I follow the A5 north from Staples Corner in London to reach the Shropshire Union Canal, a watery spinal cord up the centre of England from Birmingham to the Staffordshire potteries. From there I rent a narrowboat, from Countrywide Cruisers in the pretty village of Brewood (pronounced brood). This canal trip, lasting a week, is…
Food
Discover Basilicata in Southern Italy
Basilicata, formerly known as Lucania, persists as one of the lesser known Italian regions. For the visitor, this is an advantage: it’s cheaper, there are less tourists, the people are friendlier. You have everything in this region: mountains, countryside, historic cities, archeological sites, palazzos, forests, two coasts – the white sandy beach facing the Ionian…
Apple blossom tart recipe
I did two versions of this. Both looked and tasted great, but the cinnamon apple blossom was spectacular, like a healthy cinnamon roll. Ideally you will possess a mandolin. If you don’t, please buy one. It will make you look like a pro in the kitchen in so many ways; from finely cut slices of…
Apples and Pears/SA fruit supper club
Why do we import apples and pears from South Africa? Because British apples and pears, that have been stored over winter, have now run out. There are no more British apples and pears until late summer. Out of season, the fruit is shipped, not flown, from South Africa, so it has a low carbon footprint….
Fresh pasta for springtime
We think of Italy as the land of pasta and tomato sauce. However pasta was a feast day dish, requiring time and many hands, until industrialised dried pasta was invented, which transformed it into an easy, readily available ingredient. Tomato sauce, likewise, is a recent habit- 19th century. Discovered in Central America, and exported to…
Paisley vegan
Popped up to Paisley in Scotland for the food and drink festival which now features a vegan section. Paisley is famous for the ‘paisley’ pattern, a decorative woven teardrop, known in Persian as a ‘boteh’. The local museum is closed for refurbishment until 2022, but the brief history is that 19th century soldiers, returning from…
Wasabi farm, Winchester
Last winter, I met farmer David Turton of the Wasabi Company just outside of Winchester. This area has been famous for watercress – which has similar growing requirements to Japanese horseradish, known as wasabi, the small pea-green mound next to the salmon-pink pickled ginger when you order sushi. The Wasabi company has moved from watercress…
Margot Bakery: Queen of sourdough
I’ve known Michelle Eshkeri for almost a decade now. We fell out for a bit. It was stupid, and I missed her. She’s always been at the forefront of food trends and can talk knowledgeably about the subject. I also like talking to her about her conversion to Judaism, which took place a decade ago,…
Caceres, Extremadura
The old quarter of Caceres is one of the settings for the Game of Thones TV series. A renaissance web of cobbled squares, narrow lanes, an ancient archway, the filmmakers would have had to change very little, perhaps cover a few modern street signs, to convey a fantasy medieval town. It is a pity that…
Picota cherry blossom season in the Jerte Valley in Spain
We associate cherry blossom or ‘sakura’ with Japan, but the Jerte Valley in Extremadura, Spain, has its own glorious display in March and April. The Jerte Valley is mostly planted with Picota cherries, an unusual stemless cultivar specific to this valley. The blossom is white rather than pink; when the wind blows, the valley ‘snows’…