Leeds Food Festival 2015

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We are at Leeds Food and Drink Festival on 5th, 6th and 7th of June 2015.

We are working with Leeds City Markets, and are hosting the “Handmade in Yorkshire” Stage in Victoria Gardens, on the Headrow, by The Art Gallery.

We have some great Chefs doing demo’s over the days, A pop up Coffee Stall in association with Charity West Yorkshire 4×4 Volunteers (http://www.wy4x4vol.org )

West Yorkshire 4×4 Volunteers are here to assist organisations such as Police, Ambulance, Local Authorities and Charities. As the name suggests, a volunteer group who use privately owned and maintained 4×4 vehicles to assist the local community in times of need.

We offer assistance as required by our user services, principally Category 1 and Category 2 responders, such as Police, Ambulance, Doctors and Local Authorities via the Local Resilience Forums set up by the Civil Contingencies Act (2004). This is often in extraordinary circumstances or extremes of weather, such as heavy snow or flooding. We also attend shows and local events to assist in engaging with the people in our local communities to raise the awareness of our group, what we do and ensure we maintain good relationships with those we volunteer our time for.

Cancer Research UK http://www.cancerresearchuk.org will also be on site, with some Childrens Activities, and promoting another Great Chef Driven Fundraising event – The Great Yorkshire BBQ – 31st july and 1st August – Yorkshire Day, in Knaresborough www.greatyorksbbq.co.uk

a brief outline as below:

Times are approximate

Friday 5th June

COOKERY DEMO:

11am Ashley Mccarthy from www.yeoldsuninn.co.uk

Our winning streak began in 2006 when we were awarded the Innovation of the Year title at the National Publican Awards. This was a big deal for us as it was our first trophy and a positive sign that we were moving the pub in the right direction.

In the years since, we have scooped numerous other awards, including Delciouslyorkshire Brand Champion 2012-2013; Best UK Freehouse at the Great British Pub Awards 2010; Publicans Of The Year at the 2010 Publican Awards; Front-of-house Team of the Year and Local Food Pub of the Year at the Publican Awards 2009; Yorkshire Pub of the Year in the White Rose Awards 2009; Yorkshire Life Traditional Pub of the Year 2009; Chef of the Year and Food Pub of the Year at the Publican Awards 2008; Excelle Pub of the Year 2008; and Regional Winner in the Great British Pub Awards 2008.

And, most recently, we topped the lot when we were presented with the coveted Licensee of the Year Award by the BII (British Institute of Innkeepers), winning our way through four challenging rounds, including a pub visit from the lead judges and facing a nine-strong panel of industry experts.

12:30 Jo Rhodes from www.jorhodeshomeopathy.co.uk

Homeopath, festival goer and wild food and medicinal plant forager.

2:00 Simon from Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Food, Leeds www.jamieoliver.com/jamies-ministry-of-food/leeds.php

“I want to inspire you to get in the kitchen and cook meals for yourself and your family from scratch, whether you’re a complete beginner or a good cook who likes simplicity. With some basic skills under your belt and a handful of recipes, you’ll be able to prepare nutritious meals on any budget.” Jamie Oliver

3pm Andrew Porter from East Coast Kitchen http://eastcoastkitchen.co.uk/

East Coast Kitchen is the home of great American Dining.

We use only the finest locally-sourced ingredients to put our own spin on all-time American classics: burgers, ribs, chicken, wings, pulled pork and more, all lovingly created with an English twist.

We think our mouth-watering creations are the best you’ll find on this side of the Atlantic, so come and find out what the fuss is all about.

And if you’re feeling particularly hungry, why not take on one of our challenges? The quality stays sky-high: we just ramp up the quantity. Will you make it onto our wall of fame, or be subjected to the wall of shame?

Remember to follow us Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date with our very latest offers and challenges.

Keep an eye on our blog, too, for the latest East Coast Kitchen news, views and recipes.

Saturday 6th June –

Co-Guest Host – Andy Annat from www.crackerjackbbq.co.uk

“UK BBQ King” – International BBQ Crackerjack – representing the UK across the world

10:30

Edulis : wild food www.eduliswildfood.co.uk

Wild food guide Lisa Cutcliffe is the resident forager at Edulis. With ten years’ experience picking, eating and cooking with edible and medicinal fruits, foliage, roots, shoots, flowers and fungi from nature’s larder, Lisa is passionate about wild food. She loves teaching others to how forage safely, sustainably and responsibly, opening up a whole new world of delicious food for free on our own doorsteps. She runs foraging courses in Leeds, the New Forest and the coast, sharing information, recipes and photos of her foraged finds from across the UK on the Edulis website, as well as via twitter, facebook and her youtube channel.

Lisa’s next foraging walk is Saturday 27 June in Leeds. She’s also very excited about an intensive two-day foraging experience in the New Forest this September. For information on all upcoming courses, check out the Edulis courses page: www.eduliswildfood.co.uk/courses

Wild garlic and nettle gnocchi

Choosing your nettles

When picking nettles, choose only young fresh growth, in patches away from roads, dog walks and places dogs might choose to pee (going a little way into a large clump is a good move). Once a nettle starts to flower (it develops green tassels from where the leaves join the main stem) it is too old and not only will it be stringy and tough, but as the plant ages the leaves also build up a toxin that is not good to eat in large quantities as it can affect your kidneys. I suggest using a glove on one hand and large scissors in the other, selecting only the very top of each nettle, only a couple of sets of leaves. The stem should still be tender and not stringy.

Choosing your spuds

For making gnocchi you need a floury potato variety (eg king edward) as this means less flour is required. You can freeze uncooked gnocchi (after shaping, dust with flour and freeze spaced out on a tray – once frozen you can put them into a freezer bag together and they shouldn’t stick). They’ll keep for a couple of weeks and you simply cook them from frozen. So simple!

Ingredients

For the gnocchi

600g potatoes, peeled, cut into even-sized pieces
150g nettle tops, washed (suggest using washing-up gloves!)
2 free-range egg yolks
Salt and pepper
120g plain flour, plus more for dusting (rice flour is even better for coating)

For the sauce

75g butter
50g green wild garlic seeds (if available, or chopped leaves)
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
12 sage leaves, finely shredded

For the garnish

Wild garlic or three-cornered leek flowers (if available, or you can use other edible blooms such as flowering currant, borage, darwin’s barberry, honesty, vetch, pea or bean flowers, chive, rosemary or sage flowers… whatever is about!)
Vetch tips and flowers (if available)
50g freshly grated parmesan cheese
Toasted pine nuts, or walnuts or pecans would be lovely too

Instructions

Boil the potatoes in boiling water until tender, drain and put then through a potato ricer (or mash really well until smooth).
Put half an inch of water in the bottom of a large saucepan, put a lid on and bring to the boil. Add the nettle tops and blanch for a couple of minutes. Then strain in a colander and immediately run them under cold running water to stop them cooking. The sting will be gone now they’re cooked, squeeze out all the liquid with your hands (or with the back of a wooden spoon in a sieve). Place in a food processor or chop very finely by hand. Mix them into the cooled mashed potato.
Add the egg yolks to the potato mixture and season well with salt and pepper.
Next add most of the flour and mix it in. The secret of good gnocchi is to use just enough flour to hold the mixture together but not too much that they become claggy and dense. If the dough sticky, add a little more flour, blending it in but working it as little as possible. If it isn’t too sticky, break off a small piece, roll it into a ball and drop it into boiling water to test the consistency. If after a few minutes it floats to the top without losing its shape, then don’t add any more flour.
To shape the gnocchi, divide the dough into four, and make each portion into a long sausage about an inch thick and use a spoon or knife to divide into bite-size pieces. You can then leave the gnocchi pinched and angular, or roll them into an oval ball with floured hands, placing each finished one on a floured plate. Given them all a final light dusting of flour to stop them sticking together.
Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, drop half the gnocchi into the water and cook until they have all risen to the surface. Leave them to cook for a further 10 seconds or so, then extract them using a slotted spoon on to a warm plate or wooden board lined with kitchen paper. Repeat with the other half.
While the gnocchi are cooking, place the butter in a small saucepan until hot. Add fairy ring champignon caps and fry for a minute, then add the garlic and green wild garlic seeds (or chopped wild garlic leaves if not in seed yet).
Divide the gnocchi between four bowls, pour over the garlic butter and sprinkle over the parmesan, toasted pine nuts and wild garlic flowers (if still available, or use other edible flowers, see list at the top). Serve immediately and enjoy!

12:15 Mario Olianas from www.olianas.co.uk

I was born in Vienna in 1982 to an Italian father and an Austrian mother. We moved back to Sardinia when I was 6 months old. I moved to beautiful Yorkshire in England in 2001. I am passionate about cooking and have turned my passion into a successful business. I use all fresh, local produce when I can.

So far I have started my Cena Sarda supper club, Taste of Italy Nights as well as my stall at the Farmers markets and cookery demonstrations. Shortly I will be beginning my Italian cookery class.

1:15 Chris Harrison

Who are we?

Shoot The Bull

Created to be talked about. Shoot The Bull is not your average street food trader. Operating from ‘The Truck’ it is current and on trend serving Restaurant quality, locally sourced food and drink straight to you. Industry professionals using a different route to market in order to serve top quality produce, cooked and delivered in style. Exciting flavour combinations perfected through years of experience. Owners Chris and Emma met at 1884 Dock Street Kitchen (http://www.1884dockstreetkitchen.co.uk ) in Kingston upon Hull, Former Head Chef Chris’s repertoire includes establishments such at:

The Fat Duck, Bray

http://www.thefatduck.co.uk/

The Hand & Flowers

http://www.thehandandflowers.co.uk/

Gidleigh Park

http://www.gidleigh.co.uk/?gclid=CJiW45ne0sQCFWbKtAodOTcAww

2:15

Jenny Davison from www.active-eat.co.uk

A qualified nutritional therapist and former international sportswoman with a positive and healthy outlook on life. I have always lived an active and healthy lifestyle.

Having been forced to stop competing due to injury, I found myself living the same kind of busy, stressful, everyday life as everyone else, and trying to fit a healthy nutritious diet around a busy lifestyle. When my health began to suffer, I used food to help me and that
was when I realised how much I had to offer others and decided to train as a Nutritional Therapist.

I am now passionate about working with people, to help them build their confidence and change their relationship with food. I set up Active-Eat to help people to look at their food intake and lifestyles, to help them enhance their lives by fitting healthy nutritious eating around their everyday life. By looking at what you eat, when you eat and how you eat we will explore healthy alternatives to increase energy, improve your health and help you to lose any excess weight.

3:15 Jack Richards – The Man Behind The Curtain http://www.themanbehindthecurtain.co.uk/

Jack has just joined the team at Michael O Hare’s top Leeds Restaurant

To cook as an expression that is pleasing to the eye and mouth, taking techniques from peers and inspiration from the arts, music and contemporary culture. To pull away from trends and run the risks that come with that. Offering a multi course tasting menu in an environment intended for your enjoyment

4:15 Lisa – Edulis : wild food (see above)

Sunday 7th June

FEATURE of the DAY – BBQ

Host – Andy Annat from www.crackerjackbbq.co.uk