SANDY LANE FARM, TIDDINGTON

Over the weekend we got the chance to visit Sandy Lane Farm in Tiddington. Thanks to British Food Fortnight they are hosting a plethora of events over the next two weeks and I'm sure Hannah and I will enjoy the benefits (we may even go to the Seasonal Supper!).

As we walked into the main court yard of the farm on a rather chilly Saturday morning I knew we were in for a treat.

With the farm house tightly nestled between ancient wooden barns and new born piglets running around a spacious pen as their enormous mother idly slept certainly re-enforced for me, the family's commitment to providing local organic vegetables and pasture raised animals bred in an ethical manor. 

As you can imagine it was the perfect farm for any member of the Paleo community to visit and makes this whole journey worth while as finding these little patches of perfection takes time and effort, and to find one 30 minutes from my door was so gratifying!

We also had the pleasure of buying their freshly picked produce direct from the barn and I happily filled a box with various squashes (its finally squash season!), potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, apples and of course some pork chops and a huge chunk of pork belly! I was a child in a candy shop, touching everything, enjoying the mix of scents emanating from the ancient wood, freshly turned dirt and perfectly ripe veggies.

Thankfully our day wasn't over as we joined Farmer Bennet  for a tour of their organic fields and an introduction to the larger scale methods of organic farming on an 8 year cycle starting with 2 years of nitrogen building and followed by differing vegetables depending on their needs. Super interesting as it certainly opened my eyes to growing sustainable on a larger scale with their 25 acre plot split into 8 sections meaning they are always producing differing vegetables for market.

Remember the pigs I mentioned? Eggs LOVED them, I'm convinced he thought they were frenchies and was desperately trying to get under the fence to run around with them, or whining incessantly with his tail in the air just hoping one would escape. It was adorable on both accounts as the piglets would get more brave until Eggs gained an inch and they would scurry off only to return two minutes later trying to discern what this black storting animal trying to play with them was.

BLUEGRASS BBQ, HIGH WYCOMBE

Bluegrass BBQ has been on Hannah and I's radar for a few months after Hannah saw the Ten Mile Menu guys tweeting about a new BBQ joint opening up in Wycombe, we patiently waited and followed along on Facebook & Twitter until Tuesday last week rolled around and their doors opened.

As we walked in and took our seats I was struck by the décor, a simple retro American theme with custom decorated wall panels throughout helping set the scene for a genuine American BBQ joint and with the place settings and simply presented sauces I was reminded of my last real BBQ experience at Grillstock in Bristol. Also, the restaurant was surprisingly busy for 7pm on a Tuesday night, who know Wycombe was screaming out for good independent restaurants? Oh yeah, EVERYONE! (micro rant, over.)

I went for a pulled pork & brisket whilst Hannah opted for a simple pulled pork. The meat was perfectly cooked, still juicy and very tender, in fact I'd have to say it out did Grillstock for me and I'll definitely be going back shortly to try some more of their sauces and sample a few other items on the menu.

I didn't sweat about the non Paleo fries, sometimes life gives you BBQ and who would I be to say no?

P.S - Please go and support another indie restaurant in Wycombe - Mom's Diner. They are going through some tough times after their fire last year and need our support to get back on their feet. I'll be popping in for a coffee sometime this week!

 

BLOG'N'BAKE'S DAY @ STREET FEST LONDON - PALEO LEMON POUND CAKE

After the crazy baking rush at the end of last week Blog'n'Bake braved the torrential downpours pounding London and headed to Dalston Yard for #BloggerSaturday at Street Feast London to present our much blogged baked goods to the world.

I baked up some of my favourite Paleo Brownies, Lemon Pound Cake & Lemon Bars, Hannah had baked up her Naniamo Bars (soon to be made Paleo), Giulia had made her famous Carrot Cake & Chocolate Cheesecake whilst Wendy bought along her Tart au Citron and a few very special Kaya Jams she had slaved over the night before.

I really enjoyed chatting with people about the benefits of a Paleo lifestyle and describing how the baked goods came together, thankfully only a few people turned their noses up when I told them everything was gluten, grain, diary & refined sugar free but plenty of other people had heard of Paleo and were interested to hear what treats looked like in my world. This was of course great to see in London

Definitely an awesome day and I'm really looking forward to some more Blog'n'Bake outings in the future!




We definitely had awesome day chatting to the other vendors and trying their fantastic food with a few highlights being a bunless burger from Honest Burger and some amazing Scallops from a fellow food blogger Pork and Salmon. After Saturday I'm really looking forward to some more Blog'n'Bake outings! And so, onto the Lemon Pound Cake:

This lemon pound cake is truly spectacular, the glaze is a must and if you bake it right it comes out so beautifully moist it doesn't feel you're giving up anything but not packing it with crappy sugar and faux lemon juice. Unfortunately I can't claim credit for how awesome it is as I pretty much stick to Civilised Cavemen's recipe but reduce the honey to 1/2 a cup, leave out the lemon zest as I feel it gives the glaze a very strange texture and bake it in a loaf tin to increase the thickness and keep the centre more moist.

BLOG'N'BAKE @ STREET FEAST LONDON - PALEO LEMON BARS

Phew, I feel like I've been cracking Eggs and juicing lemons for hours, its worth it though!

They've all gone into the Paleo Treats I'll be selling at Street Feast London on Saturday as part of the Blog'n'Bake collective and the #BloggerSaturday event Street Feast are hosting! I'll be there from Noon with Hannah, Giulia & Wendy selling a variety of our favourites including my contribution of Paleo Lemon Bars, Lemon Pound Cake and Blueberry, Banana & Chocolate Brownies. 

These are recipes I make and enjoy on a regular basis and all of them are Paleo friendly meaning no gluten, grains, diary or refined sugar. So if you're at all interested in trying some Paleo baked goods please come down as I'd love to meet some UK Paleo folks. 

They'll be plenty of other not so Paleo options thanks to Giulia making her Carrot Cake (I can confirm it is amazing and definitely part of my 20%), Hannah making the Canadian classic of Naniamo Bars and Wendy crafting her Lemon Tarts.

The Lemon Bars above are based on the recipe by the uber talented Danielle from Against All Grain. If you're interested in making them yourself check out the recipe here: http://www.againstallgrain.com/2013/05/10/luscious-lemon-bars-nut-free/

If you haven't already, check out her amazing recipes and order yourself a copy of her book!

MY PALEO BOX & BANANA BREAD

Last week I received the first My Paleo Box and I'm mighty impressed, the range of products in the box was diverse and after a quick spot of online window shopping the value proposition is clear. The box has plenty of staples of the Paleo diet including coconut oil, coconut flour & almond butter as well as some treats from Naked Ape, Nakd (my latest addiction), The Raw Chocolate Co and a few surprises like Paleo Powder, Avacado Oil and some Himalayan Salt

Although is quite an investment each month I think I'll stick with it, in hopes I'll get to experience new and different products each month along with the staples I use on a daily basis and its great to see the UK Paleosphere surging forward thanks to this box, plenty of conversations taking place during #paleohour (Tuesday 8-9pm, if you're interested) and an ever growing list of bloggers and companies offering real food any aspiring caveman can enjoy.


The box also come with a recipe card for Paleo banana bread and banana leaf to line the tin. Of course I had to bake and photograph my favourite paleo treat using the recipe and thankfully it turned out great!

#PYOandPie AT PETERLEY MANOR FARM

Last Sunday Hannah and I collected the 'Londoners' and headed to Peterley Manor Farm in search of pick-your-own fruit for our next adventure: #PYOandPie

I soon found myself in fields I spent many years of my childhood exploring whilst collecting fresh produce through the approved 'pick one, eat one' method, a method each and every child adopts when picking fruit straight from the source. This of course ends in sticky fingers and red smears masking smiling faces. A fond memory, not forgotten.

Thankfully, these days I can appreciate the hard work that goes into growing fresh produce and the 'pick one, eat one' method didn't seem quite so appealing. I felt the need to recognise all this hard work spread before me, in the form of delicious raspberries & strawberries patiently waiting to be picked. Of course I enjoyed a few as we went, that is part of the fun after all!

We slowly filled our punnets, discussing the finer points of collecting berries and recipes we could whip up in the afternoon. I really love the sweet achievement of finding a large batch of strawberries hidden below the leaves, just waiting to be found.

Ultimately, I think Hannah summed it up best in one word: 'therapeutic'.

If you've never picked your own food, please do. It comes so naturally and instantly that its almost shocking, like a long lost skill we all know and simple need to tap into when the chance comes. It makes me think of simpler times and of hunting and gathering we've sadly lost to modern times.
Thanks to a few hours picking we'd filled enough punnets to pursue our baking plans that afternoon. Those plans? Giulia's Strawberry & Raspberry Tart seemed like the perfect fit and we all pitched in to bring the recipe together. A team effort for sure!



P.S - If you're smart you'll notice some of these photos are from a visit Hannah and I took together before #PYOandPie. A scouting trip if you will!