Eating Alone – Definitely worth it!

I am passionate about food and cooking, some may say obsessed. I eat alone, and I eat with family and I eat with friends. I am happiest when I cook and eat my own food. Admittedly I have not lived alone for many years, but I have done in the past and there are occasion when I am the only one in the house requiring a meal. I like to experiment with food and create my own recipes, but I also use many recipes from cookery books and magazines. I frequently find myself cooking a new dish which is recommended as a dinner party dish. Well, for a start, to me the recipe looks good enough for a family meal, and also it is a good idea to test out recipes. One important piece of advice I picked up from studying Home Economics ‘A’ Level at school was never to cook a new, complicated recipe for the first time for an important dinner. Much better to have a trial run.

Over the years I have talked to many people who say that they do not cook much because they live on their own. ‘It is not worth cooking just for me.’ ‘Since my divorce I haven’t cooked very much.’ ‘I don’t look forward to entertaining because I am so out of practice.’ I have never quite been able to grasp the concept of not cooking ‘because it is just me.’ Just me! What an outrage! I don’t think that the ‘just me’ sits very well with the modern idea of independence and not necessarily relying on other people for your well-being. After all, people buy houses, do the gardening and pay the bills when it is ‘just me.’ So why not cook? I do think one advantage of eating alone is that one can do slightly odd recipes which others might not want to try!

Of course there are all sorts of arguments including the fact that some food items come in larger packs than is required for one person. This should really only matter if you are considering fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and fish. Dried and canned goods can easily be stored. I do find that even though I am a supermarket shopper, there is numerous choice when it comes to buying loose fruit and vegetables. Meat and fish counters are good for having exact amounts weighed, and even packaged meat and fish is fairly flexible in terms of quantities. There is always the option of the freezer for over-flow.

Many cookery books and magazines are really helpful nowadays with ideas for using up your left-overs, and even recipes devised for making a batch of stew or sauce to be turned into two different recipes. I enjoyed using Delia Smith’s One is Fun in my student days. Save with Jamie although not a cookery book specifically designed for solo dining, does have some great ideas for cooking a joint of meat, chicken or a whole salmon, with several recipe ideas using up the left-overs. They are the kind of recipes that make you want to cook extra to make sure of having left-overs. Scaled down, many of these recipes would work well for one person. In one of Jamie’s other books Jamie’s Dinners he also has a chapter called Family Tree, which takes one base recipe with some different ways of using the base, such as pesto or slow-cooked shoulder of lamb.

I enjoy listening to The Food Programme with Sheila Dillon, and the recent feature of programmes on the theme of How we Eat is really interesting. In fact, it was on hearing the first in the series Eating Alone that I decided to write this article. The theme has been buzzing in my head for years. I really identified with Anna del Conte in her 90s, widowed and still enjoying cooking for herself. I hope that I’ll be still enjoying cooking when I am widowed and in my 90s!

I do think that in my own case it is definitely a matter of upbringing and a reflection of the importance of family meals when I was a child. My mother always cooked proper meals for us, and we always ate together as a family. I grew up in a family of five, with two older brothers . At home, if one of us was late home and not to eat with the rest of the family, a portion would always be set aside to be heated up later. No-one was expected to hunt in the fridge or freezer for food if he or she had not eaten at the usual time. Indeed, hunting in the freezer would probably only unearth ice-cream, bread-crumbs or a piece of frozen lamb! My mother used to buy a whole lamb from the butcher’s and bag it into meal-sized portions. Forty years later, and my freezer is in a similar state. It does not actually contain a jointed lamb, but it certainly does not contain any quick meal options such as pizzas or burgers.

Although it was always my mother who cooked the meals (my father had a few specialities such as omelettes and marmalade), she instilled in all of us a love of home-cooked food. Matthew, my brother, lives on his own and has always loved cooking.

I decided to turn once again to my Archers Appreciation friends and ask them their views. I was particularly interested to hear from people who eat alone and do not cook from scratch, but more importantly, from those whose habits change when they cook for others. In a way, if people live alone and use a lot of take-aways and ready-meals because they have never had the cooking bug, to me that is sad but understandable. However, my aim is not to judge people for their choices and habits but just to make observations.

Here then is a selection of comments from my friends on their eating habits. I find this a fascinating insight into modern life.

Alison Monk – Lived on my own for many years. No money so cooked from scratch. Then had a partner and cooked for us both and really enjoyed it. Now back on my own and sadly do a mix of scratch and ready meals. Hate both as I am not a good cook! Wish I could eat out every night

Sj Mitchell Perfectly happy with good ready meals (like M&S calorie counted ones), occasionally had a whirlwind baking or cooking bash to try new recipes, but find it a huge chore after a day at work. having spent 10+ years in Asia where street food is great and kitchens are tiny, why would I cook if I don’t have to? not my thing!

Jo Morris I live alone and have a mixture of home cooked and ready meals/quick foods. I love cooking but not really just for me, as it takes the pleasure out of it, mainly. I would definitely cook from scratch more if I had someone/people to share it with.

Helen Brace I live alone when the kids aren’t home from school/uni. When possible I batch cook, so I will make 4 potions, eat one and free 3 (we probably eat two given the size of by backside!)

I will often eat nice simple things like smoked salmon, with fresh bread and a salad. I’ve very partial to the mussels in white wine from Lidl, which is a quick indulgence meal. Pasta with anchovies and capers is a good one. And baked potatoes. I also make nice stuff for lunch.

Jane Walker I don’t exactly live alone but when I am alone I cook as if I were cooking for other people and when with other people I cook what I might make if I were cooking just for me. In other words I always cook from fresh ingredients and make fairly simple healthy wholesome stuff. EG if someone gave me a load of celery from their allotment I might make Delia’s celery, apple and tomato soup which is rather complicated and takes over an hour to make, even if just for me, because it is healthy and delicious. I like the way cooking is an activity which punctuates the day. Conversely I hate food shopping. (Jane, I can completely identify with you, although I don’t quite follow the not liking shopping aspect!)

Ian Williams I lived alone for many years. Maybe of interest, both as an active alcoholic and later sober. In the final stages of alcoholism I batch cooked tomato sauce and ate pasta more or less when I wasn’t in an alcoholic coma. Otherwise I always cooked lavishly at about 11pm and enjoyed a proper three course meal around midnight, followed by cheese; two bottles of wine and a bottle of port in earlier times; Badoit and espresso after I’d sorted myself out. Unless I had lunch out, this would typically be my only meal of the day. But I always cooked from scratch with fresh ingredients, and usually in the French style; occasionally I’d do a stir fry and less occasionally a full roast. After I got sober my doctor intimated that it was probably the cream and butter in my French sauces and sticky puddings that saved my life. I’m married now; I still cook a proper meal but usually only a main course and served at around 7pm. ‘Pudding’ these days is usually a White Magnum. (I really appreciate Ian’s honesty. This is particularly fascinating to me, as I have lived with an alcoholic who had little or no interest in food).

Joy Atkins Live alone and eat a mix of ready meals or l batch cook stews, curries, casseroles etc and freeze in portions. Either way l add fresh vegetables to the evening meal. Sandwich lunch.

Hilary Athey I live alone, enjoy cooking and experimenting with cooking from scratch. The nearest I get to ready meals is batch cooking food for the freezer.

I’ll do something really special if I’m entertaining but day to day, I consider that I’m worth making as much effort as I would if not a solo. (Hear, hear! I totally agree with you Hilary!)

Kim Stabler Live alone, but see partner at the weekends. Always cook from scratch (and have lost 7stone in the last 18 months, so cook healthy things). I enjoy cooking so try a lot of new recipes, but usually cook for 2 nights at a time. Eat at the table for breakfast; dinner often but not always in front of the telly. (That is amazing Kim. I wonder if I would put on weight if I ate ready-meals – not that I want to find out!)

Sarah Gough I live alone and have done so for the last 20 years. I’ve moved my eating habits from junk food eaten in hotels and my desk – I had a job where I lived away from home in a hotel. Eating out every night was a no-no so it was burgers or cold food every night sitting in a hotel room. Pity me! I now work from home but loathe cooking with a vengeance, while trying to eat properly. So eat ready prepared veg heated/cooked in the microwave with anything that can be cooked on my George formby (Yes, I know it’s George Forman but I do only use it when I’m cleaning windows) Grill.

Helene Crawford I cook properly but I don’t eat at the same times as when I had a family to cater for. I eat whatever I like whenever I feel like it! Most of my food is one pot stews, curries, soups, dhal, ratatouille etc etc. I love living alone!

Jennifer Ruth Lopez Since my husband died just over two years ago my diet has gone to hell, sometimes, rarely, I cook a proper meal but mostly I don’t, after a lifetime of cooking for others, and being thought of as a good cook I seldom bother, I know this is bad for me, I buy things to cook and then they go off, my meat stays in the freezer. I know about good dietary habits, but somehow can’t make myself bother. If family come to stay I revert to my previous cooking habits.

Sally Hayward I began living alone a year ago after my 20 year marriage ended. I hardly ever cook for myself. I tend to eat salad, cold quorn sausages and lots of beetroot! But always a cold meal. Not sure why I don’t cook a hot meal for myself. Part of the unbearable process of the past year. Guilt, regret and all the swirl of emotions have affected me, and I do wonder whether I feel I don’t ‘deserve’ a proper cooked meal. Interesting!!

Cherry Waters I just can’t be arsed to cook for one. When I was mum in a family of 5 I did about half of the cooking and found it tedious (although I like baking and jam making). Then when all had flown the nest I found I often couldn’t be bothered. Growing my own and keeping chickens meant I have had weeks of broccoli omelettes (on the days I didn’t make do with crisps and chocolate). Now I split my time between looking after my octogenarian parents, and being on my own. When catering for parents I quite enjoy trying out new meal ideas (using Jamie O’s latest), but back home alone I seem to have become a teenager again and just open cupboards eating whatever is to hand. Whenever a chick returns I enjoy going into nurturing mode and making nice meals for them.

Jude Jones When I lived alone my cooking was no different from cooking for two or four just less of it or freeze the left overs. Singles are not sadoes. (Hear hear!)

Lucy Bucknall Late to the party, but keen to contribute.
I left my 11 year marriage 18 months ago and live in a shared house with two foreign PhD students in England. While I was married I lived in France with my. French farmer husband in his farm. He ate a huge amount, hunted fanatically in the season and had a herd of beef cattle. We also had a large veggie garden + bounteous amounts of wild fruit, nuts, mushrooms etc, which he gathered in abundance (figs, plums, apples, peaches, quince…). I cooked a three course meal at lunchtime every day for the entire marriage – even if wasn’t going to be there because of my job. There were often additional mouths to feed, but basically it was just for him. At the weekends in the winter we almost always had a shoot going on at the farm, so I regularly prepared lunch for up to 12 men, and often their wives would pitch up for a meal in the evening. All in all tons of cooking, which I enjoyed, plus jam, chutney making, bagging up meat for the freezer, skinning hare, rabbit, plucking every sort of game bird etc.
I now just cook for myself – bliss – but never ready-meals. I freeze leftovers and sometimes just have porridge if I feel like it. Very occasionally eat with the housemates. Altogether very happy, but miss the wonderful ingredients from the farm! (Very best wishes to Lucy! I must admit that in another life I’d definitely be married to a farmer. Maybe though I am too romantic and have listened to The Archers too long for my own good! I’d be Jennifer or Jill, rather than Ruth!)

Dave Wolfskehl I live alone and cook for many, vegan and for a budget of around £22.00 for stores and five for energy. I grow, scavenge, and forage from the wild for veggies and buy in flour, pulses, some fruit, nut milk and coffee. (the oil, flour, pulses, pasta I purchase in bulk every four months) If I lived with others nothing much would change, except maybe I would do less washing up.

Although I have not been able to include all of the interesting feedback I had from my friends, I am pleased that from my straw poll very few people who are not motivated to cook when they are alone.  Out of 108 comments from my friends, about 75% of people definitely think it is worth cooking good food if they are alone. This is only a rough figure, as some of the feedback was mixed; some people had not fully made their minds up!

Thanks to my friends for all their contributions; this is far from a scientific study, but interesting nevertheless. Another cookery writer recommendation for lone eaters is Nigel Slater. Many of his recipes are simple and quick, and he often gives quantities for 2 people, which does make scaling recipes down much easier. The 30 Minute Cook is particularly good for finding easy-to-cook recipes which use fresh ingredients.

 


Tray-bake Fish Curry: A quick, easy dinner with minimal washing up




Tray-bake Trout Curry ready to cook

I am never one to shy away from washing up, but even I like to make meals which only require one pan. This curry could equally be made with chicken or just vegetables, or maybe lamb fillet or pork chops. I am in the habit of making it on a Friday night, as I love a curry, and making it in the oven means that the fish does not have to be stirred in a pan and potentially spoilt. Friday for us is nearly always fish, as old habits die hard! It is also the day we tend to do our shopping, and I like to have fish as fresh as possible. Plus, Waitrose has a 20% off fish offer on Fridays!

Tray-bake Fish Curry for 4 people

Ingredients

Fish pieces weighing about 1 1/2 lbs  (600g) – I used trout, but you could use salmon, cod, hake or other white fish. Something chunky works well

3 Portobello mushrooms

4 medium-sized tomatoes, quartered

1 can of chickpeas

A few handfuls of spinach – about 4oz (100g)

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

3 medium-sized new potatoes, cut into big slices or chunks

1 large onion

Half a 400g of chopped tomatoes

2 tsp coriander seeds, crushed

2 tsp cumin seeds

1 fresh chilli, deseeded and sliced

small piece of fresh ginger

1 tsp turmeric or a lump of fresh turmeric if available

2 tsp garam masala

Half a large can of coconut milk

3 tabs full-fat Greek yoghurt

Oil such as rapeseed or sunflower

Tray-bake Trout Curry

Method

Put your sweet potatoes, onions and potatoes into a large roasting tin – mine measures 30 x 22 x 6cm (length, width, depth). Scatter over the spices. I bash up the ginger and turmeric in a pestle and mortar. Mix in some oil and coat well. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees for 20 minutes. The vegetables will not be fully cooked – all the other ingredients cook more quickly, so you need to give the potatoes and onions a head start. Take the tin out of the oven and add the mushrooms, chickpeas and fish. You can cut the fish into four pieces or leave it as one big piece. Sprinkle over some more oil and roast for another 20 minutes.

By this time, everything should be more or less cooked and smelling good. Add the canned and fresh tomatoes, spinach and coconut milk and mix them gently into the vegetables. Leave the fish exposed. Roast for another 5 minutes. It should all be cooked by now, but do check that everything is soft. Mix in the Greek yoghurt.

I served this with beetroot raita (a grated, raw beetroot mixed with 3 tabs yoghurt and a tsp of cumin seeds) and a freshly cooked poppadum.

Tray-bake Trout Curry with Poppadom and Beetroot Raita

 

 

 



Stuffed Squid: A tasty, economical meal




Stuffed Squid ready to cook

I love squid, and fortunately Paul does too! Even my daughter Jess is gradually getting a taste for it. She prefers it cut into rings, in breadcrumbs or batter, deep-fried. This however is one of my favourite ways of serving it. Do try it, and I can assure you that it will not be tough and rubbery! You probably know that squid either needs to be cooked very quickly in a hot pan, or long and slow in a casserole, for at least 45 minutes. Anything in between and it will be as tough as old boots.

Squid stuffed with Spinach and Pinenuts, served with Roasted Vegetables and Tomatoes

Ready to cook in the above photo

Ingredients for 2 servings

6 squid

4oz Fresh Spinach

2oz Pine Nuts

1oz Chunky breadcrumbs (make your own from stale bread)

3 sun-dried tomatoes

1 fresh chilli

4 medium-sized new potatoes

1 courgette

Olive Oil

Stick of fresh rosemary

Half a 400g can of chopped tomatoes

Method

Slice the potatoes into chunky pieces – about 4 slices from each. Put in a small roasting tin. Drizzle with olive oil, add the rosemary stick and seasoning and roast for 20 minutes at 200 degrees. Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a small, dry, frying pan. Slice the deseeded chilli and cook for a few minutes in a little olive oil. Put the spinach in a colander and pour boiling water over it. This will wilt it. Mix the spinach, breadcrumbs, pine nuts, chillis and chopped, sun-dried tomatoes. Prepare the squid by pulling the legs out of the bodies. Make a small snip down the side of the body, about a quarter of the way down. Fill the bodies with the stuffing mixture and secure with  cocktail sticks. When the potatoes have roasted, add the courgette to the tin, sliced into chunky pieces. Roast for another 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a griddle pan until it is smoking. Add a small amount of olive oil and sear the squid bodies and tentacles for a couple of minutes each side.

Squid cooking on the Griddle

Remove the tin from the oven. Add the tomatoes, then put the squid bodies and tentacles on top. Cook for another 5 minutes in the oven.

This is a meal in itself, but if you are like me you might dollop a spoon of thick Greek yoghurt on the top!

Squid stuffed with Spinach and Pinenuts served with Roasted Vegetables and Tomatoes

Ali Sparkes – Inspirational Children’s Author


 

On Wednesday 11th October I met Ali Sparkes at the launch of the Berkshire Book Award.

In my previous existence I was a school librarian (cruelly made redundant from my last post!) and have in fact worked for over 20 years in the profession in school, college and public libraries. I am still a great advocate of children’s books and the value of libraries, so shall occasionally be writing related blog pieces and promoting authors.

I have heard many authors talk to pupils and adults over my many years of working as a professional librarian, but I have to say that this had to be the most enjoyable and inspirational to date. Ali engaged the pupils from the start by warming them up with some typical audience participation preparation. This was in the style of a radio show or a family pantomime. She had cards with appropriate words on to hold up, such as ‘Groan’ (for cheesy jokes), ‘Gasp’ and ‘Clap Loudly.’

She then started her presentation by taking us back to the 1970s with a magical whirly, whirly gadget! This beginning really engaged me, as I too was a child of the 1970s, so had to laugh at Ali’s tales of how life was then, with no mobile phones, television just suddenly stopping when there was nothing else to broadcast (I remember the Test Card fondly!) and the knowledge that if you went out with your friends, in all likelihood your parents would have no idea where you were or what time you might be home!  Her description of her school days was honest and heart-rending. Owing to some ‘modern thinking’ she failed to learn the alphabet properly and as a result was at one time the worst reader and writer in her school. She then discovered the library and had an inspirational art teacher who inspired and encouraged her. She discovered literature and the magic of stories through Enid Blyton and in particular, ‘Five go to Smuggler’s Top.’ Many of the pupils and staff listening were also great Enid Blyton fans.

Ali wrote her first series of books (inspired by Enid Blyton!) at about the age of 15. She showed us her illustrations for the book on the big screen. The plot revolved around Ali and her friends staying in a tent and having a lot of improbable adventures, with plenty of time for tea breaks. Cue for cheesy joke here and the use of the ‘Groan’ card – it was a very ‘intense’ story!
Ali also read other authors avidly, including Roald Dahl, Joan Aiken and L.M. Montgomery. She did send her cheesy tent story to a publisher but it was rejected. In fact, she had many rejection letters over the years – always remembering that J.K. Rowling was rejected by 12 publishers before finally being accepted – and this brutal honesty was both amusing and sad. You could see that the pupils really identified with her.

Over the years she worked for a local newspaper and the BBC, and finally had her first book published in 2006, with the help of an agent. This book was The Shapeshifters: Finding the Fox. One idea for a book which she has still not had published I thought was inspired – a noisy book called The Boy who said Plop with the added novelty of the reader being able to record their own ‘plop’ sound to use. Unfortunately this proved too expensive to be viable! She did have a mock-up of this book, and volunteer pupils from the schools were given the chance to try out the recording of the ‘plop’ sound.

In both the morning and afternoon sessions, pupils were keen to ask Ali questions. These included: ‘How much money do you earn from writing a book? (about 50p from a book costing £6.99 is the truth!), ‘Where do you get your inspiration from?’ and ‘How long does it take to write a book?’ (about 6 months on average).

I have to hold my hands up here and admit that, despite reading many books for teenagers and children, I had not managed to read a book by Ali Sparkes before now. I have immediately rectified the situation by buying a copy of Car-Jacked and had it signed. I am looking forward to reading this, and next on my list is Frozen in Time. This has a theme of going back to the 1950s with echoes of The Famous Five, so I just cannot wait to get started on it!

Of course at the end of the session, the Whirly Whirly gadget had to do its magic and bring us back to the 21st Century!

 

 

Corn and Bacon Chowder

 

This is a great lunch-time soup. You can make it vegetarian by leaving out the bacon, but I do love the salty touch of bacon in soup.

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 Corn Cobs – corn scraped off with a sharp knife

2 medium carrots – peeled and chopped/sliced (I cut into big diagonal slices)

1 stick of celery – chopped

1 onion – chopped roughly

Half a fennel bulb (optional)

2 medium potatoes – chopped roughly

1 chilli, deseeded and chopped (I always wear surgical gloves for this job or else I end up burning my skin!)

4 rashers back bacon – snipped with scissors into small pieces

3 tabs olive oil

small handful of mixed herbs – I used basil, parsley and coriander – chopped

For the Toppings

Half an avocado – roughly chopped

Half a dozen cherry tomatoes – quartered

Half a lemon or lime

2 tabs of thick Greek yoghurt or to taste

A handful of grated cheese eg cheddar

 

Method

Saute all of the vegetables and the chilli, but not the  corn. Soften for about ten minutes. Add two pints water, chicken stock or vegetable stock. If you only have water available then it is fine as long as you check your seasoning. Bring to the boil and season well with sea salt and freshly milled black pepper. Simmer gently, covered, for about 20 minutes. Check the seasoning.  Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a little more oil in  a small pan. Blitz the soup, but not fully, using a stick blender. I like it about half and half chunky and blended. You can do this easily with the stick blender in the pan, without having to remove any of the soup. Put the pan back on the heat and add the bacon, half of the herbs and the corn. I do not like pureed corn, which is why I add it later on, rather than risking blending it with the other vegetables. If it is not creamy enough, you can add a dollop of yoghurt or cream. Simmer for another five minutes to cook the corn.  Mix the tomatoes and avocado with the rest of the herbs, some lemon or lime juice and a splash of olive oil.

Serve the soup in bowls, letting your guests choose their own toppings. If you want to push the boat out and are extra hungry, you could also sprinkle over some tortilla chips.

 

 

Pot-Roast Spiced Chicken




 

 

Chicken ready to go into the oven

This is a recipe which I adapted from BBC Good Food Magazine, April 2017 issue. The original recipe is for Pot-Roast Bombay Chicken. I have changed it quite a bit, so give you my version below. My main changes were to add more vegetables for extra goodness, and to make my own spice paste. I also add Greek yoghurt, as I am addicted to it!

Serves about 4 People

1 Chicken weighing about 1.5kg or 3lbs

2 cloves garlic

2 fresh red chillis

small piece of ginger

2 tsp fennel seeds

2 tsp spice mix such as garam masala

2 tsp turmeric

1 tab fenugreek seeds

6 tabs full-fat Greek Yoghurt

4 tabs sunflower or other oil (not extra virgin olive oil)

2 onions – I used one red and one ordinary – cut into big chunks

3 carrots – cut into large chunks or slices

750g new potatoes – halved or cut into chunky slices

Half a cauliflower – broken into big florets

100g spinach

About 6 medium tomatoes – quartered

Fresh coriander – a handful

4 tabs dessicated coconut or a can of coconut milk

Method

You need a large roasting tin or a big casserole which will hold all your ingrdients with the vegetables around the chicken. Sear your vegetables in the hot tin/dish. Add the fenugreek seeds and some grated ginger. Meanwhile make a spice paste with the all of the spices apart from the fenugreek and just half of the ginger. I put them into a mini blender with 2 tabs yogurt and 2 tabs oil and blitz into a paste. Smear half of this over the chicken.  Boil some water and soak the coconut in about half a pint of water.

Remove the vegetables from the pan and sear the chicken on its own until nicely browned on both sides. Add the rest of the spice paste and put the vegetables back in the pan. Strain the coconut liquid over the vegetables and chicken, or pour in a can of cooconut milk. Season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the rest of the yoghurt and mix in. Add the tomatoes. Cook this uncovered in the oven at 200 degrees for 20 minutes, then lower the heat to 180 degrees and cook for a further hour or so, basting occasionally.  Check that the chicken is cooked by pulling a leg to see that it comes away easily.

Add the spinach to the tin and stir until it is wilted. Leave the chicken to rest for about 10 minutes. I put it onto a carving plate and kept the vegetables warm over a  low heat on the hob. Sprinkle the vegetables with some fresh coriander. Carve the chicken and serve with the vegetables and amazing gravy which will be in the tin.

Cooked Chicken ready to serve

 

 

My life in Colour – shall I choose the turquoise or pink outfit today?




 

I have never bought a tin of magnolia paint or any colour described as ‘white with a hint of…..’

The photo above is of Paul and me on our wedding day in 2004. The chocolate wedding cake by the way was made by our dear friend Julia Higgs. I was really pleased that Paul decided to go along with the purple theme, and he surprised me with this amazing shirt and white suit on the day. My own outfit was from Monsoon – for a second wedding I did not want to wear white, which for me has associations of purity and innocence, which did not seem appropriate!

I have always loved bright colours, not primary colours, but vivid shades of pink, yellow, turquoise and purple. It may be that I am compensating for being excessively shy as a child. Having bright colours in the home and in my wardrobe is always a talking point. We went to a party recently to celebrate a 50th birthday and to say farewell to dear friends Liz and James, who have gone to live in France – thanks for a great party Liz and James! My outfit attracted so many comments; who else would go to a party dressed like this?!

Sarah at Liz and James’ Party

It was lucky that I happened to have some sunglasses to match my flamingo dress! By the way, if anyone is interested, the dress is from https://ladyvlondon.com/  

I am thinking of getting the Domestic Goddess dress next, which has a design of domestic appliances!

Some people have commented that the colours of my clothes are quite similar to the colours in our home, and that I blend in really well. This cannot be denied! Below you see  pictures of some of the rooms in our house, and get the general idea.

Yellow Wall in Kitchen
Pink and Purple Stripy Armchair
Turquoise Sofa
Purple Sofa
Pink wall in Living Room with Os Guarda-Chuvas Canvas

I am particularly proud of the canvas in the above picture. It was made from a photo I took in Agueda in Portugal last year. I was so inspired by the Umbrella Sky Project there. I call it Os Guarda-Chuvas which is a litle joke of mine – the picture is my version of Renoir’s Les Parapluies.

It has been pointed out that the kitchen colour resembles very closely the colour that the Lady in the Van kept painting her van!

Here are some more of my outfits that I enjoy wearing to parties, all guaranteed to be an ice-breaker.

Sarah with a glass of champagne
Sarah and Hidden Bulb Cake

At the hotel on Burgh Island

Sarah with her tart

I have just realised that in the above picture, the kitchen walls are painted a different colour. I was seriously fed up with that colour, which was supposed to be terracotta but did not really have the right effect.

I buy most of my clothes nowadays from Joe Browns, and I have over the years bought Paul a variety of shirts from there too. The men’s shirts are just as loud and colourful as the women’s clothing. The one with the naked women design is particularly amusing.

If anyone is interested in getting my advice on clothing or interior design, you know where I am………….

 



Harvesting Apples and Pears




I am a keen gardener when it comes to growing food, but not always successful. Some years I spend weeks and weeks sowing and nurturing vegetable seeds, and then they either produce very few crops, or the whole lot is consumed by slugs. I have had success some years with beetroot, spinach, peas and courgettes, but have to admit that this year was a bit of wash-out.

This is why fruit trees can be so rewarding; you generally get very good crops for little or no labour at all. Of course the down-side is that there is an awful lot of fruit to deal with all at once. We are consistently getting good crops of apples from our three trees (Cox’s Orange Pippin, Ribston Pippin and Bramley) and this year we had 11lbs pears from the Doyenne du Comice tree.

In the picture above you can see me harvesting the pears in our garden. I have never tried storing apples and pears for use later in the season. In theory I know this should be possible by wrapping perfect fruit individually in newspaper and then putting them into a dry box. The box would then have to be stored in a cool, dry place. We have sheds which are damp and prone to infestation by bugs and larger creatures, so this storage option does not seem worth the risk for the amount of fruit that we have. We therefore enjoy fresh apples for as long as we can, and I cook as many dishes as I can from the rest of the fruit. We prefer our pears cooked, and the fruits in our garden never seem to reach that perfect ripeness which makes them worth eating raw.

Pear Harvest from Vine Cottage – 11lb Fruit

Below I show you some of the dishes that I have made from our harvest, with an indication of the source of the recipe. There are two recipes of my own, with a quick resume of my ingredients and method.

Pear and Cardamom Tart

This recipe is from the trusty BBC Good Food magazine, and includes a frangipane, one of my favourites, which works so well with both apples and pears. Using cardamom in sweet dishes may be new to some people, but it does work really well. My only change to this recipe was to slice and cook and cook the pears first, as there is no way they would have softened enough just cooking them in the tart without the pre-cooking. Obviously this depends on your pears. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1758664/pear-and-cardamom-tart

 

Apple and Pear Crumble with a Meringue Topping

It may seem odd to put a meringue topping on a crumble, but it is something my mother picked up from Fanny Craddock I believe! She used to make crumbles in this way when I was a child, particularly if we had egg whites lurking in the fridge (perfectly fresh of course!) The meringue makes the crumble a bit more squidgy, which is very pleasing.

New Jelly Strainer
Vine Cottage Pear Jelly
Vine Cottage Apple Jelly

I am a great fan of jellies, so treated myself to a new jelly strainer from Lakeland recently. It is quite a challenge to store in my small kitchen, but is well worth the bother. Before I had the jelly bag and stand, I was hanging a muslin bag from a cupboard door and in danger of causing damage to the cupboard (never mind the inconvenience of not being able to use the cupboard whilst jelly-making was in progress!)

Jelly is a great idea for using fruit which is too awkward to peel and cut into sensible shapes, for example crab apples. I also think it is the best way of using medlars and quinces. However, I love jelly so much that I tend to make some every year from whatever apples and pears I have not made into tarts and other dishes. If you have not tried it before, or only bought it from the shops, give it a go. I use jelly in all my gravies, and it is also very good with bread and cheese or a pork pie.  The recipe I use is based on one by Sarah Raven in her book Sarah Raven’s Garden Cookbook. Basically you need 450g sugar per 600ml of liquid, but do have a look at some recipes for more detail.

Pork Shoulder ready to slow-roast
Slow-roast Pork Shoulder with carrots, roast potatoes and Celeriac and Cavolo Nero Colcannon with Thyme and Bacon Crumb

This was last night’s dinner. The Colcannon recipe is from the BBC Good Food Magazine October issue. This would make a meal in itself, and could easily be vegetarian without the bacon.  Slow-roast or pulled pork may be very popular and on many restaurant menus, but that does not stop it from being an excellent dish. It also pervades the house with the most amazing aromas whilst it is cooking!

I did my own recipe last night. I do recommend a pork shoulder if you can get one, as it is cheaper than some other cuts. However, any pork roasting joint will be fine. Mine weighed just over a kilo and was enough meat for 4 people. As there were only 3 of us, we have left-overs. It is probably not worth slow-roasting a joint much smaller really.

I put the meat into a large roasting tin, and added some big chunks of apple and onion. I studded the meat with some rosemary stalks and bay leaves.  I then added about 300ml red wine to the tin and swilled out a dijon mustard jar, pouring the liquid over. I covered the dish with foil and cooked it at 150 degrees for 4 hours, addding some more wine after a couple of hours.  I then poured away the juices and put the meat back in the oven, uncovered, smeared with a little maple syrup. I turned the oven up to 200 degrees and roasted some potatoes at the same time. I made my gravy with the juices from the tin, adding some vegetable water, pear jelly and more red wine. I mashed in some of the apples and onions, and served the rest as a side dish.

I hope you too enjoy harvesting fruit from your garden if you are lucky enough to have some. If not, you can always make friends with someone who has excess fruit in their garden and would be glad to pass it onto someone else! Please share your recipes if you have any particular favourites.

 



Desert Island Cookery Writers

Being a fan of Radio 4 and a long-term listener to Desert Island Discs, I thought that it would be fun to list my all-time favourite cookery writers. This is not a list of books, but of the writers, as I’d find it so hard to choose one book by each writer.  In addition, please note that these are not in order of preference. as that would also be a hard choice to make. I have picked 8, as there are 8 tracks allowed on the Radio 4 desert island.

  1. Nigella Lawson – chosen because she is a cook rather than a chef and loves good, home-cooking. She is also not afraid to add her own twists to classic recipes. Her descriptive, chatty style also appeals to me, and the fact that many of her books are arranged by themes rather than traditionally separating out main courses, puddings and so on. In her new book, At my Table: A Celebration of Home Cooking, there are no chapters at all, although the last section is devoted to puddings and cakes.
  2. Nigel Slater – again he is a home cook rather than a chef and is a master of fast food with no compromises on ingredients or flavour.
  3. Jamie Oliver – his sheer enthuiasm and love of food is infectious. His recipes really work, and he really cares about the quality of food and the state of the nation’s diet. I own more of Jamie Oliver cookery books than I do of any other cookery writer.
  4. Delia Smith – I grew up cooking with Delia. At school, studying home economics, we used to watch videos in class of Delia’s Complete Cookery Course. She is not afraid to go right back to basics, but also has some really innovative recipes.
  5. Rick Stein – a couple of years ago I went on a half day course at Rick Stein’s Cookery School. I love fish, which is how I first came to Rick, but in recent years I have really enjoyed his themed books based around his global travels. He is of course a chef rather than a cook, but his recipes are still good for the home cook.
  6. Madhur Jaffrey – years ago, Madhur was one of the few writers I came across writing recipes for genuine Indian food. I have always been a fan of spices and even 20 years ago I had given up on curry powder and have always ground my own spices.
  7. Sophie Grigson – another writer who uses fresh, seasonal produce. My particular favourite is Sophie Grigson’s Country Kitchen, which takes the reader through the seasons with suggestions for use of ingredients. They are recipes you actually want to make, rather than just read.
  8. Yotam Ottolenghi – I love Middle-Eastern food, so could not manage without Yotam. I particularly love his imaginative vegetarian recipes. Many people have commented that his recipes use far too many ingredients, or ones that are difficult to come by. This is not my experience, and is perhaps a reflection of what I typically keep in my storecupboard!