Wild Mushroom Soup...

There is something quite wonderful about foraging for ones food in the countryside, be it simple nettles for a summer soup or wild mushrooms for this winter warmer. Obviously one must be very careful to ensure one knows what one is picking, as the prospect of serving a poisonous broth to ones guests is alarming. When picking mushrooms firstly know the flora of your local area, secondly, take a good field guide with you, and thirdly, if in doubt, don’t pick it of have it checked by a mycologist first.

The best time to forage for mushrooms is the first few days of sun after a wet spell. That is when they tend to have grown the most. Autumn is the perfect time, as it has cooler wetter weather, but still sunny days. 

The most common variety around the Waikato region would be the common field mushroom, Agaricus campestris, which is what we found in our fields at Willowbrook, (shown above). They have thick fleshy caps about 5-8cm across, on white stalks 5-8cm tall. As the caps grow the gills change from pale pink in colour to dark chocolate brown. But beware imposters, the 'yellow stainers', Agaricus xanthoderma and Agaricus pilatianus.  These mushrooms have relatively large caps up to 15 cm in diameter, with prominent rings on the stalks. The gills are white when young, becoming brownish with age. Consequently, they superficially resemble the common field mushroom (Agaricus campestris), however, both species are poisonous and should not be eaten. Agaricus xanthoderma can be easily distinguished because it stains bright yellow when bruised or cut but Agaricus pilatianus only stains yellow when it is young.

Veloute de champignons sauvages

For this recipe you will require about 200g / 7oz of wild mushrooms of your choosing. If you have some that you have dried from a previous expedition then about 30g of dried mushrooms would suffice, but there’s really nothing quite as good as the fresh thing.

Ingredients

7oz / 200g of wild mushrooms.  Morels, ceps, and porcini are best.

2 ½ pints / 6 cups of good homemade chicken stock (a word about bought stock – don’t)

1oz / 30g butter

2 onions coarsely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

2lb / 800g of cultivated mushrooms, such as buttons, finely chopped

½ tsp dried thyme

¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

4 fl oz / 125mls of Madeira or dry sherry

2-3 tbspn of plain flour

4 fl oz / 125mls of crème fraiche or soured cream

Freshly ground pepper and pink Himalayan rock salt

Fresh thyme or chives for garnish

Method

If using dried mushrooms rinse them well in a sieve under cold running water to remove any sand or grit. Place them in a pan with 8 fl oz / 250mls of water and bring to a rolling boil. Once boiling take the pan off the heat and set it aside for 45 minutes to reconstitute and cool.

Meanwhile, in a good quality saucepan (heavy bottomed pan or casserole dish) melt the butter over a medium heat and then gently sautee the onions until golden. Add the garlic and the button mushrooms as well as any freshly foraged mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes until they begin to soften. Then add the rest of the seasoning and sift over the flour. Cook for about another 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture has thickened and the flour has been well cooked.

Add the Madeira or sherry, the chicken stock , and if using dried mushrooms these as well as the water they were soaked in. Simmer with lid on for further 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are deliciously tender.

The soup is now ready to be pureed. Put soup through blender until smooth. Return to the pan and stir through the crème fraiche or soured cream and bring back to near boiling (but do not let boil).

Ladle into bowls, swirl a small amount of crème fraiche through the centre of each bowl for decoration, then sprinkle over the fresh herbs to garnish and serve.

Bon Appetite.

Disclaimer: We strongly advise all readers to take full precaution in ensuring correct identification of any wild foraged food before consuming it. The following resources may aid NZ readers in this. All overseas readers are advised to consult with their local specialists first.

Landcare Research provides a virtual mycology library for NZ species, with field mushrooms to be found here.

More examples of Waikato / Taranaki species can be found here.

Alternatively, you could always grow your own to be sure with kits from Mushroom Gourmet NZ.

Willowbrook Park Breakfast...

The morning after the wedding we got to cook the Willowbrook Park breakfast for our guests for the first time. This hearty cooked breakfast is a contemporary take on the classic full English using only home grown and locally sourced produce. We served freshly baked artisan bread, beef sausages and bacon from Willowbrook Farm, and free range eggs from our neighbours (until we get the hens we are after for our farm). It also has roasted potatoes, tomatoes, and basil from our potager garden.

We had several dry runs before the day, including deciding exactly how we wanted to set out the plate. We were very excited to be using our newly completed kitchen for the first time for guests.

I had even found a wonderful bottle of olive oil at duty free on the way out of Sydney, which reminded me more of a bottle of Chanel No. 5 than a bottle of oil...

It makes a wonderful addition to the cook-top, and I think will make a great decanter for our usual olive oil in time to come. We are loving our cooker by the way, and the subway tiles. The splashback was supposed to be quartzite to match the benches, but it never arrived, so we chose the tiles 2 weeks ago to get the job finished, and I think they work well.

Our guests chose to take their breakfast in the dining room, so we started to get that prepared. We served a wide range of wholesome goodies including cereals, homemade breads and preserves, and fruit harvested from our orchard, along with a selection of fruit juices (orange, apple and cranberry), and teas and coffee (I was on Barista duty). I prefer pink grapefruit juice above all other fruit juices for breakfast, but unfortunately our trees have not yet started to bear enough fruit to make a decent amount of juice, and there was no fresh pink grapefruit juice available at the local market. I will have to remedy the situation this autumn.

Above: The morning sun at dawn streaming through the French windows into the dining room as we started to set up the buffet, below.

Please join us again tomorrow when we invite you inside The Gold Drawing Room.

High Tea Survey Results and Recipes...

Well the results are in:

• There was a lot of support for that last sandwich being egg, so egg it is.
• Strawberry jam is a must as an option
• Lots of votes for fruit tarts, esp lemon tarts.

Thank you for all your opinions, which were all considered and informed. They have been a great help. Here as promised are some recipes which I hope you'll try...

Recipe for Scones

This is my fail safe recipe for scones. I first tried it years ago. I was skeptical initially, but they turned out so well and with so little effort that I have never tried another recipe since. The scone mix turns out plain scones, but you can add cheese and herbs to the mix for savoury scones or a pinch of sugar and chopped dates or raisins to make sweet scones.

Ingredients:

3 Cups of self raising flour, sifted.

1 Cup of whole cream.

1 Can of lemonade (Sprite or 7up, not old fashioned lemonade).

A pinch of salt.

Pre-heat a fan forced oven to 180 degrees Celsius (390 F) (200C if not a fan oven)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix until smooth.

Turn out onto a floured surface. Knead lightly and then flatten dough to about 3cm tall.

Cut with a scone cutter and place on a tray covered with a sheet of greased baking parchment.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until scones are golden brown.

Serve with whipped or clotted cream, and jam.

Recipe for Damson Jam

3 Lb (1.5kg) fresh Damsons
3 Lbs (1.5kg) Sugar
1 Pint (550mls) Water

Wash the damsons and place them in a large saucepan. The stones are hard to remove, so don't bother trying to remove them at the preparation stage, as they will float to the top during the cooking and you can skim them off then.

Ensure you have a decent jam saucepan. The crucial component is a nice thick bottomed pan so that you can ensure the heat is evenly distributed across the pan. Mine is also non-stick (once you have burnt jam once you'll never use a non-stick pan again!).

Add the water and gently simmer. Gentle push on the fruit with a potato masher or similar to help them expel their stones. Skim stones.

Once the mixture has reduced by about half, add the sugar, stirring until fully dissolved. Once fully dissolved bring the mixture to the boil and boil for 10-12 minutes.

Test its ability to set by smearing a small amount on a refrigerated plate and see if it sets. Once it has reached this point remove from the stove and allow to cool. Remove any surface froth with a tea strainer.

Decant into six warm sterilized 1 Lb jars. Cover with wax discs, cellophane, or sterile lids.

Making Clotted Cream

Take several pints of whole cream (unpasteurized or lightly pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized)). The amount is entirely dependent upon how much clotted cream you want to make. Four pints is probably a good starting amount. Pour it into 1 or 2 shallow dishes - the key here is to find a pan with a large surface area. You want the cream to be poured to a height of about 3-5cm in the dish.

Place the dish in an oven and set to 80 degrees C (180F). Leave for 12 hours - I usually do this about 7pm at night so that it is ready in the morning. 

Remove the now clotted and reduced cream from the oven and allow to cool on a bench for half an hour before placing in the fridge to cool for a further couple of hours (until well chilled).

Skim off the clotted cream from the surface. If it has reduced down a lot you may be lucky enough to have mainly clotted cream and very little liquid cream left.

Put in an airtight jar and keep chilled for up to 3 days. Use on scones, or to make delicious clotted cream fudge. Yum! Any left over liquid cream can be used for making pancakes or for the startup culture for sourdough bread.

The Hotel Inspector...

Peter and I have watched enough episodes of The Hotel Inspector to be able to put WBP through the Alex Polizzi critique before we open, which is useful. There is a perverse enjoyment in watching some of the cringe making hotels and B&Bs that Ms Polizzi has to endure. And like her predecessor Ruth Watson, she is not afraid to tell it like it is, which is also often amusing (her line to one couple stating their idea was "like the bastard child of a thousand maniacs" made me chuckle).

So, at present we are busy choosing ingredients for our breakfasts, costing them out per head, settling on an appealing presentation which says 'wholesome homegrown traditional English with a modern twist for the discerning palette' (quite a lot for a plate to say really). 

We have also been working on the menu and website wording; deciding what necessities and luxuries should be included in each guest room; what should be kept on stand by for requests; what level of service our guests would expect; and what is a pointless money sink (i.e. the out dated minibar of many a faded hotel). 

Our point of difference is that we offer an intimate boutique experience where very few guests have the run of a very large and well appointed estate. The wedding and event venue aspect aside, our core business as a luxury lodge is at the end of the day provision of a bed and breakfast. Guests should have the best night's sleep followed by the best breakfast they've ever enjoyed in a setting of unparalleled beauty with elegant unobtrusive hospitality.

The Bed Part

Guests will stay in five star luxury in one of the manor house's three themed suites. Each suite has been impeccably finished, from the hand-carved furniture and luxurious soft furnishings, to the fine art and antiques curated from our private collection which complement each elegant interior.

Named after famous English country houses, The Chatsworth, Blenheim, and Brideshead Suites will offer all the traditional elegance and luxury of their namesakes. Furnished with authentic Georgian furniture, fine silks, and original art by artists such as Chagall and Picasso. A night at Willowbrook will always be a night to remember. 

Each of our exquisitely appointed suites includes:

·         A fruit basket and complimentary bottle of champagne.

·      Hand carved beds dressed with the finest quality bed linens from around the world.

·         Fresh cut flowers from our gardens.

·         Art and antiques curated from the Willowbrook Park collection.

·         Air-conditioning with in-room climate control.

·         Fully complimentary gourmet snacks.

·         Espresso machine.

·  Pillow menu to select the ideal pillow for your stay. (Upon booking you can choose from soft Goose down, firm fibre and hypoallergenic pillows).

·         Iron and Ironing Board

·         Nightly turn down service

Our suites will also feature the latest in modern technology to suit the requirements of all guests whether they are travelling for business or pleasure. This includes:

·         Complimentary WiFi.

·    An iPad with internet access and a variety of apps including subscriptions to international  magazines and the Willowbrook Park app for guest convenience.

·         In room Bluetooth audio system.

·         Flat screen TV with access to digitally stored and live streaming media.

·         Phone with complimentary local and national calls.

·         Conveniently placed bedside USB charging sockets.

·         Printing and Business Services

Every room has a beautiful and well-appointed marble ensuite with elegant Rowe and Perrin fixtures including powerful invigorating shower-heads and deep tubs for a relaxing soak. Every stay  includes:

·      An exclusive Molton Brown toiletry hamper for a truly pampered experience.

·      Additional spa items available upon request

·     Slippers, robes and brollies provided for the duration of your stay (and for purchase if desired).

The Breakfast Part
The mark of distinction of a Willowbrook breakfast is its freshness: the fact that you can see the animals being ethically farmed, see where the eggs are collected daily and the seasonal produce is plucked from the ground. 

Above: Full English from Pinterest

Willowbrook Breakfast

This hearty cooked breakfast is a contemporary take on the classic full English using only home grown and locally sourced produce. It includes home baked artisan breads, beef sausages, bacon and free range eggs all from Willowbrook Farm, served with  fresh seasonal produce from our potager garden.

Continental Buffet

Guests can help themselves from a wide range of wholesome cereals, pastries and homemade breads served with fruit from our orchard. The buffet is served with a variety of fresh juices, homemade preserves, teas and coffee.

We also hope that our many finer acts of hospitality will provide pleasurable memories for guests, such as cocktail hour, where guests are invited to join their hosts and watch the glorious sunset over the park whilst enjoying a complimentary cocktail and canapés in the Grand Salon or on The Terrace.

We will be subjected to the same 'Hotel Inspector' treatment when the officer from Qualmark comes to accredit us for our star rating under the "Boutique and Lodge" category. We will be hoping to get an endorsement such as this:

So, with the unutterable words of Ms Polizzi ringing in our heads we will ensure that everything surpasses the inspector's standards next year when he or she pays us a visit.

Quinces, Jelly, and Dulce de Membrillo...

We were recently given a very large bag of Quinces. They were an old fashioned and extremely large variety, as you can see.

Quince is a fruit native to the Mediterranean and the middle east. The tree is a member of the rose family and has stunning blossoms.

Quinces were given by the ancient Greeks as a wedding gifts (as it was the fruit sacred to Aphrodite), and the Romans were fond of stewed quince with honey.

The Portuguese word 'marmalade' originally pertained only to quince jelly, the Portugese word for quince being marmel. In latin american countries the fruit is made into a thick paste, known as Dulce de Membrillo, thicker than quince jelly and cut into thick sweet slices which offset the taste of a decent Stilton or Roquefort perfectly.

So, laden with 100 pounds of giant quinces we set to work.. We followed a friend's recipe...

Scrub the outside of the quinces well, and add the roughly chopped pieces, seeds and all, to a large pot. Add just enough water to stew the fruit until it is soft a pulpy. 

sieve the pulp

If you wish to make quince jelly, instead of sieving the pulp, allow it to drip in a cheesecloth overnight, collecting the clear fluid (don't squeeze the cheesecloth, or you will end up with cloudy jelly). Add sugar to the clear fluid and boil until thick enough to set as jelly.

We tried to make a little of the mixture into jam by adding a little water and lemon juice to part...

for quince paste or Dulce de Membrillo return the seedless pulp to the pan and add sugar pound for pound. Boil whist stirring constantly for at least and hour, until the consistency and colour turn dark and tacky. Leave it to set into thick delicious Membillo...

Add the finishing touches, slice, and enjoy the fruits of your labour...

Fairwell to Edward and Bella...

This week Edward and Bella are off to embrace a colder climate. It is hard to believe that they are just over 2 years old. Dispatched quickly whilst eating hand-picked organic apples from a barrel, we know that there are no ethical concerns about the origins of our dinners to come...

Edward (above) and Bella (below).

Hard to believe they were just scrawny little calves 2 years ago...

We had said that we hoped they would grow up to resmble beasts like this...

I don't think they are too far off...

Edward was always the dumb one, though rather noble looking, and Bella the intelligent one, inqusitive and always a handful...

Peter has been reading through one of his favourite cook books and licking his lips as he turns the pages...

... trying to decide which cuts he wants. Other than a jolly decent steak and a few roasts, I am looking forwards to oodles of prime mince, so that Peter can make the most of the Soggy Bottom Farm sausage-making course I sent him on last year for his birthday. Gourmet bangers here we come....

Now we've conquered home grown beef, I wonder what's for Christmas dinner this year...

For the faint hearted vegetarians out there, there is always another option...

With Willowbrook's Kitchen we could run weekend cookery classes, and even put out our own cookbook...

(Mock up spoof using an old Reader's Digest Cookbook Cover)

Hopefully they would be more successful than some of Delia's classes...