June 2008

The month of June astronomically heralds the first day of summer when the sun is at its most northern point in the sky – this year the solstice falls on Friday 20th. A month to celebrate growth and life, June is enjoyed for its long daylight hours, glorious displays of roses and honeysuckle, and buds such as the elderflower and hawthorn turning to bloom. Named after Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage, and derived from the Druids' solstice celebration of the "wedding of Heaven and Earth" it is thought to be good luck to marry in this month. Bern Williams (seemingly famous only for quotations) once said “If a June night could talk, it would probably boast it invented romance”.

Here at The Priory Inn, the official arrival of summer is a welcome event as we always insist on letting seasonality exert its influence and we look forward with great anticipation to the different varieties that a new season brings. We remain convinced that food is special precisely because it isn't available 365 days a year. However, June is a month that requires extra patience – the long daylight hours and recent downpours will be playing an important role in the nurturing of the Spring juveniles, to turn them into mature and productive adults (both vegetables and livestock), hence not all the goodies are yet able to be enjoyed.

Some of the local farms with polytunnels are already producing delicious strawberries synonymous with an English summer. Asparagus from Sherston Farm will be available for a couple more weeks, and there are a few slim and juicy new carrots being harvested as well as a new season cabbage which adds a tasty leaf to many dishes. Tetbury’s Home Farm already has broad beans and Cornish sardines will also provide a seasonal treat this month. Samphire is a sea vegetable that grows abundantly on shorelines, marshy shallows and on salty mudflats and begins to become available at this time of year. It has a crisp texture, salty flavour and tastes of the sea. Traditionally, it is served with fish so look out for some interesting variations on that theme this month. As all good things come to those who wait, we hope that this time next month there will be more to report from local farms and producers.

This is the time of year when (hopefully) we can counter the warmer temperatures with the pleasures of eating “real” ice-cream. The Wilsons have farmed Home Farm at Westonbirt for many generations and their herd of organic pedigree Dairy Shorthorns (now on the critical list of the Rare Breed Survival Trust) play an important role in restoring grassland, wildflowers and fauna to the Holford parkland. Luckily for us, the red, white and roan cows also produce delicious milk and cream which nineteen year old Harriet turns into the fabulous Westonbirt ice-cream. Harriet uses wild fruit and hedgerow flowers from their organic farm and free range eggs from Sherston. All the other flavours are made using locally grown fruit or ethically sourced ingredients of the highest quality such as fair-trade coffee and bananas. You can find many flavours here at The Priory Inn, seek out the Wilsons’ ‘stop me and buy one’ trike at the local summer shows or buy in tubs from Quayles in Tetbury to taste a heavenly scoop of The Cotswolds!

An immensely enjoyable part of our role at The Priory Inn is discovering new food and drink from local suppliers such as The Wilsons to introduce into our menus. This month however is slightly different as it is a discovery of somewhere that we recommend to our hotel guests and customers to visit. Thistledown Environmental Centre is about 10 miles north-west of Tetbury and is an inspirational 70 acres of natural environments, wildlife, historical features, sculpture, art and rural crafts. It has been carefully and sensitively designed to bring to life the secrets of the countryside and although still developing, it is certainly worth a visit. We applaud Richard Kelly and his team for all the amazing work they have done and continue to do.

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.

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 Pete Taylor (1st), Richard Craine and Mireille Mathlener (8th), Landermason (15th), Steve Degutis (22nd), and King Rich (29th)

TL Kelly 1/06/2008