Drove Orchards Diary Dates - Autumn 2011

We step soon into the season of the Norfolk Food Festival, which coincides with our own Apple Season.  Events are happening all over the county, throughout the Autumn months.

For the freshest in just-picked local and heritage Apples, the best in just-pressed Juices, come and find us at the following events:


3rd September - Creake Abbey Farmers' Market - Creake Abbey, Norfolk Coast
3rd/4th September - North Norfolk Food and Drink Festival - Holkham Hall, Norfolk
10th September - Norfolk Food Fair - Castle Gardens, Norwich
24th September - Norfolk Diet Farmers' Market - The Forum, Norwich
1st October - Creake Abbey Farmers' Market - Creake Abbey, Norfolk Coast
8th October - Norfolk Diet Farmers' Market - The Forum, Norwich
21st - 22nd October - English Apple Festival, Portobello + Golborne Road Markets, London (TBC)
5th November - Creake Abbey Farmers' Market - Creake Abbey, Norfolk Coast (TBC)
12th November - Norfolk Diet Farmers' Market - The Forum, Norwich (TBC)

Or, for PYO and hopefully the chance of tastings at the orchards, come and visit us...
(The PYO information can be found on our website, the address of the orchards on this blog.)

Press Release - Great Taste ** GOLD

Drove Orchards is delighted to announce that our favourite Quince and Apple Juice (a secret recipe, made of the orchards' most perfumed Quinces and a handful of Jona Red apples) was awarded Gold with Two Stars ("Exquisite") in this years' Great Taste Awards.  The awards from The Guild of Fine Food are quite the most prominent food and drink awards nationwide; we are delighted that this exceptional juice, all tart fruits and scented flowers, was recognised.

Here's what they said:

Good smell of Quince.  Slight Cloudiness.  Pleasant honey flavour.  Blended very well.  Quince comes through very nicely - good balance.  Sugar is well in control, good tartness.  'Grown-up' product - this would be lovely even with a mixer.  A summery drink.

...

We have scarce a bottle left now, but will only too soon be squeezing again - get in touch with Olivia(at)DroveOrchards(dot)com if you'd like to get your hands on some!

Summer Farmers' Market

The famed Norfolk Diet Farmers Market takes place again this Saturday at The Forum, Norwich.  Drove Orchards will have our beautiful Apple Juices to taste as well as a wealth of produce from the Market Garden, come quick for Broad Beans, Artichokes, Currants of all colours....


Many of our favourite Norfolk foodies will have stalls too... for a tasty day out...

For more info, visit The Norfolk Diet website.

White, Red and Blackcurrant Recipes

At a loss with what to do with your currants?  Drove Orchards, advised by the many erudite foodies on Twitter, has compiled a list of simple but sparkling recipes to try at home.  We welcome your own contributions, via comments, email or tweets.

Whitecurrant Ice Cream

Put 1lb Whitecurrants with 50z Sugar and a splash of Water in a pan.  Stew very gently until soft.  Puree and then mix with 1 pt Double Cream. Put in Ice-Cream Maker until frozen.

Rumtopf

Literally meaning “Pot of Rum”,

this Germanic tradition of preserving involves layering fresh fruits, Rum and Sugar in a large Ceramic Jar:

To 1lb of fruit add up to ½ lb of sugar and cover well with Rum.  (Try with: Gooseberries, Blackcurrants, Redcurrants, Whitecurrants, Strawberries, Loganberries, Raspberries…)

Summer Pudding

Poach a mixture of Red, White and Blackcurrants, adding Sugar to taste.  Line a bowl with slightly stale good White Bread.  Fill with the Berries, place further Bread and a weighted plate on top. Leave squishing overnight in the fridge.  Turn out and serve with cream.

Red, White and Blackcurrant Muffins

Mix 125g of currants with 175g Plain Flour, 2tsps Baking Powder, 100g Caster Sugar and a pinch of  Salt.  Beat 60g Unsalted Butter with one Egg and 120ml Milk.   Fold the dry mixture into the wet.  Spoon into Muffin tins and bake at 180C for 20-25 mins.

Redcurrant Frozen Yogurt

Ever so simple:

Blend 500g Redcurrants with 100g of Sugar and a 500ml pot of your favourite Yogurt. Put in the Ice-Cream Maker until frozen.

Redcurrant Jelly

Place two punnets of Redcurrants, stalks removed, in a jam pan.  Cover with water, bring to the boil then simmer for at least an hour.

Strain Overnight.

For every 1lt of strained liquid add 1kg of sugar.  Place in a jam pan, stir until sugar part-dissolved.  Put on the heat and bring gently to setting-point. Pot in warmed, sterilised jars.

Bar-Le-Duc Jelly

For a timeless epicurean Jelly Recipe: Heat 3kg of Sugar in 1lt Water (or dry White Wine!) to 110C.  Add 1kg of Currants and gently take to setting point (105C).  Remove from heat, cool slightly, stir and pot in sterilised jars.

Serve these jellies with cold meats, game or cheese. Or use the Redcurrant Jelly to make your very own Cumberland Sauce.

Whitecurrant Fact

Did you know?

Whitecurrants are very high in Pectin.  Use when jam-making to help your jam set.

Why not try Redcurrant Cheesecake or Black, White and Redcurrant layered Sorbet. And, there's surely some Syllabubs and some Fools to attempt too...

...

With many Thanks to Sarah Pettegree (@brays_cottage); Barendina Smedley (@fugitiveink); Nicky Bender (@wotatreat); Huw Sayer (@HuwSayer); Signe Johansen (@scandilicious); Lynne Clark (@josodorni); Mrs Mushrooms (@mushroomsmrs); Jules Jackson (@dehyphenlish) .... amazing Twitter crew who collaborated in concocting the above recipes.

The Royal Norfolk Show - a foody extravaganza

Drove Orchards Apple Juices

Tasting

Snuggled between Breckland's Posh Pop - think: startling combinations such as Ginger and Chilli, or Sloe Lemonade, and the Old Fashioned Pudding Company, (Spotted Dick, Steak and Kidney Pudding) Drove Orchards was overjoyed to find ourselves in such highbrow epicurean company.

"Spotted Dick"

The Food Hall at the Royal Norfolk Show is also host to the following favourite local foodies... as well as many many more.  

Brays Cottage Perfect Pork Pies, and quite the most beautifully attired stand in the Food Hall.

Crush, nutty Norfolk Rapeseed Oil, Pesto and perhaps Hummus too...

Tim Kinnaird of Macarons and More beside a tower of his diaphanous Macarons... such tastebud explosions appear in lovely Breton-style Salted Butter Caramel and exotic Passion fruit and Chocolate

Cooling off with Breckland's ice-cold Ginger Beer with a Chilli kick... a fab bottle of pop!

...and other treats

...

For an alternative view on the Norfolk Show Food Hall, read Gary Dickenson's blogpost here: http://garydickenson.com/2011/07/the-not-norfolk-show/

News from the Orchards

The Summer Solstice, the longest day in near' upon us... and with the downpours lately, the Orchards are once again resplendent...  Why not come and visit us in Thornham, Pick Your Own or pick-up some of our Orchard produce...

Come Pick Your Own:
Strawberries.
Raspberries.
Red, White and Blackcurrants...

And find vegetables just picked from our Market Garden available in the Farm Shop:
New Potatoes
Artichokes
Beetroot
Courgettes
Lettuces
you may even find:
Cucumbers
Broad Beans

Look out too for the baby Swallows, in the rafters of the Farm Shop.

Drove Orchards, End of May, in the wake of the rain.

The Orchard

Bees, our artist pollinators

The Market Garden

Broad Beans

The Farm Shop