Gold found in The Cotswolds!

Cotswold Gold is a new business formed at the end of 2009 by Charlie Beldam and Lawrence Millett-Satow after their graduation from the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester. The aim is to produce high quality rapeseed oil for culinary use and also utilize the waste product into a renewable energy thus allowing the company to be carbon neutral whilst operation a zero waste policy. The rape is grown and the oil is bottled on their farm in the heart of the Cotswolds. The Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil has many health benefits compared to other oils on the market, these are maintained in the oil because of the traditional cold pressing method- just like high quality virgin olive oils.

The benefits of this rape seed oil are:

• Grown and bottled in the heart of the Cotswolds                
• Less than half the saturated fat of olive oil
• The oil is 100% British                 
• It is GM free
• Low food miles as it is grown and bottled on the farm                 
• Has a unique and delicious flavour
• Low in cholesterol                       
• Is suitable for high repeat temperature cooking
• A vibrant golden colour                           
• Good for you and the environment
• Good source of Omega 3                        
• Source of Vitamin E
• Delicious for Frying, Marinades, Roasting and Dressings

The product has won 1 gold star at the Great Taste Awards 2010 - Cotswold Gold Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil brings a new healthy, versatile and unique flavour to our breakfast, which is cooked with rape seed oil and Cotswold Gold.

A TREE AT YOUR SERVICE!

We had never heard of a ‘Service Tree’  but when we read about it we decided to plant one in our mini-woodland. (See illustration).

Sorbus torminalis (The Wild Service Tree), sometimes known as the Chequers Tree is a species of Sorbus native to Europe from England and Wales east to Denmark and Poland, south to northwest Africa, and southeast to southwest Asia from Asia Minor to the Caucasus and Alborz mountains.

The Service Tree is relatively rare in Britain is now usually confined to pockets of ancient woodland, although it can also be found growing in hedgerows. It can often be found associated with oak and ash woods, preferring clay and lime based soils. In Britain, summer temperatures are often too low for the seeds to ripen, so its principal method of propagation is by suckers.

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The fruit, sometimes called "chequers", are edible and taste similar to dates, although they are now rarely collected for food. They are usually too astringent to eat until they are over-ripe and blotted. They were traditionally known as a herbal remedy for colic; the tree's Latin name, ‘torminalis’ means 'good for colic'. Before the introduction of hops, the fruit were used to flavour beer, which may be related to the ancient symbol of a pub being the chequer-board. There is a great deal of folklore surrounding the fruits but it is somewhat confused. The fruits can be made into an alcoholic drink and were used to flavour alcoholic drinks such as whisky in the same way that sloe gin is made with blackthorn berries.

Picture of a solar voltaic panel on a roof

Solar Voltaic panel - part of a Micro CHP System

Homelands to generate its own electricity?

In between looking after our guests or working in the garden we are currently doing some research into Combined Heat and Power systems, or ‘Micro CHP’.

Basically this means we want to install a system that doesn’t just produce hot water and heat the house, but also generates electricity for our own use.  If we generate more than we need it will be fed back into the National Grid, for which we will get paid a Government guaranteed rate. Guaranteed for 25 years…tax free.  Currently there are generous Government-backed schemes available which offer a very good rate of return on investment.  This is because the UK Government has certain targets to meet and they are struggling to achieve those targets unless a lot more people buy-in to the principle that generating electricity at the point of use is the most efficient.

Some 70% of energy created by power stations is ‘lost’ in transit. The small home Micro systems have a far higher efficiency rate (only some 20% is lost) and therefore they are the logical answer to the required reduction in CO2 output to which the UK Government has committed itself.

Our current thinking is to install a Solar Photo Voltaic system (Solar panels on the roof that generate electricity) combined with a high efficiency boiler which has the Sterling engine fitted into it.

The interesting thing is that at the heart of these boiler systems is the 200 year old design of the Sterling Engine, which uses waste heat to converts into electricity- at a very efficient rate.

We are getting competitive quotations right now, will attend a Business Link workshop in a few weeks time to learn more, and hope to make a decision by the middle of September. More news soon!