A nice surprise landing through the letter box today. The Good Food Guide, who are 60 years old in 2011, have honoured us with a listing for the second year running. To get listed, happy guests recommend us to the Guide and then to make sure there is no fiddling going on, they secretly check the place out.
So a big thank you again for telling the Good Food Guide about us. We can’t wait to see the paper copy 
We have all seen the Cornish pasty in it’s many forms, with it’s various ingredients. Well, this may all be coming to a head now as Cornwall is seeking EU recognition for it’s most famous culinary export, except for Rick Stein of course. On the 14th July 2010, an application was made to secure Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) from the Europeans. Basically, this means that if they are successful, only pasties produced within the geographical area of Cornwall can be called a Cornish Pasty.
It does not stop there, the ingredients and method of production would also be controlled. This may finally finish the timeless argument once and for all … There are no carrots in a real Cornish Pasty.
This story starts with an article that hit the national papers, the full story is at: www.burtonmail.co.uk/News/Wildlife-expert-raps-RSPCA-on-selective-cruelty-ideas.htm . The real controversy comes out as two very opposing groups express their views. My own opinion was that the case was about the RSPCA overstepping the line by a mile, but the issue of cruelty is a difficult one to take a side on. Apparently you should not drown any animal, it’s cruel and prolonged, but rather knock it out or shoot it. For those of you who believe that grey squirrels are cute and fluffy and all animals live in peace and harmony, this article is for you.
I grew up in the Lake District and we had red squirrels living in an abandoned bird box in the garden. My dad would hand feed the squirrels and they were pretty good neighbours. A few miles down the road Beatrix Potter wrote Squirrel Nutkin and I gained a Tufty club certificate. So, I like red squirrels, they are native to the UK and are now endangered.
The grey squirrel however, is not a nice creature. It will clear out berries, pillage nut trees, dig up bulbs, destroy birds nests and their eggs, kill red squirrels with squirrel pox (they themselves are immune), eat the wiring in your roof and ravage your hamster without so much as a cheap bottle of wine and some smooth banter.
In a field, you would shoot pigeons and rabbits if they are harmful to your crops. So why not the squirrel? I guess it’s because they look cute and very few people buy into the idea that these creatures are as dangerous as they are. Grey squirrels are pests, simple as that. When you catch one in a trap, you would risk prosecution to release them as they are classed as a pest. You then have two choices; hand them over to a sanctuary or dispatch them. Most of these traps do not have any means to help you out. There are no connections so you can plug the thing into the mains, nor is there is a convenient mob of victimised field mice to perform a lynching.
The only thing you can do is get your hands dirty. Maybe the manufacturers should provide freepost packages to send them over to the RSPCA, they seem to know what to do. Of course, there would be air holes in the boxes, anything else would be cruel?
A few weeks ago we decided that it would be great to enter our village scarecrow contest. The neighbourhood we live in has a very strong sense of community that is totally contagious, so we just couldn’t resist. My lovely wife put her creative skills together and with the aid of cushions, straw, scrap wood and a few bit of chef wear, we came up with the following:
I came up with the blackbirds from old sock, yellow golf tees, straw and garden wire. At 10 o’clock on the Sunday morning, the assembled scarecrow was installed on the end of our drive. Hundreds of on-lookers came past and took photo’s of “Marco” and we did pretty much the same by playing village tourists for the day.
Sometime later in the day, we got a text message from some friends to congratulate us on our winning entry. The judges had stealthed in, put a 1st Place rosette on Marco for first place in Traditional Scarecrow, Business category.
Thank you, a great day and it certainly put a smile on our faces to get a prize.
Starting a restaurant at the very beginning of the recession was not one of our brightest ideas. Hindsight is a great predictor of how things work. During that time we have gone from strength to strength. In the first year our proudest moment was winning Best Newcomer of the Year in the Taste of Staffordshire Awards. In 2009 we were listed as a UKTV Food Hero in 2009. The crowning glory was a coveted listing in the Good Food Guide in 2010, only four places in Staffordshire made it.
It’s not been all awards and glory, there have been some real challenges from sacking dishonest staff to vandalism, theft and leaking ceilings. Each of these was dealt with and we have progressed onwards and upwards. A real inspiration for us came at the beginning of 2009 when Daniel Pilkington replaced our outgoing head chef. Dan has taken each new menu to higher standards. Through his knowledge of some great local suppliers and produce, each dish is continuously perfected. Our real key to growing during these difficult times has been in keeping an eye on quality and trying constantly, to improve on what we have done before.
Who knows what the rest of 2010 will bring, but we are looking forward to our 3rd birthday and many beyond that. A big thank you to some great locals who dine with us, supply us and work as a team with us.
I was sent a YouTube link by one of our guests. Him and his young son are football fans (Port Vale) and have a ritual of going away to the matches, eating out somewhere nice and making a video diary of the day. We were very pleased when Mark came to visit us.
What struck me on this visit, was the very European nature. Food and family mix together very freely in places like France or Italy, it’s part of the culture. The British are coming around to this way of thinking, but it does not come naturally as it will take a generation to come through. My parents were brought up in the post war, convenience era and then as they got into comfortable middle age, along came fast food. So out came another generation expecting very little and trying out even less.
If you visit an Italian neighbourhood restaurant, you will not see a kids menu or anything else vaguely offensive to young diners. Children want to learn about food, explore menus and ask questions. To see a dad and his boy talking about and enjoying food, is the future of Britain. Thanks Mark
We did it again and won an award in the Brasserie of the Year category. 99 Station Street was judged 2nd place (as last year), but we didn’t get to win Newcomer of the Year as last year
This has been a great achievement considering the increased competition in the county and also the volume of entries due to the Awards gaining popularity. Well done to the team, another high standard to aim for.
We are very proud to announce that we got listed in the guide this year. The Good Food Guide is Britain’s best selling restaurant guide and all entries are based on reader feedback with anonymous inspections afterwards. In the Staffordshire section, there were four establishments from the county, so this is a very special gift from our happy guests. Many thanks to all, hopefully our relationship with the Guide will continue for some time.
The early Autumn delivers some great treats, even though it’s only one day in. Some of our favourites are wood pigeon, scallops and beetroot. That just covers some of the starters on our new dinner menu. There is also delicious Brixham crab in plaice, sweetcorn and fennel. To finish, some of our first batches of home made ice cream.
Autumn is full of strong flavours growing on bushes and falling off trees. This is the part of the year that produces the food that gets stored up for those long nights ahead. Walnuts will be ready in a few weeks and the last of the apples will have dropped by then. Plums get picked for jam and wine, which will be at it’s best in the Spring.
Today saw the arrival of Dan’s new ice cream maker, which he has been dropping hints about for a couple of months. The lavender has flowered in the garden and he’s keen to come up to the house and harvest some as an ingredient. We are certainly looking forward to trying some of chef’s new recipes soon.
The next item on the shopping list is going to be something a little warmer, full of water and to be kept away from Dan. Hope you can keep a secret
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