A new chapter at The Olive Branch in Clipsham
The Olive Branch has appointed Nick Evans executive head chef. Nick arrives from Michelin-starred Northcote near Blackburn in Lancashire, where he was head chef working closely with executive chef Lisa Goodwin-Allen and chef patron Nigel Howarth. Ben Jones, co-owner of The Olive Branch, said: “Nick will create his own ‘Olive Branch’ dishes and menus, while […]
Why “no shows” are so damaging to independent pubs and restaurants
“No shows” is a hot topic at the moment. The number of people booking restaurant tables and not turning up without cancelling is rising. I was chatting to Ben Jones, owner of The Olive Branch in Clipsham recently, who told me: “Sadly, we are seeing an increasing number of no shows. Pubs and restaurant like […]
Nibble, bite, eat, chew: Taste the Difference at Tamworth Food Gusto Food & Drink Festival 2018
If you are a foodie and love great food and drink, the Tamworth Food Gusto Festival on September 8 and 9 is the place to be! Food Gusto have lined up over 70 of the region’s best food & drink producers, all hand picked to set your taste buds on fire. All producers are passionate […]
Harker’s Farm Shop’s impressive refurbishment gives foodies even more reasons to visit this Nottinghamshire gem
Harker’s Farm Shop in Clipston-on-the-Wolds, Nottinghamshire, has never looked better. A summer refurbishment has resulted in a gleaming new butchery counter packed with Harker’s biggest draw –fresh home-reared meat. There’s also a new maturing fridge and a new deli counter full of local cheeses, patés and cooked meats. These improvements are underpinned by new floors […]
We visit Fen Farm Venison, Horbling Fen, Lincolnshire
Driving through the scorched Lincolnshire Fens in late July, we find Fen Farm Venison down a battered farm track. Peter and Jane Wesley, along with Peter’s mother Janet, are in the prep kitchen, where the three-strong team (which becomes four when Janet’s husband Brian gets involved, which he does often) are busy getting their venison […]
45 West Distillers unveil Leicester Tigers gin
45 West Distillers, makers of Burleighs Gin, have teamed up with Leicester Tigers to create an exciting new collaboration bottle inspired by the club’s famous red, white and green stripes. Burleighs Gin is made with silver birch, dandelion, burdock and elderberry – inspired by the Leicestershire woodland in which the distillery is housed. You can […]
Where to eat in Stamford, Lincolnshire
Stamford in Lincolnshire was described by Sir Walter Scott as “the finest stone town in England”. Visitors today tend to agree with him, especially after enjoying the town’s many enticing pubs, cafés, restaurants and food shops. It’s a superb place to visit for a day or weekend, so we’ve created a Great Food Club Guide […]
Guide to great coffee shops & roasteries
There’s more to life than Costa, Starbucks and Nescafé. At Great Food Club we love independent coffee shops and roasters. Here’s our guide to some of the very best in our recommended network. Remember: for every £1 spent with a small or medium-sized business, 63p stays in the local economy, compared to 40p with a […]
Burleighs Gin plots “quintessentially British” gin and picnic party
Burleighs Gin is plotting a “quintessentially British” gin and picnic party in the grounds of a Victorian country house. The first ever ‘Picnic in the Gardens’ will take place on Saturday September 15 and Sunday September 16 (new date added due to popular demand), 2018, in the idyllic grounds of Leicestershire’s Beaumanor Hall. The event […]
Rural charm and great food: 10 country pubs you need to visit
The evenings are getting lighter, the daffs are trying their best to emerge, the lambs are in the fields. One of the best things to do to celebrate the new season is to head to a brilliant country pub (but that’s true anytime actually!). Whether it’s Sunday lunch with friends and family, a country walk […]
How Hart’s of Nottingham spent 20 years at the top
Hart’s, the fine-dining restaurant in Nottingham, has celebrated 20 years in business and kicked off a whole year of celebrations. Owner Tim Hart, who is also behind Hambleton Hall, tells us where it all began. How did Hart’s come about? “I had opened Hambleton Hall in 1980 and it had proved a great success. I […]
Leicestershire’s Fosse Chicken comes seventh in Observer Food Monthly’s Top 50
Fosse Meadows Farm of North Kilworth, Leicestershire, has appeared in seventh place in this year’s Observer Food Monthly Top 50. The list is a respected rundown of the publication’s favourite foodie things from around the world. Jacob Sykes and Nick Ball, co-owners of Fosse Meadows Farm, have been producing their award-winning 81-day slow-grown free-range chicken […]
The story behind ‘Patriot’ – Everards’ latest seasonal brew
Everards has delved into Leicestershire’s rich history to come up with its latest seasonal beer, ‘Patriot’. ‘Patriot’ – available in many Everards pubs this March – is a 4.3% golden hoppy ale with citrus and grapefruit flavours and a crisp, bitter finish. The new beer supports The LMS Patriot Project in its attempt to build a […]
Recipe: Whissendine wholemeal
This recipe from Julian Carter, head baker at Hambleton Bakery, uses flour milled at Whissendine Windmill in Rutland – but any stone-ground wholemeal bread flour will work. Julian says: “The recipe uses a starter, which creates a better flavour and texture. It requires no kneading time, which is achieved by delaying the salt going into […]
New Everards Meadows development brings exciting opportunity
Work will soon start to create Everards Meadows, an exciting new food, drink and leisure development in Leicestershire next to the expanding retail park “Fosse.” – previously known as Fosse Park – just off Junction 21 of the M1. Everards are looking for the right people to take on the new café business at Everards […]
Welbeck Bakehouse hires new head baker
The Welbeck Bakehouse of north Nottinghamshire has hired a new head baker to build on recent successes. The Great Food Club-recommended bakery, located on the Welbeck Estate, received a ‘Highly Commended’ in Britain’s Best Loaf 2017 (Sourdough category) and has been nominated for Best Artisan Business in North Notts Business Awards 2018. Peter Friese from […]
Great Food Club’s guide to pleasing your lover
Valentine’s Day is looming. Whether you spend it at home relaxing with cheese on toast and a cuppa, or drinking fine wines over a seven-course tasting menu, the important thing is this: enjoy yourself. If you have a lover – celebrate your relationship. If you’re single – celebrate too. Don’t settle for second best: there’s more to ‘V’ Day […]
Leicester’s Gelato Village celebrates suffragette hero Alice Hawkins
Leicester’s Gelato Village has joined in with the celebration of Alice Hawkins’ dedication to women’s rights and the improvement of working conditions. “Alice was a local working class hero who campaigned tirelessly in Leicester to improve working conditions in the boot and shoe industry and to gain women’s suffrage,” said Daniele Taverna, co-owner of the […]
The Norfolk Deli calls all marmalade makers!
The Norfolk Deli in Hunstanton will host the second Norfolk Marmalade-Making Awards on March 31, 2018. “We had over 30 entries last year,” said shop director Rosie Kacary. “There was everything from traditional Seville orange marmalade to more exotic flavour combinations. It made the judging very difficult.” Fortunately The Norfolk Deli was supported by Ali […]
Stanley Street Food wins Eat Out Eat Well Award
Stanley Street Food of Barnwell in Northamptonshire has won a well-deserved Eat Out Eat Well Award from Northamptonshire County Council. If you don’t know these guys, they are superb caterers and all-round lovely people. Run by Stanley and Paula Crump, they are brilliant at creating cuisines from all over the globe. They have a relaxed […]
The Olive Branch launches ‘dine and donate’ hospice campaign
The Olive Branch in Clipsham, Rutland, has come up with a great foodie idea to raise funds for Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice in Peterborough. Throughout February 2018 the award-winning pub is charging just £10 for a two-course meal booked between 6.30pm and 7pm, Sunday to Friday. Diners are then given the opportunity to donate […]
Ditch the biccies. Green tea and dark choc is where it’s at
Seed and Bean chocolate of Northamptonshire has joined forces with Clipper Teas to highlight the delicious qualities and health-giving benefits of green tea and dark chocolate. They suggest you leave the biscuits in the tin. Instead, grab a few squares of dark chocolate and enjoy them with a cup of green tea for the perfect tea break. […]
National Trust teams up with The School of Artisan Food
The National Trust has turned to The School of Artisan Food to help its top chefs develop innovative menus using locally sourced, seasonal and sustainable ingredients at its properties across the country. Ten top chefs from National Trust’s Food Innovation Group travelled to The School of Artisan Food on the Welbeck Estate, between Nottingham and […]
Rutland pubs team up to beat foodie criminal
Rutland publicans have joined forces to put a brass-necked serial offender into police hands. The female con artist – who cannot be named – left a series of Great Food Club-recommended inns out of pocket by ordering three-course meals with wine, staying overnight – sometimes multiple times – and then ‘doing a runner’. She targeted […]
Everards launches ‘Tubby’ – a beer inspired by a Leicester legend
Everards has launched ‘Tubby’, a dark ale with rounded character, to celebrate a legendary – and portly – local policeman. Tubby is available this November 2017 in selected Everards pubs. It is described as a beer that has “inviting layers of blackberry and vanilla”. Tubby is inspired by Leicester PC 83 John William “Tubby” Stephens, […]
Results of the Great Food Club Awards 2017/18
The large but pleasurable task of judging the shortlisted businesses in the 2017/18 Great Food Club Awards is complete. Members of our editorial team have visited each business on the shortlist – from the Bristol Food Tour to Yorkshire Dama Cheese, from the Royal Oak in Evesham to Welbeck Farm Shop near Worksop. We are […]
“We want to be the people who changed Leicester’s taste buds”
Leicester’s new premium wine and Champagne bar, 45 St Martins, is the latest launch by the 45 Bar Group. We caught up with the team behind the launch to find out more… Who are you? We are the 45 Bar Group, an independent outfit that includes 45 West Bottle Shop & Bar and the newly opened […]
Q&A with Sangita Tryner of Delilah Fine Foods
Sangita Tryner is the founder and owner of award-winning deli Delilah, which has outlets in Nottingham and Leicester. Delilah is a food lover’s delight, offering outstanding produce – from charcuterie to biscuits, chocolate to olives, wine to artisan lemonade. Both outlets have excellent cafes, too. No wonder, then, that Delilah was named Deli of the […]
#GFCAwards2017 shortlist revealed
Your votes – 1,400 of them – have been counted. Here’s the #GFCAwards2017 shortlist… Producer category Redhill Farm Free Range Pork, Gainsborough, Lincs Hambleton Bakery, Exton, Rutland Harker’s Farm Shop, Clipston on the Wolds, Notts Freshly Spiced, Nottingham Yorkshire Dama Cheese, Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire Pub/restaurant/café category Hambleton Hall, Hambleton, Rutland The Royal Oak, Evesham, […]
Probably the finest chefs in Northamptonshire!
Some of Northamptonshire’s finest chefs have been battling it out to win two of the prestigious titles in this year’s Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards. The competition, now in its ninth year, is again aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues […]
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