Our cheese this week is the very popular German cheese Montagnolo, a surface-ripened, triple cream cheese with a soft, velvety natural rind. This is a wonderful blue to try for those who may not be the biggest blue fans – as it comes with a delicious saltiness that’s hard not to like.
Voted the world’s best cheese 2 years in a row we can understand why. £4.50 approx 180g
Our favourite part of January is the arrival of the Seville oranges which make the best Marmalade. We shall be busy making our own marmalade over the next few weeks. It is only a very short season so you need to grab them while they are around. Did you know you can freeze them whole for up to a year. So stock up whilst you can. We have put together a bag including recipe, oranges and lemons you will just need to add sugar and jam jars. Enough to make approx 5 jars £5.00
Seville oranges are a bitter variety that are a cross between a pomelo and a mandarin, Seville oranges earned their name from Seville, Spain, where they were introduced from Asia during the 12th century and became a symbol for the city. There are more than 14,000 bitter orange trees that line the streets of Seville.
This history of marmalade is quite interesting with a few versions where it actually originated from.
In one story, Mary, Queen of Scots, suffered from seasickness. Her doctor concocted a sugary orange mixture to make her feel better and marmalade was born.
In this story, the name marmalade came from Marie est malade, which translates into Mary’s illness. Try saying Marie est malade three times fast, and you can see how it sounds like marmalade. While this tale is pretty interesting, most historians consider it a myth.
In another story from the 1700s, a Spanish ship was damaged and had to go to land. The ship was carrying Seville oranges, and the captain sold them off to a merchant whose wife made them into a jelly-like preserve (marmalade). Unfortunately, most historians consider that a myth, too.
A more accurate (and less interesting) account is that the word ‘marmalade’ comes from a Portuguese word for quince, or marmelo. Originally, marmalade was made from quince, which is a fruit that looks like a pear. This variety of marmalade was expensive, so eventually someone decided to use oranges, which were cheaper compared to quince. Even though the quince was replaced, the name marmalade stuck.
Recipes for jams and jellies that are marmalade-like date back to the 1500s. There’s a recipe that is fairly close to today’s marmalade in a cookbook from 1677, so it’s safe to assume marmalade has been around for quite a while.
We have to say nothing beats homemade marmalade, if you haven’t tried it please have a go you will be a convert.
Fancy entering a marmalade completion Check out the British marmalade awards, this prestigious competition has entries from all over the world. www.dalemain.com/competition-entry
We have exceptional pickling onions available this week. 500g will make 2 large jars.
We have a great recipe as well, just ask us to pop one in your order.
I know we don’t want to think about Christmas but these make perfect Christmas gifts. Homemade gifts are always a pleasure to receive. £2 per kg
Cheese of the week is Cricket St Thomas Capricorn goats cheese, beautifully balanced with a mild and nutty flavour, this multiple award winning team of cheesemakers use a process of ripening that creates an irresistible full flavour and creamy texture. A tasty alternative to cow’s milk cheeses, It is perfect for all cheese lovers and suitable for vegetarians. Try crumbled into salads, grilled over vegetables or add to your favourite toasty for the ultimate cheese-lovers treat. £3.20 100g
Wimberries/bilberries are here, very limited stock £10 per punnet (500g), available in the shop or to add to your order
We are pleased to announce our association with Reuben’s Retreat. Glossop has really taken this charity to heart and we are glad to donate £1 from every new £25 box referred to us by Reuben’s Retreat. To order your box and help this worthy cause just ring on 01457852456 to arrange delivery to your home or to collect from our Charlesworth shop.
You can find out more about this wonderful charity who support the families of complexly poorly children by going to their website www.reubensretreat.org
This week both our £25 and £15 boxes include all the ingredients to make our delicious chestnut and lentil soup. We seem to say this every week but this soup is definitely one of our favourites, as daft as it sounds, it tastes like pea and ham soup, but this is definitely vegetarian. Perfect for this time time of the year and filling enough for a complete meal.
We are keeping everything light and easy this week, we have included baking potatoes for a delicious simple, filling meal. For the perfectly baked potatoes heat the oven to 220C, rub a little oil and seasoning over the potatoes, then bake on a baking sheet for 25 mins. Turn down the oven to 190C and bake for 1 hr-1 hr 15 minutes more until the flesh is tender and the skin crisp and golden, then all you need to do is add your favourite topping.
Savoy cabbage is at it very best at the moment, we love this simple recipe using our new season Navelina oranges.
Heat a dry frying pan over a medium heat. Add 50g of pine nuts and toast for 3 minutes, moving constantly, until golden. Set aside on a plate.
For the dressing, add 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp cider vinegar, zest of 1 orange and 1 heaped tsp of Dijon mustard in a lidded jar and shake well. Set aside.
Heat oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the cabbage and cook, tossing, for 6-8 minutes, until wilted. Transfer to a serving dish and scatter over the pine nuts and spoon over the dressing, serve immediately.
Our £25 box includes vegetables perfect for a quick stir fry, add noodles and a stir fry sauce for a perfect meal. (Our Coconut Kitchen chilli, garlic and basil stir fry sauce is perfect)
Our £15 box (ideal for 2/3 people)
Our £15 box (ideal for 2/3 people)
Lentils (R)
New season cooked French chestnuts (R)
Baking potatoes
Onions (R)
Carrots (R)
Lancashire Savoy cabbage
Leek (R)
Celery (R)
Bananas
Golden kiwi
New season Navelina oranges
(R) items needed for the recipe
Our £25 box (ideal for a family of 4) contains all of the above in larger quantities plus
Red pepper
Spring onion
Sugar snap peas
Pak choy
Oyster mushrooms
Some items may change to bring you what’s best available on the day
We have something a little different this week. These are new to us, Solo Garlic, also known as Snow Garlic or Kashmiri Garlic. This is one single clove about the size of a small pickled onion. It has the flavour of garlic, but milder. Easy to peel and delicious roasted whole in their skin with roasted vegetables.
£4.50 250g (approx 20 cloves)
If you need some inspiration for a quick but special meal why not try our mixed mushroom risotto. You can add a complete recipe bag for £9.00 or go to our Recipe page to see many more recipe bags we can assemble and have ready for you to collect or have delivered. (£15 minimum applies for free local delivery). Or you can also add a punnet of our Mixed Mushrooms for £4.00
Burns Night Wednesday 25th January
Just an early reminder about Burns Night and the fact that our haggis delivery has arrived.
We only have a few 200g serves of MacSweens vegetarian Haggis still available.
Enjoyed by vegetarians, vegans and meat-eaters alike, this Delicious Every Day vegetarian haggis is a mix of healthy fresh vegetables, pulses, oatmeal, seeds and spices. Convenient to cook with for a variety of recipes.
If haggis isn’t your thing why not try our Cullen Skink recipe – serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a main £9
