Yellowbelly Food

Sour milk? Cows have feelings moo

February 10, 2011 Emma Chapman Leave a comment

: Cows enjoy wide open space, something super dairies may be unable to provide. Photo: Samantha Viner

The proposal for a super dairy to be built on the out-skirts of Nocton, a small Lincolnshire village, sparked wide opposition throughout the country let alone the county.

The site is planned to house 8,000 cows and would be the first mega dairy in Europe.

There are surrounding issues with farming on this scale including environmental concerns, impacts on small local dairy farmers and the welfare of the cows.

Unfortunately, the concern over the cows welfare has received minimal attention. People have been voicing opinions over the smell that comes from farming 8,000 cows, the attraction of flies, pollution of ground water with nitrates and the downfall of the local economy. With all this in mind people have seemingly forgotten that living animals are in the middle of this debate.

Nocton Dairies told the BBC that the cows would be free to roam in open-sided sheds when they were being milked, and would otherwise be out to graze in dry weather, some are sceptical after observing some of America’s mega dairies.

Local butcher Kenny Roberts prides himself on free range produce, but when it comes to the super dairy proposed for Lincolnshire he surprisingly blasts claims about the cows welfare suffering. He said: “They’ve been done in America for long enough, nothing wrong with them cows, they’ve got the pastures, got fresh air, got grass, they got good food and they deliver good milk. Not plastic milk what you buy in supermarkets, I believe it should happen, but that’s Lincolnshire for you”.

Animal welfare groups have slammed mega dairies over cows being kept inside for most of their lives whilst being pumped full of growth hormones and excessive feeding. They’ve basically become cow robots machined for milk production. They have also warned that the system of intensive farming would produce cows suffering from lameness, poor body condition and infertility.

Can 8,000 cows all on one farm receive the same care and attention that small dairy farms give to their cattle? Small farmers hand-rear calves, know each cow individually and can tell immediately if one falls ill. How long would it take for someone to notice such behaviour at Nocton Dairy?

How many cows does it take for a farm to turn into a factory?

Campaign

Browns Restaurant and Pie Shop review

February 8, 2011 Samantha Viner Leave a comment

Browns Pie Shop is located up Steep Hill in Lincoln. Photo: Neil Mallett

If you’re looking for somewhere to celebrate then Browns Restaurant and Pie Shop may be the place for you.

Said to be haunted by a cheeky little boy named Humphrey who causes mischief and runs around the shop, Browns Pie Shop is nothing to be scared of except for maybe the sky high prices.

Being seated in the cellar was certainly cosy and intimate, with several tables squeezed in. A sharp knock to the head while coming down the stairs is a little embarassing- but an experience shared by many.

After a glance over the drinks menu and bottle of Chilean red chosen, glasses and water were placed on the table, beginning a great quality of service that was continued throughout the evening.

The chicken, leek and mushroom pie was a delicious mix of locally sourced chicken and mushroom although the leek seemed to be lacking, perhaps being replaced by what seemed like a litre of white wine and cream sauce. However, the puff pastry lid did a good job of soaking up the majority of the excess sauce.

The £12 price tag did seem a little steep (for what was basically white sauce and pastry) and the others around the table seemed to agree while they tucked into filling portions of stout and beef pie, Lincolnshire sausage and mash and even a mushroom and tarragon risotto.

Seasonal vegetables were served with the mains but the over cooked red cabbage remained relatively untouched. The bowls seemed full to the brim with carrots and only about five green beans.

The desserts were definitely the highlight of the evening, we all found room for one last course and it went down a treat. Cheesecake, bread & butter pudding and sorbet appeared at the table and were wolfed down in record time.

Costing at least £20 per head is a little steep for those on a budget but as a birthday treat you can’t go wrong with the outstanding service, unique atmosphere and tasty food.

Review

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.

Award-winning beer from Batemans Brewery

January 31, 2011 Samantha Viner Leave a comment

Batemans Brewery in Wainfleet. Photo: Dave Hitchborne

Lincolnshire isn’t all about food, there is also a great drinks culture around the county. Batemans Brewery is perhaps one of the most popular visitor centres in the area.

The centre is open Wednesday to Sunday and offers a great day out for the family. Batemans Brewery is one of the county’s oldest family run breweries. George Bateman and his wife Suzanna brought the lease for the brewery in 1874 for the equivalent of about £30,000.

Since then Batemans has become a popular brand with numerous cask, speciality and bottled beers of varying percentages and winning mulitple awards.

The tour begins in the Brewery windmill which is over 200 years old and much of the brewey equipment dates back to Victorian times. The Batemans brewery tour can be considered unique because it offers two adjacent brewhouses; one from 125 years ago and the other only opened in 2002.

Feature

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