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We were discussing my slightly obscure taste in fragrance last night, which does tend to often include those that to some smell like an ashtray. I have an absolute passion for Tobacco Vanille by Tom Ford, but can be found sniffing the original Dolce & Gabbana for Men with it’s leather and cigar smoke notes. And then there’s Feuilles de Tabac from Miller Harris…

Smoked olive oil from The Organic Smokehouse

Anyway, this addiction transfers across to food too (in fact everything except actually smoking, which I am not at all keen on), so this is my list of Valentine’s Day gifts for those foodies with a love of good smoky flavours!

* Starting with something fairly mild on the smoke front, how about a whole smoked chicken from Upton Smokery? Bathed in aromatic smoke and slow cooked, this would make a great meal, hot or cold. Plus wrapping up a whole chicken has got to have some great comedy value.

* Upgrade the extra virgin olive oil experience, with organic smoked olive oil from The Organic Smokehouse. This would make for a whole new flavour experience whether it’s mixed into a salad dressing, or just for dipping great bread into (I would think it would work really well with a good sourdough).

* For a great accompaniment to that olive oil, then how about Smoked Sea Salt from Halen Môn? Infused with smoke from Welsh oak, this has an almost sweet edge to it, like many tobaccos, and will give the foodie hours of pleasure in working out how to best make use of the unique flavour.

* Not really new news, but the tobacco truffles from Artisan du Chocolat are one of the most creative food uses of the tobacco flavour around. You can order them online, just make sure that you fill in the comments to specially request them. They have to be tried at least once in a lifetime.

* If you want to really push the boat out, then London Fine Foods offer a Smoked Hamper which has everything from smoked salmon and eel through to smoked duck and pigeon. Certainly plenty of smokiness to go at, although not for the vegetarian!

* If this flavour thing is bordering on an obsession, then how about learning how to smoke your own things? With

Benromach Peat Smoke

a day course in Cumbria they could learn to smoke cheese, meats and vegetables, looking at both hot and cold smoking, as well as brining. Plenty of hands on experience, not to mention eating and goodies to take home.

* For a smoke filled finish, then how about Benromach Peat Smoke Batch 2 Whisky? According to the tasting notes, this has a seriously smoky character, being complex, intense and challenging, and yet well balanced (so, that’s where I went wrong with my men, missed the last bit out! ) And if you like a splash of water, this will bring out treacle toffee and creamy notes. Sounds delicious. Now, if only I liked whisky!

There’s a fabulous article on cooking with tobacco in the first edition of Fire and Knives, and a subscription to that should be every foodies gift wish list. If they are inspired, and if your local tobacco merchants is a thing of the past, then try James Barber for a great selection of loose tobacco online. Just stick to smoky flavours, rather than taking up the evil weed!

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What trends does your crystal ball show?

It’s coming round to that time of year when everyone and his dog has the crystal ball out to look at the year ahead and tries to work out what will be up, down, in or out in the year ahead. I did this last year for food, and can’t believe it’s that time again.

This year though it feels much harder to read the year ahead. Last year the only thing that seemed certain was that it was going to be tough, which would probably drive hunkering down kind of behaviour: making do and mend, doing it ourselves, food for free. And 2010? Less certain, but here goes with my thoughts:

1. More of the same. Not an economist, but it feels like, from an average person’s point of view, that it could continue to get tougher this year. We’ve saved the bankers, but the rest of us might continue to pay and feel the fall out. So I think we’ll continue to rediscover homemade skills, or refined the ones we picked up last year. Homemade jam and chutney will continue to grow, the joy of homemade bread to go along with it could grow. The dream of self sufficiency may be pursued, but many may find how unsustainable that is without a lot of work, and quite a lot of land. But doing a bit is better than doing nothing at all.

2. No economist, and certainly no political commentator, but it feels like a change is likely to come with the election we will have before the end of May. And if we have a shift to the right, maybe there will be a slightly more nationalistic approach to cooking. I think there has already been a resurgence in interest in traditional British cooking across all regions, but perhaps 2010 will see us exploring even more. It may also be a slight nostalgia, and a slight fear, of time passing by ever more quickly, and of things being lost. I loved the Quaking Pudding at the Hinds Head in Bray, and that Sussex Pond Pudding was on the menu too. More of this I think.

3. With Istanbul being European Capital of Culture for 2010, I would expect to see a surge of interest in Turkish food. Really interesting though looking at the official site that food is not immediately obvious as part of the events. How can food not be involved in culture? Some of us would argue that food and eating are at the very heart of culture. Responsible Travel have a great cooking tour of Istanbul, that has you cooking lunch and dinner along with other culinary visits. Sounds like a good starting place, as it’s just 4 days. Want to try it at home first? I could be tempted by The Sultan’s Kitchen as a starting point, but maybe the year will see a plethora of new launches around the subject.

4. In the usual cycle of trends, it’s normally around 20 years till something is trendy again. Which would give us the Nineties. Annoying Budweiser adverts, the advent of the Diet Coke break. Although it did bring the genius of the John West salmon ad. It was the start of the next phase of supermarket domination with the first Tesco Metro opening in Covent Garden in 1992, but also the arrival of Lidl and Aldi. And the rapid rise of pre-packed salads. Not much good. Throw out the trend cycle I say and get sowing your own salad. Kids love this, most of us have room for something, and nothing tastes better than freshly picked leaves. I’ll be working my way through Seeds of Italy’s finest, or go the lazy but effective route and choose the Salad Garden from Rocket Gardens and they’ll deliver little plants already to go.

So four possibilities from my Mystic Meg crystal ball. I am sure other than that that those of us who love food will continue to do so, and continue to explore the best, tastiest, most sustainable, local ways to getting great dishes to the table.

Here’s to the year ahead! Happy eating!

Fabulous photograph by Richard Lamb Photography

What trends does your crystal ball show?

Back in January I wrote a post on what I thought would be the big trends in food, and it’s interesting to look back and see whether any of it came to pass, whether the crystal ball gazing was any good! Here goes:

1. A return to home-made goodies – I think we can safely say this one really took hold over the year, with just about everyone seeming to be busy making jam and cakes. The Tefal Electric Jam Maker seemed to be the upmarket gizmo to help everyone take part in the jam making bonanza, but you were just as likely to find us raiding hedgerows and recycling old jars into new jams.  A Lakeland or John Lewis bag became the new It bag.  Allotment gluts were turned into all manner of jams, pickles, relishes and chutney. We may all have enough for the year ahead! But I reckon this one will run for a bit longer yet!

2. We’d all be feeling very nostalgic – I think recession always makes us nostalgic, and there’s been lots of different examples. The whole M&S 125 year anniversary has seen us looking at designs from the 50s, which has actually ended up looking very fresh now. Nostalgic sweets have apparently seen massive sales growth, as we all craved small treats, ditching expensive artisan chocolate (at least occasionally) for the delights of fizzy cola bottles and sherbet pips. There was even a campaign to stop them changing the packaging of Sherbet Fountains. And the endless march of the cupcakes feeds into the same trend. Will it continue? Maybe, or maybe we will move into a more future looking phase of new cooking.

3. We’ll be be shopping local and real – I am hoping this is a continuing trend, and I think there are signs that it will. The ever-growing number of farmer’s markets, local food festivals, a general rise of interest in great food…all of these good signs that we can begin to really get behind British food, and hopefully take a chink out of the dominance of the big boys in the food chain.

4. It’ll all be about the food – My take on this was that this possibly wasn’t going to be the year of molecular gastrononmy, smears and foams, as we’d all be too busy chowing down on shepherd’s pie and treacle tart. I’m not sure. I think comfort food, nursery food, real British food has been huge, but sous vide seems to have really come to the forefront during the course of the year. I think it may still count as being all about the food though, as the method really maintains the integrity of the ingredients. We had roast beef at the Hinds Head at Bray the other week that was cooked this way, and it was fabulous. Yet to go very mainstream, but 2010 may be the year it does. We’ll see.

5. Good honest kit – it was going to be about investing in one really good piece of kit that would last, rather than buying lots of stuff that doesn’t get used much or that is cheap and cheerful but that breaks really quickly. I think that’s why things like the KitchenAid mixer and Mason Cash mixing bowls have been really popular, things that will really stand the test of time.

So, I think it wasn’t a bad piece of fortune telling on the food front. If only I was this good at predicting lottery numbers. Big question, aside from Saturday’s numbers, is what food trends lie ahead for us foodies in 2010?

Fabulous photo by Richard Lamb Photography.

If you spot a quince, grab it!

I had moments of pure envy this week! Thomasina Miers was tweeting that she was experimenting with quince, poaching them with vanilla pods, and then making them into a custard. Which all sounded delicious, but there’s been no sniff of a quince around here yet!

And I have such a hankering to try to make quince cheese, that Spanish delicacy known as membrillo, as there’s a piece of Manchego just winged its way into the fridge direct from Best Foodie Friend’s recent trip to Spain. I’ve never tried making it before, but have tucked into it quite a few times (a particularly good example served up at Iberico in Nottingham, always worth a lunch stop).

If I spot some, then I am buying as many as I can afford as soon as I see them. And I’m inspired by the quince jelly recipe over on The Cottage Smallholder. If you want something different, then have a try of some of the quince recipes over on Historic Food, or just read them as it’s fascinating!

Supply of quinces seems to be a bit hit and miss though, so the only way to really be guaranteed a crop each season is either adopt someone with a tree, or grow one yourself. Trees Online have a number of varieties on offer and not knowing anything else about them I would start with a Champion Quince Tree. Although may just find it has a high opinion of itself!

This option would mean a very long wait for Membrillo though, so I am tempted to order some from Bellota at Food Full Stop. If it’s for someone else, you could go the full hog (no pun intended) and order their gourmet selection which includes a whole host of other goodies such as Jamón de Trevélez, Salchichon Ibérico and Chorizo Ibérico, as well as the membrillo.

Quince photo by erix! on Flickr.

More jam, less Jerusalem

It’s one of those big events in our village today: the annual horticultural show. Oh yes, there are still horticultural and village shows going strong, and there has been competitive pumkin and bean growing going on for months. No tales of sabotage yet but still time for that to surface!

As well as veg and fruit growing, not to mention the fresh flower arrangement inspired by a film title, there are all the culinary classes too. So for today’s Saturday session here’s a recipe recommendation from some of my favourite blogs and sites for each of the classes:

1. Jar of Jam – tip here, nothing exotic ever wins. Or perhaps that should read nothing exotic of mine ever wins. Really I think what you want is a classic raspberry, possibly strawberry. But if you wanted to push it just that little bit further, but still keep it sounding classically British sounding, then I would go for the Blackberry & Apple jam that’s featured on The Cottage Smallholder. Like a little jar of autumn in a jar. Although it rather depends on when your show is theough, as this isn’t going to work for early summer!

2. Jar of Lemon Curd – hard to make this one distinctive, so it’s all going to come down to quality ingredients. Looking at the recipe on Gastronomy Domine, Liz Upton recommends American Meyer or Sicilian lemons if you can track them down. Failing that I would suggest you need unwaxed organic lemons, and the best eggs you can find.

3. Jar of Marmalade – no fruit specified, but I think you can guarantee at our show there is currently little point in entering lime, lemon or even ginger and kumquat marmalade, no matter how delicious! You preferably have to have been organised during the short Seville season and laid away a jar or two ready for the big day. Not from a blog but my favourite food writer, Nigel Slater, shared his recipe for Seville orange marmalade earlier this year, so I’d happily give that a go.

4. A jar of chutney – I’m not sure of the technical difference between a pickle and a chutney, they would seem to be one and the same to me. If only for the very beautiful colour I imagine it goes, then I would try the Beetroot Chutney from Allotment Growing. That said, quite partial to the taste of beetroot too!

5. Fruit cake – so many possibilities, from the light tea bread type to a full on well matured Christmas cake. With no specification, I would think most people would go tea bread type. Which might give you an advantage if you went moist and well matured. Who knows? The judging of these things are a thing of mystery. I rather like this Treacle Fruit Cake recipe from Celt Net, which feels traditional but with a twist.

6. Six savoury vol au vents – seriously, did anyone ever make vol au vents? I mean even if you were going to serve them, you bought the frozen ready made cases, right? And as even Nigella buys ready made puff pastry, then surely not a single one will be made from scratch? I would be tempted to do the full on nostalgia and attempt the mushroom and chicken my mum always made, which always seemed to involve a tin of Campbells’ condensed mushroom soup. Surely the only way to approach this class is with irony?

If you really want serious award winning stuff, then I would guess you couldn’t go far wrong by following the recipes of the WI. There are books on preserves, bread and even tarts! That should keep you in rosettes for a while!

There's a glut about

Well, not quite, but tonight’s dinner challenge is a different use of courgettes with every course because, like many of you who might grow your own, there’s a courgette glut still on.

I have to admit to not being the biggest fan of the courgette, but I’m coming around. I think it’s too many years of it being served up wet and soggy, either on is own or in some awful bastardisation of ratatouille. More rat than touille I always thought. But I think tonight’s three ways might be about as far away from that as you can get.

Firstly, we’ll be starting with Courgette Hummus, from the Gastrokid cookbook and as featured in last Sunday’s Observer. Sadly, it’ll probably only use up a max of 2 courgettes as there are only 7 of us. Doesn’t sound like you can go too far wrong with this combination of flavours though, what with all the parsley, basil, lemon juice and olive oil. It may just prove to be a way to get more veg into kids, rather than contributing anything distinctive on the flavour front, but it does look a very pretty shade of green. I shall reserve judgement.

Main course is somewhat easier, as there’ll be grilled courgette. This is the way to serve courgettes to non believers, as it is with many veg. Roasting or grilling really brings out a different side to the flavours, slightly sweeter plus that slight smokiness. Of course, chucking good olive oil and rock salt on helps a lot as well!

And for dessert, I’m going the obvious route, which is Flora’s Famous Courgette Cake out of How to be a Domestic Goddess. Although being slightly undomestic goddess like, I will not be whipping up a lime curd this afternoon, although it is worth doing when time allows. If you’re not convinced by the sound of the cake, check out Mouthfuls of Heaven’s report from when she gave it a go.

Whatever is left from the glut I’m thinking of grating and freezing for going into cakes and soups over the winter. Unless anyone has any other interesting recipes for me to give a go? Go on, let me in on your courgette secrets! From A Forkful of Spaghetti comes the delightful sounding courgette pickle, so that’s a good start!

Photo by Indigo Goat.

Show us the honey!

For ages, Dr T has been on about keeping bees. Personally, I just think he wants to wander around in all the kit, but last week he made me sit in front of the news and said “See!”

Of course I knew the bees were disappearing, it was on Doctor Who for heavens sake! And if David Tennant is worried about the bees, I’m perfectly prepared to worry about them too. And now those nice people who made keeping hens easy with the Eglu have done it again with the Beehaus. Not quite your traditional view of a hive, but apparently makes it much easier to keep the bees, and to keep them healthy. They’ll even deliver bees to you as well. Although not, one would imagine, by Royal Mail.

If you want to read why we need the bees, then I suggest A World Without Bees by Alison Benjamin and  Brian McCallum. I feel like I’m reading this, as snippets get read out on a regular basis. You could also try Self-Sufficiency Beekeeping, which covers all the basics, so you can get a feel for whether or not this might be for you.

But before you even think of buying the hive, I would suggest you go on a course, as this is one skill I don’t think you should learn from a book.  The British Beekeepers Association has a list of courses around the country, so it’s worth checking out.  Buying a hive is certainly going to be a very unusual foodie gift, and I expect to see these Beehaus’ cropping up on trendy foodie couples wedding gift list before too long!

If you don’t want to go the whole hog, and just want to perhaps encourage the bees a bit, then try Crocus for wildflowers that bees love, as well as little nesting homes for them. I think I may have my bees muddled up, between honey and bumble, but all bees are good in my book. Which is more than you can say for wasps.

And if we ever get our own honey, I’m going to see if I can make something similar to this peach, apricot and Corsican honey jam. Sounds yum!

Blow me, after this morning’s post on preserving stuff, they were talking jam on the Chris Evan’s show as I drove home. Jam is the new rock’n'roll, with more of us giving it a go. They interviewed Fraser Doherty, the man behind Superjam, who started the company when he was just 18 with his gran’s recipe, about why jam is cool again. Not sure he knew either, my guess is the rise in grow your own, and also a comfort thing.

It also mentioned that the best selling thing at Lakeland is the Tefal Electric Jam Maker. I think I’m being told something, it must be Kismet. Going to have another look at it, before Dr T’s plums are ripe and ready for jamming.

Why do you think jam making is on the up?

One of the things that struck me in France was that there were still lots of preserved things on the shelves (and I’m not talking about Bardot), not just in the jam aisle. Although the jam aisle was definitely crammed with interesting flavours that you don’t necessarily get here.

Preserving certainly fits in with the grow your own, credit crunch vibe, and really allows you to extend the season of your hard grown produce. So, here’s a round up of my five choices to preserving your best:

1. The Good Housekeeping Complete Book of Home Preserving – this is my go to book on the subject, and is practically a family heirloom as Dr T inherited it from his gran, and now I have it. Covers everything from jams to chutney, bottling to drying and smoking, if you want a primer for preserving this is it. My original copy show a price of £8.50, Amazon Marketplace sellers have it from £11.59, which is not enough to tempt me to sell!

Mes Confitures by Christine Ferber

2. Mes Confitures: The Jams & Jellies of Christine Ferber – I guarantee you did not know there were so many jam flavour combinations in the world! Everytime I open this book I want to make another one! Organised by season so you can make the most of what’s around, the recipes and photographs are wondeful. A definite keeper.

3. Keeping the Harvest - one for all the allotment owners, I think this is an update really to the first book, with similar subject matter, although doesn’t cover meat products.

4. Preserved by Johnny Acton and Nick Sandler – new out in paperback, this is a very attractive book with great photography and covers a wide variety of preserving methods, including making your own sausages and salami (assuming you have a pig to preserve). There’s also a useful guide to building your own smokehouse. In case the fancy takes you.

5. WI Book of Preserves – of course we know there’s more to the Women’s Institute than jam and jerusalem, but if you don’t think there’s more to jam than the WI then this is the book for you!

Now all you need is a trip to John Lewis or Lakeland for supplies, a bountiful harvest, and you’re all set. Hopefully like your jam.

Whenever you want to moan about the state of British retailing, then go visit a branch of Lakeland. Of course, I am old enough to remember when they were Lakeland Plastics, but they are about so much more these days. But one thing that remains is the terribly nice, mainly ladies, who work there.

The Tefal Electric Jam Maker - easy jam making for the easily distracted

I went in there today, in the pouring rain, to find a very nice lady handing out plastic bags for umbrellas. Lovely.

I then found more things for making jams and preserving things than I thought existed. I restrained myself from buying the Tefal Electric Jam Maker, although I understand it takes the stress out of jam making. Or, in my case, remembering to stir it regularly so not to burn the sugar on the bottom.

I did finally buy an easy-fill jam funnel to make entry into jars much easier, not to mention less messy. I resisted all the twee jam covers though. Which is possibly why my jam is always passed over at the Horticultural Show, due to it being in a recycled pickled onions jar.

I remember the time I had bought a jelly straining kit from them, only to find it had,in error,  no straining bag. And I had a pan full of boiling elderberries on the stove waiting to be strained. The lady on the helpline was very helpful, and laughed with me as I considered what I was going to strain with whilst awaiting the replacement she was sending me (M&S 15 denier as it happens).

So if you ever find yourself in need of an extra bit of kitchen kit, some unusual foodstuffs or just generally stuff you’d never thought about, then Lakeland is the place. It’s also one of the best sources of gifts for foodies that I know of. Not posh, but definitely useful! And such lovely people!