Café Deli, Beechwood Fine Foods, located in Tring Town Centre is well established as the Pendley Court Theatre Town Box Office, but owners’ Toby and Sarah Murray have now opened their doors to a host of other local events too.

Visitors to Beechwood Fine Foods in Tring can now purchase tickets for the following, in addition to the numerous events held at Pendley Court Theatre:

• Spirit of Tring – postponed to Friday 21 and Saturday 22 September 2012.
• Tring Carnival events; antiques evening with John Bly on Friday 29 June 7.30pm, Tring’s very own ‘Old Country Union’ band night, supported by Iain English’s band ‘Notation’ with singer Hayley Gomm, on Saturday 30 June 7.30pm and the Sunday Jazz afternoon from 12 o’clock noon on Sunday 1 July with ‘The New Orleans Jazz Syndicate 4’, ‘Jazz Juice’ and ‘The Nathan Townsend Quartet’.
• Wendover Arm Trust sponsored Canal Walk from Wendover to Tring on Sunday 2 September 2012.  Registration forms must be completed and returned by Sunday 26 August.

Not only do Toby and Sarah sell the tickets on behalf of the various organisations, and attend as many as they can, but they are also heavily involved with ‘Tring Together’ the organisation set up to make life better and more enjoyable for the residents, businesses and associations of Tring and the surrounding villages.

Toby said, “It’s really important to us that we support our community.  We have built up a really good local following over the past 2 years and it’s a rare day that we don’t see someone we know pop into the shop for a coffee or delicacy for their supper.”

The shop can be found at 42 Frogmore Street, Tring, with plenty of local parking nearby, and is open 7 days a week.

For further information, visit www.beechwoodfinefoods.com or contact Toby and Sarah Murray on tel: 01442 828812.

More often than not this is served in Beechwood as a gluten free cake. Substitute regular flour for a gluten free alternative and add xanthum gum (optional)

Cuts into 10-12 slices.

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE
350g prepared rhubarb cut into 2-3cm lengths
200g golden caster sugar
Finely grated zest and juice of ½ an orange
140g softened butter
2 eggs
½ tsp baking powder (gluten free if required)
85g self-raising flour
100g ground almonds

FOR THE TOPPING
40g butter
25g light muscovado sugar
Finely grated zest of ½ an orange
50g flaked almonds

23cm spring-form cake tin greased and lined
Oven 190C/Gas 5/fan oven 170C

How to make it

• Mix the rhubarb with 50g of the sugar and the orange zest and set aside whilst you make the cake mix, or at least half an hour.
• Cream the butter and remaining sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.
• Add the flour, ground almonds and baking powder and mix gently until combined. Stir in the orange juice.
• Spoon the mixture into the tin and smooth the surface.
• Spoon rhubarb pieces over the surface of the cake and drizzle over the orangey sugar syrup.
• Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the topping by melting the butter and combining with the other ingredients.
• After 25 minutes baking remove the cake from the oven and sprinkle over the topping mix.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 180C/Gas 4/fan oven 160C and return the cake for another 15-20 minutes, or until firm in the middle.
• Cool in the tin before transferring to a rack.
• Serve dusted with icing sugar, warm with cream or ice-cream as a pudding, or cold as a cake.

Note: This is a moist cake and quite fragile, and care needs to be taken when removing from the base of the cake tin, especially if it is being served slightly warm.

Try as an alternative to the traditional fruited simnel cake for Easter, especially for marzipan lovers Cuts into 10-12 slices.

Ingredients

200g softened butter
200g caster sugar
4 eggs
200g self raising flour
200g chopped glace cherries
100g ground almonds
Almond extract
250g ready made marzipan
50g flaked almonds
20cm spring-form cake tin greased and lined

Oven 160C/Gas 3/fan oven 140C

How to make it

• Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Gently mix in the flour, followed by the cherries, ground almonds and almond extract.
• Spoon half the mixture into the tin and smooth the surface.
• Between two sheets of greaseproof paper, using a dusting of icing sugar to prevent it sticking, roll out the marzipan to just smaller than your cake tin and lay on top of the cake mixture.
• Cover with the rest of the cake mixture, level the surface, and scatter with flaked almonds.
• Bake for 1½ hours, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. You may need to cover the cake with greaseproof paper or foil after an hour to prevent it browning too much.
• Leave to cool in the tin.
• Serve dusted with icing sugar.

Beechwood Fine Foods, the Tring town deli café, have recently been awarded the highest score of 5 out of 5 in the recent Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, recognizing their very good standards of food hygiene.

The scheme is a Food Standards Agency/Local Authority partnership initiative, designed to assist consumers decide where to eat out or shop for food with good food hygiene standards.  The top marks awarded to Beechwood Fine Foods indicate ‘Very Good’ food hygiene standards.  The rating scheme is colloquially referred to as ‘scores on the doors’ and information on food businesses participating in the scheme can be found at http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/webpage/moreabouten.

In this instance, the award was made via The Food Standards Agency in conjunction with Dacorum Borough Council Environmental Health Department.

The scheme was launched nationally on the 29th February 2012 and provides the rating or inspection result given to a business to reflect the standards of food hygiene on the inspection by the local authority.

Toby Murray, Owner of Beechwood Fine Foods, said, “Sarah and I are absolutely delighted that we have been awarded the highest score of 5 out of 5 and very proud of our success to date.  We are still a relatively young business; we thought we were doing all the right things but it is reassuring to have it confirmed by the new scheme and to be able to display this to all our customers.  It’s really rewarding to have all our hard work recognized in this way”.

For further information, visit www.beechwoodfinefoods.com or contact Toby and Sarah Murray on tel: 01442 828812.

A delicious no-cook tart the kids can help Mum make for Mother’s Day

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

200g pack all-butter biscuits
75g butter
1 tbsp golden syrup or honey
100g dark chocolate
100g milk chocolate
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
200ml whipping cream

How to make it

• Crush the biscuits by putting them in a strong plastic food bag and bashing with a rolling pin. Carefully melt the butter with the syrup or honey in a microwave or a small pan on the hob, then stir in the crushed biscuits. Press onto the base and up the sides of a loose bottomed 23-25cm round flan tin and chill while you make the filling.
• Break up the chocolate and put in a large bowl. Melt in the microwave for 2-3 mins on medium, stirring halfway through or place the bowl over a pan of just simmering water.
• Whip the cream until it just holds its shape, then gently fold in the sifted icing sugar and vanilla extract. Fold the sweetened cream into the slightly cooled, melted chocolate. Pour over the crushed biscuit base and smooth the top.
• Chill for at least 2 hrs (or for up to 2 days).
• Just before serving, remove the tart from the tin and slide it onto a flat plate (loosen edges first with the tip of a small pointed knife). It will be easier to remove the tart if you leave it at room temperature for 30 mins.
• Cut into slices and serve with fresh fruit of your choice and cream or ice cream.

Monday 27 February to Sunday 11 March 2012
The Fairtrade fortnight event is now underway and Beechwood Fine Foods is the only cafe/coffee shop in Tring participating with 1/2 price coffee, tea or hot chocolate, valid to drink in or to take away. Look out for the Tring Justice and Peace ‘Half Price Fairtrade Drinks’ vouchers locally (example below).

We Look forward to seeing you!

Don’t forget, Shrove Tuesday, now more commonly known as ‘Pancake Day’ is on Tuesday 21^st February…. but pancakes are great all year round!

Makes 10-12 pancakes. Can be frozen

Ingredients
140g plain flour
200ml whole milk
2 eggs
25g unsalted butter, melted, plus a little extra for greasing

How to make it

• Sift the flour with a pinch of salt into a bowl and make a well in the middle. Mix the milk with 100ml of water. Break the eggs into the well and start whisking slowly. Add the milk and water, whisking constantly and gradually incorporating the flour.
• Set the batter aside to rest for 30 mins (if you have time), then whisk the melted butter into the batter.
• Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Very lightly grease the pan with melted butter and pour roughly 2 tbsp of batter into the pan. Swirl it around so the bottom of the pan is evenly coated. Cook the pancake for about 45 secs on one side until golden then flip the pancake over and cook the other side for about 30 secs until it freckles.
• Slide the pancake out of the pan and either serve immediately or stack on a plate with baking parchment in between.

Serve the traditional way with fresh lemon juice and caster sugar or try the variation below

Apple & Cinnamon Pancakes

Ingredients per person

2 pancakes (as above)

1 eating apple, peeled, cored and cut into wedges
20g butter (approx)
1 tbsp light muscovado sugar
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
vanilla ice cream

How to make it

• Melt butter and sugar in a pan and add apple wedges and cinnamon. Cook until golden and tender.
• Place two warm pancakes on a plate. Divide the apple mix between them and fold over into quarters.
• Serve immediately with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Other options –omit the cinnamon and add a little cream to the apples just before serving to make a ‘butterscotch sauce’ or for the adult version, a splash of Calvados!

Also works well with pears.

For a special occasion – serve with warm walnut bread

Makes enough for 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 medium celeriac peeled and chopped (keep in water to stop browning)
• 1 medium potato peeled and chopped
• 2 ripe pears peeled, cored and chopped
• 1 onion roughly chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 litre hot vegetable stock
• ¼ tsp celery salt (optional)
• 100g stilton, crumbled
• Freshly ground black pepper

How to make it

• Heat oil in large saucepan and sweat onion until soft (do not allow to go brown). Add garlic and celery salt and fry for 2 minutes more
• Stir in potato and celeriac to coat with oil for a further 2 minutes
• Add hot stock and bring to the boil, and simmer gently for approximately 20 minutes, or until both vegetables are soft, adding the pears for the last 2 minutes
• Blend until smooth adding stilton to taste, and additional stock or hot water to desired consistency
• Check seasoning and reheat, serving with any leftover stilton crumbled on top and warmed crusty bread and butter

For a special occasion – alternatively serve with warm walnut bread

Toby Murray of Beechwood Fine Foods, the farm shop and café deli in Tring, Herts, recently participated as one of the judges for the World Cheese Awards held at the NEC on 23 November 2011, in conjunction with the BBC Good Food Show.

The 200 judges were grouped into teams of four with each team judging approximately 55 cheeses from different classes.  Toby’s team included Cathy Strange, Whole Foods Market global cheese buyer, Mandi StClair, a deli owner in Lyme Regis, and Alex James, formally of Blur, now a renowned cheese maker.  The team’s classes included Extra Mature Cheddars, Mozzarellas, Blue Goats Cheese, ‘Other Hard Cheeses’ and ‘Cheese With Flavourings’.  Each team could award as many Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards as they wished but were then required to choose one Super Gold to go forward to the Final.  Toby’s team selected Deichkäse – Large – produced by Hofkäserei Backensholz GmbH & Co KG, which is a hard cheese with a strong, spicy flavour and subtle caramel notes.  This particular cheese made it to the final 16.

“France snatched the top World Cheese Awards trophy back from Britain when judges crowned a 10-month Ossau Iraty the 2011 World Champion, beating last year’s winner, Cornish Blue, by a narrow margin.  It’s the second time round for farmhouse producer Fromagerie Agour, which took the top title in 2006 with the same variety” reports the Guild of Fine Foods.

Toby was invited to participate as a judge via the Guild, of which Beechwood Fine Foods is an accredited member.  This is the second year that the BBC Good Food Show has hosted the World Cheese Awards, which has run for more than 20 years.  It is the largest cheese competition in the world; more than 40 tonnes of cheese from over 2,500 entries were judged by the two hundred selected judges.

Toby said, “I was extremely honoured to take part in the awards alongside such notable names in the food industry, and no doubt I was the envy of many participating with Alex James from Blur!  Apparently he has renovated a cheese farm in the Cotswolds which now produces award-winning cheeses and is a thoroughly nice chap.”  Beechwood Fine Foods stock ‘Blue Monday’,  a creamy Shropshire blue, sharp with a very faint sourness, which is named after Alex’  favourite New Order song.  “The day was tiring but excellent fun and rounded off by a great opportunity to see the best of the Good Food Show, a fantastic event in its own right.”

For further information, contact Toby and Sarah Murray on tel: 01442 828812.

Two really quick and easy ways to make ‘mince pies’

Pinwheel Mince Pies

Makes 12.  Freeze uncooked

Ingredients

50g golden caster sugar
1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry
340-400g jar mincemeat
1 tbsp milk
25g flaked almonds
Large baking sheet lined with parchment paper
Oven 200C/Gas 6/fan oven 180C

How to make it

•  Scatter the sugar over the worktop, unroll the pastry and roll it out so it’s a quarter bigger, but keeps its shape.
• Spread the mincemeat evenly over the pastry leaving a 2cm border along the longest edges. Fold one of the longest edges over the mincemeat then roll the pastry tightly into a sausage shape. Brush the final edge with milk and press down to seal in the mincemeat. Press both ends in gently to plump up the roll and chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Slice the roll into 12 rounds, about 3cm thick. Lay them evenly spaced on the baking sheet and flatten slightly. Scatter the almonds on top and bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown.
• Leave to cool for 5 minutes – keep them separate so they don’t stick together.

Get ahead – the mince pie roll can be frozen whole wrapped in cling film or open freeze the slices and transfer to a bag or container for up to 1 month

Mincemeat ‘Ravioli’ Parcels

Makes 15-20.  Freeze uncooked

Ingredients

2 x 375g sheets ready-rolled shortcrust or sweet shortcrust pastry
a little flour, for dusting
340-400g jar mincemeat
1 egg , beaten
70g caster sugar
¹/₂ tsp ground cinnamon
Large baking sheet lined with parchment paper
Oven 200C/Gas 6/fan oven 180C

How to make it

•  Unroll one of the pastry sheets onto a lightly floured surface, and spoon teaspoonfuls of mincemeat, spaced about 2.5cm apart. Brush around the mincemeat with a little egg. Unroll the second sheet of pastry, and roll out just a touch bigger. Using the rolling pin to help you lay onto the mincemeat-dotted sheet.
• Press the pastry around each dollop of mincemeat, squeezing out as much air as you can. Slice the sheet into individual parcels using a sharp knife. Prick each parcel with a fork, then seal the edges by pressing with a fork. Lift onto baking trays, brush with a little more beaten egg and bake for 18-20 mins until golden and crisp.
• Mix the sugar and cinnamon on a plate. When cooked place the parcels carefully in the sugar and gently turn to coat.

Both are delicious warm with vanilla ice cream, or a dollop of brandy butter!