South Devon Delights - Valley View Cafe

South Devon holds many delights for food and nature lovers and I have just been enjoying two particular treats this Bank Holiday weekend; South Devon Chilli Farm, which I have blogged about separately here, and Valley View Cafe in Loddiswell.

We first visited the Valley View Cafe during the Mother's Day weekend, back in March, with Andy's lovely Grandma. We needed somewhere nice for lunch between Kingsbridge and Avonwick, and this was ideal, being geographically helpful and also somewhere Doreen had not lunched before, so a bit special and a nice change.

The Cafe is next door to a farm shop of excellent quality, Aune Valley Meats. The site is just outside of Loddiswell, overlooking the river Aune and its surrounding rolling hills and dense woodlands. There's plenty of parking and it's a quiet spot high above the road, with the gorgeous view really enhancing the entire experience of eating there.

The meat is, as you may have summised, sourced through the butchers and all very locally produced. The Cafe itself is run by young couple Amy and Richard, who have created an extremely tasty menu from wonderful produce on their doorstep. They are helped by a number of very warm, friendly and efficient staff who make sure you enjoy your visit, and the food is very quick to arrive.


The light and airy cafe is decorated beautifully in pale creams and greens and fresh whites, with a gently vintage feel without being at all flowery or flouncy. This is not a girly cafe, I promise. 

The Specials board is full of tempting ideas, and the regular menu is a host of reliably pleasing meals, so packed with yumminess you might take a while deciding on which one option to choose. And yes, one is enough, I promise!








I have learned the hard way that choosing a different meal from Andy means I will get food envy of whatever arrives next to me. Nowadays we usually go for the same thing to avoid one of us tyring to nick too much of the other's meal! The first visit we both settled on the Hot Roast Beef Baguette. Now, that, as a name, may not sound that exciting, but we were helped in our decision by a couple who were sitting next to the menu board. Their food arrived just as we were weighing up our shortlist, and I asked what it was they'd ordered as it looked amazing. It definitely helps to see what it looks like before you order! Hot Roast Beef Baguette it was for us that day, and Hot Roast Beef Baguette it was for us this second visit too. As Valley View is not that local to us, I had a yearning for this fantastic feast based on my memory of last time and I couldn't bear to try anything else, although I know it must all be scrummy. I actually opted to not have the bread element, although Andy did, and I went for extra chips because their chips are the best in the world. Not exaggerating. Super crisp, very golden brown, perfectly seasoned, skin on, thicker than a french fry but not as chunky as a chip shop chip. Seriously, best ever.

So, you really have to eat it to fully understand the yumminess, but basically, here it is: These chips, in a cute little metal bucket, on a big board. A halved, hard boiled egg, so orange inside and just a little soft. Sprinkled with paprika, seasoning and some sort of delicious crumb we didn't identify. Leaves dressed in tangy apple juice and balsamic vinegar, slices of soft, tender dark brown beef under melted sheets of Smoked Applewood Cheddar and a sweet red onion marmalade. And a trio of tiny little metal buckets containing a wonderful coleslaw, an amazing lightly spiced paprika mayo and a plain mayo, perfect for chip-dipping.

Every little particle is so jolly good that our boards were clear and empty and we left with cosy grins on our faces. I would have taken more photos of the food, but sorry, I was too busy relishing every mouthful. 

I really hope we get to go again soon. I think it has already become our special eat-out place for a treat, and the question is really, will we ever be able to resist the HRBB long enough to try anything else on their menu? Andy, I will if you will!

South Devon Delights - Chilli Farm

This last weekend we were visiting Andy's parents in South Devon and had been thinking it was about the time of year we should decide what Chillis we'd like to grow this year. Last year was our first foray into the wonderfilled world of Chill growing, afrer an inspiring visit to the South Devon Chilli Farm just a few miles down the road from Loddiswell.

We first visited the Chilli farm last summer and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, spending a couple of hours there, taking it all in.

We took our time admiring the huge array of fruiting plants in the massive display tunnel and asked a passing member of staff a couple of questions about growing peppers. He was very cheery and knowledgeable chap who turned out to be the owner of the farm and he took us into the growing tunnels that aren't open to the public, to show us how they look after their thousands of plants. We got to see the long rows of elevated Chillis, all lined up in special beds with irrigation pipes built into the soil. He talked us through some of their processes and let us try one of the chillis straight from the plant. It was called Cherry Bomb and was one that Andy had shown a particular interest in on their website. I got the wrong end of the stick about which part to nibble and got a pretty fiery mouth as a result. I tried to play it down as Andy and the other chap were calmly enjoying the "mild and flavoursome warmth" of the red flesh. When it emerged that I had bitten straight into the white membrane where most of the heat resides everyone agreed I'd been very restrained, which was some comfort but I really wished I had a bottle of milk to relieve the burning.

We had fun perusing the gift shop which is stocked full of treasures; chilli chocolates, chilli chutneys, jams, oils, sauces, seeds, flakes, fresh chillis in season, gifts and kitchen items. 

We liked the look of some unusual pale yellow, milder chillis called Santa Fe Grande and took some home with us, along with some great tips for a yummy new recipe to try with some goats cheese. We also barbecued some cut in half lengthways, with the seeds and membrane removed and they were pretty special.

There are lots of little tasting stations around the shop and we treated ourselves to this Hot Apple Jelly last time. It's delicious and makes sausages even more amazing than they already are, if that's possible, esp with gravy.

Last year, we dried a lot of the Chillis we harvested and ground some down to make our own chilli flakes and added lots to our cooking. This year we'd like to preserve some in oil and maybe make our own chilli jam.

This time around we visited earlier, in late May, and bought younger plants so that we can enjoy seeing them grow and develop their white starry flowers and young pearly green fruit. We're not experts but we have a book and the advice from the South Devon Chilli Farm behind us.

The plant nursery has so many different Chilli plants for sale, all with a clean bill of health and looking very adorable to any broody chilli grower! This year we spent about ten minutes in total as we were on our way to the nearby Valley View Cafe for lunch. We decided on just one mature plant, a Chenzo, for our hanging basket by our front door. We had one of these last year, a really nice bushy, branching plant, not too tall, and full of fruits that darkened from green to deep black to fiery red.

Then we chose seven assorted baby plants; Demon Red, Twilight, Medusa, Pyramid, Trinidad Scorpian and two Prairie Fire, one of which Andy is going to grow on his windowsill as his little office pet. This one is a smaller, rounder little plant with tiny, pale yellow Chillis that point upwards in little clusters. Cuteness. They are all now potted on and we are going to keep a careful watch over them all in the hopes of lots of varied Chillis to come.

You don't have to spend a lot to enjoy growing your own Chillis, and you can also grow them from seed. The younger the plant the cheaper, so if you're passing soon, pop in and see what's available and have a soothing cuppa while you're at it.
If you have little children, you'll also be glad to know there's a play park.
July is the best time to see the display of Chillis but buying plants is best earlier in the summer, when they have the younger plants available and a greater choice. However, it's free to visit, so if you're not too far away go more than once!

Chills really are rather gorgeous and you won't believe some of them until you see them. I'm sure you'll discover your own favourite, whether it's based on colour, flavour or name, and you'll be away.

Fishy pastes inspired by Pirates of the Deep Green Sea by Eric Linklater

The Pirates of the Deep Green Sea is a marvellous book by Eric Linklater. Not a lot of people know that though, so don't worry if you've never heard of it. I never would have known about it if it weren't for my amazing Mum, who has a knack of unearthing some of the best treasures in the book world. 

There's nothing else quite like this book. Until you've read it for yourself you won't quite understand, but it IS amazing. It's a tasty concoction of adventure and fantasy with a healthy load of zany quirk thrown in, and a unique brand of imagination. 

Mum had a copy of this book that was so well-read she had to laminate it to help it survive its countless readings. One of my first deeds as a nearly grown-up was to catch a bus into Exeter and order my own copy from a bookshop (before internet shopping got so normal). Needless to say, it was not on the shop shelves and I had the delightful anticipation of waiting for it to come into store. This was shortly before I even had an email account and I remember the thrill of being phoned to say the book had arrived. 



A brilliant detail of this story is that all the Octopuses have exceedingly long names. To shorten an Octopus' name is quite an affront, unless you know them VERY well, so we all enjoyed the challenge of remembering their absurdly long names. One of the main heroes, and the Octopus with the shortest name, is Culliferdontofoscfoliopolydesteropouf. The others were much longer and I still go over them every now and then to check I still can.


It is often the simplest food within stories that makes us want to eat what the characters are eating. There are many food moments in this book that make you smack your lips. One of them is a mound of sandwiches, eaten on the open sea on a life raft after a ship has sunk, with carefully moderated gulps of lemonade. But one of the more unusual ones is a selection of fishy pastes that are provided in every under-sea 'motel' or "sleeping-shell". Within each of these shells there is a set of bunkbeds and a cupboard containing some whale milk, some rum, and stacks of little wrapped bricks of paste. The usual suspects were Bloater Paste, Shrimp Paste, and Lobster Paste. The cupboards and the sandy carpets are all maintained by Caretaker Crabs who are usually very sleepy and have a reputation for being lazy. Despite the lack of variety and the bare surroundings, something about these little bricks of paste made me peckish every time they were mentioned. I was never one for seafood, but I like the flavour of fish, and have enjoyed fish paste sandwiches in the past. So I thought this was one weird fictional food adventure I had to embark upon. 

I tried Shrimp paste first, but found the delicate flavour of the prawns were best left alone. I don't really have the budget to go out buying lobster on a whim, so I researched a bit about Bloaters. I had assumed that a Bloater was a type of fish, but it is actually the name for one way of smoking a herring. A Kipper is a smoked Herring, butterflied out flat. Whereas a Bloater is a smoked Kipper that is gutted but kept whole. So basically both should have a similar smoked herring flavour. 

I went and had a chat with the fishy van man who visits Cullompton every week, who told me all this, and also recommended I grill the Kippers. So I came home with a gorgeous, deep ochre Kipper, ready to be turned into those lovely tasty bricks of pate. 

If you'd like to see what the recipe entails, here it is:

Kipper Pate (Nearly Bloater Paste).

Kipper Pate

"Nearly Bloater Paste"
from Pirates of the Deep Green Sea by Eric Linklater

If you're wondering why I was inspired to make these fictional treats from a favourite childhood book, click here to read the explanation.

INGREDIENTS:

...................................................
1 whole kipper
2 tbspns half-fat soft cheese
juice of half a lemon
ground pepper
...................................................




Put the kipper on a piece of tin foil, flesh side up, under a hot grill, on the lowest shelf. 

Grill for about 5 minutes. The flesh should easily flake apart and retain a soft moistness inside. 

Allow to cool a little. When cool enough to handle, remove the whole spine by lifting from the tail and peeling up towards the head. It should take all or most of the larger bones with it, but you'll be able to clearly spot any that remain and pull them out easily. Don't be concerned about the hair-like bones that you may see between the flakes of flesh. They are very flimsy and unnoticable to eat.


Pull off the flesh, flake it roughly into a food processor and blitz well. Alternatively, put it in a mixing bowl and mash thoroughly with a fork. 

Add the soft cheese and plenty of pepper and mix well. Don't be tempted to add salt, as the Kipper is already pretty salty. Add a tablespoon of milk and gradually add the lemon juice, only adding enough to make it moist, not sloppy. If you prefer less lemon taste, just add a bit more of the milk and less lemon juice.

It's ready to eat now, but if you don't plan on eating it straight away, tip the mixture into a tub, or if you want to serve it prettily for a party, or just because, spoon it into a small pudding bowl or mug, lined with cling film. Press well down and seal over the cling film. Place the other half of the lemon, (wrapped in cling film so you can use it for something else) to weight it down. Leave in the fridge for a couple of hours then unfold the top of the cling film, turn onto a plate, and remove the bowl and cling film. Serve with crunchy toast or crackers, and whale milk or rum! ;) 

Use within 5 days. 

If you want a more authenticly Pirates in the Deep Green Sea little brick of paste, use an icecube tray, or mini silicon loaf moulds, but really, it's about the eating, and it's mighty tasty!


If you have moggies, ask them to do a preliminary clean of your fishy bowls for you. If you ask nicely, they should be happy to oblige. 

The Start of Things

Hello. 

This is my new blog. 

It's for foody stuff. 

Last year, ending in August 2015, I completed a challenge that I set myself upon turning 30. To read all the childrens' books and make all the recipes they inspired, within a book my friend gave me that birthday, called Turkish Delight and Treasure Hunts, by Jane Brocket. And blog about each one. 23 books and over 25 recipes. In one year. I did it and I loved it. I should probably have given it its own blog from the start, rather than posting it all on my illustration blog, Susie and the Pencils. Since then, my love of cooking has been deepening and I've been enjoying making up my own recipes and trying out all sorts of yummy things.

I'm more in love than ever with my kitchen and the recipes are spilling out all over the place so I am riding that wave and letting it happen. I plan to make a book, but for now, here is my place to share some recipes and foodish thoughts, or link to nice things that other people are doing with food. I love cookery books, so I'll also let you know which books I've been reading and which recipes I've been trying. 

If you do try or share any of my recipes, please let people know where they've come from. It's a wonderful creative process, making new recipes, but it's like writing a song or a book or painting a picture. Thanks. 

Susie's Savoury Rich Shortcrust Pastry

To use with Cheddar Cheese Pies

I have been using this recipe for several years now, and it never disappoints me. I also use a sweet version of it for my Raspberry and custard tart, my Brambly Hedge pies and mince pies. I just add a tablespoon of icing sugar to the butter and flour at the beginning. It's strong enough to work with but wonderfully crisp and crumbly when cooked, seeming to just dissolve in your mouth.

175g plain whole flour

100g chilled salted butter

1 large egg yolk

approx 5-7 tspns cold water

Shortcrust pastry recipes always tell you to use chilled butter. I used to always dilligently obey, until one day I was making it in a hurry and only had the butter we use on bread, sitting in the cupboard, quite soft, and none in the fridge. I used it as it was and couldn't discern any difference whatsoever in either the end result or it's workability. So now I just use whatever I have available no matter how hard or soft. As I usually use a food processor to mix my pastry anyway, I don't handle the ingredients until I have a dough assembled, so no risk of over-melting the butter whilst rubbing it into the flour.

Put the flour and the butter in the food processor.

Whizz until thoroughly combined and looking like breadcrumbs.

Tip in the egg yolk and 5 tspns of the cold water.

Whizz again for a few seconds, until the mixture all starts to stick together.

Don't wait until it forms a ball itself or it will be too moist to work with.

Touch the mixture to feel whether it needs another teaspoon or two of water.

When you are happy with the consistency, tip it all out onto your work surface and use your hands to bring it all together into a ball.

Knead it for about 30 seconds, dusting with a little extra flour if sticking to the surface too much. You will end up with a lovely smooth ball of golden dough.

Pat it out into a thick disc and wrap it in cling film or a sandwich bag then pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes before working with it. If you leave it longer than this, give it a little bit of time out of the fridge before working with it as it may need to soften a little before you roll it out. You'll get used to how you like it to feel to work with. 

Usually, baking between 180C - 200C for between 12-20 mins is fine, dependent on the filling too. Check details in the Cheddar Cheese Pies recipe. 

Mrs Mouseling's Cheddar Cheese Pies

from Angelina Ballerina by Katherine Holabird

Invented by Susie Tyler, 26^th March 2016

Makes 12

Bake for 12-15 mins 

180C

7.5 round scalloped-edge cutter

Standard Patty Pan

Ingredients

225g Vintage/Extra Mature Cheddar

3 tbspns plain flour

6 egg yolks

75ml milk (semi-skimmed/whole)

Pastry (use my 'Savoury Rich Shortcrust Pastry' or shop-bought shortcrust block or pre-rolled sheet)

Extra egg yolk for brushing

Grate the cheese on the finest setting, into a large mixing bowl.
Spoon over the flour, flicking lightly through the cheese with a fork until thoroughly combine, keeping the strands loose and avoiding clumping together.

In a mug, beat the yolks with the milk. Add a few twists of pepper then pour into the bowl with the cheese.
Still using the fork, loosely beat together until completely mixed, making a thick, sticky consistency, but not too sloppy/liquid.

Grease and flour a 12-dip patty-pan. Preheat the oven to 180C.
Roll pastry to about 3-5 mm thickness.
Cut circles and place in dips of patty-pan, pushing well in.

Spoon the filling into each pastry case.
I find it easiest to use 2 soup spoons, one domed full of mix, the other to push it off into the pastry cases.
Then use the back of the spoon to pat the mixture down so it rises almost to the edges. The criss-cross pastry decoration is not essential if you don't want to do it. It's a bit fiddly but it's very prettily pleasing and gives an extra bit of bite.

Roll out the pastry offcuts thinner than before and cut thin strips (about ¾ cm), two per pie. Using a large knife is the easiest way to get a straight edge.
Check the length required across one pie first and then you can use it as a guide for all the others.
Brush the ends of the strips with beaten egg yolk.
Bake at for 12-15 minutes, rotating the tray after 10 minutes for even browning and checking every minute after 12 minutes to avoid over cooking.
My oven is a powerful beast, so tends to cook quite quickly, but all ovens differ so make a note of what works for you once you've baked them.
The filling should be puffed up and domed, and the the pastry should be golden brown. Eat whilst warm, or at room temperature, or cold from the fridge.
You can also pop them in the oven again at 180 for a few minutes to refresh them, or freeze them.

Despite their littleness, they are really quite filling. Even one will do as a tasty lunch with some fresh salad or ham and chutney. Ideal for picnics!