The Start of the new year is an exciting time for setting new goals, a chance to break bad habits and start as you mean to go on and what better way to start your day than with a healthy breakfast?

Farmhouse Breakfast Week, 25th - 31st January is an annual campaign that emphasises the importance of eating a healthy breakfast every day.  ‘Think Breakfast’ is the theme of this year’s celebration to encourage everyone to wake up to breakfast as part of a healthy balanced diet and active lifestyle.

Breakfast, it has been said many times, is the most important meal of the day.  So why exactly is this?

Think brain power - a healthy breakfast can boost concentration and mental performance as well as reduce stress levels.

Think nutrition - breakfast  an be an important source of vitamins, minerals and fibre.

Think weight management - breakfast kick-starts the metabolism and helps with weight control as it reduces cravings for mid-morning snacks.

Think variety - such is the choice of healthy breakfast foods from around the regions, that there is always a breakfast dish to suit everyone.

And on the subject of variety, here at Gonaslton Farm Shop we have a whole host of delicious breakfast favourites including gorgeous Spoff porridge oats and cereals, our own award-winning sausages and farm fresh meat, our own delicious home cured bacon, hand crafted breads and pastries, with locally produced marmalades and jams.

To support Farmhouse Breakfast week and to celebrate the wealth of high quality regional produce available across the UK, GFS will have tastings all week from the 25th - 31st January and as a special treat there will be double loyalty card points on selected breakfast favourites.

So remember, start your new year with the most important meal of the day, make it your new goal.

Gonalston Farm Shop in Nottinghamshire, UK, offers a wide selection of locally produced food. Visit our website to view our farmhouse cheese or our delicatessen at www.gonalstonfarmshop.co.uk
By Georgina Mason

In November, Gonalston Farm Shop (GFS) in Gonalston, Nottinghamshire were voted national UK finalists in two prestigious butchery awards namely, the categories of “Best On-Farm Butchery 2009″ announced by the National Farmers’ Retail & Markets Association (FARMA) and “Butcher’s Plus 2009″, announced by the Meat Trade Journal (MTD).

At GFS the pride of the farm shop is the full over-the-counter butchery service, which features the farm’s own beef, cherry picked from the herd, plus quality meat from other local farms. This is complimented by a grocery section, fresh fruit and veg area, delicatessen and fresh fish counter.

The team of trained butchers offer expert advice on everything from cuts to cooking tips and also produce an impressive array of award-winning sausages, burgers, kebabs and stuffed and rolled joints, incorporating local ingredients such as Southwell grown Bramley apples.

Georgina Mason, farm shop joint owner, commented, “We are incredibly proud to have been placed national finalists in these national awards. We are delighted that the team’s efforts have been recognised.”

The FARMA panel of judges commended GFS for their impressive butchery display, featuring some excellent meat from GFS’s own farm and the surrounding area. They also felt the friendly and professional service offered by the team of expert butchers and other staff was truly top class, making shopping there an enjoyable and rewarding experience. While the editor of the MTD, Ed Bedington commented: “GFS impressed our judges with its superb high class operation. Judges described the shop as oozing quality and choice, and were particularly impressed with its meat, fish and cheese counters.”

Gonalston Farm Shop offers the finest quality local and British farmhouse cheese and farm fresh meat plus a selection of delicacies from further afield in our delicatessen in Nottingham, UK. Visit our webiste for more details at www.gonalstonfarmshop.co.uk.

“At Gonalston Farm Shop, we feel that it is essential to reward loyalty. Our customers are our livelihood and what better way to ensure they return time and time again than by showing them how much we truly value their support” said Georgina Mason, joint owner of the business.

On Saturday 2^nd August, the Farm Shop celebrated its 5^th anniversary with a party atmosphere. Customers were treated to a guest appearance by well known and effervescent TV Celebrity Chef, Lesley Waters, who was on hand to sign her cook books and chat to our customers as well as assist in some food demonstrations staged by the shop’s suppliers.

Lesley presented the shop’s first ever paying customer Kevin Mantle, still a loyal customer 5 years down the line, with a whole turbot as well as a succulent and tender piece of Cote de Boeuf. “We wanted to thank Kevin for his loyalty and knowing how much he loves real quality food we felt it only fitting to present him with his favourite fish and the fabulous rib eye cut” said Georgina.

Customers were treated to double loyalty card points on purchases in the shop, delicious tastings as well as complimentary tea, coffee and heavenly birthday cake.

Thanks to the generosity of their customers who entered some fun competitions with a variety of prizes such as luxury food hampers, £350 was raised on the day to be shared between Rainbow’s, The East Midlands Children’s Hospice and Cancer Research UK.

With classic tractors as well as a farmyard of animals to entertain customers, the celebrations proved a great hit with young and old alike.

Hailed by leading chefs as the finest in the world, full-flavoured, deliciously sweet and tender, British Asparagus well and truly deserves its place as a ‘Super Food.’Reading like a who’s who in the nutrient stakes, Asparagus is an excellent source of vitamin K, the B vitamin folate, vitamin C, vitamin A. Asparagus is a very good source of numerous B vitamins - including vitamin B1, B2, B3 and B6 - as well as dietary fiber, manganese, copper, phosphorous, potassium and protein. Not only is Asparagus low in calories, fat, carbohydrates and sodium, it’s also cholesterol free…. It’s properties as an afrodisiac are also well documented giving it the name “nature’s Viagra”!

To ensure this marks a highlight in your foodie calendar, you will have to act fast though, the season is fleeting….starting on St George’s Day, 23rd April it runs until the 21st June each year.

Look out for Asparagus stalks that are rounded with firm thin stems. The cut ends shoudn’t be too woody, although a little woodiness can prevent the stalk from drying out. Best stored refrigerated with ends wrapped in a damp paper towel, ensure you maximise its flavour by using within a day or two of purchasing.

The great news is that Asparagus is a wonderfully quick vegetable to prepare. Lightly steaming or boiling brings out the fragrant flavour, which can be enjoyed simply covered in butter or dipped in Hollandaise sauce.

Fancy trying something a little different but equally quick then why not try:- Asparagus with Balsamic, Olive Oil and Parmesan
Steam asparagus until tender, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze, top with 24month age parmesan shavings and enjoy.
Concerned about foods miles, want to feel healthy and sexy, safe in the knowledge you are buying a seasonal vegetable, then look no further than British Asparagus and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

Always on the look out to get family and friends together for a celebration then look no further than St George’s Day, a wonderful opportunity to appreciate all that our beautiful country has to offer. Always celebrated on 23 April, St George’s Day, England’s national day, falls on a Wednesday this year.

St George’s Day is the time of year when people traditionally celebrated by feasting with local food and produce because as well as being patron saint of England, St George is also patron saint of farmers. So if you’re wanting to make some of England’s delicious and very traditional dishes, why not take the opportunity to visit your local Farmshop and enjoy some of the quality fine food and wine grown by local farmers and growers.

Where better to start preparing your ‘dragon-slaying’ feast than at Gonalston Farm Shop.

Offering eggs, produced by our award-winning local supplier, together with our local bacon, great taste award-winning sausages and juicy ripe tomatoes, full English breakfasts don’t come better than this!

When it comes to tradition, nothing beats a succulent joint of roast beef. Here at Gonalston Farm Shop, our beef is reared on our own lush Trent Valley pastures and is hung for a minimum of 21 days to mature and achieve optimum flavour and tenderness.

Tempted by making a Shepherd’s pie? Then rest assured that our lamb, raised by family farmers within an 8 mile radius of the shop, ensures a full flavour and minimum impact on the environment.

Also did you know that St George’s Day marks the start of the British Asparagus season. This quintessential English vegetable, with it’s delicate flavour and amazing nutritional benefits, is only available for a very short period with the season ending on the 21^st June!

Take this opportunity to use St George’s Day to celebrate our wonderful countryside and the stunning array of food it produces!