Don't Forget To Eat Your Greens!

At the moment I'm waxing lyrical, to anyone who will listen, about the joys of visiting a country market. I'm reposting this because it's pertinent to my cause and also because the recipes are delicious!

As I mentioned, my friend Gill is fortunate enough to buy fresh locally grown fruit and vegetables from her local country market. Mostly people now buy their fruit and veg from the supermarket although country markets and Farmer's markets have grown in popularity in recent years.

Once upon a time street markets were a popular choice for women to buy their fruit and veg, I used to go to Lewisham market where amongst the bustle, and banter of the stall holders, you could touch and smell the produce on top of which you always got a bargain. Older fruit and veg would be sold off in in large scoops for 50p.

However, we have become such a gluttonous society we see no shame in importing fruit and veg from impoverished countries where we demand low prices, only to dump the surplus in the bin. Misshapen fruit and veg is often rejected by supermarkets and we the consumers have bought into the concept that our produce must be perfect looking, uniform shape and size, plastic-wrapped and untarnished before we buy it. Food statistics never get less shocking, in the UK we waste seven million tons of food each year! What's the answer? Well quite simply USE IT!

Hardy vegetables can last a long time if kept in paper bags in a dark, cool place. Over ripe soft fruit and veg can be used in sauces, chutney or soups. If you buy at market or from a greengrocer or indeed have a delivery box, you can pick smaller amounts of fruit and veg, adding variety to your recipes, plus keeping the cost and waste down.

                               A sample of my friend Clarrie's fruit and vegetables delivery box

Now that I've said my piece I'll share the delights of a good, fresh, savoury and economical dish that is sure to tickle your taste buds.

Potato salad

Recipe
1kg small salad potatoes, Gill peeled hers but if you find this too painstaking just make sure the skins are clean
1 red onion, sliced very thinly
2 cloves garlic, sliced very thinly or crushed
Small bunch flat leaf parsley, remove stalks and finely chop leaves
Small bunch of mint leaves, finely chopped
2 small gherkins, chopped
2 anchovies, chopped (optional)
1/2 a lemon
Sea salt and black pepper
4 tablespoons mayonnaise

Boil potatoes for 15 minutes or until soft
Combine all the other ingredients, (lemon to be squeezed) except mayonnaise, in a large bowl
Drain potatoes and add to bowl, combine well
Add mayonnaise when ready to serve

Gill's clever tip was to pare down used cans to use as an assembly ring

Alternatively of course you could just spoon your salad onto the plate

Gill's jooshed up fruit dessert

Recipe
A handful of fruit per person: this is about using up surplus fruit, whatever you have be it berries, pineapple, grapes, kiwis.....
A tub of natural yoghurt
Hazlenuts or nuts of your choice, flaked almonds, pecans, pistachio.......
A dash of alcohol, cointreau, grand marnier, sherry.........

Douse fruit in yoghurt, add a splash of alcohol to each dish

Crush nuts and sprinkle on top

If you want to add a touch of decadence grate chocolate over the top, or add a chunk of chocolate

'If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world'
-J R R Tolkien

Love Donna xxxxxx

In England's Green And Pleasant Land

Last week I visited Bishop's Waltham, firstly to go to the weekly country market where I bought some lovely fresh, local produce, followed by lunch in Josie's café which was delicious. I then spent a couple of leisurely hours pottering around the village. (Bishop's Waltham is actually a small country town but for a Londoner like myself it certainly has a village feel.)

Bishop's Waltham has a long and distinguished history, it is a mixture of old world charm together with a dynamic business and social environment. Amongst the 17th and 18th century buildings you can find many small local businesses, amongst them a butcher, bakery, fishmonger, award winning restaurants and charity shops.

Small country towns and villages are seen as the last bastion of Englishness, according to a survey conducted by Country Life magazine, 80 per cent of Britain's population dream of living in the countryside, whilst only 20 per cent live there.

Meanwhile we have a housing crisis that is threatening our green belts, people living in cities are packed together like sardines and the decline of the washing line is due to the growing lack of gardens. For every house that is demolished in my local area, ten or twenty houses are squeezed into the space.

The love of country life is about stillness and lastingness, communities value the old and are more about essences and continuity rather than novelty. In this modern age of noise and other over stimulus, a walk in the countryside is to appreciate stillness and beauty.

Unfortunately the local charms of the English character are growing increasingly unpopular, village life is cited as being too white and middle class, traditional values and patriotism are deemed old fashioned. One of Britain's biggest hotel chains Travelodge has removed bibles from its rooms because, (despite ours being a Christian country) they don't want to discriminate against non Christians. We seem to have become fearful of embracing our own culture or celebrating our heritage which is a shame and is seen as a weakness by the majority of my multicultural friends who don't want us to be made to feel like strangers in our own country.

On a happier note I found some lovely nick - nacks in the charity shop

                                                 Spot the Queen mother style pink hat

Back home with all my purchases I decided to cook my marrow and freshly dug potatoes to accompany a free range chicken

Baked marrow

Recipe
1 large marrow
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Preheat oven 180c/gas 4
Slice marrow in half lengthways and scoop out seeds

Slice marrow, place slices in a colander and sprinkle with a little salt, leave to drain for 30 minutes

Place marrow on a baking tray, season and drizzle with oil

Bake for 20 minutes

I par boiled and roasted my potatoes

A very delicious organic free range dinner!

'If we could eliminate the concept of town and return to live in small villages, all the world problems would be solved.'
- Rossana Condoleo

Love Donna xxxxxxx

Robin Williams

                                         'I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking,
                                          What I'm looking at, what I see
                                          And what it means. What I want, and what I fear.'
                                          - Joan Didion

Joan Didion says: 'writing forces you to think.' For as long as I can remember I have kept diaries, jotted things down in notebooks: quotes, poems, unusual words which I reference later. Scraps of paper, notebooks and diaries abound throughout my home, I am a collector of words, I express myself through writing things down and equally by reading what others have written.

When a friend suggested we write a blog I felt that I would have nothing to say and too much to say. Writing forces you to assert opinions, all well and good in a diary, but I knew once I started writing publicly my opinions might not always be appreciated. Whilst this is essentially a food blog it is not a recipe blog, there are a zillion chef's and cook's out there who are better placed to offer their gastronomic expertise. My blog is about life, it is existential, food of course plays a vital role in our existence and I enjoy cooking so it all ties in quite nicely.

This leads me to the subject of comfort food, the fact that food isn't just fuel but that it can provide a nostalgic or sentimental feeling. I recently had family from London visit me and my sister in law spoke about a particular dish that a friend has made for her during times of sadness and how that simple act has provided her with some comfort when she has been at a low ebb.

This week we were rocked by the tragic news that Robin Williams had died as a result of depression, this extremely complex disease has claimed yet another victim and all sorts of theories have been attributed to its cause. Williams had a history of alcoholism and substance abuse, he was also well known for his hyperactive personality, wildly ricocheting between voices which was often countered by his tender and vulnerable side off camera, extreme behaviour being a classic sign of depression.

In an interview to promote his film 'World's Greatest Dad' Williams was apparently tangential and divergent, more recently he was 'back on form' displaying excessively active behaviour and proclaiming he was not afraid to feel unhappy.

The adage that everyone thinks of changing the world, but never thinks of changing himself, could probably be applied to Williams. He once said: 'In America they really do mythologise people when they die.' His high profile, high maintenance lifestyle could not in his eyes be simplified, there wasn't an option to drift into old age tending his roses and building sandcastles with his grandchildren, the trappings of fame and fortune came at a sacrificial price.

Battling with severe depression is a solitary experience, after my father died my mother continued to go through the motions of everyday life but she became vague and when I look at photos of her I see that her eyes had become lifeless, like a doll's eyes. To the outside world my mother was coping, in reality she was merely functioning. We dedicated this poem to her at her funeral.

                      He first deceased, she for a little tried
                      To live without him, liked it not and died.
                       - Sir Henry Wotton.

When my sister in law lost her first husband her friend made her this next dish, she took it to Sally's home knowing that she was not cooking or eating properly. It has since become Sally's signature comfort food.

Aubergine bake

Recipe
Basic tomato sauce (see recipe at bottom of page: baked pasta with tomato sauce and cheese)
4 aubergines
Salt
2 balls mozzarella
Lasagne sheets
Olive oil

Preheat oven 190/gas 5
Trim aubergines and slice lengthways
Arrange slices in a colander and sprinkle with salt, leave to drain for 30 minutes
Dry the salted aubergines with kitchen paper
Heat a frying pan with 2-3 cm olive oil
When the oil is shimmering fry the aubergine in batches until golden
Lift out and drain on kitchen paper
In a baking dish spread a layer of tomato sauce
Cover with lasagne sheets and a layer of fried aubergines
Scatter with torn mozzarella

Continue layering until the dish is full
Bake for 30-40 minutes

                                                      My beautiful sister in law Sally


'Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand - and melting like a snow flake.'
- Francis Bacon

Robin Williams RIP
Love Donna xxxxxx

The Great British Bake Off

                                                               An Ella Bella creation

Well, we're back in bake off territory again, the new series started last Wednesday and already I'm hooked. The show is so popular in fact, it has now switched to BBC1 where it is lovingly referred to as 'The tea and biccie' show.

Unfortunately baking cakes has never been my forte, however, there can be no question about the fact that the Great British Bake off has contributed to the resurgence of interest in baking. Interestingly the over fifty fives are least likely to bake according to statistics, but for the younger generation home baking has undergone a revival in recent years.

I grew up in a household where baking was the norm, I don't think I even tasted a shop bought cake when I was a young child. By the time I was a young woman baking had become unfashionable and increasingly baking faced growing competition from out of home leisure activities.

The Great British Bake Off arouses nostalgic feelings and it's homeliness and familiarity is a large part of it's appeal, hopefully this will lead to a resurgence of young mums baking with their children.

A friend of mine excels at creating gorgeous cakes, however, Ella is not a mature, seasoned baker, she is a young girl with an extraordinary flair and creative lean, such is her talent she should really be writing her own blog.

                                                 Young and talented Ella Bella Bisset

                              Ella's cakes always take pride of place at birthday parties

For the cake baking challenged like myself, fairy cakes are pretty foolproof, once cooled they can be decorated with all sorts of creative toppings

Easy fairy cakes

Recipe
125g self raising flour
125g sugar
125g butter
2 eggs

Preheat oven 180c/gas mark 4
Cream butter and sugar
Add flour and stir
Add eggs and mix until smooth and creamy
Place a tablespoon of mix into each paper cup case
Cook for 20 minutes or until risen and golden

          

                                           My rather un British Bake Off calibre cakes

Fortunately I'm rather better at deserts than cakes, fruit deserts are my favourite and quite often, as with this next recipe, I serve them to accompany a cheese course.

Baked lavender figs

Recipe
6 fresh figs
A pinch of sea salt
Butter diced into 12 small cubes
2 tablespoons honey
1 glass white wine
Dried lavender

Preheat oven180c/gas 4
Halve figs and place in baking dish
Sprinkle with a pinch of salt
Dot each halve with butter
Drizzle honey over the figs
Pour wine over the figs and sprinkle with lavender
Bake for 15 minutes or until the figs ooze juice

Delicious served with vanilla ice cream or with a soft cheese such as brie or feta.

'There was a mood of magic and frenzy to the room. Crystalline swirls of sugar and flour still lingered in the air like kite tails. And then there was the smell - the smell of hope, the kind of smell that brought people home.'
- Sarah Addison Allen

Love Donna xxxxxx

The Blue Bell Emsworth

Further to yesterday's post I've been on a bit of a quest lately to find some decent eateries. Friends of ours live in the beautiful small town of Emsworth and we frequent it as often as we can. Remarkably for such a small town, Emsworth has nine pubs all of which have character, history and personality, as Samuel Pepys said 'Pubs are the heart of Britain.'

                                                      Two locals enjoying the ambience

One of the pubs, The Blue Bell, a former favourite haunt of the local fishermen, sits nearest to the foreshore where the fishing and sailing boats moor up. Outside is a chalk board claiming 'The best fish and chips'.......being sceptical I had in the past wondered, best fish and chips where? In Emsworth, Hampshire, the UK, the world?

I am a bit of a connoisseur when it comes to fish and chips and for many years would travel to The Blue Dolphin fish bar in Hastings Old Town where they served the freshest of fish with hand cut chips. The fish bar was one half takeaway with queues snaking all the way up the street, the other half a tiny, fuggy, vinegary cafe where the wait for a table was always a long one!

Upon moving to the coast, (Lee On Solent is ten minutes drive from my home) I was shocked to find that there were no seaside traditional fish and chip shops. Synonymous with seaside holidays, no day trip would have been complete without piping hot, salty fish and chips wrapped in newspaper.

Well as it happened, my friend Linda decided to try the fish and chips in the Blue Bell only last week, probably, like me, it wouldn't be her first choice of pub grub, (who hasn't experienced at best the oven baked fish and oven chips, at worst the microwaved fish and chips!) Thank heavens she did! I was in need of ameliorating the recent horrendous experience of being served a piece of flaccid, frozen/microwaved fish in a 'country pub'.

Linda assured me that the Blue Bell truly did serve the best fish and chips, so we set a date for Saturday night. Of course come the day, the tables were all fully booked, the Blue Bell fish and chips is well known locally! However, we managed to persuade a very kind couple who had finished eating to let us have their table just in the nick of time to order food.

The fact that the Blue Bell was buzzing with locals is testament to how much of a focal point within the community this lovely pub is. And what makes this a stand alone pub is that Giles is not only the proprietor but also the chef. A local food enthusiast, Giles sources his meat from H H Treagust and sons, his fish from Johnson's fish enterprises, and pork from a Funtington farm. Giles doesn't just pay lip service to fine dining, he has taken the 'If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well' to another level and it's paid off!

We decided to start with the garlic and chilli prawns, sweet juicy prawns in an oil which sang with a chorus of layered chill and garlic flavours, it was utterly transcendent.

With great anticipation I awaited my fish and chips..........

                           Behold! Gorgeous fish in a light crispy batter with hand cut chips

     The best fish and chips! If not in the world then certainly the best I've had in ages!

Of course there were other options on the menu and Glenn opted for the equally delicious scallops with pancetta

The Blue Bell has soul, the energy and passion of Giles and his staff is palpable, the food exceptional, the location wonderful! So good was my experience I can safely say I'm on the road to recovery after my awful experiences at the hands of commercialised pubs and their dire food.

                                                                                Cheers xxxxxxx

'Happiness consists in frequent repetition of pleasure.'
- Arthur Schopenhauer

Love Donna xxxxxx

Josie's Wine. Coffee. Deli. Bishops Waltham

                                            Two friendly and jovial members of staff

You'll be well versed by now regarding my dislike of big chain restaurants, pubs and coffee shops. Whilst pubs are dying out here in Britain, coffee shops are thriving, big chains like Starbucks, Costa and Caffè Nero are on every corner, business is booming and profits are going up!

These big chains can afford to secure deals on properties, they pay top whack and have the power to destroy small businesses, a strategy of complete homogenisation and stultification, and we the public are happy to buy into the whole vacuous experience.

I have been doing a lot of eating out lately and on the whole I've been really disappointed (see post: Beefeater, Big Chains And The Big Con) however, one café I can always rely on is Josie's wine, coffee and deli café.

Immediately upon entering Josie's you can feel the energy, Josie's has a strong community feel and creative lean, the stylish, diminutive interior is a far cry from the homogenised settings of chain coffee shops.

This atmospheric café delivers on all levels, the owners have taken on the mantle of speciality coffee purveyors and all of the staff are friendly and knowledgeable baristas. The owners have rather cleverly realised that there are parallels between coffee and wine, for the more discerning customer who appreciates Monmouth coffee, it makes good sense for the owners to surround the space with wine racks filled with speciality wines, there is a definite correlation between nice wine and good quality coffee.

What I love about Josie's is nothing is over complicated, ingredients are fresh and of very high quality, delicious rolls and sandwiches crammed with fillings, inspired salads, comforting homemade soups and of course, scrumptious home baked cakes.

                                Delicious artisan bread filled with crayfish and salad leaves

                                                            A very inspired salad

                                                       Delicious home baked cakes

                                                      Vintage and speciality wines

Josie's offers the personal touch, customers are treated as individuals and even if I haven't been there for several weeks the staff always recognise me. The devil is always in the detail, I only drink soya milk and rarely do I find a café or restaurant which supplys it, in Josie's I can have a soya latte, sheer bliss.

For this wonderful food and convivial environment I paid less than I would for a coffee in a cardboard cup with a muffin wrapped in cellophane at one of the big chains! Small businesses should be supported when they are as fantastic as this.

                                                 Gill and I enjoying our coffees

'Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us, life is so endlessly delicious.'
- Ruth Reichi

Love Donna xxxxxxx

Country Markets

                        Two of the lovely ladies selling their delicious homemade wares

Yesterday I paid a visit to Bishops Waltham country market, country markets are co-operatives of growers and producers of homemade goods whom sell their produce directly to their community.

As readers of my blog will know, I have a visceral fear of mass produced, processed food, the more research I do the more horrified I am about our food chain. Country markets offer the customer homegrown, homemade, high quality, seasonal produce, something we should all value and support!

Country markets were previously known as WI markets. It has been recognised that the first WI markets were started as outlets for surplus produce from members gardens and small holdings to provide local communities with food during the war. This was a collaborative effort between a number of WIs and gradually, after the war, markets were running in Sussex, Kent, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.

Bishops Waltham country market is part of the country markets network of over 450 local markets in England, Wales and the Channel Islands, if you have a country market in your vicinity I urge you to visit it.

When I arrived yesterday morning I was greeted by the lovely ladies selling their produce in such a friendly way that my mood was instantly uplifted. The camaraderie amongst the ladies and their customers was infectious and I can understand why the local community include country market day as one of importance on their social calendar!

With our high streets rapidly vanishing, and with it the personal touch, there is something truly endearing about the passion and care that has gone into all the lovely produce on offer at a country market. I firmly believe that food which has the energy force of love within it is healthier. It is well documented that the mother who lovingly prepares food for her family with a sense of happiness and kindness, has added emotional nourishment which is deemed to be healing. Food produced on a factory production line by people who don't want to be there is soulless and tasteless. Animals that have been subjected to intensive farming and die traumatised, fruit and vegetables treated with fertilisers and pesticides, processed ready meals packed with chemicals and trans fats, none of these are conducive to a healthy diet surely.

         

Several of the ladies keep chickens in their gardens, you can't get more free range than that.

                  You know how passionate I am about tomatoes....these were delicious

                                             You can't beat a home baked cake ever!

                                                       Beautiful seasonal plants

                                  My lovely friend Gill selling her scrumptious savouries

                                                           My selection of wares

Support your local country market, treat yourself to some delicious homemade produce and raise your levels of consciousness in relation to the food you eat.

'The very fact that we are having a national conversation about what we should eat, that we are struggling with the question about what the best diet is, is symptomatic of how far we have strayed from the natural conditions that gave rise to our species, from the simple act of eating real, fresh, whole food.'
- Mark Hyman

Love Donna