Getting ready for Christmas, with the best local produce #Blog
Will Scott
22nd November 2018
It’s Tasty Thursday and this week’s instalment is Will Scott from Pickles and Pork. His feature is all about getting ready for Christmas and some fabulous local places to pick up something special for the festive season.
Christmas. It’s the most wonderful time of year, filled with celebrations, joy and an abundance of food and drink. It’s the only time of year the majority of us (unless you’re American), go out of our way to cook a bird so large it hardly fits in the oven. The only time of year we eat so much cheese, and drink so much port you can’t shake the smell of it for a few days, and the only time of year it’s acceptable to have champagne and chocolate first thing in the morning.
So what, I hear you cry! Well, because it really does only come around once a year, I think it’s important to do things a little differently, and by that I mean shop small and shop local.
Sadly, I can count on one hand the number of people I know who regularly, and by regularly I mean once a fortnight, shop at a local butcher, fishmonger, greengrocer or wine shop. Our lives are so busy these days, that the convenience and ease of a supermarket is just too hard to pass up. We can order our food from our phone; have it delivered to our door and not have to think about it. If we want something, we can go to a supermarket safe in the knowledge that they will have what you’re after and you can be in and out in a matter of minutes without having to stop and take you headphones out.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not ‘hating’ on supermarkets here – they are a daily essential but what I’m getting at is that there is a world of fantastic, small, independent local shops that deserve our business over Christmas. Believe me when I say, the experience you get in your local butcher, or cheesemonger, will be a world away from what you’ll get in your local big chain.
For me, Christmas must consist of the following: Cheese (and lots of it), meat, wine (amongst other drinks), and lots of vegetables. We’ve an abundance of small, local shops on our door step, and so I’ve picked out a few below to hopefully inspire you to change the way you shop this Christmas.
Christmas without cheese, is like Easter without a chocolate egg. It just isn’t right! It’s the element I put the most time and thought into, because there is so much variety, and so many different types. For the best cheese, you need to speak to someone who knows what they’re talking about, and the lovely team at the Cheese Shop certainly do. What makes them great is not the range or cheese they have, or the chutneys and biscuits to go with them, but the time they will spend to get to know you and what you like. As their customer, you’re made to feel like most important person to them when you walk through the door, and the passion they show when talking about their product is second to none. From Cheddar to Comte or Blue to Brie, they will find something to make your mouth water. What also makes them great, is that if there’s something you want that they don’t have in, ask, and they’ll be more than happy to source it for you. They really go the extra mile.
The most expensive part of the Christmas meal for many of us – the meat. It doesn’t matter if you’re having turkey, goose, beef or otherwise, you want something that’s top quality and from people who can tell you how to bring the most out of it. Edge & Son’s certainly have the experience here, having been around for over 80 years now. This family run butcher is now in its fourth generation and continues to deliver a real family feel. You can see the quality of the produce as soon as you walk in, and the open shop allows you to really see the team at work. As with all great local stores, if you’re after something it’s never too much trouble for them – the team are not only willing to order something special in, but they’ll also offer alternatives and talk you through how they cook with the meat in the store.
Now I guess you may not call this a ‘local’, as there are now five of them across Cheshire, but in my experience there’s no better place to get your wine for the festive period. The multi award winning wine and spirits specialist has some of the best choice around and make the often quite daunting experience of choosing a wine simple, straightforward and enjoyable. Unlike some of the larger ‘chain’ competitors, each member of the team gets to know you, what you like, and what you’re planning on serving it with. The choice of wine is as important as any other part of the day, and you are sure to leave safe in the knowledge that what you’ve chosen will be the best choice. Plus, if you want a taste or two, they have some rather fabulous tasting machines!
Your local greengrocer/farmers market:
Choosing a veg recommendation was nigh on impossible, because after visiting so many wonderful places over the past month or two, there’s so much choice it’s impossible to pick. So often they get overlooked, but almost every city, town or village in Cheshire will have at least one local vegetable producer. They may be small, but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth a visit. Last Saturday, I poked my head in to a small shop no bigger than most bedrooms, but one with the freshest, tastiest greens I’ve seen, with an owner so proud they made you want to go back again and again. Yes, you’ll have to wash some soil off, and it may not look as perfect as something you buy in a plastic bag, but boy is it worth it. After buying from your local farm shop or green grocer, you’ll never want supermarket fruit or veg again.
So, whether you shop at Aldi or Lidl, Tesco or Sainsbury’s, M&S or Waitrose, I encourage you this December to rethink what you need, and visit your local food shop to experience the delights they have to offer. Let me know in the comments if you have a local favourite!
Thanks Will for this wonderul insight into some of the local places everyone should pop in and have a look at, in the coming Festive period and hopefully you may all become reoccurring visitors next year! If you would like to hear more from Will, check out his blog Pickles and Pork.