16 minute read
Food & Drink
With KATY BEAUCHAMP
This month we welcome a new contributor to our Food and Drink pages: Katy Beauchamp, of Oakhill. Katy, born and brought up in Somerset, has many years’ experience in catering backstage at music festivals and at private functions and parties for both children and adults. Katy’s philosophy is to create easy and convenient, yet wholesome food. Many of her recipes can be made from scratch but, for those in a hurry, ready-made bases and other shop-bought ingredients offer an ideal substitute.
With her experience in catering for functions, many recipe ideas contain ingredients which can be easily scaled-up in amount to cater for larger numbers of people. Many are also suitable for vegetarians and vegans!
CARROT AND CHEESE PATE
Carrot and cheese pate
Thisrecipe is one my mum, Sally, used to make me and my sisters when we were young. She used carrots, but it works just as well with pumpkin – a great way to use up the scooped-out the flesh from making Halloween lanterns – and it makes a great vegetarian starter served with crudites or bruschetta.
METHOD Fry the onions and grated carrot (pumpkin) in the oil and butter in a large frying pan for five minutes, add garlic, cumin and salt and pepper and cook for a further 2 mins, add just enough water to cover ingredients and simmer gently until all the liquid has been absorbed. Leave to cool for ten mins before blending it with the cheese and dash of soy sauce until smooth, divide into four ramekins and put in fridge to cool completely. Serve with anything you fancy; mum used to give it to us on toast!
PIZZA PINWHEELS
Chilli pinwheels
You can make these as homemade or as shop-bought as you like!
METHOD Place a rolled sheet of pizza dough on a chopping board and slightly stretch it in the corners to make it square-ish. Next, spread the beans or chilli over leaving a border of one inch all the way round. Sprinkle the grated cheese over and roll it up into a big sausage roll. Cut into one-inch slices and lay them on a baking tray with space around each wheel and bake for 15-20 mins at 200° degrees. Wrap them in foil and napkins to eat at your local fireworks event.
Toffee apple cupcakes
You can use any flavoured sponge for these treats. I’ve used a Victorian Sponge recipe.
METHOD Beat together butter and sugar until pale in colour. Beat in the eggs and fold in the flour. Put a heaped teaspoon of the mixture into a cake case, add half a teaspoon of apple sauce and a square of fudge on top, along with a tiny sprinkling of flaky salt). Cover with another teaspoon of cake mixture. Repeat until all the batter is used up and bake at 180° for 12-15 minutes. NB: let them cool as the insides will be hot!
INGREDIENTS (For four) Tablespoon of olive oil Tablespoon of butter Three medium carrots (grated) or the equivalent of pumpkin flesh Half a chopped onion One clove of garlic One heaped teaspoon of cumin Dash of light soy sauce 100 grams Red Leicester cheese (but any hard cheese will do) INGREDIENTS Readymade pizza dough – but homemade is better, if you have time! Three quarters of a tin of baked beans (for veggies or vegans) or a homemade chilli 100gms of grated cheese of your choice INGREDIENTS (For two) 120gms butter 90gms caster sugar 2 eggs 120gms self-raising flour (add some green food flavour colouring if you fancy!) Five teaspoons stewed apple (can be from a jar) Shop-bought fudge (the soft, chewy kind – supermarkets often sell their own brand wrapped individually – I tried toffee but it didn’t melt in time)
Colours of autumn
IF you were to ask me “what my favourite things are about autumn?” I would have to say that it is the change in colour. As the temperature drops, the evenings draw in and the leaves of trees begin their slow turn, it is this riotous contrast in colour that is one of With ADRIAN BOOTS my favourite things about autumn. And mushrooms. Colour is a major factor in the identification of this particular edible fungus and is also a great giveaway in finding it. So what are we looking for?
The place to start looking is on the large scale: we need a landscape with woods and trees so habitats such as woodland, heathland, scrubland and common land will do it. Then within those habitats we need to look for the presence of birch trees and colour plays an important part here too.
For example silver birch at this time of year wears a bright autumnal dress of small yellow leaves, the silvery bark of the branches and trunk easily giving it away. Then as we narrow our search down further we study the ground around the base of the birch tree – and if you are lucky you may find an orange cap cheerily peering back up at you. The Orange Birch Bolete (Leccinum versipelle) has a rounded cap 8 to 15cm with a dull orange surface overhanging the edge. The stem 10 to 20cm tall by 2 to 5cm wide is quite long, slightly swollen at the base is a dirty grey-white colour but importantly is covered in small almost woolly dark brown to black scales. It almost looks like a covering of soot.
The tubes are a dull grey with a hint of yellow, the flesh when cut is whitish at first but then dulls to grey. Whilst related to the boletus family (it even has ‘bolete’ in its name) it is a Leccinum species, the distinction is made because of its long scaly stem. It is quite common and found from late summer through autumn.
Whilst looking for the orange cap of the Orange Birch Bolete, don’t ignore the brown cap of its cousin the Brown Birch Bolete (can you see the pattern here?) it too is found under birch and looks superficially similar but, you guessed it, has a brown cap. Pick them when they are young so that they are at their firmest. What better way to enjoy the colours of autumn.
Avoid poisonous plants and fungi or those causing allergic reactions. Make sure you are 100% sure of your identification before eating any plant or fungi; avoid busy roadsides, dog walking areas, or places where chemicals may have been used. It is illegal to uproot or destroy any wild plant without landowner’s permission, but you can pick small quantities of leaves, nuts, and fruit on public rights of way.
Adrian Boots is a Landscape Ecologist, Wild Food Forager and Adventure Activity provider. You can visit his website: www.gowildactivities.co.uk to learn more about wild food foraging and activities you can do with him on the Mendip Hills.
Squash or potato?
A NEWone for me this year, Baked Potato Squash, so named because it is supposed to taste like baked potato when cooked. I'm a little sceptical about this however. Although the colour is more similar to potato than With JAKE WHITSON many other squashes, the flavour is very much like a squash! Having said that, it is an exceptionally fine flavoured squash, sweet and with a lovely juicy, melting texture. I'll definitely be growing it again, as it's done really well for us this year.
I've not been able to find much information on this variety's keeping qualities, but we're going to treat them like the rest of our squashes and see how they do. To cure squashes we simply cut them when fully mature from the vine, leaving a small amount of vine attached to each side of the stem –this seems to help prevent rot getting in through the stem of the squash. After that they are kept for a couple of weeks in a warm, well ventilated spot in the house. Once they've cured they can then be stored in a cool dry place, at around 10c – we find our garage works well.
Baked potato squash lends itself well to autumnal salads – I like to roast it in large chunks, sprinkled with salt, pepper, and ground coriander seed, in a hot oven for half an hour or so until tender.
When cooled but still warm, tear the chunks into pieces and arrange on a plate with peppery salad leaves and a vinaigrette made with wholegrain mustard, olive oil and cider vinegar.
To make a more substantial meal, I like to add cold soft boiled eggs, cut in half, a few anchovies torn into little pieces, and a crusty roll to mop up the dressing.
Jacob Whitson is a chef, food writer and smallholder –he divides his time between the Mendips and Pembrokeshire.
Pizza, paella . . . and play!
ARTISAN food and drink stalls, live entertainment and wine tasting were on the menu for the 2021 Wells Food Festival – back in real time after going online last year due to the pandemic.
An estimate 15,000 people packed the Market Square, the Recreation Ground, town hall and along the moat to enjoy the best of Somerset produce and treats from further afield. The festival was organised in conjunction with Charlie Bigham’s Food Factory.
Jon Abbott, festival organiser and director, said: “We were absolutely delighted by the turnout this year, of both our wonderful producers and visitors, estimated at over 15,000. “We had put in lots of measures, following government guidelines, to keep people feeling safe and the day felt a real celebration – in all sorts of ways. It’s been a tough 18 months and this was a glorious way to bring everyone together.”
The awards shone a spotlight on a wide selection of the producers, with judges’ comments of passion, enthusiasm and commitment running throughout as a common theme with all the winners.
Dan Massey at The Happy Forager, near Radstock, won both the Clearspace Award for Cook’s Ingredients and Charlie Bigham’s Best in Show. On presenting his award, Charlie Bigham Said “Dan at The Happy Forager stood out as someone who personifies all that is best about Wells Food Festival. A passion for his product, local sourcing and a beautiful stall.”
Over in the Recreation Ground, a constant stream of people visited the new feature areas including the Celebrating English Wine marquee with three sell-out wine tasting sessions. In the Fun Kitchen marquee, cookery workshops were at full capacity through the day with 130 children making apple scone bread twists under the watchful eye of Simon Gray.
Jon added: “I’d also like to thank everyone who helped on the day, from Mardons Carnival Club, Wells Community Network, and all our friends, supporters and sponsors.” l The 2022 event will mark the festival’s tenth anniversary and more volunteers would be welcome. Visit: www.wellsfoodfestival.co.uk
Paella – perfect in the autumn sunshine
Preparing woodfired pizzas in the Market Square
The Harlem Rhythm Cats perform on the Recreation Ground bandstand Zed prepares to get messy –the Fun Kitchen attracted 130 youngsters
Charlie Bigham (centre) with award-winning stallholder Dan Massey (left) and festival director Jon Abbott Crowds in the Recreation Ground, which feature several new areas
Frome’s centenary service
STAFF, students and governors, old and new, celebrated Frome College’s centenary at St John’s Church. The service created a “warm community spirit” and was accompanied by performances from current college students.
College principal, Emma Reynolds, said: “It was fantastic to hear such talented musicians who showed such confidence, poise and professionalism.”
A reading of the poem To Frome College’s Green Space, written by 10Y4 as part of Big Green Week at the end of the September, was evocative and at the centrepiece of the service.
Speeches came from chair of governors, Max Wide, Emma Reynolds, the Rev Colin Alsbury, former teacher Roland Hurrell and former principal Barry Bates.
A centenary exhibition has been held at Frome Museum
Covid rates increasing
WITHCovid rates increasing sharply across the South West, Bath & North East Somerset’s Director of Public Health is urging everyone to stay alert to the virus to protect themselves and others.
Rates recently reached over 800 per 100,000 in parts of B&NES, the highest rate in England. Rates have more than quadrupled in some districts throughout the South West. Cases are increasing most rapidly amongst teenagers, younger children and people in their 40s.
With half-term, families are asked to think about whether they can meet outdoors, or if they have to meet indoors to keep rooms well ventilated.
Council leader, Cllr Dine Romero said: “We have all worked so hard over the past 20 months to keep each other safe and it is very concerning now to see the figures rising so rapidly. I am urging people to get back to the basics of mask wearing, hand washing and regular testing to try and bring these numbers down.”
Put your postcode into this map on the government website to see the latest rises in cases in your local area: https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/interactive-map/cases
New school opens –one year late
(L-R): Jason Cisneros, project manager from BAM Construction; Bishop Ruth; Suzie Svenson, headteacher; Mike Keal, Somerset County Council programme manager (school build); councillor Faye Purbrick, former cabinet member for Education; Liz Smith, SCC service manager (schools commissioning) and King Ina pupils
THE new King Ina Church of England Academy in Somerton has been officially opened – months behind schedule after the discovery of an Iron Age settlement on the site.
Somerset County Council invested £7.6m to develop the new primary school which can accommodate up to 420 pupils and 52 early years children. Up to now, the school has been split over two sites at opposite ends of the town.
Plans for the school to open in September last year were delayed due to archaeologists uncovering evidence of an Iron Age settlement at the site ahead of construction.
The Wessex Archaeology team carried out excavations and discovered ancient burial sites that have shed significant light on life and death in Roman Somerset, as well as evidence of roundhouse buildings and other artefacts including pottery.
Once the archaeological work was complete, construction of the new school went ahead and pupils started attending in April 2021. The official opening event was then postponed due to Covid-19 restrictions.
The school was officially opened by the Rt Revd Ruth Worsley, Bishop of Taunton, on Wednesday, September 29th. It has 14 classrooms, a pre-school, a school hall, a production kitchen, sports pitches and a multi-use games area.
Bishop Ruth spoke to the children before presenting a plaque to the headteacher Suzie Svenson. Bishop Ruth then joined several pupils and dignitaries for a ribbon cutting ceremony outside the main entrance, before the group headed to the school field to plant a new tree gifted by Bishop Ruth as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative for the Platinum Jubilee.
Headteacher Suzie Svenson, said: “We are pleased to finally have the opportunity to celebrate the opening of our new school with a visit from Bishop Ruth and to be able to thank all of those who were involved in the building of our school. It has been fantastic to see all of the children working and playing together on one site, as one big King Ina family.”
NeeDSYOu!
Background
e Royal British Legion was founded in 1921, in the aftermath of World War One, to support those who came home and to help care for the dependents of those who didn’t. Later that same year, the Poppy was adopted as the symbol of Remembrance for all communities who suffered from the conflict. By becoming a member, you will be entitled discounts and offers as well as having access to exclusive Legion events. You will help provide support to the local community but also each other.
new members are now being actively sought across the area –did you know that there was a local branch near you? You do not have had to have served in the armed Forces to join, all are very welcome.
Banwell Branch
e following activities are planned: Trip to Royal Mint National Arboretum – weekend event Battle of Waterloo themed event Lunch at local Golf Club Wine Tasting January 2022 – Party
For more information about joining the Branch please contact: Penny Mottram at: penanbill@aol.com
hutton, oldMixonand locking Branch
We are a small branch which normally meets at 7.30pm on the first Tuesday of the month in Hutton Village Hall. Our social events include a Summer Dance and Christmas Dance and we try to arrange two or three speakers per year on as wide a range of topics as possible. We are trying hard to increase our membership and would be delighted to welcome any prospective new members to any of our events.
For more information about joining this branch, please contact liz Brown at: 158lizbrown@gmail.com Portishead Branch
e following activities are planned: Monthly RBL Awareness breakfasts at the local Wetherspoons (Please ask for dates). e Branch is 100 this year, and are holding a Centenary dinner in November 2021 at a hotel in Bristol.
For more information about joining this branch please contact Berkeley harris at: Portishead.chairman@rbl.community
wrington Branch
is branch covers the parish of Wrington which includes Redhill, Burrington & Butcombe.
