...Cooking and Heating

In each Feather Down Farm tent there is a wood-burning stove, so that we can all cook just like in the old days. It takes you longer and you must keep an eye on the fire. But it's very cosy when everybody is gathered round the middle of the living room.Of course you will find neither gas nor electricity nor central heating in the kitchen of the Feather Down Farm tent.

No, everything happens more or less as it used to; cooking and heating was done with wood and coal. Therefore there is a cooking stove in the tent. It is fitted onto a metal plinth, in order to catch burning wood embers which can shoot out of the stove when the stove door is open. From the edge of the stove hang two hooks.A thin one with a hook at the end for opening the scalding hot stove door, or topping up the wood and emptying theashpan.The other hook is for removing the round plate on top of the stove. It is also possible to top up the wood through this hole.

How do I get the stove to work?
In the wood box there is a bag containing firelighters. Light two or three of these blocks and half fill the stove with wood. Then nip outside and take a look at how beautifull the smoke looks coming out of the chimney.

The stove and the pipe can get very hot... so be careful. Do not hang clothing or cloths over the rail of the stove! Immediately after lighting, it is already possible to start cooking but to really cook well you have to wait a little while. If the fire does not catch then you should slide open the grey air-grill at the bottom of the stove a little. And during cooking the stove must be topped up regularly. There is no way to adjust the temperature on the stove. The cooking temperature can be regulated through the location of the pan on the cooking ring. In the middle the cooking ring is piping hot and at the sides you get a ‘simmer temperature’. If something does not need to cook too rapidly, you don't turn up knobs but simply slide the pan a little more to one side.

Stove & Cooking tips: When you start cooking, place the large water kettle on the side-plate right away so that the water can be heating up nicely for the dishes (just like in the old days, there is no immersion heater or boiler in the Feather Down tent).

As soon as the wood supply is finished it is possible to buy a new box on the farm. Anyway, gathering wood is a fun activity. But no more than that, because you cannot burn it in the stove. It is still too wet (wood only becomes really dry after a minimum of one year) and that ensures that the spark arrester in the stove pipe definitely shuts.

Experience shows us that even though we tell that every time, gathering wood is such a fun activity for some...

...it is just as well, because it remains a source of pleasure for the farmer (and the other guests of course).
A 'hunter gatherer father (women are not usually bothered by this) who, with a satisfied smile, brings back his ‘gathered wood haul’ to the tent (by now the other guests and the farmer can already start lining up the chairs for some first-class entertainment)... and yes, after ten minutes the first wisps of smoke start to filter through the tent-seams. Followed by that very same father, blanketed in thick clouds of smoke, in panic, rolling all the canvas up. After the stove-pipe has cooled down, the spark-catcher can be shaken out and from now on only the farmers dry wood goes into this stove.

When the weather is warm you can roll up the sides of the Feather Down Farm Tent to turn it into a veranda and you will not be bothered by the heat which the stove gives off during the cooking process.

When it is cold it is best to keep the tent closed during the heating, so that a cosy warm atmosphere is created.

Making coffee.
There is a coffee grinder in the tent. In some tents the coffee grinder is attached to the wall, in others there is a loose one, which you can put in your lap when you grind the coffee. Coffee beans are for sale in the farm shop.

Heating.
Of course the stove is also important for heating. During the nights, especially in spring and late season it can cool down quite severely. It is nice when you can heat the stove to your needs. A big pile of wood in the stove and the canvas rolled down means that it warms up nicely. Before going to bed put some briquettes on the fire and the stove will heat the tent during the night. And to be sure, in bed your bed socks, pyamas or nightcap. You may need to bring these from home.

The Feather Down Farm Cool chest.
No fridge or coolbag, no electricity and nevertheless trying to keep the luncheon meat and the butter cool. For that reason in every Feather Down Farm Tent there is a cool chest. A frozen water-bottle, free of charge from the farm, must be placed in the cool chest, as a result of which the food is kept cold.

In the old days people had no fridge, everything was kept cool and in good condition in the cellar. The vegetables and the fruit were cooked first and then put into storage jars. It did not always work well. Sometimes something was put in storage jars which then started to ferment. Lids started to bulge and then popped off of the bottles. Then people might have had to eat jars and jars of apple sauce or beans in a matter of days.

That won't be necessary in the Feather Down Farm tent. Nothing will explode; everything simply chills in the cool chest. However, from time to time you must of course put a new frozen water-bottle in the cool chest. You can obtain these in the farm shop.

More good Kitchen news:
Glasses, cups, mugs, plates, cutlery, kitchen knives that really cut, cutting boards, scissors, coffee grinder, pans, cooking and baking material, you do not need to bring any of these. It is all there in the Feather Down kitchen. Including serving spoons. You can buy your food from the farm shop; after all we do not know what you like and how much you will want to eat during your stay.

Feather Down Farm Menu tips.

On the farm you can get all kinds of ideas for recipies for cooking on the stove in the Feather Down tent and you can buy the necessary ingredients in the Farm Shop. If you already want to practice at home we have a couple of menu tips for you here.

Menu tip from a Somerset Farm.
‘Feather Down Farm Beetroot with Meatballs’
The red beetroot, is a short thick root, similar to kohlrabi, with a nice red colour on the inside. There are also white and yellow beets, but these are not as tasty as the red. In the temple of Apollo in Delphi is an image of a silver root, so this vegetable has been eaten since time immemorial.

• Take the necessary amount of potatoes, red beetroot and minced meat.
• Twist off the green of the tuber and wash it. Cook the beetroot, cleaned but unpeeled, for about 30-45 mins. Then drain them and rinse under the cold tap. Strip the beetroot (this works best under running water) and cut into small cubes.
• In the old days after this, sugar and clove was sprinkled over it and a knob of butter added.
• In the meantime continue to top up the stove and in the meantime, put the potatoes on the stove.
• Prepare the meat to taste, roll it into large balls and fry them.
• You can also mash the beetroot through the potatoes and serve it as a bubble and squeak.

Menu tip from a farmer who would like to remain anonymous
(because often gloves are forgotten when picking the nettles)
Nettle soup
For this you need: 2 small pans full of nettles or just a big heap.
If you can only find old nettles nearby, you must only use the tops of the plant. When picking put on some gloves, because if not, you might have a delicious soup later, but terribly painful fingers. What else you need: 1 cup of milk, 50 grammes of cheese and a little flour. Make a stock from a nice piece of bone or meat, or use vegetarian stock cubes.

• Boil the water in a pan. Plunge the nettles in the hot water for a moment and fish them out of the water again with a fork.
• Remove the stems and finely chop the leaves. Put a pan with a dab of butter on the stove.
• Braise the nettles in the butter, sprinkle some flour on the stew and add the stock while stirring.
• Continue to boil and add the milk. Sprinkle with finely cut cheese.
• Add a piece of homebaked white/brown bread with butter, and yum yum!

Delicious as a starter or mid afternoon snack when everybody is hungry as a result of the fresh air.

Interior | Bed & Bath | Cooking & Heating | Outdoor living | Night-time | Light