Martins thoughts...

Table for 30, no clouds please...what a blast!

Thu, 08 May 2008 23:00:00 GMT

What a fantastic event it turned out to be. I was there, having slept on the summit and got up for sunrise, fully armed with digital cameras, so here is the link to the video I have just posted. You'll need Flash 8 and a decent broadband link! - The still piccies are below - my original blog is below that - for info.

The first course was a wild mushroom and wild garlic soup served with home made bread. This was followed by a confit of seared roast lamb and seared best end of lamb served with damson and rosemary jus. There was also a vegetarian option of roasted butternut squash, pinenut and ricotta crumble. The meal finished with a Grasmere Gingerbread and white chocolate cheesecake served with an orange and crystallised ginger salsa.

Enjoy - Martin

Gordie Oliver from Air Ventures Paragliding, he handled the logistics of getting up, staying up and attached and getting down. He's the Northern sites officer for the Cumbria soaring club.

Paul Chuter from All Terrain Vehicles, Cockermouth supplied the two great little quads that towed the trailers full of gear. We went up to Skiddaw House, then up the side of the fell to the summit of Skiddaw.

The three tents were placed a couple of hundred metre shy of the top.

In the morning I was greeted with the most incredible sunrise and views.

Chef Peter Sidwell runs the Good Taste Cafe in Keswick, he had Kylie Overton working with him on the Wednesday and Dan Grimshaw on the Thursday.

Diners were led up the mountain by Everest climber Tim Mosedale, he also served the champage.

With the wind gusting to 29mph, fortunately the rare lamb with asparagus and new potatoes stayed on the plate.

Of course the guests were dressed for the occasion.

Ok, so Gordie did a little "extreme dish washing", just to please the adoring press.

Whilst Peter enjoyed a well earned beer.

It was truly a blast! - Thanks.

Martin

If you like a walk and love your food and have Wednesday the 14th of May free, then sign up for a meal at what will be, albeit temporarily, the highest restaurant in the Lake District or for that matter the UK. Yes, if you fancy having a truly local meal atop Skiddaw at over 3000 feet, then be quick, the 30 places will be snapped up.

It promises to be a riot, well that is if history repeats itself. Robert Southey from Keswick last dined there with a group of friends in 1815. Strictly speaking they had a bonfire and a booze up on the summit in honour of the Battle of Waterloo. He was accompanied by Lord Sunderlin who rode up the hill on a horse whilst his wife walked. Wordsworth was amongst the band of merry hikers, with his wife, sister and eldest son along with five other friends, various neighbours and three maid-servants.

"We roasted beef and boiled plum-puddings there ; sung ' God save the king' round the most furious body of flaming tar-barrels that I ever saw ; drank a huge wooden bowl of punch ; fired cannon at every health with three times three, and rolled large blazing balls of tow and turpentine down the steep side of the mountain. The effect was grand beyond imagination."

The Punch they were drinking was being diluted with hot water from a kettle, which Wordsworth accidently kicked over and quietly skulked off. He was sporting a rather conspicuous red cape and so was quickly named as the culprit. After a little teasing from the group he was let off the hook but the drinks had to be consumed neat. Half of the party ended up inebriated. When it was time to descend all the torches were lit at once, and they left a trail of blazing rope and tar marking the path to the bottom.

"One fellow was so drunk that his companions placed him upon a horse, with his face to the tail, to bring him down, themselves being just sober enough to guide and hold him on. Down, however, we all got safely by midnight ; and nobody, from the old lord of seventy-seven to my son Herbert, is the worse for the toil of the day, though we were eight hours from the time we set out till we reached home."

Maybe this time it will be different, the diners will be led up the mountain by local guide Tim Mosedale who has also climbed Everest. As far as I know there will be no horses. The food will be prepared and cooked by Keswick Chef Peter Sidwell who is going to create a veritable feast out of local ingredients.

This event is right up our street, so I'm going to get my video out and record the fun. A fellow paragliding pilot, Gordon Oliver from Air Ventures will be responsible for getting the catering equipment and the Space Station tents up in time for service. All part of the fun during Keswicks Mountain festival in May.

To book, call Peter at his Good Taste cafe in Keswick on 017687 75973.

For more info about Peter Sidwell, click here.
For more info about the Keswick Mountain Festival, click here.

Martin

The best.......

Wed, 07 May 2008 23:00:00 GMT

Each year a huge taste test is held in the North West to establish the best food from Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. This hotly contested event, attracting over 500 entries is judged by an expert panel including leading North West chefs, national food writers and guest judges.

The winning products form a fantastic taste guide to some of Cumbria’s top artisan food.

The Cumbrians as expected received a bumper crop of awards with thirteen of their products being crowned winners. Furness Fish & Game were also named as North West Fine Food Producer of the Year 2008 for Cumbria. As well as being famous for their Morecambe Bay shrimps, Furness Fish travel to London each week and have a stall in Borough Market.

Furness Fish at Borough Market in London

Lizzie Smith was awarded the prize for best new product for the second year running.

Lizzie outside her work and home!

Kendal Jacksmiths took the overall ‘Best Bakery & Confectionery’ prize for their Plain Flapjack.

Best Alcoholic Liqueur
Moffatts Damson Gin
The Bridge Café and Bistro
Contact: Michael Hales
Address: Newby Bridge, Cumbria LA12 8ND
Tel: 01539 530667 email: mail@thebridgecafebistro.co.uk

Best Jam, Jelly or Marmalade
Blackcurrant Jam
Outreamer Homemade Foods
Contact: James Jackson
Address: Outreamer Cottage, 12 Cliff Road, Sandysyke, Nr Longtown, Carlisle, Cumbria
Tel: 01228 792106 email: outreamer2003@yahoo.co.uk

Best Honey, Curd or Cheese
Damson Fruit Gems
Lizzies Homemade
Contact: Elizabeth Smith
Address: The Bank, Dockray, Penrith, Cumbria CA11 0LG
Tel: 01768 482487 email: elizabeth.smith57@btinternet.com

Best Terrine or Pate
Chicken Liver Pate with Brandy
Brunswick Deli
Contact: Susan Bell
Address: 9 Brunswick Road, Penrith, Cumbria CA11 7LU
Tel: 01768 210500

Best Cold Meat Pie or Savoury Pastry
Black Pudding Speciality Dinky Meat Pie
Cranstons Quality Butchers
Contact: Ashlea Pearson
Address: Ullswater Road, Penrith, Cumbria CA11 7EH
Tel: 01768 868680 email: ashlea@cranstons.net

Best Brownie
More's Muddees
More Pud?
Contact: Patrick Moore
Address: 140 Stainbank Road, Kendal, Cumbria LA9 5BE
Tel: 01539 735557 email: morepud@btinternet.com

Best Hot Pudding or Dessert
Tangy Lemon Pudding
Country Puddings Ltd
Contact: Lynne Mallinson
Address: Lodge Farm, Dacre, Penrith, Cumbria CA11 OHH
Tel: 01768 480864 email: info@countrypuddings.co.uk

Best Bread
Spelt with Roasted Garlic & Chanterelles
Munx Lakeland Bakery
Contact: Aidan Monks
Address: Mill Yard, Staveley, Kendal, Cumbria LA8 9LR
Tel: 01539 822102 email: aidan@munx.co.uk

Best Biscuit
Plainjack Flapjack
Kendal Jacksmiths
Contact: Julie Thomas/Liz Barners Lea
Address: 2 Berrys Yard, Kendal, Cumbria
Tel: 01539 738606 email: mailbacked@aol.com

Best Beef
Dexter Beef Sirloin Steak
Deer 'N Dexter
Contact: Jane Emerson
Address: Old Stoddah Farm, Penruddock, Penrith, Cumbria CA11 ORY
Tel: 01768 480069 email: jane@deer_n_dexter.co.uk

Best Air Dried Meat
Air Dried Beef
Farmersharp.co.uk
Contact: Andrew
Address: Diamond Buildings, Pennington Lane, Lindal-in-Furness, Cumbria LA12 0LA
Tel: 01229 588299 email: farmersharp@farmersharp.co.uk

Best Continental Style Meat
Sliced Cumbrian Smoked Pancetta
Slacks
Contact: Dudley Carruthers
Address: Newlands Farm, Raisbeck, Orton, Penrith, Cumbria CA10 3SG
Tel: 01524 411611

Best Prepared Fish
113g Morecambe Bay Potted Shrimp
Furness Fish and Game
Contact: Clare Worrall
Address: Moor Lane, Flookburgh, Grange Over Sands, Cumbria LA11 7LS
Tel: 01539 559544 email: furnessfish@yahoo.com

Keep a look out for some cracking cheeses....

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The number of cheese makers in the county continues to grow. The newest addition is Wardhall Dairy, set up and run by Lynn Ballantine Dykes at her home Ewe Close Farm in Arkleby.

Ewe Close farm is also the home to a number of rare breed animals that we hope to cover later on when the weather is kinder for photography, but this visit I went to see where Lynne works on the farm in her newly constructed dairy.

Lynn, who has spent the last few years working at Thornby Moor Dairy, produces mainly goats cheeses with milk from her own herd of British Saanen goats.

Her top seller is the Wardhall Blue, a creamy blue goats’ milk cheese. She has also recently started making hard cheeses from cow’s milk, which she buys from other Cumbrian farmers.

Even though she has only been up and running since November, Lynn is already on the list of artisan food makers visited by the guests of Annette Gibbons’ Cumbria on a Plate food safaris. Says Annette: "At last, Cumbria has a great range of fresh goats' cheeses with lots of flavour made on a small scale. It's a privilege to cook with them and I'm so pleased to be able to include them in my Cumbria on a Plate tours."

We awarded Lynn from Wardhall Dairy the "Artisan-food award for the best presented products" at the recent Marmalade Festival and if you have tasted the cheese you will quickly realise that these products are winners. You can order the cheese direct from Lynn or visit one of the stockists below. The cheeses really are worth tracking down.

The Rheged Centre: Taste! Food Hall, Redhills, Penrith
High Head Farm Shop, Ivegill, Carlisle
Whins Farm Shop, Main Road, High Harrington
Westmorland Ltd. Farmshop, Tebay Services J38 off the M6
Churchmouse Cheeses, 4 Market Street, Kirby Lonsdale
J & J Graham, 6-7 Market Place, Penrith

For more information about Lynn’s cheeses, see the website www.wardhalldairy.co.uk

Lakeland Bakers rally to create citrus bread...

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Loaves created by seven leading Cumbrian bakeries competed for the prestigious title of “Best Marmalade Bread”, at the recent World Marmalade Festival. Made using Carr's flour and invented especially for the event, the loaves had to include some type of citrus preserve.

The winning loaf was chosen on the Friday by a panel of judges that included Annette Gibbons from Cumbria on a Plate, as well as Dan Lepard. Lepard has been described by the Independent as one of London's most inspired and inspiring breed of new young bakers...a British bread champion. Which is great considering he originates from Australia.

The bread was sold for charity at the festival. I received the bread from the bakers, and it was fantastic to see the various different styles of bread invented for this unique event turn up. It took the judges 77 minutes to judge 7 loaves.

The bread ranged from a Double Malted Marmalade and Cranberry loaf produced by Munx Lakeland Bakery in Staveley, to a Marmalicious Orange and Walnut Maltwheat invented by Simon Thomas of Staff of Life in Kendal – this loaf won second prize.

The winner was a superb looking and tasting Marmalade and Cinnamon Tea Bread, created by Moore’s Bakery in Dalston.

Following the publicity, this bread now outsells the baker’s previous best selling variety by a long way.

The bakers taking part were:

Nick Stewardson - 01461 338324 Gretna Bakery, Gretna
Paul Hughes - 015395 36330 Grange Bakery, Grange Over Sands
Aiden Monks - 01539 822102 Munx Lakeland Bakery
Simon Thomas - 01539 738606 Staff of Life, Kendal
Dave Moore - 01228 710695 Moore's Bakery, Dalston
Debra Travis - 017687 72257 John Bryson & Son Ltd, Keswick
Lara Napton - 01229 716284 Broughton Village Bakery, Broughton-In-Furness

Next year we hope to expand the competition involving more bakers from around and outside the county, it is after all the perfect complement to the Marmalade Festival. - Martin

Cockermouth, a perfect Cittaslow start for Cumbria....

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Cockermouth has become the first town in the North West, and the seventh in the country, to receive a Cittaslow award. The award recognises the town as one that has a good quality of life at a relaxed pace. Cittaslow, which is Italian for "slow city" or "slow town" is an international network of towns.

A Cittaslow signs up to working towards a set of goals that aim to improve quality of life, and needs to pass an assessment before being admitted as a member of the Cittaslow network. The assessors visited the town in November last year and were impressed by what they found. They judged it against 60 criteria. The award looks in particular at the environment, high quality local goods and produce and the town’s uniqueness, particularly heritage and culture.

There is no shortage of any of these in Cockermouth. It’s a beautiful Georgian market town on the edge of the Lake District and home to Wordsworth House.

Amidst award winning architecture, a rich local heritage and delightful landscape setting, there is a wide variety of activities for visitors. It has an annual Carnival, and an annual Summer festival. It is also the location for Woolfest, a celebration of nature's finest fibres with everything from rare breed sheep displays and a sale of raw fleeces through to wool products and craft materials.

It’s home to the Malcolm Wilson rally, the Georgian Fair, an arts festival and an annual rock festival. The shops are traditional and lively, there are cafes and restaurants, antique shops, a microbrewery connected to a pub, and it’s also the location of the region’s biggest brewer, Jennings, who open their doors for tours.

Cockermouth even has its own Farmers market on the first Saturday of the month between 9.30am and 2.00pm.

In short, it’s a perfect Cittaslow start for Cumbria

Keswick's Simply Good Taste....

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Each month we now send Cumbria Tourism four pieces of Food News, this is put on their website and ends up in various newsletters and marketing material. We get fully credited for our contribution and traffic is sent back to our site from the Cumbria Tourism site. The piece below is about Peter Sidwell from Keswick, a great chef who has just published his own book, be sure to visit the Cafe in Keswick if you get a chance, we certainly will be exploring more. !

“Welcome to my world, a world of mouth-watering food and breathtaking scenery”. The words are Keswick chef Peter Sidwell’s, author and publisher of a refreshing new cookbook, written to be enjoyed in the Lake District and beyond.

"For chefs, Cumbria is just one big playground", says Peter Sidwell, owner of the Good Taste Cafe in Keswick.

His new cookbook oozes a love of the Lake District and a love of food. Peter's enthusiasm is infectious – he is a grafter, he is confident and he is obviously a good chef. As a photographer and a foodie, this book has instant appeal for me, the standard of both are really excellent.

If you want fine dining, i e white tablecloth type of food, then look elsewhere. Peter’s book contains down to earth, rustic, wholesome types of dishes. I like Peter’s take on this; “It's simply good taste”.

Peter also says that "great food always seems to taste better in the open air", which is why many of the recipes in the book are designed to be eaten and enjoyed outdoors. A roasted vegetable and feta pocket is guaranteed to bring a packed lunch to life with some great fragrant flavours, just perfect for a days walking in the fells. Another practical addition to the rucksack might be the courgette and pesto quesadillas, in the book’s “Out and About section”.

One of Peter’s passions is fly-fishing and of course the book contains some great recipes for fish. Lemon and horseradish are natural partners with trout or salmon. Peter’s twist here is to combine these ingredients with the potato gratin served alongside the fish and simply cook the salmon in olive oil, salt, pepper and a few fennel seeds.

Or what about salmon by the lake, each fillet sprinkled with a marinade of smoked paprika, five spice,
sugar and salt. It's hard to figure out what the main influences are in Peter’s cooking, if anything it feels very Mediterranean to me, with a strong emphasis on using local produce, but prepare to be surprised, there is even a Thai recipe in the book. My favourite section has to be the one covering outdoor food – that’s barbecuing to you and me. As Peter says, "There's plenty of space for everyone in the Lake District. So pick your favourite spot – just remember to leave it as you found it – and combine the great outdoors with some great food. I love setting up a little barbeque on the lakeside in time for supper at sunset." – Who wouldn’t?

Entitled Simply Good Taste, the book costs £15.99 and is available from the Good Taste Cafe in Keswick, as well as independent bookshops throughout the Lakes, Booths Supermarkets and Tourist Information Centres. The remarkable thing about this book, aside from its refreshingly crisp approach, is that Peter has published it himself. When I went to visit Peter, he had already written his second book and is now negotiating deals with the vying publishers keen to get in on his very successful second act. As for me, I’ve joined the bandwagon – I'm looking forward to going out foraging with him, cooking the spoils and finding out a lot more. – Martin

(Here is the article on the Cumbria Tourism site!)

The culinary teams American quest

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Kendal college has a great culinary team. If you need proof check out the images of the food they recently served at Storr's Hall below.

White onion soup and Cayenne straws

Smoked haddock and crab "Minestra"

Poached fillet of beef, braised oxtail, fondant and carrot puree

Lemon brulee, lemon tart, lemonade

Goats cheese plate

They are raising funds for a trip to Chicago and are hoping to visit the similarly named Kendall college. Thanks to the Westmorland Gazette, here is a cracking photo of the team.

The full team consists of Martin Frickel, Matt Campbell, Elaine Stokes, Ian Mitchell, Antony Amos, Andrew Posthlewaite, Laura Bertrem, Grace Walker, Claire Laughton, Peter Kennon, Mark Satterthwaite and Ben Wilkinson.

On Thursday the 6th of March they are holding an "Auction of promises" at Kendal College (one 'l therefore it's in Cumbria not Illinois...) The event starts at 7pm with canapes and wine on arrival, then the auction begins at 7:45. Tickets are available from Matt Campbell, Martin Frickel and other members of the team. There's going to be some great bargains on offer, it will be well worth going. - Martin

Totally Marmalised....

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Sometimes you get involved in things and they just take over your life. We visited the Marmalade festival for the first time last year and on the way out, I spoke to Jane McCosh and said that if she wanted help with the next one, we'd be happy to assist.

Little did I know that it would take over my life for a couple of months. Don't read this as a complaint, it has been a really fantastic time, it just really did take over my life, I went completely over to the Orange side, everything else got put on hold.

But what fun I've had, I've been on UKTV Market Kitchen, I've made some wonderful friends, I've asked favours of lots of people and they've delivered, I've set up a restaurant in a barn, I've been talking about Marmalade on Radio Cumbria for over an hour. In fact I've got so much out of this total immersion I've forgotten half of it. Oh yes, that reminds me I've finally learn't how to make decent Marmalade.

The Japanese entry...

And then there's Paddington, what a lovely chap. Ok, for the followers of this blog, here is some gossip about the bear, well, at least linked to him. I got a call from a company who shall remain nameless, but suffice to say they wanted to get in on the Marmalade act, given the publicity we were receiving. Their PR company had a "great" idea. What they seriously wanted to do was bring Paddington to Dalemain in a black Hummer, then when he got out, surround him with SAS type guards, dressed in black. The aim was to "protect" Paddington from the Marmite Insurgents......! Yes, I nearly cried with laughter on the phone, one part of me said, this is so stupid, it's brilliant and sure to get maximum publicity, but the other side of me said, "get a life", we want Paddington for the children. In any event I told them that we didn't really need the publicity and I quoted a pretty high figure for them to get involved. In fairness they did come back and make an offer, half of what I asked for, so I told them to think again. Time ran short so we didn't conclude the deal, but next year, well that's a real possibility. In any event Paddington turned up in style at Dalemain, on a carriage being pulled by four horses after causing a degree of mayhem in the centre of Penrith.

The whole event was a fantastic success. It has given me so many laughs along the way and I'm so pleased we took part and made a contribution. I guess what I am proudest of is the restaurant in the barn. This was a crazy idea I had in my head. I thought I need someone I can trust, so I called on Nick Martin, he's a fellow scouser and a grafter to boot. I thought that if Nick and I could come up with a simple menu, we could cook some fantastic food in the barn, with a makeshift kitchen. Well that's just what we did. Now what I'm proud of is not the idea, but the execution and I wasn't involved!.

It was brilliant we got the barn buzzing, there was a really great atmosphere created. Nick did the serious preparation groundwork and was supported by a team of two, Josh my younger (middle) son, and Matt my older one. That's what I was proud of. Here is a 15 year old, and a 19 year old on his birthday, stepping up to the plate and performing under pressure working alongside Nick. Matt cooked the risotto alongside Nick who cooked the chicken. Josh handled front of house consisting of 18 seats. What stars. All the food came out perfect, it was two rosette standard served on bio-degradeable plates. They did over 100 covers in around 3 hours. Me I just watched with a serious amount of respect, dragging in customers.

We also had a stand in the barn, this was manned by the lovely Ali from the Castle, a true rock. Super saleswoman Cynthia convinced everybody to taste and buy the bread, you could learn an thing or two from Cynthia's patter, Cecilia and Luke sold "Marmalade making kits" as well as the preserved lemons I had made. All in all it was a great family and team effort.

Is there life after Marmalade? Well yes of course their is. I'm slowly picking up the threads of my more pressing work. This includes supplying Cumbria Tourism with news each month, then there is the video work I am doing for Storr's Hall and then there is a long list of work that has piled up...

For the real Marmalade enthusiasts, here is my take on the winning Marmalades, this was my first time on BBC Radio Cumbria I really enjoyed it.

Click to play

Food of the fells....

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

If you want some great recipes and some inside information on food in the Lakes, then look no further than the new book called Food of the Fells.

It's been produced by LD Creations a Young Enterprise company, from St. Annes School in Windermere. We will be bringing you an interview with the Marketing team of Emily Berry and Alex Farthing in the near future, but in the meantime here is the full crew who have been working hard producing it.

It includes 25 great recipes, from 25 great places to eat in the Lakes, including some of our favourites, like the Jumble Room, the Queens Head and the Glass House. Each recipe has been divulged by the head chef of the establishment, so you can re-create them at home.

Such as Pan fried loin of Cumbrian Venison, from Lindeth Howe Country House, a well known two rosette establishment.

Or you could try Blengdale Cheese and Herb Pate, a simple but great addition to any cheese board or it can be served as a starter. This little secret is provided by the Kings Head at Thirlspot, one of our occasional lunching jaunts given it's proximity to Grasmere.

The book is not only a recipe book, but if you try any one of the establishments listed in the book, we reckon you won't be dissapointed. Now we're going to have to review them all! What a shame hey. We've covered a few already, if you want to see what we think, click here.

The book costs £6, if you want to order it or just want more information, please e-mail Emily Berry by clicking here. You can come and visit our stand at the Marmalade Festival (Feb. 10th Dalemain House) the books will be available from the LD Creations team in the Artisan-food marquee.

Martin

The Artisan-food.com Junior Chef award for best use of local produce

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Each year I attend the final of the Cumbria Junior Chef competition. The competition is organised by Kendal College, namely Mike Mounfield and Simon Hansen. It is for Junior chefs aged from 12 to 16 years old. As we sponsor the competition, this year we decided to provide a cup for the Junior Chef, who in the opinion of the judges, made the "best use of local produce".

There were 12 finalists from five schools around the county, each chef had to prepare three courses in three hours. The sweet course was designated as Sticky Toffee Pudding, but they could choose the other two.

Last years winner, Michael Southcott 's baked salmon starter.

Considering the ages of the chefs, the food and presentation was excellent. Paul Gibson's and Michael Southcott dishes in particular were all presented with great style from what I saw.

Potted Char from Charlotte Bunting of Queen Elizabeth school.

The range of dishes on display was wide and varied, from Potted Char and Potted Shrimp, to Butternut squash soup, souffle and Elderflower sorbet to name just a few.

The judges Mike Mounfield, Gillian Cowburn and Simon Hansen (l-r)

Each judge scored each chef's attempts in seven different categories, there were prizes for the best starter, main course and sweet, as well as an overall winner.

An excellent set of dishes from Kayleigh Jones of Dallam School

Everybody had to present their version of Sticky toffee pudding, it was great to see such variety and unique ideas coming out.

Sticky Toffee pudding....mark 1

Sticky Toffee pudding....mark 2

Sticky Toffee pudding....mark 3

After all the cooking is completed the 12 sets of food can be seen by the family and supporters of the young chefs.

Once the judges have finished their deliberations, the results are awaited with baited breath.

Each chef got a prize for reaching the final and the overall winner, David France (Queen Elizabeth school ) was handed his cup by The Westmorland Gazette's food writer Gillian Cowburn. Other prizes went to - Charlotte Bunting (QES) for the best pudding, Sarah Mcnee (St Bees school) for the best starter and Paul Gibson (QES) for the best main course.

David's three dishes, Duck liver terrine, venison and you know what the third one is!

I sat with the judges during their deliberations, so I know what a hard task they had to decide the winners. I was given the feedback about each chefs ingredients, where they came from and what their understanding was about "local produce". One unanimous comment from the judges was that it was great to see a move away from using supermarkets and a move twoards the speciality shops and for home grown produce.

However, the choice in my mind was made pretty easy after I started to hear that one chef had caught her own Char on Lake Windermere, had persuaded her father to shoot a pheasant for her, and whilst they were out shooting it, she picked her potatoes from the field. The damsons were from their own tree and the bacon she purchased was from Peter Gott. Ok, so there was no doubt in this chefs mind as to where her produce came from. Move over Thomasina, Charlotte's in town.

Charlotte Bunting, the Artisan-food.com Junior chef winner for best use of local produce. Oh and Charlotte makes a pretty mean Sticky toffee pudding too, that's what the other cup is for.

A really enjoyable evening and well done to all the chefs who took part, it's a lot of pressure for them.
Martin