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Food and drink in Alentejo, Portugal

November 26, 2013 10 Comments Filed Under: Food, Recipes, Uncategorized

alentejo, pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
alentejo, pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
Starshine over Alentejo

A ‘dark skies’ area, the comet Ison can be seen from the clear skies of the Alentejo, high-tailing it past Venus. Alentejo is not where most tourists head when they go to Portugal; the bright coast of the Algarve or the windy hills of Lisbon, humming with Fado, tends to be the ticket. But for the food lover, Alentejo, south of Lisbon, inland, is the destination.

alentejo, pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover

I’m on a press trip with the usual flotsam and jetsam crew of bloggers catching some winter rays. We arrived last night and our guide explained how to recognise Manueline architecture, pointed out a carob tree, and took us to a pasteleria in Beja that makes Portuguese custard tarts with cream (most use milk) as well as other historic recipes developed by frustrated nuns forced into convents.* 

The desserts and pastries tend to be similar: egg yolk is a strong theme ingredient-wise. I’m shocked to discover the baker throws away the whites, around 1, 500 each day. I’m half-minded to set up a meringue shop next to her. Can’t bear waste. The Portuguese aren’t fans of meringues, she explains. The nuns used the egg whites to starch their habits, and in wine making. 

The waiter at the monastery hotel restaurant where we stay, asks me if I want brinjal to eat. 

Brinjal? Is that aubergine? 

The hindi word for Brinjal sounds the same in the Alentejo dialect ‘beringela’. You can see the Portuguese influence around the globe, still throbbing faintly after all these centuries. 

Portugal’s peak, in monetary terms and as a world power, was in the 15th and 16th centuries and things have sorta gone downhill from there. The Portuguese kings sponsored exploratory trips around the world, they discovered India, Macao, Brazil, Angola, and were the earliest trading partners with Japan. The Portuguese had the best ships, the smartest navigators, the choiciest trade routes. Portugal, the most westerly country in Europe, down the coast from Finisterre (the end of the world) looked out over the vast Atlantic Ocean every single day, wondering, dreaming, planning, calculating. The ships brought back wealth: spices, gold, silver, new plants, new animals. This nautical culture is celebrated in the details in the Manueline buildings; ropes carved from stone, bas reliefs of knots and astrolabs, compasses, constellations and stars.

Portugal is an older nation than Spain which was divided into mini-countries (Castilla, Galicia, Leon, Catalunia, Valencia) and was not unified with one language. Some say it still isn’t. Near the long Spanish/Portugese border, the Spanish speak a blended dialect. The Portugese language remains frustratingly difficult to decipher, even for a Spanish speaker, a running cord of szzzsh sounds, more Slavic than Latin.

Today Portugal is one of the poorest countries in Europe, while her younger richer fatter sister, Brazil, part of the BRIC set (Brazil, Russia, India, China) is booming. And within Portugal, Alentejo is a poor, dry region, with high unemployment. Which is possibly a good thing because nobody has had the money to fuck it up. 

The tourist will find shiny white cobbled villages with dashes of duck blue and butter yellow paint, castles teetering on hilltops, monasteries and nunneries, connected by tunnels, with babies bones turning to dust underneath, converted to cathedral-sized hotels. The houses are tiled on the outside, like ornate bathrooms, turned inside out. 

Today we visited Joana Roque and her daughters, who run a home bakery, a faggoty-flamed fire in her wood burning convex oven. She makes 40 sourdough loaves a day. She used to make thousands per week, but the local Portuguese prefer to buy bread from a supermarket. Fools. The bread is baked in front of us, a slow bake of one hour, I ask the temperature of the oven. She shrugs. Who knows? It works.

When it is shovelled out of the oven on a worn wooden peel, she cuts it into hunks, pours olive oil and brown sugar over it. The heat of the bread melts the sugar, while the olive oil knocks back the sweetness. It is divine. To be repeated at home.

Her daughter plucks pomegranates from the tree in the back yard, chickens squawk, bitter oranges tumble from branches, the sun streams through the beaded curtain. Joana rests her feet, her rosy swollen ankles in need of a rest. At 76, baking is very physical. Visit her house in Vidigueira.

home bakery, alentejo, pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
Joana and her daughter kneading and preparing the bread
home bakery, alentejo, pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
Baking the bread in the oven in her living room.
home bakery, alentejo, pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
Joana Roque’s home bakery. This man is frustrated because she hasn’t got the special book to write a receipt for the bread he has bought. In Portugal if you are caught driving between cities without a bit of paper to prove that you paid tax on your purchase, you can be fined. Even for a micro-business like this.
home bakery, alentejo, pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
Bread, sugar and olive oil

Olive oil is good for you. Astronauts drink it before going on a flight because it is helpful against radioactivity.We do an olive oil tasting in Moura. How you do it is this: a small amount is poured into a dark glass and a glass saucer is placed on top. You must not judge olive oil by the colour. Unlike wine, olive oil does not age. The newer the better. You warm the dark blue glass in your palms, so that the oil will soften and release odour. Remove the glass saucer. Take a big sniff. What do you get? Is there fruit? Is there spice? Is there mould? Then you taste, sucking it through your teeth. We taste three. Olive oil tastings have a maximum of 6 or 7 in a session. Wine tasters can do 40 different wines right off the bat. We feel the differing levels of greenness, of pepper hitting the throat, we are alert for any signs of rancid. Most farmers don’t know how to taste, explains our guide. It’s only recently that olive oil has become good, before it suffered from fermentation, but people are used to a ‘fusty’ taste. The difference between olive oil, virgin olive oil and extra virgin is that extra virgin must be without fault. Not a hint of fermentation. Extra virgin means very young. 

olive oil tasting. , alentejo, pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmiteloverolive oil tasting. , alentejo, pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
The olive oil tasting at Moura, where they have an olive oil museum.
olive oil tasting. , alentejo, pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
Olive oil tasting at Herdade do Esporao

Alentejo has become fashionable with people from Lisbon as a weekend retreat. In the last decade it has turned over the land to growing wine; small bespoke vinyards using Port grapes blended with more traditional varieties. The whites I have tasted are bright and minerally, the reds are weighty, with blackberry notes and liquorice and mint.

An artificial lake was built in 2002, making Alentejo fertile and wine production has increased. I spoke to the winemaker & owner of Herdade do Sobrosa, Felipe Teixera Pinto (a Julio Iglesias lookalike but even more handsome) about his wines. Portuguese wines sell well in Brazil and more recently to Angola, he told me. We are selling also to China, but they want French wines, the Chinese think in terms of brand not taste.

You can’t buy any other nationality wines in France, I mentioned.

It’s the same here, we don’t buy French wines in Portugal, shrugged Felipe. We don’t sell that many in the UK, the taxes are so high.

I heard this from several wine makers in the Alentejo region. So much for European solidarity, successive UK governments use wine, because it’s nice, and because they want to punish and deprive us of anything nice in our lives, as a excuse to skin us. A good bottle of Portuguese wine, costing perhaps 5 euros, would cost more than £20 in the UK.

vineyard,, alentejo, pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
The autumn vines at Encostas de Estremoz after picking
, alentejo, pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
The romantic Herdade do Sobroso
, alentejo, pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
Watching mass on the TV while tasting wines at Encostas de Estremoz.
Three things I’ve noticed about the Alentejo region:


1) They don’t put locks on toilet doors

2) They don’t put salt and pepper on the table.

3) They really love ornate lampshades and lamps.

Sunvil holidays sponsored this trip, they specialise in selecting unique places to stay. The herdade do Sobroso, just outside Vidigueira (herdade means ‘homestead’) was one of my favourites, roomy fireplaces, candlelit bathtubs, family style meals, Penny Royal (a popular herb in the region) liqueurs by the chimney. Cosy intimate luxury.

 alentejo, pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
Piri piri peppers on pegs. The Piri piri chilli pepper has had an interesting journey, from American to Portugal and then to Africa. This is the chilli they use in Nandos sauces.

convento do espinheiro,, alentejo, pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover

 Another grand hotel, Convento Do Espinheiro, an ex monastery near Evora, they even have their own private church

Monsaraz cafe, alentejo, pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover

 A cafe at the hill-top village of Monsaraz

castle,  alentejo, pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover

 Another hill top castle which we visited at sunset. We could see Spain from there.

cheese,, alentejo, pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover

 Sheep and goat’s cheese are more common than cows cheese, due to lack of pasture

 , alentejo, pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover

A curtained doorway in Monsaraz

kitchen,, alentejo, pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
Portuguese kitchen, women chefs. They made this sweet pepper dish with garlic which was so delicious
Evora,, alentejo, pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover

 In Evora, the roman temple was filled in during the 14th century. It’s now been restored. Evora stems from the latin for ‘Yew’ tree, as is York in the UK.

sheepskin slippers , alentejo, pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover

 Sheepskin slippers are cheap, I got a pair for 14 euros. These will be my ‘computer’ shoes this winter.

monsaraz, , alentejo, pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover

 The cobbled village of Monsaraz

 , alentejo, pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
Wild asparagus for sale
dead birds. , alentejo, pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
Birds on a wire
Giant pumpkins , alentejo, pic: Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover
Squash wintering on a wall
If you want to visit the Alentejo region, check out these sites:
Sunvil Discovery (www.sunvil.co.uk), Alentejo Promotion Office (www.visitalentejo.pt/en) and TAP Portugal (www.flytap.com).

*We always think that it was the ultimate punishment ‘Get thee to a nunnery’. But some women joined nunneries because it was the only way they could be independent, run their own lives and not get married. It’s true however that many families who couldn’t afford to spend a fortune on their daughter’s dowries, found it was cheaper to place them in a nunnery, although they still had to contribute money to the church for their keep.

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Comments

  1. Zia

    November 26, 2013 at 5:35 pm

    Incredibly beautiful pictures –

    Reply
    • Kerstin Rodgers

      November 26, 2013 at 8:25 pm

      Thank you Zia x

      Reply
  2. stickyfingers

    November 27, 2013 at 1:52 pm

    Kerstin, I absolutely loved this blog – brought wonderful memories of the absolute joy of the lovely Alentejo region back to me a good twelve years after I last visited. Beautiful, beautiful – I MUST get back there soon – people are so wonderful, food is amazing, the wild flowers, the cork trees, the bulls, the arid beauty. Heaven.

    Reply
    • Kerstin Rodgers

      November 27, 2013 at 3:25 pm

      I would like to spend more time there, in a more leisurely fashion. It's always hard being on a group trip, with people who aren't interested in the same things. The cork trees! I'm going to write another post talking about the cork.
      Thanks for your comment Emma

      Reply
  3. Mario

    November 27, 2013 at 3:46 pm

    Nice article, but for the sake of accuracy, I must point out that Brazil is nowhere near richer than Portugal. Although it's booming and Portugal is in crisis mode, Portugal is by far richer (GDP) and way more developed than its former colony (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)_per_capita).

    Reply
  4. Kerstin Rodgers

    November 27, 2013 at 6:17 pm

    Thanks Mario for your interesting comment. I spent 3 months in Brazil in the late 80s and even then I was stunned at how rich it was in terms of infrastructure. Obviously there is a huge divide between rich and poor there. I also spent time in Salvador da bahia and the Sertao. But I thought that Brazil was even richer now? In terms of Europe, Portugal is one of the poorest countries I believe.

    Reply
  5. Mario

    November 28, 2013 at 10:47 am

    Yes, Kerstin, Portugal is a poor country when compared to the rest of Western Europe. It's the poorest in the region (perhaps not any more with the situation in Greece…). But it's a mistake to say it's one of the poorest in the continent. All of Eastern Europe is much poorer and less developed (Georgia, Armenia, Latvia, Estonia, Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, Croatia, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro…)

    Brazil has pockets of immense wealth, São Paulo is a major world business city, etc., but the country as a whole is "developing". It's also a rich country in terms of resources, but it's still a poor country. A large part of it, including in major cities like Rio and São Paulo's favelas is third world-like. The minimum wage is around 210 euros per month. The rich are very rich but they are a small minority. The middle class is growing, but facts are facts: saying that Brazil is richer than Portugal is absolutely incorrect. Not only is Portugal a richer, more developed country, it's much more so.

    I only point this out for the sake of accuracy because poor or rich, every country has its own kind of wealth, and as you pointed out in your post, even the poorer part of Portugal, the Alentejo, has its charms and little treasures.

    Reply
  6. Anonymous

    November 28, 2013 at 4:31 pm

    Oh for a bread oven in my living room. Really lovely post, Kerstin – I'm going to try that bread/olive oil/sugar combination as soon as my next loaf of sourdough is baked.

    Reply
    • Kerstin Rodgers

      November 28, 2013 at 5:19 pm

      Thanks Michelle. I know how fab is that oven. My parents had an old cottage in France in my childhood and we had an oven like that attached to the fireplace. We never used it though, we didn't know how to.

      Reply
  7. John McCulloch

    December 22, 2013 at 1:38 am

    What a lovely post, brings me good memories of Portugal when I was there. As an Anglo-Brazilian living in Brazil, I am very fond of Portugal. I felt incredibly at home in Portugal due to the shared heritage between Portugal and Brazil, everything seemed so familiar. Mario is right in saying that Brazil is poorer than Portugal. I live here and have so for most of my life. Not only are we poorer, but Brazil is now NOT booming, contrary to what the media is putting out. Our government is criplingly corrupt, violence is rife, education is pathetic and access to health is severely limited. Don`t let the propaganda fool you. Brazilians are fed up with the injustice and principally, by all the opportunities missed by the govenment to ameliorate life for Brazilians. Yet somehow, in spite of our predicaments and appaling circumstances, we carry on as we can with as much patience and good humour as we may afford. The truth is that Brazil has always been neglected. By the Portuguese when they ruled, and then by the Brazilian elite after independence from Portugal (we then became an empire ruled by the decendents of the Portuguese Royal Family for 67 years almost until the 20th century). Proclamation of the republic made things worse, as only in Brazil could the monarchy have been overthrown for being too liberal! We have unfortunately inherited a 16th century colonialist mindset in which the riches of this vast land are seen as plunder by the few civil servants who happen to be in power. Sorry about the rant! Love your blog, and I hold on to a small pot of Marmite (we can`t get it in Brazil) which I sparingly and cerimoniously use as a treat on special days on toast until some saint brings me one more dose from a trip to England. Thanks for bringing me English and European culture every week!

    Reply

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MsMarmiteLover aka Kerstin Rodgers.

Chef, photographer, author, journalist, blogger. Pioneer of the supperclub movement.

This is my food and travel blog, with recipes, reviews and travel stories. I also stray into politics, feminism, gardening.

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Kerstin Rodgers/MsMarmiteLover
Got the sewing machine out last night and hemmed t Got the sewing machine out last night and hemmed the top of these toile de jouey curtains in my summer house shed. The days are lengthening a little which brightens up my mood. Self care= trying to get up and washed. Trying to leave the house once a day. Keeping my hands busy. Finding small ways to be creative. #coronaloner #sewingmachine #curtains #shedsofinstagram #sheshed #springiscoming #supperclub #stayingsane #selfcare #lockdown3
Pasta aglio olio. I’m turning into a vampire. I Pasta aglio olio. I’m turning into a vampire. I get up later and later every day. I’m living in a twilight world- dim skies, getting nothing done. Next week it’s my birthday and every year I’m at my lowest ebb just before my birthday. Lockdown on your own is tough. My motivation, my mojo has disappeared. #lockdown3 #coronaloner #pastadinner #nofilter #january2021 #januarychallenge #selfemployedwomen #single #aquarius #0degrees
On the heath on Sunday. Must. Walk. More. #coronal On the heath on Sunday. Must. Walk. More. #coronaloner
Tonight’s lockdown dinner with my bubble. Proper Tonight’s lockdown dinner with my bubble. Proper pesto alla genovese with trofie, small boiled salad potatoes, steamed green beans (good tip: steam the beans in a colander plopped on top of the potatoes or pasta), good quality pesto sauce ( mine from local microbakery @seansloaf ), good olive oil (@pomoragoodfood), torn fresh basil, a few pine nuts. This turns this student dish into a balanced meal of carbs, veg and a little protein.  It’s cold outside, I’ve lit the fire. Covid rages in Kilburn high road in north west london. The rate is 1 in 30 london wide but I feel it’s higher in this poor inner london area. We have a high BAME population who are particularly vulnerable. It’s a little bit anarchic on my high street: cars perched on kerbs waiting for hijabi women, braving pound shops and Aldi . We are all covered up now. In winter masks keep your face warm, but you have a choice between safety and being able to see. I’ve not managed to prevent the inevitable steaming up of my glasses when wearing a mask. Nothing works.  #january #londonwinter #pestopasta #pestoallagenovese #vegetarian #pasta #trofie #supperclub #covid_19 #lockdownlife #lockdown3 #bubblegang
Galette des Rois, made yesterday in 12th night. Mi Galette des Rois, made yesterday in 12th night. Minus Crown and king as I cannot find either. This one is made with Tonka bean. Plus homemade puff pastry (well worth the effort). According to ike delorenzo at The Atlantic:  The tonka bean, a flat, wrinkled legume from South America with an outsize flavor that the US government has declared illegal. Nonetheless, it proliferates on elite American menus. The tiniest shavings erupt in a Broceliande of transporting, mystical aromas.
The taste of the tonka bean is linked strongly to its scent. "Scents," I should say, as the tonka bean has many at once. I register the aromas of vanilla, cherry, almond, and something spicy—a bit like cinnamon. When served cold—say, in tonka bean ice cream—the taste is like a vanilla caramel with dark honey. When warm, perhaps shaved over scallops, it moves toward spiced vanilla. Additionally, the aroma of the tonka bean shavings (it's almost always shaved) is so affecting that it seems like an actual taste in the way that opium, which has no taste in the traditional sense, "tastes" like its rich, flowery smoke.  Here is the recipe: 

Tonka bean galette des rois

Serves 8
Ingredients
* 140 g caster sugar
* 125 g salted butter, softened
* 100 g ground almonds
* 2 eggs, medium
* 1 tonka bean, grated
* 2 packs ready made butter puff pastry on a roll
* 1 yolk for brushing the pastry
Instructions
* Preheat your oven to 200c.

* Blend the butter with the sugar then add the almonds. Make sure it’s well mixed. Add in the 2 eggs one at a time, then add the tonka bean.

* If using a block: divide the puff pastry into two and roll out to 5mm thick. 
* Make two circles about 15 cm’s each in diameter. Lay one circle on a silicone mat/parchment paper on a baking tray and fill with the almond cream leaving a 3 cm border around the edge. 
* Paint the border with the egg yolk. Then lay the other circle on top, sealing the edges with a fork. 
* You could then carve designs into the top. Make a little slit in the middle to let steam escape then brush the top with the egg yolk
Mapo tofu is probably my favourite Sichuan dish. T Mapo tofu is probably my favourite Sichuan dish. This is a vegan version. ***

Ingredients:
- 400 g box of soft tofu not silken
- 5 soaked dried shiitake mushrooms, diced, keep water
- 1 red bell pepper, finely sliced
- 400 g fresh shiitake mushroom, sliced thinly
- 400 ml vegetable stock
- 1 thumb fresh ginger, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 4 tbsps groundnut or vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp fermented bean paste
- 1 or 2 small red chillies, minced or a spoonful of Chinese chilli paste
- 1 tsp heaped sichuan peppercorns, finely ground
- 2 tbsps soy or tamari sauce
- 2 tbsp cornflour in 3 tbsps water, mixed into a slurry
- 4 spring onions, finely sliced
- large pinch fresh coriander leaves

Prepare the tofu by cutting it into one inch cubes and soaking it in hot but not boiling salted water. Drain after 15 minutes.
Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms, covering them in boiling water. Leave until soft, then dice the mushrooms. Retain the mushroom soaking water and add to the vegetable stock water.
Prepare the other ingredients so they are ready to stir-fry: red bell pepper, fresh mushrooms, ginger, garlic.

Using a wok or deep frying pan, add the oil and heat to frying temperature. Add the bell peppers,fry for a couple of minutes, then add fermented bean paste, chilli paste or chillies, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sichuan pepper.
Add the mushroom/vegetable broth and simmer on high for a couple of minutes.
Carefully add the cubes of tofu, taking care not to break them too much.
Add the cornflour slurry, stirring for a couple of minutes.
Serve with rice or noodles, garnishing with spring onions or chives and or coriander leaves.  #veganuary #mapotofu #sichuanfood #tofu  #shitakemushrooms #supperclub #londonchef #msmarmitelover #ham&highcolumn #eatplants #lockdown3 #selfisolation #coronaloner #cooking #recipe #cookingfromscratch
Macaroni cheese with odds and sods from the Christ Macaroni cheese with odds and sods from the Christmas leftover cheese board. I’ve used @paxtonscheese truffled brillat-savarin and a mystery hard cheese that’s lost its label. Plus cream and topped it with samphire fried in butter. Haven’t bothered with making a roux- this is the lockdown lazy version.  #lockdownlazy #lockdown3 #supperclub #macandcheese #macaronicheese #truffledcheese #leftovers #leftovercheeseboard #londonlockdown #breakfast #coronaloner
Another thing the Japanese are brilliant at is san Another thing the Japanese are brilliant at is sandwiches. They use the softest, whitest, fluffiest bread. Their mayonnaise kewpie is gorgeous I don’t know why. Perhaps someone here can explain? Here I’ve used sourdough as it’s what I have; kosho which is a Yuzu citrus and green chilli condiment and the aforesaid kewpie Mayo to make an egg 🥚 sandwich.  I’m not a big egg fan but I suddenly had the urge. Also I’ve noticed when I eat eggs it satiates my hunger for hours. All that protein.  #sandwich #sandwiches #japanesesandwich #kewpiemayo #kosho #eggsandwich #sourdough #supperclub #cookingforone #solo #londonlife #lockdownlondon #recipe #snack #sundaysnack #sando
Agedashi tofu for New Year’s Day. With a vegan d Agedashi tofu for New Year’s Day. With a vegan dashi stock, it’s perfect for veganuary. How to make dashi: put a piece of kombu seaweed in water. Soak for half an hour then simmer for half an hour (don’t let it boil). Then mix 2 cups of dashi with 2 tbsps of mirin and 2 of soy sauce.  For the tofu: press soft tofu with weights for half an hour, then cut into cubes. Dust all over with cornflour.  Then deep fry the tofu cubes in 180C veg oil until they float. Set aside to drain, then place say 3 cubes in small bowl. Pour the sauce around and top with spring onion and daikon and togarashi 7 spice.  #easypeasyvegan #veganuary #agedashitofu #tofu #japaneseveganrecipe #newyearsday #freshstart #supperclub #londonsupperclub #msmarmitelover #visforvegan #recipe
Writing about tofu which I think has an unfair rep Writing about tofu which I think has an unfair reputation in this country. It’s so flexible and is a brilliant flavour sponge. Here I’m preparing my soft tofu for a Japanese dish: agedashi tofu. I first pressed it in a clean tea towel with a weight on top to firm it up a bit but not too much. Then I dusted it with cornflour and I will deep fry it in oil. Then I will serve it in a broth of dashi/mirin and tamari sauce, sprinkled with finely chopped spring onions and togarashi pepper from Japan. I would usually add some finely mandolined daikon radish but couldn’t find any. It’s a subtle dish of texture: soft yet crispy. After Christmas I’m desperate for light zingy fresh flavoured food. #supperclub #tofu #vegan #vegetarian #agedashitofu #newyearsday #cookingagain #lunch #asian #japanesefood
Happy new year from my bubble to yours! Keep holdi Happy new year from my bubble to yours! Keep holding on...
#happynewyear #happynewyear2021 #supperclub #hootenanny
Some of my Christmas food 🥘 lots of veg includi Some of my Christmas food 🥘 lots of veg including mashed swede with cheese and butter. I put pomegranate seeds with my sprouts, and cooked my carrots in marmalade ( worked v well), the mushroom wreath fell apart as I was transferring it to a tray 😤, roast potatoes and parsnips, then a cheese spread with fruit nuts, quince cheese (homemade), Chocs @lindtuk 😍 @guylian_uk @disaronno_official @baileysofficial @taylorsportwine and Brazil nuts. Plus a pavlova wreath ready to be topped with whipped cream and persimmons. 
#christmasdinner #vegetarianchristmas #vegetarianchristmasdinner #supperclub #londonchristmas #liqueurs #christmasspread #grazing #cheeseboard #port #pavlova
Christmas has started! Home-cured smoked beetroot Christmas has started!  Home-cured smoked beetroot and aquavit salmon with homemade blinis, creme fraiche, dill, Prosecco.  The fire is lit 🔥, the tree is up, 🎄the presents 🎁 are wrapped, we have a #brexit deal- a Christmas miracle. Peace and harmony. #christmas #christmasinengland #homemade #christmaseve #blinis #smokedsalmon #prosecco🍾 #londonchristmas
Done some doorscaping, the latest trend in Christm Done some doorscaping, the latest trend in Christmas decorating. It might also cheer up passersby. #christmas #christmasdecor #doorscaping #doorsofinstagram #londonchristmas #doorwreath #doordecor #doorsoftheworld #doordecoration #exteriors #london #supperclub #covidchristmas
Look at my gorgeous Nordic pine Christmas tree 🎄 from @pinesandneedles with some family ornaments and beautiful foodie ornaments from @gisela_graham  it’s 7 foot high and no drop. My parents brought over the candle lights. I’ve also used paper ornaments (apples and pears cut from maps) from @dionne_leonard which I first commissioned for a supper club.  #christmas #christmastree #christmasdecor #foodiedecorations #glassbaubles #supperclub #christmasinlondon
More #fbmarketplacefinds I find meeting the seller More #fbmarketplacefinds I find meeting the sellers interesting. It’s often about moving on whether through death, a change of circumstances, moving country, loss of a job. Today I visited a gorgeously renovated Edwardian house where the owners, an antique dealer & a master decorator had died with 18 months of each other of cancer.  The sister was there emptying the house, an incredibly painful experience. The husband who died was an expert in putting up lincrusta wallpaper which I’ve pictured here. All that craftsmanship and knowledge lost now.  The piece I got on Sunday, the teal chinoiserie cabinet, was from a Spanish guy returning to Spain. He’d lost his job as a hotel manager, the hotel, a big one, has now closed. The marble coffee table and arepas grill was from a Spanish couple who’d had a restaurant here for 40 years. They are now returning to Spain. Other slides: green Edwardian fireplace tiles, William Morris wallpaper, 2 small scalloped coffee tables, a knife and fork cutlery hook set.  A fireplace for my bedroom if I can find someone to put it in. #lockdownstories #covidstories #movingon #decor #interiors #bargains #secondhandstyle #edwardianstyle #williammorris #tiles #wallpaper #scallopededge #teal #chinoiserie #whitemarble #vintage #kitchenalia #supperclubrefurb #london #lincrustawallpaper
Another #fbmarketplace find £30. I can’t afford Another #fbmarketplace find £30. I can’t afford proper chinoiserie so I make do with fakes. The gradual doing up of my flat proceeds apace. Need to start on main bedroom. Looking for a storage ottoman (velvet?) bench to turn into a horizontal filing cabinet.  Any ideas? Above is a map of london based on the A to Z map which a minicab office was tossing out. Remember when we all carried mini A to Z books in our handbags? Before google maps? #nocrushedvelvet #chinoiserie #supperclubrefurb #londonapartment #londonflat #norfweezy #decor #organising #storage #interiors
My new/old rise and fall light over the dining tab My new/old rise and fall light over the dining table. Found for £50 on #fbmarketplace  but originally from @thefrenchhouse.net_ one of my favourite shops. Every day, a little more progress. #supperclubrefurb #supperclub #londonflat #interiors #lighting #riseandfalllights #lightingisimportant #frenchstyle #vintagestyle #rusticstyle #turquoise #diningtabledecor
Two vegetarian meal kits, laksa and ramen, from @k Two vegetarian meal kits, laksa and ramen, from @kit.eats.uk. Took only a couple of minutes to cook(see stories) and very good. I’m trying a few meal kits of late to see how hospitality has adapted to the great reset. As a cook I’ve always thought why would I need these but now I get it: it’s like going to a restaurant- the pleasure of food prepared by someone else. Getting jolted off of your normal repertoire, so it’s teaching cooking too.  #mealkits #vegetarian #homecooked #hospitality #covid #takeawayfood #foodpackaging #laksa #ramen #supperclubchef
Still working on my glass cupboard. I’ve hung up Still working on my glass cupboard. I’ve hung up all my wine bottle openers and cork screws. My favourite is the zigzag bottom left. If you find them at a flea market in France, if you are lucky you may get it for around 35 euros.  #supperclub #londonflat #londoninteriors #corkscrews #frenchkitchenalia #zigzag #tirebouchon #oakcupboard #diy #diyprojects
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