Cibare Food and Drinks Magazine Issue 7

Cibare Issue Seven, Summer 2016

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Contents

HEALTH AND NUTRITION

FEATURES

Chicken Gyro 24 Aubergine Dip 26 Street Food.. Well sort of 30 Can your dog eat this?

40 Spanish Wine 42

Can you feel the heat? 6 Help! Its the holiday’s 16

REVIEW

GARDENING Summer at the growing patch 38

Beer bought from a bakery 8 Borough Market 14 Whitecross 18 Dinearama 28 Wild Food Cafe 34

FOOD FOR THE SEASON Street Food made at home Moo Ping 12 Lagsange 20 Fried Chicken 22 RAW Street Food 36

BOOKS Mary Berry 47

SOURCES AND CREDITS 2

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Well this is our Summer Cibare Magazine number 7, and although I think that one week of sun we had last month might have been it, there are loads of tasty treats for you to enjoy in this issue of Cibare, and loads of places for you to go too!

This issue is in progress as with the weather being so pants we didn’t managed to get everything we wanted in so I’ll be adding more pages of delicious places for you to eat your way through in the next month.

So lets all do a sun dance and enjoy the summer!!

(Oh and ice cream, there’s always room for that too!)

Cibare

Editor’s Note

FORT Y HALL FARM, FORT Y HALL ESTATE, EN2 9HA

AUGUST 2016 SUNDAY 28TH AND BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY 29TH AUGUST 11am - 5pm

GOOD FOOD AND FUN ON THE FARM FOR ALL THE FAMILY

Aren’t I pretty.

Why don’t you put your business in our magazine right here.

Get intouch! editor@cibare.co.uk

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HEALTH AND NUTRITION

Can you feel the HEAT?

by Denise Chester

Summertime and the living is easy, or so the song says; but is it true for everyone? For many of us, the summer is a wonderful time.

Warmer, sunnier weather, light evenings, bbqs, festivals, days out in the park or at the seaside and maybe even a long-awaited vacation.

But for many women it can be a time of misery. In a recent poll carried out for the British Menopause Society, it was found that of the 1,200 women respondents who are currently experiencing or who have experienced menopausal symptoms within the past ten years: 79 per cent said they had suffered hot flushes 70 per cent had night sweats 22 per cent insomnia For these women, everyday life is a challenge made even more difficult by the heat summer can bring. The flushes that women experience during the day (caused by fluctuating oestrogen levels) can be at best embarrassing and at worst incapacitating; night sweats on warm and humid nights can be unbearable with sleep deprivation leading to serious health problems. And with statistics like this, nearly 8 out of 10 of us (and our families) will be affected at some point, so we could all do with a little more understanding.

Menopause is triggered by a fall in the reproductive hormones oestrogen and progesterone and is technically defined as the 6

cessation of the menstrual cycle; if you haven’t had a period in 12 months you are considered menopausal.

In the UK the average age is 51, however the perimenopause can begin 10-13 years before menopause itself, something that many women are unaware of. Just as it takes around 10-13 years for our bodies to transition into puberty, there is also a period of transition in coming to the end of having periods. So it is likely that women in their 40s and even late 30s will experience some of the following menopause/perimenopause symptoms: • Irregular periods • Insomnia • Fatigue/ loss of energy • Hot flashes and night sweats • Forgetfulness or foggy thinking • Thinning hair or hair loss • Vaginal dryness • Joint discomfort /stiffness • Inflammation • Food cravings • Digestive symptoms • Pain with intercourse • Anxiety and/or sadness • Irritability and/or moodiness • Weight gain especially around the waist and hips

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PICTURE CREDITS: Iveta Aleksandrova Angelova

What can be done to help? Before turning to bio-identical hormone therapy or HRT (although these are absolutely necessary for some women there is no doubt) looking at what we eat, how we move, and the way we live our lives can make an enormous difference to the quality of life for a large number of women.

I’m often asked “What can I eat to help with hot flushes?” so here are a few of my suggestions.

Flax: Flax is a plant which seed is commonly used as a food or supplement to help with menopausal symptoms. In a recent systematic review of flax for efficacy in improving menopausal symptoms it was found that as well as a decreased risk of breast cancer, flax has beneficial effects on hot flashes, possibly due to its mild oestrogenic effects.

Flaxseeds are a rich source of fibre and omega 3 fats as well as plant protein, the minerals selenium, magnesium, and vitamin B1.

For hormone health add 2 tbsp. of organic ground flax/linseed (it’s the same thing!) to your porridge, soaked oats, or smoothie very day.

Green vegetables: Whilst a range of vegetables is necessary for a healthy diet in general, including cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, bok choy, Chinese cabbage, rocket and watercress in the diet can be especially beneficial for hormone detoxification. Compounds in these foods help increase removal of excess oestrogen.

Garlic: Garlic, leeks and onions are rich in organosulfur compounds which are essential for liver health. The liver is our main organ of detoxification and as with the green veggies already mentioned, improving detoxification is vital to hormone balance.

Cooking can destroy some of the goodness in garlic so some scientists recommend letting garlic stand for 10 minutes after chopping or crushing before cooking it. Or juicing one

glove of garlic with half a lemon will deliver a powerful shot of goodness!

Water: excessive sweating during the night and day can easily lead to dehydration which comes with its own list of health problem, not least of which is constipation. This is a nightmare for women dealing with hormonal flux because waste material sitting in the bowel can lead to old oestrogens being recirculated rather than eliminated resulting in increased levels of this hormone.

BEER

Beer, Bought from a Bakery.

By Paul Ralhan

There is a German proverb which says a beer makes a thirst worthwhile. After a week of working on a variety of Porsche cars as a windscreen specialist I can attest to this as it certainly leaves me feeling a bit cotton-mouthed cometh the weekend.

I get called in to work on a lot of expensive sports classics and other marques of motoring distinction. Such automobile exotica attracts a lot of attention and I often like to capture images of these coveted cars. They become a focal point of an interesting backdrop, or even for the car’s polished paintwork to reflect its surroundings. These settings allow me to get creative with the image, and a recent compliment I received about my displayed work was, “You must obviously use a very good camera”.

I’m not sure what the (three) Michelin starred Helmut Thieltges would say if, after having enjoyed the most exquisite Challans duck a la presse, with a softly spiced skin, glazed pears, red cabbage and pan-fried duck foie gras at his fabulous Waldhotel Sonnora restaurant, I said that he ‘must obviously’ use some very good pots and pans in the kitchen.

At the risk of pouring custard over my crab salad, an Apple iPhone is a good enough camera for capturing interesting images of

automobiles; but the person pressing the button has to take the majority of credit for the end product. In a world where we have become so accustomed to low effort – or lack of attention to detail – we have to focus more on the author; the artist, or the chef just as importantly as the subject material. Beer is no exception. Of course if the raw materials do not warrant closer inspection you’re on a hiding to nothing, and like at the Waldhotel, Helmut is very meticulous when it comes to buying in his ingredients, so scrutiny isn’t a problem (just as long as it’s not at his utensils!). Taking pictures of the cars I work on allows me to explore my artistic side yet so many are surprised the images were not captured using a state of the art camera. Likewise, what matters is that a head brewer’s passion is revealed in every sip rather than where the beer itself was brewed. Enough waxing lyrical about windscreens, and the Waldhotel; let’s go for a wander through Walworth.

Other than its appearance in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Waleorde, and that the Saxons called it Wealawyrd there isn’t much more to alliterate from the history of SE17, although a few turns from the late Frankie Fraser’s final residence the reverberating sound of classic and contemporary tunes

PICTURE CREDITS: Phil Bower

can be heard from – of all places – inside a railway arch. However, this is not what it should be noted for. It must, unequivocally, be revered for being the birthplace of an exciting wave of delicious new beers. But wait!

Beer, and the sound of classic foot-tapping tunes from an industrialised railway viaduct? Ah! Someone must obviously have a very good jukebox in there.

As a matter of fact, the selector in that metaphorical music box is a gentleman by the name of ‘super’ Mario Canestrelli, who is a maestro in more than a musical sense; he’s the Head Brewer at Orbit Beers London.

Where is he from? How did he get there?

I spent a bit of an afternoon rummaging through the internet to find out and learned that a couple of years back brewery owner, Rob Middleton had set about in a VW Camper van (named Brian) to research how different beers were made during an expansive tour of breweries in Scotland. Returning to start his own brewery business Rob just needed someone to lead the brewing: enter Mario. On a comparatively micro voyage of

my own one Saturday afternoon (to pick up a loaf of olive bread and perhaps a saucisson sec) I found myself picking up three of Orbit Beer’s bottled ales in Holtwhite’s Bakery in Enfield. Yes, beer from a bakery (well, some have argued that beer could be seen as liquid bread) and these little bloomers were: Ivo, Nico and Peel. A fourth, Neu – an Altbier – had sold out.

The Orbit guys recommend that their beers are: enjoyed on their own or with food; staying in or going out, but always with music or conversation. For my session, the food: Punjabi chicken curry (homemade, and on the bone, of course!) with jeera rice; the music: a 60 track medley of seventies funk and soul classics compiled by the Ministry of Sound. My fireman mate, Ryan had also popped over after coming to the end of his nightshift rota, and seemingly keen to flush it out of his system with a few beers. So, and for the purpose of this exercise, all boxes were positively ticked, and we found ourselves fully ‘Orbit compliant’ for the evening.

Both listener and drinker were poised for an Orbit Beers of London experience, and to

My drinking companion thinks it’s, “what a pale ale should be like”.

Beer isn’t just beer. Beer needs a home, and the final beer in this trio is a long way from its spiritual home in Köln. For now – or at least until it becomes a part of me - it resides with me in my home in North London suburbia. Uncapping the bottle of Nico with the composure of Karl-Heinz Rummenigge on the ball, the yieldwafts metal cap suddenly becomes a symbol of Kölsch beer. I want to savour this one. It’s the last in the series and it’s OBL’s interpretation of a Cologne beer.

Besides, it is recommended that a Kölschstyle beer is, “drunk fresh and still chilled”.

I’m not in a hurry and for good reason too: firstly it is to keep you in suspense about the taste experience and secondly, Ryan looks like he’s threading a carefully measured pass to Mr Rummenigge as he cascades the beer down his tilted vase glass. He has a very steep angle and as the glass fills, slowly, the foam rises - majestically - above the glass rim. This will leave a beautiful web of white velvety lacing as the beer is drunk – I can see it – and I’m already salivating, wet, just like the outside of the glassware now perspiring with condensation. Ryan sits back, nonchalantly, and looking immensely proud of his creation. He’s made a good job of that. He must (obviously) have learned that from his drinking buddy.

PICTURE CREDITS: Orbital Brewery

the sound of Booker T’s Green Onions, we armed ourselves each with a crystal clear stemmed tulip glass to deliver the first offering to our lips.

With the Peel poured, the descending evening sun illuminated our poco grandes like a pair of frosted flaxen lanterns. There’s something very alluring about spending a brief moment to admire and covet a beer, as if the gratification is heightened by that succinct act of hesitation. Postponing the taste awakens other senses and your mind suddenly becomes conscious of spicy and zesty aromas arising from the Belgian yeast. It’s a lovely drop of a slightly bitter ale, and aptly labelled as a Session Blonde Ale; apt because even when you know you most certainly did empty the bottle, you still tip it again in the hope that you suffered temporary memory loss and didn’t empty it at all. That’s ‘drinkability’, and another shopping trip to Holtwhites Bakery is in order on that very basis alone. Subtle, yet distinct enough to leave us both with a drying finish in our mouths; it was time to tease open another beer.

Rob’s fondness for pale ale is colourfully illustrated in Ivo, an American style pale ale.

Notes of spruce, and oranges on aroma, the taste hints at marmalade, and the soft malts blend well with a juicy hop bite. It’s balanced, refreshing and leaves a clean finish although the bitterness lingers quite nicely, and at 5.3% ABV, it’s quite a punchy beer too.

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FOOD

Moo Ping

by Ying Bower

Method:

1. Slice the pork into thin slices.

2. Mash coriander stalk and garlic together in pestle and mortar.

3. Put all the sauces mix with the pork and coriander and garlic.

Thai pork skewers ( Moo Ping ) 4. Mix it well and leave it to marinade for at Ingredients: least 30 minutes, marinade over night if you - pork shoulder around 500g can for the best results.

- soy sauce 3 tablespoons 5. Skewer the pork.

- oyster sauce 2 tablespoons - brown sugar 3 tablespoons, (can use honey 6. Gill it of 5-7 minutes but keep turning the pork while grilling for avoid burning the if you want.) meat.

- coriander stalk - 3 cloves of garlic - skewers

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PICTURE CREDITS: Phil Bower

Who doesn’t like Thai food at a street Market? So why not make Moo Ping some amazing Thai pork kebabs this summer at home too!

FOOD

Borough Market For food lovers in London, Borough Market is unmissable. It’s the oldest food market in the capital, over 1,000 years old, with its history firmly embedded in the spice and grain trade from merchant ships sailing up the Thames. Livestock would have been herded in from the nearby countryside too from as far back as the Roman era.

But Borough Market isn’t just the oldest market in London, it’s also the busiest.

The full market is only open from Wednesday through to Saturday so it is no surprise that by lunch time the place is bustling with foodies looking for ripe fruit and veg, a block of cheese and a fresh load of bread. On Saturdays it can be pretty difficult to move as both locals and tourists stop for a bite to eat at one of the street food stalls.

Like the look of the fresh seafood on offer?

Then treat yourself to a generous helping of paella. Tempted by the top quality beef?

Then you’ll want to opt for a juicy beef burger. Even popular restaurants such as Brindisa (based in Brixton Village) have set up a takeaway stall at the west entrance of the market. They serve up their infamous chorizo rolls with roasted red peppers and plen14

ty of rocket. Always go for the double! One sausage is just not enough. If I’m trying to be good I’ll opt for a salad of sprouts and salsa on flatbread. There’s so much to choose from you won’t go hungry.

But Borough Market is way more than a street food market. You’ll also find fishmongers and butchers, spice sellers, bakers, stalls specialising in eggs, charcuterie and even beer.

Once you’ve meandered around the market, trying out the free tasters and munching on a chorizo roll you’ll probably be thirsty. If you need to rest your feet after all that walking why not stop off at Wine Wharf or Brewers Wharf. For a cheeky pint head to Royal Oak or Gladstone Arms. You can also grab a juice or smoothie from a number of stallholders in the market themselves.

The next time you’re in south London make sure you stop by Borough Market. And don’t forget to go hungry!

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PICTURE CREDITS: Emma Walton

by Emma Walton

HEALTH AND NUTRITION

HELP- Its the holiday’s!

by Anne Iarchy

The summer holidays are upon us. And for those that are lucky enough to go away, it’s the rush for any magic potion that promises us to lose all our winter flab we were going to get rid of but never got to.

Upping your heart rate can make you dizzy or hyper. Going too much to the loo might leave you dehydrated, and restricting your calories to something very low doesn’t give you enough energy to perform your daily tasks.

The most common one I hear is to just starve yourself for 2 weeks before going away.

But, I will have to agree, you will be losing weight quite quickly.

You definitely will lose weight with any magic potion or crazy restrictive diet you’re But at the same time, leave your body and planning to go on, but what effect does that health messed up for the longer term. have on your health?

Remember, weight loss should not just be We tend not to think about our future health for those 10 days of beach holidays. It should too much. After all, we’re young and healthy, be a permanent result. albeit a bit overweight, right now, how bad can it be?

So what could you do?

Some are doing it through upping your heart However, it’s not too late to start on your rate, some through making you pee for Eng- journey, and even keep some of your new land, some by restricting your calories to habits up during the holidays. something ridiculously low, etc.

Think of how much time you have left till you If you just think of the way they’re doing it, go away. It’s normal that the week before you quite quickly see that it’s not very natu- going away is always a rush. Between finishral. ing work, washing and ironing, last minute shopping, packing, there is a lot to do.

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PICTURE CREDITS: Sergey Pykhonin

Those pills, teas, shakes have all a very spe- First of all, you should accept that if you hacific goal, to make you lose weight as quickly ven’t done anything by now, it’s probably too as possible. late to reach your dream weight and size.

And every day, they went for a long walk But how much time do you have left before along the beach, or joined the aquarobics going away? class in the pool. Some did both!

1. What are the 3-5 things you could change And guess what? in your eating and drinking habits?

They barely put any weight on, sometimes 2. What are the things you could commit to even lost weight, as they were much more every day to up your physical activity? (note, active than at home. And also had much that I didn’t mention exercise but used phys- healthier freshly cooked food, instead of ical activity). ready made food. Even if the portions were larger.

3. What could you do to up your exercise level?

How about trying a new sports?

4. Could you add a bit of sleep time every Never played tennis and inspired by Andy day?

Murray or Novack Djockovic?

5. Could you take a bit of “me” time every Ever tried windsurfing? Feeling the wind week? swishing by while you race the waves?

If you could come up with a short plan that relates to all those 5 points, I bet you can have still great results before going away, without feeling deprived or living on one lettuce leaf until you go away.

It’s never too late to try something new. It might even surprise you.

So ditch the magic potions that aren’t serving your health, focus on some changes and good habits you can take on between now But what happens when you’re out there on and going away and enjoy your holiday to the holidays? Won’t you be messing up all your max. good work?

You’ll be surprised at how good you will feel, The answer is no. without being cranky and edgy by the time If you do lose weight by focusing on the 5 you go away and then totally losing it while points above, the chances of keeping some of away. those new habits while away are much better than if you had just gone on one of those last Enjoy some great healthy food, with a few inminute desperate diets. dulgences thrown in and plenty of exercise!

I have many clients how come back from holidays having enjoyed a few desserts, some alcohol and some great food. They after all were on a fully comprehensive holiday.

However, some days they had fruit instead of cake. They made sure to drink enough water on top of the vino. www.cibare.co.uk

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FOOD

Whitecross Street Market

A couple of months ago, on my way to my daughter’s graduation I stumbled across an unknown (to me) street market, with a plethora of tempting food stalls. The place was buzzing and some of the stalls had queues going all the way round the back. I knew I had to return.

Yesterday was the day. I set off with great excitement and a rumbling stomach in anticipation of experiencing some unusual dishes.

Luckily for me it was a lovely sunny day, and when I arrived just after midday, Whitecross Street Market(EC1) was already in full swing.

I had planned my route on the train: do a recce of the market first, then walk back and look at each stall more closely. Next, walk back down and make a decision. Easier said than done. Oh my goodness, the choice, the variety, the smells, my mouth was watering in time with my growling stomach. Should I go for French galettes, or Paella, or a Vietnamese dish, or pie and mash, or perhaps a Burrito? There was also a Chinese, Italian, Thai, 4 types of Indian, falafels and amazing barbecued meat. Which one, which one?

Then I noticed that a Turkish stall in the centre of the market had a queue that was 18

folding back on itself. On closer inspection, they had an army of people working the stall, and the food was simple but all freshly made. Little old ladies sat at the back working on Turkish ‘sacs’ (a kind of huge inverted frypan) to cook large soft doughy flatbreads which were whipped off and filled in a matter of minutes. I was told that this was traditional middle eastern cuisine and that their most popular dish was the Turkish beef sausage with halloumi which costs £4. The service was fast considering how long the queue was, and I ordered the chicken and onion version with 3 types of salad.

My Turkish Gozleme Chicken Speciality was delicious. The flatbread was Moorish and the fillings a curious mixture of tender chicken and vinegary-tasting onions and other salad crunch. Whilst I ate, a fabulous busker belted out a Whitney tune, and on my way home I nipped into Iskele and got some baklava for dessert. All in all, a fabulous day out, and if you’re going to make a trip to the City of London, it is worth detouring via this fabulous little street market for something yummy for lunch.

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PICTURE CREDITS: Samina Iqbal

by Samina Iqbal

FOOD

LASAGNA Street Food made at home

By Dani Gavriel Beef, mushroom, basil & chilli lasagna pasta Method: bake For the meat ragu: • Cook your onion and garlic until soft, For the meat ragu: add mince meat and seaaon, dried herbs 1 large onion, peeled and diced and cook until browned, add wine, stock & 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped mushrooms, cook for five minutes 1 kilo of finest beef mince meat • Add your chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, Handful of mushrooms, sliced chilli, basil and sugar and simmer for 2 hours Pinch of dried oregano on a low heat Pinch of dried basil For the white sauce: Handful of fresh basil leaves, roughly • add butter to a pan and cook on a low heat, chopped gradually stir in flour to make a roux 1 fresh red chilli, deseeded & finely chopped • slowly add milk, a little bit of a time until it 1 medium glass of red wine thickens 1 beef stock cube For the lasagna: 1 tin of chopped tomatoes • use a large deep oven dish and alternate 1 small tin of tomato purée meat sauce, lasagna sheets & white sauce 1 teaspoon of sugar • top with your cheeses and parsley, cook for Seasoning 45 minutes uncovered in the middle shelf of your oven on 180/gas Mark 6 For the white sauce: • the lasagna is ready when the cheese has 50g butter bubbled and turned golden 50g plain flour Enjoy!

500ml whole milk Everything else: Box of lasagna sheets Fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced Handful of cheddar cheese, grated Handful of Parmesan chees, grated Handful of fresh parsley, chopped 20

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FOOD

Fried Chicken Street Food made at home

By Dorothy Martinez

I don’t know about you, but fried chicken shops make me feel dirty on the inside – and not in a good way. But my beloved and our children love it, so I set to and started to research some spice blends with the intention of faking it at home. I had wondered whether I could make it slightly healthier, but let’s not kid ourselves, we’re talking about fried chicken here, so whichever way you look at it, it’s going to be cooked in some sort of oil. However, there’s a lot to be said for retaining control of the salt and sugar content, for being reassured that there’s no MSG and for not using a pressure fryer.

I am partial to a fried chicken burger with a hash brown and did successfully recreate that using a hash brown, some iceberg lettuce, some cheap, orange burger cheese and a sesame seed bun. Find some decent chips and perhaps steam and butter some sweet corn to serve with it.

I can happily confirm that I didn’t feel dirty after eating this home-cooked version of fried chicken.

As you would expect, this recipe is rather heavy on the ingredients, many of which can be sourced cheaply from Edmonton 22

Green Market and The Village Food Store. I used chicken breasts, but you could experiment with bone-in chicken and perhaps even pork, fish and seafood. Experiment too with the mix of spices – use this recipe to start you off, but do play around with it and create your very own ‘special blend’.

Ingredients Seasoning

1½ tbsp onion powder 1½ tbsp chicken seasoning (by Rajah or East End Spice) ½ tbsp caster sugar (golden or white) 1 tsp each of garlic powder, paprika, cumin, savoury, oregano, sage, pepper and salt ½ tsp ginger powder Cayenne pepper to taste

Breadcrumb chicken

4 chicken breasts 1 quantity of spice mix 3 eggs Flour for dusting Breadcrumbs A liberal quantity of sunflower or vegetable oil

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Method

Cut the chicken into the size and shape you like, place it in a bowl and cover with milk.

Leave to stand for an hour.

Meanwhile, mix the herbs and spices with the breadcrumbs and make sure all the dry ingredients are well combined.

When the chicken is ready to coat, pour sunflower oil (about 2mm deep) into a shallow baking tray, turn the oven on to gas mark 7 (or a medium hot oven at 220C) and allow to preheat with the baking tray in the oven.

Remove the chicken from the milk and drain. Then coat in flour, toss in the egg and finally the breadcrumb mixture so it’s properly covered. Set the pieces aside on a plate.

When all chicken is coated, remove the tray from the oven and, ensuring the oil is evenly spread across it, place the chicken on the tray. Using tongs, gently turn it over a couple of times to ensure the chicken is coated with the oil. Try not to overcrowd it.

After 15 minutes, turn the chicken and check again after another 10 minutes. If the coating isn’t yet crispy then turn the oven down to a medium-low heat and check and turn every 7 minutes.

FEATURE

Chicken Gyro

by Theo Michaels

harder to pronounce than the dip is to cook.

So just make it. That’s an order!

Thirdly, I’ve left out the chips; I don’t diet, I don’t eat especially healthy in terms of eating specific things, but I do try to eat fresh food made from the actual ingredients opposed to things out of a jar or packet – that’s my version of healthy eating. And as much as I love chips I’ve left them out, to much carbs for my liking..

When you are cooking the chicken thighs you really want them to char as it really builds the flavour and texture of the dish.

Final note on the bread / wrap as this really makes a difference – buy the best quality you Like most recipes there is a little work to go can get. from good to great, but I promise you’ll be rewarded with the most more-ish delicious Chicken Gyro Recipe wraps you’ve ever had.

Firstly, I’ve marinated my chicken thighs Ingredients: overnight. You don’t need to do them over4 chicken thighs deboned skin on (1 pp) night (but they do taste awesome!) but I do Greek Yoghurt recommend the marinade as it does give Juice & zest 1/2 lemon them a great flavour and helps with the 3 tbl olive oil cooking.

1 tbl smoked paprika Secondly I’ve included melitzanosalata 1 tbl ground all spice (which is the unpronounceable name of the Salt/Pepper Greek eggplant dip – or Greek aubergine dip 1 red chilli chopped (2 if you want it HOT!) depending in what hemisphere you live in). I 2 cloves garlic crushed can’t emphasise quite how delicious this dip 1 tbl dried oregano is and if it’s any consolation – the name is 24

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PICTURE CREDITS: Theo Micheals

Gyros, the ubiquitous Greek chicken wraps are found all over Cyprus and the Islands are the epitome of Greek street food.

Street food is pretty ‘cool’ at the moment, but for those reading this recipe and have been around the block a few times (read: have travelled when you still had to use an internet cafe and twitter wasn’t invented) street food has always been where the real culinary delights were to be had. And one bite of a gyro you’ll know why…

For the home cook I think these work best on the BBQ but come out just as good under the grill in your kitchen (and is how I do them if it’s a quick mid-week dinner).

Garnish Ingredients:

1 or 2 gyros pp (you can use tortillas!)

1 red onion finely sliced 100g chopped fresh herbs (coriander and/or parsley) Squeeze of lemon Tzatziki or just Greek yoghurt Melitzanosalata (Greek Aubergine/Eggplant Dip)

Method:

1.

Make two scores in the chicken skin.

2.

Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl, add the chicken thighs and leave to marinate for an hour or overnight in the fridge if you’ve got time. Tip: put it all into a plastic zip lock bag, manhandle it a bit to ensure every bit of the chicken is covered and then pop the bag into a bowl (just in case!) and into the fridge.

3.

The next day when you are ready to cook, prep all the garnish ingredients – I like to put all the different elements into little bowls so everyone can build their own gyro with whatever they want.

4.

Take the chicken out of the fridge 30 minute before want to cook it to just take off the chill.

5.

If you are cooking chicken on the BBQ place them skin side down straight over the coals. If you are cooking the chicken under the grill inside, get the grill as hot as possible and have the chicken thighs skin side up (so basically always start the cooking with the skin facing the direct heat).

6.

Cook the chicken until the skin has charred and started to go crispy – this will take about 10-15 minutes for both the BBQ and Grill – but keep an eye on it as that might vary depending on how hot your coals / grill is. Once fully charred turn them over and cook the other side for about 5 minutes (they will virtually be cooked through anyway).

7.

Once cooked, slice up the chicken thighs, place into a wrap and garnish with all the dressings and eat!

Greek Aubergine Dip Recipe (Melitzanosalata)

Part 2 By TheoMicheals

fork and add the lemon juice only.

4. Now place the aubergine flesh in a sieve 2 medium sized aubergines and leave for 10-20 minutes to let it drain 90ml extra virgin olive oil (good quality) (before removing I usually give the auber1 small clove garlic crushed gine a little push with my fork to help squeeze Lots of salt and pepper some more of the juice out).

1/2 tsp smoked paprika 5.

Discard the water and pacing the au1 tbl toasted breadcrumbs* bergine back into a bowl add the rest of the Juice 1/4 lemon *toast some bread till dark (not burnt), let ingredients to the aubergine flesh and mash it cool, then break up what you need. This together. Taste for seasoning and add more soaks up any excess liquid and adds to the or less lemon juice / olive oil if needed.

Store in a jar or devour immediately! Goes smokiness. great with just about anything or even on its own for a quick snack!

Ingredients:

PICTURE CREDITS: Theo Micheals

Method:

1. Place the aubergines on a roasting tray, drizzle with a little olive oil and roast the aubergines whole for 90 minutes at 175c (FAN).

You want them really cooked so if they are quite large aubergines leave them in for two hours. (I added a few other bits onto the tray but I’ve found it doesn’t really make much of a difference).

2.

Once cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool (either 10 minutes so you can handle them or even overnight – doesn’t matter). Slice open and scrap out the aubergine flesh with a fork discarding the burnt skin.

3.

Mash the aubergine with the back of a

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REVIEW

DINEARAMA

by Andy Tudor

So you’re organising a night out. The WhatsApp group is chiming in with suggestions, your Facebook events page is pinging at you, but you can’t decide whether to eat at home and then go into town for pre-drinks and then on somewhere else, or to meet up for food all together and then head out.

Usually, the latter is a night-out-no-no. You have to book first, get everyone there, coats off, sit only being able to talk to the people nearby you, you all get stuffed, it takes ages to sort the bill out, and everyone’s been sat down with fully-lined stomachs that’ll just make going pure radge on the bar crawl all the more harder.

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All you can think of is “This is eating (no pun intended) into valuable drinking time, lads.

We need to get going.” And as the resident cocktail writer here, you can tell that is sacrilege.

So thank fuck for Dinerama. The saviour of those tiresome pre-drink/pre-eat tactical choices. Simply rock up, grab some scran, hoof a drink, and you’re off. No valuable time wasted, and with the way they’ve got it set up, your evening has started the moment you’ve arrived.

You see Dinerama is kinda like a nightclub with food. Set slap in the middle of Shoreditch, a stone’s throw from the Horse & Groom and Boxpark, it’s a huge open-air

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(but undercover) food and drink market for to grab another round of drinks. some trendy street feasting.

The food was SO GOOD. Proper foie gras that Only open specifically during ‘out on the melts in your mouth, the luxurious smell of lash’ hours – Thursday to Sunday, 7pm till truffles, and chips that were fluffy inside late – it’s a great place to go to grab some yet crispy on the outside and again were so valuable nourishment and start drinking more-ish due to the duck fat that they are before heading out into the night. But with now my favorite over traditional goose fat a late license and a unique vibe, maybe you that you may have on your roast potatoes at could even find yourself staying there po- Christmas. tentially, or even coming back on the way home for some gourmet bites.

So look at the pics and try to imagine… you’re out in town, you’re with friends. You Laid out across a ground floor casual din- may have just been shopping and fancy a ing area surrounded by about 10 independ- bite to eat. You may have been out and are ent vendors, plus two upstairs bars – one in desperate need of food and McDonalds intimate with a Spanish theme and another is miles away. You may be on a first date. more sophisticated like the deck of a yacht – You may be meeting up with your squad to there’s plenty of choice to be had. From my go and make some questionable life choicvisit recently I saw freshly-made tacos, bar- es. Regardless of the situation – Dinerama becued chicken wings, epic steak sandwich- is a fantastic place to experience even just es, individual bite-sized burger selections, once… there’s a great atmosphere where fancy donuts, and the item I went for – duck everyone is welcome, there’s an undivided burger with foie gras & truffle with duck fat love for non-corporate, non-chain indefries courtesy of Duck ‘N Roll. pendent gourmet food cooked right there on the spot to order (not pre-made in large vats That’s right, I ate foie gras with truffles. On that have been simmering all day long), good a burger. In my hand. With a drink. Whilst music, great views, and plenty of space to eihaving a right laugh with mates and shout- ther sit or dance. ing because the music was nightclub-loud.

It was ace.

We don’t really do scores but it has to be five out of five. There are other street food markets like Pump Street, Brick Lane, or even Borough Market to some extent, but this feels like a mecca to street food – a central point to congregate on. It’s larger than the others and the mix of music and drinking tip it into a party destination rather than somewhere to simply grab a bite.

All information about Dinearama can be found here: http://streetfeast.com/where/dinerama Shots were soon then ordered from drinks establishment “The German Sex Dungeon” which was confusingly ran by completely sane staff that didn’t put our balls in vices or anything weird. And then we went upstairs

FEATURE

Street Food.... Well sort of

by Gemma Speakman

Street food, what actually is it? It used to be limited to the seductive smell of onions frying in oil on a flat grill during days out when even if you weren’t hungry the irrepressible scent compelled you to have a burger or a hot dog anyway (even though you knew it would never taste as good as the onions smelt frying). Or a really good spud that had been drying out in a special jacket potato oven (do they still exist?) ALL DAY served up in a wholly inadequate peach polystyrene oblong, brimming with beans and second rate cheese. But what does it mean now?

The very fact this issue is dedicated to street food is enough to prove it’s now officially a ‘thing.’ And I think fair to say it has been for a while. It’s so the rage in fact that perfectly decent higher end restaurants are modelling themselves (when it suits only, of course) on being ‘street.’ It’s like the Shoreditch hipster ripping his expensive designer jeans just to look a bit ‘undone,’ or the irony that you apply more time and make up (can apply more and more makeup) trying to achieve a ‘natural’ look. All hail poverty chic!

By brutal definition it’s prepared or cooked food sold by vendors in a street or other public location for immediate consumption.

So in theory and going by this definition only one of the places I reviewed here is official30

ly street food. By strict definition the other two places are ‘street food but gone inside for a bit of a nice sit down.’ Street food that’s not street food, NSF. First up to a glorious vintage boot fair for the real deal. A swathe of vans appeared before us and it was truly difficult to choose what to have. But alas it was the pie that won it given it was an unseasonably cold day and the rain had just started and so comfort food it was. My Pie London -‘Epic Pies and Awesome Sides’ is their slogan. They should add wicked gravy to it too. Too oft, gravy is underestimated. How is this possible when it is the very stuff you drown your food in?

It’s often an afterthought, a bit of ‘wet.’

For me it’s as important as the pie. As the rain persisted we put our hoods firmly up and chowed down delightful mouthful after mouthful of the minced beef, bacon and cheese filling encased in a smooth buttery shortcrust house. The mash was creamy and melted under the meaty gravy comfort blanket and the whole thing was just divine, made more Godly as it soothed against the rain now hammering down. We had to try a sausage roll whilst there too - flaky pastry and all chunky pork, it was a very difficult thing to share. And since we were outside (not on the street but amongst vintage cars

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PICTURE CREDITS: MyPie London

in a pedestrianised space) and it was raining anything left (there isn’t). And with a menu this right here was the bona fide street food that changes daily (scribed perfectly hastily experience. on to the revolving brown paper roll behind the deli counter), you can see why. This Next to what I can only describe as a delight- place is salt of the earth - it’s the antithesis ful curiosity located in Brushfield Street, A to chains and samey cardboard cut-out high GOLD. The name like the exterior of the street eateries. This authenticity is rooted shop seems impenetrable in the sense that at A Gold’s helm, namely owner Pablo Garcia you’re not quite sure what it is. From the who I hear, very reliably, rides to the markets sign, it chimes of a genuine vintage shop early in the morning for all the produce on selling hats (indeed it once was, dating back his push bike! Then sweats over a hot stove to 1800’s when Amelia Gold resided there upstairs in a tiny kitchen to produce a first carving out some of the finest headgear for class spread day in, day out. The dedication London’s elite), but the bay window display and the hours he puts in! And all, for the betrays the signage with vintage styled gro- love of the game. You can taste the honest to ceries stacked instead into the small little goodness in each mouthful. Lunch was conwindow crevices. When I visited, there was sumed outside on the street on one of their an homage to Dublin’s finest tea Campbells, benches where you can watch the city world delicious Irish tea grains all encased in yel- go by. Semi-street food. low enamel tins - it could have been an art installation. Once inside, it feels as if you’ve Next, to Walter & Monty slap bang in the just walked onto a perfectly curated set with city. The perfect spot to feed all those hunbefitting props and food items for sale, cho- gry workers scurrying around inside wishsen as much for their aesthetics as their ing midday to strike so the lunch outpouring quality. Or else THE most idealistic village may begin. On approach I almost u-turned shop has extracted itself out of a sleepy ham- as from afar it looked like a chain but that let and plonked itself into the middle of fi- was quickly annulled when I walked into nancial utopia. A perfect juxtaposition. And what felt like a fairly formal holding/green many lunchers will thank God it has. With a room. Somehow it felt backstage, as though rotating ever changing menu every day and I hadn’t quite hit the right room yet but everything made fresh to order, this is how it everything was here - the open kitchen, the used to be done before the age of ‘dinner in a affable chefs, the salads, (although quite deplastic bag that you heat up’ that most pubs pleted the day I arrived as there was a probnow adhere to. The day I visited, the dish of lem with their delivery), and the essential the day was poussin propped on top of a sea charcoal BBQ, labouring hard at cooking of couscous with a zingy garlic mayonnaise the meat to perfection. This site is Walter on the side. I also sampled the home made & Monty’s first permanent site following fish fingers again, atop some beautiful green a string of successful pop up’s at the Night veg and for a bit of creamy indulgence a very Tales in East London and it’s definitely worth crunchy, spicy coleslaw. a visit. You’re not on the street instead in a The lunch rush is basically a mass descend- rather soothing blue box (dotted with brass ing of people with good taste who queue pa- handles) from whence you can almost see tiently for their daily dose of deliciousness your own reflection in the Gherkin. But in knowing they won’t be disappointed from true street style, there’s no cutlery and the midday until around 2pm save a few who wraps are BIG so you do need tons of napstraggle in in the vain hope of there being kins to keep the juices in. Serving choices

are simple - lamb, chicken or beef wrapped in a flat bread or straight up with rice and salad. Due to the salad delivery fail that day, I had the beef flat bread which had the absolute optimum amount of crunch to it on the outside having been toasted to perfection on the grill. And a really nice touch was the black, grilled chevron style napkins that the wrap was served on. It was hard to know where the wrap started and the napkin begun. The thing to note is the superior quality of the meat here - it’s utterly sumptuous and as far away as you can imagine from a burger van so called ‘beef’ burger. It’s real, it’s big, it’s yum. Plus the service from Alex and the cooking skills of head chef Nick are second to none - with a warm invitation to

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return once their delivery guys were back on track, I will be heading to the greeny-blue room very soon for part 2.

ENDS www.mypie.london www.agoldshop.com www.walterandmonty.com

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REVIEW

WILD FOOD CAFE Covent Garden, London

by Alison Matthews

The Wild Food Café is tucked away upstairs in the bright and bubbly Neal’s Yard in Covent Garden, London. It’s a buzzy little square with lots of colours, lively chatter and great little cafes. I love an excuse to go to the Wild Food Café wish I had the capacity to eat everything on the menu!

seed and shallot crackers. The hummus flavour of the day was curry and thyme. Very tasty and, as I have never successfully managed to sprout chick peas, a real treat, too. I followed this with the ‘Raw Lemon Cheesecake’, which I was told was not quite 100% raw because of something used in the glazing. It was beautifully presented, delicious Wild Food Café labels itself ‘raw-centric in- and just as described in the menu: ‘divinely novative fresh and wild food.’ The food wont creamy, light and zingy’. disappoint. There is a good range of foods on the menu and everything is labelled clear- The menu isn’t huge but there is a good ly so you can chose raw if you wish. They range of food to suit everyone, though carsource all the food from local independent nivores will be very disappointed! It’s not a suppliers and organic producers as much as cheap eat, but on a par with the prices you they are able to and prepare the food on the would expect to find for this kind of café/ menu daily on the premises. restaurant in London. Starters and deserts range from £4-£9.50 and main courses are It’s a lively café with, it appears, plenty of around £13/14. The only drawback for me is very friendly and helpful staff. You can ei- that the music was a little loud and with the ther sit at the bar or share a big table with lively chatter it does mean it is noisy. When others. Personally, I’m not big on sharing a the music went off, briefly, it was bliss. Antable with strangers, but it seems to be the yway, I love the food and this wont stop me way with trendy restaurants and cafes now- going back again. adays.

Wild Food Café also offer raw food courses Knowing I couldn’t manage three courses, and retreats. and really wanting to try one of the delicious deserts, I went for a starter of ‘Hummus and www.wildfoodcafe.com Raw Crackers’ – sprouted chick pea hum- First Floor, 14 Neal’s Yard, Covent Garden, mus with raw sun dried tomato, sunflower London. WC2H 9DP 34

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PICTURE CREDITS: Alison Matthews

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RAW FOOD

RAW Street Food

by Alison Matthews

Like many other food options, it may appear that ‘street food’ is not something you immediately associate with raw food. It may not be sold by a street food vendor near you just yet, but you can make it for yourself and it is very tasty!

Here are two raw recipes for main courses and a desert.

Just a couple of things to consider when making these.

Stir Fry - I find Tamari and Nama Shoyu a little strong – I’m just not a fan of soy sauce – so add it sparingly at first as you can always add more.

Ice cream – cashews are the best nuts to use in the ice cream as they blend to more of a paste than most other nuts. I use them to make raw yoghurt, too. I have tried using ready ground almonds (from a health food shop) and the texture isn’t the same, you really do need to grind the nuts yourself. I use the Revel Chrome ‘Wet ‘N Dry Grinder’. Put in a small amount of nuts at a time and grind finely. If you are using a high speed blender, such as Blendtec or Vitamix, you wont need to grind the nuts first.

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Raw Stir Fry Choose a selection of vegetables from the following: • • • • • • • • •

Peppers – red or yellow Mushrooms Baby Corn Mange tout Pak choi Spinach Courgette Carrot Baby corn

Marinade • Juice and zest of half a lime • Small clove of garlic • Small piece of ginger (1/2 inch) • 2 tablespoons of Tamari or Nama Shoyu • 2 tablespoons of Olive oil Prepare the marinade in a bowl. Squeeze out the lime juice and add the zest, crush or finely chop the garlic and ginger. Add the tamari or Nama Shoyu – add a little at a time and taste and the same with the olive oil as

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you may not need all of it. If you want a bit Ice Cream more spice, you can add a little chilli.

You can make this with a blender, so you Finely slice your selection of vegetables and don’t need an ice cream maker (I don’t have mix together in a bowl. Toss in the marinade one). and leave for about 10 minutes before eating.

• 1 cup of Cashew nuts – finely ground.

Eat on its own or spiralize some courgette to Or you could use 1 table spoon of cashew make noodles. Or you could serve with rice butter. noodles or buckwheat noodles if you don’t • 8 Medjool dates want to be completely raw.

• 2 tablespoons of Raw cacao powder • Approx 1 pint of water

Raw Fajitas Tortilla • 2 large green or white cabbage leaves Filling • ½ red, orange or yellow pepper • 4 small mushrooms • Handful spinach • 1 stalk celery Sauce • 1 cup sun dried tomatoes • 2 cups brazil nuts - ground • 2 cloves garlic • ½ teaspoon Himalayan salt • Juice 1-2 lemons • ½ cup water or as needed To make the sauce, blend all the ingredients together to make a paste, adding water as required.

Chop the pepper, mushrooms and celery and mix with the spinach.

Spread the paste onto the cabbage leaves, add the chopped veg and roll.

If you don’t wish to be 100% raw, you could use a flower tortilla.

Blend all the ingredients until they are smooth and form a thick runny liquid. Add about 2/3 of the water to begin with and then top up if you need to, so you don’t end up with a mixture which is too runny.

Pour into a container and put in the freezer. Take out of the freezer about 20 minutes before you wish to use it so that it softens enough to serve.

FEATURE

Summer at the growing patch

by Emma de Sousa

The first potatoes are emerging from their dark hiding place underground, the garlic that you planted way back in October or November is finally ready to be pulled and dried ready for hanging to keep you in garlic until at least the end of the year, salad crops, beans, peas and my favourite of all the first tomatoes are fruiting in the greenhouse….. you just can’t beat the taste of a freshly picked tomato with its juicy sweetness and earthy smell….I love it!

everything is at this stage..…make the most of the long days and enjoy being out in the fresh air, and remember, little and often on the plot keeps everything manageable. During July I usually start sowing my biennial seed for flowers next Spring….Foxgloves, Sweet Williams, Sweet Rocket and Wall flowers can all be sown undercover now and planted out in September. They will give an early show of flowers once your early flowering bulbs are over, ensuring that there is colour right through until the summer kicks in once again. Wait until the end of September/beginning of October until sowing your hardy annual seed direct into beds – last year I didn’t have enough space to sow until near the end of October and come May the healthy plants that had been putting down strong roots during the winter months were just ready to flower…..

July is also a time for foraging…The Elder which flowers in June and July, grow prolifically in our hedgerows and from these frothy clusters you can make a lovely elderflower wine or my favourite, elderflower cordial. Just cut the flower clusters from the tree (they should be kept whole with about 1” Although it’s still a busy time keeping up of stem still attached), I usually try not to cut with picking, watering and weeding it cer- from ground level as the flowers shouldn’t tainly feels a little more relaxed to me once be washed and therefore the higher up they 38

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PICTURE CREDITS: Stefan Holm

Summer in the garden and on the vegetable plot in July, is a milestone in my gardening year. All that hard work prepping the ground during the colder, bleaker months, sowing seeds and anxiously waiting for them to germinate (or not as is sometimes the case), pricking seedlings out and potting them on awaiting the first frosts to pass (this year was very late. We were still having frosts right at the end of April). Now the plot is in full flow, the crops are coming thick and fast, the flowers are blooming lovely and it should be warm enough to have a BBQ or two to enjoy the fruits of your labour that you have worked so hard for all year.

are hopefully they will be less likely to have met a passing dog for example. Washing seems to remove much of the lovely fragrance of elderflower but do check them for bugs and give them a shake before you use.

Of course you can wash them but I prefer not too. Please do be careful when foraging anything though – make sure you have properly identified it and if in any doubt ask a professional‌

How to make Elder Flower Cordial 2 1/5 kg White Sugar 2 un-waxed lemons 40 fresh elder flower heads 85g citric acid* In a large saucepan gently heat the sugar with 1.5 litres of fresh water until the sugar has dissolved completely.

Grate the lemon zest and then slice the remaining lemons into the water and slowly bring to the boil. Turn off the heat. Add the flower heads and the citric acid to the syrup and leave to infuse for at least 24 hours and up to 36.

Strain the mixture through a muslin cloth and transfer the syrup into sterilised bottles and the cordial is ready to use straight away.

It will keep for up to six weeks in the fridge or you can freeze small batches of it ready to use as and when required.

Serve with still or sparkling water or add to wines to give a distinct taste. Add some pretty ice cubes frozen with edible flowers for a added treat. Oh it feels like Summer!

FEATURE

Share but care enough to stop and ask yourself if your dog eat this?

by Roz Lishak

In truth, there are far too many to mention them all here, so I urge you to research for yourselves or follow by pages, but today I`ll be concentrating on the snack pack, the human healthy bar ingredients that are not so healthy for hounds, namely nuts and raisons, and I wish to wave up a flag , cook up some food for thought in the hope of creating awareness so that every time you give in to those gorgeous puppy dog eyes, you have considered the possibility that you could be feeding, and unintentionally creating, an invisible health issue…maybe not that immediate moment, perhaps not even obviously that day, but imagine and consider a constant drip drip drip of a tiny hidden danger in an everyday snack you enjoy.

possibly four snacks a day? Multiply that by the others in the house, that one packet of biscuits may not even last the day.

Your clever dog has a nose that can sniff out a snack from 20 paces, and I bet the last bite of your cookie will invariably be theirs, and there…without counting… your hound may well have shared half the original packet.

How many Macadamia nuts has your dog actually eaten? More than you know!

Macadamia nuts are just one of the dangerous foods that along with grapes, raisons and more commonly known chocolate ( which of course contains the toxic ingredient theobromine) can cause weakness, vomiting , tremors and hyperthermia.

Although the ratio of breed size to portion size is a factor, without even knowing it the “ my dog eats everything” approach will soon become “My dog is looking a little low, less energetic, scratching a lot more ….I wonder why?”

Take for instance the tasty Flapjack. One of the ingredients is the macadamia nut .

Look at your dogs diet, and particularly the extra treats that may well be tricking you In all good faith you`ve bought a healthy se- into a creating a spiral of Canine heath islection of cookies, possibly a range enjoyed sues, and take care before you share! by the family, you eat one, two…ahem….

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PICTURE CREDITS: Soloviova Liudmyla

Your four-legged member of the family may well be your best friend, but this doesn’t mean you can automatically share your meals with them. In fact, there are plenty of foods that are quite safe for us, but are toxic for your dog.

FEATURE

Spanish wine for a British summer

by Matt Phillips

As Rodney might say in Only Fools and Horses: “Cosmic Del-Boy, cos-bleedin’mic.”

and journey down to the Mediterranean for some red wine tasting that will knock your socks off. Well, flip flops anyway.

First stop on our journey is Valencia, home of the national dish Paella, the Orange Blossom Coast and the Hacienda de Lluna series of wines.

Produced by winemaker Maria Angeles Camara, it goes without saying that the Hacienda de Lluna goes perfectly with farming food from the region. Think spicy chorizo, lamb chops and roasted chicken for the Syrah/Shiraz bottles and its earthy cherry aroma while roasted vegetables and meat tapas favours the Merlot.

And so the mind wanders back to summers past and holidays spent in Spain.

From memories of Menorca and Majorca when we were kids to looking out over the Costa del Sol from the highest point Maria’s wine output doesn’t stop there in Mijas, it’s fair to say that España has with her Palacio del Conde Gran Reserva always been a real favourite of mine.

2007 proving to be a popular bottle with online buyers.

Oh, and not forgetting being stripped of my clothes in Malaga…(Stag Party in case Made from Tempranillo grapes and aged you were wondering). in gigantic oak barrels over a period of three years, the Gran Reserva combines a So if Rick Stein can dedicate a whole se- vanilla taste with redcurrants and strawries to Spain then Cibare can dip it’s toe berries that’s perfect for summer drinkin the water as well. Let’s leave behind the ing in the sunshine. doom and gloom of the UK’s grey skies 42

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PICTURE CREDITS: ANTONIO BALAGUER SOLER

Summer has finally arrived in the UK and it can only mean one thing - Rainfall hitting my office window with more ferocity than a wave against the porthole of a ship mid-Atlantic, garden furniture securely locked away in the shed, heating turned up to the max and the covers firmly in place over the wicket for the cricket on the telly.

We head West of Valencia and journey Born in Aberdeen and with a background into La Mancha for our next two bottles in the whisky industry, Pamela’s wineof red wine under the Spanish spotlight. making career started after a life changing trip to Barcelona and one of the reFamous for its iconic windmills that fea- sults is her Ermita de San Lorenzo Gran tured in the Don Quixote story, La Man- Reserva 2008. cha land is arid but fertile and it’s here that you’ll find Carlos Martinez Bujanda’s There’s a real historical feel to this Gran Sierra Almirón winery.

Reserva with Garnacha grapes picked from vines that were first planted all the Winemaking in the Bujanda family goes way back in 1958. all the way back to the 19th century and the Rioja region with their first cellar The blend is made up by Cabernet Sauviopening up in 1884. gnon and then aged for three years in the dark underground confines of the bodeThe Bujanda name is like royalty in Rio- ga to produce an earthy wine with a berry ja and their La Mancha wine is reliant on fruit taste. handpicked grapes from old vines with Tempranillo, Garnacha and Malbec all So there you go, a whistle stop tour around featuring.

Spain and some tasty red wine summer selections for our Cibare readers….even Venta Vieja Malbec has benefitted from if does mean sitting out in the garden and countless hours in the La Mancha sun- drinking them under an umbrella in the shine and a cherry aroma gives way to a UK. forest fruit taste that’s perfect for meat dishes like pork casserole and chicken To order Matt’s red wine recommendapie. tions log onto www.laithwaites.co.uk Their Sierra Almirón Joven wine combines the Tempranillo and Garnacha grapes to give a scarlet colour that’s heavy on raspberry in both aroma and taste.

Our final stop sees us head towards the French border stopping North-West of Zaragoza and Campo de Borja where expat Pamela Geddes works out of a cellar below the 500-year-old Bodegas Ruberte.

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PICTURE CREDITS: Thorben Maier

Quite easily put, if you see the Bujanda name on your bottle then you’re holding a quality wine while their La Mancha product gives real value for money.

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BOOKS

Foolproof Cooking by Mary Berry

PICTURE CREDITS: Mary Berry Foolproof Cooking BBC Books

by Rebecca Stratton

This time around I am reviewing Mary Berry’s latest cookbook which accompanied her recent BBC Series. A Lovely thick hardback book with beautiful photography and clean, uncluttered recipes, it covers food suitable for a variety of occasions, as well as every day recipes.

and herbs wrapped in filo pastry and baked, a little more tricky but worth the effort. It was well received by dinner guests and it was the recipe that made me buy the book in the first place. I’ve also made the Roasted Pepper Pasta with Feta and Olives – quick, easy and perfect for a weeknight dinner.

Firstly is a chapter on Nibbles and Snacks which I found really eye-catching. Most of the recipes in this chapter are very easy to prepare but give some great ideas on presentation and serving. The Party Ploughman’s platter looks inviting with a variety of cured meats, cheese, olives and crudités and would be a great accompaniment to a leisurely booze-soaked afternoon in the sun with friends this summer! Easy to assemble canapés and dips also feature.

I would rarely say this, but there isn’t much in the book that I wouldn’t consider cooking at some point. The recipes aren’t exactly ground-breaking but there are some lovely ideas, and some new twists on classic dishes, bought up to date with more modern popular ingredients. The recipes are clear and easy to follow. I think this book would be great for food loving families, and those who want some new ideas for entertaining.

The crème brulee Tart is next on my list to cook!

Other chapters are organised quite traditionally – Soups and Starters, Fish, Poultry and Game, and so on. Some of my favourite recipes I have cooked so far (Yes, actually cooked – how many times do we buy cookbooks with good intentions before leaving it on the shelf for a year!); Olive and Herb Soda Bread – easy to follow, the recipe worked and was delicious with some homemade soup; Salmon and Herb Coulibiac – which includes cooked rice, roasted salmon

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Photo Credits Beer, Brought from a Bakery © Orbital brewery Moo Ping © Phil Bower Borough Market © Emma Walton Can you feel the heat © Iveta Aleksandrova Angelova Whitehall Street Market © Samina Iqbal Sstreet Food... Well sort of © Gemma Speekman © MyPie London Help Uts the holiday’s © Sergey Pykhonin Wild Food Cafe © Alison Matthews A Year On The Cutting Patch © Stefan Holm Cookbook Review © Mary Berry Foolproof Cooking BBC Books Matt Philips © ANTONIO BALAGUER SOLER © Thorben Maier