Food, foraging and Travel
I’ve been a bit lazy this year with the abundance of wild plums both on and off the tree’s. However, whilst driving into work one morning I couldn’t bare to see the wind swept plums on the roadside decaying away before my very eyes. So I decided to pick a bagful of mirabelle or cherry […]
Read More Lacto Fermented Mirabelle PlumsWith wild garlic in full flow I always like to make the most of the short season. Here’s a simple recipe with minimal ingredients but maximum flavour. The salt in this recipe will not only act as a preservative but season the wild garlic too. In a nut shell the percentage of salt to wild […]
Read More Lacto Fermented Wild GarlicWith pine catkins just starting to come into season I thought I’d use them as the star ingredient in this super fresh caper recipe. There is a really short window to harvest the catkins before they mature and start to produce the delicious, highly medicinal pollen, which of course can be gathered and used in […]
Read More Pine Catkin CapersForaging in the winter time can be a little sparse and at times frustrating. With most things coming to an end or going into hibernation you need to have your wits about you. This is also a time to enjoy preserves, ferments and pickles that were made in preparation for this very occasion. However there […]
Read More Velvet Shanks and Wood EarsFor me, this is the fun part! The moment you start to feed the bug, just waiting for nature’s bubbles of life so you can begin to brew your own soda’s. Once the feeding has started it can still take a good 3 to 4 days until the Ginger bug will start to ferment and […]
Read More How To Make Your Own Natural Soda’s. Part 2.This is a very simple but yet deliciously rewarding process. It will take around a week, but once you have tasted your first soda it becomes incredibly addictive and great fun. The foundation of a good probiotic soda is the wild yeast that create the fermentation and therefore the carbonation. In this case the ginger […]
Read More How to make your own natural sodas. Part 1This is the perfect glazed ham for the festive period as it’s not only seasonal but can be enjoyed hot or cold and makes the ultimate sandwich when paired with Brie and leftover bread sauce. The Ham is cooked in ginger beer, which adds heaps of flavour but also counteracts the saltiness and keeps it […]
Read More Ginger, cranberry, sage and clementine glazed HamA delicious, super simple recipe that uses up excess egg whites and can be flavoured and adapted to your own taste. I love these biscuits with a cup of coffee but also work well to accompany desserts as well as being used to replace sponge fingers in trifle/tiramisu recipes. You can make the mix, portion […]
Read More Amaretti Biscuit RecipeThis is the perfect time to be looking for Staghorn sumac, late summer to early Autumn! This is a relation to the more distinct Sumac used as a seasoning in the Middle East. however, as it grows particularly well in the UK, Staghorn Sumac is just as good if treated and processed in the right […]
Read More Staghorn Sumac, a beginners guide to foraging part 7Pineapple weed is in its prime at the moment. Wild camomile as it’s also known is full of goodness, pineapple flavour and those calming qualities. It is easy to identify as it looks similar to camomile, with its bud going from green to yellow and doesn’t form petals. Also the fragrance of the plant when […]
Read More Pineapple weed – a beginners guide to foraging, part 6This is my take on the best gingerbread I have ever eaten from a little village called Grasmere in the Lake District. If you haven’t been to the Lakes, let alone the Grasmere gingerbread shop then put it on your bucket list. They claim to have invented gingerbread back in 1854, created by a Victorian […]
Read More Grasmere style Fiery GingerbreadMy take on the traditional basque cake, I’ve loaded this one with cherry jam and meadowsweet custard. It’s super indulgent and incredibly moorish. With cherries bang in season and literally hanging off the trees I thought it would be a no brainer to use cherries. I have chosen to flavour the custard as I think […]
Read More Gateaux BasqueA decadent torte using Carosesa , which is a delicious mix of carob and tahini that has been blended into a rich vegan butter. It lends the torte a pleasant nuttiness with the warmth of chocolate from the carob. I have served the torte with roasted walnut praline and confit lemon , which offsets all […]
Read More Carosesa, walnut and chocolate torteHere’s simple method to making traditional shortcrust pastry by hand. I have added some seaweed powder and cayenne pepper to this as it was being used for a duck egg, garden pea, mint and Brie quiche. But of course you can just leave it out and go more traditional. Shortcrust pastry Ingredients 200g plain flour […]
Read More How to make Shortcrust PastryKhao Tom is basically a rice porridge, traditionally served for breakfast in Thailand. Although I eat it anytime of the day. I remember having it for the first time from a street vendor in Bangkok. I was intrigued to see what it was like and mingle with the workers passing by en route to work. […]
Read More Khao Tom, Congee or Thai rice porridgeI was kindly given this recipe and in all honesty I’d never heard of it. That’s the beauty of cooking, you never EVER stop learning. It blows my mind : ) It is such a delicious dish, tasty, simple to make and uses minimal ingredients. I have used a couple of cod fillets as that […]
Read More Moqueca – Brazilian Seafood StewThis was a super delicious dessert I had in china town, Bangkok. I will never forget it : ) I’ve finally researched it and got around to recreating it using a delicious carob and sesame butter created by the wonderful Yasemen at Carosesa . This gives the dumplings a really nutty and almost chocolaty flavour […]
Read More Black sesame and carob rice dumplings with a fiery ginger teaThis is a fairly simple recipe but of course takes time, if you’re not confident on butchering a while duck then ask your butcher to do it for you. Have a go, chop and change the ingredients to your liking and remember, there are no rules in cooking! : ) Duck broth 1 tablespoon of […]
Read More Duck Noodle soupHere’s a really simple but delicious recipe, you can chop and change the ingredients and make it as sweet or savoury as you like. It’s also a great way to utilise pine, of which is bang in season right now. Ingredients: 400g blueberries 1 tablespoon of honey Pinch of sea salt 1 strip of tangerine […]
Read More Blueberry, tangerine and pine CompoteThis is far removed from the traditional recipe, but the isolation fridge raid got me like…. It’s super simple and only takes a bit of time and loving 2 leeks, thinly sliced, and slowly cooked down in butter and a little salt until soft and sweet. 2 x skin on chicken legs, poached in chicken […]
Read More Chicken, leek and potato ‘’lasagne’’, shiitake mushroom gravyIts thats time of year again with the shorter, cooler days ahead for a while. This soup is extremely comforting, wholesome and delicious. You can switch out the chicken for some king oyster mushrooms to give a vegetarian alterantive. Recipe: ingredients: 2 Chicken legs, jointed into thighs and drumsticks1 white onion, diced2 cloves garlic, crushed the white of white […]
Read More Chicken, Pearl Barley and Butternut Squash Soupwe are officially into winter chanterelle season here in Berkshire. With the excitement of its golden counterpart (chanterelle) coming to an end it’s always reassuring to know the winter chanterelle is just around the corner. I always tend to find them in the mossy patches of the woodlands especially in coniferous forests and beech woodlands. […]
Read More Winter ChanterellesLast week I managed to spend a couple of days on the banks of the river Blackwater in Tollesbury, Essex. The wild sea herbs and vegetables were just sprouting into life whilst making the most of the late sunshine. I found all sorts within a mile radius with so much more growth and variants coming […]
Read More A Sunny Seaside ForageThis is a fantastic way to use up and preserve the essence of wild garlic. It can then be used in so many ways and really enhances your day to day recipes. I personally like to use the wild garlic to make mayonnaise, pesto, salsa verde and salad dressings but it’s also great to fry […]
Read More Wild Garlic oilWith the blackthorn bursting into bloom and perfuming the air with their sweet, vanilla and almond fragrance, now is the time to start collecting and capturing the essence. This is a super simple recipe that can be used in so many different ways. I like to pick the flowers and within the hour, load them […]
Read More Blackthorn Flower HoneyI’m often left with excess wild greens after getting over excited whilst out on a walk or forage. I’ve always used the phrase ‘take what you need, not what you want’ however I still manage to bend the rules. I’ve started using them up in a pesto style sauce, not that I can call it […]
Read More Foragers PestoWith the springtime fast approaching there is still plenty of winter greens in their prime waiting to be picked. I was walking along the Thames in Runnymede, Berkshire and spotted wintercress, bastard cabbage and cow parsley all in its absolute element. I couldn’t resist, so I picked a bag full and took it home to […]
Read More Foraging Winter Greens
Chef Joe Bartlett 