By Andy Bates – Original article appears here.
Craft Beer, Craft Beer, Craft Beer!!!
Which leads me onto the Wild Beer Company, I was lucky enough to be sent down by BBC Food and Drink to spend a day with them at their brewery, finding out what inspires them, how the business is going and of course try a beer or two 😉
Set up in 2012 by Andrew Cooper and Brett Ellis on a mission to “brew beers with a bit of a difference focusing on different ingredients, different yeasts and different barrel ageing techniques.”
Both Andrew and Brett have worked in food and drink throughout their careers. Brett from California, a former chef and Andrew (an Englishman) in management and ownership of pubs and bars. They meet working at a brewery and discovered they shared a love for sour and interesting beers.
Now onto my recipe… One thing I learned was that the Wild Beer Co are based directly opposite to Westcombe Dairy, producers of some of finest cheddar in Somerset. This was the opportunity for the crew and I to stack up on a car load of cheese and beer. Gleefully taken, it gave me the perfect excuse to make a Cheddar and Ale soup. I used cheddar from the farm shop and Wild Beer’s Scarlet Fever, a red ale with toffee caramel and citrus hops. A perfect combination!
So if you have not guessed it by now… on this week’s BBC Two – Food & Drink, I’m talking CRAFT BEER with the Wild Beer Co and I join Melissa Cole at Bristol Beer Week. Tune in this Friday at 8:30 or after on catch-up HERE.
Enjoy, it’s a great one!
My Cheddar and Ale Soup
Ingredients
(serves 4)
- 50g butter
- 1 onion (finely chopped)
- 2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
- 60g plain flour
- 300ml chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 150ml double cream
- 300ml ale (I used Wild Beer ‘Scarlet Fever’)
- 200g mature cheddar (grated)
- 1tsp english mustard powder
- good dash of Worcestershire sauce
FOR THE GARNISH:
- 100g diced pancetta lardons
- 1 jalapeño (thinly sliced, keep the seeds if you want it extra spicy)
Method
In a frying pan, fry off the pancetta lardons until crispy (or to your liking).
Serve in a bowl with the pancetta and jalapeño sprinkled on top.
*For a vegetarian option, use vegetable stock and omit the pancetta on the garnish.
(photos by Nathan Valentine)