Hunt & Gather UK
  • Hunt and Gather UK
  • About

Stuart Mitchell Secare & Muntjac Knives

5/4/2015

1 Comment

 
Picture
Stuart Mitchell Secare

My Secare Survival Knife has just arrived from the talented custom knife maker Stuart Mitchell.

It's a stunning knife and an amazing piece of craftsmanship.

The blade is made from SF100 Steel (Surgical Steel). The handle is made from G10 and the sheath Kydex.

I am really pleased with it and can't wait to try it.

All of Stuarts knives are handmade to order.

He consulted several survival experts for the Secare design, including I believe Bear Grylls.

Absolutely stunning!

http://www.stuartmitchellknives.com/phone/index.html

Picture
My new Stuart Mitchell Secare Knife.
Picture
Stuart Mitchell Secare Knife
Picture
The Secare Knife Handmade by the talented Stuart Mitchell.
Picture
Secare Survival Knife by Stuart Mitchell. Love the Kydex Sheath as well, with it small accessories pocket.
Picture
Stuart Mitchell Secare Knife
Picture
"Secare" Survival Knife by Stuart Mitchell. Love the Kydex sheath as well. It's got a small pocket for accessories or survival bits. Stunning knife.
Picture
Stuart Mitchel Secare Knife
Picture
So many pictures I know, but I just love this knife. The Secare by Stuart Mitchell.
Picture
This Secare Knife has a Black G10 Handle lined with orange. Always useful to locate it after putting it down, especially in the dark.
Picture
Stunning knife & sheath - Stuart Mitchell
Picture
Stuart Mitchell Secare Knife.
Picture
My knife being built
Picture
A lot of work goes into making a hand made knife.
Picture
Polished
Picture
G10 handles added.
Picture
That's my knife 608
Picture
My Stuart Mitchell MuntjacX knife has arrived. It will be used for Gralloching / Butchering. The Secare will be my general purpose / bushcraft knife.
Picture
My Stuart Mitchell Muntjac Knife
Picture
Stuart Mitchell Muntjac
Picture
Stuart Mitchell Muntjac Knives
Picture
Stuart Mitchell Muntjac Knife made from SF100 Steel, G10 Scales and Liners.
1 Comment

Primrose Curd

4/25/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Primrose Curd

Another wonderful recipe kindly passed on by a friend. And one that I must try making with my children.

Primrose Curd

Two generous handfuls of unsprayed clean primrose petals.

450grms sugar

450grms Bramley apple

125grms unsalted butter

4-5 large eggs

The zest and juice of two lemons.

Day One

Finely chop the primrose petals and place them with the sugar in a container and stir through the primrose flowers. Cover and leave for at least 24 hours (this will allow the flavours from the petals to be released into the sugar.

Day Two

Peel and chop 450grms of apples, put them in a pan with 100ml of water and the lemon zest and juice. On the hob, gently cook the apple until it is yieldingly soft and then mash it into a purée.

One third fill a pan with water and place a snug-fitting heat-proof bowl on the top of the pan. Add the apple, butter, lemon juice and primrose sugar mixture to the bowl. Heat the pan and stir the mixture until the butter has completely melted.

Turn off the heat and add the eggs to the mixture through a sieve. Stir the eggs in thoroughly with a balloon whisk.

Put the pan back on a gentle heat and stir the mixture for about 10 minutes until it thickens. (It will thicken further as it cools). Pour the curd into sterilised jars, seal immediately and store in the fridge where it will keep for up to a month. Sieve the curd whilst pouring the curd into the jar.

It looks delicious and apparently takes amazing. A superb and very interesting wild harvest recipe in my opinion.

0 Comments

Foraged Dinner From the Bristol Frome

4/18/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
A Brown Trout from the Bristol Frome

Eva and I caught a wild from trout from the Bristol Frome this evening. We rarely take Trout from the Frome, but I took this small trout this evening for Eva's dinner. I tend to only take small fish (less than 1/2lb) for my children's dinner. All big fish go back.

We made a Wild Onion, Elephant Garlic, Smoked Elephant Garlic and Wild Garlic Pesto and Eva had it for her tea. She couldn't stop praising how it all tasted!

Eva also made a giant Lesser Celandine chain and we had a fire by the river. Happy days!!!

The Pesto ingredients;

Pine nuts

Hazel nuts

Olive oil

Vinegar (slash to preserve)

Elephant Garlic

Smoke Elephant Garlic

A small bunch of Wild Onion Leaves

Wild Garlic

Picture
That pesto is bloody amazing!!! Probably the best that I've tasted! Hazelnuts and pine nuts pan toasted. Your elephant garlic and the smoked garlic, was added towards the end of the toasting. Parmesan. Wild garlic leaves, with a small bunch of wild onion leaves. Olive oil and a splash of vinegar, to preserve it. It's not at all potent, like you would expect, just a really nice taste!!
Picture
Wild Onion & Garlic Pesto
Picture
Wild Onion and Garlic Pesto
Picture
The Bristol Frome
Picture
Eva's dinner - Wild Bristol Frome Brown Trout, with Wild Garlic Pesto.
Picture
Elephant Garlic
0 Comments

Salad Made With Foraged Spring Plants

4/13/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Foraged Salad Made With Edible Spring Plants.

A wild salad made up by Eva (my 9 year old) - Hairy Bittercress, Sorrel, Lesser Celandine, Wild Onion (Leaves & Bulb), Wild Garlic (leaves & buds), Young Hawthorn Leaves, Hedge Garlic, Ground Elder, Cow Parsley, topped with a handful of Sweet Violets and Primrose. We ate it with Merguez, Cooking Chorizo and Burdock Root.

Picture
Foraged Salad and Biolite Stove
Picture
A wild salad made up by Eva (my 9 year old) - Sorrel, Lesser Celandine, Wild Onion, Wild Garlic (leaves & buds), Young Hawthorn Leaves, Hedge Garlic, Ground Elder, Cow Parsley, topped with a handful of Sweet Violets and Primrose. We ate it with Merguez, Cooking Chorizo and Burdock Root.
Picture
Foraged Salad made with edible spring plants. Merguez Sausages, Cooking Chorizo and Burdock Root cooked on the Biolite Stove.
0 Comments

King Alfred's Cakes Fungus - How to Transport an Ember in the Bush

10/5/2014

4 Comments

 
Picture
King Alfred's Cakes Fungus - one of the best ways to transport an ember from one spot to another.

King Alfred's Cakes Fungus - when dried it will store an ember for hours. You simply just light it. It can then be transported to another site. By blowing on it it quickly turns into a glowing ember which can be used to start a fire in another location.

Picture
King Alfred's Cakes Fungus on a tree. A fantastic way to keep an ember so that it can be transported and used to start a fire in another location (not my pic).
Picture
By blowing on the ember stored in King Alfred's Cakes Fungus, it quickly bursts into a red hot ember that can be used to start a fire in another location.
Picture
King Alfred's Cakes Fungus - when tried will store an ember for hours. Here storing an ember ready to move to another location.
Picture
Blowing on King Alfred's Cakes Fungus quickly ignites it into a red hot ember, that can be used to start a new fire.
4 Comments

Spiced Pear Chutney

10/3/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Spiced Pear Chutney

A modified supermarket recipe from a friend of mine - spicy pear chutney.

I threw in some ground cinnamon, cloves, plum tomatoes and cashew nuts. I didn't have star anise. Would probably reduce the sugar a bit if I made it again, because it's quite sweet.

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Total time: 1 hour 35 minutes    

Makes: 1kg (4 x 250ml jars)

Ingredients

1kg bag essential Waitrose Conference Pears

300g light muscovado sugar

500ml cider vinegar

2 medium red onions, roughly chopped

40g peeled, grated, fresh ginger

4 cloves garlic, minced

1½ tsp salt

250g pack Waitrose LOVE Life Cherries, Raisins & Nuts

2 cinnamon sticks

3 star anise

1 X ¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6. Put 4 x 250ml clean jars and lids on a baking tray and place in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes to sterilise. Remove the tray from the oven and set aside to cool.

2. Peel and core the pears then chop into rough chunks. In a large pan, bring the sugar and vinegar to the boil, then add the pears and the rest of the ingredients. Simmer over a low heat for 1 hour uncovered, or until thick and glossy.

3. Decant the chutney into the sterilised jars and screw the lids on. Allow to cool completely, then store in the fridge for up to 3 months.

Picture
Jars labelled and ready to go!
Picture
Spiced Pear Chutney in the pan.
Picture
Sloe Gin - ready for Christmas I guess?
0 Comments

Plum Liqueur

9/27/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Plum Liqueur

Plum liqueur:

1. Place the vodka, plums and sugar in a large saucepan.

2. Bring to the boil and simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool.

3. Transfer the vodka plum mixture into two bottles and store in a dark, cool place for 3 months.

4. Optional: Strain the plum vodka through muslin and bottle in 2 clean bottles; or keep plums in liqueur to make a compote.

INGREDIENTS

1 bottle of vodka

450 g plums, halved and stoned

225 g sugar

0 Comments

Elderberry Wine

9/18/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Elderberry Wine

Elderberry wine; they are plentiful at the moment. It tastes better than it smells ;)

Ingredients:

1.5kg Elderberries.

1.5kg Sugar

1tsp Citric Acid.

4.5l Water

1 sachet of brewers Yeast and 1 teaspoon of Nutrient

Method:

Strip the berries from the stalks using a fork.

Crush them in a bowl and pour on the boiling water and add the sugar.

Let it cool to until warm (21 degrees approx) then add the yeast, nutrient and citric acid.

Loosely cover for 3 days and then decant into dark bottles (stops the wine losing its colour) and leave with either an air lock or cotton wool until the vigorous ferment has completed.

Once the ferment has completed siphon off into the final dark bottles to lay down for a minimum of 6 months.

Enjoy on its own or as an addition to a summer martini!

0 Comments

Pear Wine

9/18/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Pear Wine

A great way to use up those pears!

Pear wine:

1. You will need a white 9 litre capacity plastic bucket with lid, wooden spoon, 2 x 4.5 litre glass demijohn, rubber bung (with hole), plastic air lock, plastic siphon tubing, sterilising powder, large plastic funnel, 2 x empty 2 litre screw top plastic bottles, 1 x empty 1 litre screw top plastic bottle.

2. Pour the boiling water over the pears, pressing well to extract the juice. Leave for 4-5 hours.

3. Add the pectic enzyme. Cover and leave for 4 days to infuse.

4. Strain the pears through muslin and pour the liquid through a large funnel, into the demijohn.

5. Add the sugar and lemon juice.

6. Add the yeast and yeast nutrient and fit the airlock. Keep in a warm room.

7. After about 7-10 days, when the wine begins to clear and the bubbles have slowed down, siphon the wine off the 'lees' (the debris in the bottom of the demijohn) into a clean demijohn.

8. After about another 3-4 days, when all fermentation has stopped (no more bubbles through the air-lock), siphon off the 'lees' into clean demijohn. Add a Campden tablet - Campden tablets are used to kill naturally occurring wild yeasts and undesirable bacteria.

9. Stopper the jar and leave in a cool place for a further 10 days. The wine should be clear.

10. Siphon the wine into clean empty plastic bottle and store in a cool place. The wine should be ready after about 3 months.

INGREDIENTS:

4.5 litres boiling water

1.8 kg pears

2 tsp pectic enzyme

900 g sugar

2 lemons, juice only

1x7 g sachet dried yeast

3 tsp yeast nutrient

1 campden tablet

0 Comments

Pear & Lemon Preserve

9/17/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Pear & Lemon Preserve

I have just made some pear & lemon preserve for the 1st time, OMG it's lovely! Would be great used as a jam, or served with pork or Stilton.

Ingredients

2 kilos (4 and 1/2 pounds) of pears, peeled, cored and chopped

3 medium lemons (strained juice and zest)

1 kilo (5 and 1/4 cups) of granulated jam sugar

1 litre (4 and 1/4 cups) of water

Instructions

Prepare the pears and place in a large covered bowl, to stop them browning.

Remove the zest from the lemons carefully to avoid adding the bitter pith. Set zest aside.

Squeeze the lemon juice and strain.

Add the water, chopped pears, lemon zest and juice to a large heavy bottomed saucepan.

Simmer very gently until the pears are just soft.

Pour in the sugar and stir over a medium/low heat until the sugar is dissolved.

Bring the heat up to a rolling boil.

Allow to boil hard for ten minutes before testing for a set.

If it has not reached setting point (what is setting point? See Tricks and tips below) continue to boil rapidly, checking for a set every four minutes or so (set the timer for this).

When the jam has set remove from the heat.

Allow the jam to stand for a few minutes and pour into warmed sterilised jars (how do I sterilise jars? See Tricks and tips below).

Cover with screw top lids or wax disks and cellophane tops.

0 Comments
<<Previous

    Categories

    All
    Cooking
    Deer Stalking
    Equipment
    Fishing
    Foraging
    Grouse Shooting
    Guns
    Home Grown
    Pigeon Shooting
    Poultry & Livestock
    Rabbitshooting
    Shooting
    Trekking & Wild Camping
    Wildfowling
    Wild Harvest
    Woodcock

    Archives

    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.