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.