Looking forward to baron rating these Wychwood beers

The good people at R&R Teamwork (drink & food PR) sent through a nice care package yesterday, containing some Wychwood cans including their new King Star lager as well as a selection of Mr. Trotter's Sausalami. King Star is an "extrovert, food-friendly lager showcasing the 5 special hops from which it is brewed" (Hallertau Magnum, Tradition, Hersbrucker, Styrian Goldings & British Admiral):

Wychwood Brewery

• Hobgoblin - 4.5% ruby beer, brewed with roasted malts for a well balanced, rich, smooth taste
• Hobgoblin Gold - 4.2% golden beer
• King Star - 5.6% crafted lager, a big and bold lager which is laced with flavour, enjoy a spicy herbal nose and a crisp quaffable elixir

Mr. Trotter's

• Cracked black pepper Sausalami
• Original Sausalami
• Jalapeno Chilli Sausalami

Look out for 'baron ratings' of these beers soon, and a big thank you to Emanuele from R&R Teamwork for sending these through to me!

Pork Scratching Showdown #3

spicy & hairy - the double cooked ones are true craft!

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it

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Thank you to Black Country Snacks (@bcscratchings) for sending them through for a baron rating!

Pork Scratching Showdown #2

Three great choices for scratchings

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about a selection of traditional pork scratchings sent through for review

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Thank you to Black Country Snacks (@bcscratchings) and Freshers Foods (@FreshersFoods) for sending them through for a baron rating!

Pork Crackling Showdown #1

Lots of cooked fat! Let's dig in!

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about these pork scratching products, all found locally for sale in Ormskirk, Lancashire.

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Our preference were for the Black Country Snacks No Nonsense ones (black bag) and the Mr. Porky's Prime Cut (silver/black checked bag), they were our winners out of this selection.

Looking forward to trying a range of Black Country Snacks

During a recent Baron Rating beer tasting session with my review buddy Chris we decided to try a number of different packets of pork scratchings available locally. During the evening Black Country Snacks got in touch to offer us some more from their snack range:

A lot of pork went into making this lot!

Black Country Snacks

• Alf Turner Dragon's Fury - premium chilli pork crackling (50g)
• Alf Turner Pork Scratchings - premium butchers quality (70g)
• No Nonsense Just Proper Black Country Double Cooked Pork Crackling - (50g)
• No Nonsense Just Proper Black Country Hot Pork Crunch - beware hot crunch (30g)
• Black Country Traditional Crackling - MSG free, gluten free, hand cooked quality pork scratching (60g)
• Q Salted Peanuts - roasted & salted peanuts (50g)

Look out for our views on these soon, and a big thank you to Black Country Snacks (@bcscratchings)  for sending them through!

Looking forward to trying Freshers Openshaws Big Bag traditional pork scratchings

I wanted to explore what pork scratchings were available in Ormskirk recently and so visited a few supermarkets to see what they had. After tweeting about the selection a couple of weeks ago, Freshers Foods in Wigan tweeted saying that I was missing out on a major manufacturer of pub snacks and offered to send me some, this is what arrived late last week:

75 grams of seasoned porky goodness & it really is a big bag!

 Freshers Foods

• Openshaws Big Bag - traditional pork scratchings, seasoned fried pork rind (75g)

Look out for our views on these soon, and a big thank you to Freshers Foods (@FreshersFoods)  for sending them through!

Lamb Kebabs - Baron-style!

I've been wanting to nail the 'lamb kebab' ever since trying out the doner kebab recipe from Boak & Bailey. It's not quite done it for me though,sometimes being too 'meaty' other times too soggy. I decided that it was time to perfect the sheekh kebab. I've taken two recipes and blended them together to create exactly the type of lamb kebab I'm looking for.

This recipe comfortably feeds two people, scale up if you need more, or scale down if you need less!

Note: Wear disposable gloves if you don't want your fingers to stink of raw lamb or have chilli juice embedded into them - It's a bugger if you get it in the eye - I know from experience! :(

Ingredients

• 500g lamb mince - get it from a butcher and ask for it to be "thrice minced" - gets you the right texture
• 1 onion (finely chopped)
• 3 fresh green finger chillies - de-seed them, I run them under the tap and rip out the seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger paste
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic paste
• 2 teaspoons tomato puree
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground paprika
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions

• Measure out all spices and mix together, de-seed chillies and finely chop with the onion , add to spice mix
• Mix all together to ensure a good blend
• Add lamb and mix with you hands,squashing it all together to ensure not only a good mix but a fine consistency of meat - you don't want strands of mince in the mixture, make it nice and mushed
• Form into a big ball, cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge for around 2 hours to firm up (it's tough to make the kebabs stick to the sticks from 'fresh').
• Place 4 kebab skewers in water to soak (stops them burning whilst cooking)
• Cut the mixture into 4 and roll into a fat sausage shape with you hands, insert the skewer and then roll/toss/squeeze in your hands to form kebab shapes - place on greased baking tray
• Place back in fridge until ready to cook
• Pre-heat oven to 200degC, drizzle kebabs with olive oil and put the tray on the top shelf for 15 minutes
• Remove and rotate kebabs and return for a further 15 minutes
• Remove and rotate and return for around 5-10 minutes depending on how brown they are looking
• Remove when they look done, cut lengthways to ensure they are cooked

Serving

• Take one heated Aldi naan, cover with a good layer of their hot mango chutney
• Add slices of tomato and cucumber
• Add a decent handful of lettuce and sliced cabbage (red or white is fine)
• Add a squirt of Aldi's garlic mayo
• Slice each kebab in two and place four slices to cover the salad
• Add additional garlic may to suit
• Serve with a hoppy spicy pale ale and enjoy!

This recipe was a combination of the Indian Style Sheekh Kebab from AllRecipes and Keema Nan from Mamta's Kitchen - blended together in my mind make a perfect lamb kebab!

Paganum Yorkshire Chorizo review

A couple of weeks ago Chris Wildman from Paganum sent through a couple of types of their Yorkshire Chorizo .We got round to trying them whilst enjoying an evening of audio baron ratings.

Definitely great beer snack food!

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it

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We really both types of this Chorizo and I particularly liked the freshness of them, they had some softness to them but still maintained that slightly chewy edge that you are looking for in cured meats (or that I look for in them anyway).

A massive thank you goes to Chris Wildman (@cwildman) from Paganum for sending these through for us to try, if you want to try them, they are available for purchase on the Paganum website.

Looking forward to trying Paganum Yorkshire Chorizo

Whilst at the European Beer Bloggers Conference last month, Chris and I made friends with Chris Wildman, a great guy who we found out over the course of the Friday evening runs an online farmers market called Paganum.

The Wildmans have been Yorkshire butchers since the mid 1800s(!) and their website, Paganum.co.uk hosts an impressive selection of varied meats as well as cookery courses, books and gift vouchers. They will also happily deliver to anywhere in the UK (including the highlands and islands) which I find quite impressive considering it's raw meat. Chris told us that they often use lambs wool as the insulation as it's heat retention (and therefore cold retention) is miles superior to man-made products and is eco-friendly too!

One of their specialities is Yorkshire Chorizo - a fully cured sausage containing British Pork & made in North Yorkshire, and Chris sent a through the two varieties that they offer to see what we thought:

Paganum's Yorkshire Chorizo

• Original - made from British pork & the finest smoked Spanish Paprika
• Picante -  made from British pork & the finest smoked Spanish Paprika with added cayenne pepper for an extra spicy flavour

Both of these Chorizo sausages are made from only the best cuts of British RSPCA Freedom Food Pork and cured for a minimum of three weeks

I can't wait for our next audio baron rating session with @Christopher_R when I'll open these Yorkshire Chorizo sausages and give them a test out alongside some fine ales.

Thank you to Chris Wildman (@cwildman) from Paganum for sending these through!

Kent Crisps reviews

A few weeks ago I was sent some samples from Kent Crisps (@KentCrisps) and we tried these during our last audio baron rating session. They have nice photographic packets and look good in the bowl but what do they taste like?

Rather than give them baron ratings we though we would just record our thoughts live as we opened the pack and sampled them:

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about Kent Crisps Ashmore Cheese & Onion

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Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about Kent Crisps Oyster & Vinegar

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Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about Kent Crisps Sea Salt

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Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about Kent Crisps Sea Salt & Biddenden Cider Vinegar

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These crisps were good although we found the cheese and oyster ones to have massive flavours and the others to be much milder, maybe if they were of a similar level it would balance them out a little? Saying that, the oyster ones were probably my favourite as you actually got a sense that you were 'tasting the sea'.

I wasn't so keen on the slightly thicker cut of these crisps although Chris thought they were excellent so make of that what you will!

Thank you to Liz from @KentCrisps for sending them through to me!

Buy Kent Crisps via their Store Locator

Pipers Crisps rebranded for the better!

Back in April I was lucky enough to be sent some lovely crisps from Pipers Crisps.

Both Chris and I really enjoyed them and I posted our thoughts as audio reviews.

Pipers Crisps have recently rebranded and so sent through a selection of their rebranded packets and flavours:

• Anglesey Sea Salt - salt harvested from The Menai Straights
• Biggleswade Sweet Chilli - grow under glass near Biggleswade
• Burrow Hill Cider Vinegar & Sea Salt - cider vinegar from  Burrow Hill Cider farm in Somerset

• Karnataka Black Pepper & Sea Salt - peppercorns from the Western Ghats of Southern India
• Lye Cross Cheddar & Onion - cheddar cheese from Lye Cross farm near the village of Cheddar
• Unsalted
• Wissington Spicy Tomato - plum tomatoes from Cornersways Nursery

I asked Pipers about the reason for the rebrand:

After nearly eight years of sustained growth, Pipers Crisps is refreshing its brand and redesigning its packaging to accurately reflect its core values and emphasise what the brand stands for.

The new name on the pack is ‘Pipers Crisp Co’, highlighting not only the product itself, but also emphasising the company behind the brand - the people, the expertise and the great service that comes as part of the Pipers brand promise. The name boldly takes centre-stage on the new pack design and the updated logo incorporates the important message ‘Made By Farmers’.

Pipers Crisps are renowned for their great taste and strong flavours, sourced from passionate regional producers. The provenance of these flavours is essential to the brand, so the source of the flavour is named on every pack.

I really liked the original packets but these rebranded ones are even better, I love the retro look - it reminds me of the London Underground for some reason! These really are lovely crisps, if you ever see Pipers Crisps around make sure you try them.

Thank you to Zoe & Alex from @Pipers Crisps for sending these lovely looking rebranded packages through to me!

Looking forward to trying Kent Crisps

There are a number of simple snacks that go really well with beer and crisps are one of the best. I started chatting to Kent Crisps via Twitter and they offered to send a sample pack out of their flavours:

Kent Crisps

• Ashmore Cheese & Onion - made with Ashmore Farmhouse cheddar
• Oyster & Vinegar - Oysters collected around Whitstable
• Sea Salt
• Sea Salt & Biddenden Cider Vinegar - cider from Biddenden, Kent's oldest commercial vineyard

 Look out for audio reviews of these Kent Crisps soon, and a big thank you to Liz from @KentCrisps for sending them through to me

Homemade doner kebabs Boak & Bailey style

I'm a big fan of lamb doner kebabs but don't get that many chances to have them (I don't go out that much to be honest hence the addiction of drinking new bottled beers at home) so I when I saw a doner kebab recipe on Boak & Bailey's Blog I just had to give it a go.

I've removed the lamb's liver from the ingredients (it made me feel a bit funny) and I hand mix it rather than food processor it (I find the resultant meaty texture much more pleasing). I've made this around four times now and I'm very happy with how it comes out.

One word of advice: get your lamb mince from a local butcher rather than the supermarket, it will be leaner and tastier as a result.

Ingredients (suitable for 2 kebabs)
Kebab

• 300g lamb mince
• 30g porridge oats
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• spice and herb mix: tbsp garlic powder, tbsp Italian herbs, tsp Cayenne pepper, tsp salt

To serve

• large naan bread
• white cabbage, lettuce, onion, tomato
• Aldi's Hot Mango chutney, homemade raita and garlic mayonnaise

Measure out all the ingredients into a large bowl

Hand mix squashing it all together and folding it in until the powders and herbs are all nicely mixed (this takes some time but give a nice finished consistency.

Form the mixture into a fat sausage

Wrap tightly in oiled clingfilm (twisting the ends until it forms a tight roll)

Chill in the fridge for a few hours.

Preheat the oven to 120 degrees centigrade. Remove the meat from its wrapper and put it on a lightly greased non-stick roasting tin or baking sheet. Cook for two hours, turning after an hour.

Warm naan bread then cover in Aldi's hot mango chutney then add some thinly sliced doner meat. Add mixed salad next and then the raita and garlic mayo.

Enjoy!

Mr Trotter's Great British Pork Crackling review

A couple of weeks ago I was sent a packet of Mr Trotter's Great British Pork Crackling, the packet looked nice but were they any good? Take a listen to find out! Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it.

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Thank you to Julie from R&R Teamwork for sending them through to me!

Buy Mr. Trotter's from Selfridges

Looking forward to baron rating Mr Trotter's Great British Pork Crackling

I've always been interested in snacks that work well with beer - crisps, scotch eggs, pork pies, etc. but I've never really gotten into pork scratchings. Maybe it's something in the name that puts me off, but these times may be behind me once I've tried these:

 
Mr Trotter's Great British Pork Crackling is different from normal pork scratching in that they use 100% British pigs rather than Danish rind. So you can enjoy a tasty snack with your British pint knowing that you are supporting British farming as well (more than just enjoying the barley-based drink!).

Mr. Trotter's are available from all Selfridges stores (London, Birmingham & Manchester) for the rather royal sum of £1.89 per 60g pack (does anyone else think that's bit steep?)

Look out for the 'baron rating' for these Mr. Trotter's Great British Pork Crackling soon, and a big thank you to Julie from R&R Teamworkfor sending them through to me!

Buy Mr. Trotter's from Selfridges

Fiddler's Lancashire Crisps reviews

Last week I was lucky enough to get handed a mixed box of Fiddler's Lancashire Crisps. They have very stylish packets and the point-of-sale stand is very nice too, but are they any good?

 
Rather than give them baron ratings we though we would just record our thoughts live as we opened the pack and sampled them:

Fiddler's Lancashire Crisps Lancashire Cheese and Onion

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Fiddler's Lancashire Crisps Lancashire Sauce

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Fiddler's Lancashire Crisps Sea Salt

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Fiddler's Lancashire Crisps Sea Salt and Ellsey's Malt Vinegar

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These crisps are delicious, nice and crunchy without ripping your mouth apart, flavourful but not overpowering, they are really really good! The Lancashire Sauce flavour is my personal favourite, give me a 150g jumbo bag and a few pints and I'd be a very happy baron!

Thank you to John from Fiddler's Lancashire Crisps for handing them over for review!

Buy Fiddler's direct (if trade) or from Source Deli

Looking forward to baron rating Fiddler's Lancashire Crisps

Fiddler's Lancashire Crisps are a new crisp company based just down the road from Ormskirk in Rufford. They've only been going a few weeks but have already made there way into some of the local shops & pubs.

They are a family-run business based on the long-standing family farm so the crisps are a fresh as can be. John Fiddler very kindly popped by Baron Towers yesterday to drop off some samples for us to try:

Tasteful but bold lettering leaves you in no doubt about what's inside!

Fiddler's Lancashire Crisps

Click on each of the links below to be taken to Fiddler's website where they describe the ingredients and flavours:

• Lancashire Cheese And Onion - yellow packet
• Lancashire Sauce -red packet
• Sea Salt - baby blue packet
• Sea Salt And Ellsey's Malt Vinegar -blue packet

The packets look lovely with a nice matt finish to them and the branding and styling is very nicely done, you really have no idea that they have only just started up! The point of sale display is nicely done too, like the box it's bold without being over the top.

The above packets are 40g bags but I've just read on their website they they also do each of the flavours in 150g jumbo bags!

Look out for the 'baron rating' for these Fiddler's Lancashire Crisps soon, and a big thank you to John Fiddler for handing them over to me!

Buy Fiddler's direct (if trade) or from Source Deli

Pipers Crisps reviews

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to be sent a mixed box of Pipers Crisps. They are beautifully presented and the crisps have a wonderful crunch to them but are they any good?

Rather than give them baron ratings we though we would just record our thoughts live as we opened the pack and sampled them:

Pipers Crisps Sea Salt And Indian Black Pepper

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Pipers Crisps Anglesey Sea Salt

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Pipers Crisps Sea Salt And Somerset Cider Vinegar

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Pipers Crisps Biggleswade Sweet Chilli

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Pipers Crisps West Country Cheddar And Onion

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Pipers Crisps Norfolk Bloody Mary

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Pipers Crisps are very very good crisps - they have a nice crunch,look like they are made from potatoes and have some good flavours going on.

For more information visit Pipers Crisps

Looking forward to 'baron rating' Pipers Crisps very soon!

Pipers Crisps got in touch with me this week after I responded to a call to action placed in last week's The Publican's Morning Advertiser.

Less than 24 hours later a box arrived at Baron Towers:

I love the traditional-style logo and labeling on the side of the box. In it contained a superb selection of really nicely presented handmade crisps.

Pipers Crisps

• Anglesey Sea Salt - made with Halen Mon salt flakes from The Anglesey Sea Salt Company
• Biggleswade Sweet Chilli - made with Cayenne & Firilla chillies from Filippo Genovese
• Norfolk Bloody Mary - made with Norfolk plum tomatoes from Cornerways Nursery

• Sea Salt And Indian Black Pepper - made with Tellicherry black peppercorns from the Karnataka region of India
• Sea Salt & Somerset Cider Vinegar - made with Burrow Hill Cider in Somerset
• West Country Cheddar And Onion - made with Cheddar cheese from Lye Cross Farm

Look out for the 'baron rating' for these Pipers Crisps soon, and a big thank you to Zoe & Alex from @Pipers Crisps for sending them through to me!