Day Seven: Eating to a Size Sheffield
10 July 2011
Hungry for a taste of Sheffield!…This week you’ve seen and read about me eating Sheffield Food for the week (not literally but I definitely made sure I gave it a good go!). I’ve told you blow by blow what I’ve eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner each day and also any snacks or if there has been anything I’ve craved or missed from my old usual diet.
My 7 days eating fest is officially over and I couldn’t be happier with my results or the things I learned. I’ve had a great week learning so much about Sheffield food and what delights I can create with a little imagination and a bit of time! – What is Sheffield food I hear you ask? there’s lots of interpretation as to what this could be, but to me, Sheffield food is food that is grown, picked or made in the city by our talented bunch of Sheffield producers. The week’s challenge has seen me making meals from scratch and the best part of the challenge was having to learn the art of ‘real’ cooking at home – getting to grips with ‘real’ ingredients such as Coppice House Farm chicken breasts, cooking and eating fresh gooseberries, using fresh chervil, parsley and chives for extra flavour to dishes, I’ve had to slice raw beef and think of new fun ways I could eat my grass-fed beef or prepare my free-range chicken. It’s all meant I’ve truly had to get my fingers into real produce and to make time for it this.
I was determined to prove that there is so much produce available and aimed to highlight (and introduce) to people the fabulous food scene our city has to offer all year round – informing you about the fresh produce, baked goods, meats, food producers, etc and naming them. Many people were unaware these artisan producers existed or were available on their doorsteps, the public had an interest in local food but just didn’t know who and where these people were. On the other hand, Sheffield’s food producers are so busy making delicious food for us that they don’t have the time to market themselves effectively and their voices and personalities aren’t heard or seen because they’re too busy outdoors foraging, baking up treats, in the butchery or in the kitchen rustling up Sheffield nosh for us…the two groups were just moving further and further away from one another when in fact they needed to seal a bond – So that’s when Missie Cindz decided to help – I love food and it makes me happy!
I’m really happy with how much interest and community engagement the Missie Cindz food challenge created. I curated the whole campaign, It took months of research of local food producers and growers – I started visiting my local farmer’s markets more than just once or twice a month. I started developing relationships between farmers and other local eaters, I realised that this is more than just eating local (Sheffield) to prove I can do it. I did have to extend my research to Yorkshire for some items but eventually I was able to draw up a full menu of meals. A big thank you to all the food producers involved and Twitter Followers of the Missie – you’re all NOM! :)
Please do not through away your Missie Cindz badges (not only would I be upset) but PJ taste and Our Cow Molly are still offering food discounts. PJ taste are offering for the whole of July a 10% discount on a range of specially selected PJ Taste produce. This will be available at 249 Glossop Road to followers of Missie. Here is the full list of featured items – so go on grab that badge and enjoy a range of breakfast and lunch items throughout July with a discount incentive.
Our Cow Molly are kindly offering a 10% discount on ALL range of ice-cream flavours at their Farm shop to the followers of Missie at their farm in Dungworth, Sheffield, S6 6GW. Web: www.ourcowmolly.co.uk
Cindy proudly wearing her Missie Cindz badge during her Sheffield Food Challenge
Today I ate:
Breakfast:
Catherine’s Choice preserves on buttered toast (bread provided by Sheffield’s Cat Lane Bakery).
After breakfast, I wandered down to town for the last and final day of the Sheffield Food Festival celebrations. I heard Molly the cow would be in town today and it’d be rude not to say a moo-full hello to her (after all she has kindly provided the awesome Sheffield milk for me this week!). In town I also saw Cat Lane Bakery – run by Beanies Wholefoods in Walkley – who were selling a range of their great breads, teacakes and cakes but unfortunately by the time I got down there, there weren’t anymore of their popular chocolate and cranberry teacakes left. I was gutted! There was plenty of hot food available, including bacon butties and sausage patties from Moss Valley Fine Meats, It was also great to see Lorna’s Heavenlies cakes stall, from Sheffield, who specialise in cakes suitable for people with food intolerances and health-related conditions, including gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and no-added sugar cakes and bakes. I’d highly recommend her chilli chocolate brownies too. Lorna also tries to source ingredients from as close to home as possible and will use Sheffield Food wherever she can (yay, hi-five!) and shows support for Sheffield Food producers Tea Box as she uses their tea to make chai latte cupcakes and Sheffield Honey in her orange & almond cake with spiced honey syrup (which were both on my week’s snacks list and you all could’ve received a generous 10% discount off these if you wore your Missie badge). Both products have sold well which suggests that there is a real interest in Sheffield Food – I was really happy when Lorna agreed to participate in my food week challenge, I know that with her cakes on my snacks list, I’d have the will-power to go all the way! :)
The smiley staff from Cat Lane Bakery – run by Beanies Wholefoods
Cat Lane Bakery – run by Beanies Wholefoods...Mmmm Missie Cindz ate all the breads!
Cat Lane Bakery...Mmmm Missie Cindz ate all the buns! Thanks Beanies for the fab photo :)
I also stumbled across PJ Taste’s Citrus Hits stall, soft drinks that are made and sold in Sheffield. New Made in Sheffield member Citrus Hits is a small company with a ‘Big Idea’. These drinks featured on my week’s drinks list (I don’t know how I’d manage to complete the challenge without these juices!). These drinks are supplied in recycled J2O bottles and some 250 drinks are sold every week at venues including parent company PJ Taste outlets, the Devonshire Cat and the Advanced Technology Centre. Citrus Hits – whose flavours include Real Lemonade with a Hint of Yorkshire Mint, Pennine Lavender with Lemon and Spiced Sheffield Apples – are not pasteurised which means that they have a relatively short shelf-life of 7-10 days….just look at me below with Andy from PJ taste below, who really know his Hits! (and was rather good at belting one out himself too, I was informed by Peter from PJ taste that Andy was a musician – I did wonder if he belted out a few tunes whilst Sheffielders drunk their Hits?).
PJ taste's Citrus Hits Sheffield Food Showcase stall on Fargate
Cindy enjoying a PJ taste Citrus Hit....slurp!
I also picked up a delightful box of homemade scones (see piccie below) from the Seven Hills WI (@sevenhillswi) ladies, who all looked delightful (as well as their cakes and produce), it all bought a little sophistication to The Sheffield Food Festival (@foodfestsheff). They created a ‘village show’ type atmosphere serving up a classic British cream tea with strawberries, scones and jam. Yum!
Seven Hills WI's Food Festival Cream Tea box
Dinner:
For meal 21, my last and final meal for my Sheffield Food Challenge, I’ve decided to go off my Menu Plan and cooked up the highlight dish of my week. The dish, I enjoyed and found most satisfaction in making the most. My most favourite dish was Wednesday’s meal – the mustard stuff Coppice House Farm chicken breast, I’m a big fan of poultry, but those chicken breasts from Coppice Farm are just ‘Out of this Sheffield!’ – they’re huge and delicious! I love the combination of sweet and savoury the mustard and Sheffield ‘vanilla’ Honey give the chicken. It has simple ingredients and is so good (the smell is mouth-watering as you take these out of the oven).
Day 7, Meal 21: Mustard stuffed chicken breast served with spinach and mushrooms
Ingredients
- 80g Yorkshire cheese, grated
- 2 tbsp wholegrain mustar
- 1 tbsp Sheffield Honey
- 80g chopped parsley and chives
- 2 skinless boneless chicken breast fillets
- 4 smoked streaky bacon rashers
Instructions
Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Mix the cheese, chives, parsley, mustard and Sheffield Honey together. Cut a slit into the side of each chicken breast, then stuff with the mustard mixture. Wrap each stuffed chicken breast with 2 bacon rashers – not too tightly, but enough to hold the chicken together. Season, place on a baking sheet and roast for 20-25 mins. Simple and delicious!
I served my dish with a quick stir-fry of @eatSheffield’s own grown spinach and sliced mushrooms (from Sheffield’s Castle Market). There’s a video I’ve posted up on my Facebook page, please give the page a ‘Like’ then drool over the culinary delight I’ve whizzed up as my final dish of the week. Please don’t laugh at my home-made video ;) at least it’s 100% natural, no editing or fancy filters!
I am really keen to develop on-going campaigns now that the Sheffield Food Festival is over, to highlight that people have got a food choice – they can choose convenient, local, nutritious and healthy over typical supermarket fayre. It’s important for us to widen the market to the people who currently may not be aware of the great Sheffield Food on their doorstep. I’m looking forward to working curating more engaging, tasty food events for you so that you can all join me on my expedition to suss out all these food gems! Missie’s on a trail…she has her fork and backpack ready so watch this space!
Catch up more on my Missie’s Sheffield Food adventures on Facebook at: Missie Cindz Food Adventures or tweet @MissieCindz
Missie Cindz
