Great British Food Festival ! at Stonyhurst College - Weekend pass giveaway !

In a few weeks time I'm off  to have a great time at "The Great British Food Festival" - my visit will be the event being held in the delightfully British surroundings of Stonyhurst College, a spectacularly beautiful building set in the heart of the fantastic Ribble Valley area of Lancashire. The college is very picturesque in fact so much so that its featured in a number of film and television series, as a school (which is what it is ( 3 men and a little lady) or some other ancestral pile). Great news is Lancashire Food has a pair of weekend passes to this festival to give away, just an easy rafflecopter entry, scroll down to find out more.

Stonyhurst College is a coeducational Roman Catholic independent school, adhering to the Jesuit tradition. It is located on the Stonyhurst Estate near the village of Hurst Green in the Ribble Valley area of Lancashire, England, and occupies a Grade I listed building. The school has been fully co-educational since 1999. Stonyhurst is situated in beautiful Lancashire countryside and is the ideal location as it is situated in the middle of the famous "Ribble Valley food triangle".

We want you to get involved. This year there is more opportunity for you to be a part of GBFF. On the Onionring Stage you'll find our Cake-Off tasters (that's me !!!) deliberating over which cake they prefer, at other times you'll find courageous souls taking on the Men Vs Food challenges! Pop into the hall to watch a top chef cooking on stage - you'll be surprised at what you can learn.

Bring a picnic blanket and sit out for the day enjoying live music and beautiful surroundings. Local bands are playing throughout the festival - again we have a great mix.

This is the perfect recipe for a foodie fun day out for the whole family. We welcome well behaved kids and dogs too.

                              
For you celebrity spotters we will be being joined by Simon Rimmer for the chef demonstrations at Stonyhurst.

                     
               
Here's some more details of the festival or alternatively check out the website for more details

Stonyhurst College hosts The Great British Food Festival 

Stonyhurst, Clitheroe, Lancashire BB7 9PZ

Saturday 24^th, Sunday 25^th & Bank Holiday Monday 26^thAugust 2013

10.30am-5pm  www.greatbritishfoodfestival.com

£6 entry, under 5’s are free and 5-11 are only £1. Tickets available via the website or on the door.

Bring your blanket... the picnic awaits!! 

With Chef demo’s from Simon Rimmer, Artisan and Drinks talks, Cake Competitions and Men V’s Food - there is something for everyone this year at the Great British Food Festival !

This year the event also has ‘The Onionring.co.uk tent’, where you will find free drinks and artisan talks from the likes of top pig breeder Julian from Pig & Co, Levante Fine Foods, ‘Drinks Enthusiast’ and, the tent will also be host to the ‘Great British Bake off’ with members of the public entering the Chocolate Delicious and the classic Victoria Sponge, anyone can enter to get practicing and enter today.

The Great British Food Festival has attracted over 80 producers showcasing the best in local, seasonal and specialty food and drink. Taste, enjoy and buy. Bring a picnic blanket and sit out for the day enjoying great food and drink and live music in stunning surroundings of Stonyhurst estate, The perfect recipe for a fun, foodie day out for the whole family.
 

WHAT'S ON

• Chef Demos
• Live Music
• Child-Friendly
• Cake-Off
  • Day 1: Victoria Sponge
  • Day 2: Chocolate Delicious
  • Day 3: Great British Novelty
• Men VS Food Challenges
• Wide choice of Hot Foods
• Local Producers
• Vintage and Craft stalls

THINGS TO KNOW

• Onsite parking is free
• Kids under 5 are free, 5-11 are just £1
• This is our first event at Stonyhurst, bringing our fantastic event to the region for the first time!
• Dogs are welcome. All dogs must be kept on a lead. Dogs are not allowed inside the producer marquees or the college buildings.

WHERE

Stonyhurst College, Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 9PZ

DATES

Saturday 24th, Sunday 25th and Monday 26th August Open 10:30am till 5:00pm.

WE HAVE TWO PASSES TO GIVE AWAY, TO BE IN WITH A CHANCE OF WINNING JUST COMPLETE THE RAFFLECOPTER BELOW

How do I enter the Giveaway?

• Simply follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter widget below. 
• To be in with a chance of winning you must complete ALL the required fields. 
• All entries will be checked and verified before a winner is announced.
• You can increase your chances of winning by Tweeting on a daily basis.
• Rafflecopter will pick a random winner.
• The competition runs from 30/07/13 to 16/08/13 .
• If you win, you MUST send me your delivery details before 12pm on 17/08/13, or the prize will be passed to the next person drawn.
• Please see the Terms and Conditions on the Rafflecopter widget for the rules and more information.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Double Strawberry Flapjacks

My hubby has recently joined a weekly walking club so its essential we always have a homemade cake or sweet treat ready for his lunch box. Flapjacks are practical for lunchbox duty as the tend to be robust enough not to disintegrate whilst being carried around in your work bag or rucksack.

This double strawberry version came about as I pimped my usual recipe with a packet of dried strawberries I had found in the store cupboard along with some strawberry flavoured chocolate drops.

What you need 

• Standard flapjack recipe here
• Dried strawberries - chopped into small pieces
• Melted strawberry flavoured chocolate drops

What you do

• Follow standard flapjack recipe but added chopped dried strawberry pieces
• Once baked and cooled, drizzle with melted chocolate
• Double strawberry flapjacks ! 

The stunning photography is by the talented Mr Lancashire Food.

Great Harwood Farmers Market

We're friendly folk in Lancashire you know, always giving a warm welcome to any visitor and it really is a place where everyone matters. This true Lancastrian spirit was on full display when we finally made our way to Great Harwood Farmers Market a couple of Sunday's ago,with lots of friendly and welcoming stall holders, this fantastic market has grown from humble beginnings (their first venue was the body shop of a local garage, I kid you not), the market initially the creation of Nick from Gaskell Motors as a way to raise funds for East Lancashire hospice the friendly market is growing from strength to strength month on month, so much so that the market is now held in the Town Square as the body shop couldn't cope with the volume of stalls wanting to take part.

Busy market 

So on a bright sunny and unseasonable warm day we arrived in Great Harwood, smack bang in the centre of town in the cute town square was the small but perfectly formed market. On chatting with the traders they all really love this market and its great because its all local Lancashire products or produce and their still raising money for some great causes too. Our senses were assailed by  loads of delightful aromas and lots of foodie tit bits to try, I agree with the traders, this is my kind of market and the prices are good too.

Delicious sausages from Porcus 

Great selection of bread from All you knead

Nick should be really proud of the market he's created and its not gone un-noticed by the powers that be either as this market was recently nominated for an award at a national level too. Nick is passionate about the good this market can do to help lift and re-energise Great Harwood, all I can say is Mary Portas step aside every town needs a Nick Gaskell ! I noticed that several local shops are also reaping the benefits of the market too, opening to service the customers coming from far and wide.

Sanwitches of Sabden - creators of the legendary "Malkin Pie"

The market features some great traders and frankly unlike some farmers market you can  actually get pretty much a full shop here. Bread, fish, meats, cheeses, beer, fudge, cakes, fruit and veg, chutneys,jams and lots lots more are available  The market is held on the 1st Sunday of the month, opening around 8.30 and closing at about 2pm or earlier if a stallholder sells out as many do at this popular market.

The best of local ales and beers 

I love Jams fine selection of jams and preserves

The Friendly ladies from I love Jam

On the day we visited we also spotted Stephen Lowe from BBC Radio Lancashire making a few purchases and also singing the praises of the market to anyone who would listen. All fees for the stalls are passed on to a number of local charities too, what a great idea.

El Gringo - Paul from Fatjax 

Nick and me

Fudge heaven from Fudge Village

So pay this market a visit soon, its well worth it and there is free parking too !

Blackcurrant Trifle

Now that I've got attention ! An easy seasonal dessert loved by all, we are lucky enough that we have a blackcurrant bush in the garden and its been laden this summer with a bumper crop of dark juicy berries. Lucky for us the birds seemed to have bypassed the bush and instead snaffled my small crop of redcurrants that grow nearby. 

This is a recipe where you can go the whole hog and be very chefy making your own sponge and custard from first principles or use a few sneaky cheats, on a hot summer's day I opted for the cheats version.

First we are going to make a blackcurrant compote, this works with any soft fruit by the way in case you were wondering. Take you fruit and half the quantity by weight in caster sugar and warm gently in a saucepan until the sugar has melted and the juices are starting to run from the fruit. Taste for sweetness if necessary add a little more sugar. Fruit compotes store well in a covered dish in the fridge and are great in cakes (see blackcurrant and cassis cake post for clandestine cake club), swirled over yoghurt or with a pannacotta. Chill your compote before making your trifle.

What you will need

• Blackcurrant compote
• Cake sponge (homemade if you wish) or sponge fingers (boudoir / langue de chat) for the cheat
• Custard (homemade if you wish, or custard powder or ready made) ideally thick
• Cream ( whipping or double cream) for garnish - whipped to soft peak stage
• Booze - sherry, cassis, etc (optional) I didn't use

What you do

• Locate your nice glasses that will show of this lovely dessert in all its glory
• Carefully spoon a layer of compote into the glass
• Then layer broken up sponge pieces and custard
• Another layer of blackcurrant compote, keep layering until you are nearly at the top of the glass, finish with custard.
• Now finish the trifle with a sexy dollop of cream and a few reserved berries.

Crispy chicken thighs, roasted tomatoes and crushed new potatoes

Looking for a one pot dish that is satisfying and so so good, try this one ! we love this dish, great for entertaining or a family meal and so very easy. Its fabulous served along side a rocket salad (which is always good as we have a permanent glut when its in season in the garden) and a nice glass of a crisp Italian white wine. 

The dish uses one of the most under rated cuts from the chicken, the thigh. In casseroles, curries, roasts etc I don't think you can beat this cut plus its economical too, if you are squeamish about bones you can even buy them ready bone , personally I don't have a problem with removing the bones its pretty easy plus de boned are more expensive to buy , so I use the saving to buy free range meat instead.

What you need

• Chicken thighs, skin on, deboned, cut in to finger sized strips
• Tomatoes -fresh, cherry, baby plum, etc
• Baby new potatoes - skins on, cooked until tender
• Olive oil
• Red wine vinegar (or a fruit vinegar)
• Garlic - couple of cloves, peeled
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• Fresh Oregano
• You will also need a flameproof casserole dish
• Pestle and mortar

What you do

• Pre heat the oven to 180c
• Heat the flameproof casserole dish and add a little olive oil
• Fry the chicken thigh strips in batches  skin side down initially and then turn until golden brown, remove to a plate whilst you cook  the others. Switch the heat off under the pan.
• Once this is done then add them back to the pan , along with the tomatoes, now add the baby new potatoes crushing them with your thumb.Ensure everything is nice and snug in the pan.
• In the pestle and mortar heavily bruise the garlic and most of the oregano reserving a few spring to garnish. Now add a good slug of olive oil about 2 tbsp and 1tbsp red wine vinegar, mix and season.
• Now drizzle this all over the chicken, potatoes and tomatoes, then place in the oven and bake uncovered for approximately an hour until all crisp and golden.
• Serve immediately with green salad and some great bread.

Prawn, pea and rocket risotto

The rocket patch in the garden is now in full overtime mode, its beaten us into submission and just gone for broke, overflowing the paths and despite our best efforts giving batches away to all visitors to our household,  yet still more grows.

The flavour of our wild rocket is really spicy with notes of parmesan cheese so it needs careful combining with other ingredients, this recipe is nicely balanced with sweet peas and king prawns and green spicy hints from the rocket. Depending on your preference you can either cook it in the oven or by the traditional method on the hob.

What you need

• Olive oil
• 1 small white onion - finely chopped or you could use a shallot
• Garlic - couple of cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• Hot fish or vegetable stock
• Raw king prawns or frozen defrosted
• Good handful fresh rocket, 3/4 of it chopped finely, few leaves still whole for garnishing
• Ramekin of frozen petit pois or garden peas, defrosted
• Risotto rice - about 200g

This recipes makes enough for 2 greedy adults

What you do

• Firstly decide whether you are going to cook your risotto in the oven or on the hob, if you are plumping for oven baking then you will need a flameproof casserole dish, I use my trusty Le Crueset shallow casserole with lid otherwise you will need a large frying pan.
• Heat the oil in pan and add the onion and cook slowly without colouring until soft, now add the garlic and cook for a few minutes longer, now stir in the rice.
• Now if cooking in the oven add most of the stock on a high heat, cover with the lid and place in you oven heated to 180c, if cooking on the hob, gradually stir in most of the stock and simmer until absorbed. It normally takes about 15 minutes either way.
• Were back on the hob now, stir in the prawns and the remaining stock and cook stirring until all the stock is absorbed and the prawns are pink.
• Stir in the peas and chopped rocket, cook very gently just to warm the peas through, remove from the heat cover and let stand for a couple of minutes.
• Serve garnished with the whole rocket leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.

CCC No 17 - Blackcurrant Cassis layer Cake for a Joint CCC @ The Glasshouse, Stydd Gardens, Ribchester.

A couple of months ago I was kindly tipped off by a member of our cake club, fellow WI member, Farmers Market Organiser and Bee keepers wife Mrs Crossmoor (Crossmoor Honey), as to a new teashop that had opened in the Ribble Valley, she raved about its fabulous ambience and the fact it was owned and run by non other than the producer of some of the first radio shows I appeared on,  the lovely Alison Brown. 

So without seeing the venue I contacted Alison and asked if  she would consider being a venue for a Clandestine cake club meeting, she immediately said yes, only later did it dawn on me that this was totally out of my area, fortunately the South Lancashire branch has very close links with the Ribble Valley branch so we decided on a joint meeting, the joint organisers Kate and Liz both having heard good thing too about our venue.

Wind the clock forward several months and to a very balmy Lancashire summer and its time for our joint visit to The Glasshouse, Stydd Gardens, Ribchester. The venue has now been featured in Lancashire Life and several local newspapers and the place is really starting to buzz, I have even had a sneaky little visit and all I can say is wow !

The Glasshouse is what is says it is set in a beautiful country plant nurseries gardens, filled with quirky naturalist object da's were you can partake of some great local quality food and drink, Alison has carefully sourced the best locally produce to feature on her menu. I think you can tell but I love The Glasshouse.

When we arrived the cafe and garden were very busy and very hot, so it was a good job Alison had reminded me to remind our bakers to bring nets to protect our cakes from the local wildlife, fortunately Alison had reserved us a huge table for our cakes, quickly bakers started to arrive and due to the heat we quickly got proceeding underway, we also attracted lots of admiring glances from customers of the cafe too, so lots of potential new members for CCC. 

Alison was delighted with us holding our event at the The Glasshouse and on such a beautiful day we feasted on Exotic and Wonderful cakes in the lovely Stydd gardens. We all loved the venue and the cakes were absolutely fabulous, featuring exotic fruits and tropical ingredients, a wonderful event in an exotic location.

The location also features a number of other businesses including a wine shop and herb nursery and also a unique wedding venue.

My cake for the theme was a Blackcurrant and Cassis layer cake, originally I was making a Peach and amaretto cake but when the peaches hadn't ripened I needed a substitute and quick, and as our blackcurrant in the garden was heavy with juicy berries it hastily became a blackcurrant cake instead.

I used the ever faithful Fiona Cairns 4 egg sponge cake mix (also used in the tiramisu cake) but substiututed the amaretto with cassis. The two cakes were cut into 4 layers and were sandwiched with a cream cheese butter cream and blackcurrant cassis compote. The cake was finished with some sugar shards.


Many thanks go to Alison and her team for a great event in a gorgeous venue, please pay them a visit soon.


Credit for the stunning photography goes to Lancashire Food Photography who really managed to capture the ambience of a wonderful summer afternoon of cake.

Orange blossom honey, spelt and poppyseed cake - almost healthy !

I love baking (if you are a regular reader this is nothing new  to you !) but how to make cakes more healthy ?

From time to time I experience a guilt trip and remind myself that where ever possible I should be making my baking more healthy, food fads come and go, eat that don't eat this, so that sometimes its difficult to determine as to whether the changes and tweaks you are making to your baking are making it any healthier, but the one thing I do know is that I like to try different things. So this cake was born, using a natural sweetener, spelt flour and poppyseeds.

A month or so ago I was sent some honey for review so I currently have a nice selection in my store cupboard, so I chose to bake with the orange blossom honey on this occasion, so here's what I came up with.

What you need

• 50g poppyseeds ( you can buy in most healthfood shops or collect your own)
• 180g orange blossom honey ( you could use agave nectar or maple syrup also)
• Grated zest of one large orange
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3 eggs free range please
• 180g spelt flour (sieved to remove the majority of the meal)
• 180g butter - softened

What you do 

• Preheat your oven to 170c
• Oil spray and base line a 20cm loose bottom or springform tin
• In a large bowl or your mixer, cream the butter until fluffy, now add a little of the flour and beat in eggs one at a time
• Beat in all the flour, baking powder, honey, orange zest and poppy seeds
• Scoop into your tin, levelling and bake for approximately 35 - 45 minutes until tested cooked with a skewer.
• Cool in the tin for approximately before transferring to a wire rack to cool fully.
• If you wish you could make an orange drizzle syrup or frost with a cream cheese butter cream.

#Boothscheers is back !

#BoothsCheers is back and this time we are tasting two wines from New Zealand. Both from Insight, a delicious light fruity almost fragrant pinot noir, it ends with a clean fruity mouthful.

The Sauvignon Blanc is fresh grassy and green, really refreshing and would be ideal served on its own or with seafoods such as seared scallops or smoked salmon, the ideal drink for summer in the garden.

Malkin Pie - a true regional speciality

                        

Malkin pie was created by the talented team at "Delicious from Home" Christine and Keith in celebration of the 400th anniversary of the Pendle Witch trails of 1612.

The spooky tale of witches, magic and curses in the shadow of Pendle Hill have inspired this carefully researched and deliciously imaginative pie. The Malkin pie is named after the tower  which was the home of "Demdike" one of the witches and is a new Lancashire classic.

Featuring all local ingredients the 5 layer pie has a shortcrust base infused with thyme which is then topped with locally sourced lamb, thyme, spices and mixed pulses (barley I think), this is then topped with braised leeks, carrots, swedes and celery and then marinated best beef steak and onions, another layer of dry cured bacon which is all rounded off by the wicca dumpling layer (suet crust with fresh chives).

This is a pie for when you are very hungry and is packed full of fantastic flavours, its recommended that its served with the specially mixed Spiced red cabbage chutney supplied with the pie which is a beautiful accompaniment of slow braised spiced red cabbage,apples, onions, spices, cinnamon, thyme, red wine vinegar and garlic.

You can get your hands on this very special pie at

• Sanwitches of Sabden
• Roaming roosters

and also Great Harwood farmers market (1st Sunday of the month), Barrowford farmers market (2nd Sunday of the month), Sawley farmers market (last Sunday of the month) and various other festivals and one off events. You can also order direct too via their website.

The Lancashire Food household thoroughly enjoyed their pie, reheated gently, a wonderful meal and the red cabbage providing a lovely contrast to the pie and ideal if you have been up Pendle Hill on a hike. 

Five minute microwave chocolate pudding

This handy little pudding is a great recipe to have in your collection, ideal when you want a warm dessert on the spur of the moment , using all store cupboard ingredients. I first saw this on youtube several years ago, just serve with your favourite accompaniment custard, cream, ice cream, yoghurt or creme fraiche they all work.

The secret is making sure that you have throughly mixed the dry ingredients before adding the wet ones. I use a fork to throughly blend the ingredients, it works perfectly everytime. I tend to make mine in a large soup cup. As you cook it in the microwave its also ideal in hot weather as you have no steaming pans or hot ovens to bother with.

What you need

• 4 tbsp self raising flour
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 2tbsp cocoa 
• 1 egg (free range)
• 3 tbsp milk
• 3 tbsp sunflower oil
• Optional extras , splash of vanilla, choc chips
• Mug or bowl

What you do

• Throughly mix the dry ingredients in your bowl / mug with fork
• Then add the rest of the ingredients , again mix throughly making sure you have no dry patches
• Microwave for approximately 3 minutes (900W ) until well risen
• Serve and eat !

Please note that this doesn't keep well and should be eaten almost immediately

A Quick Bite of Lancashire Food

When I started this blog a few years ago I never dreamt that it would become as popular as it has and I had no inkling of the number of other passionate Lancashire Foodies that where out there working hard loving Lancashire Food in all its many forms. Over the years I have met so many wonderful advocates of Lancashire Food in all its senses, whether it be a chef, artisan producer, farmer, cheese-monger, baker etc.

So with that in mind and so that we can all learn more about these lovely "Lancashire Food" people, we have developed a "Quick bite of Lancashire Food" a running monthly post which will feature one of these friendly food loving folk and ask them some quick questions about their food inspiration amongst other things.

September 2015 - Tim Procter - Procters Cheese / Kick Ass Cheese

August 2015 - Russell Lambert - M and O Fish

July 2015 - Nadia Southwood - Flap O Jacks - The Round Flapjack Co

June 2015 - Lee Birtwistle - All Fired Up - Wood Fired Pizza

May 2015 - Mike Bryan - The Bees Country Kitchen

April 2015 - Antony Shirley - Seafood Pub Company

March 2015 - John Winnard of Santus (Uncle Joes Mint Balls), Wigan

February 2015 - Simon Mellin of Roaming Roosters, Higham

January 2015 - Nicola Hanmer of The Mill Cafe, St Catherines Park

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

December 2014 - Craig Hughes of Crossmoor Honey

November 2014 - Phil Keenan / Foody Phil -  Bite Local 

October 2014 - Andrea Mellon of Dukpond, Preston

September 2014 - Amy Cheadle of Northern Dough Co

August 2014 - Anson Bolton, Millstone at Mellor

July 2014 - Celia Gaze - The Wellbeing Farm, Edgeworth

June 2014 - Amanda Biggs - Thyme Deli, Horwich

May 2014 - Sharon Loving - The Ginger Baker, Longridge.

April 2014 - Chris Brown of Browns Butchers Chorley

March 2014 - Sarah Longlands and Lisa Kidd from - I Heart Jam

February 2014 - Sean Wilson - Saddleworth Cheese Co and Chef 

January 2014 - Gail Brown, Thornleys Natural Foods

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

December 2013 - Paul Williams - Master Chocolatier - Choc Amor and The Chocolate Rooms.

November 2013 - Mike Rawlinson - Red Cat restaurant Chorley and the Royal Oak at Riley Green.

October 2013 - Craig Dugan - All You Knead

September 2013 - Paul Ainscough - Fatjax Chutneys

August 2013 - Stosi Madi - Parkers Arms, Newton in Bowland

July 2013 - Vickie Anderson - Liverpool Cheese Company

Rocket Pesto stuffed mushrooms

Another glut in the garden - this time we are inundated with wild rocket its popping up all over and although I love the peppery spicy leaves in salad, you can only eat so many. Previous forays into warm rocket cookery have had mixed results, its fine strewed on pasta, pizzas and the like but I am yet to be convinced with rocket soup. I have made homemade pesto a few times previously with basil and even nasturtium leaves but never rocket until now. 

The pesto is easy to make especially if you have a food processor / blender, just blitz clean rocket leaves, garlic, olive oil, parmesan cheese, pine nuts or breadcrumbs until you have a thick green paste, use this in this recipe or alternatively stirred through pasta or spread on hot from the oven fresh bread.

What you need 

• Qty of rocket pesto
• Fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 or 2 large field mushrooms - stalks removed
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Baby cherry tomatoes - sliced 
• Cheese (Lancashire, cheddar, local goats would all work) - grated or broken into little chunks
• Sea salt and pepper

What you do

• Place your mushrooms in an oven proof dish gill side up.
• Pre heat your oven to 180c.
• In the base of the mushrooms place the sliced cherry tomatoes, then spoon in the pesto and some breadcrumbs, top with cheese and a little more breadcrumbs.
• Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with a little olive oil
• Bake for 15 -20 minutes until the mushroom is tender and cooked, the cheese has melted and the breadcrumbs golden.
• Delicious served as a light lunch or supper dish or as a starter.

July - A Quick Bite Of Lancashire Food

Vickie Anderson - Liverpool Cheese Company

Our first interviewee is the lovely Vickie Anderson from Liverpool Cheese, a fantastic cheese-monger who is passionate about great cheese (especially from Lancashire), established in 2006 in a listed diary in Woolton village, Liverpool (before you ask it does count as its old parish Lancashire) this thriving cheese shop attracts cheese lovers from far and wide, so much so that a couple of years ago "Liverpool Cheese" was also a finalist in a national food heroes competition .

Along with her partner Ian they also have a on-line cheese shop, a cheese club and produce some fantastic looking cheese celebration cakes and their latest venture is a cheese school in Liverpool city centre. Proud to work along side local suppliers the team at Liverpool Cheese also stock a fabulous range of local breads, chutneys and biscuits to purchase to accompany some of that fantastic cheese they sell and also supply major resturants and caterers with their quality products.

• What is your favourite cookery or food book or publication ? 

Good Housekeeping – the Cooks classic companion, it has everything!

• What sentence sums up Lancashire Food to you ?

The climate and geography of Lancashire means some of the world’s best cheese is produced here.

• If you weren’t doing what you do now, what would you like to be ? 

A retired millionaire opera singer would be nice

• Which piece of kit could you not do without ?

Sharp knives!

• Who would join you at your ultimate dinner party and why?

My partner Ian, our children and close friends because these are the people whose company gives me the most pleasure, sharing food and conversation means the most with loved ones to me.

• What advice would you give to your younger self ?

Be tolerant, be kind and enjoy life

• Describe your style in three words

Sociable, passionate and forceful

• What was your latest foodie gadget purchase ? 

Don’t really do foodie gadgets, probably a raclette grill

• What is your greatest achievement to date ?

Surviving the recession to build a successful business still here 7 years down the line

• What is the worst mistake you have made ? 

All my mistakes involve wasting/loosing money but best not dwelt on!

• Tell us a secret about yourself ? may be something we wouldn’t expect ! 

I secretly sometimes enjoy Laughing Cow cheese spread on a piece of white sliced toast!