How much? A reflection on the real price of things

How much? I could make that for a fraction of the cost.  How often have we heard that?  Too often, I'm afraid.
As Oscar Wilde said "a cynic is a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing" words worth reflecting on.

A desire for more stuff for less money means we have lost sight of what is involved in the creation of that which we desire.
Instant gratification and a seemingly limitless and ever changing supply of fashion, food, frivolities and fripperies in the shape of delivered food, Amegazon prime and the like and we can forget that someone, somewhere had to source the materials, turn them into the object of your longing and then deliver it to your door.  A fleeting pleasure, something in the moment, but quickly forgotten or discarded.
We love this interview with Vivienne Westwood, whose plan to save the world may need more work, but we cannot argue with this:

“We need to get back to having fewer things, and treasuring what we have.  We already have enough clothes in the western world to last us for hundreds of years.” Westwood company policy is to downsize production – all collections are now 50% smaller than three years ago – and sell at a price point that encourages Westwood’s mantra of choose well, buy less, make it last.

My heart goes out to chefs who hear this all the time, with the constant tinnitus buzz of price whinges on Tripadvisor.
This is a list of the things that really annoy chefs, including Mary Ellen Mctague's "accusations of profiteering" and Si Toft on "TripAdvisor bullies". 

Consider this and then ask yourself if you really could have "done this better and cheaper yourself."

• Did you spend time at catering college and learning the ropes in low paid restaurant jobs to learn about food hygiene, food storage, purchasing and pricing, staffing and food preparation.
• Have you factored in your mortgage/rent and rates?  The electricity? The phone bill? What about insurance?
• Did you pay yourself when you prepared the meal?  Did you pay someone to serve it, wash up after you, answer the phone to take your table reservation, do your accounts?
• And if so, did you then pay their NI?  And then there is the commission that the credit card companies take on every transaction.
• Have you amortised the cost of the table you placed the food on, the chair you sat on, the crockery, cutlery, napery?  And the pans, knives, bottle opener, can opener, wooden spoon.....
• Have you accounted for the hot water, washing up liquid, tea towels and dishcloths - or the cost of loading and running the dishwasher?
• Don't forget the laundry bill, the loo rolls and the soap, the cleaner
• Is there a publicity budget, allowing you to advertise?
• Have you worked put what your profit margin needs to be so that there is money to pay for replacement crockery when a plate gets broken, new cruets when someone steals the last salt cellar - yes that really is a thing, redecorating once in a while.
• Have you put in at least 12 hours a day all week?
• Did you lie awake last night wondering whether that no-show of a table of six can be covered by a couple of extra walk ins tomorrow lunchtime?  How much longer is left on the lease?  Is the landlord going to increase the rent?  And where are you going to find a replacement for the waiting staff who has moved on.  

The same principles apply to our cookware.  Yes, you can buy something far cheaper, you can have it delivered virtually before you even knew you wanted it and yes, you will probably throw it away in less than a couple of years.
That's fine if that's all you can afford, and that is the reality for too many people.
It's not so fine if you take into account the disquieting factors behind the supply of cheap goods. Product miles, disposal of unwanted goods, single use of resources, working conditions of producers and providers, tax avoidance..............

When you buy something from us we will source all our components as locally as possible;we know our suppliers by their first names; we can tell you which of our ironmasters contributed which operation and skill to your product; we will wrap it in recycled and recyclable packaging; we will use recyclable and natural materials to make your cookware; you will be able to re-season and repair your cookware should the need arise; we won't come out with a new range every year, rendering last year's purchase obsolete or outdated; a real person will answer the phone and then answer your questions and we will pay our taxes.

So yes, our cookware may be a bit more expensive than some; you may have to wait longer than 24 hours for your hand made pan to arrive; but it will bring you joy; it will have provided jobs to a rural community; it will have been made with skill, but also with love and pride and when you work out the price per use, you will realise that it is not so expensive after all.

Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2020 ©

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

New shape, new recipe - loaf tin cake

You may have noticed that we have changed the shape of our 1lb (½kg) and 2lb (1kg) loaf tins.
This is response to a number of requests from people who love the characteristics and performance of the tins, but who wanted the shape to be more like a sandwich loaf.
So we obliged.  In every respect, other than the squarer shape, these are just the same as the old ones.  So, the same made to last appeal, natural non stick properties, heavy black iron material for great cooking characteristics and wonderful crusts; just as useful, equally beautiful.

And to prove the point, here is a recipe cooked in the new 1lb loaf tin

120g butter
50g sugar
50g lime marmalade*
2 eggs
50g dried cranberries
120g self raising flour.

80g icing sugar
Juice of half a lemon

* I used home made lime marmalade, which is what you would describe as "soft set".  If you use a well known brand such as Roses, which has a much firmer set, then I would advise adding the juice of a lime or a couple of tablespoons of milk to the mix to loosen it a little.

Pre-heat the oven to 170ºC and lightly grease your loaf tin.  This would also work in our cake tin, but you may need to reduce the cooking time. 

Cream the butter, sugar and marmalade together until well blended and light in colour.  Beat in the eggs.

Fold in the flour and the cranberries and spoon the mixture into the greased loaf tin.

Bake for 30 minutes and check that it passes the skewer test.  If the top is browning too quickly, cover lightly with foil or a used butter wrapper.

Leave in the tin for around 10 minutes and then turn out on to a cooling rack.

Put the icing sugar into a bowl and gradually add the lemon juice until you have a thick icing.  Drizzle artistically over the top of the cake. 

Pop the kettle on and make a cup of tea, to be enjoyed with a thick slice of cake.

Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2020 ©

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

Sausage Roll Off 2020

At the Red Lion, Barnes

Last night was the 8th annual Great Sausage Roll Off, organised by pub managers Angus McKean and Claire Morgan, and we were proud to be sponsors for the third year running.

First, what is it all about?  Well, at it's most basic, it's a competition in a London pub, to see which chef can make the best sausage roll.  The judges, each with an iron constitution, taste their way through the entries and a prize is awarded at the end.  Along the way, money is raised for charity.  
And that sums it up, but barely scratches the surface of what this is really all about.  
These are not next level sausage rolls, these are top floor, roof garden, let's build another level sausage rolls. 
These are not just any judges, these are the great and the good of the hospitality industry.
This is not just a raffle for a box of chocolates and a bottle of dodgy wine; this is a silent auction for dinners, overnight stays, champagne afternoon tea, stellar ice cream, butchery classes and more besides

Oh what a night!  

19 entries of outstanding sausage rolls, 4 judges, with a total of 4 Michelin stars between them, 3 fabulous prizes, one cat herder - her words, not ours!, compere Melissa Cole and one charity, which has literally saved the lives of people working in the catering industry; Hospitality Action.

Let me introduce you to this year's judging panel:
Lucy Horobin: Lucy is a Sony Award nominated broadcaster, and presents the Getting You Home show and Saturday Breakfast with JK on Heart London and Heart Extra, and by her own admission, a sausage roll junkie.  Whereas many would quail at the prospect of working their way through 19 sausage rolls in one sitting, Lucy positively relished the challenge.

Paul Cunningham: Hailing from Essex, but now running the stunning restaurant with rooms, Henne Kirkeby Kro, with 2 Michelin stars to his name, Paul took time out from his visit back to England to sit on the judges' panel.

Russell Bateman: A chef with an amazing CV, now at Pétrus, with a Michelin star to his name.
Paul Foster: Having travelled the world, Paul has returned to his Warwickshire roots, and runs his own restaurant, Salt in Stratford on Avon and travelled down to London to take part in this year's judging panel.

And further to emphasise the prestige of this event, just look at the contestants, who came from the North - Liverpool, Oldham; the West - Corsham, Bridgwater; the South - Padstow, Plymouth; the East - Norfolk, Canterbury and the capital - London. 

Amber Southon, the Quarryman's Arms.  Amber came second and took home a pile of specially commissioned Netherton cookware, which included an 8" frying pan, 12" frying pan and heavy duty baking sheet, so she can practice for next year.

Phil Harrison, Bears Ice Cream company, who came third last year. He has yet to produce a sausage roll flavoured ice cream, but he did incorporate flavourings from our favourite spice man, Mr Wolf, this year.

Iain Devine & Alan Paton, hailing from Manchester and East Anglia, thus covering two points of the compass, this pair were thrilled to be awarded third place this year, although I am not sure how they are going to share the prize of a Rational knife roll across their geographic divide.

Danny Kingston; a most entertaining chap, who normally sits on the press table, but took the plunge and offered up his rolls for judgely scrutiny this year.

Robert Taylor, the Compasses Inn, listed in the top 50 Gastropubs for the past 4 years and with a Michelin Bib Gourmand award too.

Davin Browning, head chef at The Apron restaurant, Theatre Royal, Plymouth.  Davin was perhaps even more disappointed than the rest of us that Simon Rimmer was unable to take his place at the judges' bench again this year, following an operation earlier in the week.
We wish Simon a speedy recovery.

Maurizio Pellegrini, the Italian Club, Liverpool, as you would,  expect combining the best of British with tastes of Italy

Ben Handley, chef patron of the Duck Inn, ruffling feathers with a quail sausage egg.

Matt Colk, The Gun Docklands more feathers flying, as Matt produced a chicken Caesar salad roll.

Majella O'Connell, aka Pavlova and Cream, a food photographer, not a chef!  And whilst you may think it is brave of her to mix it with the professionals, bear in mind that Majella was coached by none other than Daniel Clifford.

Alan Chilton, Bower Inn Bridgwater, whose sausage roll comprising Old English pork, flavoured with cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger, caraway, chilli and garlic took first prize.  Alan was awarded with a stunning roll of I.O.Shen knives, all etched with the event logo.

And we have to add that is was lovely to catch up with I.O.Shen's dream team Natalie and Josh, whom we haven't seen since Meatopia last year!

Anton Manganaro, from BAFTA, who used pork from the inspirational pig farmer, Martha Roberts

Adrian Oliver, who works at Padstow Harbour Hotel had an eventful time last year, when he won first prize for his sausage roll and then got hit by bad weather on the way home and had to spend the night in a snowbound service station.  Sadly, he didn't win this year, but hopefully the journey back was less eventful.

Alec Tomasso, ex Masterchef contestant and aka The Weeping Chef is now a Roll Off regular and we hope to see him taking part again next year.

James Taylor travelled down from the Bulls Head, Heyside, Oldham to take part, showcasing a pork sausage roll with caramelised pineapple.

Adam Lestrelle didn't have quite so far to travel, popping down to the Red Lion from The Roehampton Club 

David Steele of Bartlett Mitchell, may not have won, but we think that a sausage roll made from pork, smoked chicken, pistachio and apricot served with a burnt apple purée and London Pride dill  pickles deserves a very special mention.  You had us at dill pickles!

Finally, it was the turn of Charlie Hodson, chef, roll off stalwart and ambassador for Hospitality Action.  Charlie has more reasons than many to advocate the services offered Hospitality Action and bravely spoke out last night about his own mental health problems, praising the charity for the, quite literally, life saving support it had offered him.  His entry, called Saving Grace, may not have won the competition, but his speech won everyone's hearts.
Charlie, we love you and hope your feet are treading a steady path this coming year.

The hospitality industry, whilst exciting, vibrant and full of opportunities, can also be a brutal, challenging and harsh working environment.  Hospitality Action is there to support those who need it and we were proud to lend our support to them.

Cat herder in chief, the indomitable Melissa Cole compered the evening brilliantly, keeping so many chefs in line in a pub is not a job for the faint of heart or the weak of stomach.  Channeling her inner Queen Elizabeth I, she kept them all, more or less under control, with no cheffish rivalries getting out of hand and no sabotage detected!

At the end of the proceedings, Melissa announced that a grand total of £3537 had been raised for Hospitality Action and that is surely an achievement worth raising a glass to.

Roll on #rolloff 2021

Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2020 ©

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

Lemon and cardamom shortbread biscuits

I always used to think that shortbread was as simple as 1, 2, 3.
1 measure of sugar, 2 of butter, 3 of plain flour. 
But recently I have been experimenting.
"Testing, testing, 1,2,1,2 testing" not a sound check, but an adaptation of the above formula.
And for these shortbread thins, I have come up with a new variation.  I stick to the old one for thicker shortbread fingers, but these are a crisper, whisper thin version.
Oh yes, I have added a little flavouring too.

The quantities given here will make about 30 biscuits, but as long as you stick to the ratio, you can use ounces, grams, cans of beans or sacks of potatoes depending on how many biscuits you want to make.

Heat the oven to 170ºC

2oz sugar
4oz butter, cubed
2oz cornflour
4oz plain flour
Grated rind of a lemon
Crushed seeds from 6 green cardamom pods

I cannot stand the feel of cornflour, it sets my teeth on edge, so I make these in the food processor.  Simply chuck everything in and mix together until combined to a stiff dough.
Alternatively, rub the butter into the flours until it all resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Then knead into a ball of dough.

Roll out to a thickness of 2mm on a floured surface and cut into rounds (I used a 5½cm cutter and made 30 biscuits). 
Spread them out evenly on a baking sheet and place in the oven.
They will be ready in 15 - 20 minutes, but please, please keep an eye on them.  Although they will be pale in colour and feel soft to the touch, they WILL be cooked.
Remove from the oven at the first sign that they are browning!
Transfer to a cooling rack and they will crisp up beautifully as they cool.

Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2020 ©

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

Cheese and onion pie

Cheese pie - in our opinion, the ultimate comfort food.
We always have pack of emergency puff pastry in freezer and the rest of this can generally be rustled up from the contents of the veg box and the fridge.
Feel free to play around - use any odds and ends of cheese you can find; swap out the onions for those limp leeks that have seen perkier days; if you haven't got any potatoes, try celeriac or squash or forego the root veg altogether and use a couple of handfuls of breadcrumbs.
Apparently we have fairies in the bottom of our garden and we express our appreciation of their presence by using the trimmings of their thyme hedge to flavour our pies - hedge clippings never tasted so good.
None of these measures are crucial, just guidelines.

1 pack puff pastry, we use JusRol all butter puff pastry
3 medium potatoes, peeled
3 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tblsp spoon oil
25g butter
6 sprigs fresh thyme (or a teaspoon of dried thyme if you don't have fresh 
270g cheese, I used a mature Cheddar, but use up whatever you can find in the fridge
1 egg, beaten
Mustard (optional)

Slice the potatoes to the thickness of around ¼" (½ cm) and boil until just cooked - be careful that you don't end up with a pan full of potato soup!

Drain and set aside to cool.

Heat the oven to 200ºC

Put the oil and butter into a frying pan and heat gently until the butter foams. Chuck in the sliced onions and thyme.  Cook for 20 - 30 minutes over a low heat until meltingly soft and starting to caramelise.

Grate the cheese.

Now it is simply an assembly job.

Roll out just under half of the pastry, mine was a 9" x 7" rectangle, but squares or circles are equally acceptable, and lay it on a baking sheet.

If you fancy, apply a thin spreading of mustard, Dijon or grain, to the pastry.

Then start with the potatoes, the onions and finally the cheese, spreading each layer evenly over the pastry leaving a half inch (1¼cm rim) around the edge).

Roll out the rest of the pastry slightly bigger than the bottom piece (it needs to cover the filling).

Brush the edges of the base with beaten egg and then lay the second sheet of pastry over the top.  Crimp the edges to make sure they are sealed.

Brush the top with beaten egg and place in the oven.

Cook for around 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown.

Serve immediately, but do be careful, the insides are like molten lava!!

We enjoyed this one with chilli dusted sweet potato wedges and red, yellow and green peppers cooked in a rich tomato sauce.

Serves 6 -8 people, depending on hunger levels and what you serve on the side.

Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2020 ©

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

Lime and ginger chicken

The Netherton freezer is accumulating pack ice faster than the Arctic is losing it and is in serious need of a de-frost.  We have been waiting for a cold spell, so we can store the contents outside the back door while the freezer sheds more tears than a love struck teenager.

But that seems unlikely, so we are eating our way through the contents.

This can lead to surprises, when unlabelled packages are unearthed and "oh I'd forgotten all about that" boxes resurface.

The latest plundering gave us a pack of chicken thighs and drumsticks, which were enlivened with one of our favourite cocktail combinations  - ginger and lime....... a Dark and Stormy, anyone?

Check out our recipe for lime and ginger in cake form too 

1 kg chicken pieces

2 tblsp lime marmalade

1 tblsp soy sauce

2½cm root ginger, peeled and grated

1 tsp crushed fennel seed

Salt and pepper

Mix all of the marinade ingredients and place in a dish.  Add the chicken pieces and ensure they are all well coated.  Leave to marinade for about an hour, turning from time to time.

Heat the oven to 190ºC.

Tip the chicken and the marinade into a prospector pan ( I used a 10" one) and place in the oven.

Cook for 30 minutes, checking to ensure that the juices run clear.

Serve with rice, to soak up all the lovely sauce and a forest of greens.

Netherton Foundry Shropshire © 2020

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

Chocolate and chestnut log

When the junior Nethertons were "studying" food technology in their early years of secondary education, (don't get me started, we could be here for hours), come the end of the first term, it was time to make the Yule log.

And this meant taking in a chocolate Swiss roll and the ingredients for chocolate buttercream - hardly challenging, was it?  Cruel parent that I am, I made them bake their own Swiss rolls, rather than taking in a supermarket one, but at least the "learning experience" was enhanced.

This year we eschewed the traditional log, giving them respite from Swiss roll duties, but as we are all fond of the chocolate and chestnut combination, I created this dessert alternative.

Please note it is VERY rich and this will easily feed 10 people, although it will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days, if you want to make it last!

1 pack/tin unsweetened chestnut purée

100g dark chocolate

170g cream cheese

Icing sugar to taste

1 tablespoon rum or brandy (optional)

2 crumbled meringues (optional)

Melt the chocolate in a bowl, suspended over hot, not boiling, water.

Whisk the cream cheese and chestnut purée together until smooth.  Add a tablespoon of icing sugar and taste, gradually add more icing sugar until it suits your palate.

Stir in the chocolate and optional extras, if using.

Line a 1lb loaf tin with baking parchment, leaving a collar overlap. (You could use clingfilm, but we are doing what we can to cut down on single use plastic.)

Spoon the mixture into the tin and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Lift out of the tin, using the paper collar and invert on to a serving dish.  peel off the paper and decorate/embellish however you wish.

On day one, we had a simple scattering of crushed meringues, but on day two, we smothered the leftovers in espresso enhanced Chantilly cream and a few chocolate shavings. 

Netherton Foundry Shropshire © 2020

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk