To celebrate their nationwide launch,
Farmison.com held a very special lunch at
Koffmann's restaurant in Knightsbridge, and as Jules from
the Butcher the Baker couldn't go, I went in her place. It was an amazing lunch, the food was awesome and I am now a definite fan of a new online food delivery site!
What is Farmison.com?In short,
Farmison.com - 'farm produce is on-line' - is an internet shopping site for food lovers, where small producers with excellent food to sell (but little or no expertise in marketing and internet retailing) can do business with consumers looking for a convenient, but delicious, alternative to supermarket shopping.
In long,
Farmison.com is the brainchild of John Pallagi and Lee Simmonds, two old friends and colleagues who share a passion for really good food. They set up Farmison.com following a fiasco with an order for some speciality meat from a supermarket Christmas brochure.
Farmison.com, backed by former ASDA chief executive Andy Bond, delivers the finest British produce directly from farmers who traditionally supply our great British chefs and award winning restaurants. They offer one of the largest ranges of exquisite seasonal ingredients from traditional farmers, growers and artisan producers across the British Isles - a wealth of delicious produce available in one simple delivery from the online butcher, greengrocer, cheesemonger and traditional pantry. It will represent over 75 of the best independent British suppliers including 31 butchery farms offering 23 different breeds, over 30 fruit and vegetable growers and exclusive access to over 50 British farmhouse cheeses, more than 60% of which are not available anywhere else online.
The greengrocer boxes can be ordered with or without dairy products
Some of the cheeses on offer - they even have 'pregnancy friendly' cheese!
Ingredients used in top restaurants, including Heston Blumenthal's
Fat Duck, the
Yorke Arms,
Northcote Manor and Raymond Blanc's
Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, are now available from Farmison.com, meaning ordinary food enthusiasts like you and I can try the produce in our own homes.
At the lunch, we were served a five course tasting menu using Farmison.com ingredients. The menu was specially created by Pierre Koffmann and Jeff Baker and was hosted by Brian Turner.Table set in Koffmann's private dining room
We started with some little fishy nibbles
Feather light brioche rolls
Cheese with English leeks
Strathdon blue cheese from I J Mellis Cheesemonger
English leeks grown by Davis Townsley, Marsh View Farm, Preston
Roast Pork with Salad, Cobnut Dressing & Quince
Rare Breed Middle White Pork from Huntsham Farm
Salad leaves grown by Alison Dodds nr Thirsk
The pork was melt in the mouth tender, with exquisite crackling. I had not had quince before, but it went perfectly with the pork.
Lamb Cannon with Puy Lentils & Creamed Celeriac
Simon Glyn Riley's Isle of Man Rare Breed Manx Laughton from Lorne House Farm
Celeriac grown by Jack Bucks
The lamb was cooked to perfection, the lentils and creamed celeriac adding a little something extra to the dish.
Braised Beef Cheeks with Red Kale & Desirée Mash
Native Breed Belted Galloway from Frank Carr's Lee Gate Farm in Yorkshire
Red Kale from Molyneux Farm in Lancashire
I was a little nervous of the beef cheeks as beef is something I have avoided for many years. I was thinking that if there was ever a time and a place to try the best beef cooked by a renowned chef, then this would be it... and it was! It was sublime. The teeny onions added a delicate sweetness and I could have licked the plate clean!
British Artisan Cheese BoardAll cheese from I J Mellis CheesemongerOrganic Whole Finn - Dorstone HerefordshireBlue Rind Goats Cheese Golden Cross - Lewes East SussexBlarliath Mild Cheddar - Tain RosshireDunsyre Blue - Carnwath LanarkshireStag Water Biscuits - Stornaway Isle of LewisTraditional Spanish QuinceOrmskirk White CeleryMuscat Grapes - France Having a vegetarian son and a non-meat eating husband means we regularly eat our weight in cheese. I'm always on the look-out for interesting cheeses to cook with or to serve after dinner and can honestly say that the cheese selection I tried at the lunch was fabulous.
My plate of delicious cheeses
Crisp Stag Water Biscuits
Fonseca unfiltered, LBV Port 2005 to go with the cheese
If you love quality and want to know where your food comes from, take a look a the
Farmison.com website. The greengrocer boxes are quite comparable in price to other vegetable box delivery services, and although the meat is more expensive, you can be sure it is of the highest quality and traceable back to the farm - and you're also helping to keep the small suppliers in business. The farmers are passionate and committed to providing only the best produce. If you run a supperclub or want something different for a special occasion, birthday or Christmas, give Farmison.com a try - delivery is free on orders over £50.
I would like to say a big thank you to Jules from
the Butcher the Baker, who kindly recommended me to the
PR team, and to the
Farmison.com team for putting on such a fabulous lunch.
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