The Telegraph reports on preparations for the opening in central London of a new co-operative food store offering cut-price products to those of its customers who volunteer to work there. "We'll have the People's Milk, and the People's Loaf. A beautiful big loaf of freshly baked bread - £1.85 to ordinary shoppers. £1 to members," says founder Arthur Potts Dawson. The idea springs from a cooperative model in the United States, Park Slope in New York, which is about 25 years old. Potts Dawson says The People's Supermarket will be communal, it will be friendly, local, cheap and democratic.
The Daily Telegraph, Date: 29/05/2010, Page: 25

The People's Supermarket

This is truly crazy. Supply and demand, cold weather slowing crop - what’s the excuse for this?

Tesco has come under fire for transporting asparagus from Peru. Residents in Evesham, Worcestershire - home to an annual asparagus festival, and the largest producer in northern Europe - have threatened to boycott the chain until it sells local produce. Tesco said it was selling the Peruvian produce to keep up with demand over summer, a decision that appears to be at odds with its claims to support local producers. The country has seen a huge surge in sales of asparagus, with exports to the UK 55 per cent ahead of a year ago.
Daily Mail, Date: 12/05/2010, Page: 25  Metro London, Page: 27(9998732)  The Guardian Society Guardian, Page: 4(9994618)  The Daily Telegraph, Page: 15(9995507)

Why do Tesco fly asparagus 6,000 miles from Peru when it's grown locally in Britain?

Penguin Books, on the other hand, have made a serious error.

I once caused great amusement at a school with a recipe for the children to cook in which I asked them to ‘add the mice’ (instead of the mince). Of course, they loved it!

The Daily Telegraph reports that trade magazine The Grocer found potato prices have fallen dramatically as a result of a massive oversupply caused by increased planting. The retail price of a kilo of loose new potatoes in the big four supermarkets - Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons - is now 7.6 per cent cheaper than last year at £1.21.
The Daily Telegraph, Date: 19/04/2010, Page: 12

Bumper harvest has made potatoes as cheap as chips

Food industry wins battle over warning labels on 'junk' meals
The Food Standards Agency backed down yesterday in its long-running battle to force Britain's £72bn food industry to adopt colour-coded warning labels, to the disappointment of campaigners who believe they would turn people off junk food. Research by the FSA suggests that consumers support red, amber and green labels on food products to help identify those that are high, medium or low in key ingredients. However, the Government watchdog has stepped back from demands for a single national scheme based around traffic light colours.
The Independent, Date: 11/03/2010, Page: 20,21  Daily Mail, Page: 40(8808186)


Tinned spinach sales rise 24 per cent
Tinned spinach has become one of the country's fastest selling canned vegetables as Britons seek a healthier diet, analysts' figures show. Supermarket sales of canned spinach have increased 24 per cent year on year, beaten only by broad beans, up 30 per cent over the same period.
The Daily Telegraph, Date: 11/03/2010, Page: 14  Evening Standard London, Page: 18(8801664)

This is really good news for promoting healthy eating. Whether you are a fan of the Traffic Light system of food labelling: Green - it’s good for you, go ahead and eat it; Amber - eat less of this than green stuff as it will have more fat, calories, salt, sugar; Red - this is treat stuff, high in fat, salt, sugar. Eat it, but occasionally and for a treat. It’s a start, but we know that saying Smoking Kills on packets of cigarettes doesn’t stop people smoking. Let’s hope that common sense wins eventually.

How figures can be massaged! 24% up on what? Next to nothing, me thinks. Canned spinach is HORRID - frozen may take more energy but it is so much nicer and, with dark green leafy veg we need to encourage to eat and enjoy them. I am a fanned of tinned foods - but not spinach!!!!!! A non-story if ever there was!

The Independent reports that Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Waitrose, Marks & Spencer and the Co-op plan to change labelling to clearly show the origin of foreign pork, bacon and ham in processed products such as pies, pasties and sandwiches. The change, to be announced by the Environment Secretary Hilary Benn, follows complaints that shoppers wanting to support domestic farmers and higher animal welfare are being misled about the origin and provenance of meat. Retailers will be banned from using national terms and symbols on products unless the meat comes from within the UK.
The Independent, Date: 23/02/2010, Page: 14

Hurrah!

Grocery chains to disclose when foreign meat is used in products 'produced in the UK'

The Fairtrade Foundation said sales of fair trade products rose 12 per cent last year but, at £800mn, still remain a fraction of the overall amount of money spent by consumers in the UK. The grocery market alone has annual sales of £150bn. Harriet Lamb, chief executive of the Fairtrade Foundation, said: "2009 was a tough year for everyone but a desperate year for many poor communities and small farmers in developing countries." Today the foundation is launching Fairtrade Fortnight and in the Big Swap wants consumers to switch everyday shopping basket items for fair trade items. The Times focuses on Sainsbury's, the world's biggest retailer of fair trade goods, and its relationship with fair trade producers.
The Guardian, Date: 22/02/2010, Page: 28  The Independent, Page: 18(8464505)  The Times, Page: 49(8465130)  The Times, Page: 49(8465129)

Fair trade sales rise 12 per cent despite 'difficult year'

Research has found that supermarkets have boosted their special offers to a record high of 12,000. Tracking of online prices at Tesco, Ocado, Asda and Sainsbury's has shown that customers are spending more time browsing deals online to save money on grocery bills. An average 41 per cent of goods in a typical customer's trolley are bought on promotion, up from just 32 per cent in January 2009. British Retail Consortium food director Andrew Opie said the record number of special offers now available showed shoppers were benefiting from fierce competition between stores.
Daily Express, Date: 18/02/2010, Page: 35

Now nearly half our shopping is on special offer

Cold weather makes us focus on the way in which our food is brought into our communities, whether to local shops or supermarkets. With milk and bread in short supply, as well as many other essentials such as porridge oats and whisky (well, we all have different priorities!) it is a real challenge to the usually highly efficient and reliable logistics of centralised deliveries from supermarket warehouses. The system works brilliantly, until the lorries can’t get either into or out of the depots.

I’m not a supermarket basher - I am proud to have a long association with Waitrose over more than a decade - but I do feel that these stores should be used in conjunction with local businesses rather than instead of. We should also remember that their prices are fixed on being able to sell vast numbers of items at a lower cost and so, yes, you will have to pay more in a smaller business but the value of that local shop or farm stall being there when you cannot get to a supermarket is enormous.

We must use or loose small shops. It’s at times like this that we really appreciate them but they are not just for bad weather. They have to make a living for their owners 365 days a year. Bread, milk, papers, lottery tickets, washing up liquid, porridge, local free-range eggs. Buy what you can locally - in snow or sunshine.

This approach to saving money on groceries will not be possible for everyone, but I know that my food bills have fallen significantly through having a veg box, supporting farm shops, being in a pig co-operative and topping up with treats at Waitrose.

Supermarket saving
A Suffolk couple with two children decided last New Year's Day not to set foot in supermarkets for a year. Instead, Grant and Shauna Hawthorne rented an acre of land for £150 to grow veg in Snailwell, Suffolk. They reared chickens and bought shares in livestock, cutting the weekly food spend from £160 to £50. A British Retail Consortium spokesman said: 'Around 90 per cent of people use supermarkets at least once a month but this family have demonstrated that they do not need to use them at all'.
The Daily Telegraph, Date: 07/01/2010, Page: 10  The Sun, Page: 25(7593657)  Daily Mail, Page: 21(7596370)

I have copied this excellent piece from the Slow Food UK newsletter, about my friends Nichola and John Fletcher who have a marvellous farmed venison business in Fife, very close to Cupar (where there is the best whisky shop or bottle shop that I have ever been in!). Check out the Slow Food UK website for more interesting news.

Nichola and John Fletcher own Reediehill Deer Farm in Auchtermuchty, Fife, and have been running their small family business for over thirty years. Dr John Fletcher is Britain's only vet specialising in deer and is also one of the country's foremost experts in deer management. Whilst John supervises the herd of red deer which graze free-range on the farm, Nichola manages the venison side of the business. She also works with specialist organisations to pass on her knowledge about venison. Early last month, the Slow Food UK team visited the Fletcher's farm to learn more about venison meat and deer farming. Here is how we got on. 1.So, why venison? We need to kill deer to protect trees and crops and it is obviously good to eat those, but over and above that, deer meat - whether wild or farmed - is recognised as much healthier nutritionally than conventional livestock. So much so that the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund state that 'consumption of meat from non-domesticated animals is preferable'. It is now accepted by many scientists that we have evolved to eat game meat and that the fatty subsidised grain-fed meats of recent history are killing us. Anyway, venison tastes better! 2.In terms of carbon footprint how does venison fare? Deer are not normally fed cereals, so are much better than cattle and sheep and infinitely better than pigs and poultry. Also legislation allows us to kill farmed deer on the farm - unlike conventional livestock - without recourse to distant abattoirs so we can dramatically reduce food miles and retain rural employment. From the global warming perspective, of course, deer are not significantly different to other ruminants in the quantities of methane they produce. 3.What do you think of the growing trend in cutting down meat consumption? Of course everyone in the first world eats too much meat - white or red - and no-one doubts that. However, in temperate regions, there are many places where the only crop that can grow is grass and we can't digest grass. If we are to use these areas to feed people, then we have to graze animals or abandon the land. This is why vegetarianism is more sustainable nearer the equator and less sustainable nearer the poles. 4.How can slow food increase their support of breeders and producers around the UK? By drawing the urban public’s attention to the realities of life so as not to keep alive urban myths about the countryside, farming and animal husbandry, some of which are woefully inaccurate and get repeated down the generations. In particular, many journalists would benefit from learning about the realities, not all of which perhaps fit into their preconceived ‘ideals’. 5.The best way to cook venison? First, buy good venison (which could be farmed or wild; neither is ‘best’ as it depends on its age and how it has been handled). To roast, grill or fry, brown it, part-cook it and then rest it for perfect results. To slow cook, make sure it is kept moist by either introducing some fat (eg a pot roast), or immerse in a liquid (eg a stew), and serve with succulent vegetables and a creamy sauce. Ideally get hold of a copy of Nichola Fletcher’s (my wife) Ultimate Venison Cookery. This is the most stunningly practical and oh so useful cookbook. It’snot glossy or stuffed full of pictures but it’s indispensable. RM 6.A message to the youth of today, currently disconnected with the origins of food? Face up to reality and loosen up a bit. There is no perfect solution. Meat eating, vegetarianism and veganism all have their problems, both social and environmental, when feeding a mass population. We are humans; we need to eat, and we need to conserve our planet. This means a variety of solutions that will make best use of differing environments. The best thing we can do is to eat less, but be more discerning about what we eat. There must be food for everyone, not just rich western nations. If you would like to find out how to buy Nichola and John's venison, or learn more about their farming techniques, please visit www.seriouslygoodvenison.co.uk

19 Oct 09

  

2009 is shaping up to be an unrivalled year for Nyetimber, Britains leading sparkling wine producer. In the midst of the largest and possibly highest quality harvest yet seen in its 21 year history, Nyetimbers 1992 Blanc de Blancs has won this years International Wine & Spirit Competition Denbies Trophy for the Best Worldwide Sparkling Wine. This 1992 Blanc de Blancs was only disgorged earlier in 2009. In the words of the IWSC judges it is an aristocratic, multifaceted and splendid fizzsimply sublime.

While taking a break from bringing in the harvest amongst Nyetimbers rolling vineyards overlooking the Sussex Downs, Eric Heerema, CEO of Nyetimber said The whole team is as pleased as punch down here. To have been the only producer to win the Trophy on two past occasions was exceptional, he continued, but to do so for a third time is of course unique. But that in itself means little what makes me personally so very proud is that the years and years of quiet dedication and pioneering by our winemakers are now being recognised. We have always judged ourselves by international standards, now it seems others are doing so too. This is a further major step along our journey to make Sussex world famous for its sparkling wine.

Recently disgorged earlier in 2009 by Winemaker Cherie Spriggs, this Blanc de Blancs has all the Nyetimber hallmarks of elegance and complexity. Cherie said, What thrills me is that it is Nyetimbers maiden vintage of 1992 that has scooped the prize. To achieve such greatness in a 17 year old library vintage requires flawless fruit at the outset. This is testimony to what I have always known, that Nyetimber is a remarkable place, with potential to rival the very best vineyards in Champagne or anywhere else where conditions favour world class sparkling wine production.

Current Nyetimber vintages are available in the UK from independent wine merchants, Waitrose and many restaurants and hotels.

www.nyetimber.com

Nyetimber Wins IWSC Trophy For Best Worldwide Sparkling Wine

I’m all for encouraging wine drinking and making it more accessible to all! What about this, from The Times:

Spar to 'translate' wine labels
The Times reports that convenience chain Spar is 'translating' wine labels into Geordie, Scouse, Black Country and Scots to make them less off-putting to shoppers. The original label reads: "A truly great Merlot which is ablaze with succulent blackcurrants and blueberries." However, for shoppers in Liverpool this would appear as: "A totally boss bottle of Merlot which smells o' blackberry, choccie, a brew and toffees."
The Times, Date: 28/10/2009, Page: 9

Most of us like our tomatoes red - the deep red that actually smells tomatoe-y! That’s exactly the sort of tomatoes that Ken Parkinson and his wife Jan grow at Siddlesham for Waitrose but, for the last couple of years their glasshouse operation has taken on a new green image. The Parkinsons have invested heavily in a Swedish gas turbine system which looks set to deliver the greenest tomatoes in the area.

The basic concept of the gas turbine is very simple. Instead of burning gas in a boiler to produce heat for the glasshouses they are now burning it in a turbine to generate electricity, a small amount of which is used to power the nursery. The rest is sold to Waitrose, through a company called Green Energy, to power their Rickmansworth store. It is delivered through the National Grid and the amount is metered using wi-fi technology on the output leaving the nursery.

As turbines spin during operation they create heat which is used in the nursery’s hot water system, either being delivered straight into the glasshouses or stored in an insulated 80,000 litre tank for use during the night. The high temperature burning of the gas in the turbines ensures that the exhaust from the system is almost pure carbon dioxide which enriches the atmosphere in the glasshouses, encouraging the tomato plants to grow. Ken is expecting that the purity of the atmosphere will lead to larger fruits and may mean that he is able to increase the stocking density in the nursery with consequently higher yields. Ken and Jan currently have 35,000 plants in their glasshouses so even a 2-3% improvement in yield will be significant. The near perfect atmosphere will also make Ken’s job of getting 8 fruits to ripen perfectly on a truss a little easier. “With 8 fruits setting it is essential for us to get them all to the peak of ripeness at the same time so that the whole truss delivers a perfect tomato flavour and eating experience. It’s not easy to achieve, but it’s what makes a successful tomato for both the customer and the grower” he explained.

Ken and Jan are starting to measure the success of their new turbine. There have, of course, been teething problems as there are with any new technology or system, but they already have some compelling facts at their fingertips. They are generating electricity at over 90% efficiency, whereas the average for the National Grid is 40%. After 6 months they had exported 300 times more power than they had used since installing the turbine.

Most of us can only judge our tomatoes by colour and flavour, but green-ness certainly plays a big part in my red tomato choices.

Makes about 7-8 x 500g jars

1.5kg red tomatoes
500g rhubarb
3 or 4 red peppers - weighing about 400g
1 kilo onions
4 fresh red chillies, or many more, according to taste and variety
375g pitted dates
75g salt
2 tbsp cayenne pepper
A minimum of 2 whole dried chillies
1kg/6⅔ cups light muscovado sugar
1½ x 568ml bottles/4½ cups distilled malt vinegar

1 Prepare the fruits and onions, then roughly chop or slice them. Finely chop the dates which will giove you about 3 cups.
2 Place all the ingredients in a large preserving pan and heat until the sugar has dissolved, stirring occasionally. Cook for about 1 hour, until reduced to a thick pulp.
3 Remove the dried chillies then pour into warm jars. Seal and label.

A small start for a more sustainable way of life:

Plastic bag revolt halves use - to 450m
Figures from Wrap, the government's waste and resources programme, show that whereas 870 million single-use plastic bags were handed out in the UK in May 2006, the figure for May 2009 was down to 450m - a 48 per cent reduction, and 4,740 tonnes to send to landfill against 8,890 tonnes in May 2006. Stephen Robertson, of the British Retail Consortium, called the reductions 'spectacular'.
The Guardian, Date: 17/07/2009, Page: 9  Daily Mail, Page: 14(4434093)  Daily Mail, Page: 21(4434211)  The Sun, Page: 33(4437117)  Metro London, Page: 11(4434631)

Most of us like our tomatoes red - the deep red that actually smells tomatoe-y! That’s exactly the sort of tomatoes that Ken Parkinson and his wife Jan grow at Siddlesham for Waitrose but, since October 2007, their glasshouse operation has taken on a new green image. The Parkinsons have invested heavily in a Swedish gas turbine system which looks set to deliver the greenest tomatoes in the area.

The basic concept of the gas turbine is very simple. Instead of burning gas in a boiler to produce heat for the glasshouses they are now burning it in a turbine to generate electricity, a small amount of which is used to power the nursery. The rest is sold to Waitrose, through a company called Green Energy, to power their Rickmansworth store. It is delivered through the National Grid and the amount is metered using wi-fi technology on the output leaving the nursery.



As turbines spin during operation they create heat which is used in the nursery’s hot water system, either being delivered straight into the glasshouses or stored in an insulated 80,000 litre tank for use during the night. The high temperature burning of the gas in the turbines ensures that the exhaust from the system is almost pure carbon dioxide which enriches the atmosphere in the glasshouses, encouraging the tomato plants to grow. Ken is expecting that the purity of the atmosphere will lead to larger fruits and may mean that he is able to increase the stocking density in the nursery with consequently higher yields. Ken and Jan currently have 35,000 plants in their glasshouses so even a 2-3% improvement in yield will be significant. The near perfect atmosphere will also make Ken’s job of getting 8 fruits to ripen perfectly on a truss a little easier. “With 8 fruits setting it is essential for us to get them all to the peak of ripeness at the same time so that the whole truss delivers a perfect tomato flavour and eating experience. It’s not easy to achieve, but it’s what makes a successful tomato for both the customer and the grower” he explained.



Ken and Jan are starting to measure the success of their new turbine. There have, of course, been teething problems as there are with any new technology or system, but they already have some compelling facts at their fingertips. They are generating electricity at over 90% efficiency, whereas the average for the National Grid is 40%. By the spring of 2008 despite the initial problems, they had exported 300 times more power than they had used since installing the turbine.

Since then, fuel prices rocketed and the cost of running the turbines was under discussion. However, stabilising prices since the depths of the winter of 2008/9 have set the turbines back on track, although gas prices will be critical to the long-term success of the plant. It isn’t easy being green but I am full of admiration for Ken and Jan for taking this huge step towards greener production and sticking with it. Most of us can only judge our tomatoes by colour and flavour, but green-ness certainly plays a big part in my red tomato choices.

Yesterday I popped into Eastergate Stores, a family-owned and run convenience shop, and was delighted to buy a packet of Whitby brand prawns. “Great” I thought, “they might not be local to here but they do have strong local provenance.” Imagine how I felt when I got home (put my glasses on) and found they were from Vietnam!

So, I rang Whitby Seafoods, explained my disappointment and fully expected every member of the sales team to be ‘unavoidably busy’ or ‘in meetings’. Instead I had a very interesting chat about scampi (which they are Big in, and try to source from UK waters) and the problems of needing to offer a range to retailers in order to get the main product onto shelves.

We agreed that too much fabulous British seafood and shellfish is exported, and that too many warm water prawns are imported - where is the sense in that?

We just need to ditch the egg and breadcrumbs and eat the langoustines that we currently enjoy as scampi as large prawns. Now, wouldn’t that be luvverly?

I ate last night at Crouchers on the Birdham Road in Donnington. It was excellent. I had a delicious starter of ham hock with pistachios, and then a faggot of braised lamb, which was a surprise in presentation and very delicious. The set menu had plenty to choose from and, with 3 courses ex wine at just under £25, represented terrific value. I would have been happy with any choice from the starters, main courses and puds.

With house wines led by a very affordable pair from Boschendal - doubtless chosen by the South African Mine Host - and slick, efficient staff who smiled the whole time (how unusual is that?) I shall be back.

Sir Paul McCartney’s idea to promote one day a week that is meat-free to help mitigate the effects of climate change is a truly good one. It’s a simple idea and one that we can all put into practice. It doesn’t mean that we are turning veggie. What I hope it will do is to show how completely delicious and yummy vegetables and salads are. That they are worthy of centre stage on our plates and not just a supporting role as a ‘bit on the side’. Once their flavours and textures are explored they can become the inspiration for our cooking, and proteins will be in smaller portions, which will help to slow climate change by cutting the demand for oil and oil derivatives.

Supporting local growers and growing some of our own food too will also help Big Time. This is so achievable - and will be so deliciously satisfying too!



Local Chichester growing Mariella Fleming with a freshfromhere veg box of local produce

Here’s the official report on a great night for the food writing world. I’ll fill you in on how it was for me soon..

On Thursday 25th June there was one enormous ‘do’ in The Great Hall, Lincoln's Inn, London. The Guild of Food Writers announced the winners of their much coveted Annual Awards. The country's most famous food critic, the legendary Egon Ronay, presented the Awards on behalf of the Guild, to some of the industry’s finest writers and broadcasters. Amongst the 12 winners there were some familiar names and some new ones to add to the roll of honour.
 
Leading the way were Guy Watson and Jane Baxter, whose Riverford Farm Cook Book won two awards, the Michael Smith Award for Work on British Food and the Jeremy Round Award for the Best First Book. Applauded by the judges for its 'honesty and integrity of vision, purpose and execution'; they welcomed its 'clean, appetising approach to recipe writing'.
 
Two of the country's most well known figures were recognised with Heston Blumenthal and Jamie Oliver winning Awards.
 
Heston was presented with the Food Book of the Year Award for The Big Fat Duck Cookbook; the judges were 'impressed by the quality of the writing and the scope of the book: the concept, the historical perspective, the detailed recording of research and experiments, the keen intelligence that makes it so compelling and personal.'
 
Jamie Oliver's campaigning Jamie's Ministry of Food television series and Geoff Tansey and Tasmin Rajotte's book The Future Control of Food were the joint winners of the Derek Cooper Award for Campaigning and Investigative Food Writing. This was an unprecedented double for Geoff who last year won the other Derek Cooper Award (for best food campaigner/educator) at the BBC's Food and Farming Awards.
 
In the Awards league table, Fuchsia Dunlop and Diana Henry each won their second Guild Award; Mark Hix and Bee Wilson won their third; and BBC Radio Four's The Food Programme won its sixth.
 
The crowning glory of the evening came when Guild President, Jane Suthering, surprised two of the Guild's most renowned members when she presented Lifetime Achievement Awards to pioneering restaurant reviewer Egon Ronay and celebrated cookery writer Mary Berry, who join the pantheon of the Guild's Life Members with Hugo Dunn-Meynell, Marguerite Patten, Katie Stewart, Grace Mulligan and Liz Burn.
 
Guild president, Jane Suthering, commented on the evening: ‘The Awards ceremony is a highlight of the Guild year and last night was no exception. What a fantastic evening! Congratulations to all those who made the shortlist and especially to the winners.’
 
Summary of winners:
The Food Book of the Year Award
Winner: Heston Blumenthal, The Big Fat Duck Cookbook (Bloomsbury)
 
The other shortlistees were:
Christine McFadden, Pepper: The Spice That Changed The World (Absolute Press)
Christopher Stocks, Forgotten Fruits: A Guide to Britain's Traditional Fruit and Vegetables (Random House)
Bee Wilson, Swindled: From Poison Sweets to Counterfeit Coffee - The Dark History of the Food Cheats (John Murray)
 
The Cookery Book of the Year Award
Winner: Mark Hix, British Seasonal Food (Quadrille)
 
The other shortlistees were:
Xanthe Clay, Recipes To Know By Heart (Mitchell Beazley)
Simon Daley and Roshan Hirani, Cooking with my Indian mother-in-law (Pavilion)
 
The Kate Whiteman Award for Work on Food and Travel
Winner: Fuchsia Dunlop, Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper (Ebury)
 
The other shortlistees were:
Stefan Gates, In The Danger Zone (Ebury) and BBC Four's Cooking in the Danger Zone
Kevin Gould for With Love From ... features published in Waitrose Food Illustrated
 
The Michael Smith Award for Work on British Food
Winner: Guy Watson and Jane Baxter, Riverford Farm Cook Book (Fourth Estate)
 
The other shortlistees were:
BBC Radio 4's The Food Programme: Food and Farming Awards
Mark Hix for Mark’s Kitchen articles published in Country Life magazine
Clarissa Hyman for articles published in Country Living magazine
 
The Derek Cooper Award for Campaigning and Investigative Food Writing
Joint Winners: Channel Four's Jamie's Ministry of Food (Fresh One Productions) and Geoff Tansey and Tasmin Rajotte, The Future Control of Food: A Guide to International Negotiations and Rules on Intellectual Property, Biodiversity and Food Security (Earthscan)
 
The other shortlistee was:
BBC Radio 4's The Food Programme: The Rice Crisis
 
The Miriam Polunin Award for Work on Healthy Eating
Winner: BBC Radio 4's The Food Programme: Nutritionism
 
The other shortlistees were:
Charlie Ayers, Eat Yourself Smart (Dorling Kindersley)
Angela Nilsen for articles published in BBC Good Food magazine
 
The Jeremy Round Award for the Best First Book
Winner: Guy Watson and Jane Baxter, Riverford Farm Cook Book (Fourth Estate)
 
The other shortlistees were:
Anthony Demetre, Today's Special (Quadrille)
Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, Ottolenghi: The Cookbook (Ebury)
 
The Evelyn Rose Award for Cookery Journalist of the Year
Winner: Diana Henry for articles published in The Sunday Telegraph's Stella magazine
 
The other shortlistees were:
Annie Bell for articles published in Waitrose Food Illustrated
Elisabeth Luard for articles published in Country Living magazine
 
The Restaurant Reviewer of the Year Award
Winner: Emma Sturgess for reviews published in Metro
 
The other shortlistees were:
Jay Rayner for reviews published in The Observer magazine
John Walsh for reviews published in The Independent magazine
 
The Food Journalist of the Year Award
Winner: Bee Wilson for articles published in The Sunday Telegraph's Stella magazine
 
The other shortlistee was:
Katy Salter for articles published in Waitrose Food Illustrated
 
The New Media Award
Winner: Tim Hayward for his blog on The Guardian and The Observer's Word of Mouth (http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth)
 
The other shortlistees were:
Helen Yuet Ling Pang for the World Foodie Guide (http://www.worldfoodieguide.com)
Elisabeth Winkler for Real Food Lover (http://realfoodlover.wordpress.com/)
 
The Food Broadcast of the Year Award
Winner: Simon Parkes for BBC Radio 4's You and Yours: Lunch
 
The other shortlistees were:
BBC1's Gastronuts (Objective Productions)
BBC2's The Supersizers Go .. (Silver River Productions)
 
Lifetime Achievement Awards
Mary Berry
Egon Ronay
 
Notes to Editors:
THE GUILD OF FOOD WRITERS AWARDS PARTY
The country's most famous food critic, the legendary Egon Ronay, presented the Awards at this year's Guild of Food Writers' Awards, the UK 's biggest food book, writing and media awards.
This year’s Guild of Food Writers’ Awards ceremony was held on Thursday 25 June in The Great Hall, Lincoln 's Inn, London WC2A 3TL. The magnificent Great Hall - the largest of all the halls in the Inns of Court - was opened in 1845 by Queen Victoria and is where, four times a year, students of Lincoln's Inn are 'called to the bar', when they become barristers.
The evening was compered by LBC's Bill Buckley.

I bought a cured ham hock at the Chichester’s Farmer’s market. Weighing just over 1kg and costing a little over £3 it has provided us with 3 excellent meals. Firstly, a pot roast of the Mediterranean kind: we’d all think this rustic and glorious on a Tuscan hillside!

Summer Hock
Serves 2-3

Many years ago Summer Hock meant Strawberry Hock, a wonderful dessert wine of crushed berries and white wine, imported by The House of Hallgarten. Regrettably the wine is no longer available and so I have turned to a cured bacon hock for consolation! This is the sort of recipe that you can make with whatever you have to hand. It is perfect food for cold weather in the summer. It celebrates summer produce in a warming sort-of way!




Place a bacon hock in a covered pan into which it fits quite snugly. Peel 6-8 small early season onions, or 10-12 shallots and add them to the pan, whole, with 6-8 peppercorns, a blade of mace and a couple of bay leaves. Cover the hock with water and bring it to the boil. Skim off any scum then cover the pan and simmer slowly for 2-3 hours, or cook in a slow oven at 160℃, 325℉ or in the Simmering Oven of an Aga.

Scrub some salad or new potaoes - I used Maris Peer from Kingley Vale. Add them to the pan and cook for a further 15-20 minutes. Remove the hock, then add a few baby carrots and some shredded greens, cavelo negro or spring cabbage to the pan. Cook for a further 10 minutes. Pull some of the meat from the bones. Season the liquor to taste, then serve the meat and vegetables garnished with freshly chopped parsley or chives with some of the liquor.

Keep everything else for tomorrow... when I made this salad...


Ham and broad bean salad with pesto dressing

This is a truly seasonal way of using up the left-over meat from a cured ham hock. You could use diced ham instead, but try to leave the pieces a bit raggedy in shape, rather than neat geometrical portions, for a much ore rustic effect. The real point of this recipe is the pesto: the ingredients are basil, grated Parmesan, olive oil, pine nuts and garlic. Nothing else. No apple juice, peanuts or parsley. This is classic Pesto Genovese, the delicious sauce of Genoa.





For the pesto:
A large handful of basil leaves - a few stalks are OK, but not too many
40-50g freshly grated Parmesan
40-50g pine nuts
2-3 cloves garlic
about 100ml olive oil

Cooked broad beans
Chunks of ham
Lettuce leaves

The quantities for any part of this recipe are not truly important - I am a firm believer that if you make pesto with the right ingredients it will always be delicious, even if the quantities vary slightly. Taste and texture are subjective - and also sometimes dictated by what you have to hand!

Whizz the pesto ingredients up in a blender to a paste, adding a little salt and extra oil if required. The pesto remaining after the salad can be poured into a warm clean jar, sealed and kept in the fridge for 2-3 weeks.

Prepare the lettuce and arrange on a platter with the ham and beans. I wouldn’t season the ingredients as there is so much flavour buzz in the pesto. Drizzle the pesto over the salad and serve with hunks of bread. Rustic eating at its best.

... and then the left-over liquor and vegetables from the hock became a veggie soup feast the next evening, with a few extras added. The remaining pesto will be used with pasta and vegetable dishes over the next couple of weeks. Not bad for £3, eh?

I am just about to make my second batch of cordial but needed some more citric acid. After a long wait for product from a mail order company last year I have found that NOGGINS, a homebrew emporium in Felpham, have everything a brewer (or cordial maker) could ever desire.

Margaret has been in business in Felpham for several decades and obviously knows her stuff. I recommend a visit.

Congratulations to my favourite tipples - the sparkling wines from Ridgeview Vineyards at Ditchling near Brighton, here in Sussex. Not only have they won the best sparkling wine at this year’s English Wine Awards: they have scooped third and fourth places as well! Indeed, it was a clean sweep for Sussex as Breaky Bottom, from Firle near Lewes, took silver medal position. I guess we’ll just have to try them all again to ensure that we agree with the judges!

A little more about coffee. I am a roast and ground girl and we had run out this morning. With little expectation of success the Chief Taster went to the village shop, just in case..... and came back with Lavazza Espresso, the brick shaped silver and red pack. This prompted me to retrieve the Napolenta pot from the back of the cupboard - a cheap metal jug that works a bit like an old Cona, forcing the heated water up through the finely ground coffee and into the top chamber of the pot. Simple. And such fantastic coffee. Now then, I am ready for the day so Bring it on!

Drinking coffee has never been a straight-forward matter. For one thing, there are so many styles of coffee to choose from, and then each country’s produce tastes so different. Add in the skill of the coffee roasters and the degree to which the beans are roasted, some worries about the amount of water used to process the coffee and the working conditions of the workers, and you have a real cocktail of ecological and social issues. But most of us continue to drink and enjoy our coffee regularly, probably once or twice a day.

Most people would cite Colombia as a coffee exporting nation; indeed, the mellow, rounded flavour of Colombian coffee is the benchmark by which we measure most others. If the following report is true, all of us coffee lovers may be in for a financial shock:

Coffee and sugar price hikes
Andrea Illy, chief executive of Italy's leading coffee company, has told the Financial Times that coffee prices could "explode" because of supply shortages. The crop in Colombia was damaged by heavy rains and the scarcity of supplies from the country is now "absolute", says Néstor Osorio, head of the International Coffee Organisation. Kraft, owner of the Maxwell House coffee brand, raised retail prices on its Colombian blend by almost 19 per cent last month because of the rising price of Colombian beans. Separately, sugar prices in New York and London rose last week to their highest in almost three years. Peter de Klerk at London-based sugar merchants Czarnikow said importing countries would "need to see retail prices rise to match the surge in the cost of sugar in the wholesale market".

Coffee is second most valuable commodity traded in the world in terms of volume linked to value. Stories like this do add to the troubled picture of our world’s economy.


Arabica coffee bushes in flower, shaded by surrounding trees

As a beer lover, and a supporter of local breweries at every opportunity, I think the news of falling beer sales is very distressing.

Beer sales fall by 11 per cent
Beer sales in supermarkets and off-licences fell 11 per cent in the first three months of this year compared with the first quarter of 2008, new industry figures show. The reduction represents the highest first quarter sales fall since 1997. On average 1.7 million fewer pints were drunk every day from January to March than during the same period one year previously. Supermarkets and off-licences saw sales fall by 4.5 per cent over the whole year.

I am often dismayed at how hard it is to find British beers on tap, or even in bottle, in pubs. So often it’s just the big continental names to choose from, mostly lagers at that, and the most frequently offered British beer seems to be Fuller’s London Pride. Great for drinking in London, but down here in Sussex I’d like Sussex beers please.

Still, the good news is that Jeremy from the Arundel Brewery reported good trading when I bumped into him recently (metaphorically, not after a tasting!), so maybe the future is Local for beer to? I hope so.

We’ve had roast lamb today, Dorset lamb from Dorset. I say that as the Dorset is the earliest maturing of all the UK breeds and because my friend Christine McFadden brought the joint as a gift when she visited a few weeks ago. The lamb, from Wyld Meadow Farm just outside Bridport, was bought at the local farmer’s market. Christine loves it and thought we should try it too - and very good it was, with onion sauce and purple sprouting broccoli from our local farm shop.


Dorset ewes, photo Liz Reeves

The lamb was amazingly flavoursome, deeply meaty and satisfying. It also carried very little fat, meeting the demands of the modern consumer regarding carcass conformation. This is key if farm-gate producers are to make a good business out of direct sales to discerning modern cooks. Very few people like fatty lamb. Wyld Meadown Farm have certainly got it right.

Eating local isn’t just about food on your own doorstep - it’s about small-scale producers everywhere who offer food for sale which reflects the potential of their own area and cherishes the land from which they make their living. As the tourist season gets under way this Easter weekend, my Dorset lamb brought to me by my Dorset friend reminds me of the diversity to be enjoyed when eating local, wherever you are.

Thanks, Christine - come and stay again soon!

Out and about yesterday, on our 28th wedding anniversary (and you thought I sounded so young!), we popped into Runcton Farm Shop for some treats for a deli supper. If we’re eating in when we are celebrating something special this casual, almost no-cook way of eating is our favourite sort of feast. I was astounded to see the first of the farm’s own outdoor asparagus on sale - perfect! OK, there’s a premium price tag attached but we were celebrating.



I just trimmed the spears and roasted them with glorious British butter, sprinkling them with a little Anglesey sea salt (it’s slightly sweet) just before we sat down to eat. I noticed a few weeks ago when snapping the early tulips in the garden, that some plants are about 3 weeks behind last year. Well, I have never had local asparagus this early before and, to add to the confusion (not that they are edible), there are quite a few bluebells out too.

Climate change is a fact - but, when it comes to asparagus and our wedding anniversary, I can live with it.

Last year I decided to make elderflower cordial when the creamy bracts were at their fragrant best, and came unstuck as I couldn’t get hold of any citric acid or Campden tablets. I ordered them from EasyBrew on the internet as there was no supply in Chichester, but there had been a rush and my parcel arrived about 6 weeks after I had made my cordial. This year I urge you to be organised - I have last year’s late stocks at the ready.

We have been watching the engaging programme “Grow your own drugs” on BBC2 on Tuesday evenings. James Wong has used citric acid in quite a few concoctions and so it may well be in short supply. If you want to make elderflower cordial, get your order in soon.

Last Friday evening we had (yet another) delicious dinner at Hallidays of Funtington. This small, almost quaint, restaurant to the west of Chichester has long championed local, seasonal food and so we were somewhat amazed to find one of the starter options to be a risotto with wild garlic leaves. A bit early, I thought - as did my pal Christine McFadden, who had come up from Dorset to share some good food and culinary chat.


Wild garlic by a footpath in the Borders, 30th March 08

The following day, having put Christine on the train back to Dorchester, we set off for lunch at The White Horse at Priors Dean (a jewel of a pub, although far too many people know about it these days!) with our friends Bruce and Kaz who own Dragonfly Teas. After much conviviality The Chief Taster, the Security Manager and I left for Blackmoor Nurseries to buy redcurrants and raspberries before walking the weekend’s feasts off with a quick romp up the Zig-Zag at Selbourne. We could have been in deepest Devon as we snaked around never-ending bends along deep-set lanes, linking pub to nursery. The biggest surprise was swathes of large, flat wild garlic leaves, fresh and green (although a little mud spattered after recent rains) in the banks facing south in the sun. I picked a bag full. Thanks Andy - without your risotto I would have driven straight past and missed out on a wild garlic feast! Surely spring is just around the corner now?

I have long been a fan of Divine Chocolate. It is a brand that sums up many things that are important to me: stamping out exploitation (the very raison d'etre of Fairtrade), the role of women in society, the wonderful complexity of good flavours in chocolate and the involvement of the Body Shop. The Body Shop opened in the next road to my college buildings in Brighton when I was studying home economics and the Roddicks shopped in our deli in Arundel in the 1980's. I am sharing this press release with you today as it is good news - I could write a piece to deliver the message but this says it all for now! I suggest that you read this whilst eating some Divine 70% dark chocolate, to get the full flavour of the announcement!

Divine Leads The Way To Major Change In Chocolate Industry
04 Mar 09

Divine chocolate, the dedicated Fairtrade company co-owned by cocoa farmers, has today met its objective to forge the path to major change in the chocolate industry.

Unique to Divine is the amazing story of how the smallholder cocoa farmers of the Kuapa Kokoo cooperative in Ghana came to own 45% of a chocolate company. Back in 1998 the company set out to change the way the chocolate industry works for ever, and against the odds, grew to be a 12.4m business with products in all the major supermarkets in the UK, delivering a profit to the farmer-owners of the company. Today, Cadburys announcement of their intention to convert approximately 20% of their chocolate range to Fairtrade is the next step in the journey.

Divine is delighted that Cadbury has joined them in saying to the industry that the current way of working is neither sustainable nor fair. Together we really have the chance to create a step change, where the very least companies should do is to pay a Fairtrade price for the ingredients they buy, and that anything less is just not acceptable.

When the team that established Divine first sat down ten years ago, we set converting Cadburys to Fairtrade as an objective because Cadburys was synonymous with chocolate in the UK. Cadburys started as a Quaker company with a philanthropic mission, and we hope that this conversion to Fairtrade is a return to the values on which the company was built.

With Divine, for the first time in the history of chocolate, the farmers that grow the cocoa have a significant share of the wealth they are creating. Divine doesnt just pay a Fairtrade price. Divine also invests 2% of turnover in a producer support programme that has supported the farmers democratic organisation and helped them build their business. But most important, for the past three years the farmers have enjoyed dividends from the brand they own.

We are very proud that through our company Divine Chocolate we have built the market for Fairtrade chocolate in the UK and shown that consumers want farmers to have a fairer deal. Kuapa Kokoo Farmers Union

Cadburys have the opportunity to make a difference to the livelihood of small holder farmers in Ghana. Their Olympic sponsorship is a real opportunity to go for gold and convert all Cadburys products to Fairtrade. We hope they will be true to this goal and deliver on their glass and half promise so that the joy really can be everyones.

-Ends-

Editors notes:

Divine Chocolate Ltd is co-owned by Kuapa Kokoo a smallholder cocoa farmers cooperative with 45000 members in Ghana. Kuapa Kokoo has two representatives on Divines Board which meets four times a year, once in Ghana.

The decision to launch the first Fairtrade chocolate company in the UK was made at the Kuapa Kokoo AGM in 1997. With the help of NGO Twin Trading, and Body Shop International, plus the support of Comic Relief and Christian Aid, and DFID, Divine Chocolate Ltd (formerly The Day Chocolate Company) was launched in UK in 1998.

In 2006 Body Shop international transferred its entire interest in Divine Chocolate to Kuapa Kokoo, making the co-operative the single largest shareholder with 45%. Today the balance is held by NGO Twin Trading (43%), and by Dutch international development finance institution Oikocredit (12%).

In 2000 Divine launched a new brand Dubble with Comic Relief to offer the first Fairtrade chocolate bar created especially to give young people a Fairtrade option to buy with their pocket money. The collaboration with Comic Relief has created award-winning education resources on cocoa and Fairtrade which have been used in thousands of schools around the country.

In Nov 2002 Divine worked with the Co-op to become the first (and only) supermarket to convert all its own-brand chocolate to Fairtrade. The chocolate was delivered by Divine and the Co-op published a full report about their decision and the reasons for it.

In Sept 2002 Divine confirmed a deal with Starbucks in the UK to convert all their own-brand chocolate to Fairtrade. The chocolate was delivered by Divine.

In 2007 the first Divine Dividend was announced at the Kuapa Kokoo AGM

In 2007 Divine launched a new company in the USA. This company is 33% owned by Kuapa Kokoo.

Divine is a dedicated Fairtrade company. This means that all Divine products carry the Fairtrade Mark. This is an independent guarantee certified by the Fairtrade Foundation that the ingredients are sourced under internationally agreed fair trade terms and conditions. These include a guaranteed, secure minimum price, an extra social premium payment for the farmers to invest in their own community programmes, long term trading contracts, decent health and safety conditions all aimed at empowering farmers to make their own improvements to living standards and prospects for the future.

For further information please visit www.divinechocolate.com

Launch Of Worlds First Fairtrade Olive Oil, Made From Palestinian Olives
17 Feb 09

This is the press release circulated about Zaytoun olive oil. I believe that my picture may be of an old-style label as I have been buying the oil from the Fairtrade stand at church for several months and it has now been more widely launched for Fairtrade Fortnight. It is a very good oil, and I thoroughly recommend it. Co-op Fairtrade olive oil boost to Gaza farms The Daily Mirror reports that the Co-op has stepped in to help deprived Palestinian farmers by stocking olive oil from war-torn Gaza. Growers are struggling to make a living in the devastated region and the supermarket hopes to boost their income with the move. Gordon Brown praised the Co-op for becoming the first western store to sell the £5.99 Fairtrade olive oil. Co-op's move comes as Fairtrade Fortnight kicks off today. Please ask your regular supermarket to stock it too.

A pioneering British company is marking Fairtrade Fortnight (23 Feb 8 March) with the launch of the first ever Fairtrade-certified Olive Oil and Olives, direct from Palestinian farms. UK business Zaytoun CIC (www.zaytoun.org), a Community Interest Company, created a market for Palestinian olive oil in 2004, importing the products direct from farming communities, and is launching a Fairtrade-certified range in the British marketplace this week.

The oils and olives, which are also Soil Association certified, are now available nationally from a wide range of health food shops, delicatessens, and online stores including Whole Foods Market and ethicalsuperstore.com. For stockists, visit www.zaytoun.org/sellers/

Zaytoun Organic Fairtrade Olive Oil retails at 4.29 for 250ml; 7.99 for 500ml; 10.78 for 750ml, and 60.69 for 5 litres
Zaytoun Organic Tree-Ripened Black Olives cost 5.39 for 300g
Zaytoun Organic Nabali Green Olives cost 2.81 for 200g

Zaytoun Olive Oil is described by wine and food writer Malcolm Gluck as: One of the least aggressive yet pungently attractive olive oils I have tasted. It is in the rich nourishing class of the best of the fruity Sicilian, Cretan, and northern Spanish oils and its beautiful green cloudiness bespeaks of care and judicious handling.

Founders of Zaytoun, Heather Masoud and Cathi Pawson, join the farmers in Palestine every year to help them bring home the olive harvest. All of Zaytouns Fairtrade olive oil is made from organically grown fruit, extra virgin and first cold pressed. The name Zaytoun is taken from the Arabic word for olive.

Palestine, the land where olive oil cultivation began, is the first and only country to be exporting olive oil and olives carrying the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation (FLO) mark. The olive tree and its produce are of key cultural and economic importance to Palestinian people, and the soil and climate produce some of the worlds highest quality olive oil.

Zaytoun CIC is offering small-scale farmers, often working under extremely difficult conditions, not only a fair price and a chance to expand and improve their production, but also the opportunity to sustain a livelihood with dignity and security. Zaytoun is committed to making a tangible difference, maintaining close links with producers, working to organise volunteer teams to help out with the harvest every year and ensuring that proceeds from sales here in the UK are directed where they are needed most.

Four members of the Zaytoun farming community will be travelling from Palestine to Britain during Fairtrade Fortnight) to speak at a number of events and tastings across the UK, talking about their lives and the importance of Zaytoun olive oil to their livelihoods.

Heather Masoud, co-founder of Zaytoun CIC says the company expects the UK market to welcome such a high quality, ethically produced product: The oil in many ways speaks for itself. As well as being green and peppery, many of those who taste it describe it as warm a word that can also be used to describe the people who grow this unique product. Were very proud to be bringing the first ever Fairtrade Olive Oil to the UK, as we know that the UK consumer is now well aware of the importance of buying Fairtrade products, knowing that not only have they been ethically produced without exploitation, but theyll also be top quality products that exceed the all important taste test.

Abu Suleiman, one of the Zaytoun Palestinian farmers producing the oil says he and his colleagues are delighted that their oil will be available in the UK: The olive trees root and anchor us in our land, provide a sense of belonging, home and hope, investing in olive oil is investing in our future.

It happens, doesn’t it? Things not labelled in the freezer ... I was given what was thought to be a leg of venison by a friend (who had been given it in the first place) and defrosted it, dreaming of a cottage pie with a potato and celeriac topping for last night’s supper. When I peeped into the packaging it was definitely a goose and not venison, but not in a bag boasting provenance. It was also not completely thawed, and so we had a vegetable crumble last night.


Safe and sound - wild fowl at Pagham Harbour Nature Reserve

That meant roast goose for lunch today - as you do on Tuesdays! It might have been a wild goose from the colour of the meat and the flavour, which was slightly salty. I shall never know. So, in a while, I shall be picking the rest of the meat off the carcass and chopping it finely, ready to be my Cottage Pie tomorrow. Cut the rest of the meat from a goose and add it to the gravy ... A best seller? I doubt it!

Pay recycling costs, stores told

Less than half of the contents of the average shopping basket packaging is recyclable

UK supermarkets produce too much packaging, almost 40% of which is non-recyclable, local councils say.

The Local Government Association argues supermarkets should pay towards the collection of their packaging as an incentive to cut back.

In a survey of 29 common grocery items, it found Waitrose had the most wrapping while Tesco had the least.

But Waitrose said it had cut the weight of its packaging by a third since 2001 and believed the report was misleading.

Lidl had the least recyclable packaging on their products, Sainsbury's contained the most. BBC News Website.

As regular MoonBites readers will know I am a great fan of Waitrose and have thoroughly enjoyed working with them for many years. I greet today’s news story with mixed feelings - I know that food has to be packaged to arrive undamaged into store. But this is simply because it travels so far and we have got so used to all the preparation being done for us. If you strip away the outer leaves of a cauliflower in the field you will need to protect it on its journey to the customer. Leave the outer leaves on and the cauli unwrapped and, yes, you’ll have to cut the leaves off at home and compost them, but you will cut down on plastic packaging. The choice should be ours but it so often isn’t.

The answer to this story is simple - buy local food that doesn’t travel miles and doesn’t have to be packaged for safe transit. Yes, we need to know what to do with the food when we get it home if we haven’t been brought up to cook from scratch, but, with more and more people turning to the internet for all their information, that seems to be an easy problem to resolve.

The first supermarket that really starts to think about what the customers want and not what is easiest for them whilst offering excellent local fresh food in season will not only make a huge contribution to tackling food waste, food miles, climate change and peak oil, but will also truly become part of the local community through offering local food to people who are short of time and need a one-stop shop. Not everyone is driven by price, even in credit-crunch times. I know that central distribution is efficient in many ways but it is truly in the ways that are now beginning to matter so much, i.e. in terms of food miles and air quality? When we do spend money we want to be able to spend it in a way that reflects our values in a changing and challenging environment. The issue of packaging has been on the back boiler for too long.

It is not, however, simply the fault of the multiples that there is so much non-recyclable packaging about. Local Councils have been woefully slow in building recycling plants that can cope with the modern packaging. So, for example, Yeo Valley might say that their packaging is recyclable but, certainly here in Chichester, it is the Wrong Sort of plastic to be dealt with through the local system. I suspect that this will be a long-term problem and so, the only sensible way forward is for those of us who care to buy local, un-packaged food for most of the time when we are shopping. The answers to the problems caused by so many of us buying from multiple retailers are very complex and we, as consumers, must take some of the blame for having been seduced away from local shops in the first place. It may be that it will become a treat to buy something which is packaged - but then that will be accompanied by guilt and so we may cease to buy it altogether. Multiples Beware.

The dream answer? A local food shop in the middle of Chichester with affordable rents for a co-operative of local producers where eco-ideals are realisable for the good of the community. How many of us would like to shop there?

What a great scheme this is. Sevilles, lemons and sugar plus a few other bits and pieces were more than my basket on Flo (my Pashley Princess) could manage when shopping recently in Waitrose - and then the store mentioned the new bike trailers. All you have to do is register, sign to say you'll return it within 3 days and you are all set. A bracket is attached under your saddle and then the trolley fits onto that on a long extension arm. I live about 4 miles from the Chichester store and it didn't make too much difference to the amount of puff induced on the homeward journey!

Well done Waitrose - it's a fabulous scheme and earns many points in this increasingly green household. The Security Manager is impressed with the size of the side pockets which would hold many packets of doggy treats! I shall be using the scheme increasingly for my grocery shopping - as the weather improves!

If you watched Oz and James Drinking Up Britain last night on BBC2, you may be interested in these postings from the early days of MoonBites two years ago. I am a great beer fan and am thoroughly enjoying the new series with Oz. I could do without the laddishness which does nothing for me, but I guess it's not really aimed at me!


Last week's Guild of Beer Writers annual dinner was preceded by a fabulous opportunity to taste a cache of vintage beers discovered in Burton-on-Trent, in the vaults of the brewery now producing Worthington White Shield. I am very fond of beer so this tasting was just too good an opportunity to pass up - but do remember that I am a food writer dabbling in booze!

The first thing that struck me was that the majority of beers had cork and wax closures and not crown caps. The first beer up was the oldest, an 1869 Ratcliff Ale with a nose like rich Olorosso sherry but, for me, a rather thin weight in the mouth with licorice, and a thin hopiness at the end. But it was drinkable and therefore amazing, as most pundits would reckon the life of a bottle conditioned beer to be around 10 years (if you are lucky) and not 150 years plus! Leaping forward a century or so, I found the 1977 Jubilee Strong Ale interesting in the mouth with flavours of dried figs and prunes, but the nose did not entice. Earl Spencer had a hand in the preparation of the 1982 Prince's Ale, brewed in celebration of the birth of his grandson Prince William and the beer had a hint of hot toddy about it, with honey, lemon and a suggestion of whisky on the nose. However, my favourite was the 2002 Duke's Beer at 6.5-7% abv (alcohol by volume), brewed for the Golden Jubilee. It had lots of condition left (a good mousse, to use a wine term - I mean a pleasing amount of bubble and head!) and a bright, fresh, citrus flavour. Other tasters took delight in the Queen's Ale that led the way at 10.5-11%abv, but it was too challenging for me - lots going on in the mouth and not sufficiently joined up.

So, what was the point of all that? Well, the question is could beers be marketed by vintage in the same way as wines, to help the promotion of the excellent art of beer and food matching? The answer must surely be yes, but I see this much more as a gastro-pub past-time than an occupation for most restaurants. However, I do think that restaurants should offer a good choice of beers as they are the preferred aperitif of many. However, as with vineyards and their restaurants, when you have a great beer it is important to match the food to the beer and not the beer to the food as near-misses can be horrible. A sorbet made from IPA (India Pale Ale), a beer rich in bittering hops, was included in the following dinner and it should have been obvious to a chef with tastebuds that this would not work. And it didn't. What about a barley wine and orange sorbet? Yes please.

The beers tasted last week are to be resealed and exhibited at the Museum of Brewing at Coors Visitor Centre in Burton.

1869 RATCLIFF ALE CROWNED AS
OLDEST DRINKABLE BEER IN THE UK

Worthington White Shield’s head brewer, Steve Wellington, has announced that after a three-month search to find the oldest bottle of drinkable beer in the UK, bottles of 1869 Ratcliff Ale are still the oldest known available.

The 1869 Ratcliff Ale formed part of the discovery of a cache of Vintage beers in the Worthington White Shield brewery vaults in Burton-upon-Trent in October 2006.

Together with CAMRA, Worthington White Shield launched a competition to find the oldest bottle of beer in drinkable condition in the UK. The competition, which was publicised on their websites (www.worthingtons-whiteshield.com, www.camra.org.uk) and in various magazines, challenged beer enthusiasts to submit bottles older than the 1869 Ratcliff Ale which was found in Burton.

Despite coverage of the competition as far a field as Melbourne, Australia and Boston, USA as well as many national newspapers, magazines, television and radio in the UK, no bottles older that the Ratcliff Ale have been found.

Beer expert, Roger Protz, was in possession of the closest competitor. A bottle from the Scottish Brewing Archive dating back to the very early 1900s, given to him by the then archivist, Charles McMaster.

After this beer, the oldest seems to be a bottle of Coronation Ale brewed by H and G Simonds Ltd., Reading from 22nd June 1911.

The find, and subsequent tastings of the Vintage beers, has generated a high level of interest from beer and wine lovers alike. Wine experts Oz Clarke and Steven Spurrier both tried the beers and were intrigued to find them in drinkable condition. The find shows that beers, when brewed with a high alcohol and yeast content, have the potential to age as long, or longer than wine. As a result of the tasting, Steven Spurrier has written the first ever beer tasting article in Decanter magazine’s history.

At a tasting of Worthington White Shield’s cache of beers, Beer Historian, Michael Jackson, said, “Prior to this tasting, the oldest, drinkable beer I had tasted was just 25 years old.”

Worthington White Shield’s head brewer, Steve Wellington, and his team have embarked on a re-corking programme of all the historic bottles to maintain their quality for the future. Examples of the different vintages will be displayed in the Coors Visitor Centre.

Garlic is one of those early to sow vegetables so you might well be optimistically hoping for some signs of sprouting in the garden soon. What you don’t want, however, is the garlic that you use for cooking to be sprouting its own green shoots from the centre of the cloves. It sometimes happens at this time of year and it’s one of those things. However, cooking with the green alters the flavour of the garlic and, I believe, makes the aroma more likely to last on your breath. So, if your garlic is sprouting, don’t waste the whole thing: just flick out the green with the tip of your knife and then carry on as normal.

I haven't made dumplings for years but I made some on Sunday and everyone loved them! I'd forgotten how easy they are to make and they were certainly just the thing in the cold weather. At that stage, down here in Softie Sussex, we'd had about 6 flakes of snow and Margaret, who is a headmistress, was already having to think about whether to close her school the following day.

We were having a casserole of pork, confident in the husbandry of our meat which came from the local pork specialist at Funtington. Jamie Oliver - no worries about misleading labelling here, thank you very much. Incidentally, if you don’t have a local pork producer you can buy from Waitrose with confidence and their pork scheme is exemplary. Doubtless we shall look at that in more detail in What Shall We Eat as the year progresses.

So, back to Sunday. My casserole was citrus/Oriental in theme. I had leg steaks which I cut into large pieces, browning them and then adding a macédoine of onion, celery and carrot. Extra flavours were Chinese 5-Spice, chopped red chillies, garlic and sage, plus grated zest from a lemon, an orange and a grapefruit. I’d boiled up a load of root veg the day before and kept the water which I used as stock - frugality tastes good! I cooked the casserole in a slow oven for a couple of hours (gas mark 3, 160℃, 325℉, Simmering Oven of the Aga) and then left it overnight.

I reheated the pork on Sunday on the hob. There were 10 for lunch and so I used 400g self-raising flour and 200g shredded suet for the ‘treats’. That made 20 tiny dumplings - I was cross about having 50g of suet left in the packet but an extra 150g of mix would not have fitted into my largest pan! To the flour and suet I added some freshly chopped parsley and 1 tsp fennel seeds; I was actually looking for caraway in my spice drawer but was ‘out of stock’ - the fennel worked well. I just mixed it all with a fork and enough cold water to give a very slightly sticky dough, then dropped walnut sized pieces of the dough into the simmering casserole. I covered it with a lid and 15 minutes later we were ready to eat. Obviously, larger dumplings take longer!

If the cold weather persists I think I might have to see if I can remember how to make syrup puddings .... when did you last have one of those?! Oh yes, the Security Manager and I met a couple of kids playing outside Boxgrove Stores the following afternoon. They go to Margaret’s school and had had the day off ... We were all well pleased with life!

Today sees the start of Farmhouse Breakfast Week, one of the most laudable of all the food week campaigns. It is all about supporting British farming and, of course, MoonBites is all about supporting Chichester's farmers and growers. In fact, MoonBites was launched as a website during Farmhouse Breakfast Week two years ago. We will see a lot about the woeful state of British pig farming and the pork industry on Channel 4 TV this week.

I buy my bacon from Flint Acres Farm at Bury Gate, or from Adsdean Farm at Funtington, both of whom cure their own. If you haven't got a good local supplier and need to shop in a supermarket I suggest that you buy your bacon from Waitrose as their bacon is produced under an excellent protocol in a high welfare, fully integrated pork scheme.

During this week we are encouraged to eat a cooked breakfast as most of our breakfast foods have cereals in them in one form or another, and using British cereals supports British farmers. Pigs and chickens have a grain rich diet, hopefully from home (UK) grown cereals. Wholewheat bread and toast are high in fibre which keeps the digestive tract exercised and healthy. Porridge, from UK oats, is another high fibre food which releases energy slowly throughout the morning, keeping you satisfied until lunchtime and cutting out the need for a sugar-rich, expensive mid-morning snack.

Breakfast makes sense. Get the habit this week - and keep it. And of course, many breakfast foods like bacon, sausages and eggs make excellent quick and nutritious lunch and supper dishes too. Check out Dish of the Day for some good ideas.

Well, here it is. If ever you needed to be persuaded that you should be eating local seasonal fruit and veg the argument is in today's Express:

Fruit and vegetable prices rise
The Daily Express comments that fruit and vegetable prices could rise by 30 per cent because of bad weather and the weak pound. Harvests of imported courgettes, strawberries, oranges, cauliflower and salad have been affected by bad weather in parts of France, Spain and Morocco. The article states that retailers may have to pass on costs to customers until they can source British-grown fruit and vegetables later in the year.
Daily Express, Date: 23/01/2009, Page: 7

Not that I always believe what I read in the papers, but today I will!

I bought a pig shank from Flint Acres Farm at the Farmer’s Market - good marketing, considering the popularity of lamb shanks! Never mind trotters and all the fuss that is being made about them; they are too much of a fiddle for me. Now, would this have been a hand of pork in the old money? No, they come from the shoulder (makes sense!) whereas the shank is from the back leg, with more meat than a hock. There was not much fat so I opted for a slow roast, using the same method as I use to roast mutton.

My shank was 1.85kg. I just rubbed it with a little coarse sea salt and put it in the Roasting Oven of my Aga (220℃, 425℉) for 40 minutes until it was starting to brown. I then put it in the Simmering Oven (160℃, 425℉) for 4 hours. The previous evening I had been making Seville orange marmalade and I always like to add some dark muscovado sugar, even thought it makes quite a scum. I am too thrifty to throw the scum away and added it to the ‘gravy’ for the pork - the meat juices thickened with a little flour before the vegetable water is added, and then the scum with the ‘trapped’ peel. Delicious. Thank you Flint Acres.

Brian Cawdray from Flint Acres Farm attends Chichester District Council farmer’s markets in Chichester, Petworth and Midhurst, as well as Slindon and Arundel markets. Call 01798 831036 for information.

Another lunchtime, another challenge from next to nothing! I had some Mozart red potatoes from Kingley Vale - excellent for the table (that’s what it says on the bag) doesn’t say enough about these gorgeously waxy and flavoursome spuds. I cut them small for a potato salad and they kept their shape and their flavour in the pan. Whilst still warm I tipped them into a mix of Sussex valley classic mayonnaise and yogurt, slightly more of the latter than the former, with a finely diced onion, some chopped cornichons and lots of freshly ground black pepper.

A visit to Springs at Edburton a day or two ago garnered their excellent smoked Coho salmon and two mackerel - I have never tasted better smoked mackerel than from this small family smokery nestling at the foot of the Downs on the way to Brighton. I buy them whole - that has to be best - and they are moist, creamy and rich. I flaked the flesh from one into the bowl and combined it with the other ingredients and that’s what I call Local Food! Unbeatable! We drizzled it with sweet chilli sauce and it was a feast. Roll-on baked potatoes for supper tonight...

Springs Smoked Salmon, Edburton, near Fulking, East Sussex. Buy direct or from selected local stores - Pallant at Arundel have their salmon and The Earl of March pub at Lavant serves the mackerel in the summer in the seafood shack. I bought my Mozart potatoes at Runcton Farm Shop, who also stock Sussex Valley Mayonnaise and dressings. Waitrose carries a limited range of Kingley Vale potatoes and some Sussex Valley products.

Aspall’s Apple balsamic vinegar

Barry and Henry Chevallier-Guild are brothers and the eighth generation to manage the family business based on apples, cider and vinegars at Aspall, near Debenham in Suffolk. Seven or eight years ago, whilst visiting to taste their splendid range of ciders and take a tour of the operations, I asked whether it would be possible to create a balsamic-style cider vinegar, richer, thicker and sweeter than the vinegars that we are used to. “Wait and see” they replied. “We are already working on it!” Sure enough, not so very long afterwards, Aspall English Apple Balsamic Vinegar was launched, and it has been a Very Favourite Thing in my store-cupboard ever since.

Great balsamics from Modena in northern Italy can cost a small fortune, aged for 20 years or so in a progression of different wooden kegs and barrels to instil a complexity of flavours, unlike any other in the world of condiments, into the must of the local grapes. Such has been the international explosion in demand for balsamic that much of what is purchased now is but a cheap copy of the Real Thing, flavoured with caramel rather than passing time, craftsmanship and the seasons, to achieve a product which is in danger of becoming ubiquitous to the point of banality.

Apple Balsamic from Aspalls achieves a condiment for today which, whilst acknowledging a certain Italian style statement, remains gloriously British and is incredibly versatile. The depth of flavour obtained by evaporation over years in a traditional aceto balsamico is mimicked through the use of concentrated English Cox apple juice with just a little caramel. The result is, as Barry and Henry say, somewhere "between sweet and sour with a sharp cidery kick at the finish" - a fabulous aftertaste of apples. What do I use it for? Well, mainly for vinaigrettes, but also to drizzle over vegetables before barbecuing or roasting, to season soups and casseroles, and often to drizzle over salad leaves as a simple, single ingredient dressing. I have heard young children comment on it’s sweetness when tasted just on lettuce leaves. It is a Top Store-cupboard Essential.

Apple Balsamic Vinaigrette

Oil
Aspall English apple balsamic vinegar
Grey Poupon French mustard
Unrefined sugar - I use muscovado or Demerara
Fresh garlic or herbs
The best salt and black pepper that you have

You need two parts of oil to one of vinegar - I usually start with about 100ml oil as the dressing keeps for ages in the fridge and you might as well make a decent amount of it. If you use an extra virgin olive oil I suggest using a splash of either Mild & Light olive oil with it (which is just light in flavour), grapeseed or sunflower oil, so that the olive is not too dominant. That, however, is up to you. I am increasingly using cold pressed rapeseed oil in my dressings and all my cooking, especially as it is now being produced locally here in Sussex.

Add the vinegar, with about 1 tsp each of mustard and sugar, a crushed clove of garlic and some herbs, if you wish (I generally don’t as I like to ring the changes with them in my salads). Whisk the ingredients together in a small bowl, or shake them in a jam jar with it’s lid on, a good idea for storage. Be generous adding salt and pepper - dressings taste limp and unappetising without proper seasoning. Keep tasting and add extra mustard or sugar too if you wish. Use sparingly to dress your leaves or tomatoes - no salad should ever be drowned in dressing. Not only does it drip and make consumption difficult to achieve elegantly, it also destroys the texture of the leaves. The dressing will be dark brown because of the colour of the vinegar and sometimes becomes thick on refrigeration. I add extra oil, or a little orange juice to ‘let it down’ (chef-y term) as I use it.