Category Archives: Uncategorized

We have a new butter, Chive blossom butter. This is a seasonal, flavourful twist on herb butter, made with the mild, oniony flowers of the chive plant. It’s creamy, subtly savoury and visually stunning with flecks of purple. Perfect for spreading on bread, melting over meats or vegetables, and adding a special touch to everyday dishes. A short-season, small-batch treat that brings a bit of luxury to your table – perfect with this week’s Lancashire potatoes. £1.60 per pot 

Looking for breakfast inspiration, then try our popular breakfast box which includes Kim’s homemade, all natural muesli, bursting with oats, coconut, almonds, cashews, cranberries, sultanas, pumpkin, sunflower, sesame seeds, natural puffed corn and cinnamon.

Blueberries

Raspberries

grapefruit x 2 or bananas

Large Longley Farm natural whole milk yoghurt 

£13.50

We have a delicious tasty soup for you this week, Thai roasted red pepper with coconut. So easy, and any leftovers make a perfect base for a Thai curry. All the ingredients including coconut milk and Thai curry paste are included in both our £25 and £15 boxes.

As we are enjoying these warmer summer days our diets tend to become lighter and with this in mind this week we have included mainly salad and fruit. This weeks flat/butterhead lettuce is a traditional British favourite this round lettuce has soft, sweet mid-green outer leaves and a slightly crisper, paler heart, grown only a few miles away in Cheshire. They are harvested and sent to market the same day ready for us to collect the following morning . You loved the new season washed Maris Peer salad potatoes last week so we have included them again. If you would like to try something a little different cook the potatoes then add a large knob of butter, 2 tablespoons of pesto, salt and pepper to the warm potatoes and serve. 50g pot pesto £1.40

British strawberries are included in both boxes. Eating produce in season is something that is very important to us at Village Greens. We buy at the market everyday and have a close relationship with our wholesalers who understand food and farming. Working together means we can bring you produce when it is at its very best. Although strawberries are available all year round British strawberries are only available for a few short months. For a really indulgent treat why not add a carton of Longley Farm Jersey extra rich double cream, Yorkshire Show Best Chilled Product 2023 and ICDA Gold award-winner. This is definitely the cream of creams £1.90 250ml

We have included Italian aubergine in our £25 box this week, this is a delicious easy summer recipe, Marinated Aubergine – 

Slice 1 large Aubergine into 1cm thick rounds. Brush both sides with olive oil and pan fry for approximately 3-4 minutes on both sides until nicely charred. To make the Marinade, Mix together 2–3 tbsp olive oil, 1 minced garlic clove, 1 finely chopped red chilli, Juice of ½ lemon, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, a small handful of chopped fresh parsley, Salt & pepper to taste. Then lay the cooled aubergine slices in a shallow dish. Brush both sides with the marinade, then let sit for at least 15–30 minutes (longer for more flavour) Enjoy warm or at room temperature as a side dish, in wraps, salads, or antipasti platters.

English Opal plums are a great tasting early plum variety – similar in taste to a Victoria with slightly more depth of flavour. We have included them in our £25 box, and they are available to add to your £15 box £1.80 for 300g . 

Our £15 box (ideal for 2/3 people)

Coconut milk (R)

Thai red curry paste (R)

Norfolk Maris Peer washed salad potatoes

Onion (R)

Red peppers (R)

Cheshire grown flat/butter lettuce

Cucumber

Cherry tomatoes

English strawberries

(R) items needed for the recipe

Our £25 box (ideal for a family of 4) contains all of the above in larger quantities plus

Sweetheart cabbage

Baby leaf spinach

Italian aubergine

Clementines

English Opal plums 

Some items may change to bring you what’s best available on the day

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

If you are looking to plan meals ahead, take a look at our recipe bag section, we have a great selection of soups, main courses and fish dishes. These recipes are always quick and easy to prepare and have the added convenience of all of the ingredients coming in this one bag. You just need to add the love!!

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

Comte is a cheese from the Jura Massif region of eastern France from unpasteurised cow’s milk.  It is a semi-hard cheese, pale yellow in colour, with a texture that ranges from open, supple and grainy to dense, firm and crystalline for more aged cheeses.  The cheese we offer is a younger Comte with an aroma of fresh butter, dried apricots and soft caramel.  Add to your order  approx 200g for £6.50

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