Good afternoon everyone,
First of all, we thought it might be nice, now that we've had a few months to find our groove, to shine a light on the Covered Market. We realise that many of you do not indulge in Ins***ram or Fac***ok (Hugo included), so you'll forgive us for cribbing the text and images from Kate's most recent post:
Greetings from the Covered Market. Let us reintroduce ourselves. We are the town centre outpost of Hamblin Bread, selling all the Hamblin favourites, bread, buns, sweet treats, provisions and zero-zero wine. Plus we have Red Bank Coffee and a sandwich menu running throughout the day. Bacon, sausage and egg sandwich on the fluffiest milk roll with house ketchup? Tuna melt on country loaf? Salt beef with pickles and mustard on a poppy seed heritage roll? Find us on Avenue 2 in front of Bonners and right next to Goodies, Thursday to Sunday 10am til 3pm. We even have seating now too. Insider tip: we love to heat up your bun for you. Consumed warm is the bun ideal, after all. Come and say hello to Andrea, Jae and the gang.
Now, cheese... Starting on Monday is Classic British Cheese Week, an initiative from Neal's Yard Dairy to promote some of the great treasures of these isles:
Classic British cheese is like no other. Whilst Cheddar and Stilton may be the most enduring and well-known, cheeses like Lancashire, Caerphilly, Red Leicester and Wensleydale are just as
special. Often referred to as ‘territorials’, these are styles that were historically made in certain regions, as their names suggest.
They are also often referred to as ‘the crumblies’ and if you’ve ever sliced into a wheel of Kirkham’s Lancashire, you’ll understand why. The paste crumbles when cut. This points towards the characteristics that British cheeses share: high acid flavours and low moisture textures, that crumble – unlike, say, a Comté, which bends. Nevertheless, the popularity and production of these cheeses have decreased over time and for
that reason, they have always been at the centre of what we do at Neal’s Yard Dairy. We celebrate them and eat them, so that we don’t lose them! And from 30th June, we will be celebrating these Classic British Cheeses all week long. Across the country, chefs will be championing one of the territorials, across a wide range of cuisines and styles of food – from pasta, to pastries, to pies. This week-long celebration will highlight the versatility and uniqueness of these cheeses, that deserve a spot beyond the
cheeseboard.
Having assumed the mantle of Big Cheese at Hamblin, Harriet has decided that we will be focussing on Sparkenhoe Red Leicester. As well as having wedges of Sparkenhoe on the cold plate, we'll be making Red Leicester scones, grating it on to our onion pizza, and, of course, using it in our cheese and chutney sandwiches. With a history stretching back to the 1600s, Red Leicester is a venerable territorial, but Sparkenhoe are the only traditional, raw-milk producer in existence. To paraphrase NYD, use it or lose it.
Well, that's pretty much it for this week, but if you are planning a visit, keep an eye out for our latest puff-pastry creation, a cherry and frangipane galette.
Thanks for reading and stay cool,
Kate and Hugo