By Laura Bradbeer of HEART of ENGLAND fine foods

The West Midlands region boasts a wealth of fantastic restaurants, pubs and hotels dedicated to using as much local produce as possible to create mouth-watering seasonal dishes for its customers...

HEART of ENGLAND fine foods (HEFF) is the regional food group for the West Midlands covering Staffordshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Birmingham and Black Country.  It is a not-for-profit organisation which supports and promotes regional food and drink with its membership including producers, retailers and hospitality members.

To help its hospitality members increase their regional offering HEFF offers a unique Mini Bar scheme through its consumer facing brand, Savour the Flavour.  HEFF provides free Savour the Flavour branded Mini Bars in exchange for it being stocked with food and drink from regional producers.

HEFF has also just launched a Savour the Flavour scheme for pubs and bars.  Adding more regional food and drink producers to their supplier lists will be rewarded with free Savour the Flavour merchandise such as glasses, t-shirts, beer mats, an ‘A’ board and bunting.

These two schemes give restaurants, pubs and hotels a point of difference whilst also supporting local producers.

In addition, HEFF offers a service to foodservice buyers to help source regional ingredients and operates its own distribution company, the HEFF Delivery Service, which delivers to the trade to assist streamline purchasing.

“For me, from the abundance of great ingredients produced in Herefordshire, beef has to be my favourite.  Local and rare breeds include Longhorn, Hereford, Shorthorn and Welsh Black, raised to excellent quality by local farmers and I choose to source from D .W. Wall & Sons and Andrew Francis butchers. 

I love to cook shin of Herefordshire beef and oxtail stew, slowly braised in Wye Valley ale with wild mushrooms and parsnips, spinach and herbs from our restaurant gardens.” 

Warwickshire
Sean Burlinson from The Ashton Lodge Country Hotel & Restaurant, Rugby 
01788 832278
www.ashtonlodgehotel.co.uk

“The whole ethos of the dishes I have developed at Ashton Lodge are based on what is available locally which has resulted in a loyal following of customers and recognition from Coventry and Warwickshire Food Awards for our efforts.

Nearly 80% of our ingredients are sourced within 30 miles including Tunnel Brewery ales, Claybrooke Mill Flour, and at this time of year locally shot partridge.  Inspiration is easy when good ingredients are on your doorstep.

For this time of year we have developed a delicious combination of roast partridge served with a pumpkin soup flavoured with cumin, served with locally cured and smoked bacon and toasted pumpkin seeds.”

Worcestershire        
Dean Cole from Eckington Manor Cookery School, Eckington
01386 751600
www.eckingtonmanor.co.uk

“Worcestershire produces an amazing range of food and drink.  I’ve chosen a beef and blue cheese cobbler– it’s perfect for cold winter evenings.  The beef comes from our award-winning herd of Highland  cattle and most of the ingredients can be sourced locally.  The original recipe includes Stilton and Guinness but for local alternatives try Fowlers Forest Blue Cheese from Warwickshire and local beer such as Dr Gully’s Winter Ale from Malvern Hills Brewery.

We have our own farm which supplies lots of the produce for the cookery school and a shop where you can buy produce including our beef.”

Birmingham & Black Country
Donald Deans, Birmingham Hippodrome
0121 689 3181
www.birminghamhippodrome.com

“We here at Birmingham Hippodrome always try to use local produce and ingredients where possible and highlight this on our menus which we find customers like to see.

I use Lashfords from Birmingham for their faggots which I put on the menu as a warm starter with a toasted croute and rich onion gravy which is always a favourite.

Or as a main course I make a trio of pork using their faggots along with their pork and brambly apple sausage and slow roasted pork belly served with sage mash potato and red onion gravy.

I also like to use chocolate torte pudding from Gill’s Puddings in Shropshire and serve vanilla fudge from Creating Taste, Birmingham, with coffee.”

Shropshire
Tim Mulholland, Old Rectory Hotel, Wem
01939 233233
www.oldrectorywem.co.uk

“Where possible we use local and home grown produce from meat, cheese, wine, beer, vegetables and herbs plucked form our Rectory gardens.  One of our most popular products at the hotel has to be Shropshire beer which appeals to locals and residents wanting to sample a bit of Shropshire.  Shropshire Lad bitter from The Wood Brewery in Craven Arms started brewing real ales in 1980 and its Shropshire Lad has become there top-selling bitter. I love to use it cooked with Shropshire beef and roasted parsnip and pumpkins from our Rectory gardens which creates a great beef and ale pie, perfect for the winter.”

Staffordshire
Simon Smith, Thrales Restaurant, Lichfield
01543 255091
www.thrales.co.uk

“We are lucky enough to have, in Staffordshire, a local family enterprise at Barton Marina called The Butcher, The Baker and The Ice Cream Maker.  They breed their own animals for slaughter which are then sold exclusively through the shop.  Their pigs are corn fed and have a wonderful rich flavour and their ice cream comes from their own herd of Jersey cows.  I like to use their pork steaks and make a picatta topping using Berkswell Cheese which is a cheese made from ewe’s milk from Ram Hall Dairy.”

For more information about HEFF and regional food and drink in the West Midlands visit www.heff.co.uk



From Devilishly Dapper to Subtly Sexy; There’s a Pilgrims Choice for every Celeb!

Pilgrims Choice, one of the UK’s favourite cheddar brands, unveils a celebrity inspired cheeseboard to give any dinner party a sparkle.

From the X-Factor’s Simon Cowell to Strictly Come Dancing star, Tess Daly, Kevin Beer, Head Cheese Grader at Pilgrims Choice shares his views on what our favourite celebrities are likely to be serving up on their dinner party cheeseboard this autumn.

Matching the taste and texture of some of the world’s best known cheeses with characteristics from some of Britain’s top celebs, Kevin has used his expertise to match the cheeky wit and dapper dress sense of Jonathan Ross with Gorgonzola: flamboyant, rich and a little bit blue!

Another fan of ‘blue’ (although not the boy band!) would be Simon Cowell.  With his strong, sophisticated demeanour, Stilton is an absolute must-have on this X-factor’s cheeseboard.  Whilst the mature version can be hard to crumble, it does belie smooth, buttery undertones.

Strictly Come Dancing star, Tess Daly’s has to be true to her roots - incomplete without a slab of traditional crumbly Cheshire cheese to share with hubby Vern! 

Any self-respecting cheeseboard needs a classic and quintessentially English star and Colin Firth would have to offer a traditional West Country Farmhouse Cheddar; solid, tasty and sure to tantalise the tastebuds! 
From traditionally British to controversial and loud for ‘It’s not fair’ singer Lily Allen, the spicy classic Époisses is unpasteurised and rather pungent – and certain to make our Lily scream at last!

Screen star Kate Winslet is well matched with Vacherin Le Mond d’Or, a superstar of the very best cheeseboards.  Just like our film legend, it’s seriously sexy, rich and makes a big impact.  And to finish; a sophisticated, classic Brie de Meaux, which much like Myleene Klass’s violin playing adds a smooth feel to any dinner party.

Kevin adds: “A celebrity inspired cheeseboard is a great way to inject some glamour to your dinner party and taste some truly delicious cheese at the same time.  So go on; throw yourself a red carpet event!

For further information about the Pilgrims Choice range call 01963 828828 or visit www.pilgrimschoice.com