A new foodie discovery we’ve recently made is of a selection of flavoured Welsh sea salt. As cooks (both professional and those at home) become more interested in each and every product they use, it seems obvious that new varieties of salt are catching the eye of those keen to enhance the flavour of their carefully prepared dishes. Ferran Adrià at El Bulli is allegedly a fan of Halen Môn’s pure sea salt from Wales, as is John Torode. Sold in some of the world’s finest delicatessens and foodhalls, Halen Môn’s range include a pure, white, gleaming sea salt, plus some really exciting naturally flavoured versions including one that’s smoked over Welsh oak, an organic spicy one, and one infused with Taha’a vanilla. Add the spiced one to give a homemade Bloody Mary a kick, while we’ve discovered the vanilla salt is perfect when sprinkled over a finished dish of seared sea scallop, served on bacon with a homemade rhubarb and ginger chutney. Divine. Quality ingredients for chefs that, clearly, know their salt.
Halen Môn, Brynlencyn, Isle of Anglesey, Wales
Tel: 01248 430 871
www.seasalt.co.uk
Barely has Cheltenham recovered from the excesses of the Gold Cup and along comes another event in the town’s glittering calendar. And what better place to rest your weary head during the proceedings of this year’s star-packed Cheltenham Jazz Festival than at the gorgeous Cowley Manor? Taking place from 29 April through to Sunday 4 May, both new talent and old (jazz) hands will be taking to the stage, while gig-goers will be washing down the performances with some expertly mixed cocktails back at the hotel’s sleek bar. Highlights of the week include the Cowley Manor sponsored Van Morrison concert at The Centaur on Wednesday 30 April and Eartha Kitt’s only UK festival performance. As well as gigs in the town, Cowley are playing host to an array of talent, including a French Jazz Evening on Thursday 1 May, featuring the delectable sounds of Fringe jazz quartet ‘Swing with Paris’, which includes a three-course dinner, an overnight stay and a full English breakfast the next morning to help soothe away the previous evening’s cocktail excesses. Prices start from £325 per room.
The bar at Cowley Manor is open nightly from 6pm until midnight throughout the week, and we’re sure you’ll be rubbing well-dressed shoulders with some of the event’s more charismatic and gorgeous performers and attendees.
Cowley Manor, near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL53 9NL
Tel: 01242 870 900
www.cowleymanor.com
For more information about the Festival, go to: www.cheltenhamfestivals.com
Being a successful purveyor of fine food and drink is no longer just about tasty creations. Not only does your product of choice have to be absolutely delicious, but it also has to arrive in beautifully designed packaging and have a range of other equally clever products in an ever-expanding range. Preferably of the award-winning variety. One of the standout producers at this year’s Food & Drink Expo at the NEC for the Resource team was Godminster Vintage: a cheesemaker of exceptionally delicious organic cheese first and foremost, but now with a range of prize-grabbing vodkas, chutney and biscuits that combine wonderfully with their tangy cheddar.
The Godminster estate is in Somerset, and the team behind this expanding brand aims to create a “self-sustaining environment where nature can regenerate and flourish.” Using their homegrown ingredients as a starting point for their creations, the talented Godminster team whip up ideas which are then passed on to trusted and respected food producers, ensuring that the quality of the core ingredients is respected.
A must to try, if you’re a fan of a cheeky, brunch-time Bloody Mary, is Godminster’s wonderful organic horseradish vodka that boasts a premium vodka smoothness with the subtle kick of a Bloody Mary’s best friend, horseradish. Using an organic vodka from a distillery in London, the team infuse the spirit with various roots and fruits, including elderflower, horseradish and cucumber. For the perfect Bloody Mary, mix a generous splash of the horseradish vodka with Godminster’s ready-made spicy tomato mix. However, we found ourselves supping the stuff neat at 11 in the morning at the Expo, such was its refined, elegant taste.
Order online, and be sure to treat someone you know with very good taste to one of the gorgeous gift packs.
Godminster Farms, Bruton, Somerset, BA10 0NE
Tel: 01748 813 733
