0 The Kitchen Theatre Chorley

We are proud support local food venues in Lancashire and on a recent trip to Chorley we decided to pop into the recently opened Kitchen Theatre on Peter Street, its situated right next to Chorley Little Theatre in the former premises of Parmesan and Peppers (or Parmesan and Petulanceas so named by Richard Herring).

                                                           

We arrived chilled to the bone after dodging hail showers to be warmly welcomed by the front of house staff to the friendly space. Despite it being a Friday lunchtime the restaurant was pretty quiet, yet on chatting to the staff they are fully booked for evening services on Fridays and Saturdays weeks ahead. We decided to plump for starters and mains and then judge as to whether we could squeeze in a pudding.

We ordered the pate and arancini balls, the pate was pronouced delicious and was served with some very nice bread and red onion chutney.

The Arancini balls were amazing, served on a tangy tomato couli and a dressed rocket salad.

Mains of Beef cheeks, sage mash and seasonal vegetables, delicious and very comforting in the cold weather. Meltingly tender and perfectly matched with roasted vegetables.

Our other main was traditional fish and chips with mushy peas, beautiful fresh fish served with tasty chips.

After our mains I decided that I wouldn't order a dessert as I was full, Mr LF however plumped for jam roly poly which was accompanied by a beautiful creamy custard.

 

The Kitchen Theatre is situated on Peter Street Chorley, right next to Chorley Little Theatre, parking is avaliable on street and on the near by car park. The restuarant is definately worth a visit, the food is of great quality, well prepared and a warm welcome awaits you. Reservations are advised.

Detail: The Kitchen Theatre Chorley

0 Family Favourites at The Old Stables Vintage Tea Rooms Chorley for South Lancashire Clandestine Cake Club

Last weekend South Lancashire Clandestine Cake Club were warmly welcomed to one of Chorley's hidden gem's , The Old Stables Vintage Tea Rooms, just off the main street smack bang in the centre of Chorley. This quirky venue is in an old converted stable block and is stuffed fully of lovely vintage objet d'art and gift ware and the tea room serves a lovely range of meals, snacks and cakes. There afternoon teas are the stuff of legend, all served on vintage china.

We just loved our venue for our family favourites meeting and enjoyed chatting cake with Wendy and her hubby the owners of The Old Stables. Members enjoyed the friendly atmosphere and enjoyed a wide range of cakes brought along by other members.

Tea, cake and a warm friendly venue what more could we want. Nothing !

We loved these bears too who came to our tea.

Custard Sponge cake

Chocolate Fudge cake

Allbran Loaf Cake

Crushed Pineapple Cake

Orange and Almond Cake (Gluten Free)

Quick Chocolate cake

Lemon and Lime Drizzle cake (Gluten Free)

Lemon Layer Cake

The Old Stables is the perfect venue for a quick brew whilst in town shopping but also for their beautiful afternoon teas (ideal for Baby Showers, Hen Parties and special occasions) or just a bite to eat in a quirky friendly vintage environment.

You can find The Old Stables Vintage Tea Room on West St, Chorley very handy for parking and only a few steps from the shops.

You can also find them on Facebook

Detail: Family Favourites at The Old Stables Vintage Tea Rooms Chorley for South Lancashire Clandestine Cake Club

0 April 2014 - Chris Brown of Browns Butchers, Chorley

Chris Brown of Browns Butchers, Chorley.

Our featured foodie this month is Chris Brown, a fourth generation family master butcher from Chorley, home to the famous prizewinning Lancashire Haggis. Brown's is a traditional family butchers that stocks a wide range of local quality meat.

They make their own sausages (including gluten free), haggis and black pudding and stock those hard to find cuts such as beef skirt, tripe and cow heel. They are everything a butcher's should be and more besides. Just so you all know haggis is a Lancashire delicacy not Scottish (see below) and Browns is a very fine example, when I have served to friends a fight normally breaks out for the last portion.

The family butchers has been established since 1932 in the town and has loyally supplied generations of Chorley familes with all their meat needs. Their award winning (most recently BPEX) produce is avaliable online and in the shop in Chorley town centre, they also are on facebook too as Lancashire Haggis.

So on with the questions

• What is your favourite cookery or food book or publication ? 


‘Liber Cure Cocorum’ is a cookery book in verse dating from around the year 1430 in the North West of the County of Lancashire in North-West England. I particularly like this as ‘Haggis’ is mentioned and as far as I’m aware this is the earliest record of haggis, which leaves a question as to where it originated from? The recipe follows if anyone fancies giving it a try!

HAGGIS 1430 RECIPE

Recipe Ingredients:

1 lamb’s paunch (stomach)
1 lamb’s heart
600g lamb kidneys
300g lamb (or beef) suet, shredded small
6 eggs, beaten
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black peppercorns
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried mint
1/2 tsp dried hysopp (buy from herbal or online stockists)
1/2 tsp dried savory (buy from herbal or online stockists)

• What sentence sums up Lancashire Food to you ?

Traditional home cooked foods nurtured to their peak of excellence!

•  If you weren’t doing what you do now, what would you like to be ?

This a difficult one to answer! I’m sure I would be working in or around the food industry. I find new ideas fun and love nothing more than coming up with new twists on old ideas. We have been very lucky in the respect that we have come across a few old recipes such as burgers, sausage and black pudding that had been produced by my grandfather many years ago. So with a little input we create many new ideas and flavours infusing old with new.

• Which piece of kit could you not do without ?

Unfortunately I cannot manage without the range of equipment I have as most of it was bought for a particular job or jobs. But I guess the humble pen would be the absolute as my memory sometimes these days lets me down.

• Who would join you at your ultimate dinner party and why?

Robert Burns would be a must. To ask his views on our ‘Haggis’ and other products. I think another interesting guest would be Gorden Ramsey to ask his opinions and he may throw a few tasteful ideas around. Obviously if conversation tires a little at least we have a Scottish connection.

• What advice would you give to your younger self ?

I originally thought that I should have listened to my fathers advice a little more in depth! But as I’ve finished up with the running of the family business then maybe I listened a little to well!!

• Describe your style in three words ?

Work orientated — Adventurous ! - Ambitious ! -  Approachable !

• What was your latest foodie gadget purchase ? 

Sausage filler attachment, that allows production of Lorne sausage!

• What is your greatest achievement to date ?

Taking the helm of the family business as the fourth generation owner. I feel very honoured to now have the reins and I hope I can look after my customers as they have always been looked after, I’m always striving to build on my business and offer top quality at affordable pricing. I’m currently running a loyalty scheme with a monthly free draw, plus I put a cut on every week at a reduced rate to give a little back as we all know times are difficult!

• What is the worst mistake you have made ?

I cant single out any individual mistake. So really I can only say any that have been made are taken on the chin an used as a learning curb.

• Tell us a secret about yourself ? may be something we wouldn’t expect !

I have a very sweet tooth! But cant say Cadburys melted on a fillet steak was my best idea. But I did make a sausage which contained chocolate, the kids loved it ;-)

Detail: April 2014 - Chris Brown of Browns Butchers, Chorley

0 CCC no 20 - Strictly come baking at Cakes by Ruth in Chorley.

For our 20th event for South Lancashire Clandestine Cake Club we paid a visit to a newly opened celebration cake and cake decorating shop in Chorley town centre. Cakes by Ruth is the home of talented cake decorator Ruth Potts and her lovely shop is a colourful addition to Lancashire's favourite market town.

                               

Inspired by the new series of "Strictly" we had chosen the theme of "Strictly come baking !" for our evening event. Our bakers inspired as ever came up with a great selection of cakes.

Despite a few no shows on the night (I try not take this personally !), we had an enjoyable event enjoying a lovely range of cakes and chatting generally about cakes and baking with Ruth.

Our cake selection featured

• Waltzing mathilda cake - a gorgeous spicy bundt cake

• Dancing Dolly cake - lots of buttercream, sponge and jam topped off with a dolly

• Torta Mojada - Argentinian Wet cake - a moist decadent chocolate cake with citrus layers

• Lucious Lemon glitter ball cake - lemon sponge with lemon curd, meringue and fresh cream, topped off with Lemon and white chocolate silver cake pops.

• Tango'd cake - a freshy zesty orange layer cake

• You've been tango'd - a orange and chocolate confection, very moist and moreish.

You can find Cakes by Ruth on St Georges Street, in Chorley town centre, the shop stocks a great range of decorating materials and of course Ruth can supply any celebration cake needs you may have.

A massive thanks goes to Ruth for hosting our event and opening up specially on a cold November night for our meeting. 

  

Detail: CCC no 20 - Strictly come baking at Cakes by Ruth in Chorley.

0 Opportunity to help a new local business and win £25 voucher towards a bespoke cake or cake class.

I was recently approached by one of my fellow clandestine cake clubbers who is also Market researcher as to whether I would assist her in surveying the baking community of Lancashire about what they would like to see in a new cake shop that was opening in Chorley.

          

Given that I am local gal and like to support local businesses I said yes !

Ruth Potts from Cakes by Ruth www.cakesbyruth.co.uk in Chorley.  She is a professional baker of celebration cakes, she teaches amateur bakers how to decorate cakes and icing techniques and is opening a cake shop in Chorley in September this year.  The shop will be where she bakes and decorates her cakes as well as holding decorating classes and hosting children’s parties.  In order to help Ruth know what bakers (amateurs and professionals) want from a high quality local cake shop she has commissioned this survey to ask the bakers themselves.  There is a prize of a £25 voucher to go towards a cake decorating lesson or a cake.

                              

                                                      

So all you have to do to have a chance with winning this voucher is complete a short on line survey. Apologies to readers from outside Lancashire but I don't think survey would be of much interest to you.

http://www.snapsurveys.com/swh/surveylogin.asp?k=137234738720

The survey window is now open  will close on Friday 12th July at 5pm.  The winner of the free prize draw will take place on Monday 15th July.

Detail: Opportunity to help a new local business and win £25 voucher towards a bespoke cake or cake class.

0 CCC No 15 - Tiramisu cake for Baking the Books ! - South Lancashire CCC at Ebb and Flo Books, Chorley.

             

Here at Lancashire Food we like to support and promote local businesses and as I also love a good book, so  I was delighted to hear that an independent bookshop was opening in Chorley which is in my patch Clandestine Cake Club wise.  Dianne the lovely owner of Ebb and Flo immediately agreed to host one of our meetings even though at this stage she didn't have an actual shop and the shop was some months away.

Roll the calendar forward and here we are holding our "Baking the Book" event in the cute newly opened bookshop. The shop has a range of books specifically selected by Diane 

to offer a selection of interesting reading for all customers and for them to discover books they didn't know they wanted or, perhaps, that even existed. Customers are encouraged to browse, sit, smell, touch and hold the books, have a cuppa and chat about books. The shop also has inspiring areas for children, such as a den and craft room. 

As well being a great book shop Diane is keen to hold bookish events as well and has a great whats on section on her website, so there is plenty going on !

We are here with a theme of baking a recipe from our favourite cooking or baking book, my bake was a Tiramisu Cake from Fiona Cairns "The Birthday Cake Book".

We all had a great time and loved the new bookshop and I am sure lots of us will pop in the next time we are in town. Oh and just so you know Dianne stocks the Clandestine Cake Club cookbook. We had a great selection of cakes inspired by books or taken from our favourite baking books, check them out !

Lemon diary sponge

Vegan carrot cake

Strawberry & marscapone swiss roll

Coconut & Lime Cake

Blueberry, peach and amaretto cake 

Chocolate chilli cake

Coconut layer cake

Victoria Sponge

Lemon Drizzle Cake

Date & Walnut Cake

Iced Lemon Curd Cake

Detail: CCC No 15 - Tiramisu cake for Baking the Books ! - South Lancashire CCC at Ebb and Flo Books, Chorley.