Wonderful Pomegranate – fruit and supplements

The Other Side of the Bar ...

or One Bar, Two Buses, Six Coffees and a Funeral

Three Bears Traditional Soft Licorice

Mood Food Chocolate

Cashew and Coconut Chocolate

Goji and Lucuma Chocolate

Hempseed and Banana Chocolate

Fiona Cairns Christmas Pudding Fairy Cakes from Waitrose

You are what you eat snacks

Nothing But Nuts, Fruit and Seeds

Fruitabulous Fruit and Nut Mix

Sensational Seed Mix

Nibbletastic Nut Mix

Figs

The fig tree was mentioned often in The Bible with some authorities believing the forbidden fruit picked by Eve to be a fig and not an apple. It seems reasonable to suppose that figs were at least in abundance in the Garden of Eden, as the young couple used the leaves as underwear.

The fig was such a staple food that Egyptian armies are recorded as having cut down the fig trees of their enemies, and baskets of figs have been discovered among the tomb offerings of dynastic kings. The Egyptians are said to be the first to prize the laxative qualities of figs. High in potassium, iron, fibre and plant calcium, figs are still used in medicine as a diuretic and laxative. No, it’s not just your granny that says they keep you “regular”! Plato documented that Greek athletes at Olympia were fed a diet of figs to increase their running speed… Er, well, that would make sense!

Homer wrote of figs when he described the orchard of Alcinous, visited by Ulysses, which featured figs. The poet Alexis of Thuria in the 4th century celebrated the foods of the average Greek, which included "that God-given inheritance of our mother country, darling of my heart, a dried fig." Its importance in Hellenic culture was third only to that of the grape and the olive.

Cleopatra did away with herself with an asp brought to her in a basket of figs, and when Cato promoted the conquest of Carthage, he used the argument that the advantage of acquiring fruits as glorious as the North African figs would be quite a nice idea.

Cooked figs were used as sweeteners in place of sugar in ancient times, and this practice continues today in North Africa and the Middle East although by choice rather than necessity.

The fig tree can live as long as 100 years and grow to 100 feet tall, if not pruned. Most gardeners keep trees to a height of 10 to 20 feet because the fruit is hard to collect from trees much taller than that. The tree is deciduous with large 3-lobed leaves. The fruits are considered strange as they bear the flowers inside the flesh and they rely upon insects to crawl inside to pollinate them. This process is called parthenocarpy.

There are hundreds of varieties of figs, ranging in colour from nearly black to almost white, but only the female fruits are edible. In harvesting the figs, it is important to pick the fruit only when it is completely mature--usually when it changes colour. A fig should not be picked from a tree if it is over-ripe, since it will have begun to ferment. When a fig is harvested it should be soft to the touch; a very firm fig will not ripen properly. The green varieties are normally reserved for drying and it takes about  three pounds of fresh figs to produce one pound of dried figs.

Figs are harvested from June till October depending on the region, although some new cultivars will be ready for eating in April. This year has been disastrous for figs in the south of France. The weather was wet in the spring and early summer, the figs are small and hard. It’s probable that the crop will be very poor.

The shelf life for freshly picked figs is short and the fruit generally last only about 2 days in the fridge, so if you have a glut think about making jams. I have Thane Prince to thank for this delectable recipe for Fig Jam. You’ll find this and lots of other equally scrumptious recipes in Thane’s book called simply Jams and Chutneys. Have a look at the review here.

Fig Jam

Montreal

Montreal Steak seasoning.....version 726!!

Jancis Robinson

consultant for the Royal Opera House, the South Bank Centre (Festival Hall etc) and several other arts organisations. He once had a restaurant called L’Escargot in Soho and knows a bit about food! Jancis describes Nick as a “Saintly Mancunian”. (For my readers who hail from outside the UK, I should explain that Nick is a native of Manchester and not Manchuria.)

I asked Jancis who does the cooking when they are home... “Nick is most definitely the cook, and has been since he took over from me in 1984.” Lucky woman!

I know that Jancis enjoys eating, drinking, talking and occasionally listening and it’s amazing that she finds time for any of that. She is the wine consultant for British Airways and, since early 2005, has been a member of the Royal Household Wine Committee, choosing wines for the Queen. Every few weeks she heads to a spot near Heathrow airport (those sunny vineyards of Hounslow) and tastes up to 100 wines blind for the airline. 

Jancis says, “We have three exceptional children, (of course) vintage-dated 1982, 1984 and 1991,” so I asked if any of the children, now adults, feel drawn to either the food or wine industry? “Our son Will Lander, 23, has worked at Vinoteca in London and was treasurer of the Oxford Wine Circle when at university, but he also has many other irons in the fire as far as work goes.”

Jancis Robinson’s career began on 1 Dec 1975, when she started as assistant editor of the British wine trade magazine Wine & Spirit. Jancis said that she couldn’t type but managed to wangle the job anyway. As soon as she started work she took all of the wine trade exams organised by the Wine & Spirit Education Trust. Based in London they are now the world’s most prominent wine educator. In 1984 Jancis passed the Master of Wine exams, becoming the first non-wine-trade person to earn the letters MW after their name.

In 1997 Jancis was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of The Open University. “A great British institution founded by the Labour government in 1971 whereby people of all ages and conditions can study for a university degree.” Jancis is now Dr. Robinson. Ok, she might not be much help at sorting your varicose veins but the title (which, like the MW, she does not in practice use very often) recognises the regard in which she is held.

Surprisingly, some of the work that Jancis has enjoyed the most has been the voice-overs. “Unlike filming, you don't need any make-up. You don't have to be careful what you wear (except for manmade fabrics that can make terribly distracting crackling noises into the hypersensitive mikes used by sound engineers). All you need is to be able to read. In fact it seems a miracle to me that people are prepared to pay me to go and sit in a little dark room, watch an interesting programme and do a relatively undemanding performance while playing with words.” A very modest lady, I’d say.

Her  major outlet is www.JancisRobinson.com into which she pours thousands and thousands of words of wine recommendations and advice every week, updating it several times a day. Her current major project is a redesign of this very complex site which incorporates the world’s only online version of her magnum opus The Oxford Companion to Wine. She’s also co-author with Hugh Johnson of The World Atlas of Wine – two major wine reference books which can’t leave her much free time.

Jancis admits that she does have “a groaning mantelpiece” of awards. It’s not only a groaning mantelpiece but a very long one. 2008 is already looking good:
Shortlisted for Lifetime Achievement Award in the first International Restaurant and Hotel Awards 2008.
Inducted into Wine Media Guild Hall of Fame, US.
“World Atlas of Wine” given Special Hall of Fame Award for being the Best Book on Wine at Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2008.

I’d buy another tin of Brasso if I were you, Jancis!

A Picnic

 
Victorians loved picnics but the wealthy might enjoy theirs sitting at tables with real china and glass and a full complement of servants, and there are numerous references to picnics in literature from that time. A picnic probably was a very daring pastime for people who lived their lives in a strict and formal fashion.

Although I enjoy eating outside I am not a lover of a picnic. It’s the sitting on the ground, plate-balancing and glass-joggling that ruins it for me. The bonus is that you are enjoying some (one hopes) delicious food in fresh air and lovely surroundings.

If we go to all the trouble of (probably) loading the car with baskets, boxes, bottles and blankets then we should also take a bit of trouble over the food. My advice would be to avoid chocolate, jam, icing and packets of crisps, but apart from that the world is your oyster....Oh, yes, avoid oysters!

The dishes you choose should obviously be at their best eaten at room temperature, or cold if you have a means of carting ice blocks. Raised pies are appropriate for these occasions as they don’t often suffer from crushing or drying, quiche is always good but make a deep one that will be robust. Cornish pasties are easy to transport, sandwiches are OK but the bread dries very fast so only pass them around when you know they are needed. Chicken legs and wings are always popular but season them well as cold food often tastes bland.

You might like to try some more exotic fare like Chinese Hoisin Roast Pork, Indian Spiced Roast Chicken, homemade Gravlax, Potato Tortilla, or how about a Muffoletta-type sandwich:

Take a round loaf and cut in half to form two discs

Remove some of the soft bread from inside to allow more room for fillings

Sprinkle each bread round with a flavourful olive oil dressing.

Layer the bottom round first with thin-cut prosciutto ham, then Italian cheese, spring onions finely chopped, thin slices of tomato, slices of salami, slices of mozzarella, and finally crushed pepper-stuffed green olives.

Tightly wrap the reassembled loaf and weigh it down with a small child or another heavy object of your choice. Leave in a cool place for a few hours.

The object of the exercise is to have a wedge of sandwich with layers of different fillings being easily distinguished. Serve with a green salad and an indigestion tablet!

Cold Comfort

By the 1880’s they were everywhere. The Ice-Cream or Hokey-Pokey man, would probably be Italian and from Saffron Hill in the London Borough of Camden. In the middle of the century Saffron Hill was a nasty, overcrowded slum populated by the destitute and desperate. It was an area made famous by Charles Dickens in “Oliver Twist”. The Artful Dodger took Oliver there, for it was at Saffron Hill that Fagin had his rooms.

The problems were threefold. Firstly that the “milk” used was not always 100% genuine, being adulterated with other substances that had never seen the inside of a cow. Secondly if the milk came from a real cow then it was often unclean, having come from farmers in London or nearby where conditions were squalid. Thirdly the manner of serving was basically unhygienic and probably led to the death or unpleasant illness of a large proportion of customers. The original Ice-Cream was presented in small glass receptacles a bit like thick glass eggcups. These were described as penny licks due to the fact that one licked the contents directly from the glass and returned it to the cart owner, to be refilled for the next client. Nice, huh? The penny lick remained on sale until banned in 1926!

It was the advent of the edible cone that helped the industry to shed its unhealthy reputation. It’s suggested that they were around in the 19th century but became much more popular during the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. According to legend an ice cream seller had run out of the cardboard dishes used to serve ice cream, so they could not sell any more. Next door to the ice cream stand was a Syrian waffle maker, unsuccessful due to the heat of the exhibition hall; the waffle maker offered to make cones by rolling up his waffles and the new product sold well.

The first ice cream bicycles in London were used by Walls in about 1923. Cecil Rodd of Walls came up with the slogan "Stop Me and Buy One" after his experiments with doorstep selling in London. In 1924 they expanded the business, opening new factories and ordering 50 new tricycles. Sales in 1924 were £13,719, in 1927 £444,000. During the Second World War (1939-45) manufacture of ice cream was severely limited, and the tricycles requisitioned for use by the military - other countries had tanks... In 1947 Walls sold 3,300 tricycles and invested in new freezers for shops.

My earliest memories of ice-cream are of little cardboard boxes of fairly solid, very yellow bricks of ice-cream. We didn’t very often have these as we didn’t have a freezer or even a fridge. This meant that an ice-cream treat required a lot of foreplanning to enable the diner to enjoy a frozen dessert that was......well, still frozen or at least a bit stiff around the edges and a lower temperature than custard!

For me the purest is always the best. Perhaps a vanilla with a chocolate sauce or a shot of hot espresso poured over the top. I wouldn’t say no to most home-made ice-cream, made with good  quality ingredients but, to be honest, I am not keen on the trend for commercial ice-cream in logs with over-sweet whipped cream, chocolate chips (of inferior quality) or coloured “fruit” sauces that are so bright you could read a book by them.

Either make your own ice cream or seek out the best small producers who use quality ingredients. You’ll taste the difference. Ice cream can be a smart dinner party dessert and miles away from a kid’s seaside cone. The hot weather is with us (oh, really?) so enjoy some frozen luxury.

Les Moustoussades – Bands Together

Every year our village hosts a marching band competition. These are not crisply uniformed semi-military, baton-swirling groups, these are “bandas”!

The eight bandas performing this year came from all parts of France and also Belgium, and are made up of players of all ages. They play everything from 1960s pop to Spanish love songs to 1940s swing. All this accompanied by a bit of jumping about and a lot of good humour.

Villemoustaussou is an ancient village just outside Carcassonne with some of the best views of the medieval Cité. It has a road that runs around the oldest part, which offers an ideal setting for watching the bands pass. They march (well, stroll) for a while and then stop, and usually near a bodega selling wine or beer!

Les Moustoussades is a three-day event which starts on Friday night with a Franco-Belge evening where the musicians play and the guests tuck into steaming piles of mussels and chips. This is a popular evening, with some of the participants not reaching the comfort of home till 3.30am.

Saturday’s festivities start quite late (I wonder why!) with the kids fishing for ducks in the Lavoir. This is a communal laundry area that’s hundreds of years old. Once a year it’s filled with water and is actually used to wash clothes – everybody has a washing machine, but it’s a nice tradition to maintain.

The bodegas (food and drink stands) open at 7pm and there isn’t a hot dog or burger in sight! The most spectacular counter offers paella from one of the world’s largest pans. Carnivores are well catered for at the barbecue pit. They offer grilled lamb, beef and pork as well as sausages all served in a nice chunk of baguette. Cassoulet is available at the restaurant (book in advance) as well as oysters from a chilled mobile van. Cuttlefish (a bit like squid or octopus) is cooked with potatoes and smells wonderful.

There is another culinary tradition at Les Moustoussades and that is the ox roast. The logs are lit about 8pm on Saturday evening and the cooking goes on all night. Don’t try this at home, dear reader, but I can tell you that it’s quite simple. First take a cow (already dead), split it down the middle and flatten a little. Roast in front of several trees-worth of burning logs till just done (should take between 17 and 17 ¼ hours depending on night-time temperature).

Cool drinks are available in the form of our lovely local wines bought from stands manned by members of local organisations. The money raised goes to things like the primary school PTA, so it’s really your duty to buy a glass (plastic in this case) or two.

Sunday continues in the same convivial manner with a car-boot sale. At 11am there is an open air mass in the park, at 12.30 there are aperitifs and at 1pm the beef is served while the bands play. The wine is once again flowing from the bodegas and the shop selling the hats and T-shirts to commemorate your bandas weekend is now open. We’ll all do it again next year.

To sample some of the music visit www.lesmoustoussades.com

Celia Brooks Brown – A girl for all seasons

Celia Brooks Brown was born in Colorado and seems to have been the typical all-American girl with a job as a Car Hop at Hungry Boy Drive-In, a local burger joint. I don’t know if that’s what persuaded Celia to become a vegetarian!

It’s true that it’s unusual to find many Americans who would swap the USA for the UK but that’s what Celia Brooks Brown has done. She lives in Northeast London, with her allotment just a couple of streets away.

Celia travels the world to film and find information and inspiration for her various food-related projects and books, and has recently returned from a month in Thailand, where she took Thai cooking lessons and ate a great deal!

This very attractive, slightly built lady arrived here in 1989 to work in the theatre. I asked her how and why she made the transition from arts to eats.

 “I studied stage directing, and worked for about 2 years initially doing stage management, then directed a play at The King's Head in Islington. Suddenly I discovered cooking and realised that producing a meal is much the same creative process -- bringing elements together within a time frame and delivering them to an audience.”

I can hear my American friends saying that, in London in those days, she had to find a passion for cooking or starve to death. Perhaps that’s true, but things have changed out of all recognition and Celia says that London is now her favourite city. She is so much immersed in London culture that she conducts Gastrotours of Portobello and Borough Markets (visit www.celiabrooksbrown.com) – but more of that in a few months time.

Le Panier Festival in the Back Streets of Marseille

(‘ladies of the night’ to be delicate) were known to sailors everywhere as some of the most obliging in the world.

The Germans had a horror of  Marseille. In 1943, when under German occupation, Le Panier became an unofficial ghetto for the underclasses including Resistance fighters, Communists and Jews. The Nazis gave the 20,000 inhabitants one day's notice to leave, before dynamite was laid and everything from the waterside to rue Caisserie was demolished. Just three old buildings remained: the seventeenth-century Hôtel de Ville on the quay, the Hôtel de Cabre at the corner of rue Bonneterie and Grande-Rue, and the Maison Diamantée on rue de la Prison.

This is where we spent a hot summer night. It was the Panier festival and a true celebration of the colour, history and passion of the area.

Le Panier is enjoying a bit of revitalisation. It isn’t being gentrified but just done up a bit. The festival brings together all elements of the community in a vibrant street party that is both rustic and warm. There are bands of every kind, North African lute players, African drummers, Jazz bands, Rappers (are they still called that?).

Each building entrance sports a small barbecue, a table piled with baguettes and merguez (spicy North African lamb sausages) or sardines. A shop doorway might have huge bottles of homemade rum punch. There is an elderly lady in Moroccan dress selling sweet pastries.

We have a invitation to join our friends in a newly renovated square. The houses around are still the original but the freshly rendered and painted facades work wonders. We enjoy a glass or two of chilled rosé, some grilled sausages and watermelon. We are joined on our bench by a North African grandmother, we kiss South American toddlers, we watch the French kids play football and we tickle an African baby. This is the “melting pot” at its best.

We head home about 11pm through crowded streets of both young and old, all enjoying the warmth of the summer night. An area populated by poor working people, but a place that knows how to have a good time and is happy to share. Its young people are not over-indulging in strong beverages, they ares not roaming around in gangs. Perhaps we can learn a lesson from the back streets of Marseille!

If you speak French then you might enjoy www.fetedupanier.org

Sweet Hungarian

There are more and more opportunities these days to enjoy Eastern European food, and it’s good to have easier access to Hungarian, Polish and Baltic ingredients. I spent many years as part of a Hungarian family and it was a fantastic introduction to food that was quite a bit different from the bland English fare of those days.

I had no idea how to cook even British food before my marriage so I presented my new mother-in-law with a chance to mould me into an old-fashioned Hungarian cook, even though I was English (well, almost English) and only 21 years old. She was a lovely lady who cooked just like her mother and grandmother and she didn’t cut corners. I swear she could take two days to make a salad...but what a salad!

There were a fascinating array of new foods to try and I loved them all, apart from Liver Dumplings! There was Chicken Paprikas (pronounced paprikash), Goulash (pronounced Gooyaash), Chicken soup – Csirkeleves (pronounced chirkelevesh) – I had only ever had chicken soup from a packet till then....and what was paprika? But, Ooooo, those cakes with almonds and cherries, and others with cottage cheese and walnuts. In wintertime we would have chestnut puree mixed with a little chocolate and vermouth, served with sour cream. It might sound strange but it works!

We would visit Mindszenty House, a Hungarian community centre in London, to enjoy festivals and celebrations with lots of Hungarian food, made in people’s homes and bought in for us all to share. We even had Carp at Christmas. Food was at the centre of every occasion...or no occasion at all.

There has, for centuries, been a thriving cafe culture in Budapest. Impoverished writers would spend all day in the cafes and would even be supplied with paper and ink by the management. One of the most famous cafes is the New York Palace (an unlikely name but it’s true) which has recently been renovated. Here you will find a full selection of delicious Hungarian cakes and desserts such as the famous Dobostorta (pronounced doboshtorta) named after the confectioner, József C. Dobos, and Rigó Jancsi (pronounced Rigo Yanchi), a lovely chocolate confection. Rigó was a gypsy violinist (you couldn’t make this up) who ran off with an already married princess!

Hungarians are famous for being a chess-playing, sweet-eating and often wine-drinking bunch, so this recipe is dedicated to all those who I know will enjoy it. Egészségedre!

Flourless Chocolate and Almond Cake

Glynn Christian

Glynn Christian is best known in the UK as a BBC-TV food traveller and food writer. He has been popular on UK television since the start of the eighties and the early days of celebrity chefdom.

I asked Glynn when he first became interested in food. “I was not a kid who wanted to help Mummy with the baking, and only became interested when I was 21 and first went into a flat, and quickly realised (a) I enjoyed cooking, and (b) life was more fun when you could invite people around and give them something nice to eat.”

Glynn was born in New Zealand and worked there producing radio and TV commercials. He made the move to Britain in the early 60s and soon found employment writing brochures for Clarkson’s, the holiday company. He had the chance to travel and discover exotic ingredients, and explore the diverse tapestry of international cuisine.

Mr Christian's was the cutting edge deli co-founded by Glynn in 1974. His immense experience of fine foods and speciality ingredients allowed him to fill the shop with amazing products, just at the time when Britain was starting to shake off its reputation as the nasty food nation of Europe. He piled the shelves with everything an enthusiastic cook would want or could want. I asked how it all started. “I learned that ingredients were more important than recipes - that good ingredients could tell you themselves what to do, if you had ever eaten them before, and ever taken notice of them before. Then I put all that knowledge of the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean and the US into stocking the shelves of Mr Christian's, the deli just off Portobello Rd. That led to my first book, about cheese, that led to weekly broadcasts on LBC radio, that led to Pebble Mill at One just a few days after I turned 40, and that led to BBC Breakfast Time . . . the rest is on the website!” (www.glynnchristian.com)

In 1982 Glynn made A Cook's Tour, the BBC's first cookery series shot on location.  The series cruised Eastern Mediterranean ports and showed how their ancient influences could still be found in modern food.

BBC Breakfast-Time TV began in 1983 and found Glynn broadcasting live from a sliced-bread factory!  He was seen three times each week, either cooking or out on location reporting food-related stories.

Glynn has written weekly on food and cookery in The Sunday Telegraph and he was runner-up for a Glenfiddich Food Writer of the Year award.  He was the Food Columnist for Elle UK for five years and wrote for House & Garden, Punch, Gardens Illustrated and other magazines and newspapers. But he returned to Australasia in 1995, where he became Senior Presenter on TVSN the shopping channel and wrote for The Weekend Australian. 

In 1999 he moved to New Zealand where he appeared on TVNZ and wrote weekly for the New Zealand Herald and its magazine Canvas. He also produced and directed the BBC series Glynn Christian Tastes Royal Thailand, and Glynn Christian's Entertaining Microwave. He wrote and presented numerous series and travelled on location to the Eastern Mediterranean, Australia, California, Sri Lanka, China and Thailand. His programmes have covered everything from fish cookery to the history of afternoon tea, and he is also co-presenter of Tasting Australia, a 26-part series.

In Britain he is a regular contributor to Fine Food Digest, the magazine dedicated to the fine food business, and has helped pioneer the sale of speciality foods on QVC UK. Glynn has also been in demand as a judge of speciality foods and the shops selling them. His most recent TV appearances were as a guest on the 70s episode of The Supersizers Go (BBC2) and on Market Kitchen (UKTV Food).

Glynn is still a regular guest on radio and TV and was often seen on Good Food Live for the UKTV food network. He is the only TV cook to make a series about the microwave, and enjoys demonstrating that the microwave is not a gadget just for heating up your instant soup but actually the fastest way to cook some of the healthiest food.  He is currently planning a series of Mediterranean Microwave classes and courses in a restored townhouse in the medieval part of Antibes on the Provencal Riviera.

France has been a popular place for Glynn but he says, “I am too busy once again in London to contemplate living in France, and do not visit enough. But I have just had a glorious long weekend in the Haute Savoie at the gorgeous chateau in Samoens owned by my cousin Jane Tresidder and her husband Jack - and fell in love with Annecy. I reckon I could live there with enormous pleasure.”

Glynn has written numerous food-related books and you can find out more if you visit his web site www.glynnchristian.com. I have recently reviewed the excellent Real Flavours - The Handbook of Gourmet and Deli Ingredients, and I’ll soon review How to Cook without Recipes, but how about Glynn’s other projects?

“There are two current projects (excluding a follow up to How to Cook without Recipes).
 
“I want to tell the story of the Tahitian women stolen away by Fletcher Christian on BOUNTY, of their 20 bloody years on Pitcairn Island before it was rediscovered, and how they, born with no rights on Tahiti, became the first women in the world to have their right to vote written into law, 90 years before the women of Britain. There's a film script making the rounds and that would lead to a book.
 
“And I am researching a book about cooking and eating in the heat of battle, something not done in any language as far as I can see. Because everyone eats, it puts war into scarifying new focus that's impossible in the usual rehearsals of victories and battles and lists of armaments.  It will take a few years but be very worthwhile to do.
 
“And I am talking to several companies about some new television series ...”

Whatever Glynn does you can be sure that it will be surprising, informative, amusing and a credit to this celebrated and generous foodie.

David Rosengarten - Global Gourmet

He is known by me as a very thoughtful, charming and knowledgable man but he is perhaps best known in the US for his popular TV programmes on American Food Network, where he has hosted or co-hosted approximately 2,500 shows. A frequent guest on NBC's Today show, David has also written about food, wine and travel for Gourmet, The New York Times, Food & Wine, The Wine Spectator, Newsday, Bon Appétit, Harper's Bazaar, and lots more.

I caught up with David when he was in Austria tasting wine and some good food in a lovely location. I asked him if he had a favourite food destination. “If I had to pick one and only one country it would have to be France. It’s as if there was a national agreement to keep standards high. A cheese maker takes pride in the quality of his cheese as he knows that all the other cheese makers will do the same. It keeps the quality.”

David teaches and travels frequently throughout the U.S., Europe, Latin America and Asia, where he writes and speaks on a wide range of food-related subjects. He has served as the only American judge on an international panel that selected the world's greatest sommelier.

Gastro Tours conducted by David himself are very popular and more information can be found at the Joseph H. Conlin Travel Management site at www.jhcbh.com. There are lovely tours to Alsace (5th – 12th October 2008), and a great tour called Doing New York Right in December (that’s the one for me!). 2009 has tours to Miami, India and many European locations including the UK. I’ll keep you posted with more details of these dream foodie holidays.

I first came across David when he co-presented "In Food Today" on the US Food Network. He fronted the show with the former first lady of New York, Donna Hanover, (ex Mrs. Giuliani). It was an immensely popular programme being the only “quality” TV food magazine. The hosts were professional, personable and often funny.

Each episode of "In Food Today” presented items on current culinary issues as well as guest interviews and product reviews. David’s in-depth coverage of each subject was admirable and totally different from the “food entertainment” that was more typically available. It was evident that this man knew his stuff! He holds a doctorate in dramatic literature from Cornell University - that must account for his confidence before the TV camera!

David Rosengarten is passionate about food.  His previous show, "Taste" aired for eight years and "Taste" the companion book won the IACP/Julia Child Cookbook Award for Best International Cookbook of 1999. David also won the Versailles Award in France for Best Cookbook Based on a TV Show. The French obviously like this chap. David has recently started work on a wine guide for restaurants. I’ll tell you more about that in future months, but he knows wine and restaurants so the book will be well worth investing in.

But how did David get his start with food writing? “I wrote an article, with 10 recipes, about balsamic vinegar. It was around, but nobody was talking about it. I sent it to "Gourmet" magazine ... and they sent me a check for $1,500! Score!”  .....er, could I have their address, David?

David writes a regular newsletter which won the James Beard Award for the Best Food and Wine News Letter Written in the USA, "The Rosengarten Report". (Have a look at www.davidrosengarten.com)  It reviews the best food products, and covers everything from cheese to chocolate. He has tried and tested his selections and offers his readers the chance to experience the quality of his choices. They are called "Foods and Wines That Make Me Swoon” and they are all available in mainland USA. David had made it his job to educate the American palate. He doesn’t accept advertising so all the products he offers are his own considered favourites.

Has he ever thought of having his own eatery? “I never wanted to open a restaurant. I was a private chef for a New York psychiatrist. He had a contract that made the state hire a personal chef for him.” Sounds like a being New York psychiatrist isn’t all bad!

You knew I was going to ask....What do you think of the food and restaurant scene in London these days?  “I have always thought that London has great ingredients, fish, meat, vegetables but the restaurants improved a lot in the 1970s and 80s. I have had two trips to London in the last year or so and I have found a couple of great places to eat. ‘Roast’ in Borough Market and ‘Bumpkin’ in Notting Hill.”

Has David got a secret to success? “Passion and dedication. I've never been dedicated to success, per se. I love food and I make no distinction between caviar and a tuna salad. A great experience is a great experience. I look for quality and I can be just as obsessive about a BLT as foie gras.”

You can find David’s books at Amazon.co.uk.

Pure and Wicked Chocolate

Pure and Wicked ! It’s a new organic chocolate company that is dedicated to making a difference to poverty in Africa.  Have a look at www.pureandwicked.co.uk to find out more about how they are helping.

Lifescape Magazine says “With the market for ethical and organic products growing year on year, Pure and Wicked Ltd, a delicious new chocolate company, is forging new ground in the market, introducing a new way of ‘making a difference'.”

Liz and Pip are sisters who set up the company Pure and Wicked. No, dear reader, it isn’t that one of these ladies is pure and the other wicked. The name was thought up with friends during a trip to their second home in Sydney, Australia. Pure reflects the company’s ethical principles  and refers to the organic chocolate, which is one of the most Wicked indulgent experiences.

We taste-tested three kinds of Pure and Wicked truffles: elderflower, ginger and blackcurrant. My heart sank with the prospect of munching on anything flavoured with elderflower. I have had elderflower wine a time or two and I don’t much care for it. This, on the other hand, was a delightful taste experience. The outer chocolate shell was thick and delicious and the centre was soft with an almost citrus bite.

The second flavour was blackcurrant. These had the same dark rich chocolate coating but a subtle and tangy centre. I found these much nicer than the soft-centre ‘blackcurrant creme’ alternatives that you find in regular boxes of chocolates.

The ginger truffles are lovely. The flavour is that of fresh ginger rather than the more common candied variety, which I find too sweet. This ginger has real impact and marries very well with the coating of organic Belgian chocolate.

Pure and Wicked donate a proportion of every sale to the charity Africa Now. To find out more visit   www.africanow.org.

Vinaigre – Sweet Taste of Success!

It isn’t often I can say that there is a new food product that is truly interesting and inspiring. There you go: the first sentence and I have already lied to you – these are not new but hundreds or even thousands of years old, and there’s not one of them but three.

Its Alan Coxon’s range of historic Vinegars. They cover centuries of culinary development and knowledge. Ancient Greek Vinaigre, Roman period Vinaigre and Mediaeval English Ale-Gar. (There are spice rubs from the same periods soon to follow.)

Let’s start with the packaging. It’s impressive to look at. Greek style glass amphora or flasks which not only have immense shelf appeal (“Look Mum, that’s pretty!”) but also have a “feel” that gives the prospective purchaser the expectation of a quality item, and they won’t be disappointed.

I asked Alan who was responsible for the design of the bottles. “I myself designed the bottles as I wanted something that looked old but yet modern, a contradiction in terms. When I looked around for readymade bottles with a hint of historical relevance I felt they were all too archetypal, and I didn`t want something that looked too Asterix or Disney. I therefore drew a picture of what I wanted, obtained a glass blower to reproduce the "Look” and re-mortgaged the house!”

“I had my bottle made into a mould at a cost of £22000 and then had to order a million bottles to once again keep the cost down for the shopper. The original cost of the bottle to me was £21.00 (before distribution costs, stores mark up etc, etc.). Needless to say, I have managed to fight against the odds and now sell the product direct from my website for £5.99 + p&p.”

How did you start to compile the recipes? Did it just take a lot of reading to discover threads and themes, or are there still ancient recipes out there?

“I started getting into food history about 15 years ago and whilst I was doing some research for a TV show, something just came over me. There is not one definitive book that gives you the answers, if there was it may have made life so much easier; having said that I would still have sought out a challenge somewhere along the line. The beauty about research is that you learn so many more things as you go. There are no definitive recipes, and many of the recipes you do find are in story form so it’s like putting a jigsaw together or solving a crime that took place centuries ago.”

Alan Coxon is selling his Ancient Greek Vinaigre to Athenians! Now that’s success and appreciation from people who would know what to look for. There’s lots of interest in Japan and some of the most celebrated chefs in Europe have praised this range as being not only unique but deserving of a place in any modern kitchen.

James Martin, TV celebrity chef of Ready Steady Cook fame, says: "Absolutely fantastic product, I'd like to sell the boxed set at my Winchester Deli.” Gennaro Contaldo - La Passione Restaurant - is equally enthusiastic: "I think that Alan Coxon's historic range tastes sublime. The quality and flavour of the Ale-Gar is outstanding, I use it in my Guinea Fowl dish instead of Balsamic now. The Roman is great in my salads as a dressing, and the Greek I use in Marinades. Alan is truly a great chef, now he has some great products that I will continue to use."

I had expected three bottles of balsamic-ish / wine-ish / malt-ish sorts of vinegars but these are very different. Each one is surprisingly distinctive. They are not much like the articles that you would have already tried. There’s a host of flavoured vinegars out there but none with such complex characteristics or depth.

Ale-Gar

Alan Coxon’s "Ale-Gar" is produced from an original recipe once brewed in Mediaeval England. It’s hop-based rather than wine-based, with tones of warming spices. It’s memories of smoky firesides in winter, and rich foods.

Ale-Gar is the colour of a favourite Irish stout and is, of the three, the one which most readily replaces ordinary balsamic. It does have a very particular flavour that enhances red meat so well. We tasted this straight from the bottle on both bread and a grilled steak. It’s an instant and very up-market change from any Worcestershire sauce-based condiment.

Alan suggests that this would be great added to beef dishes such as a bolognaise sauce, beef and venison casseroles; drizzled over oysters; reduced and drizzled over strawberries, ice cream or with parmesan cheese. It is also great when used in marinades or simply used as a dipping sauce for crusty bread instead of a Balsamic.

Roman Vinaigre

Cinnamon is the predominant spice, but with hints of chamomile that gives a good balance of flavour. It has the most wonderful rich scent and a slight sweetness of honey. This would be a terrific glaze for roast pork or used to dress chopped red onion as a relish with an Indian meal. Outstanding!

The Roman Vinaigre is recommended as an addition to salad dressings; as a dip for crusty bread with a dash of olive oil; added to hot butter or egg-based sauces or as a marinade for pork or poultry.

Ancient Greek Vinaigre

This was the biggest surprise of the three. It’s light and floral with a clean acidity but also a sweet aftertaste. It’s exotic and very different. This spoke to me of rosewater-laced salads from Morocco. I mixed a little of this with crème fraiche to make a dressing for beetroot to go with other North African mezze and it was amazing, being both sweet and sour.

Alan says, “This Vinaigre lends itself well to replace rice wine vinegar in oriental stir-fries and soups, marinades, sweet and sour dishes, salad dressings and hot and cold sauces. It’s fruity, fresh and fragrant – naturally befitting any Greek Goddess.” Well, nice of you to say so, Alan! I’m not Greek but I did find this one particularly delicious.

Alan has said “I like to think of myself as an Indiana Jones of the food world, dressed in a leather hat (of which I have two!) and an Indiana Jones-style whip, or in my case a whisk!” ....It quite sets the female heart beating! But all joking aside, these vinegars revisit long-gone culinary traditions and allow us to replicate for ourselves the delicious flavours that truly add “a taste of the past for the kitchens of the future.”

All three vinegars in Alan Coxon's Historic range should be available at all quality food outlets. Ask the store manager if you can't find them. They will also be available at www.alancoxon.com from 1st May.

Gennaro’s Italian Year of Passione!

Now that’s got your attention! Gennaro’s Italian Year and Passione are the titles of Gennaro Contaldo’s first two books. But this is an article about a lovely man and his food.

Born on the Amalfi coast in the small village of Minori, Gennaro developed a love of food while hunting with his dad and granddad and collecting herbs with his mum. At only ten years old he began helping out in local restaurants. By the time he left Italy he had worked for more than 20 chefs!

I asked Gennaro if his mum was a good cook and which meal was his childhood favourite?

“Although the chief cook in the house was my father, my mother was also a good cook and I always associate her with comfort cooking. She somehow always knew what to make me when I was feeling sad, or the weather had turned cold or hot or if I was unwell. One of my favourite dishes was steamed meatballs, which she usually cooked when I was recovering from a childhood ailment. She would make sure the beef or pork was finely minced and mixed with a little garlic and parsley, form them into ball shapes and steam them. She said they would make me feel strong again and at the same time they were delicate to digest as they had been steamed.”

The young Contaldo moved to London in 1969, and after dipping a toe into the Italian antiques business, he returned to his first love of cooking. Most Londoners in those days had no idea about real Italian food. Most of us had spaghetti from a tin. The only olive oil around was in those small bottles you found in the chemists, the oil being used for skin complaints and for softening ear wax. But England did have fantastic ingredients to encourage the young man to stay.

Gennaro agrees that things have changed on the food front in the UK since he arrived.

“I love to try all sorts of foods and London is paradise for eating foods from around the world, not only for its excellent restaurants but also the variety of shops and markets which sell exotic produce which you can bring home and try out! My favourite non-Italian meal is good old-fashioned English food, which unfortunately you don't see much of in this country! England has excellent quality meat, game, poultry, vegetables and I love the traditional dishes. My favourite is Lancashire Hot Pot!”

Gennaro worked as a chef in various restaurants including Antonio Carluccio's Neal Street Restaurant. (This is where he met Jamie Oliver. A bit of luck for both of them! Did Gennaro teach the boy to swear?)

In 1999, the restaurant Passione opened to high acclaim. Gennaro is the co-owner and executive chef. Passione, the book, is devoted to the Italian cooking of the Amalfi coast and won Gourmand World Cookbook - Best Italian Cuisine Book 2003. The restaurant was voted Best Italian Restaurant 2005 by the Tio Pepe Restaurant Awards.

Gennaro is renowned for his association with Jamie, who was his protégé. Such is his regard for the young chap that perhaps Jamie should be called Gennaro’s Essex son rather than he being described as Jamie’s London dad. He has featured in many of Jamie's shows as well as in numerous other TV food shows.

Does Gennaro have time to cook at home?

“I usually cook at the weekend or for special occasions such as Christmas or when friends come home. The last time I cooked for friends was a couple of weeks ago. It was rather impromptu, so I made pizza in our wood-fired oven in the garden. With the leftover dough I made a few loaves of bread, which I shared with the neighbours!” Wish I lived next door!

I think that the charm of this man is his obvious passion for Italian food. He almost drifts off in a dream when describing a slow-cooked cut of meat, simmered for 2 hours. Traditionally the resulting sauce would be served with pasta (“Now, not too much sauce and the pasta should be al dente.”), and the meat with any vegetables, after the pasta.

Don’t offer Gennaro out-of-season fruit and veg. He uses fresh produce with low air miles and enjoys the change of ingredients that the seasons bring. I guess that’s what we should all be doing and it’s good to find a restaurateur who takes a pride in the quality of seasonal produce.

How about the next generation? Will they continue in the restaurant business?

“My twin daughters, Chloe and Olivia, age four and a half, love to cook, much to Liz's (my partner) annoyance as she is trying to prepare the evening meal! So, they cook when I do - from an early age they loved to make gnocchi and get their fingers into the bread dough! If they want to get into the restaurant business when they grow up, my advice to them would be to be careful as it is long hours on your feet, but if that is what they are happy to do, then I will be happy too!”

You can’t help but notice the wicked glint in the eye. He has a natural playfulness that is endearing to the viewer. He stole the scene on a Jamie Oliver episode when he set light to the tea towel! He takes his cooking seriously but why shouldn’t we all have some fun with it?

Here’s a recipe from Passione. Well, that’s tonight’s meal sorted!

Pepperoni Ripieni: Stuffed Baby Peppers

Passione, 10 Charlotte Street, London W1T 2LT

Absinthe – The Green Fairy

Originally produced in the Val-de-Travers region in Switzerland and in Pontarlier, France, Absinthe is a distilled anise-flavoured spirit made from herbs including the flowers and leaves of the plant Artemisia Absinthium, also called Wormwood. Although it is sometimes termed a liqueur, absinthe has no added sugar and is therefore considered as a spirit.

Absinthe was marketed as a tonic and was reputed to stave off malaria so was given in quantity to French soldiers fighting in Algeria in the 1840s. They seem to have developed the taste for it!

Almost from its invention, absinthe has been known as “La Fée Verte” or “The Green Fairy”, as it is said to have “seductive and intoxicating powers”. Hang about – it’s my mother-in-law’s favourite drink!

In 1876 Degas paints L'Absinthe, one of his most celebrated works, being exhibited in London in 1893. George Moore wrote in the Speaker on 25 February of that year: "The woman that sits beside the artist was at the Elysée Montmartre until two in the morning, then she went to the Ratmort and had a soupe aux choux; she lives in the Rue Fontaine, or perhaps the Rue Breda; she did not get up until half-past eleven; then she tied a few soiled petticoats round her, slipped on that peignoir, thrust her feet into those loose morning shoes, and came down to the café to have an absinthe before breakfast. Heavens! - what a slut! A life of idleness and low vice is upon her face; we read there her whole life. The tale is not a pleasant one, but it is a lesson." So think on!

Absinthe hit its peak during the years 1880-1910 with its dramatic fall in price, becoming affordable to all levels of society and soon rivalled wine as the drink of choice in France. It was the “Belle Époque” and society ladies, gentlemen, politicians, artists, musicians, dancers, the ordinary working classes drank absinthe. In 1874 the French alone consumed 700,000 litres, but by 1910, the number was nearer 36,000,000 litres per year. This rise has been blamed on the wine shortage in France due to poor harvests brought about by diseased vines. Or was it that the population was just hooked on cheap booze!

Its critics said that "Absinthe makes you crazy and criminal, provokes epilepsy and tuberculosis, and has killed thousands of French people. It makes a ferocious beast of man, a martyr of woman, and a degenerate of the infant, it disorganizes and ruins the family and menaces the future of the country."

The last straw was the bloody “Absinthe Murder” that took place in Switzerland in 1905 when Monsieur Lanfray shot his whole family after drinking absinthe. He had in fact also consumed several bottles of wine and a good (or bad) amount of brandy but this was overlooked by the campaigners, and two years later absinthe was banned in Switzerland. By 1915 absinthe is officially banned by the French who didn't repeal this law until 2001, but it was modified in 1988 to allow for some types of absinthe to be sold, although under another name. These days the Swiss are, once again, one of the major producers.

It’s probably the whole ritual surrounding the serving of absinthe that has helped its popularity. It isn’t a drink to be hurried and perhaps it’s the hypnotic power of water slowly dripping that helps the waiting consumer to relax.

The classic absinthe ritual involves placing a cube of sugar on an ornate, flat, perforated spoon which rests on the rim of the glass containing a “dose” of absinthe. Special glasses were produced with a “balloon” to indicate a measure. Iced water (for best effect from a tap on a special water fountain) is then very slowly dripped on to the sugar cube, gradually dissolving into the absinthe which causes the green colour  to change into an opaque white as the essential oils leach out of the alcohol. Usually three to five parts of water are added to one part of absinthe. The sugar not only softens the bitterness, but is said to subtly improve the herbal flavour of the drink.

These days the Green Fairy is enjoying her return and that is as it should be but she doesn’t hold a wand, it’s a double-edged sword! She takes equal pride in bestowing pleasure.......and pain!

Rick Bayless – from Oaxaca to the Windy City

Award-winning chef-restaurateur, cookbook author, and television personality Rick Bayless has done more than any other culinary figure to introduce Americans to authentic Mexican cooking and to change the image of Mexican food in America.

I was first introduced to the work of Rick Bayless when we were living in the USA. He is an exceptional broadcaster with the same passion and conviction as, say, David Attenborough – only different subject matter! He probably has the same popularity profile as Rick Stein in the UK. Mexico – One Plate at a Time was the TV series that had me enthralled. Rick presented programmes that were a combination of travel guide and cooking lesson. He has also presented programmes with his daughter Lanie who is now 17 years old. She is studying Musical Theatre but she has worked at the restaurant in the pastry department.

Rick is the fourth generation of an Oklahoma family of restaurateurs and grocers. His mum and dad had a BBQ restaurant. It was in Oklahoma that he ate “Tex Mex” food which he loved. At that time this is what they, and most everyone else, thought Mexican food was. At 14 he planned a trip to Mexico City with his family, and this excited his interest still further.

From 1980 to 1986, Rick lived in Mexico with his wife, Deann. “It started with that trip”, he said. “It was like going home. Who can explain love?” They logged 35,000 miles travelling through Mexico researching their first cookbook: Regional Cooking From The Heart of Mexico (William Morrow, 1987).

In 1987, Rick opened the now famous Frontera Grill in Chicago, which specialises in contemporary regional Mexican cooking. Rick opened the elegant Topolobampo in 1989. Adjacent to Frontera Grill, Topolobampo is one of America's few fine-dining Mexican restaurants. They have both received glowing reviews from such publications as Gourmet, Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, Zagat's, The Wine Spectator, USA Today, and The Chicago Tribune. Topolobampo has been nominated twice by the James Beard Foundation as one of the most outstanding restaurants in the USA.

He is the founder of the Frontera Farmer Foundation. Established in 2003, it’s an organisation that supports small local farmers. It is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the promotion of small, sustainable farms serving the Chicago area by providing them with capital development grants.

Rick points out that he didn't get into organic food because of some "new-agey, life changing, near-death experience or anything like that. I'm an entrepreneur first. I chose organic produce because it tastes better and I'm in business to make a business work," Rick admitted.

His use of local produce is good business sense. “It's just good practice to take care of the supplier of the food you need to make your business better”. His restaurant spends half a million dollars on local fresh produce each year.

"I admit the locale is primary to us at our restaurant. Then comes organic. And now we are supporting local farmers in making the transition from conventional to organic. It just tastes better. Great food, like all art, enhances and reflects a community’s vitality, growth and solidarity. Yet history bears witness that great cuisines spring only from healthy local agriculture."

Frontera Foods, Rick’s food products line, went on sale at Frontera Fresco, a food kiosk in the historic Marshall Fields building (now Macy’s Chicago) in 2005. There are salsas, chips, and grilling rubs all inspired by decades of experience of the best Mexican cooking.

I asked Rick if he had plans for any other food outlets. “We are working on opening a quick-serve place on the corner next to Topolobampo...it will be open next year. Ground chocolate and fresh churros, tortas, etc.” Sounds like my cup of tea!

I was going to tell you about the awards but Rick has so many! He started his collection in 1988 with the Food & Wine Magazine which selected Rick as "Best New Chef of the Year," and in 1991 he won a James Beard Award for "Best American Chef: Midwest." And that was just the start!

Rick is a restaurant consultant, teaches authentic Mexican cooking throughout the United States (he is a visiting staff member at the Culinary Institute of America), and leads cooking and cultural tours to Mexico.

I asked if he had another book on the horizon. “There’s a new book out next year...all about entertaining...fiestas!”

I am sorry that most Europeans will not have had the chance to see Rick in action ....so buy his books!

Books by Rick Bayless....so far!

Mexican Everyday
Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen
Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico
Rick & Lanie's Excellent Kitchen Adventures: Chef-Dad, Teenage Daughter, Recipes, and Stories
Authentic Mexican
Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico

Ode to the Chippie! or From Odeon to Chip Shop

It’s a magazine about Food, Places and Faces, OK? Sometimes all of those things will come together and today is one of those days when memories flow! I am not going to tell you the story of how my friend Tony set light to his car seat (adding a whole new meaning to the word “arson”), nor the story about why my Aunty Lilly can’t eat Custard Creams, and not even about how my dad almost killed me with a shed – the memory of which is still too painful to share!

This is all about Fish and Chips! My parents grew up in London at a time when there was an Odeon, Roxy, Essoldo, or Regal cinema at almost every street corner. The routine was that you would get home from work, have a wash, (note: no showers and only baths once a week), eat the meal your mum had cooked and then go off to see “Ice Cold in Alex” with John Mills or the like. But the evening didn’t end there! The usual practice was to go to the Fish and Chip shop for, at least, some chips and probably a nice bit of fish – cod for dad and plaice for mum. Beats me why people didn’t seem to get fat! I think it has to do with the calories used when shivering in houses with no central heating.

For me, the memories of Fish and Chip shops and the 1950’s are inseparable. I guess it’s because most of the remaining shops are very much the same as they were in that long-past era. Always white tiles and a high counter, the same waft of heat on entering, and the same expectation of an appropriately greasy and succulent meal.

There are obviously things that have changed. When I was a kid a Fish and Chip Shop sold....you’re right....fish and chips and perhaps a saveloy or a meat pie if the demand was there. The condiments were a bit thin on the ground and consisted of salt from a big shaker that always delivered too much in one shake, and malt vinegar. Don’t remember seeing little wooden forks and the packaging was real newspaper.

There were often two half-gallon glass jars on the counter, one containing pickled eggs and the other gherkins. I am not quite sure what has been going on in the gherkin world but there seems to have been a change in either cultivation methods or varieties available. Perhaps we have a more genteel taste for pickled vegetables so it’s now the cornichon or crinkle-cut versions that are around. The gherkins or “wallies” (no, don’t ask) were huge in those days and I couldn’t understand why anyone would want one!

Although the basic shop is very much the same all over the UK, the goods on offer can be subtly different. Mushy peas are popular in the North of England and everything fried in beef fat (although that’s changing) which is said to give a much better flavour.......unless you’re vegetarian!

Scotland has such a love affair with the “chippie” that it demands that every food product be available, deep fried in batter. Anything from haggis to Mars Bars! Now, don’t criticise till you have tried it. If they were doing the same thing in Paris we would probably think it very “Chic”.

Fish and chips was “the” fast food and the only kind I had access to till I was into my 20’s. There were no take-aways, no huts selling Italian cheese-topped bread, no chicken cooked in a southern US state, no meat patties hailing from a northern European seaport. How things have changed!

An old fashioned Fish and Chip supper is real comfort food for me. I smile when I think of mum and dad and hope that the next generation will have the chance to enjoy a piece of fast-disappearing heritage. Its not for every day but once in a while...!

La Ferme

If you only have time to visit one shop on a quick trip to Carcassonne, then this must be the one.

This little up-market deli/wine/coffee/tea/sweet/fine food shop looks like it’s been there for a hundred years. It’s only been twenty. Before that La Ferme was located just around the corner but away from the main street (if you can call such a narrow street “main”). Now it’s just one block from Place Carnot, the picturesque town square.

The owner and manager, Gilles Fiorotto, admires the quality of Fortnum and Masons and this has inspired him to create a unique atmosphere in a small space. Small it might be but he carries 6000, yes, you heard me correctly, 6000 lines of high-end food products and food-related gifts. I am sure that a packet of salt and vinegar crisps has never crossed the threshold.

La Ferme has a corner plot with large windows that are always full of gift ideas. Wooden boxes of wine with decanters, tins of tea with china cups and saucers, Absinthe spoons, caviar, picnic sets. The window-dresser must have been a tight-rope walker in a previous life as the boxes, bottles and assorted silverware are balanced in a seemingly impossible fashion.

The counters and shelves are all dark wood, giving a feel of a Victorian grocers shop. A lovely selection of gift boxes (‘Popular corporate gifts,’ says Gilles) are arranged on the old staircase. A hand-painted mural graces the wall behind the cheese counter, which adds to the charm of what is in reality quite a tight space.

Casson’s Herbs

The Casson family have been growing and sourcing herbs and spices at Frith Farm for the flavour and fragrance industries for three generations. Casson’s English Herbs started selling to the public in 2005 at the local farmers' markets and now Charlotte Casson has developed a range of products that we can use throughout the year when the fresh herbs are not so readily available.

The Watercress Sauce is lovely and fresh tasting. I was expecting something hot and peppery but this is tangy and citrusy. Charlotte Casson recommends it as a dip, with fish cakes, cold meats or baked potatoes. We tried it with cold meats, straight from the jar and also mixed with creme fraiche as a dip. It would also make a great salad dressing. It’s no surprise that we liked this one. It was entered at the Alresford Watercress Festival, where it won ‘Best Overall Watercress Product’ and went on to win Gold at The Guild of Fine Foods Great Taste Awards.

We tried the Sage Seasoning as a coating with breadcrumbs for pork chops and mixed with a little tomato sauce as a dressing for Mediterranean roast veggies. Deliciously aromatic. We also made a meatloaf using beef, veal and pork and used a tablespoon of the sage seasoning. It worked very well. Although Charlotte suggests this seasoning for both roast beef and lamb, I would also try it rubbed under the skin of roast chicken.

Some Asparagus Tips

Asparagus officinalis is a flowering plant species in the genus Asparagus, a member of the lily family, from which the popular vegetable known as asparagus is obtained. It is native to most of Europe, North Africa and Asia.

Asparagus has been used from very early times as a vegetable and also as a medicine due to its diuretic properties. Asparagus rhizomes and root are used to treat urinary infections, as well as kidney and bladder stones and it is said to have aphrodisiac properties. Well, they would say that wouldn’t they!

Only the young shoots of asparagus are eaten. Asparagus is a nutrient-rich food which is high in folic acid and is a good source of potassium, fibre, vitamin B6, vitamins A and C, and thiamine.
Asparagus has no fat and no cholesterol and is low in sodium.

Once known in Britain as ‘sparrowgrass’ it has been grown in English gardens since the 16th century, and grown commercially since the 17th century. Although it was once grown only in particular areas, such as the Vale of Evesham, East Anglia, Kent and London, asparagus is now grown in most of the UK. It’s no longer considered as posh nosh as it’s now cheaper and more widely available with a longer season than ever before.

Asparagus spears grow from a crown that is planted about a foot deep in sandy soil. Under ideal conditions an asparagus spear can grow 10" in a 24-hour period. Each crown will produce spears for up to 7 weeks during the spring and early summer. The temperature determines how often the spears can be picked. At the start of the season there might be 4-5 days between pickings. As the weather gets warmer, a bed might need to be picked every day.

After the harvesting period the remaining spears grow