Crail Food Festival is a community event, and as such relies on the help and good will of so many people to make it happen.  So this week’s message is about how you can help us – go on, it will give you a warm fuzzy feeling to be involved.

How to help Crail Food Festival – for our Friends (yes, you!)

If you’re going to be coming along to the Festival, then there are 10 suggestions for you too. Even if you’re an “armchair observer” and can’t make it this year, there are some suggestions you can help with from afar.  Be part of the community, you’re all welcome!   If you’ve more suggestions of how you can help us, then comment below (that’s helping too!)

1. Put us in your diary and invite your friends to come along. 15 June 2013 details here, 16 June 2013 details here.

2. Bring your camera with you and take lots of photographs!  Then share them. (Flickr, Facebook, Pinterest, blipfoto, Instagram – wherever you share your pics – do let us know)

3. Share our Facebook events with friends to your Facebook page. (Indoor Market, Later with King Creosote and Friends, Harbour Sunday).

4. Take a Crail Food Festival poster to your favourite food places and ask if they will display it, or put one on your notice board at work, in your window or in your car. (Ask Graham at the Honeypot Crail for a Poster next time you’re in for a coffee!)

5. Write an article about Fife food on your blog. (Then post a link in our comments below…we’d love that.)

6. Follow us and share some Tweets from @CrailFoodFestival and use #CrailFF when you share.

7. Join in the Twitter Chat #ScotFood on 3 June 2013 where the focus will be on Fife Food—9-10 pm.

8. Join in the conversations on the Crail Food Festival page on Facebook.

9. Create a Festivals board on your Pinterest page and add photographs or pins. Happy for you to share some of our pins there!

10. Volunteer to help out at the event.

How to help Crail Food Festival – For Participants

If you’re one of the participants in the Crail Food Festival, then we’ve got 10 suggestions of how you can help us make this a successful event for you.

1. Add our event to your events calendar—on your website or Facebook page (15 June 2013 details here, 16 June 2013 details here)

2. Take our flyers to the events you’re attending and let your customers know where else you will be found. (Send your address to Graham info [@] crailfoodfest.co.uk if you need a supply)

3. Put up a Crail Food Festival flyer on your stall, in your shop, or on your car window.

4. Share some Tweets from @CrailFoodFestival and use #CrailFF tag when mentioning us.

5. Tell your friends! Word of mouth recommendations – our favourite.

6. Join in the Twitter Chat #ScotFood on 3 June 2013 where the focus will be on Fife Food—9-10 pm. (More information here: Setting up a ScotFood Chat)

7. Tag the Crail Food Festival page on Facebook. (You know where we are!)

8. Use the Crail Food Festival press release to write a piece for your next newsletter.

9. Create a Festivals board on your Pinterest page and add photographs or pins. Or share some of our pins.

10. Add a suggestion of your own to this post on by commenting below!  If you include your own website link, then more people will find you too.

A very similar parallel can be drawn with food and the formation of Slow Food, an organisation that on one hand celebrates food quality and diversity, whilst on the other campaigns against the globalising forces that they see as destructive.

We may not be members of CAMRA, Slow Food or any other official group, but there are plenty of us who share this passion for sustainable, authentic local produce that, crucially, also tastes great. Whilst the dominance of giant industrial concerns marches onward, we should be heartened that there are also more and more artisan producers selling to passionate small retailers, and finding plenty of customers like you and me who are looking for local, seasonal and high quality produce.

Many of our regional breweries have been swallowed up to become part of anonymous corporations, often with consolidation of brewing into huge central facilities at the expense of historic local breweries. But in the past decade or so there has been a phenomenal rise in small-scale, local beer production too – craft breweries, often run by just a handful of obsessive individuals. Not too far up the East coast from Crail, the Fraserburgh-based BrewDog released its first beer only in 2007, yet today it can claim to be Scotland’s largest independent brewery with sales of 120,000 bottles per month for export across the world.

St Andrews Brewing Company

But locally, beer lovers from Fife have lots to celebrate too with a thriving craft brewing scene. Indeed, whilst visiting the Crail Food Festival this June, do not miss the chance to try a bottle of Crail Ale. Brewed initially for last year’s Festival by the St Andrews Brewing Company, the hoppy Pale Ale (4.5% ABV) beer became an instant hit, so much so that it has now become a mainstream product for the brewery with wider distribution. This year, beerophiles can try a Crail Special and Neuk Special, being brewed for the Food Festival as a 7.0% ABV India Pale Ale and a 6.6% ABV Dark Ale.

Eden Brewery is another local outfit based in St Andrews that will be in evidence during the festival. It has seen huge critical acclaim since launching its first beers in 2012.  A range of bottlings runs the gamut from Blonde Ale to Porter, and their whisky cask-finished special brews using selected casks from the Eradour distillery caused a real stir amongst beer aficionados.

Beer Selections from Eden Brewery (photo credit: Eden Brewery)

These small, passionate companies are local representatives of a brewing revolution that is happening across the country, but beer doesn’t have it all its own way.  Having overcome a number of funding issues, the 18th century East Newhall Farm steading on Cambo Estate, just a few miles outside of Crail, is on course to become home to the brand new Kingsbarns Distillery thanks to backing from the Scottish Government and the Wemyss Family, owners of Wemyss Malts.  Distilling is set to begin in 2014.

And whilst it might take a few more years of global warming before Fife can establish its own Grand Cru vineyards, local businessman Peter Wood has recently opened The St Andrews Wine Company, bringing a superb selection of world wines (and more local beers and whiskies) to the area.  Both are set to become essential components of the East Fife food and drink lovers’ trail.

A few to try:

St Andrews Brewing Co., Crail Special

The Crail Ale was a smash hit when brewed for the Crail Food Festival, but be quick to grab a bottle of this limited edition, double-hopped version that weighs in with a hefty 7% alcohol by volume. An array of zesty and bittersweet hop aromas and flavours lead to a tantalising, dry finish. 7% ABV.

St Andrews Brewing Co., Oatmeal Stout

Brewed with roasted malts and fresh Scottish oatmeal, this mahogany-coloured beer pours with a thick tan head and offers inviting aromas of coffee, toasted grains and a touch of chocolate. In the mouth it has a pleasing hoppy tang and freshness, into a long bittersweet finish. 4.5% ABV.

Eden brewery, Clock Brew Traditional Scottish Ale

Pouring almost as dark as the oatmeal Stout, but with a ruby/tawny hue and thinner off-white head, there’s a red fruit note here as well as toffee and a hint of marmalade.  In the mouth it has a fine hop intensity, a twist of chicory smoothed by mellower malt, and fresh in the finish. 4.3% ABV.

Eden brewery, St Andrews Blonde

A hoppy, light golden beer with a fluffy off-white head, there is just a huge blast of citrus and summer flowers on the nose, the impression of oily hops carrying through in the mouth, with bags of tangy flavour and a long. juicy lemon and lime peel bite in the finish. Very satisfying. 3.8% ABV.

Find out more:

St Andrews Brewing Company can also be followed on Facebook, or send Bob a Tweet @StAndysBrewing

The Eden Brewery St Andrews can also be followed on Facebook, or send a Tweet @EdenBrewery or their staff @EdenBrewery_KF @EdenBrewery_SG and @EdenBrewery_SF

Kingsbarns Distillery can be found on Facebook, or Tweet with Doug @KingsbarnWhisky

St Andrews Wine Company on Facebook and @StAndrewsWine

This article was written for Crail Food Festival by Tom Cannavan who can be found talking all things wine, beer and whisky at:  http://www.wine-pages.com http://www.thewinegang.com http://www.beer-pages.com http://www.whisky-pages.com 

Robert owns and runs the Fife-based Mr C’s Hand Crafted Pies and was keen to tell me how he got involved with this year’s festival:

‘Last year my good friend Christopher Trotter, Food Writer and Consultant (Fife Food Ambassador) phoned me and explained he was doing a platter at the festival but everything contained meat. He asked if I would I be able to make a vegetable pie for sampling, and of course, I said “yes”.’

Although the vegetable pie was a resounding success, Robert currently has no plans to add it to Mr. C’s range but is looking forward to giving visitors a proper taste of his products this year:

‘I would rather have people taste pies that they can actually buy, rather than one with my name on that they can’t and I really want to let the people of Fife try them; this year I’m delighted Mr. C’s will be at the festival.’

In 2006 Robert was looking for a new catering project and while representing the UK for Slow Food at Terra Madre in Turin, he attended a workshop where he learned of farmers’ frustration with chefs neglecting so called lesser cuts of meat in favour of prime cuts and not utilising the whole animal.

On his return to the UK, Robert came up with the idea of a high quality, hand-made pie similar to a Melton Mowbray one.

He spent time with some of the best pie producers in Britain, honing his skills by studying their techniques. Combining that knowledge with a trusty pork stuffing recipe, Robert now had a finished product.

Pies from Mr C

Robert tells me about the recipe for his Savoury Pork Pie:

‘The recipe is one I’ve used for about 27 years; in various hotels I worked in I instructed the chefs to use my recipe for the stuffing for Christmas. I just took out the breadcrumbs, egg and chestnuts and that became the Savoury Pork Pie mix.’

Robert’s pork, leek and pancetta pie gained the company award-winning status very early on in the life of the business and Mr C explained how that mix came to life:

‘The pork, leek and pancetta mix was actually a sausage mix from Crombie’s (of Edinburgh) that I using to make pies and selling back to them. I did not know Crombie’s had a UK producer’s number so I could not use this mix for other customers.

‘I knew Lord Hopetoun was a fan of these pies I made with that mix and decided to make up a mix of my own for a presentation pie to celebrate the opening of the Hopetoun Farm Shop.  I made the first batch myself and the rest went in the freezer for another day.’

‘The mix for Lord Hopetoun was the very first pork, leek and pancetta mix I had ever made and he was happy with it. I froze the other pies from that same batch the week before and sent one to the British Pie Awards where it won me gold! I hadn’t even tasted it!’

This is an incredible honour, especially for a business in its infancy; I wondered how Robert reacted when he found out:

‘I was actually making pies with a friend and an email came in (this was around three weeks after the awards) saying I could now order the gold sticker and I said to my friend, “What are they on about?”

‘So I phoned up the Melton Mowbray Pie Association and asked about the email and she replied “Oh, you won gold!” and that was how I found out I had won! So did I expect it? No, I didn’t even check the results; I was too busy making pies!’

The Piggy Black pie from Mr C’s

Despite stacking up a host of awards since and being championed by food broadcaster Hardeep Singh Kohli, Robert decided to rebrand the company. Originally known as Acanthus pies, he wanted to give the company a more personal touch and told me how this came about:

‘I wanted something personal to me but that’s also not hard to pronounce, as many people couldn’t pronounce Acanthus and didn’t know what it meant.

‘My surname is Corrigan which I didn’t want to use because in Glasgow there’s Bernard Corrigan’s, the fishmonger.’

‘You then have Richard Corrigan the chef, which was another potential mix up.  Then I remembered many of the staff in the numerous hotels I’ve worked in called me Mr. C.  At the end of February, we changed from Acanthus and launched Mr. C’s.’

Using the best produce is very important for any artisan producer and Robert is no different. He sources his produce from suppliers such as Ramsay’s of Carluke, who supply him with outdoor reared Scottish pork, Smoked Streaky bacon and black pudding, Shipton Mill for organic flour and Highland Game venison.

Asked if he was keen to add to his impressive tally of medals this year, Robert responded modestly:

‘Eh, who knows?  I’d rather say nothing and if I win something you’ll hear about it!’ (As we prepared this article Mr C found he’d won the Richard III award –  A Pie fit for a King – at the British Pie Awards).

Make sure you pop by and taste the Mr. C’s delicious pies at the Crail Food Festival – we should be proud of the artisan producers we have here in Fife!

Along with the celebrated Pork, Leek and Pancetta pie and Savoury Pork variety, you can also enjoy fillings such as Savoury Pork, Chicken and Ham (Bronze award, 2012) and the bronze award-winning Piggy Black (pork, leek and pancetta with black pudding) from various stockists.

The pies are available at Donald Russell of Inverurie, Crombie’s of Edinburgh, Hopetoun Farm Shop, Peelham Farm, Cornerstone Deli , Loch Leven’s Larder, and the Wee Pie Company, Campbells Prime Meats, Fortnum and Mason London, Forman and Field London, Inverawe Smokehouses, East Coast Deli – Ullapool, The Spey Larder Aberlour, Gloagburn Farm Shop, Lochbyre Rare Bread Meat – Newton Mearns and The Scottish Cafe, The Mound, Edinburgh.

Find out more:

Robert Corrigan of Mr C’s Pies on Twitter @AcanthusPies and Rachel Gillon’s Blog about Mr C’s Pies - Acanthus Handmade Award-Winning Pies

This article was submitted by Phil Cook, who writes his food blog Philly’s Food World, and can be contacted on Twitter @PhilsFoodWorld.

When did you start baking and who taught you?

Murray: The first time I can remember baking was when one of guys couldn’t make it into work at the bakery one night and, as I was so young, I couldn’t be left in the house on my own. I was brought to the bakery and put on doughnut duty! My task was to flip doughnuts and sugar them! Heath and safety would blow a few gaskets these days if they caught a wee six-year-old laddie working with boiling oil! Fortunately, back then, there didn’t seem to be an issue and I loved every moment of it.

Most weekends throughout my childhood, you find me working in the bakery. It wasn’t until I left school that I started baking full time.

My father mostly taught me but I’ve spent time at our bakeries picking up some tips too. Some of my experience was through a lot of old fashioned trial and error, so part self-taught too. I think this is the best way to learn once you know the basics.

Lea: My earliest memories aren’t anywhere near as much fun or exciting. I remember going round to my grandmother’s (my dad’s mum) for Sunday lunch at about the age of three. Being a Yorkshire woman, her Yorkshires were amazing, huge and billowing. Always served before the meat and drowned with gravy made with the meat juices from the joint. The gravy was poured into the centre of the pud and as you cut through the wall, the gravy would flood the plate. To this day, I can’t make a Yorkshire like that. And her apple pie – no one has ever come close, not even me!

East Neuk Baker – Murray Barnett

What was the first thing you made? 

Murray: As I said at the start, doughnuts were the first thing I ever made. I’d love to give you a recipe for them but all our recipes are closely guarded family secrets. We still hold a very traditional view for Scottish baking (even with our modern twists) and all I can say is our doughnuts are still a traditionally fired cake ring doughnut.

Lea: My mum was useless in the kitchen, it wasn’t until she got married that she found out that gravy wasn’t just an Oxo cube and hot water (my nan couldn’t cook either). Like Murray, my dad taught me to bake when I was four. I’d kneel on a chair at the kitchen table. He’d make the pastry and I’d be allowed to roll, cut then fill the pastry with jam. And, if he’d been baking a cake, every child’s earliest memory must be licking the spoon and bowl clean of cake mix.

Were there any particular books, people, chefs who inspired you when you were a kid?

Murray: To be honest, I don’t follow or look up to any celeb bakers. I do love Mary Berry, though, but who doesn’t? I guess if any, my biggest inspiration has to be Heston Blumenthal and his approach that anything is possible if you want it to be!

Lea: I have fond memories of watching Fanny Craddock with my mum back in the 1960s. I have no idea why she liked to watch cookery programs, as she didn’t like cooking. When I was a teenager in the 70’s, I watched the likes of Graham Kerr the Galloping Gourmet, Delia and Mary Berry.

Today my influences come in the guises of the likes of Dan Lepard, Yotam Ottelenghi, Pierre Herme and Clare Clark.

Murray can be found at the bakery:

GH Barnett & Son
35 Rodger Street,Cellardyke,Fife,KY10 3HU
Tel: 01333 310205
Opening times Mon/Tue & Thu/Fri 8am–5pm; Wed 8am–1.30pm; Sat 8am–1.30pm.

Twitter: @murraythebaker
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Barnetts-Bakery/246881608658707

This article was contributed by @BakersBunny, Lea Harris, who can be found blogging at: “Off the Eaten Track”

If you have childhood memories of learning to bake, please feel free to add your comments  below:

So it was a pleasure to catch up with Graham and learn more about his vision, enthusiasm and sheer energy for this Community Festival which is already attracting national media attention, yet is made up solely from a team of local folk and business owners.

They are the people who will host Crail Food Festival 2013, a two day festival where visitors will be treated to the delicious taste of Fife. Add in some noteworthy local musicians who will toast an evening supper with some of Fife’s newest breweries, a Sunday harbour festival with music, its not difficult to see why up to 2,500 visitors are expected to converge on the historic Royal Burgh Of Crail on 15^th and 16^th June.

I was talking to Graham during the Easter break and doing it in a packed café.  He kept leaving to clear another table or chat to a visitor. I didn’t mind though, we were in the sunny back garden and his wife’s scones are pretty special indeed.

Welcome to Crail Food Festival

So, 15^th and 16^th of June 2013 it is. What is actually happening at the festival?  – Clearly a lot for such a small event as up to 50 local food related outlets are represented.

Saturday kicks off at the Crail Community Hall at 10.30am with an indoor producers’ market where visitors will have the opportunity to sample local produce from the varied stallholders: from smoked meats to local cheeses; the most delectable cold cut pies; chutneys and preserves – it’s really a feast for everyone. I like the fact that of some local farm shops and food outlets will be on hand with tasting platters to keep everyone grazing throughout the day.

A specially constructed cookery and tasting theatre also sounds brilliant, from Scottish Breakfast with a Twist to an Afternoon Whisky nosing and gin tasting. I really am looking forward to learning so much more about the wonderful produce the region has to offer. Fortunately there is a cash machine around the corner! If it’s a nice day food lovers can take a break from shopping and tasting to visit one of Crail’s featured food businesses who will be offering special dishes throughout the weekend. That’s all going to be explained on a Crail Food Trail map which is being drawn up by a local artist and will be handed out to visitors.

I sneaked a look at the pre-festival poster design which says that Saturday seemingly doesn’t stop till late.  “What’s all that about?”, I ask. I’m told the indoor market space will be transformed for an evening of food, song & drink, starting at 19.00pm till late. “Later, With King Creosote and Friends” is a sort of musical feast, an enticing collection of eats and music including some of Fife’s newest brewers, a top class wine retailer and a hearty Fife supper prepared by local food businesses – a further great opportunity to celebrate fresh, local and seasonal produce.  Around 120 tickets are expected to sell pretty quickly, though I’m told that some will be held back for weekend visitors to Crail: a thoughtful gesture. Menu details and the entertainment line-up are to be released early May via the web site along with ticket sales and outlet information.

It’s finishing late so a local Bed and Breakfast might be needed before I head down to that lovely little harbour on Sunday 16^th June. I do hope the weather is kind for these guys, they’ve worked so hard, there will be a little lobster shack, local freshly dressed crab, smoked fish, butchers burgers, venison pies, mussels. Real hot chocolate, waffles, ice cream… it goes on and on and the setting is truly adorable, even on the chilly day I visited it would have been a great afternoon. It starts at 11.00am, enough time to equip the kids with buckets and spades for the beach treasure dig. Parents can join in too, seemingly there will be great prizes in the sand!

Making delicious smoothies by Bike!

It should be quite an eye-catching event: from a convertible LandRover serving local delicacies to a bike that churns out smoothies, to a pizza oven in a horse box, street food is on sale! There is even a series of outdoor cookery demonstrations scheduled, food, fun, food.

It was inspirational visiting The Honeypot and meeting Graham and also to learn more about the wonderful produce available in Fife. I really understand how this Community Festival is capturing the imagination of local businesses and Fife producers.

Take one idea, one man, a community spirit and an amazing volunteer team that just want to say “ Welcome To Crail”, so that’s what’s happening at the 3^rd Annual Crail Food Festival !

Submitted by Our guest blogger.

Ticket Sales and Information , From 1^st May here on: www.crailfoodfest.co.uk

Honepot Guest House and Tearoom: http://www.honeypotcrail.co.uk/home

The delicious vinegars made by Penny of the Little Herb Farm, she tells me, were an accidental sideline of her herb nursery business, introduced last year because of the impact of the poor weather on plant sales. But they were a sideline that took off in a big way, and Little Herb Farm vinegars are now being sold through Ardross and Balgove farm shops, First Fruits in Crail and at the Cocoa Tree in Pittenweem, as well as at farmers markets, galas and events throughout the region. They are also available online via the Little Herb Farm website.

After scaling back a successful professional career to start the Little Herb Farm, the first two years were not without their challenges, hit by a lack of sunshine, low temperatures and rain. “The poor weather meant that events like farmers markets and galas were poorly attended,” Penny says, “Car parks were full of mud and gardening was the last thing on peoples’ minds.” Not the best time to start a gardening business while continuing to juggle family and business commitments.

Little Herb Farm at 2012 Crail Food Festival

But Penny’s commitment to the quality of her products has paid off. What makes the Little Herb Farm’s vinegars different from other commercial vinegars is their high fruit content. “They are made by hand in small batches,” she says, “and with 46 per cent fruit content in the final products, a little goes a long way.”

Varieties range from Raspberry and Rosemary to Blackcurrant and Thyme, Tayberry and Sage, and the deliciously Christmassy Mulled Bramble. In our house they have become a storecupboard staple. A popular winter starter was goats cheese glazed with Mulled Bramble vinegar, and my 10 year old will no longer eat a salad without a small bottle of Little Herb Farm vinegar on the side. The combination of the best quality soft fruit from Fife, along with the variety of herb combinations makes them not only delicious but also more versatile in their uses. They can be added to sparkling water or wine as a cordial, to gravy to sweeten in the same way as redcurrant jelly, to meringues, to stewed fruit, and to cocktails. They can even be drunk straight as a tonic, which Penny does herself (this was a popular Victorian remedy to maintain good health).

Vinegars prepared by The Little Herb Farm

But of course there is another side to the Little Herb Farm, the herbs themselves, and the Herb Farm grows many varieties not easily available elsewhere, such as salad burnet, sorrel, sweet mace, and summery savory. Ornamental and medicinal herbs are grown alongside the culinary varieties, and brushing past the pots of lemon and rose scented geranium set out in the warmth of the polytunnel is a sensuous experience in itself.
Penny sells different types of herbs with different requirements, and can advise on the right type of herb for certain conditions. If they don’t have a dedicated vegetable patch and want to grow herbs amongst their flowers, she can advise on more ornamental versions. “Our herbs are born and raised in Pittenweem and grown without artificial heat,” she says, “so that they are more likely to survive than plants raised in artificial environments.” The garden is peat free and Penny uses organic gardening methods.

Glorious colours at The Little Herb Farm

In future Penny hopes to expand the range of vinegars on offer, and plans more open days in her own garden. She is creating new herb beds and borders so people can see what their chosen plant will look like once it has grown up in its natural environment. With plans for herb flavoured salts, edible flowers and her ever popular Turkish delight, there is plenty to look forward to from the Little Herb Farm in coming months. And with all this talk of scented herbs, and temperature having risen to the lofty heights of eight degrees, I can almost taste the sunshine.

The Hungry Cygnet Tomato Salad

Two time winner of the Chef of the Future competition, my “hungry cygnet” likes her food. This is her perfect tomato salad recipe, which she says can’t be made without the Little Herb Farm’s raspberry and rosemary vinegar.

Tomatoes (we use a combination of big plum ones and cherry ones, the plumpest and freshest we can get, and home grown when we have them.)
Salt
Little Herb Farm Raspberry and Rosemary vinegar (or Tayberry and Sage)
Balsamic vinegar
Basil (sometimes parsley or mint)
Extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper
Slice the tomatoes, place in a sieve and salt. Leave for 20 minutes. This is very important. Leave out this stage and it just isn’t the same.
Place tomatoes and basil leaves on large plate. Mix two parts Little Herb Farm Vinegar with one part balsamic vinegar. Then add an equal quantity of olive oil and beat with a fork. Drizzle over tomatoes. Add black pepper to taste. Leave at room temperature for a further 20 minutes.
Taste and if necessary drizzle over either more vinegar or more oil to taste (the hungry cygnet likes hers pretty vinegary, and sometimes she has an extra bowl of vinegar on the side for dipping!)

There are more recipes and serving suggestions on the Little Herb Farm website.

Find out more:
Website: http://www.thelittleherbfarm.co.uk
Facebook page: The Little Herb Farm
Twitter page: @littleherbfarm
This article has been submitted to Crail Food Festival by Kirsten McKenzie. You can read more by visiting www.kirstenmckenzie.co.uk or www.pittenweemplot.wordpress.com, or join me on Facebook – Kirsten McKenzie or send me a Tweet @kirstenmckenzie

Chocolate making enthusiasts at the Pittenweem Chocolate Company workshop

The festival was the brainchild of Sophie Latinis, founder and chocolatier at The Pittenweem Chocolate Company and proprietor of the town’s Cocoa Tree Café. Perhaps unsurprisingly for someone so well versed in chocolate etiquette, Sophie is Belgian by extraction. However, to lead the workshop, she had invited a fellow chocolatier, Charlotte Flower from Acharn near Aberfeldy. Charlotte is a weel kent face in Scottish chocolate circles, and her fascination with foraging means the flavour of her unique chocolates varies according to what is in season at any time, which could be rosemary, lavender, Scots Pine, wild mint or soft fruits, among others.

Perhaps ironically, one of the first things I discovered when I reported to Pittenweem Church Hall on Monday afternoon, resplendent in my favourite Snoopy apron, was that neither Sophie nor Charlotte is particularly fond of the term “chocolatier”, which they feel tends to conjure up connotations of – in their words – “men with extremely tall hats and egos to match.”

Job titles duly dispensed with, it was quickly evident to the four apprentice chocolatiers for the afternoon that our two mentors were knowledgeable and passionate about every conceivable aspect of chocolate, from pod to final product. Both spoke animatedly about the difficulties and benefits of encouraging larger chocolate companies to source their beans from Fair Trade producers. They also talked in reverent tones about their occasional sorties to the Salon de Chocolat in Paris, where the top chocolatiers (resplendent in their tall hats, bien sûr) battle it out in the various disciplines of the chocolate championships.  To the four of us, sitting mesmerised by their ready flow of information, it all sounded like another world: a world with a chocolate centre…

Multifarious white, milk and dark chocolate concoctions were dotted around the kitchen in a cornucopia of pots, pans and other heating devices, so the temptation to dip one’s finger into the beckoning mixtures was at times excruciating. However, we all dutifully managed to retain our self-control for the first 10 minutes, as Charlotte and Sophie had stressed the importance of making sure that the chocolate was adequately “tempered” before we began working with it.

Charlotte explained: “Chocolate is an amazing substance, and cooking with it is like being in a scientific laboratory. If you look at chocolate under a microscope, you’ll see an emulsion comprised of a medium of cocoa butter in which are suspended small particles of cocoa solids and tiny particles of sugar.

“When cocoa butter crystallises,” she continued, “it can form into any one of 6–7 different structures, which makes it a rather fickle product to work with.  If chocolate callets (like thick chocolate buttons to you and me) aren’t melted and cooled correctly, the chocolate won’t form the correct crystal structure.” Apparently, that means it won’t snap and – quelle horreur! – that it may well develop a bloom (the familiar unattractive grey residue that we sometimes see on chocolate).

We were shown how to test for correct tempering by pouring a sample of molten chocolate onto a strip of plastic to see how well it set – if the chocolate is correctly tempered, when it hardens it should be shiny and make a distinctive “snap” when broken in two.  As it transpired, the melting chocolate wasn’t quite ready for our ministrations at that point, so instead we turned our eager attentions to the equally fascinating art of truffle making.

From pod to chocolate delights – the stages in the chocolate making process

Charlotte produced several bowls of gorgeous ganache (a mixture of chocolate and cream) in a variety of flavours including plain dark chocolate, milk chocolate, chocolate ginger, and chocolate flavoured with lavender. She then demonstrated how to make a white chocolate ganache flavoured with real lemon zest. It looked utterly amazing, its rich, golden yellow colour being surpassed only by its tantalising lemon taste which transported one’s taste buds straight to Sicily.

As instructed, we each rolled ourselves a selection of “ganache balls” and once they had set firm, we dipped our truffles tentatively into bowls of different types of molten chocolate. Fortunately, we had been equipped with the requisite “dipping forks” for this precarious process and were able to remove all our mini-masterpieces safely without having to dive into the bowls of molten chocolate after them (although admittedly, that prospect was not an unpleasant one…).

Myriad sprinklings (ranging from crunchy strawberry balls to cocoa tips to slivers of caramel) were provided for decorative purposes, and we were also given tiny piping bags so we could add ornamentation in contrasting colours of chocolate.  Truffles duly completed, we turned our attentions to making – and decorating – a bar of chocolate.  This process began with the rather unlikely task of “polishing” the inside of the moulds with wads of cotton wool, as Charlotte warned us that any greasy fingerprint or other imperfection on the inside of the mould would spoil the shiny appearance of our finished bar.

Next we ran the moulds under the inviting fountain of milky brown chocolate emanating from the magic chocolate melting machine, and scraped off any excess before knocking the mould firmly (but carefully) on the table surface several times, to bring to the surface and burst any lurking air bubbles.  Last but not least, there was another flurry of sprinkling as we “personalised” our bars with our choice of tempting toppings.

While the chocolate and truffles were setting,  Sophie talked us through the many and complex processes involved in chocolate production, starting by showing us a genuine cocoa pod containing still damp cocoa beans (each pod contains around 30), which looked a far cry from the dried and roasted beans which she showed us next.

Deluxe chocolate from Pittenweem Chocolate Company for Tasting

She explained that the beans are removed from the pod and then fermented (for anything from three to ten days, depending on the producers’ patience and schedule) before being dried, roasted and ground to create a cocoa paste. It was certainly mind-boggling to learn how many processes the humble cocoa bean undergoes before ending up as the melt-in-the-mouth chocolate we know and love. All of which brought us neatly to the culmination of the workshop: a chocolate tasting session featuring three different types of pure dark chocolate. Sophie forbade us to bite the chocolate samples, instructing us instead to allow each piece of chocolate to melt gradually on our tongue, so that we could pick out the characteristic flavours.

Square Sparrow’s masterpieces made at the Chocolate Workshop

It goes without saying that I was in my element: talking about, working with and learning how to “taste” chocolate properly. There really was no better way for a self-confessed chocoholic to spend the afternoon of Easter Monday. However, sadly all good things must come to an end and before we knew it, it was time to pack our truffles proudly into smart golden boxes and slip our customised bars of chocolate into see-through cellophane sleeves. It had been a truly wonderful afternoon characterised by laughter, creativity and, above all, a shared passion for chocolate – Vianne Rocher would most certainly have approved.

Find out more about the Pittenweem Chocolate Company:
Website: The Pittenweem Chocolate Company
Facebook page: The Cocoa Tree Cafe
Twitter page: @PittenweemChoco

Find out more about Charlotte Flower Chocolates:
Website: Charlotte Flower Chocolates and Blog
Facebook page: Charlotte Flower Chocolates on Facebook
Twitter page: @cocoaflower

This article has been submitted to Crail Food Festival by food, family and lifestyle blogger SquareSparrow.  You can read more by visiting http://square-sparrow.blogspot.co.uk/ or join me on http://www.facebook.com/square.sparrow  or send me a Tweet @SquareSparrow.

From France to Anstruther

I think France and Scotland both share a passion for food but was interested in Julien’s take on the culinary differences between the two countries. He said that in France people tended to eat later in the evening, giving them more time to prepare food and there is a big focus on quality ingredients. I wish I spent a bit more time cooking with better ingredients rather than rushing home from work and chucking another dubious ready meal into the microwave! Fortunately, I discovered that La Petite Epicerie’s treasure trove of the best of local and continental food could help me. How? By providing the key ingredients to better everyday meals which are good value and easy to make.

Clockwise from top: Exterior of La Petite Epicerie, Julien standing behind the counter, French pink garlic and onion, the deli’s magnificent fromage counter

I bought a hamper and a steak pie from La Petite Epicerie last week. Armed with these goodies I was able to whip up four delicious dishes tout de suite:-

1. STEAK PIE HEAVEN - La Petite Epicerie quite simply sells the best steak pies I’ve ever tasted. Julien makes them in the shop using steak from local East Neuk butcher extraordinaire, J.B. Penman of Crail. I first discovered their hearty, moreish charms one New Year’s Day, when one large La Petite Epicerie steak pie disappeared very quickly into six hungry mouths! This time round I cooked the pie with simple parmentier potatoes (local new potatoes par boiled, cubed and roasted in the oven with a bit of Very Lazy’s garlic, chopped onion, rosemary and oil or butter) and some local carrots and leeks (chopped and fried with a little olive oil and a splash of Calvados). A simple but oh so génial evening meal!

2. CLASSIC GAULISH STARTER – La Petite Epicerie’s incredible selection of imported terrines and pâtés make for a simple, superfast but delicious starter or snack, paired with biscuits or just toast. There are lots of duck and other meaty terrines as well as tempting seafood ones – I went for the Wild Boar Terrine for my hamper because it was a bit different and French, the sort of thing which Asterix might have eaten in ancient Gaul. I selected some Italian Bruschette Maretti mixed cheese flavour biscuits to go with it.

Seafood terrines at La Petite Epicerie

3. FIFE FARFALLE - I made a simple weeknight supper with two fantastic fresh, seasonal local ingredients from the deli – Wild Garlic Pesto from Fife’s Trotters’ Independent Condiments (the colour and smell of which is wonderfully intense) and Anster cheese with chives from the St Andrews Cheese Company, near Anstruther. I simply boiled some dried pasta, roasted chopped peppers, cherry tomatoes and onion in the oven and put it all together with the Pesto, some olive oil and the Anster cheese grated on the top, Quick, fresh and garlicky – fantastique!

4. MOROCCAN MID-WEEK MARVEL - Finally I used the Gustosecco Tangier Couscous (which has apricots, almonds and vine fruits in it) and homemade Mint Infused Olive Oil from La Petite Epicerie to make another quick but superbly tasty mid-week meal. I chopped chicken breast, coated it with some Harissa paste and seasoning and pan fried it. Meanwhile I made the couscous – which couldn’t be simpler – and mixed in pomegranate seeds, fresh herbs, seasoning and some of the olive oil. I served the chicken and couscous with some supermarket-bought tzatziki on the side and a cheeky wee glass of vin rouge.

Hamper from La Petite Epicerie – priced by ingredients

By the end of the week it was clear that I’d been eating better, more exotic, fresher meals, without the pain of spending huge amounts of time cooking, stressing or looking for recipes. Magnifique!

Julien is always on the lookout for great new local and continental products for his customers but La Petite Epicerie is not just about quality products. It’s clear that Julien is genuinely passionate about providing great service to help his customers. He recently introduced some recipe cards into the shop to help customers who are having trouble deciding what to buy. I think this is an excellent idea which more shops should be doing. The deli also offers a free home delivery service within a 10 mile radius, a service Julien started to help out elderly customers who were stuck at home, unable to travel to the shop in bad weather. In a nutshell, as one customer said, the deli “brings back the France-Scotland Auld Alliance to our community and treats us to wonderful service and foods.”

Julien hopes one day to open a second deli but right now he’s busy expanding his outside catering service (he’s already catered for dinners, birthdays, christenings and even weddings). Any time off is spent with his young family, recently enlarged by the birth of his second son.

The Crail Food Festival is “a fantastic opportunity to showcase local food suppliers and what a community spirit the local area has”, he says. We’ll have to wait and see which local and continental products La Petite Epicerie will be selling at this year’s Festival to help us improve our everyday cuisine (though dressed crab and game terrine are in season so they could be amongst them). Whatever they are I can’t wait to do my bit for the Auld Alliance and try them out!

Find out more:
Website: www.la-petite-epicerie.co.uk
Facebook page: La Petite Epicerie Deli
Twitter page: @EpicerieDeli

This article has been written for the Crail Food Festival by Sara Scott aka The East Neuk Blogger. You can read more by visiting http://rosecottageeastneuk.blogspot.co.uk or send me a Tweet @RoseCottageFife.

“Venison is high in omega 3 and high in iron – so it’s good for mums-to-be,” she explains, adding enthusiastically, “And it contains less fat than skinless chicken breasts!” This is sweet music to the ears of Yours Truly, who is extremely fond of venison. Confirmation that it is one of the healthiest meats around means that in future I can ladle it on to my plate with a crystal clear conscience.

A fine food aficionado with an impressive track record in mail order, Vikki began her career working at Scotland Direct in 1996. After that she consolidated and widened her retail experience by running her own online speciality food company for several years in partnership with a friend. In September 2009, she joined Fletchers of Auchtermuchty as a manager, initially working alongside owners John and Nichola Fletcher before buying them out completely on 31^st March last year.

Vikki speaks with a genuine passion about deer. She points to her computer screen, where the background photo features a strapping stag called “Rascal”, of whom she is evidently particularly fond. “He’ll never end up on a plate,” she says firmly, although she proceeds to tell me candidly about her state-of-the-art butchery facilities which we can see clearly from her office window. As we talk, Master Butcher Paul Douglas and his QMS apprentice Andrew McKeen are busy preparing and packing meat for a forthcoming local farmers’ market. Most Seriously Good venison (47%) is sold directly to customers at such markets; 28% is sold online, having been cut to order and vacuum packed; and the remainder is sold on a wholesale basis.

When she took over the business from the Fletchers, Vikki was keen to retain the impeccable welfare systems which the company founders had already put in place at their farm at Reediehill, near Auchtermuchty. So the deer are still culled out in the field by a single shot to the head, thus avoiding the stress of them being rounded up and transported in a lorry to the alien environment of an abattoir.

This aspect of Seriously Good Venison’s deer husbandry is not only beneficial from a welfare point of view; it also ensures the meat is exceptionally tender, as there is no rush of toughening, stress-induced adrenalin.

The deer at Reediehill are out at grass all year round, with the calves being weaned from their mothers before winter and kept indoors during the coldest winter months to build up their strength. They are put out to grass again, usually around April, and then live free range on the extensive pastures. They are given no antibiotics, so the meat does not require a withdrawal period. Moreover, it is hung traditionally and is “trimmed within an inch of its life” (to quote Vikki!) to ensure optimal quality and flavour.

The recent press circus surrounding meat contamination held no fears for Vikki, whose products follow a clear provenance path from the field to her FSA-approved butchery facility. “In the past month, we’ve had inspections from the EHO (Environmental Health Officers) and the Food Standards Agency,” she tells me, smiling and relaxed. “But they’re welcome to come whenever they like, as we’re definitely not hiding any horses here!”

Asked if she feels the horsemeat crisis has had a tangible impact on her business, she replies: “Well, we certainly haven’t had to push our product. I think people are understandably becoming more discerning when buying meat, and that’s very much in our favour.”

When I enquire about what the future is likely to hold for Seriously Good Venison, Vikki talks excitedly about her plans to move the herd to a new home near Cupar, Fife, in the coming months. She will also be undertaking a re-branding exercise, which will see Seriously Good Beef and Seriously Good Lamb added to the company’s product portfolio.

Of course, it would have been rude to leave without purchasing a couple of packs of venison – purely for research purposes, of course… Naturally I ask Vikki, being the expert in such matters, for a couple of suggestions and she recommends serving the steaks with either a blue cheese sauce (see recipe below) or a rowan jelly jus. Back at home, a family vote came out in favour of the latter, so that’s what was on the menu chez Sparrow last Friday evening. As a result, I can happily confirm that Seriously Good Venison more than lives up to its name!

Free download: SGV Steak tips for you to Download

Free recipe for you: Haunch Steaks in blue cheese sauce

Venison Fillet in Blue Cheese sauce also works well

Find out more:

Website:  http://www.seriouslygoodvenison.co.uk/

Facebook page:  http://www.facebook.com/SeriouslyGoodVenison?fref=ts

Twitter page: @SGVenison

This article has been submitted to Crail Food Festival by food, family and lifestyle blogger SquareSparrow.  You can read more by visiting http://square-sparrow.blogspot.co.uk/ or join me on http://www.facebook.com/square.sparrow  or send me a Tweet @SquareSparrow.

Founded in 2004 as a way for college students in the USA to keep in touch with one another, Facebook has become part of everyday life and connections between friends for many people world wide.  In the UK, over 50% of the population has a Facebook account, and anyone with a Facebook account can create a page for something they’re passionate about – which could be you, and your business!

Two of the businesses who are returning for the 2013 Crail Food Festival are run by Tanya Muttitt (Days Gone Bye Jams and Home Made Preserves) and Darren Mollan (Chilli Papas). We spoke to them about how they promote their business using Facebook.

Tanya started her business selling Jams and Home Made Preserves back in 2010, selling at car boot sales and progressing to selling at events throughout Fife (and beyond).  Her aim is to reintroduce our clients to the taste of “real ” jams and preserves. Just like your granny would have made – full of fruit and taste.  Tanya’s business is currently in the process of setting up a shop in Newport, Fife where she will sell her preserves, as well as providing a base for other local crafts people and artisans to trade.

How does Days Gone Bye Jams and Homemade Preserves use Facebook?

Tanya’s Tips for using Facebook to promote her home-based business

1. A home-based business may not have the resources for a website in the early days, so a Facebook Page for your business can help to spread the word without the cost of web development.
2. Be true to yourself. Share items which are important to your business and your potential customers.  Don’t participate in artificial ways to inflate your number of followers if you want genuine contacts with people who are real customers.
3. When you are going to be selling at an event, ask the organisers for a digital copy of a poster for the event and use it to make a post on your timeline.  Helps your customers to know where they’ll be able to buy from you.
4. Share the event on your own timeline and ask your helpful friends to share it with their friends.
5. Share information about what you’re making so that your followers get to know about it, and can contact you.  Take pictures when you’re producing your preserves, and post them on your Facebook page.
6. Work to support charities and the publicity gained will help more people find out about your business.  Tanya mentioned her support for animal charities, “Help for Heroes”, and an army wives charity.  She gives prizes for raffles and this leads to more people tasting her products and becoming customers for the future.
7. Be prepared for your business to have to “think global” – Facebook is an international medium and Tanya’s business has had to find out how to package and ship products to different parts of the world after people have sampled her wares and want to re-order.
8. Remember to include details of how your customers can find you on Facebook on your printed materials – business cards and jars were specifically mentioned by Tanya.

Darren Mollan of Chilli Papas also has a home-based business, creating curry mixes and spice and herb blends to help people make delicious low-fat home cooked meals from raw ingredients.  Darren set up his business in 2010, just as we were devising the plan for the first ever Crail Food Festival.  Looking for a low cost way to reach potential customers, Darren set up his Facebook page as a central part of his business strategy, and has made a huge effort to grow the Facebook following for his page.

How does Chilli Papas use Facebook?

Darren’s top tips for using Facebook to promote his home-based business

1. You have to work at it.  Darren posts on Chilli Papas’ Facebook page every day, either featuring photographs from his business, or asking topical questions of his followers to get people talking.  The more people who engage with your Facebook page, the more their friends are likely to see the comments and join in or become a new follower.
2. Vary the times of day when you post as you will get different people interacting at different times.  Sometimes post the same item of news twice or three times in a day to ensure that you reach as many of your followers as possible.
3. Darren sees his Facebook page as just like having a shop – if you talk to your customers when they pop in, they’re more likely to remain customers and return to buy more.
4. Facebook provides the interaction with customers which allows Chilli Papas to grow.  By using Facebook to offer new products free to existing customers to sample, Darren has grown his spice and herb blends from just 3 products in year one to 5 products in year 2, to the current 9 products, with 3 more in development.  He asks his customers about the balance of ingredients and adjusts the flavour of the mixes to suit customer taste before launching the ‘final’ product.  Big business develops products in a similar way, by testing, sampling and refining the offering until it is deemed acceptable to launch.  Darren has direct contact to create new products in line with his customer demands.  He says “I couldn’t have done it without Facebook.”
5. Facebook fans will help to spread the word about your business by letting you know that they’re cooking with your products, posting photographs and asking for advice about recipes.
6. Sharing personal items helps Chilli Papas’ customers to understand more about the business.  Darren is a house-Dad whose first priority is to make sure his children are looked after.  He works on his business late into the evenings to ensure that orders are met, so if he falls behind occasionally he can keep his customers informed and manage expectations via the Facebook page.
7. Using a Business Page within Facebook is important for Darren as it gives him Facebook Insights which help him to monitor what’s working and what is not.  He can see how many people his posts are reaching and which posts are most popular, which also helps him determine when the best time is to post for maximum impact.
8. Use Facebook applications to display reviews from customers – you can see what people are writing on the ChilliStars page.
9. Use Facebook to sell your products.  Chilli Papas has used an app to set up their on-line Chilli Papas shop within Facebook, which allows customers to shop without leaving Facebook.
10. Feature your favourite customers or stockists regularly. Chilli Papas is running a “stockist of the week” feature, giving extra exposure to other businesses, as well as showing their customers where they can buy Chilli Papas products.
11. Focus on your favourite social media application and it will pay dividends.  Each one has different strengths and weaknesses.  Chilli Papas puts the effort into Facebook and it reaps rewards.  They are also using Twitter, but the interaction there is different and requires a different approach.