I don’t usually do too many promotions or previews of upcoming events, but this week I have made an exception for my beloved EcoCentre in Screveton who are holding an

Open Farm Weekend this Coming Weekend on the 7th and 8th of June.

On their Website they tell us

“Farmeco’s biggest event is Open Farm Weekend, held 7th & 8th June. With FREE entry for both days. After last years success at Open Farm Sunday, we are expanding our event over the weekend with an “Farmeco Open Farm Show” on the Saturday (10.30am to 5pm). With nature walks, tractor & trailer tours to see the farm & animals. Stalls, demonstrations and competitions for all the family to enjoy! Plus Farmeco produced products in our very own “Saturday Kitchen Cafe”.

A Barn Dance will follow on Saturday night (7.30 pm to Mid-night) £12.50 for tickets. This event will host a fantastic local band with drinks and a Farmeco hog roast.

While “Farmeco Open Farm Sunday” will be a relaxing day (11am to 3pm) of nature walks, tractor & trailer rides to see the farm and its animals. Plus food & drinks from our own Kitchen Café.”

So What is Going On this weekend? Lets have a look at the poster

 

So why am I telling you all about this?

This is the place where I learnt to make bread properly under the guidance of Gail Hooley at the fortnightly bread making group in the EcoKitchen, it was a lot of fun and I have posted the link all about that just below. Many of the people that I have met through the Bread Making Campaign and Friends of the Eco-Centre will be here over the weekend working in the Kitchen Café to keep everyone fed and watered in between events and activities, they will also be manning the Pizza Oven which has been recently completed and I understand that you will be able to make your own pizzas up and then cook them to order with the teams help. Pizza making is one of the activites that the centre does with local schools and groups on a regular basis as they help children in particular to understand the story of where their food comes from. They use locally produced flour for the pizza base, and produce grown on the farm for some of the toppings

So as I said that whole group are going to be ‘really busy’ helping out over the weekend all for the love of the Farm and for the pure joy of the event, so if you can get over to support the centre and their efforts it would be much appreciated by everyone.

If you want to sample some of their baking there may well be cakes to buy and if you like a Cookie? well you will be in luck as the team from the Bread Making Group have been busy making a whole batch especially for your enjoyment.

I am posting some of the pictures when they were trying out the recipes.

I have eaten the cookies in person and they are really worth trying, so much so that I asked Gail if she would share the recipe and very kindly she has let me post it here just for you.

If you don’t have the time to make some don’t worry just jump into your car this weekend and pop over to Screveton to sample one in the Kitchen Café

It may inspire you to bake some yourself and you can also meet some of the friends of the Ecocentre and the community baking group

and who knows perhaps you will find yourself coming along to one of their upcoming baking days?

Oatmeal & Raisin Cookies

Makes about 30 cookies

110g butter, softened
110g caster sugar
110g soft light brown sugar
1        egg
2tbsp  water
1tsp vanilla extract
250g porridge oats
110g self-raising flour
1 level tsp salt
110g raisins

1 Preheat the oven to 180c/160c fan/gas mark 4

2 Cream the butter in a large bowl or with an electric food mixer until soft. Add the sugars and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add
the egg, water and vanilla extract while still beating. Reduce the speed
and gently mix in the oats, flour, salt and raisins to form a dough. If the dough is too sticky to handle pop it in the fridge for 15 – 20 minutes

3 Using your hands, roll the dough into walnut sized balls and place spaced slightly apart on 2 baking trays (no need to grease or line) press down gently with the back of a fork. If it sticks, wet the fork.

4 Bake in the oven for 15-25 minutes or until light golden brown but still
slightly soft in the centre.

5 Allow to cool on the trays for a couple of minutes, to firm up, before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

VARIATION:

Oatmeal & Chocolate Cookies: chocolate chips can be used instead of raisins.

——————————————————————————–

What else is going on?

 As well as eating some of the cookies and the pizza’s you can find out all about some of the other activities that the EcoCentre is engaged with.

Seed to Sandwich

One of their popular events that they run is the Seed to Sandwich Day where you can learn all about ‘following the entire Real Bread journey from seed to sandwich’ all the way from growing the wheat, milling the grain, and even through to baking a loaf.

‘Meet the Animals’ and ‘Sheep Shearing’

You can meet the animals on both days and on the Saturday they will be Shearing the Sheep. I don’t know if any of these fellows will be getting shorn, but they may well be around although they may be a bit older than when I took this photo. I should not really mention it but every so often they have a butchery course at the centre and these lambs often are the main attraction. I have eaten a few of them, not the whole lamb, just a few chops, and I have to say that they produce very good meat, very tasty, very good value, and produced the right way as well.

Look out for the chickens, they may seem a motley bunch but many of them are rescued and they produce some really great eggs which we often buy from the farm. There is an honesty box near the main entrance and they are really fresh, often laid that same day. You don’t get that in a supermarket where they may be two weeks old, and even local farm shops can be several days old. So if you are driving past have a look.

I really could have told you so much more, but if I do then maybe you would not need to come to the Open Day to find out more info for yourself. I think it will be a really good weekend, so if you can pop along, I urge you to do so. There will plenty to do for the whole family, and also plenty just for yourself if you want to come along on your own. I have always found everyone here to be really friendly and I won’t name them all, you can meet them yourself when you come over.

Check them out on their website, and you can find them in Screveton this coming weekend at the Open Farm Event

Located at Home Farm, Screveton, Nr Bingham, Notts NG13 8JL

Contact Details and Location Map