Friars Farm

Friars Farm are local producers of jams,chutneys and sauces.It is run by Steve Reid and Rachel Cooper with a little help from their family.They try to include their own homegrown or local ingredients wherever possible in their preserves .Some of these from their garden and some from a little plot of land they have just outside of town.They sell to the public and also to local businesses including Towcester Racecourse.They also make a sauce 'Vampire's Rock' for the hit rock show of the same name. They also have some pigs on their plot which occasionally end up as fantastic sausages and beautiful pulled pork.
I was recently asked by Steve to come up with some recipes to show that preserves are not just  for the 'cold plate' and are versatile in other ways.He gave me a few jars of lovely goodies to play around with and the following recipes are what I came up with.I hope you enjoy them a much as I did creating them.

Goat's Cheese Parcels
200g goat's cheese (I used the large goats cheese log but any firmer cheese will do)
4 heaped tsp. Friars Farm Apple and Fig Chutney
melted butter
6 sheets Filo pastry cut in half

 Divide the goat's cheese into 4 slices. Layer 3 of  the filo pastry squares diagonally into a 'star shape brushing each sheet in the centre with the melted butter as you go.Add 1 tsp of the chutney to the centre and palce the goat's cheese on top.Bring each corner into the centre leaving the edges sticking out not overlapped to make a parcel.Brush generously with melted butter .Repeat with the other 3 parcels. Place on a greased baking tray. Cook in a preheated oven 200C /fan 180c/Gas 6 for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with a side salad. Serves 4

Cheesy Potato Bake
Friar's Farm Tomato and Red Pepper Relish
approx 450g potatoes ,peeled
melted butter
140g cooked ham
2 eggs
100 g firm cheese ( I used Cobbler's Nibble Gold our local cheese) grated or crumbled
200 ml milk
salt and pepper

Very thinly slice the poatoes and use to layer a greased deep baking dish (a silicone one is ideal if you want to turn it out to serve on a plate).Season with salt and pepper and brush each layer with butter as you go. Cover with greaseproof paper and cook in the oven 200c/180C/Gas6 for  about 30 minutes until the potatoes are soft but not crispy.Remove the greaseproof paper and spread on a layer of the relish .Then layer the ham then the cheese on top of the potatoes . Beat the eggs lightly and add the milk.Season and pour over the cheese,ham and potato. Bake for another 40 minutes or until set. Remove from the oven and  spread another layer of the relish on top whilst still warm. Either serve from the dish or turn out and serve with a side salad.This dish could be served hot or cold but we found it delicious served hot. Serves 4

Cranberry and Orange Sauce
140 ml red wine
140 ml chicken stock
grated zest and juice of 1 orange
4-5 tablespoons Friars Farm Cranberry Salsa
1 teaspoon Brown sugar
 Put all the ingredients into a saucepan over a high heat until boiling then reduce to a medium heat and simmer until the sauce has thickened.Season if necessary and serve.I served this sauce with roast duck but it would be just as nice served with chicken or turkey.

And last but not least Friars Farm Chilli Jam .I used this as a glaze for both some Friars Farm sausages and the gammon that I cooked and roasted to go into the Cheesy Potato Bake. It would be equally as nice on grilled salmon or pork roasted in the oven. Just brush the chilli jam on 5 - 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time.

Duck and Waffle

We visited the Duck and Waffle as a surprise treat for my husband's birthday one very cold, sunny day in January. Before we even reached the restaurant itself we were greeted by an amazing sight of London in the glass fronted elevator which zoomed us up to the 40th floor where the restaurant is situated.On entering the restaurant you walk into a seating area with an island bar in the middle.As with the rest of the restaurant this was bathed in light from the large glass windows. Our coats were checked  into the cloakroom and we were escorted to our table.
Unfortunately by the time we got there all of the daily  specials had gone (note to self; book an earlier table next time) so we just had the lunchtime menu and the wine list to peruse.At this point it's really difficult to concentrate on either the menu or the  views both of them vying for your attention. My husband asked if they had a non alcoholic beer,which they hadn't but they offered a non alcoholic cocktail instead. As he didn't know what to have our waiter said that he would bring a surprise.Out came a wonderful pomegranate based cocktail which went down very well.My son and myself chose a bottle of red (which happened to be the cheapest .A lot of the wine being above our price range).Then the difficult part.What to choose from the menu.The problem wasn't that there were pages and pages of dishes to choose from it was that the dishes that were there all sounded so good we took ages trying to decide.Changing our minds a few times.We thought that if we each had a different starter then we could all have a taste of 3 different dishes. A good move!!

 I chose the Spicy Ox Cheek Doughnut.I had seen this dish posted again and again on social media and had been so wanting to try it.I was not disappointed.Served with apricot jam and smoked paprika sugar the dish had a sweet kick but was totally savoury if that makes sense..Beautifully tender ox cheek in a fluffy savoury doughnut sat on top of just enough of the apricot jam.Absolutely fantastic!! My husband chose the Foie Gras Creme Brulée .Again a sweet sounding dish but definitely not.The foie gras brulée topped by butter roasted lobster was melting and creamy.The lobster sweet and fresh.Served with toasted brioche on the side this was an indulgent and delicious starter.Well worth trying.The last starter we chose was the Wild Cornish Pollock Meatballs served in a lobster cream with Parmesan.Once again a beautiful dish .Light ,fresh fish 'meatballs' served in a lovely creamy sauce and a sprinkling of parmesan. Well balanced with the parmesan not overpowering either the meatballs or the sauce,this dish was brought to the table in a little cast iron casserole which was piping hot.A nice way to present the dish.

For the main event I chose the eponymous Duck and Waffle.Crispy confit duck leg sitting on a waffle with a fried egg on top.It came with mustard maple syrup in a little jug that was drizzled on top. The only thing that put me off this let's face it unusual dish was the fried egg as I am not a lover of fried egg white.This year I have decided to eat more of the things that 'I don't like' and in this case I was right to do so as the egg combined with the rest of the dish was not at all like the rubber egg white that can so easily happen but was actually very tasty.Once again although a 'sweet ' dish this was so well balanced that it worked so well the different components complimenting one another to make a very good plate.My husband and son decided on the sharing plate of the Longhorn Rib Eye from Thirsk.This was served with roast onions, heritage radish and love it or hate it Marmite hollandaise.This dish actually looked like a work of art on the plate.The rib eye was cooked medium (as recommended) and came sliced on the plate dressed with the onions and radish and green leaves. Nestled in the middle was a marrow filled bone .A little spoon provided to scoop out the silky delicious marrow in the middle.A really tasty extra.The steak had been cooked to perfection and had a fine flavour to it.A good piece of beef.Marmite hollandaise.What can I say ?We are a family of Marmite lovers (apart from 1! There's always one) and so were quite happy to try the hollandaise.I am sure that even if you are a Marmite hater that you would love this as we did.A very clever balance of the Marmite. Just enough to flavour it but not too much to overpower it.Perfect.An idea I might have to steal.With our mains we ordered a side of Ratte Potatoes described as potatoes with pine and Marmite. I couldn't detect a taste of pine but once again there was just the subtle hint of Marmite which made for a different but very tasty potato dish.

In between our mains and desserts the waiter very kindly brought out a litte plate with happy birthday written in chocolate on and little delicious sweet titbits ,crowned off with a candle.A lovely touch.
For our desserts two of us went for the Orange Posset which was smooth and fruity topped off with an Aperol granita and a wondeful pineapple crisp.My son opted for the Pistachio and Dark chocolate Macaroon Sandwich which was as grand as it sounded.The plate being dressed with drunken cherries and crystallised white chocolate . A very nice end to a fantastic meal and a wonderful experience.
A meal at the Duck and Waffle is not just about the food.Although that's the major part.Its about the all round experience, the service and the views.An experience that I'd highly reccommend and really want again.