recipes from organic local produce in our farm shops

At the Farm Shop we don’t treat cooking as a precise science, nor are we trying to give a comprehensive list of recipes. These are some of our favourite dishes and we hope you’ll give some of them a try. They’ve worked for us on countless occasions but that doesn’t mean, with a bit of imagination and a few tweaks, they can’t be improved. Good luck.

Stuffed LambBy Redpost Media

Stuffed with our apricot, almond and lemon stuffing this is a fine, full-flavoured, family feast. Serve with dauphinois potatoes (see recipe) & lemon and honey glazed carrots to carry on the fragrant theme of the stuffing.

Risi e Bisi e Runner BeansBy Redpost MediaIn it’s pure Venetian form, Risi e Bisi is a wet risotto of rice (obviously), smoked pancetta (usually), the best chicken stock and the freshest, sweetest garden peas. It’s a lovely dish – light but comforting. However nothing is sacred so we’ve beefed it up with chicken meat, brown basmati rice and runner beans. The old Doge of Venice would be turning in his grave, particularly with the brown basmati rice, but it works and he should have tried it.The suggested quantities will make enough to feed an army so scale back accordingly, unless you’re planning an invasion. When I made it, I did have a lot of mouths to feed and it was equally good the next day.

Beef, Cabbage, Apple & Horseradish SoupBy Redpost Media

a.k.a. Austerity Soup

Is much a stew as a soup but, either way, it’s a robust and easy dish that doesn’t need constant attention. The beauty of shin is that it goes through a sudden damascene transformation from unchewably tough to mouth-wateringly tender in a matter of moments. It just takes some time to get there. The apple and horseradish adds a sweet piquancy which, when added at the end maintains its freshness.

Black Pudding & Cavalo Nero PastaBy Redpost MediaOur black pudding is the best – not only for breakfast but for supper too.

CassouletBy Ben Watson

In the past I’ve been a little snooty about the duck confit and opted for a bit of mutton or lamb but I have to admit that I've changed my mind. It does bring a certain unctuosity to the party so it’s quack quack all round. Ham hock isn’t traditional either but as the excellent Felicity Cloake pointed out in The Guardian, it replaces both the cured meat and pigs skin so it’s oink oink there too.

The number of times you break the crust and stir in the bread crumbs is also the subject of some debate. A slightly wet, rather than claggy, cassoulet is much easier, and more enjoyable, to eat so stirring once, followed by a light sprinkling of crumbs before the final bake is perfect.

Its not exactly traditional because it brings a bit of smokiness into the mix but our Montbeliard sausage would also a good addition.

Uncle Vito’s Meatball SauceBy Ben WatsonWhy anyone wants to eat boring old Spaghetti Bolognese when they could be eating this beats me. This is the kind of food they all sat around eating in The Godfather, which probably explains why they were all so fat, (except you, Vito).The key ingredient is a good high meat content, fairly spicy, Italian meatball. We make one with pork, bacon, fennel seeds, and a little chilli and garlic, which is brilliant for this recipe.

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