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July 05 News
Summer’s finally here, and I don’t think it’s tempting fate too much to declare the salad season well and truly open. In the shop, we’ve certainly seen a distinct upturn in customers asking for our barrel-aged feta and our buffalo mozzarella – a sure sign that al fresco eating is back on the cards.
To help you along with the summer, we have some wondrous fruit dressings and vinegars from Womersley foods in Yorkshire. Martin and Aline Parsons are true innovators in speciality food, and have been distilling fruit and flower vinegars – many made with fruits from their own nursery – for over 25 years. Their intense fruit flavours have won a loyal following among chefs, and make incredibly versatile cooking ingredients. Their golden raspberry dressing with geranium is a shop favourite – its sweetness making it ideal over soft leaves such as lamb’s lettuce. More recently, they’ve added a series of fruit balsamic vinegars to their list. Their tart, fruity flavours have enough punch to take Naseem Hamed down in the third, and drizzling them over salads or fresh fruit will work wonders. Diluted with mineral water, they even make a refreshing drink.
Finally, Mortimer and Bennett has acquired a celebrity chef. Well, nearly. Our manager, Lee Richardson, has qualified for the heats of Masterchef Goes Large. She’s already roped in most of the shop by drawing up a rota of guinea pigs, or is that dinner guests, to experiment on. Cheer her on in September, when it airs on BBC2.