HOP 2 1T

Wensleydale cheese was first made by the Cistercian Monks, who settled in Wensleydale, North Yorkshire. The cheese originally was made from sheep's milk. When the monasteries were dissolved in 1540, cheese making continued by the local farmers, who switched to using pasteurized cow's milk. It is a slightly sour cheese, that is moist and has a flaky texture. It is perfect for a cheese mousse, that can be served as a starter at a summer lunch.

Serves 4

110g / 4oz Wensleydale cheese
2 egg yolks and 3 egg whites
3 sheets of leaf gelatine
2 tbsp water
120ml / 4 fl oz double cream
45ml / 3 tbsp sour cream
Salt and pepper

1- Cover the leaf gelatine with cold water and leave to soften for 20 minutes. 
2- Drain it and put it in a small pan with the 2 tbsp of water.
3- Gently warm the gelatine until it is dissolved. This must not boil.
4- Beat the egg yolks with half of the double cream.
5- Add the gelatine, sour cream and the wensleydale cheese.
6- Beat until smooth.
7- Whip the remaining half of the double cream and fold it in to the cheese mixture.
8- Season to taste.
9- Put the mixture in the fridge to chill for 10-15 minutes.
10- Whip the egg whites and fold into the chilled mixture.
11- Turn into a oiled mould and put the mousse into the fridge to set
12- To remove the mousse from the mould, loosen the edges with a knife and dip the base of the mould into hot water for a few seconds only. 
13 - Serve with your favourite bread and salad.

Wallace is a cheese enthusiast, especially fond of Wensleydale. This year all proceeds from the Wallace and Gromit Grand Appeal, will benefit "The Bristol Children's Hospital Charity" which provides life saving surgery, care and treatment to local and international children.
Gromit unleashed is a public art exhibition in the city of Bristol, which will create a trail of 70 individually designed 5 foot Gromit sculptures, over the summer of 2013. At the end of the exhibition the sculptures will be auctioned to help raise funds for the charity. 

Feast of St. George

The feast day of St. George is celebrated on April 23rd, the anniversary of his death, in AD303. St. George was born in Cappadocia, now Eastern Turkey. He moved to Palastine with his mother and became a Roman Soldier. He later resigned his military post and protested against his pagan Emperor Diocletian, who led Rome's persecution of Christians. St. George was imprisoned after he rebelled against the Roman Emperor. He was then dragged through the streets of Nicomedia, Turkey on 23rd April AD303 and beheaded. The Emperor's wife was so inspired by George's bravery and loyalty to his religion, that she too became a christian and was also executed for her faith. 

As the crusaders returned to England, they brought with them tales of St. George. King Edward III founded the Order of the Garter in 1348, the order of chivalry or knighthood in England. The order was put under St. George's patronage and the medal is awarded on April 23rd by the reigning monarch.

King Edward IV and King Henry VII constructed St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, which represents the chapel of the order. St. George became the patron saint of England in 1415, when the English soldiers under HenryV, won the battle of Agincourt.

The tale of the dragon emerged from when a knight of the crusades, riding by on his white stallion, dismounted and drew his sword, protecting himself with the sign of the cross to slay the beast. 

Beef is now one of the most popular dishes in England. The meat must be firm and a deep red in colour. Rub the skin with 2 tbsp of flour, 1 tbsp of mustard powder and some ground pepper. The meat should be at room temperature before it goes into the oven, to avoid shrinkage. Fry the meat on all sides to seal the juices and add beef dripping to the roasting tin. Roast in a pre-heated oven at 200C/400F/6 for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 160C/325F/3 for 15 to 20 minutes per lb., basting frequently. Let the meat rest before serving. This resting period is an ideal time to make the Yorkshire Puddings and Roast Potatoes.    Happy St. Georges Day!  

Pink Food

The demand for food in urban areas is greater now than it ever was before. The UK currently imports 50% of the food we eat. To avoid large carbon footprints, scientists are experimenting with vertically stacked shelf systems, in insulated warehouses, using heat sources from LED lights to grow salad leaves.  

These plants would normally use white light wavelengths from the sun for photosynthesis to convert carbon dioxide and water into sugars and oxygen. The reason why salad greens look green to us is because they reflect this part of the light spectrum. White light is actually made up of different wavelengths of visible light. When we see a rainbow, the white light has been refracted after is rains, splitting the light up into constituent colours, such as red, yellow, green and blue. 

The most efficient light that is absorbed by the leaves of plants, is the red and blue light. Therefore, by mixing the colours of light, you can alter the flavour, colour, oil content, flowering time and the antioxidant concentrations of the plant. LED light won't burn the leaves and is also 30%  more efficient than conventional lighting. If we abandon natural sunlight altogether, indoor farming can become more viable. We can use artificial sunlight 24 hours a day, all year round. This is also a much needed back up for conventional farming and also tackles the substainability issues. So, in years to come, we may see pink lettuce. 

The pink sheep have been coloured with food colouring, as part of the Breast Cancer awareness week and have also brought an added dash of colour to our dreary spring conditions. 

White Highland Cattle

Highland cattle thrive where no other cattle could exist. They are naturally reared in the hills, without the need for intensive farming practises. In winter, a fold of Highland cattle would have been brought together at night, in open shelters made of stone called folds, to protect them from the weather and the wolves. When breeders start up a fold, they would have a number of females, that are not closely related and that may have been purchased from different breeders. 

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Photographer: Jemma Watts

The beef needs hanging to develop the flavour and tenderize the meat. It has a very distinctive flavour with lower levels of fat and cholesterol and higher protein and iron content. Good quality beef is dark red with a marbling of creamy coloured fat. Bright red meat means that it has not been hung for long enough.

One of the oldest recipes using beef is Scotch Collops. The meat is thinly sliced, beaten with a rolling pin to flatten it, then seasoned with salt and pepper and fried quickly. 

Minced Collops uses ground beef that is cooked very slowly with onions over a low heat until tender. Just before serving, stir in a handful of toasted rolled oats and serve with boiled potatoes. Properly made, the dish is very tasty, but do not add any water or cornflour. Inky Pinky is cold roast beef simmered with carrots in onion gravy. 

Scotland's meats have a reputation for excellent flavour and pure highland beef is only available from specialist retail butchery outlets.

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