Tag Archives: home made

Wild at Heart Foods

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A small artisan producer of fine quality innovative preserves harnessing nature’s wild harvest with a hint of modernityGinny and Caro

You have to put your money where your mouth is and since launching ‘Eat Surrey’ I always give local food gifts. Since getting to know Wild at Heart my dinner party offerings often feature a pot of their Damson Cheese (A firm sliceable jelly which is sensational with cheese) or perhaps Wild Plum Chutney which stimulates both palate and conversation.

The story behind the brand makes a great dinner party tale too!

Ginny Knox and Caro Wilson are old school-friends whose childhood exploits involved country walks and cooking hedgerow finds together. They maintained their friendship throughout university, marriage and children regularly reminiscing about their foraging adventures. Surviving twenty years in the corporate world they clocked up a wealth of useful experience which has been essential to their current success. By 2010, the buzz of commuting to the city had worn thin and Wild at Heart Foods emerged. Switching court shoes for sturdy boots came naturally and so began a new venture combining wild ingredients and stirring bubbling maslin pans.

Part of their success has been recognition that growth in the number of preserves makers on the market has made this sector congested. Using foraged ingredients makes their offer unique, medlars, ruby red intense damsons, elderberries and crab apples are not always easy to find. It also gives a sustainable edge to their business. Caro, who lives in Kent, has worked hard to forge relationships with farmers who allow them to pick wild fruit and garlic on their land. They also discovered that crab apples, utilised by savvy housewives up until the last war, were being left to rot on trees. Traditionally grown alongside eating and cooking apples to pollinate the orchards they were used traditionally in products like jellies. Even though this variety has a very short shelf life and bruises easily Ginny and Caro use them in their award winning elderflower preserve and many of their other bespoke recipes.

Wild at Heart Cook Book

If starting your own business isn’t stressful enough Ginny and Caro also accepted a commission from Pavilion Books in 2012 to write a cookery book. The Hedgerow Cookbook was published in 2013 after a year of hard work, recipe testing and writing. The result is a stunning, educational and useable cookbook. My copy is marked up with post it notes ready for summer. The book is a timeless classic and this year it’s being rebranded and sold in National Trust Shops. With a five star rating on Amazon, it’s a tribute to Caro and Ginny’s knowledge and creativity.

With sales increasing steadily since they launched a lot of small producers would have buckled under the pressure. But after two years of picking and processing all their own fruit, wild garlic and samphire Ginny and Caro realised in order to survive they needed to delegate. Today they still pick garlic and samphire but outsource as much as they can. Their products are made to their recipes in small batch production on a SALSA approved unit in Kent, which they closely monitor.

chicken and pesto_edited-2Last year Caro and Ginny added Wild Garlic Pesto to their range of chutneys, jellies and jams. Made with the addition of cashew nuts, lemon juice, rapeseed oil and vegetarian hard cheese, it is the only artisan pesto available with a long shelf life. Unsure of how it would sell they took it on the road to farmers markets and food fairs. To their surprise it outsold all their other products. So, for 2015 they have trebled production to meet demand. Forget the harsh commercial pesto sold in supermarkets this is mild, aromatic and teasingly garlicky. Not containing any basil it has a refreshing personality and it’s become an essential in my store-cupboard. Stir it into mashed potatoes or celeriac, use to marinade chicken, toss into just cooked pasta or brush on foccaccia.

Other favourites from their range include Medlar Jelly (try a spoon in a venison stew or beef ragout) (it has a glorious smooth mouth feel) and Elderflower Preserve (delicious spread on layer cakes or with fresh warm scones). I also recommend their Hedgerow mincemeat with elderberries and crab apples for its delicate flavour and appearance.

Expect to pay a slightly higher price for Wild at Heart products which hardly reflects the huge effort that goes in to collecting their raw ingredients making their products so unique. Damson and quince cheese from £4.00, wild plum and other chutney’s from £4.25 and pickled samphire £4.75. Favourites here include wild garlic pesto and elderflower preserve simply because they have short seasonal availability and they are unique. Ginny and Caro harvest the ingredients when in prime condition and delicately preserve them for us to enjoy year round consumption. Look out for them and food festivals and fairs where you can sample their products and have a chat!

wild at heart products

If the call of the wild appeals then look out for these delightful products in farm shops, branches of Cook (limited range of stock) or independent delicatessens. Expect to see more great products from these gifted producers as they have been busy in the kitchen experimenting with new ideas to launch next autumn.

Keep in touch by following their blog and enjoy recipes and updates – details below

www.wildatheartfoods.com Shop online

The Hedgerow Cookbook Pavilion Books 2013 available from Wild at Heart website

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spinach, feta and tomato tart in brazil nut pastry

Blog, Recipes, , , , , ,

The nuts demand the use of food processor to make the pastry! This makes a large tart which is great when entertaining a crowd or if you love leftovers.

Ingredients (Pastry)spinach feta tart 6x8

175g fine plain whole-meal flour (stone-ground)

75g raw brazil nuts

125g fridge cold, salted butter, cut into cubes

Smoked sea salt (plain is fine too)

2 free range egg yolks (use the whites in the tart filling)

A little cold water but only if you really need it!

Filling

2 onions finely chopped, sautéed in a spoon of olive oil until soft

*200g cooked spinach, finely chopped (I used defrosted frozen leaf spinach)

300g cottage cheese

200ml semi-skimmed milk

6 large free-range eggs, plus the leftover egg whites from the pastry

2 dessertspoons of freshly chopped chives

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 x 200g pack of  feta cheese, crumbled

200g  of red and yellow cherry tomatoes, sliced

Method

Place the flour and Brazil nuts in the food processor and pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Add the butter and salt and pulse until you have a breadcrumb consistency. Drop in the egg yolks and pulse for 10 seconds. Leave the dough for a couple of minutes for the moisture to start being absorbed. Pulse again to form a dough. Do this a couple of times more and if you really need to, add a few drops of cold water. The dough should form in the processor bowl and leave the sides clean.

Remove from the bowl, wrap in cling wrap and leave to chill for at least 30 minutes in the fridge. While this is in the fridge, cook the onions and make the filling. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, cottage cheese, milk, eggs, chives and seasoning.

To line the flan tin hit the pastry gently to flatten with a rolling pin before rolling out as thinly as possible to fit a 28 – 30cm loose bottom flan tin. This pastry is very short and tends to crumble but you can press it all together again in the tin to make sure you seal any cracks or holes. Line with foil and baking beans and cook at 180oC/fan 160oC for 20 minutes.

Place the onions in the bottom of the pastry case and top with the crumbled feta cheese. Pour over the filling and top with the sliced tomatoes. Place in the oven for 30 – 35 minutes or until the filling has completely set. Cool for 20 minutes before serving.

Goes well with a green leaf salad tossed in a punchy dressing.

Serves 8   /Spinach and feta tart with tomatoes and brazil nut pastry

  • De-frosted spinach can be quite wet so its a good idea to just squeeze all the moisture out by wrapping it in some sheets of paper towel.

 

Text and images Shirlee

Eliza’s Tea Room

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elizas Hurst Farm, Chapel Lane, Milford, Surrey GU8 5HU

An established lunch and afternoon tea destination benefitting from a recent facelift and change of management

The Upside: Charming cakes, comforting soups, inspired savouries and freshly baked scones.

The Downside:  Lunches are from 12-2.30 and the tea-room shuts at 4.30pm everyday.

The Flip-side: Lovely company creating unique food and local employment.

Tips: Leave plenty of time to mooch around Secretts Farm Shop too. They have an eclectic stock with some intriguing finds.

When word on the street filtered through that Suke and Tom Wibaut (owners of Butter and Cream) had taken over Eliza’s Tea Room it was welcome news. Situated right next to the entrance of Secretts Farm Shop this venue had been inching its way towards a fresh start for a while. Tired décor and a menu as old as some regulars had contributed to its fading star status.

elizas eggsAt the moment changes here are small but visible to those in the know. Appreciating the loyal following the tea-room still has, firm favourites such filled baked potatoes have, for now, remained. New more contemporary menu items are being slowly added while Tom (a carpenter by trade) has refitted and restyled the serving area. Now there is plenty of room for a shiny new coffee machine and a large display area for gorgeous cakes (£3.00 a slice) and freshly baked scones (Cream teas from £5.45). For the more adventurous diner the specials board features seasonal bakes, tarts and home-made soups. Previously some of the food on offer was bought in so it’s delightful to see many more dishes being prepared on site from fresh produce some of which is local.

elizas 4

Having photographed the new menu for Suke I already had a sneak preview of the changes here. Designer sandwiches with interesting fillings, fresh soups with classy garnishes and great new breakfast menu. A few weeks later I popped in for lunch with my daughter. We sat with our backs to the specials board and ordered off the main menu but were lucky enough after chatting to the chef sample what was on offer . The beetroot, sweet potato and celeriac gratin had a subtle spicy earthy flavour, complimented by the sweetness of the potato which lent itself to the creamy texture . The roasted tomato tart was housed in a perfect short crust case and the rich yellow custard complimented the savoury-sweet tang of the roasted tomatoes (both (£7.95 with salad).

eliza's trio

Having chosen from the main menu my daughter loved her classic tuna filled potato. This is a combo that seems to have beaten off the competition over the years, canned tuna mixed with mayonnaise, lemon juice and a few twists of black pepper in a piping hot oven baked spud. The oven baking of course develops a delicious skin and is a far superior being to those lazily blasted in a microwave. I opted for a new menu item; salad of roasted beetroot and butternut squash served over Secretts leaves and finished with chunks of fresh goats cheese (£8.25). The leaves had been tossed in a light, balsamic and olive oil dressing before serving, lending a refreshing tangy edge to each bite. The beetroot and squash were served warm making each cheese-laden mouthful one to savour.

After a busy morning and tasty lunch we still had room for a scone and a slice of gluten free almond cake all made by Suke’s team at Butter and Cream. The almond cake was moist and nutty and the scone would have got 10/10 from even the most old school Home Economics teacher. There is also a new breakfast menu which really comes in to it’s own on Sundays where you can enjoy cook to order French toast, American pancakes with maple syrup which compliment creamy scrambled eggs and omelettes.

Changes here mark a positive new era in the life of this Tea Room and it’s definitely worth a visit. Put it on your go to list!

Visit their facebook page here

01483 520525

elizas cakes 9x6

Ildiko’s Chocolates

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Artisan chocolate producers who excel in combining the unexpected!Tamas and Ildiko

Main Event: High cocoa solid chocolate bars studded with an inspiring array of gourmet ingredients.

Is it worth the calories? With antioxidants, calming endorphins and evidence that it protects again heart disease too (in moderation) it’s more than a value added treat.

Last summer’s fact-finding trips to food fairs yielded some local treasures, among them Ildiko’s chocolates. It’s hard to resist the allure of intensely red and purple berries nuzzling into white, vanilla speckled chocolate for long. The eye-catching tummy rumbling pull of gorgeously displayed slabs of dark, milk and white chocolate dotted with the familiar and unexpected led me, months later, to a little kitchen in Surrey.

Ildiko's chocolate_trio

 

When Ildiko was growing up in Hungary she used to bake with her grandmother. If there were any leftover ingredients she loved to create chocolate treats for her family. Studying science at university and stimulated by nature Ildiko became an environmental engineer. It never occurred to her that one day she would leave it all behind to help start an artisan chocolate company. After marrying Tamas they moved to the UK with their young family and he followed his career in hotel management. Not sure what to do and needing something to fit in with a young family Ildiko started to make confectionary and in particular, pralines. These didn’t seem to have the same appeal here as they did at home but when Tamas suggested chocolate slabs with freeze dried fruits and they decided to give it a whirl.

ildiko_chocs_9x6

First they sourced their chocolate experimenting with a few suppliers until they felt they had the base for their eclectic toppings. With high cocoa solids quality chocolate perfected, they started to experiment with flavours. To differentiate they searched out ingredients that flirt and tease the chocolate giving it a quirky edge. Starting with freeze dried fruits Ildiko soon found that strawberries, raspberries and blueberries were a hit with their growing customer base. Later they added dried goji berries, coconut and pomegranate seeds combining them with smoked sea salt wasabi peas, rose, violet and mint leaves. Their product list demonstrates their devotion to ‘out of the ordinary’. My current favourite is a sultry, sweet caramelised chocolate with raw cocoa nibs and smoked salt. It has texture, a subtle salty crunch offset by the sweetness of the chocolate and a bitter note from the raw cocoa nibs.

ildiko choc trio

When I visited this artisan producer at home in Walton-on-Thames they had just started to make a batch of caramelised white chocolate which is achieved by slowly baking the chocolate in the oven for several hours.  It must be stirred regularly so it doesn’t split and is cooked evenly. We did a blind tasting of their product against Vahlrona and it’s simply better in every way. Creamy, mouth meltingly smooth, it has a delicious caramel note taken to the exact point of no return. Ildiko’s preparation methods are precise – she says her science background has helped. The slabs are crafted from expertly tempered chocolate left plain or flavoured and coloured with natural extracts (strawberry, lime, orange and vanilla). Once poured into waiting moulds they are hand decorated with precision.

Wrapped, labelled and packed freshly for each order or event Ildiko and Tamas run stalls at farmers markets and supply some independent shops in Surrey. These Chocolatiers constantly have a keen eye out for new ideas. Their fascinating store of blackcurrant pepper, chocolate-coated goji berries, dried organic pomegranate seeds and Himalayan pink salt is, I hope, just the tip of this creative culinary iceberg.

Available at:slabs_16x9

  • Farmers markets
  • The Naked Grocer in Walton-on-Thames
  • The farm shop co-operative at the Medicine Garden in Cobham
  • On-line – click here to visit their shop
Text and images Shirlee
Text and images Shirlee

Strawberry Vanilla Muffins

Blog, Recipes, , , , , , ,

The current unsettled weather finds us tripping in and out of our gardens snatching minutes of warming sun and hiding from sudden showers. Next time those grey clouds make an appearance  rustle up a summery  batch these light fluffy muffins for tea. With any luck by the time they are ready the sun will be back.

strawberry muffins 2042

You can download a printable version of the recipe Strawberry Vanilla Muffins here.

Ingredients  (Makes 8 large or 12 medium muffins)

60ml sunflower oil
120ml semi-skimmed milk
1 medium egg
Pinch salt
1 x 5ml spoon baking powder
100g vanilla castor sugar * or plain sugar and a tsp of vanilla essence
220g fine plain flour
150g fresh strawberries, de-hulled and finely chopped
2 strawberries, de-hulled and finely sliced for decoration

Pre-heat the oven to 190ºC / 170ºC fan / gas mark 5.

Whisk the oil, milk and egg together in a small mixing bowl. Place the salt, baking powder, sugar and flour in a large mixing bowl and stir together.Add the chopped strawberries and mix to coat with dry ingredients. Pour in the milk mixture and stir together quickly. The mixture will be slightly lumpy. Layout 8 large or 12 medium size muffin cases in a muffin tray. Using 2 metal spoons divide the muffin mixture equally between them.Place slices of fresh strawberry on top of each muffin.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and firm to touch.

Delicious eaten while still warm!

These will keep for a couple of days in an airtight cake tin but are best eaten on the day of baking.

Variations: try using fresh raspberries or blueberries in place of strawberries or a mixture of all three.

*Vanilla sugar; if you have a couple of spare vanilla pods sitting in a tube, stick them in a large jar and top up with caster sugar (I use golden brown). This gives an extra flavour layer to your baking. Simply top up the jar with sugar each time you use some.

Sally Iddles Fabulous Food

Catering company, corporate events, event caterer, Food producers, functions, Restaurant consultant, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A food consultant and caterer who teams creative prowess with exuberant energysally and suke

The Main Event: Restaurant menu development and gorgeous food for events.

Tips: Need a forkful of inspiration for your menu? Give Sally a call!

Sally and I first met at Sainsbury’s when she was a development chef in the late 1990’s. After we both relocated to Surrey we often bumped into each other at events where Sally was catering. Her food is always beautifully presented but also scores on taste because she has a knack of teasing the most out of simple high quality ingredients. She achieves this by adding seasonings such as dukkah, sumac, infused oils and freshly roasted spices, nudging her food up the scale. Her style is unique and it makes you realise how many eateries are happy to go along with ‘safe’ offerings that fail to impress. Sally proved that with tweaks here and there a menu can be transformed from simple into special. Her ability to come up with new menu items is impressive too and her background (Waitrose and Sainsbury’s) also means that she has a keen eye on profit margins. Keeping up with new food trends is essential and her knowledge of new openings, current food writers and supermarket product development helps immensely.

elizas breakfast trio

I got to see Sally at work first hand this week. Suke Wibaut from ‘Butter and Cream’ cakes has recently taken over Elizas’s Tea Room at Secretts in Milford. A busy lady with a shop in Milford, a long list of private orders and a market stall at North Street Guildford, Suke realised she needed a hand. Sally just happened to pop in and the result was a ‘brief’ to revamp the menu for Elizas’s. The menu, loved as it is by regulars, doesn’t reflect the area’s changing demographic and Suke also wants to cater for a younger more discerning clientele. I went to take the photographs for Sally and afterwards Suke and I had, unexpectedly, learnt so much I felt privileged to have been there.

elizas_soups

The brief doesn’t end in Sally’s kitchen. As part of the service she offers to go and work with restaurant teams in-house. This helps them to feel confident in delivering their new dishes consistently. There is nothing worse than eating a delicious meal that isn’t the same next time around.

Sally also gets involved with lots of different event work in Surrey and a few months ago I met her at a fundraiser where she donated her skills to Disability Challengers. This pop-up dinner and auction successfully raised over £16,000 for the charity. Many of the events catered for are weddings but Sally also does corporate work such as a launch for the new vintage sparkling rose wine at Greyfriars Vineyard here in Surrey.

eliza_salad_tea

In our work we go to many restaurants and cafes that seem happy to offer the same food as elsewhere. Given that many of the residents of Surrey have either moved from London or work there, it would be really good to see more of the Capital’s creative cuisine filter into this area. We love local food especially if it is creatively cooked and well presented with original dressings on salads plus innovative use of herbs and seasonings. The new menu at Eliza’s incorporates all those elements and I am looking forward to the launch.

If you know of a menu out there that needs a hoist into this decade, Sally’s contact details are listed below.

http://sallyiddles.co.uk/

07702 224873

 

Recipe Review: Fish provencal and Thai green chicken curry

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When we were contacted by Marks and Spencer’s PR company to do some recipe testing we thought why not? While we always try and buy from independent shops our busy unpredictable lifestyles sometimes mean we get the timing wrong. The small Simply M&S Stores at service stations offer convenience, quality and long opening hours. The fact you can get in and out fast is a big plus. Bigger stores have also got some great products and I like the range of cooks ingredients recently introduced.

We were supplied with ingredients to try out two recipes. A cook from scratch Fish Provencal with line caught cod and the other a Thai green chicken curry using a jar of ‘Count on us” reduced calorie sauce.

Fish provencal 

This tasty dish was a real hit! Using a selection of fresh vegetables alongside a can of cherry tomatoes gave the sauce a rich texture with a short cooking time. The suggested 15 minutes prep time on the recipe was a challenge even with my knife skills but it is a relatively quick dish to make. Using fresh herbs and crunchy peppers gives plenty of texture and depth of flavour. If you prefer your veggies softer then simply add an extra 8-10 minutes to the suggested cooking time and you end up with a more ratatouille style sauce. Served with steamed couscous, this dish was satisfying to eat and felt body kind. The recipe states its 325 calories but this doesn’t take into account the couscous. I thought this was a bit misleading at its shown on the recipe image.

Verdict? I would definately make this again! Download the recipe here

fish_provencal

 

Thai green chicken curry

This dish is packed with fresh chicken and crunchy vegetables. The sauce (from the ‘count on us’ range) is very mild so if you are used to eating spicy punchy Thai food this may not be for you. This low calorie sauce has very little coconut milk in it hence the muted texture and mouthfeel. You zip the dish up just before serving with  fish sauce so you can up the quantity add some extra zing. Again the calorie value here does not include the noodles so if you are counting add that into the equation. Its difficult to make a low calorie version of a Thai green curry that relies on the georgous creamy  nutty flavour and texture of coconut (and very calorific) so if you avoid this dish on that basis it could work for you.

Verdict: The low calorie nature of this classic Asian dish is a big compromise , but if you like mild curries it might just suit your palate. Download the recipe for Thai Green Curry here

thaigreencurry

Text and images Shirlee
Recipe testing by Shirlee

 

 

Mushroom paté

Blog, Pop up Supper Club, Recipes, , , , , , , , , , , ,

We served this rich meaty vegan paté at our pop-up café last June on our vegetarian Surrey Platters. Much lower fat than meat based paté makes it a healthy option too. Providing you use some field mushrooms in your mix you will achieve the rich coloured mix shown here. Use a low salt yeast extract at it develops the meaty flavour without escalating the sodium content.

Ingredientsmushroom_pate_6x9
2 tablespoons olive oil
100g butter or vegan margarine
2 red onions, finely diced
4 cloves crushed garlic
500g field mushrooms, finely diced
50g mixed dried wild mushrooms, soaked in enough boiling water to cover
1 teaspoon low salt yeast extract, mix with the mushroom water
2 dessertspoons fresh chopped mixed herbs
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
50g fresh brown breadcrumbs
Some fresh herbs to garnish

Heat the oil and butter in a large pan with a lid. Sweat the onions and garlic until softened and ever so slightly browned. Add the diced fresh and dried mushrooms to the pan and cook with the lid on stirring occasionally for 5 minutes over a low heat. Mix the yeast extract with the reserved soaking water from the dried mushrooms, add to the pan with the herbs and cook gently for a further five minutes.Remove from the heat and stir in the breadcrumbs. Allow to cool, then pulse the mixture in a food processor for a few seconds. Mix thoroughly, adjust the seasoning and place in a serving dish. Garnish with fresh herbs and chill until required.

If you don’t have a food processor just very finely chop the ingredients before cooking.

Serve as a starter or light lunch with salad or use as a sandwich filling.

Download the  recipe for Mushroom Pate

mushroom pate

Text and images Shirlee
Text and images Shirlee

Green bean salad with hot bacon and tomato dressing

Recipes, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

greenbeensaladI grow green beans every summer and love making this keeping salad that tastes just as good the next day as it does freshly made. Picking young tender beans is a luxury so its great to make a fuss of them. If you don’t have any pomegranate molasses you can use balsamic glaze instead but it doesn’t quite bring the same acidic caramel notes to the dish as the former.

Serves 2

Steam around 450g green beans for 8-10 minutes and rinse with cold water to prevent overcooking. Whilst the beans are cooking make the dressing. Heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a pan and add 2-3 thinly sliced salad onions and 4 rashers of finely chopped smoked bacon. Stir-fry until the bacon is cooked, then add 2 finely chopped tomatoes and cook for a further 1-2 minutes and remove the pan from the heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons of pomegranate molasses and some freshly chopped garden herbs (I used chives and oregano) season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Place some salad leaves in a serving dish and top with the beans. Pour over the hot dressing and finish with 50g crumbled Wensleydale cheese and serve immediately.

bean salad

Treacles Tea Shop

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The Green, Chiddingfold, GU8 4TUafternoon tea at treacles in Chiddingfold

An elegant tea-shop serving homemade classics with provenance

Go there for: Overfilled sandwiches, gorgeous cakes and afternoon tea.

Avoid: Not ordering afternoon tea in advance if you want the full monty.

Is it worth the calories?: Go for a walk first and earn a guilt-free treat.

Tips: Check out the cards and shabby chic home accessories.

It was a delight to learn that this reincarnation of the uninspiring Green Room has been choreographed by Tracey Honeysett. She trained at Westminster College and her impressive CV includes time as a pastry chef at a London’s Mayfair hotel and ownership of a Michelin starred restaurant in Surrey. More recently Tracey launched the menu at the Hothouse Café at the Medicine Garden, Cobham. This café now boasts a stylish interior, and you can pick up a tasteful selection of home-wares and greeting cards.

With a small on-site kitchen there is a manageable sandwich and panini menu using some local ingredients. Tracey bakes most of the cakes at home, supplementing these with cup cakes from Butter and Cream in Milford. Bread is delivered each day from  Bread of Heaven in Haselmere ; ham and other meats come from Black Barn butchers at Secretts. Coffee is from artisan roasters Coffee Real (ethically sourced and expertly cupped) and a great selection of teas and soft drinks complement the menu.

ham sandwichWe visited on a warm day so we sat outdoors overlooking the green. Indoors we noticed a group of ladies enjoying a full afternoon tea. Served on a dramatic cake stand were macaroons, crustless mini sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and madeleines. I chose a more modest ham sandwich on granary bread: overfilled, fresh and packed with salad, it was robust and hearty but I couldn’t resist asking for a spoon of homemade spicy tomato chutney on the side. A perfect addition, this lent a piquant nudge to the palate. I was also tempted by the hummus and char-grilled peppers (£5.75) and egg mayonnaise made with free-range eggs (£4.50) from Hallgate Farm in Sussex. My son’s hot sausage sandwich (£5.00) disappeared so fast I only managed to get a picture of half of it but he assured me it was on a par with the best. We shared a slice of carrot cake (£2.50); it was moist and spicy and I think Paul and Mary would have struggled to find fault. When Tracey is busy villagers supplement her cakes with their home-baked offerings: she says the coffee and walnut cake is a big hit.

treacles_trio

Service here is friendly and efficient and the achievable menu won’t disappoint. Tracey is keen to experiment and develop the menu but is taking it slowly: she wants to get into the groove before doing any serious marketing. Already discovered by cyclists, this café is a jolly good reason to stop off in Chiddingfold.

treacles_tea_shop_exterior_9x6

01428 684859

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Text and images Shirlee
Text and images Shirlee