tag:blogs.mtengine.com,2008:/cally//26 2007-06-28T12:11:44Z One woman, her 2 cents, and the food industry Movable Type 3.34 tag:blogs.mtengine.com,2007:/cally//26.13892 2007-06-28T11:26:16Z 2007-06-28T12:11:44Z

Gillian McKeith has come in for a lot of stick over the last few years - with her apparently bogus doctorate and obsession with poo, it’s rightly so in my opinion.This is just one of the reasons why … McKeith...

Cally Matthews http://blogs.pumpernickle.net/cally/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cacao http://www.greenandblacks.com]]> tag:blogs.mtengine.com,2007:/cally//26.13808 2007-03-29T17:34:42Z 2007-05-08T22:08:44Z

Just recently I saw a job offer for a writer to work on the health magazine Men’s Fitness. Being interested in such matters I read the ad. It was for a staff writer to write and edit the Nutrition and...

Cally Matthews http://blogs.pumpernickle.net/cally/ cheeses me off. Apparently to be a successful and valued health writer at Men's Fitness you... "don't need to be an expert on health matters, but you do need a proven record of producing sharp, witty and accurate copy for a consumer title." How one can produce accurate copy without being an expert is beyond me. I understand the need for sharp, witty copy. BUT to call for a health writer that does not need to be an expert on nutrition and health matters is simply an outrage. Time and time again I read either half-truths or outright errors, particularly concerning nutrition, in articles written in magazines such as this. It drives me crazy. No wonder many people don't know who or what to believe. People are writing about health matters that are obviously not qualified to do so.]]> tag:blogs.mtengine.com,2007:/cally//26.13807 2007-03-29T12:32:02Z 2007-05-31T21:15:38Z

Cally Matthews http://blogs.pumpernickle.net/cally/ Vegetables Artichoke, Jerusalem; broccoli; Brussels sprouts; cauliflower; celeriac; celery; chicory; endive; kale; leek; parsnip; radish; rhubarb; salsify & scorzonera; spinach; swede; turnip Fruits Apple varieties - Blenheim orange, Bramleys, Crispin, Ellison's orange, Elstar, Gala, Gloster, Ida red, Jonagold, Kent, Kidd's orange red, Ribston pippin, Red pippin, Spartan, Suntan Pear varieties - Comice, Concorde, Conference Rhubarb, forced Meat, fish & poultry Hare; mallard; partridge; pheasant; rabbit; venison Mussels; oysters; scallops; turbot Cheeses Stilton; Wensleydale, blue www.parkfruitfarm.co.uk ]]> tag:blogs.mtengine.com,2007:/cally//26.13806 2007-03-29T11:30:03Z 2007-03-29T12:51:58Z

I’ve neglected the last few months terribly. So, in the interests of continuity, I will add January, February and March for come clarity. Vegetables Artichoke, Jerusalem; broccoli; Brussels sprouts; celeriac; celery; chicory; endive; kale; Khol rabi; leek; parsnip; radish; salsify...

Cally Matthews http://blogs.pumpernickle.net/cally/ Vegetables Artichoke, Jerusalem; broccoli; Brussels sprouts; celeriac; celery; chicory; endive; kale; Khol rabi; leek; parsnip; radish; salsify & scorzonera; spinach; swede; turnip. Fruits Apple varieties - Adam's pearmain, Ashmeads kernal, Blenheim orange, Bramley, Cox, Crispin, Egremont russet, Ellison's orange, Elstar, Fukin-Ishuki, Gloster, Ida red, Jonagold, Kent, Kidd's orange red, Laxton's fortune, Pixie, Ribston pippin, Red pippin, Spartan, Suntan, William crump. Pear varieties - Comice, Concorde, Conference. Rhubarb (forced). Meat, fish & poultry Goose; hare; mallard; partridge; pheasant; rabbit; snipe; venison; wood pidgeon Cheeses Stilton; Wensleydale, blue www.parkfruitfarm.co.uk]]> tag:blogs.mtengine.com,2006:/cally//26.13637 2006-12-19T08:54:21Z 2007-03-29T12:53:55Z

Cally Matthews http://blogs.pumpernickle.net/cally/ Vegetables Artichokes, Jerusalem; beetroot; Brussels sprouts; cabbages; cardoon; carrots (if grown in the south); cauliflower; celeriac; celery; chicory; endive; garlic; kale; Kohl rabi; leeks; lettuce (winter crop); onion; parsnips; potatoes; salsify & scorzonera; spinach; swede; Swiss chard (although on its way out); turnips. Fruits Apple varieties - Adam's pearmain, Ashmeads kernal, Blenheim orange, Bramleys, Charles Ross, Cox, Crispin, D'Arcy spice, Egremont russet, Ellison's orange, Elstar, Fukin-Ishuki, Gloster, Ida red, Jonagold, Kent, Kidd's orange red, King of the pippins, Laxton's fortune, Pixie, Ribston pippin, Red pippin, Spartan, Suntan, William crump. Chestnuts Pear varieties - Comice, Concorde, Conference. Pomegranates; quince. Meat, fish & poultry Goose; grouse; hare; mallard; partridge; pheasant; rabbit; snipe; turkey; venison; woodcock; brill; monkfish; mussels; oysters; plaice; scallops; turbot; goose; guinea fowl. Cheeses Stilton; Wensleydale, blue. This is a great website for all things organic http://www.whyorganic.org/involved_organicDirectory_output.asp]]> tag:blogs.mtengine.com,2006:/cally//26.13596 2006-11-24T14:45:09Z 2006-11-24T16:21:38Z

… it’s so good I’m featuring it a second time Pumpkin is a wonderfully versatile vegetable. It can change character to go with the mood of a meal or be miraculously transformed into a luscious dessert or scrumptious cake. Here’s...

Cally Matthews http://blogs.pumpernickle.net/cally/ ... it's so good I'm featuring it a second time Pumpkin is a wonderfully versatile vegetable. It can change character to go with the mood of a meal or be miraculously transformed into a luscious dessert or scrumptious cake. Here's a couple of recipes I've purloined from Martha Stewart ... they're delicious. Pumpkin Cake with Burnt Butter Icing Cake: 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature) 1 2/3 cups of self raising flour 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice large pinch salt 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 eggs (large) 1 cup pumpkin puree (use fresh or canned) 1/2 cup warm milk Icing: 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 cup icing sugar (sifted) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 or 2 tablespoons milk Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Prepare a 20cm round cake tin. In a large bowl, sift flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt. Put to one side. Using an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter together until light and fluffy (takes about 2 minutes). Add eggs and blend until combined. Add pumpkin puree and mix together. When all these ingredients are well combined, add flour mixture. Beat on low speed until just combined. Pour into prepared tin and bake for approximately 55 minutes (or until skewer comes out clean when poked in the middle of the cake). Leave cake in tin, but place onto wire rack and let cool for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the icing ... Melt butter in a small saucepan and heat until it goes nutty brown. This takes about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and pour butter into a bowl - leave out any burned residue. Add the sugar, vanilla and 1 tablespoon of milk and stir until smooth. Add extra milk if icing is too thick. Let cool for 5 minutes. Turn out cake onto wire rack and ice with burnt butter icing immediately. Pumpkin Spice Cake with Honey Frosting Cake: 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted 2 1/2 cups self raising flour large pinch salt 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 3/4 teaspoon ginger 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon allspice 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 2 large eggs 1 1/2 cups sugar 425 grams pumpkin puree (fresh or canned) Frosting: 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 225 g low-fat cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup honey (if you don't like honey, replace with icing sugar Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Prepare a 20cm square cake tin. Combine flour, salt and spices in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, sugar, butter and pumpkin puree until combined. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and beat until smooth. Pour into prepared tin. Make sure the top is flat and smooth. Bake for about 45-50 minutes. The cake should be moist so when you check with a skewer it should have a few crumbs attached. Let cake stand for 10 minutes then transfer onto cake rack to cool completely. In the meantime ... Mix all the frosting ingredients together until smooth. Spread over the top of the cooled cake. You may like to decorate the top with walnuts or dried apricots. I'm smuggling in another recipe here. It's a highly illegal one because it's not actually pumpkin. And it's not a seasonal/local food for that matter. Rather the recipe I've added is a sweet potato recipe. Since both these vegetables have a similar sweetness and are great for desserts, I'm including it. Sweet Potato Whip with Caramelised Applies 4 large sweet potatoes (orange flesh are best) 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened 2 tablespoons double cream 1/2 cup stewed sweetened apples 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated large pinch salt freshly ground black pepper 500 g apples (peeled, cored, and cut into 2.5 cm pieces) 3 tablespoons sugar Preheat oven to 190 degrees C. Bake sweet potatoes until tender - about 1 hour. Remove from oven and scoop out flesh. In a bowl of an electric mixer, place sweet potato flesh, 2 tablespoons of butter and the cream. Beat until smooth. Add stewed apples and ginger, season with salt and pepper. Place sweet potato and apple mixture into a greased ovenproof dish. Bake until heated through for about 10 minutes. In the meantime ... Toss apples with the sugar. Melt remaining butter over a medium heat in a frying pan. Add apple mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, until apples are caramelised. This should take about 10 minutes. Remove sweet potato mixture from oven and place caramelised apples on top. This dish can be served as a dessert with whipped cream or ice cream, OR, as an accompaniment to roast pork. ]]> tag:blogs.mtengine.com,2006:/cally//26.13560 2006-11-13T10:23:42Z 2007-03-29T12:57:23Z

Some foods are leaving us until next year while others have appeared for a new but short season. Foods you can expect to see in November are: Vegetables Artichoke, Jerusalum; beetroot; Brussels sprouts; cabbage, red; carrots; cauliflower; celeriac; celery; chicory;...

Cally Matthews http://blogs.pumpernickle.net/cally/ Vegetables Artichoke, Jerusalum; beetroot; Brussels sprouts; cabbage, red; carrots; cauliflower; celeriac; celery; chicory; endive; kale; Kohl rabi; leeks; lettuce; winter crop; pumpkin/squash; parsnips; salsify/scorzonera; spinach; swede; Swiss chard; turnips Fruit & Nuts Apple varieties - Adam's pearmain, Ashmeads kernal, Belle, de Bosksoop, Blenheim orange, Bramleys, Charles ross, Cox, Crispin, D'Arcy spice, Egremont russet, Ellison's orange, Elstar, Fukin-Ishuki, Gloster, Ida red, Jonagold, Kent, Kidd's orange red, King of the pippins, Laxton's fortune, Pixie, Ribston pippin, Red pippin, Spartan, Striped beefing, William crump. Chestnuts; elderberries; medlars Pear varieties - Comice, Concorde, Conference Quince; sloes; walnuts Meat, fish & poultry Goose; grouse; lobster; mackerel; mallard; mussels; oysters; partridge, pheasant; rabbit; scallops; snipe; turbot; venison; woodcock]]> tag:blogs.mtengine.com,2006:/cally//26.13521 2006-10-31T14:32:43Z 2006-10-31T15:35:22Z

Autumn is the time for root vegetables, but alas some have developed a bad name. Maybe scary memories of over-cooked school dinners are to blame. Put all nasty thoughts of soggy, watery specimens out of your mind and think of...

Cally Matthews http://blogs.pumpernickle.net/cally/ Celeriac What a strange and peculiar vegetable celeriac is. To be honest it looks hideous, but if you can overcome its lack of aesthetic properties you will be rewarded with a truly wonderful taste. Strange as it might seem, I can't stand celery and this feeling stopped me from trying celeriac until quite recently. However I am glad I put my prejudices aside and gave it a go. Yes it does taste like celery but it has a much kinder, less harsh flavour. And it's great mixed with other vegetables. Technically celeriac is not a root (neither is swede for that matter), rather they are corms - to you and me that means they are a swollen stem base. For the purposes of this exercise however, we'll call them roots. Celeriac contains vitamin C and potassium and can be eaten raw as well as cooked. One of the joys of having celeriac in the fridge is it lasts for several weeks. This means you can always count on there being a vegetable that's edible in the fridge if you've not made it to the supermarket for a while. Swede Swede is a member of the brassica family - for those not in the know, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli are brassicas - and grows well in cold climates. It has a high sugar content and this makes it ideal for roasting, providing a lovely caramelised jacket in the way that parsnips and carrots do. Historically swede has not been around for all that long. It was an important European crop in the 18th century, then in the 19th century found itself in America where they call it rutabaga - a much more exotic name. Perhaps we should rename it! Swede is a rich source of many minerals including calcium, potassium and magnesium. It is low is the dreaded saturated fat (unless drenching it in butter) and high in sugars. If you're feeling a little cautious, the following recipe will ease you into the wonderful world of root vegetables. Three Root Mash 500 g good mashing potatoes, peeled and chopped 250 g celeriac, peeled and chopped 250 g swede, peeled and chopped 100 g butter a good splash of cream salt and pepper Simmer potatoes in a pan of boiling water. In another pan, simmer celeriac and swede together. When ready, drain and return to respective pans. Melt butter in pan and add cream, warm through. Mash potatoes, then add butter and cream. Blend until smooth. Mash celeriac and swede together and when well combined, add to potatoes. Beat until smooth and creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste. For extra flavour, add some crushed garlic. The recipe should be enough for about 4 people. Three root mash goes beautifully with sausages - good quality ones of course! http://www.greatbritishkitchen.co.uk]]> tag:blogs.mtengine.com,2006:/cally//26.13497 2006-10-26T18:35:55Z 2007-03-29T17:34:10Z

Just recently I stumbled upon the health section of a newspaper called The Epoch Times. I’m not sure who the readership of this newspaper is but I’m guessing it’s American, Australian, southern hemisphere travellers. To see red would be an...

Cally Matthews http://blogs.pumpernickle.net/cally/ Just recently I stumbled upon the health section of a newspaper called The Epoch Times. I’m not sure who the readership of this newspaper is but I’m guessing it’s American, Australian, southern hemisphere travellers. To see red would be an understatement of the highest order. The thing that sparked my anger? An article on nutrition with the caption ‘Myths and truths about nutrition’. As the caption suggests, there was a paragraph about something the writer considered to be a myth, followed by an explanation. All the ‘myths’ were about saturated fat. Indeed the feature read as though it was written by the saturated fat appreciation society. The problem with this article is that the ‘truths’ were only half truths (if that) and completely misleading. To make the ‘truths’ appear conclusive; a supporting reference was given. This in itself was alarming since some of the references were 40 years old, which also brings into question the validity of these studies. I’d like to see the criteria for these studies - the sample size, selection of subjects, ethnicity etc. etc. This feature did not use any recent studies to support its claims. Rather than accepting this feature as simply bad journalism I started to think about who had written such a piece. It was authored by The Weston A. Price Foundation. Who are they you might wonder. I’ll tell you. They are a non-profit organisation who believe the answer to human health is to consume whole foods (granted, a good thing) and activators found exclusively in animal fats. This type of diet has similarities to the paleolithic diet otherwise known as the caveman diet, of which I’m a great advocate. The feature did not explain that paleolithic man is considered somewhat healthier than we are today because they had to hunt their food and therefore expended many more calories per day in so doing. The feature simply had a picture of deep fat fried fish and chips under the caption ‘myths and truths about nutrition’. The Weston A. Price Foundation has the right to believe what it will. Indeed a quick glance at their website will provide some interesting reading. To imply that saturated fat is not a risk factor for heart disease and that vegetarianism is not healthy is another matter. tag:blogs.mtengine.com,2006:/cally//26.13491 2006-10-25T12:21:00Z 2006-10-26T10:42:13Z

You may have seen a peculiar looking vegetable on your supermarket shelves that resembles a bunch of old sticks. They are dark brown or black thin roots that look, well, twiggy. They are Scorzonera. Their texture is similar to parsnip...

Cally Matthews http://blogs.pumpernickle.net/cally/ !<) http://blogs.mtengine.com/cally/i/scorzonera-600x800-thumb.jpg" 200x150 (scorzonera in a basket)!You may have seen a peculiar looking vegetable on your supermarket shelves that resembles a bunch of old sticks. They are dark brown or black thin roots that look, well, twiggy. They are Scorzonera. Their texture is similar to parsnip and some say they taste like a cross between artichoke hearts and jerusalem artichokes. The Victorians used to eat them, mainly for their supposed health giving properties. Today they are eaten purely for their taste - french chefs praise this vegetable as a superior food. Interesting points - Poor old Belgium gets a bad press for being famous for nothing much but boring facts. Well I'm probably going to add to this because Belgium is arguably the world's largest producer of Scorzonera! - Scorzonera is part of the daisy family. If you let the plant grow to flowering stage, you can eat the flowers. - This vegetable is high in carbohydrates but rich in inulin and laevulin (does not increase blood sugar) which makes it suitable for diabetics to eat. Preparation Scorzonera should be cleaned but not peeled and boiled for about 10 minutes. The outer skin should then be peeled off. They are now ready for a variety of recipes. Try this one: Roasted Scorzonera 10-12 Scorzonera roots 4 cups of stock (of your choice) 1-2 tablespoons olive oil Sprinkling herbs (of your choice). You might like to try sage, thyme or rosemary Salt and pepper Chopped parsley Wash but don't peel scorzonera. Parboil in stock for 10 minutes - they should be firm not soft. Drain, peel and cut into two pieces. Heat oil in pan, toss veges in hot oil, sprinkle with herbs (not parsley). Season vegetables to taste, then roast at 180 degrees C for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. When ready, add chopped parsley. For a little extra sweetness, drizzle a teaspoon of honey over vegetables before roasting. Serves 4-6 people ]]> tag:blogs.mtengine.com,2006:/cally//26.13460 2006-10-18T16:11:40Z 2006-10-31T11:53:25Z

Roasting a handful of plump chestnuts in an open fire is an autumnal tradition in Britain. Remembering of course to cut a cross in the bottom to prevent an almighty explosion in the living room. Although scrumptious, chestnuts are more...

Cally Matthews http://blogs.pumpernickle.net/cally/ damper. Damper is an easy-to-make bread originally prepared by bush settlers and stockmen. It was traditionally baked on coals in an open fire and eaten with meat or golden syrup and served with mugs of tea. This version is slightly modernised with the addition of thyme, which goes well with chestnuts. And it can be baked in the oven! Chestnut Soup 300 g peeled chestnuts – approximately 450 g unpeeled Knob of butter 1 medium potato, chopped 1 stalk celery, chopped 1 small red onion, chopped 1 small carrot, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chrushed Bouquet garni 1 litre chicken stock Salt and black pepper Splash of cream 2 rashers of bacon, grilled and chopped Melt butter, add celery, onion and carrot and stir until onions are translucent. Add garlic and potato and stir for 1 minute. Add bouquet garni, chicken stock and salt and pepper. Bring to boil and lower heat. Cook for approximately 30 minutes. Remove bouquet garni and some chestnuts, then puree soup. Chop removed chestnuts and replace in soup. Add a splash of cream, chopped bacon, stir and keep warm. While the soup is being cooked, the bread can be made. Herby Damper 2 cups self-rising flour Large pinch of sea salt 3 tablespoons butter 1 cup beer (lager or light ale) Small handful fresh thyme, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried Pre-heat oven to 210 degrees C. Mix the flour and salt together. Rub in the butter until it looks like fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the thyme. Make a well in the centre of the mixture, add the beer and mix to make a soft dough. Knead lightly on a floured surface until smooth. Shape into a round, score a cross on the top of the dough, brush with milk, and bake at 210 degrees C for approximately 30 minutes, or until the bread makes a hollow sound when tapped. Serve the soup with chopped bacon on top. Accompany with chunks of warm damper. Serves 4-6 people]]> tag:blogs.mtengine.com,2006:/cally//26.13449 2006-10-17T09:24:19Z 2006-10-25T08:29:24Z

Swiss chard - silverbeet to all antipodeans or leaf beet to Americans, is a most wonderful vegetable. It has long creamy white stalks that look a little like celery with a large frill of foliage surrounding the top part of...

Cally Matthews http://blogs.pumpernickle.net/cally/ In the garden Swiss chard is incredibly easy to grow. If you have a sunny space in your garden sow a few seeds in the spring, water and add some plant food every so often. It looks great mixed amongst a flower bed. The beauty of this vegetable is not only does it look great but it tastes wonderful. To harvest, pick the outer stalks leaving the inner ones to mature. The plant will survive for about two years and will only need protection in very cold areas. This can be done by surrounding the stalks with straw. Swiss chard is a good source of antioxidants (being a leafy green vegetable), but also has vitamin C and iron. Actually, it has lots of other nutrients, but to a lesser degree. In the kitchen You get double your money with Swiss chard because the stalks can be eaten as well as the leaf. Cut the stalks out of the foliage and steam them whole or in long pieces until tender but not too soft. Serve them with melted butter, a sprinkling of sea salt and a fine spray of black pepper. Eat them as you would asparagus. To prepare the leaves, finely chop and treat as you would spinach, or lightly steam. Swiss chard goes with just about anything: cheese, butter, cream, olive oil, pasta, rice and potatoes, vegetables from the onion family, hot spices and particularly pastry. Take a trip down memory lane and revisit a classic vegie dish ... Hunza Pie. If you weren't around at that time, try it anyway, it's delicious. Hunza pie Pastry: Place 220g of wholemeal flour in a food processor and blitz with 110g of cold, salted butter until the mixture looks crumbly. Add a little cold water until the dough forms a ball - about 2-3 tablespoons. Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for about an hour. Alternatively, go to the shop and buy ready-made short pastry dough! Roll out dough to about 0.5cm and place in a 24cm pie dish. Bake in the centre of an oven at 180C degrees for 15-20 minutes. To ensure the centre doesn't rise, place some grease-proof paper over the base and add something with weight, such as some dried pulses.This is not essential though. Filling: Wash 5 large Swiss chard leaves and stems. Remove leaves from stems and immerse them into boiling water. The leaves should take about 2 minutes and the stems about 7 minutes. Drain and cool. Remove as much water as possible from the leaves and roughly chop them. Chop stems into 2cm pieces. In a bowl, combine stems and leaves with 100g of cooked brown rice, OR chopped cooked potatoes OR a mixture of both, 200g of mature cheddar and 1 egg. Season with salt and pepper and bake in a preheated oven at 180C degrees for 20-25 minutes or until ready. Serves 6-8 or 3-4 if really hungry (or greedy!) http://www.sunnyfields.co.uk/products/fruit-veg-box.html http://www.eostreorganics.co.uk/boxes_london.htm ]]> tag:blogs.mtengine.com,2006:/cally//26.13398 2006-10-06T11:00:45Z 2007-03-29T12:29:26Z

Foods that are in season now: Vegetables Artichokes, globe; artichokes, Jerusalem; broccoli; Brussels sprouts; butternut pumpkin (squash); cabbage, red; cabbage, Chinese; cabbage, savoy; carrots, cauliflower; celeriac; celery; chicory; endive; Kohl rabi; pumpkin; salsify and scorzonera; swede; Swiss chard; turnips. Fruit...

Cally Matthews http://blogs.pumpernickle.net/cally/ Vegetables Artichokes, globe; artichokes, Jerusalem; broccoli; Brussels sprouts; butternut pumpkin (squash); cabbage, red; cabbage, Chinese; cabbage, savoy; carrots, cauliflower; celeriac; celery; chicory; endive; Kohl rabi; pumpkin; salsify and scorzonera; swede; Swiss chard; turnips. Fruit and nuts Apple varieties - Adam's pearmain, Ashmeads kernal, Belle de Bosksoop, Blenheim orange, Bramleys, Charles ross, Cox, Crispin, Egremont russet, Ellison's orange, Elstar, Fukin-Ishuki, Gloster, Ida red, Jonagold, Kent, Kidd's orange red, King of the pippins, Lane's prince albert, Laxton's fortune, Pixie, Ribston pippin, Red pippin, Spartan, William crump Chestnuts, crabapples; damsons; medlar Pear varieties - Comice, Concorde Quince. Meat and game Chicken; duck, wild; geese; grouse; hare; partridge; pheasant; rabbit; woodcock; Guinea fowl; turkey; venison. Fish and seafood Brill; cod; crab; eels; flounder; haddock; lobster; mullet; oysters, native; plaice; prawns; skate; sole; turbot; whiting. Try something new Pumpkins are one of autumn's great delights. They look good, taste great and are supremely versatile. They can be made into curries, risottos, breads, soups, cakes, pies, sweets - just about anything you can set your mind to. Hot fluffy scones with butter dripping down the sides are a favourite for many people. This is a scone recipe, but with a twist. Pumpkin scones 250 g self raising flour 1 tablespoon butter 2 cups cold mashed pumpkin (or butternut) 1/2 cup castor sugar 1 egg milk if needed Sift flour and beat egg. Cream butter and sugar, add egg and blend well. Add pumpkin and flour then mix into a soft dough (gently does it - don't be too rough). Use milk if dough is too dry. Turn onto floured surface and lightly knead. Roll out to about 2cm and cut into shapes. Glaze with extra milk, then bake in a hot oven until lightly browned (about 10 minutes). When ready, take out of the oven, and eat immediately with lashings of butter. http://www.gardenersworld.com/contentgw/events/categories/04/ www.parkfruitfarm.co.uk]]> tag:blogs.mtengine.com,2006:/cally//26.13397 2006-10-06T10:18:32Z 2006-10-25T08:31:18Z

Since local and seasonal food is such a hot topic at the moment, the time is right to &#8216;go herbal&#8217; and get down and dirty with the seasons. Over the course of the year, I&#8217;ll take you through what&#8217;s going...

Cally Matthews http://blogs.pumpernickle.net/cally/ Since local and seasonal food is such a hot topic at the moment, the time is right to 'go herbal' and get down and dirty with the seasons. Over the course of the year, I'll take you through what's going on in relation to all things seasonal, with a recipe or two thrown in. These will of course vary throughout the country according to weather, therefore the produce chosen is an average of what's in season. It's not that eating seasonal food is necessarily more 'healthy' for our bodies, indeed some would argue that eating completely seasonal food is less healthy due to decreased variation in the diet. It is however, most definitely more healthy for the environment - less of those devastating food miles to destroy air quality. We're all too used to buying what we like, when we want it - blow the consequences. Or perhaps we don't even think of consequences. But, little by little, we can incorporate changes in our daily diet, without there being too much hardship. Every little bit helps. Throughout the country, many groups have popped up addressing the subject of seasonal food - there are allotments, co-operatives, fruit & vege swaps. However, although London does have allotments, they're not plentiful and access depends completely on where you live. The closer to the inner city you live, the less available is an allotment. Which makes farmers markets all the more important. So, let's get cracking. We start with October ... tag:blogs.mtengine.com,2006:/cally//26.13380 2006-09-28T15:38:15Z 2006-09-28T17:11:55Z

Most people in the UK live in towns and many have no contact with how and where different foods are produced. The global nature of the supermarket ensures availability year round, and a simple glance around the supermarket shelves makes...

Cally Matthews http://blogs.pumpernickle.net/cally/ http://www.localfoodworks.org/ http://www.rivercottage.net/index.jsp http://www.foodethicscouncil.org/ ]]>