YOUR GUIDE TO FOOD & DRINK IN AND AROUND OLNEY EAT in O L N E Y ISSUE 2 SUMMER 2019

4 Pillars t a n d o o r i r e s t a u r a n t OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK tel: 01234 714083/ 711563 email: [email protected] www.4pillarsrestaurant.co.uk 60 High Street, Olney, MK46 4BE Mon-Thurs 5:30pm–11:30pm Friday 5:30pm–Midnight Saturday 12:00pm–2:00pm 6:00pm–Midnight Sunday 12:00pm–2:00pm 6:00pm–11:30pm Fine flavours from the Indian sub-continent Come and enjoy the experience of our amazing restaurant! We offer a selection of finest Indian cuisine, with a range of dishes that capture the most authentic and tantalising flavours and aromas. Specially ground spices from the Indian sub-continent are combined with the freshest ingredients, ensuring both traditional taste and exquisite flavours. Let us make your visit an experience to remember

WELCOME to the second issue of ‘Eat in Olney’, your handy guide to all things ‘foodie’ in Olney and the surrounding villages. With a wide range of eateries, from pubs and restaurants to coffee shops and take-aways, the town really does offer something to satisfy every taste. And if eating at home is more your bag (and let’s face it, most of us couldn’t eat out EVERY night, even if we wanted to – although I’d happily give it a go!), there is a growing selection of fresh food shops. That’s not to mention the weekly Thursday market, the first-Sunday-in-themonth Farmers’ Market and the occasional speciality markets (think Italian, French etc). Plus, there is a whole cottage industry springing up of specialists in everything from cooking with herbs, healthy eating and even introducing solids for babies! Of course, the town is internationally known for one particular food – the pancake! But did you know that the Olney Pancake Race dates back more nearly 600 years? Read all about it on pages 8-9. We also look at another town tradition, the Cherry Fair, which even predates the Pancake Race and takes place this month. See page 6. A newer tradition-in-the-making is the annual Big Olney Food Festival, a giant ‘street party’ held on the Market Place each September, with food, drink and entertainment for all ages. Don’t miss it – and if you fancy helping, the organisers are always looking for willing volunteers. Details are on pages 18-19. Finally, we’d like to thank the businesses in and around the town for all their support; we hope the townspeople of Olney will in turn continue to support their local eateries and other food suppliers. Happy eating! Welcome to Eat in Olney EAT in O L N E Y OLNEY PANCAKE RACE 8-9 Contents CONTACT US Eat in Olney is published by Pickwick Swales Ltd, 6 The Rickyard, Clifton Reynes, Olney, Buckinghamshire MK46 5LQ. Tel: 01234 714644 email: [email protected] www.eatinolney.co.uk Follow us on Facebook BIG OLNEY FOOD FESTIVAL 18 AFEAST OF FOODIE FACTS 22 ’TIL WE MEAT AGAIN . . . 26 DIRECTORY 34-35

4 little nibbles Congratulations 6 Fountain Court, Olney MK46 4DG 01234 714009 FOLLOW US Fountain court WE ARE HERE A509 HIGH STREET EAST STREET Find us just off the High Street near Nationwide or easy free parking off East Street Home-made and freshly prepared sandwiches, light meals and cakes Fresh scones baked every day Friendly personal service Loyalty card scheme Buffet catering to local businesses Seating inside and outside Breakfast served daily Vegetarian and gluten-free diets catered for Take away service Afternoon teas Delicious coffees Free parking Dog friendly Opening times: MONDAY - FRIDAY 9am to 3pm SATURDAY 8am to 4pm AT “FAMILY-RUN for many years. Really good food and wine, all Italian style… What’s not to like?” This TripAdvisor review by ‘A regular for dinner’ sums it up really! Donzella, in Stanley Court, Olney, is owned by Giovanni and Julie Cocchierella, serving authentic Italian cuisine, both traditional and with a modern twist. The couple also run an online wine store. Other reviewers say: “A fabulous, family-run restaurant… The food was outstanding”, “All the food was cooked to order… and tasted delicious… We look forward to visiting such a friendly restaurant again” and “It is very rare to find an authentic Italian Restaurant… We left with the biggest smile on our faces.” So, don’t take our word for it – read the reviews. DONZELLA GABRIELLA’S CUCINAItaliana has been named best bakery in Buckinghamshire in the National BakeryAwards. Founder and owner Gabriella Cocchiarella said: “I’m so shocked and honoured to win such an amazing award and would never have thought Gabriella’s would do so well so thank you to all our lovely customers who have got us this far! “Also a massive thank you to my mum and dad [Giovanni and Julie, from Donzella].They give me so much support and guidance and I am forever grateful for everything they do for me, and of course, my amazing team who have all helped me achieve this. “The reason I love my job so much is not only getting to make cakes all the time but meeting so many lovely people every day and working with a team who have now become part of my family.” Gabriella’s offering from her Market Place premises includes Italian food and deli produce, including doughnuts, breads and pizzas, to eat in or take away. She also makes special occasion cakes to order. Her shop also operates as a coffee bar with Italian desserts and cakes, as well as a licensed Italian wine and cocktail bar with a selection of antipasti.

5 THE RED Lion, in Yardley Hastings, aims to make everyone feel at home, with friendly service and a wide variety of dishes, with ingredients sourced locally wherever possible.. The quaint pub also offers a kids’ menu with drawing games to keep them entertained. Vegans and vegetarian options are always available, too. The Red Lion, which underwent a £1m revamp, runs regular events such as Steak Night , all-you-can eat Rib Nights and, on Fridays, there’s fish and chips – served in ‘newspaper’ as they used to be in the good old days! A takeaway service is also available, with made-in-house burgers, pizzas, spicy chicken wings and cod and chips on offer. HEAR THEM ROAR! to award-winning neighbours! little nibbles WEIGHT LOSS coach Clare Gott offers private appointments and home visits to create personalised programmes to people wanting to lose weight, reverse or prevent diabetes, lower cholestrerol or simply improve general health and wellbeing. Clare, who has many years experience as a nutritionist, told Eat in Olney: “We are surrounded by mouthwatering suggestions of where and what you can eat in and around Olney. Temptations abound! I am going to try and give a few tips about how to eat mindfully and as healthily as you can.” Clare says you can eat out almost anywhere and still make healthy choices but suggests: n Always download or try and get hold of a menu for your chosen restaurant n Choose a meal that has lots of veg, a protein source (meat, fish, cheese, eggs, tofu, nuts) and a healthy fat n If you have to add a carb like potato, pasta or rice, keep the portion small but it is best to avoid altogether n The healthiest dessert would be berries and cream or a little cheese n Stick to wine and try to avoid the sugar-laden beers. She adds that, as long as you have an understanding of the key principles of healthy eating, dining out can be as enjoyable as ever and completely guilt-free! Less is more – but you can still enjoy life AS ‘EAT in Olney’ went to press, The Bull Hotel was named the Best Pub in Buckinghamshire in the National Pub & BarAwards. The recently-renovated Market Place pub, owned by Bedfordbased family brewer Charles Wells’, was praised for its ongoing commitment to delivering ‘fantastic customer service and high-quality food’, as well ensuring attention to detail across every part of the business. Anastasia Semutenko, general manager at The Bull Hotel, told local radio station MKFM: “Since opening our doors to Olney locals and visitors last year, the team at The Bull has worked incredibly hard to establish the pub within the Olney community. Ensuring everyone who visits us has the best possible experience, is something we pride ourselves on, so we’re thrilled that this has been recognised at a county level. “There are some fantastic pubs in Buckinghamshire and to stand out amongst such stiff competition is a credit to the fantastic team we have at The Bull and it’s something we’re all very proud of.”

6 THE ROBIN HOOD…AND ITS BAND OF MEN (AND WOMEN) little nibbles OLNEY’S ANNUAL Cherry Fair dates back more than 700 years to the days when the area produced a large commercial cherry crop. The glut was sold off at the end of the harvest each year and, as it fell so close to the Parish Church Patronal Festival for St Peter and St Paul, the whole town had a holiday. Eventually, this became known as the ‘Cherry Fair’, which is still held in the town every year. The Cherry Tree pub and restaurant, on Olney High Street, was even named after the Cherry Fair! This year’s fair – which takes place on the Glebe Field, in Church Street, from 12noon4.30pm on Saturday, June 15 – raises funds for the upkeep of the parish church, as well as to support other local charities. Stalls in a marquee will be selling a variety of items: books, plants, art and many other things, and there will be a barbeque and Pimms, not forgetting tea, cakes and, of course, cherries! Regular events at the fair have also included live music from the Olney Brass Band, competitions, country dancing, Georgian dancing (in period costume), tug of war, organ and choral recitals in the church and a tour of the Bell Tower. There’s also something for the kids, with children’s games and a bouncy castle in the Open Garden. There will also be a fun dog show. You will be able to experience all of this again at this year’s fair. General admission is £2 for adults and free for under-16s. THE ROBIN Hood looks set for a busy summer. Managers Jon and Sophie Adriaenssens, who previously owned the now-closed Bell & Bear in Emberton, took over the village-owned pub in Clifton Reynes in December. In 2017, the pub had been threatened with the prospect of permanent closure and conversion into a house, but 46 local investors came together and raised enough money to buy it. The pub hosts a wide variety of beers such as Greene King IPA and a selection of real ales, plus several new ciders, and offers a wide range of food, including some of Jon’s award-winning dishes along with sandwiches and more traditional pub food. Ingredients are sourced locally as Jon and Sophie are keen to use ‘the best of local suppliers’ including GJ Douglas, Pastures Poultry, Harvest of Olney and The Fruity Farmer. Jon said 650 bookings from the Bell & Bear had been moved to the Robin Hood along with several weddings and parties, adding that he was also aiming to host a Late Summer Festival. If you’re a cricket fan, you may also be interested to know that Jon has joined the Clifton Reynes cricket team! THE COWPER & Newton Museum, on the Market Place, serves homemade cakes in the Courtyard & Gardens on certain days throughout the summer months. The next date is Thursday, June 13 from 10.30am-12 noon. The cherry on the top! Acup of tea and a slice of cake 7 Market Place, Olney, MK46 4EA Tel: 01234 240513 www.jandbsweetcafe.co.uk J&B Sweet Café Hot Chocolate Cakes Coffee Tea Sandwiches PickN Mix Bon Bons MilkShakes Tue-Sat: 9.30 to 5pm, Sun: 10-4pm, Mon: closed A warm welcome awaits from Betty&John TAKEAWAY FOOD WHEELCHAIR ACCESS FREE WI-FI HIGH CHAIRS BABY CHANGING delicious hot &cold drinks, freshly prepared food, kids’ &classic vintage sweets

Eat in Olney The Mediterranean way! 36a Market Place, Olney, Buckinghamshire MK46 4AJ 01234 717000 [email protected] www.olneyskitchen.co.uk JAZZ & COCKTAILS Dates to be advised (call us 01234 717000) Special lunch menu from only £4.95 JUST WANT TO COLLECT AN ORDER? That’s OK, just give us a call on 01234 717000 or go online and make your selection. We look forward to welcoming you! Looking for great fresh food, generous portions, family friendly staff, then Olney Kitchen is the place for you. Whatever the occasion we ll make it perfect for you!

IN ENGLAND, every Shrove Tuesday (the day before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent), pancake races are held all over the country. But, as you probably know, the tradition started very close to home. Several stories exist as to how the Olney Pancake Race was first inspired, but the most renowned is how a housewife, hearing the ‘shriving’ bell, dashed to the church still holding her frying pan complete with pancake. Another story is that pancakes were used as a bribe to the church ringer, or sexton, so that he might ring the bell sooner. Traditionally, ringing the bell signalled the beginning of the day’s holiday and fun and to summon the people to the service at which they would be shriven of their sins before Lent. The first pancake race was held in Olney on Shrove Tuesday in 1445 and was run for many years after, with only a few lapses. The most notable hiatus was throughout the Second World War and the years immediately after when rationing was still in force, but it was revived again in 1948 by the then-vicar of Olney, the Rev Canon Ronald Collins. He came across some old photographs of the race from the 1920s and 30s while clearing out a cupboard and was highly enthusiastic about bringing it back. The event is, of course, still held in the town every year. Women of Olney are eligible to compete in the race, wearing aprons and hats or scarves, running from the Market Place to the Church of St Peter and St Paul, with a frying pan and pancake in one hand. The first one to complete the course and arrive at the church, serve her pancake to the bell-ringer – and be kissed by him! – is the winner. In 1950, the race became an international competition. The town of Liberal, in Kansas, USA had seen press photographs of the Olney race, decided to set up its own similar custom and sent Olney a challenge. Olney accepted the challenge and now, every year, the two towns compete with each other and prizes are exchanged. The times from the winners of both towns are compared and the one with the faster time wins the race. Thanks to the Olney event, pancake races have now become a national tradition for the English, but around the world, Pancake Day is 8 Not just a flash in the pan by ROBERTELLIS The Olney Pancake Race course is 415 yards long and is run from the Market Place to the Church at 11.55 am precisely. The rules dictate that women taking part must have lived in Olney for at least three months. Competitors wear the traditional costume of a housewife, including a skirt, apron and head covering and must, of course, carry a frying pan containing a pancake. The winner, on crossing the line, must toss her pancake and is then greeted by the verger with the traditional kiss of peace. The race is immediately followed by a Shriving service in the Parish Church when the official Olney and Liberal prizes are presented.

celebrated very differently and in a variety of ways. Here we take a closer look at some of these international customs… and now for something completelydifferent Spain: The Spanish hold a Carnival called Jueves Lardero starting the week before Lent (Fat Thursday). The celebrations throughout the country vary, but generally it’s a day of clearing out cupboards of meat and bread and eating as a community. Traditionally, this meal is an omelette, hence why the day is known as Dia de la tortilla (Day of the Omelette). France: La Chandeleur (Candlemas), the French version of Pancake Day, is celebrated on February 2. Shrove Tuesday itself is known as Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), where people eat lots of fatty foods before fasting begins on Ash Wednesday. Of course, France’s famous crepes are served, both sweet and savoury. Denmark: The Danish celebrate on the Sunday before Lent with Fastelvan and swap pancakes for buns filled with whipped cream and jam! Poland: Poland indulges on a very different dish on Shrove Tuesday; herring is actually the dish of the day on ‘Sledziowka’! But the Polish don’t entirely give up their sweet treats for the season and treat themselves to doughnuts on the Thursday before Lent. Ireland: On Shrove Tuesday, the oldest unmarried girl in the family is traditionally invited to flip the first pancake. If she is successful, it is said she can expect to hear wedding bells in the coming year. Lithuania: Uzgavenes (the time before Lent) is held on Shrove Tuesday. The annual festival, similar to our Hallowe’en, involves Lithuanians dressing up as devils, witches, ghosts and beggars, with wooden masks to scare off the forthcoming winter. It is a celebratory event where people traditionally pull pranks and throw water at each other. Typical food indulgences include potato pancakes, doughnuts and boiled pork. Brazil: Rio de Janeiro celebrates the week before Lent in style! The celebration, which dates back to 1723, has now evolved into a full-on party with street music, sounds of samba, dancing – and lots of eating! 9 IN CHRISTIAN tradition, the 40 days before Easter are known as Lent and they mark the time that Jesus spent fasting in the Judean desert. Traditionally, Christians would mark this period with prayers and fasting, abstaining from a whole range of foods, including meat, eggs, fish, fats and milk. The word ‘shrove’ comes from the old Roman Catholic practice of being ‘shriven’, meaning to confess one’s sins. The shriving bell would be rung on Shrove Tuesday to call people to church to confess. Before Lent could begin in earnest, all edible temptations needed to be removed, which took place over a period of days known as ‘Shrovetide’. Meat such as bacon would be eaten up on ‘Collop Monday’ (a collop is a thin slice of meat) and on Shrove Tuesday, eggs, butter and fat would be used up. One of the easiest ways to dispose of these items was to turn them into pancakes or fritters, a custom that continued long after the Church of England separated from the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century. Like Easter, Shrove Tuesday – now better known as Pancake Day – occurs on a different date each year because it is calculated by the cycles of the moon. The origins of Pancake Tuesday

THE OLNEY Kitchen is a Mediterranean bar and restaurant in the heart of the town. It specialises in pizza and pasta, burgers, marinated meats and salads, with a kids’ menu, too. Vegetarian options and a variety of cocktails are also available. The restaurant also offers a takeaway service; orders can be made via the website and the food collected. Olney’s Kitchen is still in its infancy – it opened last year on the site of the former Café Brio on the Market Place – but has already made quite an impact with locals. It had a busy Christmas hosting big parties (one with more than 100 people) and is now gearing up for a busy summer. The restaurant has continued its predecessor’s tradition of Monday evening jazz nights – for example, pianist Lincoln Noel will be in the ‘Kitchen’ on June 17. Or if crooners are more your thing, singer NealAstbury will be doing Frank Sinatra on June 24. Admission is free. General manager Mehdi Popastgardan, who previously ran another burger house in Northampton, loves to chat to his customers. Most impressively, though, he never writes anything down when taking orders, but instead, remembers them all! Mehdi said that, over the summer period, he planned to add a tree to the decor and possibly change the colour scheme. 10 Eat in, take away, friendly service – and all that jazz! CHRIS and Jenny Letts – under their Fruity Farmer brand – produce a range of homemade fruit liqueurs and Rapeseed Oil from their farm at Stoke Goldington. The range of seasonal liqueurs and oil are available at Wildleaf and Pastures Poultry Farm, and the Rapeseed Oil can also be found at Harvest of Olney. The couple use hedgerow and garden fruits from their farm (where they also grow Christmas trees) to make the liqueurs. The New Quince Gin is a popular choice although the top sellers remain Rhubarb Gin and Seville Orange Gin. Other liqueurs for the coming autumn season include Apple & Blackberry Gin, BlackberryWhisky, Cherry Brandy and Sloe Gin. Their liqueurs are sold in Italian glass bottles, 200ml or 250ml, and priced at £10 each, with larger 500ml bottles also available for £20 each. In 2016, Chris and Jenny started producing rapeseed oil, which is 100% pure with no additives. The rapeseed is crushed and left to settle for about six weeks before being put into 500ml bottles, which sell for £5 each. As well as attending special events throughout the year and selling the liqueurs and oil straight from the farm during the Christmas tree season, The Fruity Farmer can be found at Olney Farmers’ Market on the first Sunday of every month – and customers are always welcome to try before they buy! Rapeseed oil – from the bright yellow crop that flowers in fields all around Olney each May – is enjoying a huge increase in popularity among consumers due to its health benefits. It is low in saturated fats with about half the fat of olive oil and is high in Omega 3, too. The cold-pressed oilis idealfor cooking, baking or salads – or even for making roast potatoes! Let’s get fruity!

Baguettes, Bakes and Cakes Your new bakery on Olney Market Place Welcome to… n Fresh, locally-made bread, baguettes and cakes on your doorstep. n Selection of filled baguettes to take away. n Why not treat yourself to a freshly-brewed coffee ‘to go’? n Special occasion catering also available Come in and see us today Baguettes, Bakes and Cakes 36 Market Place, Olney MK46 4AJ ‘A proper farm shop on a proper working family farm’ www.brownsofstagsden.co.uk Tel: 01234 822330 Email: [email protected] Manor Farm, Church Lane, Stagsden, Bedfordshire MK43 8SH OPENING HOURS Tuesday – Thursday 9am-5pm Friday 9am-6pm Saturday 9am-4pm Come and visit our farm shop and tea room. Producers of home-reared meat & poultry. We stock homemade pies, local milk, fruit & veg and a great deli counter with a wide range of artisan cheeses. Plus come and enjoy our tea room serving farmhouse breakfasts, light lunches & delicious homemade cakes.

12 Where everyday’s a Baker Day Forget food miles, fresh produce travels across Fountain Court! FRESH bread is selling like hot cakes on the Market Place. Baguettes, Bakes and Cakes is the new name of the bakery, which opened its doors under new ownership in November. Philippa, Lindsey and Siobhan are the friendly faces behind the counter, helped by Saturday staff Samantha and Josh. Philippa is the newest member of the team, joining the Olney bakery as supervisor in April – although she previously worked at both Oliver Adams and Olivers. “It’s lovely to come back to the bakery and see everyone again,” she said. “The bread here is fantastic and it’s great to be working with all the bakes and cakes again.” Philppa takes her passion for baking home with her as she is a keen home baker. Lindsay is new to Olney. A week after moving to the town she landed her job at the shop. Phil Parkes, who owns Baguettes, Bakes and Cakes, has taken over five former OliverAdams bakeries. Bread is baked fresh every day by Whittlebury Bakery. The team at the Olney shop make a selection of fresh filled rolls and baguettes every day and try to use as many local ingredients as possible, such as pork products from family-run Houghton Ham, in Northamptonshire. For those with a sweet tooth bakery treats include fruit cake, Victoria sponge, chocolate fudge cake, custard tarts and doughnuts, to name a few. If you need something to fuel your morning, why not pop in for a hot bacon or sausage-filled roll and wash it down with a coffee or, if you prefer, a flavoured water or soft drink. ROSCO’S of Olney is a hidden gem offering a wide choice of fresh, madeto-order sandwiches and salads, homemade cakes and light meals. The Fountain Court café – owned by Scott Brown and Dale Perry and managed by Scott’s daughter, Ellise – can seat 18 people inside and 10 outside and has become a popular meeting place for locals. Ellise is proud of the ‘exceptional service’ and describes Rosco’s atmosphere as ‘friendly and chatty’, with customers returning again and again. Rosco’s has free wi-fi, is dogfriendly and opens six days a week. Specials include vegetarian sausages (an increasingly popular choice), milkshakes, pancakes, waffles, freshly-made scones and gluten-free cakes. And if you’re concerned about food miles…all the fresh fruit and veg comes from Harvest, a matter of feet away across Fountain Court! The café gives out a loyalty card, with the message, “Enjoy nine great coffees or teas and have the tenth on us!” Rosco’s also offers a take-away service and can cater for special occasion buffets.

07949 998464 • [email protected] • www.feedmefresh.co.uk At feed me fresh we prepare healthy, balanced meals that are packed with flavour and are ideal as part of a diet or post work-out regime. We only use fresh produce and buy locally whenever we can. Call us now to find out what fresh, wholesome ready-to-eat meals are on the menu this week. Like fantastic flavours? Like fresh food? Then let feed me fresh cook for you tonight! ✔ NEW MENU EVERY TUESDAY Try our handmade and pasteurised Sheep cheese, Yogurt & Milk Ewe won’t regret it! Available at Olney Farmers Market, first Sunday of the month, Wildleaf Food Emporium, Olney or from the farm direct at Valley View Farm, Turvey Road, Carlton, MK43 7LH Tel: 01234 818150 email: [email protected] www.bevistandairy.co.uk Why sheep milk? It’s low in lactose, is easily digested and is a natural alternative for people who are intolerant to Cow and Goat Milk. Sheep’s milk ICE CREAM coming soon

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15 little nibbles OLNEY’S 4 PILLARS prides itself on delicious Indian cuisine with ‘a range of dishes that capture the most authentic and tantalising flavours and aromas’. The menu includes a wide range of classic Indian dishes, with vegetarian and vegan options and special offers. A set meal for two or four people, for example, comprising a selection of starters, main courses and sundries plus kulfi and coffee are priced at £34.95 and £68.95 respectively. The High Street restaurant also offers an online takeaway service with all orders above £20 receiving a 20% discount. Customers can either collect from the restaurant or opt for home delivery to local postcode areas. The 4 Pillars, which is open seven days a week (including bank holidays!), is owned by Babul Hussein, who says what sets the restaurant apart is the ‘welcome and friendly, attentive team, choosing the very best ingredients, and a selection of beers and ciders, soft drinks, spirits and liqueurs’. The newest kid on the block is Daisy, who has been at the 4 Pillars for just over a year and who will be the one who greets you if you go on a Friday or Saturday evening. J & B Sweet Café aims to offer something for everyone in a ‘friendly and relaxed’ setting, with a wide selection of food and drinks from the café and more than 50 varieties of sweets and chocolates from the sweet shop. Husband-and-wife team John and Betty McGrath opened J & B on Olney Market Place, when their three children flew the nest, having talked for a while about running their own café. Since then, they have built up quite the following. Cakes, soups and waffles, as well as sandwiches, toasties and bagels are just some of the things customers can enjoy and, for those on various diets, J & B’s also offers free-from and vegetarian alternatives. The café menu is updated regularly with seasonal specials and features fresh ingredients from local businesses. Sweet treats are made of this THE OLD Mill nestles in the heart of the pretty village of Newton Blossomville, serving a varied menu of traditional pub food, with a daily specials board and a selection of cask ales and a range of wines. There is free Wifi throughout the premises and a separate rustic-style function room suitable for parties of up to 25 people. The Old Mill also has five en-suite rooms, with B&B at £90 per room, includng a substantial English breakfast or something lighter, if preferred. Traditional Sunday Lunch is served until 4pm. One recent reviewer posted: “We visit regularly for food, which is always so tasty! We had our UK wedding party here after our wedding in Italy. Mike and his team were fantastic, looking after our guests, providing food and keeping the drinks flowing…All our friends and families had a brilliant time and we thank you all so much.” THE OLD MILL Twice as spice! 07970 597 017 [email protected] www.hawkwellherbs.co.uk •Cookery-themed herb collections, growing in pots, ready for you to use •Cooking courses using herbs •Recipe tips/cooking ideas •Farmers’ markets throughout the year (check online for our next farmers’ market - also course dates available) GROWING HERBS FOR COOKS

CATERER Vicky Blakemore has a degree in hotel and restaurant management backed by 20 years helping to organise and cater for events of all sizes in the picturesque village where she was born and raised and has brought up her three children. Vicky’s past career included working for Millennium Studios, where she cooked for musical artists such as Emile Sandé, James Arthur, John Barrowman, Katie Melua, Rag ’n’ Bone Man and Simple Minds. In 2013, after many years helping her Mum cater for village events such as cricket teas, Vicky decided to set up on her own making desserts and cakes, which has now developed into a family catering business – The Pavenham Kitchen. “Our company is based on the belief that our customers’ needs are of the utmost importance,” she said. “We are committed to meeting those needs.” Vicky firmly believes that the better the ingredients, the better the end result and to that end, The Pavenham Kitchen prides itself on using only the best ingredients sourced from farms and shops in the area and even using eggs from her own free-range hens. And, having many food intolerances herself, she has also learned ‘how to create delicious food while avoiding many common allergens’. A large part of the business is ‘high quality’ catered events, both large and small, from dinner parties and celebrations at home to charity balls, weddings and christenings; from canapés to full sit-down dinners; and from Ladies’ Day at Ascot to local pub skittles nights. “We offer a personal service to tailor our food to our clients’ needs, ensuring that we help them create the perfect event.” Vicky also offers to ‘take the stress out of entertaining’ with ‘a variety of cakes and indulgent desserts, perfect for any occasion’. “We have family favourites, timeless classics and original recipes that are loved by all,” she said. The Pavenham Kitchen also offers a range of home-produced items for the pantry, such as Beetroot Chutney and Quince Jelly, again using locally sourced ingredients wherever possible – often VERY local from Vicky’s own garden. Cakes, desserts and pantry items can all be ordered online at www.thepavenhamkitchen.co.uk 16 For the sweetest moments in life… FEED ME Fresh offers fresh, seasonal meals to preorder and take away. All meals and recipes are inspired by dishes from around the world, chosen to achieve the best balance of carbs, proteins and calories. Foods on offer include prawn, pasta and rocket pesto; jerk chicken, potato mash and vegetables; and chicken Caprese pasta; with vegan and vegetarian alternatives available. Prices range from £5.50 to £7. The company operates through its social media pages on Facebook and Instagram, where it posts its menu every week on Thursday, and customers can place their orders. Food is cooked on Sundays and Wednesdays and available to collect on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from either Olney gym or Kempston gym, just a few miles away in Bedfordshire. New local collection points will be announced in the coming months. TraceyAllen founded the business inAprilwith the aim of helping people lose weight through eating wholesome food. Feed Me Fresh is also at Olney Farmers’ Market and hopes to have a stall at the Big Olney Food Festival on September 14. An official website should be up and running later this month. Readers may remember Tracey hitting the headlines when a massive traffic jam left drivers stranded in their vehicles for many, many hours. The good Samaritan prepared snacks and lowered them down over a motorway bridge – all free of charge of course! Healthy, wholesome food to take away

Freehouse with guest ales Fine home cooked food using local ingredients Luxury bed & breakfast Private events and celebrations available Large garden available for event hire OUR RESTAURANT TIMES ARE: Monday and Tuesday 6.00pm to 9.00pm Wednesday to Saturday noon to 2.30pm and 6.00pm to 9.00pm Sunday noon to 4.00pm The Three Cranes Good things come in threes... PUB, RESTAURANT & ACCOMMODATION High Street, Turvey MK43 8EP Tel: 01234 881 365 email: [email protected] www.thethreecranes.com Please book in advance to avoid disappointment

Eat, drink and be me THE BIG Olney Food Festival is organised by a group of volunteers who run events quite simply ‘for the love of the town’! This year’s BOFF takes place on and around the Market Place on the weekend of September 14-15 and, although it is obviously ‘all about food’, it’s a little different from other food festivals, according to the organisers, who describe it as ‘more of a street party’. “We put on BOFF to raise awareness of our fantastic town, to raise monies for local good causes, and of course, to throw the town a big party every year!” they say on their website (www.olneyevents.co.uk). Basically, the event is a two-day party for the folk of Olney and its surrounds, with music, children’s activities and, of course, lots and lots of food. Businesses that serve food in and around the town have stalls promoting the best of their menus. Whether it be goat curry or corn on the cob, scotch eggs, burgers, 18 BOFF

erry – it’s party time! bangers or biscuits, every taste and budget is catered for. There is a bar serving all day long and into the evening and local bands take to the stage to ensure the party goes with a swing. This year, local band Error404 have been confirmed as the headline act on the Saturday night. Olney Events members are always on the lookout for volunteers – even if it’s only spending a hour behind the BOFF bar – so if you’re looking to get involved in the local community, do please contact them by email at [email protected] “We have fun, always welcome new folks and do what we can to continue Olney’s reputation as a great place to live.… “People often don’t realise that we run BOFF as a ‘not for profit’; our income from the sponsors, stall holders and the bar is all donated to local good causes once the costs are covered. Everyone’s a winner!” BOFF 19

20 BEVISTAN DAIRY, based at ValleyView Farm overlooking the Great Ouse in Carlton, offers a range of home-produced dairy products. These include handmade Greek-style yoghurt, available in 500g and 200g; sheep milk, available in 500ml and 1,000ml bottle (fresh or frozen); and sheep cheese – all made from milk produced by the farm’s own cattle and sheep. Sheep’s milk is suitable for people with lactose intolerance and the cheese is made with plant-based rennet, so is fine for vegetarians. Bevistan’s produce is available directly from the farm (on the Turvey to Carlton Road) and from stores and farm shops in the surrounding counties, including Wildleaf, in Olney, Turvey Corner Stores and Carlton Village Shop. Bevistan also takes its produce to local farmers’ markets, including Olney, which takes place on he first Sunday of each month. The farm also takes telephone, email and mail orders of more than £40. The milk is produced by the farm’s French and Dutch sheep, which graze alongisde its Friesian Holstein cattle. Bevistan also sells it own lamb in various cuts and sizes, including whole and half lambs right through to sausages and minted burgers (including gluten-free versions). Founders Stan, also known as Steve, and Bev Beales (‘Bevistan’ was inspired from their names) work together the farm. Bev, who came from a farming background, worked in aviation for 32 years before joining her husband on the farm. “For the past seven years I have assisted Steve in the day-to-day running of the farm,” she said, “but now I have finally given up my wings for the love of farming and returned to my roots on a full-time basis.” The couple are proud that their hard work ensures ‘best quality products and happy contented animals’ – and this was officially recognised last year when Bevistan won a local food and drink award from the Campaign to Protect Rural England. Bevistan Dairy will be attending the Towcester Food Festival on June 8-9, Taste Bedford on July 13 and MK Food Festival on September 14. THE ROYAL Oak Carlton is a Victorian pub, in Carlton, offering freehold beers and seasonal food. The varied menu includes sirloin steak, beef or chicken burger, beer-battered haddock and Thai style king prawn curry, while the lunchtime menu also features stone-baked ciabattas and a selection of salads. Gluten-free, dairy-free and vegetarian/vegan options are available and there is a children’s menu. The pub’s milk and cream is locally sourced, coming from Ouse Valley Dairy, less than a mile from the pub! Scott and Emma bought the Royal Oak from Charles Wells in October 2013 after it closed. While shut, it fell into disrepair and a complete refurbishment was needed to save it. Scott is a builder and Emma has been in the pub trade before, so they both knew the hard work and dedication needed to restore it, finally re-opening in 2016. The building is thought to be at least 115 years old, surviving a fire in 1901, which resulted in it having to be completely rebuilt. The Royal Oak runs many special events, so it is always worth checking the website – and serves breakfast from 10.30-11.30am on Fridays. A right royal banquet Stars of the milkyway!

There’s something for everyone at the Robin Hood...from the area's finest cuisine in our conservatory restaurant to great value snacks in our friendly bar and extensive countryside garden. Perfect for special occasions or just popping in on a walk. All our food is prepared from the finest local produce by an award-winning team. Children and dogs welcome. THE ROBIN HOOD Est. 1577 THE ROBIN HOOD Est. 1577 01234 711 574 [email protected] www.the-robin-hood.co.uk Church Lane, Clifton Reynes, Olney, MK46 5DR Relax and enjoy a great value lunch in the beautiful garden or treat yourself to a night of gourmet dining, all in a fabulous village setting

1. Cranberries bounce like a rubber ball when ripe. 2. A bunch of bananas is called a hand and a single fruit is known as a finger. 3. Fresh eggs sink in water and rotten eggs will float. 4. Broccoli contains twice the vitamin C of an orange. 5. Avocado has the highest protein content of all fruit. 6. Cabbage is 91% water. 7. Lemons contain more sugar than strawberries. 8. Honey is the only food that never goes bad, with examples lasting more than 3,000 years! 9. Aubergines (eggplants in the US) are fruits and classified as berries. 10. Peanuts are legumes, not nuts. 11. Ginger can reduce exerciseinduced muscle pain by 25%. 12. Neither strawberries, blackberries norraspberries are actually berries. 13. There are nearly 10,000 varieties of apples. 14. Cucumbers are 96% water. 15. Processed cheese was invented in Switzerland more than 100 years ago but the first commercially-available slice was manufactured by an American, James L. Kraft, just after the Second World War. 16. Ketchup was once believed to have medicinal qualities that could cure, among other ailments, diarrhea. 17. Green, yellow, and red bell peppers are not always the same vegetable. Though some green peppers are unripe red peppers, green, yellow, orange, and red peppers are all unique plants with their own seeds. 18. Scientists in Germany say they can turn peanut butterinto diamonds. 19. While wild salmon are naturally pink due to the large amount of shrimp in their diet, farm-raised salmon eat differently so, in order to achieve that pink color, some salmon farmers add carotenoids (plant pigments) to the fish feed to mimic the natural hue of wild salmon. 20. Apples are made of 25% air, which is why they float. 21. The saying, “As American as apple pie” isn’t strictly true as pie was invented in Medieval England, while the modern recipe for apple pie with a lattice crust was created and perfected by the Dutch. 22. Cherries are a member of the rose family. 23. When Boeing wanted to test out their wireless signal on new planes in 2012, they placed giant piles of potatoes on seats. Because of their high water content and chemical makeup, potatoes absorb and reflect radio and wireless signals just like humans do. 24. Carmine, also known as carminic acid, is a common red food dye that can be found in sweets, maraschino cherries, raspberry and strawberry-flavoured ‘junk’food and even lipstick. Carminic acid is made from the crushed carcasses of a beetle known as the Dactylopius coccus. 25. The Aztecs used chocolate or at least cocoa beans as currency. 26. According to the UK’s National Carrot Museum, the first carrots looked nothing like they do today as originally they were purple or white with a thin root. The orange carrots we know and eat today are the result of a genetic mutation in the late 16th century. 27. Eating too much nutmeg can have the physical effects of an hallucinogenic drug, including out-ofbody sensations, nausea, dizziness, and sluggish brain activity.According to the New York Times, however, you need more than two tablespoons to start feeling the spice’s drug-like effects! 28. Chilli peppers contain a chemical that tricks your mouth into ‘thinking’ it’s being burned, which is why spicy food hurts so much. That burning sensation is a mentalreaction, not a physical one as chilli peppers contain a chemical known as capsaicin, which naturally binds to the pain receptors on our nerves. 29. Russia didn’t classify beer as alcohol until 2011! 30. Lobsters and oysters used to be ‘working class’food. As lobsters were considered to be ‘sea insects’ that were a hard sell so used to be thrown back in the sea or given to servants. There used to be a law on how much lobster you could serve a prisoner as too much was considered to be cruel! 31. You can hear rhubarb grow! An old method called ‘rhubarb forcing’ involves putting rhubarb in a dark shed to ‘trick’ it into thinking it’s spring. This causes the rhubarb to grow unnaturally large at an unnaturally fast pace – so fast, in fact, that you can hear the rhubarb popping as it grows. 22 A feast of fascinating food facts– one for each week of the year – courtesy of The Insider, boredpanda.com, Glamour magazine and Indiana University Food for thought

32. Large groups of pistachios can spontaneously combust! The oily fibrous materials used to transport pistachio nuts can cause them to burst into flames so exercise caution whenever you pass a big mound of pistachio nuts! 33. The story behind the invention of the sandwich is that John Montagu, the Earl of Sandwich, was on a 24-hour gambling streak and was hungry but didn’t want to put his cards down and so the sandwich was born. 34. Black pepper was a luxury in the Middle Ages. In fact, it was so expensive that Portugal’sVasco de Gama became the first man to sail around Africa to get to India. His mission? To look for spices. 35. A quarter of the world’s hazelnuts are used for Nutella! 36. Fruit stickers are non-toxic and edible. 37. Loud music makes you drink more – and faster! This was the conclusion from an experiment done in France to see how surroundings affect our drinking habits and to encourage barowners to think about how the atmosphere at their watering hole could be leading to excessive drinking. 38.Without flies there would be no chocolate as there is a species of microscopic midge that is essential to the pollination of the cacao plant and makes chocolate possible. 39. In the 16th century the English upper classes used to serve ‘surprise pie’. Think ‘Sing a Song of Sixpence’ as they would put live animals in a pie. 40. The number of hot dogs eaten in the US on the Fourth of July could stretch fomWashington DC to Los Angeles five times over. 41. If you’re squeamish, you may prefer to skip this one! Castoreum, which is used as a substitute vanilla flavouring, is actually taken from the anal glands of beavers, which use it in combination with urine to scent-mark their territory. 42. The inventor of the ice lolly, Californian Frank Epperson, claimed to have first created the frozen ‘pudding’ in 1905 at the age of 11 after accidentally leaving a glass of soda and water with a mixing stick in it on his porch during a cold night. He patented the concept of ‘frozen ice on a stick’ in 1923. 43. If you put lemons and limes in water, lemons will float and limes will sink. Why? Because although lemons are usually bigger in size, making them typically heavier, it all comes down to density. Lemons have around the same density as water and they have pores all over their rind, resulting in tiny air pockets on their surface causing them to float. Limes, on the other hand, are denser than water so they sink. 44. Peanuts are an ingredient of dynamite. They apparently contain an oil used in the process of making glycerol, which is one of the main ingredient in nitroglycerin, which in turn is the main part of dynamite. 45. There are bout 350 different pasta shapes around the world. 46. Eating poppy seed bread and bagels can make you fail a drugs test. Veteran BBC presenterAngela Rippon researched a claim that the seeds contain narcotic chemicals forthe show ‘Rip Off Britain’ and failed a test! 47. If you put a can of Diet Coke in water it will float but regular Coke will sink. Although no-one outside the Coca Cola company knows the recipe of the drinks, it’s believed that the amount of sugar in regular Coke makes it denser. 48. The first product to use bar codes wasWrigleys chewing gum. It was back in 1974 in the States and it was a 100-pack of Juicy Fruit. 49. If you put tonic under black light, it will shine bright blue because it contains quinine, which reacts with the light. 50. The expiration date on bottled wateris actually not forthe water but instead forthe bottle.Water doesn’t usually contain proteins or sugars, which means that it won’t ‘go off’ but, if it is left open to air, its chemical composition will change as it absorbs carbon dioxide. 51. A lot of mass-produced ice cream contains seaweed, which acts as a thickening agent. 52. And finally...DON’TTRY THIS AT HOME! If you split a grape almost in half and put it in the microwave, it will create an explosive fireball of plasma and lightning. 23

SARA DIXON, founder and manager of Hawkwell Herbs, has certainly gone places! Her father worked in the Foreign Office when she was growing up, so she travelled all over the world, to countries as far afield as Poland, Switzerland, Kenya, Malaysia and Pakistan. “This taught me loads about sharing food and hospitality when there is little to be had, about breaking down barriers between people, and about flavours from what just looks like a simple green-leafed plant,” she said. While working as an environmental lawyer in the 90s, Sara became interested in management so did a Master of Business Administration course and set up a consultancy working with law firms to help them navigate the ‘increasingly competitive’ market. When she added charities and social enterprises to her client list, she became aware of some families’ poverty, and their inability to budget, shop, cook and provide. After her dad died, Sara decided to close down the consultancy business and focus on doing something that made a ‘triple bottom line impact’. “The triple bottom line is all about focusing not just on the environmental impact you make, but also on the social and the economic impact. All three interconnect. I decided to do something that meant I could help out these parents.” As a result, Sara, who lives in Sudborough, near Thrapston, in Northamptonshire, founded Hawkwell Herbs, which provides pot-grown collections of herbs, ready to use in home cooking. Each pot comes with a booklet or a recipe/cooking idea relevant to the herbs in that pot. The name ‘Hawkwell’ came from the Exmoor farm where her husband grew up. Sara runs the business from home and grows the herbs in her garden in a Rhino greenhouse, while frequently coming up with new recipes, testing old ones and adapting others that do not originally feature any herbs. “It is the COOKING that is the thing really,” she said. “It is not so much the herbs; it is what they can do. It is the confidence because if you have actually made something, you can budget better – if you do not have a lemon, for example, you can use a lemony herb. You can make a simple dish and invite somebody round to share it.” Sara sells her herbs at the Olney Farmers’ Market as her ethos is to ‘get people out of their homes and into market places/high streets’. However, she also does home deliveries – within a 30-mile radius of Sudborough – on Mondays and Fridays to those who cannot make a market, or who would like something in between markets. Sara now holds cookery courses over the last weekend of each month at Sudborough Village Hall, intended to be a group experience of cooking together, ‘everyone sharing the making and the eating’. The Cooking Together course, for groups of a maximum of five, teaches the basics of cooking with herbs, such as how to grow, keep and use them in recipes. Activities include learning how to freeze herbs and making herb oils and butters. The other course is on a ‘specific cooking theme’, for example ‘Autumnal Flavours’ in August and ‘Winter Flavours’ in October, for groups of four to 10. It is £55 per person for Cooking Together and £80 per person for the themed courses. 24 Let’s get herby!

Your village pubwith LOTSgoing on Take away food available while kitchen is open LOOK OUT FOR OUR SUMMER Beer, cider and gin festival (dates to be confirmed) LIVE MUSIC ALL WEEKEND (Find out more on facebook) Reserve your table www.cowpersoak.co.uk High Street, Weston Underwood, Olney, MK46 5JS email: [email protected]

TIME WAS that veganism or even vegetarianism was considered a bit ‘New Age’ or, dare we say it, even a bit cranky. Not any more! Shunning animal products and by-products has definitely become mainstream, with shops, pubs and restaurants making meat alternatives more and more accessible. According to >[email protected]

‘A great local country pub, brilliant beers on tap, fab food’ The Fox Carlton NORTH BEDS CAMRA COUNTRY PUB OF THE YEAR 2016 & 2017 Open: Mon - Tues noon to 10pm. Wed - Sat noon to 11pm. Sunday noon to 9.30pm 35 High Street, Carlton, Bedford MK43 7LA. 01234 720235 [email protected] www.thefoxatcarlton.pub www.facebook.com/thefoxatcarlton The Fox is a true village pub, with home cooked food at great prices. Guest real ales that change every 3-4 days and a full stocked bar. • Traditional pub • Home cooked food • Real ales (Eagle & London Pride permanent) • Friendly staff • Garden • Quiet setting • Lunches £6.50, Evenings £8.50, Sunday roast £9.00 Check out online our live music evenings There’ssomethingfor everyonevisitingus! Don’t takeourwordforit,seethereviewsonline HOMEMADE QUALITY FOOD FOR ANY OCCASION from The Pavenham Kitchen www.thepavenhamkitchen.co.uk Follow @thepavenhamkitchen on Instagram and Facebook We specialise in catering for large and small events and our range of delicious cakes, desserts and pantry essentials are also available to order online.

30 little nibbles LOCAL LAD Tom Addison started Addison’s Lamb in 2012 at the age of 18. He started off with just seven pet lambs and has grown his flock to 200! Even though Tom isn’t from a farming background he has worked hard to gain the expertise to produce the best quality lamb he possibly can and, by breeding his NC mules/Texel ewes with top quality rams, produces good, strong, meaty lambs. All the lambs are born outside from mid-April onwards and remain outside for the glorious (we hope!) summer months. The lambs are grazed in various local villages, all within an 11 mile radius, so fresh grass is never very far away. Tom’s hard work was recognised in 2017 when he was one of three finalists in BBC Countryfile’s Young Farmer of the YearAward. This year he earned himself a place on the Tesco Future Farmers 2019 Programme. After nationwide selection days, he was lucky enough to be offered one of only 50 places, enabling him to learn more about consumers, producers and how to grow his own business. Lamb boxes are delivered monthly between August and March, while BBQ and mutton boxes are available all year round. Everything is delivered locally free of charge and comes packaged fresh, ready to cook or freeze at home. Customers can choose how they have their lamb/mutton jointed and can pick a size of box that suits their pocket and freezer space. Young farmerwith winning ways THE FOX, at Carlton, is an awardwinning pub offering reasonablypriced, home-cooked food and real ales. The traditional village pub offers a variety of hot meals and bar snacks at lunchtimes, including sandwiches for just £4.50. In the evenings, a range of hot food is available such as chicken curry, Thai style fishcakes and burger in a ciabatta with relish, each priced at only £8. All meals are served with a choice of new potatoes, rice, salad or hand-cut chips. The Fox will be holding a Gin Festival on June 22 and the second of its biannual Beer Festivals from August 23-26, both with live music. Indeed, the pub regularly hosts live music. Alison Brown bought the pub in 2014 and won the North Bedfordshire Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) Country Pub of the Year award in 2016 and 2017. FANTASTIC FOX

Priors Wood House, Purse Lane, Stoke Goldington, Buckinghamshire, MK16 8LW 01908 551903 Mob: 07770 614364 [email protected] www.facebook.com/TheFruityFarmer Made with love in Stoke Goldington FRUIT LIQUEURS & COLD PRESSED RAPESEED OIL ALL MADE ON OUR FARM • FRESH, HOMEMADE & LOCAL • Rhubarb Gin • Seville Orange Gin • Strawberry Gin • Sloe Gin • Blackberry Whisky • Limoncello • Raspberry Vodka • Cherry Brandy • Cold pressed rapeseed oil • Gooseberry Gin • Quince Gin • Apple & Blackberry Gin FOLLOW US We serve home cooked food using fresh local produce Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner • Specials board • Sunday Lunch 12 - 4pm GUEST CASK ALES & FRESH COFFEE Pub and function room available for hire plus 5 en-suite bedrooms available THE OLD MILL NEWTON BLOSSOMVILLE Tel: 01234 881273 Clifton Road, Newton Blossomville, MK43 8AN www.oldmill-newtonblossomville.co.uk A warm welcome awaits at The Old Mill, a freehouse in the heart of the beautiful village of Newton Blossomville and a pleasant walk from Olney

THE THREE Cranes is set in a Grade II listed building in the pretty riverside village of Turvey. The long-established pub and eatery is a free house with guest ales as well as a good selection of beers, lagers and wines. It offers a seasonal menu, daily specials and on a Sunday lunchtime, a choice of roast beef, chicken, lamb or pork, accompanied by roast potatoes, vegetables, Yorkshire pudding, stuffing, crackling and ‘lashings’ of gravy! If you have an event coming up, such as a birthday or anniversary party, or wedding celebration, then the back garden is available for private hire and is ‘sufficiently large to accommodate a substantial marquee and still leave plenty of space outside’. Additionally, the Three Cranes serves as a bed and breakfast with five ‘luxury’ bedrooms: four with king size beds and ensuite bathrooms, and a twin room with walkin shower area. Prices range from £100-£110 a night, including full English breakfast, and single occupancy receives a £10 discount. Manager Cliff Elbourne, who has been at The Cranes for more than five years, says the kitchen use locally-sourced ingredients wherever possible – including butchery products from Burley’s right next door! 32 COWPERS OAK Baby love! A MOTHER of two small children has turned her passion for infant nutrition into a fledgling business – Starting Solids. Sarah Packwood runs workshops in customer’s homes showing new parents how to introduce their babies to solid foods. “This is something I discovered once I embarked on starting solids with my son three years ago,” she told Eat in Olney. “Our Starting Solids Workshops have been purposebuilt to educate and empower you to start your baby’s weaning journey feeling positive and in control.” The courses cover areas that parents and carers often want to find out more about, including: n When should you start? n Does it matter which meals baby begins with? n How can you tell if baby is ready? n Does it matter if foods are sweet or savoury? n Do you need any particular equipment? n What about allergies? n What happens about baby needing milk? n Is ‘food before one just for fun’? n What is baby-led weaning? n Can you combine approaches? n What about choking risks? “Introducing foods can be a daunting process and our workshops are designed to leave you feeling relaxed, confident and excited about your baby’s next step,” said Sarah, who can also offer one-to-one support and individual meal plans. Starting Solids also runs group events, which include a two-and-a-half to three hour workshop plus supporting handouts. If you’d like to find out when Sarah’s next Starting Solids workshops are running please look on the website at www.startingsolids.co.uk or email [email protected] THE COWPERS Oak is a family-run, traditional village pub ‘with a touch of Italian’ in Weston Underwood. Set in a 17th-century grade II listed building, in what is dubbed ‘the bestkept village in Buckinghamshire’, the Cowpers is home to Italian food, real ale and a variety of wines. Various in-house events are held throughout the week with pie and burger nights from Monday to Wednesday, and a speciality Italian menu served on Friday and Saturday nights. Steak tagliata, lasagne and spaghetti carbornara are just some of the foods available. There are other theme nights as well as a quiz night every Monday and an open-mic night everyWednesday, hosted by Chris Savage, of Mud, and Bill Gorton. The pub is owned by Debbie and Joe Decaro, who have planned a beer, cider and gin festivalforthe August bank holiday, hopefully with live music. A little crane told me. . .

Welcome 89 High Street, Yardley Hastings NN7 1ER 01604 696210 www.redlionyardleyhastings.com redlionyardleyhastings.com Ourlittle pub in the country where food is fun from all around the world Book: Online email phone A range of food and drinks we’re sure you’ll love Donzella Italian Restaurant & Specialist Wine Importers Julie & Giovanni welcome you to HOMEMADE DELICIOUS ITALIAN FOOD SINCE 1992 TAKEAWAY OR EAT-IN BUFFETS AVAILABLE TO ORDER over 100 wines to choose To book call: 01234 713179 E: [email protected] 2-3 Stanley Court Weston Road Olney MK46 5NH www.donzellawines.co.uk OPENING HOURS Lunch: 12-2pm Dinner: 7-10pm Closed: Sunday Dinner and Monday all day Follow us 11Market Place, Olney MK46 4EA 01234 910544 Cakes to take away & cakes for special occasions Delicious homemade Italian food and deli to eat in or take away. We are also an Italian coffee bar with beautiful Italian desserts and cakes as well as a licensed Italian wine and cocktail bar. Wonderful Coffee

CAFÉS, PUBS & RESTAURANTS 4 PILLARS, Olney 01234 714083 www.4pillarsrestaurant.co.uk AMPHAWAN, Olney 01234 714355 www.amphawan.co.uk BROWNS OF STAGSDEN, Stagsden Tel: 01234 822330 brownsofstagsden.co.uk THE BULL HOTEL, Olney 01234 711470 www.bullhotelolney.co.uk THE CARLTON HOUSE CLUB, Olney 01234 711348 www.thecarltonhouseclub.co.uk THE CHERRY TREE, Olney 01234 639877 www.thecherrytreeolney.co.uk COSTA COFFEE, Olney 01234 714670 COURTYARD BRASSERIE, Olney 01234 713925 www.courtyardbrasserie.co.uk THE COWPERS OAK, Weston Underwood 01234 711382 www.cowpersoak.co.uk DONZELLA, Olney 01234 713179 www.donzella.co.uk THE FOX AT CARLTON, Carlton 01234 720235 www.thefoxatcarlton.pub GABRIELLA’S DOLCI & CUCINA, Olney 07540 345322 www.gabriellasolney.com GROUNDS CAFÉ, Emberton 01234 712665 www.aecatering.co.uk J AND B SWEET CAFÉ, Olney 01234 240513 KASBAH, Olney 01234 714600 www.kasbah-olney.co.uk MAYA, Olney 01234 713170 maya-olney.co.uk THE OLD MILL, Newton Blossomville 01234 881273 oldmill-newtonblossomville.co.uk OLD SHANGHAI, Olney 01234 240260 www.old-shanghai.co.uk OLD SWAN, Newport Pagnell 01234 391351 www.oldswanastwood.co.uk OLNEY KITCHEN, Olney 01234 717000 www.olneyskitchen.co.uk OUT OF OFFICE COFFEE HOUSE, Olney www.outofofficecoffee.co.uk OLNEY PANCAKE PARLOUR, Olney 01234 713152 www.olneypancakeparlour.co.uk THE RED LION, Yardley Hastings 01604 696210 www.redlionyardleyhastings.com THE ROBIN HOOD, Clifton Reynes 01234 711574 www.the-robin-hood.co.uk ROSCO’S OF OLNEY, Olney 01234 714009 THE ROYAL OAK, Carlton 01234 720441 www.royaloakcarlton.co,.uk SPICE GARDEN, Olney 01234 240630 www.spicegardenolney.co.uk SUBWAY, Olney 01234 240389 www.subway.com THE SWAN INN AND BISTRO, Olney 01234 711111 www.theswanolney.co.uk TEAPOTS, Olney Tel 01234 712392 www.teapotsolney.co.uk THE THREE CRANES, Turvey 01234 881365 www.thethreecranes.com TWO BREWERS, Olney 01234 711393 www.twobrewersolney.co.uk WILDLEAF, Olney 01234 714006 www.wildleaf.co.uk TAKE-AWAYS ENZOS FISH & CHIPS, Olney 01234 711289 34 Although this is by no means a comprehensive list of eateries and food suppliers in and around Olney, this directory gives you a flavour of what is available in the area. If you would like your business including in the next issue of ‘Eat in Olney’ or would like to extend or amend your details, please call 01234 714414 or email [email protected] Something for everyone – right on your doorstep

FEED ME FRESH, Olney Tel: 01234 585687 www.feedmefresh.co.uk JADE GARDEN, Olney 01234 711662 JASMINE COTTAGE, Olney 01234 711148 MADIERA’S FISH & CHIPS/ TAKE AWAY, Olney 01234 714444 PAELLAS D’OLNEY, Olney Tel: 01234 713483 or 07920 791833 www.paellasdolney1.com PIZZA MAX, Olney 01234 240220 www.olneypizzamax.co.uk REAL BELGIAN FRIES, Yardley Hastings 07796 368141 www.realbelgianfries.co.uk BAKERS AMAZING GRAINS, Olney 07714 153267 www.amazing-grains.com BAGUETTES, BAKES & CAKES Olney BUTCHERS ADDISON’S LAMB, Newport Pagnell 01908 617670 OLNEY BUTCHERS, Olney [email protected] 01234 930550 CATERERS GABRIELLA’S DOLCI & CUCINA, Olney 07540 345322 www.gabriellasolney.com PAELLAS D’OLNEY, Olney Tel: 01234 713483 or 07920791833 www.paellasdolney1.com THE PAVENHAM KITCHEN, Pavenham 07831 213800 www.thepavenhamkitchen.co.uk REAL BELGIAN FRIES, Yardley Hastings 07796 368141 www.realbelgianfries.co.uk WILDLEAF, Olney 01234 714006 www.wildleaf.co.uk DAIRIES BEVISTAN DAIRY, Carlton 01234 818150 www.bevistandairy.co.uk OUSE VALLEY DAIRY, Carlton 07796 446896 www.ousevalleydairy.com DELIS BROWNS OF STAGSDEN, Stagsden Tel: 01234 822330 www.brownsofstagsden.co.uk GABRIELLA’S DOLCI & CUCINA, Olney 07540 345322 www.gabriellasolney.com WILDLEAF, Olney 01234 714006 www.wildleaf.co.uk DISTILLERIES THE FRUITY FARMER Stoke Goldington 01908 551903 www.stokegoldingtonchristmastrees. co.uk/fruity-farmer FARM SHOPS BROWNS OF STAGSDEN, Stagsden Tel: 01234 822330 www.brownsofstagsden.co.uk PASTURES POULTRY FARM SHOP & CAFÉ, Yardley Hastings 01604 696586 pasturespoultry.co.uk GREENGROCERS HARVEST, Olney 01234 240661 HEALTHY EATING CLARE GOTT, Newport Pagnell 07789 543718 HERBS HAWKWELL HERBS, Sudborough 07970 597017 hawkwellherbs.co.uk MARKETS OLNEY MARKET & FARMERS MARKET, Olney 01234 711679 www.olneytowncouncil.gov.uk WINE MERCHANTS DONZELLA, Olney 01234 713179 www.donzella.co.uk WILDLEAF (BACCUS), Olney 01234 714006 www.wildleaf.co.uk WORKSHOPS STARTING SOLIDS, Olney 07399 273112 35