Macknade Fine Foods

Stefano Cuomo and the staff at Macknade Fine Foods are once again celebrating after their stores based on the Selling Road in Faversham and in West Street Faversham were awarded the Best Independent Retailer Award of 2013 at the Kent Life and Kent On Sunday awards held in Bearsted last week and which recognises outstanding contributions to food and drink from around the region.

 “These awards give positive profile to all the great work that is done within our store and just to be shortlisted was a great accolade – to win the award is a testament to the hard work and dedication that all the staff Macknade Fine Food  puts in to support the business and is an extremely valuable message for our valued customer base

"We are proud of our years as a family food retailing experience here in Kent and that we are able to give good provenance to all of our products. This is a great achievement for our team. An increasing number of shoppers today are looking for brands that are traceable and it is very important to us that we are able to provide a strong provenance story with our brand. We are honoured to win this prestigious award.”

However amongst all their awards, Macknade Fine Foods have always kept their feet firmly on the ground, “Whilst the accolades are more than welcome and it’s nice to get recognition, it’s what we do locally that we are most proud of,” explains Stefano “We are a generational business with over 35 years history in the area and we are proud to serve the local community with a service that our customers constantly rate as outstanding. It is important to us that these awards are voted for by the readers of Kent Life and Kent on Sunday as this shows us that it is a true reflection of how our strong client base feels that we are performing”.

Ingredients: 225g cold butter , diced  350g plain flour  100g golden caster sugar  280g mincemeat  1 small egg , beaten  icing sugar , to dust

Cheese Tasting on Saturday 23rd November 2013 in Macknade Fine Foods Flagship Store Selling Road.

  The Barber family have been making cheddar since 1833, which makes them the oldest cheese making family in England and one of the oldest cheddar producers in the World!

  Barber’s 1833 Farmhouse Cheddar is made 13 miles from the village of Cheddar itself and protected under the PDO certification.

  Our flavor profile:

2 YEAR VINTAGE RESERVE

A creamy cheese with a distinct bite and smooth finish.

  The Barber family are the sole guardians of the last traditional pint starter culture. This pint starter culture comes from the local area in the south west of England, meaning you have a cheddar that is made in the home of cheddar with a culture that has been developed in the local area, it does not get more original than that! The attention to detail is the secret that drives the Barber family to make the best cheese; and is unrivaled by any other producer in the world. With this attention to detail and the use of the traditional pint starter cultures you will not find any unsavory ‘farmy’ flavours and the complexity of structure and taste is the best there is.

As well as cheese makers the Barber family are also farmers, looking after 2000 cows over 2500 acres producing milk for the dairy.

  You will not find a better more authentic cheddar anywhere in the world.

Macknade Fine Foods is supporting small business Saturday on 7th December  2013

In November seasonal food is awash with veg that love a nip of frost, especially celeriac and kale, chestnuts, cranberries, Jerusalem artichoke and quince.  Pears are a treat just now ... Kale and Pecorino pesto recipe Our Pecorino Romano is ideal for this recipe. It is a black label unpasturised sheep's cheese from the area surrounding Rome, rich in flavour with a fantastic salt edge .. a sample can be supplied to you on request

This delicious pesto recipe is quick to make and packed with vital winter nutrients. The garlic helps reduce the bitterness of the kale and the pine nuts add a sweet, nutty flavour.

  Ingredients

100g curly or Russian kale

2 tbsp olive oil

3 garlic cloves, crushed

100g pine nuts

100g mascarpone

100g Pecorino, grated

½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Method

1. Wash the kale well, remove any tough stems and roughly chop. Heat the oil in a pan and gently sauté the garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add the kale to the pan. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes or until it starts to wilt.

2. Put the pine nuts in a food processor or blender and blitz until smooth. Add the mascarpone, Pecorino and nutmeg. Blitz again. Add the kale and garlic mixture. Process until smooth. Season well.

3. Serve the pesto tossed into hot, fresh pasta or spread onto thick, toasted slices of sourdough bread.

Nutritional info

Something a little more exotic .. Spanish Persimmon (other names Kaki, Sharon fruit .. ) now coming in. Handsome and firm when unripe but too astringent to eat. Allow then to ripen and the flesh becomes unctuous and rich .. visually stunning and a mouth filling flavour and texture  

 Persimmon White Chocolate Bread Pudding

1 1/2 cups fresh Fuyu persimmon pree, or 3 Fuyu persimmons, peeled, seeded and mashed

Zest of 1 lemon, Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 cup sugar, plus more, for baking dish

Unsalted butter, for baking dish

10 slices (about 1 1/2 pounds) 1 1/2-inch-thick day-old or toasted brioche, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

6 ounces white chocolate coarsely chopped or chips

2 cups milk, 3 large eggs

Local brussel stalks are lovely…match them with Weald Smokery Smoked Bacon or some of Ilario Anzuini's Pancetta he sends us monthly from Florence.

Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts & Pancetta Instructions : Cook the sprouts in a large pan of boiling water until just tender. While the sprouts are cooking heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook Ilario Anzuini's Pancetta until golden in places. Add the chestnuts and cook for 2 minutes, stirring throughout. Add the drained sprouts and lemon zest. Continue to cook for a further 2 minutes stirring well to mix. Season to taste and serve. Ingredients :

700g brussels sprouts , trimmed and cut with a cross cut in the base

1 tbsp olive oil

1 lemons , finely grated zest

70g pancetta , chopped

We are proud of our Gourmet Hampers available off the shelf now at Macknade Fine Foods stores