FLOWER POT KITCHEN: SONNYS REAL BAR-B-Q PIT OUTSTANDING

4 May 2013

SONNYS REAL BAR-B-Q PIT OUTSTANDING

What a find, we happened to go the wrong way for 50 miles on the 27 and passed this, on the return journey I was so excited to stop and go in, this run down looking dive was a 1000% perfect, the staff were so familiar and made ever effort to accommodate us, the food was outstanding and we could see into the kitchen were the staff were pulling whole sides of pig the pork and whole sides of beef and chicken apart by hand fresh off the pit, the whole shack smelt of gorgeous smokey BBQ.

I ordered the full platter where I had pulled BBQ pork, smoked chicken on the bone, the most moist and tender smoked chicken I have ever eaten then a couple of pit BBQ hickory ribs, these had the classic smoke ring that I always see on the tv cooking channels and it had the bark too, fabulous, then there were the sides are the very best moist corn bread I have ever tasted, mac'n'cheese and some really smokey burnt ends Boston BBQ beans, bloody fantastic, wish we had places like this at home. On the table there was a selection of scratch made BBQ sauces ranging from tomato or vinegar based with sweet & smokey or hot & tangy.

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LIFE MY PASSION

Welcome to my daily life of cooking, one winters day many years ago my family and I were all inspired by a back to back rainy day of River Cottage this got us to stop talking about and start actually doing, suddenly three weeks later eight vegetable beds were dug, greenhouse erected and our first vegetables were propagating, this was the start to raising and growing our own food, our fabulous son Oscar changed our path in life which lead us to sell our small thriving restaurant of 10 yrs and to start our new life (Terrifying!) a life of the self sufficient in touch with nature and seasons, taking a step back and looking forward to a slower change of pace and making the most of every moment.

My passion for cooking was stronger than ever and having time at home with Oscar I found I had a new direction and I was no longer striving for perfection, I was suddenly very passionate for the enjoyment of the other side of food, something I had not realised, being the Chef/Cook and every other duty of your own small restaurant made me see that I never actually took time to cook what I wanted!

So there I was muddy boots and hands digging deep in more than one sense and I found myself transported back in time to where everyone grew some of their own food, it is a wonderful world with a real sense of achievement and loss, Slugs Snails and Caterpillars! But thats another story! Childhood memories of summers when I lived with my grand parents reminded me of so much that I had learnt about the make do and mend generation that I had forgotten.

Now as a family we love our free wild food days where we gather what nature has provided, have gone from being mini mini garden urban small holders, who did raised pigs at home because we could not wait to find land and supporting ourselves from our garden to now owning a very small farm that allows us to grow more vegetables for the whole of our family and neighbours, raise our own gorgeous Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, (Sausages!) and pets! Dorset Down sheep, chickens for eggs and pet goats! Suddenly having large quantities of produce started to wake up the Cook in me!

The Cook was awake that part of me that wants to cook for the masses and I found myself setting up Flowerpot Kitchen, a Farmers Market Stall, I wanted to use our honest raised meats and make old fashioned pork pies, rabbit pies and game pies from the local game keeper along with old fashioned techniques and the best hot water crust pastry. This in turn grew to a small cottage industry from home weekly supplying three farm shops and a deli along with also attending three farmers markets A few years later there came a time when my son Oscar's health changed and it was an easy decision to stop.

I still hold the occasional pop up 40 seater restaurant or gourmet lunch which we do for local charities for the love of sharing food and to remind that Cook in me why I love our go slower self sufficient life!

So here I am sitting amoung the vegetables watching the chickens loving that every season nature teaches me something new and that nature is in charge! She has taught me to just go with it and grow. Give it a try from a tray of salad on your windowsill to a few tomato plants it all counts.