I've been on the hunt for some happy chickens to sell in The Larder. Last weekend I drove down to pick up one from Lee Haven and his family in Abinger Common.

Lee has been farming chickens for the last two years in a barn near his house. He buys in only 50 at a time and they live outdoors in the garden during the day and are only put inside at night to protect them from the neighbourhood foxes. 

Lee has chosen Cotswold Whites as his favoured breed as they are slow growing, good meaty birds. They live 12-14 weeks in contrast to the average 5 weeks of a supermarket bird and are not supplemented with any additives or water before you get them. They are butchered 2 miles from his home, so keeping the food miles to a minimum. You can certainly taste a difference in the flavour.

As they live for longer they tend to be around the 3kg size and the one I picked up from Lee was 2.9kg. It fed my family of 4 two meals and allowed me to use my Mum's chicken soup recipe with the carsass ( which is always a popular move in my house!) 

Currently Lee only sells his chickens to family and friends, but he has agreed to supply The Larder with around 10 chickens every time they are ready.

If you would like to pre-order one of Lee's chickens please drop me an email and I will be happy to reserve one for you. I will even give you a copy of Mum's chicken soup recipe too if you'd like!!

I wanted to mark the opening of The Larder by giving away something really tasty! So I decided to hold a raffle for a small Copas Turkey Crown, which will feed 6-9 people. 

To enter this draw all you need to do is to send me your email address. I will also then add you to my mailing list so I can let you know when The Larder is open and about any special "Meet the Producer" events I might be running.

The draw is open until Saturday 26th November, when I will reveal the winner at my opening party (more details on that soon!) The crown will then be available for collection from  The Larder mid December.

If you would like to enter then simply drop me an email at ruth@themedicinegarden.com, or stop by and sign up at my stall at the Halloween Party on 29th October.

Good luck!! You never know that could be one thing ticked of your Christmas shopping list already!

This year I am stocking Copas turkeys. There are several reasons for this choice which I would like to share with you.

1/ They come from Cookham, near Maidenhead and so do not need to travel far.

2/ They are reared in spacious open barns, cherry orchards and grass meadows.

3/ They are not given any animal proteins or growth promoting hormones.

4/ They grow to 6 or 7 months old which gives them a more succulent texture than supermarket turkeys which on average are often only 2 months old.

5/They are hung for two weeks to develop the flavour. Other turkeys are often not hung at all. 

6/ They are chilled not frozen and definitely do not have any extra water added to increase their weight.

To sum up they are turkeys how they should be and the fact they have won two gold stars last year Great Taste Awards backs this up!

Families come in many shapes and sizes, so I will be selling their free range bronze turkeys, turkey crowns and turkey breast roasts. This link gives you tips on what size to buy and I will be happy to advise you either at our Halloween Party, where I will have a stall, or once I am open in November. Alternatively, please feel free to email me through the site and I will be happy to help. Turkeys will be delivered to me between 15th and 20th December for collection from The Larder.

The End of Summer Party is The Medicine Garden's annual birthday knees up. It took place last Sunday and we had around 1,000 guests attend this free event. Five of my future suppliers were kind enough to come down and set up a mini food court where people could try their produce and start to get a feel for what will be available when The Larder opens in November.

Chocolate John was there showcasing his delicious "blobs" - the hazelnut ones are my favourite!

Janice from Mi Piace brought along her famous meatballs to taste and a scrummy selection of cakes, which were mainly gluten free. 

Phil from Brown Bag Crisps was so busy he sold out of a couple of flavours, but then they are the only olive oil crisps in the UK. He coped well with the rush and with people continuously describing him as my husband for some reason - poor man!

Paula from Manor Farm brought along a sample of her Beltie Beef Boxes, which are available periodically throughout the year. I have started a waiting list for people who would like to know when one is available, so please do let me know if you would like to be added and I can keep you informed. Find out more about Paula in my previous post here.

Lisa and Henri from Henri's Foods worked hard all day doing tastings and running the BBQ, which was very popular. I look forward to stocking their South African inspired plaaswors and burgers.

Thanks to everyone who came along and offered support. I am looking forward to offering you more tastings in November, but next time in The Larder itself!