My brother, Russell and I couldn’t be more different. He can bait a hook, fix machinery, looks fit, is a fearless skier and motor bike rider… God, I wish he’d move to Alaska. However, when it comes to food, we are on the same page. This page actually! Yep, we decided that I should prepare a small range of very, yes VERY, special food products here on my farm and that he would “find the right mouths to appreciate these unique, uncompromised, knock out flavours”, to use his words. What a nice guy. Forget Alaska brother, let’s do this.
Simply put in culinary parlance, there are certain foods that manufacture very well in larger quantities and actually, I work closely with my friend and chef, Nick Salerno at Picasso Fine Foods to have them hand made in reasonable quantities. I am really proud of the foods I do with Nick. However, there are other recipes Nick cannot justify cooking commercially for me, where the relationship between the size and shape of the cooking pot, the speed of cooking, the diversity of ingredients and indeed the speed of cooling, all demand very small batch cooking. This section of the website is all about those products.
Russ and I looked at the size of my farm, the size of my kitchen and decided that we should only make a limited quantity of these ‘jars from the farm’ to maintain our highest standard. And here’s the fun bit: we would NOT exceed that quantity. What’s in it for me? Well apart from covering the costs of farming wonderful things, I’m on an amazing journey with food, I get to cook every day, love it! And, separately but equally important, I want this site to inspire other small growers to set up a cottage industry and do as I hope to do. Have an artisan business that sustains their small holding and provides a meaningful lifestyle connected with weather, seasons, soil, the craft of cooking, the wonderfully real people with a similar outlook, and so, so much more.
So, if you aspire to turn a sod, grow a carrot and bake it into a cake to be sold at your local markets, I applaud you. Follow me on this site, Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. Maybe you will find helpful tips and tricks. Oh, and by the way, buy my “jars from the farm” range, so I can keep my tractor in the tyres to which it has become accustomed.
Can I ask a favour? Indulge me and look into the crystal ball. One day, we will have cooking classes, farm tours and even the most amazing country restaurant! Been dreaming of this ever since I gave up ‘Aviemore’ restaurant to have a life in the media… It may take a couple of years, but when I find the right people (chef and front of house) who are fully and passionately committed to food, cooking and sharing, we will build the ultimate country restaurant. Enough ranting. Please enjoy the jars from the farm range and join in the conversation that is geoffjansz.com