We hand on heart support the Farm Animal Welfare Week. It’s important that we offer high welfare food items on our menus and tell everyone that we genuinely do what we say we do, and to highlight this, we have joined the Simply Ask Campaign.

The Freedom Food Food Simply Ask campaign is a unique UK assurance scheme run by the RSPCA; not only are all standards mandatory, the standards also cover every stage of the animal’s life from birth until slaughter in a dedication to improving animal welfare. Meat products, dairy and eggs are sourced ethically and locally at the British Larder Suffolk, reinforcing its commitment to animal welfare.

Once we started asking our suppliers about their credentials and “digging” a bit deeper into the rearing and welfare standards they follow we discovered that nearly all of them were either organic or freedom foods approved. I’m not entirely sure why I was a bit surprised, it was a good surprise after all. We realised we are “shopping” at the right places and buy from the right people. We urge chefs and restauranteurs to join the scheme. It’s good for business and if you already fit the criteria why not join the scheme, sign up and get the seal of approval.

Staff food at the British Larder does not consist of dishes from the menu but it’s cooked fresh every day using trimmings and leftovers. It’s also a great opportunity for the all the chefs to experiment, think outside the proverbial box and be creative. Most day’s it’s a bit of a “ready-steady-cook” affair as we might end up with a bit of pig trim, a couple of potatoes and a few hen’s eggs. This Pig Hash is one of Steve’s creations which started off as a staff meal recipe and turned into a “real”dish that we cooked as a lunch special on the menu. It’s a great brunch/ breakfast dish.

Pork is one of the best sellers on our menus. As we are approaching the one year anniversary mark we were talking last week about the amount of pig we have used so far here at the British Larder. Well we are none the wiser as we have no idea…unless I do some serious research…nevertheless we guess that each staff member must have eaten the value of a whole Dingley Dell pig by now! No… that can’t be right, surely…. now that is a scary thought!

There is a very true saying that all good things take time to create and nurture. Well these two recipes will certainly test your patience - and they did test mine! I’m a bit impatient and want everything to have happened yesterday. Well I had to wait two weeks for these pickled eggs to be pickled and the pork scratchings also need 5 days salting before anything else can be done with them.

To create and complete these two recipes required a lot of reading, testing and eating. The fact of the matter is that there’s not much written word about pickled eggs; hence us making up our own, whereas on the other hand pork scratchings had a lot of references. The panel of tasters, developers and testers consist of James who lead the project and did the most of the doing, Tall Dan (he boiled the eggs), Skinny Dan (mainly eating the pickled eggs), Steve, Ross and myself (the three wise ones). Actually I just do the delegating, talking and eating and the rest are doing the deed! Well I’m a girl who knows what I like so they had to do it until we liked it! Simples!

We tried and tested several versions of the scratchings - 8 month’s worth to be honest. However, finally the literary word that won the taste test was the incredibly well-written Pork Scratchings, A Version Of by Fergus Henderson & Justin Piers Gellatly from ‘Beyond Nose To Tail’. We did however put our own twist on this well created recipe as one does, but the principle of the recipe remains the same.

The pickled eggs are kept in a pickle laden with spice so the pork scratchings had to follow suit.

We highly recommend both these recipes and sell the dishes with pride at the British Larder, however it must come with a health warning. “Consume responsibly in small quantities as sensitive teeth might suffer and a slightly tired heart and well-lived body might feel the strain if consumed in large, lavish quantities.” Or if you have a life motto like mine, “eat and enjoy, you only live once!”

I teamed up with Twinings Tea to bake these two delicious afternoon tea delights – Royal Wedding Blend of White Earl Grey & Rose Victoria Sponge, and Twinings Royal Wedding Blend of White Earl Grey and Rose, Rhubarb Cupcakes with a White Chocolate Frosting, to celebrate Kate and William’s special day.

These recipes are perfect if you plan to host a traditional British street party. Here at the British Larder Suffolk we will definitely be baking both recipes and will serve them with this delicious Royal Wedding Commemorative Blend. My objective was to create two interesting recipes using the Royal Wedding Tea Blend, combining it with a traditional recipe with a slight British Larder twist.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

All credit for the images and videos goes to Twinings Tea Shop and I would like to thank Twinings for this fantastic opportunity to bake with this wonderful Royal Wedding Commemorative Blend Tea.

As a child and even in my twenties I would pull the ugliest faces when I was offered anything made with rhubarb, but now I think it’s “cool” and I’d even go as far as saying it’s delicious. Especially my infamous rhubarb and vanilla jam.

With that in mind I think tomorrow is jam making day, as Piers from High House Farm delivered a huge amount of fresh rhubarb this week. It’s slightly taken over the fridge; it’s like a jungle of rhubarb in there, so I’d best make some jam and this delicious rhubarb, pecan and buttermilk pudding. Mmm…

We went to visit Piers at the glorious High House Farm, having wanted to visit for quite some time, but time is always a constraint! Mondays at the moment are our only day off so we make use of this time to visit local attractions, farms and find new ingredients to play with. We waited a while for this rhubarb to be ready and finally the time has come. After visiting Piers and seeing how beautiful these plants are kept, one cannot feel completely obliged to cook something delicious with it.

All of High House Farm’s rhubarb is outdoor grown so the flavour is earthy, tangy and robust. This rhubarb is the real deal. Seeing the boxes piled high we asked where they were all destined for and it was wonderful to hear they are all going to nearby local homes, pubs, shops and restaurants in the local area. It is lovely to hear that local people will benefit from using and enjoying the rhubarb, and at least it’s not travelling hundreds of miles to be kept in cold stores for weeks.

A few outdoor rhubarb facts..

• Outdoor rhubarb with its earthy and gutsy taste is available from March till late May.
• Their stems are slightly thicker and the skin is stringy than forced rhubarb, hence peeling is required.
• Outdoor rhubarb is easy to grow and every kitchen garden should have a crown or two for personal consumption.
• Rhubarb is classed as a vegetable.
• The leaves are toxic and should be removed before cooking.
• The natural tartness of rhubarb makes it an ideal ingredient for either sweet or savoury dishes.

The combination of cauliflower, scallops and apple is not new; no it’s done and dusted by fellow cooks for many years, but let’s face it, it’s rather good, and my old saying is if it is not broken then do not fix it. Cooking is not about re-inventing the wheel, no, for me it’s about doing a job well and doing it right. The execution, presentation and taste is of prime importance.

I love food, and of course eating it is that all important bit I really like. I also get bored of food very quickly, especially if the foods I’m eating combined have one dimensional texture or taste. For me, a plate of food must be exciting not only to look at but also to eat. When designing a dish I’m looking for different textures and tastes; every mouthful must have a little surprise installed; then it’s exciting!

For this scallop dish I serve not only the cauliflower, horseradish and apple puree but also serve apple crisps that add a tangy crispness to the dish.

To season the scallops I dug my old magic curry powder recipe out. The intentions with this salted curry dust is not to give the scallops a curry flavour but to enhance the taste and flavour of the sweet scallops. I use the dust as a seasoning as you would normally season the scallops with salt and pepper. I do not, however, use pepper as I feel the strength of the pepper will overpower it all.

Our menu changes every single day, and from lunch to dinner. We have a few dishes that remain on the menu throughout the week, however as soon as new seasonal ingredients arrive through the back door then new dishes grace our menus. We love a change in season, and a few game items are now taking pride of place on our menus, including wild rabbits from Wickham Market and fallow deer from Tunstall. We currently get our lamb from Mr. & Mrs. Eglington, and the lamb is truly tasty and packed full of flavour. Our best discovery, though, was the herd of Hebridean sheep grazing on the Wildlife Trust land right next door to us. Suffolk is a magical place and it clearly reminds us of why we are here – the county has such an abundance of wonderful foodie ingredients to offer, enough to keep us occupied for a very long time!

English lamb is at its most tender from May to June, and as the season progresses, the flavour of the meat develops and it becomes richer. Once an English lamb is 12 months old it becomes a hogget and once it gets two permanent incisor teeth it becomes mutton. To tenderise lamb, keep the meat submerged in sunflower oil infused with garlic, rosemary and thyme and a few crushed white peppercorns for up to two days.

This dish is a combination of lots of ingredients I simply adore. Artichokes, beetroot, lamb and fennel. For this recipe I made a puree with the fennel and even used the beetroot leaves.

Artichokes are not only delicious and tasty but are also beautiful in the garden or even in a flower arrangement. They can be difficult to grow and the plants do not normally bear any fruit in the first year. Artichokes thrive in soil with a high salt content and it’s said that seaweed is the best fertilizer for them. Globe and baby artichokes (all grown on the same plant) are the fruits of thistle-like plants thought to be native to North Africa, South Asia and the Mediterranean. The cultivated artichoke is a descendant of the wild cardoon.

Preparing artichokes is a time-consuming but rewarding activity. They oxidise as soon as you cut into the flesh and therefore should be dipped in an ice-cold water solution with a high concentrate of citrus or acid such as vitamin C powder. Even lemon juice or white wine vinegar helps to prevent the discolouration. Pop a few ice cubes into the water – it keeps the artichokes crisp and makes it easier to peel them.

We stayed in the glamorous Hudson Hotel with it’s beautiful minimalistic but striking interior and super tiny rooms. You need to be a size 6 to stay in the rooms because there is no room to turn around, Philip Stark did a good job and designed a beautiful hotel but boy oh boy did he not allow any space for ones suitcase. Anyhow we did not spend that much time in the room as we were busy testing out all the foodie establishments.

The hotel is situated near the foot of Central Park near the Time Warner Building and home to Bouchon Bakery. Thomas Keller is a very creative and clever business man. We visited the bakery every morning for a coffee and a different treat every time. We loved sitting at the high tables, close to the counter to watch the chefs at work through the hatch. We found the perfect spot and sometimes found ourselves there for too long observing them. They were superb craftspersons and produced the most stunning and beautiful goods.

Mr.P became partial to a biscuit fairly similar to this salted peanut brittle biscuit. He had the ideas in his head for quite some time to recreate that indulgent buttery salty taste of those Bouchon Peanut Butter Biscuits. The recipe is entirely a development of our own and after a few attempts we finally recreated a recipe that we feel represents the taste sensation of the biscuits of New York.

Watching the world go by in New York City is wonderful and sometimes very amusing too. At Bouchon they baked Foie Grass Dog Biscuits as the early joggers with their posh pooches stopped off for a skinny de-caf, a slice of watermelon and a delectable treat for the dog. We struck up a conversation with the ladies behind the counter as they eagerly told us a tale about a chap that came in regularly to buy himself one of these doggy treats. He was constantly told that the biscuits were for his dog and not for  him but he insisted that  it was delicious and continued nibbling away. Well that story left us giggling all day, typically a tale of New York.

I found the original recipe very rich and the treacle was a bit too much for me, especially when the loaf matured after one day, it was very strong. Nevertheless it’s a superb recipe and I love Dans reference to  this recipe being the original British “energy bar”.

We particularly enjoyed it toasted for breakfast with a thin scraping of slightly salted butter and a cup of ‘builders’ tea. It’s the perfect loaf to start my busy and hectic day.

When I first read the recipe I was baffled about malt extract as I had neither heard of  nor used it, so I was slightly unnerved as I did not no where to get it  or what I could use instead. I was determined to make this recipe as it was meant to be, so after a bit of internet research I realised it’s a normal regularly used ingredient. I found that the Julian Graves stores stock malt extract so I trotted off to our tiny town centre and to my sheer delight  I found a jar.

Dan’s recipe says that you can use raisins or prunes, I decided on prunes as I’m not a great fan of raisins. I also chose to use St Peters golden ale and Woodbridge Mills whole meal flour that I had bought from the Snape farmers market last month. I could nearly call this loaf a Suffolk Power loaf, I wonder if Dan would approve ?

I liked the tip of lining the loaf tin with oats, I thought it gave my loaf the perfect professional touch. It looked well rounded off and also added to the final taste.

I feel less guilty about indulging in this loaf as it’s got all the makings of a healthy product, shall we just turn a blind eye to the butter and golden syrup!?

As I found this loaf keeps well and after a day or two it’s even more delicious. I have frozen a few leftover slices and it comes in very handy to be toasted for breakfast.

This malted prune loaf will be lovely in a picnic basket at the seaside as it gives everyone extra energy to enjoy a swim in the sea.

Following the success of the British Larder website, we have decided to take the next step and give the concept a spiritual and physical home. As Mr P puts it, “This will be a place to taste and touch what you see on the British Larder website.”

We have wonderful and far-reaching plans for the new restaurant, which will be christened the British Larder, Suffolk. In the first instance we will make the place look pretty with all the necessary British Larder paraphernalia, such as jars of cookies and baskets of bread, as well as some new furnishings to make the place look and feel more like home!

Why Suffolk? Well, it was love at first sight and, after several conversations with Polly and Tim from Food Safari, we decided it’s the place where we would like to grow old together. This captivating corner of England has so much to offer, not least fantastic local suppliers offering superb food from land and sea.

The idea is that the British Larder Suffolk will be all about being local, and we will be using local farms and producers to source our ingredients so that the fantastic food which ends up on your plate didn’t travel very far to get there!

The website will continue to develop, with more mouth-watering recipes, along with reminiscences about my career in cooking. Unfortunately, we won’t initially have a kitchen garden for the meantime, but we will be making the most of the wonderful wild produce around us.

The story of our relationship with food has a romantic flavour. We met in the kitchen and spent several years working together as professional chefs. Having subsequently worked for different companies, we had a yearning to cook together again. We make a great team, sharing a passion for high quality food, yet having different approaches and attitudes which complement each other perfectly. We’ve also collected just about every kitchen gadget known to man and are running out of space in our house!

Running our own establishment is an exciting but daunting prospect. However, we’re both totally committed and look forward to turning that commitment into success. Here’s to the future of the British Larder Suffolk!

As you know by now I’m not quite normal and find it hard to do things the standard way, there has to be a twist somewhere along the line. Perhaps I’m putting too much pressure on myself to be slightly different or perhaps it just comes naturally.

Mr.P and I enjoy eating a good chicken Caesar salad as it is satisfying and has lots of different textures and does not leave you feeling heavy and bloated.

I made this particular dish into a portion big enough for a main coarse but if you wish you can  make a smaller amount and serve  as a starter.

It’s not always about the gimmicks and twists  that make a great dish but it’s also about good quality ingredients that are to be enjoyed when in season. These baby gem lettuces are from my small kitchen garden and this year I had better success as I introduced kolhrabi, a member of the brassicas. This was planted next to the lettuces and this helped to minimise  the pest problems which allowed us to enjoy a lovely harvest of baby gems. The chicken is from a farm near Sutton Hoo in Suffolk, I go specially to the Snape farmers market to buy these chickens as they are plump and delicious.

These Sutton Hoo Chickens are very big, the average weight is 2kg. This is enough to make stock from the bones and at least two meals for the two of us from the legs and breast or alternatively its sufficient for four people. I roasted the legs, flaked the meat down and then made the small pots of chicken. It’s fun and adds that extra texture and enjoyment into eating the dish. The Caesar dressing and Parmesan cheese also found itself revamped into a mousse textured foam, I served that in a small glass jar on the plate.

It’s great fun, gets a wow at the dinner table and would also make a great dish to take along on a picnic.