Cibare Food and Drinks Magazine Issue 3

Cibare Issue Three, April 2015

Issue two, January 2015

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Contents

HEALTH AND NUTRITION Honouring Nutrition 42 Honey 38

SHOPPING LOCAL

Riverford Organic 6

FEATURES REVIEW

Meat Free Monday 8 Chickens 60 Food Porn 48 Fiction Becomes Fact 66 Oli and Zoe’s Food Co 70

Tea 44 Coffee 10 Gin 18 Ravaria Vs Camden Town 14 Snacks 52 Holy Fuck 13 Sushisamba London 56 Great British Fish and Chips 58 Secret Café 36 Camden Market 46

GARDENING Top Tips For Your Allotment

FOOD FOR THE SEASON Breakfast Ideas 4 Lunch 20 Risottos 22 Theo’s Rizogalo 30 Healthier Alternatives 32

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TRAVELLING TALES A Swiss Odyssey

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BOOKS Life Is SweetThe Hummingbird Bakery

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SOURCES AND CREDITS 2

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Cibare

Editor’s Note After a great beginning to the year it’s finally time for the latest issue of our magazine to get you through till summer time. We are full of seasonal treats from risottos to great restaurants for you to try and of course lots of reviews and interesting, informative articles for you to read.

I hope you enjoy our April Issue of Cibare and that you see us in print very soon!

Please like us, share us, tweet us, join our newsletter and help us take the next step in our culinary adventures in FOOD!

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Greek Pizzas Pastry, with a couple of scrambled raw eggs on top and any topping you like. These are Pastouma sausage and mushroom and haloumi cheese.

Then pop it into the oven till cooked!

Delicious!

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FOOD

Breakfast Eggs

Fried egg on sourdough with mashed up avocado. Perfect with a little Himalayan salt.

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SHOPPING LOCAL

Riverford

by The Editor

After somehow being invited to sign up to Riverford Organics on my front door step I eagerly awaited my first box of goodies.

This was, admittedly, in the vain hope that I was going to get something half decent in my veggie box as, when ordering from other, similar companies that could apparently send me food not only did I receive just half of what I asked for, unfortunately the veggies weren’t in the greatest shape either.

So I added a nice box of fruit to my regular order and still turns up, mid-morning on a Tuesday like clockwork.

The fruit, like the vegetables, is all organic but sometimes I find that they have provided bananas, which are not exactly locally grown.

What I love most about the vegetables is that the vast majority of them are grown in Cornwall, where Riverford have a large group of farmers that they buy from for shipment all around England. It’s not exactly ‘local’ food but it’s still pretty local, especially when compared to the multi-national produce you find in the major supermarkets. Riverford do sell some food that is imported but I don’t order any of that, as I like to source my food as locally as possible. No need for that extra flight to get it here although, yes, I will admit to enjoying a banana every now and again!

A box arrived mid-morning on a Tuesday and it was rushed into the kitchen for a full inspection. It contained a wonderful array of fresh organic veggies that were full of summer flavours. It all looked so amazing that I was horrified that I’d not signed up earlier, as the price for this entire box was so much cheaper than buying the equivalent produce from my local supermarket! What had I been doing! For such a long time I had wanted to go fully organic and this box let me do that with ease and at a lower cost. The only catch was that now I had to eat it all!

Having said all that I do love the fact that, although Riverford operates throughout the After a couple of weeks I decided to see what UK, it is also a local business, as my ‘guy’, Riverford’s website was all about and to my who brings the produce, lives locally and he joy I discovered that I could get a nice box of owns the franchise for the area. In this way, fruit too! We do like fruit in our house and as for the most part, my money remains in my our little nursery also needs some fruit do- local economy. nations each week it can be pretty expensive.

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Where I live it’s actually quite hard to buy ‘local’ unless you frequent markets and farm shops (and there are not too many of those in my area unfortunately) so being signed up ensures that I get that good food when I need it. I still buy from markets when I can but that usually means I have to travel further to do so. Added to which there isn’t always consistency in what I can buy from week to

week which can be a problem but I always try and spread the love.

Do buy as local as you can. It can be difficult, but there are amazing places to get great deals on organic produce from your farmers market. Having said that when you are unable to do that shop every week Riverford is the perfect way to ensure organic quality and a good price too.

FEATURE

Meat Free Monday

by The Editor

It was quite simple concept. Don’t eat meat on a Monday.

Some of us eat excessive quantities of meat and it would seem that, in all honesty, besides the fact that we eat far too much for our health, we are also killing our environment faster. There is the old quote that cows fart so much that they are destroying the ozone layer, and as far as I know that really is true, but unfortunately they seem to be doing much more than that.

We are nurturing a massive need for meat to eat and the consequences are that we are all guilty of wrecking our precious planet. I started delving deeper and deeper into this issue and I found that all sorts of people are blogging and writing about it, quite apart from the huge campaigns that are under way in an endeavour to educate us about what we 8

are doing to our planet because of this way of over eating and over producing.

I found a YouTube video that shows a drone flying over a massive pig farm in the US. Not only are the poor pigs kept in appalling conditions in their thousands in massive buildings, but these are also next to a huge lake in which all their pooh ends up. The farm has to spray the lake and the surrounding areas with chemicals, presumably because of the smell and to break down the effluent, but these chemicals are polluting the locals’ air as well as the rest of their environment.

People living nearby are falling ill and the adjacent small farms are going out of business because these powerful chemicals are destroying the soil as well as the air quality. Hard times for everyone other than the industrialised pig farms it would seem. I guess we all like a rasher or two of bacon, but at what cost?

Statistically people have been throwing around numbers about what we need to do to help our environment in terms of reducing meat consumption. But without the vegetarians waving their banners it seems that even if each one of us cut out meat for just one day a week, that alone would make an

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PICTURE CREDITS: www.veggievision.tv. and Meat Free Monday logo

I stumbled across Paul McCartney prattling on about something on Twitter and somehow I clicked on the link. To my surprise I was actually interested in what I had found and what he had to say. I thought it was going to be a vegetarian rant about giving up meat but the more I read the more genuinely interested I became.

impact on our entire lives. The simple notion of No Meat Mondays could actually change the way we look after our little green planet.

Now who can’t or won’t do that?

You don’t need me to tell you how instrumental supermarkets have been in ruining farmers’ lives and livelihoods. Agrarian farmers are being forced to accept smaller and smaller payments for their harvests whilst knowing full well that their pesticides are ruining the environment. That’s without going into the fact that we are killing our bees and our wildlife by turning this planet into a giant, industrialised farm, and killing ourselves in the process. How truly ironic is that. And this is happening. This is real and we need to do something about it now. Go veggie for a day and buy as locally as you possibly can. Save our planet. Save our children. And save our future.

PS: May I just add that I love Vegetarians, Pescatarians, Omnivores, Herbivores and Carnivores, and none were harmed in the writing of this article. www.cibare.co.uk

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REVIEW

Time for a coffee Coffee Beans

by Dorothy Martinez

Our coffees this week are all associated with Campbell & Syme, the editor and I visited cafés in one way or another. their shop in East Finchley to see what all the fuss was about. The coffee is roasted on the premises and the roaster is on display in the Mokital – Bar Italia The first is one I’ve been drinking for a while coffee shop. It’s one of the few places I’ve and it is the award winning coffee served at been that actually has a coffee menu with Soho’s famous Bar Italia, but is available lo- descriptions of the flavours. Items are listed cally (to me) in a new health food shop, Gaia under espresso (served, as it should be, in very short shots) and longer coffee. I think Nutrition. there were five on the menu and we might The beans have an earthy, sweet aroma. For have worked our way through them all. It my taste it works best on the espresso ma- was interesting. It was coffee you could have chine where it produces a creamy flavoured a conversation about. It’s a real coffee lovcoffee with a nice bitterness and creamy aro- ers’ coffee shop for serious coffee drinkers. ma. If you like your coffee a little less intense then add a little hot water to turn it into an So to the bag we reviewed. We went for the Americano (though use a double shot of es- Purple Haze, probably because the name presso). This really brings out the creamy, sounded cool and made me recall my 20s. rounded flavour of the coffee. It’s accept- The beans had a zingy fruity aroma of berable in the French press, although I find that ries and apples. As an espresso it was tangy it somehow isolates the different varieties and sharp, though I detected a hint of tobacof coffee from one another. I get a distinct co somewhere towards the end. Mr Martaste of East African coupled with something tinez, who is of Cuban origin, insisted that darker, Brazilian, perhaps. Given its back- it tasted like the Cuban cañandanga fruit, ground, it’s probably unsurprising that this which probably means very little to you and is, in my opinion, probably one for the es- I, but since he was so certain that this was presso machine, but nonetheless, it is a very what it tasted of, it seems wrong to omit it pleasant, every day grind and it has become from this review. As a coffee that is meant to be used for espresso I didn’t feel comforta staple in our house. able subjecting it to the French press, but I did add a little water to draw it out a bit and Purple Haze – Campbell and Syme Having heard a lot of good things about the results were good, with an understand10

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ably gentler fruity, fermenty, berry flavour.

This was a bright and interesting coffee and is a fantastic early morning kick in the pants.

Indian Monsoon – Beanzz

Every now and then I visit friends in Eastbourne and on my way down I thought I’d just look and see whether there were any small batch coffee roasters in the area. To my surprise, there actually was one. So we popped along to the café to check it out. The coffee shop itself was nice and spacious and spread over two floors. The cakes – also made by the owner, Zach, and his partner – were such a hit with the kids that we barely got a look in. They went for the banoffee pie and the lemon drizzle cake, and both were excellent. The coffee on sale in the shop was the house blend which went down well and we actually took a bag of this away with us as well as the one I’ve reviewed here. Zach’s coffee is available online and it looks like a really interesting range, currently including two Asian varieties.

The one I took away to review was the Indian Monsoon. The beans had an acidic but pleasant enough aroma. As an espresso, it had a strong bitter chocolate flavour with a hint of spice somewhere in the middle – perhaps black cardamom or even cloves.

It had a wonderfully thick consistency and although I didn’t really pick this up in the flavour of the coffee, my kitchen smelled of tobacco afterwards. We put it through the French press which seemed to give it a slightly smokier aroma and flavour and a much gentler, creamier, chocolaty aftertaste. The spice was still evident and overall, it was reminiscent of spiced chocolate.

A strong coffee with well integrated flavours – I’ll definitely be exploring Indian coffee a bit more in the future.

An AeroPress is an inexpensive way to make a fantastic coffee

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REVIEW Warning: This article contains strong language from the beginning!

‘Holy Fuck’ tasted peppery and hot.

‘Christ On A Bike’ is sweeter and hot, but I think I could have this on anything.

‘Holy Mother of God’ is really spicy hot. I ac-

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tually said, “Fuck me!!” when I ate it as it was SO hot!! LOVE IT! These are great sauces for a meat feast party.

Bring out the steaks! And the ribs, and the chicken wings….!

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Bavaria Vs Camden Town

Separated by about 700 miles, what do the Camden Town Brewery’s founder, Jasper Free State of Bavaria and Camden Town Cuppaidge, decided that, having lived withhave in common? in the beating heart of one of the most happening places in the world for four years, it As a recent – or regular – visitor to Charles would be the best place to realise his dream, Pratt’s old manor, you’d be forgiven if you and that dream was to brew the kind of beer guessed bratwurst. The correct answer, previously only available from America and however, measures much longer than a Ger- Germany. Take a sip of one of CTB’s craftman sausage, and even longer than the time ed lagers (or stout if you like them darker) it takes to prepare one; about two and-a- and you may just feel some gratitude begin half centuries in fact. So, what links a federal to flow towards that decision. First up: India state of Germany to London’s trendy Cam- Hells Lager which is, as CTB put it, an “IPA den Town is… (drum roll maestro please) resurrected as a lager”. lager history. The former is noted as the origin of lager, and the latter has, in more First impressions are important, and if recent years, been adding its own notes to you’re new to CTB beer it may appear as the narrative of this relatively new beer’s bi- an enigma as you wonder why they chose ography. to circumscribe a reinvigorated lager into a 330ml container. Why metal? Why break In the early days of lagering (derived from from the tradition of bottling beer? The anthe German word lagern meaning to store), swer underpins the reinvention. Heat, oxysome brewers would take their beer to fro- gen, and light are elements which can spoil zen caves in the Bavarian Alps - packed with a beer. The perfect packaging for keeping ice from the lakes and mountains - leaving it away the ultraviolet light would be a frozen there to keep cool for the summer months (if Bavarian cave but transporting 50 billion only Primrose Hill was home to frozen caves tonnes of the Zugspitze Massif may prove too). This longer brewing process (com- to be a mountainous task, and the roads in pared to ale) meant the yeast in the beer set- North London aren’t conducive to carrytled, leaving a drink with a clean taste and ing such voluminous cargo. A note for anpaler colour, whilst also incorporating high yone thinking canned beer ‘tastes metallic’: levels of carbon dioxide. on the inside of beer cans there is a lining between the liquid and the tin to prevent a 14

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PICTURE CREDITS: Jennifer Balcombe

by Paul Ralhan

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“He said, to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground, we give you IHL; India Hells Lager. And it was so.”

Leaving the frozen Bavarian caves firmly on the ground in the German Alps, it’s time to return to London but not without another classic lager. A German-style Pilsner with a light hue (known in German as Helles) is pretty much the inspiration behind CTB. It’s an elegant lager with a distinctly refined character and owing to how long it is matured in a tank, many have echoed that it is, “how a great lager should taste.” Poured from a cardinal red can, Hells Lager is a true thirst quencher. It’s smoothly subtle and doesn’t threaten to overpower. Even the bubbles appear to rise softly to the surface, as if their ascent carries the sole purpose of bursting just to add a hint of zesty lemon and smoky pepper to season the biscuity malt

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which blankets your taste buds.

Camden’s product range is expansive, as much as it is versatile. Whilst Ireland demands a lot of credit for making ‘the black stuff’ famous, it should be remembered that the birthplace of stout is in London. The bold and distinctly chocolaty Camden Ink Stout is a tremendous drop and suggests a spiritual connection, especially when enjoyed locally in NW5. Bottles, cans, kegs (yes, some beer is also available in 30-litre kegs) or on tap, you’d do well to find any negatives about the CTB experience. Camden Pale Ale, Pils, or Gentlemen’s Wit, there’s something for every discerning beer lover.

Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, there’s a street food trader set up at the Brewery Bar. To reiterate, that’s beer brewed inside and food cooked outside. If you fancy making it a bit of a Leo Sayer (all-dayer) you could start the proceedings with a brewery tour and see how the beer is made. There are a lot of reasons to visit Camden, and Camden Town Brewery definitely provides three.

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PICTURE CREDITS: Jennifer Balcombe

transfer of flavour; pour the same “metallic tasting” beer into a glass and you’d never know whether it came bottled or canned.

With the beer protected within, cans are also very portable.

PICTURE CREDITS: Paul Ralhan

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REVIEW

Gin

by Andy Tudor

“Do you wanna drink?”

on fresh window cleaner - and the sharpest taste with the longest finish with a slightly “Yeah, beer please. Or whiskey & coke.” spicy after taste. With exhaustive marketing and sponsorship of big-name events, “Shall we get shots? Tequila? Jagermeister? Bombay is one of the larger names in the gin Sambuca?” world along with Gordon’s and Sipsmith, no doubt because of how well it compliments a You never hear the word ‘gin’. gin & tonic but on it’s own it’s a little unpleasant.

Gin is what your gran drinks. And it’s ‘gin & tonic’ as people who sit in the VIP area at IDEAL FOR: Basic Gin & Tonics with your Wimbledon drink. nan But all that has been changing recently it seems. More people I know have been talking about gin - whether it’s new lime/ lemon/cucumber infusions, gin-of-themonth delivery companies like Craft Gin Club (craftginclub.co.uk), or the favourite tipple of Christian Grey. And it’s a key ingredient (amongst others) in some of my favourite cocktails - Tom Collins and a Long Island Ice Tea. So if you don’t have a bottle in your drinks cabinet right now - read on as we try out three of the most popular right now…

By contrast, triple-distilled Portland’s Premium Gin comes in an understated corked dark blue bottle resembling anaesthetic from a Victorian doctor’s bag. That sounds immediately harsh - but it’s not. It’s actually quite pleasant compared to the more basic bottles on offer from other brands and comes with an attached ‘Cocktail Compendium’ booklet.

With a lemon aroma most noticeable amongst the seven botanicals on offer and a slightly higher 41% alcohol volume, its initial taste is somewhat overpowering like Bombay but conversely it has little depth to pleasure your palette over time. Whilst perfectly sippable therefore, you’ll likely want to add a little lime or cucumber.

We start with the most obvious choice - the exotic-looking but entirely-commonplace Bombay Sapphire London Dry Gin. Despite boasting the most (ten) botanicals of all those mentioned here, Bombay Sapphire bizarrely has the most obvious aroma - one of lem- IDEAL FOR: Fruity cocktails (Singapore 18

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Sling, Aviation) with friends Compare this to our last option Hendrick’s however and you might just forget about re-filling your previous glasses with either of the previous options. The most fashionable amongst this test group, Hendrick’s comes in an even MORE authentically vintage-looking bottle looking reminiscent of a Wild West elixir… and with the pleasing pop of the cork from its stubby frame you can IMMEDIATELY detect three aromas - lemon, lime and a floral note.

From the slightly slower slide down the glass you can also see it’s going to be a smoother taste and that’s absolutely true; it’s a crisper, cleaner, more refreshing and more ‘more-ish’.

With this more elegant taste you’re also guaranted a better quality of Martini if that’s your preference. Utterly delightful - and despite a slightly higher price point it’s an absolute joy to drink - perfect for either a hot summer’s day or a sophisticated alternative on a night out.

IDEAL FOR: On the rocks, Martinis with a kinky date

FOOD

Lunch

Leftovers never tasted so good!

Chicken and Mozzarella Quesadillas.

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Toasted sandwiches with Pepperoni and Cheddar.

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FOOD

Risotto

Meal for the season Introduction by Dorothy Martinez

The traditional way of making risotto is a labour of love that has one standing over a hot pan, gently massaging the starch out of the short, fat grains of Arborio rice and studiously adding more liquid as the last lot gets absorbed – and that is a good way of doing it – but it’s not the only way and it can be a lot less labour intensive.

I would generally start with a mixture of onions, garlic and maybe a little chilli softened in oil (with a decent knob of butter if it’s a white risotto and maybe some leeks if you’re using fish). If you’re using mushrooms, especially rehydrated dried mushrooms, you might add them to this mixture too. Sautéing the rice is also important as ensuring all the grains are coated in oil helps them to stay distinct from one another in the end mass and it also starts the cooking process. Next, add your first liquid – this can be a strong or distinctive flavour. Depending on the type of risotto this could be wine, vermouth, the water used to rehydrate the dried mushrooms, tomato purée dissolved in water – but these are just suggestions and you might just use the first quantity of stock – play around with it. This is the point at which you can deviate from the traditional method, add the rest of the liquid (stock, blended tomatoes etc) and try one of the following:

the oven (medium/high heat for 20 minutes), or • A shallower oven dish, cover with foil and bake it (medium/high heat for about 17 minutes). This method is perfect for fish dishes, as you just lay the fish on top of the risotto mix in the dish and cook the whole lot together – the fish is less likely to disintegrate.

• A slow cooker – whether you fry the onions first or just chuck the whole lot in is a matter of preference. It should take about 2.5 hours on the low setting with fried onions and rice or about 3 hours on high with unfried ingredients. You may wish to chuck it all in at once or reserve some ingredients (vegetables, cheese etc) to garnish.

Whichever cooking method you use, leave the finished risotto to rest for a few minutes before serving to give the flavours a chance to settle into each other. Some risottos actually taste better the next day, if they make it that far.

You have a choice of rice grains – Arborio seems to be the most commonly used in the UK, but Carnaroli and Vialone Nano are also available from large supermarkets and Italian food shops. Which you use is a personal preference; though remember that smaller grains will require less cooking time. There • A pressure cooker (high pressure, 7 are various other types of risotto rice to exmins, quick release and stir before leaving periment with, though you might need to to rest) or search for them in Italy itself as they’re not • A hob to oven casserole and put it in widely available in this country. Recently I

have been experimenting with barley instead of rice in my chicken risotto. Barley is more nutritious than rice and gives the risotto a slightly nuttier, wholesome flavour. Gallo have brought out a mixed grain risotto product, containing rice, barley and spelt which also provides a more interesting taste. It’s a personal preference, but I’d generally use these non-rice grains for richer, creamier recipes rather than lighter vegetable or acidic tomato ones but, as always, make your own decisions on that.

Below are some recipes from the Cibare writers so give them a go and see how the different methods work for each.

TOMATO RISOTTO Ingredients:

1 medium to large onion, chopped finely Garlic to taste, chopped (I’d use the whole bulb) Chilli to taste (I’d use two or three small dried chillis) 2 cups of short grain rice 4 cups of liquid made up of: 1 can of tomatoes, blended and 3 to 4 tbsp of tomato purée dissolved in 1.5 cups of hot water and the remainder hot water Salt to taste

But there you have it. Risotto is actually very easy anyway and can be made even easier if you play around with your method. A close friend said to me that risotto is a great dish because there’s so little washing up. And by using one of the less traditional methods suggested here, you can have most of that To garnish, use some or all of the following done before you even sit down to eat.

(I use all) Rocket salad

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Leek & Scallop Risotto

Tomato Risotto

Asparagus & Basil Risotto

Chicken Risotto

Parmesan shavings Roughly chopped Mozzarella Pitted black olives Canned mackerel in olive oil (one can for every two people)

Method

CHICKEN RISOTTO 1 medium onion, chopped Garlic, chopped, to taste (I’d use half a bulb for this one) Chilli to taste (I’d use 2-3 small dried chillies) 4 to 5 closed cup mushrooms, sliced (optional) 50g of butter 2 tbsp of olive oil 2 cups of risotto rice 1 cup of white wine or white vermouth 2 chicken stock cubes dissolved in 3 cups hot water.

75ml of single cream 2 lemons, juiced 3 good handfuls of grated Parmesan and more to garnish 4 chicken breasts, beaten flat and dusted in flour seasoned with salt

1.

Soften the onion, garlic and chilli in olive oil for about 5 to 7 minutes on a gentle heat 2.

Add rice and stir constantly for two minutes taking care not to let it burn 3. Add the tomato purée dissolved in water and stir well until it has all been absorbed by the rice 4.

Add 1 cup of the blended tomatoes and salt to taste. Stir until they have been absorbed and then add the remaining liquid (i.e. remainder of the blended tomatoes and hot water) one cup at a time until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is al dente 5.

Check for seasoning and leave to rest Method for 10 minutes while you prepare the gar- 1.

Soften onion, garlic, chilli and mushnishes. rooms if using in olive oil for about 5 to 7 minutes on a gentle heat NB: If you are using one of the other meth- 2.

Add rice and stir constantly for two ods, then add all the remaining liquid after minutes taking care not to let it burn step 3 and if necessary, transfer the whole 3.

Add the white wine or vermouth and mixture to the oven dish / slow cooker / oven stir well until it has all been absorbed by the and cover. If using a pressure cooker, put rice the lid on and get to the desired pressure.

4.

Add the chicken stock one cup at a If ever you find you’ve made too much of time until all the rice is al dente this recipe, you can use the leftovers to make 5.

Check for seasoning and leave to rest Suppli – a Roman snack, often served in the for 5 minutes. Meanwhile start cooking the ‘hole in the wall’ pizzerias. First, shape the chicken in a frying pan with a little olive oil risotto into balls and push a bar of mozza- 6.

Stir in the single cream, followed by rella into the middle, ensuring you close the grated Parmesan and the juice of one the ball with the risotto. Then, cover the lemon. Leave to stand until the chicken is ball in breadcrumbs – first dusting in flour, ready and the flour coating has turned goldthen dipping in egg and finally tossing in en. While still cooking in the pan, pour over breadcrumbs. Lastly, deep fry until golden. the remainder of the lemon juice and shake They’re so good that you might find yourself the pan a bit accidentally making double quantities of ri- 7.

Slice the chicken and either arrange sotto! on top of the risotto or on a plate and serve with extra Parmesan.

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ASPARAGUS & BASIL RISOTTO

By Gillian Balcombe Serves 2 10g butter and 10ml olive oil 1 medium onion, finely chopped 200g Arborio rice 125ml dry white wine 750ml vegetable (or chicken) stock 50g freshly grated parmesan cheese 10g butter 225g asparagus

Once the rice has reached the creamy texture, add the parmesan, butter and seasoning to taste. Finally stir in the asparagus pieces with the chopped basil and allow to heat through. If chopped fresh basil seems like a task too far, try using one of the rather good brands of quick frozen basil that are now available.

To serve, divide the risotto equally between two plates / dishes and top with the remaining asparagus spears.

LEEK & SCALLOP RISOTTO

By Dani Gavriel Handful of finely chopped fresh basil Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to I’ve had versions of this risotto in restautaste rants both in the UK and in Italy so I was Wash the asparagus and snap off the low- very excited to come up with my own recipe er, woody part of the stalk. Cut all but four being a huge risotto fan! spears into 3cm lengths, and trim the spears to a length of about 75mm. Cook the pieces The Arborio rice really soaks up the wonand the spears until they are ‘al dente’, then derful flavours and the pan fried scallops give the pancetta and leek a nice contrast in set aside. texture and taste.

Meanwhile, melt the butter and oil in a heavy bottomed pan then add to it the chopped Packet of Arborio rice onions and the Arborio rice. Make sure the Drizzle of olive oil onion and rice are well coated with butter 2 large onions, peeled & diced and sauté gently until the onions become Packet of diced pancetta translucent. Do not allow the onions to be- 3 leeks, trimmed and sliced 4 garlic cloves, crushed come coloured.

Bunch of fresh parsley, roughly chopped Immediately add the white wine and stir un- Salt and pepper til it has been absorbed by the rice. Begin Teaspoon of dried crushed chilli adding the stock, one ladle at a time, stirring Packet of cleaned scallops continuously until each ladleful has been Large glass of white wine absorbed before adding the next but ensur- 2 pints of fish stock ing that the pot does not dry out between each addition. Continue adding the liquid Sauté the garlic and onion in olive oil until until the rice is cooked (it needs to take on softened. a creamy texture) and all the stock has been Add the pancetta and cook until crispy. used. You may find that you need a little Add the leeks and cook for five minutes.

Add the Arborio rice and coat in the mixture. more or less stock.

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Turn the heat down and add a ladle of stock, one at a time, until each ladle of stock is absorbed by the rice, stirring every few minutes - the rice takes about 20 minutes to cook.

After 10 minutes of cooking the rice add the parsley, chilli and salt and pepper.

Just before the rice has cooked, coat the scallops in olive oil, crushed chilli and parsley and then pan fry for two minutes on each side.

Pile the rice onto a serving platter with the scallops arranged on the top.

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PICTURE CREDITS: Theo Michaels

FEATURE

Rizogalo

by Theo Michaels

Forget stodgy school dinners – join the rice pudding revolution with Rizogalo! A traditional Greek and Middle Eastern pudding, Rizogalo or Greek rice pudding is a fragrant, delicate, creamy and usually chilled Greek dessert. Hints of rose water, crunchy pistachios and sweet brown sugar with undertones of cinnamon and vanilla...is your mouth watering yet?!

vent you having to use corn flour, eggs or even cream in the recipe. This is really a sweet risotto except that it’s a lot less fussy in terms of cooking process – but don’t tell the Italians I said that otherwise they’ll be saying this is their recipe!

In saying all that, I must admit that you can alter this recipe to use up leftover boiled rice – OK, it won’t win any awards and isn’t the same as the recipe below but the fundamentals are not that different – a load of rice, lots of milk and sugar and reduce it down to a creamy texture.

Rizogalo comes from the Greek: Rizo meaning Rice and Galo meaning Milk – you get the picture… This is the perfect refreshing dessert: using Arborio risotto rice it is incredibly easy (and relatively quick) to make but it nonetheless delivers on taste and in- Anyway, if you want to try the best damn rice dulgence every time. pudding or rizogalo you’ve ever had, read on...

There is some debate as to the type of rice to use, be it pudding rice, Arborio rice, long grain rice… For me, Arborio is perfect as it holds its shape and texture really well. It avoids becoming a pile of mush but at the same time it exudes enough starch to pre-

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RIZOGALO (4 servings) Ingredients 1 cup of Arborio rice 4 cups of whole milk 1/2 cup of caster sugar 2” (5 cm) length of orange rind (optional) 3 sticks of cinnamon, about 2” (5cm) long each 2 tablespoons of rosewater Few pinches of brown sugar Few pinches of ground cinnamon Few pinches of chopped pistachio nuts Knob of butter 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla essence Pinch of salt

Method:

Towards the end of cooking (about 25 minutes) and just as the rice is done (taste it – it should be just past al dente – but not mushy!), add the caster sugar and stir until dissolved then the final cup of milk in stages, if needed. You want a soup-like consistency, and bear in mind that the pudding will thicken a lot as it cools.

Turn off the heat, add the rosewater and stir in.

You can now pour the mixture into individual serving dishes (a wine glass is quite good) and chill or pour into a bowl and divide later, although it looks much neater if done while still warm. TIP: to avoid a skin forming as it cools you can sprinkle some sugar over the top while it cools.

Add knob of butter to saucepan and melt, Serve warm or cold – garnish with a sprinadd rice, 3 cups of the milk, cinnamon sticks, kling of brown sugar, pinch of ground cinnamon and the crushed pistachio nuts. salt, vanilla essence and orange rind.

Bring to the boil then reduce to a gentle sim- Goes well with a warm summer’s day or late at night to satisfy a bad case of the munchmer stirring frequently. ies! www.cibare.co.uk

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HEALTH AND NUTRITION

Tasty Raw Food

A wonderful alternative to Risotto and Pizza

You don’t have to go without risotto and pizza just because you want to eat more raw food! It may be a little different in texture but remember the benefits of eating raw – more energy, great skin, looking younger, a sharper mind and feeling (and being) lighter – and give it a try.

I am offering you healthy, nutritious alternatives to the cooked versions. I am not suggesting you adopt 100% raw food into your life which would take a lot of time and energy in the modern world. To start, try out different dishes and experiment. When you eat raw food, you will find that you can taste the food better and you can try out a variety of tastes and food combinations. I have had many successes although I admit that a few dishes have gone in the bin because they didn’t taste exactly as I imagined they would. The great thing about raw food is that you can use different combinations, not necessarily what it says in the recipe.

You’ll soon start to learn what combinations work. Also, if you don’t like a food, you can try out alternatives. For example, I don’t eat raw tomatoes, which is a bit of a problem with raw food as there are many dishes with a raw tomato base. I replace them with sundried tomatoes (you will need fewer as the 32

taste is much stronger) or a mixture of sundried and raw as the sundried ones mask the taste.

Now, onto the risotto and pizza…

Cauliflower makes a great alternative to rice. Its texture is a bit different but it does work and it is very tasty. Try this mushroom and asparagus risotto. You could also make it with bell peppers and a few nuts – whatever ‘topping’ you fancy. The dressing helps to give the risotto more of the sticky texture of one made with rice and the grated macadamia nut could easily be mistaken for parmesan!

With the pizza you will need a dehydrator to make the base, so it’s not quite as simple.

But, if you want to sample the toppings, you could make a normal pizza base and then add the raw toppings to it. If I want some hot food but want to keep an element of raw, I sometimes make up a dish of raw veg and nuts and then add it to cooked brown rice.

And I sometimes buy tortillas and make a wrap with the fillings that you see below for the pizza.

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PICTURE CREDITS: Alison Matthews

By Alison Matthews

RAW MUSHROOM & ASPARAGUS RI- half the lemon juice and a spoonful of shoyu or tamari for about 30 minutes. I prick the SOTTO Serves 2

3 or 4 chestnut mushrooms 4 stalks of asparagus ¼ small cauliflower 2 spring onions (white part only) Spinach (optional) Juice of one lemon ¼ teaspoon of English mustard ½ cup of cashew nuts ¼ teaspoon of turmeric ¼ teaspoon of nutritional yeast (optional) Water Shoyu or tamari Sea salt or Himalayan salt (to taste)

mushrooms with a fork to help them absorb the marinade.

• Put the cashew nuts in a blender with the remaining lemon juice, turmeric, mustard, nutritional yeast, salt and a little water (two tablespoons to start). Blend together and add more water to get the consistency you want.

• Put the cauliflower and spring onions in a food processor and blend until they form a fluffy ‘mash’.

• Mix all the ingredients together and lay on a bed of raw spinach.

• Sprinkle with a ground macadamia nut.

Think you can never eat pizza again – well, think again! As I said earlier, you do need a Macadamia nut (optional) dehydrator to make the base and do this one • Chop and marinate the mushrooms in properly. www.cibare.co.uk

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MUSHROOM AND PEPPER PIZZA Pizza Base (base recipe from Raw Freedom) • 1-½ cups of raw buckwheat soaked overnight and rinsed • ½ cup of ground flaxseed • 1 medium red pepper, deseeded and chopped • 1 pinch of sea salt or Himalayan salt • 1 tablespoon of dried oregano • 1 garlic clove, crushed

Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend until they form a paste – add water until you reach the consistency you want.

Spread the tomato paste on the pizza and then the ‘cheese’. Dress with slices of mushroom and red and yellow peppers or any other vegetable of your choice. Serves two to four people depending on how big you like your servings of pizza!

Combine the ingredients in a food processor until they create a smooth paste – like a dough, not too runny. Spread the mixture onto a paraflex sheet of a dehydrator into the shape of a pizza base. Dehydrate at 145ºF for 2 hours and then turn down to 110ºF. Turn the pizza base straight onto the dehydrator tray and dehydrate for another 12 hours. The base will store in an airtight container in the fridge for two days.

Toppings Tomato • ½ cup of sundried tomatoes • ½ cup of tomatoes, chopped • 1 garlic clove • Juice of half a lemon • Water Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until they form a paste. Add water as required to get the consistency you want.

‘Cheese’ • 1 cup of cashew or macadamia nuts • Juice of half a lemon • ½ teaspoon of mustard • ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper • ½ teaspoon of nutritional yeast • Water

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REVIEW

My Secret Café Campbell & Syme

by The Editor

On a side street off a busy main road there is a little coffee shop called Campbell & Syme.

It’s quite a simple area with only a few small spaces to sit because there is a coffee roaster taking up a large part of the shop. Behind the roaster is a kitchen space full of COFFEE, and an array of bags of coffee beans and cakes. Darling little cakes just perfect for those dainty little plates that sit next to your espresso are also available.

You can choose from a lively menu of food on the wall next to the equally large list of different types of coffee. Not Starbucks style with all manner of syrups and flavour combinations, but different types of beans, shots and methods of making the coffee itself – filter and espresso as well as cappuccinos and lattes. A true coffee heaven.

Happily it’s a family friendly place but with a real feel of good coffee snobbery, and I loved it! It was quiet but at the same time we were chatting away and enjoying our coffees and cake. It was a lovely morning and this was an excellent, if unexpected, interlude due to where the café is situated. I’d heard that the coffee was good, I just hadn’t expected that it would be exactly what I hoped it would be. It was coffee-snobby yet friendly at the same time, which speaks to me to be honest. I needed a really good coffee that morning and I got a lot of it. You need to go.

Our coffee reviewer has also written her thoughts on their coffee, so don’t just take my word for it, check out what our Dorothy has to say too!

Campbell & Syme 9 Fortis Green East Finchley LONDON N2 9JR Tel: 07977 514054 Email: enquiries@campbellandsyme.co.uk 36

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HEALTH AND NUTRITION

The Herbalist Honey

by Jo Farren

Getting the chance to write about honey really excited me, it’s one of those things that I recommend to friends and family year in, year out and something which I am really passionate about.

Honey has been used since the dawn of time across the globe: the Egyptians used it to embalm bodies, the Romans used it to sweeten food and in ancient India it was used medicinally and spiritually, to mention but a few.

Not only is honey a delicious sweet treat with a glycaemic index of around 55 (much lower than sucrose!) it also has many health benefits. As ancient folk used it in their medicine chests, so the anecdotes for its broad range of uses have been passed down over the years. More recently, studies have been carried out to confirm and clarify these claims, which range from healing wounds and having antibacterial properties to helping alleviate the symptoms of hay fever.

There are many different types of honey available as you may have seen on the shelves of your local supermarket. I didn’t realise quite how many: wildflower, heather, pine, manuka. The last of these, manuka honey, is one which is especially well known and is made by bees collecting nectar from the manuka tree which is indigenous to Australia and New Zealand. It comes in varying strengths, is antimicrobial and has been 38

shown to be effective against certain strains of MRSA. Medicinal grade honey is used in dressings and bandages to help heal wounds, ulcers and burns and it is becoming more and more mainstream after being slightly on the alternative scene for some time!

Now, local honey is different from what you find in your supermarkets. By local honey, I mean something which is produced from a hive within a three-mile radius. Bees generally travel up to three miles away from their hive which, when you consider how tiny they are, is a really long way! The pollen that triggers hay fever is light and blown around by the wind, the stuff that the bees collect tends to be heavier and causes far less of an issue.

The idea that honey helps hay fever is down to the fact that teeny tiny particles of the light pollen will be present in honey; really tiny amounts though, so not enough to elicit an allergic response, just enough to desensitize you.

The opportune time to start taking it is before the end of April which is generally when hay fever rears its ugly head! Keep going throughout the whole season. I’d suggest you have it in some natural yoghurt or porridge, but keep heating it to a minimum to ensure that its properties are not destroyed by overheating.

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As a long-time convert to local honey I can also tell you that I prefer the taste, I feel that it is far superior to other products which are often imports. Yes it is more expensive but it’s money well spent in my opinion. There is also a big query over the welfare of the bees in cheaper products. If hives are over harvested this means that there is not enough honey remaining for the bees to survive on.

Once the nectar supply has ended, they need to be fed sugar solution to stay alive. If the hives and bees are managed responsibly, then they should have enough honey to see them through the winter. Local producers tend to be keener on welfare and will ensure that their bees are happy!

• Handful of organic porridge oats 250ml milk of your choice – almond / coconut / oat • 2 teaspoons of honey • Blueberries – frozen are great if you don’t have fresh • One banana • 2 teaspoons of chia seeds / linseeds • Cinnamon

To find a local supplier near you, visit the British Beekeepers Association website and keep your eyes peeled at farmers’ markets and farm shops. Ideally, you do want to chose a honey which is made within a threemile radius of where you live, so that you’re being desensitized to the most local strain of pollen (or work perhaps, if you get worse symptoms there), and a multi-floral honey will give you the best chance too.

I find that smoothies are a really good way to get honey into kids – my eldest son has hay fever and I believe that using honey has helped reduce his symptoms dramatically.

He seems to be far more compliant when his medicine is so tasty! I’d leave out the chia seeds and possibly the cinnamon for him frozen bananas or yoghurt are a great way to make it even more fun as it’s almost like a milkshake (maybe that one’s not just for the children!)

As I said before, a really great way of getting the honey into your body is in the form of a smoothie, now this also contains one of my other favourite ingredients which maybe I will talk more about next time, oats!

It’s really simple – whack it all in a blender and blitz until smooth, serve and enjoy!

Desiccated coconut is also really nice added to the mixture. Do try playing around with the ingredients, all the while keeping the backbone of oats, milk and honey.

So, get cracking on it by mid-April. Of course, if you don’t fancy a smoothie then there’s nothing wrong with a bit of honey on toast or a dollop on your porridge - sometimes the simplest things are the best.

Love, health and happiness Joanne xx

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IGilly B’s Bakery Cakes made with Love

Find her on Facebook and Twitter!

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HEALTH AND NUTRITION

HONOURING NUTRITION

by Thomas Bisson

With summer approaching, you may be among the masses who are trying to make healthier lifestyle changes in order to reach a goal - perhaps it’s weight loss, muscle gain, or just an overall desire to be healthier from within. As a fitness professional, I am often finding that my clients struggle with these three elements of nutrition: the quality of what they’re consuming, the quantity of what they’re consuming, and the timing of when they decide to fuel their bodies. Even one of these elements done incorrectly or inconsistently can lead to a significant impact on your results. In order to have a healthier lifestyle, it’s important to honour the three elements of nutrition - read on to find out how you can master these principles in order to see more effective results.

Quality:

What are you eating? Feeding your body with high quality ingredients will make a huge difference to helping you stay on track.

Cravings are born when the body is lacking vital nutrients and minerals, so by feeding your body with nutrient-dense foods, you’re taking the right steps to kick cravings to the curb and function at your best. Most people only see fast food as the unhealthy food group to avoid, but with the right packaging and marketing, any product can be disguised as a “healthy snack.” Even foods with the 42

words “natural” or “healthy” can be laden with chemicals and processed sugars. I advise my clients to live by this simple rule: if you can’t kill it, pick it or pluck it, don’t eat it.

It’s also a good idea to read the ingredients label - if you don’t recognise an ingredient, put it down and go for something you can understand. Avoid foods with added sugar or sodium. By following these simple guidelines you’ll be sticking to foods that have a a significantly smaller amount of additives or processed chemicals.

Quantity:

For the first time in history we have an abundance of food. Most people have the mindset of making sure there is enough food to go around. When eating out, restaurants are delivering portions that are often double or triple what the average person actually needs in a meal. A side of hot chips at an average restaurant ranges between 600-900 calories - which is nearly a third of the average person’s recommended daily calorie intake. When we eat at home, we make far too much food and then are faced with two options: wastefully throw the leftovers away, or continue eating until there is a minimal amount left. In order to fuel your body correctly, you need to be mindful of how much food you’re eating. A helpful tip to keep you on track is to drink a full glass of water be-

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fore every meal. When your body is well hydrated you may be less inclined to over eat.

Remember to eat slowly and pay attention to how you’re feeling. Stop eating when you’re full. If you find you are left with too much food at the end of your meals, learn to cook in smaller quantities. If you’re still hungry after your meal, you can always reach for a piece of fruit or a quick snack, like vegetable sticks or scrambled eggs.

Timing:

Timing is often tricky for people who are on the go. As a fitness coach, I am constantly told “I don’t have time for breakfast” or “I don’t have time to make a healthy lunch.”

These kinds of excuses aren’t going to help you to be your healthiest self. The trick is to make the time when it seems there isn’t any.

Wake up 15 minutes earlier! Allow a quick food prep to become part of your morning routine! Do some online research to find some quick, healthy, make-ahead recipes to ensure that you’re prepared to eat well. Another point to consider is that routine is vital when trying to improve your nutrition. Aim to be consistent by eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day, no matter how busy life may seem. Nothing is more important that your own health. If you aren’t feeding and nurturing your body, you can’t be expected to be your best for anyone else.

These three principles are vital to making sure that you’re getting the most out of your new lifestyle. Aim to feed yourself well, in the right amounts, and at the right times and your results will be that much more impressive when summer rolls around.

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REVIEW

Time for Tea

by The Editor

Neals Yard

A pale tea with a combination of chamomile and peppermint, it is lovely and refreshing. I can see why it’s an after dinner tea as those two herbs combined are wonderful for calming your tummy and your mind too. It’s delicious as a cup of tea any time though, as it doesn’t have too strong a flavour of either herb in particular, and they are quite evenly balanced. It makes an excellent palette cleanser too and it’s also perfect for helping those hearty winter meals go down nicely! £2.99 from NealsYardRemedies.com 44

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Yogi Tea - Positive Energy

A combination of cranberry and hibiscus, which is deliciously fruity with an added cinnamon zing coming through too, both in aroma and in taste. Altogether this tea is supposed to be energising, and it may well be, but the cinnamon also feels lovely on my throat and really soothing when sore. This is not a thin watery fruit tea, it feels like a more substantial tea with milk. There is a traditional Greek cinnamon tea to which you add milk, and this has a similar flavour, but with an undertone of fruit. - ÂŁ2.40 from most health food stores.

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REVIEW

Camden Market

by The Editor

Having been coming here with my mum since I was a kid, I remember it being my birthday treat to go shopping in all those fabulously idiosyncratic (and often bizarre) shops in Camden and buy those things that you couldn’t find anywhere else in London.

Even just window shopping was an adventure, with a silver painted plane forming part of one shop front, a giant boot above another and a rocking chair hanging above the door of yet another. Whilst Camden Market has matured and changed since those days and I don’t think that actually had very much to do with the fire that ripped through it a few years ago – it has nonetheless retained its unique character and has simply grown with the times and with our expectations of markets, food and fun!

On my recent visit, I got to the market a bit early so I could watch everyone set up and I have to say that nothing excited me more than the black cab that was parked outside Cyberdog (you can’t miss it, you can hear the music pumping for miles round!). So there it was. CABBI COFFEE! It was early and I was thirsty and bless those ladies, they made me a really good coffee. No, they don’t have a big coffee bean grinder in the boot to give you a roaster’s dream, but they are using a new system from Lavazza. It is a black cab!

And the coffee is genuinely very good. The experience is so cool and the ladies are a start up business, so park up all that coffee snobbery and give it a go. I did and it was well worth it. Certainly the best coffee in Camden.

Camden has always been the place to shop for clothes, but the calibre of the shops and stalls has improved enormously, as has the availability and diversity of all manner of different foods. I love that the market has an amazing food quarter. Not that it’s exactly in competition with the large street food markets but there is a great selection and because it’s Camden there is always a real quirkiness to it as well. I love how the food looks hot and appetising and ready to eat.

With coffee in hand I kept looking around, on the hunt for more food as I was sure that there was more. Whilst walking towards Regent’s Canal and the Lock I suddenly caught a whiff! Higher up and slightly hidden from my location was a quadrant absolutely full of world foods! Where have you been!! It looked wonderful and in fact this is the rest of the street food market that you’ve been looking for. The inside food court is dominated with Asian flavours - Thai, Malaysian

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and Chinese - although you will also find very tempting Italian, Mexican and churro stalls. And then outside you find the falafel, Polish and vegetarian stalls, and an amazing looking paella stall too. Taking all these together you have a truly amazing foodie escapade: you really need to spend the whole day there so that you can sample everything that’s on offer!

Camden Market is open every day so you can go on an international food journey any time you choose. It does get busy at the weekends, and particularly in the sunshine - and let’s hope that is here to stay too.

I’m still loving Camden Market after all these years. If you’ve not been yet you have no idea what you’re missing! Get down there today and enjoy!

Stables Market Camden LONDON, NW1

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FEATURE

Food Porn

Mrs Spinks’ Food Porn Babble

by Gemma Feeney

LUX SLIDER ON THE ROOF, ANYONE? Self professed ‘frivolities’ kicked off the feast Does the food at a glamorous event ever make the experience any better? Does anyone care? Or at a posh do are you just glad to have something to do with your hands while you secretly ogle the famous people while simultaneously pretending to not give a shit what they look like / wear or how they laugh / drink / eat in real life? Truthfully, how much do you care when you haven’t paid for the food anyway? It’s just a real bonus if it’s good, right? I’ve tried and tested some wonderful event food and also some pretty forgettable stuff…but I believe that food matters, whatever and whoever is in the room.

I’d go so far as to say if the food is good or bad it can totally make or break an evening - kind of like the music (it’s impossible to sit still or not sing along to 80s hits, right?) but that’s a whole other story.

Sitting across last week from some very famous people at a swish event high up in the middle of the city (we’re talking tree canopy level here), the menu was definitely something to savour if a little schizophrenic.

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- parmesan fricos (crisps, basically), squid ink tapioca (like small frog eyes peering back at you) and posh Quavers (smoked pork actually) followed swiftly by a champagne ‘melon cocktail’ which was delicious though it was hard to know where the melon finished and the accompanying buckets of Moët started.

Then, out of nowhere, the menu made a categorical u-turn to ‘diner.’

Delicious, velvety mac’n’cheese had a serious crunch on top which really worked - the contrast between soft and mushy, naughty cheesy pasta with truffle infused snappy breadcrumbs was something I had to keep tasting and checking I did like (I did). The really garlicky Caesar salad was also good as long as you didn’t have to talk to anyone afterwards. Then moved in the real mains - seriously delicious mini burgers, sorry, LUX SLIDERS (beef, chicken or a great veggie combo - Portobello mushroom, harissa and houmous) and small buckets of triple cooked chips served up in cheapy Ikea-esque silver buckets but made more palatable with a cushioning of well thought out pink greaseproof paper.

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Salted caramel ice cream and espresso Mar- (www.mastbrothers.com). tinis ensued to guarantee dance floor moves amongst the jabbering, A-lister crowd. And And if anyone still has room and is up for groove, they did. a late night helping of nostalgia - get your history soaked soul down to recently opened But, oh where to breakfast in town after a late night bar ‘Cahoots’ in Kingly Street, night out?

Soho. Housed inside a disused underground Tube station it’s a nod to the nocturnal and To the Breakfast Club in Shoreditch (www. illicit escapades that took place in post war thebreakfastclubcafes.com) for a wonder- 1940s when spirits were high and still are fully hearty American breakfast washed here, quite honestly. Featuring dazzling down with a bloody spicy Bloody Mary and cocktails (Give Peas a Chance is not to be lots of hot coffee to boot. And later that day, missed - see pic), swing dancing and sing-ain the same neck of the woods whilst shel- longs around an old piano (thankfully withtering from a hail storm, a couple of gin and out a hint of Chas n’ Dave) it’s well worth a tonics and some pork scratchings and roast journey back in time (www.cahoots-london. potatoes from the very dog friendly pub The com).

Owl & Pussycat in Redchurch Street (www. owlandpussycatshoreditch.com) Blinded And then all of a sudden it’s Monday again by the lights outside (it’s a dark pub…) we and how I hate them even more after the gastook an unexpected stumble into the nearby tronomic indulgence of the weekend - but Mast Brothers that recently opened. A ha- these have been made a LOT more manageven for sweet toothers, it’s a chocolate fac- able with the latest darling of the food world, tory / shop / hot drinks bar where you hang Deliciously Ella, and her breakfast smoothout and watch them make the real deal, all ie. SO good and nourishing and filling. But I within a very soothing, clean lined and shiny would add that you need the Medjool dates interior. The chilli chocolate we tried had the little delights kept popping with each sip a particular bite (back of the throat job) but and with their good sugar and energy they these siblings hailing originally from Brook- are worth the extra effort to buy and add in, lyn really know their sauce and their flag- especially if you hate Mondays. ship London store is definitely worth a visit

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REVIEW

Snacks

by The Editor

Raw Health - Truly Juicy Bar: Almond Raw Health - Organic Spirulina Orange Balls & Apricot My first bite had a big brazil nut in it which was a bit of a surprise, but the rest of the bar is quite laden with almonds which gives it a good texture that isn’t too crunchy. The apricots are not a strong flavour as the bar also contains dates which hold it all together, but the dates aren’t overpowering either, which makes the whole taste experience very pleasant. I think if you want something like this that is mildly apricot in flavour then you have it, but with all the other nuts in the bar, they do become its strongest elements. I really enjoyed it and would happily eat more from this range. - £1.75 from most health food stores.

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They look like truffles on a box or little round treats. They smell of dates and a little of orange, and although they look as though they are moist from the dates you get an orangey, crunchy surprise when you bite into them.

The inside looks almost like a cake with its apparent fluffiness but it’s very dense with all the nuts. With all the walnuts and almonds they contain, it doesn’t feel like you can get much more in there. I can’t taste the spirulina over the orange and although there’s meant to be ginger in them, I don’t get that either. Regardless of those lost elements they are really flavoursome. With all those wonderful ingredients they taste great.

They come in very nice packaging and are a good, alternative treat when you want something sweet but without the naughtiness that goes with your average coffee or tea snack.

With three in a packet you can share. - £2.55 from most health food stores.

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Ombar

72% Dark Chocolate It smells divine!! I love dark chocolate. This is sweetened with cacao butter and coconut sugar, which I’ve not had before in a chocolate. Its consistency is just like that of a normal chocolate with a firm bite but it tastes very different to your average dark chocolate off the shelf. The way it has been sweetened doesn’t really add much sweetness at all although you can taste that it’s there. It’s very intense, but if you love your chocolate dark and strong this is the one for you! - £1.99 from most health food stores.

Ombar

Lemon & Green Tea Chocolate This made the same way but with lemon powder and green tea mutcha added. The lemon powder is strong and there is a very definite flavour of lemon coming through, so much so that you can taste it fighting with the chocolate for the strongest flavour prize!

The green tea is there but it’s underlying the other two, as they are so powerful. Altogether, a great chocolate. - £1.99 from most health food stores.

The Ombar range has bio live cultures added to the bars so that our tummies are happy as well as our brains too (chocolate is good for your brain!!). So this chocolate range has a great health ethic. Another reason to indulge!

Booja-Booja

A tiny box of two little espresso chocolate truffles. These are dairy free, gluten free and organic. And I have to say that these are amazing! They don’t taste as if they are dairy free at all, they taste of dark naughty chocolate with shots of coffee delight. Devilishly good! It’s a good thing they come in small boxes of two or I would eat so many more of them. That said, I will be off to buy some very soon. - £4.50 from most health food stores. www.cibare.co.uk

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FOOD

Dinner

Slow Cooked Pork Belly Slices

by The Editor

How to create a sauce using the recipe below to slow cook pork belly slices. I pop them all the ingredients into a bowl and combine them to make a nice smooth sauce. If you want to cook a larger piece of meat then you can easily double up on the quantities.

This is quite mild but it’s easy to make it hotter by adding fresh or flaked chili, more chili powder or even chili sauce.

Once you have made the sauce you add it to the meat. I add it directly into the roasting pan or ovenproof casserole dish with the 1 small packet of pork belly containing about onions cut into fairly large chunks and a few 8 slices of pork garlic cloves. Make sure the meat is nicely 2 tablespoons of tomato ketchup coated with the sauce and then cover with 1 rounded teaspoon of mustard some foil or with the lid of the pan, keeping 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar the heat, aroma and moisture inside the pan.

1 level teaspoon of sugar 1 good pinch each of salt and pepper Then cook for about 6 hours on 120ºC, gas Half teaspoon of onion granules mark ½ (very low heat).

1 teaspoon each of parsley, oregano and coriander 1 teaspoon each of garlic pepper and chili powder Half teaspoon of Cajun seasoning (you can add more if you wish) Quarter teaspoon of powdered ginger 1 teaspoon of garlic purée 2 tablespoons of olive oil 1 or 2 onions and 5 garlic cloves to bake with the meat.

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RESTURANT REVIEW

SUSHISAMBA London

by The Editor What can I say…HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

with a wash of the best Kobe fat before being stirred in with other amazing delights and I love sushi and when I found out I was get- poured over a block of ice. It’s pretty expenting steak too I thought I’d died and gone to sive but so very tasty! It’s like drinking very heaven. boozy steak but it’s utterly delicious! If you are a real steak connoisseur it’s a must-try It began with a trip up a very fast lift that cocktail to enjoy. shot up to the 38th floor of the Heron Tower in London. We snuck around a dark quiet Then of course there was the dessert steak. I corner to find a food super club night. We thought I was going to pop but you can never got our table and sat down and of course or- say no to that extra rare slice of delight. You dered cocktails immediately! (I’ll be honest don’t need cake when you are at SushisamI have no idea what I ordered, but it tasted ba! It was a great night. good and I was a bit pissed. My bad! I did take a photo though.)

In all honesty there was a dispute with our booking as they had booked us in on the And so it began. We went through most wrong night and we ended up sitting at the of the menu starting with a real favour- fast-service seats watching the chefs creatite, Kobe Beef. WOW!!!! It was melt in the ing their masterpieces with the sound sysmouth sweet steak joy. We were given slices tem at the bar behind us thumping out some and a hot stone to cook it on ourselves with great tunes. As we ate we danced in our seats some pots of seasonings beside it. We had to with our waitress. We gazed at the gorgeous be very careful as the stone was very hot and outside area with the most beautiful illumionly needed a few seconds on either side to nated tree at its centre and we ate the most cook the beef and then it had to go straight amazing food. It was perfect. into your mouth – in one piece. It was bliss.

We checked out the dining room where we After that came a lot of sushi. A wonderful should have been and as beautiful as it was selection of fishes as Ngiri, Sashimi and Te- we were happier where we were and would maki rolls, so I was more than happy. You actually go back for the same seats. And yes, can certainly taste the freshness of the fish a return visit is definitely on the cards! with its perfect flavours and temperature, and again mouth melting when it’s supposed SUSHISAMBA London to be. Once all of that had been devoured Heron Tower it was time for another drink. Sushisamba 110 Bishopsgate has a fabulous cocktail on the menu called London, EC2N 4AY a Kobe Cocktail, which has been treated www.sushisamba.com 56

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RESTURANT REVIEW

Great British Fish & Chips

by Gillian Balcombe

A short while ago I made plans to meet a good friend I hadn’t seen for some time. But where to meet, when she is based in the heart of the City of London and I live and work in West Hampstead? Our solution was somewhere around Bond Street / Marble Arch, and I had the task of finding somewhere that would provide a tasty lunch at reasonable cost, that wasn’t a greasy spoon.

After a trawl round the Internet, I found what seemed to be an ideal spot – equidistant, inexpensive and serving classic British food – fish and chips! In such a rarified area where there are so many amazing Michelin starred fine dining establishments with prices to match, this little place is a real find, offering not only fish and chips but also really traditional dishes such as Shepherd’s Pie, Steak & Kidney Pud and Rib Steak & Chips.

The sides are well loved chip shop classics, from Battered Wally (deep fried pickled cucumber, something I’ve never understood) to Mushy Peas and Chip Shop Curry Sauce, as well as fresh vegetables and salads. We never got as far as the puddings, stuffed as we were with the delicious starters and main courses, but they include such staples as Apple & Blackberry Crumble, Citrus Treacle Tart and Warm Chocolate Pudding.

There’s also a pretty comprehensive list of soft drinks, hot drinks, wine, lager, cocktails 58

and all manner of alcoholic tipples.

The restaurant itself is a little gem – a long narrow room, made to appear lighter and larger by the clever use of pale shades of painted wooden panelling, mirrors, white tiled walls and a black and white tiled floor.

The few individual tables for two and four people in the front area are prettily tiled, Mediterranean fashion, opposite the serving counter. You can also buy takeaway however unlike chippies, the frying is all done in the basement kitchens, so you don’t leave with that iconic smell of fish and chips hanging around your hair and clothes. In the centre section of the restaurant there is a bar with high stools and a communal table that seats eight people. And then at the very rear of the shop, through an arch, there are a few more tables in a small room. My seating preference though, would definitely be ‘front of house’.

My companion loves soup, and so chose the freshly made soup of the day, which was Spiced Butternut Squash. A generous, piping hot bowl full arrived, complemented by slices of sourdough bread still warm from the oven, and she declared it to be excellent.

I had the same delicious sourdough bread, but mine was accompanied by Smoked Cod’s Roe, which was a rare treat, delicately

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smoked and tasty. We could also have had dishes that incorporated cured salmon, Cornish crab, smoked mackerel rock oysters or black pudding, but we were very happy with our choices. The prices range from £2.00 to £8.50.

high standard. It’s like a little oasis of reality amongst the often pretentious places in that part of London – do go, you won’t be sorry!

Address 14 North Audley Street Mayfair For my main course, I chose the ‘Mayfair London Classic’, priced at £13.50. Up came a hand- W1K 6WE some wooden board, upon which rested a wire basket lined with ‘Great British’ paper containing a golden piece of perfectly cooked cod with fat, delicious chips – crisp on the outside and soft within, sprinkled with a dusting of sea salt crystals. Half a lemon and a handful of pea shoots nestled in two of the corners. In front of the basket were three mini copper saucepans, holding mushy peas, pickled onions and pickled cucumber, and Tartare sauce. Curry sauce is also an option but I have to say it’s not my choice! And it not only looked wonderful, it was served piping hot and cooked to perfection. Absolutely delicious and a real bargain.

Bea chose Mrs Kirkham’s Cheese & Onion Pudding, a really old fashioned dish. On her heavy wooden board was a round cast iron platter holding a steamed pudding of very generous proportions. The pastry had been made with chopped parsley, and a silky mixture of cheese sauce and onions oozed out when she cut into it. It was served with the ubiquitous pea shoots, caramelised leeks and shallots and a rich thyme gravy – there was an extra mini copper saucepan of this on one side of the board as well. This too was pronounced delicious.

With bottles of sparkling water and a coffee each to end our so-called ‘light lunch’, the bill was about £23 each – really good value for such excellent quality. The servers were friendly and helpful, and it was lovely to find a restaurant that takes such pride in providing traditional British dishes to such a www.cibare.co.uk

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FEATURE

Chickens

by Emma de Sousa

It was back in 2008 that I got my very first hens, three adorable Bantam chicks. This was the beginning of my love affair with these endearing little creatures who quickly stole my heart. Thirty two hens later and I can honestly say that I cannot imagine life without them, especially my beloved Rescue Hens, who are particularly close to my heart.

In 2009 I was put in touch with a wonderful lady who dedicates her life to rescuing former battery hens. She had set up a charity and over the years had been involved in the rescue of literally thousands of these poor creatures from the cruel confines of the battery cage. In 2013, the EU brought in new legislation regarding battery cages and in the UK we now have an ‘enhanced cage’ system - it is, in my opinion, only a slightly better alternative to what is a cruel existence for these animals’ short lives, but at least it has improved the situation from how it was pre-2013. It is by no means ideal, and until we as consumers demand a better existence for the animals that produce our meat, eggs and milk, producers will continue to provide poor living conditions for animals in order to feed our need for cheaper food. You can read more about this at the British Hen Welfare Trust’s website at www.bhwt.org.uk

take on they need a certain amount of attention each day. So apart from the obvious needs of food and water, a clean, dry and safe house in which to live with access to an outside run is essential – before you get your own hens, it is worth spending some time and effort speaking to other hen keepers to find out what has worked for them. For me, as large a run as you have space for is the ideal, and fox proofing is essential, but also I have found that a roof over my run has been a godsend as the hens can be out come rain, sun or snow. There are so many designer coops out there, but I have found that they are way too small - and I like the option of leaving my girls safe in the coop while I am out, with room to roam and dust bath without getting in each other’s way. I do let my hens free-range on a daily basis but only when I am working in and around the garden or my dogs are there to keep an eye out for the local fox family!

Of course one of the main benefits of keeping hens is the lovely eggs that they produce…from our small flock of hens we get a lot of eggs and the neighbours are kept stocked up with a steady flow from our girls.

If you have never tasted a genuinely freerange FRESH egg then you quite frankly haKeeping chickens is not difficult, but there ven’t lived! There is nothing like a beautiful are some basic rules that need to be fol- egg that has been picked from the nesting lowed. Like any animal that you decide to box just after being laid, warm to the touch 60

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and cooked when it’s only hours old. The eggs you buy in your local supermarkets are probably at least a week old and maybe a lot more, and you never quite get that beautiful yellow yolk that you get from a truly freerange chicken. Try one and you will see and taste the difference immediately. That and the fact that if you keep your own hens you know exactly what they are feeding on and what is ultimately going into your and your family’s bodies…you just can’t beat it (excuse the pun!).

So here are some top tips if you are considering becoming a keeper of hens…

- Always keep a minimum of three hens – Hens are flock animals and need company!

- If you are going to free-range your hens then don’t expect a pristine garden. They can be destructive so careful planting is required if you also want to keep a decent looking garden. Maybe fence off an area that is for your hens only, grow hardy shrubs and grasses and don’t expect a beautiful lawn.

Chickens love to scratch!

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-Build as big a run as you can spare space for, that way you won’t need to let them freerange all day and they will still have plenty of room to spread their wings, dust bath and behave as nature intended, scratching the earth and foraging for worms and bugs!

- Chickens can’t fly very far but they will escape over a low fence so make sure your garden is secure.

- You can feed your food scraps to your hens but it is not advised to feed them meat products – they will eat almost anything but are generally omnivores so green matter and worms etc are their mainstay as well as their daily chicken pellets or mash. It is important that they get ‘greens’ as well as their dry food. Cabbage leaves are great.

- If you do decide to keep hens it is not advisable to keep a cockerel – you don’t need one for egg production and your neighbours won’t thank you for its early morning wake up call!

- You can find more information on keeping hens and in particular rescue hens at www. bhwt.org.uk

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GARDENING

TOP TIPS FOR YOUR ALLOTMENT

by Emma de Sousa

Back in November last year I finally got my very own allotment. It was an overgrown, unloved wilderness but over the last five months I have lovingly hacked, dug and de-weeded this small patch of land and it now resembles somewhere that may just produce something beautiful this summer!

My plans are to grow flowers (including edible ones) and veggies – I am no expert but I have grown up in a family who have always grown their own and I am the last of the clan to get my little patch of heaven. So I invite you to join me on this growing journey – I am keeping a written as well as a photo diary of my journey and I will, in conjunction with my expert allotment buddies, be taking you on my journey to growing heaven…

What To Do In April….

of leaves to produce side shoots.

You can directly sow your half hardy annuals such as French and runner beans, squash and basil in April. Also hardy annuals such as salad leaves, carrots, spinach, beetroot, broccoli and chard. Sow your salad leaves in a length of gutter and then when they are ready to plant out it’s a much quicker and easier job simply to slide your seedlings into a pre-dug trench.

Plant your potatoes if you haven’t already done so.

It’s a good opportunity to do a last de-weed on your already dug-over ground. By now all the weeds you thought you had removed during the colder, dormant months will be re-appearing all over the place so hoe them out while they are young and it’s easy to remove the entire root. This is a job I give my children to do – each has a bucket or an old plastic pot and the one who fills it with the most weeds gets the prize!

You should have started sowing your seeds undercover already, such as courgettes, cucumbers and tomatoes, and they should be well on the way to making sturdy little plants ready for planting outside once the risk of frost has passed. If you love sweet peas as I Don’t forget to sow your herbs. Not only do do, these should also be well on their way in they taste fantastic they are also a pretty adthe cold frame – I have just pinched out the dition to your plot. tips of mine down to the second or third set 62

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You can sow directly this month your edible flowers such as dill, borage and pot marigolds.

Wait until next month for nasturtiums and viola although you can sow undercover if you have a greenhouse or space on your window ledge, as long as it is not in direct sunlight all day.

Think ahead and plan to feed your allotment friends – I intend to use no chemicals at all on my plot and will be growing lots of bee friendly flowers to create a desirable environment and encourage pollinators into the area. I also have a bug house built out of hollow stemmed reeds to encourage ladybirds and other aphid eating insects - I don’t know if this actually works but I am trying it and will report back. During the colder months, keep a pile of wood and leaves in a corner of your plot to encourage hedgehogs to hibernate there – they are your friends during the warmer months as they eat the dreaded slugs which in turn means that the slugs won’t be eating your lettuces!

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Companion planting is a great way to deter pests from munching on your prize veg. For example, planting nasturtiums near your cabbages will encourage the cabbage white butterflies to lay their eggs on them instead of on your cabbages. Chives are great for deterring aphids due to their strong oniony smell, so sow them amongst plants or around borders to protect your crops. The idea is to work with nature and build up a healthy eco-system in your allotment or garden, thereby lessening the need to use chemicals to kill any unwanted visitors.

Old net curtains provide a good way of covering your new seedlings until they are strong enough to survive nocturnal slug attacks. It has been known for an entire crop of young and tender seedlings to disappear overnight after falling prey to the common garden slug! Or maybe a large plastic bottle with the bottom cut off to create a cheap cloche will do the trick. Trial and error is the name of the game. I will let you know what works for me from baked crushed eggshells to copper rings to sheep’s wool (someone told me recently that slugs hate crawling over the coarse hair of sheep – so if you know any sheep farmers ask for some and see!). Maybe I can try dog hair as I seem to have plenty of that at home. Alas I have no sheep (yet!).

Don’t forget that in May the risk of frost should well and truly be over so do get cracking with the rest of your half hardy planting and keep successional sowing those carrots, radishes and lettuces etc for a bumper crop throughout the season. In June you can directly sow brassica and leeks for a winter harvest and all your biennial flowers for next year. Good luck and come the next issue we should all be reaping the rewards of our hard work!

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FEATURE

FICTION BECOMES FACT

by Elizabeth Hobson

Food can play an important, sometimes aspirational, often surprising role in science fiction and fantasy. Creators often slip in references to food to reinforce the ‘otherness’ of their world. For example, in Roger Vadim’s 1968 film ‘Barbarella’ which stars Jane Fonda, (after 154 hours of sleep) Barbarella approaches the planet of Tau Ceti and is woken by her spaceship who declares “Prepare to insert nourishment”, producing a glass of an unappetising brown liquid.

Viewers are instantly transported to a distant and not entirely desirable future. But how far away is that future? In terms of the food, the technology is already here. Soylent was developed by Robert Rhinehart and his team “after recognizing the disproportionate amount of time and money they spent creating nutritionally complete meals”. A powder that users mix with water, Soylent contains protein, carbohydrates, fats, fibre and vitamins and minerals such as potassium, iron and calcium - all the elements of a healthy diet. Classified as a food (rather than as a supplement), it can be bought with food stamps in the U.S. and provides a complete substitute for conventional food. “Prepare to insert nourishment” - the only difference between Soylent and Barbarella’s sustenance is that hers is dark brown and clear whereas Soylent is biscuit coloured and turbid.

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An altogether more covetable portrayal of fictional food is in Roald Dahl’s classic ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. In The Television-Chocolate Room both bars of chocolate and the unfortunate boy Mike Teavee are teleported across the lab. Scientists around the world today are successfully teleporting photons (light particles) from one place to another. That is a long way from the idea of teleporting a solid object but proves that it is possible. Another Dahl-esque technology that we’ll be seeing more and more of in the near future is 3D printed food. The list of foods already being printed is awesome - including chewing gum, lollipops, cake decorations, chocolate, pasta, ravioli, quiche, designer fish and chips and hamburgers. Last year NASA paid mechanical engineer Anjan Contractor $125,000 to make a pizza printer for their astronauts. As I write, a Kickstarter campaign that’s already raised four times its goal in funding with several weeks to go for PancakeBot is in operation. PancakeBot has been invented by Miguel Valenzuela for his two young daughters. A video on their Kickstarter page shows PancakeBot re-creating a drawing by one of the girls, of a rocket in space. The outline is printed first so that it browns more on the hotplate than the second fill layer, creating a startlingly effective rendering. When it comes onto the market

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Š image from www.cedar-and-willow.blogspot.co.uk

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Science and technology are fast realising the culinary dreams (and nightmares?) of fiction and the change in the way we produce and eat food from now to 2050 is going to be exponentially greater than the difference from 1950 to now. It may well look fantastic to us and it’s going to include us too - the possibilities are only as limited as our imaginations.

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© Image from oomediahaiti.com © Image of soylent-pitcher- www.thejournal.ie

The final depiction of food in fiction I’m going to share with you is from Arthur C Clarke.

There are quite a few examples in his work that spring to mind but the short story I’ve chosen contains the most disturbing and challenging of all. In ‘Food of the Gods’ we enter our world - in a future wherein food is synthesised from water, air and rock. A biochemist representing one of many companies who have been put out of business by a new product, Ambrosia Plus, is addressing a U.S. Congressional Committee. He explains that, although this society realises that eating meat is a barbaric obscenity shamefully practiced by ancient people, they still crave the long established taste - therefore much of the food they enjoy is indistinguishable from meat on a fundamental level. When Ambrosia Plus exploded onto the market the scientists at his company were analysing

samples and trying to work out what it was that people loved so much about it… It took a while but they finally realised that the product is identical to human flesh. Dun Dun Duh. Frankenstein eat your heart out. Literally. Correspondingly, on 5th August 2013 in London, the first lab-grown beef burger was eaten and proclaimed “close to meat”. Mark Post, a vascular biologist, grew the burgers in-vitro from cattle stem cells and brought a whole new dimension to the idea of cruelty free meat. They are predicted to be on supermarket shelves in twenty years’ time.

© Images of 3D food printer from www.businessinsider.com

consumers will be able to print pre-loaded designs or use the S.D. card slot or Mac and Windows compatible software to create custom designs.

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FEATURE

Oli and Zoe’s Food Co Popcorn for Children

by Penny Koulias

FACT: 1 in 3 children in the UK are

obese: Oli and Zoe’s food company was

born from our concerns as parents not only for our own children’s health but the ever-growing child obesity problem we have in the UK: • UK has the highest rate of child obesity in Western Europe.

• The World Health Organization (WHO) regards childhood obesity as one of the most serious global public health challenges for the 21st century.

Our mission:

to create healthy snacks that we would be happy to give to our own children and that are affordable for all parents.

so why was Olivia’s BMI reading so high? We had to examine where we were going wrong.

I come from a Greek background in which my mother and grandmother consider the more the child eats the better. I was raising our children on the same principle but after an initial Internet search I knew I had to re-educate myself on portion sizes and children’s nutrition (as well as our own).

We then began to consider the snacks that our daughters were having and when they started school it was much harder to monitor their sugar and fat intake, such as the dessert they had with their lunch or the class birthday treats. We started to look more carefully at the snacks we were choosing to give them before, for example, their after school activities or in the evening after their meal, most I had confidently bought after reading ‘ no added sugar ‘ ‘sugar free’ ‘all natural’ on the labels - but what did that actually mean? When we started to look more carefully at the actual sugar and salt content on the packages the figures were alarming and could be misleading and to a parent, worrying.

As first time parents you are immediately thrown into a world of constant new learnings and worries and for us the day that our eldest daughter, Olivia, bought home her alarming BMI results when she was in Reception, it dawned on us that nutrition and healthy eating were areas in which we were not as clued up as we once thought we were.

We couldn’t understand it, we cook healthy We decided that this was not going to be our meals, she is an active child who exercises children’s lifestyle. To make a change we regularly and snacks are kept to a minimum, needed to be proactive and introduce our 70

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own healthy snacks at home. We started to make popcorn at home and the children LOVED it. It also became the favoured snack for their friends during playdates and the idea was conceived: why could we not offer this to all children? Snacks shouldn’t be something parents feel guilty about giving to their children and they shouldn’t make children think they are eating something wrong.

Snacks need to be part of a healthy balanced diet and enjoyed. There is also so much focus on adult healthy snacking options in all shops but not so much on children’s.

whelming. The feedback we are getting from parents, children and stockists has been incredible, which is only serving to reassure us that our passion has not been misplaced, and it is driving us on to spread awareness of our product and more importantly, children’s health.

We are also about to launch our own website catering for the young community and blogs which will include easy healthy recipes for parents, nutritional advice and special dietary recipes.

After a year of intensive research, including market research in our children’s school fêtes, speaking to mums and of course children, it was evident that popcorn was loved by the majority of children and that children favoured Sweet and Sweet and salty as their top two flavours and out of this Oli and Zoe’s Food company was born (named after our daughters, Olivia and Zoe).

Oli and Zoe is the first UK company to launch a 12g bag of popcorn in order to aid children’s portion control and also makes them ideal for lunch boxes etc. The packaging is also specifically branded for children, in fact our daughters helped design the packaging.

We are currently stocked in a number of different local businesses such as swimming pools, football academies, pubs, health shops, soft play locations, coffee shops and Partridges in Kensington.

We would be very happy to have you to join our journey so please do follow us on FaceEach packet is: book, Twitter and Instagram. We would love • Handmade in the UK to hear from you, so please get in touch. And • Only 55 calories if you would like to stock our products, we • Very low in sugar and salt. would be delighted to meet you to discuss this.

The only ingredients we use are popping http://oliandzoe.co.uk corn, rapeseed oil (which is a healthy choice cooking oil as it has less saturated fat than all other cooking oils), a minimal amount of sugar and salt for the slightly sweet and salty flavour.

Since our launch in December 2014 our presence on social media, namely Twitter and Facebook has steadily grown and support in the local community has been overwww.cibare.co.uk

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A SWISS TALE

MY SWISS ODYSSEY

A Foodie Tour of Switzerland

Last summer, I was recovering from surgery and my cousin Linda was staying with me to help me out. Someone made a throwaway comment about horses and snow, or more specifically horse racing on a frozen lake. ‘Let’s Google it!’ is always the answer to this sort of query so we did. And yes, every January, weather permitting, in a village called Arosa a stone’s throw from Davos and Klosters, there’s horse racing and ‘trotting’ on the thick ice that covers the lake. I stress ‘weather permitting’, and more about that later. From this seemingly inauspicious moment plans began to be hatched. Itineraries were written and re-written, Swiss train timetables were minutely studied, hotels were chosen and rejected. By early November Linda had all the arrangements sorted out – all I had to do was book my flight to Zürich and turn up.

And that’s exactly what I did. Departure day dawned at around 4am, the result of booking a flight that left Gatwick at 8am. No matter, there’d be time to sleep when I reached Zürich, as Linda wasn’t due to arrive until much later in the day. Following her di72

rections, I found our hotel in the centre of Zürich very easily. The Hotel Rütli is a very comfortable business hotel about five minutes’ walk from the city’s main rail station, which, as you will see, was very important to us! The staff know my cousin well, as she is a regular visitor, and they made me very welcome. Our room was spacious and well equipped – particularly as a Nespresso coffee machine had been included. That was immediately put to good use.

It seemed wrong to nap straight away so I set off to explore the area around the hotel a little bit and find some lunch. The hotel is very near Altstadt which is the older part of the city, with its cobbled streets and traditional architecture. Very close by there were restaurants offering all sorts of international goodies, but I chose Restaurant Johanniter, a long established place serving genuine Swiss cuisine. After a bowl of Leberknödlsuppe, which covered the first two courses of any Friday night dinner by combining chopped liver with chicken soup and matzo balls, I sampled Geschnetzeltes Pouletfleisch mit hausgemachten Spätzli an Pfefferrahm-

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PICTURE CREDITS: Gillian Balcombe

by Gillian Balcombe

sauce. Yes, these dishes have very long names! A plate was set in front of me, full of tiny, irregular shaped gnocchi-like dumplings that had been sautéed to a gentle golden colour, accompanied by succulent pieces of chicken breast in a mushroom sauce that was both creamy and light at the same time. An excellent way to begin my gastronomic association with Switzerland! I then had to walk off some lunch before napping, and during my ramble found a bridge called Muhleteg, which is an iron mesh footbridge over the River Limmat. It’s a local custom for lovers to have padlocks decorated and engraved with their names. They then fasten the ‘lovelocks’ to the iron mesh and throw the keys into the water flowing below.

Dinner couldn’t have been more different if it tried. When Linda arrived starving hungry after a flight from Tel Aviv, we switched from the wood and copper interior of Johanniter’s to the rather different surroundings of a Chinese café cum takeaway called Chopsticks on the same street, in the interests of speed and diversity. The owner may have been surly, and the ‘décor’ somewhat sparse and outdated, but there was nothing wrong with the duck and veg noodles.

The next day we spent shopping and mooching round Zürich and its suburbs. By the time evening came we didn’t want to go too far, and so on my recommendation we returned to Restaurant Johanniter. And they didn’t disappoint us. We both started with Grüner Salat an Französisch, aka a mixed leaf salad with a dressing that may never have seen France or even have originated there, but which is nonetheless creamy and delicious.

Our main course was the über traditional Zürich Geschnetzeltes Kalbfleisch “Zürcher Art” – a delicately seasoned yet flavoursome dish of pieces of tender rose veal in a mushroom and cream sauce, accompanied by a large crisp and golden rösti, a grated potato pancake that can best be described as a giant latke, for those in the know! And yes, there’s a lot of controversy surrounding

‘Egg Corner’ – a table with a portable gas burner, an enormous bowl of fresh eggs, dishes of butter, chopped onion, mushroom, ham, tomato and peppers and grated cheese, and a junior chef whose sole purpose was to produce custom made omelettes containing Breakfast in each of the hotels in which we whatever you desired, or your choice of fried stayed was copious and varied. The buffet egg, on demand. inevitably included any number of muesli variants and cereals, a wide selection of From Zürich we headed for Zermatt with fresh fruits, fruit juices, platters of cold cuts high hopes of seeing the Matterhorn. We and sliced cheeses, enormous whole chees- had a three hour train journey and I will say es to cut yourself, cucumber and tomato, straight away that I have nothing but praise pickles, soft cheeses and yogurts, warm hard for the efficiency, cleanliness and punctuality boiled eggs and smoked salmon, numerous of the Swiss train services, be they InterCity flavours of jam and honey and a huge se- or local rack and pinion. No nonsense about lection of different types of freshly baked snow on the line here. (Take note British bread. There was always a glass of Prosecco train companies!) Not being very sure about on offer for those brave souls who weren’t the offerings of the dining car, although too worried about skiing straight. In Zer- it turned out that we wouldn’t have had a matt and Davos there were also bains-ma- problem, we popped into a fish restaurant rie containing scrambled eggs and bacon, named Nordsee on the station concourse to whilst Davos outdid all the others with its get ourselves a takeaway salad. And what a

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PICTURE CREDITS: Gillian Balcombe

veal, however in Switzerland as in the UK, it is ethically farmed with due regard for the animals’ welfare. Milk fed veal with all its connotations of animal cruelty is no longer permitted.

high standard we found. Each freshly made salad was prepared with the best quality ingredients, served in a fine pastry ‘bowl’ and popped into a folding, recyclable box for safe transport. Not cheap, but worth every penny. And coffee on these trains is a revelation too – usually Lavazza and absolutely excellent. Proper coffee, not dishwater. (Again, British train companies take note!)

The journey was easy and beautiful – the landscape around us was stunning. Not too much snow at that stage, but nonetheless lovely. We arrived in Zermatt in the late afternoon to find a very ‘green’ village – the only vehicles allowed, including public service vehicles, are either electric or horse drawn! Every hotel has its own electric ‘taxi’ and the two poshest ones pick you up from the station in a horse and carriage. The town taxis are the same kind of electric vehicle as the hotels have, as are transport trucks belonging to contractors, delivery companies and the like. The ski buses are just a bigger version of the individual vehicles, and just as green.

All hotels in Switzerland provide a half board option, and the Alpenresorthotel is no exception. And although choosing half board for your stay may be less expensive than ordering à la carte, it does mean that you are faced with a five course dinner! For 45 Swiss francs (at the time about £30, though since then of course the Swiss have played silly games with their currency), we were treated to a royal repast. We worked our way through smoked salmon with a mustard and dill sauce, the most excellent cream of vegetable soup, the biggest tiger prawn I have ever seen with Hollandaise sauce, veal cutlet with herb butter, noodles and turned vegetables and a Grand Marnier parfait. Fruits and cheeses were also on offer. The following night the theme was ‘Barbecue’. Again the quality of the food was excellent – grilled Mediterranean vegetables on rocket with balsamic dressing, cream of leek soup, a plate of barbecued meats and fish, each of which was cooked to perfection, and a dessert buffet. And because none of the desserts on offer appealed to us, the chef prepared a special dish for us. We later discovered that

he had earned a Michelin star in a previous incarnation and, given the quality of the food his kitchen produced, we weren’t the least bit surprised.

erei’, and another delightful local custom – a buggy ride round the village with Werner and his faithful Swiss Mountain horse Lars.

And no, I don’t know why a Swiss horse has a Scandinavian name. So we saw the village just as dusk was settling, with warm blankets around our knees, and the bells on Lars’ halter jingling. The buildings were still festooned with fairy lights and light strings, giving the streets a golden glow. It almost made up for the rather disappointing Matterhorn!

The only meal that was a disappointment was the lunch that we had at the top of Gornergrat. The day dawned reasonably fine and we decided to take the rack and pinion railway up the mountain adjacent to the Matterhorn, hoping to get a fine view of this majestic peak. The little train took us up to 3,100 metres above sea level, where the first thing we did was drink a hot chocolate! The jour- By this time the trip - and this article! - are ney up the mountain was wonderful – there only halfway through, so do look out for for was plenty of snow and the landscape was Swiss gastronomic fun in the next issue! glorious. There was a light breeze that lifted tiny snow crystals against our faces. The snow underfoot was crisp and fresh. The Matterhorn was shrouded in a fine mist, but that would pass, surely?

So upwards we walked to the Kulmhotel Görnergrat, on top of which is an astronomical observatory. It’s so clear up there that the view of the stars at night must be amazing – something to try in the summer!

We settled ourselves at a table which overlooked the general direction of the mountain and went to choose our lunch from the self service selection. It was just a shame that all the soups and the ‘hot dishes’ were either cold or lukewarm. However, to give the staff their due, when I told the manageress, she apologised and brought us coffee and chocolates on the house. Standards of service remain high. Meanwhile, the Matterhorn wasn’t playing ball either. It teased us by partially showing itself as the cloud moved across, but in the end it was covered in a ‘white out’, and was all but invisible.

Still, this didn’t stop your intrepid travellers who, having purchased fluffy earmuffs and neck warmers, set off back down the mountain to sample hotter soup served in a bread roll bowl and Irish coffee at a nearby ‘bäck76

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BOOKS

Cookbook Review Life Is Sweet- The Hummingbird Bakery

by Rebecca Stratton

would jump out at me. See, the trouble I find with so many baking cookbooks released in the last five years, is that they are ALL THE SAME! Same recipes, same techniques, same trends, just with a different person posing with a mixing bowl on each cover.

My mind flicked back to the new Hummingbird book, and with a fresh perspective I read the recipe titles again thinking how wonderful it was to have a book full of recipes that do not appear in any other book I own.

I bought this book on a whim after receiving an ‘Amazon suggests’ email. I love the first two books from Hummingbird. They both contain mountains of cupcake recipes and kooky American bakes which we have come to love over here too.

So, whilst the Tomato Soup Cupcakes weren’t (and won’t be) top of my list to try out, I set about making the heavenly sounding Texas Tassie

Bars, a sort of pecan pie tray bake. A straightforward, concise and easy to make recipe This book I found to be a lot more niche than which I enjoyed both baking and eating. the first two books, focussing on Southern American Baking. Some of the recipes in the Other recipes on the must-bake-at-somebook sound downright strange - 7Up Pound point list are Peanut Butter and Jelly Cake, Cake, Tomato Soup Cupcakes and Vinegar Gooey Butter Cake, Lady Baltimore Cake (alPie spring to mind. ways wanted to try this!) and Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Bacon Pie. Ok, I am a vegI had an initial flick through and put the etarian, but that last one fascinates me. book down, having no intention on going back to it.

As an experienced baker I am always looking to try something new. Initial reservations Then, one day I had a free day and fancied aside, this book is fabulous and I cannot wait baking for fun. Picking up a few tattered to use more recipes from it. If we get more cake books I sat down at the kitchen ta- than a day of summer this year, the Peach ble and started to read, hoping something ice cream is definitely on this list.

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Meat Free Monday ©Meat Free Monday Bavaria Vs Camden Town © Jennifer Balcombe © Paul Ralhan Photo Credits Theo’s Rizogalo © Theo Michaels Risotto and Pizza Alternatives © Alison Matthews Food Porn © Gemma Feeney Top Tips For Your Allotment © Emma de Sousa Oli and Zoe’s Food Co © Penny Koulias My Swiss Odyssey Great British Fish & Chips ©Gillian Balcombe Elizabeth Hobson Fiction Becomes Fact © www.businessinsider.com © oomediahaiti.com © soylent-pitcher- www.thejournal.ie © www.cedar-and-willow.blogspot.co.uk Cookbook Review ©Hummingbird Bakery Special Thanks to: Jennifer Balcombe for the Camden Brewery