A couple of months ago we had a fascinating visit to Kilver Court from two young chefs who have caught the media’s eye, Jonray and Pete Sanchez-Iglesias of Casamia.

They are the youngest chefs ever to achieve a Michelin star and British to boot, although you wouldn’t know it from their surname!

Their parents had created a great Italian family restaurant in Westbury on Trym many years ago, although their father is Spanish by birth.

This was all converted to their current operation that Monty and I visited last weekend. We were absolutely bowled over. Remember the last time we  sat down to a Michelin star meal was in our very own Charlton House. We were awarded our first Michelin star within 9 months  of opening our hotel and restaurant in 1996. We held on to it until 2003 when we felt that we no longer believed in the fine dining ethos as we embraced the much simpler concept of local, seasonal and organic food.  

So I suppose you could say that we sat down with some trepidation to savour or critique what was to be an 11 course tasting menu. The like of which we last put together ourselves with our own chef Elisha Carter, to in turn ourselves be critiqued by Giles Coren, the Sunday Times food critic.

Casa Mia quickly filled with gourmet diners who were clearly there for an expected treat. Our welcome was genuine and calm,  a good sign of quiet confidence. The young waitress, Kate, had a wonderful naivety and charm that was brimming with enthusiasm, she couldn’t speak highly enough of her bosses.

The first selection of appetisers arrived with a fanfare and of course with brother Jonray presenting, warm and enthusiastic as we remembered him.

Now the dishes started to come thick and fast, but light and each dish ever more inventive, presentation always a theatre, Heston watch out, there was something really genuine and sincere with what they attempt to do with seasonality that I suspect is still to fully develop. The   miniature scrambled egg was presented in an egg box, complete with wisps of straw. Every dish was supported with a wine that had been cleverly chosen to bring out the flavours and senses of both dish and wine. The sommelier Andrew just loved his job and with maître’d Matthew and dad , Paco, they made the meal a really memorable occasion. For the last desert courses, already clutching our sides, we headed to the experimental kitchen to join the Brothers for a final few rounds of one piece de resistance after another. Finally the carefully engineered toy size British Trifle arrived, they must have known that was what my Granny had given me as a child!

I have to say we were seriously impressed. To create a great meal of many courses consistently is nearly impossible, to do it with a committed team with charm and belief front of house as well as back is tough, to do all that with enthusiasm, passion and absolute brilliance is unique. We had spent 6 hours with the boys, by the time we left at 1.30 a.m. , a life  we would never have dreamed of going back to , but we had also made friends for lfe and rediscovered our taste buds.

5 stars from me and we will be back.

 Mini Scrambled Eggs

 Trifle

 Breast of chicken

Forget the mad boxing day sales – here at Kilver Court we like to do things a little differently. With up to 75% off our brands at the Emporium, you can expect big discounts, but in a much more relaxed setting. Our lovely staff will be on hand to help you find that special post-Christmas treat, whether it is a soft cashmere cardigan, a sparkly Isabella Oliver dress (New Year’s Eve parties are calling!) or some relaxed Sunspel loungewear.

Then unwind in our Harlequin Café with a mug of hot chocolate and a cake… perfect.

We sent Stew, our talented visual merchandiser, off on a mission to find the best deals.

It is that time of the year again; the mad rush to buy the last few Christmas gifts for friends and family is well under way. But whilst millions flock to overcrowded shopping centres, a much more peaceful shopping experience can be found at independent outlets like our very own Kilver Court.

We have made a special effort to provide unusual, well priced gift ideas for everyone you could possibly think of: quality clothing, delicious organic food, tasteful homewares, beautiful perfume and unusual furniture are just some of the things you can find in our Emporium and Farm Shop here in Somerset.

Here is a selection of our top picks, as nominated by our staff!

Bottletop bags, purses, clutches and belts: ranging from £35 to around £150

Cabbages and Roses: Scented Candles £20, Flax Notebooks £6.95

  
Crumpet Cashmere: 60% off

Discounted clothing and homewares from Aubin & Wills

Pedlars: Gloves – was £18.95, now £5.50 and Scarf – Was £36.95, now £9.95

Rotary Watches: Ranging from £56 to £276.50 (30% off original prices)

Miller Harris Eau Parfumée: Was £90, now £45

Vintage Clothing at No. 21 

Sharpham Park Spelt Products

Orla Kiely Bone China Mugs: £5.50

We are delighted to have Hawick, one of the finest cashmere producers in Scotland, join us at Kilver Court. This is the cashmere company that all the top designer brands choose to make their own designs, and one that I have known for over 30 years. There is something very special about the fine cashmere garments the company produces, often with several generations of one family having worked at their nineteenth century mill in the town of Hawick.

The cashmere used in Hawick pieces is especially selected for its exceptional softness, with each fibre being no wider than 16.5 microns. After being hand combed from the undercoat of the Hyrcus goat, the fibres are separated using a method developed by the Scottish manufacturer Joseph Dawson, a process that helped to create Scotland’s reputation as the leading producer of luxury cashmere.

Emporium Prices:

Top Right: MAE was £295 now £147.
Top Left: TIPTON Was £250 now £125
Below Right: MOIRA Was £260 now £130

Was £275, now £137

A Hawick cashmere jumper would make an extra special Christmas present for a loved one, (me please, Monty!). Luxury cashmere is made to last a life time; it’s what I choose time and again. We now have both mens and womens knitwear in stock, all at 50% of the original price. We also have some amazing value cashmere scarves at £37.50 (originally £75).

SOS Africa is a charity set up by a gap year student from Shepton Mallet which aims to support education for underprivileged children in Africa. As a part of their SOS Africa School Bus Appeal, they are holding an exciting fundraising event at Kilver Court this weekend (10-11th December).

12 daredevil teams from the local area (including some of our Emporium and Café staff),  will take it in turns to abseil down the side of our viaduct over the course of the weekend. 

The SOS Africa School Bus Appeal has an overall target of raising £10,000 in order to afford a school bus that can be used to transport their growing number of pupils to and from school safely. You can follow their progress and make donations on their ‘Just Giving’ page – every penny counts!

It would be great to see members of the public turn out to support the event, which starts at 9am and ends at 4pm on both Saturday and Sunday.

 

 

We are very proud to welcome design label Drèsd to our growing selection of upcycled furniture and homewares at Kilver Court. The brand will sit comfortably amongst our existing brands, Robert Mills, Saul’s Design, Ed Brookes and No21, all offering an exciting range of eco-conscious recycled and upcycled goods.

We found Drèsd through Cameron, our son, who created the charity Bottletop. Drèsd had created the most amazing chandelier out of bottletops for auction at a great modern art gala dinner that Cameron put on to raise money for his charity.  

Lynn MacFarlane founded Drèsd in order to make a stand against the growing wastefulness of our society, by using waste products to create unique and innovative homeware designs. Her philosophy permeates through everything she does – as well as designing furniture for sale and for hire, she invests her time in teaching children about the environment through art workshops at The Art Factory in Essex.

Every item Drèsd produces is unique and bespoke, and produced in-house. We are lucky enough to have several of their pieces in stock at Kilver Court. They would make great unique Christmas presents for family and friends.

Knitted chair £995
Egg Box Mirrors £85 - £165
Plastic Bottle Lampshade £175 - £225
Flattened Glass Bottles £7.95 - £12.50

Jerusalem Artichokes are just coming into season at the moment. This inexpensive yet delicious vegetable has a sweet, nutty flavour, and lends itself perfectly to soup making. Contrary to what its name suggests, the Jerusalem Artichoke originates from North America, and is famed for its vitamin C, phosphorus, potassium and iron content.

I thought I’d share one of my favourite winter recipes, ‘Jerusalem Artichoke Soup’. It just wouldn’t be the same without chopped walnuts, which give the artichokes an added luxurious kick.

Ingredients

3 knobs of butter
3 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
750g Jerusalem artichokes
A generous handful of thyme leaves
1.1l of stock, vegetable or chicken
155g crème fraiche
350ml milk
Salt and pepper
200g walnuts, roasted for approx 10mins in an oven at 200c, so the skins rub off easily

Instructions

1) In a large pan melt the butter and gently fry the onion and garlic for 5-10 minutes.

2) Add the chopped artichokes and thyme and cook over a gentle heat for another 10 minutes.

3) Add the stock, 2/3rds of the walnuts and bring to the boil. Simmer for approx 30 minutes until the artichokes are tender.

4) Remove the soup from the heat, allow to cool, then liquidize.

5) Add the crème fraiche and milk, and season to taste. Reheat gently being careful not to boil.

6) Serve with remainder of the walnuts chopped up on top and garnished with a sprig of thyme and a swirl of cream.

I do hope you enjoy it!

Channel 4’s Live Drop Down Menu visited us at Sharpham Park last month on the wettest day of the year, to film our White Park Cattle, a breed that has been around in England for over 500 years.

At Sharpham Park, organic farming forms the basis of everything we do, and our White Park Cattle is no exception. Our farm operates on a mixed economy organic basis, meaning our spelt is used to feed the cattle (and in turn, they help to fertilise the earth that the spelt is grown from!). This gives the meat a real gamey taste, with a fantastic marbling effect through the fat.

Freddie joined Gizzie Erskine (a fan of our pearled spelt!), Matt Tebbutt, Ben Tish and Nadia Sawalha in the studio last Wednesday to film our White Cattle beef being turned into a delicious dish by chef Adam Byatt, who cooked ‘Shank of Beef with Horseradish Mash,’ as voted for by the enthusiastic audience.

The recipe included a rich braise, consisting of red wine, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, bay leaves, beef stock and black pepper, as well as vichy carrots and velvet-smooth horseradish mash, which was all quickly gobbled up by the guests. If you missed the show on Wednesday, you can catch up on 4oD here.

I’m delighted to announce the opening of our new AUBIN  & WILLS outlet.

AUBIN & WILLS, the ‘sophisticated sibling of cult label Jack Wills’, was launched in 2008. Jack Wills is one of the great latter day British fashion success stories. The company lives by its motto ‘inspired by the past, living in the present’, which translates into unique items of clothing that expertly combine British heritage style and sophisticated modern design.

I first met Pete Williams, the founder of both brands, back in the summer as we were shopfitting the Designer Emporium at Kilver Court. He instantly understood what we were trying to do and said, 'I want to bring Aubin here!'. The industrial design of our 19th century textile mills and the whole regeneration theme perfectly fitted with the ethos of the brand.

Some four months later, and with a really great team, we are now open. Interestingly, the face of this Winter’s Aubin & Wills campaign is Alex James (Blur musician), who also happens to be an organic cheese farmer - so fashion, food and music are never far away. Another fascinating link is that Aubin have used Fox Brothers, a wonderful old textile mill in Somerset that we used to use at Mulberry for our Covert cloth for coats, for their own Winter campaign. Our Somerset neighbour Deborah Meaden (of Dragon’s Den fame) has recently invested in this beautiful mill.

At Kilver Court, Aubin & Wills are offering both womenswear and menswear at discounted prices. With beautifully merchandised displays and knowledgeable handpicked sales staff, you can expect a very pleasurable shopping experience.

Our second Grand Designer Sale took place last weekend, seeing large numbers flood through the gates at Kilver Court to pick up some designer bargains in time for Christmas. With discounts of up to 80%, delighted shoppers left our sales marquee with bags filled with beautiful clothing, accessories and homewares.

We were very excited to have several new brands joining us over the weekend, including Joseph, Edit Blue, Crumpet cashmere, Hartford, Rotary Watches, Ilse Jacobsen and Les Prairies de Paris. We also welcomed back our best sellers from the summer sale, including Isabella Oliver, Duchamp and Pedlars, as well as the ever popular Toast which once again occupied the Jardine’s Ballroom.

We made an appearance in HELLO! Magazine’s Haute Cuisine supplement last week, with a 14-page-spread about setting up our farm, producing spelt, and our farm shop at Kilver Court, alongside some delicious recipes kindly provided by Monty and Freddie.

We bought Sharpham Park back in 2004 when it came on the market for the first time in 100 years. When deciding what to do with our 300 acre acquisition, I discovered spelt, which is an ancient alternative to wheat. Easier to digest than wheat, spelt is a very versatile ingredient. Over the years we have released a range of spelt products, including pasta, cakes, biscuits, ‘speltotto’ and breakfast granola.

The recipes in the feature make good use of some our home grown ingredients, including spelt, with ‘Fougasse Bread’ and ‘Sharpham Park Walnut Pesto’ provided by Freddie, and ‘Autumn Fruit Spelt Grumbles’, ‘Campanelle Pasta with Walnut Pesto’ and ‘Beetroot Speltotto with Goat’s Cheese and Spinach’ provided by Monty.

Back in September, Monty and I welcomed chef Yotam Ottolenghi to our family home in Somerset to film a piece for the BBC 2 series ‘The Great British Food Revival’. We showed him around our walnut orchards, discussing the future of Britain’s walnut industry and the reasons behind our choice to grow this famous British nut.

We decided to start growing walnuts at Sharpham Park after studying old maps of our estate, dating as far back as the 1500s. It all started to fit the picture when we found walnuts, scallop shells and chicken bones neatly stashed in a 15th century wall, where a hard working mink had carefully disposed of the remains of his lunch and plastered them into the wall as he built it!

Although the majority of our 300 trees are of French origin, we have a growing number of British trees, helped along by our resident squirrels. Sadly at present, a large proportion of Britain’s walnuts are actually imported from abroad, despite the fact that our increasingly warm climate lends itself perfectly to walnut growing. Over time, we hope to be able to compete with the Chinese and Californian imports to help put fresh and local produce back on the plates of Britain.

Describing fresh walnuts as a ‘party in the mouth’, Ottolenghi took a sample from the farm and turned them into a delicious chicken dish, ‘Miso Chicken with Grapes and Walnuts’. This, alongside various other recipes for walnuts, cobnuts and cherries can be seen on the programme.

My son Freddie's amazing walnut pesto, which we served with our spelt pasta, sadly ended up on the cutting room floor, but you can see it in our next blog - it was recently featured in Hello! Magazine.

If you missed the programme, you can find it on BBC iPlayer.