Tag Archives: Local Produce

Baby G’s Naming Day

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Oh what to do ….. this was a question I pondered for quite some time. A Christening was not on the cards due to a lack of religious belief, but a Naming Day … well what was it and would it be suitable?

Naming ceremonies are secular (non-religious) ceremonies, yet their origin is from the Catholic faith which celebrate the day of the year associated with the Patron Saint of your name. I remember from my time in Spain that traditionally your name day was more important than your birthday. .Nowadays naming ceremonies can be organised like civil weddings, with a number of venues nationwide  able to hold a naming ceremony and The British Humanist Association (BHA) can arrange a special ceremony to welcome your child. But that all seemed a little over the top when in essence all I wanted was the chance to celebrate the safe arrival of Baby G and ask 3 special people to be “godparents” to her.

So after a little look on the internet in parenting forums I found that many people decided to host a party at home and then speak a few words or read a poem to express their thoughts on their new addition to the family. Perfect I thought …. just what I wanted!

So we invited close family and friends round for a small and intimate party which actually coincided with Baby G’s six month birthday, not that she’ll be getting two birthday parties every year you understand! ;-) Though she did get spoilt rotten by those who came and clearly loved her new toy!

Obviously the gorgeous pretty dress from Mama’s and Papa’s was perfect for riding around on. We found a poem and prepared some words to say to the godparents together with 3 small gifts.

I opted for a cold buffet so we could enjoy the party rather than spend time serving food. It featured all the usual suspects – ham boiled in the Hairy Bikers style, home smoked salmon (more of this on another post!), homemade quiche and scotch eggs courtesy of the in-laws, pizzas from my sis-in-law, salad and bread rolls and a cheese board featuring a range of English cheeses.

The pièce de résistance was a cake I had specially made by Nouskie Noo’s. They are a local funky cake company who make occasions cakes specific to your requirements. I wanted the cake to feature Baby G’s name, birth date and asked for the design to feature the Zeddy and Parsnip characters from the nursery range we have from Mama’s and Papa’s.

The cake was a rich chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream, but you can opt for all kinds of combinations. Vanilla, Lemon, Carrot, Coffee, Fruit cakes plus many more, with all kinds of buttercream – chocolate, caramel, or maple syrup to name a few.

 It was a lovely memorable day with many special moments and one that we will always remember. I’m so glad I chose to celebrate it in this particular way and spend time with close family and friends. Surprisingly Baby G even managed to last the whole party in one outfit – so she obviously approved too!

Thanks to Nouskie Noo’s for doing such an amazing job with the cake. You can find them on Facebook or Twitter too.

Slow Food Peak District & Staffordshire at Freedom Brewery

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So after the hubby’s first forage into Beer reviews we thought we might indulge a little more and came up with a new series of posts to be called Bebida/Drink. So a few weeks ago when I saw there was a chance to attend a Brewery tour which was organised as the first event of Slow Food Peak District and Staffordshire, we could not resist. 

The tour was at Freedom Brewery, home to award winning hand-crafted English lager and luckily for us was just a few miles drive away in a beautiful countryside setting in Bagot’s Park Farm estate near Abbots Bromley. We have sampled Freedom beers at local food festivals and at our local gastro pub The Yorkshire Man and were eager to see how and where they were produced. The evening kicked off with a quick explanation of the Slow Food movement and what the new group was eager to achieve and then it was over to Edward and Susan Mayman, owners of Freedom Brewery for a tour. 

Edward began by explaining the company history and how a micro-brewery for lager ended up in the heart of rural Staffordshire. The company was originally founded in London in 1995, but as brew pubs became obsolete the brand was bought and within a few years moved to it’s current location, just a few miles from the famous brewing town of Burton-on-Trent. The location we learnt is part of Freedom’s success, as they are able to tap into the same water source as all those famous large brewing companies just a few miles away, which is perfect for brewing and requires no chemical treatment or additives for the brew process. 

Freedom Brewery

it's in a cow shed don't you know!

Edward went on to explain how all their products are created with just 4 ingredients: water, barley, hops and yeast in the traditional way. Freedom are very keen on making sure they get the best key ingredients and along with that all important water source they also take care to acquire their barley and hops. They have also sourced organic materials to create their organic lagers.

Freedom Brewery

the fermentation tanks

Most micro-breweries focus on ales and so it was interesting to hear how lager is made. The most memorable fact of the tour was that “lagering” is a german word meaning to store from when beer was stored in caves back in medieval times, and Freedom continue to do this important stage maturing the lager for 4-6 weeks before it is either bottled or transferred to kegs. This is in comparison to those large lager brands brewed down the road at Burton-On-Trent which are created in just a few days. It does raise the question can those ubiquitous brands really call themselves lager? 

Freedom Four

Courtesy of Freedom Brewery

  • Freedom Four – at 4% abv it has citrus notes and a long dry hoppy finish and one that I quite liked (pretty impressive for a non-lager drinker!) 
  • Freedom Pilsner – a crisp refreshing lager to rival the continental offerings. 
  • Freedom Organic – everything you want in a lager and Owen’s drink of choice, it has a subtle bitterness and is very drinkable. (thank goodness they have it on draught at our local!)
  • Freedom Organic Dark – brewed with blend of four malts it has multi-layered sweetness and a gentle bitterness. 
  • Freedom Stout – due to a demand from their customers, Freedom created this stout to add to the range, with a rich and complex palate and just the right amount of bitterness and warmth. 

With the sampling of beers we also got to try other local producers including some fabulous sausages specially made for the event by Denstone Hall Farm Shop using Packington Pork and some Freedom lager, sourdough baguettes from The Loaf in Crich and a range of Cottage Delight sauces and chutneys. A very tasty BBQ indeed. 

It was an enjoyable evening, learning about a very local producer and we can’t wait for the next Slow Food event. For more details on this visit and any future events please have a look at the Slow Food Peak District and Staffordshire page.

Hasta la proxima / Until next time

Two Towers Brewery

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Now seen as I don’t really like to drink beer in any form (well maybe just the one!), Owen thought he would contribute with a few posts on local breweries and their beers. Think he finally realises us food bloggers aren’t an alien species after coming along to our recent meet up and decided to get in on the action!

On the most recent visit to 24 Carrots Farmers market in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham we discovered a local producer that we hadn’t heard of before. It is Two Towers Brewery.

The Two Towers refer to the iconic towers in Edgbaston, Birmingham that allegedly inspired the writings of JRR Tolkien and are just one of the Birmingham features that are used by the Brewery. The names of the beers are all routed in the history of the city.

Owen sampled 3 of the beers from their range and here are his thoughts:

Chamberlain Pale Ale – I liked this beer with it’s fresh citrusy aroma; it has a crisp and refreshing flavour. It is as light as you would expect from a Pale Ale and has some floral notes. It leaves a lasting tang on the palate with a yeasty sediment. I’d say it’s perfect for a summer’s evening of drinking.

Baskerville Bitter – I loved the full-on hoppy flavour of this bitter complemented by the classic aroma of a traditional bitter. It is a well rounded beer and could easily become a session beer. Full of body and with a tangy finish.




Jewellers Porter  – I enjoyed the deep classic flavour of the stout with it’s dark molasses taste. It surprised me with it’s complex fruity finish but overall very enjoyable.

The Two Towers Brewery also have 2 Mild’s and another bitter in their range. Currently I think you can get Two Towers Beers on draught in local pubs around Birmingham and also bottles at Farmer’s Markets like 24 carrots. Check them out if you’re ever in Birmingham.

24 Carrots – Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter Market

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I was vaguely aware of a few local farmers markets around the Birmingham area thanks to the genius of twitter but at last months Midland Food Bloggers meet up (as written about by fellow Jo’s Kitchen) we met a representative of 24 Carrots, which is the monthly Farmers Market in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter.
Brian from 24 Carrots came along to our tell us about the market and how it all began. It was set up by members of the Jewellery Quarters’ Residents’ Association, in an aim to bring fresh local produce to the residents of the area, instead of relying on the ubiquitous supermarkets. Not only was I impressed by the genius of the name for the market, but I couldn’t resist popping along to the next one, as did Jo from Jo’s Kitchen.

So on a chilly but sunny Saturday morning in we met up outside the Big Peg for the October Market. Through twitter I had learned that another fellow Midlands Foodie that I met in March, Tom Baker of Loaf, was going to be there with his wood fired pizza oven, and I had been looking forward to another of his pizza’s all week.But as we arrived and spoke to some of the stallholders we learned Tom had suffered a disaster, as his oven had collapsed on the journey from the other side of the city. You can read all about it here and see how Tom turned the disaster around by opening up a Pop-Up Pizza Takeaway from his home and what a victory with over 70 pizzas sold!

So with no Tom to stop and chat to, we went off to meet the other stallholders. We first got chatting to Sara from Squisito Deli, whose stall was full of tempting Italian treats like the range of Focaccia’s including Red Onion, Roasted Squash and Sage, Mushroom, Sausage and the one I was chose was the Gruyere and Leek. There was a range of other breads including Ciabatta and some little bread rolls called Parma Twists, which also made it into the shopping bag, and were delicious later with my lunch. For next time I already have my eye on the sweet Focaccia with Apple, Cinnamon and Sultana.

Squisito Deli Squisito Deli

They also produce a range of Sausages, and lot of Italian inspired cooking ingredients, including Oak Smoked Chilli and Smoked Sea Salt and bulbs of Oak Smoked Garlic which is prepared by Squisito in Warwickshire. Also, if you can’t make it to a Farmers Market to meet the lovely Sara you can always order her products online through Big Barn, the online farmers shop.

With lunch for later taken care of, my thoughts turned to what could I have to keep me going and warm me up on the chilly morning, I turned around there was Gavin and his stall More Cocoa, serving the best Hot Chocolate I’ve ever had. I’m not a huge fan of hot Chocolate normally but this may be due to instant chocolate I was given when I was younger, but this was divine, topped off with a few Marshmallows and a drizzle of melted chocolate. If Hot Chocolate is not your thing, then Dean of More Cocoa also makes some Chocolate based sweet treats including some lovely looking Brownies.

The next stop was at Hindley’s Bakery which is actually local to me from the neighbouring town of Lichfield, which is a supplier to some of my favourite eating venues in the area including my local The Yorkshire Man and it’s sister eatery 1709, The Brasserie and the Granary at Weston Park which I visited earlier this year (read about it here).

Whilst Jo opted for the Butalump, I thought I’d buy my first Spelt loaf. We had this for Sunday morning brunch, lightly toasted and served with Scrambled Egg and the wonderful Black Pudding I picked up from Woodhouse Farm.

Woodhouse Farm Kiss Me Cupcakes

The Woodhouse Farm stall was full of all sorts of different meats and smoked products and had I not already planned and bought my food for the weekend I’m sure more than Black Pudding would have been purchased. Same goes for the other stall we spent a while at, Kiss Me Cupcakes, one of Birmingham’s leading cupcake bakeries, who had their fabulous cupcakes on offer in different flavours.

With a stop to take in the live entertainment of McScraggy and the Suits, me and Jo completed our trip to 24 carrots. We had a wonderful morning chatting to all the stallholders and picking up some lovely goodies and I’m sure to be back again.

If you feel like visiting 24 Carrots, the remaining two markets for 2010 are on 20th November and 18th December.