On my menus I like to offer a varied and imaginative menu of classic British food with my own modern twist. Tudor Farmhouse has long supported the use of locally sourced, quality ingredients and it’s something that I’m really passionate about too.
When buying ingredients and looking for suppliers, I always source from within a 20 mile radius unless I simply have to look further afield for a specific ingredient. Along with our wonderful suppliers that we currently work with, we also use a range of wild food, foraged from the hotel grounds and fruit and vegetables from our own kitchen garden.
I recently caught up with Brenda Pennell from Crooked End Farm, our lamb supplier, to ask them a few quick questions. Here’s what they had to say…
What is the ethos behind Crooked End Farm?
We are committed to producing the tastiest, freshest organic food, without costing the earth. We do this because we believe healthy, seasonal, organic food shouldn’t just be a trendy choice for the well-off, it should be accessible to everyone!
What are you most famous for?
Our homemade pies! People just love them. They fly out the door, especially when they’ve not long been out of the oven.
What makes it so special?
Our pies are made from scratch with no compromises. We make a traditional hot water crust pastry and stuff the pies with mouthwatering fillings made from great organic ingredients including our own vegetables and free-range meat. We do vegetarian pies too so no one has to miss out. The pies are then hand-crimped before being baked so there’s no uniform, shop-bought look to them. Instead, each one is individual, beautiful and most of all, full of flavour.
Why is your produce important to the area?
We produce a wide range of truly wonderful ingredients that our chef makes into amazing food. And by supplying other local business like Tudor Farmhouse Hotel we are helping to put the Forest of Dean on the food map! There’s not only a lot to see and do in the area but there’s lots to taste too!
Can you supply a little known or quirky fact about either your own produce or produce from the Gloucestershire area?
Our mixed salad bag won first prize in the fruit & vegetable category at the 2010 Soil Association Food Awards. The award was presented by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, who privately confessed that he preferred plain lettuce!
A Fish Out Of Water 