foodfullstop | News from Foodfullstop

Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper
Congratulations to the five winners of our draw to win a copy of the excellent new book, Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper, by Fuchsia Dunlop. It's a great celebration of the fascinating ingredients, methods and techniques of Chinese cooking and particularly relevant to these straitened times as it advocates the use of cheaper cuts of meat which are often so delicious when correctly treated.

Congratulations!
Below are the 5 winners who answered all the questions in the 5 A-Day-Challenge correctly. They will shortly receieve Charlotte Humes's brand new book, The Great Big Veg Challenge: Gina Newman, Sue Young, Charlotte Grantham-Hill, Johnny Barnett & James Armstrong.

Our Great Big Veg Challenge!
Can you get your 5-a-day? Here are 5 veggie questions and 1 bonus question. Get them all right and you could win The Great Big Veg Challenge, a hot-off-the-press new cookbook from Ebury Press. There will be 5 lucky winners. Email your answers to quiz@foodfullstop.com by 18th August 2008. 1. Carrots: the biggest carrot ever pulled from the soil weighed a. 3kg b. 3.6kg c. 8.6 kg d. 16.8kg 2. Which country produces the most carrots? a. USA b. Russia c. China d. Brazil 3. What are these merry folk in the picture celebrating? a. Artichokes? b. Tomatoes? c. Asparagus? d. Being Cornish? 4. In which century was the Potato introduced to England? 5. There is a thistle, that grows up to 2m tall, with an edible bud 8–15cm in diameter, that was found growing wild in Southern Europe. It is delicious to eat, and to drink water with. What is this thistle usually called? BONUS QUESTION 6. What type of vegetable is a Sharpes Express? (Hint: we sell it on foodfullstop.com)

Our Great Big Veg Challenge!

Can you get your 5-a-day? Here are 5 veggie questions and 1 bonus question. Get them all right and you could win The Great Big Veg Challenge, a hot-off-the-press new cookbook from Ebury Press.

There will be 5 lucky winners. Email your answers to quiz@foodfullstop.com by 18th August 2008.

1. Carrots: the biggest carrot ever pulled from the soil weighed
a. 3kg
b. 3.6kg
c. 8.6 kg
d. 16.8kg

2. Which country produces the most carrots?
a. USA
b. Russia
c. China
d. Brazil

3. What are these merry folk in the picture celebrating?

a. Artichokes?
b. Tomatoes?
c. Asparagus?
d. Being Cornish?

4. In which century was the Potato introduced to England?

5. There is a thistle, that grows up to 2m tall, with an edible bud 8–15cm in diameter, that was found growing wild in Southern Europe. It is delicious to eat, and to drink water with. What is this thistle usually called?

BONUS QUESTION

6. What type of vegetable is a Sharpes Express?

(Hint: we sell it on foodfullstop.com)

Gift Vouchers
We've had so many requests for gift vouchers from foodfullstop, and here they are! Instead of choosing a foodie present, give them the chance to choose exactly what they want. It's easy as pie. Just buy the voucher (from the Hampers & Presents section) as you would with any other product. We will email you your order confirmation and vouncher code which you can send to your friend. They can then spend as long as they like choosing their perfect delicious present.

Gift Vouchers

We've had so many requests for gift vouchers from foodfullstop, and here they are!

Instead of choosing a foodie present, give them the chance to choose exactly what they want.

It's easy as pie. Just buy the voucher (from the Hampers & Presents section) as you would with any other product. We will email you your order confirmation and vouncher code which you can send to your friend.

They can then spend as long as they like choosing their perfect delicious present.

Foodfullstop's new M.D.
Charles Vaughan has recently joined Foodfullstop to take the reins as Managing Director. He's passed the first hurdle and is galloping ahead. Luckily the going is good.

Heralding a new supplier
With the flurry of Christmas now past we can start looking again at the website and introduce you to suppliers who have joined Foodfulllstop in the last few months. We had several fantastic producers who joined us just for the Christmas period: Copas who rear the finest British turkey, Well Hung Meat and Dorset Hams among others. Incase you weren't snooping around the Bakery section you may like to meet the Honeyrose Bakery. We found them when we were looking for really special bakers. This is what they are. Everything is hand-made and organic and when cakes taste this good we think you don't even need the excuse of Christmas to start ordering them.

Heralding a new supplier

With the flurry of Christmas now past we can start looking again at the website and introduce you to suppliers who have joined Foodfulllstop in the last few months.

We had several fantastic producers who joined us just for the Christmas period: Copas who rear the finest British turkey, Well Hung Meat and Dorset Hams among others.

Incase you weren't snooping around the Bakery section you may like to meet the Honeyrose Bakery. We found them when we were looking for really special bakers. This is what they are. Everything is hand-made and organic and when cakes taste this good we think you don't even need the excuse of Christmas to start ordering them.

Winners announced for Recipe Competition
Thank you for all the entries to the foodfullstop.com and Ebury Press recipe competition. We have chosen 6 winners and some of the other recipes submitted are displaying in our recipe section under "Competition Entries". The winners are: Sweet Potato Dauphinoise by Edward King Molly's Chicken by Alison Jee Brioche and Blueberry Cake by Sheila Gilbey Beetroot Tart by Matt Rothman Mustardy Mackerel fishcakes by Abby Dyson Roasted Scallops with onion sauce by Camilla Zahara Ebury Press have donated the prizes of 6 new cookbooks to each of the winners, these include titles by Rick Stein, Angela Hartnett and Nada Saleh. But don't despair! If you didn't win, you can still buy the books from www.rbooks.co.uk or bookstores nationwide.

Winners announced for Recipe Competition

Thank you for all the entries to the foodfullstop.com and Ebury Press recipe competition. We have chosen 6 winners and some of the other recipes submitted are displaying in our recipe section under "Competition Entries".

The winners are:
Sweet Potato Dauphinoise by Edward King
Molly's Chicken by Alison Jee
Brioche and Blueberry Cake by Sheila Gilbey
Beetroot Tart by Matt Rothman
Mustardy Mackerel fishcakes by Abby Dyson
Roasted Scallops with onion sauce by Camilla Zahara

Ebury Press have donated the prizes of 6 new cookbooks to each of the winners, these include titles by Rick Stein, Angela Hartnett and Nada Saleh.

But don't despair! If you didn't win, you can still buy the books from www.rbooks.co.uk or bookstores nationwide.

Visit to Rod and Ben's Farm in Devon June 2007
Last week we took a trip down to south Devon to visit Rod and Ben's organic farm. While their team were busy picking the produce and packing the beautiful vegetable boxes, Ben gave us a tour of the fields and Rod chugged off on his amazing vintage David Brown tractor to weed the leeks. We wandered amongst the broad bean plants, picking off tender young pods, into intense smelling tunnels of basil and celery. Every single plant looked as if it was flourishing. Ben explained how they had recently introduced predatory insects to sustain a natural, bug-eating ecosystem amongst the plants. It's fascinating to see these organic processes at work and how completely effective they seem to be. Needless to say, this is our ideal sort of farm. Small scale and carefully nurturing, and respectful of, the natural environment and processes required to grow things. Even the small herd of Dexter cattle which Rod is bringing on proved the same philosophy throughout. They looked completely happy and relaxed as they munched their way around a large, lush field. This may be on a small scale, but it's beginning to make a big difference.

Visit to Rod and Ben's Farm in Devon June 2007

Last week we took a trip down to south Devon to visit Rod and Ben's organic farm.

While their team were busy picking the produce and packing the beautiful vegetable boxes, Ben gave us a tour of the fields and Rod chugged off on his amazing vintage David Brown tractor to weed the leeks.

We wandered amongst the broad bean plants, picking off tender young pods, into intense smelling tunnels of basil and celery. Every single plant looked as if it was flourishing. Ben explained how they had recently introduced predatory insects to sustain a natural, bug-eating ecosystem amongst the plants. It's fascinating to see these organic processes at work and how completely effective they seem to be.

Needless to say, this is our ideal sort of farm. Small scale and carefully nurturing, and respectful of, the natural environment and processes required to grow things. Even the small herd of Dexter cattle which Rod is bringing on proved the same philosophy throughout. They looked completely happy and relaxed as they munched their way around a large, lush field.

This may be on a small scale, but it's beginning to make a big difference.

Books for Cooks
What to do with all the wonderful food you buy from foodfullstop.com? Sometimes even the most creative cooks need some inspiration. We've made a new cook book page with a carefully selected list of some of the best food writing and recipes we know. There's Honey From a Weed by Patience Gray which is one of the most inspirational and truthful accounts of living and feasting in the heart of Mediterranean culture, full of beautiful illustrations. Rowley Leigh's No Place Like Home and Simon Hopkinson's Roast Chicken and Other Stories give you the best of British food writing since Elizabeth David, intelligent, witty and completely inspirational. The list continues, but go and have a look for yourself in the Hampers and Presents section. There will be more coming but we'd also love your suggestions of what you'd like to see, or what you like about the ones we've suggested...

Books for Cooks

What to do with all the wonderful food you buy from foodfullstop.com? Sometimes even the most creative cooks need some inspiration.

We've made a new cook book page with a carefully selected list of some of the best food writing and recipes we know. There's Honey From a Weed by Patience Gray which is one of the most inspirational and truthful accounts of living and feasting in the heart of Mediterranean culture, full of beautiful illustrations. Rowley Leigh's No Place Like Home and Simon Hopkinson's Roast Chicken and Other Stories give you the best of British food writing since Elizabeth David, intelligent, witty and completely inspirational. The list continues, but go and have a look for yourself in the Hampers and Presents section. There will be more coming but we'd also love your suggestions of what you'd like to see, or what you like about the ones we've suggested...

Asparagus May 2007
The one thing really worth talking about at the moment is our British Asparagus. It has a very short season, around 6 weeks and it's so good, it's almost worth eating it every day to make the most of it. We have to credit Charlie for discovering the Keelers who produce what we consider the best asparagus in Cornwall. It's a small, family run operation. They use a completely natural process and no artificial methods for creating a warm environment to speed up growth. They cut it and pack it and send it within a day. The stalks are sweet and firm with not a bite of woodyness. This is British produce at its best!

Asparagus May 2007

The one thing really worth talking about at the moment is our British Asparagus. It has a very short season, around 6 weeks and it's so good, it's almost worth eating it every day to make the most of it.

We have to credit Charlie for discovering the Keelers who produce what we consider the best asparagus in Cornwall. It's a small, family run operation. They use a completely natural process and no artificial methods for creating a warm environment to speed up growth.

They cut it and pack it and send it within a day. The stalks are sweet and firm with not a bite of woodyness. This is British produce at its best!

We've hunted down a new game supplier...Blackface
Anticipating the arrival of the first game birds in August, starting with Grouse on the glorious 12th, we've been on a hunt for the best supplier. Blackface supply wild venison and game birds from selected estates in Southern Scotland. They're a favourite amongst the best restaurants in London, where a reliable source of fresh, well handled game is vital. When these are not in season, they also supply wild rabbits and wood pigeon. We immediately tried their eccentrically named Coneys and Doos box (Wild Rabbit and Wood Pigeons) turning them into various delicious dishes which you can find in our recipe section. (Above: Barbequed Wood Pigeon breasts). In August, you will be able to find grouse on our site, followed by partridge in September and Woodcock, Teal, Widgeon, Duck and Pheasant from October onwards.

We've hunted down a new game supplier...Blackface

Anticipating the arrival of the first game birds in August, starting with Grouse on the glorious 12th, we've been on a hunt for the best supplier.

Blackface supply wild venison and game birds from selected estates in Southern Scotland. They're a favourite amongst the best restaurants in London, where a reliable source of fresh, well handled game is vital. When these are not in season, they also supply wild rabbits and wood pigeon. We immediately tried their eccentrically named Coneys and Doos box (Wild Rabbit and Wood Pigeons) turning them into various delicious dishes which you can find in our recipe section. (Above: Barbequed Wood Pigeon breasts).

In August, you will be able to find grouse on our site, followed by partridge in September and Woodcock, Teal, Widgeon, Duck and Pheasant from October onwards.

Tewkesbury Food and Drink Festival May 2007
Tewkesbury is a traditional British market town. Every year they hold a food festival to promote their excellent local produce and help encourage links between the local buyers and producers. The festival is held in and around the magnificent abbey and is attended by over 60 producers, including our own Bellota and Osmin Olives who are based nearby. It was lovely to see the early evidence of spring, with stalls piled high with asparagus and the first new vegetables. There were some excellent local cheese makers and plenty of good cider and perry from small orchards. As with many of these festivals, some of the producers shine out amongst their peers, one of these was the fast-becoming-famous Handmade Scotch Egg Company. Mathew Fort wisely included them in his article 'Travels round Britain with a Fork' and since then everyone seems to have remembered how much they love a well made Scotch Egg. We tried a good range, probably far too many but we couldn’t resist. Our favourites were the Mac and the Scrumpy. We are now very happy to offer the country’s best Scotch Eggs on the site. (See Meat, Fish and Game to buy some).

Tewkesbury Food and Drink Festival May 2007

Tewkesbury is a traditional British market town. Every year they hold a food festival to promote their excellent local produce and help encourage links between the local buyers and producers.

The festival is held in and around the magnificent abbey and is attended by over 60 producers, including our own Bellota and Osmin Olives who are based nearby.

It was lovely to see the early evidence of spring, with stalls piled high with asparagus and the first new vegetables. There were some excellent local cheese makers and plenty of good cider and perry from small orchards.

As with many of these festivals, some of the producers shine out amongst their peers, one of these was the fast-becoming-famous Handmade Scotch Egg Company. Mathew Fort wisely included them in his article 'Travels round Britain with a Fork' and since then everyone seems to have remembered how much they love a well made Scotch Egg. We tried a good range, probably far too many but we couldn’t resist. Our favourites were the Mac and the Scrumpy. We are now very happy to offer the country’s best Scotch Eggs on the site. (See Meat, Fish and Game to buy some).

Easter Head Hunt Competition April 2007
Note to Employers & Government: foodfullstop.com apologise to the nation for the economic slowdown our competition caused last week; we understand that most of the City of London came to a standstill as mergers & acquisitions were put on hold as bankers and others hunted the chicken's head. Sorry. Congratulations to the 3 lucky winners of the draw for the Easter Eggs from Melt. The three winners were EDWIN LAWRENCE, PHOEBE GREENWOOD & TIM FRANCIS. Commiserations to all the other entrants; there will be many more games to enter in the future!

Easter Head Hunt Competition April 2007

Note to Employers & Government: foodfullstop.com apologise to the nation for the economic slowdown our competition caused last week; we understand that most of the City of London came to a standstill as mergers & acquisitions were put on hold as bankers and others hunted the chicken's head. Sorry.

Congratulations to the 3 lucky winners of the draw for the Easter Eggs from Melt. The three winners were EDWIN LAWRENCE, PHOEBE GREENWOOD & TIM FRANCIS. Commiserations to all the other entrants; there will be many more games to enter in the future!

Taste East March 2007
Everyone loves good food fairs and this month saw the seeds sown for what will undoubtedly be a fixture in every foodie calendar. It took place in Crispin Place, Spitalfields and amongst some illustrious names including Fergus Henderson from St. John's, Anna Mosesson from Upper Glas, the Borough Market favourites Sillfield Farm and Elizabeth King Pork Pies were foodfullstop.com. On our stand, we had Richard Murray shucking his Colchester Rock Oysters and George Scott relentlessly carving Jamon all day for the hungry crowd. Blanche and Zoe were equipped with microphones at 3pm and took to the stage to demonstrate two ways of cooking Richard's live langoustines. Griddled with oregano and chillies or cooked in a fragrant court bouillon. Both ways proved popular with the audience although there was definitely an audible gasp as one langoustine tried to escape Blanche's clutches and the pan!

Taste East March 2007

Everyone loves good food fairs and this month saw the seeds sown for what will undoubtedly be a fixture in every foodie calendar. It took place in Crispin Place, Spitalfields and amongst some illustrious names including Fergus Henderson from St. John's, Anna Mosesson from Upper Glas, the Borough Market favourites Sillfield Farm and Elizabeth King Pork Pies were foodfullstop.com. On our stand, we had Richard Murray shucking his Colchester Rock Oysters and George Scott relentlessly carving Jamon all day for the hungry crowd. Blanche and Zoe were equipped with microphones at 3pm and took to the stage to demonstrate two ways of cooking Richard's live langoustines. Griddled with oregano and chillies or cooked in a fragrant court bouillon. Both ways proved popular with the audience although there was definitely an audible gasp as one langoustine tried to escape Blanche's clutches and the pan!

Our latest news: February 2007
As you may have noticed, there have been a few new developments on the site. We’ve completed our Recipe Section and our Seasonal Products area for you to browse around and get ideas. It doesn’t stop there, we’ll keep adding recipes and as the seasons progress the list will grow. We hope, in the end, there will be something to inspire you for every day of the week, every month of the year. Since we launched, there’s been some very positive press coverage. Tom Parker Bowles succinctly summed us up saying: “This is the first stop for any lover of properly produced British food”. The Independent voted us 11th in the 50 best food websites and Daily Candy got straight to the point! See Press and Media at the bottom of the page to read more.

Our latest news: February 2007

As you may have noticed, there have been a few new developments on the site. We’ve completed our Recipe Section and our Seasonal Products area for you to browse around and get ideas. It doesn’t stop there, we’ll keep adding recipes and as the seasons progress the list will grow. We hope, in the end, there will be something to inspire you for every day of the week, every month of the year.

Since we launched, there’s been some very positive press coverage. Tom Parker Bowles succinctly summed us up saying: “This is the first stop for any lover of properly produced British food”. The Independent voted us 11th in the 50 best food websites and Daily Candy got straight to the point! See Press and Media at the bottom of the page to read more.

Our New Suppliers
Our newest addition to foodfullstop.com is Jamon aficionado George Scott. Born and raised in Spain, George knows all there is to know about jamon. He recently started bringing it back to London where he now supplies the best Spanish restaurants with his extraordinarily good produce. It is intense, sweet, nutty, rich and the fat melts in your mouth. We love it just on its own with a glass of chilled Fino or just balanced on top of sourdough toast rubbed vigorously with garlic and tomato and covered in olive oil.

Our New Suppliers

Our newest addition to foodfullstop.com is Jamon aficionado George Scott. Born and raised in Spain, George knows all there is to know about jamon. He recently started bringing it back to London where he now supplies the best Spanish restaurants with his extraordinarily good produce. It is intense, sweet, nutty, rich and the fat melts in your mouth. We love it just on its own with a glass of chilled Fino or just balanced on top of sourdough toast rubbed vigorously with garlic and tomato and covered in olive oil.

Popina
Popina make the most delicious, unusual and totally moreish biscuits and are only to be found in the foodiest spots. They were an absolute favourite ever since we discovered them at Spitalfields food market, years ago. Since then, Isadora Popovic has developed a whole award-winning range of biscuits and brownies. All the ingredients are expertly and carefully sourced and mainly local and organic. She’s reinvented and improved classics like shortbread, adding walnuts to make it even more buttery and rich. Her Organic Brownies are to die for and a heavenly treat to send someone. But we think the real winners are the White Chocolate and Fig biscuits. What a genius combination.

Popina

Popina make the most delicious, unusual and totally moreish biscuits and are only to be found in the foodiest spots. They were an absolute favourite ever since we discovered them at Spitalfields food market, years ago. Since then, Isadora Popovic has developed a whole award-winning range of biscuits and brownies. All the ingredients are expertly and carefully sourced and mainly local and organic. She’s reinvented and improved classics like shortbread, adding walnuts to make it even more buttery and rich. Her Organic Brownies are to die for and a heavenly treat to send someone. But we think the real winners are the White Chocolate and Fig biscuits. What a genius combination.

Visiting our producers in Shropshire and Wales: November/December 2006
The Organic Smokehouse is housed in a row of charming traditional stone farm buildings in Clunbury a small village a few miles north-west of Ludlow. Michael and Debbie Leviseur moved there five years ago to devote themselves to the business of smoking Organic Salmon. This is a business which developed organically too, starting off as a few smoked fish done in a box in their back garden in Cambridge, supplying friends and a couple of local restaurants. Increasing demand and recognition encouraged them to focus entirely on smoking and now they are seen as the finest Organic Smokehouse in Britain and were chosen to represent Britain at this year's Slow Food Forum in Turin. Today is packing day, so we find Michael and Debbie in their blue work coats busy in the smokehouse getting orders ready to send off all over the country. They have a small team of helpers, all busily working away in the small but immaculate work rooms of the smokery. Outside, in the courtyard, the only evidence of such a thriving enterprise is a stack of delivery boxes from the Shetland Isles, the source of their fish, and a painted wrought iron salmon which swings from under the eaves. Despite it being a busy day for them, they were ready to chat and enthusiastically share the secrets of their exceptional product. They have a strong commitment to tradition and the method they have developed uses a tried and tested technique which they firmly stick to. It's a slow process with no mechanical intervention but it creates a greater depth of flavour and a smokiness which is 'an addition to, rather than a substitute for, the flavour of the main ingredient'. They use Maldon sea salt to cure the fish, otherwise they source all the other components locally. The wood they smoke with comes from naturally fallen Shropshire oak from local estates, and the cheese they smoke is made from milk of the local dairy herd. They have also created a fantastic smoked butter, made from local milk, which I discovered the Queen is rather keen on, and smoked sea salt from Halen Mon on the Anglesea coast to the west. We tried this on a joint of Clyro Hill Hereford beef when we got back and it was unbelievably good.

Visiting our producers in Shropshire and Wales: November/December 2006

The Organic Smokehouse is housed in a row of charming traditional stone farm buildings in Clunbury a small village a few miles north-west of Ludlow. Michael and Debbie Leviseur moved there five years ago to devote themselves to the business of smoking Organic Salmon. This is a business which developed organically too, starting off as a few smoked fish done in a box in their back garden in Cambridge, supplying friends and a couple of local restaurants. Increasing demand and recognition encouraged them to focus entirely on smoking and now they are seen as the finest Organic Smokehouse in Britain and were chosen to represent Britain at this year's Slow Food Forum in Turin.

Today is packing day, so we find Michael and Debbie in their blue work coats busy in the smokehouse getting orders ready to send off all over the country. They have a small team of helpers, all busily working away in the small but immaculate work rooms of the smokery. Outside, in the courtyard, the only evidence of such a thriving enterprise is a stack of delivery boxes from the Shetland Isles, the source of their fish, and a painted wrought iron salmon which swings from under the eaves.

Despite it being a busy day for them, they were ready to chat and enthusiastically share the secrets of their exceptional product. They have a strong commitment to tradition and the method they have developed uses a tried and tested technique which they firmly stick to. It's a slow process with no mechanical intervention but it creates a greater depth of flavour and a smokiness which is 'an addition to, rather than a substitute for, the flavour of the main ingredient'. They use Maldon sea salt to cure the fish, otherwise they source all the other components locally. The wood they smoke with comes from naturally fallen Shropshire oak from local estates, and the cheese they smoke is made from milk of the local dairy herd. They have also created a fantastic smoked butter, made from local milk, which I discovered the Queen is rather keen on, and smoked sea salt from Halen Mon on the Anglesea coast to the west. We tried this on a joint of Clyro Hill Hereford beef when we got back and it was unbelievably good.

Small Farms
Joel Durrell runs his own organic farm just outside Hay-on-Wye. He's put his land under the Tir Gofal management scheme, a 'gold plate' guarantee that he uses the most natural and organic growing methods. Here he raises Ruby Red Devon and Hereford cattle as well as Dorset lamb. He's made his place so hospitable that he's also attracted the largest colony of lesser Horseshoe bats! We visited Joel in his farm shop, which is packed with local produce from his and other farms who are members of the organic Small Farms syndicate. Baskets of pumpkins and squashes, fat cabbages and root vegetables, cheeses, local milk and a very tempting butchery counter. He'd roasted up some of his own Ruby Red silverside and a rolled shoulder of Devon lamb for us to try. The tastes were exquisite. Full of flavour and texture, like real meat should be.

Small Farms

Joel Durrell runs his own organic farm just outside Hay-on-Wye. He's put his land under the Tir Gofal management scheme, a 'gold plate' guarantee that he uses the most natural and organic growing methods. Here he raises Ruby Red Devon and Hereford cattle as well as Dorset lamb. He's made his place so hospitable that he's also attracted the largest colony of lesser Horseshoe bats!

We visited Joel in his farm shop, which is packed with local produce from his and other farms who are members of the organic Small Farms syndicate. Baskets of pumpkins and squashes, fat cabbages and root vegetables, cheeses, local milk and a very tempting butchery counter.

He'd roasted up some of his own Ruby Red silverside and a rolled shoulder of Devon lamb for us to try. The tastes were exquisite. Full of flavour and texture, like real meat should be.

Clyro Hill Farm
High up on a magnificent hill overlooking the Black Mountains, Hay Bluff and views of Malvern sits the very rural Clyro Hill Farm. Tony Herdman was out on the road to guide us into the farm as he had anticipated (quite rightly) that we would take several wrong turns before we eventually got there. As we drew up to the house, built by Tony, we had to dodge all the freely roaming organic Muscovy and Barbary ducks, chickens, geese and guinea fowl. We were starving at this point and were thrilled to see that Sally Herdman had provided us with the most wonderful lunch of pies, cheeses and homemade pickles. Just when we couldn't eat another morsel, out came an enormous chocolate cake she had baked. All this eating was making one set of animals on the Herdman hill very hungry: the plump Bronze Turkeys. They had to have a late lunch today as we were going to be shown feeding time and unfortunately for them we were happy where we were. The turkeys were frantic as we bought them their feed and were all scurrying around Tony, each to get the best deal. We were shown every animal on the farm although many of them were clucking around the house which, Sally rather despondently pointed out, was because they had a penchant for her vegetable garden and flower beds. The Hereford cows and sheep were a short trip away and we bundled into the back of the van with the feed. But it wasn't just them that needed feeding. There were some lovely coloured ponies as well, once the pride of gypsies, and now the Herdmans. Apparently, nowadays they are much coveted and although this was the Herdmans' latest diversifying project, Tony said they would struggle selling them as they had all grown very attached to them and in particular Princess Leah. Without a doubt, all the animals that were born and bred on the Clyro Hill were more than happy and this happiness certainly translated very well on the plate.

Clyro Hill Farm

High up on a magnificent hill overlooking the Black Mountains, Hay Bluff and views of Malvern sits the very rural Clyro Hill Farm. Tony Herdman was out on the road to guide us into the farm as he had anticipated (quite rightly) that we would take several wrong turns before we eventually got there. As we drew up to the house, built by Tony, we had to dodge all the freely roaming organic Muscovy and Barbary ducks, chickens, geese and guinea fowl.

We were starving at this point and were thrilled to see that Sally Herdman had provided us with the most wonderful lunch of pies, cheeses and homemade pickles. Just when we couldn't eat another morsel, out came an enormous chocolate cake she had baked. All this eating was making one set of animals on the Herdman hill very hungry: the plump Bronze Turkeys. They had to have a late lunch today as we were going to be shown feeding time and unfortunately for them we were happy where we were. The turkeys were frantic as we bought them their feed and were all scurrying around Tony, each to get the best deal.

We were shown every animal on the farm although many of them were clucking around the house which, Sally rather despondently pointed out, was because they had a penchant for her vegetable garden and flower beds. The Hereford cows and sheep were a short trip away and we bundled into the back of the van with the feed. But it wasn't just them that needed feeding. There were some lovely coloured ponies as well, once the pride of gypsies, and now the Herdmans. Apparently, nowadays they are much coveted and although this was the Herdmans' latest diversifying project, Tony said they would struggle selling them as they had all grown very attached to them and in particular Princess Leah.

Without a doubt, all the animals that were born and bred on the Clyro Hill were more than happy and this happiness certainly translated very well on the plate.

BBC Good Food Show: November 2006
The BBC Good Food Show is held every year in Olympia and is on a vast scale. We concentrated on the top floor where the best of the producers exhibit their food and drink. We chatted to them all and chose a few of our favourites to be on our site. For Richard from Murray's Fresh Fish the show was a big success and he said at around midday each day everyone started eating and he was 'completely run off his feet for the next 4 - 5 hours'. He told us he sold 'over 2,500 oysters, 50 lobsters (all on Sunday) and 200 dressed crab in just three days! But the only downside was that we didn't get the chance to speak to any customers as we were just shucking and splitting lobsters.' At the Label Anglais stand we munched on some delicious roast chicken and tried their fantastic turkey for the first time. They are in a class of their own, I'm not surprised that Gordon Ramsay is such a fan. Colin from The Garlic Farm was also there, over for the show from the Isle of Wight where he and his family have spent the last 30 years perfecting garlic cultivation. We all gathered round Patchwork Paté to catch up with them and try a couple more of their patés we hadn't yet tried. They are always very gregarious and full of eccentric and interesting tales and within 5 minutes we looked around to see a crowd of about 20 people, jostling in and creating a very captive audience. We soon realized we had better get out of the way so others get the chance to try some of their exciting and unusual pates. By the end of the day, we were utterly full from all the food we had tried and went home with even more - the following week at foodfullstop.com was a complete feast!

BBC Good Food Show: November 2006

The BBC Good Food Show is held every year in Olympia and is on a vast scale. We concentrated on the top floor where the best of the producers exhibit their food and drink. We chatted to them all and chose a few of our favourites to be on our site. For Richard from Murray's Fresh Fish the show was a big success and he said at around midday each day everyone started eating and he was 'completely run off his feet for the next 4 - 5 hours'. He told us he sold 'over 2,500 oysters, 50 lobsters (all on Sunday) and 200 dressed crab in just three days! But the only downside was that we didn't get the chance to speak to any customers as we were just shucking and splitting lobsters.'

At the Label Anglais stand we munched on some delicious roast chicken and tried their fantastic turkey for the first time. They are in a class of their own, I'm not surprised that Gordon Ramsay is such a fan.

Colin from The Garlic Farm was also there, over for the show from the Isle of Wight where he and his family have spent the last 30 years perfecting garlic cultivation.

We all gathered round Patchwork Paté to catch up with them and try a couple more of their patés we hadn't yet tried. They are always very gregarious and full of eccentric and interesting tales and within 5 minutes we looked around to see a crowd of about 20 people, jostling in and creating a very captive audience. We soon realized we had better get out of the way so others get the chance to try some of their exciting and unusual pates.

By the end of the day, we were utterly full from all the food we had tried and went home with even more - the following week at foodfullstop.com was a complete feast!

Ludlow Food Festival: September 2006
John Betjeman described Ludlow as: 'the perfect historic town' and in September, we headed for the Ludlow Marches Food and Drink Festival and saw it was exactly that. Since 1995, the Ludlow Festival has been held in the castle ruins near the centre of this beautiful medieval town. It is an outstanding backdrop for the local food and drink producers to gather together and exhibit their produce and we lucky enough to enjoy it on a glorious British summer's day. The festival attracts food lovers from all over Britain that come to meet the local producers and try their outstanding food and drink. We were so inspired by the festival and thoroughly enjoyed eating so much food. Some of the producers we met there now sell through foodfullstop.com. These include the fantastic Organic Smokehouse, who source their organically farmed salmon from the Shetland Isles, superb Spanish hams from Bellota and our alternative friend, Simon, from Osmin Olives who had the most stunning and colourful array of olives from the Mediterranean, stuffed, marinated and mixed with local Shropshire herbs and vegetables.

Ludlow Food Festival: September 2006

John Betjeman described Ludlow as: 'the perfect historic town' and in September, we headed for the Ludlow Marches Food and Drink Festival and saw it was exactly that. Since 1995, the Ludlow Festival has been held in the castle ruins near the centre of this beautiful medieval town. It is an outstanding backdrop for the local food and drink producers to gather together and exhibit their produce and we lucky enough to enjoy it on a glorious British summer's day.

The festival attracts food lovers from all over Britain that come to meet the local producers and try their outstanding food and drink. We were so inspired by the festival and thoroughly enjoyed eating so much food. Some of the producers we met there now sell through foodfullstop.com. These include the fantastic Organic Smokehouse, who source their organically farmed salmon from the Shetland Isles, superb Spanish hams from Bellota and our alternative friend, Simon, from Osmin Olives who had the most stunning and colourful array of olives from the Mediterranean, stuffed, marinated and mixed with local Shropshire herbs and vegetables.

Bristol & Cornwall Food Festivals: August 2006
Charlie was at both of these and had a great time meeting producers and suppliers of top-notch food. Bristol was rammed with people, which we think is a good thing, though it did make it rather difficult to move! The girls dressed as chickens, suspended on bungie cords from a crane, for an aerobatic display, were a particular highlight. Cornwall is the home of foodfullstop.com and all Cornish food and drink is particularly close to our hearts (and usually stomachs). It was great to see thousands of people sampling the delicious fayre and some exciting new producers cropping up. For such a long time the best of Cornish produce has bypassed the county's shops on its way upcountry and we're thrilled a market is developing, partly helped by the work of Taste of the West.

Bristol & Cornwall Food Festivals: August 2006

Charlie was at both of these and had a great time meeting producers and suppliers of top-notch food. Bristol was rammed with people, which we think is a good thing, though it did make it rather difficult to move! The girls dressed as chickens, suspended on bungie cords from a crane, for an aerobatic display, were a particular highlight.

Cornwall is the home of foodfullstop.com and all Cornish food and drink is particularly close to our hearts (and usually stomachs). It was great to see thousands of people sampling the delicious fayre and some exciting new producers cropping up. For such a long time the best of Cornish produce has bypassed the county's shops on its way upcountry and we're thrilled a market is developing, partly helped by the work of Taste of the West.

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