The Gladwin Family Journal
Snapshots and Observations from January
A Visit to the Pub
The Local & Wild management team have been swapping notes on their New Year resolutions – drink less, start a new diet, don’t go out so much, and take more exercise; they then go on to lament the fact that our bars and restaurants are not as full as they were pre-Christmas – what has happened?
I had lunch today at the Pigs Ear with 2 ex-colleagues from the hospitality industry – big names if I divulged them but I am not going to do that. Talk about a cheap date – zero alcohol pale ale or diet cokes all round.
The food at least was truly delicious – London Burrata with Roasted Butternut; Cured Chalk Stream Trout with candied beetroot; Mushroom marmite éclairs; succulent, peppery beef Tartare; Venison Croquettes and more besides.
Yes, the start of the year can be dull, cold, damp and grey with not enough daylight hours to feel truly alive. But let’s find some positives – Oliver has been creating new recipes and discovering edible treats hidden in our local woodland; Gregory is leading from the front on the winter vine pruning whilst gently caring on his cows in the sheds; Olivia has been out photographing the stunning frosty landscape; and Bridget has been inspiring family and friends to join in painting oyster shells – art therapy and a perfect excuse for me to eat more oysters, of course washed down with some fine English fizz!
What's in Season?
Oliver’s champion wild ingredient for January is Three Cornered Leeks. A delicate, herbaceous baby leek that can be served raw, straight from the grill or in a tangy salsa.
Watch a reel of him foraging leeks →
Along the foraging trail we found oak moss lichen and a delightful bank of Golden Saxifrage growing alongside a babbling brook! The more you look, the more you find.
Our own veg garden is a little sad at this time of year but we do have deep green cavolo nero growing tall like a mini palm tree. Gregory has been “digging down” to release some magnificent leeks and beneath the soil discovered a horde of Jerusalem artichokes.
Other local edibles in their prime this season are:
In the Wild
Fallow Deer, Partridge, Pheasant or Woodcock
Three Cornered Leek, Alexander, Dandelion Root, Hairy Bitter Cress, Wild Watercress, Oak Moss Lichen and Golden Saxifrage
Scottish Honeyberries and Rosehips
From the Coast
Cuttlefish and Halibut
Dragonets Fish and Cockles
Pepper Dulse, Sea Cabbage, Sea Spinach or Sea Purslane
From the Land
Forced Rhubarb, Apples and Pears
Endive and Radicchio
Swede, Jerusalem Artichokes and Celeriac
Cauliflower, Sprouts, January King Cabbage, Carrots and Leeks
Bedding Up
The fields are too muddy and the rain too frequent for the cows to be out and about at this time of year. Instead they live in the yard with mixed outdoor and undercover space. The sheds are lined with straw for both comfort and hygiene and the cows love the daily snowstorm.
Watch Gregory refresh their bedding →
New Recipes from the Gladwin Kitchen
How many people do you know who woke up on Boxing Day morning last month, not with a hangover, not trying to remember who gave them what for Christmas, not even with indigestion, but instead thoroughly inspired to create a new recipe! At home at Nutbourne, Oliver demanded yeast, buttermilk and bicarbonate of soda for a single-minded mission, to create a new crumpet recipe there and then. It’s now on the menu in all the Local & Wild restaurants served with devilled crab.
Pear and Cranberry Crumble
For my part, I succumbed to buying a readymade fruit crumble the other day! Big mistake, too dry and much too sweet- part of the attraction of a crumble should be a relatively punchy, sour fruit filling contrasting with the sweetness and texture of the topping.
Here is another recipe for an all too often forgotten Great British dish →
Winter Soup Hearty soups are a lost art so we have included a recipe to remind you just how easy it is to make your own wholesome and delicious soup using what ever vegetables you have to hand. See the recipe here →
A Vignerons lot is never done
It is a bit bleak in the vineyards at this time of year but we are all hard at work with Winter pruning. Richard was sharing a glass of Nutty with a Master of Wine recently and extolling the merits of our “Scott Henry” trellis system (originated in Oregon and then adopted in Central Otago, New Zealand). The “master” said the problem is it is such a lot or work. Richard’s repartee was – “That’s why I have my Dad”!
Gregory paused on pruning vine number twenty thousand and one to explain exactly what he is doing with the Bacchus.
Watch the reel here →
He is ably assisted in his endeavours by our store lambs grazing under the vines, with even the occasional Alpaca joining in.
Try January
We are so relieved that “dry” January (a Dickensian idea about self deprivation at the most depressing time of year) has been replaced by “try” January!
Richard missed out on a recent food and wine pairing session with his brothers but they seemed to do just fine without him, matching Gregory’s newly released Barrel Fermented Chardonnay with Oliver’s Devilled Crab Crumpets.
See what they thought of the pairing →
Where is the artistic inspiration in all this?
We’re rounding up this update with oyster shell painting- didn’t you know it is all the rage!
For those of you who don’t know Bridget, it may be difficult to understand that refusal is not an option. Daughter-in-laws, friends and grand children have been drawn into a new form of creativity – freestyle painting the inside of oyster shells!