers in 1945.

Grimsby reached its peak in the 1950s being the largest and busiest fishing port in the world.

As a result of the on-going Cod Wars with Iceland, the industry went into decline for many years. The cod wars were a series of controntations throughout the lates 50s until the the mid 70s concerning fishing territories.

However, today Grimsby is still home to the largest fish market in the UK, although most sold there is now bought overland.

Grimsby is recognised as the main centre of the UK fish processing industry. In recent years, this expertise has led to diversification into all forms of frozen and chilled foods including being the home of Young’s Seafood. Consequently the town is one of the single largest centres of fish processing in Europe.

Grimsby Traditonal Smoked Fish

Media interest has focused around Grimsby Traditional Smoked Fish and the product being awarded a Protected Geographical Indication by the European Union.

The process used for this particular smoked fish relies on the traditional natural method of slow smoking instead of the more widely used mechanical method.

Holding PGI status means any producers who wish to call their product Grimsby Traditional Smoked Fish must abide by strict quality standards established by the Grimsby Traditional Fish Smokers Group.

Feature
News

Grantham: famous for it’s gingerbread?

February 7, 2011 Emma Chapman Leave a comment

Grantham's white gingerbread. Photo: kevandem via Flickr

Grantham is well known as being the birth place of Margaret Thatcher, but Grantham is also apparently famous for it’s gingerbread. So much so it has references of origin dating back to 1740.

This gingerbread is different however, to the regular gingerbread you or I know. The unique traits Grantham gingerbread has are reported to be a result of a mistake by a man called William Egglestone.

The wrong ingredients were added into the cake he was baking at his Grantham home. As such this special gingerbread is white because it does not have black treacle in it, as well as being creamier than other sorts.

Whilst gingerbread is not celebrated by the town, local shops or people and isn’t produced commercially, it is apparently well known. If Grantham gingerbread is typed into a search engine indeed a lot of recipes are returned. However unlike another of the county’s treasures, plum bread, it doesn’t return pages upon pages of information, producers, debates over PGI status and mountains of recipes.

We wonder why Grantham gingerbread got lost in history and how many other treasures are we overlooking?

To have a look at why Grantham’s gingerbread is different view this recipe from The British Food Trust.

Feature

Jenny’s Jams – sticky with success

February 2, 2011 Emma Chapman Leave a comment

Faradays chutney and raspberry jam. Photo: Emma Chapman

Jenny Smith worked as a chef for over 20 years until 2005 when a strawberry picking session opened new doors. After picking too many she decided to make jam for family and friends.

It was so well receivedthat Jenny decided to take it further and Jenny’s Jams was born. “At first I was a little dubious, I continued working as a part-time chef until December 2010. At that point I decided it was going to be more than a paid hobby,” said Jenny.

Jenny explained, “The business has grown very well despite the very tough trading climate. At times it has been slow going however, the preserves seem to be very well received by those who taste them”.

With her business growing so successfully Jenny is grateful for her friends and family that have volunteered to help out with “various tasks such as paperwork, labelling, and doing deliveries”.

The jams and chutneys come from traditional recipes and Jenny’s experiences as a chef. She said “I always look in old recipe books for ideas”. Expanding into chutneys and marmalades, however, came from customer suggestions and experimentation.

Jenny's raspberry jam on fresh, soft white bread. photo: Emma Chapman

Jenny’s products have been so successful that she has won several Great Tastes Awards, saying, “They were one of my best moments so far. They are considered the Oscars of the food industry, so recognition by my peers is fantastic. A very encouraging moment”.

Jenny also appeared on BBC2’s Working Lunch programme in 2009, she said, “Any media attention is also welcome, as it is all good advertising for the company. I do find I get very nervous though”.

Jenny uses Fresh from the Fields, a company based in Lincoln, amongst others for her ingredients. She said, “As far as possible I obtain ingredients locally. If they are grown in Lincolnshire, so much the better”. As well as trying to keep her ingredients local, Jenny’s products are also free of preservatives and additives.

Jenny supports the Lincolnshire economy further by getting her jars from Patteson’s Glass, near Brigg and her labels designed and printed by printing.com in Newark.

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