Community Baking at the Ecocentre in Screveton

At the Ecocentre, which is based at Home Farm in Screveton there is a regular community baking group. Last week during national Real Bread Maker week we were listening to Radio Nottingham and heard that that “the bread makers at the Ecocentre invite members of the local community to come and bake bread the old fashioned way – using local stoneground flour and simple natural ingredients.”

Over the last month or so we have been trying with mixed success to bake our own bread, not in least through the encouragement of watching that Paul Hollywood bloke off the telly and this seemed like a really good opportunity to meet some other bakers, get a few tips, and talk about our trials and tribulations Plus it was a day out in the countryside and there was always the possibility of some cake or biscuits.

We arrived a bit early for the session so we had a look around the farm at the various animals before meeting up with David Rose who runs the Centre and Farm and he told us all about their activities with the Local school kids where they are teaching them all about where bread comes from with their “Seed to Sandwich Campaign“. They get to grow their own wheat, then turn it into bread and ultimately made their own sandwiches by growing the other sandwich salad fillings as well. A great and quite commendable activity, I wish my school had done that, luckily we had an allotment when I grew up so I did not miss out totally. You can read a lot more about what is going on at the Ecocentre on their website.

OK lets get down to talking about or rather baking some Bread.

The bread making group at Home Farm is a Community Supported Baking Group and is supported by The Real Bread Campaign which ‘is the only national organisation in the UK championing Community Supported Baking’. The Group at Screveton is being run by Gail Hooley and Simon Wilson who were there to guide us when we arrived. Gail was leading the session that we attended and as I chatted to her during the session I learnt that she had graduated from the Ballymaloe cooking school and I was secretly quite jealous as given the time and money I would like to have done similar. Anyhow I digress once again, you want to know about the breadmaking don’t you?

The purpose built kitchen and cookery classroom had been divided up into three stations at which you could learn to make breads using different levels of skill. You could make soda bread chive scones, or you could make some ‘Grant Bread’, and at the last station you could go through the different stages of making a wholemeal loaf. There were about 10 people in the session I attended and most of them were already members of the community group and lets just say that they were a lively bunch but they welcomed us out of towners into their midst with open arms and floured hands.

I started off with Celia learning how to make “Grant Bread” which is named after a lady called Doris Grant who developed a recipe for a ‘no-need-to-knead bread’ in the 1940s. When I say ‘developed’ the story or myth goes that making bread one day, Doris forgot to knead it. and when she tasted the loaf, she discovered it had a fair taste and decided never again to bother kneading her bread again. Not sure how true that was. Anyhow without boring you with details of the whole recipe I will just give you the high level view (you can google it if you want). It was a bit of a strange one, you take sieved flour, add fresh yeast, salt, water, and honey and stir it all together in a bowl. The mixture was so wet that it could not have kneaded it anyway if I had wanted to. Basically once mixed you just poured it into a greased loaf tin and left it to rise for about 20 minutes before baking. It rose quickly as we had used fresh yeast.

Mine did not quite work out as expected, the good thing about making the mistakes in the breadmaking group was that instead of just wondering where I had gone wrong I had Gail there to explain why my loaf was really a quite sad loaf indeed (she didn’t say that, she was quite kind). Basically it looked like a house brick with a dent because the loaf pan was not greased enough so the dough stuck to the pan and as it baked it could not expand evenly so it rose at an angle. The other problem was that the initial rise was too much so the mixture overflowed the pan and then when it rose the edges held on to the pan and as it rose a big air pocket was created in the top crust, the result being that the bread underneath didn’t cook properly and was still soggy. But as I commented at the time, “If I cannot eat it the birds in the garden will like it”, and you know what? that was true, they loved it and have been gobbling it up in great beakfuls all week.

After I had been making the Grant Bread I joined into the group that was kneading the dough for the Wholemeal Loaf. They already had their loaves in the oven baking, but there was another session coming in the afternoon so we were making some dough ready for them. I am glad that I did this as I found out that I had not been kneading my own bread long enough and picked up some other good techniques. I am not sure that there was quite enough time in the session to let the first lot of bread rise enough before baking, but it tasted pretty good and we ate this at home with some nice cheese.

I did not have a go at the soda bread, but you can see their efforts were more successful than mine were. We all had a sample of their ‘offcuts’ with some butter while drinking the remnants of our tea and the chives were a nice addition to the scone. I would have been happier with a bit of cheese as well (that’s just me though being cheese mad).

This community bread making was a lot of fun, I learnt a lot, and the group was very welcoming and I hope that I have the time to be able to go back for one of their fortnightly group sessions to try making some other types of bread.

As a footnote we bought some fresh yeast and good flour at the group which came from the Whissendine Windmill in Oakham. Thanks to the extra kneading lessons and quality ingredients you can see that a much more successful load was baked. It was the best effort so far and just goes to show that we did learn something at our Community Baking session!

If you want to know more about Real Bread Maker Week check their website: http://www.sustainweb.org/realbread/

For more Community Baking activities check the Ecocentre website. You can also follow on Twitter and check them on Facebook

The Ecocentre is located at Home Farm, Lodge Lane, Screveton, NG13 8JL there are good directions on the leaflet scanned in below.

‘Yummie Tummies’ Cob Shop in Hucknall

Yummie Tummies was the first place that I found to eat when I headed up to the end of the Nottingham NET Route 1 tram line to Hucknall. It is a bit of a walk from the train station to what I assume is Hucknall’s main shopping area on the High Street. Yummie Tummies is just around the corner at 6a High Street and it is your standard sandwich and cob shop. Inside it has a couple of tables to sit at, but principally seemed to be doing take out trade. While I sat there everyone who came in were greeted as locals by the friendly lady running the place, they seemed to know her and vice versa, so it was good to see they have a regular trade. There was a good selection on the chalk board ranging across the standard Panini, Cob, and Toasted Sandwich options. They were offering a Roast Cob of the Day which I might have chosen if it had been a Roast Pork one, but sadly (for me) it was Roast Chicken when I was there.

 

I hummed and erred and then decided to get a Panini, the most tempting on offer was the Chicken, Bacon, and Cheese combination so I ordered up one of those and sat down to relax. I needed a drink but didn’t really want to pay out too much, so was happy to find a small carton of apple juice in the fridge for just under 40p which I thought was pretty well priced. As I was waiting for my Panini another customer came in and ordered the same sandwich filling as I had done, declaring that since she was picking up the office lunches that day that she would get what she liked and that was the best combination. I felt good about my choice now, and even more so when it arrived and I got to eat it. Even though it was a simple affair, it was quite a good Panini filling, there was plenty of it and it was quite tasty. Ok so the chicken was a bit lost, but there was plenty of cheesey goodness (or is it mild badness?) and a good amount of bacon (could have been a bit crispier). I could have had a side salad, which I declined, but I thought afterwards I should have had it, not for the healthier aspects but quite sadly I thought it would have made a better photograph (Yep that is blog sadness at it’s best). Not too bad a little snack and what was better was that it was only just over £2.

I rode the Tram along NET Route 1 to the Hucknall Stop to get here. It was about a 5 minute walk to Main street to find the shops following the brown tourist signs, without which I would have been wandering in the wrong direction.

The Cosy Teapot Cafe – Cheap and Cheerful Greasy Spoon

Back in 2003 The Cosy Teapot café on Carrington Street in Nottingham won the title of “Britain’s Greatest Greasy Spoon”. I did eat a breakfast in there back around that time and it was pretty good. For a while there was a sign in the window telling all who passed of their award success, as I walked past on Friday I noticed that sign was no more, but then again it is 10 years ago. I wondered what it was like now and figured that the only way to find out was to take the time to pass across their threshold and partake of a cooked English breakfast.

The first thing to note was that it was certainly still very popular, filled with orange vested workmen from the nearby tram construction sites. That should be a good sign (but then again) lets see what comes out from the kitchen before we get too excited. As greasy spoon breakfasts go I have had worse, but it was a very different story from the last time I ate here. The sausage was one of those economy sad almost soggy bread filled efforts, the ‘hash’ brown was more soggy than crispy and appeared to be straight from a packet. The beans were runny with more juice than beans. On the plus side the bacon was OK (if you like cheap bacon) and the egg yolk was still runny. It came with two slices of butter laden toast made from cheap white bread which was OK for mopping up the bean juice.

I said that the quality was not as good as ten years ago, but thinking about it 10 years ago I did not really know of a better sausage, or of really good bacon from the farm shop, there were very few happy chickens providing me with eggs and I was known to buy tins of baked beans (or bean soup) from Netto for 4p a can. So perhaps times have changed, my palate and expectations have expanded, and yes I admit it I can be a bit of a snob when it comes to my breakfasts. I cant see it winning many awards these days but the service was good, quick, friendly and efficient so it was not a bad experience overall, even if the food didn’t tick any boxes.

Perhaps you should use the golden rule of looking through the window to see if it is busy and judge that as a good indication of whether it is any good or not. That does not always work but as a general rule it rarely fails. I am not personally likely to add this to my breakfast rotation list but that is just me, it is a local place run by local people so on that basis it is worth supporting and if you are passing by and need a cheap and cheerful breakfast, well that is what you will find at the Cosy Teapot.

The Cosy Teapot Cafe is at 101 Carrington Street just a couple of minutes walk from the Station Street Tram Stop and a minute away from the Nottingham Train Station

Pitcher and Piano in Nottingham – a Lace Market Pub nee Church

The Pitcher and Piano in Nottingham is inside the old Unitarian church which has been deconsecrated for the purpose of drinking

(well that seems to be the main reason).

Inside the Pitcher and Piano it is just like being in a church that sells beer. The interior appears to have been changed very little, it almost seems to be like it is just the pews that have been replaced with bar stools and tables, and that the food and drinks menu has been expanded from your basic ‘bread and wine’ offerings. It is a really quite cavernous space with high roofs, basically it is a church with a bar. I think it is quite impressive and a somewhat unique space to drink and eat in, certainly a good place to take ‘out of towners’ for something a bit different.

When I walked in it was just approaching lunchtime so I thought I would take advantage of the “Munch for Less” menu. This was supposed to be a one of their “Light, Tasty Dishes For £6 Each plus a soft drink” For some reason (still not quite sure why?) my pint of diet pepsi did not count but I could have had a pint of Grolsch within the offer. So much for looking after the designated driver or the office worker trying to keep a clear head for the afternoon meetings. Anyhow in the end I ordered up one of the ‘Cajun Chicken Wraps’ this was described on their menu as a “Pan-fried chicken breast coated in Cajun spices with crunchy leaves and sweet chilli mayo all wrapped in a toasted flour tortilla.” This came with a choice of skinny fries or salad. I think by skinny they meant thinly cut, not diet chips (which would be a selling point). On the positive notes the wrap filling was actually pretty tasty, the cajun spices were of ‘worth and there was a good hit of spice on the chicken. The sweet chilli mayo also added heat and it was all cooled down from those cold crunchy salad leaves inside the wrap. Apart from the deal offer with the coke, the other downside was the fries which were just a bit thin and sad and could have been a little crispier, mine seemed a bit limp. If I had got my drink as part of the deal then it would have been good value, but I thought that £6 for the rather small wrap was a little bit overpriced.

I did however get some really good service from my waitress, and it was nice that they had table service so that I did not have to wait at the bar to order. In many ways I quite like this particular Pitcher and Piano just for the building itself, but at the same time it is a cavernous building and when it is quiet in there, well to be honest it feels like you are eating your lunch in a church.

Located at The Unitarian Church, High Pavement, Nottingham, NG1 1HN. It is really quite close to the Lace Market Tram stop, but you can walk there easily in 5 minutes from the Old Market Square as well.

White Rabbit Tea House II – tempted by some “Scones with Clotted Cream and jam”

As you walk along Bridlesmith Gate you may spot a sign for the newly opened second branch of the White Rabbit Teahouse in the covered alleyway called Bridlesmith Walk that runs between Bridlesmith Gate and Fletcher Gate (if not then please look harder!). I have often alighted from the tram at the Lace Market stop and walked down this covered passageway bemoaning the fact that it has no decent café or tea shop as it was the perfect hidden location for such a place. Now happily the White Rabbit Teahouse has opened a second location right in the midst of that space with what I believe is excellent potential for success. Their other location is on Houndsgate almost a stones throw away for a truly skilled pebble tosser, and I like to imagine a small white rabbit skipping between the two cafés carrying small treats of cake, biscuits, and chocolate fondants and perhaps messages related to the possible needs and desires of the joint customers for scones, buns, and other such baked items.

Anyhow I popped in and having just partaken in lunch, really I was only in need of a cup of tea or perhaps a latte? and maybe just a small cake (or other such treat) to satiate a small sweet tooth that was vying for my attention at that particular moment. As I perused the menu inwardly I was cursing myself for having already had a sandwich as there were quite a few items that I fancied. On the more spicier front I was drawn to the panini filled with ‘Chorizo, Jarlsberg & Jalapeno’s but that seemed a little deviant for this kind of establishment, perhaps a ‘Free Range Egg Mayonnaise’ or ‘Cream Cheese & Cucumber’ sandwich would be more appropriate. If I was with company I would love to spend my lunchtime taking my time to enjoy savouring the delights of one of their “Teas for two” served on a tiered cake stand. That would have been my choice from their menu, any Tea plus ‘One sandwich per person from the following options’; “Tuna & Sweet corn, Cream cheese & Cucumber, Egg Mayo, or Ham & Tomato” add to that a couple of ‘Scones with Cornish clotted cream & Raspberry jam’ and then as if you need any more sustenance, they note it is “Finished off with a tasty cake each” Yes that is going to be one epic yet delightful lunch.

In the end, despite myself, I was restrained (but not really I have, lets not forget, already eaten) and so I just opted to partake of a scone with clotted cream and jam, and a small Latte. Perhaps wise, if I am to shake off any suggestion of being a glutton. I have not had one of these for a while and this was just perfect, a really nicely baked light scone, some clotted cream (always good) and nice raspberry jam to pile on top of it all. It was really very nice indeed, I honestly do not eat that many sweet things, but this is one of those special treats that I am happy to drop my savoury guard to enjoy and delight in. Having said that believe me I am coming back though for that “Tea for Two”!

As you may have already realized there are two White Rabbit Tea Houses in Nottingham. The first and original is at 12 Houndsgate in Nottingham. This second and recently opened house, which I visited today, is at 5 Bridlesmiths Walk. You may see their offerings on their website and you can see the latest on their Facebook page. It is well worth visiting!

Wimpy Burger – Classic, Retro, or Dinosaur?

I have strong memories about eating at Wimpy in Nottingham from my childhood, I would like to say that it is nostalgia but I am not sure that I was old enough to really remember properly. What was it that triggered the need to return and try it again? I remembered a ‘massive’ chunky type of sausage that they did, a sort of frankfurter with chunks cut out so that it looked like a truck tyre, and I also recall that the sauce on the quarter pounder with cheese was the best. Even when McDonalds reached Nottingham we all agreed that they could not beat the Wimpy sauce. So in true MyFoodHunt fashion I just had the need to take on the mission to rediscover my youthful Wimpy eating days. Will that be a mistake? well only time (or the length of this blog) will tell.

The picture on the menu was closer to my memory of the ‘Original Quarter-pounder with Cheese’ than the burger that appeared on my plate. The positives were that it still had that sauce that I remembered from my childhood, it was just as good. Now that I have eaten around a bit I can recognize it as something like a thousand island sauce but with something else a little sweeter hidden in there at the background. The bread was still a brown wholemeal bun, which is a good thing. As for the rest of the dish I was back in the darker days of the 1970′s and not the part that we now fondly reproduce and call retro. Not a terrible meal but one that was best left locked in the memory vault of my childhood.

I was really quite sad when my “famous bender sausage” arrived, it looked nothing like as big as I remembered or even as big as that on the menu pictures. Was it the same sausage, was I just really small when I last ate one (could be I was probably about 7yrs old) or is the Wimpy food photographer just really good at their job? I think we all know that it is going to be all three. It was with this dish that nostalgia and reality collided and popped that bubble. I can still remember that Childhood dish, but now I also remember this dish too. I prefer my childhood memory. On the more positive side It tasted fine, in fact it was a bit like one of those all beef hot dog franks that you get in America and it had the same sort of snap to the bite. I would not mind getting a packet of these ‘bender’ sausages to cook up on my own grill for 4th of July.

Wimpy is probably remembered most fondly by those of us who predate the rise of McDonalds to the UK as the ‘American style’ restaurant that we went to as kids. Back then I had no idea that I would ever travel to America to see the real thing so this was as close I thought I would ever get and I believed that this was what it was really like eating over there. When McDonalds and Burger King moved in to plaster the high street with their brands it all changed. When Burger King bought out the Wimpy Chain in the 1980′s they took over most of the Wimpy resturants and those that remain such as this one in Nottingham were just those with table service.

I don’t think that it helped my nostalgia that they brought out a computer game based on the Wimpy Franchise called Mr Wimpy. I had a copy for my Sinclair Spectrum 48K and can remember playing  this around my mates house on a Friday evening after school. That would probably not be allowed these days with the mother coddling ethical advertising standards that abound. It does probably account for that brand ‘branding’ to my brain that clearly had an influence on my return to the scene of those childhood meals.

In some ways I am happy to see that the Wimpy in the Broad Marsh centre has survived all these years, but in other ways I wish that it was no longer so that it could be consigned to my childhood memory and left tucked away in the attic of my mind along with my Beano comics, Action man, and packs of Top Trump cards. Having said all that it is still there, and people are still frequenting it. The food may not be quite as I remember but the table service is still good. On both my visits the manager and waitresses were very friendly and were doing a good job of making everyone welcome.

This Wimpy Branch is on the top floor of the Broadmarsh Centre just at the top of the escalators. There is a take out section as well as the table service area, so you can get a quicker meal if you do not want to sit down. Wimpy fits in quite nicely with its current surroundings, I wonder if it will survive the ever unlikely refurbishment and modernization of the Broadmarsh centre? Well it has survived for this long so maybe it will, time will tell.

Wimpy Burger – Classic, Retro, or Dinosaur? – The Jury has retired…. and is not considering its verdict…case acquitted

Lunch at Deli 8 in West Bridgford

It really does not seem like it but it is 10 years since Deli 8 opened it’s doors in the bustling Nottingham suburb of West Bridgford in 2002. I could not really believe it myself, I often came here for lunch back then when I lived and worked in Nottingham and so I was curious to see if it still lived up to expectations and hoped that it would not ruin my memories. I need not have worried it was a good as ever and well worth the stroll across town.

In past years I always used to get a panini with chorizo, cheese, and jalapeno, and it was that which I was searching for on the chalkboard when I walked in today. In the end I was drawn to a baguette off the ‘Pure Bliss’ menu which comprised of a crusty white bread roll filled with Chorizo, mature cheddar, sweet chili jam, jalapenos. Potentially it could be a spicy affair, but I was game for the challenge.

Despite all the potential chilliness it was not at all overpowering, everything worked and I enjoyed sitting out in the imaginary sunshine munching away on my baguette watching the world go by. The chorizo was sweet and flavourful, the cheese salty and nutty, the chilli jam juicy and tomatoey and the jalaopeno crunchy, sweet and a little tangy. Together with the crunchy yet soft bread roll it was actually a match made in heaven.

Now really this should have been plenty enough to eat for lunch, and it was, but I had to take some small snacks away for tea and supper, so I went back in to get the usual scotch egg and also I was tempted to partake of a small potato pie.

They were both worth getting, I had the scotch egg as a mid-afternoon snack, and the pie for tea with baked beans and a fried egg (comfort food at its best).

Deli 8 is located in West Bridgford Nottingham at 8 Gordon Road. If you want the latest news check them on Twitter and Facebook

Chestnut Meats – “The Goat Meat Specialists” – I am thinking must be time for … “Goat Curry!”

Today we are at home using some of the produce that I purchased at the Bakewell Farmers Market last month. I had bought some Goat Meat from the Chestnut Meats stall which came with a recipe for Goat Curry, so that is what we are having for Sunday Tea. Not your usual Sunday fare but in this house we don’t always stay on message at meal times. Before we talk about that Curry lets just step back to last weekend’s market and the Chestnut Meats stall.

Chestnut Meats is a family business run by the family farmers’ Tim and Marnie Dobson. They are based at the Radmore Green Farm and while they have outdoor reared Welsh pigs and a herd of Belgium Blue and Aberdeen Angus beef animals, they are specialists in meat goats. On their website they have the following mission statement;

“Our mission is to be the best goat retailer in the UK, providing quality, consistency and innovation”.

I found them at the Bakewell Farmers market at the point when I was growing weary of seeing one more good looking pack of sausages after another (by now I had 3 packs in my bag already) and was really hunting for something different. I struck Gold on their stall where I found a pack of goat meat, and not only that, on the back of their leaflet was a recipe for Goat Curry. Well I was sold on that, going all in. Even more so when a very enthusiastic West Indian lady after hearing me talking about making curry started to give me her family recipe. Everyone at these places is just picking up stuff and thinking about eating it, I love it.

Move on a week and it was time to make that curry!

It was going to be a mammoth job taking about 4 hours to cook the goat until it was tender, but before that there was a bit of basic preparation to get done.

The basic set of ingredients was onion, garlic, ginger, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamon, curry powder, chilli powder, and paprika. Add to that the goat meat, water, and a tin of tomatoes and you are looking at being just 4 hours away from a really tasty Goat Curry.

Step 1: Cook the onions, until soft, then mix in the cumin, fenugreek, cinnamon, and cloves, and cook until the onions are browned.

Step 2: Add the Ginger, Garlic, (fry for 30 secs) add Goat Meat and cook gently for 10 minutes.

Step 3: Add the curry powder, paprika, chilli powder, and tomatoes and mix well. Add in 500ml water and leave for to cook slowly at a simmer for 4hrs stirring occasionally mainly through curiosity but I suppose just to help with the magic

Step 4: Eat

This is a very simple curry to make, but it is incredibly tasty and delicious. There are amazing smells emanating from the pot as you cook it. The ginger and garlic aroma releases early on, then the spices combine and fill the room with curry fragrance that makes the mouth water. Consumption of the meal itself was an even better experience, the flavours were quite delightful, rich, tangy, thick, well spiced brown gravy with chunks of soft tender goat that fell apart in the mouth. The curry was reminiscent of some excellent lamb based curries that I have been acquainted with in the past. The substitution of goat meat was just perfection. A great use of an excellent product .

Here is the full recipe on the leaflet

The Hutt Inn at Ravenshead – King John stayed here and I ate here

Today the Nottingham Food Blog welcomes a Guest Post from my long time Food and Beer Hunting companion Martin.

Hopefully the first of many contributions!

This week Marcus (aka myfoodhunt) persuaded me to write up one of my own personal food hunting adventures. In the past I have been one of the ‘companions’ on the MyFoodHunt trips eating and drinking our way through Nottingham. This weekend after another epic Friday night food hunting extravaganza I was taking things a little steadier with my better half as we visited The Hutt near Ravenshead.

The Hutt Inn is located on Nottingham Road near to the main entrance into Newstead Abbey. It has a very pleasant exterior reminiscent of a country house which is not surprising considering it’s History. The Hutt was built in 1400 and was part of the Newstead estate. In later years it was owned by the Byron family from 1540. It has quite a lot of history, apparently King John stayed here when it was first built and it used to be known as the Royal Hutt. These day it is owned by the Chef and Brewer group who also locally run the Wheatsheaf Inn at Burton Joyce, The Travellers Rest on Mapperley Top, and the Ferry Inn in Wilford.

Inside it is a nice space, the staff were very friendly and we were seated straight away. So good start to the meal.

I had the fish and chips from the deals menu. I believe this deal is for Mon – Sat between 12:00 and 5:00.

It only took 10 mins or so to come and I was very impressed with the food, the fish was a good size, the batter was crisp and the fish itself was nice and moist and not dry. There was an ample portion of chips which were slightly too soggy (maybe I’m being a little too picky) and the peas were fresh and crisp. It was accompanied with a little pot of creamy mayo sauce which was a nice additional extra I wasn’t expecting. Very good value at just £4.95

I decided to order the chocolate fudge cake (which included a caramel filling) with thick creamy chocolate sauce, again good service it only took a couple of minutes to come. I had it hot with ice cream, but I could have had it hot or cold with ice cream or with whipped cream. There was also a drizzle of caramel near the ice cream, which was another little unexpected bonus. It was very well presented and was as delicious very tasty and moist.

In addition to the basic menu there were a number of interesting seasonal specials if you fancy something more expensive.

The Hutt is one of a number of pubs within the Chef and Brewer Group. In my opinion it gives good value. The staff were friendly, the service was good and I enjoyed the food. I was very pleased with both the portions and the price, a bargain at just £6.95 for two courses.

Cheers

Martin

Excellent Pulled Pork Sandwich at the Fellows, Morton, and Clayton Pub

Fellows, Morton and Clayton is a Victorian Pub that lies alongside the canal on Canal Street in Nottingham. The name is derived from a partnership of three men who ran a canal transportation company and a fleet of canal boats in England between 1889 and 1947. It started with James Fellows in 1837 transporting goods by canal between London and Birmingham. In 1876 Frederick Morton bought into the company and then in 1888 William Clayton joined into the partnership, the company then being named Fellows, Morton & Clayton Ltd. In 1895, new offices, stables and warehouses were opened in Nottingham on Canal Street and that is the area in which the current public house now operates.

It is what I would describe as a proper pub. It serves good, well kept beers and good wholesome home cooked food. I was perusing their website and was tickled to read the statement’; “Food – The Art of Eating Well.” and the prose “…our food is home cooked by which we mean it is cooked on the premises. We don’t buy it in ready prepared and heat it up in a microwave.” I like to think that is a little dig at all those chain pubs that churn out platefuls of identical basic lazy food. They go even further on the home page to note that “Our chefs cook the food, they are not microwave operators.” I love it.

Anyhow I had not read any of that before I walked in on Friday evening looking for something to eat and drink. Over the last few weeks I had seen various interesting meals listed on their specials chalkboard including items like Hare, Rabbit, Pork Belly, Heart, and Faggots to name just a couple of the less common menu items. So I was hoping for something to tickle my fancy. As it happens I was in for some really good luck, opening the menu I saw that they had a pulled pork sandwich. This is one of those dishes I loved getting my hands on in the States and that I have hardly ever seen any in England so that was without doubt going to be my choice. Another possibility and option on the menu was the ‘default’ club sandwich, the responsibility for removing one of those from the kitchen was taken on by Martin my food hunting companion (purely for quality control purposes), he does good work.

The Pulled Pork sandwich was (as I had hoped) a huge mound of meat piled between two bits of bread. In the USA Pulled Pork is often a barbeque dish slowly cooked (sometimes by smoking) until it is so tender that it just falls apart and can be torn gently into strips of juicy meat. It can also be cooked in a slow cooker or slowly cooked at low heat in the oven. I am not sure which method was used here at the Fellows but whichever it was it had the desired result. There was a tremendous flavor from the meat where the spice rub that had been applied to the meat had infused into the meat itself and into the incredibly well flavored juice covering the meat. The dish came with a smoky BBQ sauce which was also decent and conspired to further elevate the flavor of the sandwich. It also had some really tender and tasty strips of soft onion with it that had been cooked in apple cider. They were really good.

The pulled pork itself though was as I said excellent and well worth every penny of the £7.75 that I paid for it

I was so engrossed in my Pulled Pork sandwich that I almost forgot to pay any attention to the Fellows Club Sandwich that Martin ordered. It was deemed to be a very good rendition, right up there with some of our favorite Club sandwiches in the county. Comparision is generally drawn with the club sandwiches served at the South Bank Bar on Trent Bridge. Not necessarily because they have the best, but because there was a period some years back when we ate one there every Friday Lunchtime for about a year. But I digress.

The FMC Club sandwich had good solid fillings of tender chicken breast and crispy bacon, all held together with the tomato, lettuce and mayo by some well toasted white sliced bread. It was a decent effort at what I thought was a slightly pricy £8.

The only downside to both dishes were the fries which I felt were a bit ordinary and not special enough to match the sandwiches. It would have been good if it had come with the house chips which are apparently (according to the menu) “hand cut by a real person from a real potato in our kitchen“. I saw some on someone else’s plate, who was having a burger, and they looked much better than my fries. If I had known that they could have been an option then I would have asked for a substitution. I would advise you to try and get them, if you can.

Fellows Morton and Clayton is located at 54 Canal Street in Nottingham right next to the canal. It serves good food and good beer, and it is a proper pub with a mixed crowd so expect to find yourself mingling at the bar alongside seasoned real ale drinkers, office workers on their way home, and lads at the start of their evening out warming up for a session. The closest Tram Stop is at Station Street, but you could walk back down from the Old Market Square stop in about 5 minutes as well