Gallery

Gallery

A snapshot of live in the Riverford Field Kitchen restaurant, garden and polytunnels. See what we grow and how we cook it!

B O O K I N G S O P E N! We are so excited to de

B O O K I N G S O P E N!

We are so excited to declare bookings for our Garden Feast over Fire lunches & suppers open!

Every Friday evening and Saturday lunchtime and evening during August we are opening the Riverford farm gates for our Garden Feast over Fire experience in the Field Kitchen Garden and Polytunnel.

Join us to take in all the sumptuous colours and aromas from our organic veg patch. Explore the Field Kitchen Garden which inspires our menu with a glass of wine or a homemade organic cooler before settling down amongst the veg for a feast cooked over fire by our inspiring Riverford Chefs.

Our veg-centric menu’s show off the best of our organic seasonal produce, grown in our garden and surroundings fields and eating it where it’s been grown is a truly magical experience.

Link in bio to book!

As the flowers continue to bloom in the Field Kitc

As the flowers continue to bloom in the Field Kitchen Garden, Penny has been picking some to dry on the walls of the restaurant.

We have Helichrysum - these are the bright pink and orange flowers, more commonly known as straw flowers. The gorgeous deep blue and purple are Larkspur and we also have poppy seed heads.

Penny has a dried flower workshop in September. 🤞 it can go ahead.

These garden peas are so sweet that you really don

These garden peas are so sweet that you really don't need to do much with them.

BBQ or griddle them dry with nothing on. Once they’re charred put into a bowl and mix with olive oil and chilli salt (2:1 salt to chilli flakes).

Head Chef Lewis says the idea is to suck the peas out - a delicious way to enjoy the chilli and burnt flavours!

Cruncy, spicy radishes from the garden. Wash, slic

Cruncy, spicy radishes from the garden. Wash, slice and dip into a homemade lovage aioli. A seasonal star snack!
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To make the aioli, blanch the lovage leaves for 1 minute then put into ice water to keep their colour and to stop them cooking. Blend with a little oil to make a lovage oil then follow a mayo recipe using the lovage olive oil instead of plain olive oil.
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Or, the quicker way is to blend the lovage leaves to a purée then mix through a shop bought mayonnaise.
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Either way, the radishes taste delicious!

We harvested our first beetroot today from the fie

We harvested our first beetroot today from the field kitchen garden. Varieties included chioggia, detroit and cylindra - Penny's favourite. The chioggia is stunning when sliced open. Head to our stories to see what we mean and to hear
@pennyhemming talking about the different varieties and their characteristics.

Head chef @lewis_glanvill then took them off to the kitchen and created this seasonal, earthy looking dish. Beetroot with cherries - also from the field kitchen garden - walnuts, beet leaves & goats cheese, dressed in olive oil, Merlot vinegar and salt and pepper. The beetroots were first boiled in lots of bay leaves, rosemary, thyme and garlic.

Tomato dressing ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This d

Tomato dressing
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This dressing adds an amazing fresh tomato flavour to your salads through the summer. You could mix with tuna, anchovies, olives, soft boiled eggs, gem lettuce, spring onion and chives for a Nicoise style salad.
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Ingredients:
salt
black pepper
90ml of extra virgin olive oil
40g of cherry tomatoes
30ml of balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove
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Here's how to make at home:
Crush the cherry tomatoes and garlic cloves with a pestle and mortar, then add the oil and balsamic vinegar slowly, using the pestle and mortar to mix and emulsify. Season with salt and pepper.

Oven dried tomatoes ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ We

Oven dried tomatoes
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We have our first red, ripened tomatoes in the polytunnel. Penny grows over 20 varieties in her polytunnel and we always have a bumper crop including cobalt pear, big boy, orange Russian, jersey devil and sakura. The tomato plants literally take over the bottom half of the polytunnel – it’s a tomato jungle. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
However, this is nothing compared to the 55 tonnes @riverford are expecting to produce this year! There is a lot of work involved with this crop including mulching, stringing, planting, sideshooting and twining, de-leafing, bio-control and harvest. But all worth it as this week, harvest begins!
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These oven dried tomatoes are a fail proof way for preserving a bumper crop of cherry tomatoes, stored in olive oil they are a great addition of intense tomato flavour to pasta, roasted veg, with eggs for breakfast, an appetizer or an amazing gift.
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To make them all the more flavoursome make sure to dry them cut side up as the tomato juice collects and concentrates instead of dropping out.
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By storing them in oil not only will it preserve their shelf life but also leave you with a tomato infused oil to be use after, so don’t throw it away! Drizzled over ricotta on toast with some capers for example.
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To make at home, wash the tomatoes and pat dry. Slice in half length ways and remove as much of the seeds as you can with a spoon. Season with salt and lay cut side up on a cooling rack or a tray with grease proof paper, making sure they’re not touching. Put in the oven at 100 degrees for 3-4 hours until they are shriveled. Cool the tomatoes to room temperature. Transfer them to a jar and cover with olive oil. You can store in the fridge for 1-2 months.

Its the first time we've grown poppies this succes

Its the first time we've grown poppies this successfully in the field kitchen garden.

These poppies, or papaver somniferum ‘hen and chicken' as officially known are seeds we bought but there are others in the garden that have just self seeded. Penny spread loads of compost from the heaps onto the beds so we think they have germinated from there.
You can also broadcast seeds that you’ve saved. The best time to do this is in March. To sow seed, stand with your back to the breeze and flick the seed out at waist height. Use a wrist action similar to using an egg whisk but much slower, walk then cast the seed.

We are delighted to tell you that the @Riverford f

We are delighted to tell you that the @Riverford farm gates will be reopening in August and we would love you to join us for some extraordinary dining experiences in the beautiful surroundings of the Field Kitchen Garden.
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Our veg-centric menu’s have always shown off the best of our organic seasonal produce, grown in our garden and surroundings fields and now you can experience dining where our veg has been grown - a truly magical experience.
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We will also be holding mini veg masterclasses where you can meet our veg & flower growing extraordinaire Penny Hemming and go on a whistle-stop veg adventure! ⠀⠀
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We will share more details as the events go live next week. Watch this space! We can't wait to welcome you & your friends and family back to the Riverford Field Kitchen.

It's amazing to see how quickly the garden and pol

It's amazing to see how quickly the garden and polytunnel can burst into life (swipe to see a before and after of the garden). One week the cucumbers are as small as your little finger and a week later they've quadrupled in size!
Last week we filmed Penny amongst the edible flowers and they were just up to her knees and waist - this week some of them are nearly shoulder height.
There is so much to see and capture and more excitingly, so much to start harvesting! The tomatoes are turning red, the aubergines are overcoming the pesky aphids and the beetroot is poking out of the ground. The chillies are nearly ready for the chefs to experiment with and in one more week the sweetcorn will probably tower over Penny!
With the recent update on restrictions being lifted, we hope to bring you news very soon of when we can allow guests in our beautiful garden again.
In the meantime, have a look at our stories for some brilliant tap to grow's!

Tomato leaf tip #3⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Dried tomato leaves⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Such a simple tip to do, but they add so much flavour to a sauce. Simply lay all leaves on a baking tray, put in the oven 100 degrees for 1 hour and store in a dry place.

Tomato leaf recipe #2 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Tomato leaf recipe #2
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Tomato Stock
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This tomato stock is a great fridge essential. Makes a great base for a ragu, bolognaise or ribolita or for a minestrone soup. It’s a veg stock cube with so much more flavour! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
To make at home, you will need:
1 ltr water
1 handful tomato leaves and stalks
1 clove garlic
½ small onion
½ carrot
Salt
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Boil all ingredients together and strain through a sieve.

This is the Field Kitchen Garden dream team minus

This is the Field Kitchen Garden dream team minus one! Penny - who needs little introduction. Our glamorous, ginger beer swilling, head gardener and veg & flower growing genius. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
James - normally found travelling up & down the country with @riverford events team, cooking up vegcentric feasts. Now more likely to be seen knocking up a shed, digging beds and with a wheelbarrow close to hand.
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Helen - would usually be greeting & chatting to guests at The Riverford Field Kitchen, serving our inspiring veg dishes and being an all round top host. Now she's as green fingered as Penny, even growing her own at home. Happiest surrounded by herbs and sowing new life for the garden.
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Missing from this photo is Fran who we featured working on our herb bank a few weeks ago. Fran is normally cooking our veg in the restaurant, not growing it! A bit of a foraging expert, it might take some persuading for her to put down her spade and put on her apron again! ⠀
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What new skills have you found during lockdown? Relaxing is a perfectly acceptable answer!

Tomato leaves are tender, fragrant, high in antiox

Tomato leaves are tender, fragrant, high in antioxidants and completely edible. The fresh smell of tomato leaves represents summer in the Field Kitchen Garden. Anyone who has grown tomatoes will know that you get an abundance of leaves on your tomato plant, in fact it can take over your veg patch a little. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Head chef Lewis Glanvill has come up with inspired ways of using tomato leaves, and of course tomatoes, in everyday recipes. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Tomato leaf pesto⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
A twist on the classic pesto recipe. The addition of the tomato leaves will add a new freshness to any pasta dish.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Ingredients:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
1 handful of small tomato leaves⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
15ml red wine vinegar⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
200ml olive oil⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
1 small garlic clove⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
15g pumpkin seed⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Salt⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Simply blend all ingredients together - couldn't be easier!

E D I B L E F L O W E R S We like to use edible

E D I B L E F L O W E R S
We like to use edible flowers in the Field Kitchen - mainly to decorate salads, puddings and cakes. Apart from being delightful to look at, they are often very tasty adding flavour to a dish. They are also packed with vitamins and minerals.
Take a look at our stories today to see @pennyhemming talking about, and eating edible flowers!

Head chef @lewis_glanvill has created this edible bouquet using coriander flowers, fennel, agretti, basil, and nasturtium, borage and viola flowers. He has then stuffed it with curd and sprayed it with elderflower vinegar.

#edibleflowers #growyourown #gyo #flowergarden #garnish

Doughnut peaches are plump, bursting with nectar a

Doughnut peaches are plump, bursting with nectar and juicier and superior in flavour (we reckon) compared with a regular peach.
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We also think they are a great BBQ pudding parcel! As the peaches soften and the sugar caramelises infused with the thyme it creates an amazing dessert. Putting juicy fruits or tomatoes in parcels are a great way to collect all the juices – otherwise the fruit bursts under the heat and you lose all that deliciousness.
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To make at home:
Start by quartering the peaches, removing the stone and place on a large sheet of tin foil.
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Sprinkle with brown sugar and a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme (you could make with dried thyme, just use a small pinch or maybe try with fresh rosemary).
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Wrap up the parcel tightly so there are no holes. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Place on a hot grill or straight onto the coals if the fire is dying down and cook for about 20-30minutes. The peaches will go soft and release all their juices. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Open the parcel and you can either tip the content into bowls or eat straight from your parcel with a big spoon of mascarpone on top!

The global conversation around racism has gathered

The global conversation around racism has gathered momentum like no other, stopping many of us in our tracks and sparking feelings of shock, sadness and responsibility. We have been watching, listening, learning and reflecting.
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Riverford stands against racism and in solidarity with the growing global movement to end racism against black people, and in all its forms, following the death of George Floyd. We believe deeply in fairness and equal treatment for all – be that race, gender, age, disability – and support the fight to end racism.
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The conversation has highlighted the uncomfortable truth that we have not been thinking about these issues enough at Riverford.
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Debate has sparked internally, and we have started to act. Diversity and anti-racism were discussed at our co-owner council meeting this week. We have shared resources with co-owners to help educate us all on systemic racism and white privilege. We have enabled co-owners to attend protests (in line with government social distancing guidelines). We are planning senior management sessions to explore how we can improve diversity. Our magazine, Wicked Leeks, has spoken out in solidarity with the protests, and actively covers diversity and social justice in relation to sustainable food and ethical business.
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We have work to do. This was the jolt we needed to listen more, learn more and do more.

One of our favourite things about growing tomatoes

One of our favourite things about growing tomatoes is the smell on a warm day. That earthy smell comes from the leaves and, contrary to popular belief, they are edible. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
In the field kitchen we serve them in multiple ways; the small tender leaves are tossed through salads, blended into a pesto or dried and added to soups or stocks. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
When we are ‘side shooting’ the plant to encourage growth, we will boil those in water to make tomato stocks so that nothing is wasted.
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This recipe is a great way to add a real tomato hit into your pasta dish before adding any tomatoes, it gives it an amazing colour and flavour.
To make at home, you will need:
400g flour
3 large eggs
60g tomato leaves
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Here's how:
Blanch the tomato leaves in boiling water for 1-2 minutes until tender, then strain and a squeeze all the water out the leaves.
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Put the cooked tomato leaves into a blender with the eggs and blend on high for 10 seconds, scrape down the sides of the blender and blend again for 10 seconds. You should have a completely smooth green liquid.
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Tip the flour into a deep bowl. Make a well in the centre and tip in the egg mix. Using a fork mix until roughly combined, then with your hands knead to form a ball.
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Now tip onto a solid work surface and knead for 5-10 minutes until completely smooth and one consistency with no lumps of flour.
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Now clingfilm tightly and leave to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
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Your dough is now ready to roll by hand, or through a pasta machine depending on which type of pasta you’re after.
A simple way to serve tomato leaf pasta is to toss the cooked pasta in garlic butter with fresh lemon juice, parsley & chopped tomatoes.

If you haven't tried BBQing watermelon you should

If you haven't tried BBQing watermelon you should - especially as you can order @riverford mini watermelons as a seasonal extra to add to your box right now!
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It transforms from being sweet and watery to an intensified smoky flavour lending itself perfectly to savoury summer salads or being drizzled with honey and nuts for a dessert. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Simply peel the watermelon, cut into strips, toss in olive oil and bbq on a very hot grill. It works very well with cheeses for acidity, like feta, mint, chilli & pinenuts.

Summer turnips. Not to be confused with winter tur

Summer turnips. Not to be confused with winter turnips, these are smaller and tender with a peppery sweetness and are a blend of cream and purple in colour. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Head chef @lewis_glanvill has created 3 recipes to show you three different ways to cook & eat them - raw, roasted and steamed.

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