Family run business Ardross Farm Shop has launched their eagerly anticipated raspberry jam which makes the perfect accompaniment for all your summer treats.

The raspberry jam is lovingly prepared by Fiona Pollock using only the finest locally sourced raspberries made in using the traditional ‘secret’ family recipe.  The jam is uniquely non-boiled in order to ensure 100% quality and guarantee the indisputable taste of fresh raspberries. 

Fiona Pollock commented; ‘The jam is made using my mother’s recipe and has a real home-made quality that you often don’t get from supermarket brands.  The jam itself is versatile and can also be used for coulis, sponges, ice cream or even on porridge.  It really does taste like fresh raspberries.’

The farm shop also stocks everything from rhubarb infused vodka to pork and visitors will find all manner of inspiration to enliven their culinary capabilities. Their wide range of food stuffs, from sauces to sweets, pies to puddings and an enormous variety of meat cuts from their own ethically farmed herd are complemented by a wide range of daily picked vegetables.  All additional products are sourced from farmers and small producers throughout the UK, ensuring that customers’ money goes directly to the producer and not into the supermarkets’ ever burgeoning pockets. Customers can either visit the charming shop, located on the family farm overlooking the dramatic seascape of East Fife’s coast and browse through the shelves or shop online. All produce can be delivered to homes throughout mainland UK.

5th Anniversary

Wednesday 26-28th September 2008

Lemon Quay, Truro

The Ultimate Recipe

Serves: 25,000

Cooking Time: 3 days

Method: Mix Cornwall’s finest chefs with lashing of the county’s top quality food & drink. Add 25,000 visitors, cheese and wine tastings, fun for the whole family, more than 60 producers and cook for 3 days. For best results, add free entry when serving.

Whether it’s a family looking for a great day out, romantic couples indulging in a culinary weekend away or true foodies in need of a fix, visitors are in for a treat of the distinctly tasty kind this September.

Details of the fifth edition of the county’s biggest dedicated celebration of local food and drink, the Cornwall Food & Drink Festival 2008, have just been announced.

Taking place from the 26th - 28th September 2008 on Truro’s Lemon Quay, the event will be bigger and better than ever thanks to the support of new sponsors Greenbank Hotel Falmouth, St Austell Brewery and Trewlawney Garden Centre.

Last year’s Festival was one of the most successful yet, with more than 25,000 people experiencing the mix of culinary delights and inspirational chef displays in a vibrant meeting of flavours and ideas. This year will be no exception as new attractions and activities are sure to get the taste buds tingling.

Festival Chairman and owner of Fodders Wholefood Restaurant Truro, Steve Whittingham said, ‘With unquestionable diversity and quality, Cornwall’s food and drink produce is arguably the best in the UK. The 2008 Festival will showcase this produce in all its glory, encouraging people to understand where our food comes from, especially younger generations, and just how critical local producers are to the region’s economy. With so much quality produce on offer and new attractions, we are looking forward to celebrating the Festival’s fifth anniversary in style.’

Building on the success of last year, this September visitors can look forward to trying the fresh local delights of more than 60 hand picked Cornish producers, while guaranteed entertainment awaits anyone in the Rangemaster Cookery Theatre on Saturday morning (11.30am). Just ten paying guests can experience the Chefs Table for a once in a lifetime eating experience as Cornwall’s top chefs including Kevin Viner (Viners Bar & Restaurant, Summercourt), Nathan Outlaw (Restaurant Nathan Outlaw, Fowey), David Sharland (Seafood Restaurant, Padstow), Neil Haydock (Fifteen Cornwall) and Ben Tunnicliffe (The Abbey, Penzance) join forces to produce stunning meal, while staff from Viners provide a first class waiting service. So come along and see if the heat of the kitchen brings out the Gordon Ramsay in any of our celebrated chefs!

The fun and entertainment certainly won’t stop there as the county’s leading chefs show how it’s done all weekend in the Rangemaster Cookery Theatre. Each will be joined by one of their local suppliers for real insight into the people behind Cornwall’s diverse food and drink offerings and include Sanjay Comer (Greenbank Hotel Falmouth), Arty Williams (The Cove, Maenporth), Richard McGeown (Couch’s Great House, Polperro), Elliot Kitley (St Moritz Hotel, Polzeath), Mick Smith (Porthminster Beach, St Ives), Ben Bass (The Old Quay House, Fowey) and Michael Riemenschneider (The Abbey Restaurant, Penzance). 

A must for anyone interested in traditional culinary skills will be the mouth-watering demonstrations throughout the Festival in the Heritage Cornish Cookery Area. On the menu will be fresh bread making, pasty crimping, local goat meat cooking and Cornish cider sampling.

Kevin Viner, Festival committee member and owner of Viners Bar & Restaurant, Summercourt said, ‘The most important part of the Festival for me is the opportunity for the British public to see how much effort goes into producing the food that they eat. The Festival remains the very best window into Cornwall’s produce.’

NEW! Mucky hands, tasty food and plenty of fun in the new Funky Food for Kids Area will be a hit with children this year. Supported by Trelawney Garden Centre, Wadebridge, the area will acquaint children with food of all varieties and help them learn where it comes from and how it is made. 

NEW! If shopping bags become too heavy with fine quality produce, St Austell Brewery will add a refreshing touch in the Cookery Theatre with Cornish wine tastings for anyone enjoying the action packed chefs programme.

NEW! For the big kids out there, an indulgent evening programme of Cheese and Wine tastings is in store at The Gallery in Lemon Street Market. With local bubbly on arrival, the Taste The Best Against the Rest master class begins with Cornwall’s finest award winning cheeses taking on their continental rivals with insight into the best wines to accompany them. After meeting the producers, visitors can then relax and enjoy the best in wine, cheese, bread and charcuterie. Advance tickets for each session (Friday 26th and Saturday 27th 6.30 – 9.00pm) are available from Artisan Cookshop, Truro (01872 261040) or Plough to Plate (01579 363 942) for £10. Tickets on the door cost £12.

NEW! The chefs of HMS Raleigh will be treating guests to the finest ingredients on Friday morning (11.30am), cooked with precision and served with full military silver service in the Rangemaster Cookery Theatre. Those interested can join the Chefs Table, organised in association with the Cornish Children’s Hospice for their ''The Precious Lives Appeal''.

NEW! A Battle of the Schools with Neil Haydock (Fifteen Cornwall) and Kevin Viner (Viners Bar & Restaurant, Summercourt) will bring together pupils and trainee chefs from Fifteen Cornwall for the ultimate cooking competition. Don’t miss them on Sunday 28th at 10.00am, broadcast live on BBC Radio Cornwall.

Angie Coombs, Manager at Taste of the West in Cornwall said, ‘The Festival has already established itself as one of the finest food events in the region and marks the start of a whole month of food and drink events as part of Cornwall Celebration of Food 2008. Above all, the Cornwall Food & Drink Festival 2008 will bring fun and excitement to visitors and a cultural appreciation of Cornwall’s unique brand and lasting appeal.’

Alison Waghorn, Inside Cornwall/Taste Cornwall Magazine, said: ‘Cornwall’s producers and chefs love this real contact with the buying public and the whole event is based on having fun around food and being able to taste and buy the best. From the breakfast launch to the last demonstration, there’s a real buzz to this festival that you won’t find anywhere else.’

The Festival is organised by a committee including Chairman Steve Whittingham, Angie Coombs, Roy Heath, Russell Holden, Alan Paston-Williams, Alison Waghorn, Daphne Skinnard and Kevin Viner

Festival Partners: St Austell Brewery, Greenbank Hotel Falmouth and Trewlawney garden centre

Festival Sponsors: Rangemaster, the Corporate Group, Plough to Plate, Antony Rowcliffe & son, Inside Cornwall/Taste Cornwall Magazine, The Cheese Shop, Wines in Cornwall, Experience Wines, Cornish Sea Salt, Viners @ Viners Restaurant & Bar and Artisan Cookshop Truro

Media Partners: Inside Cornwall/Taste Cornwall Magazine, BBC Radio Cornwall

The Cornwall Food & Drink Festival 2008 takes place from Friday 26th to Sunday 28th September at Lemon Quay, Truro. Festival entry is free and is open from 9am to 5.30pm on Friday 26th and Saturday 27th and 10am to 4pm on Sunday 28th September. For more information, visit www.cornwallfoodanddrinkfestival.com

Following its outstanding success last year, 2008 will see the return of Felbrigg Hall’s Chilli Fiesta and summer fete, in what is hotting up to be the highlight event for the property this summer.



Whether you’re a hardened chilli-head or a newcomer to the world of the chilli, this is your chance to join in the chilli madness! Felbrigg Hall’s Chilli Fiesta will be held on Wednesday 6 August and visitors will find a whole host of chilli paraphernalia waiting for them to try and take home, not to mention a wealth of local delights to choose from.

Following its success last year, interest has been sparked in the local food community and this year will see more than double the number of stalls. From seeds to plants, pickles and preserves, chutneys and cheeses, hot sauces and award winning pepper jellies - Felbrigg will have it all this August!

Companies from around East Anglia and the Home Counties have booked their pitches, including Chilli’s Galore, Completely Chilli, Edible Ornamentals, Munchy Seeds, Jazz It Up Foods, Horned Fox, Gourmet Med, Ferndale Norfolk Cheeses, Norfolk Rustic Crafts, Groveland Fruit Farm, Bray''s Cottage Pork Pies, Fayre Maiden Wines, Mushroom Moments, and Bhajiman. Not forgetting Jules and Sharpie with their award winning preserves and Essence Foods, who one best retail product at last year’s EDP Norfolk Food Awards.

The chilli pepper is proving to be very popular with modern society and today it is one of the most widely cultivated crops. Tina Hammond, Head Gardener at Felbrigg Hall has been growing chilli peppers at the property for 8 years; “Chilli peppers will grow in similar conditions to tomato plants, although often to get better results they should be grown in higher temperatures and humidity. We grow ours here at Felbrigg in the “Pit House” in the walled garden, although it is possible to cultivate them outdoors in sheltered areas that receive plenty of sunlight.”

“The best time to harvest your chilli peppers is when the pods feel firm and look fairly glossy, if they are still soft to the touch then that means that they are still immature. I would recommend that you keep back a couple of ripe chillis, dry them off, collect their seeds and store them in a dry cool dark place for next years crop. The best time to sow is February, either indoors or under glass, sowing early gets the plants off to a good start for earlier fruiting ” Tina reveals.

There are hundreds of varieties of chilli plants and their heat level varies dramatically. At Felbrigg, you will find jalapenos – nicely piquant, the best all round culinary variety, plus a selection of extremely hot and decorative fruits. Whatever there shape or size, chilli peppers are thought to be really healthy for you. Green chillis are a great example, high in vitamin A (a powerful antioxidant that boosts the immune system); green chillis contain almost twice as much vitamin C as citrus fruits.

So for the chilli lovers amongst you, head on down to the National Trust’s Felbrigg Hall and explore the diverse world of the chilli and the best of regional food this August - not to mention all of the fun of a traditional fete, with its games of skill and chance.

Felbrigg Hall’s Summer Fete and Chilli Fiesta is on Wednesday 6 August (11am to 5pm). The fete starts at 1pm. FREE EVENT! No booking necessary. Stall holders interested in booking a pitch are asked to call the property office on 01263 837444.

One of the UK ’s favourite diet foods has been given a makeover that would give Trinny and Susannah a run for their money and its smooth new look will be revealed soon at a supermarket near you.







Brand new spreadable honestly... Smooth Cottage Cheese launches in August and, as the name suggests, there will not be a single lump in sight!







honestly... Smooth boasts all of the fabulous diet and health credentials of traditional cottage cheese but, thanks to its unique creamy smooth texture, is even more versatile.







Available in two flavours, Natural and Garlic &Herb, honestly... Smooth Cottage Cheese is naturally high in protein, low in fat and with just 97 calories in every half pot is perfect for brightening up the most tedious of diets.

honestly... Smooth is made from West County milk in the heart of a picturesque Somerset village using a secret production method that removes the lumps and creates a light and mild creamy texture making it perfect to spread on just about anything that takes your fancy.

But that’s only half the story, the good people at honestly have let their imaginations run riot to create a fabulous range of easy to make recipes from delicious dips to scrummy smoothies that will help you to achieve a balanced, healthy lifestyle.

For the traditionalists amongst us, the team at honestly... has come up with a chunky version too in Natural and Roasted Red Pepper varieties.

honestly... Chunky Cottage Cheese has all of the same great health and diet benefits as its smoother counterpart and its chunky texture makes it ideal for stuffing into pitta,tortillas or baked potatoes for a convenient, tasty and nutritious snack.

For a full list of honestly... recipe ideas go to www.eathonestly.co.uk

Bringing the magic of different cuisines into even beginner kitchens has been the aim of our easy cookbook series since it launched last year, and with Manju Malhi’s hugely successful Easy Indian Cookbook we really showcased the beauties of this series.

In September we will be launching the newest easy cookbook, Easy Japanese Cookbook (published by Duncan Baird Publishers, priced £16.99, spiral bound paperback) written by acclaimed chef Emi Kauzko, this is a fantastic beginners guide to creating beautiful, sumptuous Japanese food at home.

Stylishly illustrated, the book first introduces the techniques and staple ingredients of Japanese cooking. Part two is packed full of recipes with simple instructions and easy-to-buy ingredients. The final part shows you how to put the recipes together to form full menus, from a simple lunch to a dinner party.

Nothing in this series is difficult; however, it may take some time, as this is the Easy Japanese Cookbook not the quick and easy cookbook.  There are no shortcuts here, just traditional techniques made available to everyone.

It comes with a CD of traditional Japanese music to set the atmosphere in the kitchen and dining room.

Emi Kazuko is the author of several cookery books, including Japanese Food and Cooking, which won the Best in the World Asian Cuisine Book Award from the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2001. She has appeared on BBC 4’s The Food Programme, Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and BBC World Service. Her Street Café Japan was made into a TV series for UK Style.

Title: Floyd On Africa

Format: 2 DVD

Running Time: 224 mins approx

Release Date: 4th August 2008

RRP: £12.99

Cat No: 86281SA

Barcode: 5024952 86281 8

Keith Floyd - the eccentric TV cook - travels to Africa, visiting a number of regions. The boisterous and bubbly Floyd cooks traditional dishes from each area using a variety of heat sources, sometimes in surprising surroundings. Places visited include South Africa, Zimbabwe, Madagascar and Zambia.

Floyd arrives in Cape Town by yacht and cooks on board. He visits the township of Kyelisha where he cooks in a bar. He then travels in a microlite towards Victoria Falls where he prepares tiger fish and cabbage. Finally, he flies into Kruger National Park and moves on to Drakensburg.

In the second episode Floyd travels to Sun City by helicopter, visits the township of Plettenburg, goes on board a squid fishing boat and boards the Rovos Rail train.

The third and fourth programmes take Floyd to Madagascar where he visits the Zoma market and travels on the Michelin train. He visits Majunga, sees raffia being weaved and the “Turning of the Dead” ceremony. He then jumps on a plane and returns to Johannesburg. In the next two episodes we see Floyd going to Durban, Lesotho, the African Game Parks and Zimbabwe. The final episode takes us back to Cape Town where the journey began.

By Thomas Læssøe and Anna Del Conte

Published:1 August 2008

Price: £12.99

The ultimate guide to all things mushroom

A humble kitchen staple and a constant vegetable drawer inhabitant, the mushroom has been used in cooking for centuries.   Explore everything from foraging and identification to cooking mushrooms in The Edible Mushroom Book, a stunning collection of informative text, colour photography and mouth watering recipes.

Responding to a growing demand for fresh, local produce, The Edible Mushroom Book gives you the opportunity to go right to the source of your food with its unique guide to mushroom picking.  In the Field shows the prime mushroom habitats as well as tips on when to go and how to safely identify and pick the mushrooms; no toxic toadstools in this camp.

Once you’ve successfully reaped your harvest, its time for the fun to begin in the kitchen.  There are over 50 delicious recipes from the classic to the contemporary including wild mushroom risotto and puffball tempura all with simple step by step instructions.  What could be more satisfying than eating something sourced prepared and cooked by you?  Details on cleaning, slicing, cooking and preserving mushrooms are also included so you really do make the best of your harvest! 

The Edible Mushroom Book reveals everything you need to know from the soil to the saucepan in an interesting and accessible format. This beautiful book informs and delights and transforms a common culinary staple into something quite spectacular.

About the authors:

Anna Del Conte is a highly respected writer on Italian food. She was born and brought up in Milan, and is the author of 12 highly regarded books on Italian cooking, including The Gastronomy of Italy, the first comprehensive reference book on Italian food in English, for which she was awarded the Duchessa, Maria Luigia di Parma prize.  In 1994 Anna received the Verdicchio d’Oro prize for her contribution to the dissemination of knowledge of the authentic Italian cooking, and in 1996 her book The Classic food of Northern Italy won the Guild of Food Writers Book of the Year award in the UK and the Orio Vergani prize of the Accademia Italiana della Cucina in Italy.  Anna is the co-author of DK’s Pasta.

Thomas Læssøe developed an early interest in mushrooms during family outings to pick Chanterelles and Boletes in his native Denmark.   After gaining a PhD from the University of Copenhagen, he moved to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in London, Where he served for five years as senior scientific officer for the mycological team.  Thomas Læssøe has described a number of new fungal species, mainly from rainforests around the globe, and has participated in expeditions from Greenland to Borneo.   He is the co-author of a number of books on fungi including DK’s The Mushroom Book.

The Salt Association''s response to today''s announcement from the Food Standards Agency on salt reduction targets is below. Peter Sherratt, General Secretary of the Salt Association said: "The new targets are further evidence of the Food Standards Agency''s nanny-state blanket approach to telling us all how much salt we should consume. The truth is that the blanket is full of holes and is being questioned by an increasing number of scientific experts.

"It has never been proved that salt causes high blood pressure, nor has it been proved that salt reduction lowers blood pressure for all of us. "There is, on the other hand, growing evidence to suggest that some sectors of the population may actually be at risk from following blanket advice. They include the elderly, those who sweat heavily when they exercise and also pregnant women."

Mr Sherratt added: "A one size suits all approach is manifestly inappropriate, confusing to the public and may be dangerous. It is essential that the Government should establish the facts once and for all by instigating large-scale trials to evaluate long-term outcomes."