Suppliers
"You are what you eat! Or as one chef once said to me “you start with rubbish you serve rubbish” how ever it was put in a slightly more colourful way! How ever you want to say it in food terms the first step has to be great ingredients and so with that comes great suppliers so why not shout about them. Somerset has a proud tradition of farming, fishing, cider making, cheese production, game and fantastic meat and poultry, so much so a lot of top London chefs are sourcing ingredients for their menus from here. I just count myself blessed that I have such great food on my doorstep."
Head chef
Laurie Pratt
www.smokedeel.co.uk A small family run smokery, started 22 years ago, they produce the finest smoked eel and salmon as well as a whole range of delicious smoked food that includes smoked chicken, duck, lamb and trout. They are based between Martock and Langport, about 15 minutes from Haselbury.
www.barrowboar.co.uk Based just out side Yeovil, close to the A303, Barrow Boar is a leading supplier of wild boar and other specialist and exotic meats. Established in 1994, they are based on Fosters Farm in South Barrow where wild boar, Hebridean sheep and pedigree Aberdeen Angus cattle are reared, the shop is worth a visit if you’re in the area.
Exmoor fish Exmoor Fish and Game is Run by Bob and Barbara, who I would say are real foodies. When talking to them you can feel their sense of excitement, they supply the best wild mushrooms ever as well as free range duck to die to for, just to name a few things. The other great thing is they can find me any thing and its all good local produce.
www.samwaysfish.coma small company based in West Bay, they call me every day with whats good at market, and they also buy from small local day boats, as well as farmed fish that helps to sustain our wild stocks. Their company motto “port to plate in 24hours” is no lie
Macadams Butchers Kevin and Roger of Macadams butchers Martock have something like 80 years experience between them, and are what I would call old school butchers. I am very fussy about my meat I like cutting my own steaks and doing a bit of butchery, so I only buy whole joints. They only buy from local farms, so all my meat is from Somerset, and most with in twenty miles of the mill.
www.burcottmill.comBurcott Mill
near Wookey Hole is one of the last working water mills in the country and produce’s Somerset's only Soil Association accredited organic, traditionally milled wholemeal stone ground flour. This is great strong wholemeal flour we use to make our bread with daily. Worth a visit if you’re in area, the working mill is interesting there is a museum and tea room.
Brendon hill crafts formed over 20 years ago as a small cottage industry on the Brendon Hills, this preserve making business continues to thrive with the second generation at the helm, and is now located on the western edge of Exmoor, in Barnstaple. I use there excellent strawberry jam, breakfast marmalade and famous whortleberry jam for our afternoon teas. They use all local growers, from south Somerset and Devon.
Other food links
www.levelsbest.co.uk food producers of the Somerset levels, When you buy Levels' Best you can be assured that this branded food or drink has been produced by people who practice conservation land management, animal welfare, rear native breeds of livestock and where feasible plant traditional varieties of plants and seeds within the 260 square miles (114 parishes) of the Somerset Levels and Moors.
www.sfmdirect.co.uk Somerset farmers markets one of the best places to meet local producers.