Gloucestershire food with Rob Rees April 2009

Rob Rees, The Cotswold Chef, returns this April for his round-up of seasonal Gloucestershire food bursting with the flavours of the first rays of sunshine – spanning hot cross buns, tender beef and bumpy cucumbers, as well as wild garlic this month.

It’s April, and the wonders of the warmer spring days bring the Gloucestershire larder to life; the restaurants start to buzz with preparations for the Easter holidays; the farmers are busy with the new yields; and for us as consumers we get real value from picking the products that are in season.

The arrival of juicy, crisp radishes are set to give a real punch to a simple salad, the fiery import from Japan in the 16th century are also delightful thinly-sliced and gently-fried with some olive oil, crushed garlic and double cream, not to mention making a brilliant accompaniment to a glass of chilled Fino sherry.

Some of the first spring salad leaves are starting to hit the farm shop shelves – include mustard leaves and mizunas, which lift a simple sausage and mash smashingly. It’s also a great time to start sowing your own salad leaves – opt for the perpetual stuff and you will be kept in fresh supplies until late June.

Cucumbers from our local producers will also start to make a show this month – pick the bumpy, bent, dirty and full of flavor variety, of course, rather than something that conforms to an EU regulation with no character.

Wild garlic may be one of those ingredients that has become ‘trendy’ in recent years, but I’ve been picking it in Gloucestershire for more than a decade. If the warm weather persists we should get an early perfume of wild garlic throughout the valleys later in the month. Don’t eat the bulbs, just pick some of the leaves for shredding in dishes and dry the white flowers to mix with rock salt to give you a flavoursome sprinkle.

Beef and lamb is starting to enter some of its finest months, and the choice of supplier around Gloucestershire is endless. I tried some of the sweet, moist and wonderfully tender meat produced by Liz Hurley’s farm team at Cirencester Farmers Market while doing a demonstration recently, and both myself and the audience agreed it was worth seeking out.

Finally, while for most Easter is all about chocolate, I have found myself hunting out the very best hot cross bun – with the Authentic Bread Company in Newent winning hands down, thanks to the fact there are no improvers used and the dough is allowed to prove naturally, helping to create deeper flavours. Organic and slightly larger than most buns, the heavenly hot crosses can be bagged at some local shops and delis in Cheltenham, as well as selected Budgens across the county.

See you again next month for more Gloucestershire food highlights.

Rob Rees
4 April 2009