Local Food & Drink Heroes

To be able to provide customers my diverse selection of menus and dishes, I rely on local food businesses & artisan suppliers who provide me with authentic & quality ingredients, as well as brilliant personal service. Also, by supporting local, my food miles are minimised, and small businesses benefit by loyalty.

Here are some of my Saffron Walden heroes:

Burtons Butchers – my source for local meats, and anything else I need fresh from their daily trips to Smithfield Market, all prepared & delivered to my orders.

Mini Miss Bread – Husband & wife artisan bakers producing daily sourdough bread & who love to experiment with flavours. Lucky me, great for menu ideas.

Hill St. Chocolate – 2 local brothers, Paris trained, with an artisan shop showcasing fabulous chocolates & creativity. Window displays are wonderful. A lovely treat to gift to clients (and myself) and to add to my chocolate desserts.

Fisher & Woods –a huge variety of speciality & everyday ingredients, cheeses & vegetables. Can’t walk round their coldstore without discovering something new!

Elizabeth Rose Wines – 2 best friends with a passion to promote the best of English wines. Their success story parallels the growing popularity of English vineyards. A recommendation to pair with my British Dining Menu.

Joseph Barnes Wines, Saffron Walden – proprietor Charles Hardcastle sources unusual world wines, some exclusively for his award-winning shop. My clients often take my dinner menus in for him to perfectly match wines for their meals.

Saffron Fish Company – for fish & seafood retail therapy, when I want to shop with my eyes, and inspiration from ex-Chef Matts’ extensive knowledge. Super smoked specials too & fabulous seafood platters.

Saffron Icecream Company – lovely guys, with a small factory down the road, churning artisan, award winning icecream by hand, and totally delicious to boot. Local ingredients & seasonal specials, I love to pair my desserts with their flavours.

Hobbs and Young Microfarm- Based in Newport, created in lockdown by Esme & Alison through a mutual passion of sustainable produce & organic growing. Their microherbs, greens and edible flowers offer intense flavour and a beautiful flourish to my final dishes.”