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I love being a mum, and I love my food. Which probably makes me easy to buy for on Mother’s Day. And it has meant that Dr T has never fallen into the trap of Olay and L’Oreal Mother’s Day advertising (trust me, she’s worth so much more, and no mum wants anti-wrinkle cream. Ever).

Here’s some ideas for gifts for the food and drink loving mum, to show her just how worth it she is!

Fabulous chocolates from Rococo

* There’s got to be fizz, and make it interesting. TheDrinkShop has a great selection, in every shade and to suit every budget, and if you’re going to be super generous then check out Wine Hound. You have to buy a whole case, but could mix wine and champagne, and they have some from more unusual houses in Champagne. And even if mum doesn’t do alcohol, The Alcohol Free Shop offers some very good alternatives.

* Of course chocolates are traditional, but they don’t have to be old-fashioned. I love the packaging and unusual flavour combinations from Rococo, like the dark chocolate and violet. I adore the fabulously vibrant packaging from Prestat, a long established house with anything but an old fashioned look and feel to it. Have a look at the Marc de Champagne Truffle Collection. Want to go swanky? Check out Melt, which I would say was perfect true foodie territory. How about salted feuillantines or olive caramel bon bons?

* Mum got a savoury tooth, not sweet? How about a cheese gift from Pong? There is a luxury gift box for her, which is the sort of thing I normally avoid, but this is a great collection. Mum can feast on St Eadburgha, Reblochon, organic Cotswold Blue Brie from Simon Weaver and Golden Cross. Add in some fabulous crackers and maybe even some good chutney, and that’s supper sorted out on Mother’s Day!

* For green fingered, grow your own mums, how about a fruit tree? Tree 2 My Door offer some great self-pollinating ones, from apples, to something more unusual like mulberry. Or maybe treat her to something to inspire her growing, like tickets to the Chelsea Flower Show.

So, break out a bit from the norm and make mum’s day!

There are very vague signs of Spring: mornings are lighter, if I slink off sharpish it’s still light when I leave work, and there are some small green shoots in the garden.

Green shoots are coming!

And in the kitchen all sorts of things change for me. I know that it’s Spring when I start reaching for Bill Granger cookbooks and put away Delia’s Winter Collection. I start craving different things to eat, lots of South East Asian, lots of lighter stuff. What else might be going on?

1. The casserole might be heading back into the cupboard, and the wok might be heading out more permanently. Quick, easy and full of fresh flavours!

2. The grow your own foodies will be busy prepping their fruit and veg plots, as well as working out what seeds to order in. I am really keen on Seeds of Italy, and there are some really unusual varieties of tomatoes and basil, as well as things like spelt and garlic chives. I told Dr T he should be chitting potatoes, but his hearing is not so good and he went a bit pale. If you’re not great with seeds, then order in seedlings ready to go in the ground. I like Sarah Raven and Thompson and Morgan, and I won’t tell your more green fingered friends if you don’t!

3. The pancake loving foodie will be dusting off their crepe pan ready for Shrove Tuesday. The less well co-ordinated will be looking at their ceiling and worrying. The really inept amongst us might choose an electric crepe maker!

4. The globe trotting foodie will be lured around the world to track down a huge variety of flavours. They were probably in San Francisco yesterday at the Crab Festival, and next weekend they could be at Menton in the South of France for the Lemon Festival. And you could head anywhere with a Chinatown next weekend ready for Chinese New Year.

5. Those of us with just Oyster cards will be enjoying a Parisian experience in W1, by heading to Pierre Herme’s instore patisserie at Selfridges for some truly magnificent macaroons. These are exquisite looking, and taste as good as they look. If you want to try recreating them, his book is only avaiable in French through Amazon France, although I can recommend a read of the experiences over on the He Eats blog. I particularly want to give the Salted Caramel and Apple ones a go.

So, even if more snow comes, just hang on in there, the Spring is on it’s way along with all the bounty that will bring.

Interesting shot of shoots by sciondriver over on Flickr.

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Getting planning your home grown goodies!

Lets face it, it appears we are in the worse winter since God was a boy and sent us the last Ice Age. Which means we don’t have to feel remotely guilty about not setting foot out of doors. Personally, this is the time of year I like to spend curled up with the seed and plant catalogues, full of good intentions of all the things I am going to grow.

Regardless of how much space you have, you can grow something, and it will taste better than lots of stuff you can buy. There’s nothing like leaning out the conservatory window to pick some rosemary that goes straight into the kitchen. I can think of no shorter supply chain!

You can either buy seeds, plants and kits for the foodie in your life, or just order in the catalogues and let them make some choices. Here’s where I’m looking for some inspiration this season:

1. Seeds of Italy is new to me, and I want to grow loads of stuff from here. Given that we have 3 raised beds and a patio, I shall have to be strict! There is an amazing choice of varieties of tomato though, and I really do like the look of the Costoluto Fiorentino and the Yellow Pear Shaped. Something to keep even the most experience vegetable grower interested and trying something new!

2. Sarah Raven has lovely things, although not necessarily the cheapest. If your foodie is new to growing their own, then the Beginner’s Garden Veg Collectionis a great gift for a beginner, as it says on the tin. Looks very pretty, and useful seeds like french beans, lettuce and parsley. For the more advance, there are things like Beetroot “Burpees Golden” and Courgette Trombomcino (yes, it does look like a trombone, kind of) not to mention edible flowers. If you’ve got mini gourmets to buy for, then also worth taking a look at the Easy Veg for Children kit.

3. If you want to grow unusual, heritage varieties, then the Heritage Seed Library is a perfect choice. You have to become a member, and you get to grow up to 6 varieties a year. It’ll certainly give you something different to show at the horticultural show, not to mention benefit from tastes that have all but disappeared. Membership is just £20 for the year, definitely an unusual but useful foodie present.

4. Lets not dismiss Thompson & Morgan just because you can get them in every garden centre. They are big on research, and are big on seeds and plants for small spaces. Check out the vegetable pouch collection, which allows you to grow things like salad leaves and runner beans in a pouch hanging on a wall. Only got patio space? They have varieties for you to be able to grow everything from blueberries to cucumber, not to mention some patio veg planters.

5. I’m not brilliant with growing from seed, with last summer being my most successful. If you really want the lazy route, or a brilliant gift, then check out Rocket Gardens, who will send you little plants all ready to go in the ground. They offer everything from patio container and window box versions, through to a full Mediterranean vegetable garden. You can order and give the vouchers any time of the year, and the plants will be sent when the time is right for planting. You do have to plant them yourself and tend for them, but this is lazy gardening that should lead to great and tasty results!

So, get snuggled up in front of the fire, get your graph paper and coloured pens out and all the seed catalogues, virtual or otherwise, and put these cold nights to good foodie use!

Shot of great looking raised beds by greengardenvienna on Flickr.

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

I’ve written quite a few posts on the Christmas gifts on offer from some of the High Street, so I think it’s time to have a look at a source for more unusual and unique gift options. Not On the High Street was a welcome addition to the online shopping world a couple of years ago, and it’s one of my regular and favourite shopping haunts online. Here’s my roundup of my favourites in the foodie department this year:

Perfect baubles for the foodie Christmas tree

1. For those who enjoy their wine, and have a bit of wall space, and also because it’s the last variation I want to see on this theme, then I would choose the “Save Water, Drink Wine” framed print. Like the sentiment, and I think it would be an attractive addition to any kitchen, or wine cellar, wall.

2. For the foodie Christmas tree, how about some foodie baubles? Choose from a mince pie, a Christmas pudding or a slice of Christmas cake. Look beautiful, and not a single calorie between them!

3. For those who want to rustle up a little Venetian glamour on Christmas morning, how about the Bellini Box Hamper?Beautifully presented, they’ll get a bottle of Prosecco and one of peach nectar, all ready to whip up a perfect Bellini before the last present is unwrapped.

4. For the slackers who might need a hint around all the post Christmas lunch washing up, then I love this teatowel. Truly a gift that does keep nagging! A great stocking filler for anyone.

5. For those dreaming of a gourmet life in France, or at least a day trip, then I would treat them to A Day in Provence . A delightful mix of terrines, olive pastes, chocolate and nougat, this will really summon up the tastes of the region, although sadly not eaten in the region. Unless you want to be really generous and send them there as a really big gift.

The gift that keeps on nagging

Hamper

6. Perhaps their gourmet dreams lie slightly further South, in which case you need to buy them the Artisan Selection from Nudo. A fabulous selection of first cold press extra virgin olive oil, plus two flavoured oils, artichoke hearts and capers, all of which will allow you to summon up some great Italian dishes. If you want to go the whole hog, you can even adopt one of the olive trees.

7. For the grow-their-own, green fingered type, then how about a personalised allotment notebook. Cute illustration on the front, this will be good for them to work out what they have got planted where, when it will be ready for harvest and when they might need to call on the local veg box delivery to supplement things!

8. For newly wed foodies spending their first married Christmas together, then I love the very sweet aprons from Alice Palace. The Mr & Mrs Apron can be personalised with any surname, and can be Mr and Mr, or Mrs and Mrs, depending on your friends really.

9. Have a little chocolate fun with a solitaire dish with a difference. You can use Maltesers or olives if you’re feeling healthy, but it certainly beats marbles!

So, you’ll definitely find some gifts with a difference here, and also know that you’re supporting small businesses and artists around the UK. That’s a gift worth giving!

Crack your nuts in style

I love it when the Cox & Cox catalogue arrives, particularly now the Christmas one is here. Looking at it with a specific task of finding something for someone who adores food and everything associated with it is not difficult. It might be the only gift you give them that has no actual food involved! Here’s my choices:

1. For the home bakers and cookie queens, I would check out their cookie cutters. By Christmas Day it may be too late to give the festive ones, or it could be useful for next year. There are festive snowflakes, ones to make a cookie Christmas tree and also a great jigsaw piece cutter. If they are very artistic then they may like the gingerbread house cutters.

2. For home loving cooks with open fires I suggest the extending toasting fork. Can there be anything better than toasting a crumpet by the fire? Useful for use around the campfire too, when summer comes back around!

3. For those who love their nuts, then how about a fabulous chestnut roasting pan? Or crack their nuts in style with a cute but functional squirrel nutcracker. And for a bit of nut innovation, check out the walnut key which makes opening them an absolute breeze.

4. For lovers of liquid refreshments, I love the very stylish silver plated wine cooler. This looks incredibly beautiful and tasteful, as well as being expensive looking but without the price tag. A good edition, or for foodies who have taken the pledge, then the matching water jug is also very beautiful.

5. For the smallholders and keen gardeners with fruit trees, then the five drawer apple rack is perfect for keeping the fruit in great condition throughout the winter. You could also keep potatoes or onions in it, it’s beautifully made and sure you will find space for it somewhere.

6. For foodies with a love of the great outdoors, I would choose the “invaluable” picnic knife. As long as you don’t subscribe to the Japanese traditions, where you would never give a knife, it signifies the cutting of ties. If you’re confident in your ties, then this knife is perfect, particularly as it has an inbuilt corkscrew. Everything a perfect picnic needs!

If you’ve not got to know Cox & Cox before now, then Christmas is a perfect time to start. These are unusual things that you won’t find on every high street, offering something a little more unique for your loved ones.

On loving eggs and chickens

During course of some rigourous research for the blog yesterday (i.e. driving to the station listening to Terry Wogan) that this is British Egg Week. I love these different weeks and days and I love that we have one devoted to eggs.

I adore eggs, mainly because they are so amazingly versatile. Maybe it’s because I’m a big fan of a proper breakfast, I love decent scrambled eggs (not made in the microwave, they should not be allowed to call microwaved eggs scrambled), to add to great bacon and black pudding. Or with some smoked salmon stirred through and put on a bagel.

You can’t love eggs though and not care about the chickens. So of course I am sure you are already looking for free range, and preferably organic eggs. Of course, you could go a step further and keep your own chickens. Now, I don’t wish to make sweeping judgements, but those of you in towns and cities will probably love an Eglu. It’s easy to look after and they send the chickens too.

We live out in the countryside, so there are plenty of chickens but no Eglus. Tacked together coops and true free-ranging, there are as likely to be chickens from the Battery Hen Rescue people as half a dozen Buff Orpingtons running around. If you want some help, there are some good one day courses around. As you might expect, there is All About Chickens at River Cottage, which is everything from rearing and buying to eating them. The people behind the Eglu also do courses, and you can see the Eglu in operation.

If you want some inspiration on what to do with all the eggs, then there are some great titles devoted to them! There’s the simply titled Eggs by Michel Roux to the epically titled Eggs: 150 Fabulous Recipes – The Definitive Cook’s Guide to Egg Cooking, Shown in More Than 800 Stunning Step-by-step Photographs to Guide and Inspire. Phew!

And if you’re going to care this much about eggs and chicken, then please think about supporting the Chicken Out campaign. It might have gone out of the news a bit, but the campaign goes on, and is now being stepped up to the next level as they campaign to raise £100,000 to improve the life of all chickens.

So, go to work on an egg, but think about the working conditions of the chickens!

Photo of the chicken man is by Kevinpoh on Flickr.

Training future gourmets

If you’ve read a few of my posts,  you’ll have spotted the appearance of Mini Gourmet Girl. MGG is a food lover in training, who would name her favourite food as mussels (marinieres, possibly grilled, but not barbecued), chicken pie and Chinese (read chicken chow mein). Which is not bad going for 7.

I know it’s a cliche, but she’s never had a McDonalds burger or a chicken nugget. She knows the sheep we kept is now the lamb we’re eating, and what to bring back when I send her out to the garden to pick any of number of herbs. She’s a dab hand at cake decorating, and is also happy chopping up veg.

And yes, we eat out reasonably regularly. Which is why I was depressed to read in the recent issue of Nottinghamshire Flavoursthat a number of local restaurants wouldn’t accept diners under the age of 18. Or that that led them to only recommend Pizza Express or Ask. Talk about shame on the restaurateurs though, but to be fair I have never been turned away from anywhere with MGG, and she’s had some darn good meals.

I’ve got nothing at all against Pizza Express, we will often use our local one, but it’s just I think kids should have wide range of experiences. I would think (well-behaved) children would be most welcome in most Indian, Chinese, Thai and Italian restaurants, but equally I know the same would apply to World Service in Nottingham.

I think the secret lies in getting them young, and getting them involved in cooking, and growing food, as well as exposing them to lots of different food experiences. For any mini gourmet girls or boys, I’d treat them to any of the following to get them underway:

1. The River Cottage Family Cookbook – this is my favourite cook book to cook together with. Great recipes and great explanations, this is perfect for a starting point but with enough scope for development.

2. Their own apron – guaranteed to get them into the kitchen quick! I really like the range of personalised ones that all the different artisans on Not On the High Street have, very cute!

3. Mini kit – little hands will benefit from little tools to at least get them started, and baking is probably the easiest place to start. As with many things baking, I would turn to Lakeland. They have a 20 piece kid’s size baking set at the moment, which includes mini rolling pins and spoons, cookie cutters and moulds. However, the reviews on the site are not positive at the moment, it may well be worth looking at it instore and making up your own mind. Mini size should not mean mini quality. John Lewis also have a reasonable collection from Miniamo.

4. A cookery day – fantastic idea, get them to make a mess in someone elses kitchen! Probably suitable for slightly older children, google to see what local options there are. That said, Buy A Gift offer a number of foodie gift experiences for kids, including chocolate making as well as more regular cooking. They’re mainly concentrated in the South East though.

5. Growing their own – you must remember growing cress on blotting paper, and the excitement of watching the shoots, let alone eating the crop! Well, try expanding that out to whatever space you can make available. Herbs are a great starting point, and then fruit and veg opens up all kinds of possibilities. Depending on the time of year, you could get seedling collections that are ready to go straight in the ground, or buy a selection of seeds.  I also like the Rocket Gardens, where you can now pre-order the Spring 2010 kids garden, which includes pumpkins, courgettes, strawberries and peas amongst other things

So, just 5 small steps, but the best thing you can do for kids is get them involved: eating, shopping, baking, growing, preparing, choosing. The more they’re involved, the more they’ll want to be involved.

Meanwhile, I’m off to track down those dark age Nottingham restauranteurs, for a bit of naming and shaming!

Photo by Search Engine People Blog on Flickr

You've got mail

Ah, September. Month of mist and mellow fruitfulness. And catalogues.

Yes, an almost daily deluge in our house, driven by my addiction to online shopping and from my work on ProblemPresents.com in the past. Some are good, some are bad, and some are laugh out loud awful. But what about if you’re trying to find a gift (or write a wish list) for a foodie? Lets have a look, given the odd selection I have already.

1. Joules – tough call on the foodie front, can only suggest that if it’s a foodie with an allotment or raised beds, then you check out their wellies. They are still the best designs going for not looking dull in the garden. For her I would be tempted by the plain purple or possibly the Paul Smith like multi-stripe. For the guys, well, sorry, nothing doing. Next!

2. Hamptons Hampers – hampers from the shop of the same name in Stow on the Wold, which provided us with some very nice little foodie treats last weekend, with my favourites being Oxsprings English Air Dried Ham, and Woodchester’s Cherry & Balsamic Fruit for Cheese. On the hamper front, depending if it’s for now or later in the year, I could be tempted by the indulgent Christmas Cheese Hamper or the Luxury Cheese Hamper, and then the Swell Hamper, just for the name really. Great quality contents, some of the best I’ve seen.

3. The Original Gift Company – we went into this shop just to laugh at the really naff stuff. Of which there is plenty. If this was the only place to shop for the foodie in your life, then I would possibly risk a personalised plum pudding, or even a personalised party bucket, as being kitsch, probably tasty, and possibly useful. I would avoid the personalised wine like the plague. Likewise the personalised plates, mugs, tea towels and one touch electric wooden pepper mill. And the chocolate fondue. I’d maybe just give up and buy a penguin dynamo torch instead.

4. Bright Minds – really sad to see no kids starter kit in molecular gastronomy, although there are plenty of other science kits. Might have to settle for buying future Heston’s their own personalised apron instead!

5. Presents For Men/Gifts for Girls – a little similar to The Original Gift Company. What can I say? You must know a man who is crying out for a lager bottle pepper mill, or a toilet shaped mug. Or a female foodie who would love a kitchen utensil wall clock or pink lady gardening gloves for tending only pretty vegetables. If you forced me, then I would choose to buy: a pack of 5 Envirosax to save the planet with, a PinQY Fire Extinguisher for those who practice smoke alarm cookery, the whisky decanter set as it’s actually quite tasteful and Drinking Roulette. Well, too much good taste is boring!

6. J Parker - for the grow it yourself foodie, then I would look at some of the more unusual stuff in here. How about a loganberry or tayberry plant? A talking point with red gooseberries? Or health on the patio with goji berries, honey berries and vitalberries? Certainly unusual for the green fingered foodie.

7. Pedlars – I love these people, and a lot of what they stock. I’ve written about items they carry before, and you could wander round the house and find stuff from them I’ve bought. Right now, as a foodie, I am lusting after the vintage Hovis tins, some vinyl coasters, some of the big stainless steel casseroles, and a L’Econome peeler.

8. I Want One of Those - another old faithful that I regularly turn to, but usually not for foodie stuff, more for fun stuff. That said, if I wanted a foodie gift right now, I would be looking at the V Gauge Wine Preserver and Vinturi Wine Aerator, for gadget loving wine drinkers, and a BeepEgg for those just learning to boil an egg. But I have a feeling that a cuddly Yoda might just slip into the basket too.

And that’s just the first pile I’ve worked through. More to follow!

Great photo of mailing junk mail back by Oran Viriyincy.

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.