Download pdf - Fine Foodies winter issue

WIN

TER

2012

Plus: PLANNING YOUR FESTIVE FEAST A TOUR THROUGH JAPANA FLAVOUR OF FUN

Fine FoodiesPassionate about good food

WINTER 2012

Pick up your free

foodie magazine

INTERVIEW

The baker boy

HUGH FEARNLEY-WHITTINGSTALL’S NEW

APPROACH TO COOKING

Three’s company

Three’s company

JOHN WHAITE ON LIFE AS THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE-OFF CHAMPION

cover actual3.indd 1 15/11/2012 10:58

Pg 2 - Grasshopper FPC.indd 1 15/11/2012 11:43

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

Editor: Rachel Symonds e: [email protected] t: 01279 810088

Contributors: Jennifer Britt, Jane Baxter, Reiko Hara

Group Commercial Manager: Ruth Gilmour e: [email protected] t: 01279 810084

Senior Sales Executive: James Kirk e: [email protected] t: 01279 810068

Production Daniella Randazzo e: [email protected] t: 01279 810097

Design Clare Holland e: [email protected]

Administration/Distribution Amy Robinson e: [email protected] t: 01279 810072

Accounts Lorraine Evans e: [email protected] t: 01279 816300

Managing Director David Cann e: [email protected]

ISSN 2046-438X

Published by Target Publishing Limited. Printed in the UK by The Magazine Printing Company plc www.magprint.co.uk ©2012 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.

Fine FoodiesPassionate about good food I

t’s incredible to think almost another year has passed and here we are in full swing of preparations for Christmas and all the excitement that comes with it.

The traditional festive feast takes some planning and for many of us, this starts weeks, if not months before the big day. Many families have their own special traditions when it comes to their Christmas menu, and this is something we explore in

our special festive fare feature on page 20. Jennifer Britt delves into some of the UK’s leading artisan food producers and finds out just what makes their Christmas tick. She also offers some ideas on how you could do things a little differently.

And let’s not forget what the UK has to offer when it comes to locally grown foods at this time of year. There’s a huge amount of sumptuous produce in season right now that you could introduce into your Christmas eating, with the added bonus that it has not been flown thousands of miles to reach us. Turn to page 24 where Riverford offers some inspiration on seasonal foods for the winter months.

And then it’s over to you, our readers; what will be on your Christmas menu this year? Do you do things a little differently and if so, how? We’d love to hear from you, so why not drop me an email at [email protected]

You can also turn to page 12 to read our interview with the recently crowned champion of BBC’s Great British Bake-off. John Whaite chatted to me all about his love for baking, where his inspiration comes from and his desire to see people gain some confidence in the kitchen.

Finally, the whole team at Fine Foodies would like to wish all our readers a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year. And remember, if you miss an issue of the magazine, log onto www.finefoodiesmag.com, where you can view the latest edition, as well as enter our competitions to win some of the best foodie products.

RachelRACHEL SYMONDS

WINTER 2012 FINE FOODIES 3

Welcome

contents.indd 3 14/11/2012 17:30

Contents

4 FINE FOODIES WINTER 2012

COvEr StOry

12 James Whaite – on winning the Great British Bake-off,

learning from Mary Berry and his ambition to inject confidence into people’s baking

FEaturES

20 Food Focus Festive fare – Jennifer Britt

gets to the heart of the UK’s finest artisan producers to discover what is on their Christmas menu

26 Recipes Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall reveals a

selection of new recipes, made using three simple ingredients

30 Recipes Add a Malaysian flavour to your palate with

the help of Australian TV chef, Billy Law

34 The perfect potato The experts at Corkers reveal

there’s a lot more to the humble potato than meets the eye

36 Global foodie Reiko Hara discovers how the Japanese

warm up in winter with their versatile cuisine

rEgularS

8 Foodie bites Latest news from the world of fine food

10 Shelf life Explore the latest products in store

16 UK fare Fine Foodies explores all that

Northumberland has to offer

24 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 Roy Anderton-Tyers

WINTER 2012


12 30 26

3236

20

Cove

r im

age

cour

tesy

of A

lexa

ndra

Hol

t Pho

togr

aphy

contents.indd 4 15/11/2012 10:50 Pg 5 - Fairfields FPC.indd 1 15/11/2012 09:56

Pg 5 - Fairfields FPC.indd 1 15/11/2012 09:56

Please circle

Mr / Mrs / Ms Full name:

Address:

Postcode: Contact tel:

Email:

Signature: Date:

FF WINTER12

READER OFFERS�

From time to time we may wish to make you aware of special offers from carefully selected companies. If you do not wish to receive such offers, please tick this box �

� Field Fare � Clearspring

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:

Your foodiesTWEET CORNERFine Foodies asked the twitter world what they were having for dinner...

Write to: Rachel Symonds, Editor, Fine Foodies, The Old Dairy, Hudsons Farm, Fieldgate Lane, Ugley Green, Bishops Stortford CM22 6HJ or email [email protected]

Letters


Enter online www.finefoodiesmag.com

THE JAMMY COW @THEJAMMYCOW Toad in the hole and onion gravy.

SEAN KELLY @MARRIOTTEUCHEFRump of Lancashire lamb, creamed garlic mushrooms and fries. Great bar food.

DENISE BAKERMCCLEARN @MOELFABANSSCToday is all about pumpkin and chilli soup, chocolate beetroot brownies and some jam.

SABRINA GHAYOUR @SABRINAGHAYOURWhite bean and truffle soup shots, giant prawns in lemon zest, garlic and chilli.

PHILIP EVANS @FILIPEVANSLemon Sole Florentine.

After a great response from our reader survey, this issue’s letter’s page features some comments from our readers. As ever, if you

have any comments, email me at [email protected] and you could see yourself the winner of the next issue’s star letter prize.

My first read, all very interesting and new products to look for ‒ very good.TRUDY RUSHTON, SKEGNESS

Great magazine.SANDY LISTER. CULLAMPTON

Love it!RONNIE OUSBY, WIGTON

Janu

ary

/Fe

bru

ary

201

2

Plus:] INDIAN FOOD CULTURE] WARMING WINTER RECIPES] MICHELIN STARS EXPLAINED


Issue.6 Vol.1January/February 2012

Pick up your free

foodie magazine

HOW TO SOURCE FISH ETHICALLY AND SUSTAINABLY

Sustainable catch

INTERVIEW

Gregg’sthe wordGregg’sthe wordTHE MASTERCHEF STAR ON HIS MISSION TO SWITCH THE NATION TO RAPESEED OIL

Sustainable catch

COVER.indd 1

16/12/11 13:44:43

AU

TUM

N 2

012

Plus: SOUTH AMERICAN FLAVOURS INDULGENT TREATSON THE ROAD TO GERMANY


AUTUMN 2012

Pick up your free

foodie magazine

INTERVIEW

The Fisherman’s apprentice

MOUTH-WATERING DISHES TO SATISFY ANY SWEET TOOTH

Just dessertsJust desserts

MONTY HALLS ON HIS MISSION TO SAFEGUARD THE UK’S FISHING HERITAGE

cover autumn.indd 1

22/08/2012 12:54

Explore the best of Northumberland

UK fare


B oasting stunning scenery and dramatic coastlines, Northumberland attracts vast swathes of visitors each year, keen to take in all this county has to offer.But that’s not where the allure of Northumberland – England’s most northern county – ends. In the same way there’s a rich diversity of landscapes here, so too is the county’s food offering.

Northumberland exploredThe county has some stunning scenery,

England most northern county has plenty to whet the tastebuds when it comes

to food and drink.

continuous coastal walking route. Then there is the beach at Bamburgh Castle, which was voted one of Britain’s favourite views in an ITV1 programme. And that’s just a small flavour of what the area has to offer.

Culinary traditionsAs with many of the UK’s counties, Northumberland has a rich history when it comes to its culinary traditions and has a heritage that is very varied.Starting with fish, Northumberland has wonderful salmon rivers in both the north and south of the county, and is known to

none more so than the Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which is home to waders, geese and ducks who feed off the mud flats.Then there is Northumberland National Park, which covers around one quarter of a million acres of protected landscape. It begins at the World Heritage Site of Hadrian’s Wall and runs through the rivers North Tyne, Rede, Coquet and Beamish to the Cheviot Hills.Visit the coast in winter and you may see grey seals, or you could take to the Northumberland Coast Path, part of the North Sea Trail, which is a 64 mile

To the roots

In season


T he nights may be drawing in, but there are plenty of seasonal vegetables around to throw into warming winter dishes and keep the spirits up.Roots are at their best, whether freshly dug, such as parsnips, swede and root artichokes or from the store, such as potatoes and carrots. Organic grower Riverford finds its carrots taste better if dug

in the autumn and barn-stored. And parsnips are sweeter after the first frost, which converts the starch to sugar, improving the flavour.Hardy greens such as Savoy cabbage and kale also come into their own, and are also at their best after being exposed to some frost. And, of course, it’s time to look out for love-them-or-hate-them Brussels sprouts. Riverford’s sprouts are grown slowly for the

best flavour and carefully picked by hand. If you’re fed up with soggy boiled sprouts, try roasting or stir frying them so they keep their crunch. Riverford sometimes harvests the whole sprout stalk for their vegbox customers – partly because it helps them last longer and partly because they look so fantastic.

Ingredients: • 400g tin cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained

• 3tbsp olive oil• 2 onions, finely sliced• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped• 4 carrots, peeled and diced• 4 stalks of celery, diced

• 4 sage leaves, shredded• 2 large potatoes, peeled and diced

• 1 large bunch cavolo nero (approx 300g), leaves stripped from their stalks and shredded• 1l hot veg stock• 400g tin chopped tomatoes• 4 sage leaves, shredded • 4 slices day old sourdough bread, toasted (use gluten free bread if required)• Sea salt and ground black pepper• Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

Method: • Lightly mash the beans with a fork or potato masher until slightly puréed but with some still whole. • Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and cook the onions gently for 10 minutes without browning, until soft. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two. Add the carrots, celery, potatoes, kale, stock, tomatoes and sage. Season with salt and pepper. • Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and cook for 20 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked. Add the beans and kale. Simmer for another five minutes to thicken the soup and wilt the kale. • Lay the toasted bread in four bowls. Check the seasoning then pour over the bread. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil to serve.

Ribollita Serves 4You could use a head of Savoy cabbage for this, although cavolo nero is the traditional component of this Tuscan dish. It was originally

made over a couple of days, starting as a hearty soup, then layered with leftovers the next day with day-old bread. The soup is then reboiled

(‘ribollita’) and drizzled with olive oil. This is a quicker version.

READER PRAISEFine Foodies is a high quality, informative and visually attractive publication.JUDY NUTTING, GLOUCESTER

StarLetter

Do you have something that you’d like to share with other readers, something that will inspire them, encourage them to visit their local 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 prize will receive a chocolate lover’s dream, a 400g box of luxury chocolates from premium British chocolatier, House of Dorchester. This exquisite collection comprises an indulgent assortment of milk, 70 per cent dark and white chocolates and a choice of decadent centres. House of Dorchester chocolates are beautifully crafted using artisan skills. All of the centres are hand made at the company’s Dorset factory and many are also hand decorated using traditional hand finishing techniques.

Star letter – could it be you?

LETTERS.indd 6 15/11/2012 14:03

Pg 7 - ADS.indd 1 15/11/2012 12:34

News update


Foodiebites

Get seasonal savvyWith rising food prices leaving many of us feeling he pinch, it’s never been a better idea to shop seasonally.

By buying fresh, seasonal British produce, you are not only saving yourself money but also making an environmental contribution by not buying products that have been flown thousands of miles.

The new British leek season began in November and runs right through to April, and there’s now a new range of recipes to inspire you to cook with this vegetable. Created by Jane Hornby, author of Good Food: Budget Dishes, recipes include spiced leek, potato and lentil soup, leek, chorizo and goats cheese tortilla and bacon wrapped chicken with leeks, peas and basil.• Find out more at www.british-leeks.co.uk

Big names lead line-up for food festivalA stellar line-up of top chefs are confirmed to appear at this year’s Padstow Christmas Festival.

Popular chef and author Rick Stein will be joined by his son Jack, along with award-winning chef Brian Turner CBE, TV chef Phil Vickery, Michelin starred Angela Hartnett and restaurateur and food writer Mark Hix.

The three-day event, which kicks off on December 7 and is set around the picturesque harbour, features entertainment, live music and festive food. The festivities continue into the evening with a lantern parade, firework display and late night shopping. There will be a series of food forums, where some of the country’s leading industry professionals will debate food issues in front of a live audience.

Originally the idea of Padstow resident chef Rick, the forums include topics such as the price of milk, pop-up restaurants and women in hospitality.

“The food forums always create lively debate. I am particularly looking forward to joining Brian Turner to discuss the real price of milk, which hit the headlines earlier this year,” Rick said.• For more information visit www.padstowchristmasfestival.co.uk.

Fair GameThe Countryside Alliance is encouraging Brits to add game to their palate.

Game-to-Eat is a promotional campaign featuring the first ever Go Wild with British Game month. The dedicated month will see over 50 official events take place across the country.

Many butchers, pubs and restaurants are actively promoting game with special game feasts and menus, cookery classes, demonstrations, tastings and distribution of recipe leaflets.

Michelin-starred Chef, Tom Kitchin, says: “Cooking game is an art and although mastering all of the techniques, procedures and skills required is challenging, it is so incredibly rewarding.”• Find out more at www.gametoeat.co.uk

Yorkshire’s finestYorkshire has proved it packs a punch when it comes to food and drink.

A record-breaking number of food and drink brands were given accolades in the deliciouslyorkshire Awards 2012.

The coveted deliciouslyorkshire Supreme Product was won by St Helen’s Farm, York, for its Goat’s Butter, and Best Newcomer was won by Staal Smokehouse, of Long Riston, which also triumphed in the Best Fish and Seafish category with its Hot Smoked Salmon.

Cedarbarn Farm Shop won the Best Ready to Eat accolade for its Aberdeen Angus Stew with Wold Top Beer and Dumplings, while Keelham Farm Shop in Thornton, West Yorkshire, won the category of Best Retailer of Local Products – Innovate Better.

FOODIE NEWS.indd 8 14/11/2012 17:18

News update


Foodiebites

Get seasonal savvyWith rising food prices leaving many of us feeling he pinch, it’s never been a better idea to shop seasonally.

By buying fresh, seasonal British produce, you are not only saving yourself money but also making an environmental contribution by not buying products that have been flown thousands of miles.

The new British leek season began in November and runs right through to April, and there’s now a new range of recipes to inspire you to cook with this vegetable. Created by Jane Hornby, author of Good Food: Budget Dishes, recipes include spiced leek, potato and lentil soup, leek, chorizo and goats cheese tortilla and bacon wrapped chicken with leeks, peas and basil.• Find out more at www.british-leeks.co.uk

Big names lead line-up for food festivalA stellar line-up of top chefs are confirmed to appear at this year’s Padstow Christmas Festival.

Popular chef and author Rick Stein will be joined by his son Jack, along with award-winning chef Brian Turner CBE, TV chef Phil Vickery, Michelin starred Angela Hartnett and restaurateur and food writer Mark Hix.

The three-day event, which kicks off on December 7 and is set around the picturesque harbour, features entertainment, live music and festive food. The festivities continue into the evening with a lantern parade, firework display and late night shopping. There will be a series of food forums, where some of the country’s leading industry professionals will debate food issues in front of a live audience.

Originally the idea of Padstow resident chef Rick, the forums include topics such as the price of milk, pop-up restaurants and women in hospitality.

“The food forums always create lively debate. I am particularly looking forward to joining Brian Turner to discuss the real price of milk, which hit the headlines earlier this year,” Rick said.• For more information visit www.padstowchristmasfestival.co.uk.

Fair GameThe Countryside Alliance is encouraging Brits to add game to their palate.

Game-to-Eat is a promotional campaign featuring the first ever Go Wild with British Game month. The dedicated month will see over 50 official events take place across the country.

Many butchers, pubs and restaurants are actively promoting game with special game feasts and menus, cookery classes, demonstrations, tastings and distribution of recipe leaflets.

Michelin-starred Chef, Tom Kitchin, says: “Cooking game is an art and although mastering all of the techniques, procedures and skills required is challenging, it is so incredibly rewarding.”• Find out more at www.gametoeat.co.uk

Yorkshire’s finestYorkshire has proved it packs a punch when it comes to food and drink.

A record-breaking number of food and drink brands were given accolades in the deliciouslyorkshire Awards 2012.

The coveted deliciouslyorkshire Supreme Product was won by St Helen’s Farm, York, for its Goat’s Butter, and Best Newcomer was won by Staal Smokehouse, of Long Riston, which also triumphed in the Best Fish and Seafish category with its Hot Smoked Salmon.

Cedarbarn Farm Shop won the Best Ready to Eat accolade for its Aberdeen Angus Stew with Wold Top Beer and Dumplings, while Keelham Farm Shop in Thornton, West Yorkshire, won the category of Best Retailer of Local Products – Innovate Better.



Reader offerFine Foodies has teamed up with Field Fare to offer readers the chance to win one of three hampers of frozen ready meals and savouries showcasing a few of its lines, including Coquilles St Jacques, Chicken en Croute, Steak & Kidney Suet Puddings and Asparagus and Gruyere Crowns. These and many more high quality frozen foods are available from farm shops throughout the UK. See page 6 for details.

The Newmarket Sausage has become the 50th British food product to earn European recognition for their quality, history, and links to the local area.

The Suffolk-created sausage can now carry a badge declaring its Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status, joining other food products such as Cornish Pasties, Parma Ham and Champagne.

The sausages, which were traditionally enjoyed by race-goers at the historic Newmarket course, have been made in the area since the 1880s. Queen Victoria was said to enjoy them and was the first member of the Royal Family to issue the sausages with a warrant, which continues to this day.

Food and Farming Minister, David Heath, said: “Not only are PGIs important for keeping traditional foods and recipes alive, they also make a significant contribution to the local and national economy. The recipe for the Newmarket sausage is unchanged since the days of Queen Victoria and the original recipe has been passed down the generations. This is yet another example of the quality of British foods and we can be justly proud of the position of our produce in the international market.”

Celebrity chef Valentine Warner has added his support to a new campaign to encourage the nation to buy British trout.

Valentine has created three trout dishes; using whole, filleted and smoked trout, he demonstrates the versatility of this farmed British fish, as well as showcasing both the flavour and quality of the product.

In one dish, Valentine gives a classic family favourite a tasty new twist, using hot smoked trout for a bold flavour in his Smoked trout fishcake. Then there is flavours of the

Far East married with British trout in a vibrant dish of steamed whole trout with ginger and enoki mushrooms.

British trout is a widely available and affordable fish that is quick and easy to cook. An oily fish, it has a wide range of health benefits, including being a source of vitamins A and D, selenium, and omega-3 fatty acids. Trout is farmed across the UK, ensuring that this sustainable fish is readily available all year round.

• The recipes can be found at www.britishtrout.co.uk

Deli delight A brand new deli has opened its doors.

Broadcaster and writer Sally Magnusson officially opened Billington’s Deli & Ice Cream, in Lenzie, which is the Scottish town’s first artisan food and drink outlet.

Locals Mark and Sue Billington’s new delicatessen specialises in artisan and locally sourced products with an extensive deli counter featuring homemade meats and a selection of quality products sourced from all over the world.

The centrepiece of the new outlet, though, is Billington’s Ice Cream, hand-mixed on a cold marble slab, where customers can choose their favourite added ingredients, from fresh berries to home-made tablet.

Mark said: “We offer home-cooked produce – from the meat we slice to the quiches we make to the cakes we bake – most items will be homemade by my wife Sue and our staff. The idea is that customers can choose from our selection of fresh breads and their favoured fillings fresh from our deli counter.”

Newmarket SauSage SecureS protected StatuS

ChoColaTE ChampIoNsBritish chocolatiers have proved they are among the best around the globe.

A number of Brits picked up accolades at the World Finals of the International Chocolate Awards, including Paul a Young and Damian Allsop, who both beat off stiff competition from top chocolatiers from around the world.

More than 600 products were entered into the country rounds held in Italy, the UK, USA and Vancouver

throughout the year, with 102 products making it through to the world final to be re-judged by the grand jury. Just one gold in each category is awarded, along with a number of silvers.

Paul triumphed in the Plain Dark Truffle category, winning gold for his 85 per cent RAW Ecuadorian dark chocolate truffle, while Damian’s Madagascan water ganache and Rococo Chocolates’ Madagascan house truffle both won silvers. Paul also won Best Dark caramel for his Sea Salted Caramel.

BEsT of BRITIsh


Limited edition from Dorset CerealsCherry and Almond Granola is the new limited edition variety introduced by Dorset Cereals following a customer vote.

Earlier this year, Dorset Cereals asked its Facebook fans what their favourite granola recipe would be, and as a result of hundreds of recipe suggestions, the new variety has been developed, courtesy of Stacey Woods from Poole, Dorset.

Inspired by the classic Bakewell Tart, the new limited edition granola is a mix of oats and sunflower seeds with rye flakes, almonds and cherries.

Shelf LifeWhat’s neW in the World of great-tasting food

Product news

10 FINE FOODIES Winter 2012

Warm uP WIthtIDEFOrD If you’re looking for some winter warmers, the new range of soups from Tideford Organics may be just the thing.

The award-winning producer has introduced the new soups, along with new sauces and porridges, all of which are gluten free, low salt, low fat, vegetarian and vegan with no additives or preservatives.

The range of soups includes Farmhouse Chicken with Lemon & Thyme, Italian Tomato with Lentil & Red Pepper, Beetroot with Crème Fraiche & Dill, and Spicy Butternut Squash with Sweet Potato. They are also available in 300ml microwaveable pots for convenience.

There is also a range of pasta sauces, such as Jalapeno Pepper Salsa, Mediterranean Summer Vegetable Sauce and Tideford favourites Tomato & Basil Sauce. And finally, new to Tideford is Vanilla and Classic Porridge with Cinnamon.

ChOCOLatE trEatLuxury chocolate maker House of Dorchester has plenty to tempt the tastebuds.

New to the line-up is Raspberry Caramel Hearts, a creamy, sticky raspberry flavoured caramel, encased in a heart shaped shell and wrapped in delicious milk chocolate, hand topped with freeze dried raspberries and drizzled with white chocolate strickles.

Or you could try Rose & Violet Truffles, combined with the perfumed flavour of rose or violet, hand cut,

and covered in 70 per cent dark chocolate and hand decorated with a pink chocolate for rose and purple chocolate for violet.

Finally, how about traditional hot cross buns with a twist? These hot cross bun flavoured white chocolate truffles contain juicy raisins, hand cut, twice wrapped in milk chocolate and hand decorated with a white chocolate cross.

Natural sweet treat An organic and natural sweet is now available in stores.

Organic tic tac Natuhit contains no nasties, chemically derived tastes or preservatives and comes in a variety of flavours.

a taste of italyAward-winning Easy Bean has brought a flavour of Italy to its latest creation.

Easy Bean has expanded its range of meal pots with Italian Pasta e Fagioli, made with borlotti beans and orecchiette pasta, porcini mushrooms, balsamic vinegar, pearl onions and celeriac in a creamy sauce.

The product is hand-prepared and cooked in small batches in Easy Bean’s Somerset kitchen. The pots are natural, low in calories and contain two to three of your five-a-day vegetable portions.

festive luxury With opiesIf you’re looking for a touch of indulgent luxury for the festive season, look no further than Opies and its special range of fruit in alcohol.

The range includes Black Cherries in Kirsch, grown in the orchards of Tragana, Greece, which are renowned for their delectable, sweet taste. Once picked, the cherries are preserved in Luxardo Kirsch giving them a unique flavour. Opies Black Cherries in Kirsch is ideal when spooned over smooth vanilla ice-cream for a perfect after dinner treat.

Alternatively, for those who enjoy a spot of sweetness, Opies Baby Pears in Amaretto could be the perfect Christmas table accompaniment. The Ercolina baby pears are grown in the orchards of southern Europe and have a luscious taste and firm texture, perfect for mixing into Greek-Style yoghurt.

product news.indd 10 14/11/2012 17:31

Limited edition from Dorset CerealsCherry and Almond Granola is the new limited edition variety introduced by Dorset Cereals following a customer vote.

Earlier this year, Dorset Cereals asked its Facebook fans what their favourite granola recipe would be, and as a result of hundreds of recipe suggestions, the new variety has been developed, courtesy of Stacey Woods from Poole, Dorset.

Inspired by the classic Bakewell Tart, the new limited edition granola is a mix of oats and sunflower seeds with rye flakes, almonds and cherries.

Shelf LifeWhat’s neW in the World of great-tasting food

Product news

10 FINE FOODIES Winter 2012

Warm uP WIthtIDEFOrD If you’re looking for some winter warmers, the new range of soups from Tideford Organics may be just the thing.

The award-winning producer has introduced the new soups, along with new sauces and porridges, all of which are gluten free, low salt, low fat, vegetarian and vegan with no additives or preservatives.

The range of soups includes Farmhouse Chicken with Lemon & Thyme, Italian Tomato with Lentil & Red Pepper, Beetroot with Crème Fraiche & Dill, and Spicy Butternut Squash with Sweet Potato. They are also available in 300ml microwaveable pots for convenience.

There is also a range of pasta sauces, such as Jalapeno Pepper Salsa, Mediterranean Summer Vegetable Sauce and Tideford favourites Tomato & Basil Sauce. And finally, new to Tideford is Vanilla and Classic Porridge with Cinnamon.

ChOCOLatE trEatLuxury chocolate maker House of Dorchester has plenty to tempt the tastebuds.

New to the line-up is Raspberry Caramel Hearts, a creamy, sticky raspberry flavoured caramel, encased in a heart shaped shell and wrapped in delicious milk chocolate, hand topped with freeze dried raspberries and drizzled with white chocolate strickles.

Or you could try Rose & Violet Truffles, combined with the perfumed flavour of rose or violet, hand cut,

and covered in 70 per cent dark chocolate and hand decorated with a pink chocolate for rose and purple chocolate for violet.

Finally, how about traditional hot cross buns with a twist? These hot cross bun flavoured white chocolate truffles contain juicy raisins, hand cut, twice wrapped in milk chocolate and hand decorated with a white chocolate cross.

Natural sweet treat An organic and natural sweet is now available in stores.

Organic tic tac Natuhit contains no nasties, chemically derived tastes or preservatives and comes in a variety of flavours.

a taste of italyAward-winning Easy Bean has brought a flavour of Italy to its latest creation.

Easy Bean has expanded its range of meal pots with Italian Pasta e Fagioli, made with borlotti beans and orecchiette pasta, porcini mushrooms, balsamic vinegar, pearl onions and celeriac in a creamy sauce.

The product is hand-prepared and cooked in small batches in Easy Bean’s Somerset kitchen. The pots are natural, low in calories and contain two to three of your five-a-day vegetable portions.

festive luxury With opiesIf you’re looking for a touch of indulgent luxury for the festive season, look no further than Opies and its special range of fruit in alcohol.

The range includes Black Cherries in Kirsch, grown in the orchards of Tragana, Greece, which are renowned for their delectable, sweet taste. Once picked, the cherries are preserved in Luxardo Kirsch giving them a unique flavour. Opies Black Cherries in Kirsch is ideal when spooned over smooth vanilla ice-cream for a perfect after dinner treat.

Alternatively, for those who enjoy a spot of sweetness, Opies Baby Pears in Amaretto could be the perfect Christmas table accompaniment. The Ercolina baby pears are grown in the orchards of southern Europe and have a luscious taste and firm texture, perfect for mixing into Greek-Style yoghurt.

product news.indd 10 14/11/2012 17:31 Pg11- ADS.indd 1 15/11/2012 11:49

Interview


You would have to have been hiding under a rock to have missed the buzz that surrounded the nation’s latest favourite

cookery show, The Great British Bake-off.The BBC series, starring Mary Berry and

Paul Hollywood as judges, has captured the hearts of the nation, seemingly inspired by seeing ordinary people (all amateur bakers) create quite extraordinary dishes.

And one name on the tip of everyone’s lips at the moment is John Whaite, the 23-year-old recently crowned winner of the 2012 series. Those who saw this year’s offering will recall how John bowled over the judges in the final with his ‘heaven and hell’ cake, which helped take him to the winner’s title. And now, he is busy planning what is certain to be an exciting career.

Quite a contrast from this time last year, when he was in the final year of a law degree.

“It has been a bit of a whirlwind and the attention has been really strange – it is really busy, but such great fun,” John said. “I have just come from doing a degree where I sat and read books all day, so it’s a big change but I’m really enjoying it.”

Emotional inspirationTotally self-taught through reading books and watching tutorials on YouTube, John began baking with his mother and sister when he was a child during his parents divorce, “just easy things like fairy cakes and crispy cakes” and his passion grew as he got older.

But he doesn’t bake purely for something nice to eat. Baking to John is much more than that.

“Ever since I was younger it has been

something I turn to as a comfort blanket, if I’m stressed or a bit down or even if I’m ecstatically happy about something. I always bake that emotion into a cake,” John revealed. “Whatever mood I’m in there’s a cake for it. It would be something like macaroons if I’m happy, if I’m feeling quite blue it would be something simple like a chocolate cake or a chocolate fondant, something that pleases the palate.”

What John makes, both on the show and at home, is based on how he is feeling and it’s obvious that he uses baking as a way to express emotion.

“I base my food on my moods. I’m a home baker and a food writer and so I don’t feel the need to be particularly competitive. That’s not to say I won’t be innovative but I know that my baking is based on my emotions. It is classic combinations but with a modern twist.”

A great example of this is his ‘heaven and hell cake’, the dish he made for the final challenge where the contestants

were asked to make a chiffon cake based on what the year had meant for them.

John explains: “I’m a very emotional person and I wear my heart on my sleeve. I wanted to make something that portrayed the last year for me; I had been doing my exams for my degree, which was stressful and was going into a career in banking, which wasn’t something I wanted to do, and then my nieces and nephews were born, so I wanted to portray elation and unhappiness at the same time. Being quite a dramatic person, I base a lot of my cakes on how I’m feeling and the various emotions that I have – I’m writing a recipe at the moment based on a Greek myth!”

It was the ‘heaven and hell’ creation that John says he was especially pleased with.

“I was definitely really proud of it. I lost sleep over it but it was a true creation for me and I think it is a good representation of my true ability. My partner and I worked on that together too so it was also a representation of us as a couple,” he said.

John also admits to being a perfectionist of sorts.

“If I’m feeling productive the recipes come quickly but sometimes it can take three days to create a recipe if something isn’t quite working with it. If it’s not right I would throw it in the bin, even if it tasted good, because I’m a bit of a perfectionist. I’m a contradiction in terms – I’m a bit of a slap dash perfectionist!”

Becoming a contestantIt was last October, when John was watching the final of the 2011 series, that he decided to take the plunge and apply for this year’s offering.

“I had baked the dishes the contestants

Fresh from being named the 2012 champion of The Great British Bake-off, John Whaite talks to Fine Foodies Editor, Rachel Symonds, about his victory, Nigella, and why his mood dictates his dishes.

Britain’s best baker

interview 2.indd 12 15/11/2012 10:49


made on the last series so just thought why not go for it and apply,” he explained. “Baking is what I really wanted to do and I wanted to show my parents it was what I could do, and this was my chance.”

John was called for a number of “quite gruelling” interviews, which included having to bake for both the production

team and then for Paul and Mary. During this stage, he made his strawberry and champagne macaroons, and pork and apricot pork pie.

“That was quite daunting because I had never been judged for my baking before and then you are there baking for two professionals who are judging your work.

But it was so exciting.”In February he found out he had made

it onto the show and by April filming had begun in Bristol. The show actually finished filming in June, so John then had an agonising three month wait until the final was aired and he was revealed to the nation as the winner.

“If I can help instil confidence in people, that they can create recipes they are pleased with, I would be a happy man.”

interview 2.indd 13 15/11/2012 10:49

Interview


You would have to have been hiding under a rock to have missed the buzz that surrounded the nation’s latest favourite

cookery show, The Great British Bake-off.The BBC series, starring Mary Berry and

Paul Hollywood as judges, has captured the hearts of the nation, seemingly inspired by seeing ordinary people (all amateur bakers) create quite extraordinary dishes.

And one name on the tip of everyone’s lips at the moment is John Whaite, the 23-year-old recently crowned winner of the 2012 series. Those who saw this year’s offering will recall how John bowled over the judges in the final with his ‘heaven and hell’ cake, which helped take him to the winner’s title. And now, he is busy planning what is certain to be an exciting career.

Quite a contrast from this time last year, when he was in the final year of a law degree.

“It has been a bit of a whirlwind and the attention has been really strange – it is really busy, but such great fun,” John said. “I have just come from doing a degree where I sat and read books all day, so it’s a big change but I’m really enjoying it.”

Emotional inspirationTotally self-taught through reading books and watching tutorials on YouTube, John began baking with his mother and sister when he was a child during his parents divorce, “just easy things like fairy cakes and crispy cakes” and his passion grew as he got older.

But he doesn’t bake purely for something nice to eat. Baking to John is much more than that.

“Ever since I was younger it has been

something I turn to as a comfort blanket, if I’m stressed or a bit down or even if I’m ecstatically happy about something. I always bake that emotion into a cake,” John revealed. “Whatever mood I’m in there’s a cake for it. It would be something like macaroons if I’m happy, if I’m feeling quite blue it would be something simple like a chocolate cake or a chocolate fondant, something that pleases the palate.”

What John makes, both on the show and at home, is based on how he is feeling and it’s obvious that he uses baking as a way to express emotion.

“I base my food on my moods. I’m a home baker and a food writer and so I don’t feel the need to be particularly competitive. That’s not to say I won’t be innovative but I know that my baking is based on my emotions. It is classic combinations but with a modern twist.”

A great example of this is his ‘heaven and hell cake’, the dish he made for the final challenge where the contestants

were asked to make a chiffon cake based on what the year had meant for them.

John explains: “I’m a very emotional person and I wear my heart on my sleeve. I wanted to make something that portrayed the last year for me; I had been doing my exams for my degree, which was stressful and was going into a career in banking, which wasn’t something I wanted to do, and then my nieces and nephews were born, so I wanted to portray elation and unhappiness at the same time. Being quite a dramatic person, I base a lot of my cakes on how I’m feeling and the various emotions that I have – I’m writing a recipe at the moment based on a Greek myth!”

It was the ‘heaven and hell’ creation that John says he was especially pleased with.

“I was definitely really proud of it. I lost sleep over it but it was a true creation for me and I think it is a good representation of my true ability. My partner and I worked on that together too so it was also a representation of us as a couple,” he said.

John also admits to being a perfectionist of sorts.

“If I’m feeling productive the recipes come quickly but sometimes it can take three days to create a recipe if something isn’t quite working with it. If it’s not right I would throw it in the bin, even if it tasted good, because I’m a bit of a perfectionist. I’m a contradiction in terms – I’m a bit of a slap dash perfectionist!”

Becoming a contestantIt was last October, when John was watching the final of the 2011 series, that he decided to take the plunge and apply for this year’s offering.

“I had baked the dishes the contestants

Fresh from being named the 2012 champion of The Great British Bake-off, John Whaite talks to Fine Foodies Editor, Rachel Symonds, about his victory, Nigella, and why his mood dictates his dishes.

Britain’s best baker

interview 2.indd 12 15/11/2012 10:49


made on the last series so just thought why not go for it and apply,” he explained. “Baking is what I really wanted to do and I wanted to show my parents it was what I could do, and this was my chance.”

John was called for a number of “quite gruelling” interviews, which included having to bake for both the production

team and then for Paul and Mary. During this stage, he made his strawberry and champagne macaroons, and pork and apricot pork pie.

“That was quite daunting because I had never been judged for my baking before and then you are there baking for two professionals who are judging your work.

But it was so exciting.”In February he found out he had made

it onto the show and by April filming had begun in Bristol. The show actually finished filming in June, so John then had an agonising three month wait until the final was aired and he was revealed to the nation as the winner.

“If I can help instil confidence in people, that they can create recipes they are pleased with, I would be a happy man.”

interview 2.indd 13 15/11/2012 10:49

“It was so hard to keep it a secret,” he admits, “but it was really important to me that it didn’t get out, not just because the production company trusted you to keep it quiet but also because I didn’t want to ruin the surprise for people.”

Although the series sees the 12 contestants go up against each other competing to win the weekly ‘star baker accolade’, John insists it didn’t feel that competitive.

“When you see the others on the show, you do think they are really good but I didn’t feel that competitive – we were all in the same situation and so I think we empathised with each other,” he said. “Lots of people asked me if I wanted to snigger when James [Morton, fellow finalist] dropped his cake but I was so gutted for him because you know how you would feel in that situation, and he coped with it far better than I think I would.”

John does admit, however, it was a pretty intense experience.

“In some of the tasks I could get caught up in my thought process rather than with the baking, so I had to get myself into the baking bubble,” he added.

Although confident in his ability, he admits he was still shocked to be named champion.

“Paul and Mary said after the fondant fancy challenge we were all on an even keel and I had confidence in what I could do but you never know,” he said, adding: “It was a huge surprise. The only time I had a suspicion was just before they announced it, when Mel and Sue weren’t looking at me – over the weeks we had learnt that if they didn’t look at you, it was

either that you were the star baker or were going home. That gave me an inkling, but those seconds while we waited for the name felt like ages. And even when they said my name I was in shock. I didn’t think I would be a finalist let alone the winner.”

After being revealed as the 2012 champion, it’s been a bit of a whirlwind of media interviews for John, but he says he is not being allowed to get carried away.

“My family are supportive but in a sarcastic way in that they have tried to keep my feet on the ground. I need that as I can get carried away with ideas of what I want to do. I’m really grateful for their support,” he added.

The future’s brightThe experience has clearly taught John a huge amount and there’s no doubt he has an exciting career ahead of him. And

he credits the show with helping him hone his skills.

“During the baking the judges didn’t give much feedback because they couldn’t be biased but afterwards they would tell us where they thought we went wrong and I can honestly say I learnt more in those 10 weeks than I have in the years before the show. You pick up so many tips and techniques,” he said.

Today, John finds himself taking part in various TV opportunities as well as penning his first book.

“I just hope people take some confidence from my recipes. I get asked a lot ‘how do you do that’, people see baking as a science and although it is, it is a science you can master,” he says. “If I can help instil confidence in people, that they can create recipes they are pleased with, I would be a happy man.”

The dream also involves setting up his own patisserie or bakery in Manchester.

“There is not really anything to offer in Manchester in terms of a really good independent,” he explains. “And I would really like to go to the Cordon Bleu school in London – as long as what I do is related to food then I’m happy.”

He also has ambitions for who he would like to cook for.

“I would love to bake for Nigella as she has that sensual and emotional aspect to food as well – I would love to bake something indulgent for her and we would share it over a bottle of wine! I would also like to bake for Paul Hollywood again and for him to say that’s amazing – I’m still not satisfied with the amount of praise I’ve had from him!” FF

Interview


This year’s line-up with judges Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry, along with presenters, Mel and Sue

interview 2.indd 14 15/11/2012 10:49 Pg15 - ADS.indd 1 15/11/2012 11:51

Pg15 - ADS.indd 1 15/11/2012 11:51

Explore the best of

Northumberland

UK fare


Boasting stunning scenery and dramatic coastlines, Northumberland attracts vast swathes of visitors each year, keen to take in all this

county has to offer.But that’s not where the allure of

Northumberland ‒ England’s most northern county ‒ ends. In the same way there’s a rich diversity of landscapes here, so too is the county’s food offering.


England most northern county has plenty to whet the tastebuds when it comes to food and drink.


Culinary traditionsAs with many of the UK’s counties, Northumberland has a rich history when it comes to its culinary traditions and has a heritage that is very varied.

Starting with fish, Northumberland has wonderful salmon rivers in both the north and south of the county, and is known to

none more so than the Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which is home to waders, geese and ducks who feed off the mud flats.

Then there is Northumberland National Park, which covers around one quarter of a million acres of protected landscape. It begins at the World Heritage Site of Hadrian’s Wall and runs through the rivers North Tyne, Rede, Coquet and Beamish to the Cheviot Hills.

Visit the coast in winter and you may see grey seals, or you could take to the Northumberland Coast Path, part of the North Sea Trail, which is a 64 mile

UK FAYRE.indd 16 14/11/2012 17:33

produce some of the UK’s best quality fish. This ranges from flat fish, wild salmon, sea trout and lobsters. It also boasts lobsters grown within the nature reserve at the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, and Craster Kippers, which come from the county, are said to be served to the Queen.

Then there is Northumberland’s heritage when it comes to lamb, which is most famous in the uplands of the county. The small, heather-fed Cheviot lambs produce a distinct and sweet flavour and can be found at many a local butcher.

Its veggie offering is also impressive, and includes the famous Carrolls Heritage potatoes.


Find out moreIf you would like to explore more of what the area has to offer, visit www.visitnorthumberland.co.uk

But it’s not only the food side that Northumberland has something to be proud of; given the volume of wheat and barley it produces, there are plenty of brewers in the county, which has a history of distilling.

There is also the famous Alndwick Rum, which was first made almost a century ago. Also hailing from the county is Abbey Well water.

Off the beaten trackIf you’re looking for something a bit different, Northumberland has a wonderful offering when it comes to the shopping experience, with a large number of farm shops, traditional game

dealers, farmers markets and butchers, as well as many producers selling direct from the farm.

In fact, buying produce this way, instead of through a supermarket for example, is considered crucial to ensure a sustainable local economy; with less food miles and carbon emissions, and with more money retained the local economy, shoppers are helping keep local farming and food production viable. FF

UK FAYRE.indd 17 14/11/2012 17:33

Explore the best of

Northumberland

UK fare


Boasting stunning scenery and dramatic coastlines, Northumberland attracts vast swathes of visitors each year, keen to take in all this

county has to offer.But that’s not where the allure of

Northumberland ‒ England’s most northern county ‒ ends. In the same way there’s a rich diversity of landscapes here, so too is the county’s food offering.


England most northern county has plenty to whet the tastebuds when it comes to food and drink.


Culinary traditionsAs with many of the UK’s counties, Northumberland has a rich history when it comes to its culinary traditions and has a heritage that is very varied.

Starting with fish, Northumberland has wonderful salmon rivers in both the north and south of the county, and is known to

none more so than the Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which is home to waders, geese and ducks who feed off the mud flats.

Then there is Northumberland National Park, which covers around one quarter of a million acres of protected landscape. It begins at the World Heritage Site of Hadrian’s Wall and runs through the rivers North Tyne, Rede, Coquet and Beamish to the Cheviot Hills.

Visit the coast in winter and you may see grey seals, or you could take to the Northumberland Coast Path, part of the North Sea Trail, which is a 64 mile

UK FAYRE.indd 16 14/11/2012 17:33

produce some of the UK’s best quality fish. This ranges from flat fish, wild salmon, sea trout and lobsters. It also boasts lobsters grown within the nature reserve at the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, and Craster Kippers, which come from the county, are said to be served to the Queen.

Then there is Northumberland’s heritage when it comes to lamb, which is most famous in the uplands of the county. The small, heather-fed Cheviot lambs produce a distinct and sweet flavour and can be found at many a local butcher.

Its veggie offering is also impressive, and includes the famous Carrolls Heritage potatoes.


Find out moreIf you would like to explore more of what the area has to offer, visit www.visitnorthumberland.co.uk

But it’s not only the food side that Northumberland has something to be proud of; given the volume of wheat and barley it produces, there are plenty of brewers in the county, which has a history of distilling.

There is also the famous Alndwick Rum, which was first made almost a century ago. Also hailing from the county is Abbey Well water.

Off the beaten trackIf you’re looking for something a bit different, Northumberland has a wonderful offering when it comes to the shopping experience, with a large number of farm shops, traditional game

dealers, farmers markets and butchers, as well as many producers selling direct from the farm.

In fact, buying produce this way, instead of through a supermarket for example, is considered crucial to ensure a sustainable local economy; with less food miles and carbon emissions, and with more money retained the local economy, shoppers are helping keep local farming and food production viable. FF

UK FAYRE.indd 17 14/11/2012 17:33

WE’VE GOT FINE FOOD COVERED

Published quarterly, Fine Foodies is the leading free in-store consumer food magazine, available from your local deli, farm shop or speciality fi nd food store.

Leading in-store

magazine

Finefoodiesmag.com includes a digital issue of Fine Foodies as well as competitions and every recipe available to download.

NEWwebsite

“Fine Foodies is very informative with some great features. We’ve only been open 10 months, so it’s a great magazine to source new products from. We’ve doubled our order!”Ishka Sanderson-Dickson, The Monkey Tree Deli, Cumbria.

“Fine Foodies magazine has gone so well and we’ve had really good feedback from our customers”George Richard, Richards of Cornwall, Hayle.

“Our customers love Fine Foodies, it is fl ying out of the door.”Simon Johnson, Simon’s Quality Butchers and Deli

Thank you for all your feedback

DPS FFB Inhouse ad.indd 18 15/11/2012 13:55


Published quarterly, Fine Foodies is the leading free in-store consumer food magazine, available from your local deli, farm shop or speciality fi nd food store.

Leading in-store

magazine

Finefoodiesmag.com includes a digital issue of Fine Foodies as well as competitions and every recipe available to download.

NEWwebsite

“Fine Foodies is very informative with some great features. We’ve only been open 10 months, so it’s a great magazine to source new products from. We’ve doubled our order!”Ishka Sanderson-Dickson, The Monkey Tree Deli, Cumbria.

“Fine Foodies magazine has gone so well and we’ve had really good feedback from our customers”George Richard, Richards of Cornwall, Hayle.

“Our customers love Fine Foodies, it is fl ying out of the door.”Simon Johnson, Simon’s Quality Butchers and Deli

Thank you for all your feedback



Published by

NEWwebsite

www.fi nefoodiesmag.com

Sign up for our enewsletter on fi nefoodiesmag.com and you’ll receive all the latest foodie news to your inbox every fortnight.

Contact usEmily Sexton-Brown, E-News [email protected] 810072

James Rix, Marketing [email protected] 810080

For editorial related to Fine Foodies printmagazine, please contact our magazine editor:

Rachel Symonds on 01279 810088 or [email protected]

Don’t forget to visit us on Twitter and Facebook! It would be great to hear what you have to say about Fine Foodies magazine. Whether you want to leave a comment about a product you have tried and recommended, or about your local fine food store or deli, we want to know!

Keeping it local with Cornercopia

Fine Foodies spoke to Anne Fairbrother, co-owner of Cornercopia, a small deli based in the heart of Brixton. We spoke to them about how they started and what they believe it takes to run a successful deli.

Fine Foodies: When was Brixton Cornercopia born?

Anne Fairbrother: We were born on December 17 2010 when my idea for a corner store celebrating local food won a place in the Spacemakers Empty shops project. My partner Ian Riley is a chef and the culinary genius behind the project. We began with one very empty shop and now almost three years on we have a tiny deli filled with local produce and a restaurant with a menu focused on seasonal, local and British food. The November menu is here: http://brixtoncornercopia.co.uk/

Fine Foodies: What local produce do you buy?

Anne Fairbrother: Our tiny cornershop deli is filled with great local produce that both we and local people make. We buy honey made by Brixton bees from a local beekeeper, jams and preserves made by small local producers, beer from the Kernel Brewery in a Railway arch in South London,

English wines from Kent, fruit liqueurs made with Quinces from Essex and spirits like gin that are distilled in Clapham. For the restaurant we buy some fruit and veg from the surrounding market - all our fish comes from Dagons fish stall, other seasonal British fruit and veg or items like Venison (which features on our menu at the moment), come from suppliers close to London - mostly Kentish. Our bread comes from Brockwell Bake and is hand milled and baked in a wood fired oven just down the road. We also get some fabulous baby leaves form Lambeth Poly - a new community education and growing project in Tulse Hill (Brixton).

Fine Foodies: Do you have any up and coming Christmas events? If so, what?

Anne Fairbrother: Starting in December Christmas lunches & dinners can be booked for groups of up to 20 in our cosy dining room with log-burning stove. We will have DIY Christmas hamper making from 22 November, when people can choose locally made produce (e.g. Brixton grown quince in brandy syrup, cranberry jelly, chutney, cheeses & our own Christmas puddings) and have them gift wrapped in wicker baskets or enamel pie tins. On the evening of 6th December there will be a Gift Local event in the market with some roving entertainment, mulled wine and raffle prizes.

Fine Foodies: What is the general response to Brixton Cornercopia in the local area?

Anne Fairbrother: It’s been great; people have been very supportive of both the idea of our deli and of our local food.

For more details take a look at the website: http://brixtoncornercopia.ning.com/

Eurostar menu gets the Michelin star treatment

Eurostar as of the October 31 has appointed a new Culinary Director; a certain Mr Raymond Blanc. Gone are the days of dull and unsatisfying train meals, as Eurostar goes above and beyond to supply top quality food with the help and guidance of much-

loved French chef Raymond Blanc. Recent research shows that over a third of Eurostar users said that the quality of the food was below average and that something had to be done. Blanc is the owner of Le Manior aux Quat’ Saisons in south England, which holds two Michelin stars, and had been hard at work creating menus including seasonal ingredients from the three counties linked with the Eurostar. The idea is that the passengers travelling from London will be severed mainly British favourites, while those travelling from Paris will receive French cuisine. Raymond will also be introducing some of his own family recipes to the menu such as, mackerel salad and chocolate delice with praline custard.

There’s more to pumpkins than people think

Halloween is commonly associated with pumpkins, rightly so as we decorate our houses with them during the ghoulish time of year. But what happens to the pumpkins after October? What purpose do they serve the rest of the year?

It might not be obvious to everyone, but the humble pumpkin has many significant and important nutritional benefits, for example in eastern Europe and India, pumpkin seeds are widely recognised for helping maintain and keeping the prostate gland healthy. Pumpkin seeds contain nutrients including zinc, magnesium and manganese. Not only do pumpkins possess healthy qualities but they can also jazz up an otherwise quite boring salad. Why not try some pumpkin seed oil over a salad and see what you think? Pumpkin seed oil has been available for several years. Unrefined oil is very nutritious, is a good source of omega six and nine fatty acids. It is a healthy oil which is particularly appreciated for its beneficial effects on the skin and hair.

Leek Loving

British leek season has arrived; this runs from November through to April. This is the perfect opportunity to start using local, fresh produce in your everyday cooking and spending a lot less.

Leeks can be used as a staple ingredient within comfort winter cooking. There are varied ways you can use them whilst cooking.The following is courtesy of www.britishleeks.co.uk, providing several recipes that can be easily followed. We chose to share a recipe for a leek, stilton and chestnut open tart, if you’re feeling fancy:

Ingredients • 4 Sheets of Filo Pastry• Olive Oil• 25g Butter• 3 Leeks – diced and washed• 75g Chestnuts - chopped• 100ml White Wine• Juice of 1 Lemon• 50g Stilton Cheese• 25g Chopped Fresh Parsley• 75ml Whipping Cream

For the pastry cases• Cut each sheet of filo

pastry into four even shapes as close to a square as possible

• Lightly brush each square with olive oil and layer one on top of the other slightly off-centre so you end up with four stacks of four sheets.

• Now carefully mould each stack into a four inch tart case.

• Allow surplus pastry to hang over the edges of the cases then bake in a pre-heated oven at 150ºC until crisp and golden. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool.

For the filling • Melt the butter in a thick-bottomed pan and

add the leeks. Cook until tender. • Stir in the chopped chestnuts and cook for a

further minute. • Add the white wine and lemon juice and

bring to a simmer and reduce the liquid by half. Now add the whipping cream and bring to the boil then remove from the heat. Gently stir in the Stilton Cheese until melted then add the chopped parsley.

• Remove the filo tart cases from their tins and place onto your serving plates.

• Carefully spoon the leek and stilton mixture into the cases and garnish with watercress salad and a drizzle of vinaigrette around the outside.

• Feel welcome to jazz it up with slices of smoked salmon or Parma ham for a very special and simple Christmas treat.

Sausage of the week

Following last week’s interview with Stephen Plume aka ‘The Sausage King’ we are introducing a ‘sausage of the week’ section.Here is Stephen’s chosen sausage this week:

This week it’s all about leeks and I’ve found quality sausage treasure!

A stand out household favourite is Musk’s pork and leek. Musks use the same traditional recipe as for their original pork sausages (themselves a real treat) with the addition of powerful and moorish leeks. These really are a great and hearty sausage. I like them best in a toad in the hole with mustard mash and onion gravy. Delicious!

If you would love to recommend an amazing British sausage made the traditional way you can get in touch via my website at www.sausagefans.co.uk or you can follow me on twitter @sausagekinguk.

Fine Foodies E-NewsWelcome to the Fine Foodies E-News, bringing you news, stories and updates from the fine food sector. Make sure you visit our website at www.finefoodiesmag.com where you can read the latest issue of the magazine online.Please send all press releases, news and marketing information to Emily Sexton-Brown on [email protected].

Tweet us @finefoodies


Tweet CornerThank you so much for all your great tweets,

we love hearing from you, so keep them

coming in. These are our favourite ones this

week:

- Jon Gay @ChefJonGay @FineFoodies @FineFoodies I’m still

full from this: Seabass, Brown Shrimp Tortellini, Fennel... pic.twitter.com/l0CKjULC

- Caroline Taylor @Allthatimeating @FineFoodies cook pasta, make white

sauce, add cheese and crispy bacon. Mix with pasta. More cheese and bacon on top.

- Philly @PhillyC1983 @FineFoodies I’m making a smoked

salmon cheesecake! @FineFoodies better shot actually. Got

some professional ones done too! pic.twit-ter.com/1Cl1H9rd

- Sabrina Ghayour @SabrinaGhayour @FineFoodies Spiced lamb shanks w/ @

BlackGarlicUK & potato shallot rostis, glazed yellow/purple carrots w/ cavolo Nero & raspberry Eton mess

Have alook!

Have alook!

E-News, bringing you news, stories and updates from the fine food where you can read the

Tweet us @finefoodies

Fine Foodiesod foofoof d

NEWenewsletter

Join the conversation on Twitter and Facebook. Follow @fi nefoodies for the latest news, views and tasty recipes.

Twitter and Facebook

To sign up for our fortnightly enewsletter, log on to


Food focus


The East Anglian coast, with the wind whipping off the North Sea, is a great place for an invigorating Christmas afternoon or

Boxing Day morning walk. And the more blustery it is the better.

Louise Allen, master tea taster and co-founder of speciality tea company, Teapigs, will be escaping to Suffolk from London for Christmas with her husband and small son to spend time with her parents and enjoy family, friends, food... and fresh air to counteract the effects of indulgence allowed its annual free rein.

“My mum is a really good cook, so I go home and eat. My dad also makes wonderful cocktails and then Christmas lunch is lots of courses and lots of dessert,” says Louise. “My parents live near a place called Shingle Street, which has a really extreme beach, very steep and windy and we often go there to walk at Christmas to be blown about a bit.”

Tea is all part of the ritual, too; the

wake-up call first thing in the morning and then at frequent times throughout the day. Spiced Winter Red Tea, a rooibos tea with orange peel, ginkgo, orange blossom and cinnamon, warms body and spirits after a bracing trip to the beach.

“And we drink a lot of peppermint. It’s good for helping cope with all that food and drink,” adds Louise.

Also in demand during and after the party season is matcha, a concentrated Japanese green tea powder. Rich in antioxidants, it gives an energy boost when you are dashing from Christmas shopping to the school nativity, fitting in the ‘do’ at work, visits to relations and making merry with friends. And when it’s the morning, or the January, after a Christmas celebrated to the max, matcha is a pick-you-up and detox aid.

Be merryIt may surprise mainland city dwellers who assume a monopoly on traffic congestion that busy roads are also part of the fabric

of life on the lovely Channel Island of Jersey. One of the things that Greg Mcdonald appreciates about his home turf on Christmas Day is how quiet the roads are.

“It’s bliss to drive anywhere,” he says.As with most people working in food

and drink, Christmas will have started months before for Greg, who is general manager at La Mare Wine Estate at St Mary, a diversified business with its own chocolatier, orchards, cider making, distillery and shops, on and offline.

Regretfully for the majority of UK drinkers, wines from La Mare are only sold on the island, but its hampers, apple brandies, condiments, chocolate and fudge are exported far and wide.

A La Mare speciality that always features at the Mcdonald festive table is Black Butter, Nier Beurre (nier is Jersey French for black). This is a traditional Jersey product made after the apple harvest by stirring apples, sugar, liquorice and spices slowing over an open fire.

Greg spoons it into homemade mince pies or apple pies. It goes equally well spread on toast or as an accompaniment to meat and you can also enjoy its taste in Christmas pud shaped Jersey Black Butter Chocolates.

After a bumper 2011, this year’s apple harvest has been hit by excessive rain but fortunately there was plenty of brandy stored in cask to ensure supplies of the La Mare Estate Jersey Apple Brandy Cream. Christmas wouldn’t taste quite the same without it, says Greg.

At the Camel Valley vineyard deep in Cornwall’s countryside, the Lindo family are famous not only for their consistently award-winning wines, but also their Christmas morning spread.

Bob and Annie Lindo, founders of

Fine Foodies’ Jennifer Britt talks to the producers making your festive fare about how they enjoy Christmas when the big day finally arrives after the seasonal rush.

Family affairs

Louise Allen (far left), Bob and Sam Lindo (above), and Lynne Mallinson

FOOD FOCUS3.indd 20 14/11/2012 17:33


Camel Valley, their wine-making champion son, Sam, their daughter Esther, their partners and the small grandchildren enjoy a perennial menu of scrambled Camel Valley eggs, smoked wild River Camel Salmon – a river runs through the farm – and croissants. Last year, the Lindo Christmas breakfast was featured on Raymond Blanc’s BBC Christmas Feast.

If they are blessed with a crisp, sunny winter’s morning, this slice of Cornwall

could be very heaven, and even if it’s grey and wet, with a glass of Camel Valley Cornwall Brut to hand it really doesn’t matter.

This bubbly was the 2010 International Wine Challenge Gold medal winner so always has a special fizz for the Lindos. For lunch, Bob and Annie would recommend a Camel Valley Bacchus with the turkey and Pinot Noir rose fizz as the aperitif... and the digestif!

“The lovely feeling for us on Christmas Day is to think of all the people, from all over the world, who visited us and are drinking our wine,” says Bob.

Sweet stuffThe day that Fine Foodies chatted to Lynne Mallinson she had put in the equivalent of a day’s work by lunchtime. She had left her Lake District farmhouse at Dacre, near Penrith, pre-dawn to round up

FOOD FOCUS3.indd 21 14/11/2012 17:34


Camel Valley, their wine-making champion son, Sam, their daughter Esther, their partners and the small grandchildren enjoy a perennial menu of scrambled Camel Valley eggs, smoked wild River Camel Salmon – a river runs through the farm – and croissants. Last year, the Lindo Christmas breakfast was featured on Raymond Blanc’s BBC Christmas Feast.

If they are blessed with a crisp, sunny winter’s morning, this slice of Cornwall

could be very heaven, and even if it’s grey and wet, with a glass of Camel Valley Cornwall Brut to hand it really doesn’t matter.

This bubbly was the 2010 International Wine Challenge Gold medal winner so always has a special fizz for the Lindos. For lunch, Bob and Annie would recommend a Camel Valley Bacchus with the turkey and Pinot Noir rose fizz as the aperitif... and the digestif!

“The lovely feeling for us on Christmas Day is to think of all the people, from all over the world, who visited us and are drinking our wine,” says Bob.

Sweet stuffThe day that Fine Foodies chatted to Lynne Mallinson she had put in the equivalent of a day’s work by lunchtime. She had left her Lake District farmhouse at Dacre, near Penrith, pre-dawn to round up

FOOD FOCUS3.indd 21 14/11/2012 17:34

Food focus


lambs for market from the fell. And by 8am, she had washed, dressed, breakfasted and was at her “day job”, at the small production unit for her Country Puddings range.

New packaging, the planning and design of which has made 2012 an exceptionally busy year, emphasises her farmer’s wife credentials.

On Christmas Day, though, it will be cooking not farming that gets Lynne out of bed early to prepare the traditional turkey and all the trimmings to share with her husband and teenage children.

“We always have people popping in so I always have a variety of things ready for them, a trifle, chocolate mousse, good cheeses,” says Lynne.

Even though she cooks for a living, Lynne still loves making and baking at home, and that includes her own

Christmas cake after soaking the fruit in brandy for a week. Her mincemeat is homemade, too, but the Christmas pudding will be from the Country Puddings storeroom, where the puddings have been maturing over several months... as long as she remembers to pick one up in time.

By the beginning of November, the orders have all gone out to the shops and the Christmas cupboard is bare. In January, the Christmas mixing bowl will be taken out to make a start on the 2013 batch.

Cheese choiceThere’s a lot of heritage in the Barber family, which has been farming and cheesemaking in the Somerset village of Ditcheat for six generations – that’s back to the 1800s.

Their Christmas turkey custom doesn’t reach quite that far but for a fair few years now the Barber clan, the sibling and cousins who live in the locality, have been buying their free range birds from another farming family in the village of Kingweston.

“We don’t need to order, every year the turkeys are waiting there for us to pick up a couple of days before Christmas,” says Giles Barber, who works in the cheesemaking side of the Barbers business but lives on a farmhouse on one of the farms. His children are 15, 14 and 10, so the morning of December 25 doesn’t dawn quite as early as it used to.

With so many branches of the family nearby, where everyone sits down to dine is a moveable element of the festivities, but whoever is playing host the Christmas spread will include a cheeseboard.

Giles likes to keep it simple; a round of

The perfect accompaniment Cheese... and biscuitsFudges wafers come in four varieties, cheddar, stilton, walnut and, for something more exotic, jalapeno. So light, so delicious, so easy to eat the whole packet.

Cheese... and pickleFed up with too much choice and too many fancy flavours? The Bay Tree’s Farmhouse Pickle keeps it simple with a traditional recipe to add extra perkiness to a wedge of Cheddar.

Cold meats... and mustardThe maestros of the mustard world, Tracklements has a Beer Mustard made with 6X brewed by another Wiltshire company, Wadworth of Devizes.

Cold meats... and chutneyFig & Cinnamon Chutney from Hawkshead Relish is right on the button for Christmas flavours. But don’t reserve it for the cold collation, it will enliven hot dishes too, especially game and cheese.

Say it with hampersBig box The Wooden Spoon Preserving Company provides a bespoke hamper service putting together products from its range including its unique Pickled Fruits, such as pears in spiced Champagne vinegar and cherries in spiced red wine vinegar. Christmas hampers from the English Cream Tea Company include the Nell Gwyn, with a strong orange flavour.

Little box Strawberry Marc de Champagne Truffles are infused with real strawberry pieces, coated in white chocolate, topped with freeze dried strawberries and pink chocolate. Not many to a box but perfect.

Not drinking Luscombe’s Apple & Pear, made with William pears from France, is a great match for turkey, and the fresh, milled ginger in Hot Ginger Beer teams up brilliantly with sweet glazed meats.

Not driving How about a bottle or two of hearty red? Bonterra, a famous name in organic wines, celebrates the heritage of its Californian home territory, Mendocino County, in its Zinfandel, an

elegant wine but still capturing the best of the style of rustic wine produced by the region’s rugged 19th century settler Italian vine growers.

Not dieting Honeyrose Fruit Soaked Christmas Cake comes stylishly packaged with Italian panache, panettone-style, but packed with traditional British baking ingredients. “It’s nice and sticky and warm on the tongue,” said chef of this parish, a Mr Gary Rhodes.

Festive fancies

Hot or notSomething hot Heidi Pie made with Somerset goats’ cheese, sweet potato, spinach and red onion, is one of Pieminster’s Vegetarian Society approved options and a readymade solution when veggie friends are celebrating chez vous.

Something cold Chocolate Orange & Cointreau from Styles ice cream is fruity, chocolatey and classic but just that little bit different to standard old rum and raisin as a lighter alternative to Christmas pud.

the Brie-style soft cheese made from the milk of a local Jersey herd by another Somerset cheesemaker, Godminster of Bruton and a good Stilton.

“I won’t name any names because I have quite a few friends making Stilton so I can’t show favouritism.”

For the cheddar, it has to be some of Barbers’ own-year matured Vintage Reserve. Ready now to eat is the batch that was a Cheddar Trophy winner as a younger cheddar in the World Cheese Awards in 2011, so there are great expectations.

“It’s powerful and it’s flavoursome,” says Giles. FF

FOOD FOCUS3.indd 22 15/11/2012 09:11 Pg23- ADS.indd 1 15/11/2012 11:52

Pg23- ADS.indd 1 15/11/2012 11:52

To the rootsIn season


The nights may be drawing in, but there are plenty of seasonal vegetables around to throw into warming winter dishes and keep

the spirits up.Roots are at their best, whether freshly

dug, such as parsnips, swede and root artichokes or from the store, such as potatoes and carrots. Organic grower Riverford finds its carrots taste better if dug

in the autumn and barn-stored. And parsnips are sweeter after the first frost, which converts the starch to sugar, improving the flavour.

Hardy greens such as Savoy cabbage and kale also come into their own, and are also at their best after being exposed to some frost. And, of course, it’s time to look out for love-them-or-hate-them Brussels sprouts. Riverford’s sprouts are grown slowly for the

best flavour and carefully picked by hand. If you’re fed up with soggy boiled

sprouts, try roasting or stir frying them so they keep their crunch. Riverford sometimes harvests the whole sprout stalk for their vegbox customers – partly because it helps them last longer and partly because they look so fantastic.

Ingredients: • 400g tin cannellini or other white beans,

rinsed and drained• 3tbsp olive oil• 2 onions, finely sliced• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped• 4 carrots, peeled and diced• 4 stalks of celery, diced• 4 sage leaves, shredded• 2 large potatoes, peeled and diced

• 1 large bunch cavolo nero (approx 300g), leaves stripped from their stalks and shredded

• 1l hot veg stock• 400g tin chopped tomatoes• 4 sage leaves, shredded • 4 slices day old sourdough bread, toasted

(use gluten free bread if required)• Sea salt and ground black pepper• Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

Method: • Lightly mash the beans with a fork or potato masher until slightly puréed but with some still whole. • Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and cook the onions gently for 10 minutes without browning, until soft. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two. Add the carrots, celery, potatoes, kale, stock, tomatoes and sage. Season with salt and pepper. • Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and cook for 20 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked. Add the beans and kale. Simmer for another five minutes to thicken the soup and wilt the kale. • Lay the toasted bread in four bowls. Check the seasoning then pour over the bread. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil to serve.

Ribollita Serves 4You could use a head of Savoy cabbage for this, although cavolo nero is the traditional component of this Tuscan dish. It was originally made over a couple of days, starting as a hearty soup, then layered with leftovers the next day with day-old bread. The soup is then reboiled (‘ribollita’) and drizzled with olive oil. This is a quicker version.

in season.indd 24 14/11/2012 17:34


Recipes by Riverford. Visit www.riverford.co.uk for more.

Ingredients:• 50g dried cranberries• 75g pecans, toasted in a dry frying pan and roughly chopped

• 500g Brussels sprouts

• 1tbsp oil• Knob of butter• Sea salt and ground black pepper

Method: • Put the cranberries in a small bowl and pour over boiling water to just cover them. Soak for 10-15 minutes, then drain. • Cut the sprouts in half, lay each half flat on your chopping board and finely shred the leaves. Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan until the butter has melted. • Add the sprouts and fry for three to four minutes. Add the cranberries and nuts, season and toss together to serve.

Stir-fried sprouts with cranberries and pecans Serves 4

Kale and ricotta frittata Serves 4Ingredients: • 200g black kale, leaves stripped from their stalks and shredded

• 1tbsp olive oil• 1 onion or leek, finely sliced• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped• 200g ricotta cheese• 6 eggs• ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg • 2tbsp parmesan or pecorino

Method: • Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and fry the onion gently for about eight minutes. Add the garlic and fry gently for a couple of minutes. Add the kale and wilt for a few minutes. • In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, eggs, nutmeg and cheese. Season and pour over the kale mixture and cook over a very low heat for a few minutes until just set underneath. • Finish under the grill or in the oven, until the top is just set. Leave to cool slightly, then cut into wedges to serve.

in season.indd 25 14/11/2012 17:35


Recipes by Riverford. Visit www.riverford.co.uk for more.

Ingredients:• 50g dried cranberries• 75g pecans, toasted in a dry frying pan and roughly chopped

• 500g Brussels sprouts

• 1tbsp oil• Knob of butter• Sea salt and ground black pepper

Method: • Put the cranberries in a small bowl and pour over boiling water to just cover them. Soak for 10-15 minutes, then drain. • Cut the sprouts in half, lay each half flat on your chopping board and finely shred the leaves. Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan until the butter has melted. • Add the sprouts and fry for three to four minutes. Add the cranberries and nuts, season and toss together to serve.

Stir-fried sprouts with cranberries and pecans Serves 4

Kale and ricotta frittata Serves 4Ingredients: • 200g black kale, leaves stripped from their stalks and shredded

• 1tbsp olive oil• 1 onion or leek, finely sliced• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped• 200g ricotta cheese• 6 eggs• ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg • 2tbsp parmesan or pecorino

Method: • Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and fry the onion gently for about eight minutes. Add the garlic and fry gently for a couple of minutes. Add the kale and wilt for a few minutes. • In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, eggs, nutmeg and cheese. Season and pour over the kale mixture and cook over a very low heat for a few minutes until just set underneath. • Finish under the grill or in the oven, until the top is just set. Leave to cool slightly, then cut into wedges to serve.

in season.indd 25 14/11/2012 17:35

Recipes


Good things come in threeHugh Fearnley Whittingstall has taken a simple and fresh approach to his latest recipe book. Hugh’s Three Good Things offers a new perspective on your cooking.

Ingredients: • About 1kg squash, such as Crown Prince, butternut or kabocha

• 5-6 garlic cloves (unpeeled), bashed• 8-12 sage leaves (optional)• 3tbsp rapeseed, sunflower or olive oil• About 500g sharp dessert apples, such as Cox or Ashmead’s Kernel

• Up to 700ml chicken or vegetable stock• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the chilli oil:• 6tbsp extra virgin olive oil• Tsp dried chilli flakes

• A good pinch of sweet paprika (smoked paprika if you like)

• Garlic clove, slivered

Method: • Preheat the oven to 190°C/Gas 5. Cut the squash into slim wedges and scoop out the seeds. Put the squash wedges into a roasting tray, skin side down. Scatter the bashed garlic cloves over the squash. Roughly crush the sage leaves, if using, in your hands to release the flavour and strew these over too. • Trickle the oil all over everything and season well with salt and pepper. Roast for 40 minutes, checking after 25 minutes to see if

any of the sage leaves are starting to look charred; if so take them out, but

retain.• Meanwhile, to make the chilli oil, gently

heat the extra virgin olive oil, chilli flakes, paprika and garlic together in a small saucepan over a low heat for three to four minutes. You want the oil barely fizzing ‒ just hot enough to infuse the chilli. Set aside until needed.• Shortly before the roasting time is up, peel, quarter and core the apples. Cut each quarter in half. When the squash has had 40 minutes, remove the sage if you haven’t already and add the apples to the tray. Stir everything around a bit, then return to the oven for a further 20 minutes, by which time the squash should be tender and caramelised and the apples collapsing.• Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins into a blender (omit any that are a bit burnt). Add the apples. Scrape the squash flesh away from the skin and add this too. Add any oily juices left in the tray and a few of the sage leaves. • Pour about 400ml stock into the blender and blitz to a thick, creamy puree. Add more stock as you like, to achieve a consistency you are happy with. The amount you need will vary depending on the variety of squash; butternut is quite wet, but many other squashes have drier flesh.• Transfer to a saucepan and reheat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve in warm bowls, topped with a generous trickle of the chilli oil. You can include a few fragments of chilli and garlic with the oil if you like, or not; it’s up to you.

Squash, apple, chilli Serves 4Spicy chilli oil deliciously balances the delicate sweetness of an autumnal squash and apple soup. The swirl of glowing orange-red oil enhances its appearance too.

recipe .indd 26 14/11/2012 17:35


Ingredients:• About 300g leftover mashed potato or floury potatoes, such as King Edward, Wilja or Maris Piper, plus butter and milk for mashing• 2 tbsp rapeseed, sunflower or olive oil, plus extra for frying• 1 onion, finely sliced• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped• About 300g cooked salt beef, shredded or chopped• A good handful of flat-leaf parsley, leaves only, chopped (optional)• 1tsp English mustard• A small knob of butter• 3-4 duck eggs (one per person)

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:• If you’re cooking spuds from scratch, peel them and cut into

even-sized pieces. Put into a saucepan, cover with water, add salt and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until tender.

• Drain the potatoes, return to the pan and leave to steam-dry for a few minutes, then mash them, with a knob of butter and a dash of

milk, if you like.• Place a frying pan over a medium heat and add the

two tablespoons of oil. Add the onion and fry for 10-12 minutes until soft and starting to colour.

Add the garlic, shredded salt beef and parsley, if using, and fry for a further two to three

minutes. Season well with salt and pepper. Fold this into the mashed potato, along with the mustard.• Form the mixture into three or four large cakes, leave to cool on a large plate, then refrigerate for one hour. Heat a thin film of oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the hash cakes and fry gently for five to six minutes, turning occasionally, until nicely browned on each side.• Meanwhile, to fry the duck eggs, heat a touch more oil and a small

knob of butter in another frying pan. Fry the eggs for two to three minutes

to your liking, and serve with the fried hash cakes.

Salt beef, mash, duck egg Serves 3-4This is really a hash recipe ‒ ideal for using up leftover mashed potato and salt beef, but also other cooked meats, even pressed ox tongue or tinned corned beef. And, of course, you can use hen’s eggs, although duck eggs have a lovely richness that makes a glamorous treat out of a leftovers classic. If you’ve got suitable meat for this recipe, but no mash, it’s well worth cooking the spuds from scratch.

Plus one Some might say it lowers the tone, but these cakes are pretty good served with baked beans! Pressed ox tongue and tinned corned beef are good straight swaps for the salt beef, as are hen’s eggs for duck eggs.

recipe .indd 27 14/11/2012 17:35

Recipes


Ingredients:• 1 ready-rolled puff pastry sheet (about 200g), or roughly the same weight of ready-made block puff pastry

• 300ml double cream• 4tbsp icing sugar• 100g dark chocolate

Method:• Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6 and lightly butter a baking sheet, or line with baking parchment. Your ready-rolled pastry sheet should measure about 22cm x 30cm. If you are using a block of pastry, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to roughly these dimensions and 4-5mm thick. Trim the edges to neaten. Lift the pastry on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes until puffed up and golden brown. Carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool (this

won’t take long).• Using a long, sharp, serrated knife, carefully split the pastry in two horizontally. You should find a natural ‘in’ where the layers of pastry are thinner and weaker. Carefully insert the knife and work it gently all the way around the pastry rectangle until you have completely freed the upper layer from the lower.• In a bowl, whisk the cream together with the icing sugar until it holds soft peaks. Spread the cream over the base piece of puff pastry. Using a fine grater, grate about half the chocolate over the cream. Carefully put the second piece of pastry on top.• Melt the remaining chocolate; break it into a small bowl or tea cup and stand this inside a larger bowl of just-boiled water. When the chocolate is melted and smooth, trickle it lavishly over the top of the pastry. I like to

do this going back and forth diagonally across the pastry, but you can make any pattern you like. As soon as the chocolate is set, the pud is ready to serve. • Use a sharp, serrated knife to cut it into portions at the table.

Puff pastry, cream, chocolate Serves 8This is ridiculously easy, yet comes out looking pretty elegant. The only vaguely tricky bit is splitting the pastry into two ‒ and that requires just a modicum of care. The end result is a sort of cross between a mille feuille and giant chocolate éclair. And who could resist that?

Plus one A little fruit, such as poached cherries, whole or lightly crushed fresh raspberries or sliced strawberries, provides a nice contrast. You can either scatter the fruit over the cream before you put the pastry lid on, or just serve it on the side.

Hugh’s Three Good Things by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is published by Bloomsbury, £25

recipe .indd 28 14/11/2012 17:36 Pg29 - ADS.indd 1 15/11/2012 11:52

Pg29 - ADS.indd 1 15/11/2012 11:52

Recipes


A fusion of funBilly Law, who found fame on MasterChef Australia, brings an exciting fusion of recipes inspired by his native Malaysia with a fun twist.

Ingredients:• 500g (1lb 2oz) raw prawns (shrimp), peeled and deveined, tails left on

• 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped• 1 red chilli, roughly chopped• 1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, roughly chopped

• 2tbsp olive oil• 2 chorizo sausages, cut into 1cm thick slices

• A few lemon wedges

Method: • Soak the bamboo skewers in water for 10 minutes. Combine the prawns, garlic, chilli, lemongrass and olive oil in a bowl, then cover and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

• Wrap a prawn around a slice of chorizo, then insert a skewer through the prawn and chorizo to secure them together. Repeat with the rest of the prawns.• Preheat a barbecue hotplate or frying pan and cook the prawns for one minute on both sides, or until the prawns are cooked.

Squeeze over some lemon juice before serving.

Chorizo and prawn skewersGarlic prawns and chorizo are two of my favourite Spanish tapas snacks. I like to call this combination ‘surf-and-turf on a stick’ ‒ it’s a match made in heaven!

recipe .indd 30 14/11/2012 17:36

Recipes


A fusion of funBilly Law, who found fame on MasterChef Australia, brings an exciting fusion of recipes inspired by his native Malaysia with a fun twist.

Ingredients:• 500g (1lb 2oz) raw prawns (shrimp), peeled and deveined, tails left on

• 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped• 1 red chilli, roughly chopped• 1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, roughly chopped

• 2tbsp olive oil• 2 chorizo sausages, cut into 1cm thick slices

• A few lemon wedges

Method: • Soak the bamboo skewers in water for 10 minutes. Combine the prawns, garlic, chilli, lemongrass and olive oil in a bowl, then cover and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

• Wrap a prawn around a slice of chorizo, then insert a skewer through the prawn and chorizo to secure them together. Repeat with the rest of the prawns.• Preheat a barbecue hotplate or frying pan and cook the prawns for one minute on both sides, or until the prawns are cooked.

Squeeze over some lemon juice before serving.

Chorizo and prawn skewersGarlic prawns and chorizo are two of my favourite Spanish tapas snacks. I like to call this combination ‘surf-and-turf on a stick’ ‒ it’s a match made in heaven!

recipe .indd 30 14/11/2012 17:36


Ingredients:• 500g (1lb 2oz) chicken pieces, such as drumsticks, wings or marylands, cut into bite-sized pieces (or use half a chicken)

• 1tsp light soy sauce, plus 1tbsp extra for the sauce

• 1tbsp oyster sauce• ½ egg, beaten• 2tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)• 2tbsp rice flour vegetable oil, for deep frying• 1tbsp Marmite yeast extract• 1tbsp honey• 2½ tbsp water• 1tsp dark soy caramel• Pinch of freshly ground black pepper• Pinch of sesame seeds, toasted

Method: • Put the chicken pieces in a bowl with the teaspoon of light soy sauce, the oyster sauce, beaten egg, cornflour and rice flour. Stir to combine, then place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least one hour.• Pour the vegetable oil into a large saucepan until about half full, then heat the oil to 180°C (350°F) over medium-high heat. Test to see if the oil is hot enough by dipping a wooden chopstick into the hot oil ‒ if the oil starts steadily bubbling around the chopstick, it’s ready. Working in batches, deep-fry the chicken until golden brown. This will take about 10-15 minutes depending on the size of the chicken pieces. Drain on paper towel and set aside.

• Combine the Marmite, honey, water, dark soy caramel and extra tablespoon of light soy sauce in a bowl, stirring until the Marmite is dissolved. Heat a wok over medium‒high heat, pour in the sauce, then add the pepper and continue to stir until the sauce has thickened and reduced to one-third of its original volume.• Return the chicken to the wok, and toss everything together until the chicken pieces are evenly coated in the sauce. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with steamed rice.

Marmite chicken Serves 4If you are a Vegemite or Bovril lover, then you will love Marmite chicken. I am 99.99 per cent sure that this dish originated from Malaysia; it was a big hit back in the early ‘90s, and almost every Chinese restaurant had its own version, which they claimed to be the best in town. ‘But Marmite and chicken together?’ I hear you say! As peculiar and absurd as it may sound, the natural savoury flavour of Marmite works beautifully with soy sauce and honey. You will just have to give it a try!

Also...You can use this same recipe for pork ribs or prawns; they both taste just as nice.

recipe .indd 31 14/11/2012 17:36

Recipes


Ingredients: • 110g (3¾ oz) almond meal (ground almonds)

• 200g (7oz) icing (confectioners’) sugar• 3tbsp water• 60g (2oz) caster (superfine) sugar• 90g (3oz) egg whites (about 3 egg whites), at room temperature

• 10g (½ oz) popcorn, blitzed while still warm

• 4 tbsp salted caramel

Buttercream:• 100g (3½ oz) unsalted butter, softened• 200g (7oz) icing (confectioners’) sugar• 4 tbsp salted caramel

Method:• Put the almond meal and icing sugar into a food processor, process the mixture for 30 seconds, scrape down the side, then process again for another 30 seconds. Sieve the mixture into a bowl and set aside.• Put the water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Keep an eye on the temperature of the sugar syrup by using a sugar thermometer. Once the temperature reaches 110°C (230°F), start whisking the egg whites using an electric stand mixer until soft peaks form. When the temperature reaches 115°C (240°F), remove the sugar syrup from the heat, and slowly pour the syrup in a steady stream down the side of the mixing bowl into the egg whites. Increase the speed and whisk the meringue for another 10 minutes until it cools down. It should be smooth and glossy.• Remove the bowl of meringue from the mixer. Add half the almond mixture and fold together until well combined, then fold in the remaining almond mixture in two batches. This technique is known as macaronage and is crucial for perfect macarons; the batter should be thick and have a lava-like consistency. Scrape the mixture into a piping bag with an 8mm (⅜ inch) round tip.• Line a baking tray with baking paper. Pipe the macaron batter onto the tray, about 4cm (1½ inches) in diameter. Once the tray is filled,

pick up the tray and give it a gentle tap on the kitchen bench to smooth the top. Sprinkle with the popcorn flakes and set aside for one hour to set.• Preheat the oven to 140°C (275°F). Place the macarons in the oven and bake for 17-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on the tray for 10 minutes, then peel the macaron shells off the baking paper and place them on a wire rack. If the shells stick to the paper, return the tray to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes.• To make the buttercream, beat the butter until pale and creamy. Add the icing sugar, one tablespoon at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the salted caramel and beat until combined. Scrape the buttercream into a piping bag. Pipe a dollop of buttercream on the flat side of one macaron shell, top with another shell, and press it down gently. Repeat until all the macaron shells are filled.

Salted caramelIngredients:• 115g (4oz/½ cup) caster (superfine) sugar• 125ml (4oz/½ cup) water• 250ml (8½ oz/1 cup) thickened (whipping) cream (35 per cent fat)

• 1tsp sea salt flakes• 50g (2oz) unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Popcorn and salted caramel macaronsAfter countless attempts and many failures, this recipe is my formula for macaron success. Having said that, I won’t guarantee this will always work for everyone. There are many reasons why your macarons might flop, including how you fold the batter and the temperament of your oven. Thus my advice is: practice, practice, practice.

Method: • To make the salted caramel, put the sugar and water into a saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Then turn the heat up to high and stop stirring; let it boil for about five minutes until the sugar starts to caramelise and turn into toffee. Keep an eye on it, as the sugar changes colour rather quickly. • Once it reaches a dark golden colour, pour the cream into the hot sugar; be very careful as it will splatter. Keep stirring with a wooden spoon and bring the caramel back to the boil, then add the salt and cook for three minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Whisk the butter, a cube at a time, into the caramel, then pour it into a heatproof jug and set aside to cool.

Have You Eaten? by Billy Law, is published by Hardie Grant, £25.


Recipes


Ingredients: • 110g (3¾ oz) almond meal (ground almonds)

• 200g (7oz) icing (confectioners’) sugar• 3tbsp water• 60g (2oz) caster (superfine) sugar• 90g (3oz) egg whites (about 3 egg whites), at room temperature

• 10g (½ oz) popcorn, blitzed while still warm

• 4 tbsp salted caramel

Buttercream:• 100g (3½ oz) unsalted butter, softened• 200g (7oz) icing (confectioners’) sugar• 4 tbsp salted caramel

Method:• Put the almond meal and icing sugar into a food processor, process the mixture for 30 seconds, scrape down the side, then process again for another 30 seconds. Sieve the mixture into a bowl and set aside.• Put the water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Keep an eye on the temperature of the sugar syrup by using a sugar thermometer. Once the temperature reaches 110°C (230°F), start whisking the egg whites using an electric stand mixer until soft peaks form. When the temperature reaches 115°C (240°F), remove the sugar syrup from the heat, and slowly pour the syrup in a steady stream down the side of the mixing bowl into the egg whites. Increase the speed and whisk the meringue for another 10 minutes until it cools down. It should be smooth and glossy.• Remove the bowl of meringue from the mixer. Add half the almond mixture and fold together until well combined, then fold in the remaining almond mixture in two batches. This technique is known as macaronage and is crucial for perfect macarons; the batter should be thick and have a lava-like consistency. Scrape the mixture into a piping bag with an 8mm (⅜ inch) round tip.• Line a baking tray with baking paper. Pipe the macaron batter onto the tray, about 4cm (1½ inches) in diameter. Once the tray is filled,

pick up the tray and give it a gentle tap on the kitchen bench to smooth the top. Sprinkle with the popcorn flakes and set aside for one hour to set.• Preheat the oven to 140°C (275°F). Place the macarons in the oven and bake for 17-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on the tray for 10 minutes, then peel the macaron shells off the baking paper and place them on a wire rack. If the shells stick to the paper, return the tray to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes.• To make the buttercream, beat the butter until pale and creamy. Add the icing sugar, one tablespoon at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the salted caramel and beat until combined. Scrape the buttercream into a piping bag. Pipe a dollop of buttercream on the flat side of one macaron shell, top with another shell, and press it down gently. Repeat until all the macaron shells are filled.

Salted caramelIngredients:• 115g (4oz/½ cup) caster (superfine) sugar• 125ml (4oz/½ cup) water• 250ml (8½ oz/1 cup) thickened (whipping) cream (35 per cent fat)

• 1tsp sea salt flakes• 50g (2oz) unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Popcorn and salted caramel macaronsAfter countless attempts and many failures, this recipe is my formula for macaron success. Having said that, I won’t guarantee this will always work for everyone. There are many reasons why your macarons might flop, including how you fold the batter and the temperament of your oven. Thus my advice is: practice, practice, practice.

Method: • To make the salted caramel, put the sugar and water into a saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Then turn the heat up to high and stop stirring; let it boil for about five minutes until the sugar starts to caramelise and turn into toffee. Keep an eye on it, as the sugar changes colour rather quickly. • Once it reaches a dark golden colour, pour the cream into the hot sugar; be very careful as it will splatter. Keep stirring with a wooden spoon and bring the caramel back to the boil, then add the salt and cook for three minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Whisk the butter, a cube at a time, into the caramel, then pour it into a heatproof jug and set aside to cool.

Have You Eaten? by Billy Law, is published by Hardie Grant, £25.


Foodie feature

34 FINE FOODIES winter 2012

It would be a bit of an understatement to say the founders of Corkers crisps are a little passionate about potatoes.

A visit to the Corkers HQ – and their hundreds of acres of land in the Fens, Cambridgeshire, where the potatoes are grown – reveals Rod Garnham and Ross Taylor as rather knowledgeable when it comes to their bread and butter, as it were.

And what really came to light was that so many factors can determine the quality of a potato. And so we asked Rod and Ross to explain just what to look for, and what type makes the perfect dish.

Storage mattersRod: Different varieties of potatoes will have an effect on the outcome of a potato dish, however Maris Pipers and Naturalo potatoes are the most versatile, allowing just about anything to be done to them. From roasting, chipping, baking and boiling, these potatoes are grown to cook up a storm. Households may not know that potatoes are sensitive vegetables but the secret to cooking the best potato is to ensure that the process during and after harvest has been perfected such as the correct storage and temperature.

Ross: A quality potato must not be refrigerated as the starch sugars will increase and therefore change the qualities of the potato. The perfect potato must be stored with 7’C to 15’c so the

potato neither dehydrates nor alters. We ensure that our potatoes are stored in the right way so that the potatoes don’t sprout, turn green or rot and dry out. Light, temperature and dry matter affects all of these qualities which we maintain and manage.

Source localHouseholds need to be sure they are buying British produce! This way less emissions will be created by lower food miles. The potatoes that are exported across the globe will have experienced added sprays and chemicals to keep the shelf life before they even hit the shop shelf (no eye, good skin finish and no green bits). We have developed a family grown seed that is of the highest quality not only due to the land we grow it on but our agricultural knowledge and passion.

Rod: Corkers Crisps are made here on our family farm. We have been farming since the 1800s here in the rich fenland soils; two years ago we diversified the farm into the crisp industry. After supplying to the fish and chip industry in Scotland and Ireland for many years we knew our Naturalo potato would be wonderful for crisps due to its frying qualities. Our Naturalo potato is grown in the fenlands. This is significant as the soil is incredibly rich, black and peaty which is nutritious for the growth of our Naturalo potatoes. During the 1600s the fens was an area of land that was thick of

oak trees and forestry, the area flooded and the deciduous woodland mulched into the ground. Because of this our crop is exposed to bog oak during growth in the ground. Due to the rich peat soils our potatoes have a strong oaky taste. Luckily for East Anglian farmers the drainage across the fens is well established due to its situation below sea level. This helps ensure we steer away from pest and disease such as Blight, which is a burden throughout the potato community. The potatoes are harvested, washed, stored and made into Corkers Crisps here on our family farm.

Ross: Look for a firm potato that hasn’t been refrigerated or baked in a heated room. There is a lot of pressure on fresh produce farmers to meet standards of shape, size and visuals. Naturalo potatoes are ugly and not particularly aesthetically pleasing, however they are the best potato for every area within the kitchen. FF

A potato is a potato is a potato, right? Well no, actually, as Fine Foodies discovered during a visit to see what goes into making a Corkers crisp.

Picking theperfect potato

Rod (left), and Ross

potato.indd 34 14/11/2012 17:37 Pg35 - Cocoa Antics FPC.indd 1 15/11/2012 09:57

Pg35 - Cocoa Antics FPC.indd 1 15/11/2012 09:57

Global foodie


It has taken over 1,000 years for Japanese cuisine to develop the sophistication that people across the world appreciate today.

If we are to identify the four primary factors that influenced its development they would be prohibition of meat eating, decreed by 7th century Emperor Temmu, vegan diet of Buddhist monks, rich fishing ground off the long Japanese coasts, and the idea of food as a reflection of seasonal changes.

All these factors have resulted in the creation of fresh, low fat, and clean tasting food that the trendy and health conscious adore.

Soya stapleCenturies of a meat-eating ban, initially introduced to protect animals and thereafter reinforced by the teaching of Buddhism and Shintoism, led the Samurai and ordinary Japanese to find their culinary delights in a huge variety of seafood available off the Japanese archipelago.

At the same time, the monks ingeniously created sophisticated soya products, such as goma tofu (tofu containing crushed sesame seeds and arrow root) and ganmodoki (lightly fried tofu cakes), developing their own school of vegan cuisine, Shojin Ryori, which in itself has heavily influenced Japanese cuisine. Moreover, the principle of providing a seasonal flavour in the choice of ingredients, cooking methods and presentation gives Japanese cooking its distinct characteristics.

In cold Japanese winter, therefore, Yosenabe – a steamboat of seafood, tofu, shitake and a wide variety of seasonal vegetables – is almost synonymous with a family dinner. The one-pot dish cooked on the table and eaten just as the main ingredients of cod (the winter fish), prawns, clams and vegetables are cooked to the optimum while piping hot is a

delicious way to warm up your body to the core. Condiments of chilli, finely chopped spring onions, and yuzu ponzu sauce are added, with each one helping to give the seafood and vegetables a kick.

A perfect accompaniment to such a meal, of course, is warmed sake – that’s more aromatic and less lethal than when drunk cold!

Preparation is simple. All that’s required is to chop up vegetables, clean the prawns and clams, cut up cod and tofu to bite size pieces and arrange them on large serving plates. Then, set up a large earthenware pot filled with konbu dashi broth on a portable gas stove in the middle of a dining table, and it’s ready to go. (Please refer to the recipe on page 37 for details which includes chicken for variety.)

Healthy cuisineYosenabe is a wonderful way to enjoy a variety of seafood – not least because you end up with delicious fish soup for making noodles to round off the meal – but the bonus is that, as with most Japanese dishes the steamboat is exceptionally low in calories and cholesterol. Not a drop of oil goes into cooking or preparation, and the ingredients are virtually fat free.

But the health benefits don’t stop there. Yosenabe is a great way of enjoying a wide range of vitamin and mineral-rich greens and mushrooms, as well as antioxidant-rich soya products, such as tofu and yuba (dried tofu ‘skin’). Health properties of soya products are widely recognised.

An ingenious invention of vegan Buddhist monks several centuries ago, tofu is today so popular worldwide that it is available in major supermarkets. It’s worth purchasing high quality ones that have the velvety texture of ricotta cheese and delicate flavour. Tofu is also great cold, with grated ginger, finely chopped spring onions and a drizzle of soya sauce;

briskly deep fried and served with ponzu sauce as agedashi, or as a ‘steak’ with mushroom sauce. Further, soya milk, the main ingredient of tofu (before set with the coagulant nigari), is also increasingly popular as a healthier, and tasty, alternative to milk.

The low fat and high vegetable and pulse content of Japanese food, scientists say, is the key factor behind the longevity of the Japanese – and the low rate of heart disease.

Fish fareThankfully there is much more to Japanese food than soya beans. Outside Buddhist temples, fish and all varieties of seafood are central to Japanese cooking and the Japanese have a strong passion for fresh fish.

Not surprisingly the Tsukiji fish market in central Tokyo is the world’s biggest, where a large selection of the freshest tuna from across the globe are auctioned every morning. The auction is quite an amazing sight, one not to be missed if you are ever in Tokyo.

Fresh fish has always been plentiful in Japan thanks to vast fishing grounds along nearly 30,000 km of coastal line of the Japanese archipelago. Fish, together with pulses, have for centuries been the only source of protein for the ordinary Japanese, until a ban on meat consumption was lifted 140 years ago when Japan opened its doors to the West.

Since then a number of meat dishes, such as sukiyaki (a one-pot sliced beef dish cooked on the table) and teriyaki (pan fried beef or chicken in soya and mirin sauce), or yakitori (barbecued chicken brochette) have developed but meat consumption is still much lower in Japan than the West today. A leg of lamb or beef joint almost never appears on a family dinner table in Japan.

No article on Japanese food is complete without a mention of miso,

Tastes of JapanWith winter on the way, Reiko Hara warms up with some of Japan’s finest cuisine.

GLOBAL FOOD.indd 36 14/11/2012 17:38


which again is a predominantly soya product, fermented for between three months and two years after mixing in barley or wheat. It can be sweet, salty, white, ‘red’, pale or dark brown. Once again, it is said to have been first developed by monks around the 6th century as a seasoning.

Today, miso soup, typically made of fish stock and miso paste with seaweed or tofu, is popular internationally. It is still eaten with rice for breakfast, or any meal in Japan. Again, there is a long list of health benefits of miso, though not all scientifically proven, including the aiding of digestion.

But more importantly, a number of celebrated chefs such as Nobu and Sat Bains have used this ancient Japanese seasoning to create imaginative dishes. Nobu’s Black Cod with Miso is one of the most popular dishes, in which black cod is

marinated for two to three days in the white sweet soybean paste. Black Cod is hard to get but Nobu’s ideas work equally well with mackerel, the recipe for which is found below. Sat Bains also uses sweet white miso for a sauce for his Loch Duart Salmon, mixing into it passionfruit and oyster.

Miso has huge scope for imaginative use, though a traditional bowl of miso soup in the morning makes a hearty start to a day. Miso soup is also a must at a sushi bar, where diners round off a meal with akadashi, red miso soup. It is a great way of cleansing a palate after eating raw fish and downing sake.

If we return to the Yosenabe on a cold winter evening, such a meal would ideally be rounded off with wonderful seafood soup noodles, using the broth left in the pot. The soup is an amazing harmony of the fish, prawn, mushrooms and veggies

that had been cooked, to which boiled noodle is added at the table. Follow this by indulging in ice cream served by a fireplace – a perfect conclusion to a hearty, delicious and healthy meal! FF

Reader offerFine Foodies is offering readers the chance to win one complete organic Sushi kit (worth £35), courtesy of Clearspring. The Clearspring brand promises premium quality Japanese specialities and organic fine foods that are authentic, versatile and support good health. Made to traditional recipes by master artisan producers, they bring you full, authentic flavours using the finest ingredients without artificial additives, colours or preservatives. See page 6 for details.

GLOBAL FOOD.indd 37 14/11/2012 17:38


which again is a predominantly soya product, fermented for between three months and two years after mixing in barley or wheat. It can be sweet, salty, white, ‘red’, pale or dark brown. Once again, it is said to have been first developed by monks around the 6th century as a seasoning.

Today, miso soup, typically made of fish stock and miso paste with seaweed or tofu, is popular internationally. It is still eaten with rice for breakfast, or any meal in Japan. Again, there is a long list of health benefits of miso, though not all scientifically proven, including the aiding of digestion.

But more importantly, a number of celebrated chefs such as Nobu and Sat Bains have used this ancient Japanese seasoning to create imaginative dishes. Nobu’s Black Cod with Miso is one of the most popular dishes, in which black cod is

marinated for two to three days in the white sweet soybean paste. Black Cod is hard to get but Nobu’s ideas work equally well with mackerel, the recipe for which is found below. Sat Bains also uses sweet white miso for a sauce for his Loch Duart Salmon, mixing into it passionfruit and oyster.

Miso has huge scope for imaginative use, though a traditional bowl of miso soup in the morning makes a hearty start to a day. Miso soup is also a must at a sushi bar, where diners round off a meal with akadashi, red miso soup. It is a great way of cleansing a palate after eating raw fish and downing sake.

If we return to the Yosenabe on a cold winter evening, such a meal would ideally be rounded off with wonderful seafood soup noodles, using the broth left in the pot. The soup is an amazing harmony of the fish, prawn, mushrooms and veggies

that had been cooked, to which boiled noodle is added at the table. Follow this by indulging in ice cream served by a fireplace – a perfect conclusion to a hearty, delicious and healthy meal! FF

Reader offerFine Foodies is offering readers the chance to win one complete organic Sushi kit (worth £35), courtesy of Clearspring. The Clearspring brand promises premium quality Japanese specialities and organic fine foods that are authentic, versatile and support good health. Made to traditional recipes by master artisan producers, they bring you full, authentic flavours using the finest ingredients without artificial additives, colours or preservatives. See page 6 for details.

GLOBAL FOOD.indd 37 14/11/2012 17:38

Global foodie recipes

38 FINE FOODIES WINTER 2012Continued on page 38

Marinated mackerel in miso Serves 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes plus two to three days for marinating

Cooking time: Eight minutes

Ingredients:• 4 mackerel fillets• 450g white miso• 100ml mirin• 100ml sake• 250g caster sugar• For garnish, 4 pickled stem ginger

Method:• Add mirin and sake in a saucepan and bring it to boil to burn off the alcohol. Add white miso to the mirin-sake mixture and combine well. Stir the mixture vigorously over the low heat to make a smooth paste, taking care not to burn.• Add sugar to the smooth miso mixture and mix well over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.• Spread half of the cooled miso mixture evenly in a large rectangular container. Place the mackerel fillets on the mixture. Then, spread the remainder of the miso mixture evenly over the fillets. Cover and refrigerate for two to three days.• After two or three days of marinating, take out the mackerel fillets from the miso mixture carefully. Miso cures the fish. Remove any marinade stuck to the fish with a damp kitchen towel.• Grill the fillets until the skin is bubbling and slightly browned. Serve hot and garnish with pickled stem ginger on the side.

Yosenabe Hot Pot Serves 4-6Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:• 500g white fish (cod, haddock

or coley) fillets• 250g boned chicken (optional)• 8-12 clams• 4-6 large size uncooked prawns• 8 fresh shiitake mushrooms• 1 pack enoki mushrooms• 6-12 large Chinese cabbage

leaves• 1 small carrot• 4-6 spring onions• 2 block tofu• 200g udon noodles

Broth: • 2 5cm square dried kombu• 600ml water

Ponzu sauce:• 1tbsp freshly squeezed orange

juice• 2tbsp rice vinegar• 5tbsp Japanese soya sauce• 1 square dried kombu• 5tbsp Dashi stock or water

Condiments:• 4 spring onions, finely chopped

• ½ tsp Shichimi togarashi pepper (optional)

Preparation:• Soak clams in salted water for

one hour to remove sand and grit. Rinse them well

• Cut fish into 5cm squares. De-vein prawns

• Cut chicken into 5cm squares (optional)

• Remove the stem of shiitake mushrooms

• Remove the end of enoki mushrooms

• Cut Chinese cabbage into 4cm slices

• Peel and cut carrot into 1cm slices

• Cut spring onions into 5cm length

• Cut tofu into 3cm cubes• Arrange prepared fish, chicken

and vegetables neatly on a large plate

Method:• Put water and kombu squares in the ceramic pot and bring slowly to boil.• Add the chicken (optional), vegetables, fish, seafood and tofu in order of time required to cook.• When all the ingredients are done, spoon ingredients into an individual bowl, serve with some ponzu sauce and condiments.• When the ingredients are eaten, add udon noodles to the broth.• Adjust the seasoning and serve in individual bowls.

Reiko Hara is the author of the critically acclaimed International Cuisine-Japan (Hodder Arnold) and former Head of Oriental Cooking at the University of West London. She regularly gives masterclasses in high profile culinary events and is responsible for bringing Japanese haute cuisine to the High Table in the dining halls of St John’s College and Corpus Christies Cambridge, where she trained their head chefs in a wide range of Japanese cooking. Find out more at www.simplyjapanese.co.uk

GLOBAL FOOD.indd 38 14/11/2012 17:38

Global foodie recipes

38 FINE FOODIES WINTER 2012Continued on page 38

Marinated mackerel in miso Serves 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes plus two to three days for marinating

Cooking time: Eight minutes

Ingredients:• 4 mackerel fillets• 450g white miso• 100ml mirin• 100ml sake• 250g caster sugar• For garnish, 4 pickled stem ginger

Method:• Add mirin and sake in a saucepan and bring it to boil to burn off the alcohol. Add white miso to the mirin-sake mixture and combine well. Stir the mixture vigorously over the low heat to make a smooth paste, taking care not to burn.• Add sugar to the smooth miso mixture and mix well over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.• Spread half of the cooled miso mixture evenly in a large rectangular container. Place the mackerel fillets on the mixture. Then, spread the remainder of the miso mixture evenly over the fillets. Cover and refrigerate for two to three days.• After two or three days of marinating, take out the mackerel fillets from the miso mixture carefully. Miso cures the fish. Remove any marinade stuck to the fish with a damp kitchen towel.• Grill the fillets until the skin is bubbling and slightly browned. Serve hot and garnish with pickled stem ginger on the side.

Yosenabe Hot Pot Serves 4-6Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:• 500g white fish (cod, haddock

or coley) fillets• 250g boned chicken (optional)• 8-12 clams• 4-6 large size uncooked prawns• 8 fresh shiitake mushrooms• 1 pack enoki mushrooms• 6-12 large Chinese cabbage

leaves• 1 small carrot• 4-6 spring onions• 2 block tofu• 200g udon noodles

Broth: • 2 5cm square dried kombu• 600ml water

Ponzu sauce:• 1tbsp freshly squeezed orange

juice• 2tbsp rice vinegar• 5tbsp Japanese soya sauce• 1 square dried kombu• 5tbsp Dashi stock or water

Condiments:• 4 spring onions, finely chopped

• ½ tsp Shichimi togarashi pepper (optional)

Preparation:• Soak clams in salted water for

one hour to remove sand and grit. Rinse them well

• Cut fish into 5cm squares. De-vein prawns

• Cut chicken into 5cm squares (optional)

• Remove the stem of shiitake mushrooms

• Remove the end of enoki mushrooms

• Cut Chinese cabbage into 4cm slices

• Peel and cut carrot into 1cm slices

• Cut spring onions into 5cm length

• Cut tofu into 3cm cubes• Arrange prepared fish, chicken

and vegetables neatly on a large plate

Method:• Put water and kombu squares in the ceramic pot and bring slowly to boil.• Add the chicken (optional), vegetables, fish, seafood and tofu in order of time required to cook.• When all the ingredients are done, spoon ingredients into an individual bowl, serve with some ponzu sauce and condiments.• When the ingredients are eaten, add udon noodles to the broth.• Adjust the seasoning and serve in individual bowls.

Reiko Hara is the author of the critically acclaimed International Cuisine-Japan (Hodder Arnold) and former Head of Oriental Cooking at the University of West London. She regularly gives masterclasses in high profile culinary events and is responsible for bringing Japanese haute cuisine to the High Table in the dining halls of St John’s College and Corpus Christies Cambridge, where she trained their head chefs in a wide range of Japanese cooking. Find out more at www.simplyjapanese.co.uk

GLOBAL FOOD.indd 38 14/11/2012 17:38 Pg39 - Pomepure FPC.indd 1 15/11/2012 09:57

Drink upDrinks update


WINTER WARMTH WITH CHILLI CHOCOLATEIf you fancy spicing up your favourite hot chocolate, then look no further than South Devon Chilli Farm.

Now firmly in the grip of the winter weather, hot chocolate becomes a popular choice. But why not consider adding some extra flavour with South Devon Chilli Farm Chilli Drinking Chocolate.

This Aztec style hot chocolate drink, which now comes in a stylish kilner jar, gives you twice the warmth of a regular hot chocolate. South Devon Chilli Farm’s chilli expert, Steve Waters, recommends

melting about 30g-40g (two or three dessertspoons) into hot milk to make the perfect Mexican-style hot chocolate drink. The 200g of flakes in

the kilner jar is enough for about eight mugs and when you’ve come to the bottom of the jar you can buy a refill pack.

COCKTAIL CREATIONS If you like a bloody Mary, then one London bar has just the thing.

Barts has launched an entire menu dedicated to the bloody Mary, with several made with Bloodshot Vodka, an artisan liqueur created from over 20 different ingredients.

Drinks served at Barts range from Mary Tudor, a blend of Bloodshot, rose jam, fresh lemon juice, sugar syrup and served with a garnish of rose jam on toast, or the Bloody Liability, a heady mix of Belvedere Vodka, Bloodshot, fresh beetroot, fresh lemon juice, honey and a garnish of green salad topped with beetroot and Parmesan shavings. And for the purists, there is the original recipe, Bloodshot Mary.

Tea time with a differenceIf you are looking for an alterative to cocktails and champagne this Christmas, why not look to The Lawn’s new Rose Tea Syrup?

This tea syrup has a hibiscus bite that cuts through the sweet taste of refined rose petals and can be used in tea, or if you’d rather, splashed into a glass of fizz.

Rose Tea Syrup is the latest in a modern range of specialist tea products from The Lawn and makes the perfect pink stocking filler for cocktail lovers and tea fans.

drinks.indd 40 14/11/2012 17:39


The personal Touch If you’re looking for a gift with a difference this Christmas, why not create your own signature liqueur?

Alchemist Dreams make its liqueurs by hand from organic spirits so that you can have whatever flavour you want. Design your own signature flavour and give it to everyone you know, or you could tailor every bottle to suit the recipient.

Each bottle is finished with a red ribbon and a hand printed label with your message.

own a slice of vineA new concept in wine ownership has been unveiled.

The new digital platform MyOrganicVineyard offers the perfect Christmas present by giving an opportunity to become part of an independent vineyard producing award-winning organic wine.

Founded by British couple Emma and Simon Jell, this innovative platform enables people to adopt their own vines, discover and learn about the wine making process from experts, follow the progress of their vines throughout the growing season and receive and enjoy the bottles of wine their vines produce.

With 20 years experience in digital and social media, Emma and Simon have created an interactive experience, where members can view updates, photos and videos from the vineyard through a mobile app, emails and by logging into a members only part of the MyOrganicVineyard website. You can find out what the weather is like, take part in decisions about how the wine is produced and visit the vineyard itself.

New year detoxOnce the indulgence of Christmas is over, many of us like to detox, and what better way than with the humble beetroot.

The organisation www.lovebeetroot.com has created a range of new recipes, including this tasty drink, made with beetroot, pink lady apples and grapefruit juice. Beetroot is full of antioxidants so this smoothie is perfect for that post-Christmas detox and one glass contains three of your five a day.

There’s no need to core or peel the apples – the juicer does it all for you, and the quantity makes two.Ingredients: • 1 pack vacuum packed natural cooked

beetroot• 2 pink lady apples • 1 peeled grapefruit

Method: • Put through a juicer. Pour in to glasses and serve.

Cosy up with BottlegreenIf you fancy warming up with something soft, you could try the hot cordial range from Bottlegreen.

With delicious varieties such as Spiced Berry, Elderflower, and Ginger & Lemongrass, simply add hot water and drink.

As well as adding some inner warmth, Bottlegreen cordials are a great option for fruit tea lovers looking for a caffeine free alternative, or a great ingredient to create mulled wine; simply add to red wine and enjoy!

drinks.indd 41 14/11/2012 17:39


Fine Foodie hero

From Chilli Chocolate Mustard to salt with flower petals, there is no doubting the

innovative brain of Roy Anderton-Tyers, or Uncle Roy.

For he has created hundreds of different recipes for the many products he produces under the Uncle Roy Comestible Concoctions brand.

From the more unusual products, such as the Chilli Chocolate Mustard, flower petal seasonings and Haggis Sauce, to the more traditional mustards and relishes, Roy has created a well-loved brand that can be found in delis and food halls around the UK.

“It ‘s all in my head when I make the recipes but I never run out of inspiration,” he says. “We are a family run company and they all keep saying what have I come up with now.”

Yet it all started so differently, as Roy’s background is actually as a civil servant.

“It started 45 years ago when I was worked first in the Met Office and then in air traffic control. Back then being a civil servant was very badly paid so I would take part-time jobs and they were often in the food industry; I did hotel work, airline catering and was a chef in a fast food place,” Roy recalled.

When he eventually left the civil service completely, Roy did various jobs until purchasing a village store.

“It was great fun but it was hard work and we decided to move into something else,” he said.

That something else was to purchase a greengrocer in the Scottish town of Moffat. And it was here Roy’s passion for food really grew.

“We bought it in 1990 and gradually it turned into a deli –

we took it on in 1990 and by 1993 we had put in the first deli counter, and it just kept evolving from there.”

Called Harvest Time, the store sold a wide range of products, and this was at a time when you couldn’t buy such products in a supermarket. For example, sun dried tomatoes were not widely available then, in comparison to today where various varieties can be found in many food outlets. It was the experience of running his own deli that inspired Roy to make his own products.

“I’ve always had a very varied career and found myself getting a little bored so decided to start making some mustards myself,” he said, adding that he based the first products on the mustards that

came from Sweden, a country he is familiar with as his wife hails from there.

“They don’t do a lot of mustard really and a lot are mild rather than hot so we started with a range of mustards, including one hot one – they were all speciality, something a bit different to what was available at the time but that helped enhance food, not overpower it.”

Roy took the mustards to local shows and shops and the business took off. So much so that today the portfolio has expanded greatly to include ranges of mustards, relishes, gravy salts, gourmet salts, fruit condiments, natural extracts and essences, smoked products and sauces.

And there’s always

something new to add to the portfolio.

“I keep trying to innovate,” he says.

A great example of this is with Chilli Chocolate Mustard, which has become the top-selling product in the mustard range “because it is a little bit different”. Then there is the creation of the range of gravy salts.

“One of the first things we started to do after the mustards was gravy salt. A company called Burdells did an original one but their factory burnt down and they disappeared from the market and we had customers in the deli asking for it. So we decided to make an old-fashioned gravy salt and we sell 10,000 of that a year,” Roy explained.

And so he expanded the range, not with different flavours as some would, but by the use of flower petals!

“I thought what else could I do with salt, so decided to make a gourmet range of salt with flower petals in, which are a very colourful mix of flower petals, herbs, spices and seeds.”

And this led to the natural creation of a range of flower petals, which people use for things like cupcakes and celebration cakes.

“They are herbicide free and don’t go brown when you use them – it is a great way of adding colour,” he added.

In the pipeline at the moment are fig and fenugreek varieties in the extracts range, along with teas and seaweed in the smoked range, and cranberry apple sauce.

And Roy’s own personal favourite product?

“I’m partial to the Super Horseradish – I tend to have that on a sandwich most days,” he said. FF

Roy Anderton-TyersFine Foodies celebrates those making great food and drinks. Here, we talk to Founder, Uncle Roys Comestible Concoctions.

foodie hero.indd 42 15/11/2012 08:51


Fine Foodie hero

From Chilli Chocolate Mustard to salt with flower petals, there is no doubting the

innovative brain of Roy Anderton-Tyers, or Uncle Roy.

For he has created hundreds of different recipes for the many products he produces under the Uncle Roy Comestible Concoctions brand.

From the more unusual products, such as the Chilli Chocolate Mustard, flower petal seasonings and Haggis Sauce, to the more traditional mustards and relishes, Roy has created a well-loved brand that can be found in delis and food halls around the UK.

“It ‘s all in my head when I make the recipes but I never run out of inspiration,” he says. “We are a family run company and they all keep saying what have I come up with now.”

Yet it all started so differently, as Roy’s background is actually as a civil servant.

“It started 45 years ago when I was worked first in the Met Office and then in air traffic control. Back then being a civil servant was very badly paid so I would take part-time jobs and they were often in the food industry; I did hotel work, airline catering and was a chef in a fast food place,” Roy recalled.

When he eventually left the civil service completely, Roy did various jobs until purchasing a village store.

“It was great fun but it was hard work and we decided to move into something else,” he said.

That something else was to purchase a greengrocer in the Scottish town of Moffat. And it was here Roy’s passion for food really grew.

“We bought it in 1990 and gradually it turned into a deli –

we took it on in 1990 and by 1993 we had put in the first deli counter, and it just kept evolving from there.”

Called Harvest Time, the store sold a wide range of products, and this was at a time when you couldn’t buy such products in a supermarket. For example, sun dried tomatoes were not widely available then, in comparison to today where various varieties can be found in many food outlets. It was the experience of running his own deli that inspired Roy to make his own products.

“I’ve always had a very varied career and found myself getting a little bored so decided to start making some mustards myself,” he said, adding that he based the first products on the mustards that

came from Sweden, a country he is familiar with as his wife hails from there.

“They don’t do a lot of mustard really and a lot are mild rather than hot so we started with a range of mustards, including one hot one – they were all speciality, something a bit different to what was available at the time but that helped enhance food, not overpower it.”

Roy took the mustards to local shows and shops and the business took off. So much so that today the portfolio has expanded greatly to include ranges of mustards, relishes, gravy salts, gourmet salts, fruit condiments, natural extracts and essences, smoked products and sauces.

And there’s always

something new to add to the portfolio.

“I keep trying to innovate,” he says.

A great example of this is with Chilli Chocolate Mustard, which has become the top-selling product in the mustard range “because it is a little bit different”. Then there is the creation of the range of gravy salts.

“One of the first things we started to do after the mustards was gravy salt. A company called Burdells did an original one but their factory burnt down and they disappeared from the market and we had customers in the deli asking for it. So we decided to make an old-fashioned gravy salt and we sell 10,000 of that a year,” Roy explained.

And so he expanded the range, not with different flavours as some would, but by the use of flower petals!

“I thought what else could I do with salt, so decided to make a gourmet range of salt with flower petals in, which are a very colourful mix of flower petals, herbs, spices and seeds.”

And this led to the natural creation of a range of flower petals, which people use for things like cupcakes and celebration cakes.

“They are herbicide free and don’t go brown when you use them – it is a great way of adding colour,” he added.

In the pipeline at the moment are fig and fenugreek varieties in the extracts range, along with teas and seaweed in the smoked range, and cranberry apple sauce.

And Roy’s own personal favourite product?

“I’m partial to the Super Horseradish – I tend to have that on a sandwich most days,” he said. FF

Roy Anderton-TyersFine Foodies celebrates those making great food and drinks. Here, we talk to Founder, Uncle Roys Comestible Concoctions.

foodie hero.indd 42 15/11/2012 08:51 Pg43 - Mornflake FPC.indd 1 15/11/2012 11:42

Pg44 - Newby Teas FPC.indd 1 15/11/2012 11:41