A Week on the Estate: Organic, Arable & Local with Abbie

“Each volunteer received seven types of pulse or grain in 500g packs: whole wrinkled peas, malted wheat flakes, rolled oats, Flanders wheat, rye flour, rye flakes and wholemeal wheat flour. The trial isn’t quite over but we’ve already had lots of interesting feedback and some useful recipes.

“Rolled oats were a favourite with nearly everyone, as were both varieties of flour. The oats were good for a nice, creamy porridge, and lots of people made flapjacks too, some adding rye flakes for extra taste and texture.

“Flanders wheat can be milled at home if you’re a keen cook. It can also make a tasty thickening agent for soups and stews instead of plain flour or rice. In my kitchen, I’ve used oats for porridge and flapjacks and I’ll be trying the peas in soup.

“The dried peas went into lots of casseroles. They need a good, long soak, but that’s not a problem if you’re making a hearty stew, particularly in a slow cooker. Apparently, Flanders wheat and whole wrinkled peas make a delicious dumpling.

“Ultimately, we want local people to be able to eat what we grow. Consumers care about how their food is grown, and they’re particularly keen on supporting local farmers and minimising food miles. The next stage is to put this initiative on a commercial footing.

“Our readers should watch this space for more good news. Hopefully we’ll be sharing our arable produce directly with them in the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, read on to see what the South Ormsby Estate team did with their seven bags of goodness!”

First out of the traps was Estate Photographer Damian Furlong. He set the family up for the day with wholesome, nutty and warming porridge made with rolled oats, malted wheat flakes and rye flakes. He followed this up in the evening with a hearty beef stew complete with recipe and tasting notes. He used Lincoln Red stewing steak, halved shallots, carrots, parsnips, beef stock, garlic, a hot pepper, garam masala and a bit of dried basil. He added soaked, wrinkled whole peas and Flanders wheat. He may have gone overboard with the wheat (and forgot to make dumplings) but it added a texture which complemented the beef. All in all, Damian reports that both dishes were perfect for the time of year.

Next, Housekeeper Jacqui Rhodes didn’t hold back and created all sorts of tasty treats for anyone passing by her kitchen to enjoy. The wholemeal wheat flour went into some very popular cheese scones, chocolate chip cookies, and rye flake and walnut cookies. The wrinkly whole peas made a lovely masala with ingredients from the kitchen garden including potatoes, onions and tomatoes.

Last but never least, Estate Manager Paul Barnes enjoyed rolled oats in his breakfast porridge, and malted wheat flakes in his home-made, home-grown strawberry crumble (with ice-cream courtesy of Aldi!).

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