Northwest Recipes; Dandelion Syrup

Recently I published an article about Dandelions, in which we looked at the roles this wildflower plays in nature and its general, all-round usefulness. Included in the article were several of the plant’s medicinal and culinary uses and a promise to publish a recipe for Dandelion Syrup, here it is! Dandelion Syrup This is aContinue reading “Northwest Recipes; Dandelion Syrup”

Northwest Recipes, Pheasant au gratin

This week is Great British Game Week and here in the Northwest of England we are very lucky to have a great choice of local and seasonal produce to pick from including Game such as Pheasant. The latest addition to my Northwest Recipes Series is one for Pheasant and sticks with the Seasonal and LocalContinue reading “Northwest Recipes, Pheasant au gratin”

Sika Deer

The rutting season for Sika, Cervus nippon, lasts from around September to November and is the best time for spotting this large deer skulking about the woods and forestry. Sika are similar in appearance to Fallow but are in fact foreign invaders and their size varies considerably, the more common Japanese sub-species has a shoulderContinue reading “Sika Deer”

Lonks sheep

Lonks are a handsome black-and-white faced hill sheep traditionally kept in Bowland and the Pennines, the breed is at least 200 years old, having first been added to farmers stock books in the 1900’s. They are said to derive from flocks that Cistercian monks kept hundreds of years ago at monasteries such as Sawley Abbey.Continue reading “Lonks sheep”

The Edible, or King Boletus

The Edible boletus, or King boletus, Boletus edulis, edulis indicating that it is edible and boletus coming from ‘clod’, as the round fist-sized caps of some of the most highly prized specimens are earth-coloured, is considered to be amongst the best edible funghi to be found in the world and is widely collected across theContinue reading “The Edible, or King Boletus”

Belted Galloways

The Belted Galloway is a very hardy breed of beef cattle, traditionally from South-west Scotland, able to subsist on pastures which are too poor for other breeds of cattle. Smaller than other breeds you might see in the British countryside, like the red/brown Limousine or the black and white Friesian, they are similar in sizeContinue reading “Belted Galloways”

Northwest Recipes; Bilberry Charlotte

Bilberry Charlotte A little while ago I publishes an article about Bilberries, which are in season at the time of writing, here is a traditional recipe for a Bilberry Charlotte, which is basically a Bilberry pie with whipped cream on top. You can buy Bilberries frozen, fresh online from suppliers or if you are luckyContinue reading “Northwest Recipes; Bilberry Charlotte”

Northwest Recipes: Summer Salad with Lamb and Courgette

Lamb and Courgette Salad Easy Salads such as this Lamb and Courgette salad are some of my favourite summer dishes to make, there’s not much to prepare or do, not much washing up, and when they are done you can bang them straight out on a plate and serve! This salad should serve about 3Continue reading “Northwest Recipes: Summer Salad with Lamb and Courgette”