Dhruv Baker visits a mushroom farm - Waitrose

http://bit.ly/rfkUJR - Join Dhruv Baker as he discovers how mushrooms are grown at Waitrose's Leckford Farm. Did you know you can buy mushrooms, chicken, eggs and more from our working farm in Hampshire at your local Waitrose? Waitrose has owned Leckford Estate, the Waitrose farm, for more than 70 years. It's a busy working farm, supplying produce to Waitrose branches around the country. Having our own farm means we know exactly what problems and challenges our suppliers are facing, because we face them too. Protecting the environment is a huge priority at Leckford. The land is home to a wide range of species, including skylarks, water voles, brown hares, barn owls, kites and weasels, and we want to keep it that way, by using farming methods that encourage biodiversity. The idea for our mushroom farm grew, quite literally, out of a surplus of straw. Leckford grows more straw than we need for our cows, so we turn the extra into compost for growing mushrooms. Now all the prepacked white mushrooms sold at Waitrose come from Leckford -- and they're on the shelves within 24 hours of being picked. Why not try this recipe? Ingredients: 500ml bottle Waitrose Leckford Farm Cox's Apple Vintage Cider 8 essential Waitrose British Chicken Thigh Fillets 2 tsp Bart Ground Allspice 40g butter 2 Cox apples, cored and cut into wedges 250g pack essential Waitrose Mushrooms, washed and sliced 15g pack fresh tarragon, finely shredded 4 tbsp double cream Method: 1 Place the cider in a saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer until reduced by half. Rub the chicken thighs on both sides with the allspice and a little salt. 2 Melt half the butter in a large, deep-sided frying pan or sauté pan with lid, and fry the apple wedges and mushrooms until golden. Drain with a slotted spoon and place on a plate. Set aside and keep warm. 3 Melt the remaining butter in the pan and fry the chicken pieces, in batches if necessary, until lightly browned. Pour in the reduced cider and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and cook gently, covered, for 20--25 minutes, or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. 4 Return the apples and mushrooms to the pan with the tarragon and cream. Season to taste and heat gently for 5 minutes, before serving with piping hot mashed potato. For more recipes from Dhruv Baker or to buy the mushrooms visit the Waitrose website at http://www.waitrose.com/.