food/drink 5
OF THE BEST...
Chocolatiers in Wales
OK, we know it’s Lent and some of you may have given up chocolate for the next few weeks, but just in case those chocolate cravings get too much, here’s a handy list of the best chocolatiers in Wales.
SARAH BUNTON’S CHOCOLATE
www.ycaban.co.uk
From above the family café and gift shop in the village of Devil’s Bridge near Aberystwyth, young entrepreneur Sarah Bunton established her own line of fine chocolates. At only 23 years of age she’s already received a UK Great Taste Gold Award and a Welsh True Taste Silver Award for her luxury chocolates – and all within her first year of production.
BLACK MOUNTAIN GOLD
www.blackmountainchocolate.co.uk Quality chocolates handcrafted in Crickhowell by chocolatier Jules James who has created a fabulous selection of chocolate truffles including some extraordinary flavourings including Caribbean cocktail, chai tiger, coconut delight, Merlyn creme, Penderyn whisky and gin and bitter lemon. As Jules says, “At Black Mountain Gold Chocolate we honour the chocolate gods!”
PEMBERTON’S CHOCOLATE FARM
www.welshchocolatefarm.com Pemberton’s Chocolate Farm is a must visit for any true chocolate enthusiast. Where else can you smell, taste, drink, see, listen to, touch and absorb the full flavours of fine chocolate but at their award-winning chocolate farm in Carmarthenshire. The whole range is also available online.
THE CHOCOLATE HOUSE
www.chocolate-house.co.uk
The idea for The Chocolate House all came about when Bethan’s (the chocolatier) mother asked where she could get hold of special handmade chocolates. Five years on and The Chocolate House has an impressive range of luxury handmade chocolates available online as well as Mumbles, Porthcawl, Brecon, Cowbridge, Penarth and Roath Farmers’ Markets.
UNCLE PETER’S FUDGE COMPANY
www.unclepetersfudgecompany.co.uk OK, so fudge isn’t exactly chocolate but Uncle Peter’s Fudge Company do a wicked white chocolate and Bailey’s fudge which is too good not to be mentioned here. The former True Taste Regional Producer of the year sells at North Wales farmers’ market including Llangollen and Mold, but his whole range is also available online.
To read more about these producers visit
www.fork2fork.org.uk BUZZ 30
RECIPE words RUTH JOSEPH
RECENTLY I had the huge honour of being chosen as one of the Mums in the Hairy Bikers: Mums Still Know Best television programme. After two lovely researchers came to my house and ate a selection of my food – the table was groaning – the director of the programme arrived and together we decided on a mix of Jewish and Welsh: the blintzes, a lusciously rich pancake, filled with a leek/asparagus/Y Fenni cheese combo. They worked beautifully and when I made them with the Hairy Bikers in my house, they were truly impressed. Little did I know that they would ask me to make pancakes all day at their recipe fair.
SERVES 6
INGREDIENTS Pancakes: 400g plain flour / pinch of salt / 800ml whole milk / 100g melted butter / 50ml olive oil / 4 free-range organic eggs / oil for fry- ing. Filling: 50g fresh leeks finely chopped and washed / 250g fresh asparagus, trimmed of woody ends / 1 tbsp butter / 1 tbsp olive oil Basic cheese sauce: 50g butter / 50g flour / 600ml milk / 150g grated Y Fenni Cheese
PREPARATION • Sweat the leeks with the butter and oil.
• Remove the woody ends from the asparagus and poach for 3-4 mins in a little salted water or roast on a griddle for a more pronounced flavour. Chop and add the asparagus to the leeks.
• Whisk all pancake ingredients in processor or with whisk by making a well in the flour adding the egg/milk mixture.
• Then, adding the oil and melted butter, pour into a jug and leave to stand in the fridge.
• Make the basic cheese sauce before frying the blintzes.
• Layer the leek/asparagus mixture and roll up pancakes – if two are placed on the plate and they are served as a roll then they represent the giving of the tablets of the law.
• Finally, coat with the cheese sauce and bake until piping hot and golden.
Asparagus and Leek Blintzes with Y Fenni Cheese
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80