Cibare food magazine issue two

Cibare Issue Two, January 2015

Issue two, January 2015

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Contents

HEALTH AND NUTRITION A Successful New Year’s Resolution Kicking Sugar Raw Food to Help You Detox Cleansing Your Body

SHOPPING LOCAL

Buying Your Food Locally Your Local Produce

FEATURES

REVIEW Tea Coffee Booze Beer Jam Snacks Kids’ Food Italian Restaurants Secret Café The Foodies Festival Borough Market

Theo Michaels - Chasing Dreams A Modern Good Life Baby Buzz Magazine Review

GARDENING Little London Garden - A Special Harvest

TRAVELLING TALES FOOD

A Travelling Food Diary A Very Rustic Dinner

Breakfast Ideas Lunch Soups From Us All Dinner Bolognese Fakeaway Theo’s Hummus

RELAXING

SOURCES AND CREDITS 2

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This is our second issue and already we have expanded by three amazing writers. We have the lovely Richard away on his travels around Asia, sending us photos of the fabulous food he is finding on his adventures. We have Rebecca talking to us about her favourite cookbook and giving us her review. And of course the wonderful Theo from Masterchef 2014 and his tales of becoming the chef he is today after his complete change of career and life after the programme.

All this and of course our other excellent writers sharing with us their reviews, opinions and knowledge on health, food and drink and delicious sauces and soups to get you through the winter. I certainly hope you enjoy our food lovers’ magazine full of food for thought and food for everyone.

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Editor’s Note

What I have I done since the last issue?

Tentazioni BAFTA in Piccadilly, where we watched BirdWonderful central London Christmas tasting man and drank gin and tonics. menu New Year’s Eve, which we spent in Brighton Sex Life Premier having good times and drinking bad cocktails.

The Grosvenor Hotel in Mayfair, where I ate popcorn and drank Vodka and Elderflower Martinis, Unicoco coconut water, and of course Green & Black’s dark chocolate ice cream. www.cibare.co.uk

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Porridge with Sugar, ,Jam or Honey

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FOOD

Breakfast

Mini Frittata

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REVIEW

Juice or Smoothie Maker?

by The Editor

Sage by Heston BlumenthalThe Nutri Juicer Plus

Breville Blend-Active Personal Blender

I have to start by saying that I love my juicer.

My parents had one years ago and we barely used it as it was so hard to clean, but this one is so easy I can put it into the dishwasher.

This is a specific smoothie maker and it is great. No waste, just pure whizzed up fruit and veg. I love that I can add ice and milk or water to it without a fuss as it’s all in one bottle. That’s all you need to wash too, other than the blades. It’s not quite as fast as the traditional blender but if you give it a bit of a wiggle to help it on its way, you aren’t really waiting that much longer for your smoothie.

It’s a great little machine that you can keep in the cupboard and whip out when you need it. It also comes with a couple of bottles so that you can make one up to help your special someone stay healthy too. Or of course you can make milkshakes in it as well! Add a chocolate bar to some milk and ice-cream and hey presto – you have a very naughty drink that you can make far too quickly.

But why not, once in a while! A must buy for the health and diet conscious brigade, and a great price point too.

Available from Amazon for £29.99

The juicer doesn’t produce a lot of waste and that which it does produce is much dryer than you might think. The juice itself is wonderful and of course depending on the fruit that you use it’s quite clear. It does produce a scum-like substance on the top with the juice underneath, but that is a natural occurrence as far as I can see. I actually like that part on the top as I enjoy my juice with bits, so I mix it back in. But that brings me to the fact that it’s a smoothie maker too. I’m only going to say that I don’t use in this way, as I don’t think it works that well. As a juicer it’s perfect but the change of blades seems to make it wasteful of the fruit and veg. Sorry Sage.

Available from Amazon for £178.00 6

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REVIEW

Something for the kids

by The Editor

Bear Nibbles Safari Paws (Orange & Strawberry) This cute little yellow bag of sweet goodness is just yummy. Basically the manufacturers have taken their chewy pure fruit rolls and made them into bear paw shapes so that they are easy to eat in the buggy or just handy because they are in a bag. They are really tasty, a little bit sticky on the teeth in the way that dried fruit is, but a very healthy option that is a bit more fun now it is available in these new shapes. The kids say yes! And so do I. Bear Nibbles are based in ‘The Deepest Darkest Woods’ in the heart of London and a visit to their website at www.bearnibbles.co.uk is definitely worthwhile. Their Paws are available in four different flavours – Safari, Jungle, Arctic and Dino – all made with pure fruit and the promise of ‘no added nonsense’.

You can buy Bear Nibbles at most supermarkets and health / wholefood stores, as well as online, at around £2.00 for any four packs.

Vita Coco Kids Mango and Pineapple Juice The kids really liked this – it’s fruity and to me it tastes like a virgin piña colada but the kids said that it was sweet and tasted nice.

The important fact for me is the addition of the coconut water, which of course is so full of those essential vitamins and protein that make this delicious juice just that bit better than standard versions. Also because the manufacturers have included coconut water, the juice contains less sugar than regular kids’ drinks and healthier sweet stuff.

Not that I’m too worried to be honest about my kids drinking fruit juices, but the inclusion of less junk and more good ingredients always makes me happy. And yes - the great bonus about this juice from the adult viewpoint is that when the kids are in bed and you’ve run out of mixers, this will more than do the trick! There are three flavours in all.

For more information, visit the website at www.vitacocokids.com You can buy Vita Coco Kids at most supermarkets and food stores at around £3.00 per box of four sachets.

Organix Raspberry and Blueberry Rice Cakes These are quite simply organic rice cakes which come in many different flavours all of which are naturally sweetened with fruit juice and flavourings like cinnamon. These however are the best invention on the planet. I don’t know of any child who won’t eat them by the packet and enjoy every last bite.

From one of their first finger foods to my 6 year old eating them like popcorn or crisps whilst watching TV, they are just a much loved snack in our house, and are available in a total of seven flavours. For full nutritional details, visit their website at www.organix.com.

You can buy Organics Rice Cakes at most supermarkets and online, including via their own website, at around £1.00 per packet.

SHOPPING LOCAL

The Food Assembly

by The Editor

A fantastic idea that was conceived in France seems to be spreading right across Europe and it has now crossed the Channel and has arrived here too. Like our article about shopping locally in the last issue, The Food Assembly is all about sourcing the food we eat from local farmers. Not only is the aim to ensure that we get the best available produce but that the farmers get a better profit from selling it too.

It’s no more expensive buying from the Food Assembly than from anywhere else either and to be honest I bought the best sausages I’ve ever eaten from their producer Marsh Produce, which I couldn’t even try and buy from a supermarket or high street shop.

They were so good! With them I bought some amazing rainbow carrots, purple potatoes, heavenly cheese and bread and local honey! All in all, the perfect meal.

There is much to be said about eating food that has been grown in your area. First and foremost it’s better for the environment and it is actually supposed to be healthier for you in many ways as well. It has been said that if you eat locally produced honey, it will help to alleviate the symptoms of hay fever. And why travel to the other side of the world for an apple or a potato when you can grow it up the road? And do we really need to eat strawberries in the winter? I realise that’s a different article all on its own, but I’m just throwing it out there!

It just makes me happy to be able to buy wonderful food without breaking the bank.

I think that many of us are under the impression that we need to pay a lot more for better quality or taste, but it’s not always so.

We just need to look in the right place, which may well be right on our doorsteps.

The Food Assembly is also a business in which you can participate. It works in a similar way to a franchise as you can set up your own Assembly in your local area as long as you can find a certain number of farmers and producers within a given radius. It’s such a lovely job too! And while it may not be a massive money making scheme it is lots of fun and you get to eat amazing food and create a fabulous hub for your community to buy locally produced food. I think the community aspect is a really important part of this venture. Oh and the food too!

I believe that there is a lot to be said about buying from local farms and helping them stay in business, as well as eating seasonally and reducing our carbon footprint. As human beings we should be pretty much in tune with the world so going with its flow and seasonal cycles is important for our wellbeing. Right, that’s enough of the sermonising! https://thefoodassembly.com/en 8

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REVIEW

Time for a coffee Coffee Beans

by Dorothy Martinez

THE BEAN SHOP

Bean Shop Blend

Brazil Daterra Bruzzi

This blend has been produced by the Bean Shop for the past 10 years and combines

Sustainable coffee has been grown and harvested at the Brazillian Daterra farm since 1999. The estate is aided in production by its unique landscape and weather system which means that this Arabica is grown with plenty of rain and plenty of sun. The farm has become known for its high quality coffee and it’s one I’ll be looking out for in future. Judging by this example it’s clear to see why. It also packs a hefty caffeine hit – I feel decidedly perkier having had a cup.

dark roast Java with medium roast beans from Brazil, Sumatra and India.

Aroma: Creamy, buttery, tobacco

Taste: This is probably one for people who like a bold cup of coffee. A very dark chocolate flavour with a definite hint of grapefruit in the aftertaste when brewed in the French press intensifies into a flavour of pipe tobacco in the espresso variant.

The most interesting part for me was that Aroma: Earthy, fruity, a hint of soft berries after a long cup, my mouth felt like a highly polished surface, which was, oddly, most Taste: This coffee was lovely as either a long pleasant. or a short drink, with a satisfying, mellow flavour of soft fruits and dark chocolate ap- PALEO COFFEE COMPANY parent when poured from the French press, Tanzania, AB Mondul Estate intensifying in espresso form. With its rounded flavour I could see this appealing Coffee has been produced on the Mondul to most coffee lovers, especially those who estate for over 70 years and has a reputation like an easy drinking coffee with plenty of for being one of the best coffees in Tanzaflavour. nia. The fruit is soaked and washed from the 10

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beans using local spring water.

Aroma: Dark chocolate, fruit flavoured Skittles

an coffee, although this one isn’t as strong as others we’ve tried. Interestingly, that sweetness morphs into very definite citrus flavours, specifically grapefruit. As an espresso, lemon and lime come through very powerfully, as does strawberry. In fact, if you were blindfolded, you might mistake this for a lemon zinger tea. It’s very pleasant as both long and short drinks, but my preference would be for the latter.

Taste: Refreshing as a long cup of coffee with an initial bitterness of very dark chocolate, mellowing to a subtle coffee aftertaste with a note of lemon. As an espresso, the citrus element is intensified into the initial taste along with an almost cranberry flavoured tartness, giving way to a very Kenyan bean, AB Kagumo-ini pleasant second stage of Irish Cream. My personal preference would be to drink this The Kagumo-ini factory serves the farms as an espresso. in the Mugaga Cooperative in Nyeri where coffee is grown in red volcanic loam soil, at Ethiopian bean, Yirgacheffe around 5,250 feet above sea level. Mugaga Grown between 5,800 and 6,600ft above sea farmers are known for meticulously selectlevel in the Ethiopian highlands, Yirgacheffe ing the largest beans with the most flavour. coffee is considered to be one of the finest in Aroma: Cream, butter, butterscotch the world. It is generally wet processed and then fermented for up to 72 hours before be- Taste: In its long form a strong grapefruit ing washed and dried. and lemon taste was apparent, giving way to a caramelly, butterscotch mid to aftertaste.

Aroma: Gingerbread, sweet, typical EthioThis condensed into a bitter, burnt toffee pian, molassed chaff flavour with a sharpness of citrus and iron.

Taste: As a long drink, this has the I preferred this brewed in the French press, sweet taste of fermented grass which we’ve which really allowed its complexity and come to regard as fairly typical for Ethiopi- richness to emerge.

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HEALTH AND NUTRITION

How To Make Your New Year’s Resolution A Successful One

by Anne Iarchy

Losing weight is the top New Year’s resolution - at least in the US and Europe.

If you’re one of the nearly 50% of people that make New Year’s resolutions, here are some statistics for you:

feasibly attain. For instance “I am going to run the London marathon in April.”

Realistic This must be something that you are willing and able to work toward. If you hate run1.

Only 8% will be successful in achiev- ning, setting yourself a goal to run the Loning their resolutions. don marathon is probably not realistic.

2.

24% of people never succeed and they fail on their resolution each year!!!

Timely 3.

After the first week, 25% have already Set a specific time to reach your goal, for exmessed up. ample “I will achieve my goal by 24 December 2015.”

With this in mind, most people who deal with goal setting will go back to the tried and However, time after time, I’ve seen people tested model know as SMART. set their own SMART goals and then not achieve them.

Specific More often than not, those who fail to This is the ‘who, what, when, where and achieve their resolutions blame their lack of how’ of your goal. Don’t just say “I’m going willpower for that failure. It’s actually one of to go to the gym each week”. Instead say “I the most common responses that I get when will be going to the spinning class on Mon- I have a consultation with potential new days from 7 to 8pm at the gym, to my circuit clients and ask them why they think their training class on Tuesdays at 12:15 during my previous efforts have failed. Willpower, self lunch break” and so on. sabotage and boredom are cited every single time.

Measurable You have to be able to measure your goal, for But is that really the problem? And are example you say “I am planning to lose 3st SMART goals the way forward? this year, going from 17st to 14st.”

Waking up on New Year’s Day with a heavy hangover and after eating loads during the Attainable month of December, everyone wants to feel The goal needs to be something that you can lighter and fitter. Especially as we’re still in 12

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the middle of the winter, at least in the UK, it’s dark and cold, and we just feel lethargic from too much over-indulgence in food and drink.

Hence, New Year’s weight loss resolutions are so common! But do people really want and consider the whole process that goes with losing weight?

Before making any resolution, you need to ask yourself the question “WHY”. Your big “WHY” is what will make the difference between being successful or unsuccessful.

From being part of the 8% or the other 92%.

Here is my Four Step Plan to making any project, including weight loss, a success and it doesn’t have to be a New Year’s resolution.

Step 1 – Finding your big WHY Take some time to sit down and ask yourself the following questions: - Why do you want to lose a certain amount of weight?

- What impact does the current situation have on your life right now?

- What has stopped you from achieving your goal up until now?

- What needs to change or what has already changed in order to achieve your goal?

- What do you think will happen if you don’t address your weight or health problem?

- How committed are you to making a change right now?

Step 3 - Defining your positive action planYour action plan would be a precise and positive ‘to do’ list including items like the ones below: - I will eat at least one type of vegetable with every meal - I will drink a large glass of water before each meal - I will go to my exercise session on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I will put a timeslot into my diary and treat it as any other meeting/appointment - I will go for a 30 minute walk on the days I am not exercising - I will take 20 minutes “me time” twice a week, once at the weekend and once during the week.

- I will plan my meals, and shopping in advance.

- I will allow myself one dessert a week and really enjoy every bite of it.

Those are all the things that you know need to change to make your weight loss or health journey a successful one.

One major problem with most of us is that when we tackle a New Year’s resolution, we try and do everything in one go. And this is just impossible

So from that action plan list, pick three items that you initially want to focus on. And focus on those three for the next 21 days. Research Those are all questions that go much much has shown that it takes 21 days of repeatedly deeper than just setting a SMART goal. And doing something to form a new habit or to unless you have strong and valid answers to break an old one. those questions, the chances of success are very low. This, I would say, is Step 1.

Once you feel comfortable with those three items, or at least one of them, pick another Step 2 - Setting SMART goals one from the list.

Work out your goals using the examples If you feel the habit isn’t quite formed, don’t above as a guide. Creating vision boards pick another one yet. Keep on focusing on is always a good tool as well, with articles, the original target. photographs and other media that appeal to or resonate with you.

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Step 4 - Review Always keep reviewing how things are going.

And that doesn’t mean hopping on the scales every morning.

By reviewing I mean that if you are struggling with an action item, ask yourself the question why. Why do you believe you are struggling with it and try and find a way to work around the problem. Generally when we struggle with something it’s because it requires us to do things differently. Things that we haven’t done before and that are outside our comfort zone. We might put a barrier up and resist the change. And it’s important to find why we’re doing that. Once we know why, it’s much easier to overcome that barrier and make the change a habit.

years, so it’s not a surprise if we find change difficult. So don’t be harsh on yourself. Don’t call yourself a failure. Just try and find the reason why it’s hard, and find a way round it. Most importantly, do it the positive way.

I hope this Four Step Plan to a successful weight loss and health journey will make 2015 the year when you will be one of the 8% of successful people!

If you want to make it a success but need some help, I am offering you a free consultation.

To claim yours, all you have to do is email me on anne@barnetpersonaltrainer.co.uk. http://www.barnetpersonaltrainer.co.uk

We’ve been doing things in certain ways for

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REVIEW

Foodies Festival

by The Editor

The Foodies are a group of food lovers who set up food events for everyone to come and enjoy, at whatever age. It’s a cross between an amazing market full of stalls selling all manner of food and drink and street food, and of course there are demonstrations and events where you can learn how to cook or bake or literally anything and everything to do with food and eating or drinking.

I’ll be honest - I’ve been waiting for ages to get into one of their events, and after so many events in the summer that I missed (so upset!), I finally made it to their Christmas show. It was so good. I had set aside 16

some money so that I could just buy whatever I wanted, and I bought so many wonderful things - it was heavenly.

From cheeses and meats, chillis and sausages, rye crackers and cakes, jams and soft drinks to beer and sweets! Oh, and I nearly forgot – a fantastic selection of books.

I bought freshly squeezed raw juice and gluten and sugar free nibbles from Sweetly Simple, a lovely little company whose ethos is all about wellbeing and nutrition. I absolutely loved their raw macaroons – they were so good that one wasn’t enough and I had to have two!. And I bought so much food that I wanted to take home with me, although I guess I could have walked around the festival eating a big lump of cheese!

After my raw treats I discovered different flavoured salts from Flavour Magic, which were amazing. We all season our food but this takes seasoning to another level altogether. Where you would normally add some salt to a simple salad, you can add rosemary or lemon to it just by adding the salt, which has been infused with the other flavours. It’s a really interesting concept and product.

Then there’s the honey beer, and the answer to that particular question is quite simply WOW. I bought an amazing garlic grater that looks like a little plate with specific grooves moulded into it, with a lovely little pattern around the edge. You rub the garlic, or ginger if you wish, around the plate and the grooves just ‘melt’ the vegetable down to a lovely pulp and juice leaving no waste at all – a simple yet brilliant idea.

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I also got some Wonjo juice ( that I will be reviewing online) and some jams that we are reviewing in a different section of our magazine, so don’t forget to read up about those too.

When we had had our fill of the indoors we ventured out into the street food area for a well earned giant hot dog! The atmosphere was one of enormous fun and we all had a great time. Next time there’s a Foodies event I will be cancelling any other plans to ensure that I’m there too. And did I end up giving the gifts I bought from the festival for Christmas? Did I hell, but nobody noticed that I ate them as I kept that a secret. Until now!

A fantastic day out for the entire family of food lovers! http://foodiesfestival.com

REVIEW

Putting the East in Yeast Beer Brewed in the East End

by Paul Ralhan

Only someone drinking from a lady’s shoe can confirm whether or not it altered the taste of the alcohol, or if his subject was charmed by this 18th century custom of toasting a lady’s beauty.

A slightly more palatable explanation of where the term to ‘toast’ originates predates the shoe-drinking practice by about a century (what the gentlemen did to woo a lady for those 100 years is probably best left to history).

A piece of (often spiced) toasted bread would be floated in a communal cup, and passed around in the name of a person, or event.

The host would consume this now soaked bread – along with the remaining drops of liquid, after the ‘loving cup’ was shared for one round amongst the guests. In modern times toasting has changed significantly. The communal spirit however has not. Today we raise our own individual drinking vessels to honour our subjects. Yet a delicate hint of things toasted underlines the etymology.

It’s easy to link pizza to toasted bread, but how do you go from beer to stone baked pizza? The solution is not as abstract as it may seem. First, head into Hackney Wick, East London and make your way down White Post Lane. Hop over the bridge, chuck a right into Queens Yard, bear right and keep your mince pies peeled for The White Building, 18

otherwise known as the Crate Brewery and Pizzeria. Bish, bash and indeed, bosh. Described as a ‘bar in old factory with recycled decor and its own micro-brewery plus inventive pizzas’, it promises to stimulate four of the five senses… “and DJ sets”. Correction: all five senses. If you’re a beer journeyman, and are still dipping your toe to test the water, Crate’s ‘Best’ is a fabulous ‘bitter’ ale for those making the transition from commercial beer. It certainly is quite easy to deconstruct the beer flavours to compare the tasting notes: “A classic full-bodied bitter with biscuity malt and delicate hop flavours”.

A nice touch to the label is also the ‘Brew Crew’, and Big Nelly, Cal and Jeff have delivered tremendous experience in every drop of Best (the simplicity in the names is effective, and in keeping with the overall theme: to the point). If the weather outside is cold, you might find it’s just right for a much darker ale, ‘Stout’. Big Nelly appears to have gone solo on this one to produce an unmistakably black and velvety stout which boasts toasted coffee aromas through the nose, leaving your taste buds tickled with forest fruit flavours as the smooth liquid glides down your Gregory.

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It’s easy to link pizza to toasted

bread, but how do you go from beer to stone baked pizza?

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Just a stone’s throw from Crate – virtually in the same manor - is another hidden gem.

Tucked into a cul-de-sac is The Five Points Brewing Company. Getting you to this micro brewery however, is not the aim; getting one of head brewer, Greg Hobbs’, carefully crafted beers to your lips is. As it happens, founder and brewery owner Ed Mason is no stranger to delivering beer to thirsty punters. He is also the proprietor of Whitelock’s Ale House (the oldest pub in Leeds) and The Deramore Arms in York. Despite these very ‘oop north’ locations, Ed certainly isn’t lost in London. Not only does he live in Hackney (as well as co-founder, Gregg), he also used to run The Duke of Wellington pub in nearby Dalston. He’s clearly no stranger to the locale, and each bottled beer proudly displays ‘London Brew’ on the label.

The Five Points Brewery presents three beers to choose from: Hook Island Red, Five Points Pale, and Railway Porter, each available in three different mediums: bottle, cask or keg.

Much goes into developing recipes and this is proven in the taste, and into sourcing the ingredients (mainly hops). Elbowing its way onto the scene as it windsurfs towards lovers of pale ales is Five Points Pale, a fresh, zesty and aromatic ‘Pacific Ale’ brewed with malted barley. ‘A little’ wheat is added, as well as Amarillo, Centennial and Citra hops from the West Coast of the USA. Five Points leads the charge as “the British ale tradition collides head first with the best of the US craft beer movement” and it is this radical approach to brewing pale ale which results in a tremendously drinkable ‘PPA’ full of US hop aroma and flavour. Contrast to this beer is provided by Railway Porter with its East Kent Goldings hops, brewed to produce distinctly chocolate and coffee sensations, and a taste of toffee gently makes its way through the aroma to settle on the tongue.

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Make no mistake, a lot of good ale is coming out of East London. Pubs may be closing their doors in alarming numbers, but the micro breweries are standing strong, toasting their own successes, and we too toast these celebrants (just as long as you don’t pour the ‘King Lear’ in a ‘rhythm ‘n’ blue’ to toast them). Cheers!

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REVIEW

Booze

by Andy Tudor

“Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood. Yeah, that’ll people still associate with vodka though be it. I’ll try again tomorrow.” this a liqueur. It’s bold and intense and… cinnamonny. I don’t know how else to say We’ve all said that - maybe after a bad game this - it’s unequivocally cinnamonny. And as of poker. Or a lacklustre session at the gym. the drink started to warm up the aroma got But probably never when sipping what more intense and the taste became more roshould be a pretty interesting drink that’s bust. Some would say overpowering but let’s right up your street. just say ‘characteristic’ for now ;-) Vodka? Well I think personally I’ve moved on to darker spirits, but okay! Smirnoff Special Gold Collection Edition? Interesting! Gold flakes floating in it? Oooh! It has the immediate reaction of - “I’ll stick it in the freezer and try it later!”

But… something isn’t quite right.

As with some other spirits like Jagermeister, I keep my vodka in the freezer - it calms down the tones of some of the harsher drinks and negates the need for ice that would otherwise water it down.

Yet as I came to pour a couple of fingers into a glass, I recoiled in horror that it was plopping out like curdled milk - crawling out some sort of crystal sludge. Erm, okay, that’s not a good start. Even swirling the glass around a few times didn’t do anything. Still though, for a Cinnamon-flavoured drink it was pleasantly quite delicate.

Taking a sip of the syrupy liquid it certainly doesn’t taste like the rubbing alcohol some 22

And so we return back to my original statement that maybe I wasn’t in the mood that particular night. There aren’t many drinks that turn me away - and that includes a back portfolio of flaming shots, chilli vodkas, Peruvian fire water, and Blue Nun ;-) But even after returning a second night to see if I could appreciate it more I found this particular tipple is one I would not readily order in a bar. The gold flakes are an intriguing decadence that ultimately is pointless, and even as an ingredient in an Apple Bite cocktail I think many connoisseurs would probably prefer something cleaner like a Ketel One instead.

Final verdict… if you like cinnamon and want a bit of a party conversation piece then this is a great one to bring out for people to try.

And if you want to make a mean Apple Bite then this saves the need of finding an alternative cinnamon source. But as a standalone sipper, it wasn’t to this particular reviewer’s taste.

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With a heavyweight price of £79.95 in the UK, the old adage that you get what you pay for is certainly true for Bacardi’s new vodka-cognac hybrid “Grey Goose VX”.

Similar in interest-piquing presentation to the Smirnoff Gold, the VX (short for Vodka Exceptionnelle) comes carefully positioned like a trophy within its elegant blue packaging. Close inspection reveals delicate engraving on around the cork and a pleasing harmony of transparent and frosted glass that make you feel like you’re holding an item completely fresh and pure before you’ve even tasted it.

And my! When you do, it’s like nothing before. Immediately, it tastes extremely light and pure - coincidentally like some high-quality sakes I’ve had in the past but it’s the hint of cognac (5%) that really is a game-changer. If you love your darker spirits like I do then that instantly-familiar taste mixed with the clarity of the vodka are something that immediately makes you take another sip.

I honestly can’t say a bad thing about this it’s clean and exquisite and intriguing all at the same time. Ideally to be drank with ice (personally I’d invest in a silicone ice ball), it’s a perfect blend of vodka with apricot/ citrus notes and a shortbread/raisin cognac.

Is it £79.95 good though? At that premium price it relegates itself into the ‘very special occasion present to only be drank on special occasions’ category. But still, if you’ve grown out of the fad of flavoured vodkas and want to get back to something truly unique, this is the one to invest in.

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FOOD

Lunch

Hazelnut Butter and Jam or Bananna and Local Honey Sanwiches 24

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FOOD

Soup

‘Tis the season for ... soup Introduction by Dorothy Martinez We probably all grew up on Heinz Cream of Tomato soup and the Campbells soup cans have become an iconic cultural reference, but whether you prefer thick and hearty vegetables or thinner Asian styles, soup is an easy meal and a great way of getting a good hit of veggies and making use of anything that is seasonally cheap or on special offer in the supermarket.

There are different schools of thought when it comes to vegetable soups. Traditionally, one would sweat the vegetables in butter or oil and this is still my preference, especially if I’m using spices or herbs, and 20 minutes of sweating seems to introduce the flavours gradually, making the end result richer. However, Cibare’s own Gilly B mentioned that simply gently boiling the veggies in stock and adding a spoonful of butter at the end yields much the same result with a lower fat content. I generally make single vegetable soups with some sort of spice.

Here are some great recipes to get you started from the Cibare writers.

Leftover Roast Chicken and Noodle soup

Basic recipe and method for a thick Leftover roast chicken noodle soup vegetable soup (serves 4-6) The vegetables listed are suggestions, but the method is good for pretty much anything fruity (i.e. tomatoes or squash) or veggie (leeks and potatoes).

Ingredients 1 medium onion, roughly chopped 75g butter 700ml vegetable stock 700g of any of the following (and some optional additions): Carrot (with a thumb length of ginger to be added at the sweating stage) Butternut squash or pumpkin (with tbsp cumin seeds to be added at the sweating stage) Broccoli (with 150g stilton to be added at the end) Peas (can be cooked already) Celeriac

Method Soften onions in oil over medium heat, stirring regularly Add roughly chopped vegetables and the additional ingredients if desired and stir in Turn down the heat, cover and leave to sweat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally Add 700ml vegetable stock and simmer for 10 minutes Remove from heat and blend using a stick blender or blending jug / liquidiser.

If you want the soup to be thinner, add water at the end of the cooking process or, if you’re in the mood, stir in 300ml of single cream (or less if you prefer). To lighten it up a bit you could add a large splodge of sour cream and stir it in.

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This great use of leftovers was inspired by Karen Nash of Karen’s Kitchen at St Luke’s, but with my own, fierier and undoubtedly more calorific recipe. If you can get your hands on some galangal, lemon grass and Thai garlic then you are half way to a Tom Yum soup – add some prawns and you’re pretty much there; but rest assured that the dish is wonderful with standard ginger and garlic. This should serve two adults comfortably – if you need to bump up the quantity a bit then just use a few more mushrooms and peppers and some other veggies if you like.

Ingredients Ginger to taste (minimum 15g, roughly chopped) Garlic to taste (minimum 3 cloves, roughly chopped) Chilli to taste (I happened to have one from Cibare’s own Carol Stanley hanging around) 1tbsp sesame oil 3tbsp rice wine vinegar 2 chicken stock cubes Leftover veggies Celery (cut into thinish batons) Mushrooms (sliced) Red peppers (thinly sliced) 1tbsp olive oil or leftover bacon or sausage fat if you have it.

Leftover roast chicken Noodles of your choice

Method Gently soften the ginger, garlic and chilli in the sesame oil on a moderate heat, stirring frequently Add the rice wine vinegar and continue to heat for a few minutes Add the stock cubes with about 2 pints of boiling water and simmer for about 25 minutes.

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Greek Avgolemono- Chicken, Egg and Lemon Soup

Simple Pea Soup

Green Vegetable Soup

Mushroom and Wild Mushroom Soup

Meanwhile, gently fry the leftover and sliced vegetables in the olive oil or bacon/sausage fat until they start to crisp up and soften the noodles in boiling water.

Arrange veggies, chicken and noodles in the bowls and using a sieve, pour the stock on top.

Garnish if desired with fresh coriander and/ or spring onions.

Whisk the eggs with the lemon juice in a bowl. When the rice is done, turn off the heat. Whisk one ladle full of hot broth into the eggs slowly so the eggs do not curdle.

Gradually whisk in more broth until the egg mixture is heated. Then pour the egg mixture back into the pot, whisking briskly. The result should be a creamy, cloudy looking soup.

Check your seasoning and you may want to Chicken soup with egg, lemon, rice, carrots add a little more lemon juice at this point. & leeks You may add pieces of chicken to the soup before serving, top with fresh parsley and a This is Dani Gavriel’s take on the touch of ground cinnamon traditional Greek Avgolemono - Optional: You can also serve with a warm bread roll or chicken, egg & lemon soup. try adding croutons or sautÊed pancetta The soup will last in the fridge for two days Ingredients: or can be frozen.

1 large whole chicken (preferably corn fed or organic) 1/2 cup of uncooked white rice or brown rice Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 3 free range eggs, beaten 2 lemons, juiced Small handful of freshly chopped parsley 1 sliced leek 2 peeled & chopped carrots Ground cinnamon

Method: Place your chicken in a pot large enough to hold the bird and sufficient water to cover it completely. Cover with the lid and bring to a boil. When boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, skimming the fat from the top as it collects.

When the chicken is done, transfer to a large bowl set aside to cool.

Now add the rice, carrot and leeks and season the broth with salt and pepper. Simmer over low heat for 20 more minutes for white rice or 30 minutes for brown rice, or until rice is tender.

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The next two soups are from Gilly B and have the options of being vegan, low fat and dairy free!

Mushroom and Wild Mushroom Soup Ingredients: 500g cup mushrooms (a mixture of white and chestnut), roughly chopped 30g dried porcini / wild / forest mushrooms 200ml boiling water 100g roughly chopped onion (ie 1 small to medium onion) 150g sliced leek (ie 2 washed and trimmed leeks) 200g peeled and roughly chopped potato (ie 1 baking potato) 3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped 1ltr vegetable stock, plus 500ml of water (chicken stock can also be used) 300ml coconut milk (Koko or Alpro) or other milk of choice 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

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Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Add the parsley then blitz the soup with a A little single cream (optional) stick blender or in a liquidiser. For extra 1 tsp of butter (optional) richness, you can also add a teaspoon of butter once the soup has been blended.

This soup is delicious served with a side orMethod: der of Parmesan Poppy Seed Crisps.

Put the dried mushrooms in the boiling water for about 20 minutes to reconstitute. Simple Pea Soup Drain and reserve the water, ensuring there is no grit in the mushrooms.

Ingredients: Add all vegetables to a large pot, cover with the stock, water and mushroom water, sea- One bag of frozen peas son then cook until all ingredients are soft. Water Blitz the soup with a stick blender or in a liq- Seasoning uidiser then add the milk to finish. For extra richness, you can also add a teaspoon of Method: butter once the soup has been blended.

Swirl a teaspoon of single cream into each Add the bag of peas to your pan and put bowl of soup before serving, if desired. enough water into it for the peas to not quite be covered. Boil and when peas are cooked through and hot, blend the water and the peas. Then just season to taste and add to your favourite bowl. The perfect simple pea soup.

Green Vegetable Soup Ingredients: 500g sliced courgette 1 sliced Little Gem lettuce 150g roughly chopped onion (ie 1 medium to large onion) 150g sliced leek (ie 2 washed and trimmed leeks) 200g peeled and roughly chopped potato (ie 1 baking potato) 3 chopped celery sticks 3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped 1.5ltr vegetable stock (chicken stock can be used if preferred) Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Handful of fresh curly or flatleaf parsley 1 tsp of butter (optional) Add all vegetables (excluding the parsley) to a large pot, cover with the stock, season then cook until all ingredients are soft.

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Theo’s Leftover Winter Soup

Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Ingredients:

Method:

PICTURE CREDITS: Theo Michaels

Gently fry the onions and carrot until the onions are soft, add the garlic and bay leafs 1 onion diced and stir for a minute (don’t burn the garlic).

1 carrot - peeled and diced Turn up the heat and add the wine and re1 clove garlic diced duce by half.

1/2 glass of white wine Once done, add all your leftovers or if mak2 Bay leafs ing from fresh (cooked meat, runner beans Leftovers - but try to include: - some greens (runner beans, or chopped anything else to hand) Pour in a couple of pint of chicken stock and kale) - some potatoes (chopped roasted pota- bring to a light simmer for 10 mins. toes or throw in a few boiled new potatoes Turn off the heat and spoon in your hummus - chopped in half) and mix into the broth. Season and taste, Stock (vegetable or chicken) then add a little squeeze of lemon juice.

Squeeze of lemon Pinch dried chilli flakes Serve in bowls, garnish with some fresh Seasoning 2-3 tablespoons Yellow Split Pea Hummus parsley, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and (see http://theocooks.com/?p=1407 for rec- a pinch of chilli flakes. ipe) - or just use shop bought if you don’t have!

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FEATURE

Theo Michaels Chasing Dreams

by Theo Michaels

There are times in your life when you wonder how you got where you are, how you ended up doing what you do.

For me, it was coming home from the family holiday and sitting in the garden on a sunny afternoon in June 2013. Suffering from a bad case of the holiday blues I was mentally preparing myself for the onslaught of emails, phone calls, bored meetings (intentionally spelt) and I started wondering how the bloody hell I ended up doing what I do.

I don’t remember any conversation in school when, as my fellow leaders-of-tomorrow stated they wanted to be astronauts, ballerinas, a banker (always one), I said that I wanted to be a recruitment consultant. How did that happen?

I guess it happens the same way it does for most of us - you meander through life, get a job while you are waiting for NASA to call and eventually wake up one day doing whatever it is life threw at you.

For many years, my entire life actually, cooking has been my passion, my escape, my own personal catharsis. It was with this in mind as I sat in the garden on that sunny June afternoon that I spotted the application for Masterchef and without giving it much thought but writing from the heart I completed the form, sent it off and then forgot all about it, until... www.cibare.co.uk

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About two months later when in the throes of another day running a recruitment business - managing clients, candidates, sales teams, preparing for more of those bored meetings - a call came in.

“Is that Theo?”

“Yes” “Oh great, it’s Masterchef can we talk?”

OMG! OMG! OMG! With a childlike manner of looking like I needed to pee (slightly bent, holding my crotch and pasting a ridiculous grin across my face) I found an empty room. A brief moment of composure, a deep breath, a moment to stand tall: ‘Yes it’s me! It’s me!’ – I never did composure very well.

I had a 20 minute conversation. I didn’t know it then, but it would ultimately change my life.

Just to appear on the show you have to go through a dozen stages during which Masterchef whittle down the thousands of applicants (rumours are that there are somewhere between 8000 to 10,000 for each series) to a final selection of 60 that make the show.

Eventually after a few months the final call came through and Masterchef allowed me to grace the TV screens of millions of unsuspecting viewers. I loved it. And it was at that point that I knew it would change my life – I finally knew what I wanted to do when I grew up. I wanted to cook.

If you’ve seen the show you’ll know how I did, if you haven’t seen the show - I was A-MAZ-ING! OK, I made it to the semi-finals and down to the final 10 contestants. I didn’t win (yes, I am a sore loser) but it gave me confidence and a hunger for success.

Yes, that’s right, not winning really gave me something to prove, I was now the underdog having to make my own success in the world of food – and I kinda like that, it sounds cool (utter b*l?@ks of course, I’d much rather have won).

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So I made the decision that I eventually wanted to hang up my suit and start donning an apron, but first I needed to know that I could make a living from it.

That sentence sort of makes it sound easy... well it wasn’t. It was exhausting.

I have two kids, a wife, a mortgage and I don’t have a money tree in the garden. So, while working fulltime during the day, in the evenings I would cook, photograph and blog. I decided to organise my own popup restaurant. I had no idea how it would work out but I spent weekends pleading with local venues, eventually found a place, stuck a date in the diary, designed a menu and then it all went quiet. The calm before the storm, the moment you realise that now you’ve got to see if anyone will actually come.

There is a point when planning only goes so far, when you stand on the edge of the precipice and just have to close your eyes and jump off. I jumped.

That first jump was at exactly 8.27 on a Wednesday night when I decided to post a message online to see if anyone would come - I had 40 seats to fill. In my head I knew it would be 38 friends and possibly one or two that pressed the wrong button and ended up with a ticket.

Tickets sold out in 20 minutes, by 8.47 I had a full house. I couldn’t believe it, utter shock is the only description. Then shock gave way to pride, then pride gave way to panic – “FORTY GUESTS!!” It was nerve wracking, I’d never served more than 10 people and never any paying guests, so what the hell had I done?

But like anything I worked my butt off prepping for the night, getting the dishes just perfect and it turned out to be a huge success, with a waiting list that was suddenly growing daily. I knew the time had come.

It was time to make a move, to decide what I was going to do fulltime - chase the dream and risk unemployment, financial worries etc or stay put.

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“Is that Theo?”

“Yes” “Oh great, it’s Masterchef can we talk?”

OMG! OMG! OMG!

I handed in my notice the next day.

I’m now fulltime in the world of gastronomy and it’s wonderful. I mean, let’s be clear every vocation has its ups and downs. When I’m prepping an eight course taster menu for 40 people at two in the morning the idea of sitting at a desk sipping coffee and talking to someone about their career seems quite appealing. But I’m a realist and when my popup restaurant nights happen I love it.

The roar of guests enjoying themselves, the ‘oohs and ahs’ as my food is served, rave reviews, some ego feeding (yes, I know...) there is nothing like it.

I started running the popup restaurants once a month, with the tickets selling out more quickly each time. Each night it got a little better, tweaking the service, hiring staff, organising suppliers. I was learning a trade, becoming a popup restaurateur. Off the back of my popups I started getting requests for private dining from people that couldn’t get a table. I loved every minute.

Almost a year on from appearing on Masterchef, and my vocation as a popup restaurateur is going well, it’s still hard work but I’ve been lucky enough to do a little more TV, some radio and spend most of my time www.cibare.co.uk

designing new dishes, championing modern Greek food and experimenting with flavours – basically, indulging in my passion.

And make no mistake – without Masterchef giving me the confidence or the profile, none of that would probably have been possible.

In every success there is a bit of luck, then a ton of hard work.

OK, I earn less money now than I did a year ago, it is physically harder and I still have bills to pay. But money was never the reason.

If it was, I would have stayed in recruitment.

I still moonlight in my suit now and again – but don’t tell my apron, she’s gets very possessive.

As for the future? Who knows... What I do know is it’s still only the beginning, I’m still learning my craft and have a long way to go to be the best I can be, but my philosophy is simple. Do something you love, do it with passion, never compromise and success will come.

Or that’s what I keep telling my bank manager anyway.

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HEALTH AND NUTRITION

Tasty Raw Food to Help You Detox and Lose Weight As well as making you feel Fantastic!

by Alison Matthews

Eating raw food can help you to: • Have more energy • Lose weight • Feel less tired • Feel less stressed and anxious • Have mental clarity • Have glowing skin • Improve your digestion I started my raw food journey because I wanted to have more energy. I did not expect to lose weight as I had never successfully shed my extra couple of stone and kept them off in the past. I was amazed that, at the end of the first week of a raw detox, I had dropped a dress size! That was over 2 years ago and I have not put the weight back on, 36

even when I have been less raw than I like to be.

I’m often asked ‘What is raw food?’ My quick answer is ‘Vegan food consisting of vegetables, salad, nuts and seeds’. Of course there are a lot more food groups in a true raw diet, such as fermented food. This may seem daunting if you follow a traditional western diet. There are 100% raw foodies out there and I admire them for their dedication to this way of eating. Personally, I don’t think that 100% raw is practical, and it is not for everyone. We all change over the years and need different nutrients in our diets depending on our age, level of activity, stress levels, seasons, hormonal changes etc and we need different foods in our diets to help us during these times.

If 2015 is your year to lose weight and feel fantastic, here are a few simple recipes which are quick and easy to prepare and you won’t need any special equipment. Try replacing one meal a day with one of these recipes, drink water and cut down on sugar and avoid alcohol. It’s better for us to lose weight slowly and that way we also keep it off. If you wish to ‘go for it’, please talk to me about a detox programme.

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PICTURE CREDITS: Alison Matthews

At the beginning of a new year our thoughts often turn towards our health and fitness, maybe deciding to lose weight and go to the gym regularly. Maybe, like me, you’ve tried every diet that’s ever been written about and all to no avail. The weight just creeps back on and, to make matters worse, you have less energy and feel deprived. What if you could lose weight and have more energy too, as well as focussing on what you can eat in a good way?

SMOOTHIES Smoothies are a great way to get lots of good nutrition into your body in an easily digestible form. Just a word of caution - if you want to lose weight, don’t have too much fruit as fruit contains high levels of sugar. Smoothies are great for breakfast and you can put your smoothie in a sports bottle and take it to work with you.

Apple and Spinach Smoothie • • • •

2 small eating apples (cored)* Large handful of spinach Half an avocado 1 cup of water www.cibare.co.uk

• ¼ teaspoon of spirulina powder (optional) • Agave syrup or honey to taste (optional) Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend.

You may wish to add more water if you want your smoothie a bit runnier. * if you have a high powered or professional blender (such as Blendtec or Vitamix) you can leave the skin on, otherwise consider peeling the apples.

Variations: Use blueberries instead of apples. Or mango which tastes lovely in this smoothie but mango is a very sweet fruit so it’s not so good for weight loss!

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CRUDITES WITH RAW DIP

PASTA … BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT!

A nice healthy lunch which you can take to Courgette Pasta with Tomato Sauce work with you if you wish. It looks attractive, too.

• 2 cups raw tomatoes (chopped) • 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes Red Pepper and Tomato Dip • 1 red pepper (cored, seeded and chopped) • 1 red pepper (cored, seeded and • 1 spring onion chopped) • 1-2 tablespoon olive oil • ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes • 1 cloves of garlic • ½ cup raw tomatoes (chopped) • Juice of ½ a lemon • ½ cup raw tahini • Handful of fresh basil leaves • 2 cloves garlic • 1 Medjool date (stoned) • 1 tablespoon olive oil • Pinch of sea salt • Juice of 1 small lemon • Water as required • Pinch of sea salt • 1 large courgette • 1 teaspoon cumin • Macadamia or cashew nuts • ½ teaspoon paprika • Water if required Use a spiralizer to turn your courgette into something which looks very like pasta. If you Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend don’t have a spiralizer, you could use a gratuntil smooth. Add water a little at a time if er or vegetable peeler to create thin strips of you need to. This dip will keep in the fridge courgette ‘pasta’. for about 3 days.

Put all the other ingredients into a blender and blend until you create a smooth paste.

Guacamole Pesto Dip Put in 1 tablespoon of olive oil to begin with and add the other if you need to. Add water • 1 ripe avocado (stoned) if your sauce is too thick, a little at a time.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil Pour your sauce over the courgette pasta • Juice of ½ a lemon and garnish with a few basil leaves.

• 1 clove of garlic Grate or crush a few macadamia or cashew • 1 cup of basil leaves nuts and sprinkle on top (just like parmesan • ½ cup pine nuts cheese).

• Water as required Blend all the ingredients together, adding water a little bit at a time until you reach the consistency you want. Sprinkle with paprika and some basil leaves to serve.

Serve both dips with crudités of your choice – carrot sticks, peppers, cucumber, cauliflower florets, broccoli.

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Alternatives: You could use the guacamole pasta dip as a sauce for the courgette pasta if you fancy something more creamy (and a bit more fattening, I’m afraid!)

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GARDENING

Little London Garden A Special Harvest

by Carole Stanley

Each year my favourite harvest is something I cannot eat. It takes about a year to produce, smells sweet and earthy and, as an organic gardener, is my pride and joy. Yes, I am talking about making my own compost.

Many books are written on the subject and myths abound about what you can and cannot compost on a small scale (as opposed to on an industrial level). But if you follow a few simple rules, making your own compost at home is easy to do and the benefits to the soil, and thus your harvests, are well worth the effort.

matter and, if need be, some paper and/or cardboard to bulk up the brown material.

You can also add the straw or paper bedding and litter from herbivore pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs, coffee grounds, tea bags and wood ash. Whatever you use, remember that the smaller the pieces, the quicker they will decompose. So for instance don’t add a whole lettuce, chop it into chunks, and cut woody prunings into short sticks of no more than a few inches long.

What can I compost?

Under no circumstances should you add cooked food at this will attract rats and flies.

Nor should you add cat litter because it contains dangerous pathogens. Avoid bones, chunks of wood, thick plant stems, ever-

In theory you can compost anything that has ever lived. In practice, when using a compost bin or small heap, it is wise to restrict materials to uncooked vegetable and plant 40

What should I avoid adding to my compost bin?

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green leaves and egg shells too as these will take many years to compost down. I also avoid roots of pernicious weeds such as ground elder and bindweed, diseased material and the seed heads of anything I do not want to spread throughout the garden.

Using green and brown ingredients People are often put off composting at home because it all sounds too difficult. But believe me it isn’t. All you need is a good mix of green and brown materials and this will provide the right conditions for nature to take its course and turn your waste materials from the kitchen and garden into lovely, friable compost. Green materials include grass cuttings, weeds, plant trimmings, vegetable scraps and fruit peelings (including citrus). Brown ingredients are dead or dry plant material, spent compost and torn up or shredded paper and cardboard.

That’s the way to do it

In a small garden it is best to use a lidded compost bin set on soil – not concrete or paving slabs - and in the sunniest position you can spare. This keeps the contents tidy, helps to retain heat and allows any excess moisture to drain off into the soil.

Most people are unlikely to have enough material to fill the bin in one go. If you can then fine, but if not the same rules apply. Simply add brown and green ingredients in roughly equally measures (and certainly no more than two parts green to one part brown), finishing off with a brown layer, ideally an inch or two of spent compost or shredded paper. This is my top tip. In the past I’ve had a problem with fruit flies because condensation has caused the top layer of the compost to get too wet. A top layer of brown material soaks up the excess moisture and prevents this unpleasant problem.

bin regularly and you should see the contents diminishing significantly as decomposition takes place. But if nothing seems to be happening after a few weeks then you may need to make some adjustments: • If the contents look neither sodden nor dry and smell pleasant then nothing is wrong, they just haven’t reached a high enough temperature for the composting process to begin. You might consider adding an activator - either bought in or diluted urine - but I am always inclined to let nature take its course and be patient.

• If the contents look sodden and smell musty then they are too wet. Add more brown ingredients and give the heap a good stir to add more air.

• If the contents look very dry, water a little every day, turning as you go to ensure equal coverage, for about a week or until the dryness abates.

With a bit of trial and error and regular monitoring you will soon know by instinct whether any action is needed to keep your compost bin in prime condition. And within 6 to 12 months you will be ready to harvest the compost and put it to good use.

How can I use my home made compost?

Assuming that you won’t have shed loads of homemade compost then you will want to use it wisely. It is not high in nutrients so it cannot be used as a replacement for bought in multi-purpose compost on its own but it does make an excellent seed and cutting medium. Or it can be added to top soil and sharp sand to make potting compost if that’s what you need. But the best use of homemade compost is as a top dressing for beds and borders to help improve the soil.

Sprinkle it on an inch or two thick and let With the right balance of green and brown the worms do their work. It is pure garden materials the composting process will start magic. to take place almost immediately. Check the www.cibare.co.uk

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REVIEW

My Secret Café Café Fresco

by The Editor

As I walk towards this little café situated in a village just outside Southgate, I see that it’s just across the road from a ‘far too big for this village’ pub. You walk into a warm atmosphere in which people of every generation are having cups of tea and cake and big plates full of jacket potatoes and salads. The room is decorated in a beautiful shade of blue and in the corner by the window there is a set of shelves where they display and sell the products of local micro businesses, focussing on one artisan product each month.

This time it’s local honey sourced from the bee keepers round the corner. The counter is full of home made cakes which are a speciality of the café. You would most certainly come here for a delicious afternoon tea: they hold tea parties here regularly in the summer as they have an adorable little garden out the back that catches the sun.

I sat and looked at the menu and there was not a chip in sight. ‘We’re not that type of café,’ I heard someone say - they love to eat healthily. Although you can get a fry up to an extent, they push a much healthier type of meal that apparently members of the local slimming club enjoy too. I ordered an 42

omelette that was served with salad and vinaigrette dressing on the side so that I could add what I wanted or not depending on how I felt that day. My tea came with milk on the side and a tiny plate on which to place my spoon. I love these little additions which mean that I don’t have to drink a cup of tea that’s either too strong or too milky, and if I don’t want lashings of vinaigrette that some places drown your food in, I don’t have to have it.

The whole café has a modern yet vintage feel, and I think it’s these little details that make it so special. I took a friend with me and we both ate a an excellent meal and sat and chatted for a while. The owner came over to see if we were ok and she chatted with us too - she seemed to know everyone in the village. As people came in, she would welcome them and ask if they wanted their cup of tea of coffee, whichever seemingly was their usual. After a lovely lunch it was time to go but neither of us could leave without trying some cake, which we decided to take home rather than eat there, as our lunch was nicely filling and I had been so good! It was short-

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ly before Christmas and the owner (who had been a patisserie chef for many years) had made fresh mince pies and Christmas cake.

Even though she had everything from chocolate and fruitcakes to gluten and dairy free cakes, I went for the mince pies.

When we eventually came home with our cakes that had been lovingly placed in boxes and packed for us, we decided that now was the time to devour them. I think my first words were OH MY GOD as I rolled my eyes in delight. The Christmas cake, which I wasn’t allowed even to try, was apparently just as good and hands may have been slapped in the process of my trying to grab a crumb. I was told that it was sweet and a little boozy, and just perfect. More tea was needed. My partner came down to find us eating (again), snatched up a mince pie and took a bite. And yes, admittedly I did buy more than one in case he found me. ‘Where the bloody hell did you get these?’ he de-

manded. ‘Go and get some more!’ A call was made and an order was placed. A very merry Christmas was had and I’ll be totally honest - we didn’t share. Well, just with each other!

Café Fresco is in East Barnet Village, the perfect place for tea and cake as well as breakfast or lunch any day. For a treat or just because you can be good, why not. It’s simply a lovely place to visit. And if by some faint chance you need any more persuasion, there’s free wi-fi and free parking too.

Café Fresco, 11 Church Hill Road, Barnet, EN4 8SY Tel: 020 8440 8054

HEALTH AND NUTRITION

The Herbalist Cleansing Your Body

Detoxing, bleugh! I hate the phrase and equally the idea. It went through a bit of a trendy phase in the early noughties and to me conjures up lots of images of nasty looking juices and dry bland foods. In truth, it doesn’t need to be that way at all - in fact, our bodies do a fairly good job of keeping us detoxed day to day thanks to our livers.

There’s very little need to do a detox apart from at those times of year when we have seriously over indulged, Christmas being one of those times. There are many schools of thought on this whole process, and many faddy products and diets available from companies that lure you in with promises of weight loss along with a harsh cleanse, all involving the purchase of their high cost products, which I don’t endorse in any way.

Following the excesses of Christmas, this is may appear to be a promise which seems too good to miss! A nutritionist friend of mine suggests a three day detox diet if you want to follow that route, which excludes all alcohol, red meat and sugars. No funky juices, no weird pills, just a fruit and vegetable diet for three days. Sounds pretty ordinary doesn’t it, but I think that simple is often the best solution and much easier to stick to given that it only lasts three days.

As I’ve already said, the liver is an amazing organ. It regenerates like nothing else in 44

the body, meaning that it can deal very well with damage and over-indulgence. That’s not to say that we should try and damage this hard working organ! Although there are chronic conditions that do have an impact on its capacity to do this, generally it has an amazing ability to heal itself. Alongside a diet of fruit and veg you want to be considering things that you can do to support the liver and kidneys – plenty of water helps flush out the kidneys and bladder and just giving your body a break from booze, fat and sugar is a benefit in itself!

I spoke about nettle in my last article and this is another excellent time to use this wonderful plant. Nettle is great for the kidneys and bladder, though at this time of year I’d be trying to source dried nettle rather than fresh. Our lovely native Dandelions are also a fantastic tool for this: found in abundance in the UK this hardy plant is known as a weed to most. It has many names, the main one Dandelion coming from the French ‘dent de lion’ which means ‘lion’s teeth’, referring to the shape of the leaves. It is also called ‘wet-a-bed’ and ‘wild endive’.

Dandelion roots, in the form of dried powder, tincture or even dandelion coffee are brilliant for the liver. This bitter extract helps to stimulate the flow of bile and the

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PICTURE CREDITS: Gary Hume

by Jo Farren

leaf is a diuretic, so has a similar effect to the nettle. Dandelion leaves are also rich in vitamins A, B, C as well as minerals such as calcium and iron, so the plant is not only medicinal but also nutritionally valuable, just like our friend the nettle. A great (and cheap!) way to help your detox is to pick and eat Dandelion leaves. They grow all year round (as I’m sure anyone with a garden will notice!) so in theory their leaves can be gathered throughout the year. During the spring they are generally at their best but as long as you’re collecting the younger leaves then I’m sure they’ll be palatable. You should only ever harvest from an area where there is no heavy traffic or pollution, no animals and no pesticides/fertiliser used, so your best allotment may be your back garden in this case.

Make sure it’s Dandelion that you’re gathering and grab a handful of leaves. Wash them and eat them! It’s as simple as that.

A good and tasty recipe for a salad is Handful of Dandelion leaves Half a red onion, diced Fresh basil, a few leaves Three large tomatoes, chopped or halved if they’re baby Salt and pepper Balsamic vinegar Mix it all up and voilà! You may find that older Dandelion leaves are very bitter, so the younger ones are better for eating in a salad. The roots will always be pungent but that’s because their main effect is on the liver and these bitter principles are what make them so effective, so it’s unavoidable.

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I also really like simple remedies like hot water with ginger and lemon. The lemon juice helps to stimulate the bowel first thing in the morning and many say that it helps to kick start their metabolism although this is debatable – your metabolism is working all the time and in fact a glass of water is more likely to boost it, or a spice such as chilli. Ginger has an affinity for digestion and many sickness remedies contain this old favourite. If, however, you suffer with heartburn, I would recommend that you avoid it, as it can increase stomach acid production and exacerbate the symptoms.

lying medical conditions it may well be that seeking the help of a professional herbalist will be of benefit to you. For those with chronic conditions, particularly digestive complaints, this path may not be for you. It’s always recommended that you seek professional guidance before undertaking any kind of new diet/detox or lifestyle change, but even more so if you fall into these categories.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me for some help and advice if you’re unsure.

So to sum up, avoid faddy detox and weight loss products - your best tools are water and the weeds in your garden as well as store cupboard favourites and fruit and veg.

Don’t overdo any of it, either the drinking or the detoxing – but do have fun with it!

Wishing you a very happy (and healthy) new year!

For people who have more complex under- Joanne 46

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PICTURE CREDITS: Gary Hume

As mentioned before, you can buy dandelion root coffee which is a great substitute for regular coffee, perfect if you are on a detox and avoiding caffeine as it not only replaces your regular drink but has a medicinal effect on the liver so you’re getting a double benefit.

IGilly B’s Bakery Cakes made with Love

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HEALTH AND NUTRITION

Three Sweet Tips for Kicking Sugar

by Thomas Bisson Can you imagine sitting down at your kitchen table and proceeding to eat 34 teaspoons of sugar in one sitting? Apparently that’s not so far-fetched as you may think. According to the Daily Telegraph (2014), the average UK citizen consumes 34 teaspoons of sugar per day. That’s 238 teaspoons per week! You may think you fall below these averages, but the surprising fact is that most of those sugars are hidden in foods that we don’t think are “sugary” at all.

What would you say is your daily intake of sugar? What’s the longest you have ever gone without it? When trying to eliminate a substance so addictive, you have to take a lot more into account than you might previously have thought. When I started my sugar free lifestyle six weeks ago, I thought it would be easy. Unfortunately I found that it wasn’t going to be as simple as cutting out candy and soft drinks. During my first few weeks of abstaining from sugar I found myself feeling a little grouchy and low on energy. You may be surprised how much you have come to rely on that sweet kick, whether it’s in your granola bar, a piece of chocolate or your morning coffee. On my way to work I thoughtlessly popped a stick of chewing gum into my mouth, and after several minutes I noticed a boost in my energy, mood and appreciation of the music on the radio.

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Even the smallest sugar boost can entirely change your mood, much like any other addictive substance. What I have had to do on this sugar kick is learn how to wait out the moodiness and the cravings in order to rid my body of my addiction. It hasn’t been easy but I’m feeling much better for it. If you’re looking to eliminate sugar from your diet or even just to decrease your intake, here are my top tips for surviving the transition.

1.

Educate yourself. It’s time to start learning about what is actually going into the food that you are eating. You will be surprised and perhaps horrified at what is food manufacturers put into their products, but remember that knowledge is power and it is the first step to taking full responsibility for what you consume in your daily life. There are plenty of books, articles, and documentaries exposing the facts about sugar in the current food market. Study up!

2.

Identify why you are kicking the habit.

Now that you’ve done some research about the effects of processed sugar, you’ll be able to think about how much of it you want out of your life and WHY. It may be the link to future health problems, the way it makes you feel, the lack of nutritional value... Whatever your reason, you will need it in mind to help

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you resist temptation and stay on track. Trust me, the sugar cravings will kick in at some point and you will need that personal reason to keep you motivated. Remember that without a goal, self-discipline is nothing but punishment.

3.

Prepare yourself for what’s to come. Setting a day where you bake treats or cook meals to see you through the week is a great way to keep you on track. It will save you from caving in and indulging when you have pre-made options available. Figure out when it is that you’re having sugar (in your coffee, after lunch, before bed) and decide how you can still have those things without the sugar. If it’s a sweet morning coffee that you’re used to, try using honey or agave instead of refined sugar. Swap out your afternoon candy bar for a banana an orange.

Check out Pinterest and DIY blogs for some easy sugar free dessert recipes. You may even find that you soon start to prefer these treats over your processed, sugary foods of the past.

Making your own treats can be fun! My partner and I went into a sweet shop and had a browse, we each wrote down five varieties that were our favourites, and then we went home and made the healthy and sugar free versions of them.

Making the goodies yourself is its own version of sweetness. Preparation also includes preparing yourself emotionally - there will be mood swings and irritability as your body detoxes. I chose to do the sugar cleanse with my partner.

Consider using a buddy system to keep you on track. As you move forward on your sugar free journey, you will be able to identify how best to prepare yourself for the hard times.

Bottom line, cutting or reducing processed sugar may be difficult at times, but your body and mind will thank you. Take the right steps to avoid yo-yo dieting. If you educate yourself, identify your motivations and prepare accordingly, you’ll find your new sugar-free lifestyle much easier to handle.

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REVIEW

It’s all about Tea

by The Editor

There is nothing quite like a hot cup of tea, but preferring a non caffeinated cup I tend to go for the herbal teas after many years of drinking fruit teas with no flavour.

For me I love my cuppa in the morning and before bed, and in the evening it’s quite important for me to have something soothing as I need my brain to calm down after a busy day’s work and running around with the kids. So with that in mind I’ve been sampling bedtime teas to see how they are for my mind and for my taste buds too.

Pukka Night Time

Any tea that has anything to do with calming the mind contains lots of chamomile and I guess this is no different except that it’s in no way overpowering. I can happily taste the lavender but that too very mild and there is a subtle undertone of licorice that I love but again, given that it has some very strong flavours, it’s mild and need I say calming.

I’m very much enjoying it and I will admit that I’ve been drinking it during the day too as it’s quite refreshing. When trying to do too many things at the same time I do find that a cup of tea is a good way to take a break but this particular tea naturally calms your mind too without any naughty caffeine getting in the way. A lovely cup of herbal tea.

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Baskervilles Rainbow Infusion, 15 Tea Clouds

One of my favorite places to go is Baskervilles Tea Room in Palmers Green. I love going there for breakfast as well as for a very naughty slice of cake, and that’s even with the kids! But the best thing about this place (other than the cake) is their extensive list of teas that you can now buy and take home with you. Usually at the tearoom you get a teapot with loose leaves, but they have handily put the tealeaves into bags for those of us who don’t have a pot but who love the taste.

This is certainly one of the most beautiful teas that I’ve ever seen, and the rainbow tag I assume relates to the colours of the stunning herbs and flowers that the tea is made from. It’s a wonderful red from the rosehip it contains and I can also taste the orange and the apple over the rosehip: they sweeten the tea and leave a really nice after taste. It’s not tart and unlike some fruit teas it doesn’t need sugar, it’s just mild and comforting.

Although I can’t taste the rainbow or what I would imagine a rainbow tastes like, it is delicious and I would happily keep this at home for that ‘something different’ tea.

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REVIEW

JAM

by The Editor

We all like a little treat and sometimes it’s as simple and straightforward as something nice on toast. Jam of course is the answer to that craving and why not try something a little different. I have found two amazing jams for you to try and enjoy.

Piddington Apricot & Rosemary “Jam with a hint of mischief“

When you first open the lid, there is an overwhelming smell of rosemary with an underlying sweetness to it but when you taste the jam both of these flavours are present in equal measure. This delicious confection tastes both fruity and sweet with a fragrant rosemary spike.

I tried it alone and also with some strong cheese, which I have to say was just amazing. I love chutneys but they frequently have an acidic note. This doesn’t and is definitely a wonderful jam. Spread it on toast or on a cheesy scone and you will be in heaven. I would even give it as a gift as it’s the perfect addition to a small or large foodie hamper or present.

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Wild at Heart Elderflower with Crabapple I love elderflower and that was all I could very happily smell when opening this jar of jam.

It’s very thick and almost like a jelly but lovely to dig your spoon into. It felt nice in my mouth as it’s very smooth as well. The tartness of the crabapple is a lovely base for the elderflower to sink into and it really is just delicious. Again I had some on toast and also on a sweet scone. Yes I did have it with a sneaky dollop of clotted cream and it was very naughty and cake heavenly good. But on toast it is a fantastic every day treat too. This jam is fit for any good store cupboard and perfect for any teatime treat.

Piddington (£6.00) and

Wild at Heart (£4.25) were found at the Foodies Festival, but you can buy both online or at any great Food event! www.piddingtonjam.co.uk www.wildatheartfoods.co.uk

REVIEW

Borough Market

by The Editor

Foodie heaven in the heart of London is called Borough Market. The market’s on every week, almost every day and it’s full not only of amazing foods from the length and breadth our great nation, there are some amazing stalls from Europe too. If the cheese guy from France isn’t there I do get a bit upset but there is always wonderful cheese, meat, bread, cakes - you name it you can buy it from Borough Market and it’s always fresh and delicious.

One of the reasons that I love coming to this market and it’s such a special treat is because all the produce is extremely high quality. I will admit that some of it is more expensive than my local shops and market, but I can’t always get my fancy meat there either. A while ago I worked quite close to the market and it was so nice to nip in there and grab some lunch – admittedly on the way to the pub! The street food is fantastic and so varied, from kebabs to curries, burgers to burritos, you can find pretty much everything here including the often overlooked vegan option too. It’s a great place to eat. All in all it truly is one of the great foodie places to go, not just for your shopping but for a thoroughly enjoyable day out. And when you’re all fooded out, you can nip round the lovely Tate Modern, as it’s just round the corner past the Globe Theatre!

My favourite stalls are those that sell the different kinds of meat, and when I say different I mean things like ostrich which makes an amazing burger and steaks to die for.

Boar burgers are delicious too and not forgetting those sausages that you just have to take home with you. I don’t usually buy my veggies there as I get those locally but a special loaf of bread, preferably sourdough or rye, always goes down a treat.

Borough Market, By London Bridge Station, 8 Southwark Street, London, SE1 1TL I do love visiting those stalls that I’ve never www.boroughmarket.org.uk seen before, such as the one where I bought the cereal for our breakfast ideas …. a great little business working hard to sell us a simple yet amazing product. I love it!

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SHOPPING LOCAL

Sourcing your food locally Where I shop

by Dorothy Martinez Given a limitless budget, I would probably shop organically and locally at all times – but I haven’t been given a limitless budget and so my key priorities with shopping are good food at good prices. Some things we get through a lot of – coffee, parmesan, olive oil – and by buying these things in bulk, we are able to spend a bit more on fancier, higher quality and independently produced food when we want to. I truly love to wander the aisles of a supermarket and can spend hours doing so (I know I’m sad), especially the world food aisles, and particularly like to spend time in the many Turkish supermarkets in our area, which have a huge variety of things at great prices. I do use mainstream supermarkets, but increasingly less so these days.

Wholesalers

is a range of origins and roasts, including some house blends, produced by Starbucks, all of which are good for everyday drinking.

Our coffee bill, which was easily £10 a week, is now closer to that per month. Finish-inthe-oven bread is also a bargain there and we often get the Ciabatta and demi-baguettes. It’s also a fantastic place to get huge amounts of laundry liquid (or powder) at a fraction of the price. We often buy a couple at once from either Costco or Makro.

Hoo Hing

There seems to be a Hoo Hing supermarket and wholesaler at each compass point in London and there are others throughout the UK. Generally I stock up on frozen prawns and lime leaves from here, which are a bargain. There is also a good range of Thai curry pastes and spices, though do check packets for things like MSG and tartrazine if you try to avoid those things in your diet. It’s also a good place for huge bottles of Asian oils and condiments, rices and fresh fruit and veg from the East, from galangal to Asian celery to the foul smelling durian fruit, if you’re so inclined.

Dried herbs, spices, grains, beans, pulses and flours.

One of the perks of being part of the barely sane self-employed demographic is having access to wholesalers. We mainly use Costco and I generally buy the things we use a lot of from there. It’s great for cheese; we get our Parmesan, Pecorino, goat’s cheese and Halloumi from Costco – it’s all a perfectly acceptable quality and around £7 to £9 for a decent quantity of each that lasts us up to six weeks (depending on shelf life). If we’re getting through a lot of cooked and cured meats It’s been a long time since I bought a jar of then great savings can be made here too. overpriced dried herbs or spices from the Also coffee – we buy beans and grind – there supermarket and the fact that they are still 56

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so expensive and that anyone buys them continues to baffle me. What is more, in my local “Big Four”, 500g of chapatti flour costs around £2.50, when you can get 2kg of the stuff for £1.99 at their competitors with a better World Foods aisle, along with an extensive and very reasonably priced selection of beans and pulses. With the exception of saffron, I almost always use the Rajah or East End ranges, where you often get five times as much for half the price, which I then store in old jam jars. While many of these are available in supermarkets, my favourite place to shop for them is Edmonton Green shopping centre market, which has some of the less common products. However, for some of the more specific things (I’m recalling my need for pomegranate powder that arose last year), it has to be Brick Lane. Herbs (dried and some fresh) are best bought in Turkish supermarkets as are products like couscous, barley and bulgur wheat. I can also recommend the Village Wholefoods Store at Forty Hall for organic herbs and spices, grains, beans, pulses and seeds, as well as some of the weirder and more wonderful flours and sugars.

I’ve recently got into Mexican cooking and have started to stick my toe in the water of Middle Eastern cooking, each of which call for particular ingredients. For my Mexican dried chillies, cinnamon and Mexican

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oregano, I generally use Capsicana (mail order) who have a great range of dried chillies from Ancho Poblano to Chipotle and produce a range of chilli sauces too. For Middle Eastern necessities, I have found lots of great things at Steenbergs.co.uk, all at reasonable prices.

Fruit and Veg

You can buy fruit and veg in your local Turkish grocers at a fraction of the price you pay in one of the Big Four. At some times of the year, 5kg tomatoes will cost you a mere £2.99 and a huge box of sultana grapes something like £5. Many offer a 25% discount for fruit and veg if you shop on a Sunday. Again, Edmonton Green Market has a great stall which has a range of Indian vegetables, including drumsticks, gourds, and green mangoes, a huge variety of aubergines, fresh turmeric and Jamaican ginger. It’s well worth a visit if you’re venturing out into the wonderful world of vegetarian Indian cookery, though check that what you’re buying is fresh and ask if they have any more if it’s looking a bit dry. Of course, these sellers rarely offer organic fruit and veg, so if that’s important for you then it’s probably not going to be your thing. But for us, shopping this way saves us a lot of money and we can support some of the smaller businesses. For berries and fresh herbs, I have to say that I haven’t really found anywhere as reliable as the “Big Four”

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for quality, variety and price but sometimes the Turkish supermarkets do well on that and are great for huge bunches of parsley, coriander, mint and less often thyme.

the fishmonger there can advise on lower cost alternatives to fancy fish suggestions if you’re not yet in the income bracket where you can afford to curry monkfish.

Turkish Supermarkets

The “Big Four” Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Other things on offer at your local Turkish Morrison’s and Asda supermarket are probably also available in your “Big Four” at twice the price. They often have great prices on large quantities of olive oil, Halloumi cheese and yogurt which can be good if, like us, you get through a lot of it.

Speciality ingredients like preserved lemons and an unprecedented variety of fruit molasses (including pomegranate) can be found at non-speciality prices. Larger shops also tend to have a good selection of breads and pastries which are well worth a browse, as well as a meat counter.

Meat and Fish

We have recently started to buy most of our meat from James Gubb Butchers, who have a wholesale business in Smithfields.

Mrs Gubb, Joanne, runs a Facebook group through which people local to Enfield can order very reasonably priced meat, comparable if not superior in quality to what you would buy in a supermarket. We particularly use the minced beef which is fantastic, the chicken thighs and breasts and braising steak, most of which we store in the freezer.

If we are doing a steak tartare, I tend to go to one of the excellent local butchers, either Wades Hill or Peatchey’s.

For fish, I have recently started to use Justin and Sarah Venn Coles‘ Facebook group, Just Fish, which is extremely reasonable and great quality, all suitable for sushi and ceviche if that’s what you fancy. Prices fluctuate a bit (as fish tends to), but it’s always great value. They deliver to your door early morning, Tuesday to Saturday. Another good place for fish is Edmonton Green Market again – 58

So what’s left to buy from these guys? Well, they each have some excellent products and they do some things particularly well; I have favourite products in each that I tend to go for. For example, I really like the chorizo and own-brand butter in Tesco and Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference sausages are practically the only ones we use. They have great offers on good brands of pasta and a variety of speciality rice. We would generally look for special offers on processed foods such as breaded fish and scampi. Canned and frozen vegetables (mushy peas, sweetcorn, garden peas etc) as well as oven chips, hash browns and ice cream always come from a mainstream supermarket. Another thing they’re good for is more unusual fruit and vegetables (although admittedly with a heavy carbon footprint) and if you need a variety of fresh herbs then that’s where you’ll find them. The question of whether bags of salad are a good idea is hotly debated, but I’m all for them – you can get a variety of mixed leaves in one bag that would be an expensive and probably wasteful nightmare if you were to assemble such a salad yourself.

Obviously we don’t travel the length and breadth of the borough to each of these shops every week, but if I’m in the area then I pop in and get what we need. Shopping in this way means that when we do happen upon a farmers’ market or a food show, we can afford to blow fifty quid on exotic chilli sauce, apple juice or a few packets of squid ink spaghetti.

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REVIEW

Snacks

by The Editor

Dynabites Berry Burst A fusion of raspberry, beetroot, coconut and honey This is a delicious little bar that’s not too sweet. The coconut makes it chewy and occasionally you can taste the cashews coming through as well, but the predominant texture is that of coconut and of course that is also the overriding taste. It does have those sweet fruity flavours in it too and the raspberry tastes particularly good. I can taste the beetroot as well and these flavours perfectly complement one another – it’s almost as if I can taste the colour of the fruit and vegetables the bar contains. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it’s very handy to pop into your bag and run off with - I just wonder if I’ll need two? With the added advantage of being gluten, wheat and dairy free, as well as high in protein, this bar comes in two other flavours as well.

You can buy Dynabites in specialist shops and via www.missnutritionist.com

with a lovely texture that is almost like that of a chocolate truffle, but it also has quite a strong flavor. It’s packed full of lovely coconut chips and seeds, so I can’t really taste anything else other than the chocolate and some coconut, even though it has the chia and pumpkin ‘crunch’. Nonetheless it’s really flavoursome and I love the fact that it has no naughty things in it so you can eat it without worrying, as it’s actually quite healthy for you. All Conscious Chocolate products are made by hand and from a very small start they now produce 15 different flavours. Chocolate that’s good for you, how perfect is that. The bars are also suitable for raw foodists, diabetics, coeliacs, vegetarians and vegans – for more detailed information visit their website at www.consciouschocolate.co.uk.

You can buy Conscious Chocolate bars from most good health, organic and wholefood specialists at around £2.50 per bar, or directly via their website.

Love Raw Coconut and Chia Organic Bar

Conscious Chocolate ‘Coconut Crunch’ Organic Raw Chocolate Raw 100% Organic Superfood Energy Bar The difference with the Love Raw bar is that With chia seeds, coconut chips and pumpkin it’s full of superfood Omega 3 + 6 oils which seeds. for me make it something very different.

This is chocolate with a difference, although The consistency is very much like that of a yes, it is raw and so it has a slightly differ- moist cereal bar but also similar to the texent consistency than you are used to with ture of a dried fig, which admittedly it is the ‘standard’ chocolate. It’s soft and smooth, stuff that holds it all together. Although the 60

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bar contains almonds and chia, once again the strongest flavour coconut. It’s soft, with little crunchy bits inside, but with a coconutty after taste. I love the packaging, and I love that you get a big bar too. It’s also by far and away the healthiest bar I’ve ever had and that’s a great benefit. The bars are made and packed by hand and are available in a total of four flavours: for detailed nutritional information visit their website at www.eatloveraw.com.

You can buy Love Raw bars at all good health food shops at around £2.79 per bar, or directly via their website.

Montezuma’s Dark Chocolate with Chilli This is pure heaven. It’s a very strong dark chocolate which is my all time favorite.

When you first bite into the bar, the chocolate tastes creamy but all of sudden you can feel your tongue tingling and then a slight burning sensation. Not a lot, just a little. It’s absolutely delicious and yes, it’s also very naughty but you can’t be good all the time.

They have a vast selection of every kind of chocolate with all sorts of flavours that are sheer chocolate joy. They are my new favourite ‘non-raw’ chocolate! I found this product on the Riverford website but Montezuma’s have their own network of stores.

And despite the fact that this ‘remains entirely a family love affair with chocolate’, according to their own website, these yummy goodies are available in a large selection of stores as well as online. Further information about their extensive range of chocolate types and flavours can be found on their website at www.montezumas.co.uk You can buy Montezuma’s Chocolate Bars from good supermarkets, food stores and websites at around £2.39 per bar.

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FOOD

Dinner

FAKEAWAY: Southern Fried Chicken

by Dorothy Martinez

I don’t know about you, but fried chicken shops make me feel dirty on the inside – and not in a good way. But my beloved and our children love it, so I set to and started to research some spice blends with the intention of faking it at home. I had wondered whether I could make it slightly healthier, but let’s not kid ourselves, we’re talking about fried chicken here, so whichever way you look at it, it’s going to be cooked in some sort of oil.

However, there’s a lot to be said for retaining control of the salt and sugar content, for being reassured that there’s no MSG and for not using a pressure fryer.

you off, but do play around with it and create your very own ‘special blend’.

I am partial to a fried chicken burger with a hash brown and did successfully recreate that using a hash brown, some iceberg lettuce, some cheap, orange burger cheese and a sesame seed bun. Find some decent chips and perhaps steam and butter some sweet corn to serve with it.

I can happily confirm that I didn’t feel dirty after eating this home-cooked version of fried chicken.

Breadcrumb chicken

As you would expect, this recipe is rather heavy on the ingredients, many of which can be sourced cheaply from Edmonton Green Market and The Village Food Store. I used chicken breasts, but you could experiment with bone-in chicken and perhaps even pork, fish and seafood. Experiment too with the mix of spices – use this recipe to start 62

Ingredients Seasoning

1½ tbsp onion powder 1½ tbsp chicken seasoning (by Rajah or East End Spice) ½ tbsp caster sugar (golden or white) 1 tsp each of garlic powder, paprika, cumin, savoury, oregano, sage, pepper and salt ½ tsp ginger powder Cayenne pepper to taste 4 chicken breasts 1 quantity of spice mix 3 eggs Flour for dusting Breadcrumbs A liberal quantity of sunflower or vegetable oil

Method

Cut the chicken into the size and shape you like, place it in a bowl and cover with milk.

Leave to stand for an hour.

Meanwhile, mix the herbs and spices with the breadcrumbs and make sure all the dry ingredients are well combined.

When the chicken is ready to coat, pour sunflower oil (about 2mm deep) into a shallow

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baking tray, turn the oven on to gas mark 7 (or a medium hot oven at 220 C) and allow to preheat with the baking tray in the oven.

Remove the chicken from the milk and drain.

Then coat in flour, toss in the egg and finally the breadcrumb mixture so it’s properly covered. Set the pieces aside on a plate.

When all chicken is coated, remove the tray from the oven and, ensuring the oil is evenly spread across it, place the chicken on the tray. Using tongs, gently turn it over a couple of times to ensure the chicken is coated with the oil. Try not to overcrowd it.

After 15 minutes, turn the chicken and check again after another 10 minutes. If the coating isn’t yet crispy then turn the oven down to a medium-low heat and check and turn every 7 minutes.

Chicken nuggets/battered mini bites 4 chicken breasts 1 quantity of spice mix 100g plain flour, sifted 200ml cold water Flour for dusting Oil for deep frying (corn or vegetable oil)

Method

Cut the chicken into fairly flat nugget shapes or smallish cubes (you don’t want it too thick as it needs to cook through reliably in the fryer), place it in a bowl and cover with milk.

Leave to stand for an hour.

Meanwhile, beat the water and flour together until it’s combined into a thick, gloopy batter. Add the spice mix and beat together.

When the chicken is ready to drain, start to heat the oil in your wok or deep fat frying pan, about 2” (5cm) deep. Drain the chicken and squeeze out some of the milk. Toss the chicken in the flour a few pieces at a time.

When the oil is hot enough, dip the chicken pieces in the batter one at a time and put straight into the hot oil until the surface of the oil is full, though with room for the chicken pieces to move a bit.

Fry until the batter is golden, then remove from the fryer and onto a plate with a piece of kitchen paper on it. Keep warm, uncovered, in a low oven until all chicken is ready.

FOOD

SAUCE

Bolognese

by Dorothy Martinez, with recipies added by Daniela Gavriel Spaghetti Bolognese is no doubt up there with Chicken Tikka Masala as one of Britain’s favourite adopted dishes. It’s a great family favourite and in our house, it is the only disguise for vegetables that actually works on the kids. From top chefs to the rest of us, everyone has their own way of making a Bolognese sauce, however, according to some authors, what we primarily know as a recipe for minced beef was traditionally a recipe for a whole joint of meat and the end result would be used in two dishes, rather than just one.

For many Italians, pasta is a first course, usually followed by a meat dish, and the Bolognese sauce would be the thickened stock in which the meat had stewed, stirred into pasta: the stewed joint would then be served with salad or vegetables as the second course. In his 2003 book, ‘Passion for Pasta’, veteran maestro Antonio Carluccio suggests using one or more joints of beef, lamb or pork, all on the bone while, although he sticks with using mince, the younger Gino D’Acampo recommends a combination of beef and pork, which seems to be commonly used among Italian cooks. Some people add bacon or pancetta as well. Dani has even included a Greek version based on pork mince with the addition of cinnamon.

Then there is the question of the base. Some would never use anything other than a soffritto (an ‘under-fried’ fried mixture of chopped onions, carrots, celery and garlic), while others would advocate well softened onions, garlic and possibly chilli.

After that, you need to decide where you stand on the subject of adding vegetables. There are those who would use mushrooms as standard, while others would finely chop courgettes, aubergine and possibly peppers as well, or, in the absence of using a soffritto base, would grate some carrot in there too. I imagine the good people of Bologna quivering with rage at the suggestion of adding an assortment of vegetables to their local dish, and perhaps at this point, it might be useful to consider the concept of the Ragù, a term which can be used more generally to describe a meat based sauce.

Finally, is your preference for spaghetti or for short pasta, penne perhaps or rigatoni? If my son is choosing, we might go for the unorthodox farfalle: to my mind, fusilli would just be weird. However, this is entirely a matter of personal preference and, as with the rest of the recipe, you can make your own decision.

At last comes the question of cheese. Always use an Italian hard cheese, such as Parmesan, Grana Padano or Peccorino but do use fresh rather than ready grated or dried. You’ve 64

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made the effort with the sauce, so don’t un- Add the salt and chilli powder and stir well. dermine it with sub-standard dried cheese. Taste and add more if necessary.

Simmer uncovered on a low heat for about Although I personally do make use of the 15 minutes stirring regularly. You want the cloaking qualities of the Bolognese or Ragù sauce to reduce to a thick consistency but to get a wider variety of veggies into my not to dry out, so if the pot gets too dry, add children, my favourite version of the sauce another 100 to 150ml of water and simmer gravitates towards the simple, using a base down. Don’t worry about overcooking it – if of well softened onions and garlic, stock, you add too much water, you can just let the blended tomatoes and minced beef, with the excess evaporate, but don’t let it burn. unorthodox addition of a little chilli powder Serve over your pasta of choice and finish by to taste. grating an Italian hard cheese over the dish.

Dorothy’s version:

Three versions from Dani:

My basic recipe can be used by itself, but I have included some other variations that I use as well.

Ingredients 1 medium onion, finely chopped Half a bulb of garlic (or more or less to taste), finely chopped 3 tbsp of olive oil (or substitute one tbsp for butter) 400ml beef stock 2tbsp tomato paste 500g minced beef 1 can tomatoes or 3-4 vine tomatoes peeled and blended to a smooth consistency Salt to taste Chilli powder to taste

Method

Gently soften onions and garlic in the oil or oil and butter mixture, ideally in a large, flat saucepan, taking care not to let them burn.

This should take about 8 to 10minutes on a low to medium heat.

Dissolve the tomato paste in the beef stock and then add the mixture to the pan and bring to the boil.

Add the mince (adding the mince to the stock in this way helps to break it up and avoid clumps of meat, making the sauce smoother).

Once the meat has started cooking and has separated, add the tomatoes and return to the boil.

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Base recipe: 4 cloves of garlic, peeled & finely chopped 1 large white onion, peeled & finely chopped 800g lean mince, either beef or pork 2 x 400g tinned chopped tomatoes 1 tsp dried chilli flakes 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp sugar Salt and pepper

Method

Sauté garlic and onion in olive oil Add minced meat and brown off Add 100ml of water along with a stock cube Add chopped tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper, dried herbs and chilli flakes Simmer on a low heat for 1.5 hours

Variations: Traditional: pork mince with celery & carrot: This recipe is based on a traditional Sicilian recipe handed down by my mother and grandmother. Garnish it with Parmesan or Grana Padano.

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Add:

Greek style: Pork mince with Three stalks of celery finely chopped after cinnamon: browning your minced meat Four carrots, diced after browning your minced meat Ragu style: beef mince with mushrooms: I came up with this recipe after eating many Bolognese dishes in my favourite restaurants and trying out lots of recipes from cook books and online. I must say, it’s divine. Garnish with fresh mozzarella or traditional hard cheeses (my hubby grates mild cheddar cheese on his).

My pork mince with parsley, mint and cinnamon is based on my father-in-law’s traditional Greek recipe. Use Greek salted halloumi or anari cheese.

Add:

1 tsp ground cinnamon after browning your minced meat 1/2 tsp ground cloves after browning your minced meat A handful of fresh parsley after adding your tinned tomatoes Add: A handful of fresh mint after adding your A handful of sliced chestnut mushrooms af- tinned tomatoes ter browning your mince meat 5 fresh basil leaves finely chopped after adding tomatoes A splash of red wine after adding your tomatoes

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RESTURANT REVIEW

Valentino’s On The Park

by The Editor

A hidden gem, Valentino’s On the Park is just across the road from the beautiful Broomfield Park and next door to one of the most talked about Greek restaurants in North London. Valentino’s is under new management and is jostling with the big boys to become your ‘go to’ place for an authentic Italian experience. The food is definitely like mamma used to make with hearty pasta dishes and pizzas, but the restaurant looks like a place I used to go to in Florence with its vintage feel, soft lighting and paisley table cloths.

the point that I nearly licked the plate, but I didn’t think that was a great example for the kids!

I’ve been to Valentino’s on the Park a couple of times and, after visiting with friends, I decided that my family deserved a treat too. They cater for everyone. Being parents themselves, the sisters who run the restaurant felt that it should be somewhere where you can enjoy quality family time, and what could be more Mediterranean than that?

As for their pizza - well, my other half decided the Calzone was so good that he ate it all and it was huge. He couldn’t move the next day but said he had to finish as it was too good to leave! The kids had their usual Pepperoni Pizza and a bowl of Spaghetti Bolognese, both of which completely disappeared, and my children are the fussiest eaters on the planet. All in all, this is the perfect place for the family and for friends to eat and I’ve done both. The food standard is really high for what could easily be just another local pizza house, but the vision for the owners of this restaurant is to make a fantastic place where everyone, regardless of age, can enjoy delicious Italian food in a homely atmosphere – and that is exactly what you get at Valentino’s.

Whilst the kids get a meal with a smile, we adults can enjoy a fantastic Italian wine and a selection of pizzas, pasta and mains from Veal Milanese and Rib Eye Steak to Seabass and Cod Livornese. When I had a starter of Bruschetta I couldn’t tell you whether I was in North London or Italy, particularly with my favourite Chianti Reserve. My main dish was Melanzane Parmigiana, a delicious combination of aubergine, tomato, béchamel sauce and cheese. It’s unusual for me to choose a vegetarian meal, but it was hot and comforting whilst being light and filling at the same time. The aubergines were sweet and the cheese wasn’t too heavy, but lovely and creamy. There was nothing left of it to 68

Having been more than once I must say that the Crispy Arancini (rice balls filled with mozzarella and tomato sauce) are simply to die for, and the Grilled King Prawns with chilli, garlic and lime were sublime. I am very much someone who could eat a dozen starters in a restaurant but these are worth coming back for again and again.

Valentino’s on the Park, 64 Aldermans Hill, Palmers Green, London N13 4PP Tel: 020 8920 9744 Valentino’s On The Park - Buy one pizza get one free every Wednesday!

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RESTURANT REVIEW

Tentazioni

by The Editor An elegant Italian restaurant, Tentazioni is located in the heart of Bermondsey and London Bridge, across the road from one of the most prestigious games studios in the country. As you enter the restaurant, it’s filled with contemporary art but at the same time it’s warm and inviting with its red walls, authentic Italian music and charming staff.

I sampled a number of dishes all of which were just delightful. Beef Fillet Carpaccio with White Chicory served with Foie Gras ice cream and juicy fresh figs. This was simply amazing. Maybe as a point of principle I shouldn’t like foie gras (although I do prefer it to be ethically sourced) but it tasted wonderful as an ice cream, almost better than a pâté in my opinion. The combination of carpaccio and chicory with foie gras was a perfect treat: it just melted in your mouth and woke up your taste buds.

My favorite dish was probably the simplest too. It was Roast King Pumpkin Ravioli with Amaretti Biscuits and Fruit Mustard served with a butter and sage sauce. The pumpkin is a delicate flavour contrasting with the delicious buttery sage sauce that blew my mind. The amaretti biscuits were a wonderful and unexpected enhancement to the sage, sweetening the herb to make the entire dish outstanding and a world apart from the average ravioli seen in other restaurants. But oddly and wonderfully it was the balsamic drizzle to finish that brought everything together with a fruity sweetness.

I could go on. All of the meals that I sampled were perfection and Tentazioni has the www.cibare.co.uk

hallmarks of a Michelin star: regardless of the fact that they have been open for more than ten years, they deserve it. With dishes like these and delights such as Grilled Wild Scottish Lobster with Beef Fillet Carpaccio Millefeuille served with Garden Salad and Deep Fried Granny Smith Apple, and Fresh Egg Tagliatelle with Black Truffle Sauce (also available with foie gras which is heavenly and creamy), it’s a restaurant that you simply must visit when you get the chance.

Tentazioni Restaurant, 2 Mill Street, London SE1 2BD Tel: 020 7237 1100

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FEATURE

A Modern Good Life

by Emma De Souza

I am just an ordinary woman, married with three beautiful kids and a nice house in a good neighbourhood in the suburbs of London. I do however have a dream of one day owning a smallholding filled with animals and enough land to grow my own veg, keep bees and have a small but productive cut flower patch that I can incorporate into my already up and running floristry business.

But for the time being I do the best I can while living what I guess is an urban life – I keep a small flock of hens in my back garden and I have three beautiful rescue dogs who are the constant and calming influence in my life and fill it with fabulous walks in the local woods. As I write this one of my dogs has his handsome face on my lap with his deep chocolate eyes that would melt even the hardest of hearts gazing up at me with pure love and adoration. My animals ask for nothing – except maybe a good square meal and the odd walk. They are always happy to see me no matter what and they love me unconditionally.

over the last year it has grown into something I am immensely proud off. I recently took on an allotment and the next few years will be spent learning all I can about growing cut flowers. In January I start a Royal Horticultural Society course on Plant Growth, Propagation and Development which I will fit in around the business, my family and the animals.

My three rescue dogs were all rescued from Romania where there is a huge problem with stray street dogs. We started with two of them a couple of years ago and recently took in another five month old puppy who has settled well into family life. We have kept chickens for more than eight years now and more recently quails which all keep us (and the neighbours) in fresh eggs – some days we get over 10 eggs a day so there is plenty to go around! I try to work during the day and finish in time to collect the children from school when family time kicks in – it’s not always possible but I do my best. If I could have one wish it would for there to be more I run my own floristry business from a pur- hours in the day – there is never enough pose built studio at the end of my garden and time – but I think this a modern day prob70

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lem and so many people I know have such hectic lives it makes you wonder how they all do what they do!

I grew up in North London. I always loved art as a child and went to art college and then on to university to study Printed Textiles, after which I went onto to work in the fashion industry for 14 years, working my way up to buyer in companies like River Island, Arcadia and BHS. When I was made redundant in 2007 I decided to quit the industry and I went to work and study at a local florist’s. I fell in love with flowers – they allowed me to be artistic and I gradually started my own business working from home doing weddings for friends which slowly grew into what is now a relatively successful floristry business. It also allowed me to work from home and still be around for my children who were fast growing up, but with two still at primary school it is important for me to be there for them when they get home from school. It has allowed me to indulge in my passion for animals (albeit on a small scale) and if I didn’t work from home it would make it much more difficult to have them in my life as I wouldn’t be here.

that the flowers they buy should be as environmentally friendly as the food on their tables. I try where possible to support British Grown flowers and use them when I can in my work. There is nothing more satisfying that working in my Flower Studio with my three dogs sleeping at my feet and the chickens clucking outside the doors looking in at what we are getting up to.

Winter always means a tough few months for me as there are so few daylight hours to squeeze everything into. Chickens need to be fed and cleaned out, dogs need to be walked and now there is the allotment to clear ready for planting out in the Spring as well as the business to keep going. Although at times I feel overwhelmed by what I have to do on a daily basis I am truly grateful for everything I have. A job I love, my kids and my animals, a supportive husband – although it’s all hard work I know I am lucky that I enjoy what I do. An hour or two spent digging at the allotment is heaven for me. So I carry on – deep breathing as I go. Roll on the summer and the long light days!

Every day I give thanks for my life – it’s by no means perfect but I have a job I love and I have my family around me. I try to live as healthy and green a life as possible and I believe that by making even small changes to our lives we can make a difference. The flowers I will grow at the allotment will be as green (excuse the pun!) as possible and I hope and believe that people are slowly beginning to see that it is equally important

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FEATURE

Anyone Can Grow

An interview with Douglas Mallette of Cybernated Farm Systems (CFS)

As population grows and traditional methods of farming have become increasingly unfit for purpose (global yields have been declining for years), around the world visionaries and have-a-go heroes are working on the solutions that should (fingers crossed) be mankind’s salvation. Douglas Mallette is setting himself up to become the epitome of this movement, nurturing his foetal business that will enable communities to feed themselves - and inspiring a new generation of forward-thinking science-lovers.

“Cybernated Farm Systems have designed an off-grid, sustainable, aquaponic greenhouse that is highly automated. Managed by computers for the most part, it allows the user to learn how to farm without having to know how to do it to start with. The brain of the building is like an interactive tutorial operational system so the building will tell you what needs to be done, how to do it and why - you do that enough times and you’ll end up learning about fish tank operation, solar panel operation, computer systems, sensors. So it’s designed to educate and provide at the same time.”

with the Water Body Restoration Group [WBRG] who use biological systems to clean polluted water from rivers, streams and lakes. We’re putting their systems into our buildings, so the CFS building not just grows food, not just provides fish, not just provides excess clean energy power that you can plug into the building (it’s not a big power station but you can charge cell phones, laptops, things like that, that the village could use for communication) but we’re able to plug a building into a polluted stream or something, a waterbody the people can’t drink from currently, and eventually over a couple of years we can clean that water out so now they can have a cleaner water system around them.”

Douglas is passionate about solutions to problems that have “a lot of little plusses”.

Sustainability is a lot better than causing our planet harm but it’s becoming increasingly clear that it’s just not enough. With the WBRG technology and the clean power production integrated into his design (which in isolated communities in the developing world can replace diesel generators that pollute terribly), not to mention the oppor“My big focus to help people is food and wa- tunities for users to educate themselves, ter together which is why we also partnered CFS greenhouses will improve the condition 72

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© Cyberfarm Systems www.cyberfarmsystems.com

by Elizabeth Hobson

of the planet. He calls this philosophy ‘Sus+’ and hopes that in time it will become the industry standard. The genesis of his current vocation was in adversity: “I’m a former space shuttle systems engineer. I used to work in space shuttle operations out of Houston. We all knew that the space programme was going to end and we had to figure out what we were going to be when we grew up, because we no longer got to play with spaceships anymore. With human space flight dwindling down, given that all the new space companies aren’t really big enough yet, there’s kind of a vacuum between industries. I tried to figure out how I could use my engineering background for something productive - and then the Haitian earthquake happened. I was looking at the disaster and how they handled it and I realised: we’re very rapid to drop food and help right away when the problem occurs, you see millions of dollars raised in very short spaces of time to put in a whole bunch of food and all that - but that doesn’t help www.cibare.co.uk

the long term recovery process. Years later there are parts of Haiti that are still messed up. There’s fraud, waste and abuse built into this unsustainable way of doing things.”

“Starting out originally as disaster relief and humanitarian aid - and factoring in climate change and how the world is changing in not so good ways because of what we’re doing to it - that’s where the automated off-grid aquaponic greenhouse system came from.

It’s a greenhouse that doesn’t depend on soil (it runs on fishtanks), collects its own energy to run itself (solar and wind powered), it’s more efficient - and if you can get the weather out of the picture by putting agriculture in a climate controlled box, in a sustainable way, that’s clean and healthy, why not?”

“We’ve got nearly a billion people on this planet who are starving or undernourished or malnourished in some way, not getting the proteins and nutrients that they need to survive adequately, and I think we can put a serious dent in that by helping them grow locally and more sustainably. I have had the

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information is awesome. But globalisation of agriculture has been a pain in the butt growing something on one side of the planet and then spraying it with God knows what so that it doesn’t go rotten when you ship it to the other side of the planet (which has a huge carbon footprint) to sell it somewhere else. The export market in food is atrocious for the planet and you’re not really getting that great a quality of food either so local production and local distribution of food and textiles as far as I’m concerned - is the direction in which we’re heading.”

Douglas’ message is encouraging in bewildering times and invokes excitement instead of the usual fear instilled into us about famine in the developing world and food prices and quality in our own. One of my favourite aspects is the prospect of self sufficiency that CFS greenhouses will bring to host communities. The big guys (governments, non-governmental organisations, corporations) have really dropped the ball on these issues and meanwhile people have been suffering to greater and lesser degrees, powerless to help ourselves. Not for much longer. Not with pioneers like Douglas Mallette throwing the light onto our capabilities.

Godspeed to humanity.

“It’s not just a developing world thing though.

Even the developed world could benefit from doing things better. Our buildings can be used in a lot of different ways - we are also talking about putting buildings in grocery stores, or on top of grocery stores on the roofs, so they’re growing their own local produce, so that the cost drastically drops and food gets a lot cheaper for everyone even in the developed world. I’m not saving their lives but I am making their lives better. It’s important to be as locally dependent http://www.cyberfarmsystems.com as possible. Globalisation of knowledge and

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pleasure of attending the Caux ‘Initiatives of Change Conference’ in Switzerland and I’ve made some amazing connections with people coming together to try to tackle problems and figure out ways to handle certain things.

The first time I went to the conference I ended up sitting down and having lunch and tea with a gentleman. I was discussing CFS and he kind of raised his eyebrows. He turned out to be the former councillor to the king of Cambodia and said “That would be amazing for Cambodia. When you’re a little bit further on let me know and come visit”. Earlier this year I went and met him and some other people. They want to get CFS in the orphanages around Penang (PEN) so that the orphanages can feed themselves- and also grow more food than they need so they can sell, there’s that aspect of it.”

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A FRENCH TALE

A Very Rustic Dinner Life across in France, c’est simple, non?

Some years back, during a late autumn visit to the village, I was invited with my close friends to have dinner at the home of a couple they know very well. This charming couple, L and A, have since become close friends of mine too.

There were eight of us for dinner that evening, and I had already been told that A was a very good cook, and that she loved to use as much local produce as possible. I didn’t immediately realise just how local this produce was.

I have learned over the years that A always serves a very generous ‘apero’ before we even start dinner, and this evening was no exception. Several bottles of champagne were opened and consumed, along with all manner of tasty titbits, including slices of savoury cake, olives, nuts, little filled pastry canapés, crudités and dips. And when I commented on the delicious radishes, my hostess happily informed me that they had been grown in her garden. Maybe this should have alerted me to what was to come!

A had already placed the starter plates at each place, each one holding a cornucopia of goodies. And each of these goodies had its own tale.

A slice of pâté rested upon a crisp green lettuce leaf, surrounded by marinated forest mushrooms, slices of more of the delicious radishes with cucumber and tomato slices, some fig jam, little cornichons and grilled, marinated red peppers. Of all these items, only one had been bought in a shop!

Controversial it may be, but L is a hunter, in common with many of my friends and neighbours. However, these local gents don’t mount horses and send dogs baying after terrified foxes. In the main, they are hunting wild boar, which can cause incalculable damage to smallholdings and to livestock. One of my friends lost his beloved pet goat to a marauding boar a few years ago, in very unpleasant circumstances. They also bag rabbits for the pot, as they too are very destructive and will eat just about any crop they come across. And if they do go after a fox, it will be because said fox has been slaughtering the local chickens, and he will be despatched quickly and cleanly.

We moved into the dining room to begin the meal proper, each person taking his or her allocated seat at the table. The table had been beautifully set, and in the soft light the So the pâté had been made by L after a parglasses and cutlery twinkled and gleamed. ticularly successful hunt when the locals 76

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PICTURE CREDITS: Gillian Balcombe

by Gillian Balcombe

rie that was just the right combination of crusty on the outside and soft on the inside.

And finally the dessert. A brought to the table a beautiful ‘Tarte Normande’ in a fluted ceramic flan dish – a traditional open apple tart composed of sliced apple arranged in a homemade, buttery shortcrust pastry case, on top of a layer of crème patissière, with a glaze over the apples formed by a sprinkling of brown sugar that caramelises in the oven.

Absolutely yummy – and even more so when the apples have been picked only a short while before. More excellent produce from L and A’s garden.

Now you may think that this is all a bit excessive for a retired couple living in the South of France but it is certainly not unusual up in the hills. One of my friends lives on a very rocky patch of land but nonetheless grows all her own tomatoes, herbs and courgettes – and often provides the glorious yellow courgette flowers to her neighbours for deep frying in a light tempura batter, stuffed or otherwise. Even if I can’t get hold of the flowers from any of my friends, I can buy them in the market at 2€ for a bunch of 12 or 15. The prices charged for them in my local London greengrocer make me shudder!

On to the main course. Wonderful aromas were wafting from the kitchen, and A brought to the table an enormous casserole dish which contained tender pheasant in a mushroom, cream and brandy sauce. This was accompanied by smooth and creamy mashed potatoes and garlicky green beans.

It turned out that the pheasant had been bagged by L on another of his hunting expeditions and the mushrooms were more of the scrumptious sanguins that he had foraged in the woods – but not marinated. The potatoes and beans? And the onions in the But I digress. This is one of the joys of life on sauce? Yes, you’re right – they were grown my French hillside – an abundance of fresh,

by L and A in their garden! home grown foodstuffs whose flavours will enliven your taste buds after a lifetime of Dinners and Sunday lunches in France tend bland supermarket fruit and veg. This is to be lengthy affairs due to the amount produce grown with love and care and no of food served and the resultant need for chemicals, picked at just the right moment breathing space. As you can see from this and treated with the utmost respect in the description of the various courses, this one kitchen. What better way to demonstrate a was no exception. After a suitable pause, a love of food? platter of cheeses was served. This was the only course that did not include something that had been hunted, foraged or grown by my friends, but the cheeses were delicious, served with bread from the local boulange78

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PICTURE CREDITS: Gillian Balcombe

had brought down a boar or two and shared out the spoils. The lettuce leaf upon which it rested was grown in L and A’s garden, as were the radishes, cucumbers and tomatoes. The peppers were also grown there, and were marinated, grilled and bottled by A. And the forest mushrooms? A little foraging by L in the local woods and A was able to put up for the winter numerous jars of delicious marinated ‘sanguins’, as they are known. Finally, the fig jam – you’d be hard put to find a garden in our area that doesn’t have at least one fig tree, and A’s is no exception. Her larder holds countless jars of fig and other jams made from the fruit trees on their land. No prizes then, for guessing that the only things that were bought were the cornichons.

FEATURE FOOD

Theo’s Humous Yellow Split Pea Hummus with Smoked Garlic & Tahini

by Theo Michaels Ingredients:

Yellow split peas, smoked garlic, tahini, zesty lemon and super healthy… need I say more? I mean, just look at that picture and tell me you’re not salivating already! Sometimes you just want to curl up on the sofa and gorge on something until you explode – that’s where my Yellow Split Pea Hummus recipe comes in!

A new take on the traditional chickpea hummus we’ve all come to know and love using yellow split peas, it has a fabulous flavour, is super healthy (gluten free) and really cheap to make! You will need:

1. A comfy sofa to relax on whilst eating it 2. Some fresh crusty bread to dip into it 3. A rubbish film to watch

So, let’s make this!

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2 cups dried yellow split peas (no need to pre-soak, you can cook from dried in 30 to 40 minutes) 4 to 5 tablespoons tahini paste 4 cups vegetable stock (just use a good quality stock cube) 1 bayleaf 2 cloves smoked garlic (unsmoked is fine if you can’t find any smoked) Generous squeeze of lemon juice to taste Extra virgin olive oil Chopped fresh parsley Chopped fresh oregano Pinch of cayenne pepper (or dried chilli flakes if you’re without) Method: Rinse the dried yellow split peas several times until the water runs fairly clear, pop into a saucepan, add the vegetable stock, bayleaf and one whole clove of garlic. Bring the water to the boil then reduce to a simmer for about 30 to 45 minutes, periodically spooning out any white froth that forms on the top during cooking.

Keep an eye on the water level, topping up if needed, and taste a couple of the peas near the end of the cooking time – you want them to be slightly firm but not crunchy. Don’t worry about adding too much water as you’ll drain them anyway. Once the peas are done, drain if necessary, reserving the cooking liquid.

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Remove the bayleaf and leave the garlic clove in with the peas. Get a hand blender and blitz that mixture until it’s smooth (if you want to be double-hard mash by hand, but my God why bother if you have a hand blender..). You will probably end up adding most of the reserved liquid back into the mixture. My preference is for a runny porridge like consistency but you may like it more or less thick – after all, you’re going to be eating it!

blended together. You can buy jars of tahini paste in all supermarkets nowadays. Stir it in really well, then taste and add more if needed. What you are looking for is just a hint of the tahini – don’t overpower it!

Season really well – the mixture can take a decent hit of salt and pepper. Crush the other garlic clove to a pulp (not chopped – it must be crushed) and add it to the mixture.

Now for the secret ingredient of all varieties of hummus - the tahini.

Add a touch of water if needed, garnish with a pinch of cayenne pepper, some chopped fresh oregano and parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.

Finally, add the squeeze of lemon juice, a few heavy glugs of extra virgin olive oil (almost 1/3 of cup) and stir well. Taste the mixture again to make sure the balance of flavours is to your liking.

Goes well with Theo’s Greek Slow Roasted Lamb – Kleftiko - or just on its own with Tahini is basically toasted sesame seed paste some crusty bread and a nice dry white wine!

– on its own it has a lethal thick glue like consistency and tastes pretty damn bad – but NB. You could make the same dish with add a few tablespoons to a bunch of puréed chickpeas. If using tinned chickpeas this yellow split peas or chick peas and it trans- would reduce your cooking time dramatiforms the average into something heavenly. cally and be more traditional: but why do that when all the cool kids are cooking with Start by adding about three tablespoons of yellow split peas?!! I know, no cool kid has tahini paste once you’ve given the contents ever said that… of the jar a really good mix to ensure it’s all

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A TRAVELERS TALE

A Travelling Food Diary An exotic food diary of Cambodia and Thailand

by Richard Williamson Cought some fish today and ate it on Koh Rong Long Beach

Grilled Kep crab with Kampot green pepper.

Bloody delicious! The Crab Market Kep Cambodia

Snacks and very sweet coffee for the journey to Cambodia from Thailand on the coach

Breakfast.

Lunch on the go in Thialand

BOOKS

Cookbook Review

How To Be A Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson

by Rebecca Stratton when passing on a prized family recipe.

This book fuelled my obsession for baking.

I still remember unwrapping this glorious book on Christmas morning 2002. Emblazoned with a cute white cupcake on the cover (in the pre-major-UK-cupcake-crazedays) I was immediately looking forward to reading the book.

The recipes range from the tea time classics, such as Lemon Syrup Cake, Victoria Sponge (with some killer variations), Cherry Almond Loaf and Blueberry Muffins; to Pistachio Macarons, Soufflé, Madeleines, Chocolate Raspberry Tarts and the as-good-as-itsounds Chocolate-Coffee Volcano dessert cake. For the non-sweet-toothed person in your life, how about Pizza Rustica, Courgette and Chickpea Filo Pie, Game Pie and Garlic and Parsley Hearthbreads.

One of the things I love about this book is the way the recipes are sectioned - Cakes, Biscuits, Pies, Puddings, Chocolate, Children, Christmas, Bread and Yeast, Larder. Each and every single recipe is well described and they work. A recipe must be worth the outcome. I hate wasting ingredients and time on a recipe that doesn’t work, or that doesn’t live up to its promise. You will not be disappointed on either count with this delightful book.

It seems the foodie world is rather divided on Ms Lawson. I have always liked her, and her style of writing – along with the obvious passion she has for cooking, and indeed eating.

Though I know a lot of people don’t share my enthusiasm. By her own admission, her only qualification is as an eater and she doesn’t This book is quite simply my favourite kitchclaim to be a chef. en companion. Many of the recipes have worked their way into my daily and seasonal I found the book warm and inviting. I loved repertoire. So much so that I refuse to get the anecdotes that accompanied each reci- rid of my original tattered copy - mainly bepe, rather like the way a friend would write cause I have scribbled notes all over it!

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RELAXING

I love you a Latte

How do you like your coffee and from where?

Karen went to Boydens Kitchen Neil is at Coffee Seeker

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Gary went to Mojo’s Kitchen

Eve is at Karen’s Kitchen

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Penny is at Cafe Fresco

Fine Dining at its best!

With one of the most romantic days of the year almost upon us, we’ve been looking for some of the best places to treat your loved one(s). We reviewed the Mary Beale Restaurant which is within West Lodge Park – a 4-star luxury hotel on the border of Hertfordshire and London (within very close proximity to Cockfosters, the last stop on the Piccadilly Line).

West Lodge is a classically beautiful hotel steeped in history. It has fifty nine individually named and decorated en-suite bedrooms and is set within 35 acres of glorious grounds. The Mary Beale Restaurant is named after the stunning art work by Britain’s first professional woman painter, many of whose original works adorn the walls.

Deservedly proud is Executive Chef Wayne Turner who, along with his team, has been awarded the AA 2 Rosette Award for the past four years, demonstrating absolute consistency at a very high level over a long period of time.

very mellow, with music playing in the background (although it seemed this was on repeat and we heard the same songs over and over again - perhaps it should be changed a little more regularly). The décor is a little traditional but fits in with the style of the hotel. We had several members of staff assist us throughout the meal from the initial drinks orders to the main course and finally dessert, all of whom were very attentive, informative and welcoming. The menu is what first caught my attention, as there is a varied selection of meat, vegetarian and fish options - something to suit every dietary requirement - and the desserts are to die for!

Food Review

Before we had ordered our courses, we were treated to the ultimate in bread baskets. I know, I know - most people think whatever but really this was exquisite. It came with every type of bread, from crispy thins, to fruit bread to the freshest of white and bread slices, all served with perfect room temperWe were directed to the restaurant by a very ature butter and sea salt. This was devoured jolly chap, who hummed a merry tune as he in no time and could easily have been eaten led us through reception, past the very wel- two or three times over! coming roaring open fire. The clientèle on the day was very mixed from elderly couples Eggs Benedict - Poached Free-Range Egg, to families and even a baby shower party. Homemade Brioche, Ham Hock and a HolThe overall ambience of the restaurant was landaise Sauce. With my oldest daughter be86

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ing quite fussy, I had wondered what she would opt for and it wasn’t really a surprise that she chose the Eggs Benedict. This was a very different take on an old classic. The ham hock was delicious with the hollandaise sauce, the egg was perfectly cooked and all was seasoned to perfection.

Dressed Crab - Crabmeat, Celeriac Salad, Green Salad comprising Pea Shoots, Salad Leaves, Rocket Aand Croutons. This was wonderful! The crab was seasoned perfectly and was topped with a Marie-Rose sauce: the celeriac salad made for a delicious combination. My one small criticism would be to add a tangy element to the dish, perhaps a wedge of lemon, and to increase slightly the serving of crabmeat, otherwise this made for a fantastic starter.

Shetland King Scallops - Creamed Celeriac & Chanterelle Mushrooms. For us this was the definite favourite out of the three starters! The flavours, the texture of the scallops and the creamed celeriac were just incredible, you couldn’t fault any part of it. We were all trying to pick at nanny’s plate (much to her dismay). This alone would be worth the visit - please don’t ever remove this from the menu!

Blixes Farm Lamb Duo - Slow Roasted Breast, Grilled Cutlet, Boulangère Potatoes, Spinach, Carrot Purée. As a cooking teacher for many years, my mum loved this and commented on how perfectly cooked the boulangère potatoes were. The lamb was pink and moist and the accompaniment of the spinach and carrot purée tied it all together perfectly.

8oz Sacombe Hill Farm 28 Day Aged Sirloin Steak - Béarnaise Sauce, Mushroom, Spinach, Grilled Tomato, Chips, Red Wine Jus. Wow, oh wow! The flavour sensation from this hits you like a ton of bricks! The steak was so succulent and the béarnaise sauce was just heavenly. I would interpret this as your high class grill with the best chips on the planet!

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Beales Burger Made With 28 Day Aged Sacombe Hill Farm Beef - Tomato, Lettuce, Red Onion, Chips, Mayonnaise. This was the big hit out of the three mains. The burger was incredible - moist and juicy and so full of flavour! I would suggest serving the chips from steak dish above with this to make it the ultimate main course. Mia struggled to eat all of it purely because of the sheer size of it - you get great value for money!

Croissant Bread & Butter Pudding With Apricot Custard. This was extremely good albeit a little over sweet and the bottom became a little ‘eggy’. Great flavour custard!

Belgian Chocolate Tart With White Chocolate Sauce & Brandy Orange Ice Cream. This was divine in every way and for me who has a sweet tooth it certainly didn’t disappoint. I could have eaten two! Mum and Mia found it a little too sweet but overall it was fabulous.

Vanilla Crème Brûlée With Homemade Shortbread. The outright winner of the desserts was this dish! We all tucked in much to Mia’s annoyance! This is one of my favourite desserts and I have to say it was one of the best that I’ve had yet - coupled with the two biggest homemade shortbread biscuits you couldn’t go wrong. Heaven in a bowl!

Overall Thoughts: An absolutely incredible meal, hotel and ambience that readers will love. Top marks from us! We also caught sight of the afternoon tea that is available and will definitely be returning to try this out.

For more information or to make a reservation, please contact: www.bealeshotels.co.uk/westlodgepark Tel: 020 8216 3900 (Restaurant Bookings) West Lodge Park, Cockfosters Road, Hadley Wood, Herts, EN4 0PY

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Photo Credits

Tasty Raw Food to Help You Detox and Lose Weight © Alison Matthews How to make your New Years Resolution a Sucess by Anne Iarchy © Ostill www.123rf.com Clensing Your Body by Jo Faren ©Gary Hume A Moden Good Life © Emma Sousa A Very Rustic Dinner ©Gillian Balcombe Theo’s Humous © Theo Michaels Elizabeth Hobson © Cyberfarm Systems http://www.cyberfarmsystems.com Traveling Food Diary © Richard Williamson and Yukiko Goto Cookbook Review How To Be A Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson © Nigella Lawson

Special Thanks to: Karen’s Kitchen Mojo’s Kitchen Coffee Seeker Cafe Fresco Boydens Kitchen