Netherton Foundry Shropshire

Netherton Foundry Shropshire
Classic cookware, made in England

Friday 22 January 2016

Floods

The flood waters have receded, the media circus has left town, sacrificial victims have been hung out for public scrutiny and it's as if the great flood of Christmas 2016 never happened.
Except of course, it did and all those people and businesses affected by it are still living with the consequences.
The images of broken bridges, demolished pubs, homes full of filthy water and community centres turned into refugee camps were powerful and moving, the headlines and news reports shocked us all, but what now?  It's all been forgotten so quickly.
For so many people the impact of the flood will last months and some may never recover. 
Thankfully the death toll was mercifully small, but the final reckoning has yet to  be done and without our support may small businesses may not survive.  How can they finance the coming months with no income?
To some extent - greater or lesser, insurance claims will cover the immediate aftermath - damage to buildings and destruction of stock, can all be recompensed and, in the long run, replaced.
But what about the interim and what about all the businesses not directly affected by the rising water.
One of our stockists told me that the Environment Agency had advised people not to visit their entire AREA, when in fact their town was both accessible and dry.  Consequently they had the lowest trading figures in 22 years and that was in  December!! 
So many rely on a good December to take them through the quiet months of January and February, but if December was a write off, then can they hang on until the roads are passable, the bridges repaired, the hotels opened and the Spring weather for customers to return.
You know that we are committed to supporting independent businesses and only supply selected retailers for our range.
But this is a plea for you to support ALL the businesses in all the areas affected by the floods.
Pop into the local for a drink, visit the cinema, have a weekend away at a B&B, shop locally - do your bit to make sure that these communities will still be operating viable businesses this year.  The dry ones are almost as hard hit as the inundated ones and they have no claim on their insurance, just because we have all stayed away.

 © Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2016

Sunday 17 January 2016

Chocolate orange ice cream

"It's not Terry's, it's mine", said Dawn French, referring of course to the irresistible Terry's chocolate orange; a perfect piece of chocolate desirability, whose popularity spans all boundaries.

Chocolate and orange is, of course, a classic combination, so when we were given a bottle of chocolate red wine, it seemed like a good idea to chuck that into the mix as well.... But what to make?

The answer is chocolate orange ice cream and it is the simplest thing to make:

1lb Marmalade, homemade if you've got it
Large tub of double cream
Chocolate - take your pick, I used a 100g bar of milk chocolate, because that's what I had in the cupboard, but I reckon dark chocolate would be even better.
Optional extras - Chocolate red wine, Cointreau, Drambuie


Tip the marmalade into a mixing bowl and stir until it's soft and malleable - warm it slightly if needed.
Chop the chocolate into small chunks.
Whip the cream.
Fold all three ingredients together and stir in a splash of booze.

Pour into a plastic container and place in the freezer.

The great thing about this ice cream is that there is no need to churn it and stir it, just leave it to freeze.




© Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2015

Tuesday 5 January 2016

Evarro Olive oil review and roasted tomato mayonnaise recipe

I was recently offered the opportunity to review some olive oil and naturally leapt at the chance, not least because this was the first time I had been approached to do a review and I have to admit, it felt good!!!
This Spanish extra virgin olive oil was sent to us by the lovely Gabriele at www.sfoodle.com  and I would urge you to have a look at what they offer.

We love olive oil here at the Foundry and can be very picky about it, so this was a calculated risk - what if we didn't like it?  I'd offered to review it and in keeping with our company philosophy, I felt the need to be completely honest about what we thought.

I needn't have worried........... this oil is first class.



A beautiful greeny yellow colour, glorious smell and a fresh, slightly peppery taste that has made it perfect for dipping, dressings and cooking.

We tried it all ways :-)


First of all, it was simply used as a dip for fresh home made bread, with a side order of olives. I caught my teenage daughter wiping her finger round the bowl - 'nuff said.


Next on the menu, green beans with tomatoes.  This is my favourite way to cook green beans, either chopped runner beans or whole French beans.
Place the beans in a saucepan with a clove of garlic, peeled and sliced, some chopped fresh tomato, a tiny amount of water and a good splash of olive oil.
Simmer for 20 minutes.  Fabulous with roast lamb, but good enough to eat on their own with a chunk of crusty bread.

Then I cooked our creative genius's favourite breakfast - fried eggs with paprika and cumin, dished up on toast..... in one of our own frying pans, naturally  Result?  One happy genius.

  

Finally, I had agreed to create a recipe using this oil, so with a basket full of cherry tomatoes to hand and some super fresh sea bass fillets in the fridge, this is what I came up with.
Marie Rose sauce is a firm favourite with seafood, a luscious mixture of mayonnaise and ketchup, but I fancied something a little more robust to show off the tomatoes and the oil, so here goes:

Roasted tomato mayonnaise
200g cherry tomatoes
Olive oil
Sea salt

Put the whole tomatoes into an oven safe frying pan and pour over a couple of tablespoons of olive oil

Sprinkle with sea salt and roast in the oven at 150ยบ C for 2 hours



Transfer the tomatoes to a mixing bowl/jug and scrape in all the residual oil.  Blend with chilli to taste until you have a smooth paste.  you won't need all of this for the mayonnaise - store the remainder in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and add to tomato sauces for pasta or pizza.


Next make your mayonnaise - you could cheat at this stage and use a good shop bought mayo, but it won't have the same depth of flavour as making your own.

2 egg yolks
250ml olive oil
25 ml white wine vinegar

Ensure yolks and oil are at room temperature
Beat the yolks thoroughly.
SLOWLY drizzle in the oil while whisking vigorously - it is important to add the oil slowly or the mixture will split.
When all the oil has been absorbed, whisk in the vinegar,
Stir in 2 heaped teaspoons of the tomato paste and mix well.

Serve with grilled Halloumi, fish, salmon or steak and it's also good in a prawn or egg mayonnaise sandwich.

The picture below shows the sea bass fillets I mentioned earlier, coated in a flour, paprika and lemon zest mix and quickly pan fried in olive oil, served on a bed of peas and leeks.



Please take note that I was not paid for this review and the opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone.
© Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2015

Friday 1 January 2016

A new bread recipe

Not so long ago, we added Hawarden Estate Farm Shop to our list of independent retail stockists and I did the initial delivery myself.



Whilst unpacking their first order, I fell into conversation with a delightful couple, Mr and Mrs Welch, who made the very first Netherton purchase at the shop.

They chose a 2lb loaf tin and we had a wonderful discussion on home made bread and they promised to send me one of their favourite recipes.

And here it is, courtesy of Town Mill in Lyme Regis - and this has to be the easiest loaf you will ever make.


THREE MINUTE SPELT LOAF

Ingredients:

·         500g Town Mill spelt flour
·         10g fast-acting dried yeast
·         ½ teaspoon salt
·         50g sunflower seeds
·         50g sesame seeds
·         500ml warm water

Method:

1.       Preheat the oven to 200˚C/gas 6
2.       Combine all ingredients, adding the water last
3.       Mix well and turn dough into a greased loaf tin
4.       Bake for an hour
5.       Turn loaf out of the tin
6.       Return to oven minus tin for an extra 5-10 minutes