What’s in season in Feburary @ Apley Farm Shop ?

The list of British seasonal foods is fairly limited in February, but in stock at Apley Farm Shop from our local supplier are leeks, squash, chicory & cabbages. From Apley Walled Garden, we still have available some parsnips, black kale, soup celery, orange Eskimo carrots, Brussels sprouts & fresh new calabrese (a variety  of broccoli). Head Gardener, Phil Allen says our forced rhubarb is just coming through, but not quite ready.

I was hoping Mark Lowe our butcher would be stocking some goose & guinea fowl, but no luck so far. I’ll blog again if I hear any news. Meantime, if you are anywhere near the coast in February, look out for halibut & mussels which are both in season in February.

In The Food of Love by Alan Deegan & Alycia Smith-Howard, I found a leek recipe (I didn’t know leeks were aphrodisiacs !), but then found another for leek & potato pie. We all loved it, even though it turned out (as in this photo) tasting a bit more like the French tartiflette (a favourite when skiing) than it was supposed to !

Fry pancetta or chopped bacon. Remove & set aside. Fry another oil, onions, garlic, herbs. Add sliced potatoes & leeks. Simmer on low heat until all soft. Make fresh breadcrumbs & fry in butter with herbs. Mix bacon with leeks mixture, top with grated cheese. Grill. Scatter breadcrumbs on top to serve. Yummy mid week supper ! (look out – the salty bacon easily makes up for the fact that the leeks & potatoes would otherwise need salt).