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The Good Food Producers Guide

This week’s five are inspired by the publication of The Good Food Producers Guide 2010, as guides to great food shops around the world. Just as a break from the cooking and baking, it allows me to indulge in my other great passion, shopping.

1. The Good Food Producers Guide 2010- I only got this yesterday, but already thrilled/slightly ashamed that have found some places around here that I’ve not already shopped at. Great guide to farm shops and food markets, as well as great producers of everything from meat through to artisanal bread and honey. It also gives a great guide to food festivals around the UK, as well as a seasonal food calendar. An interesting read, I’ll even get over my prejudice against this kind of book, as it’s always out of date the minute it’s published. As it’s the first edition, then give it a go.

2. Gourmet Shops of Paris: An Epicurean Tour – could this be any more appealing? It’s Paris and it’s food. I love it! It covers everything from pastries and cakes, through to more unusual stuff like oils, tea and soup. Even if you’re not planning a trip, the photographs are beautiful and you could just enjoy this without ever crossing the Channel. But it would be so much better to go!

3. Eat: Los Angeles: The Food Lover’s Guide to Los Angeles – going a bit further afield, but this gives you a guide to not just eating out around LA, but places to shop for great food and drink. One for if you’re planning a trip out there, because LA has such a diverse food scene you might want some pointers. Why go and do all the Hollywood stuff? Go and eat!

4. Eat Smart in Morocco: How to Decipher the Menu, Know the Market Foods and Embark on a Tasting Adventure - well, that’s a title and a half, but sounds like a great pre-read if you’re heading off to Morocco, which is on my wishlist! Whilst it doesn’t really give you food shop guides, it would help you prepare for tackling any of the markets you come across. And, let’s face it, there won’t be a shortage of those!

5. Eat London: All About Food- both beautiful book to read, and full of useful and great places to shop, and eat. And it’s not just central London, but far and wide across the city. Written by Terence Conran and Peter Prescott, it’s beautifully put together, great writing and great photography. It’s on my list!

So, take a break, get out there and shop and support great producers and retailers, no matter where you are. Happy shopping!

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Where would foodies register?

Being of the nosey/curious type, I love looking at the search terms people have put in to get to the blog. There’ve been all kinds of weird and wonderful ones, not to mention some very err, creative, spellings. But this one seemed an entirely appropriate question, and the sort of thing I would want to know the answer to! So, here’s a few thoughts from me:

1. How about seeing if your favourite local deli or wine shop will run a list for you? In fact, I am surprised not more local specialist stores have got into this lucrative business. Sadly, not even Ocado seem to have a listing facility.

2. Thankfully some of the wine retailers seem to have caught onto this, so if you’re foodies who love wine, then this might be a good route for you. As one would expect, Berry Bros & Rudd will run a list for you, to which you can add wine, spirits, accessories, wine tastings and even wine courses at their school. For something with more national coverage, then Majestic also offer a wine list service. They have everything from fine wine through to champagne, beers and spirits, so you could really lay down a very interesting, and quaffable cellar.

3. Natoora offers a really wide selection of goodies from Europe, from fresh stuff through to tinned, cheese through to meat and all kinds of veg. They don’t offer a wedding list service but your guests could buy gift certificates that you could have an awful lot of fun spending after the wedding! As an alternative, check out Forman & Field who also do gift vouchers, and there’s a great choice of stuff that you could spend it on.

4. A wedding would seem the perfect opportunity to upgrade your kitchen equipment. I would be really happy to have a list at Divertimenti and would not only load it up with great stuff for the kitchen, but also with classes at the cookery school. If you wanted things for all the house but still really good, not to mention good looking, kitchen stuff, then Heal’s would be another good choice, or you can register a wishlist at Habitat. And, of course, there’s always John Lewis!

I'd put it on my list!

5. Not on the High Street is one of my favourite sites, and you can register a list with them. There would be fabulous things for the kitchen and dining room, like beautiful cake stands, stylish coffee machines and funky personalised mugs. There are also some interesting food options as well, with everything from an Over Indulgence Hamper (how lovely to come back from honeymoon to this) to organic chocolate, great oils and interesting mustard. They also stock one of my favourite gifts for a wedding or any other occasion: Adopt an Olive Tree with Nudoand they get the harvest once or twice a year. That’s a real foodie gift for me.

6. I do love my cheese, but yet to find someone with a listing facility. Paxton & Whitfield offer gift vouchers, so I guess you could run your own list and ask for those. You could then spend them as you needed cheese. Or have a look at the Cheese Club from Teddington Cheese (great cheese shop, unlikely location), where you could ask people to buy you one of each theme, which covers selections suitable for St Patrick’s Day, Halloween and Christmas, as well as one for each month of the year. The Fine Cheese Co in Bath also offer something similar, and people could buy you a whole year’s worth of deliveries.

7. You may have also gathered that I have a reasonably big cookbook addiction. Which would have made listing with Amazon a perfect choice for me. It would enable you to explore the far reaches of your food reading and cooking desires. You can explore old and new, rare and not so rare. I guess Amazon is almost like a huge department store now, so you can also list for lots of equipment too. Just don’t forget the books.

So, that’s a few suggestions for a couple who love their food as much as they love each other! Happy listing!

Interesting wedding cupcakes taken by clevercupcakes on Flickr.

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Know your pies

I have no idea what’s been going on out there, but all of a sudden I’ve had a whole heap of people ending up at the site looking for the answer to one question: what is the difference between a mini Melton Mowbray pork pie and a mini pork pie?

I did rather cheekily tweet that the answer was rather obvious and already in the question, but must remember that not everyone is so close to the differences. We live as part of Melton Borough Council and therefore the pork pie figures large in our life around here. I am not saying it’s the only reason we live here but…well, put it this way, when you’ve got Stilton and pork pies, what more could you want?

In case you didn’t already know, a Melton Mowbray pork pie has Protected Geographical Indication status, meaning it has to come from a specific area , and has distinct characteristics. Its sides are bow shaped, as it is baked free standing rather than in a tin of some description, and it uses fresh pork, not cured, giving the meat a more grey appearance, not pink. The meat must be pure chopped pork, as opposed to minced, and you’ll get a good amount of jelly and seasoning.

If you want to know about the history of the Melton Mowbray pork pie (and it is interesting in terms of clever cooks turning a problem into a profitable business) then I recommend a read of Rupert Matthews’ Leicestershire Food & Drink. The book covers the pie’s history from humble beginnings through to protected status, and also covers that other great protected product of the area, Stilton.

Never mind all that, what about eating them? Well, there are 10 manufacturers who belong to the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association. Here’s my thoughts, coloured completely by the two big pork pie lovers in the house, who have worked through them all!

1. Dickinson & Morris – if you came to Melton Mowbray, then Dickinson & Morris is the most visible pork pie manufacturer in the town. You can possibly even see a demonstration of how the pies were made. You don’t even need to come to Melton as most of the big supermarkets carry them. Dr T proclaims them pretty good, especially the hand raised one. But you will have to go to the shop for that one. They do good hampers of local produce which we have sent to my awkward father-in-law a couple of times, and they have been well received.

2. Mrs King’s - I don’t know how many more accolades Mrs King’s needs. One of Rick Stein’s Food Heroes, and also features in Simon Majumdar’s Eat My Globe, this is also Dr T’s favourite and features on the lunchtime menu at our local, and several others in the area. Generally we buy this ready to be cooked at home, where you also add in the jelly as well. Or not, depending on your preference. This is an old family company, and there are a number of stockists around the country, but they don’t have a website. Give them a ring on the phone. Or if you are in Nottingham then stop in the excellent cheese shop in Flying Horse Walk, they definitely stock them.

3. Brockleby’s – I’ve featured these before, but the pies from Brockleby’s are the only certified organic Melton Mowbray pork pie. The pork is from rare breed pigs, either at the farm or from neighbouring ones. These are worth the trip out to the farm shop, or you’ll find Ian and his team at many of the farmer’s markets in the area. Or, if you’re posh, then Daylesford Organics carry them too!

4. Pork Farms – you know what, I don’t buy their pork pies, or any other of their products. I am amazed they are in the organisation. My view, and that of these tasters, is don’t waste your money.

5. Northfield Farm – another stalwart of local food festivals, normally cooking up very tasty sausages and burgers, but also make a very good Melton Mowbray pork pie. Northfield are really big on rare breeds, and the pork comes from their pigs. Pies are hand raised and baked without support, in the traditional manner. You can order online, and I highly recommend their burgers as well.

6. F Bailey & Son – a small, traditional butcher, this is stocked by our local butcher, and is a good standby pie for our household. This is a slight variation, as this is backed in a mould, so not entirely traditional.

7. Nelsons of Stamford – if you fancy somewhere a bit different on the pie run, then head to Stamford and get one from Nelsons. Stamford is lovely, and Nelsons not only make a pork pie but some great tasting Lincolnshire sausage as well. The pies have been feted with over 50 medals, and there has been a butchers carrying the Nelson name in Stamford since 1826. Whilst you’re in Stamford, you might want to stop by the Adnams shop, great beer and wine selection, bound to be something good to go with your pie!

8. Patricks – we have failed, I am sorry. For some reason this one has passed us by. However, Dr T says he will make amends and volunteer for the job of a taste comparison with his favourite. They’ve been in business over 20 years, so I guess they know what they are doing.

9. Chappell’s Fine Foods – look for these labelled as Forryans Melton Mowbray Pork Pies. Again, nearly 40 years of experience, following the traditional methods, this gets rated as per the company name: fine.

10. Walkers Charnwood Bakery – producing a lot of the supermarket own brand Melton Mowbray pork pies, you can also buy this under their own name of Walkers, but mainly just here in the East Midlands. But when we have so much choice, it’s a rare moment when we do.

So, this is perhaps part one, and should tell you what the difference is, and what I would recommend eating, but it has to be said there are some fabulous pork pies being made without the Melton Mowbray name, with different techniques, and enjoying a bit of a revival. I’ll come to those later in the week.

Happy pie eating though in the meantime! Photo of a fabulous Mrs King’s pork pie by Dan Taylor on Flickr.

Just having a quick virtual browse round to see what’s new for Spring for the foodies, and here’s just a few of the things that have caught my eye:

Gluten free fishcakes

* From The Fish Society, a tasty treat for those needing a gluten free diet. Norcakes are fishcakes from Norway that have seen neither potato (so you get more fish) or a breadcrumb (so you get no gluten). Great sounding flavours, either Pollock & Lemongrass or Salmon & Dill. Perfect standby comfort food for me.

* I love TheDrinkShop.com, it’s such a great source of such a huge variety of different drinks, the stuff you don’t necessarily see in the supermarket. They’ve just listed SW4 Dry Gin, which I have yet to see on sale round here, or make it into my glass, but it sounds great. And I’m intrigued by the Bitter Truth Pimento Dram, which is pimento and rum. Could make for an interesting evening!

Light my Fire, with chocolate

* Always a sucker for chocolate, I like the cheeky bars that Jamie Oliver is doing, which include Light My Fire (dark chocolate with mandarin and ginger) and Get Fresh (dark chocolate with a hint of mint). The flavours are nothing new, but the chocolate is 72% cocoa solids, as well as organic and fairtrade, so on top of that to have great looking packaging is a real positive. Cheer someone’s day up, any day, with one of these.

* I know this won’t tick the local box, but it is seasonal. Natoora have Wild Pink Radicchio in from Verona, which they say is very nice grilled, and I would be tempted to try it in risotto, having made one before with “normal” radicchio. I am expecting this to be slightly less bitter than the red version.

* The Eden Project is one of my favourite places, but it’s a bit of a drive from here in the East Midlands. Pleased to see their online shop suddenly looking really snazzy and interesting with some great things on it. For the foodies, then there is the Olive Lovers Gift, which has an olive sapling, and a jar of their own marinated olives. This is going to be one of those taste good, do good gifts, going to support the ongoing work at the Project. They’ve got some great chicken houses too, if keeping your own is on your to do list this year.

So just a few new things that have caught my eye, that I’ll be storing away as ideas for great gift ideas for someone, at some stage, this Spring. What’s caught your eye? I’d love to know.

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I love this time of year, love the thrill of a great rugby game, love the air of gloom and despondency that descends on the household should Wales lose to England (and only if they lose to England). But enough about Dr T, I am making an exception to the Friday Five alliteration this week to make it six, for the sake of harmony in the kitchen celebrating the cuisines of 5 great rugby nations. And Italy.

First Catch Your Peacock

Only joking. Though some still believe they are only there for the Welsh to have someone to beat (oh yes, the atmosphere does get interesting here during the tournament!).

1. First Catch Your Peacock: The Classic Guide to Welsh Food - I would buy this one for the title alone, and have been tempted to do so on more than one occasion! If you thought Welsh cooking only went from Welsh cakes to Bara Brith, then this will make you think again. Goose blood tart, cinnamon potato cakes and violet pudding were just a few of the recipes to catch my eye. This is rooted in traditional Welsh cooking but if you wanted to see the contemporary stuff, get yourself to Cardiff (not on match day) and get a table at the Armless Dragon. Fabulous!

2. Fresh, Simple, Tasty by Matt Dawson – so here we have a former England rugby player, who turns out to not be half bad in the kitchen either. These recipes are just as the title describes, so probably not a great book for an advanced foodie, but for a book for turning to when you just want a quick supper or something different for a weekend breakfast. Is there anything he can’t turn his hand to? Lets face it, he could even pull off pink and sequins!

3. The Scottish Farmer’s Market Cookbook - I couldn’t find any of the Scottish team with a cookbook to their name, so I am going for this one as a showcase for some of the great food coming out of Scotland. Perfect for a bit of seasonal inspiration, regardless of where the farmer’s market is!

Rotis

4. The Irish Pub Cookbook – sadly, I couldn’t find anywhere selling Eating to Win, a cookbook by the Irish Rugby team from 2005, which would have topped Matt Dawson. So I’ve gone for this one, which no doubt will make a lot of use of Guinness. This is hearty, almost home cooking, the sort of thing that is what you might want before a match to sustain you, and put down a layer before all the Guinness starts!

5. Rôtis- I really thought that the French team would have at least one cookbook between them over the years, but I can’t find one. So I’ve gone for this fabulous book by Stéphane Reynaud, as surely there would be a few rugby players, French or otherwise, that would want to sit down to any of these  gorgeous roasts after a match. One for every day of the week, including a leftovers night!

6. The Silver Spoon - the mama of Italian cookbooks, this covers a bit of everything that you need to know about Italian cooking, and from every region. I imagine you could train rugby teams with this as well, as it is one hefty read! I got this for Christmas and haven’t cooked much from it yet, so this tournament might provide the push I need to get going.

So, whichever colours you’ll be wearing, or cheering on, eat well during the tournament, and save the rough stuff for the pitch!

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So, the love of your life likes it hot and spicy and you need a great foodie gift for them for Valentine’s Day? Here’s a few suggestions to keep things all aglow.

• Give their BBQ moments a real kick with Slap Ya Mama seasoning blend. Invented by Wilda Marie Fontenot, this
  

  Slap Ya Mama

  is Cajun seasoning with a real kick, and will add something different to even a plain old banger.

• What about mustard that takes things up a notch? Cherith Valley offer a fresh, spicy version with jalapeno and cilantro. A dynamic burst of flavour that will liven up everything from a ham sandwich to a hot dog, and not to mention make a darn fine salad dressing.
• Who says the English can’t be hot? Well Chillililli is a red hot versionof that very English classic, piccalilli, and will definitely spice up your cold cuts!
• Even if they have a cupboard full of chilli, then they really should have a tin of El Avion’s hot smoked paprika. Adding flavour and smoke as well as heat, this is one store cupboard standby that I would not be without. It’s amazingly versatile and a little will go a very long, long way. Love the retro design of this tin, I am guessing it has been like this for ever.
• Get back to some authentic chilli roots, with this great Chilli Lovers Gift Set from Spices of India. Chilli peppers from Kashmir, Reshampatti chilli powder, chilli oil dipping sauce, chilli paste…well, this lot should keep even the coldest night at bay. If they love Indian food, then this is a mix of great authentic stuff with plenty of heat.
• Something to add a bit of sizzle to everything from steak to homemade dip, Jamie Oliver’s Holy Habanero Hot Chilli Sauce is a bit of a winner with us. It’s just a touch too spicy for me but Dr T is well impressed with the kick of it.
• 

  Chilli gone barmy

  Mix it up a bit, with chilli and chocolate. Montezuma’s are one of my favourite chocolate makers, having shopped with them since the early days. And if you need some spicy sweet treats, then the Chilli-Gone-Barmy gift is perfect. I’ll fight you for the Chilli & Ginger dollops!

• No list on hot stuff would be complete without mentioning Gringley Gringo, one of my favourite local businesses. Not only great hot stuff, but a great business too. Whether you order one chilli sauce, or a selection of chilli jellies, you won’t be disappointed.

So, here’s hoping your gift is the start of a red, hot, passionate day. Or at least gives your everyday eating a bit of a boost!

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Love meat!

Those of you who’ve read my blog on more than one occasion will know that I try to not feature the obvious, am not much of a lover of the themed gift, and tend to write about stuff that first and foremost tastes great, rather than looks right for the occasion. I’m not going to divert from that now so, if you’re looking for hearts and flowers, you’re in the wrong place.

Instead I’m going to write a series of these for foodies with different kinds of tastes. Perhaps I should have called this first entry My Bloody Valentine, as I thought I would start with great gifts for those that love their meat.

Of course it’s not a traditional gift (unless it’s in the stalkerish tradition of sending an animl heart in a box to an ex, not recommended) but could be good excuse to indulge in some great meat (no tittering at the back please). Here’s a few suggestions from me:

•  A little dried sausage, perhaps? A whole saucisson or two could be just the thing . Try a natural countryside rosette of whole smoked saucisson dried in an old fashioned fireplace by Roches Blanches. Available through Virtual Farmer’s Market.
• Where’s the beef? Well, they won’t be asking that if they take delivery of 18kgs of Longhorn beef from Huntsham Farm. Every cut of beef you could want, from sirloin to silverside and plenty of mince in between. Renowned for their rare breed meat, this is going to be a gift of exceptional taste that will create a whole heap of meals for you to share happily together.
  

  Salami from The Real Boar Co

• Want to see a look of confusion followed by delight? Try wrapping up an 8kg Serrano ham on the bone. It’ll look like you’re sending a haunch of something, but once they’ve stopped being concerned/laughing then delicious ham is guaranteed, for weeks!
• Indulge them in the glory that is a proper pork pie with the only certified organic Melton Mowbray pork pie from Brocklebys. Made with organic Saddleback pork to a traditional 200 year old recipe, this is what a pork pie should really be like.
• Valentine’s Day is no time to be mean, so be generous and go large. How about a whole traditional rare breed pig, all butchered and ready for great eating? Well Keythorpe Traditional Pork & Lamb can offer you just that. It could be any one of the rare breed pigs that they keep, but all are going to be interesting eating, or curing, depending on your loved one’s level of skill.
• For a slight tounge in cheek gift, how about salami from The Real Boar Co? Hopefully they won’t take offence and will get slicing these great British salamis. The Bit of Each gives you three tasty salamis and a chorizo, or you can buy the individual salamis. Great looking cutting boards and knives too.

Meat serving board

• If they’re into roasts, then how about a meat serving board? I like the one that Jamie Oliver has, for having both style and substance. Looks good, spikes will hold the joint securely and the grooves will capture the juices ready for gravy making. Or just pouring directly back onto the meat!
• For a bit of inspiration for recipes, then you can’t go wrong with The River Cottage Meat Book for almost the a to z of all meat. But I would guess most meat loving foodies already have that one, so perhaps something like Rotis by Stephane Reynaud or John Torode’s Chicken and Other Birds for something a bit specific.
• If they would like to take things into their own hands, then there are some really good butchery courses around for the amateur. The School of Artisan Food has an introductory two day course, as well as Lamb & Mutton or Pig in a day, and River Cottage are of course past masters in this.

So, choose to indulge their favourite food choice, rather than falling prey to the norms of Valentine’s Day gifting. It will give them something to talk about, as well as something very tasty to get their teeth into.

Fabulous neon sign photo by SqueakyMarmot on Flickr and Saddleback pig photographed by Dave Hamster.

Given that this is the closest Friday Five to Burns Night, today’s cookbooks all have a Scottish slant to them, which has certainly had its own food renaissance. These books will therefore take you way beyond neeps and tatties, haggis and deep-fryed Mars bars.

Nick Nairn Cook School Cook Book

1. Nick Nairn Cook School - Nick is someone I can watch time and time again, and a few days at his Cook School would be a great present for any foodie. If that is a bit out of reach at the moment (prices seem to start about £150 plus your accommodation) then maybe the book of the school would be a good alternative. Perfect for serious or not so serious foodie, there are sections on technique as well as recipes, so you can brush up on your knifework or need to know how to prep a lobster then this is perfect. And it’s not all about fish, although there are great fish recipes. I’d be quite keen to try the Cook School steak with Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar.

2. Maw Broon’s Cookbook: The Broon’s Cookbook for Every Day and Special Days - these characters will be very familiar to the readers of the “Sunday Post” in Scotland, and this is an entertaining read with some good recipes. This would make a good gift for expat Scottish foodies with a nostalgia for home, and tastes of home.

3. Taste Ye Back: Great Scots and the Food That Made Them - part interviews with famous Scots, and part recipes, this will reveal what dishes they loved. We can enjoy foodie reminisces from Sharleen Spiteri, Ewan McGregor and Andy Murray, and then perfect the dishes that they love.

4. The Caledonian Kitchen- I’ve featured this one before when I looked at charity cookbooks, but it’s worth a mention again. With recipes from around Scotland, the sale of this book goes to support Action Duchenne, the UK charity working towards finding a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. The recipes come from a mix of celebrities and award winning Scottish chefs, as well as from ordinary people across the country who support the charity.

5. The Three Chimneys: Recipes and Reflections- The Three Chimneys is somewhere I’d love to go. Talk about combining spectacular cooking with amazing scenery! The photography is beautiful, and the recipes cover traditional Scottish fayre, as well as more modern updates. I like the idea of Autumn pudding as a seasonal alternative, and cranachan is always worth making.

So, whether you’re doing a full on Burn’s Night dinner, or just perhaps pouring a wee dram, it’s a great excuse to have a look at just how much great cooking has been coming out of Scotland.

I know, eating local is nothing new, it was all the rage last year. And, lets face it, 2008 and 2009 were incredibly tough years for everyone and just when we thought there was light at the end of the tunnel the snow came. We all wanted to hibernate. Nice and warm, but bad for business.

Melton Mowbray, ruler of rural food

So now the snow and ice are leaving us, this is my plea for you to get out there and support your local food and drink businesses: everyone from the producers to the retailers, the farmer’s markets to the restaurants. Many will have had the best part of nearly 3 bad weeks, which is not the best start for the new year. Never mind food trends, they need you right now. Here’s my shameless plug for the local businesses that will be getting my cash over the next few weeks:

1. Red Lion Inn- these guys don’t really need the plug (they were on the Hairy Biker’s and Olive Magazine called the team in charge the dream team) but they deserve all the praise, and the rewards. Early doors dinner is just £16.50 for 3 courses, and this week included a spectacular smoked haddock risotto with poached egg, pan fried sea bream with chorizo and mash and braised blade of beef.

2. Caffe & Deli Italia- probably the best proper cappucino going in Melton Mowbray, not to mention a great deli. This is a great independent business, a family business. Skip the chains, head here.

3. The Melton Cheeseboard- we’re blessed around here with great cheese makers, and also with a great cheese shop in Melton Mowbray. If you love cheese, you’ll love it in here. If you’re avoiding cheese, you will need to avoid here! With Stilton from Long Clawson and Quenby and Sparkenhoe Red Leicester, you can be busy supporting several local producers at once.

4. Brockleby’s Farm Shop - perfect for devotees of Melton Mowbray pork pies, Ian Jalland and the team produce the only organic pork pie produced in the borough of Melton, and mighty fine it is too. The farm shop also carries meat from their rare breeds, and a full range of everything that you’re going to need for some great dining at home.

5. The Malt House Deli- if I’m working at home during the week, then I tend to sneak out for breakfast at The Malt House. You can get a full English, but I tend to go for a sausage butty, made with good Lincolnshire sausages. A small but good selection of victuals, and a really good selection of breads, including a very good spelt one.

6. Crossroads Farm Shop- this is my nearest farm shop, and does fantastic pork. Have a look at the pigs in the farmyard, and then pop inside to see what they’ve got. We had a brilliant joint of pork from them to make porchetta at New Year, and Best Foodie Friend had an amazing gammon joint. Cracking bacon too!

7. Colston Bassett Dairy- talk about cutting food miles! During the week and on Saturday morning you can buy your Stilton direct from Colston Bassett Dairy, from the shop on site. Just don’t come at lunchtime, it’ll be closed. If that’s the case, then pop just down the road to Colston Bassett Store, as they carry it too. You might even be able to get into the coffee shop for lunch. Failing that, you could always head over to The Martin’s Arms. Not cheap, but will be one heck of a good lunch.

These are my local food haunts and whilst I’d love everyone to visit them, first and foremost get out and find the equivalents in your area. It’s not just a gift to you and your family, but to them and their families, their employees, their suppliers, their families….and so the circle goes on. Money spent locally continues to do good locally. This is not about being parochial, but thinking about how you spend your money. And maybe think about spending just a little less this week and sending it to the Haiti appeal.

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