In Season
Tis the season to be jolly and luckily, here at the market, you can find all the fresh festive veg plus meat for the main event that you will need for a great Christmas slap-up meal…
Brussels sprouts: love ’em or hate ’em, they are part of the festive tradition, but it’s all in the way you cook ’em. They are quite delicious finely sliced and stir fried with bacon lardons from Hinton Marsh Farm, leeks and mushrooms or chestnuts…
Cabbage: January King, Savoy, white, red, there are myriad varieties available over winter, each with its own star qualities. Braised red cabbage is a must for the Christmas table, Savoy is wonderful stir-fried with lardons and chestnuts, white is refreshing sliced into a winter slaw while January King, with its beautiful purple hue, is the perfect accompaniment to any dish.
Root veg: take your pick from parsnips, carrots, celeriac, squash… so much variety and so many wonderful ways to use them. You can’t go far wrong with a tray full of roasted root veg – sprinkle with fresh thyme and a dusting of sugar to help with caramelisation, and use up any leftovers to make a rich and sweet soup.
Potatoes: the perfect roasties are the holy grail of the Christmas table – fluffy in the middle yet crisp and crunchy on the outside. The variety of potato you choose can help – marfona are particularly good – but the secret is in the cooking – cut small, boil for 10 minutes until almost cooked, shake with fine polenta, then plunge into a pan of super hot goose fat. Awesome!
Christmas meat: now is the time to order your Christmas meat if you haven’t already done so. Whether you prefer goose, turkey, duck, ham for Boxing Day or a fantastic joint of beef come and put your order in now at Madgetts Farm , Monmouthshire Turkeys (organic), Frocester Fayre, Adeys or Hinton Marsh Farm.
Christmas trees: as well as your Christmas meal, you can also pick up fresh Christmas trees from the market, locally grown in Pitchcombe. They are available potted or cut on Saturday 5th and 12th December – hurry, it’s first come first served.
You can buy fresh seasonal produce this autumn from the following stalls every Saturday:
Coleshill Organic Farm, Croft Farm, Duncan Paget & Co, Over Farm Market, Newark Farm, Hotch Potch Organic and Days Cottage.
