The FarmDrop Blog

Great food, made near you...

[farmdrop]

Win a floristry workshop for two with Farmdrop

Buy a bunch by midnight on Mother’s Day, Sunday 26th March, and you’ll be in with a chance of winning a place for you and friend worth £100 each at an intimate hand-tied foliage and floral bouquet workshop for 10 run by North London florist Hazel Gardiner.

Taking place on Thursday 27th April at 7pm — 9pm in Stoke Newington, London, you’ll work with Tregothnan’s beautiful seasonal British blooms grown in Cornwall and learn how to make your own hand-tied bouquets. You’ll also have the chance to enjoy refreshments made with ingredients sourced from Farmdrop’s local farmers and foodmakers along with a cool glass of British bubbles.

The competition has been launched to celebrate the fact that this week, Farmdrop has started to sell an exclusive range of English flowers from the Tregothnan Estate and is the first online grocery delivery service to bring them to Londoners. The bouquets sold via Farmdrop will change regularly, giving shoppers the pick of the season in every bunch.

Terms and Conditions

1. Farmdrop is a limited company whose registered office is at The Biscuit Factory, 100 Drummond Road, London, SE16 4DG, registered with company number 08111929

2. To enter the competition you will need to purchase a bunch of Tregothnan flowers on www.farmdrop.com by midnight Sunday 26th March.

3. The winner will be drawn at random and notified by latest Wednesday 5th April.

4. The prize is a floristry workshop with Hazel Gardiner Floral Design & Styling on Thursday 27th April at 7pm — 9pm in Stoke Newington, London.

5. Prize has no cash alternative, is non-transferable and non-refundable.

6. Open to UK residents aged 18 or over, except employees of Farmdrop, and their immediate families, or anyone professionally associated with this promotion.

7. Farmdrop reserves the right to cancel any participation to this contest.

8. The winner will be notified by email or telephone by to 3rd April 2017. The prize will then need to be claimed with 5 days of notification otherwise we will choose another winner.

9. The Promoter does not accept any responsibility for technical failures which prevent entry into the promotion.

10. The winner may be required to participate in publicity accompanying or resulting from this promotion with no recompense.

11. The Promoter reserves the right to disqualify incomplete, illegal, fraudulent, misdirected, delayed or corrupted entries whether due to error, transmission interruption or otherwise.

12. No trade, consumer groups or 3rd party applications acceptable.

13. Entrants’ personal data will be collected, stored and processed for the purposes of administering and assessing this prize draw. Personal data may be passed on to third party suppliers for the purposes of fulfilling the prize.

14. By entering the draw, entrants agree to be bound by these terms and conditions and by any other requirements set out in the promotional material.

15. The Promoter’s decision is final and binding on the entrants in all promotional matters. No correspondence will be entered into by the Promoter.

16. Any question concerning the legal interpretation of the rules will be based on English law and the Courts of England will have exclusive jurisdiction.

17. The Promoter reserves the right to vary, amend or temporarily suspend this promotion in the event of any unforeseen circumstances or technical reason outside its reasonable control, with no liability to any entrants or third parties.

18. The Promoters decision is final in all promotional matters.

19. The Promoter reserves the right to amend or temporarily suspend this draw in the event of any unforeseen circumstances or technical reason outside its reasonable control, with no liability to any entrants or third parties.

20. By entering the competition you are accepting these terms and conditions. Entries which are not in accordance with the terms and conditions will not count. Farmdrop’s decision in respect of all matters to do with the competition will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.

PROMOTER: Farmdrop The Biscuit Factory, 100 Drummond Road, London, SE16 4DG, registered with company number 08111929

[farmdrop]

Win a Farmdrop shop worth £100 for you and a friend

Terms and Conditions

1. Farmdrop is a limited company whose registered office is at The Biscuit Factory, 100 Drummond Road, London, SE16 4DG, registered with company number 08111929. 2. To enter the competition please tag one or more friends in the comments of the Facebook post before midnight on Monday 27th March 2017. 3. One winner will be drawn at random.  Winners will be notified via their Facebook page on Monday 27th March 2017. Winners must be inside our delivery area. If you would like to check if you are within our delivery area, please use our postcode checker here: https://www.farmdrop.com/ 4. The prize is for you and a friend to receive a Farmdrop shop up to £50 in value (£100 total between two) No cash equivalent to prize shall be given. The prize may be changed. 5. Open to UK residents aged 18 or over, except employees of Farmdrop and their immediate families, or anyone professionally associated with this promotion. 7. Farmdrop reserves the right to cancel any participation to this contest. 8. The prize will then need to be claimed within 48 hours of receiving the notification. If the prize is not claimed we reserve the right to award the tickets to another winner. 9. By entering the competition you are accepting these terms and conditions. Entries which are not in accordance with the terms and conditions will not count. Farmdrop’s decision in respect of all matters to do with the competition will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Good luck!

[farmdrop]

Thai Cooking 101 with Saiphin Moore, Co-Founder of Rosa’s Thai Cafe

Love Thai food but not sure where to start when it comes to cooking it at home? Take control over pepping up your palate and discover the effortless balance of punchy, sweet and sour flavours found in Thai cooking with the help of Saiphin, head chef and founder of Rosa’s Thai Cafe.

All of Thai cooking is based around four flavours: salty, spicy, sour and sweet. Every dish in Thai cuisine incorporates at least two of them, and sometimes all four. The art lies in striking the perfect balance. This skill is key in mastering Thai cooking. One flavour may be dominant, but the others will be there too, like notes in a chord. A dish may be sweet, but it will still have the essence of at least one other flavour. No single flavour is ever allowed completely to overpower the others. You must always be able to taste all the flavours, singly and in unison. 

Many of the dishes in my cookbook are cooked in a wok over high heat and come together very quickly – it might take you longer to chop and prepare the ingredients than to cook the actual dish! For best results, it’s important not to over-fill your wok – your ingredients will get steamed and soggy rather than stir-fried and crispy. Many of my recipes and dishes we serve at Rosa’s Thai Cafe are designed to serve only two people, but if you are cooking for more, I suggest you scale up the ingredients as necessary, get everything ready, and then cook your chosen dish in two or three batches. It won’t take long, and every serving will be just as delicious.

Knowing Thai ingredients

In Thai cooking there are many different ingredients that you may not have come across before, from galangal to holy basil. The best place to find these is in Asian speciality stores. Alternatively, you can buy many of these ingredients online. See the following list for the some of the more exotic ingredients you will commonly encounter in Thai cooking. If you can’t find some of the more unusual ones, don’t worry as you can easily substitute many of them with more common items.

Basil

There are two main kinds of basil used throughout Thai cooking: Thai basil and Holy basil, both cultivars of sweet (Mediterranean) basil. Thai basil (Bai-Gra-Prow) has purple stems with smaller and darker green leaves than its parent plant, but is similar at first glance, so is sometimes called Thai sweet basil, even though it has a liquorice-like flavour. It is used extensively in Thai cuisine, in salads, soups and stir-fries, or sprinkled raw over salads or cold noodle dishes; the most famous is definitely the Chilli & Basil Stir Fry (Pad-Gra-Prow). Holy basil (Bai-Ho-Ra-Pa) has a much sharper, more peppery taste than Thai basil, and is therefore often called ‘hot basil’. Leaves of holy basil are used to add a fiery depth and clove-like flavour to stir-fries and other Thai dishes. At Rosa’s, we use it on our Sizzling Seafood Hot Plate (Pad-Cha).

Chillies

It’s impossible to imagine Thai food without chillies of all sizes and colours used - fresh, dried or roasted. Commonly used types include Long or Spur chillies (Prik-Chi-Faa), and the much smaller, but spicier, Bird’s Eye Chillies (Prik-Kii-Nuu). Dried chillies are usually soaked in water before use to soften them. In Thai cooking, we use chillies plus the seeds for that extra kick. If you aren’t such a fan of spicy food, reduce the amount of chilli in the recipe and remember to de-seed the pods when you’re chopping them up. 

Coriander Root

In Thai cooking every part of the coriander plant is used, including the root, which is one of the base ingredients of many Thai curry pastes. The roots, which are milder in flavour than the leafy tops, can also be chopped finely and used to season broths, sauces and rice, or pounded into a paste that can be used as a marinade. If you can’t find coriander root at your Asian speciality stores, use the stalks instead – try using 5 stalks for every root, as their flavour is milder.

Fish Sauce (Nam-Pla)

The idea of fermenting small fish with salt may not sound very appealing, but fish sauce is the condiment that makes so many Thai dishes come to life. The fermentation process creates a unique umami flavour that adds depth and complexity to a dish that you cannot find in any other cuisines. Galangal

Although this knobbly root comes from the ginger family, it is lighter in colour and tastes far more peppery than ginger. There are two types of galangal: Greater Galangal (Kha) (usually known simply as galangal and looks quite similar to ginger) and Lesser Galangal (Kra-Chai). Confusingly, lesser galangal has the more pungent peppery flavour of the two. Before using fresh galangal, you will need to peel it and take off the top layer. It is then prepared either by crushing it after slicing it or by cutting it into matchstick-thin strips. 

Keffir Limes (Makrut)

These dark green limes have a bumpy, knobbly skin and smell absolutely wonderful. In Thai cooking, we only use the zest, not the juice. You can find these in Asian speciality stores.

Keffir Lime Leaves (Bai-Makrut)

These leaves originate from the wild lime tree and are used to add a distinctive citrus scent to soups and curries. Used in much the same way as bay leaves, they are widely available, and you can buy them fresh or dried. I often buy a bag of fresh ones, and freeze them. Before use, allow to defrost and gently massage between your fingers to release the essential oils.

Kitchen equipment and gadgets I can’t live without

If you equip yourself with these gadgets, you can make a Thai dish very quickly and easily:

Pestle and Mortar

A great pestle and mortar doesn’t have to be the most expensive, as long as it is granite. It’s sturdy, easy to clean, and lasts forever. I often use it really quickly to mince garlic and chilies, which are the base to many of my stir fry dishes. Crushing keffir lime leaves in the pestle and mortar also brings out the essential oil, which adds to the depth and flavour to the Thai curries.    

Food Processor

Contrary to a popular belief, I don’t make my curry pastes with pestle and mortar, as it takes ages! I used to when I was younger as it was the only kitchen equipment we could afford. But now, I use mini stainless-steel food processor religiously, from blending the pastes to whipping up a quick seafood dipping sauce.

Wok 

Jeremy Pang’s Round Bottom Wok is an essential piece of kit for any stir-fry and is great at conducting heat from a gas hob. The most important thing is to select a wok that’s suitable for your type of hob, and durable with non-stick surface. If it comes with a lid, that’s even better.

Cleaver Knife 

I invest a lot of money on a good cleaver. Gou Umanosuke Yoshihiro Chinese Cleaver is handcrafted and is guaranteed to last you a lifetime. All you need to do is keep it clean, dry, sharpen it once in a while, and you’re set.

If you like my recipes, follow us @RosasThaiCafe for my cooking videos, recipes, offers and for other fun things you can sign-up to our monthly newsletter.

A bit about Saiphin aka Rosa: The story of Rosa’s Thai Café really began in a very small town called Khao Khor (it has grown a bit since I lived there) in Phetchabun province, northern Thailand. This is where I was born into a loving, simple family – I have two sisters and one brother – and where my ancestors have been farmers for generations. I believe this set the foundation for my culinary ambitions. I was surrounded by fresh, locally grown produce that I used to cook and eat from a very young age. Fast forward 30 years, and I’ve now settled down in London. One day in 2008 I was walking up Brick Lane with my husband and we stumbled across a disused old English caff in Spitalfields called Rosa’s. We fell in love with it, as it seemed like the perfect location in which to sell my food: it was a fusion of cool, authentic London and modern Bangkok. It was to be the place where Rosa’s Thai Café was born. 

[farmdrop]

5 reasons you’ll never find real sourdough bread at the supermarket

Real sourdough bread in the wood-fired oven at BreadBread bakery in Brixton.

Supermarket ‘sourdough’ is a con (hear, hear Joanna Blythman). With only three ingredients - flour, water, salt - real sourdough bread is plain and simple, just how bread should be. And yet, we’re living in a time when the bread we buy has never been more complicated. The increase in sales of the tangy, complex-flavoured, actually-fills-you-up sourdough stuff made by artisans up and down the country has prompted supermarkets and industrial bakers to produce their own versions. However, what they don’t mention, is that these versions are fake. Consumers are duped into thinking the word ‘sourdough’ on a label means they’re buying the real thing, not realising that these loaves are far from it, and can come with some potential serious health consequences too. Big baking industry has already changed how bread is made in this country (making it super-fast and filled with additives). Now they’re trying to jump on the bandwagon by mimicking the real deal in guise of ‘sourdough’. With no legal definition of sourdough (and retailers not obliged to list the ingredients of breads baked in-store), it’s time to clear things up. Here’s the truth about your supermarket loaf and why you won’t find a real sourdough in one:

1. It takes time, (we’re talking days)

A true sourdough is never quick to produce, which goes against all the principles of the classic industrial supply chain supermarkets live by. The slow process required to make proper sourdough bread is what helps make the bread easier to digest and can help those with intolerances. Yet, because mass-production means making a lot in little time, big bakers speed up the process by adding commercial yeast, along with other ingredients, to optimise their speedy product. Modern authentic sourdough bread is made in the same way as it was thousands of years ago in a process that demands the slow fermentation of a simple dough made with the golden trio of ingredients. Our bakers at BreadBread produce loaves that need 24-hours just for the fermentation part. You could say that all that’s needed is flour, water, salt, and time - imagine the horror in the supermarket boardroom at that.

2. It needs to be natural

What defines ‘sourdough’? If you’re a real artisan baker (where skill, time and quality ingredients are important for you), sourdough is a method of leavening bread using natural, wild yeasts and lactobacilli bacteria naturally present in ground grain and not commercially produced yeasts and an arsenal of undeclared additives - aka, ‘processing aids’ that can include extra yeast for speed, extra fat for softness, emulsifiers for bigger loaves and preservatives for a longer shelf-life and, importantly, can be used in any type of bread. That’s right, that’s the same stuff that goes into a light-as-air loaf of white sliced. If you’re a supermarket, and you don’t need to disclose your ingredients, then this pretty much means anything. How can you be sure a loaf like this is actually anything that resembles the real thing, when there’s no legal definition? The proof will be in the taste, when you wonder: where’s the sour in the sourdough? Where’s the moreish stoneground flour flavour, the satisfying crust and chewy texture? Where’s the natural beauty behind everything that makes real sourdough bread so bloomin’ delicious?

3. It’s not cheap

There are many reasons why cheap sourdough simply doesn’t exist. The process to make it isn’t fast, so the ‘time-is-money’ approach just doesn’t work here. With a loaf naturally containing so few ingredients, any artisanal baker worth their (third ingredient) salt will take huge pride in selecting the best ones for the job. Organic British-grown and stone-ground flour sourced from a local mill using traditional grains and traditional methods is more expensive than imported, commercially produced flour used in mass-produced bread. The former is also packed with flavour, the latter, not so much. To make sourdough properly also requires the actual hands of an actual baker (goodbye Chorleywood Process). Which leads us to….

4. It demands skill

A true sourdough bread begins with a ‘starter’ - a mixture of flour and water. This mixture is fermented over several days with further additions of flour and water where wild yeasts present in the air and lactobacilli bacteria naturally present in ground grain are left to do their thing. Whilst the process itself is simple - you don’t need a ton a equipment beyond what’s in your kitchen - it can take a little learning to know what you’re doing. Bakers add this starter to their dough and leave their loaves to rise over several hours, letting the magic come in the creative process of getting that lactic acid tang or rye to wheat ratio just right. Did you know centuries-old sourdough starters are used in baking today, thanks to generations of skilled bakers? The team at BreadBread are proud to use a mighty 500-year-old mother starter in their sourdoughs. And because the starter (when fed correctly and housed in the right conditions) can be lovingly kept alive, it means you’re literally eating a piece of history. Pass the butter.

5. It won’t last 3 months

And thank goodness for that. Andrew Whitley, the Cumberland baker who co-founded the Real Bread Campaign in 1990, recalls the time he “kept a loaf of wrapped sliced bread for three months without it losing its squishy texture, or going mouldy” and called it “a defiance of nature: it’s an abuse of language to call it freshness.” Whilst we haven’t conducted our own rigorous testing of exactly how long a supermarket ‘sourdough’ will last, you can be sure that by cutting the long fermentation process, the result will need something to help it have a shelf-life. Real sourdough bread doesn’t go mouldy as such, just a bit hard, and that’s about it. So you won’t see it covered in a blanket of blue mould any time soon.

So there you have it, there really is no such thing as a supermarket ‘sourdough’. Our baker Giuseppe Mascali at BreadBread aptly puts it: “I just don’t think there is a shortcut to making this type of product. You have to have the right ingredients, the right skills and importantly, you have to take the time. I don’t think the supermarkets are able or willing to put any of that in.”

Say no to Sourfaux! Swap the mass-produced for the lovingly-made for a happier year with our #SupermarketSwap. Discover real sourdough bread baked by Brixton’s BreadBread bakery at Farmdrop.

[farmdrop]

10 of the best food and sustainability game-changers to follow in 2017

Tasty sustainability stars (top L-R clockwise): Silo’s Doug McMaster, Anna Jones, Farmopolis, @jefinuist, Poco’s Tom Hunt, @llanjessica.

Well, 2016, you’ve been a shocker. It’s been the year of fake farms, supermarket meat superbugs and paint thinner chemicals found in mass-produced gravy. But it’s not all doom and gloom. We’re living in a time where we’re expressing ourselves through food in ways like never before. In a year when one in five Brits posted a picture of their food online, what we eat has become today’s hottest social media currency. It’s thanks to our connected world that the landscape for getting closer to real transparency around where our food comes from and how it’s made has been blown wide open. Meet the inspiring and passionate change-makers making steps to safeguard the future of our food and planet you need to know about - and together, we can learn from them too. 2017, we’re ready for you.

1. Tom Hunt

Awareness of the plight of ‘ugly food’ and ‘wonky veg’ reached new heights in 2016, thanks to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s shocking scenes of tons of not-supermarket-perfect parsnips being thrown away. If anyone should be praised for leading the way in the world fighting food waste and sustainable cooking in our capital, it’s Tom. Tom worked with Hugh as a course leader and cook on the River Cottage series and since moving to London he’s become a food writer (publishing his first book The Natural Cook in 2014), campaigner and the ultimate eco-chef. He’s the brains Forgotten Feast - a roaming restaurant that celebrates ‘the ugly, the unwanted and the unloved...wild and seasonal foods, wasted foods and foods that have been forgotten or ignored by the modern world’ - and the chef behind the impeccable sustainable credentials and root-to-fruit menu of his award winning restaurant Poco. With a 100% seasonal, and 95% waste free philosophy, he’s a man after our own eco-heart.

Twitter: @tomsfeast

Website: http://www.tomsfeast.com/

2. Anna Jones

It’s official, 2016 is the year that more people have turned vegan than ever before. The number of vegans in Britain has risen by 360% in the past decade, with the main influence being social media. What’s clear is that many people agree thinking carefully about what’s in your food and how it may affect your health can only be a good thing. A fellow fan of the plant-based diet, vegetarian food writer Anna Jones has risen the humble vegetable to its rightful place of full-on bells and whistles, simply showstopping, mouthwatering main event stuff. After a dull day at the office prompted a career change, she earned her stripes at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen and went on to work with him as a stylist and writer for 7 years. Two cookbooks later, Anna’s passion comes from the pure joy of food and she believes healthy eating is as much about pleasure as anything else. Anna’s dishes make it deliciously easy to embrace all of Britain’s beautiful bounty and we love her because whether you’re veggie or not, her food will rock your world.

Instagram: @we_are_food

Website: http://annajones.co.uk/

3. Farmerama

Created by a crack team of agro-ecologists, Abby Rose, Jo Barratt, Nigel Akehurst (our resident farmer-photographer) and Madeleine Maxwell give a voice to our country’s small-scale farmers in a monthly podcast. Together they’re committed to building a positive future for the planet and believe the answer lies in bridging boundaries between farming communities to share knowledge, collaborate and learn from each other. The Farmerama gang share our philosophy that our farmers are the caretakers of the earth and the choices they make affect all of our lives profoundly. And we can’t wait to see what they’ll be up to in 2017. Which leads us to...

Twitter: @farmerama_

Website: http://farmerama.co/

4. #OurField Project

Abby’s other incredible project is a co-op grains movement that aims to change the way we grow grains forever through ‘living the farmer's journey, reinventing farm economics and sharing farmer risk’. #OurField is built on an open source model where communities can ‘buy’ into a field and become part of the process in deciding how the crops in the field are grown. This unique project makes it easy for anyone to learn about the intricate decisions farmers have to make on a daily basis and engage with farming. Farmers also enjoy the freedom to experiment with new and publicly supported growing techniques. In our eyes, it’s a welcome win-win disruptor in the world of farming.

Twitter: @OurFieldProject

Website: http://www.ourfieldproject.org/

5. Silo

Winner of this year’s Observer Food Monthly Awards for best ethical restaurant, Silo’s 29-year old owner Doug McMaster is a true sustainability maverick. Every element of his Brighton business has received his magic touch, where “at least 99% of what we buy will go into our customers’ bellies, into our compost machine’s belly, or will be re-used in some other way”. And if that means a) owning a composter, b) spending £4k on a mill to grind his restaurant's own flour, or c) buying in cream from a local dairy to churn it themselves and make butter to avoid the packaging of individual blocks, then he’ll bloomin’ well do it. Silo’s zero waste ‘designed back to front’ ethos and a philosophy built on a pre industrial food system that celebrates ‘pure foods born from clean farming’, means Doug had us at composter. Oh, and the food is 100% incredible.

Instagram: @silobrighton

Website: http://www.silobrighton.com/

6. Nicola Temple

A biologist, conservationist, science writer and co-author of Sorting the Beef From the Bull: The Science of Food Fraud Forensics, the adulteration of food really get’s Nicola’s goat (and it really get’s ours too). Nicola works with universities and individuals to develop engaging science stories and shine a light on how research has an impact beyond the world of academia. After the horsemeat scandal of 2013, Nicola and Professor Richard Evershed wanted to bring examples of food fraud together and share the sophisticated science that has helped discover and deter fraudsters, as well as the equally sophisticated science behind the fraud itself. Anyone with a passion for real wholesome food and raising awareness of the price to consumers, who pay for these crimes with their health, is a hero.

Twitter: @nicolatemple

Website: http://www.nicolatemple.com/food-fraud/

7. The Sussex Peasant

This very new venture is an exciting George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces-worthy transformation of a horse box into a mobile farm shop and restaurant that roams the Sussex countryside. Selling sustainable food that can be traced back to local neighbouring farms, locals can also look forward to dining on it too. Profits are shared with its farmers and the owner Ed Johnstone shares our belief in that it is possible to change the way we buy and sell food, just by simply doing things differently. Ed, we salute you.

Twitter: @sussex_peasant

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesussexpeasant/

8. jefinuist

If you daydream of giving it all up and heading off to somewhere far, far away and surrounding yourself with a beautiful rugged landscape packed with wildlife, then this is the Instagram account for you. Jef, the owner of the account, co-runs the extremely enviable Dalimach storm pod holiday accommodation on the Isle of South Uist in the Scottish Hebrides. Located on their croft, think more space than a caravan and smaller than a modern chalet in the wilds of the western isles of Scotland and you’ve got it. Expect lots of heart-melting snaps of Highland cows, native sheep, wild birds and stunning windswept landscapes.

Instagram: @jefinuist

Website: http://www.dalimachstormpod.com/

9. Farmopolis

What’s the fate of the tens of thousands of plants left over from Chelsea Flower Show? It’s Farmopolis - London’s first floating garden and an urban oasis on a big jetty between The O2 and Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park of course! After an intensive rehoming programme, the plants have created a verdant permanent cultural hub that hovers on stilts above the Thames. After conducting the ‘The Great Plant Rescue’ this summer, the mixed use space splits it’s life between being an incubator for sustainability and innovation designed to bring nature into the city and an ideas hub and conversation space for people to discuss the future of food, farming, culture and technology. Now hibernating for winter, you can look forward to seeing the plants come alive in spring 2017.

Twitter: @farmopolis

Website: http://www.farmopolis.com/

10. Jessica Seaton

Cottages, seasides, forests and foraging; this is the world of the Founding Director of Toast - one of Britain’s most-loved homespun clothing brands known for its ethical production policy. Having already championed traditional textiles, Jessica’s Instagram account is a delicious celebration of the connection between the food we eat and the land where we live. After a quick browse of her feed inspired by food from the seas, farmland, and wild places of the luscious West Wales landscape, you’ll want to up sticks, buy a cottage and get cracking on that homemade quince jam. Her book Gather, Cook, Feast: Recipes from Land and Water comes out next spring, and we can’t wait to tuck in.

Instagram: @llanjessica

We hope you have a cracking Christmas and a very happy New Year!

The Farmdrop Team

x

[farmdrop]

8 of the best alternative things to do in London between Christmas and New Year

Had enough of Winter Wonderland? Rather skip the glitzy windows of the big department stores? Love it when the city is dead in the awkward bit between Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve? Here are our favourite, lesser-known, festive haunts, activities and walks to occupy your London Christmas holiday (and satisfy your motley crew of friends, family and second-cousins from Canada).

1. Gather round carols by candlelight at St Martin In the Fields

It doesn’t get much more Christmassy than the uplifting sound of carols to an enchanting backdrop of atmospheric candlelight. Booking for this festive treat may have opened earlier this year in July, but there are tickets available for post-Christmas day performances such as chamber ensemble London Concertante performing Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite among work by Brahms and Strauss on Tuesday 27th December (book in advance, 7.45pm), a ceremony of choir carols by candlelight with young choral scholars on Friday 30th December (book in advance, 9.30pm), and children’s classics with carols thrown in for good measure in a Mini Maestro Family Concert on Saturday 31st December (book in advance, 11.30am).

2. Head to the Horniman Museum

If you’re yet to visit this South London treasure, now’s the time to go get your Horniman on. Stuffed full of extensive collections of anthropology, natural history and musical instruments and tucked away in Forest Hill, the museum is home to a stunning 16 acres of garden complete with views across London and a Victorian conservatory, as well as a highly acclaimed aquarium - and that’s before you even swung by the giant stuffed walrus in the taxidermy displays. Oh, and don’t forget to visit the museum’s furry and feathered friends on the animal walk, home to alpacas, goats, sheep, guinea pigs, rabbits, chickens and more. There’s also an free drop-in ocarina workshop on the history of the ancient wind instrument on Wednesday 28th, if you’re not too stuffed. Entrance is free, with a small fee for the aquarium and ticketed events.

3. Discover hidden London on foot

In a rare moment of being without fixed plans, take this treasured time to slow down and go for a big ol’ walk across London town. Walking across the capital London might seem like alien concept due to the usual mindset of ‘I need to get from A to B as fast as un-humanly possible’ at every other time of the year, but now’s the time to embrace our fair city at your own leisure, (rather than battle against moving through it). When half of London has left to celebrate Christmas elsewhere, now’s an opportune time to take in over 30 species of birds along the Lea Valley Walk and other green routes along the Lea Valley Regional Park, admire the beautiful canal sides of West london over a relaxed amble from Little Venice to Camden, or adventure over river valleys, heath and parks with a route across Hampstead Heath, Primrose Hill and Regent's Park. Best of all, it costs nothing and is one of the best forms of exercise you can do, don’t ya know.

4.Take a stroll in Postman’s Park

Fancy popping to something in the city? Nestled next to St Paul's Cathedral and bordered by Little Britain (have a chuckle at this street sign), Postman’s Park is on the site of the former headquarters of the General Post Office and is one of the largest parks within the City of London; as well as one of the most beautiful. It’s enchanting gardens are home to the mesmerising Watts Memorial to Heroic Self Sacrifice - a wall of 54 memorial tiles that commemorate men, women and children, who lost their life while attempting to save another. The touching stories of everyday heroism will really bring the true spirit of Christmas home. You might recognise it from the film Closer too. Just to bear in mind that it’s closed on the 24th, 25th and 26th of December, but if you’re in the area on Boxing Day, take a Victorian Christmas tour with your guide Hazel (book in advance) and delve into the history of our festive traditions.

5. A Christmas Carol by candlelight

Alas, what can we say, is it possible to do too many things by candlelight at Christmas? We don’t think so. Head on down to The Charles Dickens Museum in old London Bloomsbury for a very festive performance of the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol performed by actor Dominic Gerrard. There’s also the opportunity to explore Dickens’s home, dressed lavishly for Christmas, and soak up the atmosphere as darkness falls. There are still tickets available for performances from 22nd Dec to 2nd Jan (book in advance).

6. Tour London’s Christmas lights on bike

Fingers crossed that it’ll be lovely weather for a bike ride together around town. Ideal for getting the body going after all that gloriously delicious sitting down, tours kick-off from the London Bicycle hire centre on Southbank, where you’ll get tooled-up with a bike, helmet and lights for your festive ride. Taking in a route via quieter streets and cycle paths, you’ll see all the glory of Westminster, palatial houses with tree in their windows on the back streets of Kensington and Chelsea, and the world-famous light displays of Sloane Square, Bond Street, Carnaby Street and Covent Garden, with a return that catches the particularly picturesque and iconic views from Waterloo Bridge. Tours take place from 3.30pm daily until 6 Jan and are suitable for children over 10.

7. Volunteer in the capital this Christmas

One of the best things you can do (at any time of year, let alone Christmas) is to give back. Whether it’s managing donations or working in a soup kitchen, brighten up someone’s day and hopefully even someone’s year by bringing them some cheer will a small act of kindness. Crisis organise the largest volunteering initiative in the country and looks for over 10,000 volunteers for a huge variety of roles. With just a day’s notice you can help transform a site with festive decoration or bring cheer late into the night. There are even roles to run feelgood activities such as massages, cooking and crafts, and you can volunteer with friends too. Team London makes volunteering in the city incredibly easy. Simply search from over 50,000 opportunities by interest and area and you’re guaranteed to find a role to suit you.

8. Go sledging on Hampstead Heath (if snow comes)

If the snow does grace us with its presence this year, then head to the highest point in the capital at Whitestone Pond in Hampstead (between the West Heath and Hampstead Heath) or check out Parliament Hill for some stellar views and great powder (probably). Or if you’re south of the river, try Brockwell Park in Brixton for a range of slope gradients so there’s something for everybody. It’s also near plenty of welcoming cafes to warm up in. This excellent guide will equip you with everything you need to know to choose the best spot.

Whatever you’re up to this festive season, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, from everyone at Farmdrop! x

Sick of the big companies owning Christmas? Big corps pay themselves at this time of year. We give our producers ¾ of the retail price all year round. Other retailers give as low as ¼. Have any ideas for a more thoughtful yuletide? Share your ideas with us and take a peek at our tips for a #CorporatelessChristmas on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. See all our Christmas goodies and discover the story of our farmers and foodmakers.

[farmdrop]

How to cook a turkey: 6 simple and easy steps to delicious turkey this Christmas

Is this the first year you’re on turkey duty? Maybe you just need a refresher to help get the best out of your lovingly slow-grown free-range bird. Whatever your needs this Christmas, you can rest assured you’ll have it deliciously under control with our easy step-by-step instructions on how to roast a whole turkey. So take a deep breath, pop on some Perry Como, and pour yourself a glass of something lovely - because this year, you’ve got Christmas nailed.

The easiest way to roast a fresh free-range turkey for Christmas

In order to avoid your very own Nightmare Before Christmas, the key is in the word: simplicity. Yes, you can brine, deep-fry and even slow-cook your turkey, but to keep stress levels down and tasty levels up, make your life easy and strip things back to basics. When you’re starting with an already beautiful high-welfare, slow-grown, truly free-range and superior quality bird, you don’t need to go messing about it too much with to make it amazing. That’s not so say you can’t add your own flourishes along the way, but to start, let’s keep it simple. This really easy method is straightforward and foolproof, so there’s no reason to be afraid of the biggest bird you’ll cook all year.

1. Remove all packaging, string and any giblets from the turkey. Take it out of the fridge for at least an hour (you can leave it out for up to four hours), before cooking and pat the skin dry.

Top tip: Removing it from the fridge before you plan on roasting it allows your bird to come up to room temperature and makes for more accurate cooking times (more on them in a second).

2. Preheat the oven to the highest heat it will go to for at least 20 minutes. Place your bird in a large roasting tray, either on a bed of roughly cut carrots and onions, or simply on a rack on that sits above the base of a baking tray.

3. Season the turkey with a generous pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover the whole bird in olive oil. You can use a brush for this or just get down and dirty and use your hands.

4. Cover the bird loosely in foil, cook at 230ºC for the first 30 minutes, and then reduce to 190ºC for the remaining time (about 20 minutes per 500g/1lb 2oz). About 30 to 50 minutes before the end of cooking, remove the foil.

The British Turkey Information Service advise that if a turkey is over 4kg, calculate 20 mins per kg + 90 mins. When using foil, the total timings to work to are:

4kg = 2 hrs 50 minutes

5 kg = 3 hrs 10 minutes

6 kg = 3 hrs 30 minutes

7 kg = 3 hrs 50 minutes

8 kg = 4hrs 10 minutes

9 kg = 4hrs 20 minutes

No one wants overcooked turkey so it’s important to use your instincts too when it comes to timings and to always test the turkey for doneness. Keep a watchful eye on your bird by testing an hour or so before the end of your calculated timings and don’t be afraid to go with your gut.

How to test your turkey is cooked correctly

Top tip: for a perfectly cooked turkey, use thermometers (yes, that’s more than one).

To ease any doubts on whether your turkey is cooked all the way through, use both a meat thermometer and an oven thermometer. Use your meat one to check the temperature at the inner thigh, outer thigh and breast. Use your oven one to keep tabs on the actual temperature of your oven.

When it comes to the temperature of a cooked turkey, commercially raised supermarket turkeys should be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 72ºC. Slow-grown, free-range turkeys raised on small farms that are dry-or wax plucked and are of excellent quality from a trusted high-welfare source can be cooked to 65ºC, as they should be a safer product to eat. To check your turkey is cooked, insert the thermometer and leave it there for one minute. If it hits the correct temperature, your turkey is ready to come out of the oven. Alternatively, you can do the classic pierce test by poking a clean knife or skewer into the fattest part of the bird - when the juices run clear, it’s done.

5. When your turkey is cooked, leave it to rest. Whatever you do, don’t skip this step. Take it out of the oven, place onto a serving platter or chopping board and cover in lots of foil to keep it warm. Turkeys that weigh 4-6kg should be rested for around 1½ hours, and ones from 6-10kg can rest for two hours. Don’t worry, it won’t go cold. Your bird will have a lot of residual heat even outside of the oven.

Why do cooked turkeys need resting?

This resting period is essential to helps the meat to relax and take on more of its juices. A dry bird can happen as a result of a deadly combination of overcooking and not enough rest time that just throws all your good work (and that of the farmers’) out of the window. Have faith in your timings (and enjoy a little family game whilst it’s resting), and your tastebuds will thank you for it!

6. Optional but bloomin’ delicious

Reserve the juices from the bottom of the tray to make an awesome nutrient-rich gravy.

Turkeys are naturally a social bunch and love hanging out with farmers Jacob Sykes and Nick Ball.

What our turkey farmers Nick & Jacob at Fosse Meadows say:

“The high welfare method (and a standard accredited by the Traditional Farmfresh Turkey Association) of raising the birds has to be over a long period of time, (with only natural cereal diet, free-range pasture and no additives) in order to achieve such a fine, generous and fully matured turkey. As our turkeys are raised for more than twice the length of time compared to the supermarket version, we stress that ours ARE very #slowly-grown!”

Catch their turkeys living a truly free-range life in our video and get to know them in our behind the scenes chat on the farm.

Our British Bronze Turkeys are lovingly slow-grown by Nick & Jacob at Fosse Meadows farm in Leicestershire. They are never plastic wrapped and come in neat cardboard box complete with a handle and handy cooking instructions. High-welfare farm-fresh turkeys have a superior flavour and slightly denser texture in the fibres of the meat. Our farmers’ truly free-ranging turkeys are grown for at least twice as long as supermarket turkeys and are simply in a different league compared to dry, flavourless mass-produced commercial birds.

[farmdrop]

10 time-saving strategies for Christmas cooking

Christmas cooking can sometimes be a pain in the Rudolph. You have the best intentions all December long of nailing domestic god/goddess-dom, then before you know it, you’ve lost all control - because hey, singing carols with mulled wine and excitable little ones sounds more exciting than panicking about whether to-brine-or-not-to-brine the turkey. The unusual circumstances thrust upon us by the festive season (extended family in close proximity for many, many minutes at a time, check), can bring about unforeseen circumstances that have a way of thwarting your carefully-crafted plans. To get around off-schedule shenanigans, you’ll need a few tricks to keep up your sleeve. Here are 10 habits that’ll save you time in the kitchen and energy for rocking around the Christmas tree.

1. Prep and parboil the day before

For all vegetables you’re planning to boil on Christmas day, parboil them the day before and you’ll save yourself some time. Parboil green veggies and carrots (if you have time, plunge them into ice cold water to help them keep their colour and crunch). On Christmas day, heat them up in a frying pan, which will also caramelise them a little and add a welcome touch of flavour. Parboiling the day before applies to potatoes for roasting too. After you’ve done your usual pre-roast parboil, drain and throw them around the pan with the lid on to rough-up their edges and leave them to cool in a colander, placing a tea towel over them when cool. When you’re ready to roast, heat up your fat in your roasting tray in the oven as usual, and throw them in with sea salt and sprigs of rosemary.

Turkeys are happy at room temperature before cooking.

2. Take your meat out the fridge

...before you think you need it. Think about how tense you’d be if you were kept in the cold and popped straight into a hot oven. Taking your meat out of the fridge an hour to two before you plan to cook it will bring it to room temperature and get your meat cooking more quickly and evenly because there’s less of a contrast in temperature. The meat will also be more relaxed and give you a more tender texture. This is a good tip for when you’re cooking meat at any time of the year and you’ll also free up more space in your fridge which is always precious on Christmas day. Double win.

3. Write a post-it for each dish

It’s happened before and it’ll definitely, probably, happen again. This year, don’t forget a single dish. In the craziness of Christmas day, memory of each of the stuffings in your seven stuffing spread, your beautiful bread sauce, or lovingly-made chestnut ice cream you handily whipped up in weeks ago, can fall out the window. It sounds obvious, but write a post-it note for every single thing you make (and feel proud to grace the dining table). Stick ‘em on your fridge, wall, wherever, and you’ll have a better chance of remembering them, rather than your nephew coming across the smell of charred chestnuts in the oven at 8pm…

Delegate the booze prep. Artful ladle-pouring mulled wine is a skill y’know.

4. Get others on the cocktails

Learn the art of delegation and you’ll wonder what the fuss is all about at Christmas time. Again, the idea of effortlessly whipping up a cocktail as guests arrive sounds like it’ll take seconds, and yet when it comes to it, there’s always missing glasses, lost mixers and never enough ice. Get others to handle all the drinks (including topping up wines, replacing beers, and making teas and coffees) so you can focus on the main event.

5. Leave your bird unstuffed

One easy way to get Christmas cooking underway with little room for error, is to simply not stuff your turkey. No one will hold it against you. No one will bring it up in a heated moment eight months later and use it as fodder for a “Yes, I may have forgotten your birthday, but at least I stuff my turkey!” kinda dig. By cooking your stuffing separately, not only do you not have to worry about whether the stuffing will go dry as it cooks at a different rate to the turkey, there’s also no pressure to get the picture-perfect slices of stuffing layered neatly next to turkey breast. Let’s be honest, it rarely comes out that way and balls of stuffing make it really easy when it comes to serving up.

Free-range high-welfare Porchetta anyone?

6. Don’t cook a turkey

Controversial we know, but if the idea of cooking a turkey gets you in a flap, just don’t do it. There are plenty of showstopping alternatives out there that’ll wow your guests without them wondering ‘when’s the turkey coming?’. If you’re still after a bird, try goose for a thoroughly traditional British affair, or cockerel for a bird that’s a little gamer than chicken. Try Beef Wellington (you could make all the elements in advance and leave just the job of cooking it in the oven on the day), or throw pork into the mix with Porchetta. (Obviously if you’re veggie, vegan or generally enjoy a plant-based diet, you’ll have this nailed!)

7. ...Or if you do, cook a turkey crown

There’s no legs or wings to worry about, so you don’t have to panic about extremities cooking faster than the breast. Quicker to cook and easier to carve, it’s ideal if you and your gang tend to tuck into the breast anyway.

8. Become best friends with you freezer

Finishing touches can quickly add up and absorb any spare time you have. Homemade sauces are one of those things that you imagine will take no time at all and yet they end up being a bit of a faff. When it comes to your classic cranberry or bread sauce, simply make them in advance and pop them in the freezer. Now the making part is done, just gently heat it in a saucepan and keep it on a low heat until you’re ready to serve. With dishes that can be made in advance, such as cauliflower cheese or stuffing, you can make them up until the point they need cooking and freeze them. All that’s left to do it chuck ‘em in the oven an hour or so before you need them and let the good times roll.

Wouldn’t say no to a cheeky bottle of Somerset Pomona apple juice cider brandy...

9. Get people to bring things

If you’re cooking Christmas dinner, there’s no shame in asking folks to bring an edible gift or two and a helping hand. Get mince pies covered by Aunty Jan. Ask your brother to bring crackers. Don’t forget to ask your friend next door to bring that spare chair. Remind your sister to be in entertainer mode and occupy the kids when they’re in a frenzy of excitement. In the spirit of generosity that is Christmas, everything will come together nicely with a little pitching in.

10. Have a map of hidden presents

Not strictly food related, but less time spent stressing leaves more time for enjoying cooking. The stealth tucking away of a present on top of a wardrobe might have garnered a mini fist-pump as you got off that stool in late November, but you can just as easily drive yourself crazy rattling round the place on Christmas morning, claiming to be ‘looking for your glasses’. A cryptic back of the envelope drawing that only makes sense to you and has a home that’s guaranteed to be a safe place - try sandwiched in between old travel guides on your top bookshelf - will do the trick. Unless you forget where you put that.

10a. Wrap your kid’s presents as soon as you get them

Save time by wrapping your kid’s presents as soon as you get them delivered or get them home without them spying them. This trick will save you bags of time in the run-up to Christmas and avoid the night before wrapping nightmare.

Whatever you’re up to this festive season, we wish you a very merry Christmas!

The Farmdrop Team x

Sick of the big companies owning Christmas? Big corps pay themselves at this time of year and give as low as ¼ back to producers. We give our producers ¾ of the retail price all year round. Take a peek at all our Christmas goodies, story of our producers and check out our 5 effortlessly stunning DIY Christmas decoration ideas, brought to you by our designer Georgie.

[farmdrop]

A guide on how to have the ultimate ethical and green Christmas

There are many things in life that are taken over by the big corps - don’t let Christmas become one of them. As retailers are doing all they can to get you to part with your pennies and line their pockets (thanks to talking carrots, jumping boxer dogs, James Corden and big, big budgets), there is another way. This Christmas, we invite you to make your mark by embracing an ethical and green spirit, so you can leave a smaller one on the planet and a better one on the small folks (or elves should we say) who truly make Christmas sparkle. Together, let’s not forget what really matters this festive season.

Gift’s galore: what is a good green gift?

Christmas is undoubtedly a time for giving and receiving, sharing and loving (Joey knows it). It’s also an ideal time to exercise your spending power wisely and give a meaningful gift that your friends/mother/lover will rave about in years to come - rather than regret the skincare set that was ⅓ off but looks dodgy at home, away from the shiny high street lights. Broaden your ideas of what a gift could look like and you’ll set the wheels in motion for winning the in-family award for ‘most thoughtful gift 2016’.

Gift an experience

Try giving an experience or course where the lucky recipient will try or learn something new (this also handily requires little or no packaging). There are plenty of online and in-real-life courses out there to satisfy every curiosity. Help someone get to grips with all things sustainable with a course at the Centre for Alternative Technology in Powys, Wales, where they cover all aspects of green living: from environmental building, eco-sanitation and renewable energy to energy efficiency and organic growing. Help save ancient woods under threat and create new native woodland in the UK buy gifting a membership to the Woodland Trust. If they’re a foodie, consider fermentation, pickling and jam making with our award-winning producer Newton & Pott in Hackney or a casual afternoon whipping up British free-range charcuterie in the Norfolk countryside with Marsh Pig for the wannabe self-sufficient carnivore. There’s always foraging and mushroom hunting to be done too, just so it’s clear your friends and family know you’re a funghi to be with...

Give less, give better

Don’t bundle up on gifts. Tempting as it may be to add on a few little extras here and there, it’s makes for a much better experience for the giftee to bask in the glory of one lovely, wonderful thing that needs no accompaniments. By giving less you’re also contributing less to the vicious cycle of cheap and disposable items that won’t see the light of day next December. Wave goodbye to presents without provenance and give a warm welcome to lovingly-made homegrown items that’ll last and are by ethical traders where the folks behind them are treated fairly. Try Nudie jeans that will literally last a lifetime with their free repair service and transparent production to boot. Or how about a mighty fine umbrella? Ince Umbrellas are the UK’s oldest makers and they pride themselves in a sustainable supply chain. Rest easy in the knowledge that the one thing someone living in Britain will always need is a proper good brolly.

Sustainably secondhand

Pre-used goodies might not scream Christmas, but you’ll be amazed at what you can find on sites such as Preloved or Oxfam where you truly can contribute to the reduce, reuse, recycle cause. The best thing outside of buying anything new at all is to buy something secondhand. Many items listed are brand new and have never been used at all, and some perhaps just once for a special occasion. If you have a certain gift in mind, spend a little time searching and you could save a lot of money and help the planet out too.

Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree

To buy a real tree or not to buy a real tree? Did you know 8 million Christmas trees are felled each year in the UK? The majority of which land in the tip a few weeks later. Some will say it’s not a proper Christmas unless you have the scent of pine wafting around the living room and yet many of the trees available in garden centres will have been intensively farmed on a big scale (you know how that kind of behaviour gets our goat) and some may have arrived at the petrol station forecourt via a long-haul journey from overseas.

But it’s not all doom and gloom - there are ways to bring the German-born tradition of a decorated tree indoors without leaving a huge environmental footprint. 95% of Christmas trees grown in the UK are on farms that provide habitat for wildlife. So whilst a freshly cut spruce is greener than an imported fake tree, here’s what you could do to be as green as possible when it comes to your Christmas tree.

Know where your tree is grown

To make sure your tree is grown in the UK, check out the British Christmas Tree Growers Association. Look for Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) approved trees (as well as cards and wrapping paper or even paper-craft to decorate the tree with to keep little ones busy) which are grown as part of a well-managed forest, minimising the use of pesticides and protecting forest plants and animals. The Forestry Commission have a list of Christmas tree sales centres where you can buy a sustainably grown, local tree. The Christmas Forest is small and independent family business who provide sustainable trees from 10 sites across London (or you can order online). Every tree cut after it’s nine-year growing cycle is replaced and for each tree sold, another is donated so it can be grown by a family in Africa through Tree Aid.

Go locally grown or organic

If you can’t get an FSC tree, you could try sourcing one that is organically or locally grown by a nearby farmer, which can provide benefits in terms of pesticide use and carbon footprint reduction as well as the added benefit of organic Christmas tree farms providing a rich habitat for wildlife. To find a retailer selling organic trees, head to The Soil Association’s website.

Rent, reuse or recycle a tree

Did you know it’s possible to rent a tree? You’ll receive your tree in a pot and it’ll be returned to the ground after Christmas so it can happily live on. Try Forever Green Christmas Trees, who serve Essex. Reusing a potted tree or using an existing (i.e. secondhand) fake tree year after year (and we mean year after year, rather than ever buying a new one and contributing to the mass-production horror that is fake Christmas trees) win you brownie points in the reducing-waste department. If you do go for a real cut tree, make sure it does some good to the environment by giving it to the council and recycling it - it’ll be shredded and then go on to be compost or wood chip mulch. Check with your council on their Christmas tree recycling scheme or try www.letsrecycle.com.

Hello Christmas dinner (and some)

Know where your food comes from

There’s almost nothing sorrier than scrambling around a crowded supermarket, fending off the rest of London for the last sad bag of sprouts. Do whatever you can to avoid the stress of the last minute supermarket dash. Not only will you save yourself bags of time and energy, you also avoid contributing to the machine of mass-produced food without provenance that’s been sitting around in distribution centres, ready for the big Christmas rush. Not what you want for your festive feast, aka best-meal-of-the-year, right?

Source local food where you know how it’s been produced and where it’s come from. How can you know how your Turkey was raised? Go for a free-range or organic turkey from a source you trust. (Catch our farmers Nick & Jacob at Fosse Meadows with their turkeys on video. They really live life on the wild side and the guys would love to hear your questions!). And it doesn’t just stop at the farm. When you shop with us, your food is be delivered in our zero-emission electric Vanimals - so you can shop knowing you’re not contributing to London’s already shockingly high levels of CO2 and can still get everything you need, fresh from the farm.

Make a meal of your leftovers

The average family wastes around a third of the food they buy at Christmas. Save your pennies and the planet by planning in leftover dishes that you and the gang will really look forward to. Try a few simple tricks and tips, such as throwing leftover herbs into a frittata or going hell for leather on a cracking bubble and squeak. Make stock by roasting turkey bones and simmering them with water and leftover herbs - be the ultimate Christmas multitasker and leave it to simmer whilst your favourite festive film is on. Leave to cool and freeze in an ice cube tray and it’ll see you into the new year. And there’s always room for turkey tacos and a panettone bread and butter pudding...

Say goodbye to BOGOFFS

Avoid waste by resisting erroneous buy-one-get-one-free deals where you end up lumbered with a mountain of not-so-special sweet treats you and your family simply won’t need after all that tasty turkey and nut roast. Notoriously designed by supermarkets to get you to buy more, BOGOFFS aren’t there to help you, but help line their pockets.

It’s easy to whip up gift tags with old Christmas cards.

Decorations and all the trimmings

During the festive season alone, in Britain we create 3 million tonnes of waste (gulp). We use over 8,000 tonnes of wrapping paper over Christmas, which creates over 83 square km of rubbish - that's enough to cover Guernsey (blimey, let’s just call the whole thing off...). Together, we can ease contributions to the rubbish pile by using recycled paper and recycling it again after use. As alternative to buying anything new, try using old wallpaper, posters or even newspapers to artfully wrap gifts. Get your crafting hat on and embrace homemade decorations such as timeless paper chains and easy-as-pie snowflakes (if it’s good enough for Wes Anderson, it’s good enough for us). Try our 5 easy and sustainable DIY craft ideas that’ll reuse what you have at home and impress your guests with your crafty-prowess. Soon enough you’ll find yourself saying: ‘You won’t be able to find these beautifully handcrafted... foraged in a shop’.

Sick of the big companies owning Christmas? Big corps pay themselves at this time of year. We give our producers ¾ of the retail price all year round. Other retailers give as low as ¼. Got any ideas on avoiding the big companies at Christmas? Share your tips with us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and together let’s enjoy a #CorporatelessChristmas. Fosse Meadows Turkeys are available to pre-order now! See all our Christmas goodies and the story of our producers.

[farmdrop]

5 easy, fun and frugal DIY Christmas craft ideas that won’t eat into your gift budget

Our designer Georgie is a twine-twirling pro. 

At this time of year, the big corps are scrambling to take things off your hands, and yet the festive season is the perfect time make things personal by making things with your own. Not looking forward to dusting off your hotchpotch box of decorations? Rather than hitting the high street in a fear-of-failing-at-Christmas induced panic, with a little creativity it’s easy to shake up your festive decor without breaking the bank (and have some fun along the way). Have a go at our quick, inexpensive and nature-inspired ideas that are easy on the environment, make beautiful use of what’s already around you and don’t require you to be a super-crafter to impress with a personal touch.

Foraged Wreath

What you need:

- long twigs (or a flat wire wreath ring)

- foraged evergreen leaves

- floristry wire

Create a circular base weaving long twigs together (willow works well) or alternatively buy a flat wire wreath ring. Forage for evergreen leaves, such as ivy, myrtle, eucalyptus and holly (be careful of Holly’s prickly leaves and don’t let children or pets eat its toxic berries). Use floristry wire to tie the greenery onto the ring. Repeat until the entire wreath is covered. Decorate with holly, berries or dried fruit.  

Dried Fruit Garland

What you need:

- whole oranges, apples, pears, lemons

- string

Cut oranges, apples, pears, lemons and lime into approximately 1cm thick slices. Place them directly onto an oven rack and heat at 110°C for 3 hours to dry them out. Once cooled, use a long piece of string to thread the slices onto. Tie a knot at each end and cover the string with twine or ribbon.

Natural Napkins

What you need:

- napkins

- twine

- evergreen foliage

- fresh herbs

Use square linen napkins, the napkins you already have at home, or use off-cuts of material to create your own. Fold the napkin in half and roll up. Wrap twine around the middle a number of times and tie a bow. Feed evergreen leaves and classic British herbs like rosemary, thyme and sage underneath the twine to make for a fragrant addition to the dinner table.

Candle Holders

What you need:

- empty jam jars

- tealight candles

Clean up old jam and condiment jars (or Kilner jars if you have any spare). Carefully rub over a little white spirit to remove traces of label glue from the glass. Light your tealights and carefully place inside each jar. If you wanted to jazz them up little, you could add attach a small stem of foliage to the outside of the jar with a length of cord or twine.

Hand-decorated gift tags

What you need:

- old christmas cards

- hold punch

- twine

- ribbon

Crafting your own gift tags are a great way to add a unique and personal touch to your lovingly wrapped gifts with the added benefit of recycling what you’ve already got. Cut out sections of old christmas cards, pierce with a hole punch and loop through some ribbon or twine to attach to a gift. Plain luggage tags are inexpensive and ideal for dressing up with your own designs, patterns, old postage stamps and calligraphy-style writing with brush pens and metallic ink.

Sick of the big companies owning Christmas? Big corps pay themselves at this time of year. We give our producers ¾ of the retail price all year round. Other retailers give than ¼. Got any ideas on avoiding the big companies at Christmas? Share your tips with us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and together let’s enjoy a #CorporatelessChristmas.

[farmdrop]

7 of the best cosy sustainable London pubs and restaurants

At this time of year, there are days when nothing will do but seeking shelter in a cosy nook and hunkering down to a hot plate of bang-in-season food with a juicy glass of red (or two). Always hungry for literally eating up the the best of what the capital has to offer, we couldn’t resist sharing our top places to hang out, get warm, and get fed - places run by people who share our belief in championing small producers, local farms, provenance behind their dishes and enjoying a darned good eatings.

1. Poco, Broadway Market

Winner of the Sustainable Restaurant of the Year award at this year’s The Food Made Good Awards, run by the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA), lemons are the only imported fresh ingredient on Poco’s tapas menu. Executive Chef Tom Hunt’s root-to-fruit philosophy is is behind the success of the Bristol institution’s (it won Observer Food Monthly Award for best ethical restaurant in 2013) London spot, where using seasonal ingredients, supporting local suppliers, and creating minimal waste are the order of the day, everyday. Leaves, shoots and vegetable skins share top billing with a menu featuring the names of individual producers and an interior built from sustainable English wood. Tom is also the brains behind Forgotten Feast, a Social Enterprise working on projects throughout the UK to revive our cooking heritage and help reduce food waste and ‘Meet the Producer’ feasts at the restaurant. What a guy.

Jaks, Buyer, says: “This place is a kindred spirit - working direct with farms and small artisan producers and making it accessible to everyone.”

Claire, CRM Manager, says: “Literally every single mouthful I had was delicious, even the crispy head of the mackerel. (Doing my bit for zero waste!)”

Poco Tapas Bar, 129 Pritchard's Rd, London, E2 9AP

2. The Dairy, Clapham

With a sourcing philosophy that makes us swoon, the Dairy knows how to do British seasonal eating at its unpretentious finest. The bar and bistro’s reclaimed interior is home to chef Robin Gill’s (Noma and Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons alumni) sumptuous small plates and hail from ‘sea’, ‘land’ and ‘garden’ - their actual rooftop garden of herbs and vegetables and their own beehives. The changing seasons and honest flavours of quality ingredients are championed, inspiring dishes such as ‘delicia pumpkin, toasted seeds and almond milk’ and ‘charred English leeks, smoked yolk, chestnut’.

Alice, Buyer, says: “The in-house baked bread is amazing and their tasting menus are really imaginative, varied and reasonable too.”

Alice, Team Chef, says: “The menu is clever without trying too hard. I love it’s sharing plates that don’t have too much dairy (despite the name!).”

(Our team really love it here.)

The Dairy, 15 The Pavement, Clapham Oldtown, London, SW4 0HY

3. The Smokehouse, Islington

Coined one of London’s best smokehouse restaurants by the Evening Standard, chef Neil Rankin (formerly of fellow smoky stalwart Pitt Cue) has nailed the art of rich and punchy flavour with a tenderness that simply can’t come about from relying on big ol’ smoke to do all the legwork. It’s certainly not all meat and grease at The Smokehouse. A beautiful boozer that’s cosily lit by candlelight indoors and fairy lights in a secluded garden outdoors, blackboards hanging from simply decorated walls proudly display the restaurant’s transparent sourcing philosophy (nestled next to a specials bursting with excellent coal-grilled prime cuts and slow cooked specialities). Serving up information on the sourcing and farms behind their meat, fish, and fruit and vegetables alongside the sustainable English oak that goes into their smokers, quality and provenance reign supreme whilst delivering on deliciousness. Also, anywhere with a ‘This week we’re butchering’ board wins our hearts.

Julien, Head of Marketing, says: “All the food is really good! It’s well sourced with a fantastic charcuterie board and cosy dining room.”

The Smokehouse, 63–69 Canonbury Rd, Islington, London, N1 2DG 

4. The Marksman, Bethnal Green

This East-End boozer (yes, it really still is a pub with a bar, extremely local beers on tap, and wood-clad walls), has recently hit headlines for making it’s mark (sorry) as Michelin’s pub of the year. Having already established itself with locals as a haven for excellent execution in British fare since its refurbishment in 2015 by two former St John chefs, Tom Harris and Jon Rotheram, the inspectors said they enjoyed the “devilled mussels on toast, skate with shrimps and turnip tops, and pheasant and trotter pie – all carefully cooked, perfectly balanced and full of flavour”. Inspired by the rich and diverse culinary history of London, it’s menu focuses on the best of British seasonal produce and the devil is in the detail. Dive into horseradish cream, homemade relish, and ‘fried potatoes’ - a heavenly mash up of fondant potato meets giant triple-cooked chips. At The Marksman, the simple beauty of pristine ingredients rule the roost.

Lizzie, Recipe Developer, says: “Love their spot-on snappy service and incredible, honest, no-faff food. It’s the perfect place for a Sunday roast.”

The Marksman, 254 Hackney Road, London, E2 7SJ 

5. The Three Stags, Kennington

Just over the road the Imperial War Museum, this classic Victorian high-windowed pub is a founding member of the Sustainable Restaurant Association. The proprietors are passionate about provenance and the sustainability of people as well as the environment - the roof is home to a beehive surrounded by pots of herbs and proceeds from the sale of their raw unfiltered ‘Lambeth realness in a jar’ honey are donated to a children’s sanctuary project in Bali. The pub lists the suppliers of their Welsh lamb, line caught fish, free-range meats and homegrown fruit and vegetables and all scraps are composted.

Susan, Content Manager, says: “Camp out in the glass-walled corner booth ‘Chaplin Corner’ and while away the hours over a sharing slow roasted whole shoulder of lamb.”

The Three Stags, 67-69 Kennington Rd, Lambeth, London SE1 7PZ

6. The Pear Tree, Fulham

Off the beaten track and tucked away behind Charing Cross Hospital, this quintessential neighboured Victorian pub ramps up the comfort factor with its tartan throws and open fire. The menu changes constantly depending on the ingredients available from a local market, resulting in classic British gastropub dishes happily reliant on what’s in season. An oasis of comfort in one of the oldest buildings in the area, the pub is complete with booth-style benches, candlelight in the evening and a pear-tree shaded garden.

Myles, Senior Developer, says: “Cozy atmosphere, good food and tucked away from the high street so it’s less busy.”

The Pear Tree, 14 Margravine Road, Hammersmith, London, W6 8HJ

7. Franklin’s, East Dulwich

Franklin’s occupies a neat corner spot of a converted boozer on Lordship Lane and takes the provenance of its produce seriously. The restaurant is run in partnership with actor and celebrity Masterchef finalist Neil Stuke who owns the farm shop of the same name opposite. His father worked his way up from the Army Catering Corps to the Savoy as a chef, and opened his own restaurant in Sussex where Stuke worked his first job. With a menu of seasonal British dishes made with fruit, vegetables, meat, milk and cheeses sourced from named Kent farms and the same small specialist producers that stock the farm shop, Neil says: “I believe in small producers, provenance, zero air miles, no packaging..I’m about small local shops, anti-supermarket, so [having the shop] it was an emotional thing.” We’re right with you there, Neil.

Gem, Head of Operations, says: “A great local spot for a proper British seasonal supper.”  

Franklins, 157 Lordship Lane, London, SE22, 8HX

Cosying up to seasonal food isn’t just for weekends. We invite you to embrace the best local and seasonal British vegetables, meat and game with Farmdrop and make November a #MonthOfSundays!

We want to know - what makes your dream Sunday? Hitting you favourite local provenance-proud hang out? A walk in the park with crisp leaves underfoot? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and we’ll share our favourite Sunday stories.

[farmdrop]

Instagram your cosy comfort food for a chance to win a bottle wine.

As the evenings get darker quicker and the weather’s not up to much, now’s the perfect time to be whipping up winter warmers and cosy comfort food. And we want to see what you’re cooking up! Share your snaps on Instagram and our favourite will win a bottle of wine to enjoy with their nearest and dearest. 

To enter our competition, simply post a picture of your home cooking on Instagram and tag @farmdrop with #monthofsundays by midnight on 30th November.

Happy snapping and good luck!

Terms & Conditions

1. Farmdrop is a limited company whose registered office is at The Biscuit Factory, 100 Drummond Road, London, SE16 4DG, registered with company number 08111929

2. To enter the competition please post a picture of your home cooking on Instagram before midnight on 30th November. We will announce the winner on the 1st week of December.

3. The prize is a bottle of wine of your choice from www.farmdrop.com up to the value of £15.95. No cash equivalent to prize shall be given. The prize may be changed.

4. Open to UK residents aged 18 or over, except employees of Farmdrop, and their immediate families, or anyone professionally associated with this promotion.

5. Farmdrop reserves the right to cancel any participation to this contest.

6. The winner will be notified by message on Instagram on the 1st week of December. The prize will then need to be claimed before the 31st December 2016.

7. Farmdrop reserves the right to use the full name of the competition winner in promotion of the competition.

8. By entering the competition you are accepting these terms and conditions. Entries which are not in accordance with the terms and conditions will not count. Farmdrop’s decision in respect of all matters to do with the competition will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.

[farmdrop]

5 tips to ace slow cooker recipes

Slow-cooked meals are a dream to eat and a breeze to cook. As the evenings get darker quicker and the weather’s not up to much, now’s the perfect time to be whipping up winter warmers. Think you don’t have enough time for slow-cooking? Think again. You’ll actually save time, money and win major nutrition points by making the most out of seasonal ingredients with little effort and a lot of tasty reward. Here are our top hints and tips to help you slow-cook like a pro and slice hours off your working week.

1. Embrace cheaper cuts (and save money)

It’s an old chestnut, but cheaper cuts of meat really do bring tons of flavour to stewy proceedings. Cuts such as brisket, shoulder, shin, skirt, chuck and belly demand slow cooking because they are from a part of the animal has had to work harder. The result? Deep, layered, incredible flavours that just can’t be replicated in a quick-cook scenario. Have a go at a classic meaty stew by throwing chuck or shin into a pot with root veg and wine and leaving it to do its thing, or try using beef bones to get your broth on. Slow-cooking performs the same magic on vegetables too, amping up all of their flavours to reveal layer after layer of new luscious depths as well as keeping all of their goodness in one place too.

Try slow-cooking curried lentils in advance and enjoy with pan fried hake for warming midweek supper.

2. A little prep goes a long way

Recognise the gnarly brown bits at the bottom of the pan when you fry something? These bits and bobs are where the flavour building begins and is a step well worth doing if you’re after some glorious umami (and doesn’t need to be a big squeeze on your time). Browning meat before it goes low and slow makes for a delicious caramelised crust and a flavour that layers up as the slow-cook goes on. Try browning floured meat cuts to ramp up the caramelisation and keep the flavour locked into each meaty morsel. The same goes for vegetables - pan frying onions on the lowest heat until meltingly soft (at least 15 minutes) will knock your soups, stews and curries into next Sunday. When you’re about to cook something for a good few hours, it really is worth it to put this little extra effort in at the beginning with quality ingredients to thoroughly enjoy all week long. Which leads us to...

Give slow cooking Minestrone a go and munch on it all week.

3. Batch it up (and save time)

The beauty of slow-cooked meals is that they do the hard work so you don’t have to and this is where the time-saving part really kicks in. They’re there to be cooked once and enjoyed all week - making for the perfect midweek meal when feeling lazy and needing something tasty, sharpish. Taking some time to get your slow-cook on means it’s effortlessly easy to make every dinner day like a Sunday - melt-in-the-mouth brisket on a Tuesday? Done. Flavour-packed vegetable chilli on a Wednesday? Why yes, of course. Handily, the flavour of a cooked stew or pie-like dish usually intensifies over time (ever wondered why a lasagne can taste better on day two? The flavours have had longer to intermingle and get cosy, a bit like a marinade). Make double the original amount and freeze in tupperware to defrost and reheat later in the week. By batch cooking your slow-suppers and making them in advance, not only will your midweek suppers have an unbeatable flavour, but you can truly shave hours off your working week.

Marinated slow cooked aubergines make for super-tender midweek veggie dish.

4. Go slow, go low

Slow is good. There are no shortcuts when it comes to slow-cooking, making it the perfect excuse to spend some time on a Sunday afternoon building your slow-supper to perfection, or popping food in a slow-cooker before work. The great thing about dishes cooked slowly is that in their nature they ooze flavour, without all the legwork you’d usually need to put in to impart a big flavour punch in quick dish. Take things up a notch and slow-cook your dish for longer on the lowest heat and you’ll find most dishes benefit from gentle heat over a longer period of time (rather than speeding things up on a higher heat). Going low and slow means flavours have more time to develop with the added benefit of your kitchen smelling scrumptious. Go from 4 hours to 8 hours and you’re destined for a spot on the slow-cook hall of fame. Throw fresh herbs in the end and a dollop of yoghurt for a fresh, clean kick and voila - supper’s sorted.

Slow cook Spag Bol for flavour like no other. If you like it then you better put a lid on it

5. No touching

One phrase to bear in mind is ‘set it and forget it’. As tempting as it may be, don’t lift the lid for a peek! Every time you open the lid both heat and moisture are released, lowering the temperature of your bounty and letting that luscious liquid go up in vapour. Opening the lid over a period of 8 hours will definitely make a dent into your timings and your liquid a little less viscous. The joy of not peeping means you keep all the nutritious liquid from your meat and veggies in one place. If you’d like to thicken it up, add some cornflour right at the end, or reduce in another pan on the hob before devouring your sticky stash.

Slow-cooked comfort food isn't just for weekends. We invite you to embrace the best local and seasonal British vegetables, meat and game with Farmdrop and make November a #MonthOfSundays!

We want to know - what makes your dream Sunday? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and we’ll share our favourite Sunday stories.

[farmdrop]

At Goodwood Home Farm with Farm Manager of the Year 2015, Tim Hassell on the country’s first organic dairy herd and handling two centuries of heritage

Tim is no ordinary farmer and he manages no ordinary farm. Innovating in the face of Britain’s dairy downturn, over seven years Tim has transformed the 3,500 acre organic Home Farm on the Goodwood Estate - best known hosting world-famous, quintessential British summer events. The son of a steelworker, raised in Sheffield and winner of Farmers Weekly Farmer of the Year in 2015, Tim has worked his magic to modernise the farm while remaining committed to traditional sustainable practices. The result? Incredible quality milk without succumbing to a future as a mega-dairy and selling to supermarkets. 

Goodwood Home Farm Manager Tim is happy with his herd.

With customers ranging from locals buying milk at the farm gate to London’s Ritz Hotel, our free-ranging reporter Nigel caught up with Tim to talk about being home to first dairy herd to be entirely organically-fed in this country, the joys of milk terroir and handling two centuries of heritage.

The rolling fields of Goodwood Home Farm.

Tell us a little about the history and set up behind Goodwood Home Farm.

The Duke and Duchess of Richmond (who are retired) and Lord and Lady March are the chairman of the company. It’s been family owned since 1760 and the Duchess of Richmond was one of the Soil Association’s earliest members. She ran her kitchen garden on organic principles and passed her passion down to her family. Home Farm had the first 100% organically fed dairy in the country and is the largest lowland organic farm in the UK. We employ about 26 people across the farm – which includes delivery drivers, cheese makers. Then there’s nearly 600 people that work across the whole business – it’s a massive local employer. We’re near Chichester and the location’s perfect. You’ve got everything you need, the downs, the sea...From a farming point of view it’s quite kind in terms of both the soil and the weather.

What do you rear on the farm and what are your methods?

We are dairy farmers, but we’ve also got sheep, pigs and arable crops as well. We’re a totally mixed farm. We’re organic and we’re in Higher Level Stewardship (a government scheme designed to support environmentally beneficial management practices) up on the downs and on the farm we’re very much a grass-based traditional breeds system – we’re raising Sussex cattle, South Down sheep and Shorthorn Dairy cows. It’s very much a low input system. Most organic farms are low input systems just by their nature.

What makes your farm special?

The one thing that makes us different to other farms is that we have to dovetail in with the rest of the Estate and its events with lots of visitors! You lose fields for car parking but you have to see the bigger picture. Beyond our unique setup, it’s about the breeds we’ve got - what they eat and how they are looked after by the incredible team we have here - and it’s about the system we’ve created where everything we do helps everything else. It’s not one specific thing as such - it’s all about the system, and the system works.

One Dairy Shorthorn cow striking a pose.

Why Dairy Shorthorn cows in particular?

They were introduced before I came and it was a case of fitting the system whilst producing a good beef cross (a cow for eating). They suit an organic forage based system and there’s the benefit of their dual purpose - if you’re crossing a Sussex bull on a Shorthorn Dairy cow you’re getting a really good beef animal too.

They’re an easy animal to look after and we don’t push them, so on average they’ll produce 6000 litres of milk a year (which compares to all year round indoor units of mass-produced milk where cows can average 11,000 litres). The fat of their milk sit up at around 4.2 – 4.3% and protein levels around 3.3%, so it’s all about quality not quantity. They are really nice cows to work with too, really hardy and laid-back.

How many days are they outside a year and what’s the lifespan of a Goodwood cow compared to mega-dairy cow?

The cows come into the sheds at the end of October and turn out (are brought out to pasture to graze on grass) around the middle to end of February, so they spend about 8 months of the year out to pasture. We will have cows that will have done 10-12 lactations (periods of milking) in a lifetime. I’d say our average is around 7 or 8 compared to the ‘industry’ standard of 2.5 lactations.

What is the diet of one of your dairy cows?

When they are out to pasture they are eating a mixed ley (a system where the fields are used for pasture and the soil is filled with grasses or other plants for the animals to graze on, increasing the fertility of the soil). There will be 3 or 4 different types of grass and they’ll have white clover, perhaps some chicory and perennial herb plantain - and that’s about it.

We will always feed them what we call a ‘buffer feed’. This is because when you turn the animals out in the spring the butter fat drops because the food is going through the animal too quickly. On top of that they’ll get a top up of protein. They’ll have the grass silage (grass that’s stored in airtight conditions to provide feed over the winter) and whole crop silage (made from oats and vetch, which is a bit like a pea), so we’ll harvest that when the grain goes to a cheese-y stage and the vetch. They get home-grown oats and we buy in a protein blend which has seeds in such as sunflower seeds.

Beautiful fertile landscape of the farm, full of healthy grass and forage herbs for the cows to chow down on.

Can you tell us about animal health and use of antibiotics?

Animal health and welfare is paramount to us. We have a strict herd health plan in place and regularly test what bugs we’ve got so we know what treatment to target. If we do need to treat a cow with antibiotics, we’ll revert back to conventional treatment. Last year out of 200 cows – we only had 15 cases of treatable mastitis (inflammation of the udder) in the whole year, so a very tiny amount.

What are the health benefits of unhomogenised milk?

It’s something Lady March is very keen on – that we don’t homogenise our milk and our pasteurisation is as low a heat as we can legally go. When milk is homogenised, it’s forced through tiny holes so fat molecules break down. We believe unhomgenised milk is far better for you as the fat globules stay in their natural state.

Are you talking to me?

Let’s talk milk terroir. Do you think the single herd milk reflects the Goodwood terroir?

Yes I think so! The quality is what you’d expect from Goodwood and it has a silky kind of smoothness to it.

Anything else we should know?

My title at Goodwood is Mr Grumpy! I do think it’s quite cool that a lad from Sheffield is running one of the most prestigious estates in the South of England - something that most people wouldn’t quite expect on a personal level. From a business point of view, we’re coming out of the shadows of Goodwood. The estate has got a strap line in that they want to become famous for their food – and that’s been driven by the farm.

See all of Goodwood’s incredible Organic Milk on the shop.

Nigel is a third generation farmer, editor and photographer with a love of capturing small-scale independent farms and artisanal food producers. Our kinda guy.

[farmdrop]

13 food facts that will give you nightmares

These morsels will leave a bad taste in your mouth. To get you properly freaked out in the lead-up to Halloween, we're exposing the real-life nightmares behind the food we eat with 13 hard-hitting facts that'll send chills down your spine.

Thankfully there is a light at the end of the tunnel (or a candle in the Jack-O'-Lantern) and that's Farmdrop. We hate mass-produced food - it isn't good for the producer, the consumer, the environment or the food itself. We believe in being empowered by knowledge of where your food comes from, how it is made, and how it gets to your plate. 

Hopefully you’ll know that we’re all about being positive too (glass half full? yes please), but this is why we fight. This is why we’re on a mission to fix the food chain, and why it desperately needs fixing in the first place.

Find out more about the welfare of our farmers’ chickens, the dramatic variation in the welfare of egg laying hens depending on the label, how we’re fighting food waste in the field as well as in the kitchen, and how we’re fighting London’s air pollution problem.

Discover the stories behind our 13 spine-chilling food facts on our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest boards and follow us for more like this!

[farmdrop]

How to cut a pumpkin without hurting yourself (or those around you)

You’ve got pots and pans at the ready, waiting to receive your pumpkin’s abundant orange flesh. All that’s left between lots of bubble bubble, (and hopefully not too much toil and trouble) is you. To cut a pumpkin safely - or any other mildly intimidating seasonal squash (after all, their shape isn’t like anything else to grace your kitchen counter all year) - takes confidence, mind over squash matter and a sharp knife. Forget about how it could potentially knock you out if it made contact with your head and focus on showing that squash who’s boss - you’ll be eating its guts for dinner soon enough. So limber up. Together, we can do this.

Use a sharp knife

We’ve said it once and we’ll say it again. Use a properly sharp knife. Folks say using a blunt a knife is more dangerous than a sharp one in the kitchen and in almost no other example does this mantra become so real. Sharpen up your sharpest knife if you can before putting knife-to-pumpkin to avoid engaging in a squashbuckling adventure.

Get a grip

Squash can be a slippery thing. Stabilise your squash or pumpkin by cutting a centimetre off both the top and bottom ends. If the stem sits lower than the top of the body of the pumpkin, and if your pumpkin is already quite flat at the bottom, don’t worry about cutting the top or bottom off. Once that’s done, place the bottom end flat on your chopping board and slice down the middle - chopping it from top to bottom. Make sure you have a stable surface (no propping on the edge of a flimsy table or corner of a busy kitchen counter where one slip will send your toaster flying). If your pumpkin is a biggie, cut into sections you can manage, a bit like slicing a pie, from top to bottom. Maintain a firm grip with your other hand and keep fingers away from the knife edge when cutting. This is all about cutting the squash, the whole squash, and nothing but the squash. To improve your pumpkin’s grip on your chopping board even further, you can place a clean tea towel or J-cloth between your surface and the freshly cut base.

Scoop away

You’ve mastered the big chop. Now’s the time to put your scooping skills to work. Use a metal tablespoon to get right in there and get its guts out. Scrape your spoon along its hard flesh to take up the stringy parts and leave you with one clean looking pumpkin. Save the seeds and separate them from the stringy flesh as they make a divine snack simply roasted with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

Say goodbye to skin

Depending on your recipe, one easy way to remove your pumpkin’s skin is to roast your deseeded sections in the oven and scoop out the cooked insides. The skin will have softened in the oven, giving you some much-welcome room for such scoopy manoeuvres. If your recipe calls for the skin to be removed before cooking, you can easily cut the skin clean off using a knife and get the job done quickly, or use a vegetable peeler.

Go wild

Congratulations! You are a proficient pumpkin slicer, a master of squash, and an all round Halloween hero. Take your newfound skills to the next level by cubing, slicing or grating your bounty, and throw your pumpkin into soup, risotto, pies, lattes and cake (yes, cake). You (and those around you) never need to fear again!

Top tip: Carving your pumpkin for Halloween? Don’t cut your lantern’s top off in a straight line. The hot candle inside will cause your pumpkin to shrink a little and your top will slide around. Instead, cut it off at a 45 degree angle and you’ll have a top that won’t go anywhere. Happy Halloween folks!

Check out our beautiful pumpkins and seasonal veg on the shop. This month we’re giving away a free pumpkin and £10 off on your first order. Just use the code SPOOKED. (Minimum spend £50, use by midnight on 31st October).

[farmdrop]

Is it possible to be an Ethical Carnivore? Guest writer Louise Gray on trusting small farmers

We should all know exactly where our meat comes from. But what if you took this modern day maxim literally into your own hands? What if you only ate animals you killed yourself?

Fed up of friends claiming to care about the provenance of their food, journalist Louise Gray decided to live out the argument in its extreme and only eat meat she has killed herself for a year. As she reconnects with nature, she begins to question modern attitudes to the meat we eat in an effort to answer the question: How did we end up eating so much meat, with no idea how animals are raised and killed on our behalf?

Discover Louise’s personal story of making sense of the journey of meat exclusively on the Farmdrop blog and enter our competition to win a copy of her book, The Ethical Carnivore.

Louise in the field on her Ethical Carnivore journey.

Are you a vegetarian? A vegan? A flexitarian? A feastarian? Or an ecotarian? Or just an ordinary person fed up of being labelled for the simple act of eating? Me too.

In fact, I got so fed up of trying to explain my position on food, I took the radical act of only eating animals I killed myself for a year. It seemed a more honest approach than constantly having to explain that yes, I eat meat, I would just like to know, for my own conscience, where it comes from.

This way I knew exactly where the meat came from, including the moment of death. As soon as I stared on my journey, I realised how much I needed to learn. I began with game and fish. Although it was upsetting, I found learning the skills of the countryside and taking responsibility ultimately empowering. I also explored how commercial livestock is farmed on our behalf. I found investigating factory farmed pigs and chickens shocking, but learning to trust small farmers who take responsibility for the whole life of their animals convinced me there is a humane way to eat meat.  

It ended up being two years as I needed time to not only learn to fish and shoot, but to organise and process psychologically visits to abattoirs.

Ready to tuck in? Louise’s book ‘The Ethical Carnivore’.

It also ended up being a book, The Ethical Carnivore, as I realised so many of my friends also wanted to know exactly where their meat is from. The conclusion is not that everyone needs to kill animals themselves – that would be ridiculous – but we do need to understand how animals are raised and slaughtered in order to make better decisions.

I hope my book has enabled many people to feel they now have that knowledge. The next step is to find suppliers who can provide the kind of meat you want to eat. This is where Farmdrop steps in. I featured two farmers who supply Farmdrop in the book and was impressed by their innovative approach to connecting consumers with farmers.

I realised early on that the farmers I met were not bad people. In most cases I would argue they are better people than me. I respected their hard work and dedication. I wanted to go further and celebrate them and their part in not only providing nutritious food, but in maintaining the British landscape we know and love.

If you accept an animal must die for you to eat meat (and I don’t see how you can deny that without becoming a vegan) then you must accept responsibility for how it has lived and died. Access to books and the internet means we now all have the power to make better decisions. It shouldn’t take a label to show you care.

Below is a very short extract from the end of Chapter three, when I consider the difficulty of where our meat comes from. Roly is a farmer in West Sussex, who I have visited on a number of occasions. Henry is his favourite ewe.

I phone up Roly to see how this year’s lambing is looking. The sheep have just been scanned. ‘Henry’s having triplets!’

The first she’s had since she started lambing six years ago. We chat for a while about the book. I am still struggling to find a way to explain, to make sense of the journey of meat.

‘It’s always difficult, it’s difficult.’ I imagine Roly in his overalls by the phone, his hands grimy with work, thinking about his sheep. ‘I don’t know how you’re going to do it,’ he says. There is a pause. ‘When I go to the abattoir, which is just down the road, when I’m waiting with the livestock trailer to let the lambs out, I’m always struck by the amount of birds and wildlife in the hedgerows right next to…’

He can’t quite say the words: where there is life, there is death, especially in farming.

To celebrate the launch of her book The Ethical Carnivore: My Year of Killing to Eat, we’re giving away a copy. To enter, simply answer our quick question by midnight on 13th November. Good luck!

-----------

The Ethical Carnivore Terms & Conditions

1. Farmdrop is a limited company whose registered office is at The Biscuit Factory, 100 Drummond Road, London, SE16 4DG, registered with company number 08111929

2. To enter the competition you will need to answer our question before midnight on 13th November.

3. The winner will be drawn at random and notified by latest 31st November 2016.

5. The prize is a copy of the book The Ethical Carnivore: My Year of Killing to Eat by Louise Gray.

6. Prize has no cash alternative, is non-transferable and non-refundable.

7. Open to UK residents aged 18 or over, except employees of Farmdrop, and their immediate families, or anyone professionally associated with this promotion.

8. Farmdrop reserves the right to cancel any participation to this contest.

9. The winner will be notified by email prior to 31st November 2016. The prize will then need to be claimed with 5 days of notification otherwise we will choose another winner.

10. The Promoter does not accept any responsibility for technical failures which prevent entry into the promotion.

11. The winner may be required to participate in publicity accompanying or resulting from this promotion with no recompense.

12. The Promoter reserves the right to disqualify incomplete, illegal, fraudulent, misdirected, delayed or corrupted entries whether due to error, transmission interruption or otherwise.

13. No trade, consumer groups or 3rd party applications acceptable.

14. Entrants’ personal data will be collected, stored and processed for the purposes of administering and assessing this prize draw. Personal data may be passed on to third party suppliers for the purposes of fulfilling the prize.

15. By entering the draw, entrants agree to be bound by these terms and conditions and by any other requirements set out in the promotional material.

16. The Promoter’s decision is final and binding on the entrants in all promotional matters. No correspondence will be entered into by the Promoter.

17. Any question concerning the legal interpretation of the rules will be based on English law and the Courts of England will have exclusive jurisdiction.

18. The Promoter reserves the right to vary, amend or temporarily suspend this promotion in the event of any unforeseen circumstances or technical reason outside its reasonable control, with no liability to any entrants or third parties.

19. The Promoters decision is final in all promotional matters.

20. The Promoter reserves the right to amend or temporarily suspend this draw in the event of any unforeseen circumstances or technical reason outside its reasonable control, with no liability to any entrants or third parties.

21. By entering the competition you are accepting these terms and conditions. Entries which are not in accordance with the terms and conditions will not count. Farmdrop’s decision in respect of all matters to do with the competition will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.

PROMOTER: Farmdrop The Biscuit Factory, 100 Drummond Road, London, SE16 4DG, registered with company number 08111929