8 minute read
PRAISE BE FOR PASTA
Words: Daniel Nowland
Right now we are being overwhelmed with the “rising cost of living”. This is likely to affect all of us in some way, whether it’s the cost of fuel, food, or domestic bills. With that in mind I wanted to touch on ways in which we can still eat very well, without having to shell out a lot of money. For me, the answer regularly lies in pasta! Even if the cost of buying pre-made pasta has gone up, it is still likely to be a very affordable way of eating well. You also have the choice to save more money by making it yourself, or trade up to a more premium product, which is still economical. I now stock some incredible pasta in the deli which is made in Yorkshire! The wheat is from the North of England and the pasta is made by hand in Yorkshire, and quite honestly, it is the best dried pasta I’ve ever tasted.
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The beauty of pasta is you have the ability to transform it into any type of meal from the ridiculously simple to the super extravagant. I would love to share with you a few of my favourite recipe ideas which cover all of these bases.
IFor a super simple dinner, cook 75g dried pasta per person (the best you can afford) and when cooked, toss with extra virgin olive oil, Parmesan and black pepper. To turn this into something more luxurious, drizzle with truffle oil and top with fresh rocket and yet more Parmesan.
IFor a cheap meaty option, squeeze the sausage meat out of a pack of quality pork sausages. Add the meat to a frying pan, along with a tablespoon of fennel seeds. Allow to cook low and slow for around 30 minutes, stirring and breaking up the lumps every now and then. Add a splash of good vinegar (or not so good wine), and allow to cook off. Add a tin of chopped tomatoes and allow to cook for a further 10 minutes. By adding 300g pasta (dry weight), cooked and drained to the sausage pan, you will have a delicious dinner for four.
IIf, like me, you end up with random off cuts of vegetables in your fridge which run the risk of being wasted, these can create wonderful pasta dishes with a few simple tricks. I like to roughly chop leftover raw veg such as broccoli, cauliflower, green beans and kale. If you are low on these, you can throw in frozen veg such as peas or runner beans. I add these veg to the pasta water half way through the pasta cooking time. That way you can drain it all at once, and you only use one saucepan. Return the pan to a low heat, stir through some creme fraiche, grate in some lemon zest, seasoning, a cheese of your choice and top with a fresh herb such as mint or dill, and a little more cheese. Enjoy!
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SAM’S PLACE UPDATE
Southsea Lifestyle talks to Anne Yendell manager of Sam’s Place about the pleasures and pressures of running a charity shop.
“C harity shops might seem relatively easy places to set up and run, but they come with just as many challenges as a regular retail operation. The challenges might be different, but ultimately it’s all about making enough profits to support our local Samaritans branch, Portsmouth and East Hampshire. We are entirely dependent upon the generosity of the local community to donate good quality stock that other members of the community might want to buy. Plus we rely upon our amazing volunteers to either sort and tidy donations in the back room, or to display the goods and sell them,” explained Anne. Sheila Besant who has volunteered at Sam’s Place for 2 years joined the conversation,”I really enjoy working here, you meet a lot of people, I like clothes and the displays are very imaginative. Plus it’s good to give back to the community.” “Yes, we are very proud of our displays,” continued Anne. “We took a lot of trouble with the design of Sam’s Place — from introducing a simple, colour coded pricing system, to giant clothes hangers and a wrought iron ’tree’ for our in-store display. And we feel as though it’s paid off, as the shop always looks great and we are delighted to report that 2021/22 has been our best year yet. It's a huge achievement and it is literally down to all the local support we continuously receive. “Designing and opening the shop just seems a short time ago, but in fact, we will be celebrating our 3rd anniversary later this year. “In a world so beset with problems, from the ramifications of the cost of living crisis, to the effects of COVID, along with so many personal issues that people have to deal with, Samaritans Portsmouth and East Hampshire has been very busy providing a listening service for all those who need support. Therefore, Sam’s Place, fundraising for our branch, is more important than ever, so please do continue with your help. “We also hope to start our community events in the autumn as we have many requests to start these again,” said Anne. If you would like to volunteer at Sam’s Place , please do pop on and find out more or calls us on 023 92821199.
Anne Yendell (on the left) and Sheila Besant
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BLOSSOM BOUTIQUE, A TIME TO CELEBRATE
As Ewa Fraczak celebrates her 5th anniversary of Blossom Boutique being in business, it’s a time to reflect and celebrate. “COVID was a terrible time for all of us of course, but it did help renew people’s love of plants and flowers. Friends and relatives who couldn’t meet up were able to send flowers, which was a lovely way for people keeping in touch, and we are so pleased and grateful that the trend continues,” said Ewa. “Another shift was the interest in houseplants, and today about a third of our sales are plants, as opposed to only fresh flowers. We moved the shop from Osborne Road two years ago to Palmerston Road, and apart from getting greater footfall, the shop has lots of windows, which really helps keep all our plants and flowers in peak condition. Plus, I’m ordering fresh flowers almost every day, so the stock is always so fresh the scent fills the shop, it’s amazing. It’s the bouquets for weddings and wreaths for funerals that are at the core of the business and is providing work for our growing team. We currently have a full-time florist and a part-time member of
staff,” said Ewa. As the business has grown Ewa has begun to stock work by local artists including Lynn Nichols’ ceramics and jewellery by Mica and Cglass. While to the rear of the shop Freya Rose, the international shoe designer, has her offices and studio. With her reputation gaining momentum, Ewa has been asked to design and create two large archways at the entrance to the VIP area at this year’s Victorious. “We are already going to have a presence at Victorious, as we will be making flower crowns for festival goers, but we are very honoured to be making the archways Ewa outside Blossom Boutique. Photo: Catching Dream Photography as well. It’s also very satisfying knowing that in just 5 years we’ve come so far, and that Blossom Boutique has become so much part of the local community,” said Ewa with a smile. Blossom Boutique 99 Palmerston Road, Southsea PO5 3PS Tel: 02392 831333 blossomboutiquesouthsea@gmail.com www.blossomboutiqueflowers.co.uk
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