There's no place like the market

There’s no place to be like the market on a cold, grey February Sunday. If you think staying in is the best option, think again! Far better to brave the cold and head out to Parson's Green farmers’ market, where you’re guaranteed a warm welcome and lots of delicious food to stock up on for the week ahead.

Full service was resumed this week after a few of our traders got stuck in snow the week before and couldn't make it. Hearty thanks go to all the traders who did make it and helped shovel a whole lot of snow from the playground before we got going. It was a full-on workout from 8am onwards (so busy there was no time to take pictures) and well worth the effort because customers were thrilled to see us when we opened at 10. As if a bit of snow would put us off!

This week we welcomed Mad-Ass chillies to Parson’s Green for the first time (this is Tony on the right). He sells 18 different chilli sauces and chutneys using Scotch Bonnet, Naga, Chipotle and Habanero chillies grown by Edible Ornamentals in Bedfordshire. The garlic in their sauces is from the Garlic Farm on the Isle of Wight, who were also at the market this week. 

Some of their best-selling smoked garlic bulbs below.

Mad-Ass sauces are supremely flavoursome and they are a very welcome addition to Parson’s Green. They’ll be with us every second and fourth Sunday of the month so be sure to come down and sample the Lip Tickler, Green Eyed Monster, Double Smokey, Thyme N Lime and many more. Great for marinating meats, eating with cheese or just dipping, while the Naga and Chipotle syrups can be used as toppings for ice-cream, pancakes or as sweeteners. How can you resist?

Say cheese

Other delights among the 23 stalls this week included three cheese stalls to satisfy the cravings of all cheese lovers. Nut Knowle Farm in Horam, East Sussex specialises in hard and soft pasteurised goats cheese. On the table was their new rind-washed cheese, the powerful and pungent Martlet Gold, a range of the soft and creamy Wealden and Wealdways (pictured right, good for stuffing chicken) and the Sussex Oaties, which you pop in the oven for five minutes and enjoy warm on toast – maybe with a little honey drizzled on top.

Bath Soft Cheese from Somerset brought three of their award-winning organic cheeses to market this week, all sold with a smile by Lizzie, above. Their original Bath Soft Cheese (the recipe was found in an old grocer’s store in Kelston in 1760 and eaten by Nelson) has a mushroomy flavour with a hint of lemons. The semi-hard, succulent and nutty Wyfe of Bath scored gold three times last year, at the British Cheese Awards in Cardiff, the International Cheese Awards Nantwich and the National Cheese Awards at the Royal Bath and West Show. And the splendid Bath Blue was also going down well among shoppers. The cheeses are made by the Padfield family at Park Farm in Kelston.

Last but not least is the Alham Wood Cheese stall, which is at the market every Sunday and has a loyal following of Buffalo cheese lovers. The have a wide range of fresh cheeses, as well as feta and mountain style cheese, fresh unpasteurised milk and thick and clean-tasting Buffalo yoghurt.

Fancy a Firecracker?
This is just one of the 30 entries in our Love your Local sausage competition. With less than a week to go to find the best banger in the capital before voting closes on 20 February, we’re asking people to visit any of London Farmers’ Markets, sample the sausages the stalls are putting forward, then go online to vote (see below).

The competition is being run by London Farmers’ Markets and The Jellied Eel magazine. Among the entries from stalls taking part are the Breakfast marmalade sausage from Downland Pigs, the Beef and Guinness from Boarstall Meats and the Wild Poacher from Radwinter game. On offer from our very own Parson’s Green traders are the Firecracker from March House Farm, (pork, beef, white wine, tomato, parsley and onion), the Plain Pork from Galileo Farm and the Liver, Bacon and Onion, full of wild boar goodness, from Janet at Animal Farm (pictured below left).

A short-list of the sausages with the most public votes will be put to an expert tasting panel and the winning sausage announced in early April. Prizes include a meal for two at a top London restaurant, a bag full of packs of the five short-listed sausages and other prizes donated by the winning producer.

To vote, visit www.thejelliedeel.org But do head to Parson’s Green market next Sunday if you want to sample some first! We’re in the playground of New King’s School on New Kings Road between 10am and 2pm, every Sunday, rain, shine or snow.

And finally – what’s in season?
Here’s a list of some of the seasonal delights you can expect to see at our farmers market at the moment. Apples (from stores), beetroot, Brussels sprouts, cabbages, carrots, celeriac, celery, chard, conference and comice pears, crabs, hare, Jerusalem artichokes, kohlrabi, leeks, mallard, oysters, parsnips, partridge, pheasant, purple sprouting broccoli, swede, radishes and turnips.

This week’s featured seasonal vegetable is celeriac. See recipes for ideas about what to do with it.

Kumar’s Sri Lankan goat curry

This week’s recipe uses kid meat and very nice it is too in this gently spiced Sri Lankan curry. The meat is from Ellie’s Dairy in the North Downs in Kent, bought from Debbie at Parson’s Green farmers market, pictured here. Debbie’s blog (ellie's diary) tells you all about rearing her herd of thoroughly spoiled goats (and who’s who) as well as the goings-on at the farm.

Debbie at her Ellie's Dairy Stall at Parson's Green farmers' market.
She's there every first Sunday of the month and sells delicious cheese too

The recipe is from her friend Kumar in Chicago and is very nicely balanced, a great one to make if you’ve got all the spices in already. 
It has the added bonus of making your kitchen smell gorgeous for a whole day afterwards. For the aniseed, just crush up a star anise in a pestle and mortar.

Ingredients

500g of goat meat, cut into small pieces
1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped
1 tomato, finely chopped
3 dessertspoons coconut milk
4 cloves of garlic
A piece of ginger (the size of 2 walnuts)
Half a teaspoon each of mustard, cumin, aniseed and fenugreek seeds
(you can grind a star anise in a pestle and mortar)
1 tablespoon of black peppercorns
2 tablespoons of dry coriander
Half a teaspoon of turmeric powder
About 15 curry leaves
4 tablespoons of vegetable oil
Warm water
Salt to taste

• Blend the garlic and ginger to make a paste and grind the black pepper to make a powder, then mix with the coriander powder

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Once it’s hot, turn the heat to low and add the mustard, cumin, aniseed and fenugreek seeds and the curry leaves. After 15 seconds, add the finely chopped onions. All cooking should now be done on a low heat.

• Fry the onions until golden brown. Add the ginger and garlic paste and stir well. Leave it for about two minutes. Now add the chopped tomatoes and stir in.

• After a few minutes add the coriander and black pepper mix and stir well. Leave for another two minutes.

So tender! Goat meat is also low in fat and cholesterol,
but high in protein.

• Now add the meat and stir all the ingredients well, before adding the turmeric powder. Mix in and leave for five minutes.

• Now add enough warm water to just cover the meat, not more or it will be too watery and you don’t want to dilute the spices. Cover with a lid and leave to cook for 20 minutes. Add salt and cook for a further 10 minutes.

• Once the meat is cooked, add the coconut milk and boil for five minutes.

• It’s now ready, but you can leave the meat for a good six hours and warm it up again before serving. On the other hand, tuck straight in as I did. Good with rice and chapattis.

Delicious, authentic-tasting curry - shame about the plates.

Thanks to Kumar for the recipe.
For more about Debbie and her goats google ellies dairy