Thursday 16 April 2020

The Orchard in Spring

Here's the last of the 3 articles that we wrote in 2019 for a now sadly defunct online magazine, if you'd like to read the other 2 you can find them on this blog here & here:


Springtime at The Orchard invariably means blossom, at the time of writing the plums and cherries are in full blossom. By the time you read this the apple trees will probably be blossoming their hearts out and the orchard will be a froth of pink and white.


Before the demise of Britain’s orchards coach trips were organised so that folk could view the spectacular orchard blossom and AA “Blossom Trail” signs were a familiar sight in apple growing country. Sadly these events aren’t so common now with perhaps the exception of the Vale of Evesham where a 45 mile route is sign posted for people to view cherry, plum, pear and apple blossom.


Special events like this must have been tricky to organize because blossom time is dependent on the weather, it’s early this year having started in March, sometimes it doesn’t start until May. For the fruit grower, late is preferable, frost is one of our greatest enemies and a hard frost now could decimate this year’s plum crop.


Something else that was early this year was the rhubarb, perfect for crumbles or just with custard, after a long winter that slightly acidic edge is just what the palate longs for.

We’ve mentioned before how lucky we are here at The Orchard to have people share their delicious family recipes, we sometimes post them on our blog, http://theorchardtearoom.blogspot.com/
  Here’s a seasonal one from Lionel:

RHUBARB AND ORANGE CHUTNEY

2 oranges
1 kg of prepared rhubarb
3 chopped onions
900 ml malt vinegar
900 gms demerara sugar
450 gms raisins
1 tbsp mustard seed
1 tbsp peppercorns
1 tsp allspice

Squeeze juice from oranges and finely shred peel. Place in a large preserving pan with the rhubarb, onions, vinegar, sugar and raisins. Tie the spices in a piece of muslin and add to the ingredients in the pan. Bring to the boil and simmer until thick and pulpy, about one and a half hours. Remove bag, then jar and cover.
Makes about 3.6 kg, ready to eat in about 3 weeks.

Springtime and eggs go hand in hand don’t they? 


Right now we have goose eggs in the farm shop, a rare treat for those who like them and with their thick shells they’re perfect for those who use eggs in their craft work. 


A little known fact is that our tea room is actually built on the site of the farm’s old hen house. We don’t keep our own chickens in the orchard anymore but we’re fortunate to have the most marvelous supplier of free range eggs only a short distance from us. Meaning that our eggs are incredibly fresh especially when compared to supermarket eggs and as you can imagine eggs are of immense importance to us. We use them for our delicious cakes, sandwiches, quiches etc and they’re one of our best sellers in the farm shop. All this brings us to another recipe we’d like to share with you


JENNY’S APPLE CURD WITH A HINT OF LEMON

450 grams of Bramley apples
2 large lemons
125 grams unsalted butter
4 large eggs
450 grams caster sugar

Cook and puree the Bramley apples
Juice the lemons and finely grate the rind
Melt the butter
Beat the eggs

Put all the ingredients into a heatproof bowl that fits over a saucepan of simmering water, be careful to make sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl.

Using a wooden spoon stir until thick, this will take about 20 minutes, then remove from heat and jar.

Jenny’s top tip : Always use a wooden spoon as metal can spoil the flavour! 



Tuesday 24 March 2020

The Orchard Tea Room & Farm Shop Wisbech COVID-19 news

COVID-19 Update 

Our farm shop is still OPEN

Our kitchen is still OPEN for takeaway food & drinks- it has to be taken away you cannot consume it anywhere on our premises & that includes the orchard itself.

We're still accepting orders for Cake-away, our cakes freeze beautifully so don't have to eat them all at once - unless you want to of course! Tel Jim to discuss what you want, sorry collection only : 07527046184

Gov guidelines state that we must
" Ensure a distance of two meters between customers and shop assistants; and
• Let people enter the shop only in small groups, to ensure that spaces are not crowded.
• Queue control is required outside of shops and other essential premises that remain open"
Finally, sorry dog walking CLOSED - NO dog walking until further notice.

As promised we will keep you all up to date as things change.

Please lets all stay safe and keep others safe through our actions.

The Orchard Tea Room & Farm Shop
Redmoor Lane
Wisbech
Cambs
PE14 0RN

Saturday 21 March 2020

The Orchard Tea Room ~ COVID-19 Update

In an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19 the UK government has closed all food and drink venues therefore our sit in tea room is closed until further notice. However 

Our kitchen will remain OPEN for takeaway food, telephone orders prior to collection are welcome 07527 046184

Our farm shop is OPEN

Also regular customers if you want to bring your dog along when shopping in the farm shop or purchasing take out food & drinks you can continue to walk your dogs here providing you keep them on a lead at all times, dogs don't understand social distancing so sorry no fetch games.

Current opening hours 10-4 daily 

We will update you of any further changes. 

Please lets all stay safe and keep others safe through our actions.

The Orchard Tea Room & Farm Shop

Redmoor Lane
Wisbech
Cambs
PE14 0RN

Website: theorchardtearoom.co.uk Twitter: @OrchardTeaRoom Facebook: The Orchard Tea Room






Saturday 18 January 2020

The Orchard Year ~ Wassailing

As previously mentioned last year we were writing for a magazine, this is article that went out in February 2019 we thought it would be interesting to put it on the blog so we can compare last winter with this:


For some the Orchard Year starts with a Wassailing ceremony, it’s not a Fenland custom, but, they’ve been Wassailing cider orchards to scare off evil spirits and encourage the apple trees into growth for hundreds, maybe thousands of years in Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire.  


Traditionally performed on Twelfth Night, or Old Twelfth Night, offerings of cider soaked toast are hung in the apple tree and a libation of cider poured on the roots whilst a traditional rhyme is recited:


Here’s to thee, old apple tree,
That blooms well, bears well.
Hats full, caps full,
Three bushel bags full,
An’ all under one tree.
Hurrah! Hurrah!


There’s also a great deal of noise made to scare away any evil spirits that may be lurking to ruin the apple crops, banging saucepans with sticks that sort of racket!


I’m sure the birds appreciate the toast next day.


We’re in the middle of a cold spell here and the birds are decimating the windfalls and unpicked apples. It’s a hard time for birds, they only have 8 or 9 hours a day to find enough food to ward off starvation during these winter months. 


Frost and ice make it especially difficult for our orchard woodpeckers, we leave as much dead wood as possible to provide food for invertebrates who in turn provide food for the woodpeckers, but, even so frozen conditions reduce the supply of beetle larvae.


As the old saying goes, “When the days begin to lengthen, then the cold begins to strengthen”, we’ve certainly been grateful for our wood burning stove in the tea room! 


It’s a lovely time of year for a brisk walk around the orchard followed by tea and cake in front of the wood burner. Or, if it’s too cold to venture out a lovely time of year to enjoy cooking, and eating, a traditional Sunday roast dinner, not something we all have time for with our busy lives these days. 


Here’s a family wartime recipe for apple mint jam which goes wonderfully with roast lamb though I admin to be rather partial to it on my roast potatoes never mind the meat :


  1. Wash your apples and halve them before placing them in a pan of cold water.
  2. Simmer until soft, remove from the heat.
  3. Rub the pulp through a sieve into a measuring jug.
  4. Return to pan with 3/4 lb of sugar for each pint of apple pulp along with a bunch of chopped mint.
  5. Cook, stirring until the jam begins to set then jar in the normal manner.
The Orchard Tea Room & Farm Shop
Redmoor Lane

Begdale 

Elm
Wisbech
Cambs
PE14 0RN

Telephone: 07527 046184

Website: theorchardtearoom.co.uk Twitter: @OrchardTeaRoom Facebook: The Orchard Tea Room
Opening Hours 10am-4pm daily




Sunday 17 November 2019

Interview with the Artist ~ Sue Bates

Sue Bates is our Art in The Orchard artist for the month of November, we're delighted that she has agreed to do a little interview for the blog:



What are you currently working on?

I am currently working on a Christmas card but with so many events we attend this time of year my work is taking ages.

How did you decide to become an artist?

I always wanted to draw and paint and as my dream to attend art college didn't happen I promised myself that I would attend classes, funds permitting, when I retired.

What's the best advise you've been given as an artist? 

The best advice ever received was to spend 90% of time looking at the image one is trying to copy and 10% drawing/painting.

What do you do when you are not creating?

I am a keen gardener and grow chillis, peppers, melons, cucumbers,tomatoes and more in our tiny greenhouse.  We also spend time making a nice show of the miniature front garden which was actually entered (not by us)into the Downham in Bloom competition this summer!
I also have to visit the shops where our cards are sold to top up stock and collect any money.

What are your life and work goals for the future? 

At 73 I have not much on my bucket list except to improve my painting.

Sue you're currently exhibiting some of your artwork here at The Orchard where else can we find your work?

My paintings can be seen on eBay and suebatesartist.com and as cards in Knicat bakery, (Downham Market) Sarah's flowers (Wisbech) and various craft fayres.  Prints and personalisation of cards can be ordered.

Web site:    suebatesartist.com

Facebook page is:    Sue Bates




Many thanks to Sue Bates for agreeing to be interviewed for The Orchard Tea Room and Farm Shop Blog you can view Sue's art daily 10am-4pm at:



The Orchard Tea Room and Farm Shop
Redmoor Lane
Wisbech
Cambs
PE14 0RN

Telephone: 07527 046184
Website: theorchardtearoom.co.uk Twitter: @OrchardTeaRoom Facebook: The Orchard Tea Room

Thursday 14 November 2019

Apple Face Mask Recipe



You probably know how much we love collecting apple recipes well today we're sharing an apple recipe with a difference, it's not for eating, it's for putting on your face, it's a recipe for a homemade face mask. The pectin in the apples is apparently very soothing to the skin.  

You will need:

1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon of olive oil 
1 tablespoon of honey
Half an apple, peeled, cored and sliced.

Simply pop all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

To use: 

Dip a cotton wool ball into the mixture and apply over the face and neck, avoiding your eyes, 
Leave to dry,
When it's dry remove with warm water followed by a splash of cold water.

Warning: Don't use this mask if your skin is particularly sensitive or  you know you may have an allergic reaction to any of the ingredients. 


Wednesday 13 November 2019

A Bouquet of Hydrangeas ~ How to Dry Hydrangeas


As some of you will know we host the occasional florist workshop, on behalf of  The Sunshine Centre for Therapeutic Riding, here at the tea rooms. Well here's something that you can do at home without attending a workshop, if you have access to a hydrangea bush.

 A "bouquet" of dried Hydrangea flowers would make a stunning gift this Christmas and if you get started now it could cost you absolutely nothing other than your time but that's dependent on your choice of wrapping.

Hydrangeas couldn't be easier to dry. In fact they are so obliging that they can be left to dry on the shrub.
But, if you'd like petals with some colour that are a little  less crunchy you can dry them using the water dried method, it's very easy.

Simply cut your flowers with a 12" stem, strip the leaves and place in a vase in fresh water. Put them in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and leave. When the water has  evaporated the flowers will have dried and be ready for you to wrap as you choose. How about:

Packaging some long stems in a box with tissue paper of flowers - so glamorous.
Wrapping a bouquet with vintage sheet music
or
a remnant of beautiful fabric
even
some newspaper or brown paper with a gorgeous bow.
Making an arrangement in a vintage vase found at the charity shop or car boot.
Using the heads to make a wreath.

Add a homemade tag, you could make one from a brown luggage label, and present!


PS. Our next 2019 florist workshop is on December 14th it's a Christmas Wreath Making and Demo workshop again run by the lovely Mel Tomlinson of The Sunshine Centre for Therapeutic Riding, more details here