Yemi’s Food Stories: Memorable weddings with Blossom Tree Cake Company

Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef  competition. Every Saturday Yemi will be writing on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food  and sharing cooking tips– please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.  


 

It was love at ‘hello’ when Kean Ong opened the door to the Harrogate-based kitchen design studio which immediately transported me into a timeless, elegant, classic and stunning space that set the perfect scene for what was to come.

Kean grew up in Malaysia and worked in Singapore as a chef before relocating to the UK where he continued to hone his skills working in pan Asian, French and modern European kitchens including the Marriot Group, where he discovered a love and passion for pastry.

Picking up a best-in-year award for the advanced diploma in culinary arts patisserie and confectionary at Westminster Kingsway College was the beginning of a truly amazing career at some of London’s finest restaurants including Albert Roux’s The Brasserie at Sofitel St James, Quo Vadis in Soho, Inamo at Wardour Street and St James near Piccadilly.

At Blossom Tree Cake Company He is half of a brilliant duo with Stephen, who I can only describe as the heartwarming ‘behind the scenes yet keeping the show on the road’ main man, and Kean credits Stephen for being a key enabler to their success story.

The name Blossom Tree was inspired by a tree in their front garden and the oriental influences of Kean’s background.

Despite having had an enviable career, Kean says making wedding cakes is what he loves the most. He considers being a part of a couple’s big day a privilege that he pays back by creating the most beautiful, elegant, contemporary and delicious cakes to match their important occasion.

He makes cakes that look as good as they taste on the inside and he wants couples to look back years later still happy with their timeless cake design.

As a food lover, Kean is driven by passion and quality which have translated into him making quality, ethical and traceability choices including growing his own fruits and herbs and moving from fresh flowers to hand crafting life-like flowers for his cakes.

The flavours in his cakes are created using the freshest ingredients, with every element homemade, minimal use of food colouring and the cakes are infused with his signature syrups that keep them moist and light without being overly sweet.

For the tasting, Kean made me three flavours including a new one which he will be unveiling for the next wedding season.

The Chocolate Salted-Caramel cake was a delight with the lightest chocolate sponge perfectly balanced with the salted caramel buttercream. As a non-chocolate cake lover, I was an easy convert by the delicate flavour which didn’t smack me in the face with chocolate.

Kean explained that he kept the flavour light because people would have been eating all day and wouldn’t want a cake that is heavy or overly sweet.

Yemi meets Kean Ong of the Blossom Tree Cake CompanyYemi and Kean Ong with some of his creations

I moved on to the most popular flavour of Passion Fruit curd, Vanilla buttercream and White Chocolate sponge and could immediately see why this is popular, with most couples asking for a layer. The passion fruit curd was sublime cutting through the white chocolate sponge making me want to go for yet another bite.

My favourite all time cake remains a well made Victoria sponge cake and the new flavour that I tasted took it to another level. We are often told the classics are classic for a reason and should be untouched, but I counter that by saying sometimes a classic needs a facelift in the hands of a craftsman.

That’s exactly what Kean has done with his twist on this well loved classic featuring quintessentially British ingredients, capturing the smells of summer and champagne.

Each flavour was the front runner until I tasted the next one; I left without being able to decide my favourite but I remain partial to his latest creation.

Kean puts his heart and soul into his work; his artistic flair, skill, experience and training as a pastry chef was rewarded with four Guild of Fine Food Great Taste Awards in 2022 for his Elderflower & Blackcurrant, Raspberry velvet, zesty Lime, and Pistachio & Plum flavours.

Another three awards were added in 2023 for Zesty lemon, Chocolate & Cherry and Lychee, Raspberry & Rose flavours.

Blossom Tree Cake Company’s creations have been featured in many magazines and is the preferred partner for many venues including Goldsborough Hall, Grantley Hall, Ripley Castle and Rudding Park  in Harrogate.

Bookings are taken a year in advance with tastings done over the winter period. Tailored consultations result in your wedding cake complimenting and being a talking point on your big day.

With a warm welcome, cakes that look like artworks and creatively delicious flavour profiles, I left Blossom Tree Cakes still in love and armed with tips and inspirations to take my own baking to the next level. Kudos to this dynamic duo.


Read more:


 

Yemi’s Food Stories: The perfect day out at Yolk Farm

Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef  competition. Every Saturday Yemi will be writing on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food  and sharing cooking tips– please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.  


What are the makings of a perfect day out?

Everyone has their own idea of what this looks like but for me a perfect day out would start with a sunny day, being outdoors and close to nature, a spot of idyllic shopping, discovering new ideas and having access to stressless parking, great food and drink.

This experience is what Yolk farm, Minskip farm shop and the farm kitchen have to offer to everyone. Yolk farm, which claims to be the world’s first egg restaurant on a real egg farm, is the perfect location for children’s day out where they can feed the pigs and goats and hang out with alpacas before heading in for a bite.

The kitchen offers a lovely, welcoming space and employees who serve you with a smile whilst paying attention to the details. From the egg crates that have been repurposed as the perfect light fixtures to the swinging chairs that take you back to eating on park swings, there’s a lot to desire.

Freshly laid eggs from the farm are used in the kitchen and sold in the farm shop; with eggs collected twice a day, you can’t get fresher than what they have to offer.

After a brief wander in the farm shop we went into the farm kitchen for a bite to eat working our way through three of their amazing dishes. The banoffee buttermilk pancake topped with fresh bananas, candied nuts, whipped cream and toffee sauce was delicious and perfect for banana lovers.

The Get Fresh featuring one of my favourite ingredients, sweetcorn, was sweetcorn fritters seasoned with lime and coriander topped with poached eggs, red pepper, sweetcorn and courgette salsa and a salsa verde that smacked you in the face with the right amount of sharpness. This was topped with ribbons of courgette noodles and a herb salad which brought extra freshness to the dish. With the fritter held together by the barest amount of batter, it felt like ‘health on a plate’ earning the well deserved name – ‘Get Fresh’.

Banoffee Buttermilk Pancakes, ‘What came first’ chicken and Get fresh

The dish I was obsessing over finally came out and it is their signature ‘what came first – chicken or egg?’ dish. The description of the dish reads like a food poem – crispy fried chicken, hot sauce hollandaise, smoked bacon, maple syrup, house pickles and fried eggs.

The chicken was crispy without being oily and the chicken had the softness, juiciness and melt in the mouth quality of sous vide chicken. Intrigued by how chef Iain Wilkinson (@igwhospitality) got the chicken to be so tender, he shared a few tips with me which included the chicken being marinaded in butter milk and other ingredients for 24 hours as part of the cooking process.

Every bite was unique as it depends on what makes it on to your fork. From crispy fried onions, crispy bacon, chicken, fried eggs, tangy pickles, maple syrup and hot sauce hollandaise, there was no end to customising each bite. The pancakes were the perfect base to carry all the other flavours.

I don’t know what came first but I am definitely glad that both the chicken and the egg ended up on the same plate in their signature dish. I enjoyed the glowing goddess tea – hibiscus, orange and fenugreek – with my food.

I finished my visit with shopping for some of the finest Yorkshire produces you can imagine. The farm shop offers Christmas and bespoke  hampers and gift vouchers to use in the shop, kitchen or for their alpaca experience.

Yolk farm is the vision of people who have a passion for people of all ages to enjoy a revitalising and enjoyable day out.

Nathan George, the general manager was hands-on, pulling out all the stops to make sure all diners had a great experience.

Be sure to try their signature dish when you go and prepare to stock up on the best ingredients and produces.

Thanks for reading my food story; the next one will be on Lavender tea room in Knaresborough.


Read More:


 

Yemi’s Food Stories: Cooking the perfect steak

Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef  competition. Every Saturday Yemi will be writing on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food  and sharing cooking tips– please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.  


One of my favourite things to eat is a rib eye steak which has to be tasty, juicy and tender; topped with a sauce like chimichurri or flavoured butter.

Growing up in Nigeria, meat was broiled with spices and seasoning before frying and adding to a pepper and tomato based sauce, boiled in a soup, slow cooked to make stews, roasted or grilled over open fire.

Our cooking methods meant that I grew up with meat cooked well done.

Decades ago on a work trip to London, I ordered a well done steak; I was warned that it would be tough to eat and it was. It was my first appreciation of how different cuts of meat react to heat and different cooking methods.

I started to ask for my steak as medium well and slowly began to work my way to medium. I love cooking steak but I’m always tempted to leave it slightly longer than it needs to be.

It’s no surprise that learning how to cook a perfect steak remained high on my wish list next to making great sauces. A few years ago, I watched a steak cooking masterclass by Heston Blumenthal on the Australian MasterChef competition.

He suggested using a heavy-bottomed frying pan over a high heat, with a thin layer of oil that is heated until the oil is smoking hot. Cooking the steak involved seasoning it with a little salt before placing in the hot pan for 15–20 seconds. The steak is turned over and cooked for 15 – 20 seconds and this process is repeated for 2 – 3 minutes before it is removed and rested over a wire rack.

Letting the pan heat up between each turn results in a good caramelisation and juicy steak.

During the Yorkshire Dales Food and Drinks Festival, I signed up for the Tomahawk cooking class (main image) as I was eager to pick some pointers for steak cooking.

Yemi’s tips on cooking steak:

  1. Choose the right cut: opt for well-marbled cuts like ribeye or filet mignon for the best flavour and tenderness
  2. Let it come to room temperature: take the steak out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before cooking to ensure even cooking. If you’re short on time, leave steak in original water tight packaging and place in slightly warm water to quickly bring the temperature up.
  3. Season generously: remove excess moisture and generously season the steak with salt and pepper or your favourite dry rub to enhance its natural flavours
  4. Preheat the cooking surface: make sure your grill or pan is preheated to a high temperature before placing the steak on it.
  5. Get a good sear: sear the steak over high heat to lock in the juices and create a flavourful crust. Depending on the thickness of the steak, sear each side for 1-3 minutes. Turn every minute.
  6. Sear all the edges of the steak to kill off any bacteria which can be on the surface. Add some butter or oil with garlic and fresh herbs; baste the meat for extra flavour
  7. Always use a meat thermometer: for precise cooking, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. For medium-rare, aim for 130-135°F (54-57°C), medium 140-145°F (60-63°C), and medium-well 150-155°F (66-68°C).
  8. Let it rest: once cooked to your desired doneness, remove the steak from the heat and let it rest for as long as possible. This allows the juices to redistribute and keeps the meat juicy and tender.
  9. Add flavoured butter or finishing sauce: for an extra touch of richness and flavour, add some melted butter or your favourite finishing sauce to the steak while it’s resting.

My most important takeaway is to always use my meat thermometer.  I use Thermapen gifted to me by the company during my MasterChef UK competition.

No one should call the shots on how your steak should be cooked, so eat your steak the way you like it. Remember to use the right cuts of meat and a well done steak needs longer resting time.

I am at Yolk Farm and Minskip Farm shop today. Drop by and come say hi if you’re in the area.


Read More:

For more stories on food and drink locally why not check out our Lifestyle section.


 

Yemi’s Food Stories: My slow love for avocado

Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef  competition. Every Saturday Yemi will be writing on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food  and sharing cooking tips– please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.  

 


My mum introduced me to avocado over four decades ago and I wondered what she loved about a tasteless, mushy mess that discoloured quickly, or so I thought.

She loved telling us the story of how she introduced avocado to her village. As a young woman, she lived with a family in Lagos which was then Nigeria’s capital city, and they had access to imported fruits.

She discovered avocado and decided she wanted to grow them, so she took some seeds back to her parents who planted them. Other farmers took advantage of the seeds with many deciding to grow them.

Avocado is also known as butter or alligator pear and they grow well in warm climates; they are packed full of monounsaturated fatty acids and rich in many vitamins, minerals and fibre. It’s a food to add to your arsenal for weight loss.

My mum simple ate the avocado with a sprinkle of salt; it was so uninspiring that I never bothered with it after the first time I tried it.

Fast forward a few decades; the humble Avocado had become the new kid on the ‘superfood’ block. Avocado toast, the toast of all sandwiches, was pricey and the environmentalists were calculating the distance an avocado travelled and the impact on global warming.

It became the bourgeois thing to eat with Oprah famously having her own avocado farm. Every diet needs to include avocado a few times a week; I had to get on board somehow and give avocado another try so I began to look for ways to enjoy them.

It took a few attempts of guacamole until I got to like it and now, I am at a stage where I can say I enjoy it especially for brunch where I pair it with toasted sourdough, poached eggs and smoked salmon, grilled kippers, pan-fried salmon or prawns.

Avocado, flat mushrooms, sautéed kale and eggs 

I enjoy avocado paired with a simple but well flavoured dressing of ratio 1:1 of lemon juice to olive oil, a pinch of gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes) for aesthetics and flavour, freshly cracked black pepper and smoked sea salt. Mix well and drizzle over sliced avocado.

I also pair my avocado with rib eye steak, flatbread, and salads. I use crushed and seasoned avocado as a topping for sweetcorn fritters finished with sweetcorn and smoky bacon-grilled pepper salsa.

Avocado, poached eggs, smoked salmon and samphire 

Avocado mousse is perfect as a light and aerated toping for more elegant dinner. It can provide an air of mystery as diners wonder what is under the light and delicate green cloud. Anything from scallops, prawns and grilled fish to crispy pancetta and chorizo crumps would be perfect underneath the cloud.

It is also great for making vegan or vegetarian desserts.

I am not a huge fan of bananas as I find the flavour too overpowering especially when it is very ripe so banana cakes or breads are a no-no for me. I eat the odd banana when it still has a little bite to it. This also means that banana based smoothies are off the menu so I replace the banana with avocado to get a rich and thick smoothie.

The avocado is undetectable in the smoothie and this was my starting point of introducing them to my diet.

Here’s my recipe for Pineapple Smoothie:

Add 500g of pineapples to a blender

Add 1 medium avocado to the blender

Add a whole lemon (washed) and half the juice of a lime

Add a few fresh mint leaves and a thumb size of fresh ginger

Top with some water (for a less sweet version), or apple or pineapple juice

Blend together until smooth; taste and adjust the sweetness and texture; you can also add some cucumber slices

Serve poured over some ice for a refreshing smoothie.

I hope you give avocado a go and find ways to include them in your diet.

This weekend, I am doing three chef demos at Yorkshire Dales Food Festival and I am at Yolk Farm and Minskip Farm shop on Saturday, July 29. Drop by and come say hi if you’re in the area.



 

Yemi’s Food Stories: Sustainable takeaways from the Great Yorkshire Show

Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef  competition. Every Saturday Yemi will be writing on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food  and sharing cooking tips– please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.  

 


The Great Yorkshire, in its 164th year, is the crème-de la crème of agricultural shows in the UK. Living in Harrogate means this show is close to my heart and for the past twelve years, I have looked out my window silently welcoming the vehicles travelling to the event.

You know my passion is food, so I wasn’t far from the food hall and cookery stages – the Great Yorkshire theatre and the Game theatre. I wished I could be in two places at the same time.

Tuesday kicked off with the cheese competition and there were many varieties of cheeses from hard to soft, savoury to sweet, butters and creams with award winners in all categories. The hives and honey pavilion was another fascinating place to be with hundreds of varieties of local honeys, shaped beeswax, bee products, honey displays, honey cakes and biscuits and alcoholic honey drinks made from fermenting honey and water with some flavours and spices resulting in really unique drinks.

My time at the Game Theatre introduced me to different game animals and birds as well as fly fishing and cooking trout in multiple ways. There was trout cured with Japanese flavours and finished with finger lime by chef Ben Wright (@that_chef_Ben), pan-cooked trout by Stephanie Moon and roasted loin of venison, served with a fondant potato, sublime parsnip purée, pickled blackberries, heritage carrots and venison jus by chef Mike Baldwin from Provenance Inns. There was also a wonderful venison summer tart by chef Mehdi Boukemach from Fodder. 

The highlights from the cookery theatres included seeing the passion Yorkshire chefs have for their produces, their food, sustainable cooking and zero waste with many sharing tips on how they would use what most of us throw in the bin.

Sustainable takeaways I hope you try at home:

Onion skins – I use a lot of onions in my cooking caramelising them, flash frying them, making pepper blend with tomatoes, peppers, ginger and garlic. I always add onion skins to my stock or to my meat when braising them because I realised the skin has a lot of the flavour. Recently I made some onion skin powder by baking the skin in an oven until dried before blending to a fine powder. I use this as additional flavour for my onion-based dishes.

Herb oils – parsley, basil and chilli oils are well known, but you can do more with other herbs like dill tops, chives and spring onions. Most of us will throw away fennel fronds but they can be used to make herb oil.

Beetroot leaves – Fresh beetroots can often come with the green leafy parts but sometimes we only care about the beetroots themselves, so we chuck the leaves in the bin. The leaves are delicious sautéed with peppers and onions with spices.

I tried the smoothest vibrant green purée made from sautéed courgettes cooked in stock and blended with spinach. This was a revelation as many people only steam, pan fry or roast courgettes. It was nice to see courgettes used in a different way.

‘Salt baked turbot, caviar, cabbage, dill and lemon verbena’  by Shaun Rankin  

It’s time to grow some our our own food. Farm to table, plot to table and nose to tail approaches to cooking shone through every demo with most restaurants having their own kitchen garden which is an encouragement for us to try and grow some of our own food.

Sustainable approaches to sourcing ingredients came through every chef demo session with most produces coming from local suppliers and only very rarely from outside of Yorkshire.

The variety of Yorkshire produces from cream, milk, cheeses, butter to Game, sea food from the coastlines to locally bred cows, lamb, Pork and chicken show us there are few to no reasons to not eat local. Entire meals can be created using only ingredients from Yorkshire so why not challenge yourself to do just that.

Future Stars 

A final highlight for me is seeing young chefs who will be the future of Yorkshire food scene being mentored by chefs including chef Ahmed Abdalla from the Grand Hotel York whose chef, Harry Blades (@harry_blades_) won the Delifresh young chef of the year 2022 and chef Shaun Rankin mentoring young Sarah Szmit who in my opinion has a really promising future in food.

RHS Harlow Carr was well represented by their head gardener, Joe Lofthouse who provided Gilly Robinson (The Cook’s Place, Malton) with produce from the RHS garden and St Aidan’s school was well represented by a group of young ladies who made sweet and savoury dishes.

There is so much to write about so follow my food feature as I have lined up appointments with many chefs, restaurants and food companies and I will be bringing their stories to you. Watch this space.

I am doing chef demos at the Yorkshire Dale Food festivals next Saturday and will share some of my highlights from the event.


Read More: 


 

Yemi’s Food Stories: A Lamb Affair at Yorkshire Farmers Meat Company

Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef  competition. Every Saturday Yemi will be writing on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food  and sharing cooking tips– please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.  

 


Saturday morning brought a mini disaster as my pair of glasses broke in half and went in two different directions; it was like watching a slow motion movie as it took my brain a moment to figure out what was happening. It was a relief to know that it was my glasses and not my eyes that were moving.

After an emergency optician appointment, I made my way to the Yorkshire Farmers Meat Company which was just down the road. They provide high quality and locally sourced meat products. I enjoyed my banter with the butcher and other staff members. I was delighted to hear they read my food feature.

I wanted some chicken sausages which they didn’t have but after looking at their wide range of products, I left with lamb mince and some Barnsley lamb chops.

I was craving a challenge and wondered what I could do with the lamb mince that was more than the usual bolognese, burgers and shepherd’s pie. Lamb is a wonderful meat and minced lamb is very easy and quick to cook. It lends itself to many flavours and spices such as mint, cumin, coriander, curry and pairs well with peas, rice, potatoes and beetroot.

A well made shepherd’s pie is one of the most comforting food you can eat during the cold months and a French trimmed lamb rack is a stunning centrepiece for a dinner party.

After racking my brain for some ideas, and challenged by some recent changes to my diet, I had to get a bit creative. My first dish was inspired by middle Eastern and Indian flavours so I made lamb mince with, caramelised onions, shallots, garlic, peppers, cumin, Aleppo chillies, coriander, curry powder and smoked sea salt.

I served this along with roasted aubergines and some toasted cumin seasoned yogurt dotted with golden caramelised onions, a sprinkle of onion skin powder and some Korean chilli flakes. It was a gorgeous and delightful meal. See picture below.

My second idea for my leftover mince was a simple Yaji inspired meatballs. Yaji is an extremely popular Nigerian spice that is used to season meat grilled on hot coals giving the most amazing aroma.

The cooked meat called Suya is often eaten as a snack with cold drinks. The fiery, smoky and flavoursome Suya, a true culture icon is popular in many other West African countries and around the world.

Making Suya seasoned beef for a food critic was one of the highlights of my MasterChef UK 2022 experience.

Yaji spice is made from peanut powder, bouillon seasoning, smoked paprika, ground ginger, onion powder, garlic powder, ground cayenne pepper, white pepper and kosher salt. Some recipes also include cloves and calabash nutmeg.

The recipe originating from Northern Nigeria is a closely guarded secret and many chefs have tried to recreate it with limited success. The good thing is you can simply buy the Suya spice mix.

My meatballs turned out juicy with a red hue from the smoked paprika and Korean chilli flakes. You can buy Suya spice online so have a go at making the recipe or use the spice on any cut of meat, fish or vegetables before grilling.

**This is not for anyone with a nut allergy.

Here’s my recipe for Suya spiced meatballs

Ingredients

350g Lamb mince

1 Tbs of Suya spice

½ tsp of Onion powder

½ tsp of Ginger powder

½ tsp of Garlic powder

1 tsp of Gochujang (Korean Chilli flakes)

2 tsp of Smoked paprika

1 tsp of kosher Salt (The suya spice has some salt)

Method

  1. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well with a wooden spatula
  2. Make your meatballs into golf ball sizes
  3. Place a non-stick pan onto medium heat stove and when it is hot, add the meatballs; you don’t need any oil as there’s enough fat in the lamb
  4. Cook until golden brown on all sides
  5. Baste constantly with the released oil to keep them moist
  6. Check to make sure they are cooked through (use a meat thermometer or simply cut one in half). Rest for a few minutes
  7. Serve with a sprinkle of chopped parsley and Korean chilli flakes

Tip, you can finish this in a cream based or tomato sauce and serve with potatoes, rice or pasta; alternatively add them to flatbread with some pickled carrots, a side salad and any sauce of your choice.

Next week, I will be bringing you some food highlights from the Great Yorkshire Show.

Staff at the Yorkshire Farmers Meat Company, Beulah St, Harrogate


Read More: 


 

Yemi’s Food Stories: My highlights of the Harrogate Food and Drink Festival

Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef  competition. Every Saturday Yemi will be writing on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food  and sharing cooking tips– please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.  

 


Summer is always agog with loads of food festivals and I was looking forward to the Harrogate Food and Drink Festival this year. It’s always exciting to see the range of local artisan products from charcuteries, honeys, chilli jams, chutneys, balsamic vinegars to different bakes and cakes.

I got to sample salt from Yorkshire Sea Salt company and was privileged to get my hands on one of their upcoming products. The salt was quite intense in flavour and a little goes a long way; the texture is perfect for crumbling between fingers, adding to salt grinders or used as a finishing salt. Richard explained their process and how it differs from other companies’ processes. I found someone who was as passionate about salt as I am.

I tasted some incredible balsamic vinegars – original flavour, white balsamic, pomegranate balsamic and apple balsamic – and I could immediately see how they could elevate marinades, salad dressings or be used to finish roasted vegetables.

Highlights from the two day event included the food demonstrations by various chefs including Scott Masey from Leeds Cookery School, Stephanie Moon from All Things Food, Owen Diaram from MasterChef UK 2023, Whaheed Rojan from Round Table Dining, Babna from Babna’s Patisserie, Norman Musa who is a chef, author and TV host, award winning Bobby Geetha from Fleur in Leeds and I get to throw myself into that mix as I did a demo on the Saturday.

What I love most about the demonstrations is the diverse and eclectic range of dishes from summer spring rolls celebrating the produces from Rudding Park Hotel Gardens by Stephanie, surprising Asian prawn noodle dish from Bobby, spicy Malaysian curry from Norman, cooking with whole chicken and chicken curry from Scott, Turmeric rice, Massaman Curry and Salmon rolled in seaweed dish from Whaheed, Mongolian sweet chilli chicken with sticky Jasmine rice from Owen and my Nigerian Jollof rice, fried plantain and Salmon with a red sauce.

The dishes were a celebration of flavours and cultures with surprising twists.

Desserts included Brioche soaked in berries from Steph and show stopping Paris-Brest, a French dessert made from choux pastry and praline flavoured cream from Babna. She created two flavours including the traditional hazel nut and almond version and a more modern one with pistachios and rose petals.

Taking part in the demo gave me an opportunity to talk about some incredible spices that aren’t commonly used such as Grains of Selim and Grains of Paradise.

Grains of Selim known by many names including African pepper, Negro pepper, Guinea pepper is from the seeds of the shrub Xylopia aethiopica and it has a musky flavour. This is toasted to release the aromas and features in Nigerian Jollof rice, pepper soup and other stews.

Yemi’s demo dish – Jollof rice, fried plantain and pepper sauce 

Grains of paradise is an aromatic spice originating from West Africa with notes of cardamom, coriander, citrus, ginger, nutmeg and juniper rolled into one. It looks like black peppercorns but the more complex flavour means it is versatile for both sweet and savoury dishes.

My other highlight was connecting with fellow chefs and foodies whose passions for their crafts have resulted in change of careers, training and competing at the highest levels whilst still being really grounded.

I made some new friends and I can’t wait for next year’s event.

In the meantime, I look forward to sharing some of the recipes, new food ideas and my Jollof rice recipe with you in the coming months.

From left – chef Norman Musa, Babna from Babna’s patisserie, Yemi, and Scot Massey from Leeds School of Cookery at the back. 

Read More:


 

Yemi’s Food Stories: Making the most of honey

Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef  competition. Every Saturday Yemi will be writing on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food  and sharing cooking tips– please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.  

 


The past couple of weekends have been full of food adventures involving honey which is always a staple in my kitchen, given its many health benefits.

From having lemon-ginger-honey drink to stave off a chest infection, drinking honey and balsamic vinegar water before bed, to replacing sugar in many savoury and sweet dishes.

Louisa’s honey has been a feature in my past two weekends as I got to work with other chefs to create dishes using their many varieties of honey including the Acacia Ginger, Coriander, Lime, Citrus, the award winning Bosco, Acacia and Chestnut honey.

Food allows one to be creative and there’s nothing better than creating on the fly without recipes. The first event required the chefs including Gennaro Contaldo,  of ‘Two Hungry Italians’,  to create dishes from a range of different vegetables and meat with access to wood fired pizza oven, multiple wood fired grills and stoves.

The beetroot immediately caught my eye. I put some beetroots on the open fire and while they were roasting, I finely sliced some red onions and cooked them in olive oil with grated ginger and some pink Himalayan salt. Once the onions were deeply caramelised, I grated and added the roasted beetroots and finished this with black pepper, whiskey balsamic vinegar and ginger honey.

This is a simple and quick relish to make and goes really well with grilled meat, burgers, hummus and flat bread.

I then cooked a spatchcock quail dish using a simple marinade of Bosco honey which has a woody and intense flavour mixed with fresh oregano and thyme, lemon juice, grated habanero chilli, salt and olive oil. This was a real crowd pleasing dish ( see image below) and all it took on a really hot grill was about 9 minutes depending on the size of the quail.

My final savoury dish was squid cooked with some shallots, roasted peppers, Louisa’s lime honey, chilli, lime juice and fresh herbs. This was a really quick dish and one that I would recommend for a mid week dinner. Squid is a protein that needs to either be flash cooked in 2 – 3 minutes or slow cooked for hours.

This would be perfect as a side dish, topping for salad, couscous, rice, or an appetiser whilst waiting for the main meal. It’s a healthier alternative to battered squid rings.

The following weekend found me and a few other chefs at the BBC Good Food show in Birmingham,  where I created a couple of honey inspired savoury canapes – toasted sourdough topped with prosciutto, drizzle of acacia honey, fresh thyme and micro herbs. The second one was toasted sourdough  topped with labneh which is a strained cheese, sundried tomatoes, a drizzle of acacia honey and micro basil. I find the saltiness of the tomatoes and the sweetness of the honey make for one of those marriages made in heaven.

My dessert creations included carrot, ginger and coconut cake using Bosco and Ginger honey, strawberries and cream canape with ginger honey and chestnut honey crumb, whiskey balsamic and citrus honey macerated strawberries served with mascarpone on sourdough cracker.

My final creation inspired by middle eastern flavours was sourdough cracker topped with mascarpone, roasted pistachios, citrus honey and rose petals and this was tasted and complimented by Katy Truss from Fabulous Food Finds.

I hope you do more with the honey in your cupboard and you don’t just relegate it to being a drinks sweetener or toast topping. Try some of the amazing honey products that our local shops have to offer and have a go at making marinades, cocktails, sauces and bakes.

If  you want to catch Yemi in action she will be giving a demonstration at The Harrogate Food Festival today at 4pm. 


Read More: 


 

Yemi’s Food Stories: Making a good chicken burger

Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef  competition. Every Saturday Yemi will be writing on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food  – please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.  

 


A reader suggested I visit Six Poor Folk restaurant in Knaresborough so I went there with a friend. As it was a lovely day, we decided to sit in their outdoor garden.

Service was prompt as the waiters came within minutes to take our orders but we needed a few minutes to make our choices. We chose the beef burger cooked medium and the chicken-chorizo burger both served with fries.

The beef burger arrived with the beef cooked medium as expected and came with sautéed mushrooms, cooked onions and cheese (see below). The chips were crunchy and lightly seasoned; the salad had a light and delicious dressing of balsamic vinegar and it didn’t feel oily or over-dressed.

With my chicken burger, I didn’t know whether to expect a ‘bird’s eye’ type chicken burger, a chicken escalope or schnitzel.

Escalope is beaten, flattened and breaded meat that can be fried or baked in an oven; schnitzel is a version of escalope that is fried.

Many nations have their own version of breaded meat from a Southern American favourite chicken-fried steaks, German chicken schnitzel, chicken katsu that is made from ‘unflattened’ breaded chicken to the Veal schnitzel which is Austria’s national dish but may have originated from Northern Italy as costoletta alla Milanese.

As I waited for my burger, I imagined what it could be so when it came, I quickly lifted the ciabatta bun to see sliced roasted chicken and chorizo on top of grilled ciabatta bread, and some spiced mayo which reminded me of piri-piri seasoned mayo (see main image) . It was delicious but nothing like what I thought it would be; a burger always makes me think there will be a ‘pattie’, breaded or shaped and grilled minced meat.

The roast chicken was tender and juicy and the mayonnaise melted into the bun to create a decent bite. It was more like eating a good roast chicken sandwich than eating a chicken burger.

I enjoyed dipping my chips into the Hellman’s mayonnaise that was on the table which is one of my indulgences. Overall it was a good lunch at a reasonable price and would make for a nice day out. Its closeness to Knaresborough castle and the high street means you can head out for some sight seeing after your meal.

Here’s my take on a chicken burger:

Step 1 – make chicken Kiev filled with wild garlic butter, chopped parsley and some Korean (Gochugaru) or Kashmiri chilli flakes. The chilli is for colour and not heat. Beat and flatten the chicken, place the flavoured butter in the middle before folding the edges and rolling until the butter is fully encased by the chicken.

Chill to set before breading it by first rolling in seasoned flour, then in beaten eggs before a final roll in panko bread crumps. Chill again before deep frying for 2 – 3 minutes (190°C) until golden; finish in a preheated oven (180°C) for 12 – 15 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to make sure the chicken is cooked through or until internal temperature of the chicken is 65C°.  Be careful when you check it with a probe as you don’t want undo your hard work by letting the butter ooze out.

Step 2 – make your own spiced mayonnaise to go with the chips, a food processor will make an easy job of this

Step 3 – Grill your Ciabatta or sliced sourdough bread. I will use a crunchy bread so it can absorb and hold the melted butter without falling apart

Step 4 – lightly dress some fresh salad. This is the one time you can get away with an undressed salad as the melted butter is already packed full of flavour.

Step 5 – Assemble your burger with the salad, topped with the chicken and another layer of salad. I usually have pickled vegetables so I would add a bit for some extra tanginess.

Enjoy with several napkins as you will definitely need them to wipe the oozing wild garlic butter from your chin and any left over drips on the plate would be perfect for mopping with your chips.

This weekend, I am at the BBC Good Food show in Birmingham. I am next at the Harrogate Food Festival on the 24 June so hope to see you there.


Read More: 


 

Yemi’s Food Stories: a range of exotic sausages in Knaresborough

Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef  competition. Every Saturday Yemi will be writing on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food  – please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.  

 


Many foods and ingredients scream ‘English’ whenever they are mentioned and one of them is sausages. You can’t have full English breakfast without sausages, there is no ‘Sausage and Mash’ without sausages, or ‘Toad in the hole’ without the toad.

A reader recommended that I go try the pies at Hutton’s in Knaresborough, but what caught my eyes when I got there were the varieties of sausages from their best selling pork sausage to others including the black pudding, pork and wild garlic, marmalade and ginger, Toulouse made from a meat blend that is half gammon and half pork and the Thai green curry.

What shone through from Alan who showed me around is the care and attention that goes into their products. They work closely with suppliers to ensure the animals used for their products are taken care of and dealt with ethically to making all sausages on site using their signature blends of spices.

Their products are proudly Yorkshire sourced as should be. Every sausage starts with a base of good quality meat, salt and black pepper before tailoring to achieve the desired flavoured profile.

Each variety of sausage inspired a different idea of a dish to pair it with.

The pork and wild garlic sausage immediately made me think of wild garlic butter and curry-oil cooked potatoes on a bed of crushed peas, wild garlic risotto or a bean cassoulet with garlic bread.

I could see the marmalade and ginger sausage working well with my breakfast of toasted bread and marmalade. It’s one of my favourite sweet and savoury breakfast pairings; I know it sounds odd having the sweetness of the marmalade with the sausage appearing to gate-crash the party but I have always had that combination. Finding this sausage resonated with me and was instant validation that I haven’t lost the plot.

Thai green curry was surprising and I reckon this would go really well with sticky rice and curry, sliced on top of noodles in a Thai inspired broth or in a flat bread with some satay sauce, crunchy carrots and bean sprouts.

The Toulouse with gammon and pork reminded me of my Christmas turkey and ham pies that’s made using left over roast ham, turkey, leeks, fresh tarragon, onions and cream with puff pastry to make the most delicious pies.

I expected this sausage to be mild in spice and meaty but when I opened it, the whiff of garlic, rich colour and spicing reminded me of chorizo so I concluded it would be perfect for a stew or cassoulet.

After watching a show about how black pudding was made, I steered clear of them for twenty years as I still remember seeing the buckets of blood. Alan persuaded me to try the Black pudding sausages and educated me on how the process has evolved over the years to incorporate blood powders. He was confident that I would like them and persuaded me to try some.

For dinner, I decided to use the black pudding and Toulouse sausages for a couple of toppings that could go on jacket potatoes. I cooked the Toulouse sausage with chickpeas in an Indian inspired spicy tomato, onion, pepper and ginger sauce  (see below). The sausage held its own against the strong flavours and was delicious.

I oven cooked the black pudding sausage and served it with some peas, roasted piccolo tomatoes and finished the reduced roasting juice with some mint basil (see main image). The sausage had a good depth of meaty goodness; I could see the specks of black pudding but felt like I was just eating a quality sausage.

I am definitely a black pudding sausage convert and I am glad I trusted Alan’s recommendation.  I will definitely be back to Hutton’s for their quality products, excellent selection and great value; I hope you check them out.

This weekend, I am cooking up a storm alongside some other chefs and foodies including renowned Italian Chef, Gennaro Contaldo, in London, followed by a demonstration at the BBC Good Food Show in Birmingham.

I am next at the Harrogate Food Festival on the 24 June so hope to see you there.


Read More: