January 2008

“Tonight the wind gnaws with teeth of glass, the jackdaw shivers in caged branches of iron, the stars have talons…and the bean and the wheat seed hug their germs in the earth…”  Winter Poem Laurie Lee 1914 – 1997 - born in Slad, Gloucestershire.   Whilst the exposed Cotswold countryside is ravaged by bitter January winds and torrents of rain, we can rest assured that Nature is doing her work and protecting those underground seeds in readiness for the warmer months ahead.  

We are not into “ego-cooking” here at The Priory Inn - for forthcoming months, our kitchen team will continue to be patient and create dishes from the fresh seasonal food that is available, in order to benefit from the extra goodness and inherent flavours, whilst also supporting our local economy.  The freshness and vitality that we hope to provide in our January menus are a refreshing way to emerge after mass-consumption of festive stodge!

Nutritionally-rich and frost-resistant winter curly kale and red and green kale play a significant role at this time of year – filling a useful gap before purple sprouting broccoli emerges.  Kale has been cultivated for over 2,000 years and in much of Europe it was the most widely eaten green vegetable until the Middle Ages when cabbages became more popular.  Did you know that early in the twentieth century, “Kailyard” (kale field) was a disparaging term for a school of Scottish writers, including author J.M.Barrie (of Peter Pan fame), whose writing featured sentimental nostalgia for rural Scottish life!

January is a good time to explain some of the techniques behind The Priory Inn wood-fired pizzas which many of you enjoy.  We cook our wood-fired pizzas in a special oven which originated in Italy.  It is domed internally which makes it act like a convention oven - reaching temperatures up to 400° centigrade.  The wood that we use at The Priory Inn is well-seasoned ash, sustainably forested within Gloucestershire.  We use about 100 pick-up trucks of wood per year.  The embers are always burning inside the oven and our pizza chef starts his day by raking the embers and building the fire so that it reaches maximum temperature for cooking.

Our pizza dough (and breads) are made in-house using the highest quality flour from The Shipton Mill in Long Newnton.  The organic flours are made with traditional French Burr stone millstones in the same way as in Mediaeval days and as much of the grain as possible comes from local farms.  The reason our pizza dough is so superior is that we use the best possible starting product and are very privileged to have this mill on our doorstep. www.shipton-mill.com

Post- festivities, no-one can resist a glass of bubbly, and here at The Priory Inn, we are all devoted fans of the Bow-in-the-Cloud sparkling wine – both white and pink that is made from grapes grown by The Willingdales in a small but perfectly formed vineyard in Garsdon just outside Malmesbury.  It is light, refreshing and fruity – a perfect January tipple.

As 2008 begins, we are lucky enough to reflect on a fabulous 2007 at The Priory Inn as we retained two industry  awards: Cotswold Life Food and Drink Award for “Most Distinctive Local Menu” and Taste of The West Food and Drink Award, Silver Dining Pub.  Entry forms for The 2008 Cotswold Life Food and Drink Awards are now available and public nominations from many different categories such as best retailer, farm shop, chef, food personality, local menu, dining pub, farmers market etc will soon be put forward to the judging stage.  Nomination forms are available in Cotswold Life magazine should you wish to support any of the wealth of local food and drink talent that we work with.

The Thin Dog Gallery in Cirencester provides the artwork for our walls.  If you like what you see, please ask us to put you in touch with Caroline who will be delighted to discuss any requirements you may have.  We love showcasing many local talented artists’ work such as Laurie Plant whose canvases sre always a joy to have around.  We also have a bright and beautiful fish in the lobby painted by talented Tetbury artist Nat Morley and one of her large fish canvases on the first floor of the hotel.

Don’t miss Sunday live music evenings here at The Priory Inn which provide great entertainment and a laid-back start to the week.  This month we are delighted to have Pigs Might Fly  (6th), Dik Cadbury (13th), Keith Hyett (20th) and Wilcox and Brooks (27th).