July 2008

"Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world." Ada Louise Huxtable

With the arrival of July, we finally immerse ourselves in the very best of an English summer and everything that is right with the world: Wimbledon tennis; Henley Regatta; cut grass on village greens, picnic hampers at summer concerts, festivals and Country Shows.  We enjoy a glorious abundance of fresh produce, sun-ripened vegetables and luscious summer fruits and indulge our cravings for evocative food and drink: fresh salads, delicious ice creams, iced jugs of minted Pimms, chilled West Country cider, and of course perfect English strawberries.

Providing local, seasonal food for our customers is a key focus here at The Priory Inn, so Shane and his team of chefs will be taking advantage of the natural summer bounty in the months ahead.  Fresh succulent berries are now playing an important part in July’s sauces, salad dressings and desserts –gooseberries, blueberries and delicate pink raspberries (you must try our highly rated raspberry-misu on our specials board this month) and the strawberry season continues in full swing.  Red black and white currants will also be playing an important role in the coming weeks.  Gloucestershire-grown tomatoes are now at their taste-high, superb in salads or as a fresh pizza topping.  The Home Farm is getting to their over-loaded time of year and will supply us with broad beans, runner beans, courgettes, aubergines, creamy spinach and fennel.

We are very lucky to be able to buy direct from many local farms who focus on producing quality meat from their livestock.  Willesley Farm is a 50 acre smallholding 4 miles from Tetbury, owned by Peter Gibson who rears handsome Pedigree Aberdeen Angus cattle which produce the most delicious meat you could ever wish to taste.  He has a small herd of 12 cows that each produce a calf every year – they are naturally reared and suckle for 8 months.  Here at The Priory Inn we truly believe in the adage “You are what you eat, eats”, so when you enjoy a Willesley sirloin or fillet steak, brisket, topside or even sausage with us, you can be assured that you are directly benefiting from the rolling fields and organically managed pastures that Peter’s herd graze, (currently festooned in wild flowers and herbs).  If you wish to buy direct from Willesley order on 01666 880509 or enjoy it here first.

When is comes to fresh fish, aside from the trout that we buy direct from Bibury, our supplies come from the Brixham fish market.  Instead of serving the over-fished and under-pressure cod or haddock, we now serve pollack as our battered lunch-time option.  A member of the cod family, pollack is abundant in the UK waters and is a much more responsible purchase and genuinely worthwhile alternative.  If pollack is line-caught, well-stored and treated, then it has a taste and texture up there with the very best cod.

We are very lucky to have some marvellous local art displayed on our walls.  This month welcomes Tetbury artists Jusefa Charlamow and Marie Smith.  Jusefa’s abstract oil canvases, inspired by land and tribal ancestry blend beautifully in the gastro-inn.  In the coffee bar, you can indulge in Marie’s calming harbourside Maltese scenes.  Their work complements the other talented local artists on display: Jacqueline Govier; Norma Crownshaw; Carole Condé; and, Nat Morley, all of whose work is for sale.  Any other local artists are welcome to contact tanya@theprioryinn.co.uk if interested in displaying work.

Our coffee bar has been given its summery look by the creative team at Flowercube in Stroud.  Always inspiring, certainly never “normal”, we are constantly wowed by France Fenwick’s arrangements both in the coffee bar and reception. www.flowercube.co.uk

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 welcome Blind River Scare (6th), Gren Bartley (13th), Kate McLaren and Cris Tolley (20th), and Benita Johnson (27th).