Cheese Week

Did you know that we have more varieties of cheese than the French? Traditionally cheese was made by mixed farmers unable to get their fresh milk to the populous. This is why there are no famous cheese 'names' from the home counties. It is a shame to see so much imported cheeses when we have so many fantastic cheeses. Especially cream cheeses made in Germany from English powdered milk.

So support your local cheese and watch out for entrepreneurial dairy farmers developing a cheese for your county. In Bedfordshire we are helping a new enterprise develop a cheese in consultation with residents and Bedfordshire's heritage. As we are famous for Brussel Sprouts, a Brussel sprout blue cheese, perhaps?

To find you local cheese on the BigBarn map click here, or buy on line in our MarketPlace, and to suggest a cheese for Bedfordshire comment here.

Beef Week

What a great and versatile meat. And a prime example of the difference between buying a quality local product and a mediocre supermarket commodity.

The trouble is, beef is complicated. Breed, time and type of hanging/maturing, age, different cuts, butchery method, type of feed, are all factors influencing taste and tenderness. And why so many people opt for what little they know and often pay far too much.

A great example is my cousin who bought the finest 'fillet' of beef from a supermarket only to throw most of it away because it was so tough. A piece of well-hung 'topside' would probably have been half the price and twice as good. Likewise the 'chopped shin' of a well-hung rare breed animal could be better and cheaper for stewing, than the more expensive 'best stewing steak' from the supermarket.

The great news is you don't have to go to college or even buy a book, simply ask. Go and see your local butcher or better still, local beef farmer and ask what they recommend as well as how to cook it. It is in their interest to look after you, as they want to see you buying again.

So all you have to do is use our map to find your local beef, or for a delivery check our MarketPlace for beef and don't be afraid to phone first and get a recommendation. And for inspiration try our recipes.

Rape Seed Oil: Healthy, delicious, sustainable oil right on our doorstep

Most of us think olive oil is the healthiest cooking oil. We perceive the sunny Mediterranean climate and a luxury product like an olive must produce a healthy oil. So it's a surprise to hear that our own cold pressed rape seed oil is better and very tasty. And the chances are you probably have a local producer. Have you tried it yet?

Cold pressed rapeseed oil has the lowest saturated fat of any culinary oil and less than half that of Olive Oil. Like olive oil, rapeseed oil is low in saturated fat and high in good essential omega oils normally obtained from fish.

What are the health benefits of Rapeseed Oil?

• Contains the lowest saturated fat content of any oil - less than half that of Olive Oil.
• Has 10 times more Omega 3 than Olive Oil.
• Is a good source of Vitamin E.
• High in monounsaturated fats.
• Contains no artificial preservatives and is trans-fat and GM free.

Cold pressed means pressed at room temperature with no solvents, producing a natural additive free oil. Cold pressing means a lower yield of oil but with the excess pulp sold at a good price as animal feed, a farmer can afford the better production method.

So if you haven't tried it ask your local farm shop or buy online here from our MarketPlace and don't forget other great British oils like Linseed, Flax or Sunflower.

Asparagus Now In Season

The great seasonal vegetable that has to be home grown or local for optimum freshness. For crowns to plant your own asparagus bed, as I have just done, click here or read on for more.

Asparagus should be eaten within 2 hours of being picked as all the sugars turn to starch. If ever a product should be sourced locally it is this, especially with all the health benefits below! To find your local supplier enter your postcode and type 'asparagus' into the product search box.

To make the best of your local bounty don't just boil it, try baking in the oven or check out our recipe section for a few ideas.

Here are the great health benefits I found for the wonderful asparagus:

• It is high in vitamin K and Folate
• Eat asparagus when you are pregnant or thinking about conceiving - because of it being high in folic acid it helps prevent birth defects such as spina bifida
• Great for your heart
• Great for your gastrointestinal tract and your colon
• Great food to help treat depression
• Has been known to increase the success rate of chemo therapy
• Is considered a diuretic which means it is a good anti-inflammatory - best for arthritis, asthma rheumatism, and even water retention.
• Help get rid of warts
• Add more asparagus to your diet to lower cholesterol
• Great for nursing mothers stimulating milk production
• Has antioxidant agents - prevents the effects of aging
• Has antifungal and antiviral qualities
• Great for your kidneys - cleansing your body by stimulating urination and preventing kidney stones
• Helps prevent bladder and urinary tract infections
• Use to be used as an a aphrodisiac - increase sexual and comforting feelings
• Asparagus has anti-cancer agents - especially lung cancer
• Helps fight chronic fatigue syndrome
• Great for your capillaries - eat more asparagus to avoid varicose veins
• Great for your eyes preventing cataracts
• If you are experiencing hair loss- eat more asparagus
• Helps treat toothaches

Wow - looks like we should eat some every day! No, I say. Gorge yourself when it is fresh and in season then find an equally life enhancing food to keep your hair and other important bits healthy. Eat seasonal and local and you should stay fighting fit.

For more health tips click here.

For further information and recipes visit http://www.british-asparagus.co.uk/index.php.

Purple Sprouting Brocolli

This time of year can be a bit sparse in the fresh fruit and vegetable department (locally-grown and British, that is). However, one vegetable that is coming into season right now is purple sprouting broccoli.

I have a handful of purple sprouting broccoli plants in my garden, which have been lurking near the back fence, not appearing to do a whole lot. However, since the first few days of spring they have erupted into a blossom of vivid purple and green, and to reward them for that, I'm going to eat them.

Simple is best for purple sprouting broccoli - steam them gently for a few minutes and you're done. It is great as an accompaniment, but stellar when it's the main event. Try serving it with anchovy butter (anchovies mixed with butter!) or with a homemade garlic mayo.

In these days of "superfoods" purple sprouting broccoli can hold it's hand up and ask to join the club. Rich in sulphoraphane which may help prevent cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis and diabetes, it's also loaded with vitamin C, vitamin A, iron, folic acid, calcium and more.

It's easy enough to grow. I am a serial assassin of anything green and leafy, but it's survived a year in my back yard. However, your best bet for a quick purple fix is to find a good farm shop where it'll be much cheaper than the examples in your supermarket, which may also be imported. It's a seasonal veg, so act now - if you find a good farm shop selling purple sprouting broccoli, post a comment below and let everyone else know about it.