June in The Farm Table

After months of ploughing, planting & patiently wating, June is when our farm really comes alive. We have survived the hunger gap & are now ready to feast. The hedgerows lay heavy with elderflower blossom & the fields have become a tapestry of green. Each morning baskets of courgettes, spring greens, fine, broad & runner beans are handpicked & whisked into our kitchens. This abundance presents endless opportunity, however produce this good needn’t be messed with… simplicity is everything, and it’s hard to do simple things well. The key is restraint, allowing ingredients to speak for themselves. This approach is not about austerity but about clarity & respect for the produce. In a world where most food is processed within an inch of its life; it’s refreshing to eat as nature intended!

June is also when we celebrate English Wine Week, which begins on the 21^st. Historically a nation of passionate wine drinkers, we are now producing some very good wine ourselves too! Driven by climate change & a new wave of artisanal makers, the English wine scene is thriving, especially here in Devon. We make award-winning, traditional method fizz & low intervention still wines on our Pebblebed Vineyard, right here on the farm. This month, try swapping your usual weekly bottle of French sauvignon or Aussie Shiraz for something local & join the movement.

Event – Pebblebed Vineyards Tour & Tastings

Arguably, one of the best places to celebrate these wines are on the very vineyards on which the grapes are grown and wines are made! Here at Pebblebed our vineyard and winery doors are open every Thursday and Saturday for tours and tastings.

With a glass of our sparkling wine on arrival, a guided tour and tasting from Head winemaker, Alex, and a selection of British farmhouse cheese and artisan charcuterie to finish (with another wine in hand!), it really is a rather lovely way to spend an afternoon.

Tours are £30 per person and can be booked on our website.

Blog: George Dart

Ingredients

400g Field Purple Sprouting broccoli
50g of whole Almond
1 head of Oak Leaf
200g of Chew Vally Stracciatella
Olive oil
Cornish flake Sea salt
Grounded Black pepper
Pickled shallot*

Pickled Shallot*

250ml Darts Pebblebed red wine
250ml red wine vinegar
125g caster sugar
10g salt
1 bay leaf
5 juniper berries
1 clove
1 star anise
Shallot

Method

Pickled Shallot

Bring all ingredients apart from the shallot up to boil and leave aside to cool. While that is happening, peel your shallot and cut into thin rounds and separate them individually. Once the pickling liquor is ready, pour it over the shallot (enough to cover) and leave it for 1 hour.

Purple Sprouting & Chew Vally Stracciatella Salad

Wash and trim field Purple Sprouting broccoli, season it with sea salt and a good amount of olive oil. Chargrill to give it a nice colour or oven roast at 200c for 6-8 min
Toast whole almonds with salt and olive oil in the oven at 180c for 10-12min, stirring in between. Leave to cool then crush lightly
Wash the oak leaf and trim down to smaller leaves. Use a salad spinner to spin off the excess moisture
To build the salad, mix your purple sprouting broccoli and oak leaf in a bowl with salt, pepper and olive oil. Place on to a plate with a nice height, then spoon decent amount of Chew Valley Stracciatella around the salad. Add a good handful of crushed almond and pickle shallot to fill the gaps. To finish off, drizzle with olive oil and season with flakes of sea salt on the Stracciatella.

Darts Farm

June in The Farm Table

Related Tags

Ingredients

Method

Be part of our community

Tags

Related blog posts

Raw Honey now available!

Calling all Reusers and Recyclers