A tempting treat

I cannot take the credit for this variation on Jansson's Temptation but am indebted to the delightful and talented Sarah Bailey, for contributing this for us to share with you.

Those of you on Twitter can follow Sarah @layingthetable, where she will entertain you with comments such as "One deep inhalation of Marmite does me a power of good."

And if you enjoy this recipe, why not try more from Sarah's Cookerebook, available on Amazon.

Smoked Salmon and Potato layers

Lime in this dish makes a refreshing change from lemon

2 medium to large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1 small onion thinly sliced

1 tablespoon cooking oil

125g pack of smoked salmon pieces

1 lime, zest finely grated, and juice squeezed

1 dessertspoon cornflour, mixed in a cup with a little cold water

1 teaspoon vegetable stock granules

Vegetable of your choice

Cooking equipment

1 all purpose pan Why not use one of our classic frying pans?

Method

Heat the oil in the all purpose pan. 

Put a layer of potatoes in the pan, using about a third of them.

Follow this with half of the onion, and half of the smoked salmon pieces scattered over the potato and onion.

Repeat the layers, in this order, half of the remaining potato, all of the remaining onion and all of the remaining salmon.

Sprinkle over the grated zest and juice of the lime.

Top with the rest of the sliced potato.

Add the vegetable granules to the cornflour mixture, top the liquid in the mug up to two thirds full, and pour over the ingredients in the pan.

Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes approx, until the potato is cooked.

Alternatively, when the potato and fish mixture has come to the boil, you could cook this in the oven at 180ºC Gas Mark 4 for 20 – 30 minutes Use one of our oven safe pans, or simply remove the oak handle covers while you finish off the dish.

I enjoy this with an accompaniment of asparagus at this time of year, but broccoli or spinach are equally good, and of course, what better with any combination of fish and potato, than everyone's favourite - peas?  Preferably not mushy ones!

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

An eclectic mix and an openminded approach

Looking back 18 months to when we first started the Netherton Foundry adventure, I wonder if we were entirely sane?

There were so many good reasons for doing what we embarked on, provenance, sustainability, eco awareness  - of which more later, but with the High St in the doldrums and the economic outlook gloomy to say the least, WHAT WERE WE THINKING?

We even decided to supply only to independent outlets and not approach the multiple retailers, but one of the reasons for that is that we are fond of our High Streets and we don’t want them to lose their individuality and originality.

And now in 2013,  we face more economic hardship, and we have seen the disappearance of some major retail names, but our determination to succeed and bring quality, value and British made products to High Street is as strong as ever.

Naturally, when we set out we assumed that the obvious place to sell our first item, the cast iron slow cooker, would be in traditional cook shops………

So, being perverse, I went to a local ironmonger/hardware store run by the 4^th generation of the same family and a local delicatessen!

Sadly the ironmonger has decided to retire and generation 5 was disinclined to carry on the business. However, such was the appeal of the products that all was not lost as the gift shop next door simply took over and now Editions on the main street in Bewdley sells the slow cooker, a range of clocks and our lovely new cookery book stand



Of course, there are now lots of cook shops – but still not enough – selling the Netherton Foundry range, but the range of outlets serves to highlight how imaginative and adventurous independent retailers can be.

Not only can you buy Netherton Foundry products in cook shops – a full list is on our website, but you can also find them in museums, farm shops, delicatessens, interiors shops, gift shops, hardware stores, pubs and service stations on the M6 and now the M5 (admittedly these are  the wonderful Tebay and Gloucester Farm Shops, but they are still technically  service stations!).

We are now regularly featuring these stockists on the home page of our website , so have a look and see who you recognise.



We started with a strong sense of what we wanted to achieve, supported by all those feel good words that are so often bandied about – ethics, sustainability, quality, principles, mutuality.

We have learned from our local history here in the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, matched traditional crafts to modern technology, sourced natural and local, wherever possible, materials and set up trading terms to support and sustain independent and local businesses.  We do not demand huge minimum order quantities, we listen to our stockists, and we talk and listen to our customers. And we are constantly looking at ways in which we can do better.

We are small and friendly – we want to grow, we do not want to lose our identity or our connections with our customers.

So please help us and support your local shops.  If you know of anyone who would be interested in becoming a stockist, ask them to get in touch.
I will be doing a special blog shortly, all about the fabulous independent shops in Bewdley, so keep a look out and if you want us to tell people about your local shops, we'd be happy to support them.

The Kitchen Companion

I would like to introduce you to the Kitchen Companion, the very  latest addition to the Netherton Foundry range.
This is the perfect product for small kitchens, holiday homes, student accommodation and as an indispensible kitchen feature when the range is turned off for the summer.

Using all the characteristics that have made our slow cooker so popular, with the advantage of a high powered heater  base, this will boil, sear, braise, poach, sauté, pot roast, fry and simmer a huge range of dishes.  Complete with cast iron heat diffuser ring, 4 litre cast iron bowl and lid, seasoned with Sussex flax oil and, of course, the Netherton Foundry oak!

Naturally, we include a selection of recipes for you to try and here is one of them, little parcels of perfect pigginess.

Highley Hoggies

1 tblsp oil

250g minced pork

250g finely chopped pig’s liver

1 chopped apple

1 tsp chopped sage

Black pepper

8 rashers streaky bacon

1 large onion, sliced

300ml stock

Mix the pork, liver chopped apple, sage and black pepper together – this is best done by hand.

Place the bacon rashers between clingfilm and beat out thinly.

Place the cast iron diffuser ring on the hotplate and place the cast iron bowl on top.  

Add the oil to the boil on heat on Max and then add the sliced onion.  Cook until translucent.

While the onion is cooking, divide the pork mixture into eight equal amounts and shape each quantity into a ball.  Place a ball of mixture on to each bacon rasher and roll up into parcels.

Place the parcels on top pf the onions and ad the stock.

Cover with the lid and bring to the boil.

Turn down the  heat and simmer for approx 40 minutes.

Season with salt to taste, but remember that the bacon may be salty, so taste first!

Serve with mashed potato and peas.

Highly versatile, this will do virtually everything you need in the kitchen from boiling to braising, poaching to pancakes, searing to simmering.
Soups, stews and sauces, puddings and pot roasts, casseroles and crepes, fried eggs and fried rice, risotto and rissoles, a cup of tea or a pot of mulled wine.

Not just in the kitchen, this is ideal for entertaining, take it to the table for cooking and serving.
Use for accompaniments for the barbecue, party buffets and a whole host of other occasions

And what about those big occasions when your cooker just isn't big enough, Christmas dinner for example?
Another cooking ring will always come in handy - warm the gravy, cook the sprouts, steam the pudding, flame the brandy.

Supplied with our iconic cast iron casserole, the Kitchen Companion is multi purpose ,
so you can also use it with frying pans, saucepans, a wok or for boiling the kettle.

Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2013 ©

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

National Garlic Day

Wild garlic soup

This is a very special and seasonal recipe.  It is a family recipe belonging to my friend Sophie, who has had it handed down to her by her paternal grandmother from the town of Liaoyang in Liaoning province in China.  She remembers eating it as a child, and recalls that none of her friends had ever eaten before they visited her grandmother.

She now lives in England, - Sophie, not her grandmother, who is sadly no longer around to share her recipes -  and is delighted to discover that wild garlic grows in abundance around here.

We have all enjoyed sampling the taste of her Chinese countryside childhood.

600ml chicken or vegetable stock

200~250g wild garlic, chopped

1 egg , beaten

80g plain flour, mixed with 200ml water

1 spring onion

2 tblsp  vegetable oil  

Salt and black pepper

Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat

Put in the ground black pepper and spring onion and fry until the aroma of the onion is released

Pour in the stock and add the salt

Turn up the heat and bring the mixture to the boil.

Stir in the flour and water paste and boil for a minute, stirring continuously

Throw in the wild garlic and stir to mix.

As soon as the garlic is mixed in add the beaten egg and cook for a few seconds.

 Granny’s tip: Never cook wild garlic for more than 30 seconds or the flavour will fly away.

Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2013 ©

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

Duck legs with port

We always love hearing from you and finding out what you are cooking.  Even better, is when we get to meet you - this is a fabulous sounding dish from a delightful lady, who came to visit us in Highley to buy her slow cooker.  It is just too good to keep to ourselves, so I have wasted no time whatsoever in sharing it with you.

Thank you , Jan.  Got any more?

"This weekend I cooked the following recipe in my lovely slow cooker."

Duck Legs with Port

2 duck legs

4 slices streaky bacon

2 sliced carrots

1 sliced leek

1 onion roughly chopped

2 crushed cloves of garlic

A few button mushrooms

Bay leaf

Star anise

2 cloves

150 ml port

500 ml chicken stock (cube)

Pour a little olive oil into the pot. Fry the duck legs and the bacon, making sure you tuck the bacon round the legs. Add all the vegetables and spices and the bay leaf. Pour over the hot stock and the port. Bring to the boil and transfer to the cooker  base. Cook on high for an hour, then lower the heat to low for the four or five hours further.

Serve with plain potatoes or jacket potatoes and an extra vegetable like cauliflower.

We'd love to know if you try this and we will be delighted to pass your comments on to Jan.

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

Keep it coming - more wild garlic

Spring does seem to be making an effort to fight off the Arctic winter, so we can look forward to more wild garlic in the coming weeks.
I have to admit that I'll be happier picking it in the sunshine, rather than trying to find it under the snow.

This is a risotto that I made with the last batch, which will still work well without the garlic once the season is over.
I have discovered however, that the wild garlic puree does freeze well - so if you are feeling "sensible", then stock up now for later in the year........ just imagine the asparagus, poached duck egg and a wild garlic hollandaise, or a tomato and wild garlic quiche perhaps.

In the meantime, here's my suggestion for

Wild garlic risotto

1½ litres stock - vegetable or chicken

50ml white wine

2 large leeks, thinly sliced

12 sun dried tomatoes chopped and added to the stock

100g butter

Handful wild garlic

50ml boiling water

1½ mugs arborio rice

50g grated Parmesan

6 stems purple sprouting broccoli

Put the garlic leaves and boiling water in to a jug and blitz with a stick mixer. Set aside

Bring the stock to the boil and then reduce to a gentle simmer.

Melt the butter in the Netherton Foundry cast iron bowl over a medium heat.

Add the sliced leeks and fry until soft. Do not let them colour.

Tip in the rice and cook until opaque, stirring regularly.

When all the rice has turned opaque and white, pour in the wine.  Cook for about 3 - 5 minutes

Add the stock and tomatoes a ladleful at a time, stirring constantly. Wait until each addition has been absorbed by the rice, before adding the next spoonful.

When around half of the stock has been added,  stir in the Parmesan.

When all but 2 ladlefuls of stock remain,  add the pureed garlic mix and the broccoli.

Add the last of stock and continue to stir until it has been absorbed.

Serve, garnished with extra wild garlic leaves.

Hummus - a seasonal variation

I adore hummus, on toast, with pitta bread, in sandwiches, with breadsticks, on oatcakes and crudites.  Other half has just trekked up 2 Munros with hummus sandwiches to sustain him.

Unfortunately, a lot of commercial hummus is, quite frankly, disappointing  - a bit bland, odd texture, often resembling cold porridge.

Just as well that it's one of the easiest things to make yourself.  Check out Daisies and Pie for some very tasty recipes or have a go at this seasonal one:

Wild garlic hummus

200g chick peas, soaked for an hour and cooked overnight in your Netherton Foundry slow cooker
- save 50 ml of the cooking liquid
(or use canned chick peas and replace the cooking liquid mentioned above with 50 ml of the liquid from the tin, known as aqua fava)
20 leaves of wild garlic
1 red pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon tahini
2 tblsp olive or rapeseed oil
Squeeze of lemon juice

Put all the ingredients, except the aqua fava in a blender/food processor,  and mix until well blended.  Slowly add the liquid to achieve the desired consistency.
Serve any way, and anywhere, you fancy!
You can even posh it up a bit.........

© Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2019
www.netherton-foundry.co.uk