Rapidly running out of any more ideas for damson products to knock together in the kitchen at The Nook,  we resorted to bottling some damson pureé, and sticking it in the fridge for using ad lib …

Then I brought home some very very lovely venison loin steaks …. and, once they were pan-fried to rare, (we like them chargrilled on the outside and blue in the middle) I put them to rest.  Then,  I added some porcini mushrooms to the pan that had been soaking during the day, and poured in some of the pureé.  A glass of red wine later (oh, and I added some to the sauce too!) the reduction was absolutely spot on and when I poured the dark, rich sauce over the steaks I knew we were onto a winner.   I served them with garlic and black pudding mash prepared earlier, and some simple broccoli stems just steamed to perfection.  Wow!  Even though I say it myself ………….

We’re really chuffed that Harrods have decided to feature one of our favourite products,

our Cumbrian Rosé Veal, during British Food Fortnight.

Rachel, quite rightly, was very pleased with their counter display of all her hard work ….

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a Bank Holiday every Monday?!!  Or do you think Tuesday’s would then become the new Mondays ?  – Human Nature I guess.    Last weekend’s weather wasn’t too bad, could have done without the rain on the Monday, but this years’ summer has been forecasted as red hot, so lets hope they’ve got that right.   A cynic I spoke to yesterday said he thought it was propaganda to cheer people up at the moment, economic climate an’ all…………  I prefer to look on the bright side and look forward to a few nice barbecue days with good friends, lovely food and odd glass of chilled wine ……….

Have to say we’re all looking forward to a bit of a breather this weekend …. fingers crossed for some sunshine.   So many jobs to do outside!!!  And it would be nice to get that barbecue going too ….

We’ve had such a hectic time of it since Christmas – and now suddenly Easter is here – unbelievable!   During this time we’ve been to Gozo, a beautiful jewel of an island near Malta, to visit our newest and first export customer, who is partly responsible for the reason we’ve been so busy – not that we’re complaining!

It’s really great to be able to give out good news when it seems that doom and gloom are the order of the day – so we’re more than happy to report that 2009 has seen a big leap in internet sales for us, with February producing 50% more than last year.   Our new relationship with our European customer is also proving to be very exciting, with exports already reaching £15,000 and the promise of more orders to come.