Today we stumbled across a beautifully kept allotment. We were in Kensington Gardens and had been to see the installation of Anish Kapoor’s work near the Serpentine that opens on the 28th of September. It’s going to be beautiful exhibition Mr James and I are huge fans and we will go for sure. On the way back we saw a sign for The Kensington Garden Allotment. Inside was a stunning set of raised beds packed full of autumnal delights. We could hardly believe our eyes at the size of the huge Savoy cabbages and the perfectly formed squashes nestled away safely under the leaves. Happy hens doing the rounds in their pen and busy bees getting ready to nest for Winter. Inspired we then dashed to Marylebone farmers market to buy an onion squash which is my favourite as you can eat the delicious skins. Wash and chop in wedges following the natural seam of the squash. Discard the seeds (or wash and roast them if you fancy a tasty topping on a salad) , dress in a light olive oil and season well. Pop it into the oven on a fairly high heat with crushed garlic and some hard herbs like sage or rosemary and bake until soft - don’t over cook or you will have mash. Use it as a side with a stew, make a soup or rustle up a warm salad with goat cheese and red onion. We will throw it into a lemon and chilli risotto later for our supper with a spoon of soft curd cheese in the middle.
Monthly Archives: September 2010
Super Natural by Studio Toogood (and wild mushrooms).
Today we headed west to see Faye Toogood’s installation at The Garage, North Terrace in SW3 entitled Super Natural as part of the London Design Festival www.londondesignfestival.com. We had been tipped off by our “interiors” expert Kate Monckton that this is a “must see”, not only from a design perspective but also from a food angle. How could we resist? On entering the space there are a series of barrows piled high with all sorts of foraged mushrooms all for eating and all from the New Forest in Hampshire. The stand is overseen by Mrs Tee www.wildmushrooms.co.uk who is not only the owner but tells us she was imprisoned back in 2003 for stealing (now called foraging) mushrooms from the New Forest. She was tried and found guilty, however the law is still complicated around where you can and where you can’t gather wild food depending on who owns the land http://www.wildmanwildfood.co.uk. We thanked her for her sacrifice and bought some delicious looking Beef Steak mushrooms and a Cep for our supper. As you walk into the main studio, daylight floods in to showcase the main event which is a fantastic collection of binocular cases, old bones that have inspired a set of door handles and hangers, a range of contemporary furniture crafted from sycamore, brass and stone and beautiful mobiles hanging from the ceiling made from the same materials. In the corner is a busy stand called Bramble Cafe installed by La Fromagerie and is serving teas and coffees and mushrooms on toast. We had a chat with Faye who turns out to be a fan of Melrose and Morgan and had breakfast at at our Gloucester Avenue branch on her wedding day! So if you’re looking for some visual stimulation and some great food head down to The Garage @ North Terrace off Brompton Road for 1 week only.
Spice up your Vinegars
Flavoured Vinegars are simple to make by steeping soft fruits, herbs and spices in vinegar. Try to use vinegars like cider, white wine or rice vinegars avoiding the harsher vinegars like malt vinegar. You can heat the vinegars to extract flavour or simply leave to steep for a number of days until you are happy with the flavour. Pass the mixture through a jelly bag and discard the flavourings. You can sweeten the vinegars if you like by adding sugar or honey to taste. Use on salads, grilled goats cheese, perk up a sauce or a stock, diluted they can make a great refreshing cold drink in the summer or a soother in the winter months served warm. Our Autumn flavours are Victoria Plumb and Ginger or Black current and Sage.