MENU dorset issue 12 issue 12 | Page 28

the local producer the coffee expert Jane Somper The co-founder of Goldhill Organics. They deliver fresh veg and local artisan produce right across Dorset in their award-winning box scheme. www.goldhillorganics.co.uk The GroCycle Mushroom Kit 28 The Sourdough Bread Making Kit Emmanuel Hadjiandreou is one of the best known names in bread making. And his book How To Make Sourdough takes you on a journey from mixing your first sourdough starter through to becoming a sourdough expert. In this Sourdough Bread Making Kit (£39.50), packaged together are some key bread making tools: a scoring blade for the perfect cut and a beautifully risen loaf, a cane banneton to make your loaf beautiful, and a dough scraper to work with the dough itself. Plus, of course, a Le Parfait jar to keep your starter happy.  www.souschef.co.uk Simply place some butter in the coddler (£8.95), break an egg, add to your taste: cheese, smoked salmon, cream, ham. Cook in a water bath in the oven and minutes later you have a lightly cooked egg. Typically, the egg is served in the coddler. Made of porcelain with a metal lid. www.divertimenti.co.uk Giles, the founder of Reads Coffee Roasters, has worked with large café operators like Pret A Manger and now roasts some of the world’s finest coffee beans in his beloved Probat machine. www.readscoffee.co.uk Single Cup Filter Cone and Papers Grow your own gourmet oyster mushrooms at home from recycled coffee grounds with the super-easy Mushroom Grow Kit (£16). GroCycle start the process off at Urban Mushroom Farm by mixing recycled coffee grounds with oyster mushroom spawn under ideal conditions. They then ship a kit out to you for the fun part! All you have to do is cut a hole in the bag, spray it with water, then harvest two weeks after opening. www.grocycle.com The Egg Coddler Giles Dick-Read In any form, be it plastic or china. Plastic actually wins for me as it's unbreakable and doesn't take too much heat out of the brew. This is the purest and simplest way to brew a fantastic cup, wherever there's hot water!  I would put the Bialetti moka pot in as a close second 'essential' for when I want a heavy hit. Scales A set of simple, digital, kitchen scales. For weighing out the correct coffee dose. Essential for consistency and, once in the habit, much simpler than forgetting how many scoops, how full etc. Grinder Lastly, a good grinder. Whether a hand grinder for £20 or a top-of-the-range electric burr grinder for £200, there is no substitute for freshly ground beans. Beans keep much better than ground coffee, and freeze well too. Getting the grind right for the method of brew is essential – coarse for cafetière, mid-fine for filter and fine for espresso or moka pot. We'll be offering a couple of 'Perfect Coffee Kit' Christmas gift packs. The first with Bialetti Single Cup Filter and papers, a set of scales and a ceramic burr hand grinder, with beans, of course. Second, with a Bialetti moka pot and associated scales/grinder. We can also make up gift packs to order, including a range of coffee brewing paraphernalia. Go to www.readscoffee.co.uk for more details. www.menu-dorset.co.uk