Author: Adam Johnathan Walker

Lincolnshire Plum Bread

lincoln plum bread

The Plum Bread recipe has remained largely unchanged since it’s creation. Photo: Curtis of Lincoln

Lincolnshire Plum Bread is a regional speciality that has been enjoyed by the people of this county since time immemorial. While the original recipe was created to feed field workers; it has since become a popular staple of Lincolnshire cuisine and is sold by butchers and bakers throughout the North of England.

The term “Plum Bread” is actually a misnomer as it is not technically bread, rather it resembles a kind of thick fruity cake. Also, while dried plums may be included in the recipe, most loaves will contain a wide variety of dried fruits, for which the old term was “plum”. Originally, the dough would be made using lard made from pig fat; Lincolnshire is pig country after all. As society became more health conscious however, the denser, lard enhanced loaves were replaced by lighter, healthier versions using butter or margarine to cut down on their fat content.

In recent years the popularity of traditional Lincolnshire foods, in particular Plum Bread, has been on the rise even in areas outside of Lincolnshire and the UK, and organisations have been set up to promote Lincolnshire food products.

The Lincolnshire Plumbread Company for example was set up in 2010 by fifth generation Lincolnshire bakers specifically to promote Lincolnshire Plum Bread outside of the county. The Company exclusively produces high quality Lincolnshire Plum Bread and distributes it across the world to countries as far afield as the US, China and even Australia.

In fact, due to this growth in demand, bakers across Lincolnshire are campaigning for their product to be given protection as a regional and traditional speciality. This would mean only Plum Bread baked within the county in the traditional style would be considered the “true” version. This would prevent knock- off versions made outside the area benefitting from its renown.

If you feel like having a bite of Lincolnshire history yourself, it can be found in most independent Lincoln butchers and bakers, as well as local chains such as the specialist Lincolnshire food retailer Curtis of Lincoln.

Or if you fancy trying your hand at baking some yourself, be sure to use the traditional method to get the best of this Lincolnshire delicacy. The ingredients are easy to find: dried fruit, sugar (preferably brown) and self-raising flour. Recipes too are easy to find and, even for such an ancient product, available online for the 21st century baker. A handy recipe can be found on the BBC website here.

Eamon Hunt: Head Chef at The Bronze Pig

Eamon HuntEver since coming fifth in last years’ series of the popular TV cooking contest Masterchef, Lincoln resident and former joiner Eamon Hunt has been putting his talents to good use. Teaming up with Pompeo Siracusa, owner of the popular Taste of Italy Delhi, Emaon has been wowing reviewers and punters alike with his new restaurant The Bronze Pig which opened in January. I stopped by the fledgling eatery to chat with Eamon about his new business and his plans for the future.

(click here for interview transcript)

Oslinc: Home of the Lincolnshire Ostrich

Lincolnshire ostrich

Ostrich meat is growing in popularity throughout the UK as the health benefits become more widely known. Photo: British Domestic Ostrich Association

When most people think of Lincolnshire, they think, of rolling fields, herds of cows and good food, or at least that’s what I think of. However, at Oslinc you will find creatures that seem almost entirely out of place in this county, because Oslinc is an ostrich farm.

Owned and operated by the Grundy family, Oslinc have been breeding ostriches since 1994. They have 27 breeding ostriches that spend their days grazing in the fields sell all manner of ostritch related produce, from ostrich eggs to ostrich steak to feather dusters made from ostrich feathers. They also sell Bill Grundy’s Real Dairy Ice Cream, handmade at the farm and named in honour of the Grandfather of Lillian Grundy, the current owner.

While ostriches may seem like an unusual choice of livestock for Britain, ostrich farming in the UK dates back to 1980. The birds had been farmed in small numbers in the UK for over 150 years mainly for their feathers but the market only really took off After World War 2. Ostriches were bred at first for their skins and feathers but during the 1980’s people began to realise the health benefits of their meat and their eggs.

The British Domesticated Ostrich Association was established in 1992 to support the growing industry. Today, ostriches are bred all over the world and their meat is readily available in countries such as the US, Australia and Canada.

Lillian Grundy, owner of Oslincs is very keen to emphasise the health benefits of Ostrich meat “Ostrich meat is very low in fat,” she told me in an interview:

“It’s lower in cholesterol than both chicken and turkey and it’s red meat too. Plus it cooks so quickly and it’s really tender. For my money there isn’t a better alternative on the market.”

Oslinc mainly sells its produce over the internet but also has a stall in the Lincolnshire Farmer’s Market where they sell ostrich burgers as well as frozen ostrich steaks and eggs.

“We have quite a few regular customers who have a standing order with us which is good,” says Lillian:

“We also have plenty of people wanting to try ostrich meat just because of the novelty of it, I think people really like the idea that it’s something new for them to try as an alternative.”

No matter how out of place Oslinc and its unusual livestock seem in Lincolnshire, it’s clear they are here to stay.

Rachel Green: Celebrity Chef

Rachel green pic

In addition to her TV work, Rachel Green makes appearances at cookery events all over the country. Photo: UK Shallots

Chef, caterer and food campaigner Rachel Green has always held her home county of Lincolnshire close to her heart. She may be a well- loved TV chef with several series under her belt and author of the popular Chatsworth Cookery Book, but she had humble beginnings.

Born into a family who have farmed in the county for 14 generations, Rachel spent her childhood helping to collect eggs, harvest peas and deliver lambs. As a result she has the upmost respect for producers and independent farmers and has always championed Lincolnshire cuisine.

She took a few minutes out of her busy schedule to chat to me about her passion for local food, her career and her love of cooking.

What was it like growing up on a farm? Was it hard work helping out your parents?

Yes the work could be hard. If there was work to be done, we had to do it whatever the weather. I remember when it was lambing season, I had to help my dad deliver a lamb in the middle of a thunderstorm! But I loved my childhood. I really did and I wouldn’t change a second of it.

You spend a lot of your time promoting traditional Lincolnshire food, what is it you like so much about this county’s food?

Well, obviously I’ve grown up eating food from the area and some of my favourite food is traditional Lincolnshire produce. I really like the idea that this food was produced by people just like my parents and it has its own identity which I think is very important.

So what would you say was your favourite food then?

You really can’t beat traditional English roast beef.

Do you have a signature dish or something you really like to cook?

Well I don’t think I have a signature dish that people would recognise me for, but I always enjoy preparing a Sunday roast or Christmas dinner or something like that because I cook it with my family, it’s not really the meal that’s important to me it’s the experience of preparing it that I enjoy.

So what has been the highlight of your career so far?

I think appearing on Kill it Cook it Eat it on BBC 3, I had a lot of fun and I got to meet a lot of nice people.

You’re obviously a successful woman, but is there anything you’d really like to do in the future?

Well I’ve been planning to do a couple of pop- up restaurants in a few venues around Lincolnshire and I’ve been using social media to promote those. But what I’d really like to do is another cookery road show, I’ve always enjoyed teaching people how to cook and large cookery demonstrations like that are a great way to travel around, meet new people and give the public something that inspires them to cook.

 

Rachel Green’s Chatsworth Cookery Book is available on Amazon and a list of her upcoming appearances can be found here.

Lesley Graves: Co- Manager of award winning Burton Road Chippy

Des Anastasou and Lesley Graves

Des Anastasou (left) and Lesley Graves (right) managers of the Burton road Chippy, their shop was picked from 500 shops nationwide to win the award.

Lincoln’s Burton Road Chippy has just won the prize for being the Best Independent Fish and chip shop in Eastern England at the National Fish and Chip Awards 2013. The family run chippy only opened its doors in 2011, but with 30 years of experience running fish and chip shops behind its owners, it’s been frying up a storm. The shop has garnered glowing reviews since it opened and it seems only fair that their dedication should be awarded with national recognition.

I asked Lesley Graves who co- manages the shop with Des Anastasou, how it felt to have her business voted the best in the region and how they make such tasty fish and chips.

What does it feel like being voted the best fish and chip shop in the East of England?

Absolutely wonderful, we’re just so thrilled it’s a real honour.

Did you think when you first nominated yourselves that you’d ever do this well?

No, we had no idea we’d get this far. Obviously we knew people liked our food and we were getting some glowing reviews, but we never believed we would actually win any awards. Obviously this is our first time in the competition and it’s just a huge shock but very welcome.

So what’s your secret? How did you make your shop the best in the region?

Well to be honest, I really don’t think there is any secret. We just work hard, we have a lot of passion, some really great people on our team and we’re prepared to go the extra mile. We’re obviously dedicated to serving healthy food and protecting the environment but there’s no secret recipe for our batter or anything like that. We just do the best we can and obviously it’s worked well for us.

Are you going to enter the competition again next year?

Yes, we really did enjoy being in the competition and having that atmosphere. We found that the competition kept us on our toes and kept our staff on their toes and pushed us into working harder as a business. Yes we will definitely be entering again next year and hopefully, we will do even better.

Have you been getting many more customers since you won the award?

Yes we get a lot more customers now, winning the award has really raised our profile, but it’s also given us a lot more to live up to. Now that we’ve won the award, we have to work harder to meet people’s expectations but now we have the motivation and the drive to be even better.

Do you have any advice for those looking to start looking to start a fish and chip business like yours?

You have to be very very organised and cleanly. The health inspectors really go around your premises with a fine tooth comb. Keep cleaning rotors for your staff and obviously treat your staff well, respect them and they will respect you. Also, you have to listen to your customers and look into what they want, not what you want to sell. We introduced the Gluten Free Evenings at the Chippy so people who couldn’t normally enjoy fish and chips could enjoy them. The best fish and chips are the customers favourite. Yes, it’s always important to communicate with your customers and listen to what they have to say.

What’s your favourite food?
I think it would definitely be fish mezze. I remember when I was younger, the family would always have big get- togethers and we would cook it together. It would last for hours and we would all have a great time, so I always have happy memories of eating fish mezze, and it tastes great too.

So what does the future hold for the Burton Road Chippy?

Well I don’t think we’ll be making too many changes. Obviously there’s a lot more pressure and expectation on us now, people will be expecting the best fish and chips in the region and we do not want to disappoint them. So we will just be trying to fine tune our customer service and our menu and make sure everything is as perfect as possible in the future. I really get a lot of satisfaction from giving people a good meal and making sure people continue to enjoy our fish and chip shop is all we could ever want.

 

The Burton Road Chippy can be found at 169 Burton Road in Lincoln, they are open 11:30 – 14:00 and 16:30 – 21:30 Tuesday to Thursday and 11:30 – 21:30 Friday to Saturday.

Visit their website here.

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