Riverford is ostensibly a south Devon family farm. It has all the requisite features: longevity in this red-clay landscape (John Watson took a tenancy here in 1951) and continued family involvement – four of Gillian and John Watson's five children are involved at Riverford. But in other ways it is quite atypical. Whereas the British family farm was always a rather passive entity, Riverford's soils nurture a peculiar amount of attitude. So while other farms were being colonised by supermarkets from the 70s, the Watsons were alert to the need for diversification. How could this farm expand its revenues and its horizons? How could it link consumers with produce so that ultimately they cared where it came from? In diametric opposition to the "get orf my land" school of farming, the public was invited to Riverford on some of the UK's first farm trails.
In 1993 came one of its greatest hits: the vegetable box, courtesy of son Guy, right, who returned to the family farm in 1986 bristling with ideas and indignation at the ever-tightening grasp of the multiples. Thankfully for business, the organic veg box is now commonplace. Back then it was considered weird. But by 2010, more than 60,000 Riverford fruit and veg boxes were distributed in England and Wales every week through five farms.
It is Guy Watson, in particular, who has set the Riverford tone. A few years ago he felt the need to talk specifically about cooking and eating. "I've been banging on about soil and trying to get people to come and see the farm for years," he tells me. "Now I've realised that's not it. What I've got to do is to get people cooking."
When Riverford Farm set up the Field Kitchen onsite in 2007 under the auspices of former River Cafe cook Jane Baxter, they indirectly created a master class in how to use their produce. The Field Kitchen's food is delicious. And as the initial licence dictated you had to do a farm tour first before you sat down to eat, they also secured farm visitors by stealth.
Riverford has become a complete experience. You can support a form of sustainable agriculture, understand the narrative, order the produce (a box can be delivered to most places in England and south Wales), eat the food, and thanks to the recipes, cook it successfully. That's what I call an ethical role model. LUCY SIEGLE
Asian coleslaw with peanuts and chilli
One of Jane Baxter's favourite dishes is som tam, or green papaya salad, which is from northern Thailand and a daily staple in that region. She often tries to emulate it with the humble cabbage and carrot for staff meals here at the farm.
SERVES 4
For the dressing:
garlic clove 1, crushed
onion ½, finely sliced
chilli 1, chopped
Thai fish sauce 1 tbsp
brown sugar 1½ tbsp
lemon juice 3 tbsp
sweet chilli sauce a dash
For the coleslaw:
cabbage ½, finely shredded
carrots 3, coarsely grated
apples 2, grated
red pepper 1, sliced
beansprouts (optional) 100g
tomato 1, chopped
crushed roasted peanuts 2 tbsp
Combine all the dressing ingredients, either in a pestle and mortar or by whisking them together in a bowl. Set aside.
For the coleslaw, mix together all the vegetables, toss with the dressing and pile on a serving plate. Sprinkle with the crushed roasted peanuts.
Pork with braised fennel
When she was working in the Pacific, Jane was lucky enough to visit the atoll group Tokelau (three islands 500km north of Samoa), cooking for a group representing the New Zealand government, which was looking at independence for Tokelau. On one of the atolls, Atafu, the villagers brought pigs as gifts, both cooked and raw, as is their custom. Most of the cooked pigs were distributed to the villagers but Jane experimented with the smaller raw ones to make a version of the Italian dish porchetta. It worked well and here it is adapted to a pork joint. The spare rib roll is most suitable because of its fat content but you could also use a good-sized loin. Fennel makes an ideal marriage with roast pork, and braising it in this way changes the flavour remarkably.
SERVES 4-6
spare rib roll (pork shoulder) 1 of about 2kg
sage 1 tbsp, chopped
rosemary 1 tbsp, chopped
garlic cloves 3, crushed
ground fennel seeds 2 tsp
rashers of pancetta or smoked streaky bacon 3
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the fennel:
fennel bulbs 4, trimmed
olive oil 2 tbsp
garlic cloves 2, chopped
lemon juice of 1
Unroll the pork and spread the joint out flat. Using a sharp knife, slash the meat at 5cm intervals to increase the surface area, being careful not to cut right through it. Rub the sage, rosemary, garlic, half the fennel seeds and some black pepper into the flesh. Lay the pancetta or bacon rashers over the joint and re-roll it, tying with string. Rub some salt and the remaining ground fennel seeds into the pork fat and then put the joint on a baking tray. Place in an oven preheated to 160C/gas mark 3 and roast for about 2 hours.
Meanwhile, prepare the fennel. Cut each fennel bulb into 8 wedges. Heat the olive oil in a pan that is large enough to hold the fennel in a single layer. When the oil is hot, add the fennel and brown over a high heat, stirring occasionally.
Remove the fennel from the pan and set aside. Add the garlic to the pan and cook gently for a few minutes, until softened but not browned. Return the fennel to the pan, season and mix well. Stir in 2 tablespoons of water and cook over a high heat for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for a further 30 minutes, being careful not to let the fennel "catch" in the pan. When it is done, the fennel should have a darker, mushy appearance. Season to taste with the lemon juice, salt and pepper, then serve with the pork.
Some other easy ideas for fennel. Slice fennel bulbs lengthways, brush with a little olive oil and cook on a ridged grill pan until charred and tender. Dress with finely chopped chilli and mint, plus some oil and lemon.
Chermoulah chicken
It's not always essential to toast and grind your own spices, but it is important for a marinade of this kind. The exception is cumin – which tastes so much better if you prepare it yourself that it's always worth the extra effort. Whole spices lose their flavour less quickly than pre-ground spices, so if your spices are a bit old it can be best to roast and grind from scratch rather than use powdered. You can also use the chermoulah marinade on lamb leg steaks or fish. You could even use it with root vegetables before roasting.
SERVES 4
chicken breasts 2
boneless chicken thighs 2-4
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the chermoulah:
saffron a pinch
cumin seeds 2 tsp
coriander seeds 1 tsp
fennel seeds 1 tsp
lemon juice of 1
red wine vinegar 1 tbsp
garlic clove 1, crushed
chilli 1, deseeded if preferred, finely chopped
brown sugar 1 tsp
cinnamon a pinch
sweet paprika 2 tsp
olive oil 2 tbsp
chopped coriander 1 tbsp
Soak the saffron in 2 tbsps of hot water for 20 minutes. Dry-fry the cumin, coriander and fennel seeds until golden and fragrant, then pound to a powder in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Mix the saffron, its water and the ground seeds with the other chermoulah ingredients.
Toss the chicken pieces through the chermoulah and leave, covered, for at least 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4.
In a hot griddle pan, grill each chicken piece for a few minutes on each side until browned. When all the pieces are browned, transfer to an ovenproof dish, season with salt and pepper and cook in the oven for 10 minutes, until firm to the touch and cooked through. Serve.
Chocolate almond cake with raspberries
In the Field Kitchen we incorporate lovely autumn raspberries into this classic Elizabeth David chocolate cake – they are added just before cooking and make it closer to a pudding than a cake. It also works well with redcurrants. Serve with creme fraiche. This is a gluten-free pudding.
SERVES 10
unsalted butter 200g, softened, plus more for the tin
good-quality dark chocolate 250g
brandy 2 tbsp
strong brewed coffee 2 tbsp
caster sugar 250g
ground almonds 250g
rice flour 125g
eggs 6, separated
raspberries 250g
Preheat the oven to 160C/gas mark 3. Butter a 20cm cake tin and line the base with baking parchment.
Place the chocolate, brandy, coffee and butter in a bowl placed over a pan of simmering water (don't let the base of the bowl touch the water). When melted, stir in the sugar, almonds and rice flour. Beat in the yolks. Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold in 1 tablespoon to loosen the mixture, then fold in all the rest. Fold in raspberries. Empty the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes.
