Ascott Newsletter - March 2013

March Email Newsletter

Spring has sprung!! Was that some sunshine we saw last week?! With the nights getting lighter and a little sunshine on the horizon, there are more daylight hours for us all to keep busy. We have had an extremely busy time at Ascott HQ and our dispatch team have been up to their eyes in new orders and an influx of new customer enquiries. From Cornwall to Scotland and even Finland and New Zealand, the word is out – Ascott is the place to go! There are yet more NEW products for you to look at on our website. For those of you thinking about putting your stock out in the fields we have a NEW three reel electric fence kit, ideal for keeping in your cattle or sheep; also a 5kg Crystalyx smallholder block to compliment and balance forage and grazing. There are lots of new Hotline Fencingproducts to look at with some great offers too. The first signs of spring in the garden promises some British garden greens. Keep a look out for purple sprouting broccoli, spring onions, baby leeks and spinach. This month we have included a recipe for leek, goat’s cheese and bacon risotto. It’s easy to make and will please everyone and don't forget to keep sending in your favourite family recipes toinfo@ascott.biz.co.uk with the chance to win a Delux Cheesemaking Kit!   New for this Month

Recipe of the Month Leek Risotto You will need: 1 tbsp olive oil 2 leeks, finely sliced 2 celery sticks, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 6 rashers streaky bacon, chopped Small handful fresh thyme leaves or lemon thyme leaves 350g risotto rice 200ml white wine 800ml chicken stock, hot 25g butter 50g Parmesan, grated 100g goat’s cheese, crumbled 1. Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan over a medium heat. Add the leek and fry until slightly soft. Remove and set aside. Add the celery, garlic and half the bacon, and fry for 5 minutes. 2. Return the leek to the pan (keeping back a spoonful). Add the thyme and rice and stir for 1-2 minutes. 3. Turn up the heat, add the wine and bubble for a few minutes to cook off the alcohol. Add the stock, a ladleful at a time, waiting until each one is absorbed before adding the next. 4. Meanwhile, fry the remaining bacon until crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and set aside. Take the risotto off the heat and stir in the butter, parmesan and half the goat’s cheese. 5. To serve, divide among 4 plates and top with the reserved leeks, remaining goat’s cheese and bacon.   Ask the Experts Chickens tend to jump rather than fly. They can jump about 4 feet high and will use something to stand on if necessary. The thing to remember though is that if your chicken can jump out a fox will be able to jump in! By clipping a chicken’s wing you will be controlling their flight. Clipping a wing causes the bird to lose the balance needed during flight but this will only last until new feathers have grown back during the next moult and they will then have to be re clipped. Wing clipping will not harm the chicken and you will only need to clip one wing. I would suggest that your fence is about 6 feet high and this should stop them getting out.

Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Pinterest Forward to a Friend   If you do not wish to receive ASCOTT emails and newsletters and want to be taken off our email mailing list, then please use this unsubscribe link to remove you from this list. This email has been sent to you from Ascott Smallholding Supplies Limited, Telephone 01666 826931. Registered Office: Units 21/22, Whitewalls, Easton Grey, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, SN16 0RD. Registered in England & Wales No. 4505585 Opening times are Mon – Fri 9am to 5pm. Find out how we protect your personal data by viewing our privacy and security policy. It is our commitment to you in providing a safe and secure online shopping environment. To contact us with any questions, please visit our About Us page. Copyright © 2013 Ascott Smallholding Supplies. All rights reserved. Our mailing address is:  Ascott Smallholding Supplies Unit 21 Whitewalls Easton Grey Malmesbury, Wiltshire SN16 9 United Kingdom Add us to your address book

Ascott September Newsletter

Welcome to our September Newsletter September 2012 Don't forget our 8 special offers for September... Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Autumn is now upon us and most of the harvest here in the West Country is just about finished. Everyone should be busy making jam and chutney; and if you are lucky this year there are a few apples to be harvested to be made into juice and cider. As you know we had a stand at the Frome Agricultural and Cheese Show this month (see picture below). We had a lovely day meeting some regular customers and some new ones too. Thank you to all those customers who supported us on the day. If you have never been to the show it’s definitely worth a visit next year. At the end of this month we will be travelling to Scotland for the NEW Scottish Smallholders and Growers Show. This is being held at Forfar Market in Angus on Sunday 30th September. We have lots of customers in Scotland and the Highlands and very much look forward to meeting some of them. This month we are including an easy recipe for Ricotta Cheese, perfect to have with some of the chutney you are hopefully making! Kind Regards Mark and Kate How to make simple Ricotta Cheese You will need: 3 ltrs milk 150ml lemon juice 115ml ricotta basket mould Muslin square (For best results use unhomogenised milk. If you can’t find any just add 375ml of double cream to 2.265ltrs of skimmed milk. This will give you the 3ltrs of milk required for this recipe). Place the milk into a large pan and put over a medium heat.  Using a digital thermometer increase the heat of the milk to 90 degrees centigrade and then remove from the heat. Add the lemon juice and stir gently as the curds form and leave them to sit in their whey for 30 minutes. Ladle the curds into a colander lined with muslin and leave to drain for 2 – 3 hours.  Transfer the drained curds, still in the muslin, to a basket mould and leave to set for another 4 hours. This cheese will last for up to 3 days if kept in an air tight container in the fridge.   New Products Fruit Press Kit with 4lt Press Everything you need to make apple juice or cider Kit Includes 1 X 4lt Spindle fruit Press 1 X 4lt Press Filter Bag 1 X Real Cider Making Book 1 X Cider Yeast 5g 1 X Campden Tablets (x100) 6 X 2.5lt Plastic Containers Click here for more.... Fruit Press Kit with 6lt Press Everything you need to make apple juice or cider Kit Includes 1 X 6lt Spindle fruit Press 1 X 6lt Press Filter Bag 1 X Pulp Master 1 X Real Cider Making Book 1 X Cider Yeast 5g 1 X Campden Tablets (x100) 12 X 2.5lt Plastic Containers Click here for more.... Fruit Press Kit with 12lt Press Everything you need to make apple juice or cider Kit Includes 1 X 12lt Spindle fruit Press 1 X 12lt Press Filter Bag 1 X Pulp Master 1 X Real Cider Making Book 1 X Cider Yeast 5g 1 X Campden Tablets (x100) 12 X 2.5lt Plastic Containers Click here for more.... Stock Clearance Sale

Ascott - August Newsletter

Welcome to our August Newsletter August 2012 Don't forget our 8 special offers for August... Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Dear carlie Vegetables and soft fruit, autumn raspberries, tomatoes should now be in plentiful supply, all be it that they could all do with some sunshine (including ourselves). Now is the time to start to enjoy this harvest by cooking, eating and storing the fruits of your labour. If you are lucky to have a glut, then it’s great to make them into pies/jams and preserves. Difficult conditions early in the year may have led to a reduced crop of apples and pears but there should still be fruit to pick over the next month. Ascotts have introduced lots of new lines to help with your harvest, New ranges of bottles, New smaller pack sizes of all the different types of jam jars, New apple press kits, New harvesting equipment. Have a look at our Autumn Offer Sheet for some great offers. We have also included in this month’s email a great autumn recipe and some monthly hints and tips. These will also be included on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Please feel free to let us know what you think or if you would like to contribute a recipe for our monthly newsletter. Ascotts are out and about again. We will be exhibiting at the Frome Agricultural & Cheese Show on Saturday the 8th September Hope to see you there Many Thanks Mark and Kate Hints & Tips When storing apples, pick the fruit from the tree, wrap each apple in a piece of newspaper, place in a wooden box in a well-ventilated shed, Check regularly and remove any that go soft. It is possible to store apples for a couple of months. Don’t forget to give your chickens a little extra boost Late summer is the time when your chickens will began to moult Poultry zest, Poultry Spice and chicken lickin intervets are ideal for this purpose. Bramble jelly Blackberries make a great clear jelly. You do have to wait patiently while the juice strains from the berries. Great on buttered toast or pancakes and wonderful in puddings or on ice-cream You will need: At least 1kg blackberries, washed Granulated sugar Put the berries in a large, heavy pan, along with just enough water to get the juices running (a couple of centimetres in the base of the pan). Bring to the boil and simmer, stirring occasionally and crushing the fruit against the side of the pan, until the berries are collapsed and have given up all their juice. Transfer to a jelly bag suspended over a bowl . Leave the juice to drain through overnight. If you want a crystal-clear jelly, let the juices drip of their own accord. However, if you want to maximise the yield, give the bag a bit of a squeeze to get out the last drops of juice. Your jelly will cloud a little but will taste none the worse. Measure the juice, then transfer to a clean pan along with 750g sugar for every litre of juice. Stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved, then boil, skimming if necessary, until you reach the setting point for jelly - this can be measured at 105C on a sugar thermometer. As soon as setting point is reached, remove the pan from the heat and pour the jelly into warm, sterilised jars. Cover with a disc of waxed paper, then with a lid. Leave for a few weeks to mature before eating. The jelly should keep for up to a year. Many Thanks to Nuts Catering for this recipe New Products 6oz Round Jars Small glass jar with straight shoulders, supplied complete with lid. Ideal for jams, lemon curd, and speciality pickles etc. 60 x 60 mm high Click here for more.... 2lt Cider Jars Traditional Cider Jar with swing stopper 2lt capicity Swing Gallone Ideal for Cider nad fruit juice etc Click here for more.... 12lt fruit press kit Everything you need to make apple juice or cider Kit Includes 1 X 12lt Spindle fruit Press 1 X 12lt Press Filter Bag 1 X Pulp Master 1 X Real Cider Making Book 1 X Cider Yeast 5g 1 X Campden Tablets (x100) 12 X 2.5lt Plastic Containers Click here for more.... Stock Clearance Sale Call us today 0845 130 6285 Email us sales@ascott.biz Ascott Smallholding Supplies Ltd | Units 21/22 | Whitewalls | Easton Grey | Malmesbury | Wiltshire | SN16 0RD Opening Times 9am-5pm Monday to Friday