November 2009
November, “the rawest of all seasons, with so huge a sense of her nakedly worn magnificence…”* marks the onslaught of the hard months ahead, hence dictating the nature of wildlife and farming activities. Our summer hedgerow friends seek out the perfect cosy spot for hibernation; starlings looking for protection against the weather begin their noisy winter roosting; and lakes and estuaries again become temporary homes to feathered Arctic species. The colourful cloak worn by trees in the surrounding Cotswold countryside will soon make way for the monochrome landscape until Spring blossoms again. *White Goddess by Robert Graves.
This has been a very mild Autumn so far which has implications for our local farming community in terms of their planning ahead and what is currently available. The root vegetables need some harsh ground frosts to come into their own - bountiful parsnips, celeriac, carrots and swede mark a great start to a new food season but the colder weather is required to turn their starches into sugar (for centuries in Europe before sugar was available, parsnips were used to sweeten jams and cakes!). Curly kale, cabbages and leeks are also plentiful at the farmers’ markets as of course are ancient and perfectly autumnal pears and hundreds of varieties of crisp English apples.
A year on from the launch of our 30 Mile Food Zone we are still discovering new suppliers and producers within this seemingly limitless area of food-related talent and creativity. Since we bought The Priory Inn 5½ years ago we have steadily developed a network of farmers, local suppliers and rural producers across all aspects of food and drink. As we buy pretty much all of our fresh produce direct from the local farming community, we are very aware of their need to be super-commercial to stay alive. One of the best examples of this is Rob Keene and his family at Over Farm on the outskirts of Gloucester. Their standard product - which is consistently of very high quality - is to supply 80 different types of fruit and vegetables to local businesses and schools and to sell them in their farm shop and at the farmers’ markets. Beyond this, however, Rob always provides a reason for families to visit the farm - trailer rides to pick pumpkins, Hallowe’en “frightmares”, Santa’s treasure hunt amongst Christmas trees, Easter egg delights; or you can even hire a trailer to chase the River Severn bores. Over Farm is worth a visit at any time of year - see more at overfarmmarket.co.uk
One of our dedicated livestock farm suppliers is Brian Pickford who farms 4 miles away from Tetbury in Long Newnton. In truly tough times for livestock farmers, Brian successfully breeds pedigree Berkshire Pigs. They are now considered “vulnerable” by The Rare Breeds Survival Trust which is a great improvement on the 1950s when they were close to being extinct. The Pickfords have 5 breeding sows who each produce 2 litters per year with about 10 piglets in each litter. The gentle, black pigs have 6 white points (nose, tail and 4 socks) - living naturally, outdoors in little huts, they are reared and fed organically and Soil Association certified. The sausages, bacon and other cuts of pork that are on our menus and specials board offer a delicious taste and superior, texture and quality.
An impact of the mild Autumn has been a delay in the game season - until recently the birds have not been worth shooting because they are small and few and far between. November is the month when plump partridges, pheasants and wild duck start becoming available and their flavours and textures will tempt our palates. Paul Wilson a local gamekeeper will now start to make regular appearances at the kitchen door with a variety of game and different cuts of tender and tasty wild venison for our chefs.
We are busily taking bookings for Christmas parties (for smaller groups there is a private room available, or any numbers up to 60 in the main restaurant), Christmas Day lunch and New Year’s Eve. Please let us know if you would like to join us for any of these important occasions – click here for our menus which follow our local food and drink ethos.
We hope you like the art that is displayed with us here at The Priory Inn. They are by local artists and all (except Dougal the cow) are for sale - perfect Christmas presents!. A few of the artists are also happy to work on commissions so please contact them direct with any enquiry.
Live Sunday music has become an integral part of our product here at The Priory Inn. We start at 7pm to ensure that you can finish early on a Sunday and in the hope that families will enjoy the music together. This month we have a talented all-male line-up: on the 1st is ever-popular Dik Cadbury; the brilliant Vince Freeman on a mini-tour from France joins us on 8th – don’t miss out!; on the 15th we again welcome King Rich; singer/songwriter Steve Degutis on 22nd and a highly recommended and well-reviewed Ben Powell on 27th. They all start around 7pm and entry is free - what better way to spend a chilly November evening! Further information is available here. Entry is free and we hope you will join us.
TL Kelly 01/11/2009
