What's cooking?!
Gillian's weekly guide to local, seasonal and speciality food & drink plus lots of tasty food news...

IF YOU’VE never tried Dexter beef, then now’s your chance.
Furness farmer Mark Southern has been supplying direct to the public for several years – you will also find his pedigree cattle on the menu of a number of local hotels and restaurants.
But availability is limited – only about 25 beasts a year go to slaughter.
“We breed, rear, fatten and finish all our own stock,” said Mark, who farms at Penny Bridge.
“Then the animals go to Aireys (at nearby Ayside) to be killed before coming back to the farm to be hung (from three to four weeks) and cut.”
Sometimes Mark can deliver but customers usually arrange to collect their order.
Prices are fixed and Mark usually sells on an eighth, sixth, or quarter of a carcass basis which works out at an excellent value £3.75 per lb.
If you want to buy a specific cut or joint you can, but it will cost you more - £4.25 per lb for stewing steak, for example, £5.75 per lb for rib, and £9.25 per lb for sirloin.
As I have said before, you can save so much money on this sort of premium ingredient if you buy in bulk and share with a friend.
If you are interested, then contact Mark at Penny Bridge Hall Farm on 01229-861813 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 2pm), or via email at pennybridgehall@aol.com
Beef is also on the menu at Plumgarths farm shop in Kendal this week with another of butcher Paul’s special family offers – buy 3lbs mince for £7.99, 3lbs stewing steak for £8.99, or 3lbs of braising steak for £9.99. Better still – buy all three for only £25!
Likewise save money at Richardsons butchers at Bowness who have just launched a new steakburger – these cost 90p each, or you can buy 10 for £8.
At Steadmans of Sedbergh, butcher Chris Holmes recommended his own Garsdale dry-cured back bacon (£9.89 per kilo); and catch them while you can, the last of the season’s fresh pheasants - £7.49 per oven-ready brace.
I rather think Cartmel Village Shop’s full-bodied Australian Black Shiraz from the Burton vineyard (£8.50) would be the perfect accompaniment; as would some new season UK organic purple sprouting broccoli (approx £1.54 per 350g) from Growing with Grace at Clapham.
Own-crop ingredients from Growing with Grace include kale (£3.50 per kilo), mixed salad leaves (£1.80 per 100g), and rocket and watercress (both £2 per 100g).
From Bowland Bridge Stores we have a selection of ‘winter warmers’ including Suma organic tinned soups (£1.25 per 400g tin), for example ... Thick Vegetable, Tuscan Bean, or Pea.
If you want to make your own, BBS also stocks a Suma broth mix (£1.59 per 500g). Team with value-for-money carrot and swede from Greenbanks greengrocers in Kendal – carrots 88p per kilo, swede 99p per kilo.
BBS also do hot take-out soups made by former proprietors John and Molly Woods who live next door to the shop – this week, for example, new BBS boss Helen Todd is promoting the Woods’ lentil soup, also their artichoke soup (£1.50 a mug).
Finally, to Grange-over-Sands for Grange Bakery’s naughty-but-nice suggestion for a weekend sweet treat – a choice of glorious fresh cream cakes including everyone’s favourite, chocolate éclairs,
fresh cream sponges, and palmiers, or ‘elephant’s feet’ as fresh cream cake fans call them! 
 

Last changed: Feb 01 2012 at 1:39 PM