The Ploughmans lunch has to be one of my favourite plates of food ever!! Partly because it evokes happy childhood memories of my mum and I cycling down the Wyle valley in Wiltshire, sun on my back, stopping off at a village pub, where I would fill my face with bread, cheese and pickles that would power my legs for the return home! It is one of those dishes that you can add all your favourite bits and pieces and still have room for cake!
The Rattle Gill Ploughmans includes 3 different cheeses, local damson chutney from Hawkshead relish , homemade coleslaw with homemade mayo , the biggest pickled onion you've ever seen and some soda bread. The recipe for the soda bread is actually one we found whilst on a trip to Edinburgh. We chanced upon a restaurant tucked away down Blackfriars street called ' Blackfriars' and what a treat that place was! I mentioned to the waitress that I LOVED the soda bread, and then she appeared with a postcard with the recipe on! Winner! Thank you Blackfriars!
Have a go at it, and try not to eat it all with lashings of butter on as soon as it comes out of the oven!!! We had to cook it for about 45 minutes in the end...it is defo worth checking at that point.
We have also brought back the ever popular hummingbird cake. A moist banana and pineapple sponge, with lime icing and a pecan brittle to top it all off!! The cake is said to originate from the Caribbean, where the hummingbirds would feed from it, due to its sweetness....the other story is that the banana in the cake resembles the feathers of the bird. Either way its delicious and a VERY popular one for hungry rattlers coming by for a cuppa and a wedge of cake.
The season for running races, biking events, triathlons, outdoor swimming is kicking off. There have been many hungry athletes in the cafe recently and many bikers turning up for a feed, along with all those that have scaled the heights of wansfell. Be sure to drop by next time your in town...If you're lucky Alec might re-tell the story of how he came 17th in the Caw fell race the other week, maybe get some top tips from the man himself!! See you soon Rattlers!! Claire and Alec x
