HARVEST | Winter 2020

ISSN 2634-2545

MARMALADE + KINDNESS

Harvest PRESENTS

ISSUE 1 | WINTER 2020

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JOURNAL EXPLORING MINDFULNESS CREATIVITY THROUGH COOKING

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“Cooking demands attention, patience and, above all, a respect for the gifts of the earth. It is a form of worship, a way of giving thanks.”

JUDITH B. JONES

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Editor Adamantia Velonis Copy Editor Emma Griffin Creative + Production We are F Digital Agency Press Natasha Tsakiris

Words Elaine Beckett Jenny Linford Irini Tzortzoglou Adamantia Velonis Recipes Katherine Kapselidaki Adamantia Velonis Photography Monika Grabkowska Toa Heftiba Yiannis Karnikis David Loftus Nina Mucalov Illustrations Anh Cao Keri Kriz

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Contact us For all inquiries email us at admin@marmaladeandkindness.com Follow on Instagram @marmaladeandkindness

Š Adamantia Velonis 2020 All rights reserved.

Reproduction of the whole or any part of this publication is prohibited without express permission of the publisher. The articles published reflect the opinions of the respective authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher or editorial team. The publisher will not be held liable for any false, inaccurate, inappropriate or incomplete information.

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Contents Editor’s Letter Page 07 In The Kitchen With Irini Tzortzoglou, Greek Cook + MasterChef UK Champion 2019 Page 09 Seasonal Notes A Winter’s Pantry Page 15 Seasonal Recipes Chicken + Mushroom Pie Fennel Sausage Pasta with Roasted Pear + Romanesco Spaghetti with Truffle Pecorino Nourishing Pea Soup Tuna Mix with Sesame Seed Bagel Mushroom Galette with Lemon-Zested Creme Fraiche Roasted Beetroot + Lentil Salad with Lemon + Olive Oil Dressing Spiced Celebration Cake with Winter Fruits and Mascarpone Page 17-36

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Meet the Maker Katherine Kapselidaki, Founder, Garden Tales Plum tart Page 37 Essay The Comfort of Celebration Cooking, Jenny Linford Page 43 Reflections A Recipe for Resilience, Adamantia Velonis Avgolemono (Greek chicken soup) Page 49 Mindful Living Teaching Children ‘Mindful Cooking’, Adamantia Velonis Preparing the Body + Mind for Restful Sleep, Adamantia Velonis Page 57-64 Poetry Lemons, Elaine Beckett Page 65-66 Cherished Places Page 67

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Image: Nina Mucalov

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Editor's Letter After moving from Melbourne to London in 2019,

Fast forward to 2020 and I believe that the world

cooking became my outlet, an opportunity to

needs this message more than ever. From

experiment and express my creativity. I recognised

kneading dough to rolling pasta – the pandemic

that there were many ‘teachable moments’ in the

has seen a renaissance in slow, tactile cooking. By

cooking process that could be applied to other

engaging all our senses in the present moment,

areas of life – patience, collaboration, dealing with

cooking can be a form of mindfulness and self-

failure – if only we were open to what the process

development – a way to create connection and

was telling us. Out of this realisation, mindful

understand ourselves. In our first issue of

cooking platform, Marmalade + Kindness was

HARVEST, we focus on sharing nourishing and

born. It’s mission: to encourage people to explore

restorative practice for the winter months.

mindfulness and creativity one home cooked meal

You’ll find seasonal recipes and food writing,

at a time.

alongside self-care rituals. I hope that HARVEST inspires you to find the time to create, reflect and celebrate the present moment.

With gratitude, Adamantia Velonis FOUNDER + EDITOR

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Image: Yiannis Karnikis

IN THE KITCHEN WITH

Irini Tzortzoglou COOKBOOK AUTHOR + MASTERCHEF UK WINNER 2019 WORDS: IRINI TZORTZOGLOU IMAGES: YIANNIS KARNIKIS, DAVID LOFTUS

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My cooking inspiration… goes back to my childhood and the years I spent around my grandmother’s apron in her large kitchen. I loved the smells wafting around the space which were often of honey sweetened, dairy-based treats or of bread baking.

A meal that reminds me of home… is stuffed vegetables. We always grew our own vegetables (apart from the few years we lived in Athens) and it was probably one of the cheapest dishes to make. You only need rice and some herbs so my mum made it often over summer. It is a dish that reminds me of home and of her.

A life lesson cooking has taught me… sharing the preparation, cooking and eating of food is often the glue that keeps families together. I remember many problems overcome and solved by spending time in the biggest room in our house – the kitchen.

thousands of cuttings from magazines and newspapers. Just flicking through the pages without particularly concentrating or looking for something makes ideas pop into my head.

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Image: Yiannis Karnikis

practice gratitude every day and this has served feel about my life.

I go to a room where I keep all my cookbooks and

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The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. Since reading it I me very well in what I have achieved and how I

When I want to be creative...

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The most transformational book I’ve read is…

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The routines that keep me grounded are... practicing gratitude, working with the earth or making things with dough (normally biscuits or crispbread).

Image: David Loftus

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I recently learnt… how to make xerotigana. They are long strips of fine pastry fried in a coil and dipped in a honeyed syrup. They are served at weddings and other big celebrations. Sprinkled with crushed roasted sesame seeds, they are utterly delicious (pictured page 12).

Favourite random act of kindness... is when someone offers to carry something for me or I do the same. It’s such an easy thing to do, but it always means a lot because it shows that someone you don’t know cares about you.

To make a difference in my community I… belong to a group that looks after the village in terms of horticulture, the environment and the community. One of the tasks that I have is litter picking. I also enjoy whenever the opportunity arises to work with young people in schools.

Right now, I’m grateful for… my health (I suffered with COVID19 this year) and for the loving reception my cookbook Under The Olive Tree received.

After winning Masterchef UK 2019, Irini Tzortzoglou has inspired many to explore the fresh, simple flavours of Crete in her first cookbook, Under the Olive Tree. irinicooks.com

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SEASONAL NOTES

A Winter’s Pantry ILLUSTRATION: KERI KRIZ

OLIVE OIL HONEY FIGS WALNUTS GARLIC ONIONS MUSHROOMS ROMANESCO BEETROOT PEAR LEMONS

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SEASONAL RECIPES

Cold Comfort RECIPES: ADAMANTIA VELONIS IMAGES: MONIKA GRABKOWSKA FOOD STYLING: MONIKA GRABKOWSKA

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Winter in Oxford feels like living in an artist’s sketchbook. The bare trees against a muted sky look like hurried graphite markings on textured paper. As the earth renews itself, we are invited to reflect and connect with those nearest to us. From stirring a steaming pot over the stove to the oven fogging up the kitchen windows, winter cooking is a form of self-care.

Our seasonal recipes have been crafted to enliven your senses over this season. Mushroom, thyme and parmesan are reimagined as an aromatic galette served with a zesty crème fraiche. Fennel sausage rigatoni, garnished with roasted pears and romanesco, will take you back to autumn with its crunchy and charred textures.

For weekday dinners, buttery spaghetti with truffle pecorino is simultaneously one of the easiest and most luxurious pasta dishes you’ll make, while our nourishing pea and mint soup will remind you of brighter days ahead (and is perfect for freezing). Our tuna mix also packs a flavour-punch for a quick weekday lunch.

Our succulent chicken and mushroom pie is a weekend favourite, guaranteed to bring everyone together, as you pass around the ketchup and dig into the velvety gravy. And for special moments, roasted beetroot and lentil salad is a welcome addition to any festive table, while our spiced layer cake, adorned with dark berries and mascarpone icing will bring joy to even the darkest of days.

Practice Makes Progress “No one would live past years again, Yet all hope pleasure in what yet remains; And, from the dregs of life, think to receive.

What the first sprightly running could not give.”

John Dryden While you are waiting for the pie to cook, reflect on Dryden’s passage on ageing. What joys have you experienced in maturity that youth was unable to offer?

500g organic chicken thigh, cut into 1-inch pieces 200g smoked bacon lardons 3 shallots, finely chopped 1 small fennel, finely chopped

Chicken & Mushroom Pie

2 leeks, finely chopped 250g chestnut mushrooms, sliced 20g thyme sprigs (tied together) 2 tbsp plain flour 400ml fresh vegetable (or chicken) stock 200ml single cream (or milk) 2 packets puff pastry 1 beaten egg (to glaze) 2 tbsp olive oil

TO MAKE: Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan on medium-high heat. Add the chicken and season. Cook for a few minutes, or until lightly seared on all sides.

Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the bacon lardons to the pan and cook (about 5 minutes). Add the shallots, fennel, leek, mushrooms and thyme to the pan. Turn the heat down to medium and cook until translucent.

Add the flour and stir it in for about 30 seconds. Add back the chicken, stock and cream. Leave to simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the liquid reduces by half and thickens. Set aside to cool slightly and remove the thyme bundle.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (fan). Carefully unroll one sheet of puff pastry and line a pie dish (about 22cm diameter, with a removable base).

Leave 1 cm of overhang and trim the excess with a knife. Carefully unroll the second sheet of puff pastry and use a sharp knife to cut tessellating leaf shapes and lightly score the stem lines.

To assemble, evenly spread the chicken filling into the pie dish. Cover with the pastry leaves, arranging them to make a canopy. Glaze with the beaten egg.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the pastry has puffed and is a deep golden brown. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

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1 small romanesco, broken into florets + leaves 1-2 pears, cored and cut into 1cm slices

Fennel Sausage Pasta with roasted pear + romanesco

1-2 tbsp olive oil Âź tsp celery salt Freshly cracked pepper 1 tbsp olive oil 4 italian sausages, skin removed 1 red onion, finely chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp, toasted fennel seeds, finely crushed â…› tsp mixed spice Rigatoni (for 2) 25g butter

TO MAKE: Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius (fan). Combine the romanesco, pear, olive oil, celery salt and pepper in a bowl. Arrange evenly in a roasting tin and cook for 25-30 minutes, or until the romanesco is tender and slightly charred.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a heavy based saucepan over medium heat. Cook off the onion, garlic, fennel seeds and mixed spice. Add the sausage meat, and cook through, breaking into 1 inch pieces.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta according to pasta instructions. Drain, rinse with cold water.

Add the pasta to the saucepan and heat through with the butter.

Divide between plates and serve topped with the roasted pear and romanesco and some freshly cracked pepper.

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Spaghetti (for 2)

Spaghetti

½ cup reserved pasta water

with truffle pecorino

2 crushed garlic cloves

30g butter Handful freshly chopped tarragon leaves Zest of 1 lemon 30-40g truffle pecorino, grated

TO MAKE: Boil a large pot of salted water and cook spaghetti according to packet instructions. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.

In a saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat, cook off the garlic, tarragon and lemon zest until aromatic (a few minutes).

Stir through the pasta, and add a splash of the pasta water to loosen and coat.

Divide between bowls and top with the grated truffle pecorino.

Serve immediately.

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30g butter 1 tbsp olive oil 1 bunch spring onions, trimmed and roughly chopped 1 leek, trimmed and roughly chopped 1 medium Maris Piper potato, peeled and diced 3 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped

Nourishing Pea Soup

500ml homemade chicken stock 250ml water ¼ tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper Pinch of Turmeric Pinch of Aleppo chilli A few shavings fresh nutmeg (optional) 200-250g frozen peas 25g fresh mint leaves only, chopped 2 stems cavolo nero kale leaves, destemmed, chopped 1 stem curly kale leaves, destemmed, chopped 100-150ml half fat crème fraiche

TO MAKE: Melt the butter in a large saucepan (with a lid) on low heat. Add the spring onions, leek, potato, garlic and drizzle the olive oil on top. Sweat for 10 minutes with the lid on, over medium heat.

Add the stock and water, salt, pepper, chilli, turmeric and nutmeg. Bring to the boil, and then turn down the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes (until the potato is very soft).

Add the peas and kale and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Take off the heat, add the mint and blend with a stick mixer until smooth. Stir in the crème fraiche and blend briefly to combine.

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1 tin Ortiz tuna, drained

Tuna Mix with sesame seed bagel

2 tbsp whole mayonnaise 1 tbsp capers, roughly chopped 1 tsp horseradish cream 1 tsp Dijon mustard Handful of dill and parsley leaves, finely chopped 2 tsp lemon juice 1 sesame bagel, halved (to serve)

TO MAKE: Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and season generously with freshly cracked pepper.

Spread the mixture evenly on each bagel half. Serve as an open bagel with some rocket, micro herbs or watercress.

Practice Makes Progress “The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.�

Martin H. Fischer Pick one idea to simplify your life and commit to it for 30 days. Reflect on its impact on your life at the end of the period.

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For the pastry: 177g plain flour ¼ cup finely grated hard cheese (we used a mix of Grano Padano and Parmigiano-Reggiano) ½ tsp salt 117g unsalted butter, chilled and diced 1 tbsp iced water

Mushroom Galette with lemon-zested crème fraiche

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For the filling: 20g Guanciale, diced (or you could use bacon lardons) 1 leek, finely chopped 2 shallots, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 tbsp olive oil 300g chestnut mushrooms, sliced Bouquet garni of fresh marjoram and thyme (or rosemary) 2 bay leaves ¼ cup dry white wine 20g parsley leaves, finely chopped Zest of 1 lemon 1 egg, beaten (to glaze) 30g crème fraiche (to serve) (we used Neal’s Yard Dairy)

TO MAKE: FOR THE PASTRY: Combine the flour, cheese and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Add the butter and crumble between your fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the iced water and bring together until it forms a smooth dough.

Flatten into a disc, cover in cling film and chill in the fridge while you make the filling (about 30 minutes).

FOR THE FILLING: Heat a non-stick frying pan on high heat. Add the Guanciale and fry off until it has released all its fat. Using a slotted spoon, remove the crispy lardons and set aside. Turn the heat down to medium. Once the temperature has come down, add the leek, shallots, garlic and olive oil to the pan. Cook until translucent and starting to caramelise.

Add the mushrooms, bouquet garni, bay leaves and season. Cook for a couple of minutes, then turn the heat up to medium-high and add the white wine.

Once the liquid has reduced (just glazing the mushrooms), take the pan off the heat.

Remove the bay leaves, bouquet garni and any woody pieces that may have fallen during cooking. Stir through the parsley and half the lemon zest. Set aside to cool (at least 10 minutes).

While the filling is cooling, prepare the citrus crème fraiche. In a small bowl add the crème fraiche and remaining lemon zest. Combine and season with freshly cracked pepper. Chill until ready to serve.

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TO ASSEMBLE: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (fan).

Lay out a silicone mat (or baking paper) and sprinkle over some flour. Roll out the pastry into a 14-inch disc. (The dough is very short, so be patient with it. It is deliciously flaky once cooked.)

Evenly spread the filling out on the pastry, leaving a 1.5-2 inch margin. Gently roll up the edges and glaze with the beaten egg. Season the galette with some freshly cracked pepper.

Transfer the silicone mat to a baking tray and cook for 30-40 minutes, or until the pastry is deep golden brown. Leave to cool for 10 minutes and serve with a dollop of the citrus crème fraiche, crispy lardons and rocket leaves.

Practice Makes Progress “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more.

If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”

Oprah Winfrey While you are waiting for the galette to cook, reflect on your understanding of contentment and how it manifests in your life.

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1 whole beetroot 1 tbsp olive oil 2-3 handfuls of baby spinach 250g Merchant Gourmet Cooked Puy Lentils

Roasted Beetroot + Lentil Salad with lemon + olive oil dressing

100g poached chicken, shredded into pieces (optional) 30g crumbled feta cheese 1 handful crumbled, lightly toasted walnuts Dressing 2 tbsp Dijon mustard ¼ cup lemon juice 1 tbsp red wine vinegar ½ tbsp clear honey ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil

TO MAKE: Preheat oven 190 degrees Celsius fan force. Rub the skin of the beetroot with the olive oil and wrap tightly in foil. Place on a roasting tray and cook for 45 minutes – 1 hour. (Cook time will depend on the size of the beetroot). Leave to cool for 10 minutes, then strip the skin and cut into wedges.

Put all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and blend with a stick mixer (or whisk until creamy and emulsified). Taste, season and adjust.

TO ASSEMBLE: Combine the spinach leaves, lentils, and chicken (if using) and a quarter of the dressing in a large bowl. Pile the dressed lentils on a flat platter. Scatter over the roasted beetroot, crumbled feta and walnuts.

Drizzle with some of the dressing when ready to serve, and leave the rest for diners to help themselves.

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Spiced Celebration Cake with winter fruits and mascarpone icing

For the cake: 200g caster sugar 200g butter, softened 4 eggs 200g self raising flour 2 tbsp cocoa powder 1 tsp baking powder

For the mascarpone icing:

2 tsp vanilla extract or paste

250ml mascarpone cheese

½ tsp cinnamon

250 ml double cream ¼ cup icing sugar, sifted (you can had more if its too loose) 1 tsp vanilla extract or paste

⅛ tsp nutmeg ⅛ tsp allspice ⅛ tsp ginger Pinch of salt

Filling: 80-100g slightly warmed, plum jam (we used a homemade

2 tbsp whole milk

damson jam, but you can use any other dark fruit) Mix

of

seasonal

berries

(blueberries,

blackberries,

boysenberries) to decorate.

TO MAKE: Cake: Preheat oven to 170c (fan). Prepare two baking tins (about 20cm). Add all the cake ingredients to the bowl of the stand mixer and beat until combined (the batter will be pale and voluminous). Divide between the cake tins and bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Icing: Pre-chill the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk attachment. Add the mascarpone and beat on medium low. Slowly add the cream (it will have a liquid consistency initially), then increase the speed to form soft peaks. Add the icing sugar and vanilla extract, and beat on low to incorporate.

To assemble: Once the cakes are completely cool remove from the tins. Use a sharp knife to even the top of the bottom sponge. Spread the plum jam over the base. Place the second sponge on top. Spread the icing on top and decorate with fresh berries.

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Meet The Maker KATHERINE KAPSELIDAKI, FOUNDER, GARDEN TALES

WORDS: ADAMANTIA VELONIS IMAGES: MONIKA GRABKOWSKA, TOA HEFTIBA RECIPE: KATHERINE KAPSELIDAKI

'It was always a “plan for later”,' says Katherine Kapselidaki, known to her friends and family as 'Katerina'. Exchanging emails, she warmly shares the origin story of her artisan preserves, Garden Tales,

following

the

launch

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Greece

in

November.

At the heart of Garden Tales is a desire to preserve not only the natural flavours and aromas of the Greek countryside, but also the memories from the past. The idea came after almost four years of exploring the lesser-known parts of mainland Greece with her husband. During these trips, they were mesmerised by time stood still. Remote villages set in mountains, narrow roads, and stone houses precariously perched on the sides of the slopes, untouched by the allure of the modern world.

But, most importantly, the local people and their mindful way of life. As Katerina observed, they maintained tradition through their connection with nature and its rhythms. “Nature brings us gifts in every season," they said, "but you have to wait... just be patient.” And with this, Garden Tales was born. "Preserves and marmalades came in my mind," Katerina says, "as I could harvest when the produce was at its peak, preserving the flavour to share with the world."

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As a small artisanal company, Katerina works with local growers and women cooperatives to grow and prepare seasonal jams and marmalades using cherished family recipes. Her respect for the ingredients and their provenance is clear from the attention to every detail and commitment to freshness.

Guided by the produce, "we do not force crops and we harvest at the right time," says Katerina.

Unlike other jam makers that freeze fruits prior to preparation, "the fruits are delivered to us directly from the farm, usually, the same day they were picked." The jams are made by hand by female cooperatives, in small batches. The process takes about two days to complete. Ensuring that fruits are carefully chosen for their quality and aroma, and minimising the time between harvest and production, means that the integrity and flavours of the ingredients are maintained.

There are no additives and even sugar is used judiciously – seeking to preserve the essence of the fruit, rather than to ensure a long shelf-life, like most commercial jams. With only a few hundred jars produced each year in the region of Drama, there is a true celebration of the seasons and their natural bounty.

In a year where travel has been limited, Katerina gives us a taste of the Greek countryside, reminding us that food connects us to 'place' and personal memory. Open a jar of Garden Tales jam and you are invited to experience a slower way of living, an appreciation of nature's cycles and an authentic way of eating. www.gardentales.gr

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200g flour 80g butter, room temperature, chopped

Plum Jam Tart

110g sugar 1 tsp yeast 1 egg 1 egg yolk Pinch of salt 250g Garden Tales plum jam

TO MAKE: Mix the flour and sugar in a large bowl. Create a well in the centre and add the butter, the whole egg and the egg yolk, a pinch of salt and the yeast. Mix the ingredients quickly to create a smooth dough then wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for about an hour.

Halve the pastry. Roll out one portion of pastry and line a greased round cake tin, making sure you cover the edges of the tin. Spread the Garden Tales plum jam over the pastry.

Roll out the remaining pastry and cut into 1.5 cm strips, weaving over and under to form a lattice on top.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan) and bake for 30–40 minutes until golden brown.

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Image: Toa Heftiba

“The aroma, the fragrance of the melt-in-the-mouth pastry and the bitter-sweet flavour of the Garden Tales plum jam, go to the heart of those who love simplicity, tradition and timeless quality.”

KATERINA KAPSELIDAKI

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ESSAY

The Comfort of Celebration Cooking WORDS: JENNY LINFORD

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In these stressful, pandemic times cooking has taken on a new importance, offering considerable comfort as well as practical nourishment. During the first lockdown – with restaurants, cafes and pubs all closed – many suddenly found themselves living isolated lives in their homes and began cooking more than they had ever done before. Instagram bore witness to how people turned to cooking as a way of passing time – perfecting enviable sourdough loaves, making dumplings, baking tempting cakes. Ever since I first began cooking as a hungry university student, I’ve enjoyed the transformative aspect of taking ingredients and turning them into a meal. My pleasure in cooking sustained me through the long weeks of the lockdown and continues to do so. Without consciously realising it, I found myself cooking dishes my mother had made for me during my childhood – turning back to simple, unshowy recipes from a more frugal age which carried a sense of security. In these unsettling months – when life pre-Covid-19 feels like an exotic dream – there is a reassuring aspect to carrying out familiar, simple, everyday tasks: chopping onions, peeling potatoes, rinsing rice, creaming together butter and sugar for a cake. The concrete reward for these labours – whether making food for myself or for others – is enjoying what I’ve cooked, eating it with relish and satisfaction. The pleasures we get from eating something we like – freshly baked scones, a warming bowl of chicken soup, an aromatic curry – are still ones we can enjoy, and seem all the more precious now.

Like many people who enjoy cooking, I love making food for family and friends. One of the many sadnesses of this year is not being able to cook meals for them. During the first lockdown, one of our dear friends had his birthday. Normally, I’d have invited him over and cooked a special meal for him to celebrate it. Instead, I rang up and told him I’d be cooking and dropping round a birthday meal for him. He’d have to eat it on his own, but we’d be with him in spirit. Feasting – the coming together of family, friends and communities to share and enjoy an abundance of treats – is how humans have celebrated important festivals around the world for many centuries. Sadly, of course, gathering together in numbers indoors is not a safe option during the coronavirus age, so this traditional way of celebrating has been taken from us for now.

In these uncertain days, when it’s so hard to plan ahead, it is sobering to realise that I’m simply not sure which members of our family – including my beloved, elderly mother – will be able to come and share Christmas Day with us. How do I prepare? How many people will I be catering for? Is it even worth celebrating it this year? The decision as to whether to scale down – perhaps postpone or even forego celebrations – is very much a personal one. I, however, feel a stubborn nugget of determination to hold onto the food traditions that our Christmas celebrations have acquired over the decades since our son was born. In this shapeless year – through which we seem to have drifted as if in Limbo – the patterning that marking a festival brings with it seems particularly important to me. This year of all years, I want to maintain the small family rituals that we’ve enjoyed for so long.

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The giving of gifts is an aspect of the Christmas season which I always enjoy. This year many of my presents will be homemade and edible – giving something personal that I’ve taken time and care to make feels important to me. As I have now done for decades, I will bake a rich, boozy Christmas cake for my stepfather who is very partial to fruitcakes. I spent time over the autumn months turning foraged rosehips, blackberries, elderberries, haws and crabapples into jars of garnet-coloured jelly to give to friends – albeit in a socially distanced way or even sent via the post.

Looking for festive recipe inspiration, I will leaf through my beloved, old, well-thumbed cookbooks I always turn to at this time of year: Delia Smith’s classic Christmas, Nigella Lawson’s How to be a Domestic Goddess, Margaret Costa’s Four Seasons Cookery Book and Jane Grigson’s Vegetable and Fruit books. This year, as in previous years, I plan to hunt down – either in person or online - decent, whole pieces of crystallised peel (harder and harder to find), which I will chop painstakingly by hand and mix with dried fruit soaked overnight in brandy, citrus zest and juice, fragrant spices and suet to make my own mincemeat. I will then use this home-made mincemeat to make mince pies: standing in the kitchen, listening to the radio, patiently cutting out discs of rich, buttery, shortcrust pastry, lining my mince pie tins, filling the pies, brushing them with milk, sprinkling over sugar, brushing with milk and baking them. The smell of warm mince pies cooking in the oven is an evocative December pleasure.

When it comes to turning the golden-brown mince pies carefully out of the tins, invariably, some mincemeat will have leaked out, making a few of them sticky and hard to dislodge so they break in the tin – cook’s perks! I will unearth my Christmas cookie cutters – stars, bells, Christmas trees, stags – and make gingerbread biscuits, just as I used to do with my son when he was a little boy. This year, rather than offering visitors to our house mince pies and gingerbread biscuits as I used to, I plan on taking these around to neighbours and local friends, leaving them as doorsteps gifts.

From the cranberry sauce made to my mother-in-law’s recipe – served in the pretty, china bowl she gave me – to Boxing Day bubble and squeak (my son’s favourite) to be enjoyed with cold cuts and chutney, I plan to cook all the good things I normally do. I may well end off dropping off food parcels to family members, rather than eating together with them, but so be it.

Cooking for me is closely bound up with hospitality and the nurturing of loved ones. This year it won’t be easy, but I am going to find a way of sharing my Christmas food with the people I care for.

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Jenny Linford is a beloved London-based food writer. She has written over fifteen books including The Missing Ingredient – The Curious Role of Time in Food and Flavour, and has been featured in many wellknown publications including The Guardian and The Times. jennylinford.co.uk

REFLECTIONS

A Recipe for Resilience WORDS: ADAMANTIA VELONIS IMAGE: MONIKA GRABKOWSKA

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When the colder months draw in, we often turn to nourishing broths to restore us. Editor, Adamantia Velonis, reflects on how the pandemic saw her seeking solace in her grandmother’s avgolemono soup, and how food rituals allowed her to find strength in uncertain times.

"Did you ever feel a sudden urge for soup?" asks Dionysus in Aristophanes’ ancient comedy, The Frogs. Heracles replies, "Soup! Yowee! Ten thousand times so far."

Since the pandemic began in early March, those lines have taken on a new meaning for me. After moving from Melbourne to London with my partner eighteen months ago, ‘home’ was always only a plane ride away. Now, because of the pandemic, we are unsure as to when we’ll be returning.

This is the longest period we’ve gone without seeing our families in Australia. We’ve missed birthdays, holidays, and even family weddings, and while we have technology to stay connected, the absence of home, and the uncertainty of the future, has left me feeling anxious and lonely. Which is why I have found both comfort and resilience through cooking, in recreating my yiayia’s (‘grandmother’ in Greek) recipes; my favourite being her avgolemono soup.

I have always loved to cook. Being raised by my yiayia, I spent many afternoons by her side, learning to make many traditional dishes, while practicing the Greek language. Growing up, cooking was a way to create and share memories, and pass down traditions from my culture. But since moving to Europe, it became my solace, helping me to adjust to my new home.

More recently, cooking has been my way to reconnect with my heritage, and manage difficult emotions brought on from the pandemic.

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I went back through my messages and found a text from my mum. A while back, when I was having a particularly hard day, my mum had sent me the recipe for my yiayia’s chicken soup.

Avgolemono – literally meaning egg and lemon – is a staple in the Greek kitchen. There are many versions across the Mediterranean, but food historians believe the Sephardic Jews first brought it to Greece. Whatever the origin, it has endured.

It’s traditionally made on New Year’s Day in Greece in hopes of bringing health, strength and happiness for the year ahead.

This is what my grandmother would make me when I was sick, run down from exams or just because the cold weather was setting in.

So, I bought a chicken and put the stock pot on. It only requires a handful of ingredients – a whole chicken, eggs, lemons, rice and seasoning – but the technique is in incorporating the egg-lemon mixture to give the soup its characteristic creaminess.

As I beat the eggs, I see my grandmother gently chanting ‘psi, psi’ as she adds the egg-lemon mixture to the broth – a superstition thought to prevent the egg from curdling. It’s as though she’s there with me. The scent of freshly cut lemon sparks a smile as I imagine her pride at my finished creation.

I serve up a bowl to my partner. He eyes it sceptically. "Is the egg cooked?" "Yes… You’ll love it, trust me." And I do have to trust that centuries of yiayia wisdom are going to win him over.

He slurps the first spoonful, and I watch the surprise and delight spread across his face. Tangy and medicinal, there is something deeply nourishing and comforting about this soup.

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Food unearths memories – whether sweet or sour – and the process of cooking lets us tap into them. Our sense of smell is one of our earliest, and can allow us to access our involuntary memory. By cooking mindfully, we can use the process to make sense of our lived experience.

Heather Thomas explains in The Mindful Kitchen: “our sense of smell acts as a scout for our brain to trigger emotions, memories and motivation.” This is why our “preferred comfort foods are often those served to us by loved ones from our childhood.” If we can intentionally recreate these feelings of safety by making our most beloved dishes, it’s unsurprising that I’ve turned to yiayia’s soup for nourishment and strength – it’s like finding her warm arms wrapped around me again.

And this is why cooking is my meditation. It’s a chance to be present, to ground down in my senses, to focus on the recipe and making something delicious to connect with myself, and to share that feeling with my loved ones. I’m not only connecting to my own family history, but also to my identity and a sense of ritual. Looking down at the steaming bowl of broth, there is a sense of timelessness, in bringing the past to the present moment, and physically unifying the two on my plate.

Cracking some extra pepper over my soup, I’m reminded that I have a lot to be grateful for. Not every day is good, but there is something good in every day. I can’t solve everything, I can’t know what is going to happen next, but by taking the time to make this meal I’ve given myself some space to process what is happening and to value each moment as it unfolds.

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Avgolemono

1 whole organic chicken 2 eggs (yolks separated from their whites) 2 lemons, juice only

(Greek chicken soup)

Âź cup white rice

TO MAKE: Boil the chicken for 2 hours with two pinches of sea salt. Regularly skimming the top of any impurities that rise to the surface.

Once boiled, remove the chicken and set aside. Strain the stock into a new saucepan.

Bring to the boil and add the rice. Boil until the rice is tender (about 10 minutes) and take off the heat.

Using a stand mixer, beat the egg whites until meringue-like. Then add the yolks and beat together.

Add the lemon juice and beat until all combined. Slowly beat in 1 cup of hot chicken stock until the mixture is foamy and thickened.

Pour the mixture into the pot of soup, gently stirring to combine.

Serve immediately with salt and pepper, and the chicken.

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Practice Makes Progress While the stock is boiling, commit to writing three pages of thoughts down in your journal.

Journalling is a powerful way to declutter the mind and manage our emotions and thought patterns.

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Use the leftover poached chicken in the Roasted Beetroot + Lentil Salad the next day.

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MINDFUL LIVING

Teaching Children ‘Mindful Cooking' WORDS: ADAMANTIA VELONIS ILLUSTRATION: ANH CAO

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The pandemic has shifted everyone’s needs and made us consider what we really ‘value.’ Now, more than ever, as we assess what is fundamentally important to us, we have an opportunity to explain values to our children and how ‘values literacy’ supports their well-being. Editor, Adamantia Velonis, shares her top tips for turning any recipe into a ‘mindful moment’ with your children.

CHOOSE A RECIPE WITH PERSONAL OR CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE When cooking mindfully I like to encourage people to make treasured family recipes, because people’s strongest memories are often of foods they have made with family members when they were children. Encourage children to be curious about what foods they eat on special days and their significance, and to explore positive food memories.

SET AN INTENTION Before starting to cook, help your child focus and connect to the present moment by setting an intention together. It can be really simple, like bringing the feeling of love to the cooking process. When cooking with children, setting an intention encourages children to focus on the task and connect their actions to a wider context (like cultural traditions).

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FIND ‘TEACHABLE MOMENTS’ IN THE PROCESS Cooking is creative and engages many skills that can be translated to other areas of life. Here are some ideas: Explore the history and origin of ingredients. Pick out a handful of interesting ingredients and do some research on them and their uses. Sharing their story or seasonal information can help children to appreciate where food comes from and to value the intricate processes that have made them available.

Discuss health and nutrition. Some traditional recipes use ingredients that people are allergic or intolerant to. This needn’t stop us from continuing these traditions, as there are often alternative ingredients that we can use. Putting ingredients into their nutritional context (like the antiinflammatory benefits in cinnamon), and its impact on the body and mind, helps children make the connection between food and their physical well-being.

Create mindful moments. Encourage your children to be aware of their senses during the cooking process – getting them to smell raw ingredients, appreciating their texture and colour.

Rather than relying on modern kitchen appliances, get them to use their hands, stirring the cake batter with a wooden spoon, so that they can experience the physicality of cooking. You could even guide them through a raisin meditation or introduce mindful eating.

Identify values. Cooking often requires patience. If we are unable to use an ingredient and we substitute it, we are being creative. Linking lived experience to values can help children see how these themes play out in their everyday life. Explaining that good things take time might help children take this lesson with them when faced with other experiences.

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Invite reflection. Talk about what worked, and also what didn’t go to plan. For example, reflecting on how preparation makes things go smoothly teaches a lesson in organisation. And if things don’t work out, what could have been done differently? We can apply the attitudes of mindfulness to explore our judgemental mind (labelling things ‘good’ or ‘bad’) and seeing that the experience is just an ‘experiment.’ It’s not about getting it right the first time, but learning over time.

By exploring values and mindfulness through the cooking process we are giving children an opportunity to find out more about themselves, and create meaning and resilience along the way.

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MINDFUL LIVING

Preparing the Body + Mind for Restful Sleep WORDS: ADAMANTIA VELONIS ILLUSTRATION: ANH CAO

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With the boundaries between work and home life now increasingly blurred, we are finding it harder and harder to switch off from our devices. With not enough space in the day to process our thoughts, move or see the sun (especially in winter), distracting thoughts can often surface just when we most need to pause and unwind – at night time. Here are five ways to encourage restful sleep.

1. Mindful reading: Spending as little as 10 minutes before going to sleep reading a physical book can help relax the muscles, slow your breathing and clear the mind.

2. Strike a pose: A short night time yoga sequence can help release tension and stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system. If you are struggling for motivation, simply propping your legs up against a wall for 3-5 minutes (viparita karani pose) can often be enough to have the same effect.

3. Go herbal: Herbs and essential oil have been used by people for thousands of years across cultures to aid rest and relaxation. Look out for organic teas, tinctures and aromatherapy blends that use lavender and chamomile as their active ingredients.

4. Capture your thoughts: Journalling can help to clear our mental cache. Spending five to 10 minutes jotting down whatever comes to mind before bed, can give you the space to voice and reframe your worries, and to create distance, as you know you can physically ‘pick them up’ the next day.

5. Regulate your body temperature: In winter we often keep the heating running throughout the day, but the ideal temperature for our bodies to fall asleep is between 15.619.4C. To prevent restless nights, it’s important to make sure your bedroom is on the cooler side before going to sleep, or opting for natural fibres (like silk) in your bedding or bedclothes, as they help regulate body temperature.

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Relaxation Essentials BOOKS | DAUNT BOOKS DAUNTBOOKS.CO.UK YOGA + MEDITATION | GLO GLO.COM TEA | PUKKA ‘NIGHT TIME’ PUKKAHERBS.COM HERBAL TINCTURE | BLOOMING BLENDS ‘SLEEP’ BLOOMINGBLENDS.CO.UK AROMATHERAPY | SCENTERED SCENTERED.ME JOURNALS | THE DAILY JOY JOURNAL THEDAILYJOYJOURNAL.COM SILK PYJAMAS | DEEBA LONDON DEEBALONDON.COM

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POETRY

Lemons POET: ELAINE BECKETT Elaine Beckett is a poet and screenwriter. Her poetry was first published in pamphlet form by Faber & Faber in 2016 when she was selected for one of the coveted Faber New Poets awards. Her poems have appeared in The New European and The Poetry Review. Her first fulllength poetry collection is due out with Verve Poetry Press in April 2021. elainebeckett.com

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I don’t know where you started out but you’re so welcome to remain here in my bowl, on this table in this temporary place, nestled in amongst these English apples like the best of friends.

Beyond the window three plump sheep, a blackbird sings its afternoon sleep-well as if it cares about you, and me, what goes on in this dead-end little street.

There’s the mini-bottle from last night with its optimistic label – Vino Spumante Italia – I shall fill it with water, pick a sprig of winter Hellebore, place it like a little palm to remind you of home.

(First published in The New European, July 2019)

Cherished Places BRANCA | 111 WALTON ST, OXFORD 0X2 6AJ, ENGLAND Specialising in artisan cupboard staples and fine deli items, including our beloved Tuscan summer truffle pecorino.

NO2 NORTH PARADE | 2 NORTH PARADE AVENUE OXFORD OX2 6LX Health begins in soil. Pete and Vicki are our friendly green grocers committed to fresh, local, organic produce.

GARDEN TALES | PAVLOU MELA 8, 65 500 AMYGDALEONAAS, KAVALA, GREECE Preserving the taste of wild mainland Greece, Garden Tales make handmade, small-batch jams made from traditional recipes.

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Founded in 2019, Marmalade + Kindness encourages people to find moments of mindfulness and creativity through cooking.

HARVEST is our first journal dedicated to mindful cooking.

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Made in Oxford. Inspired by the world. Created by women.

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www.marmaladeandkindness.com Twitter | @marm_kindness Instagram | @marmaladeandkindness London | Oxford | Melbourne