1 VALLEY COUNTRY. FOOD AND DRINK
DAVID BUSBY'S RECIPE FOR HIS FAVOURITE FISH DISH: PAN FRIED MONKFISH, FLAMBEED WITH GARLIC AND FRESH GREEN PEPPERCORNS, AND FINISHED WITH CREAM
developed somewhat of a reputation for seafood. I don't really think that we set out, all those
O ne calendar
says Guy Hindley. These days on Gisburne Park Shoot the pheasants
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are bought in as seven- ■ week-old poults and not reared on site as they were in the 1990s. They ■ are nurtured in the release pens until they are strong enough to survive on their own at which point they start to wander every where.
The last few months
have seen the garnekeeper dedicate endless hours to managing the vermin, keeping the foxes at bay, repairing the release pens, cleaning all the hoppers, forestry work, poacher vyatch and general prepara tion in readiness for the next shooting season. The lack of rain has
created a lot of work and worry for the thousands of trees that were planted this spring. The ground is
ULY is a key month in the caiendarof the estate's shoot,
, cracking and dry, and the one thing newly planted whips need is water, so we have been driving water bowsers out to the various sites and doing whatever we can to keep them going
through this unusually dry period. With this in mind I am attempting to repair our own private water sup ply system or pump house that was installed in my grandfather's era to pump spring water to all the troughs. Our aim is to bring this system back to life and pump fresh spring water to the new areas of the estate that now require it. Deer herds are making
their way back and have bred successfully this spring and buzzards are regularly seen soaring above Park House Wood. I have recently cleared
out a disused pheasant release pen, which took
up a few acres, and put it back to a meadow so what was an unsightly part of
-V This summer I am
intending to clear out a few acres of blown down woodland on the road to Bolton-by-Bowland. I . have intended doing this for years now but the wet weather has made it prohibitive as we need to track "artic" lorries across fields. This woodland will be converted to woodchip for biomass burners. In mid-March 20101
started the new develop ment on Ribblesdale Park
. and I am proud to say that due to a great team, fantas tic weather and seven-day working weeks we are turning the building site into what will be one of the "coolest" developments in the region. The first new lodge arrived at the begin ning of July - Friday the 2nd - to be exact. The next day I t was watertight and a week later it had heating, electric, water, satellite TV and a hot tub. All that is left to do is the decking and garden walls to create privacy.
-The ground around the
newly laid pitches has been seeded with a custom
designed orchard grass mix and is greening up
Valley page 6
well. The entire site will be planted in the winter with trees from the estate's nurseries consisting of mainly Sliver birches, copper beeches, Tibetan cherries, blue spruce and some acers (crimson king). The site, when finished, will be a delicate mix of cutting edge architecture and stunning planting schemes.
month in
the estate is now back to being a beautiful meadow by a stream, which can be grazed.
years ago, with the idea, but it just seems to have happened. I think that it originated because we always managed to find the very largest and best quality plaice, and the most "jumbo" scampi we could purchase and in those early days that was about all the sea food we offered, but now we have a very large range, depending on the time of year, and what is in season.
Ingredients (Serves four)
• Half a kilo of very fresh monkfish fillet
• 1 finely chopped medium onion O Knob of butter • Handful of fresh green peppercorns • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped • Large measure of brandy • Half to three-quarters pint double cream • Seasoning (I like Aromat) • 1 cup long grain rice
Method 1. Put the rice into two-and-a-half cups of
boiling salted water and cook for 15 minutes. 2. Heat the butter in a large frying pan or
sauteuse and gently sweat off the onion and garlic. Do not
allow.the onions to brown. . 3. Slice the monkfish, allowing about six small medallions of fish per person and add them to the onion and garlic. Heat over a full
VER the 26 years that Wendy and I have enjoyed here in Downham, at The Assheton Arms, we have
I Win a meal for two"’
* We are offering our readers the fantastic oportunity to dine at The Assheton Arms, Downham. The winner
I wil receive a two-course lunch for two people, exclud ing beverages.
I Question: What was the name of the TV series where the detective wore half gloves?
( Answer:................ ......................................
Title First Name:............... .............................................
I Surname............................................................... Address:...............................................................
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I I
□ Occasionally □
I Please send your entry to: Win a meal contest, Clit- heroe Advertiser and Times, 3 King Street, Clitheroe,
BBT 2EW, by August 11th, 2010. East Lancashire Newspapers Ltd is a member of the John-
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light, stirring constantly. The fish wiil cook in a very short time. 4. Add the peppercorns and season. Pour
the brandy into the pan and fiambe. When the fiames have gone out, add the cream and ai- iow to thicken siightly. Finaily season to taste. 5. Take to the table and serve with boiied rice and a mixed salad.
THE winner of last month's competition for a two-course lunch at Hindelinis farm and coffee shop, Ribblesdale Park, Gisburn, is Mrs Elizabeth Sowerbutts, of Park Avenue, Clitheroe. There were 8 0 correct entries in the competition.
HELLO again wine lovers, I hope you are enjoying the nice summer weather and
aiso enjoying the large choice of light summer wines. So what better country to took at than
sunny Spain this month. Spain is definiteiy in vogue at the moment being Worid Cup winners at football, Rafael Nadal, Wimbledon Champion and perhaps Alberto Contador to
win the Tour de France. Good job they don’t play cricket!
j y wm 2008 and comes from an area named Borsao
' is a winner ..
Enjoy wine with Vic Morris
READER OFFER
Campo de Borja, which is in Northern Spain just South East of the Rioja vineyards On pouring we immediately see a yellow-
ish coloured wine, and on the nose comes through the citric aromas of lemons, with a
■ hint of melon. The taste is what you would expect
slightly acidic, not too dry, fresh, pleasant and easy to drink. The grape variety is Maca-
in Northern Spam and it is 13.5% alcohol by volume, so it is quite strong.
ufS' variety grown ^
on at £5.99p (only £5.49p with t L 50p off voucher). It will go perfectly with this
weather to come with, of course, rain at night. Continue to enjoy the barbecue, enjoy the long summer days, enjoy wine, enjoy Hfe
month s recipe of pan fried monkfish with garlic, peppercorns and cream. '•'■y and sunny
S Borsao 2008 IS available at D. Byrne and special Afefprlce -
Discount o n j J ' J v ^ M b l S C \ this voucher at
D.Byme & Co, valid until'
No nh valid on the'wine named above.-J"" ■ -
SD6* telepl ioi»'usI fyioi iooldar .nsuwaonsuni iy»L». iH!u»j -uw;gi i i^ WebsHe wwwJls^
olon-taico.uk I E-mail addrep
tehrfonarms@aol.com %'t';
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■ ■‘jf-'vin association withy| i -,C'
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■ Jv ' niieWliieSSpIrltMcrclisntsfe,,^ * --
T.b0.200 423.52- ^ <* '
called The George and Dragon. It was in 1957 that an application was made
I
for permission to change the name of The George and Dragon to The Assheton Arms, situated in the village of Downham, by Duttons' Brewery. Lord Clitheroe, who owned the build ing, consented to the change and since then not much has changed in the Assheton Arms, which dates from 1755 - apart from the licen sees that is. Twenty-six years ago David Busby and his
wife Wendy became tenants of this quaint and traditional pub when it was the hub of the com munity, with villagers calling in regularly for a pint after working on the Downham Estate or on nearby farms. "Now things are very different," said David.
"The emphasis is more on food and lunchtimes are the busiest period, particularly in the sum mer months with visitors and hikers calling in." The village of Downham has been popular
over the years with TV and film companies, which has increased trade at the inn, with tour ist visiting to see where filming took place. The latest TV series was "Born and Bred" which finished quite abruptly because of BBC TV cutbacks. David met many of the stars, includ ing James Bolam, Michael French and Richard Wilson. Another TV show, not so well-known, was "Bulman" about a detective who wore half gloves. Scenes for this programme were filmed inside the bar as well as in the village. David started his career training in hotel
management at the once-famous Scottish Hotel School in Glasgow. After qualifying he worked at The Grand Hotel, in Manchester, where he met his wife-to-be Wendy, who was a receptionist. Afterwards he worked at The Bull and Royal Hotel, in Preston, a very busy place in those days. The couple also worked at The Stirk House Hotel, in Gisburn, for a time before
VALLEY MEET THE CHEF
Meet the chef: David Busby, Assheton Arms, Downham
By Marcia Morris
DON'T think anyone who lives in the area would believe that one of the Rib- ble Valley's most historic pubs was once
I f ’’ ASSHEXONArmr
Mr and Mrs Busby celebrate 2 6 years at the Assheton Arms in Downham. B 0 8 0 5 0 9 /1 b
the opportunity came up to take the tenancy of The Assheton Arms. The couple have built up the business over
the years and regulars who came to dine at the inn when they first took over still call in for a meal. When they first started serving food it was
quite a simple menu with a choice of six start ers and SIX or seven mam courses, chosen from a hand-written menu. They soon discovered that the fish dishes were particularly popular and fish has continued to be the mainstay of the menu, with people coming from far and
T H E A S S H E T O N A R M S ' a
wide to sample the seafood dishes, oysters, mussels, Morecambe Bay shrimps and jobster, which are all freshly cooked to order. More tra ditional Lancashire dishes are also on offer in the cosy dining area with its log fire and old- fashioned settles and in the tiny tap room. Although David went into hotel management
his family were owners of a huge department store in Bradford called Busbys, which at its height employed 2,000 people. His grandfa ther started the business and it was carried on by David’s father and uncles until it was sold to Debenhams in 1958. The building later burnt
' Situated in the uicturesoue village of Downh'am. this delightfully traditional beamed couirtiy pub, offers an eirtensivei;:
down, but David has the newell posts which decorated the magnificent staircase and these are displayed over the fireplace in the Assheton Arms, and still recognised today by some cus tomers. David and Wendy never envisaged moving
somewhere different, as they have had a good time in Downham and have made many friends and also had a happy relationship with the As sheton family. After 26 years they may consider retiring in
the near future, but as they have a house in the village they won't be moving far.
ft
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