Cibare food magazine issue four

Cibare Issue Four, July 2015

www.cibare.co.uk

Contents

HEALTH AND NUTRITION Healthy Summer 42 Summer Time Fun 46 Hawthorn 44

SHOPPING LOCAL

Cereal Killers Cafe 8 Olio 6

FEATURES REVIEW Matcha 48 Coffee 10 The Alchemist 16 Walthamstow 12 Coyo 50 La Belle Assiette 58

FOOD FOR THE SEASON Breakfast Ideas 4 BBQ’s 26 Burgers 28 Vegan 30 Salads 34 Tandoor 32 Thai 40 Raw 42 Snack Ideas 22

Theo’s Salad 38 The Edible Garden 56 Aesthetics To Dine For 52 Soil Degradation 64 Oli and Zoe’s Food Co 68

GARDENING Top Tips For Your Allotment

TRAVELLING TALES A Swiss Odyssey Part 2 78 Dinning Al Fresco 20

BOOKS The Meringue Girls

PRO ADVICE Bites 74 2

62

61

SOURCES AND CREDITS Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

Cibare

Editor’s Note What a beautiful few months. The sun is shining (most of the time) and we are eating as and when we can outdoors.

Our food and how we prepare it changes so much with the seasons and its nice to enjoy all that it offers.

Paddling pools and long evenings. Pimms and BBQ’s, its just glorious.

This issue is full of wonderful ideas to inspire you over the next few months and help you make your own delicious food, take you to amazing places, and learn more about what you eat and where it comes from.

Sit back and enjoy our Summer Issue 4.

www.cibare.co.uk

Cibare Food Magazine

3

Fresh bread with soft cheese, topped with strawberries

Eggs cooked in scallop shells on the BBQ

FOOD

Breakfast

SHOPPING LOCAL

OLIO Meet Your Neighbours And Save The Planet With Olio, The Food Sharing Revolution

by Saasha Celestial-One

Remember when you were a child and told to clear your plate – there are starving people in Africa, after all. Remember getting older (and less obedient) and thinking this didn’t make much sense? It’s not as if you could ship the food on your dinner plate to someone halfway around the world…right?

As a consequence, most of us in the developed world grew up recognizing that wasting food when so many people go hungry every day is wrong on a moral level, but not actually feeling there was something we could do about it directly.

As much as I hate food waste - throwing away unused food physically pains me - it took me a long time to understand the complexity of the international food system, and to realize that what we waste here at home does have a direct impact on people on the far side of the planet.

To put things in perspective, the land required to grow all the food that is ultimately wasted globally is the size of Mexico. This land and all the physical labour, water and energy required to grow this food could have been used for more productive purposes. It’s not just the food that is wasted – 6

it’s the shipping, distribution and marketing resources that were deployed to bring that food from farm to fork. The opportunity cost is huge.

The direct cost is also enormous. All around the world natural habitats are being destroyed to produce food that is never eaten.

Land that could be used to grow food to feed local populations is being used to produce food that is shipped overseas and never eaten. The developed world’s insatiable appetite drives up the price of food, making affordable food inaccessible for the world’s 795 million malnourished.

Here in the UK 50% of all food waste happens in the home – the equivalent of £12.5 billion per year. At the individual level, we waste 20% of all food we purchase - it’s like going to Tesco, buying five bags of food, and leaving one in the car park. Put that way, it sounds crazy.

It wasn’t very long ago that this level of food waste would have been unheard of. People knew where their food came from, and how to cook with every part of every ingredient.

Food was precious, so nothing went to waste – leftovers were repurposed, and in the rare

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

event there was too much food, surplus was shared with neighbours. Over the last few decades, in the developed world food has become significantly cheaper, and most people have started to value it less, taking its endless bounty for granted.

This is where OLIO comes into play. OLIO is a free app connecting neighbours with each other and with local businesses so that food can be shared, rather than thrown away. Imagine: rather than making a beeline for the supermarket at the end of the day to pick up supplies for dinner, you take a look on OLIO to see what free/steeply discounted food you can pick up on your way home instead. Not only are you saving money, but you are also saving food that would have gone to waste. Your local bakery really would have thrown out that focaccia at the end of the day. Your local shop really would have thrown out the cheese with a ‘best be-

www.cibare.co.uk

fore’ date for today. Why not rescue them and make pizza?

Back to the big picture: whatever food is sourced via OLIO is less food to be purchased in the first place. This reduces pressure on the international food system as a whole. The planet will need to feed 2 billion more people by the year 2050. This can be achieved with our current agriculture capacity – but only if we can collectively reduce our food waste sufficiently. OLIO is one small step in the right direction.

Saasha is the Co-Founder of OLIO, a free mobile app launching this summer in North London, and rolling out across London over the next six months. Visit www.OLIOex.com to learn more, download the app, and join The Food Sharing Revolution.

Cibare Food Magazine

7

REVIEW

Cereal Killers Café

by The Editor

Well after finding these guys on Twitter (my favourite place) I see that they are now finally a little closer to home. From their original Brick Lane home they have now opened a second café in sunny Camden.

eat my breakfast just like I did when I was a kid. I wasn’t usually allowed Lucky Charms as a child but today it was happening. The place is full of colours and 80s or 90s childhood memorabilia and I feel like I’m a child once again. All I can think is that I need to So I grab a buddy and we hot foot it into the bring my brothers and my husband here, grotto that is the Stables Market. A sunbeam they would Iove the He Man and Back to the shines our way to its open doors where all Future duvet covers as well as the food. we can see is a rainbow of sugary delights.

Cakes I hear you ask? Sweets? Oh hell no!! I go back for another coffee and see that they CEREAL!!! With child like eyes and stomach have Pop Tarts too. I think my brain is going I stare for about ten minutes at the rainbow to explode!! One S’mores Pop Tart please! coloured boxes and pictures, from all around The guys laugh at my excitement and tell me the world that are before me. I’m simply that it’s the best one. They love it too and happy. I want three cereals mixed up in one makes me feel warm inside to have this joint bowl and I pick the sweetest sugar coated E appreciation for where we are. number filled with extra marshmallow boxes I could find and mix them together. One is There is a guy in the background on his lapApple Jacks so I have one of my five a day in top and I recognise him, he’s one of the twin there too. I can have any milk on the planet brothers who own the shops. It’s nice to see too, which just tops off my bliss rating as I that he’s there working away like any other do like an unsweetened soya in my bowl as business owner. I feel like he’s famous but it well as in my coffee please!!! And thank you. might be the sugar talking as I’ve had quite a I can have a topping of pretty much anything lot and I’m still going, but I feel honoured to I like from candy to fruit but I’m thinking my have seen one of the infamous Keery Twins. sugar-o-metre is good.

We buy a badge and try and stop eating - it’s We have made our decisions and go round like a drug in here - but we finally have to go. the back of the shop. Do we sit outside in Happy and hyper and will be back for sure the sunshine? Eerr NO. We go and sit in- very soon with more Cereal Killer lovers! side on the beds! I get comfy on the bed to 8

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

REVIEW

Time for a coffee Jamaica Plantations in Cockfosters

by Dorothy Martinez

For this issue, I decided to review some coffee from a local health food and coffee roaster shop that I’ve recently discovered – the Jamaica Plantations in Cockfosters. I picked five coffees from well known coffee producing locations – Colombia, Java, Brazil, Costa Rica and an Italian Mocha. Compared with the other beans we’ve reviewed over the last few Issues, it’s fair to say that these are perhaps less interesting, but that’s not to suggest they’re not great quality. Once in a while it’s nice just to have a damn fine cup of coffee, without being struck by how little it tastes or smells like coffee and if that’s what you’re after, then these could be for you. We tried all of them as espresso and Americano.

Italian Mocha

Not to be confused with that chocolate/milk/ deeply-mourned-coffee-bean concoction, Italian Mocha is an everyday blend, generally to be taken short. With a ground aroma of rain on gravel and Irish cream, this makes a pleasant, bitter and chocolatey espresso that leaves your mouth feeling smooth and glossy.

Colombian – San Agustin

One of the more exciting coffees this month, when unground this has an aroma of liquorice. As an espresso, it produces an acidic, gravelly flavour, with the bitter liquorice remerging and then giving way to a rich chocolate flavour with almost a pineapBrazilian Santos pley fruitiness to it. As Americano, it’s more Brazilian coffee is fast becoming a favour- chocolatey and less acidic with more of the ite of mine. This is a well rounded and easy fruit tones – less interesting, but still very to drink coffee, though it’s best drunk re- drinkable. ally hot – as soon as it cools beyond a certain point it loses its richness. It has a love- Java ly, slightly acidic chocolatey aroma. As an The Java has an interesting mixed aroma espresso, it smells creamy, with a balanced of spiced orange and milk chocolate. As bitter chocolate taste with a velvety mouth espresso it’s light and refreshing with citrus feel and a creamy aftertaste. As a longer flavours – maybe grapefruit – great for an drink, it’s a smooth balance of creamy and afternoon pick me up. As a longer drink, the bitter flavours with a nice acidity - definitely creamier chocolate flavours come out more, a reliable, everyday coffee. quickly giving way to a sharper, citrus body.

10

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

Costa Rica

This is definitely one for those who like their coffee on the bitter side. The aroma starts with notes of vinegar and merges into bitter chocolate. As an espresso this tastes a lot like actual cacao nibs, with a sharp hint of citrus in the aftertaste. The bitterness really comes out in the Americano, although it softens into rich chocolate in the aftertaste.

While it doesn’t exactly make your nostrils flare, it still may not be for everyone.

REVIEW

Nothing Comes Close to Walthamstow

by Paul Ralhan

Anyone passing a sign for Ravenswood Industrial Estate might expect that it is somewhere your car might end up for repair after a crash, or a place you’d go to pick up a handmade light fitting. Whilst these two suggestions may well be true, the gated enclosure on Shernhall Street - in what some circles have renamed #awesomestow - is also home to a modern British brewer. Walthamstow is the relatively new, fixed abode for Wild Card Brewery.

Leaving their home – and birthplace of once the largest independent brewer in the United Kingdom – three friends embarked on a journey to London; a journey which none of them expected would see them grow, as brewers, to reinvent their home town’s landmark brewery’s tagline of “Not much matches Mansfield”.

Using an emerging trend whereby a brewer pays to use spare capacity at someone else’s brewery (known as cuckoo, or gypsy brewing) the trio of Jaega Wise, Will Harris and Andrew Birkby developed their recipes and reinvested whatever money they could generate from selling the beer they bottled.

they initially used to differentiate between batches, and is now an idea which is very much the brewery theme throughout: Jack of Clubs, Queen of Diamonds, King of Hearts and the Ace of Spades.

“One should always play fairly when one has the winning cards” – Oscar Wilde Combining flavours of biscuit and caramel with cherry and a hint of spicy fruit, the Jack of Clubs is a well balanced ruby ale. Its hue is better appreciated in a fluted and footed glass; a poco grande, perhaps or a goblet.

The malty head of foam slowly subsides into a crown of gold inviting you to take a sip.

That first taste leaves the palate coated with the velvety-smooth creamy taste of malt gently persuading you to savour the moment on a quiet cold night - there is absolutely no need for quaffing with this one!

“I have to be seen to be believed” - Queen Elizabeth II

A useful tip for enjoying beer at its best temperature is to take the ABV (Alcohol by VolSuch is their success, Wild Card beer is inume) and add two. Seven Celsius seems a stantly recognisable; the different bottles distinctly cooler-than-room-temperature are all labelled with a playing card – a trick 12

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

www.cibare.co.uk

Cibare Food Magazine

13

for a chilled beer, and protocol for what even Wild Card describe as an “ostentatious IPA”: the Queen of Diamonds is a portrait of a picture card.

WCB’s very own, resident Dough Bro Pizza providing wood-fired Neapolitan pizza to accompany your birra. There are some interesting neighbours too!

For beginners and novices, another interesting exercise is to smell (as well as taste) the beer, and record those impressions.

Then, look at the tasting notes to compare.

Sometimes the aroma is obvious and often the piquancy is palatable, but if you’re still learning – still training – a little nudge may be needed. With the Queen of Diamonds the aroma of grapefruit may be obvious to most, but lychee may leave some stroking their chin, searching; yet when you do make that association it becomes immediately and patently obvious.

“Double up or quit, double stake or split, The Ace Of Spades” -Motorhead lyrics Fans of London Porter Ales will not be disappointed. At 4.7% ABV it’s a richly smooth, mysteriously dark and utterly drinkable ale.

Entwined between notes of dark chocolate and roasted coffee beans is a subtle twist of plum and vanilla. Relaxing in a warm room in front of an open fire might be the perfect setting to enjoy this classic style of beer where you can fully appreciate the caramel, cocoa and roasted malt aromas. It is traditionally a seasonal beer, but there is nothing stopping you from reaching for this trump card of an ale when you fancy a glass of something darker and richer.

Queen of Diamonds is a ‘continuously hopped’ India Pale Ale which, for something sounding so straight forward, does produce an interestingly complex formation of flavours. Keeping within the tropical theme, nectarine is another one for the discerning palate. By the third sip you should be picking All in all, Wild Card Brewery could well up a slight bitter – or citrus - snap to what is adapt Mansfield’s tagline to read “Not much matches Walthamstow”. quite an unmistakable caramel finish.

When the sun is shining and the weather is sweet, move your dancing feet towards the rainbow of apricot, gooseberry, lychee, papaya and peach which crowns the King of Hearts. It’s a bombshell of a blonde, and a real lager-like beer perfect for the outdoors in the warmer weather. One place to enjoy the company of The King for a fuller experience would be in his own domain at the Wild Card Brewery Taproom in the aforementioned manor of Walthamstow; a place not short of pleasant surprises: live music and 14

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

PICTURE CREDITS: Paul Ralhan

“He played the king as if afraid someone else would play the ace.”

- John Mason Brown

www.cibare.co.uk

Cibare Food Magazine

15

REVIEW

Cocktails The Alchemist

by Andy Tudor

“Hey there, I’m Cassie, what can I get ya?”

Restaurant located in Bevis Marks exudes a modern brasserie feel with its brushed cop“Evenin’ Dave, the usual?” per and slate aesthetic whilst also referencing its roots with symbology, inscriptions “Norrrmmmm!” [cue “Cheers” TV intro] and diagrams befitting of Dr Jekyll’s murderous notebook. It’s a pretty slick place baThe rapport you have with a regular, friend- sically with a kind of super-minimalist stely bartender who knows your tastes and ex- ampunk vibe comprising of a ground-floor pands and experiments with your drinking bar area, mezzanine dining area, and funky palette is somewhat of a niche nowadays. outside smokers’ quarter at the back.

Cocktails by their nature take longer to serve than your average spirit mixer, bottled beer, or pint of cider. And since you’re usually ordering them for both yourself and your friends, there’s a need for brevity by the staff behind the bar in order to ensure everyone else gets served without excessive waiting.

Keeping with the Jack the Ripper era, we’re invited to a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party where a made-on-the-premises cauldron of cocktail base is then infused via Bunsen burner and vials into a beautifully-scented and fascinating-to-watch showcase of hocus pocus.

For those who remember A-level Chemistry, we’re using a form of fractional distillation Hence, rapid pouring, violent shaking, inap- here right there on the bar in front of you as propriate quantities of ice, and a haphazard you watch the process unfold. To bystandsquirt of Coke or tonic water from the gun. ers near you, they’re watching Dynamo at work, eager to get one themselves.

So meet Shane. He’s a Mancunian bartender who’s been brought down to the recent- And that’s the difference here - making a ly-opened Alchemist bar near London’s cocktail is an art form. And it’s one that’s Liverpool Street to teach the staff there the respected at The Alchemist as we wait pafine art of 1) brewing some of the most sultry tiently and intently at this smoking, bubbling cocktails you’ll ever try, and 2) listen to their lab set in front of us. It’s a piece of theatre. customers and make them bespoke drinks Once ready, we then imbibe delicately giving that fit and expand their tastes. the moment an appropriate level of courteTaking inspiration from the apothecaries sy. of Victorian England, The Alchemist Bar & 16

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

http://thealchemist.uk.com/bevis-marks

To say it was worth the wait is an understatement. Presented in tea cups, this warm (and smoking!) mixture of vodka (my favourite - Ketel One), elderflower, fresh fruit and Cointreau along with water (yes, water) as a mixer is completely unique (how many of you have had a warm cocktail ever? Let alone one you drink with your pinky standing to attention on the edge of a porcelain cup!).

It’s refreshing yet warming, clean yet heady, and draws the attention of those around the bar. An experience you won’t forget!

Finally, after getting to know Shane some more, and after the liquor and spectacle of it all started to go to our heads, we asked him to make something of his own preference and he pointed us to a Screwball - his own personal addition to the menu and the best-seller at this London establishment, close behind the party-favourite Strawberry Daiquiri. Designed to bring back childhood memories, it’s a bubblegum/raspberry/vodka/lime blend with white chocolate foam.

Sweet, childish, kitsch and fun. The perfect end to our introduction to this new hit locaHaving then spoken to Shane our bartend- tion. er and conversed about my predilection for whisky-based drinks he proceeded to make Except it wasn’t - because after all that drink, a Smokey Old Fashioned. Why ‘smokey’? a spot of food was sorely needed and I’m Because once again, fire was involved in the pleased to say The Alchemist excelled there making of it with woodchips being sparked too with a fantastic blend of Greek (houup to further infuse the traditional mixture mous, baby calamari), American (corn dogs, of Woodford Reserve, maple syrup and bit- chicken wings), British (pork crackling, fish ters into an absolutely perfect concoction. & chips), Thai (fish cakes, satay salmon), Served with an ice ball (stones are impracti- Mexican (nachos, fajitas) and Japanese (bok cal for a public bar setting and ice is - as you choi, ramen) all presented timely, well-proshould know - terrible) it’s the more-ish, portioned and fresh. slow-trickling outdoor-barbecue-scented answer to my dark spirit craving.

The key aspect to take away therefore is ‘personal service’. The one-to-one with the barWith the intention of broadening my light tender, the time taken over your order and spirit horizons, a Lady Marmalade was then the choice menu selection. It’s the equivacooked up. More boiling, more niche ingre- lent of Saville Row compared to Top Man. dients (like Belsazar Red vermouth and bergamot flavour drops), and this time a pouring Located near to Liverpool Street, and thereof dry ice over the entire thing resulting in fore in a prime location for a great night out, I a bona fide witch’s brew of marmalade-fla- therefore highly recommend The Alchemist, voured vodka (gorgeous in its own right) and either stopping off there before heading out lemon zing - fantastic and certainly very to a club, or ending up there and utilising akin to the Caipirinhas I tend to go for on the time to expand your mind (and your eyethe light side. balls) at the magic on show.

18

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

FEATURE

Dining Al Fresco?

by Gemma Speakman

1 Amante Voted for the last three years by the influential people over at White Ibiza as the best beach restaurant, Amante is a beach club and restaurant on the east coast of the island. Perched up high on a cliff and housed within a nature reserve, the views of the coast are as good as they get. Contemporary Spanish and Italian dishes aplenty with simple fresh fish and meat cooked in the Josper oven grill. www.amanteibiza.com 20

2 Cotton Beach Club Dressed in all-white cotton and housed dramatically on a steep cliff side with jaw-dropping views on Ibiza’s southwest coast. Overlook your own private sand beach as you sample fish so fresh it’s almost still moving alongside local produce or try their ‘Oriental Fusion’ offering for delicacies such as blue tuna. www.cottonbeachclub.com 3 El Chiringuito With white padded oversized beds where you can stay ALL day and a beautiful white and wood interior under traditional white washed stone, El Chiringuito is a true beach oasis. Serving wonderful staples (fresh seafood, burgers, spaghettis) with the best sangria in town it is very difficult to leave this place. Watch out for the mobile oyster man to fill the gaps in between courses and cocktails. www.elchiringuitoibiza.com 4 Experimental Beach club Watch the planes full of revellers as they land from the comfort of this oversized deck perched on the infamous Ibizan salt plains.

A wonderful place for sundowners and once the sun has dipped, a wide and versatile menu to suit most tastes. Plus a beautiful boutique on site where you can devour the best of the isle’s crafts and fashions. www. eccbeach.com

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

PICTURE CREDITS: Cotton Magazine and El Chiringuito Camas II

How does the food taste if you’re surrounded by the great outdoors? The experience of dining outside is at the outset utterly desirable and maybe even overly romanticised depending on where you are. The reality in London can often be quite different - flying pests, unexpected gusts of wind, a wonky pub table, traffic, chugs of black diesel as you open your mouth etc. But I don’t doubt that all of us have some memory of a wonderful meal consumed outdoors. Stripped back with almost no interior decoration required other than Mother Earth. For me, the ultimate al fresco is Ibiza - sandy, salty with a long lunch that later turns into sundowners then dinner. So if you find yourself away from the stove and instead are transported to Europe’s hedonistic white isle any time soon, don’t miss these five extraordinary eateries.

5 Bambuddha Revamped some years back this is one of Ibiza’s stalwarts, founded back in the nineties. It’s Goa meets Ibiza complete with a bamboo canopy for a wonderful sheltered al fresco experience. The food is excellent and the cocktails and raucous after party mean you won’t have to move until you are literally kicked out at dawn. www.bambuddha.com Gemma Speakman http://happyinyourownskin.co.uk

FOOD

Snacks Strawberries dipped in dark chocolate.

22

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

Peanut butter sandwiched between two slices of banana and covered in dark chocolate. Healthy and delicious.

HEALTH AND NUTRITION

Healthy Summer

by Anne Iarchy

Woohoo, the warmer weather is here, and hopefully we’ll have a summer full of sunshine. But as long as it’s dry and not too cold, I know quite a lot of us will be enjoying some yummie BBQs at the weekends or even midweek.

Quite a few people seem to think that having a BBQ is unhealthy. Although eating a lot of red meat is not advisable, eating grilled meat or fish is super healthy. You might be marinating the meat overnight, but once on the grill, most of the fat is burned off anyway.

Chicken and fish are obviously your first healthy choice, with some steak and lamb chops in moderation. Grilled vegetables to go with it, and some lovely salads will only complete the whole meal nicely. Add to that some watermelon on a mixed berry fruit salad as dessert and you have a fabulously healthy meal.

The problem comes generally when you are hungry at arrival and then eat all the crisps, salted nuts, and other snacks to start with, and end the meal with grilled marshmellows and ice cream. Oh, and did I mention the wine, beer, pimms and bubbly? This is the opportunity to prepare some lovely flavoured water to drink cold. Overnight, fill a few jugs of water, and in each jug add some chopped up fresh fruit.

Some great combinations are: 24

Strawberries; strawberries and kiwi; fresh mint; lemon, orange and lime; raspberry and lime; watermelon and rosemary; pineapple and mint; lemon, cucumber and mint.

The choices and combinations are endless.

You can choose to just pop the fruit in the water, or mash a little bit of the fruits, stir and then add some more for extra flavour.

(BTW, this is also a great tip for if you struggle to drink enough water. It’s flavoured water without all the calories of commercial flavoured water.)

But even if you do have some dessert or a glass of alcohol, a little treat is important to have once in a while, it’s your opportunity to burn it all off with some fun games suitable for adults and children alike. Having a BBQ is a great way to be active as a whole group whith some outdoors activities.

Here are some fun games you can play that will get that heart rate up, and get your metabolism going. Play some before starting your meal, and you will burn even more of the calories ingested due to heightened metabolism.

Remember those fun games from school sports day from the olden days? They can be so much fun playing with family and friends.

Here are a few with some rules refreshers for you to try:

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

Egg & Spoon Race: Set a start and finish line.

Participants must balance an egg upon a spoon and race with it from the start line to the finishing line.

The person finishing first is the winner.

Sack Race: Set a start and finish line.

Each participant will put both feet into a large sack, or even an old duvet cover that reaches their waist or higher and jump forward from the starting point to the finish line.

The first person to cross the finish line is the winner.

3 Legged Race: Set a start and finish line.

This race involves two participants attempting to complete a short sprint wiith the left leg of one runner strapped to the right leg of another runner.

The pair has to run together without falling over and get first to the finish line to win the race.

Frog Race: Set a start and finish line.

Squat down and put your hands between your feet. Bring your hands forward, and jump up bringing your feet by your hands again, like a frog jumps.

The person finishing first is the winner.

If your garden is too small to have everyone racing at the same time, you can time each person or pair. The one finishing in the fastest time will be declared winner.

These games are great at getting your heart rate pumping. Although I might not want to say this, but after a few drinks, this can be come super hilarious.

Have a fabulous summer, and enjoy some outdoors fun while eating a healthy BBQ.

http://www.barnetpersonaltrainer.co.uk

FOOD

BBQ’s

Meal for the season

Our heritage, our right to make fire and cook, not burn our food.

When you do it right and let that fire die down and turn into a glorious smoke to tenderly, smoke your burgers, bangers and blessed kebabs and steaks it can make your food taste amazing. For me it’s the only way to cook in the summer and we have been known to do it in the rain in the garage and in the snow too. What the hell, it’s just so good. For added aroma around the BBQ why not add some of your favourite herbs to the flame. My fave is rosemary, which smells particularly amazing when you’re cooking things like lamb kebabs or steaks, but sage and thyme are wonderful too and really add a great taste to your meat as well as making the whole garden or terrace smell just amazing. Add a cocktail or a beer and you have a party. Here are some of our ideas for your BBQ.

Simple Greek Kebabs Marinade Enough pieces meat to feed four people either lamb or pork is best Enough good quality olive oil to cover the meat - this should be around 4 tablespoons 3 or 4 tablespoons of dried oregano 2 tablespoons of dried parsley Half a teaspoon of garlic salt Half a teaspoon of onion salt Salt and pepper to season

to make a marinade and leave to the meat to marinate for as long as you can. Preferably a couple of hours.

Then thread the meat onto your skewers and BBQ till they’re cooked through. Grab some pitta bread that you have also warmed up on the BBQ and fill with your meat and anything else that you fancy too.

Mediterranean Skewers Marinade: 1kg of either diced chicken, pork or lamb 4 tablespoons of natural Greek yoghurt 1 crushed clove of garlic Juice of half a lemon Pinch of dried oregano Pinch of smoked paprika Drop of olive oil 1 large red onion, peeled and cut into chunks 1 pack of button mushrooms 1 aubergine, cut into chunks 1 red bell pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks 1 courgette, sliced

Combine ingredients and marinate the chicken pieces for at least two hours in the fridge.

Skewer the chicken alternately with the onions & Mediterranean vegetables.

Grill or BBQ the skewers for 20 minutes, turning occasionally so they don’t catch the Mix the olive oil, herbs and seasonings well heat. Perfect for al fresco eating!

FOOD

Chorizo Burgers Meal for the season- part 2

by Emma Walton

The humble beef burger is often seen as an American classic. We expect the beef to be the star of the show, seasoned well and sandwiched between two toasted buns, perhaps with the addition of a slice of cheese and some bacon if you’re pushing the boat out. But not all burgers have to be this way!

As burgers get a makeover in restaurants across London, I’m going to share with you a burger recipe with a Spanish twist that can be chucked on your BBQ at home and will absolutely blow your mind. Forget what you thought you knew about burgers and come with me.

As much as I love beef burgers it’s always exciting when someone brings something fun and original to add to the barbeque. But for starters, this burger recipe doesn’t even involve beef. That’s right. There’s not a cow in sight! Instead, this burger is made from pork mince. For best results I recommend grabbing a shoulder of pork from your local butchers and mincing it yourself. If that sounds too much like hard work, the supermarket stuff will do.

To give this burger a real summery vibe it’s flavoured with the herbs and spices found in a classic Spanish chorizo sausage. There’s plenty of smoky paprika, garlic and cumin, 28

among others. While the meat rests you’ll see the mince begin to take on that classic red hue which we all associate with the spicy sausage. When your friends and family smell this burger cooking they’ll instantly be transported back to their holidays in the sun.

In terms of prep - you may be tempted to think the bigger the better but because we’re cooking with pork mince you can’t risk having the centre undercooked and pink. Form your burger patties so that they are no more than 2cm thick (just short of an inch) and roughly 8cm in diameter (about 3 inches). A quick grilling on the BBQ will do the trick.

Don’t be tempted to squash them into the grill or all of the juice will be forced out and you’ll be left with a dry burger. Leave them to do their thing and only flip once they have a good char and come away from the grill easily. There’s also no need to keep flipping!

One flip in the middle of cooking is plenty otherwise you risk the burger patty falling apart. Less is more with this one.

How you top your burger is up to you. I love to serve with slices of Manchego cheese, lime mayo or even avocado slices. Some wild rocket in the bun also helps you to convince yourself you’re eating healthily!

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

well until the ingredients are well distributed throughout the pork mince. Place the Makes 8 mix into the fridge for at least half an hour to rest.

Ingredients; Next, form the mince mix into 8 burger pat1kg pork mince ties roughly 2 cm thick and 8cm in diameter.

1/2 cup cold white wine Push your thumb into the centre of the pat3 tsp paprika ty making a slight indentation (this will stop 1.5 tsp salt the burgers contracting and losing shape).

2 tsp garlic cloves (crushed) Place them on to greaseproof paper and rest 1.5 tsp cayenne in the fridge for a further half an hour.

0.5 tsp cumin When the barbeque is nice and hot, turn 0.5 tsp dried oregano the burgers out on to the grill. Cook for 5-8 Pinch ground black pepper minutes on either side until the outside is crisp and the mince is piping hot and cooked Method In a large bowl, mix together the mince with in the centre. the herbs, spices and white wine. Using Serve in a toasted bun with your favourite your hands, mix the ingredients together toppings. http://supperinthesuburbs.wordpress.com

Chorizo Burgers

www.cibare.co.uk

Cibare Food Magazine

29

FOOD

The Vegan BBQ Meal for the season- part 3

by Elyse Quail

If you love your BBQs and burgers but feel as though you are always missing out when you go to a friend’s party because you’re a Vegan? Here are a couple of recipes that you can make to eat the food you love whilst making everyone else wish that they were having what you’re having!

Vegan Black-Bean Veggie Burgers

2 tbsp olive oil 1/2 cup diced red onion 1/2 cup diced bell pepper 1 clove garlic, minced 1 jalapeño, minced 2 cups black beans 1/2 cup corn Creamy Dill Potato Salad 1/2 cup breadcrumbs 1/2 tsp cumin 3 lbs large potatoes, peeled Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to 2 tbsp chopped coriander 1 tsp salt taste 1/2 cup flour 2 celery stalks, finely diced 1 cup vegan mayonnaise In 1 tbsp oil, sauté the onions, peppers, jal1 small red onion, finely chopped apeño and garlic in a small frying pan for 3 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill to 5 minutes. Remove from heat. In a mixing 1-1/2 tbsp cider vinegar bowl, mash the black beans before adding 1 tbsp lemon juice sautéed vegetables, corn, cumin, coriander, 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard salt, pepper and breadcrumbs. Mix well beCut potatoes into small 1-inch cubes before fore shaping into 6 patties. Coat each patboiling until cooked. While the potatoes are ty in flour before frying over medium heat cooking, whisk together the remaining in- in the remaining tbsp of oil. Cook for 5 to 6 gredients to create the dressing. Rinse and minutes on each side, or until brown. strain potatoes and allow to cool before tossing in the dressing until evenly coated.

30

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

www.cibare.co.uk

Cibare Food Magazine

31

FOOD

Tandoor Or Not To Tandoor Meal for the season

by Monica Ralhan

As far back as I can remember, Tandoori Chicken was – and still remains - my favourite spicy chicken dish.

I remember feeling the excitement of hearing the sizzle as the oven door was almost ceremonially opened, and the fragrant aroma wafted through the house as it filled every room. ‘Mum, is it ready?’ the only words coming from my salivating mouth.

Just like both my parents, Tandoori Chicken originated in Punjab, and made its way to England. It has become a firm favourite in British curry culture. The fame of Tandoori Chicken led to many derivatives, such as Chicken Tikka, and eventually the Indian dish made popular by the British: Chicken Tikka Massala. The chicken was traditionally cooked in a very hot cylindrical clay oven, heated with either charcoal or wood, which gave it that unmistakable smoky, char grilled taste.

Ingredients

10 skinned chicken thighs 10 skinned chicken drumsticks Juice of two limes 100g of plain yoghurt 2 tablespoons of garlic purée 1 tablespoon of ginger purée 1 tablespoon of ground cumin 1 tablespoon of ground coriander 1 teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon smoked paprika I do not possess a clay oven at home howev- 1 teaspoon of whole cumin seeds er, the good news is Tandoori Chicken is just Freshly ground black pepper to taste as delicious cooked in a modern day oven or 1 teaspoon of sea salt even better on a barbeque in the comfort of 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil 2 green chillies finely chopped your back garden.

32

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

30g of fresh coriander leaves finely chopped ter over the chicken, each time you turn it.

Red or orange food colouring (optional) Cook through until the edges are blackened 2 tablespoons of melted butter (optional) and the chicken falls apart easily.

5. If cooking on a barbeque, heat until you can hold your hand two inches above the Method 1. In a mixing bowl combine all of the ingre- grill without it being unbearably hot. Again, dients (only half of the fresh coriander) until cook through until the edges are blackened and the chicken falls apart easily. you have a smooth thick marinade.

2. Using a sharp knife make three slits in 6. Dress the cooked chicken with the reeach piece of chicken, against the grain of maining coriander and squeeze some fresh lime juice over it. Delicious! the meat.

3. Place the chicken in the marinade and refrigerate for 24 hours – the longer the better.

4. If cooking in the oven preheat at the highest temperature for ten minutes and then reduce temperature to 200ÂşC before placing the chicken inside. Cook for approximately 50 minutes, turning at intervals. Spoon the juices in the oven tray and the melted but-

www.cibare.co.uk

Cibare Food Magazine

33

SALADS FOOD

Too hot for a hot meal?

Here are some great salad ideas to eat alone or with a BBQ.

Everything Salad, Greek Potato Salad and Mediterranean Skewers

34

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

No Cook Goumet Italian-inspired juice, as the salad inevitably forms its own liquid.

Summer Salad

By Dani Gavriel

Everything Salad

Ingredients: 2 ripe avocados, sliced.

1 jar of sun-dried tomatoes.

1 jar of pitted green olives.

1 packet of rocket leaves.

1 sliced cucumber.

3 balls of mozzarella cheese.

Half a red cabbage cut as best as you can.

1 Large Carrot, peeled with a flat peeler and just keep on going till you can’t hold it. (Gives it a flat Inspiralized effect.)

1 Fennel cut into slices.

A large handful of sliced radishes.

2 celery sticks chopped.

Layer the ingredients on top of the bed of The juice of half a lemon. rocket leaves and serve drizzled with olive Good glug of oilve oil. oil and a little freshly ground rock salt and Season nicely with pink Himalayan salt and pepper. black pepper.

Rainbow Chopped Salad

By Gillian Balcombe

Water Melon

Ingredients: 1 yellow or orange pepper, stalk removed and deseeded.

4 to 5 vine tomatoes.

Half a large cucumber.

Half a medium to large red onion.

The juice of one very juicy lime.

A glug of good quality extra virgin olive oil Salt and garlic pepper to taste (Barts is a good brand to use).

1 small red chilli, stalk removed and deseeded (optional).

1 tablespoon of frozen chopped coriander (optional).

Cut as best as you can, as much water melon as you want for your bowl.

Use half or a whole feta cheese packet.

A good sprinkling of fresh mint.

Season with pepper (you don’t need salt as the feta cheese is salty enough.)

Greek Potato Salad

Peel 3 or 4 large Cyprus potatoes cut into smaller pieces and boil. This should take about 20-30 minutes depending on their size, until them are going soft. Then drain and allow to cool. Once cooled take a large handful of fresh coriander and chop as fine as you like and add to the potatoes. A very Method: Chop the pepper, tomatoes, cucumber and good glug of olive oil, add about half the red onion into small, neat dice and combine juice of a lemon and season well. in a serving bowl.

If using the red chilli, chop it finely, add it to the mix and stir in well.

If using the coriander, add it to the mix and stir in well.

Add the olive oil and lime juice, season to taste. Don’t be tempted to add more lime www.cibare.co.uk

Cibare Food Magazine

35

Water Melon Salad

Rainbow Chopped Salad

36

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

No Cook Gourmet Italian-inspired Summer Salad

Everything Salad

www.cibare.co.uk

Cibare Food Magazine

37

FEATURE

Greek Rainbow Salad

by Theo Michaels

Ingredients The Salad Part:

Method:

In a bowl carefully place all the salad ingredients including the liquids and gently mix with your hands taking care not to break up all the tomatoes.

Lift out the salad letting any excess liquid drain away, then place neatly on a plate.

Layer the grilled halloumi over the top and garnish with a scattering of pomegranate seeds and the fresh mint.

Goes well with sunshine, laughter and a cold bottle of white wine!

The Garnish:

2 or 3 slices of Halloumi cheese, rubbed with olive oil, griddled for 1 minute each side and sliced 1 tablespoon of pomegranate seeds 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh mint

38

www.theocooks.com

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

PICTURE CREDITS: Theo Michaels

3 ripe red tomatoes (sliced 1cm thick) 3 ripe yellow tomatoes (sliced 1cm thick) If you can get other colours of tomatoes the more the merrier! ½ red onion (sliced as thinly as possible) 1 tablespoon of dried oregano Juice of half a lemon 2 tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar Few glugs of extra virgin olive oil Seasoning

www.cibare.co.uk

Cibare Food Magazine

39

FOOD

Moo Nam Tok (BBQ Pork Salad)

by Ying Bower

2 to 3 pork steaks 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds Pinch of salt 1 teaspoon of black pepper 3 garlic cloves 2 tablespoons of Soy sauce 1 tablespoon of honey Small bunch of mint Coriander 3 Shallots or 1 Onion 1-1/2 tablespoons of fish sauce 1 teaspoon of chilli powder 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice 2 tablespoons of toasted rice powder

the soy sauce and honey together well, then grind the coriander seeds, salt, black pepper and garlic in pestle and mortar. Add the soy sauce and honey to the dry ingredients, combine them well and marinate the pork steaks with the mixture for about 30 minutes.

While waiting for the pork to marinade, slice the shallot or onion, coriander and mint together and leave it to the side.

Grill the pork until it’s cooked then cut it into thin slices and put it into a mixing bowl.

Follow with the herbs and onions that you’ve prepared earlier, then add the chilli powStart by making the rice powder. Put the pan der, rice powder, fish sauce and lime juice. on high heat, add half a cup of raw rice to Mix everything together well and then enjoy the pan and toast it until it turns light brown your meal. in colour. Take the rice off the heat, leave it to cool down for five minutes and when it’s This dish is very popular in Thailand. We cool blend it to a powder. You should end up usually eat it with sticky rice and lots of with around two to three tablespoons of the fresh herbs and vegetables, such as lettuce, cucumber, cabbage, coriander and mint leaf. powder.

But you can eat with any type of rice or vegTo make the marinade for the pork, mix etables that you choose.

40

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

PICTURE CREDITS: Philip Bower Modenough

Ingredients

HEALTH AND NUTRITION

Tasty Raw Food

Super Summer Salads

By Alison Matthews

add a little olive oil and balsamic. Sprinkle with flaked almonds.

Cauliflower, Olive and Sundried Tomato Salad • ½ cauliflower • Half cup of olives • Half cup of sundried tomatoes • ½ red onion

Separate the cauliflower into florets, halve Here are some combinations you may not the olives, chop the sundried tomatoes and have thought of. red onion. Mix together. I generally eat this without dressing and combine with another Mango, Grape and Avocado Salad salad.

• 1 mango • 1 avocado Banana, Avocado and Spinach Salad • Small bunch of grapes • 1 banana • Spring onions • 1 avocado • Handful of salad leaves – any kind • 2 handfuls of spinach • Handful of spinach • Half cup of strawberries or • Flaked almonds raspberries • Flaked almonds Chop the mango, avocado, grapes and spring onions and toss with the salad and spinach Chop the banana, avocado and strawberleaves. You may not need dressing on this as ries. Leave raspberries whole. Lay spinach the sweetness of the mango and grapes gives leaves on a plate or in a bowl and add the this a lovely flavour. Alternatively you could other ingredients. Sprinkle a little olive oil 42

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

PICTURE CREDITS: Alison Matthews

Summer is, of course, the easiest time to eat raw. In the beautiful sunshine, yes, we do sometimes have lovely sunshine in the UK, we usually prefer to eat lighter bites and a lot less heavy food. Salad doesn’t have to be boring – it’s not all about lettuce, cucumber and tomato. Try mixing together salad, with veg and fruit for some tasty combinations.

I’ve added one ‘wild card’ which may not appeal to everyone but I love it!

over the salad. You might think this one is a bit unusual but give it a try – it’s a really simple mixture of flavours which you can put together in minutes.

Carrot and Celeriac Slaw • 1 large carrot • Large piece of celeriac or white cabbage Grate the carrot and celeriac - you want half and half.

• • • • • •

1 tablespoon of tahini 1 tablespoon of lemon juice 3 tablespoons of olive oil ¼ teaspoon of mustard 1 x teaspoon of runny honey or agave Salt to taste

Mix ingredients in a blender and add more olive oil if required, so the liquid is thick, but runny.

Add the dressing to the carrot and celeriac (or cabbage) and mix together. http://www.rawconfidence.com

HEALTH AND NUTRITION

The Herbalist Hawthorn

by Jo Farren

During the Merry Month of May I watched in awe as these beautiful plants bloomed. I became very aware of how many hawthorns exist in the British countryside. These amazing plants are found pretty much everywhere when you start to look; they make incredible hedgerows and majestic trees.

There are several species of this plant: Crataegus oxycanthoids, laevigata or monogyna are the most common and widely used.

These delicate, beautiful flowers are much more than they seem: hawthorn flowers are a traditional herbal remedy for the heart and we also use the fruit, which you’ll find on the branches towards the end of the year. My favourite tincture is a combination of both the flowers and the berries rather than using one or the other, as I find the slightly dif44

ferent properties of the individual extracts useful but ultimately a combination of both gives the best of both worlds.

Hawthorn is one of the oldest traditional remedies for the cardiovascular system: it is beneficial for any cardio condition as it has many useful properties. It improves the integrity of capillaries and vessel walls, strengthens the heart muscle and improves oxygen uptake and utilisation by the heart.

Not to mention that it is one of the nicer tasting tinctures. The fruit (or haws) are full of flavonoids, little compounds which are part of the antioxidant family and are responsible for its action on the blood vessels. Haws are a berry in reality, so they share similar properties as superfoods like blueberries super healthy!

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

When I see a patient who has cardiovascular symptoms, hawthorn is one of the first herbs that I think of. Its versatility for any condition means that it is a really integral part of my dispensary because it helps the heart to work more efficiently and improves the overall condition of the cardiovascular system. Whether someone comes to me with high blood pressure, low blood pressure or palpitations, hawthorn is always something that I consider. Of course, there is more to my prescription and depending on the individual there will be other herbs involved which will help them and their very specific needs and symptoms as well as getting to work on the underlying cause.

The beautiful thing about hawthorn is that it is so enormously abundant in the UK and completely native; I am discovering more and more the wonderfully effective plants that we have in our back gardens and that are available for us to go out and pick, harvest, and make teas, tinctures and jams...

PICTURE CREDITS: Jo Farren

Now, you can go and harvest the haws and either eat as a berry or make into a jam, but they are not the easiest thing in the world to harvest! As the name suggests, there is a thorn involved in the process, which makes it far more tricky. I would personally stick to the blueberries and see a herbalist for your cardiovascular needs... If you’re up for a challenge, then try harvesting your haws and going for a jam. But we can see how you feel about that later in the year. http://www.jmherbalist.co.uk

www.cibare.co.uk

Cibare Food Magazine

45

HEALTH AND NUTRITION

Summer Time Fun Health Edition

by Thomas Bisson

In our everyday lives, we make decisions that either help or hinder us in the future.

Summer is upon us, and in all the heat and sunshine it can be easier than ever to make decisions that hinder rather than help. With all the great deals on patio happy hours, weekend barbecues, and the ice cream truck circling the block, many of you may be having trouble resisting temptation. If you’re trying to keep it healthy this summer, without killing your social life or happiness, here are some tips to help you stay on track.

Keep Healthy Alternatives at Home

You can still enjoy a summery drink or a frozen treat in the summer time - but making your own at home can seriously cut down on excess sugar and calories. Mix some frozen fruit with sparkling water and a pinch of Stevia for a healthy spritzer in the sun. If you’re after a frozen drink, fresh fruit and crushed ice will do the trick. Stay away from sugary coolers and ciders and reach for a gin and tonic or a vodka and lemon water instead. When the ice cream truck comes around, reach into the freezer for some frozen banana slices or grapes. These healthier alternatives will take less time to make than it would to order on a pub patio, so get creative and enjoy your homemade treats when you want to indulge.

46

Bring Snacks on the Go

If you know you’re going to be out for the day, pack some fresh fruit or a bag of nuts.

You’re bound to get hungry, and being prepared with healthy snacks will keep you from stopping at a street food stand later on. If you’re craving something, try eating one of your snacks first. Chances are after you’ve finished off some nuts or an apple, you actually won’t be as hungry and you’ll be able to hold off until you’re home. It’s also smart to bring a bottle of water with you on the go, to keep you from indulging in a calorie-laden iced coffee or similar concoction.

Learn to Listen to Your Body

Pay attention to how you’re feeling. Are you actually hungry, or are you about to indulge in something simply because it’s tasty and available? It’s important to remember that the food isn’t actually going anywhere. You can have ice-cream any day. Chicken wings are not about to disappear off the face of the earth. If you’re striving towards a goal with your eating habits, it may be helpful to remind yourself that just because it’s in front of you, doesn’t mean it has to be eaten. If you aren’t actually hungry, don’t eat!

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

Indulge in Moderation

PICTURE CREDITS: Lucie Lang

It’s okay to live in the moment and enjoy the summer break. If you’re feeling really strongly about indulging in something unhealthy, portion control is key. Can you order the kiddie-sized ice cream cone? How about having just one daiquiri and sticking to water for the remainder of the night? Fill your plate with veggies and salads at the bbq and top it with a wing or two, rather than filling your plate with meat. Making small, mindful changes to your portion size will help you stay healthy and in control this summer.

Studies have proven that a healthy, positive mindset is fuelled by feeding your body with healthy foods. So, keep those healthy alternatives and snacks available. Pay attention to how you’re feeling, and when you do want to treat yourself, take a smaller portion to avoid over doing it. Keeping these tips in mind will not only keep you on track with your diet, but they’ll keep you feeling sunnier throughout the summer, even if you’re caught in the English rain! http://www.supergene.co.uk/

www.cibare.co.uk

Cibare Food Magazine

47

REVIEW

Matcha

by The EditorEditor

So we seem to have gone completely crazy over green. Green tea, green lattes, green ice creams, green cakes!! We are Matcha mad and boy we love this stuff.

We have discovered the health benefits of green tea and taken it to its admitted next level. Its Japanese heritage of sourcing it’s finest form of green tea, which some how a chef or genius (or both) has realised that we just don’t have enough things that taste like green tea and has added it to everything, and the food industry has gone wild for it! But are we are certainly paying for it too!

A small tin of Matcha cost me £26. What was I going to do with it? I just wanted a nice cup of tea or a latte, but although I understand that I honestly only need a tiny bit for every cup and it would last forever I hesitated to buy any for this article for months as it is rather a lot of money for your average person to fork out on tea.

With my tin of Matcha I bought a carton of Vivid, a matcha tea drink for about £1.50 and I’ve got to say that it revived my taste buds for the Green tea experience that I was about to have. It’s light and although green tea is dry, it was thirst quenchingly good.

agined adding vodka, but that was beside the point. I added a tiny bit of powder to my cup and some nice hot water. It was just as is imagined. Green tea but better.

It does say in the booklet that if there is powder left that I should just add more water so as not to loose any goodness, and I like that idea if not wasting it. So I did as I was told but where do I go from here.

Where did this idea come from? The great Wikipedia tells us that the method of making powdered teas goes as far back as 9601279. These aren’t random numbers, these are years!! Yes, that far back, but the way it’s prepared is exactly the same now as it was then. Taking the powdered tea and hot water in a bowl and whipping them together to create the drink. But both the preparation and how you drink your tea is derived by Zen Buddhists.

I wanted the best cup of green tea that I can get and a traditional experience. What now? I’ll have to make a latte. Have it cold with ice in a Masons jar for sure. I quite fancy the idea of making ice cream with it too.

The Japanese have been using it for years as So I opened my tin after reading my little a way of colouring their food too but I really booklet. I had no idea I could or should have enjoy the taste so I’d like to actually taste it. a shot of Matcha. It was amusing and I im- The reason I’m suddenly thinking of out of 48

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

my coolness league ways to consume the lovely Matcha, is because I have 30 days to consume this tiny tin, that I only need weeny amounts of powder to do anything with. I don’t really drink green tea every day, I guess I do now! Ha! Then I’ll be really hooked! Oh well I will just have to think of the amazing things that it’s doing for my body with all the antioxidants in there.

I will need to try and change my coffee regime which I’m quite dedicated to but maybe I can just add to. Good thing I love green.

www.cibare.co.uk

Cibare Food Magazine

49

REVIEW

Coyo

by The Editor

If you aren’t eating or drinking green tea then you are either having an avocado or drinking coconut water. And with that the ultimate obsession. Anything and everything coconut. With that we come to the vegan heaven of coconut yoghurt Coyo!

doing this and I in heaven. To me this is guilt free joy! Coconut creamy delights with fruit too #NOM!!! Now I understand the obsession that everyone is losing their minds over.

It’s the guiltless eating. Even the Paleo posse is giving in to the Coyo because it’s made of coconut and thats a great backing for me.

I’ve been looking for this in my area for a The fact that its simply sugar free and low in while now and when it was finally announced calories just tops up my fill my face need. by a friend on Facebook that they had it in our local health food shop Gaia, I was down So give it a go. If you want to eat well and there straight away to their fridge for a sam- you are trying to lay off those horrible things ple. Although I bought a couple of differ- we seemed to be pumping into our food then ent flavours everyone goes on and on about this is a lovely snack. With some fruit or Chia the chocolate one, and seeing as everyone seeds maybe it’s a great treat without the thinks it’s amazing I figure I’d better buy two naughtiness. Bit expensive for a yogurt but of these! Just in case. worth it for a healthy snack or breakfast.

Now taking into consideration that I’m not vegan and not exactly sugar free it’s taste is one to get used to. I don’t get the chocolate obsession although I can really taste that coconut which is great. A friend told me to add some dark chocolate to it and that will make it even better and I’ll admit that worked for me but I think that might be cheating.

Next I figure if I should try the one with mixed berries as I’m more of a fruity girl and that tastes to me much nicer. I even prefer the yogurt alone just natural flavour, but I add some fresh fruit to it too as I see everyone 50

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

FEATURE

Aesthetics To Dine For

by Gemma Speakman

Ok, so Connie Viney might be an extreme example of edible art but ask any chef about food placement as they serve up and they’ll tell you it’s integral to the diner’s enjoyment of the dish and moreover imperative to them as the creator that the dish leaves the kitchen looking good.

Let’s be honest, food slopped on a plate is an instant turn off. Because it touches deeper than aesthetics - it’s a body language thing attached to a mind thing and a whole lot of energy and vibe to boot. If someone slops food on a plate (and the stereotype is that it happens in jail or if you were a kid in the 80’s having school dinners), it reeks of nothing other than the disher-upper really not caring about the food or moreover, about you.

They don’t care that it looks shit, is served up shit and tastes like shit. On the flip-side, the carefully manicured plate is virtually screaming, ‘I am proud of this dish and I want it to envelope your every sense and be memorable.’

Scientists actually did a study on food placement and confirmed that people are willing to pay more for food that looks good - a culinary masterpiece has to look as well as taste the part. There’s even a professor at Oxford 52

University who has dedicated his whole life to this subject - what is technically referred to as ‘gastrophysics.’ Prof Charles Spencer has spent years studying the science of the perfect meal and has worked with a number of the world’s best chefs including Heston Blumenthal, helping him to develop such exoticisms as lickable wallpaper. He has even written a book about it - dissecting not only the food but also the setting - down to the absolute minutiae such as the shape and positioning of the salt and pepper mills on the table. That’s deeper that we have time for here but suffice to say, there is a whole lot more going on than just consumption of food when you dine out. Aesthetics and placement matter, a LOT. But let’s widen the lens away from the plate and look at the actual restaurant setting. If we agree that the micro reality of how food looks on a plate is critical then the environment and interior within which you are sitting is surely also integral. Can you still have the best curry in the world street side perched on a kerb or does a lesser curry taste better in a beautiful setting on a well thought out plate? Or does the roadside curry taste better simply because the expectation and anticipation is a lot less?

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

So I put it to the test. How much does the interior of a restaurant matter to your enjoyment of the experience? Can it and does it make the food taste any better?

‘The Refinery’ is a great little food hub in amongst the greyness. It’s just a shame it is where it is and that it’s flanked (sadly) by distinctly chain-y neighbours - Starbucks, Prêt and Pod. Now if we could just get ‘The Refinery’ up a mountain somewhere in France for some après ski action it would be immense….Oh and a really small detail - I loved the teeny, tiny branded paperclip they use to attach the specials to the menu. Oh and just one more - don’t sit by the large door - it’s huge and allows in major gusts! Granny knee blankets just don’t cut it inside.

My heart began to sink slightly as I was trying to locate ‘The Refinery,’ the most recent outing from Drake & Morgan. The photos sent to me in advance looked almost edible - all very high ceilinged Scandi-cool with pops of copper and well positioned tumbling greenery. Instead I found myself surrounded by impersonal, high rise bank buildings awash with formulaic suits - it felt like a set up - there was no way a place with originali- Next, to M in the City. This place is seriously ty could exist in amongst this greyness. well thought out - a whopping 15,000 square foot space that envelopes you the minute But once through the door it was an oasis you walk in. All slick charcoal and black it’s of wonderful food and really well thought the first solo project from Martin Williams, out interior styling. The room is an unusual after almost a decade at Gaucho. M could be shape - as though you were sitting in a shorn described as a kind of ‘interiors tapas.’ You off star corner. I was early so the buzz was can eat RAW, at the grill, have a drink at its low but during my meal they were turning mezzanine bar and also ‘fine dine’ and each people away. It feels like quite a sanctu- area is decked out differently. Oh and did I ary here - details such as the feature brick mention the wines on tap that you can samfloor, the parquet ceiling, the salvaged wood ple at your leisure - a seriously bewitching kitchen counter front and the oversized fo- try before you buy line up of some of the liage housed inside big white bags are a sign most delectable wines on tap (Opus One and much attention has been put in to creating Petrus at between £25-£45 per glass). this room. Though the backdrop could have been made ever more impactful if the long The interiors are the brainchild of René bar was made much longer and used all of Dekker Design Team, well known for dethe window space. signing some of the most beautiful homes around the world, and you can tell. The atThe toilets are decked out beautifully - with tention to detail is meticulous - walls clad in some of the best tiles I’ve seen in a long eel skin give off a sexy sheen with their jagwhile - geometric heaven in varying shades ged, slightly oily texture, the all window meat of grey. And what of the food? The Scotch drying room is borderline high art - baring egg starter is wonderful - all runny yolk all provocatively waiting to be devoured with a pop of black pudding tucked neat- and the specially commissioned bespoke ly inside the delectable sausage meat. For window stencilling is a really unique touch. mains, a sumptuous piece of salmon with a Plus if it’s a private dining space you’re afbeautifully simple rocket, tomato and pesto ter it’s also here - everything you could need topping was perfect for lunch. Dessert was and more, behind closed doors, no quesa rich but refreshing lemon tart - a much tions asked. needed mouth cleanse.

54

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

We opted for the RAW menu - ‘pure, natural, naked, not processed.’ First up a cleanse juice to enliven the taste buds and then a series of delectable small plates to start - yellow fin and jalapeño sashimi, smoked baby beets with goats cheese and almonds and a very distinguished Argentine beef Tartare with the various ingredients presented beautifully on slate for you to mix à la table. To follow, a large sharing plate of tender tuna yakitori (with HOT wasabi) that all melted in the mouth. To finish, a chocolate parfait splattered with a rubescent cherry sorbet studded with pistachios….it definitely was ‘art on a plate.’ M is a real classy food gem in the heart of the city cutting through the corporate blandness and the intelligent, sexy surroundings definitely heighten the food experience. Oh and, if ever it’s grilled crocodile you’re after, you can find it right here.

So how much do interiors matter? If I ate what I did in both restaurants in a bland, unexceptional setting, both dining experiences would definitely have been less enjoyable. By contrast and by extreme example, say I had consumed the same meals in a stereotypical looking ‘greasy spoon caf,’ they would have been even more exceptional because what was served up would have been unexpected and at odds with the setting - let’s call it the ‘Susan Boyle effect.’ By the restaurants’ set up, as I walked in, both led me to fully believe that what I was about to consume would be of a high standard - and I wasn’t disappointed. So setting and interiors definitely do matter and they certainly do enhance the experience but I don’t think you can say that the interiors make the food taste better (if the food is really bad in a beautiful restaurant nothing will make it taste better). However it could be fairly said that in many cases the sum of the component parts - if they are all good - enhance the taste of the food, because your mind and energy are www.cibare.co.uk

carried away with everything else positive that is going on. Eating out is not just about food, it’s about being cocooned in the entire experience - the view of the outside, the inside, the décor, the ambience, the colours, the music, the service, the cleanliness, the wine and of course the food which is paramount, but not exclusive.

Graham & Brown interior specialists agree, ‘If the interior is beautiful as the guests walk in to a restaurant, they are immediately greeted with a positive aura which should stay throughout the whole dining experience and leave a lasting impression on those who visit. If the surroundings are half decorated, run down and a bit shabby, this may be reflected in the way diners think about their meal.’

Restaurateurs in the know choose their location carefully first then blend all the ingredients together to make eating out memorable and profitable. For those that really make an impact, they must surely strive towards the words of the inimitable Steve Jobs who once infamously uttered ‘People don’t know what they want until you show it to them.’

Cibare Food Magazine

55

FEATURE

The Edible Garden

by Emma de Sousa

So spring has come and gone and your garden should be in full, flowery swing by now, everything looking lush and green, and if you are lucky enough to grow flowers then hopefully a sea of colour is spreading through your borders! This year I have decided to try my hand at growing edible flowers amongst my cut flower patch, and upon researching what flowers are actually edible it is amazing just how many you can use in your kitchen to decorate your food and add new and interesting flavours to your recipes.

I will say before I start however that I would only ever use flowers that I had grown myself as I know they will be chemical free and safe to eat, and also only ever use flowers that you are 110% sure are the real deal…so don’t guess that something is an edible flower only to make yourself sick because you have eaten something poisonous.

a win-win situation to grow it. Be warned though - it will self seed and come up again next year (great, less work and you only have to buy seeds once!) but keep it in check as it can spread and will overtake your beds if you let it.

Another of my favourites which I am also growing this year is Sweet Rocket. With flowers ranging from the palest of lilac to deep purples it is a member of the Mustard family and adds a peppery taste to salads, rice dishes or even sandwiches. Sweet Rocket is a hardy biennial flower which means that you sow the seeds in one year and it will flower is the second year – it seems like a long wait but it’s worth it and once you get into the swing of things you can keep sowing each year for yearly flowers.

Perhaps not a flower you would normally think of as edible are Sunflowers. We all know we can use the seeds in our cooking but you can also use the petals and flower buds too. Easy to grow and super quick if you are an impatient gardener, you can also grow dwarf varieties if space is an issue like ‘Big Smile’. The children also love growing this bright, sunny flower and mine have a ‘who can grow the tallest sunflower’ competition each year - it is a great way to get them out into the garden and in touch with nature.

Buy your seeds from a reputable company – I use www.higgledygarden.com, www.sarahraven.com or www.suttons.co.uk and all have information on how to grow them. Or go to your local garden centre and pick up a few packets, most are super easy to grow and can be grown in containers if you don’t have much space. Some easy and beautiful edible flowers to grow are things like Borage – a beautiful blue flower that looks great in summer salads and also for making blue petal ice cubes for your summer pitchers of Pimms (very impressive at your BBQ parties). The bees and butter- Calendula are also super easy to grow and flies also love this nectar rich flower so it’s the petals are beautiful bright shades of or-

ange. They can be eaten fresh or dried to create ‘Poor Man’s Saffron’. They have a slightly peppery taste and can be used in rice dishes, salads, oils and vinegars as well as for making floral teas. They will produce flowers from May through to September.

Other edible flowers that are easy to grow include Cornflowers, Nasturtiums, Courgette flowers (and you get Courgettes thrown in too – try the flowers coated in a light tempura batter and deep fried – they are amazing!) as well as Lavender, Dianthus and Viola

and many, many more (the list is far too long to include everything). I will be growing all of these this year so I will let you know how I am getting on in the next issue. Hopefully I have inspired you give it a try. It’s cheap, it’s easy and it will certainly impress your friends and family!

Disclaimer: Please follow sensible precautions when consuming Edible Flowers. Do not consume any in large quantities and if you are pregnant or think you may be allergic to any please consult your doctor first.

FEATURE

La Belle Assiette

by The Editor

6 of us will dine and I don’t know what to do with myself. Why? Because a chef is coming to do everything for me!!!

We speak the day before to make sure that I have the pots and pans that he needs and I do. He asks me if I have certainly plates etc as we are having a four course meal and again, I do! More excitement.

He comes to my home at 6pm with bags full of amazing food and takes over my kitchen, all I can do is watch the magic happen.

Oh and go and get dressed. I’ve actually got time to think about what to wear, put on some makeup and relax. It was very strange and very exciting!

As the guests arrive at about 8pm I’ve opened wine and we sit and chat for a while with music playing - this is really lovely. For once I’m not missing the conversation and not running in and out a bit sweaty as I’m 58

stressing about something cooking. This is not my problem tonight.

Food is ready and we all sit down, even me.

The lovely chef Gio comes over with our first course. Appetizer: Burrata cheese with apricot, crispy brushcetta bread and hand sliced San Daniele ham with fresh pesto. This was dreamy! I’ve not had burrata before and it was so light and wonderful, the pesto was divine and the ham had a story that Gio told us before we ate. Turns out that we are eating the left leg of our piggie as they sleep on their right side. This means that the left leg tastes better so he personally chose this for us to eat. I had no idea. The meal altogether was just wonderful and an amazing start to our Italian adventure for the night!

Next up was our Starter: Light and creamy polenta with slow cooked pork stew (at least eight hours) with vegetables and rosemary.

I’ve got to be honest I wasn’t actually looking forward to eating polenta as I’ve never liked it. But hold the phone OHMYGOD! This dish was just beautiful. There are no words. I’ve never eaten polenta that was so sweet and creamy and next to the pork that just melted in your mouth. It was the perfect dish.

Again this came with a story of traditions from home and how it’s usually a dish that is spread through the centre of the table and

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

PICTURE CREDITS: Jay Baker Photography

I’ve been running around like a blue arsed fly all day and come home to the house needing a tidy as we are having a dinner party. When I would usually be going nuts preparing food and making sure the wine is cooling, I just need to make sure that the kids have put the toilet seat down and move the Lego from the dining table so that there is space to eat.

about childcare, I didn’t have to worry about not entertaining my guests or having a good time myself. Usually I miss everything and it’s boring for me to be killing myself making this amazing dinner when I don’t really get to enjoy it as I’m thinking about the next The Main Course: Hand made Tagliatelle course! served with ricotta and asparagus cream sauce. Story has it that Gio’s grandmoth- It may appear to be particularly decadent to er would cook the pasta as his grandfather hire a private chef to cook for your guests in would pick the asparagus. More wonderful the comfort of your home but that moment food, the pasta cooked to perfection with of madness is priceless in my opinion. Not a wonderful creamy sauce. It was odd as I only was the food particularly delicious but started to feel more at ease as the night went the presentation was beautiful, and to top it along. The food was perfect and I was having all off the chef left the kitchen cleaner than a great time. Everyone was, but as someone when he found it. I just had to stagger up to who usually hosts the party and is usually bed at the end of the evening. running around it was so relaxing to have someone take care of this all for me. And So, would I hire a chef to cook for my guests I was actually getting a bit tipsy which was at home? Well, it would be rude not to…. nice for once. www. labelleassiette.co.uk And finally Dessert: Hand made Millefoglie with fresh crema pasticcerea, chocolate and blackberries. I’ve got to admit by this point I was stuffed but this was blissful. A light pastry with a deep yet light crema sat in a pool of blackberry sauce, which was slowly devoured so that I wouldn’t waste a moment not tasting every inch of it. Gio gave us a lovely story that in fact Millefoglie and Chantilly crema is actually Italian in origin as one of the French kings married a very rich Italian woman who brought these patisseries over from Italy for their wedding. It would seem that the French liked the cakes as much as they loved their new Italian queen.

The night was relaxed and the food was wonderful. You couldn’t get better going to a restaurant as in fact you have a skilled chef in your own home and you could have type of food that you like, as La Belle Assiette has something for everyone.

But it was wonderful, I didn’t have to worry 60

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

PICTURE CREDITS: Jay Baker Photography

eaten from the ends. The one that gets to the middle of the dish will find the prize of sausages! A lovely tale for our meal but I’m honestly grateful to have my pork and sauce in my bowl as well as my guests of course.

BOOKS

Cookbook Review The Meringue Girls Cookbook

by Alex Hoffler and Stacey O’Gorman

by Rebecca Stratton

PICTURE CREDITS: Mergine Girls Cookbook

I was given this book as a gift, and having made my fair share of meringues before I was interested to see if that book had any new spins on the classic recipes.

There’s also a handy chapter in the back about using up your leftover egg yolks (though you can now by carton of egg whites easily in the supermarket). Still, good for the ladies to address the issue of potential All I can say is – ‘WOW!’. This book covers wastage! Think custards and curds. the basic principles of meringue making if you’ve never made it before, and then moves It’s rare that I want to make every single recon to the now iconic Meringue Girl Kisses ipe in a cookbook, but with this one, I real(proudly emblazoned on the front cover of ly, truly do. The food styling is dreamy and the book), which can be coloured and fla- any of the creations would be perfect for envoured with a million different combina- tertaining. I will definitely be making some tions. of these this summer for a barbeque finale.

Most of these recipes are gluten free, which It’s exploding with ideas such as Honeycomb, comes in handy for a lot of my friends and Chocolate and Salted Caramel Meringues, family.

Frozen Berries and Hot Custard Meringue Pudding, Pear and Walnut Tray Cake, Me- This is a beautiful, striking book with ringue Profiteroles, Lemon Meringue Waf- eye-catching photos and pops of colour on fles, Raspberry Ripple Gelato and Meringue every page, simply a joy to read. The MG’s Rainbow Cake. The list seems endless! second cookbook is to be released shortly, and yes, I already have it on pre-order!

GARDENING

TOP TIPS FOR YOUR ALLOTMENT

by Emma de Sousa

This month you should be harvesting lots of crops such as your root crops including early main crop Potatoes, Onions, Beetroots, Radishes and Carrots, lots of lovely salad leaves, all Lettuces, Chard, Peas and Beans, Courgettes, the first Cherry Tomatoes and Cucumbers. Don’t forget that your Courgette and Runner Bean flowers are edible too and if you are growing other edible flowers, the first Nasturtiums should be appearing, as well as Marigolds and Borage.

This month you should be making your last sowing of French Beans and you can lift and divide your Rhubarb plants. If you discard the centre and then divide and re-plant the outer growth you will get healthy new plants next year.

If you have fruit trees and bushes at your plot then you may be harvesting Strawberries, Cherries, Currants, Gooseberries and Raspberries.

So what have I been up to at the plot? Well I have been busy sowing and growing, testing slug deterrent methods and harvesting my first flushes of salad leaves, Rocket and Spinach, watching all the seedlings spring into life and grow into strong healthy plants.

I’ve also been keeping a close eye on my fellow allotmenteers and it’s interesting to see what everyone is up to – everyone gives you a different piece of advice, everyone’s 62

crops are at different stages and everyone of course knows how best to do something. My advice to anyone embarking on a new allotment is to take everyone’s advice on board, read lots of books and then do what feels right for you. No one is right or wrong, they just all have their own way of doing things.

It’s all about trial and error!

So reporting back on the slug situation. I have been trialling lots of different slug deterrent methods. My upturned coconut shell filled with bran and propped up with a stone on one side catches a fair few slugs of a night – apparently they love bran so sneak in at night to munch on that (and not your Lettuces), bed up for the night and then in the morning are all sleeping soundly under the coconut shell. You can discard the sleeping slugs the following day (don’t tell anyone but I can’t bring myself to kill them so I take them to a safe place and re-home them somewhere else! Yikes, I can’t believe I just told you that and no it’s not on my neighbour’s plot!). This method however isn’t going to change the lives of you slug hating allotment goers – it may catch a few but you will need to do something other than this to deter our slimy friends.

I have been furiously baking all my egg shells and scattering then around my new seedlings – I have lots of chickens and we get about 10 eggs a day so this is an obvious one for me!

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

And it seems to be working: so far no-one has pounced on my Peas or landed on my Lettuce leaves which is great. My Chives are looking a bit sorry for themselves at the moment and this was also supposed to prevent attack from pests but as everything else seems to be working then that’s ok! Hopefully they will be in full swing by the time this goes to print.

Enjoy the fruits (and anything else you happen to be growing) this month, still plenty to be getting on with – keep up with weeding between your beds so there is not such a mammoth task come the Autumn…. and keep digging! A little and often approach to the allotment I find works best – never more than two hours at a time and even 20 minute bites gets lots done over the course of a week. The longer days make it easy to pop there after work and weed a bed or water the greenhouse. I have also sown my Bienniels for next year in the greenhouse ready for planting later in the year. www.cibare.co.uk

Cibare Food Magazine

63

FEATURE

Soil Degradation

by Elizabeth Hobson

“We know more of the movement of wet weather and hinders the land’s ability to replace its organic matter and maintain its celestial bodies than about the soil structure, making it more vulnerable to erounderfoot.” Leonardo da Vinci

64

Contamination can only be prevented or professionally cleaned at great expense.

Nutrient levels can be improved by returning crop residues to land, applying manure, compost or sludge, including grasses in crop rotation or using shallow cultivation (breaking soil to a depth of 1-2 inches rather than

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

© image from Zoran Orcik

Much of Mesopotamia, the cradle of civilisation, has turned into barren desert due to over-farming, crippling the ability of the inhabitants to sustain themselves. On the American Great Plains during the 1930s, native grassland was so brutally ploughed to make space for wheat that the soil just blew away, leading to dust storms, exodus and the greatest environmental disaster in U.S. history. Africa is the largest source of dust in Earth’s atmosphere. In the dustbowl of Northern China, dust storms send clouds over Japan, Korea and even across the Atlantic to North America. Since the 1950s, 24,000 Chinese villages have been abandoned to desertification caused by soil degradation.

In 2006 the Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology reported that 2.2 million tonnes of topsoil is eroded annually in the U.K. and over 17% of arable land shows signs of erosion. 3cm of topsoil can take 1000 years to form but it can be lost very quickly. Contamination and loss of nutrients are widespread problems. The cost of damage to agricultural soil is £264 million per year.

The commercialisation of farming and removing hedgerows from the landscape has led to an increase in soil washed away in

sion: biodiversity above ground impacts on biodiversity below. Between 1980 and 1995 we’d lost 18% of the organic matter in our soils - this represents a drop in the nutrient levels in our food. Around the same time, the European Union (E.U.) subsidised winter cereal crops because they produce higher yields. This left European soils exposed at the wettest time of the year leading to extensive flooding in many areas. In response to this the E.U. created its Set Aside Scheme, which saw areas replanted as permanent grassland. Animal welfare concerns have seen a move to free range farming which is more ethical but endangers the ground occupied. The rooting habits of pigs can be particularly devastating to vegetation cover. Diffuse pollution from countless more or less identifiable sources is abundant in our agricultural land - pesticides, herbicides, synthetic fertilisers, fuel, metals, pharmaceuticals, plastics...

5-6) to increase near-surface organic matter. Erosion can be mitigated by good timing and appropriate choices in machine operations, planting and harvesting, working across slopes to decrease run off, shepherding livestock, planting hedges and shelter belts. The responsibility for ensuring action is taken lies both with farmers and wider society. Establishing good practice is proving to be challenging.

ables the development of systems with maximum economic returns while protecting natural resources. Expert advice is crucial to whole farm planning and comes at isignificant cost (hopefully offset by improvements).

Farmers’ self help groups can be very effective. Through knowledge transfer and pooled resources, measures can be developed, trialled and evaluated collectively. Soil degradation costs society - the public pays for extracting soil and phosphates from drinking water and dredging waterways for example, so cooperative agreements between agriculturalists and the public can be mutually beneficial. Land has been improved with cooperative agreements before but successful schemes have had immediate effects, such as reinstating hedgerows.

With whole farm planning the farm is approached as an integral unit including livestock, space, soil types, topography, infrastructure, labour availability, machinery, finances and the goals of the farmer. It en66

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

Š Images Wuttichok Panichiwarapun

Soil degradation has plagued mankind for aeons. Insidious, hard to rectify and potentially catastrophic - but often preventable.

The farming community needs to adopt best Regulation is part of the solution. In 2005 diagnostic practices and society needs to fathe E.U. decoupled subsidies from produc- cilitate progress to ensure our soil remains tion. Regardless of livestock numbers or in peak condition. crop yields, an annual payment is calculated according to the size of the farm - and is dependent on land being kept in good agricultural and environmental condition. There are rules to be met - a 2 metre perimeter of uncultivated land around each ploughed field, responsible use of fertilisers and pesticides and a Soil Protection Review carried out each year. The review involves identifying problems and deciding on measures to protect soils. Targeting regulations to involve differential action in specific areas has high administration costs.

FEATURE

The Popstastic Popcorn

by Penny Koulias

Oli and Zoe was founded out of our con-

cerns for our own children’s health and our growing concern regarding the UK’s child obesity rates. The UK has the biggest child obesity problem in Western Europe.

Wholegrain

Because of its wide-ranging health benefits, eating more whole grain is being encouraged. It is packed with healthy oils, vitamin E, protein and minerals. In addition, the B vitamins which the kernel provides will help There are so many brands of popcorn for boost children’s energy levels. adults currently available offering various types of flavours and toppings, however Fibre with all the added salt, sugar, additives and An adequate fibre intake will help children various artificial toppings and flavours the to stay regular and also lower the risk of health benefits are lost. Likewise, micro- cardiovascular disease, reduce blood chowave popcorn typically contain unhealthy lesterol and lower the risk of Type 2 diabetes oils, other additives and calories. by regulating blood sugar. Regulating blood sugar in turn will enable children to concenTherefore, as Oli and Zoe’s popcorn has trate better and help control mood swings. been branded specifically for children, the salt and sugar content is minimal, making Antioxidants it not only a healthier snack option for chil- Antioxidants (otherwise known as polydren, but fun for them at the same time. phenols) have huge health benefits as they The health benefits of popcorn: help fight harmful molecules that damage Popcorn is a 100% unprocessed wholegrain cells. Research has shown that the amount meaning it is a great source of fibre and an- of polyphenols contained in the hull of poptioxidants. corn is actually more than in most fruit. Not 68

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

© Images Jose Manuel Gelpi Diaz

Our vision was to find and launch a snack that was as healthy as it claimed to be, without misleading messages such as ‘naturally sweet ‘ and ‘no added sugar’. We chose popcorn firstly because of how much our own children and their friends loved it and also because of the genuine natural health benefits popcorn provides.

that this should mean in any way eating less fruit, as fruit offers a variety of important nutrients that popcorn does not.

According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, polyphenols possess numerous health benefits, including helping to protect us against: • Heart diseases • Osteoporosis • Cancers • Diabetes Other benefits • Low calories • Lower cholesterol levels • Help you lose weight • Help prevent premature aging Whilst most of these benefits may seem more relevant for adults than for children, remember that in the UK 1 in 3 children are now obese and this is only likely to increase if changes are not made. Studies have shown that once children become obese they are more likely to stay obese into adulthood, leading to health complications. Obese children have an increased chance of developing long-term health conditions such as all those listed above!

Children given Oli and Zoe’s popcorn to eat as a snack rather than some other options, will feel fuller for longer as well as benefitting from it being a low calorie, low sugar and low salt option.

Remember: Kids do not eat with their future in mind – help them be responsible!

www.cibare.co.uk

Cibare Food Magazine

69

A SWISS TALE

MY SWISS ODYSSEY

A Foodie Tour of Switzerland

by Gillian Balcombe

Next morning it was back on the Swiss train service, but this time on the celebrated Glacier Express between Zermatt and Davos.

This service is billed as being the slowest express train in the world, and it’s absolutely true, as it travels at no more than 28km per hour the entire length of its route. We had seats in a panoramic carriage which afforded the most wonderful views of the surrounding countryside – and if the previous journey had been beautiful, this can only be described as magnificent. Just one eye-popping view after another. We were served Heidi Kaffee (well what else would you drink on the Glacier Express?) as we left Zermatt, and as we headed up the mountain ranges we enjoyed a glass of champagne on the uphill. Given that the food is prepared in a tiny railway carriage kitchen, the standard was excellent. Piping hot soup, followed by a 70

veal dish in a delicious sauce with pasta and vegetables, and crème caramel to finish. We had ordered the set lunch, but the choice on the à la carte menu was most impressive.

Towards the end of the ride we made our way over the viaduct that is featured in the publicity for this route, and it was as glorious as it’s shown to be. At Filisur we changed over to the rack and pinion railway, which took us further and further upwards towards Davos, the snow becoming ever deeper the higher we went. Arriving in Davos we were collected from the station by one of the managers from Hotel Meierhof, which is owned by ex-Formula 1 racing driver Jarno Trulli. It was my love of motor racing and my curiosity about his other passion, as a wine producer, that led me to choose this hotel. It was extremely comfortable, the quality of the

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

PICTURE CREDITS: Gillian Balcombe

food was excellent, the spa provided lovely pampering treatments, but the entire town was in a compete tizzy due to the imminent start of the World Economic Forum, which was due to begin just after we left. For a few days each January, this town of 11,000 souls swells to 24,000, with the arrival of around 5,000 economic bigwigs and world leaders from around the globe and an additional 8,000 soldiers and police to ensure their safety. Tourists are most definitely not welcome during this prestigious event. Davos itself is no longer a small skiing village – over the years it has grown and expanded into the surrounding countryside, and whilst there are still some charming streets and buildings, there are also some architectural eyesores that don’t fit in with the locality at all.

We decided to go ‘à la carte’ this time, as neither of us could face the prospect of a five course meal for four evenings one after another! So the first evening we enjoyed the obligatory green salad starters – obligatory because otherwise vegetables seem to be very thin on the ground, or even the plate. I did eat a main course with vegetables, a delicious salmon fillet, cooked to perfection, with Sauce Choron, a mixture of Hollandaise and tomato sauces, on a bed of spinach. Linda chose the Beef Stroganov, which was also cooked to an excellent standard, served with buttered noodles. Having tried any number of local white wines during the days leading up to our stay in Davos, this time we picked one of Signor Trulli’s offerings, a truly delicious Trebbiano from Abbruzzo which was refreshingly dry but which tasted of flowers and citrus and fruit, all at once. A really excellent wine!

Linda was on the hunt for Kalbsbratwurst an Zwiebelsauce mit Rösti, which is the Swiss variant of sausage and mash with onion gravy. We found an extremely fine example of this hearty traditional dish on our first forwww.cibare.co.uk

Cibare Food Magazine

71

With the promise of heavy snow, we dined in the hotel again, a lighter meal this time.

The Bundner Gersternsuppe is a very tasty concoction of leeks, pearl barley, carrots, celery, made either with ham hock or chicken stock, cream and herbs. As with so many traditional dishes, when we looked up recipes we found any number of variations, so it’s going to be interesting trying to replicate the hotel’s yummy version!

When we woke the following morning the world was completely white – about 20cm of snow had fallen overnight and more of it was gently floating down from the clouds above.

Kids in a garden opposite the hotel were finding all sorts of ways of using their slide in the snow and one poor child seemed to be half buried in the stuff by his ‘mates’. The branches of the pine trees were heavy with the weight of the snow that had fallen, and every so often as birds landed there would be what looked like an extra heavy, very localised fall of snow. We’d nicked some bread from the breakfast buffet, which the birds were very happy to snaffle from our balcony railing. Dog owners had kitted out their four legged friends in their very own down filled 72

coats, but it didn’t protect their poor paws from the cold – anyone out there making warm booties for our canine friends?

This was the day that we’d been waiting for – the day of the horse race on the frozen lake at Arosa. Sadly, despite the very heavy snowfall, the temperatures had not been that low and the lake was not sufficiently solid. The race day was cancelled, to be re-scheduled when the weather was colder. Disappointing, but it just proves that you can’t rely on the weather anywhere, even in dependable old Switzerland!

So lunch in the nearby town of Klosters was our alternative choice – a short bus ride, a train ride through the countryside, and a walk in the falling snow. I loved the sensation of walking in the snow, and one of ‘My Favourite Things’ courtesy of ‘The Sound of Music’ – snowflakes on eyelashes! The snow was falling throughout our visit but the train ride and the village itself were simply lovely.

Klosters has retained far more of its original character than Davos, making it a very pleasant place to visit. We stopped to chat to a lady who was walking a very chilly looking Italian whippet and she recommended that we have lunch at Hotel Chiusa Gruschina, which has been run by the same family for more than 60 years, and which apparently was a favourite watering hole for the rich and famous in the 50s and 60s. According to her the food there was excellent, and she wasn’t wrong. A lovely, cosy wood panelled room with a beautiful panelled and painted wooden ceiling welcomed us, as did the friendly waiters. Linda had a bowl of piping hot, hearty Gulaschsuppe while I tucked into a plate of traditional raclette – melted cheese served with boiled potatoes, cornichons and little pickled silverskin onions. In some places it is also served with assorted charcuterie but here they stuck to the basics with very good results.

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

PICTURE CREDITS: Gillian Balcombe

ay into Davos the next day. Unlike Zermatt, Davos allows regular petrol and diesel powered transport, though we noticed that it was trying to show off its green credentials during the Forum by organising shuttles between the various conference and seminar venues, rather than individual transport.

For tourists all local transport, be it buses or trains, is included as a matter of course with your hotel stay, and you register for a Davos Klosters Guest Card on arrival. So we hopped on another bus back to our part of town and walked up to Hotel Victoria, where for the princely sum of 7.50 Swiss francs you can enjoy delicious hot chocolate and home made apple cake in very comfortable surroundings.

We were still very happy to walk in the snow when we got back to Davos in the early evening and chose to eat in the restaurant of another nearby hotel, the Parsenn, named for the mountain at the base of which it stands. The Parsenn Stübli is a very rustic, traditional restaurant, with the waitresses kitted out in Alpine costumes. Linda went for the Geschetzeltes Kalbfleisch again, and pronounced it good, but not as good as Johanniter’s. I chose a classic Wiener Schnitzel, which was served in the traditional way with a warm Kartoffelnsalat, or potato salad.

The meat was almost paper thin, covered in a crunchy golden breadcrumb coating – too much for me to eat, but what I did manage was cooked to perfection. For once we decided to have a dessert, and we shared a plum brandy parfait with cooked plums and fresh fruit. Simple and tasty. ... See our website for the last day of Gillians Swiss Odyssey.

PRO ADVICE

Bites On Holiday Homeopathy

What can you do to prevent being eaten up alive by mosquitoes either in your garden or abroad? It’s partly about body chemistry, and so to change your ‘smell’ that a mosquito can latch onto from a distance of 50m is one way. If you are mainly affected when going abroad, take daily garlic capsules and Vitamin B1, that you start a week or so before travelling. At dawn and dusk, when the bug concentration is higher, wear light coloured clothing socks, shoes and long sleeves, and still use a good quality mosquito repellent.

Using citronella oil based shampoo, lotion and oils can help, though there is research that that claims that eucalyptus oil based products last longer, and as another natural alternative, neem oil is also quite reliable.

Where possible and available, sleep under mosquito nets. Plug-in electric mosquito killer units have kept me bite free in many a hotel abroad.

At home, have citronella candles burning outdoors at dusk and evenings and ensure you don’t have standing water (there goes the pond!).

Danielle Abramov BSc (Hons) MARH www.theheathhomeopath.co.uk

Nutritionist

When I travelled around Asia and Australia with my boyfriend, we met incredible people, visited beautiful places and had many amazing experiences. One not so amazing experience was getting bitten by mosquitoes. Just me, not him. At one point in Cairns, I had over 50 bites on my body and face, whilst he had none.

My point is that while we were eating much the same, and doing the same things, I was the only one getting bitten and so unfortunately we have to accept that some of us are more likely than others to have our blood sucked. This is down to our smell, our own individual, nobody-else-smells-like-me olfactory output.

There are around 400 different compounds that make up the human scent, and some of these molecules attract mosquitoes while others act more as repellent. The exact make-up of our own scent will determine where we fall on the scale.

That said, nutrition can make a difference.

Garlic has long been touted as a repellent, and although a 2005 study didn’t back this up, my own personal experience was that eating lots of garlic did improve my own situation. In addition, a study in 2005 and a second one from 2010 agreed that those who drink beer increase their attractiveness to mosquitoes. So my advice is to eat lots of garlic and stay off the beer to reduce your risk of being eaten alive! ©Denise Chester 2015 GETTING BITTEN!!!

Herbalist

Well funnily enough for many years it would be my mum and my sister who got bitten relentlessly on holiday, and my dad and I would be fine. For years we put it down to blood type or just bad luck and then as an adult it seemed to make sense. Taking brewer’s yeast makes the blood smell yeasty, which is really undesirable to biters! My mum and sister were always sweet toothed, which made them smell sweeter and more attractive to the mosquitoes, which is why they were bitten more than me and my dad who ate Marmite on a daily basis! So in short, I’d suggest taking brewer’s yeast or a really good B complex ... or just step up the Marmite consumption! www.cibare.co.uk

Citronella candles are also very good at keeping the insects at bay - they dislike the citrusy scent, so see if you can stock up and take them away with you. I buy the little tea lights so that they are lightweight in baggage.

Incognito spray is a really good natural repellent which contains some of these citrusy oils and they do a fab range of products which I’d definitely recommend are worth a look.

Enjoy your holiday – and with the tips in this article, I really hope that the mosquitoes don’t spoil it for you!

Jo Farren

Cibare Food Magazine

75

Send love to the Cibare Team for this amazing issue Check them out on

www.cibare.co.uk/team ... and sign up to our newsletter!

Photo Credits Anne Iarchy Healthy Summer Fun © iimages Theo’s Greek Salad © Theo Michaels Moo Nan Tok © Philip Bower Modenough Salads © Alison Matthews Thomas Bisson © Lucie Lang Gemma Feeney © Cotton Magazine © El Chiringuito Camas II Top Tips For Your Allotment © Emma de Sousa Oli and Zoe’s Food Co © Jose Manuel Gelpi Diaz My Swiss Odyssey ©Gillian Balcombe Elizabeth Hobson Soil Degradation ©Wuttichok Panichiwarapun © Zoran Orcik Cookbook Review ©The Meringue Girls Cookbook

by Alex Hoffler and Stacey O’Gorman Pro Advice ©vanilladesign Special Thanks to: Wild Card Brewery The Alchemist Denise Chester Danielle Abramov Jo Farren La Belle Assiette