Fine Foodies September/October 2011

Issue.4 Vol.1 September/October 2011

Fine Foodies Passionate about good food

INTERVIEW

Mary, queen of cakes

Picrkfurp ee you ie fooadzine mag

MARY BERRY ON ENCOURAGING THE NATION BACK INTO THE KITCHEN

Plus:

Sept/October 2011

] ASIAN FOOD EXPLORED ] FOCUS ON YORKSHIRE ] RECIPES WITH SPICE

Back to Nature THE ART OF FORAGING

Welcome

Fine Foodies Passionate about good food

Target Publishing Ltd, The Old Dairy, Hudsons Farm, Fieldgate Lane, Ugley Green, Essex CM22 6HJ Telephone: 01279 816300 www.finefoodiesmag.com

J

Editor: Rachel Symonds e: editor@finefoodiesmag.com t: 01279 810088 Contributing Editor: Sarah Willingham

Heston Blumenthal...the list of TV chefs who have become household names in recent years is endless, but going back a few

years, there were far fewer celebrity chefs

Contributors: Jennifer Britt, JJ Goodman, Jane Baxter, Shirlee Posner

out there.

One of special note was Mary Berry, and so

Sub Editor: Jeff Munn-Giddings Group Sales Manager: Ruth Gilmour e: ruth.gilmour@targetpublishing.com t: 01279 810084

amie Oliver, Gordon Ramsey,

it gives me great delight in this issue to bring you an interview with this much-loved personality, who talked to me about everything from her early career, to how she views our attitude

Sales Executives: Ben Brooks e: ben.brooks@targetpublishing.com t: 01279 810068

to cooking these days. It was a real privilege to interview Mary, and

Production Leann Lau e: leann.lau@targetpublishing.com t: 01279 810075

sumptuous recipes; whether it’s hearty organic dishes cooked by some

Design Clare Holland e: clare.holland@targetpublishing.com Administration/Distribution Julie Torkington e: julie.torkington@targetpublishing.com t: 01279 810072 Accounts Lorraine Evans e: lorraine.evans@targetpublishing.com t: 01279 816300 Managing Director David Cann e: info@targetpublishing.com

we could all certainly learn a thing or two from her.

If that gets your inspiration flowing, then turn to our selection of of the country’s top chefs, including Raymond Blanc, or ideas on cooking with seasonal vegetables, there’s plenty on offer in this issue.

And if you fancy some ideas from a little further afield, turn to page 36, where Shirlee Posner takes us on a journey to some of her favourite countries for our focus on Asia.

We hope this issue gives you some inspiration. And if so, why not email me and tell me what worked and what didn’t. From this issue, we are running a letters page and I’m keen to hear from you.

Whether you want to tell us what you think of the magazine, share your favourite recipe or tip, or simply shout about your local store where you found Fine Foodies, I’d love to hear from you. And you might even win yourself a prize if your entry is chosen as the star letter of the issue.

ISSN 2046-438X

Published by Target Publishing Limited. Printed in the UK by The Magazine Printing Company plc www.magprint.co.uk ©2011 Target Publishing Ltd. Produced on environmentally friendly chlorine free paper derived from sustained forests. The Publishers cannot accept any responsibility for the advertisements in this publication. To protect our environment papers used in this publication are produced by mills that promote sustainably managed forests and utilise Elementary Chlorine Free process to produce fully recyclable material in accordance with an Environmental Management System conforming with BS EN ISO 14001:2004.

All you need to do is email me at editor@finefoodiesmag.com

Rachel

or leave your post on our Twitter page @FineFoodies.

RACHEL SyMONDS

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Sarah Willingham is one of the most successful people in the food industry, best known for appearing alongside top chef Raymond Blanc as an inspector on the popular BBC show, The Restaurant. With two business degrees, the self-confessed foodie most recently was acknowledged as one of the 35 most successful women under 35 in the UK, featured in the Courvoisier Top 500 and in Business Weekly’s young Entrepreneur of the year Awards.

For over a decade, Sarah has managed some of the biggest brands in the restaurant industry, including Pizza Express International. In 2004, she was part of a consortium which acquired The Bombay Bicycle Club in London, growing it from six restaurants to 17.

september/october 2011 FINE FOODIES

Fine Foodies

Contents Passionate about good food

issue 4 voL.1 september/october 2011

18 22 COvEr StOry

14

Mary Berry the popular chef tells all to Fine Foodies

FEaturES

18

Food Focus: snacks Jennifer britt discovers some of the stories behind our favourite snacks

14 24

Foodie feature After her experience at Noma, sarah Willingham joins mark Lloyd to find out about the art of foraging

26

Recipe celebrate organic september with some tasty recipes from some top chefs

32

Recipe spice up your meals with some ideas from the mighty spice cookbook

36

Global foodie Food and travel writer shirlee posner takes us on a journey through parts of Asia to discover all about cuisine in that part of the world

rEgularS

5 26 6

FINE FOODIES september/october 2011

Letters What you’re talking about this issue Foodie bites What’s going on in the world of fine food

32 8 9

Shelf life explore the latest products in store

Sarah’s view contributing editor, sarah Willingham, on enjoying our surroundings

12 22

UK fare Fine Foodies turns its attention to Yorkshire food

In season What’s ideal for eating and cooking with at this time of year? riverford organic tells all

40

Drink up From wines and cocktail ideas to the newest hot drinks

42

Fine Foodie hero Lynette sinclair

Letters

Product news

Your foodies THE GM ISSUE

Sta Letterr

I was having a lovely meal at Simply Delicious, in Bognor Regis, when I picked up a copy of your magazine, Fine Foodies.

I read Sarah Willingham s article about the food supply chain and her baby (Regular bite, We are what we eat ). As a keen anti-GM campaigner, I was interested in the article. I heard on the grapevine that supermarkets are trying to secure food supply chains but I do not know how. My concerns are cloning, and how to fight cloning in the food chain, GM animal feed (and GM and crosscontamination generally), nano in our food ‒ this one needs to be nipped in the bud. At whose expense might this be and will food, the soil, our health and the environment, be safe? It would be great if the magazine could have ongoing ethical well-researched articles on the future of fair and safe food security for all.

TESSA BURRINGTON, BOGNOR REGIS

COOKING INSPIRATION

I found Fine Foodies to be an excellent magazine; the product information was very useful and the interviews were

TWEET CORNER What have you been saying on Twitter about Fine Foodies? @MMRELISH (MALTON RELISH DELI):

really enjoyable, but the most useful part of the magazine for me was the recipes, which I found to be a useful guide as well as giving ideas for new menu items.

PAUL ABBESS, HEAD CHEF

SEASONAL SUGGESTIONS I picked up my first issue of Fine Foodies the other day,

and was really impressed by the seasonal cooking advice (In season, July/August). These days, you never know what s in season because things are flown in from around the world and available all year, so I found this article really informative ‒ and the grilled courgette salad turned out great when I cooked it for a recent barbecue.

Thanks again.

LOUISE SHAW, BY EMAIL

Star letter – could it be you?

Do you have something that you d like to share with other readers, something that will inspire them, encourage them to visit their health store or is just good news? We d love to hear from you. And, of course, we d also like your comments about the magazine.

The winner of the Star Letter will receive a range of fruit juices courtesy of Organic Village. With seven authentic flavours, you can top up your vitamins every day of the week. Certified organic, 100 per cent pure fruit juice, no added water, no added sugar and nothing taken away.

Write to: Rachel Symonds, Editor, Fine Foodies, The Old Dairy, Hudsons Farm, Fieldgate Lane, Ugley Green, Bishops Stortford CM22 6HJ or email editor@ finefoodiesmag.com

Hi guys, please could we get yet more of your fab mag, all gone again!

@FILIPEVANS

Wow ‒ Strawberry samosas and salmon bread and butter pudding

@CORNWALLFOOD

Read Page 12 in @FineFoodies for more reason to vote for Cornwall as the best place for food

@BRUNOFRENCHBAKE All copies gone, great feedback :)

@SALSAFOODS (SAFE AND LOCAL SUPPLIER APPROVAL) We very much enjoyed the latest magazine and it was nice to see so many SALSA certified businesses mentioned!

READER OFFERS Please indicate below which free giveaway you are applying for and then post this form back to us at Reader Offers , Fine Foodies, The Old Dairy, Hudsons Farm, Fieldgate Lane, Ugley Green, Bishops Stortford CM22 6HJ. Please tick:

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 FINE FOODIES

5

News update

Foodie bites Food and Fitness combined Chocolate choice With Chocolate Week just around the corner, a host of chefs have offered up some recipes to whet the appetite.

Fairtrade company Divine Chocolate sponsors the annual week-long campaign held from October 10-16, and this year has enlisted the help of Mary Berry, Lorraine Pascale and Gregg Wallace to create some mouth-watering recipes.

Legendary cook Mary Berry has created a Velvet Chocolate Torte, while Baking Made Easy presenter, Lorraine Pascale has created a Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Swirl

Cheesecake. And finally, MasterChef host Gregg Wallace has come up with Divine Cherry & Chocolate Cake.

As well as offering the recipes, Divine is teaming up with chefs, hotels, restaurants and tearooms across the country to offer uniquely Divine-themed chocolate events, to include a Divine Afternoon Tea in The Orangery at Kensington Palace, Divine dim sum at The Grosvenor Hotel, and one-off Divine cocktails at The Sanderson and K West Lounge hotels.

OxfOrd celebrates its regiOnal prOduce Raymond Blanc will be helping open the forthcoming Oxford Castle Food & Wine Festival.

Being held at Oxford Castle on September 17, the event is being launched by Raymond Blanc and wine writer, Susy Atkins.

Raymond, whose Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons is in Oxfordshire, said: “Food connects with each part of our life; family, society, health, environment. It is harvest time and we are reaping the rewards of what we have seeded. It is marvellous to

FINE FOODIES september/october 2011

see that food is such a celebration.”

During the event, Raymond will be signing copies of his new book Kitchen Secrets, and later in the day, Adam Johnson, Development Chef at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons and co-star of Kitchen Secrets will be cooking up recipes in the demo kitchen.

In addition, there will be stalls, talks and kitchen demonstrations taking place over the whole weekend, plus a few surprises in the Guest Producers area.

A cookery academy has launched a series of courses to promote the balance of good food and regular exercise.

After a successful first year, the Devilled Egg Kitchen Academy has devised the new workshops in partnership with personal trainer, Emma Morris. The idea is to offer a refreshing mini-break themed around enjoying a healthy balance between cooking and eating great food whilst looking after your body. The retreats take place in October and November.

Win:

the devilled egg Kitchen academy is offering one lucky Fine Foodies reader the chance to win a fantastic prize for two, worth £350. the prize is for a hands-on cookery demonstration and lesson at the devilled egg Kitchen academy, which includes wine tasting whilst preparing a five-course meal. the meal will then be enjoyed in a wonderful setting afterwards. to enter, turn to page 5. additional friends can attend at a 20 per cent discount on the standard price of £175 (£140 each).

Heston ranked culinary king Heston Blumenthal remains the number one chef in the UK, but a new wave of culinary experts is hot on his heels.

That’s according to the results of The Good Food Guide 2012 in its annual ranking of the UK’s top 50 restaurants.

Heston’s famous restaurant, the Fat Duck, has retained its 10 out of 10 rating, but it also said that chefs Simon Rogan, from L’Enclume, at number two, Sat Bains, from Restaurant Sat Bains at number three, and new entry Jason Atherton’s Pollen Street Social (number eight) were redefining ideas on what is good food and what constitutes a great restaurant.

“Personally, I am extremely excited by the surge this collective of chefs is showing in our top 10 rankings – whilst it’s impossible to pigeonhole them, each is devising quality dishes fusing classical skills and modern methods – it’s the vividness of the imagination they all display which is truly thrilling,” said Elizabeth Carter, Consultant Editor of the guide.

Other chefs in the ranking include Claude Bosi, whose London restaurant Hibiscus appears in the top 10 for the first time and is described as ‘a serious contender on the international food scene’, and Cornwall’s Nathan Outlaw, holding on to the number five position. Raymond Blanc, Marcus Wareing, Gordon Ramsay and Philip Howard make up the rest of the top 10.

LOcaL aND SEaSONaL FOr NEw rIvEr cOttagE vENturE The famed River Cottage is spreading its wings by opening a new café and deli in Plymouth.

The business, which was originally set up

by Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, has confirmed it will open the next River Cottage Canteen and Deli at Plymouth’s Royal William Yard, offering views of the beautiful Rame Peninsula. It’s expected to be open in November.

Bosses say the new venture will offer a unique combination of seasonal, local, organic and wild food, with expectations being that up to 90 per cent of the food will

be sourced within a 50-mile radius of the city.

“The best seasonal local produce is always at the heart of the River Cottage approach to cooking, and we are very much looking forward to celebrating and contributing to the vibrancy of the local food community in Plymouth,” Fearnley Whittingstall said. “The city and region have a strong fishing and market garden heritage, and we have a great opportunity to source the best ingredients and create some fantastic food in a wonderful location.

The whole team is seriously excited.”

shoppers resistant to supermarkets

almost half of british consumers would prefer to buy their weekly groceries at local stores rather than purchase from supermarkets further afield, a new study has revealed. the 2011 american express spendsetters report found that up to 46 per cent of shoppers opt to support their local economy, with 31 per cent saying that sourcing local products is a priority. one farm shop, hinchcliffe, in huddersfield, says there’s good reason why. “all of our produce is either home-bred or sourced from trusted local producers and farmers, and we offer an enticing and relaxing shopping experience that’s quite different to the big chains and multiples,” said simon hirst, General manager. “consumers are more aware than ever of cutting down on food miles and local shops like ours can offer them excellent value on food that’s from just down the road, not half way across the globe.”

Staff at Hinchcliffe Farm Shop

september/october 2011 FINE FOODIES

Product news

Shelf Life WHAT S NEW IN THE WORLD OF GREAT-TASTING FOOD

PESTO PERFECTION

Fine Foodies recommends

Firm-bodied but creamy is how The Cheese House describes its new West Country Farmhouse Cheddar.

The Cheese House is a new brand that has been created by Simon Hill and his team at Denhay Farm, using milk from the farm s Freedom Food Assured herds and the cheddar is made with the time-honoured and traditional method of turning the curd by hand to create the firm-bodied but creamy cheddar with a savoury flavour.

YORKSHIRE ON ICE

An ice cream maker is taking its heritage seriously by creating an innovative Yorkshire pudding flavour.

Created to mark Yorkshire Day, artisan producer Yummy Yorkshire has unveiled the new flavour using traditional Yorkshire puddings, gravy and raspberry vinegar combined with natural dairy ice cream The flavour sounds like it shouldn t work but it does, said co-founder, Louise Holmes. The Yorkshire pudding is made up of batter that is actually very similar to a pancake mix so it combines well with the sweetness of the ice cream. The gravy adds a saltiness, which is balanced out by the raspberry vinegar ‒ we added this in recognition of the long-forgotten tradition of serving Yorkshire pudding as a starter in this way.

After years spent perfecting pesto, Olives Et Al has unveiled its efforts.

The new Olives Et Al Pesto alla Genovese has been created 18 years after the company began, using basil that comes from the fields of Albenga in the heart of the Ligurian region of Northern Italy.

Giles Henschel, founder of Olives Et Al, admits he s a perfectionist as far as pesto goes.

Great pesto needs to have that sunshine warmth, fresh basil flavour, rustic crunchy texture and natural full-bodied green colour ‒ or it simply does not pass muster. That s a difficult thing to make and it may have taken us 18 years to get there, but at last we ve finally achieved a knock-out recipe and it s been worth the wait!

FREE RANGE ACCOLADE

Packington Free Range pig and poultry farmers have won two prestigious Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards.

The Leadership Award in Pig Welfare, and the Good Chicken Award, were presented to the Staffordshire farm, which is now in its fourth generation of farmers, having been started in 1922.

It was recognised by the awards organiser Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) for its continued commitment to the welfare of their animals and their ethical farming methods, in order to provide a sustainable food source.

Great taste in honey Despite having just launched, General Food Merchants (GfM) has already won a Great Taste Award for its range of honeys.

The GfM Organic Wellbeing honey collection, which includes Honey with Royal Jelly, Vitacomplex and Pollen Granules, scooped three stars in the annual awards.

The products in this new 100 per cent organic range are packed with natural antioxidants.

8

FINE FOODIES SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011

Regular bite

Sarah’s view

I

Each issue, Fine Foodies Contributing Editor, Sarah Willingham, gives her view. This issue, she talks about the importance of taking the time to appreciate our surroundings.

’m in Spain, sat on the

to buy such rich produce

balcony with a glass of

locally. It’s become so much

Cava, a one and a half

part of my weekly routine

kilo sea bream is in the

that I often forget to

oven on a bed of sweet

appreciate it.

onions, capsicums and potato,

The result is that I go on

and I’m looking out across the

holiday and I walk around the

hills feeling relaxed and taking

markets breathing in the

in every moment of peace –

smells and whipping myself

heaven!

into a whirl of excitement

The sheer luxury of letting

over the choice of amazing

my heartbeat slow down and

fresh fish, 15 types of lettuce,

allowing myself the

hundreds of hams and

indulgence of time, time to

cheeses. I walk away from

simply take it in, to breathe in

these markets wishing we

the environment, is

had such great produce at

something I don’t do often

home and longing for these

enough. I am managing to

wonderful food experiences.

find this wonderful moment

But the Aussies have

here on holiday when I allow

brought me smack down

my brain the space to reflect

back to reality. They love our

and properly see and feel

life. We live in an amazing

what is around me. Yet, I am

country, so rich and lush, we

surrounded by so much

have fantastic food and the

beauty at home but don’t

ability to really and truly eat

spend enough time valuing

sustainably this time of year

the land that I live in.

from within a few miles from

“We live in an amazing country, so rich and lush, we have fantastic food and the ability to really and truly eat sustainably this time of year from within a few miles from home.”

home. They can’t believe the

reminder of how lucky we

local pub... and even

children!), but at home I seem

butcher who can tell you the

are, that those things we take

Waitrose.

to be flying around and often

name of the pig that those pork chops came from.

We’ve done a house swap this month with an Australian family and we’ll be off to their house later this year. They are currently living our life in our home and it’s brilliant. A true

fantastic farm shops around where we live, the local guy who opens up for three hours a week on a Saturday morning and sells whatever he’s picked that day, the local

In Spain, we go to the

life takes over – I go to the

every week are clearly such a

market every day and buy

market to buy what I need

joy and to be cherished.

fresh fish, meat, fruit and

and I drive home without

and the wonderful food is

Emails are flying into my

vegetables and I do this

taking a moment to

none other than my ability to

inbox gushing about the

because I love it but also

appreciate how lucky I am to

give this time because I’m on

local markets, the farm shops,

because I can, because here

be able to shop at the market

holiday. Next year perhaps we

the vegetable patch, the

on holiday I have the time to

every week, to be able to

should consider a week’s

woodland, the river walks, the

indulge (even with four tiny

grow such amazing food and

holiday at home. FF

for granted every day and

My appreciation for Spain

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 FINE FOODIES

Product news

Great Taste Awards

A ROUND-UP OF WINNERS

All 13 Marriage s premium home-baking flours received 2011 Great Taste Awards.

Family-run flour millers since 1824, Marriage s produce bread, cake, pastry and pizza flours. Stoneground wholemeal bread flour is traditionally made on hundred year old horizontal French Burr stones. Marriage s organic light brown flours are ideal for making healthier cakes, pastry and biscuits. These wholesome, versatile flours retain the wholemeal flavour, but are as easy to use as white flour.

Marriage s source as much wheat as possible from local Essex farmers. Marriage s organic flours are Organic Food Federation certified and all Marriage s strong flours are suitable for bread machines. Call 01245 35 44 55 or visit www.flour.co.uk

THREE STAR AWARD FOR LEMONGRASS

Double whammy for Tims Dairy

Hedgerow harvest abundance

FROM A BEAUTIFUL PLACE

Teapigs is very proud to have won 13 Great Taste Awards this year across its range of teas and herbal infusions. Their real stand-out winner, which received the rare accolade of a three star award is pure lemongrass. Probably better known as an ingredient in Thai cooking lemongrass also makes a wonderful ‒ and unexpectedly sweet ‒ lime and citrus drink. Lemongrass is drunk all over Asia as an aid to digestion, helping to kill off any tummy nasties. Lovely hot or iced (with a dash of elderflower cordial). Caffeine free.

Available in good food stores and online at www.teapigs.co.uk

The award-winning Agnes Rose range of inspired Oils & Vinegars presents itself to Autumnal dining with a fruity and decadent abundance of the hedgerow harvest. Combining perfectly with seasonal fare these are the essential kitchen condiments ensuring everyday s menu is a culinary creation to be savoured.The range of infused vinegars mingling regional originality with Lyth Valley Damsons to an autumn medley of Blackberry & Mint wonderful in sauces, casseroles and marinating whilst oils suffused with garden herbs adding an explosion a flavour the roasts as well as dressings. For more information visit: www.agnesrose.co.uk or tel: 07775 781251.

10

MARRIAGE S FLOUR NETS 13 GREAT TASTE AWARDS

FINE FOODIES SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011

Tims Dairy is thrilled to have won a double whammy of Gold one-star Great Taste Awards for Greek Style Natural Yogurt and Greek Style Yogurt with Honey. Their range of greattasting yogurts are made with natural ingredients and fresh British milk. They include Greek Style, Wholemilk and Low Fat yogurts and they have recently launched a great new kids range called Tiny Tims. Based in Buckinghamshire, Tims Dairy has over 60 years of experience as a family-run business and these awards are testament to their passion and dedication for making yogurt.

For further details please contact info@timsdairy.co.uk and check the website www.timsdairy.co.uk

Salcombe Dairy ice cream is a breath-taking product from a beautiful place. This high quality and deliciously indulgent ice cream is made the traditional way with local Devon milk, Devon double cream and the very best ingredients. This is the second year running that Salcombe Dairy has scooped not one but two Three Star Gold Awards having been awarded 9 Golds in the last two years. Their Stem Ginger ice cream made with choice pieces of crystallised stem ginger and Kenyan Coffee ice cream with freshly roasted Kenyan Arabica Coffee delighted the judges this year. Scrumptious.

Sophisticated. Simply Superb.

Email‒Sales@salcombedairy.co.uk or call 01548 843228.

UK fare

Yorkshire variety

Boasting the most Michelin stars as a county, discover all there is to know about Yorkshire s food heritage.

E

very region in the country

the wider regional economy, not to

has its own traditions when

mention the reduction in food miles and

it comes to food culture,

the benefit that brings to our wonderful

and Yorkshire is a perfect

Yorkshire environment.

example.

Think of this part of the UK and what

Interestingly, Yorkshire is also a pretty pioneering place, as Jonathan explained

comes to mind is Yorkshire puddings, but

that in Victorian times Leeds Kirkgate

what do the region s people consider to

Market was home to the original site of

be their signature dishes? And what is so

Marks & Spencer, which set up a stall there

unique about the county s food fare?

as a humble penny bazaar.

Deliciouslyorkshire was set up to

Also, in 1899, from a stall in a Bradford

promote the plethora of food producers

market, egg and butter merchant William

in the region, and the organisation s

Morrison got the inspiration to innovate

Jonathan Knight explained: Yorkshire

and lead the way in supermarket

boasts a culture rich in food and drink and

retailing, he said. Also, the famous Harry

is not only the UK s biggest food

Ramsden s fish and chip emporium

producing region ‒ as a county it boasts

started life in a small, striped roadside hut,

the most Michelin stars outside London ‒

up the road just outside Leeds in 1928.

we re blessed to count cheese, lamb, beef,

Especially famous dishes include:

pork, hams, baked goods, pies, fish,

Favourite foods

• Yorkshire pudding: A savoury batter

chocolate, and extra virgin rape seed oil

If you had to pinpoint something that

dish which, when served with roast beef

among our historic culinary strengths.

makes food distinctly Yorkshire, Jonathan

and vegetables forms a key part of a

says it is in the rich-tasting ingredients,

classic Sunday roast.

especially with regard to its sweet dishes.

• Yorkshire curd tart: A curd tart recipe

It is also proving a haven for budding as well as reputable chefs, and a number of celebrity chefs have placed Yorkshire

The region is also literally a melting pot

firmly on the foodies map, including

for a wide variety of tastes and influences.

Marco Pierre White, James Martin and

Jonathan pointed out: A plethora of

usually with rosewater.

• Parkin: A sweet ginger cake, which contains oatmeal and treacle.

palates are catered for in Yorkshire s

• Wensleydale: A cheese associated with

culinary world, in particular, curries are

the Wensleydale area and often eaten as

massively popular in the Yorkshire region

an accompaniment to sweet foods.

Today, Yorkshire and Humber is home to

largely due to the immigration and

• Pikelets: Very similar to crumpets but

a huge number of food and drink

successful integration of Asian families.

thinner.

producers, numbering more than 1,000,

There are many famous curry empires

• Ginger beer: Flavoured with ginger, this

with 55,000 people being employed and

with their origins in Yorkshire and

beverage came from Yorkshire in the mid

turning over some £8bn.

Humber, including the 850-seater Aakash

1700s.

Jonathan added: Yorkshire food and

restaurant in Cleckheaton, which has

• Liquorice: Created by George Dunhill

drink producers are truly passionate about

been described as the world s largest

from Pontefract, who, in the 1760s thought

what they do, and more and more people

curry house . Fine Foodies has visited this

to mix the liquorice plant with sugar.

are turning to locally-sourced, in-season

restaurant, and can confirm it serves an

• Rhubarb: The famous Yorkshire Rhubarb

produce, which is paying dividends for

amazing curry!

Triangle between Wakefield, Leeds and

James Mackenzie.

Historical influence

12

FINE FOODIES SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011

deliciouslyorkshire’s best Yorkshire pudding recipe Ingredients: • 125g plain flour • 1-2 free range eggs • 300ml fresh milk • Salt and pepper Method: • Make a well in the centre of the flour and drop the eggs into the

well. Beat the eggs with a fork and gradually incorporate the flour to start forming a thick paste.

• Gradually add the milk, beating the mixture with a whisk until the batter is the thickness of single cream. If using two eggs,

you might find you need to reduce the amount of milk slightly.

• Leave to rest for around 10 minutes and re-whisk before use. Bake in a hot oven (200° C/gas mark 6) for 15-20 minutes until well risen and golden brown.

Yorkshire curd tart with Wensleydale ice cream For the sweet shortcrust pastry: • 125g butter • 125g sugar • 1 egg • 250g plain flour For the Yorkshire curd: • 115g butter • 85g caster sugar • 225g curd cheese • 115g seedless raisins • 40g fresh white breadcrumbs • 1 level teaspoon of mixed spice • 2 eggs, well beaten • Soft brown sugar and a little ground cinnamon to finish For the Wensleydale ice cream: • 250ml whole milk • 250ml double cream • 6 eggs • 90g sugar • 200g of grated Wensleydale cheese • 1 good tablespoon of glucose syrup

Bradford is the home of Forced Rhubarb.

Turning to the sweeter side of things, Yorkshire, and in particular the city of York, played a prominent role in the confectionery industry, with chocolate factories owned by companies such as Rowntree’s, Terry’s and Thorntons inventing many of Britain’s most popular sweets.

The region also has a number of breweries including Wold Top, Black Sheep, Copper Dragon, Cropton Brewery, John Smith’s, Sam Smith’s, Tetley’s, Kelham Island Brewery, Theakstons and

Method: • Pre-heat oven to 160° C. • Cream the butter and sugar, and then add the egg to the mixture. Fold in

the flour, but take care not to over-handle the mixture.

• Wrap the pastry in cling film and refrigerate for an hour.

• Place the chilled pastry on a lightly floured board and roll out to 2.5mm thick. Line a 20cm loose-bottomed flan case with the pastry and rest in the fridge for 20 minutes. Place some baking parchment on to the pastry with some baking beans and bake blind for approximately 15 to 20 minutes at 160° C. • Remove the paper and baking beans.

• Meanwhile, make the filling; cream the butter and caster sugar together until light and fluffy. Stir in the curd cheese, raisins, breadcrumbs, salt, mixed spice and eggs. Mix well until everything is combined.

• Spoon the mixture into the pastry case and sprinkle with a little brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until well-risen and golden brown.

• If the edges of the pastry start looking a little too brown, place a strip of foil over them.

Method for ice cream: • Whisk the eggs and sugar together. Bring the milk and cream gently to the boil.

• Remove from the heat, cool for 10 minutes and gradually whisk in the eggs, sugar mixture and glucose syrup.

• Return to the heat and cook gently until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

• Stir in the grated Wensleydale cheese. Once all the cheese has melted, allow it to cool.

• Transfer the mixture to an ice-cream maker and churn.

Alternatively, place the mixture into a plastic freezer-proof container and freeze, stirring occasionally as it sets.

Supporting Yorkshire producers Set up to celebrate all things food and drink, deliciouslyorkshire honours those champions working across the region’s industry whether producing, selling or cooking our glorious food.

The membership organisation is the Regional Food Group’s campaigning brand and currently represents more than 500 producer, manufacturer, hospitality, leisure, retail and wholesale members. Its primary aim is to celebrate and promote the distinctiveness, the quality and the huge variety of food and drink that is produced in our region.

Timothy Taylor. FF

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 FINE FOODIES

13

Interview

There’s something about

Mary

As one of the nation’s best-loved TV chefs, Mary Berry’s five-decade career has earned her plaudits from industry and the public. Fresh from filming the latest series of The Great British Bake Off, she chatted to Rachel Symonds.

O

ur TV screens today are

about cooking, then you will fear it, and

filled with all kinds of

I’m here to encourage people, to start

cookery shows fronted

with something simple and have a go.”

by countless celebrity chefs, but go back to

Learning her trade

the ’60s and the situation was quite

Despite being in the era of celebrity chefs,

different.

it’s not always the case that they are

Back then, Mary Berry was one of the few famous chefs, and it is perhaps testament to her no-nonsense, practical

formally trained, or have worked in kitchens.

This is where Mary differs, having

approach that she remains as popular

studied catering at college before going

today as she did when she first started.

on to study at Paris Cordon Bleu. In

In fact, despite starting her career back in 1960 as a writer, Mary today is as busy as ever. Having just finished filming the

addition, she has completed teaching courses, an area she admits is her passion.

“It was at school where I first started to

latest series of BBC2 show The Great

cook in domestic science classes and it

British Bake Off, where she appears as a judge alongside Paul Hollywood, she’s on to more filming for spin-offs of the successful series, and planning more books.

“There is always more to do,” Mary said.

“I don’t run out of inspiration because things change all the time. I can remember when there was just one type of almond – now we have dried, roasted, toasted, flaked, chopped – ingredients are changing and we are now very spoilt.

“I want to help everyone enjoy cooking, and not be scared of it. If you are not sure

was what I enjoyed the most,” Mary

14

FINE FOODIES SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011

explains “I liked it because you always got to take something home, which, if it was good went down well with the family.

“Now, cooking does not happen in schools, but hopefully it will come back.

There are many schools that run after school cooking clubs, and parents can go along, so the opportunities are there, it’s just that it’s up to people to do it.”

It was back in 1960 that Mary’s writing career began when she became Cookery Editor of Housewife magazine, and then

Ideal Home.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 FINE FOODIES

15

Interview By doing that, you naturally have a good collection of recipes that you have tried and tested, she said.

After this, Mary was approached to write various cookbooks, and that s how it all began.

My first book was in about 1968 but it was never the intention to write books.

In fact, despite publication of more than 70 books, selling more than five million copies, Mary does not consider this her forté.

I m not a good writer, she says. I love teaching people about cooking, because I can explain in a very simple way how to get really good results, where it can go wrong, and also different techniques. I

Mary with The Great British Bake Off team

can write a recipe well for someone to

something that family and friends ooh

process, tasting all the dishes and getting

understand it but I m not a historian, and

and ahh about. I know that a lot of people

to know the contestants.

many other cookery books are beautifully

like my lemon drizzle cake and a lovely

written. I m a very practical cook.

shortbread with butter.

Mary has a real desire to see people get

The absolute truth to the show is they are all amateurs, and that was the appeal.

We could watch what they were cooking,

Hitting the small screen

involved in cooking, and wants to show

checking that they knew what they were

Much like being asked to write

that it needn t be intimidating.

doing. And Paul and I almost always

cookbooks, it was also an approach from

I believe in encouraging people and

agreed.

a production company that began her

making it simple. It need not be

move into television.

complicated, she emphasised. Some

choosing the best-looking or tasting dish,

But for Mary, judging was not about

programmes are very complicated ‒ they

although that is of course a factor. It goes

for Mark s and Spencer ‒ that sounds

make it look easy but they use so many

deeper than that.

strange now, why would you need to

ingredients and when you come to make

learn how to freeze, but at that time it was

it yourself at home, it s very difficult.

I was asked to do a book on freezing

a new technique, Mary recalled.

I think homemade things are so much

All sorts of things go wrong in cooking, and it is a test as to how you cope when it does, Mary said. Paul was looking very

Somebody saw that book and thought I

nicer ‒ if you make them well, with a

much at presentation, whereas I was also

would be good on television.

good recipe. There s an enjoyment in

looking at how they coped when things

making things at home that you don t get

went wrong, for example, if they dropped

with pre-prepared meals. Even if you

something, how did they deal with it?

don t have family at home to cook for,

Next thing up is a spin-off of The Great British Bake Off, with a celebrity version for Sport Relief, and one for children.

And I m still in discussion about new books, and at Christmas time I have a new one coming out about Sunday lunches, Mary said.

But with so many different books, how does she decide on her next theme?

I never write about anything I m not interested in myself ‒ I would never write a book on sauces or on pasta, for example, as, for a start, my family wouldn t like it as we test everything here. FF

She appeared on the show Afternoon

Plus in the 1970s, before being given her own show in the 80s.

I have always enjoyed teaching so I didn t find it difficult to get into the TV side of things ‒ in a way it is like talking to a very large cookery class!

She is also considered an Aga expert, having held workshops for many years.

But with such a long career, does Mary find it hard to pinpoint highlights?

I think doing Ultimate Cakes was a highlight ‒ certain people were not keen, but the book sold really well and the series was very successful, so I was rather chuffed about that, she said.

And for the woman who must have cooked pretty much every type of cuisine, has she a favourite dish?

I tend to have different ones for different reasons, she says, generally it is

16

FINE FOODIES SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011

take along a tray bake to the office, start small and work your way up.

The Great British Bake Off Mary s most recent foray into television has been as a judge of the popular BBC series,

The Great British Bake Off. She features alongside fellow judge, master baker Paul Hollywood, and Mary admits she has thoroughly enjoyed the whole process.

I had been writing cookbooks for a long time so I was thrilled when the phone rang and I was asked if I was interested in being involved as a judge. I love the concept of the show because it is for amateurs, she explains.

Mary was there during the shortlisting

The Great British Bake Off ‒ How to Bake the Perfect Victoria Sponge and Other Baking Secrets, is published by BBC Books, priced £20.

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 FINE FOODIES

17

Food focus

Nibblingaway Fine Foodies dips into a selection of delicious snacks for those times when you crave a little real food indulgence. By Jennifer Britt.

C

hildren at Fordham All

think that a crisp is a crisp is a crisp. But

Saints Church of England

Robert insists there really is a world of

Primary School, near

difference between premium products

Mr Filbert of Dorsetshire would seem to be

Colchester, in Essex,

like his and mass-produced offerings.

an ideal person to offer some insider

attend plenty of traditional

“Mass-produced crisps are cooked in a

of some crisps.”

Turning to the subject of snack nuts, a

information. This dapper and well-travelled

harvest celebrations during their

continuous flow fryer and the starch is

foodie is an inventor extraordinaire of

schooldays.

washed off before cooking. This makes

Heath Robinson-style mechanical devices

the crisps cook flat and all look the same,”

for making nutty treats in his workshop in

stand out most in the memories of the

said Robert, who’s a hectically busy man in

an old Dorset watermill.

children in Years 5 and 6 last autumn was

high summer but found the time to

a visit to a local farm, where they were

answer our questions one evening after a

character...except he’s not! Real, that is. Mr

thrilled to discover that eating crisps was a

long day of harvesting.

Filbert (named after the traditional Kentish

But the harvest event that will probably

core part of the afternoon’s curriculum!

They were welcomed by potato farmer

“Our crisps are cooked in small batches and the starch is left on, as Nature

Robert Strathern, who started producing

intended, allowing them to curl and crisp

Fairfields Farm Crisps as a new way of

up to give a better crunch.”

making a living from the spuds he grows on his farm in the fertile Colne Valley.

As well as introducing his young visitors

Mackie’s Potato Crisps say their method

He’s what you would call a real

word for cob nut) is strictly fictional but the next best expert is his creator, Mark Taylor.

Mr F may be a dynamic figment of Mark’s imagination but the company, Mr Filbert’s Inventive Recipes, is 100 per cent

of thick cut crisp frying is at the sharpest

authentic and grounded in the English

cutting edge. This Scottish food business,

West Country. To make the cosmopolitan

to the ins and outs of crisp making, he

best known for its ice cream, has teamed

flavourings for his roasted nuts and seeds,

took them out in the fields to talk about

up with another family enterprise, Scottish

the Dorset-based manufacturer harvests

the cycle of planting, growing and

potato farmers and packers, Taypack, to

wild garlic leaves in the spring from

harvesting that produces all the food they

make Mackie’s crisps.

nearby woodland, uses honey from the

eat. And yes, some of them were a little

They emphasise their Scottish

Sherborne Beekeepers Club and chillies

hazy about the fact that crisps are made

credentials with flavours such as

from potatoes and that potatoes come

Flamegrilled Aberdeen Angus, Scotch

With a past career at Heinz and Tesco,

out of the ground.

Bonnet Chilli Pepper and Haggis with

Mark knows a thing or two about shopper

Cracked Black Pepper. These crisps almost

trends and saw the opportunity to fill a

have kilts on!

little hungry gap for healthier snacks.

They took away nuggets of knowledge and a gift each of a bag of crisps and a fresh potato, an earthy reminder that

But Mackie’s and Taypack searched

from the South Devon Chilli Farm.

“Nuts and seeds are very rich in

snacks are a treat, not a staple in a

around the world to find the components

vitamins and minerals, and fibre and

balanced diet.

to make their bespoke production system.

protein,” he said, describing how Filbert’s

Using a high oleic sunflower oil and

dry roast to make a lower fat product than

they had ever had and could they come

applying careful heating prevents the oil

the standard roasted peanut. “Ninety per

again,” said the company’s Sarah Jaques.

being degraded and forming unhealthy

cent of snack nuts are fried in oil but we

fatty acids.

dry roast by tumbling in hot air, which

“They said it was the best afternoon

Quality not quantity

Commercial manager Ronnie Wilson

gives an almost toasted flavour and we

All the team at Fairfields Farm are

explained as simply as possible: “We use a

add the fresh sauces to give the flavours

passionate about educating people,

specially-made fryer that cooks the

at the end.”

young and old, about the excellence of

potatoes gently, so they don’t come out

the wholesome real food fare they bring

too hard. The texture is also quite dry, so

company’s genuine workshop (as

to the national picnic plate. You might

you don’t get the unpleasant greasiness

opposed to the imaginary one featured

18

FINE FOODIES SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011

You can catch a glimpse of life at the

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 FINE FOODIES

19

Food focus on the brand’s colourful website) in the

serious olive habit when they went

new ITV travelogue series, The Hungry

travelling on a motorbike nearly 20 years

Sailors. Father and son adventurers, Dick and James Strawbridge, take a day out from their coastal sailing jaunt to visit Mr Filbert’s and compete to produce the best-tasting nut recipe.

ago, spending 12 glorious months biking

All about olives

and eating olives all over the European Mediterranean and along its North African and middle eastern coasts.

“When we got home we missed the olives, so we started making our own and people asked us to start selling them,” said

When it comes to choosing his favourite

Giles, who is not in the least modest

recipe, olive aficionado Giles Henschel, of

about the big part that he and Annie have

Olives Et Al, doesn’t miss a beat.

played in enlightening British tastebuds

“Moorish, with cumin, coriander and

about the sheer variety of prepared olives.

olive groves.

But do you know all there is to know about olives?

“All olives grow green on the tree and

cardamom. They are just sensational with a

There seems to be a connection

become darker as they ripen,” said Chris

nice glass of red wine,” he recommended.

between road trips and going into the

Dinent, who works with Matt and Hayley

olive business. Matt and Hayley Hunt were

at Oloves.

Olives Et Al offers customers at their own and many other shops at home and

inspired to launch Oloves, pitted green

abroad a choice of 40 varieties, marinated,

olives in handy, liquid-free 30g pouches

tree are too bitter to be edible so

pitted, stuffed and aromatised.

after meandering through Spain and

traditionally are fermented in brine to

spending lazy afternoons in the shade of

remove or reduce the bitterness. An olive

Giles and his wife Annie acquired a

Even the ripest olives straight off the

that is still green is left to ferment for 60 to

How do you like your snacks?

Chewy Beef biltong resembles strips of old leather but South Africans adore it.

This dried meat delicacy is famously associated with the Boers and their

product has already won a Great Taste Gold Award and is in Harvey Nichols.

great trek to the Transvaal. Now it’s

Cheesy Traditional family high tea

trekking all over the world including

favourites cheese straws and twists are

the UK, where increasing numbers of

part of a melt-in-the-mouth range from

British customers, as well as nostalgic

Cottage Delight made with puff pastry,

ex-pats, are hooked on its savoury

Edam and Gouda, and seed toppings.

chewiness.

There are also cocktail nibbles such as

In true pioneer style, Susmans Best Beef Biltong Company has brought biltong-making to Sussex. Its range includes handy 30g size packs.

Crunchy Pork scratchings – remember them? Pork crackling is the latest incarnation, a trendy new take on

Mature Cheese and Herb Baguettes and Cheese and Onion Pretzels.

Sweet...and salty When does a chocolate biscuit become a snack?

When it’s a Swerve, a chocolate-coated, salted pretzel from The Big Yum. Somehow that touch of salt both

year.

However, you can be sure that an olive that is jet black will not have been fermented naturally but will have undergone an industrial process.

“Those jet black olives bear as much resemblance to what comes off an olive tree as a kettle does,” said Giles. “A good Kalimata olive, which is what we use, will have a brown, purpley tinge.”

Nutrition may not be top of mind when one tucks into a bowlful but the fruit of the olive tree is a good source of various vitamins, minerals and unsaturated fat. Calorie-wise, on average there are eight per olive, so you could eat quite a few before you reached 70 calories – a digestive-biscuit’s worth. You just need to remember that they are reasonably salty, with an approximate

an unfashionably retro snack. Young

makes the chocolate taste sweeter but

entrepreneur Tom Lock was munching

cuts through sickly sugariness at the

around 12 per cent of one’s daily salt

queasily on some of the

same time. It’s alchemy.

intake.

pub and decided he could do much,

Portion controlled If you

back millennia but not in Britain surely?

much better.

find portion discipline tricky, Graze will

unreconstructed variety one day in a

measure of eight to 10 olives taking up

Olives have a rich history stretching Giles begs, admittedly a little tongue in

do it for you, choosing sensible portions

cheek, to differ. In the long sweep of

Pork Crackling is made with rinds from

of several different savoury and sweet

history, he suggests, it’s potato crisps that

Norfolk outdoor-reared pork, with

snacks, olives, dried fruits and nuts, even

are the Johnny-come-lately of the British

organic Anglesey sea salt and that’s it.

a little chocolate, to see you through a

snack repertoire.

No monosodium glutamate, no artificial

day of grazing and keep blood sugar

colours or preservatives and the

and energy levels consistent. Then they

2,000 years ago. How long have we had

crackling is double-fried, which renders

put it all in a box and post it to you.

the potato? 500 years! Olives have 1,500

The Awfully Posh Snack Company’s

20

away more of the fat. This brand new

90 days, darker olives for six months to a

FINE FOODIES SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011

“The Romans brought olives to Britain

years more heritage.” FF

In season

harvest time S

eptember is the best month for vegetable growers and cooks as crops, particularly organic ones, tend to look their best and there is the

satisfaction of harvesting the fruits of your summer labours.

It is one of the few months to enjoy

weeks and if you haven t yet packed your

pumpkin seeds, fennel or grilled

Mediterranean recipes without the need

barbecue away, try cooking the cobs on

courgettes.

for the main ingredients to have been

it. Leave the leafy husks on the cobs and

trucked or flown in; tomatoes, basil,

soak them in a bucket of water first, then

tomatoes. Cook up big batches of

peppers, aubergines, cucumber and

cook slowly on each side until the husks

tomato sauce, oven-dried tomatoes and

chillies are still cropping heavily from

start to catch. Peel them back and eat

ratatouille. You can make your own

unheated tunnels, while outside summer

with salt and pepper and a generous

tomato sauce by frying a little garlic and

salads are joined by sweetcorn, squash,

knob of butter, using the husk as a

chilli gently, then filling the pan with

leeks, Savoy cabbage and runner beans.

handle. You could also try sweetcorn in

tomatoes, vine and all (the vine imparts

fritters, or, as autumn advances, in a

extra flavour). Bring it to the boil and

chowder.

simmer to reduce by about half. Put

With so much home-grown produce about, it s a great time to think about an organic vegbox; try schemes such as Riverford Organic.

You ll want to make the most of sweetcorn season over the next few

22

FINE FOODIES SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011

As you get back into comfort cooking

And enjoy the last of the ripe UK

through a coarse sieve and season for a

for autumn, try not to turn your back on

flavourful sauce for pasta and pizzas. It

salads quite yet. Add substance by

freezes well to last you through the

combining your leaves with roast squash,

colder months ahead. FF

Sweetcorn fritters

By Jane Baxter, Riverford Field Kitchen, taken from the Riverford Farm Cook Book

Serves 6 Ingredients:

Method:

until brown and add it to the batter. Add

• 3 corn cobs

• Peel the husks off the corn cobs, then

the chilli, onion, corn and herbs and season

• 125g plain flour

cook them in boiling water for about 10

well.

• 1tsp baking powder

minutes, until just tender. Drain well and

• Heat the oil and the remaining butter in a

• 2tbsp polenta

cut off the kernels.

frying pan until quite hot. Drop

• 1tsp sugar

• Put the flour, baking powder, polenta and

tablespoonfuls of the mixture into the pan

• 2 eggs

sugar in a bowl. Add the eggs and yolk and

and fry over a medium heat for about two

• 1 egg yolk

beat together. Gradually beat in the crème

minutes on each side, until golden brown.

• 2tbsp crème fraîche

fraîche and milk until you get a thick,

Serve immediately. They are good topped

• 125ml milk

smooth batter. Heat half the butter in a pan

with crispy bacon or pancetta.

• 2tbsp butter • 1 red chilli, finely chopped • ½ red onion, finely chopped • 1tbsp chopped coriander and/or chives • 2tsp olive oil • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Roasted squash with lentils and goat’s cheese

By Jane Baxter, Riverford Field Kitchen, taken from the Riverford Farm Cook Book

Serves 6 Ingredients: • 1 butternut squash • 2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped • 1 red chilli, very finely chopped • 1 sprig rosemary, very finely chopped • Olive oil • Dressed salad leaves • Cooked puy lentils • Feta cheese

Method: • Cut the squash in half lengthways. Peel and slice across into lengths about 1cm thick and place on a baking tray. Sprinkle with olive oil.

Bake at 200° C for about 30 minutes or until the squash is cooked.

• Sprinkle garlic, chilli and rosemary over the squash and return to the oven for 10 minutes until the garlic and chilli are cooked but not brown.

• The roasted squash is delicious used in a salad with dressed leaves, cooked puy lentils and sprinkled with goat s cheese.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 FINE FOODIES

23

Foodie feature

From land to fork,as Nature intended

After her experience at Noma, Sarah Willingham heads outdoors to discover how we should get in tune with our environment and learn how to live off the land around us.

I

nspired by my trip to Noma,

thought. Rising to the challenge, if I know

the best out of them. I, of course, had

which I wrote about last month,

my husband at all, Michael had clearly

assumed they were deadly poisonous

and driven by my shame that the

gone to the outside fridge and returned

and always remove them at the first sign

closest I ve ever come to foraging

with a large leg of this rotten stinking

that the kids might show an interest.

is walking out to the vegetable

lamb and was slicing rye bread, spreading

He turns around all excited, showing

patch or driving to the local pick-your-

it with Lurpak, putting the lamb on the

me how to open beech nuts from the

own, I decided that it was no longer

bread, sprinkle of sea salt and handing it

huge beech tree in the garden. Halfway

enough to talk about it ‒ I needed to

over to Mark.

through his sentence about beech nuts

actually do this. It was time to learn.

Mark Lloyd is a local celebrity chef,

Seems innocent enough, but if I explain

he s over by the wild roses telling me that

that this lamb has to be kept inside five

rosehips have 20 times more vitamin C in

once Head Chef at River Cottage, now

plastic bags then wrapped tightly in cling

them than an orange. He plucks the rose

settled just 15 minutes from my home in

film and then stored in the outside fridge

petals, makes me smell them and asks me

Oxfordshire, and he is about to open a

and we can still smell it, that puts it into

what I would do with them. The honest

restaurant just down the road in

perspective! Mark swallows it with a swig

answer is that I would make perfume

Appleford ‒ lucky, lucky me!

of coffee, noticeably winces and the rest is

with my oldest daughter, put the

Many of my chef friends have told me that if I want to learn about foraging then

sat on his plate.

We seem to have started the day as we

perfume in jam jars and then sell it to unsuspecting grandparents.

he s the man. So, we tweet , then call, all set

mean to go on ‒ being taken outside of

up, I can t wait. We live right by the Thames

our comfort zone. We move quickly onto

with the perfume ‒ if I did it with sugar

in 12 acres of woodland that must be full of

our what s the worst thing you ve ever

syrup and left to infuse I d have a perfect

food, so he agrees to come to me.

eaten? stories. His answer? A badger ham

rose syrup. I m desperately trying to write

that someone brought to him during his

all of this down, fascinated, and we ve not

came downstairs to find Mark stood

years at River Cottage, wrapped in a dirty

even left the back garden yet.

leaning over a large leg of skaerpekoed, a

old handkerchief that took two pints of

delicacy of rotten, sea salted lamb from

Guinness to wash down!

I knew it was going to be good when I

the Faroe Islands that you kind of had to grow up on to appreciate.

The smell had already filled the kitchen

Heading out

Turns out I m actually onto something

Mark grew up in Northumberland in a massive family. He used to walk seven miles to and from school every day. He had no mentor, no inspiration in the

We re not even out of the back down

kitchen, merely a love for his environment

and I walked in to hear Mark saying

when he s off, spotting large beefsteak

and an intrigue that went way beyond

something along the lines of there s

mushrooms. They re tough apparently,

the norm. He bought pocket books to

nothing I won t eat . Here we go, I

cook slowly for a long time and you ll get

learn what you could and couldn t eat

24

FINE FOODIES SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011

and through years of commitment in the

mushrooms and Mark offers a word of

earth have I missed these? I’m starting to

kitchen has worked out the best ways to

warning – just because animals eat it and

wonder if I walk around with my eyes

cook them all.

don’t die does not mean it’s OK for us to

closed the whole time.

It’s no coincidence, he explains, that we eat certain foods together. It’s very simple;

eat. So how do you know?

Well, nowadays there are great books to

I ask Mark about his restaurant and his plans for the future. He’s very excited about

things that are growing at the same time,

take out with you but years ago they used

the restaurant, in a village called Appleford,

that certain animals live off, of course they

to put some mushroom under their arm,

near Didcot in Oxfordshire. He’s going to

taste good together, we find ways of

then their cheek, then their lip, then their

use as much from his surroundings as

preserving them just as they did hundreds

tongue and if there was no reaction at all

possible and I expect to see all kinds of

of years ago. Pigs eat apples, pigeons eat

then they’d eat it. OK, I’m impressed and

weird and wonderful things appearing on

elderberries...it all makes sense.

I’m learning a lot.

his menu. There was talk of calves testicles,

We find a massive plum tree that I

Mark then points out a vetch, which

deep fried with tartare sauce – really?

didn’t even know existed, and elderberries

contains a toxin that goes into the liver.

that he insists I pick and we make jams,

You can’t get it out but it’s great for cattle

knowledgeable but he is great company.

chutneys, and game sauces. He points out

and their digestive system. Who on earth

In his own words, he’s “living the dream”.

a sharp, nasty thistle that you see

finds this stuff out first, I want to know?

He can’t believe he has managed to make

everywhere and makes me look it up –

He shows me a pale wispy grass-type

Mark is not only extremely talented and

a living out of what has been his passion

‘sea holly’ don’t you know – and we talk

plant growing all the way along the river

nettle gnocchi with fricassee of squirrel,

and asks me to break open one of the

hawthorn berries, goose grass, wild mint,

‘pods’. I look down and look back up at

@REALMarkLloyd as his twitter account

rowan, mountain ash, comfrey (great for

him. Surely not? They cannot be what I

name because that’s who Mark is –

cocktails). He digs up roots (not to

think they are; mustard seeds. I am blown

wonderfully, refreshingly real, full of

everyone’s taste) that you could live off in

away as I cook a lot of Indian food at home

passion that comes from deep down and

the winter months and explains to me

and love mustard seeds. I can’t believe this

desperate to convert us all to his way of

about survival in a forest, how to find

plant that I walk past almost every day is

living, totally in tune with his environment.

water and track animals.

full of mustard seeds.

Talking the talk

mussel, which leads him to believe there

and definitely inspired me to add some new

Mark is the real deal. There are many chefs

are mink in the river – the only thing strong

cordials, chutneys and syrups to my larder.

out there who do a lot of talking about

enough to crush the shell. We pick up frogs

In fact, I can now highly recommend

‘farm to fork’ but all they actually do is

and toads (how do you tell the difference?

champagne with a splash of rose syrup as

phone the butcher or the grocer. Most, at

A frog jumps, a toad walks, never knew

a perfect end to a lazy summer day. FF

best, hire a forager.

that). Mark points out loads and loads of

We follow deer tracks to find more

We find the shell of a freshwater

blackberries perfect for picking. How on

since childhood.

It makes me smile to think that he has

He certainly succeeded in opening my eyes, teaching me about my surroundings

• Find out more about Mark Lloyd by visiting www.theappleford.co.uk

september/october 2011 FINE FOODIES

25

Recipes

An organic As the nation gears up to mark Organic September, some of the country s top chefs and organic pioneers offer some sumptuous recipe ideas.

feast

Raymond Blanc s chicory, walnut and roquefort salad Serves 4

Roquefort is often regarded as a king of blue cheese, although Stilton and many British blue cheeses such as Cashel Blue, Blue Vinney, Yorkshire Blue and Barkham Blue could be great substitutes in this dish.

Here is one of the simple recipes that I am sure you will enjoy. Ensure that the cheese is kept nice and chilled so that you can crumble it easily. If old, the oil within the walnuts will turn rancid, overpowering and unpleasant, so choose carefully. Should you wish, you can replace chicory with any other winter salad leaves. Lamb s lettuce, frisee and escarole are best suited to this dish as these leaves are hardy and can take cold weather and frost.

Preparation time: 5 minutes Ingredients for the Roquefort dressing: • 50g Roquefort cheese, room temperature • 20g water, warm • 15ml (1tbsp) white wine vinegar • 30ml (2tbsp) olive oil, extra virgin • ½g (1 pinch) pepper, black, freshly ground

26

FINE FOODIES SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011

Variation The addition of some garlic For the salad: • 800g chicory, small, cut in ¼ s lengthways • 100g walnuts, roughly chopped • 250g/1 medium pear or apple, ripe but firm, cored, halved, finely sliced • 60g/1 stick celery, finely sliced • 80g Roquefort, cold, crumbled • 10g/2tsp chives, finely chopped Method: • In a large bowl, using a spatula, cream the Roquefort cheese to a smooth paste, add the warm water, white wine vinegar and whisk

croutons or some grilled bacon lardoons would be delicious. Prunes, raisins and dried apricots will also add wonderful tastes and textures. For canapés, finely chop the salad ingredients, mix with the dressing and fill a few whole chicory leaves, perfect little finger food. Or serve on some toasted croutons or in small pieces of peeled celery.

until smooth.

• Gradually whisk in the olive oil little by little; season to taste with the freshly ground black pepper. Toss the chicory, walnut, pear, celery and two thirds of the Roquefort into the dressing and arrange on a large serving plate.

• To finish, crumble the remaining cold Roquefort over the salad and sprinkle with chopped chives.

Geetie Singhs steamed razor clams with cider, cream, tarragon and garlic bread Serves 4

Razor clams are rarely seen on menus, in shops or fishmongers. But they are so yummy you actually get a big chunk of flesh from each one rather than the fiddly pickings from their smaller cousins.

They must be hand gathered ‒ dredging is extremely destructive. They are an under-used species, so an excellent alternative to the usual clam.

Do ensure that they are from the UK as lots are imported into this country. Treat them like other molluscs; if they don t open they are dead and dangerous to eat. Be warned, they are a sight to cook, they wiggle out of their shells. One should also support our once-thriving cider industry and buy one of the fantastic ciders that are still out there like the ones we sell in the pub, Luscombe, Westons or Dunkertons.

Ingredients: • 12 razor clams (three per portion) • 2tbsp sea salt • 4 shallots • 4 cloves garlic • 4tbsp chopped tarragon • 4tbsp olive oil • 200ml good local cider • 100ml double cream • 50g butter • 1 slice per person of home-made bread or other good hearty bread • 3 cloves garlic, whole Method: • The clams should be closed when you buy them ‒ this means they are fresh. And they should also have been purged, which is removing the grit from them. But it s always worth giving them another clean as grit can

really spoil your dish. This is done by putting the clams in a tray of cold water (you can apparently add oat meal, which will make the process more efficient). Leave them in the fridge with a damp cloth over until cooking time.

• Finely chop the shallots and garlic. Take a large saucepan and put on the heat until very, very hot.

Add half the olive oil, shallots, garlic and tarragon.

Pop the bread in the toaster.

• Quickly place the razor clams in the pan, give it a shake, add the cider and put the lid on. Leave about three minutes or until all the clams have opened (really, don t over-cook the clams or they will be tough and rubbery).

• Add the cream, the butter and seasoning when the clams are ready. Rub the toast with the extra whole cloves of garlic and drizzle with the remaining olive oil.

• Serve in large bowls with plenty of the creamy sauce and the toasted bread.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 FINE FOODIES

27

Recipes

Tim Bouget’s cumin crusted rump of salt marsh lamb with smoked aubergine Serves 2

This recipe is perfect for an alternative Sunday lunch or light dinner, perfect for spring and summer. The dish is inspired by my time working in the Middle East and is a classic combination with the nutty texture of the quinoa that complement the subtle flavour of early season lamb.

At ODE we use salt marsh lamb from Somerset which has a unique flavour, cooking at a very low temperature, ensuring the meat is served pink and tender, however the lamb can be roasted in a conventional oven or even barbequed if marinated in spiced yogurt overnight.

Ingredients: • 350g rump of lamb cut into two (ask your butcher to prepare) • 1tsp cumin seed • 50g quinoa • 250ml water • 200g tomatoes (three peeled, deseeded and chopped roughly • 1 handful equal quantities of coriander and mint chopped • 2tbsp full fat natural yogurt with a pinch of cumin powder

28

FINE FOODIES SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011

• ½ lemon juiced • 10g toasted pine nuts • 1 large aubergine, grilled until blackened • 1tbsp tahina paste Method: • Grill or oven-bake the aubergine with a small amount of oil until blackened, one to two hours. Turn frequently, don’t be afraid of burning as the skin will protect the flesh and give a lovely smokey flavour.

• Remove from the grill or oven when soft and blackened, allow to cool, drain off the bitter aubergine liquid in a colander and remove skin.

• Chop the flesh roughly and add lemon juice and tahina paste, mix well and season to taste. Score the fat on lamb rumps and rub with salt, pepper and cumin seed.

• Seal in a hot pan, fat side down and cook in an oven (200ºC) for approximately 10-12 minutes until pink or cooked to your liking.

Remove from the pan and set aside to rest for two to three minutes.

• Whilst the lamb is cooking, rinse 50g of quinoa and cover with water. Bring to boil and simmer until the liquid has reduced to

nothing, remove and cover with a lid until ready to serve.

• Add chopped tomatoes, coriander and mint to a bowl and season with lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Composition : Mix the quinoa into the tomato and herb salad and put into the centre of the plate.

Spoon over the natural yogurt, slice the lamb into three and place on top of the salad.

Serve a spoon of aubergine puree to the side and serve warm. Sprinkle with pine nuts.

Organic September The Soil Association has, for many years, hosted an annual campaign to raise awareness of organic, and educate about its benefits.

Previously known as Organic Fortnight, for 2011 it has been renamed Organic September, and one of the easiest ways to show your support is by joining the Big Organic Eat-in.

Whether it’s a dinner, a breakfast, a cake sale, or a pot-lunch at work, you can get plenty of inspiration for all tastes by visiting www.soilassociation.org.

✁

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Recipes

Spice it up Add a bit of spice to your culinary offering with the help of John Gregory-Smith, and his new book, Mighty Spice Cookbook.

Singapore coconut and prawn laksa Ingredients: • 1tsp tamarind paste • 400ml/14fl oz/1½ cups coconut milk • 250g/9oz raw large king prawns, peeled and de-veined • 110g/3 3/4oz /1¼ cups bean sprouts • 110g/3 3/4oz rice noodles • 2tbsp vegetable oil • Sea salt • Coriander sprigs, to serve For the spice paste: • 2 lemongrass stalks • 1 red chilli • 4 garlic cloves • 1tsp shrimp paste • ½tsp turmeric • 2tbsp vegetable oil 32

FINE FOODIES SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011

Method: • To prepare the spice paste, remove the really tough outer leaves of the lemongrass and cut off the ends of the stalks. Starting at the fatter end, roughly slice each lemongrass stalk into rings. You should see a purple band in the rings. Stop slicing when there are no more purple bands, as the tops will be too tough to eat. Set the tops aside to add to the laksa later and put the sliced lemongrass in a mini food processor. Add the other spice paste ingredients and blend to a smooth paste.

• Put the tamarind paste and 100ml/31/2 floz/1⁄3 cup water in a small bowl. Mix well and leave to stand for five minutes, or until the paste has dissolved, then remove any lumps. Heat a large saucepan over a medium

Serves 4

heat and spoon in the spice paste. Stir-fry the paste for 30 seconds until fragrant, then pour in the coconut milk, prepared tamarind, 200ml/7fl oz/scant 1 cup freshly boiled water and season with a pinch of salt.

• Mix well, then turn up the heat to high and bring to the boil. Add the prawns, bean sprouts and lemongrass tops, turn the heat down to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for five minutes, or until the prawns have turned pink and are cooked through. Remove the lemongrass tops.

• Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the packet instructions, drain and drizzle with the oil to prevent sticking. Divide the cooked noodles into four deep bowls and ladle in the hot soup. Add a coriander sprig to each bowl and serve immediately.

Vietnamese chicken with chilli and lemongrass Serves 4

Ingredients: • 6 lemongrass stalks, plus extra stalks to serve • 2tbsp vegetable oil • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped • 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped • 500g/1lb 2oz boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces • 2tbsp fish sauce • 1tbsp soy sauce • A pinch of sugar • 1 handful coriander leaves, roughly chopped • Rice noodles, to serve

Method: • To prepare the lemongrass, remove the really tough outer leaves and cut off the ends of the stalks. Starting at the fatter end, roughly slice each lemongrass stalk into rings. You should see a purple band in the rings. Stop slicing when there are no more purple bands and discard the rest of the lemongrass, as it will be too tough to eat. Give the lemongrass slices a quick blast in a mini food processor until they are very finely chopped.

• Heat a wok over a high heat and add the oil.

Once the oil is smoking, chuck in the lemongrass, garlic and red chilli and stir-fry for 10 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the chicken and then stir-fry for three to four minutes, or until the chicken is golden and cooked through.

• Tip in the fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar and stir-fry for another 30 seconds, then chuck in the chopped coriander. Serve immediately with rice noodles and the extra lemongrass stalks.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 FINE FOODIES

33

Recipes

Mango, orange and nutmeg cheesecake Cheesecake is luscious to eat but can be tricky to make. This is a very simple version that involves a bit of mixing and then lots of eating. The main flavours are fresh mango and orange, which are complemented by lots of freshly grated nutmeg. The nutmeg really brings out the sweetness of the mango. As a spice it works amazingly with anything creamy, so it s a real winner in a cheesecake.

Ingredients: • 100g/3½oz unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing • 200g/7oz digestive biscuits • 1tbsp caster sugar • 1 large mango, peeled, pitted and cut into chunks • 50ml/1½oz/3tbsp orange juice • 900g/2lb cream cheese • 100g/3½oz/heaped 3/4 cup icing sugar • ¼ fresh nutmeg, finely grated, plus extra for sprinkling

34

FINE FOODIES SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011

Serves 8-10

Method: • Grease the sides and base of a 20 x 10cm/8in x 4in non-stick springform cake tin and line the base with baking parchment. Put the digestive biscuits into a food processor and blend to a fine crumb. Tip the biscuit crumbs into a saucepan and rinse the food processor bowl.

• Add the butter and caster sugar to the crumb mix, place over a medium heat and mix together until the butter and sugar has melted completely. Tip the biscuit mixture into the prepared cake tin, then push it down, using a spoon, to form an even layer across the base. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

• Meanwhile, put the mango and orange juice into a food processor bowl and blend to a purée. Pass the purée through a sieve and divide the mixture in two. Cover one portion and refrigerate to serve with the cheesecake when it s ready and return the other portion to the food processor bowl.

• Put the cream cheese, icing sugar, freshly grated nutmeg into the food processor bowl

with the mango and orange purée and blend until smooth.

• Scrape the cheese and mango mixture over the biscuit base in the cake tin and refrigerate for eight hours or overnight. When you are ready to serve, pop open the springform mechanism on the cake tin, carefully remove the sides and slowly slip the cake off the bottom onto a serving plate. Sprinkle with finely grated fresh nutmeg, drizzle over the remaining mango and orange purée and serve.

Recipes extracted from Mighty Spice Cookbook, by John GregorySmith and published by Duncan Baird Publishers. Copyright Commissioned Photography by William Lingwood /Duncan Baird Publishers 2011. To receive your copy at the price of £15 (including postage and packing) call on 0207 454 8513 or send a cheque to Duncan Baird Publishers, Sixth Floor, Castle House, 75-76 Wells St, London, W1T 3QH, quoting Mighty Spice Cookbook, Fine Foodies special offer.Normal price £20. This offer applies to UK residents only.

Global foodie

Asian Versatile

flavour

Food and travel expert Shirlee Posner relives her experiences in Asian cuisine.

T

he lid has just been lifted

upstairs housed a food court.

substitute. In Taiwan, I learnt that this food is highly respected by meat eaters and vegetarians alike. Most common are Ma Po Tofu, a mainland Chinese dish to which a chilli-based sauce also includes minced pork, which coats firm tofu and San Bei Tofu, made with thin slices of pork. If a vegetarian orders a tofu dish in China they will need to request that no meat is added.

In the west, Chinese restaurateurs have got wise to the fact that it is mostly non-meat eaters that will order tofu-based dishes.

Wheat not rice What also surprised me was the number of wheat-based foods. This is because northern China has more severe temperature changes than the south and is more suitable to growing wheat than

off a ceramic hot pot and

Anything being prepared downstairs

rice. As a result a high proportion of the

an intoxicating aroma fills

was for sale upstairs, where eager punters

northern diet is based around this staple.

the air. As the dish is

sat on small red plastic stools and ate at

revealed, a heap of fresh

melamine tables. A portion of 10 pork-filled

yeast dough and hot water dough

local basil leaves wilts and thinly sliced red

aromatic dumplings oozing with fragrant

pastries proliferate, as do filled dumplings

chilli, whole cloves of garlic and ginger

gravy served with grated young ginger

and hand-pulled or cut wheat noodles.

emerge from the dissipating steam.

and Chinese black vinegar cost ÂŁ1, while a

These hand-pulled noodles form the basis

plate of long local aubergines steamed

of classic dishes such as red beef noodle

with chilli and basil cost little more.

soup.

The sauce that flavours this dish is a combination of rice wine, sesame oil and soya sauce, to which large chunks of

This was to become my favourite

Steamed breads, pork-stuffed buns in

Slow cooked beef with soy sauce, rice

crispy tofu have been added. This is San

shopping destination and an essential part

wine, star anise, cloves, garlic and

Bei (three cups) Tofu, a traditional farmer’s

of my work, which included giving market

chopped tomato are combined with

dish and one of the most delicious meals

tours to new expatriates and researching

fresh noodles for a warming winter meal.

I have ever had.

material for several magazines.

For breakfast a popular dish of green

The setting may also have played a part,

There was not a single occasion when I

onion wheat pancakes cooked on a

as my home at the time was an island off

visited the market that there was not

griddle with a fried egg and then rolled

the coast of mainland China, which is both

something new to discover. This was

and served in slices was common. These

chaotic and serenely beautiful.

partly due to the seasonal nature of the

would be bought from a street stall and

food, for example large avocadoes. Other

eaten on the way to school, college or

food products that came and went in

work. Soy milk curdled with vinegar is a

I lived in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan for

quick succession were those related to

traditional breakfast dish and surprisingly

four and a half years and as a food writer

festivals. Chinese New Year, the most

delicious eaten with fried bread croutons.

was able to further my writing career,

important on the calendar, yielded a huge

Dough forced through a shaper and

which was enhanced by the location and

influx of beautifully wrapped and

deep-fried, like Spanish churros, are also

its astonishing food culture.

displayed pomelo and melons. These

popular dusted with sugar and served

were prized, not only for their flavour, but

with hot mugs of sweetened soy milk. My

up for a survival Chinese course (for taxis

also for their similarity in shape to the

favourite was steamed buns, hand made

and markets) and took a tour of Shidong

moon. Symbols in Chinese culture that

on many street corners, and filled with

food market. At the time, this was the only

are represented through food are as

either minced pork, ginger and green

air-conditioned wet market in the city and

important to the Chinese as the foods

onions or a vegetarian filling of finely

luckily just a short drive from my home.

themselves. Long noodles, for example at

shredded white cabbage, green onions

And it was a foodie oasis: fresh fish, meat,

Chinese New Year, represent longevity

and shitake mushrooms.

vegetables, smoked goose, roast poultry,

and are always served at a New Year feast.

Market culture

On day three of my first week I signed

freshly-made dumplings (gyoza), noodles

In the UK, there is a hardcore following

What struck me most is that many dishes are made with raw ingredients by

and red braised meat stalls were among

of vegetarian tofu consumers who, having

street vendors working 24/7, and many

the delights on the ground floor whilst

said goodbye to meat, use it as a protein

vendors have made more than a

36

FINE FOODIES SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011

comfortable living from this trade. A

to replicate Asian food is reluctance to let

quick to cook and offer a good return to

defining element of Chinese food culture

the pan get hot enough before adding

the stall holder. Many wholesale

is a hard work ethic and a desire to create

ingredients. Recently my Taiwanese

vegetable traders sell huge bags of sliced

high quality food from a few basic

friend, Ivy Chen, came to stay and she

garlic, shredded ginger and chopped

ingredients. When you consider that

insisted on cooking for my family. After

chillies along with bean sprouts and other

Taiwan, which is in the northern

placing the wok on my large gas ring with

prepared vegetables, making street

hemisphere, has temperatures of up to

the flame on high she continued her

hawkers’ work a whole lot easier as

40° C and is very humid in the summer,

preparation as the wok started to smoke

preparation of stir fry ingredients is the

running a food stall is not an easy option

and hiss. I was close to intervening but

most time-consuming element.

but for some the only one available.

managed to hold back as suddenly the

Cooking at home

Traditional kitchens in Chinese

first batch of expertly-chopped

apartments tend to be small unless you

vegetables hit the pan. The heat

are wealthy, and very few have an oven.

Whilst I loved to eat in restaurants and

evaporates the water in the ingredients

So although you could buy Betty Crocker

from street stalls of which there seemed

superfast and I am pretty sure from my

pancake mix in all the supermarkets you

to be thousands, I also wanted to know

food degree days that this efficient way of

couldn’t buy a cake mix. During the time I

how people cooked at home. It was clear

cooking may have something to do with

lived in Taiwan, MFI, the British kitchen

there was a lot of this happening because

the latent heat given off by water when it

company, set up shop on the island to

so many raw ingredients were for sale.

changes from a liquid to a gas. If the pan

design western-style kitchens for wealthy

got a little dry Ivy took a handful of water

Taiwanese families. There was also a

and threw it into the pan.

noticeable range of small tabletop

Stir frying is just one of many different cooking styles used in Chinese kitchens.

Although Taiwan has its own aboriginal

Having the confidence to let that wok

convection ovens arriving in stores. As in

cuisine there are influences from all over

get smoking hot and beyond is probably

the UK, foreign travel, the Internet and

China. Casseroling, deep-frying, and

the reason that many of us when we stir

cable TV had influenced home cooks.

boiling are common for many dishes, all

fry end up boiling the ingredients in a

using the same wok.

puddle of water that collects in the

Bali in Indonesia

bottom of the wok. Stir-fried foods are

When you live and travel in Asia it

seen as restaurant-style foods as they are

becomes much easier to understand how

It turns out that one of the main difficulties that western chefs have trying

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 FINE FOODIES

37

Global foodie

different each destination can be.

Bali is an Indonesian island and a popular holiday destination for many who live in the region. This part of the world is

dominate here as do pineapples and

sweet food stalls, which serve brightly

bananas, for sale whole or cut into bite-

coloured mixtures of cold custard made

sized chunks for a take-away snack.

from rice starch, sugar and water. These often come with red beans (adzuki)

far less prosperous than Taiwan and once

Street food

you leave the tranquillity of the hotel you

Apart from the beautiful chilled out hotels

cannot fail to grasp how little most

and warm friendly service, it s the street

carts on the street. Pineapples, bananas,

people have.

food that really makes this place for me.

papayas and avocados are the local

Simple food carts offer soup and noodle

crops in abundance. Avocados are always

follow the Hindu faith, although it was

dishes to those who work too far from

eaten sweetened, usually mashed with

noticeable on my last visit in 2010 that a

home to go back to eat. Satay is freshly

sugar and never as part of a savoury dish.

larger Muslim community also co-exists.

cooked over smouldering coconut husk

Nasi and mee goreng fried rice or noodles

I have been here five times over the last

and sold for no more than 50p a portion.

are popular dishes as are crab cam, a

15 years and each time it s a joy.

The local satay is always pork, and on each

fragrant chicken soup made with minced

skewer a small piece of meat, fat and liver

chicken, spice paste and chicken stock.

Denpasar to fill up on vanilla pods, which

is coated in a marinade of spices and a

Roast suckling pig is also popular for

have recently been grown as a cash crop.

little sugar. Each hawker has their own

celebrations and feasts, as is roast spiced

My last purchase cost ÂŁ35 for a kilo of long

special recipe and usually also sells

duck. Interestingly you can use the same

slender pods, which I lovingly use in my

minced fish that has been barbequed in a

spice paste on prawns, whole fish and

kitchen to steep in sugar and other

banana leaf parcel.

duck and the resulting flavours will be

It is also the only island in the region to

I always visit the main food market in

culinary adventures. In contrast to the

A friend of mine arranged for me to go

cooked in sweetened water.

Fresh fruit is served as a snack food in

completely different.

West, the Balinese use vanilla for making

food shopping and to cook with the chef

scented oils for aromatherapy and

at the Bali Hyatt on Sanur beach on one of

Asian variety

massage oils and soaps rather than in

my trips. From this I learnt that Balinese

As you get to know your way around Asia,

cooking. I read somewhere that Ben &

home cooking revolves around a

you discover that there is rarely any

Jerry s preferred vanilla is Balinese due to

collection of spice pastes, which are made

difference in quality between the food

the slightly peppery flavour it provides.

in advance. These cooked pastes, which

you eat on the street and the food you

include fresh chillies, old ginger,

eat in more upmarket restaurants apart

visit the area outside the market where

lemongrass and garlic as their base are

from the surroundings and the price.

hawkers sell all the necessary items to

made in advance to use in quick stir fry

make offerings to the gods for a

curries and for longer cooked meat curries.

on the street as each stall will have

prosperous day s trade and the ready-to-

They are also rubbed on the surface of fish

mastered to perfection the two to three

eat food stalls. Whole barbequed fish or

before cooking, usually on a barbeque, and

dishes they offer and will be selling to a

chickens rubbed prior to cooking with

to mix with minced fish, which is then

more discernable clientele of locals.

spices, curried meats and vegetables

packed around bamboo skewers or on

served in cones made from rolled banana

stalks of lemongrass to cook.

Apart from buying vanilla I also love to

leaf, potatoes mixed with chopped shallots

When there is a festival the men of the

and ground roasted peanuts and doused

village will meet first to grind the

in kecap manis (a thick sweet soy sauce)

ingredients together to make the spice

and freshly-chopped fruit are just a sample

pastes for the dishes they will prepare.

of what is for sale. Alongside the cooked

Local sticky rice, which you can see

food stalls are hawkers selling some of the

growing all over the island, is served

island s indigenous crops; sugar cane, long

alongside. Desserts are not usually served

beans, sweet corn and papaya all

after a meal but the Balinese have many

38

FINE FOODIES SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011

For me the quality is often far superior

The first time I went to a street stall my guide said always eat from one that has a queue and it will be have been worth the wait. FF

Shirlee Posner is a food writer and food photographer and has lived in Singapore, Taiwan, among others. Since returning to the UK in 2005 she has worked across food education projects and teaches part time at Surrey University. For recipes, visit www.shirleeposner.com.

Global update foodie Drinks

Drink up different each destination can be.

Bali is an Indonesian island and a popular holiday destination for many who live in the region. This part of the world is far less prosperous than Taiwan and once you leave the tranquillity of the hotel you cannot fail to grasp how little most people have.

It is also the only island in the region to follow the Hindu faith, although it was noticeable on my last visit in 2010 that a larger Muslim community also co-exists.

I have been here five times over the last 15 years and each time it s a joy.

I always visit the main food market in Denpasar to fill up on vanilla pods, which have recently been grown as a cash crop.

My last purchase cost £35 for a kilo of long slender pods, which I lovingly use in my kitchen to steep in sugar and other culinary adventures. In contrast to the

dominate here as do pineapples and

sweet food stalls, which serve brightly

bananas, for sale whole or cut into bite-

coloured mixtures of cold custard made

sized chunks for a take-away snack.

from rice starch, sugar and water. These

SUMMER food INStreet A GLASS

Apart from the beautiful chilled out hotels

and warm friendly service, it s the street You can enjoy a drink with a conscience food makesneutral this place for me. with thethat helpreally of carbon winery, Simple food carts offer soup and noodle Cono Sur. dishes to those who work too far The Chilean winery prides itself onfrom its home toapproach go back totoeat.

Satay is freshly sustainable winemaking, cookedusing over smouldering coconut husk including geese to eat bugs in the vineyards instead pesticides anda portion. and sold for noof more than 50p travelling round estate on bicycle.

The local sataythe is always pork, and on each Wine afficionados canofenjoy Surliver skewer a small piece meat,Cono fat and Viognier, bestindescribed as of summer in a a is coated a marinade spices and glass, brimming full hawker with succulent little sugar. Each has theirnotes own of apricot, peach and citrus special recipe and usuallyfruits, also sells combined with a hint of oak. minced fish that has been barbequed in a banana leaf parcel.

A friend of mine arranged for me to go

West, the Balinese use vanilla for making food shopping and to cook with the chef ELDERFLOWER EXPLOSION scented oils for that aromatherapy We are a nation can t seemand to get massage oils and soaps enough of elderflowers. rather than in cooking. somewhere that Ben & Sales ofI read elderflower cordials and Jerry s preferred vanilla is Balinese due to sparkling pressé are on the rise, according the slightly peppery flavour it provides. to drinks specialist, Belvoir Fruit Farms.

Belvoir alonebuying has seen sales of its original Apart from vanilla I also love to elderflower increase by 25 per cent visit the areacordial outside the market where and its elderflower by an impressive hawkers sell all the pressé necessary items to 40 per offerings cent this to year. total,for Belvoir is make theIngods a hoping to sell over four million bottles of prosperous day s trade and the ready-toits elderflower cordial and sparkling pressé eat food stalls. Whole barbequed fish or in 2011. chickens rubbed prior to cooking with The elder is a hedgerow plant spices, curried meats and vegetables and occurs naturally all over served in cones made from rolled banana the countryside. Belvoir leaf, potatoes mixed with chopped shallots needs in excess of 50 and ground roasted tonnes of flowers or peanuts and doused in kecap manis (a over three million thick sweet soy sauce) and freshly-chopped elderflower heads to fruit are just a sample of what is for sale. Alongside the cooked meet the demand for food stalls are hawkers selling some of the its drinks. To do this, island sencourages indigenous crops; sugar cane, long Belvoir locals thecorn areaand to papaya all beans,from sweet

38 40

FINEFOODIES FOODIES SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER2011 2011 FINE

at the Bali Hyatt on Sanur on one of pluck the elderflower from beach the hedgerows, my trips.

From this I learnt that Balinese as well as in their own orchards, and bring cooking around a tohome the farm to getrevolves paid around £1.80 collection of spice pastes, which are made per kilo. inHelping advance.with These pastes, whichis a thecooked elderflower harvest wonderful opportunity to ginger, take part in an include fresh chillies, old historic tradition, Pev Manners. lemongrass and said garlicMD, as their base are People return to the year after made in advance tofarm use in quick stiryear fry to meet new friends, see old onesmeat and enjoy curries and for longer cooked curries. being touch with Nature.

It ssurface such aof fish Theyin are also rubbed on the massive job, we all get stuck in. before cooking, usually on a barbeque, and to mix with minced fish, which is then packed around bamboo skewers or on stalks of lemongrass to cook.

When there is a festival the men of the village will meet first to grind the ingredients together to make the spice pastes for the dishes they will prepare.

Local sticky rice, which you can see growing all over the island, is served alongside. Desserts are not usually served after a meal but the Balinese have many

often come with red beans (adzuki) cooked in sweetened water.

Fresh fruit is served as a snack food in carts on the street. Pineapples, bananas, papayas and avocados are the local crops in abundance. Avocados are always eaten sweetened, usually mashed with sugar and never as part of a savoury dish.

Nasi and mee goreng fried rice or noodles

Aare COSY popular dishesDECAF as are crab cam, a

The Cosy Tea range has been expanded to fragrant chicken soup made with minced now include a fairtrade and organic chicken, spice paste and chicken stock. decaffeinated variety.

Roast suckling pig is also popular for The new tea has been designed to celebrations and feasts, as is roast spiced complement the Cosy Fairtrade Organic duck. Interestingly you can use the same Breakfast Tea, along with the other teas spice pasteOrganic on prawns, whole fish and that include Rooibos Vanilla, duck and the resulting flavours be Organic Chamomile Infusion, andwill Organic completely different.

Blueberry and Echinacea infusion.

Asian variety

Lady Jennifer joins Aspall difference in quality between the food

As you get to know your way around Asia, you discover that there is rarely any

Aspall to itsand range offood you you eathas onadded the street the

cyder with the launch of the crisp Lady Jennifer s. from the surroundings and the price.

The light cyder has the lowest For the quality far superior abv in me the Aspall rangeisatoften four per cent and has been created offer on the street as each stall to will have a more accessible, lighter and mastered to perfection the two to three more premium alternative to dishes they offer and will be selling to a fruit and pear drinks. more clientele of locals.

Thediscernable newest addition is The went to a street stall my pale tofirst midtime strawI in colour, fresh, crisp, slightlyeat sweet guide said always from one that has a and thirst quenching, and queue and it will be have been worth the is named after Mrs wait. FF Chevallier Guild, the wife of the seventh Shirlee Posner is a food writer and food generation of Aspall photographer and has lived in Singapore, founders, who has Taiwan, among others. Since returning to the UKan inintegral 2005 sherole has worked across food played education projects and teaches part time within the business at Surrey University. For recipes, visit throughout her life. www.shirleeposner.com.

eat in more upmarket restaurants apart

The cocktail master JJ Goodman was one half of a duo who won the 2008 series of The Restaurant. He went on to open The London Cocktail Club, and is Fine Foodies resident mixologist.

DON T PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD

THAI CURRY BEER? Ever thought of combining the flavour of curry with beer?

Well, the Otley Brewing Company has with the reintroduction of Thai-Bo, its popular Thai green curry-inspired, golden ale, which was brewed in collaboration with world-renowned beer writer, Melissa Cole.

The ale, which is infused with lemon grass, lime zest, kaffir lime leaf and galangal, is the first of two collaborative ales jointly brewed by Otley and Melissa Cole, the second being a gooseberry and elderflower pale ale, HedgrO.

Has the whole idea of deconstruction gone too far?

In the modern world we live in, we are constantly trying to push the boundaries in everything we do, and why not in the way we eat and drink, right?

I recently sat down at the English Pig to sample food from the much-whisperedabout new head chef Tom Knee, who threw me straight in at the deep end with his first course, a BLT sandwich! Don t get me wrong, I m no angel at playing down drinks but £15 for a sandwich with no bread in sight? Tomato jelly cubes, hot lettuce foam, crispy smoked pig s ears and a seasoned breadcrumb powder ‒ too far? No, it was amazing!

So where do we draw the line? Do we draw the line? I, for one, hope not. Drinks culture is getting stronger by the day with the weird and the wonderful playing with our emotions, and fortunately for those in hospitality, our taste buds too!

Of the many weird and wonderful libations that come out of my bar the Oyster Bomb has to be one of my favourites. Because it has the most amazing flavour? No. Because it harnesses the most contemporary form of ninja-like chemical bar skill?

No. It is because it is fun!

So here you have it. The Jager bomb for the 21st century in all its glory. The big question is what next? My mum always told me not to play with my food. But what mama don t know won t hurt her!

OYSTER BOMB METHOD: • Take one can of Red Bull, add the juice of a whole lemon and two big pinches

A SHOWCASE OF JAPANESE WHISKY

of sea salt.

Whisky distiller Suntory chose the Saatchi Gallery to showcase some of Japan s finest whisky.

The Yamazaki 12-year-old and Hakushu single malts and Hibiki 17-year-old blended whisky were on show during a tasting led

by Mike Miyamoto, Suntory Global Brand Ambassador.

Suntory whiskies, which have garnered over 60 awards in the last eight years, have been perfecting the art of making whisky since the first whisky distillery in Japan was built by founder Shinjiro Torii in 1923. The whiskies were originally created to match the delicate Japanese palate and to complement the cuisine.

together and bring to a simmer

• Soften two sheets of bronze gelatin in cold water. Add the two before taking them off the heat.

• When cool transfer into the bottom of a plastic tub until it s 15mm deep, no more (a curry box would do nicely).

• Scrub and boil oyster shells in lemon water for 30 minutes to take out most of the flavour. Pop the chilled shell on top of a martini glass with crushed ice.

• Spoon in an oyster-sized piece of Red Bull jelly and add one dash of Tabasco.

Top with 25ml of ice-cold Jagermeister and serve.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 FINE FOODIES

41

Fine Foodie hero

T

o be able to say

certain foods to the market.”

you go to work

The products are ideal for

in the morning

busy, on-the-go people as they

and absolutely

have a number of convenience

love what you

products. But the difference

do is a pretty special thing.

with Tideford is there’s no

But it seems that many

compromise on quality.

people working in fine food –

“People are just getting

whether it’s your local shop

busier and busier, so our foods

owner, or the people who

are popular because they are

passionately create the

convenience but good for you.

products – truly love what

But they are convenience

they do.

foods that you feel like you

This is certainly the case

have cooked at home.”

when you talk to Lynette

In fact, Tideford has a team

Sinclair, the boss at Tideford

of chefs who create all the

Organics. Tideford started life

food, meaning there’s still very

in 1996 and many people will

much a homemade feel to the

be familiar with their ranges of

products. As an added benefit,

organic pestos, soups, and

they are all gluten-free, low salt

sauces.

and, of course, organic.

“It is so rewarding to work in something that I believe in and am passionate about,” Lynette said. “I fell in love with

Lynette Sinclair

“We are working on a very big new product development programme coming to fruition

Fine Foodies celebrates those making great food. Here, we talk to Lynette Sinclair, of Tideford Organics

early next year, which is very

organic food started many

interested I became,” she

passion for good food.

years ago, but it wasn’t until

recalled.

the company, and I love working in an industry I really believe in.”

Lynette’s initial interest in

“I feel very positive about

“I was itching to move back down to Devon, which is

exciting,” she said.

Lynette herself is a champion of smaller brands that have set up out of a real “It is amazing that these little

where I’m from, because we

companies have done so well

the environment and

had children and I didn’t really

at competing with some of the

supporting farmers who farm

want to bring them up in

major brands out there.

started when I was 14 years

responsibly and sustainably.

London, so we moved back

Tideford was at the forefront of

old, way before it was

Even back then, I just felt that

here 10 years ago.”

bringing lots of exciting

fashionable, and the more I

when I eat I want to eat food

looked into it the more

that does not have lots of

with Tideford Organics as she

also do lots of work with

additives and preservatives,

used their pesto, and when a

schools and hospitals, which is

and that has been made in a

job opportunity came up, she

really rewarding.”

sustainable way. Food does

jumped at it, working in sales

not need to be produced in an

and marketing. Then, three

artificial or processed way.”

years ago, Lynette was made

much later in life that she made it her career.

“My interest in organic food

“When I eat I want to eat food that does not have lots of additives and preservatives, and that has been made in a sustainable way.”

42

Despite her early interest, Lynette’s career took a different turn and she ended up

She was already familiar

products to the market. We

So, does Lynette ever miss her former London life?

“It was an easy transition for

Managing Director, and hasn’t

me to make,” she says. “The air

looked back.

is fresher here, and there is a

“Diane Cooper started

real sense of community that I

working in London for many

Tideford and was really at

never experienced in London. I

years. But, after working in retail

the forefront of the organic

still enjoy going to London for

planning and for advertising

market long before it was

work, as there’s a great buzz to

agency McCann-Erickson, it

fashionable – she was

it, but I love being able to leave

came time for a change.

responsible for bringing

as well.” FF

FINE FOODIES SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011

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