HEALTHY EATING

The simplest way to encourage healthy eating is to prepare food that tastes fabulous. It is equally important to ensure the meals are also easy to put together.

Most people are aware that eating more vegetables, especially uncooked varieties such as salads are a vital part of a healthy diet. Unfortunately, the recipes are commonly bland at best.

Vegetables have a huge amount of health benefits, especially when eaten raw, but most people find them boring. However, a great dressing can change all that.

Artisan foods such as Womersley Fruit & Herb Vinegars, based in Yorkshire, are a life saver because they can produce deliciously simple salad dressings with the minimum of ingredients and fuss.

How to use 'em...

Be Enthused...

We are really proud, after all these years that our fruit vinegars are popular with home cooks and chefs alike, because we really do aim to challenge common preconceptions of vinegar. Using mild spirit vinegar to infuse a generous amount of fruit, we only use natural ingredients, sourced in Yorkshire when possible, to ensure a stable and intense fruit and herb flavour which is immediately apparent on the palate. I love watching the faces of people tasting our vinegars for the first time because they prepare for a familiar sharp, acidic taste, only to be really surprised by the mildness of the tang and the depth of the fruit and herb flavour.

Stephanie Moon took time out from her appearance on Great British Menu to make these Fabulous Fishcakes in the Clocktower Restaurant kitchen at Rudding Park, pictured here. If you want to have a go, the recipe is on our Facebook Discussions tab...

A little Background on vinegar in Yorkshire

My father, a keen plantsman and gardener, developed our large kitchen garden in Yorkshire, full of a huge array of fragrant herbs and delicious fruit. Over the years, from 1979 onwards, when my parents, Martin and Aline Parsons, started their Aladdin’s cave of a craft and food shop in the quiet village of Womersley, we saw the reputation of the vinegars and jellies, in particular, grew above all the other foods we were stocking. In 2009 I took over the running of the company, and I decided that it was very important that we rebranded the business in order to compete more efficiently.

We won a Designing Demand Grant from the Design Council and appointed Mayday Living Brands to oversee our rebrand and design. Through them, we were introduced to the amazing Swedish artist, Petra Borner, who did all the artwork for our new logo. I am so glad we rebranded the company, as so many people have told me how much they love our logo, that it is really bright and eye-catching....perfect for deli shelves and to show off in your kitchen, too!

So much has happened in the last year: we have won a Gold** at the Guild of Fine Food Awards and we have set about really focussing on those product lines that represent our strengths. The Foodie Bugle approached me to write all about our artisanal fruit and herbal vinegars and jellies, and to tell readers how they can be used in cooking.

We are a small, artisanal family business, we take great pride in what we do and I hope I have inspired you to be a little more adventurous in your cooking. Our website tells you all about our stockists, but if you would like to meet us or taste our products, then do come along to one of the food fairs where we exhibit. I really look forward to seeing you there.