Blog « Orchard Park Garden Centre, Shaftesbury, Gillingham, Dorset,

Christmas at Orchard Park – why go anywhere else?

December 6th, 2011

Looking for inspiration ahead of the festive season? Looking for presents for all the family, ideas for your Christmas dinner and decorations to make your tree stand out from the crowd? Orchard Park in Gillingham has Christmas wrapped up. Inside you will find locally sourced ingredients for your Christmas dinner, presents for everyone as well as Christmas trees and decorations to get you in the Christmas spirit.

Orchard Park is now in its 7th year. It was built on the Clarke family’s farmland, Lagan Farm as an outlet for their prize-winning rare breeds, joined with a well-stocked garden centre and restaurant.

Ron & Sheila Clarke of Lagan Farm have been rearing rare breeds of sheep and cattle for thirty years and are passionate supporters of traditional British breeds. When they moved to Park Farm in Gillingham in the eighties, Mr & Mrs Clarke set up the Rare Breeds Centre with a view to educating the public about Britain’s native breeds and farming activities. The Clarkes added other traditional breed such as Irish Moiled, Red Polls, Longhorns and Belted Galloways to their collection as well as a variety of sheep breeds and began selling their meat but in many ways, they were ahead of the times. ‘In those days rare breeds were very unconventional but we have always known that they produce the best meat.’ Since then, numbers of herds of rare breeds have increased all over Britain as farmers recognise the benefits of cattle that can thrive in an extensive system and the message about the quality of their meat is spreading to the consumer. Mr & Mrs Clarke now keep herds of Red Poll, British White and Irish Moiled, chosen for their tender, marbled and tasty meat. Mr & Mrs Clarke have been instrumental in championing these rare breeds and thanks to their work and others like them, the British White is no longer on the rare breed survival list. Mrs Clarke says, ‘meat produced slowly, from a grass fed animal is always going to taste better than one that is corn fed and finished in a fraction of the time.’

Lagan Farm Shop at Orchard Park, with its team of skilled butchers, is fast becoming a destination for people who value the meat they put on their table. Particularly as the Clarkes ensure that the other producers that stock their shelves share their ethos. The journey from field to shop is kept to a minimum to ensure the meat you serve at your table is of the highest quality. White or BronzeTurkeys from Dorset, succulent hams, duck and your Christmas goose are all available from the butchers together with Orchard Park’s homemade stuffing. Orders are being taken now but last date for ordering is 20th December. The Clarke’s work is really paying off with Lagan Farm recently triumphing in the Taste of Dorset Awards, with a win in the coveted ‘Best Meat Producer’ category. All the meat stocked in the farm shop can be bought fresh or frozen and Lagan’s team of experienced butchers also produce tasty sausages, burgers and faggots and delicious home made pies, pasties and sausage rolls. Why not top up your freezer in case of unexpected guests!!

Orchard Park is strongly aware of the importance of supporting local producers, so you will find some familiar names on their shelves including Fudges, Purbeck Icecream, Pink’s Organics, Dorset Cereals, Moore’s Biscuits, Stoate’s Flour, cakes by Lavender Blue, eggs from Blackacre Farm and coffee from Spicers in Wimborne, and those are just a few. The shelves are groaning with eye catching and tempting treats to stock your cupboards for Christmas. The farm shop is also well stocked with festive drinks from local brewers & producers. You will find beer from Keystone and Piddle breweries, Lyme Bay Wines, Burrow Hill Cider and various warming tipples from the Somerset Cider Brandy Company.
Bespoke Christmas hampers can be prepared – all you have to do is choose the contents and we will do the rest!

In the garden centre there is a huge choice of Christmas trees both natural and artificial and there are 3 varieties of needle fast trees of fantastic shape and quality. There really is no excuse for a dowdy tree this year as in the Christmas shop you will find a wide selection of glittering decorations and sparkling lights along with garlands, Christmas stockings and candles. Complete your decorating with a gorgeous Christmas wreath for your front door!

Presents for all the family will be easy with gifts ideas for all the family and a treasure trove for the gardening enthusiast. Father Christmas himself will be at Orchard Park on 10th, 11th and 17th December so come along and say hello but in case you miss him we have our very own post box for Santa where Children (or grown up’s!) can send him that all important letter!

After all that shopping why not visit the Café where all kinds of festive treats including warming hot chocolates with all the trimmings, mince pies and homemade cakes are on offer daily and every Tuesday and Sunday throughout December a delicious 2 course Christmas lunch is being served.
Much of the fine food available in the farm shop is also served in the café, which caters for breakfasts, lunches and teas. Daily specials always include meat from Lagan Farm as well as fresh, sustainable fish from Brixham.

The floristry department is preparing beautiful Christmas bouquets to compliment your home or as a wonderful gift and a delivery service is available.
Come to Orchard Park for all your Christmas needs. Late Night Shopping is on Thursday 15th December.

Tags: Christmas, Lagan Farm, Orchard Park
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Cupcakes, Flapjacks and Brownies – the Orchard Park way…

October 28th, 2011

Cupcakes (all in one method)

Ingredients:

160g melted butter
480g caster sugar
240g plain flour
240g self raising flour
4 eggs
440ml milk
2tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla essence

Put everything in one bowl and whisk.

Bake for 25 mins 145C Gas Mark 4

Flapjacks (all in one method)

Ingredients:

300g brown sugar
1000g rolled oats
450g butter or margarine
600ml syrup/treacle

Melt butter, stir in all other ingredients.

Cook for 25-30 mins at 145 C Gas Mark 4

Brownies

Ingredients:

8 eggs
2 cups caster sugar (450g)
2tsp vanilla essence

Whisk until really thick.
Melt 2 cups of dark chocolate (500g) & 400g butter together.
Pour melted chocolate & butter into egg mixture.
Fold in 2 cups of self raising flour & 1 cup chopped walnuts.
Pour into a tray (40cm x 30cm)

Bake for 25 mins at 145C Gas Mark 4

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Orchard Park wins Best Meat Producer for Lagan Farm Shop

September 9th, 2011

Lagan Farm has triumphed in the Taste of Dorset Awards with a win in the coveted ‘Best Meat Producer’ category. Lagan Farm Shop has been selling rare breed beef and lamb produced on neighbouring farmland for over 20 years and the award is a great accolade for the farmers, rare breed champions Ron and Sheila Clark. Mrs Clark is thrilled with the award because it shows a public vote of confidence in meat produced slowly in a traditional, non-intensive way. ‘People are starting to realise that good quality meat doesn’t come from the supermarkets but the independents and Britain’s rare breeds are gaining the recognition they deserve for the exceptional quality of their meat.’

Ron & Sheila presented with Best Meat Award

The Lagan Farm Shop at Orchard Park, just outside Gillingham on the B3081 Shaftesbury Road, is a real destination for people who value the meat they put on their table. The shop has a team of skilled butchers who are passionate about the produce and only too pleased to share their expertise and advice with the customer.

It didn’t stop there because Orchard Park have also been spreading the word about the value of producing your own vegetables; the allotments at Orchard Park were runners up in the ‘Grow your Own’ category of the Taste of Dorset Awards.

Ron & Sheila presenting the Best Pub Award

Orchard Park Press Release 6th September 2011
All photographs courtesy of Blackmore Vale Magazine/Ian Sumner

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Summer Entertaining Recipes

August 2nd, 2011

Following the success of the Summer Entertaining evening in July with Liam Mason, Head Chef from the White Lion at Bourton, here are some of the recipes he demonstrated on the evening:

Moules Marinière

Butter
2 cloves of garlic
Sprig of chopped parsley
Half glass of white wine
Cream

Gently fry garlic in butter. Turn up heat and throw in the wine. Boil for a minute. Add parsley and mussels. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Add cream and cook for a further minute with lid off.

Thai Mussels

Chopped Coriander
25 grams of grated Galangal (Thai Ginger)
½ tin Coconut milk
5 Kaffir lime leaves
Shake of Fish sauce
Inch of finely sliced Lemon grass
1 finely sliced red chilli

Heat a little oil in a pan and add ginger, chilli, lemongrass and sweat. Turn up the heat and add coconut milk and lime leaves. Boil for a couple of minutes. Add mussels and cover. Cook for 3 minutes.

Best end of Lamb Salad

Lamb loin
Scallops
Watercress
Curly endive
Lavendar oil

Season and sear loin for 2-4 minutes. Pan sear scallops for 2 minutes. Wash watercress, rocket, curly endive, season and mix with lavender oil. Roast baby vine tomatoes, carrot, courgette and baby corn.

5 Onion Risotto

250g Aborio Rice
1 finely chopped red onion
1 finely chopped Spanish onion
2 finely chopped shallots
Handful of chopped chives
3 finely chopped spring Onions
Pint vegetable stock
½ cup of grated Parmesan cheese.

Put vegetable stock on heat and simmer. Heat oil in a saucepan (next to the stock) and add rice. Cook on high heat stirring all the time until rice starts popping. Add a ladle of stock and stir in along with all of the onions. When the stock had been mostly absorbed, add more stock and keep stirring. Keep adding stock and keep stirring until the rice is al dente (still with a bit of bite in the middle). Add parmesan, stir in and season if required.

Veal Stock

3 kilo Veal Bones
3 kilo mixed vegetables, diced:
Carrot
Onion
Celery
Peppercorns
6 roughly chopped shallots
1 Head of garlic (peeled)
Handful of rosemary and thyme
Bottle of red wine

Roast veal bones until brown. Fry mixed veg in a stockpot in a little oil until brown. Add bones. Cover with water. Bring to boil and simmer for 6 hours. Strain through fine sieve. Return strained stock to heat. Add peppercorns, shallots, garlic, herbs and red wine. Bring to boil and simmer. Skim thoroughly with ladle. There should be no fat left on the surface at all. Reduce the stock till it has velvet gravy texture

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Sheila’s Column, Summer 2011

June 21st, 2011

In spite of the lack of rainfall, dire predictions of global warming, drought and various types of pestilence waiting to fall on our poor old heads, what an absolutely marvelous season we are having, so let’s give praise and enjoy all our blessings.

The old Blackmore Vale clay cursed and reviled all the winter, turns up trumps when it really matters and grows us loads of lovely grass and fodder when drier, easier working soils have given up.

Silaging is going well as I write and the hay crop looks promising. When the cattle’s victuals are in the clamp and bale we can then relax – a little bit.

We have finished lambing, a very good crop indeed, the first new seasons lamb is in the shop – and going out again just as fast.

The last few cows to calve are still in the barn. Lagan Ladyship, who looked as if she was carrying quads, just got busy and produced a strong looking calf. What sex it is I cannot tell you, since she fixes me with a long cold stare, shakes her head, stamps her foot and clearly tells me to keep my distance. She’s bigger than me, so I think I will!

More drama again this morning – the little Kerry Bog Pony mare “Bessie” decided she was not going to foal in our carefully prepared foaling box, she was going to sneak off behind the hedge when we put her out in the field, and have it there. Whereupon the two other ponies decided to try and steal the foal for themselves to save themselves the bother of producing their own.

So confronted with a distraught mum, a thoroughly confused little filly foal and a stupid stallion trying to help, a certain amount of sorting out was needed. All’s well that ends well however, but isn’t it amazing how useless the males of all species are at times like these.

The Italian P.O.W.’s who worked at Park Farm after the war made several items in stone and concrete, one of which was a fountain. We bought it up here when we moved and at last it is now working as originally intended. It’s an awful timewaster outside my office window, so fascinating to watch all the different birds drinking and bathing in it. The starlings have a communal dip, as do the sparrows, but the little goldfinches are quite dignified and the wagtails are quite hilarious, their enjoyment is so obvious.

Hope you can all enjoy this wonderful summer to the full.

Sheila.

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Lamb Chops with Mint Yoghurt Dipping Sauce

May 31st, 2011

Ingredients

For the lamb chops:

3 tablespoons cooking oil
1 rack of lamb (from our own Lagan Farm Shop)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the yogurt:

1 cup plain yogurt
1 lime, juiced
3 cloves garlic
1 cup fresh mint leaves, plus extra for garnish
Salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika

Method

For the lamb chops:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Over high heat, preheat a large skillet with cooking oil. Liberally season the racks of lamb with salt and fresh ground pepper. Place the meat in the pan and sear all sides over high heat until evenly browned. Place the racks on a sheet pan and place in the oven to finish cooking. For medium rare, about 8 minutes; medium, about 10 minutes; and well done, about 15 minutes. These are general guidelines but the cooking times will vary depending on the size of the rack.

After they are finished cooking in the oven, remove the racks and allow them to rest approximately 10 minutes. Cutting from the meat side of the rack so that you can see the size of each chop, cut each chop individually.

For the yoghurt:

Place the yoghurt, lime juice and garlic in a blender and puree on high speed until blended. While blending, slowly add the mint and season with salt, cayenne, and cumin.

To serve:

Liberally cover a nice serving plate with the yoghurt sauce. Arrange the chops on the plate and decorate with extra mint leaves and pinches of paprika. Delicious!

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Recipes from Callum Keir, at Holbrook House

April 1st, 2011

BRIXHAM’S CATCH OF THE DAY WITH ENDIVE MARMALADE

2 heads of Belgian endive Juice of 2 lemons 1 tbsp of sugar
1 tbsp of salt 1 tbsp of thyme leaves 50g unsalted butter

Boil the lemon juice, sugar, salt and thyme together.
Add the diced endive and cook until soft
Monter with the butter

CAPRICORN GOAT CHEESE FINE TART WITH COURGETTE AND TOMATO

Serves 4

puff pastry               6 tomatoes on the vine, sliced
2 courgettes, blanched       2 Capricorn goat cheese
1 bunch of rocket           vinaigrette

Cut out 4 discs of pastry. Glaze and place in the fridge for 20 minutes. Cook between 2 baking sheets for 8-10 minutes until golden.
Place the sliced tomatoes, courgettes and goat cheese in an orderly manner. Put in the oven for 2-3 minutes. Transfer on warm plates and garnish with a bunch of rocket tossed in vinaigrette.

ROASTED LOIN OF WILTSHIRE HORN LAMB, SAVOY CABBAGE & SHEPHERD’S PIE

Serves 4

200ml red wine       1 bay leaf           50g unsalted butter
4 shallots           1 litre veal stock       200ml double cream
1 tbsp oil           300g pancetta, diced       4 individual short pastry tarts
200g hot mashed potatoes
800g diced carrot, celeriac, parsnips
4 X 150g loin of lamb
500g lamb mince
1 savoy or spring cabbage cut in thin strips

Preheat the oven to 200?C.
First prepare the sauce. Reduce the red wine with 4 sliced shallots and a bay leaf. Add the veal stock and reduce down to 200 ml. Strain through a sieve and put to one side.
Gently sauté the diced vegetables and pancetta in the butter until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the cabbage to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes. Drain off the butter, add the cream and reduce to a thick consistency. Stir in the cooked vegetables and pancetta. Season to taste and keep warm.
Season the lamb loin, heat the oil in a pan and sear the lamb on all sides until well sealed. Place the loins in the oven for 3-4 minutes then set aside to rest. The meat should be brown on the outside and pink in the middle.
For the shepherd’s pie, braise the lamb mince and spoon into the pastry tarts. Pipe hot mashed potato on top.
To serve, spoon the cabbage onto one side of the plate. Place the shepherd’s pie on the other side. Coat the meat with the sauce.

RED POLL RIBEYE STEAK WITH ONION SPRING MASH

4 ribeye steaks       1 small bunch spring onions, sliced
300g mashed potato       1 bunch of watercress, picked
2 handful wilted spinach   300g Chantenay carrots, cooked

Rub each steak with oil. Heat a heavy non-stick pan. Season and cook to desired texture. Remove the steaks from the pan and leave to rest.
Warm-up mashed potato and add the sliced spring onion.
Cook the watercress leaves and spinach in a hot pan with butter. Season.
Heat up the cooked carrots.
Pipe your mashed potato on warm plates and place the sliced ribeye on top. Spread around the spinach, watercress and carrots.

CHOCOLATE TART

sweet pastry
150g butter 30g dark chocolate 6 tbsp cacao powder
3 eggs 250g caster sugar 2 tbsp double cream
2 tbsp coffee extract (optional)

Precook the tart case.
Melt the butter, cacao powder and dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a bain-marie.
Whisk egg and sugar together to a pale and ribbon stage. Add the double cream.
Add the chocolate to the egg mixture. Pour into the pre-cooked tart case and bake for 35-40 minutes at 180?C.

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Plant of the Month – March 2011

March 8th, 2011

Big bloomers with Magnolia and Camellia

Magnolia Stellata

I am happy to admit that I really adore love magnolias! The fantastic blooms are simultaneously showy yet classy and perhaps because of this, it has always struck me as bizarre that this beautiful plant had the very bland coloured wall paint named after it. After all, there are many magnolia varieties with colours ranging from deep purple to snowy white so why pick this plant name to represent such a nondescript colour? The one thing the paint and the plant do have in common is their versatility – I think it is safe to say that most houses have magnolia paint somewhere in the building. In the same way, I’m pretty sure that there is a variety of magnolia that would bring beauty and joy to any UK garden – even if it’s growing in a pot.

Camellias too are an early spring stunner with gorgeous blooms that easily rival those of magnolia. Flowers tend to be white, pink or red and, like magnolia, some camellias will be happy living in good-sized pots. Many magnolias and camellias are ‘lime haters’ which means if your soil is not acidic you’ll have to create suitable soil conditions in containers – but always ask the garden centre plant staff for the right soil for your plant.

With Mother’s Day on the horizon, what could be better than a perusal of this pair of ‘Big bloomers’? The Mother’s Day gift is often a rushed purchase from the local chocolate shop or florist – this year why not consider a garden plant?

But where to start with so many varieties to choose from? An all round popular choice is Magnolia stellata a great choice for smaller gardens growing only to 4 or 5ft after ten years. Does well in a good sized pot or in most garden soils as with the right care this plant will develop into a compact, well-shaped tree, gorgeous in bloom and also attractive in winter with its twig-like branches and velvet buds. Its beautiful pure white flowers resemble stars and are lightly scented. After the flowers, light green leaves appear.

Magnolia Soulangeana makes a large deciduous shrub or small tree with the most fabulous pastel pink and white flowers which emerge on bare branches in spring. It is relatively tolerant of wind and alkaline soils and will eventually make a tree up to 15m and a width of around 6m.

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Plant of the Month for February

February 8th, 2011

Early spring flowering plants are really special – it is like a reward for having put up with a dark and wet winter! The Hellebores, Winter Cherries, and Witch Hazels are the first brave flowers to show, followed by Daphnes and early spring cherries.

The size of your garden will determine what you can grow – most hellebores can be found a space somewhere. They like a reasonable soil with good amounts of organic matter in it. This can be topped up each year to keep the soil in good heart. The Cherry, Prunus x subhirtella ‘Autumnalis’ flowers at odd times through the winter and has a grand final fling in early spring. It is a small growing tree that won’t shade out other plants and well worth the investment. It can give a good display of autumn colour as well.

Witch Hazel makes a gangly sort of shrub that keeps a low profile for much of the year, coming into its own in spring. The bare branches can be covered with flowers from pale yellow, gold, pink and bronzy-red. The yellow flowered varieties tend to have the sweetest scent, especially Hammamelis ‘Pallida’. The hazel-like leaves give a good autumn display with deep orange and purples.

Witch hazels are not hard to grow, and are as versatile as they are beautiful. Put one at the back of a wide border to add height, grow as a good specimen plant, or plant in groups. They’re fully hardy and tolerate most garden soils including chalk providing the soil is deep enough. Full sun or partial shade is fine, as long as there is some protection from winds. Maintenance is minimal, just a tidy up with the secateurs in late winter to keep the shape you want.
Daphne – are early spring delights with both deciduous and evergreen forms. The name is derived from the ancient Greek meaning “laurel.” In Greek mythology, Daphne was the name of a nymph who was pursued by the god Apollo. Her father, a river god, changed her into a laurel bush to save her from him. Hopefully she was changed back when danger had passed, but I cannot confirm this.

Daphne laureola is better know as Spurge Laurel, and is a UK native with subtle lightly scented green flowers and glossy green leaves; it doesn’t get too tall and thrives in the shade. Very ordinary but works well as ground cover. Daphne odora is far more glamorous! Evergreen and reasonably hardy in this part of the world, it produces deep purple-pink and white flowers any time now. They have a strong scent – unforgettable once you have smelt it. The variety D. odora ‘Aureomarginata’ has leaves with subtle creamy-yellow margins. It is well behaved, slow growing and doesn’t get too tall.

Daphne mezereum, and Daphne x burkwoodii have a more upright habit, but are deciduous with their scented spring flowers carried on bare stems.

Alpine Daphnes such as D. bholua are particularly eye catching in a rockery but need to be well drained in winter. In general the Daphnes are not too difficult to grow and will cope with most soils except very acid ones, as long as they neither dry out nor become waterlogged.

Jobs for the Month

Catch up the winter jobs before spring gets going. General tidying up, finish winter pruning of dormant trees and shrubs, especially the fruit. I plan to get the roses done fairly soon on the basis of previous springs being relatively frost free, but we’ll see what the weather brings. Ornamental trees often need a little surgery and young trees need shaping, and mature deciduous shrubs often need thinning out [about a 3rd each year for many sorts]. It’s a good time to cut back overgrown deciduous hedges, and, of course, prune the wisteria. Evergreens are best left until March for pruning although hardy evergreen hedges can be dealt with now. Use secateurs on large leafed plants such as laurels to avoid leaf damage.

Bulbs are shooting up, and if it goes cold they will slow up but they’re tough and unlikely to be damaged. Snowdrops should be split and replanted after flowering – ‘in-the-green’ as are Winter Aconites.
Seed potatoes and onion sets are now in the garden centre – so for the best selection and the sought after varieties – get there early! The grow-your-own incentives have never been stronger and with a bit of decent weather there is no reason why any of us should be denied a decent harvest.

If you are growing vegetables from seed, it pays to cover an area of ground with black plastic to allow the ground to dry out a little and warm up – makes early seed sowing more productive.

Have some horticultural fleece on hand to cover up any early tender growth or fruit blossom if the frosts should return at an awkward time.

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Early sowing February 2011

January 20th, 2011

A bright sunny day, full of hope and a new growing season almost with us. Apart from the relief of having made it through another winter, there is the real optimism that comes with the knowledge that a fresh spring means a fresh start when you can try to avoid all the mistakes made last year and get it going properly! Garden writers always advise careful planning during December and January, and if the weather always, start to prepare the garden for spring. In reality a quick flick through the seed catalogue might just precede a visit to the garden centre and then you come face to face with the wall-of- colour seed racks! How to decide? My guidelines are very simple; know what space you have to work with. There is no point in trying to grow crops that need vast amounts of space if you don’t have it. Secondly grow the things you like to eat. Thirdly make sure that you can actually grow to maturity the crops you have selected; that means getting them sown early enough and in the right conditions.

Thinking back to my training (I studied agriculture) and I can clearly remember that the key to productivity was always claimed to be timeliness – getting crops sown at the right time, not too early when seed rots in the ground and not too late so that it cannot reach its potential. Plants are like that; they need time, space and respect and it doesn’t matter if you grow to eat or grow to admire, it always works the same way.

So, what to grow this year? I am lucky enough to have plenty of space and a tunnel to grow in. It worked well last year with tomatoes and salad crops. The plan is to get early broad bean and pea crops growing along with leaf veg such as spinach and various salads. The tomatoes will go out there as soon as they are large enough and the frost is gone. With rising food prices most of our energy will have to go into the veg garden although some early season work on shrub and perennial borders will mean that they can more or less take care of themselves until June. I do make compost, leafmold and chip wood plants so that gives me enough material to spread as a mulch, which is so important in suppressing annual weeds, retaining moisture and feeding the soil. No need to dig it in, the earthworms will do that for me. If you have the opportunity, get hold of Charles Dowding’s excellent book ‘Organic Gardening’ sub-titled ‘The Natural No-dig Way’.

You don’t have to garden organically but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t but more importantly the principles of improving soil quality through the addition of organic matter is fully explained without breaking your back!