Williamsburg Pottery Factory, Lightfoot, Virginia

Williamsburg Pottery Factory
Route 60 West
Lightfoot, Virginia 23188
(757) 564-3326

Today the AMW family went to the Williamsburg Pottery Factory. My sister and I noticed a sign across from their building #22 that said "Home Care, Hardware, Wine and Cheese." It sounded like an odd combination, but what the heck. I love cheese, so how could I resist exploring ?

The first things we saw were aisles of pet care supplies. But then I noticed a doorway just past that with grocery displays. It turned out to be a big gourmet grocery, with a wine store in the back. Yay! I think there was also a bakery or a deli counter, but I don't remember which one it was.

Here's what I picked out after wandering a bit:

Flathau's Gourmet Cookies: Key Lime Snaps

For some reason, I expected a crisp, waffle-print cookie with a tart key lime taste. That's just what pops into my head when I hear "key lime snaps." What I expected and what was in the box were two different things.

The snaps were shaped like flattened tubes. They were covered in buttery powdered sugar and tiny green flecks. The center of the cookies looked like crushed graham crackers. Apparently those were shortbread cookies.

The cookies had a rather dry taste. There was only a tiny lime flavor present; the package listed "lime candies" as an ingredient. I do not like that. It's a peeve of mine that Persian limes (and even lemons!) are used on products labeled as key lime. Those are not the same flavors.

Thumbs down for Flathau's Gourmet Cookies: Key Lime Snaps.

Hachez: Cocoa D'Arriba: Blackberry and Cocoa Nibs, 77% Cacao

I had high hopes for this bar. My thinking was "I love blackberries. I love chocolate. They must be good mixed together."

When I unwrapped the bar, I was hit with a thick, artificial blackberry scent. There were cocoa nibs and little bits of blackberries mixed in with the chocolate. The dark chocolate was horribly bitter, to the point of being unenjoyable. The blackberry taste started out as a funky wine flavor and then blackberry flavored cough syrup. Eating just that one tiny square was disgusting : P

Thumbs down for Hachez Blackberry & Cocoa Nibs.

Virginia Ham Biscuits

2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 Tbsp shortening
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup ground Virginia Ham

Note: I left out the Virginia Ham. I added 2 oz crumbled garlic feta, 2 oz shredded Colby and 1 egg. Instead of making individual rolls, I oiled and floured a loaf pan; then I made 1/8 cup balls of the dough and pressed them into the pan. I brushed the top with melted butter 5 minutes before the loaf was finished. This bread smelled
amazing : D

Sift flour and baking powder. Mix with salt and ham. Cut in shortening with a knife until all is consistency of meal. Add milk. Handle as little as possible. Pat out with hands or roll on floured board. Cut out. Bake in hot oven till brown.

Credit: From Williamsburg Kitchens, 1968, Tory Hill Press