Had a fantastic experience last week when we were invited to Rudding Park, Harrogate to watch and be served Stephanie Moon’s Great British Menu.

• Sticky Pigeon Breast
• Smoked Kilnsey Trout
• Haymakers Nidderdale Lamb
• Yorkshire Mess

Have a look at more photos and recipes from the night on The Yorkshire Dales Food Blog

We arrived at Mark’s studio beside the canal in Gargrave near Skipton and found him in the middle of a shoot for a major chain of coffee outlets, taking photographs of cakes and biscuits.

Undeterred, Chris pulled out the famous sausages and presented Mark with the challenge of coming up with a glossy product shot at very short notice. Mark and Janice soon got to work looking through props and discussing with Chris how he would like to present the product. This is where experience and a good eye come in and the pair soon had a set put together with the chorizo as the centre piece. With subtle lighting and a good choice of props the picture was soon coming together.

Mark has worked with some major brands over the years including large supermarket and hotel chains and enjoys photographing food, more than most things. He let us into some of the secrets of the trade and made it look far more simple than it really is.

To see more of Mark’s work visit his website >>

Pancake day or Shrove Tuesday this year will be on Tuesday the 8th of March.

What is your favourite sweet pancake, sugar & lemon, golden syrup & lemon juice, maybe the old traditional milk & sugar or something a little more modern, Nuttella or even Maple Syrup?

Or how about something savoury? the classic cheese & ham or Quesadilla style with Yorkshire Chorizo, cheese, spinach leaves and jalapeno peppers….

Have a look at our Perfect Pancake Recipe here.

Ingredients:
150g plain flour
3 eggs
1/2 pint milk
pinch of salt
little oil

Equipment:
non stick frying pan
whisk
pallet knife
jug
freshly squeezed lemon juice
caster sugar

Method:
1. sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre of the flour and crack the eggs into the flour and slowly add the milk until you get a smooth paste. Whisk well making sure you have no lumps in your mixture.

2. pour the mixture into a jug and put to one side.

3. place the pan onto the heat put a little oil in. Once the oil is heated turn the heat down a little now pour some of the batter mixture into the pan – about 2 tablespoons per pancake. Tip the mixture around the pan until it fully coats the pan.

4. allow to cook for about one minute until the underside is golden brown and comes away from the side when lifted with your pallet knife.

5. flip the pancake and cook the other side for about one minute until golden, the pancake is now ready to serve.

6. place onto a plate and sprinkle with sugar and squeeze of lemon juice.

Watch out for more local foodie fun on Saturday the 19th of February when Olly Smith and team will be helping us put together a feast in a rather unusual location at Malham Tarn near Skipton.  The meal features lots of Yorkshire Food & the Producers.

The Secret Supper Club from Malham Tarn will be screened on Channel 4 on February the 19th at 3.50pm and will be available on C4oD on demand to watch at your leisure on your computer.

One Man & his Campervan starts on BBC2 at 6.30pm on the 7th Feb, and every week night for a fortnight will see Martin Dorey travel the length and breadth of the UK in his trusty VW campervan sampling some of the best local food and simple campfire style cooking.  Watch out for his visit to Malham, Gordale Scar on the 10th of Feb where he cooks up a treat for me with some enormous eggs and our own Yorkshire Chorizo.

You can find out more about Malham & Gordale Scar on www.malhamdale.com or buy some Yorkshire Chorizo to try at home from www.yorkshirechorizo.co.uk.

The celebrity chef Gino D’Acampo is on a nationwide hunt to celebrate home cooked dishes with incredible family heritage for a brand new ITV1 series called “There’s No Taste like Home” due to be shown this Summer.

Gino will be travelling to 30 different parts of the UK for the series. In each show he’ll meet three home cooks, each boasting a treasured recipe that has been passed down through their family for generations.

Gino and the viewers will learn the secrets of these treasured family recipes and discover the fascinating family stories, first hand, of how they have evolved over the generations.

“Forget your fancy restaurant fare, I want to taste good, honest, home cooked food – just like Mamma used to make! I was inspired by my Grandfather who was head chef for a cruise ship company. His favourite dish, and something I make for my children today, was gnocchi al pomodoro. I can still remember the smells, and the taste of it. This dish made me fall in love with cooking and become a chef. I am convinced there are hundreds more fantastic stories and family dishes just like mine out there..” Gino said.

He’s looking for dishes right now so is keen for people get in contact see below.

“I’m looking for recipes that have never been seen in cook books. I’ll be uncovering beloved family favourites passed down the generations on scraps of paper and by word of mouth. I want to find out how the dishes have evolved over the years and hopefully uncover some amazing tales.“ Gino said.

Gino’s keen to stress he’s not just looking for traditional British dishes:

“Britain’s the cultural melting pot of the world and I want to find the culinary Kings and Queens of the home kitchen with dishes that hail from other countries. I love British roasts and real ale pies – but I’m also hoping to discover curries, phos, paellas and kebabs. And most importantly a fantastic pasta or pizza dish that will rival even mine!”

In each show Gino and the three home cooks will take over a local restaurant’s lunch service. They’ll prepare, cook and serve their dishes exactly the way they’ve been made for years to prove to the paying customers that There’s No Taste Like Home.

At the end of the show, based on taste, presentation and popularity, Gino will judge which of the three dishes will win a regular place on the restaurant’s menu for a month and give you the opportunity to try them for yourselves.

From dishes first cooked decades ago by their ancestors, to dishes with amazing historical pedigree – There’s no Taste Like Home will learn why they still remain a firm family favourite today.

ITV is hunting for great home cooks, paying diners and willing restaurants to take part in the series right now.

For further information please contact:
Neil Summers on 0161 952 6030 or Henry Ditchfield on 0161 952 6135

If you think your dish has what it takes please email now to notastelikehome@itv.com or call 090 11 11 33 77

All about cheese on our visit to Yellison Farm, Carleton, Skipton, we meet the goat’s, the farmer & the cheese maker.

Listen to the podcast here

Yellison Farm is a little off the beaten track and has a bunch of animals roaming around at will, all of who seem to have their own distinctive characters, from the horses who decided they would spend the morning in the garden to the cat who rules the roost over the dogs.

We found Stephen and Seamus in the kitchen enjoying a bacon sandwich and taking a break from their cheese making duties. After telling us a little about the history of the product and a quick catch up on local food gossip over coffee (made with Goat’s milk of course), Stephen took us on a tour of the farm.

Why not try out this recipe for Goat’s Cheese and Sundried Tomato Tart

The experts on hand in the shop were eager and willing to give me a quick education in what was available and the obvious choice quickly turned out to be Coley. A fish that they told me had dropped out of favour because of it’s slightly grey flesh colour against the more attractive white of Cod and Haddock.

Priced at £9.95 per kilo compared to the £12 + of it’s fishy competition, the Coley was great value and the fact that it’s abundant, due to it’s unpopularity, satisfied the ethical criteria. The kilo or so of fish I bought, was quickly pin boned and skinned for me to return home and research the best way to create a traditional fish ‘n’ chip supper.

Having looked into the best chipping potato in the past and had discussions with others including Chris and Ian Ackroyd, our conclusion is that Maris Piper takes some beating, but it has to be bought at the right time and have a firm skin with no wrinkles.

For the batter, most of the cheffy types recommend a batter made with beer and self raising flour. I found a perfect local beer for this in Daleside Old Leg Over, as much for the name as anything! As I only needed about 200ml for the batter, there was plenty left over for a chef’s treat during the cooking and the malty taste was much appreciated.

All in all the Coley proved to be a very good alternative to Cod and Haddock, it had a similar taste and a lovely firm texture, when cooked the fish was white in colour and keeping in mind that it is as much as 40% cheaper than the others a real bargain.

Try the recipe for yourself (coming soon) >>