Sausages and more.

It was once said that the two things you should never see being made were Sausages and Laws. I'm sure that this dates back to the days when anything that it was impossible for a butcher to sell went into the sausage meat. Though, with the present cynicism about politics I'm equally sure that the second half of the joke rings true today. I am reliably told , by Jim MacKeller of Orchard View Farm that, as a nation we are eating fewer sausages but we are demanding higher quality sausages too. This is indeed heartening news as quality over quantity is without doubt the way forward if we are to make farming in the UK, and the rest of the world sustainable.

Feeding the meat into the casings.

I did a course on Sausage making at Orchard View earlier this year and, with the time made available by a Teacher's Summer Holidays, I decided to make some at home.
I purchased 3 Kg of Pork shoulder (From Orchard View) and minced this. I split this into three equal batches. I had also bought some natural casings and some rusk.
Keeping everything, including the equipment, as cold as I could, I set about making three very different styles of sausage.
First up was a Toulouse inspired sausage. Much garlic (and I mean MUCH) was crushed and mixed into the meat with some cooked smoked pork loin which was finely cubed. This was seasoned, water and rusk added, and then sent through the gadget!

Linked in threes (like knitting with meat!)

Next was an Italian inspired sausage with a little garlic, crushed fennel seeds and some chopped rosemary.
Finally I went to an almost Lincolnshire with sage from the garden of Corner Cottage. I had meant to add some nutmeg or mace but simply forgot!
All three types were cooked and tasted. The Beautiful Wife declared them a success, especially the Toulouse. (Then again, we are both "garlic heads").


I also picked up some Pork Belly and used a commercially available cure (Laycock's) to turn this into bacon. This is being turned and drained daily at the moment so should be ready by the middle of next week. One piece has been simply cured and another has had a little bit of sugar added to the cure.

Long time no write...

It has been a while since I have written and there is so much to write about! So in the next two or three weeks I will write more but many of my blogs may be shorter as a consequence. The Academic year is drawing to a close and this leaves those of us who teach in a position of looking forward to six weeks of holiday. I love teaching and couldn't see myself doing anything else but the idea of being able to get up (at a reasonable hour), go shopping (somewhere nice) and then spending the late morning producing something lovely for lunch is very appealing at the moment.
A couple of weeks ago I visited the Haddenham Vale Harvest market (First Saturday of every month) and picked up two products that blew my socks off!
The first was a pack of sausages from Orchard View Farm - The initial idea was to promote these sausages to the role of Toads and pop them in their respective Holes but the weather has been so hot of late that the idea of Toad in the Hole covered in onion gravy was not as appealing as it might have been in January. They ended up sliced, still hot and cast over a salad of leaves and beetroot (from the Kitchengardener's (AKA The Mmusician) plot. Incidentally, he has recently joined the blogosphere and writes about his vegetable adventures. Just because I had some in I threw some chunks of feta over the salad and dribbled over a lemony dressing. With all these flavours going on, the sausages still stole the show. The rebirth of the British sausage has been gathering pace over the last few years and long may it continue!
The second product was some UK made Bresaola from the guys at Egg House Charcuterie. This was not what was expected at all. For those of you who expect your bresaola to be even coloured, circular and wrapped in cling film this is not for you (Which means all the more for me!). These were beautiful, delicate strips of Hereford beef full of real beef flavour. The term "melt in the mouth" is overused and had become a bit of a cliche in recent years, but this beautiful meat did melt in the mouth leaving a long and gentle flavour on the palate - fabulous! What's more the beef grew up within a few miles of Corner Cottage.
I hope this market is a success for the stallholders because I, for one, would happily see it turn into a fortnightly or even weekly event. The fact that it is a half hour walk from Corner Cottage makes it the perfect Saturday morning adventure.

The fridge

By the end of the week I like to have my fridge almost empty. By Friday afternoon I like opening the door and seeing a pack of yeast, a bottle of milk and not a great deal else. Friday is the time that the beautiful wife and I plan our meals for the week ahead. We follow this by doing our grocery shopping on Friday evening. With the veg box arriving on Friday and my meat and fish shopping done on Saturday morning the fridge is full of possibility by Saturday lunchtime.
Today is the last day of Half term and those of us who serve at the chalk face will return to school tomorrow - The week ahead is already planned in terms of meals and by Friday the fridge will once again be empty. Yesterday was the Vale Harvest at Haddenham again and sitting waiting for this evening is a beautiful piece of topside from Oving Dexters which will be roasted with a beetroot from The Musician's smallholding (where I sometimes lend a hand), some new potatoes and onions (from the Abel and Cole veg box). This will be served with carrots (veg Box) and cabbage (Musician's). Nothing in this meal has anything but the best credentials ethically and none (I really mean none) will go to waste.
My fridge (apart from on Friday mornings) nearly always has bacon in it and the pack at present is from Orchard View Farm just 3 or 4 miles down the road. I have mentioned this supplier before - their Black Pudding is a thing of great beauty.
I have a couple bottles of beer from XT brewery to have with my beef tonight. I'm not sure if I am sad or happy in the knowledge taht by Friday the fridge will be bare.

Vale Harvest at Haddenham

I visited the Vale Harvest market in Haddenham on Saturday morning - what a revelation!
This is a quote from their website -

Vale Harvest is a group of local food producers within a 10 mile radius of Haddenham and the immediate area. They say "Our aim is to make it easier for local people to connect with local produce. The markets will host a range of stalls selling hot and cold food and drink to have there and to take home." Stalls selling some of the following will be there (rain or shine): free-range lamb and pork; cupcakes and ice cream; fresh bread and eggs; sausages and charcuterie; jam and chutney; fresh herbs and vegetables; cider and apple juice; hand-made chocolates; Oriental sauces and food; Chiltern rapeseed oil; Italian sauces and lasagne.

It was a wonderful market with meats from local suppliers. I purchased some black pudding from Orchard view farm and some Bacon and Sausages from the Egghouse Butchery and Charcuterie who also supplied me with a cheeky bag of little sausage rolls (they did not last very long at all). I also bought an equally cheeky couple of bottles of beer from the XT Brewery.
 I plan to buy a "lump" of Dexter beef next month.
The real joy, however, comes from the fact that I can comfortably walk from my front door to this market in about half an hour. Bring on the first Saturday of every month!