Try this as an alternative to Christmas Pudding – quick and easy to make and lighter in texture then a traditional Christmas  pudding.

Serves 6-8

225g Pannetone, thinly sliced
250mls milk
50g sultanas
50g fresh or frozen cranberries
2 large eggs
1 egg yolk
25g golden caster sugar
142mls double cream
½ tsp nutmeg
To serve – Double cream or Custard flavoured with Brandy, Cointreau or Baileys Cream Liquer and icing sugar for dusting

Award-winning Gonalston Farm Shop (GFS), Nottinghamshire welcomes the countdown to Christmas on Thursday 6^th November when the shop transforms into a Christmas gourmet’s delight.  The store will be bursting with Christmas specific products to whet the appetite.  And to get everyone into the Christmas spirit and to tantalise the taste-buds, producers and suppliers will be at the ready offering their products for all to sample including complimentary coffee and mulled wine served all day. 

This Christmas fayre starts at 11am, and to ensure even those who aren’t able to visit in the day don’t miss out, the Farm Shop will stay open until 7.00pm. As a one day only special, customers will be treated to double loyalty card points as well as great multi-buy offers on selected Christmas produce.

Customers will be able to see at first hand a selection of gift food hampers that make the ideal gift for the person who has it all or simply for those who are truly passionate about food. With speciality 3 in 1 birds, a Pheasant inside a Chicken inside a Turkey or Goose, be sure not to miss out and take the opportunity to place that all-important Christmas Poultry order. With a fine range of Christmas puddings, cakes and mince pies as well as juicy hams and pork pies, not to mention an impressive range of fine wines, speciality beers and ciders, Gonalston Farm Shop is a truly one stop shop for all Christmas foodie delights.

Cote de Boeuf can be a single rib cut from the centre of a full rib of Beef. It is grilled or fried and often served with a Bearnaise sauce and chips. It is also sometimes called a beef chop. Or it can be a traditional Beef Rib Steak Joint on the Bone made into a fabulous traditional Sunday lunch. Cooking beef on the bone helps to control the transfer of heat during cooking and helps stops meat from shrinking or toughening.

1 x 2.5 kg Rib of Beef with Bone, trimmed
vegetable oil for brushing
salt and black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 200oC Gas 6.
2. Place the joint on a rack in a large roasting dish. Brush with the vegetable oil and season.
3. Cook for 20 minutes. Turn the oven down to 170oC Gas 3 and cook for 10-12minutes (rare) 15 –18minutes(medium) – 20-22minutes (well-done) per 500g.
4. Leave to rest, covered in foil for 15 minutes, before carving.

Put a selection of blanched root vegetables such as potatoes, parsnips and carrots and add quartered red onion and red pepper under the meat rack so that the fat from the meat drops onto the vegetables as they cook.

Cote de Boeuf is great served with a Red-Wine sauce.

For a red-wine sauce place 5-6 diced shallots into a pan, add 1 tbsp vegetable oil and gently sauté until softened, then add 2-3 cloves garlic, cook for 1 minute and add I bay leaf, 1 sprig thyme, 500mls red wine, 300mls port and 300mls chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes or until reduced by two thirds. Sieve, add the meat juices or a small knob of butter, whisk and serve with the cooked meat.

Top Tip - place 3 garlic cloves into a small dish and microwave them for approximately 20-30seconds. The skins will slip off really easily.

“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!

Delicatessen Nottingham

Our Deli team keep the deli counter bursting with an array of hand crafted farmhouse cheese(109 at the last count!), including local stiltons, traditional farmhouse cheddars, rich flavoured goat cheese, sheep cheese, and an outstanding selection of less obtainable artisan and continental cheeses.

Sample these together with a mouth watering range of local pates, pork pies, ploughmans and game pies, award winning hams and cooked meats. Complemented by a collection of charcuterie products from England and the continent including parma ham, salamis and an enviable medley of olives and insalatas.

With news about rising food prices, now is the best time to take advantage of your UK farm shops and start eating fresh! You still have time to catch the latest seasonal fruit and vegetables from your favourite farm shop in Nottingham.
British asparagus available until 21st June!

Seasonal Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Available from Gonalston Farm Shop - Summer

Fresh Veg

In season now:
Asparagus
Lamb’s Lettuce
Lettuce
New Potatoes
Pepper
Purple Sprouting Broccoli
Peas
Radishes
Sorrel
Spinach
Spring Greens
Watercress

Coming soon:
Aubergine
Courgette
Fennel
Globe Artichoke

Fresh Fruit

In season now:
Apricots
Gooseberries
Strawberries

Coming soon:
Blackberry
Raspberry
Tomato
Watermelon

Buy from our fresh farm food store today!

• Avocado trees grow up to 20m tall
• Half an avocado provides one of the five-a-day portions of fruit or vegetables
• They contain 60% more potassium (which regulates blood pressure) than bananas
• They are also high in monounsaturated fat, which lowers LDL cholesterol (the bad one)
• A ripe avocado is firm but yields to gentle pressure.  Put them in a brown paper bag with an apple overnight to speed up the ripening process.

Here at Gonalston Farm Shop we endeavour to offer a complete range of Christmas Fayre under one roof. Our butchers are on hand to discuss your meat and poultry requirements. You can pre-order the finest free range turkeys, buy our own farm reared beef, pork and check out our award winning hams and sausages.

This year we have a fantastic range of gourmet and delicatessen hampers, packed with farm shop goodies. These hampers are available through our online store (with our standard free delivery on UK mainland orders). Our hampers are designed to suit a variety of needs, there are 22 different hampers currently available; making these hampers ideal gifts for your friends and family. Our hampers only contain the finest produce all made right here at Gonalston Farm.

These are our current top selling hampers:

The Lincoln Red Hamper

A veritable array of mouth watering treats presented in one of our extremely useful Eco bags which includes.

Pasta Lanterne
Seggiano Tomato Sugo
Fine Cheese Co. Crackers for Artisan Cheeses
Fairtrade Brazilian Rio Valleys Coffee
Lewis & Cooper Traditional Plum Pudding
Lindor Truffles
Woodchester Steak Sauce
Huntley & Palmers Chocolate Olivers
Tracklements Redcurrant Jelly
Amaretti
Canadian Maple Syrup
Bay Tree Christmas Marmalade
Spoff Jumbo Porridge Oats
Fresh Olive Basil Oil
Lyme Bay Mulled Wine
Stokes Coronation Sauce
Glace de Poulet
Sweet Apple Chutney
Lewis & Cooper Luxury Fruit Cake
Tracklements Rosemary Jelly

Belted Galloway Hamper

A selection of scrumptious Christmas treats and nibbles packed in a lovely wicker shopping basket.

Rochester Organic Mulled Berry Punch
Lewis & Cooper Vegetarian Plum Pudding 450g
Organic Whole Peeled Chestnuts
Bay Tree Miniature Figs in Syrup
Bay Tree Peaches in Brandy Syrup
Bay Tree Caramelised Onions
Bay Tree Classic Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce
Burnt Sugar Figgy Puddings
Dark Chocolate Espresso Beans
Fat Betty Cheesey Nibbles
Taylors English Breakfast Tea
Huntley & Palmers Chocolate Olivers
Selezioni Kamut Spaghetti
Wicker Shopping Basket

Diabetic Hamper

A selection of diabetic treats for those of us who require a low sugar diet packed in a fluted hamper box.

Thursday Cottage Diabetic Raspberry Seedless Jam
Jenkins & Hustwit No Added Sugar Fruit Pudding
Diabetic Chocolate Cookies
Jenkins & Hustwit Reduced Sugar Fruit Cake
Amisa Organic Spelt Fruit Hearts
Spoff Highland Muesli Apricot and Elderflower
Valor Assorted Chocolate Squares
Fluted Hamper Box

Other gift options which you will find in our farm store include gift vouchers, Richard Bramble ceramics, available together with a superb range of party and finger foods, whole pates, hams, charcuterie and over 100 farmhouse cheeses and to finish it all off our selection of Brambles luxury desserts.

The last order dates for Christmas delivery is 17th December and these orders will be dispatched on 19th December.