I want The Larder to be the place to come for local meat. To achieve this goal I have been on the hunt for local farmers who can fit the bill. One of these is Paula Matthews from Manor Farm. 

Paula and her husband Laurence are the third generation of the Matthew's family to run their farm in Wotton, near Abinger Hammer. They own a small herd of rare breed Belted Galloway cows who live outside on the local National Trust land and help with the conservation by eating the pasture and herb-rich downs. "Belties", as Paula calls them, are originally from Scotland and are black with a white "belt" around their middle. As they are used to colder climes they have two layers - a long outer coat which keeps off the rain and a shorter under-fleece for warmth. This means they can live outside all the time and also that they can be leaner as they are not so reliant on their fat to generate warmth.

Nothing is rushed with this herd. They are traditionally reared and Paula says they are only "ready when they are ready". They are allowed to develop at their own steady pace, slow food in the Surrey Hills. She showed me the passport that each cow has to have and it is clear that they are totally traceable from farm to fork. They also voluntarily pay for independent inspections of the farm and are proud to have Farm Assured Status.

The meat is butchered locally which helps to keep food miles to a minimum and it is then matured for 3-4 weeks to ensure that it has the maximum taste and tenderness. Plus grass fed beef is thought to have up to eleven times more omega three than grain fed - now that was news to me.

Paula currently only sells from her own farm, so I am really pleased that she is willing to start supplying The Larder when I open.  We plan to work together in two ways-

1/ Paula sells 10kg beef boxes at regular intervals. This is enough to fill one drawer of an upright freezer and typically contains 3-4 joints, 4 steaks, 2kg stewing steak and 3kg of mince.  We will be offering our customers the chance to pre-order their own box, which will then be delivered to us for collection here at The Medicine Garden.

2/ We will also stock a selection of Paula's beef in our freezer, which will be frozen on the day it was butchered and hopefully keep us going between boxes.

If you would like to find out more about Paula's "Belties" please come along and meet her at our End of Summer Party on 18th September as she will be there taking pre-orders for her October boxes (she's not committing to an exact date though as these things can't be rushed!!)

Ginger's Kitchen are looking forward to bringing their food to The Larder. We'd like to use this opportunity to introduce ourselves to the Medicine Garden community....

One chef, a small rented London kitchen, a jumble of pots and pans and a desire to cook great food for other people were the humble beginnings of Ginger’s Kitchen early in 2009.

Living a time-deficient life shouldn’t mean enduring poor quality ready-meals and David Cook went about trying to change this by making distinctive chef-prepared meals for a few select London delicatessens. The food was cooked with great care using well-sourced ingredients, looked inviting and tasted as good as it looked.

Demand was swift. A bigger kitchen was moved into and another chef joined Dave to help with the work load. The range of meals increased and the ‘Panibois’ were complemented by a selection of ‘pots’. These too were visually enticing, packed full of flavour and became another instant hit.

Dave lived in Sussex and wanted to find new premises that allowed less time on the road and more time in the kitchen. Talking one evening to close friends Tim and Hayley Breden, they realised they had the same ambition: to cook the best food, use local producers and ensure quality always came first.

Early in 2010 Dave, Tim and Hayley packed up the kitchen in Parsons Green, moved out and put it all back together in Partridge Green, West Sussex. A cutting-edge kitchen was established with plenty of room to accommodate the growing demand for their meals.

Ginger’s Kitchen produces a growing range of high quality distinctive chef prepared meals. All dishes are innovative, have strong visual appeal and deliver maximum flavour.  No excessive packaging is used to keep waste to a minimum and where possible biodegradable or recyclable products are used.

Dishes are made in small batches following traditional recipes. They are prepared with the respect such ingredients deserve and great care is given to both taste and presentation. The range can be found in a few well-chosen shops and delicatessens that share the same sense of passion for food which Ginger’s Kitchen lives by.

Ginger’s Kitchen is a member of the Guild of Fine Food & we have been awarded the “Gold Great Taste Award 2011″ for many of our dishes.

For more www.gingerskitchen.co.uk
Looking forward to the anticipated opening... The Larder is planning to stock a range of our panibois meals in the freezer cabinet.

It has been my experience  that there are two types of business owners- those who guard their operation closely and are frightened to let anyone in and those who are generous with their time and experience.

Jo Elding from Bourne Valley Farm Shop definitely falls into the latter group. The garden centre has been in her husband's family since 1952 and they now offer a cafe, several retail concessions and a large nursery alongside the farm shop. I was recently introduced to her via email and she has been amazingly generous with her time.

When starting a new business I think it is key to talk to people who have been there before and made the mistakes before you. I know you can't avoid making any mistakes, but surely it is good to try! Jo established her farm shop three years ago and has used her background in marketing to grow it into a successful operation. I was so chuffed therefore, when she agreed to a chat about her business. On the day I went along that "chat" turned into a 3 hour briefing session and she was kind enough to talk me through all aspects of her operation.

For most people that would have been enough but she also let me come back and work in the shop to get a real feel for how her operation works. Thank you Jo!

One thing I hope The Larder and Bourne Valley will share is our approach to building strong customer relationships and to working closely with the local community. I am currently providing some cover in the Garden Shop here at the Medicine Garden and it is brilliant for me to have a chance to talk to people who I hope will become my customers too and to get their feedback.

I hope that Jo will come and visit when I open and and give me her feedback on the new shop (Be gentle Jo!!)

 www.cloudcocoland.co.uk

Find Cloud Cocoland Chocolate on Facebook