Porridge - The Breakfast Super Food.
Where did the summer go, and those warm, sunny mornings? I dont know but today not only is it dark outside it is chilly and damp - yuk. So it's time to reach for the saucepan and warm up the mornings with a bowl of warm and nourishing porridge.
As a child it was our breakfast every day, it lined our tummies to sustain us till lunchtime and kept us warm. Back then it was 'uncool', we would rather have had sweet, sugar laden cereals straight from the box and a fight over the free plastic toy.
Porridge has now been elevated to a Super Food with the health benefits making it the must-have breakfast of the noughties; if they were writing Popeye today I think he would be devouring porridge not spinach. It helps lower cholesterol, is a great source of nutrients and protein and fiber and even has some cancer-prevention properties.
Making porridge is quick and easy. There are various brands of instant porridge available in the shops but beware, many are laden with sugar; those without make a great breakfast if you are in a hurry. But, as cooking takes no longer than 7 minutes, it can be made while boiling the kettle for tea and setting the table. You can of course make it the night before and simply warm up at breakfast time. So no excuses for not having a healthy and sustaining breakfast on a cold morning.
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British and Irish food is a vast subject. It is steeped in history, cultural influences and tradition. Think of British food and immediately fish and chips, roast beef, Yorkshire puddings and afternoon tea spring to mind; think drinks and it's tea, beer, whisky and port but there's so much more.
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Classic British Puddings - Spotted Dick
Autumn in British food means we switch from desserts to puddings. There's a big difference between the two; desserts speak of light and frivolous confections, but puddings are warm and comforting, solid and approachable.
Puddings have been the backbone of British food for centuries, even the French extol their virtues - sacre bleu. The lightest of puddings may have the diet police screaming arrest, but if the meal is balanced - a light starter, and not too many carbs with main course - there's always room for a delicious pud.
One of the favorites, and one will will usually raise a smile in the classic British pudding of Spotted Dick - the spotted part refers to the raisins and currants in the dough and the word dick' is a colloquial word for pudding. It is also sometimes referred to as Spotted Dog for those of a more delicate constitution.
There are disputes in Great Britain about whether the fruit filling is mixed into the dough, or, as in my recipe, layered on the rolled out dough, producing a more roly-poly style pudding. The choice rests with the individual.
Making a good old-fashioned Spotted Dick doesn’t need to be a chore. With a little planning it can be made in advance and cooked while making Sunday lunch. And, like a kiss to make you better, a steamed pudding needs custard; forget yogurt and anything that uses half fat cream, because nothing works as well as custard.
Welsh Food and British Cheese
The Great British Cheese Festival is being staged at Cardiff Castle this year for the first time. The event will be dominated by Britain’s biggest cheese market and helps seal Wales as a food destination. More than 500 cheeses from across the British Isles will be available to sample and buy and visitors can also taste other food and drink at stalls on site.
I know where I am heading this weekend.Warming Food - A Bowl of Soup
Soups can be eaten as a starter dish, or with a heftier portion as a main course, especially if accompanied with crusty bread and butter. These two recipes Cauliflower, Broccoli and Mustard Soup, and Vegetable and Bean Soup are filling dishes, more like supper in a bowl.
Soup is quick and easy to make and if full of fresh, vegetables, healthy. Whenever I make soup I always prepare ingredients to make a huge pot full as most recipes will freeze well ensuring I always have a tasty meal on hand.
An added bonus of making soup in these times of rising prices is that generally they are made from cheap and readily available ingredients like vegetables and cheaper cuts of meat.
Easy Soup Recipes
Lard - Dirty Word or Saviour in the Kitchen?
The much maligned white fat that has been the staple of the British food larder for as long as we have been able to make fire. Where would great shortcrust pastry be without it? Ever made Yorkshire Puddings by heating olive oil in the tin – it just doesn’t cut it. As kids we relished a slice of bread with pork dripping for tea on a Sunday and let’s not forget fish and chips, roast potatoes, mince pies, Christmas pudding, shall I go on?
So after years of being told to give lard a wide berth (no pun intended), it’s back. Who wants nasty trans-fats and hydrogenated oils when a block of good, honest lard can do the job just as well, is healthier and tastes better. Danilo has great facts and figures on his site on the merits and virtues of lard. Check them out and you’ll be rushing to the butchers and grabbing a block of the real stuff - beware commercial brands, they may be hydrogenated.
Abuse of the word lard (think Lardy-Bum and many other too vile to mention) is a stumbling block to it being taken seriously again. So, the search is on for a new word. Suggestions so far are Yorkshire Ghee, Pork Butter, Hog Jelly, Oinker Unguent and Pig Pesto …what do you think? Join in the debate.
And just for fun - The British Lard Marketing BoardAutumn Apples - It's Scrumpy Time
Ripe apples falling from the trees signifies not only the time to think of pies, sauces and compotes but for large parts of south west England it means the start of cider making.
There are tiny orchards throughout the south making 'scrumpy' (farmhouse cider) from pure cider apple juice, pressed and matured in oak barrels on the farm. It produces a cloudy, pale-colored liquid with a strong smell and taste of apples.
Beer can be made at any time of year but real cider and perry (made with pears) can only be made in the autumn when the fruit is ripe. The producer - cider makers aren’t called brewers - will use a mixture of sweet and sharp apples, or even a sweet dessert variety to make cider but perry must be made from high tannin perry pears.
Beware. Scrumpy is a highly potent brew unlike the sweeter commercial brands. Before my first taste years ago I was warned about its effects... I gulped it down and wondered what all the fuss what about; it tasted to me like a strong apple juice but with a slightly bitter aftertaste. That is until about 10 minutes later I had a desire to jump on the tables and dance. One pint later I did.
British Food Fortnight is Underway
There are over 40,000 shops, pubs and restaurants involved running promotions and shop sheves are bursting with British produce. Even the National Heallth Service, Ministry of Defence, prison service and Government departments have been challenged to join the national celebration and put British on their menus during the Fortnight.
Again there is a huge emphasis on bringing British food into schools with 35,000 schools inviting chefs into the classroom to teach children how to cook and the 'Cook for Life Challenge'.
Edible Wild Mushrooms - Picking, Choosing and Cooking
Little will entice me out of bed at 7.00am on a misty autumn, morning except the promise a few hours of mushroom hunting. There is an unbelievable whole other world to be discovered scrambling around on the forest floor. The scents, smells, and colors; unimaginable varieties of insect life and countless species of fungi.
In recent years, there has been a surge of interest in the UK in mushroom hunting and we are blessed with a wealth of species Shaggy Inkcaps, Penny Bun, Puffballs, Chanterelle are among some of the many.
Mushroom hunting can be loads of fun but some responsibility is necessary. Carefully follow these guidelines to ensure not only your own safety but also to protect the delicate environment around wild mushrooms.
Once you have the mushrooms home there are many delicious recipes to use them in here are just a few of the many from other guides at About.com including my own 2 favorites, Forest Soup and Wild Mushroom Lasagna.
- Eggplant Boats with Wild Mushrooms - Italian Food
- Sugo ai Funghi - Italian Food
- Creamy Polenta with Wild Mushrooms - Home Cooking
- Creamy Risotto with Pan Seared Scallops and Wild Mushrooms - Gourmet Food
- Mushroom Strudel - Eastern European Food
- Chicken Fricassee with Mushrooms and Dill - Scandinavian Food
Closing Festival Season's Star Attraction - York Food Festival
York Festival of Food
Food Festivals around the UK and Ireland have been in full swing since the early spring; the season is slowing down but not before one of the best festivals of the year. The York Festival of Food and Drink is one of England's finest food festivals; it is also one of the largest. It runs for 10 days, takes in two weekends and all in the beautiful historic City of York.
The Festival launches on Friday 19th September at 7.30pm in the Guildhall. Chef Peter Sidwell will host the magnificent Launch Dinner with ingredients sourced from York and Yorkshire. It will feature what he calls ‘ham and eggs’: York Ham terrine with hollandaise sauce followed by trout from Pickering and Yorkshire curd tart with raspberry ice cream.
Friday also sees the launch of the Festival’s wine programme with a Bordeaux Masterclass in York’s beautiful Mansion House. The Masterclass will be hosted by Bordeaux specialist and Master of Wine, (and incidentally an acquaintance of mine), Richard Bamfield.
Expect to see the streets packed with produce stalls, street food, cafes and music to celebrate all the very best in Yorkshire, regional and world food. There will be food events from dinners in the majestic 15th century Guildhall to a provocative and challenging Fairtrade world ‘food game’ inside York Minster, cookery demonstrations and masses more to see, hear and taste.
From its humble beginnings only a few years ago this has become one festival "not to miss'. I shall certainly be there but looking at the extensive timetable I'm not sure where to start...