Yelvertoft mum's latest from The Countryside Kitchen

Milly is a mother of two boys and a farmer's wife, based on a livestock and arable farm.

As the weather turns cooler and the nights draw in, I enjoy getting cosy in the kitchen, cooking winter warmers such as stews, roasts and pies. I love to support local food producers by shopping local and buying British. This really helps to sustain independent businesses and rural communities as they provide employment, a vital service and of course amazingly tasty food with low food miles and incredible provenance.

Take Hamm Tun fine foods in Long Buckby for example. They’ve been producing a delicious Northamptonshire blue cheese using milk produced in the county and selling the ‘Cobblers Nibble’ through their deli shop since 2013. Hamm Tun Fine Foods are about to open a new shop at Whittlebury Park which is testament to the demand for their signature produce from repeat custom; they’ve won awards too including a recent silver award in the artisan product of the year at the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards.

Being mindful of our impact on the environment is becoming more and more important to us, how we shop, what we eat and where we travel for example. For me, supporting independent businesses and buying British is a great way of reducing my carbon footprint. Buying meat from the butchers, where the animals were reared locally to exceptional standards, on lush pasture rather than meat shipped halfway across the world, reared to lower welfare standards, is a positive move. As is eating in season with fruit and vegetables grown in our climate rather than demanding avocados and strawberries year-round for instance.

Our retailers respond to consumer demand, and if everyone makes a positive move towards supporting local independent producers, reducing packaging, transport of food, and food provenance, as well as eating more ‘whole’ food as opposed to processed food, then change will happen faster.

What change will you make to help improve your impact on the environment?

All this talk of cheese is making me peckish and I’d like to share a recipe with you that I tried during half term with the kids.

It’s called ‘Mighty Cheese and Onion Pie’

You will need:

250G plain flour

50g rye flour

150g butter

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Pinch of salt

25g of parmesan cheese

1 potato

2 onions

Handful of chopped chorizo or bacon (optional)

Pinch of thyme

150ml double cream

1 egg

50g Red Leicester cheese

Mix the flour, salt, cayenne pepper parmesan and butter together to form bread crumbs. Then add 1 egg and 5 tablespoons of water to bring pastry together.

Form a dough and place in the fridge for 30 mins.

Meanwhile chop the potato and onions thinly. Sweat the onions in some butter until soft then add the potato and chorizo with a pinch of thyme and the cream. Cover for 10 mins until everything is soft.

Roll out 2/3 of the pastry on a floured surface then line a pie dish.

Take the mixture off the heat and allow to cool before adding the Red Leicester cheese.

The leftover pastry forms your pie lid. Roll out and place on top of your pie.

Crimp and brush with egg. Place in the oven at 200c for 45 mins until brown

If I’ve inspired you to get cooking or support a local food producer, please do let me know by getting in touch on the No Fuss Meals for Busy Parents page.