In anticipation of government cut-backs to funding in areas such as FE (Further Education), some providers are already dropping classes. The WEA throughout South Wales are "rationalising" their class provision and Healthy Eating and Cookery in general has been an early casualty. This is a mystery to me as The Welsh Assembly Government are signing-up to the "Change4Life" project for Wales that, amongst other things, promotes healthy eating and fresh food and exercise especially amongst our young. I have long since given up trying to understand how some minds work but this would certainly seem to me a step in the wrong direction. I wonder what you think? Do let me know and perhaps we can get a dialogue going.
One positive element of my cookery classes has been that some members, although cooking throughout their lives so far, have found inspiration to try new tastes and styles. I have also been pleased to see friendships starting especially amongst people who for various reasons (bereavement, illness, divorce), have found themselves hitherto spending too much time at home.
I continue to cook and teach and lately I have been approached to hold cookery
classes that are self-funding so getting around the need to woo providers.
Again if you are interested in these classes or in finding out whether we can
start one near you, do please email me at chef@christopherchallener.co.uk
One of the most popular courses recently has been THAI COOKERY. Group members have commented on how easy and quick most of the dishes are and in one group, as an end-of-term meal we cooked Thai Style Chicken<click> accompanied by sprouts and roast potatoes and it worked very well. If you are looking for a tasty, healthy and quick lunch or supper dish then try Minced Pork with Aubergines and Beans the recipe is here.
Depending on where you are one or two ingredients may be hard to find but once purchased they last a while. Again, if you get stuck I may be able to point you in the right direction.
I am holding a one-day workshop in Thai Cookery on Saturday January 29 so if you are interested email me for more details.
The decline of bees and Colony Collapse Disorder(CCD).
I kept bees once and remember the County Bee man telling me that the Varoa mite (then virtually unheard of) was going to change bee-keeping for years to come. What he didn't say was that a new breed of pesticides may wipe bees out and so destroy one of the most significant pollinators. Of course not only bees are killed by this particular strain of pesticide but other pollinating insects are also affected.
The particular insecticides being used throughout the UK are based on neonicotinoid as the name suggests a synthesised form of nicotine which I remember from my schooldays when I worked in an orchid nursery and used nicotine shreds to fumigate the greenhouses. It was made very clear to me that once the last pile of shreds was lit to close the greenhouse door and get out. Very quickly!
The US Department of Agriculture's Bee Research Laboratory produced a report about two years ago warning of the dangers of this pesticide, but this still awaits publication. It is worth noting that the manufacturers, Bayer, made a cool £510M from the sales of this top-selling chemical and state that until the report is published they cannot comment on its findings as they do not know what methods were used to arrive at the conclusion.
If you want to read more then click here to go to the US DoA.
January: I am lounging, reading, in my Sunday bath when the meandering perfumes of gently frying butcher's sausages and my wife's Seville orange marmalade find their way into my concentration. Not only do these edible delights stop me reading Jim Harrison's wonderful book about his travels with food but they also reassure me of the pleasures of simple eating.
Our town has, for some years, been without benefit of a butcher but, just before Christmas last, a local farmer took over a derelict shop and brought back some life to our main street (empty Post Office, empty general store etc.). As most of you will already know, I believe that meat should only be bought from farms or butcher's shops where it is prepared and kept in prime condition without the ubiquitous PVC wrap migrating onto it. There was an added bonus in Delyth's timing of opening her meat emporium just before Christmas. On Christmas Eve we collected our order and made a small detour to call into the pub to wish the landlord, and anyone else within earshot, a happy Christmas!
January, of course, is marmalade month and as I am very fond (very, very fond) of the stuff so much so that when I find myself on Desert Island Discs and Kirsty asks me what luxury I would take to my Desert Island, my answer is clear: marmalade. Sadly the good stuff is hard to come by but I manage and when made at home it really is a joy. How wonderful to receive a jar of home-made preserve and how lovely to give a jar to someone as long it is not my Seville orange marmalade of course.
February/March: Cookery courses continue with Thai cooking, Indian Cookery and Vegetarian Cookery. The latter surprises most people as they find vegetarian food exciting and enjoyable and so it can be as I say let your only limitation be your own imagination.
When I announced Indian Food some were apprehensive as in keeping with most people Indian Food is perceived as hot and spicy. When you consider the size of the Indian sub-continent it is not too difficult to see how the food can vary from say Kerala to Bangladesh. And it does.
April/May: Summer came early (remember) and we managed a week in Pembrokeshire (the chosen land - at least that is where I choose to go). New Government and the threat of cuts in all areas and so there were to be especially in Further Education (FE) which at one time was seen as a priority but is now seen as something that we can manage without. This is sad since I have experienced first hand the advantages of classes being taken to villages and towns where people have no access to more conventional college based learning. There is also the additional advantage to people within a community that for various reasons (i.e. widowed, divorced, mental health problems), benefit from the discipline of a weekly lesson and the contact with others that these lessons bring.
The Welsh Assembly claim that their priorities lay elsewhere even though this contradicts recent announcements of a new initiative to combat, amongst other things, obesity! Frankly I find it disconcerting that politicians can contradict themselves.
More Jam making at Chez Challener this time peach and apricot and strawberry and elderflower. I'm a lucky dab.
June/July: I am asked to comment on plans to remove cookery tuition from FE and all I can say is ask the learners/students. Comments such as, "I am eating things I would never have tried before coming to classes" . "I am now aware of harmful things in my diet such as hydrogenated fats (trans fats), hidden salt and sugar." And the woman who suffers from poor health that kept her at home, summed it up. "cookery class has changed my life."
A visit to a lovely school that had been learning about the Stuarts and was ending their term with an open day. I came up with a 17th century dish that was enjoyed by a 21st century gathering. I adapted it from an old book on the history of food and called it simply "Farmhouse Eggs with Sausages". If you would like a copy of this recipe please feel free to email me.
When talking or writing about food nothing seems to attract more derision
and venom than the subject of Organic Food Production.
Recent revelations in the popular press that Organic Food may be no better
for your health than conventionally produced foodstuffs started the ball rolling.
In the Times Dominic Lawson wrote that his wife had decided to garden organically
and had bought in a load of pigeon manure which had promptly given Mr Lawson
a horrible illness so not unsurprisingly he attacked the whole concept of organic
production. I know many people who garden organically and none of them use
the droppings of pigeons.
I was approached by someone who supplied me with an organic product only to
be told, with a satisfied grin on their face, that there was “no difference” between
organic and “ordinary.” Their source for this was The Daily Express.
If one is looking for some obvious difference then that way lays disappointment.
The differences are more complex than perhaps many expect. Production techniques,
stocking densities, use of medications and growth promoters, soil treatments,
fertilizers and animal welfare are areas of particular differences. For those
of you who are interested I would refer you to the websites of the SOIL ASSOCIATION
and ORGANIC CENTRE WALES. There are many definitions of what is “healthy” and
the known “cocktail” effect of various chemicals consumed in food
and drink could be considered unhealthy.
There is no doubt that for many large food retailers the bonus of an organic
label is an excuse to bolster the price; in grocery parlance the product becomes “Value
Added.” It need not be so but the British obsession with class means
that Organic food is seen as middle class and, therefore, commands a higher
price.
We purchased eggs from a small organically certified farm and they were cheaper
than conventionally produced eggs in the local supermarket so while it is undeniable
that organic production can be more expensive the price differential need not
be so high. The choice, as is rightfully so, is yours. Buying from local producers,
apart from the obvious benefits to the environment, keeps production costs
down. Eggs shipped from a farm to a central warehouse and thence to a store
are attracting costs the whole way.
The argument will continue and, I fear, the animosity will not disappear. I
fully understand that most people do not want to make a study of the differences
between conventionally and organically produced foods before making their purchase.
This is why commentators should be making that choice easier and not cloaking
it in controversy and accusation.
Listening to the Archers on the radio this morning (yes, I’m
the one), I was intrigued when the newly wed Vicky was proposing cooking a
stir-fry for her hungry husband only to be advised he was a
“traditional” man and may not like such “exotic” fare. Then on the next programme Hugh
Fearnley-Whittingstall was recalling eating such delicacies as crocodile,
squirrel and a pate that I cannot bring myself to name but I think one or two
of you may have heard of.
You may think that a stir-fry, for example, is now a pretty common
dish: quick, healthy and versatile, a good way of using up bits of vegetables
one has laying around and an economical meal.
At home we find one chicken breast yields a meal for two. You may also believe that no one in 21st
Century
I often introduce dishes into my classes that while using readily
available ingredients use them in a new and different way and one or two of my
students will tell me not only are they
pleasantly surprised by what they taste but that they have never eaten
that particular ingredient before. One that springs to mind is the
courgette. Courgettes, one of the
easiest and most generous of vegetables, are freely available through the
summer and you need only grow a couple of plants to know how many you can
harvest. So why then does it still find
first time consumers? The answer may lie
in lack of familiarity and reluctance to try something new. How do I prepare it? How is it cooked? Will the family like
it? It is so easy to fall back on
familiar choices like peas and carrots and the mainstay of kitchens in my
youth: boiled cabbage.
Countless cookery programmes, magazines and newspaper articles
extol the virtues of eating evermore interesting and newly discovered ingredients
but not everyone is convinced. Some
people are reluctant to experiment when they have a tried and tested method of
feeding their families. They want
reassuring they want a chance to experiment without risk in short they want to
be shown. I always say to my classes
that so what if a dish turns out wrong as long as the ingredients are good and
you haven’t burnt them they can still be eaten.
Any of you who have not tried courgettes, ever or just lately,
grab some small ones, wash them, slice them diagonally about 5mm thick and add
them to a small saucepan into which you have melted some butter and garlic
crushed with a little sea salt. Place a lid on the pan and make sure you give
them a gentle stir from time to time. They don’t need any added water and
that is the point most vegetables can be cooked by other methods than boiling
or for that matter steaming. Courgettes will only take a few minutes to cook
and serve them still firm. They can also be eaten raw and are delicious cut
into small strips (julienne) and added to a mixed salad.
A popular course that I have just finished dealt with entertaining
at home. A great idea in these
financially testing times and I was out to show that vegetables need not be an
afterthought, something to fill the plate and add colour, that are an integral
part of the meal and I have also noted that children who may not enjoy boiled
cabbage or soft-boiled carrot chunks, may be awakened by stir-fried cauliflower
or the courgette dish above. I have
prepared a sheet on vegetables you can serve alongside you main courses and the
recipe can be found by clicking here.
Always glad to face a challenge when telephoned by the BBC
following news that the Cornish Pasty is seeking protection for its wonderful
product, I was more than pleased to create a recipe for a Welsh Pasty that,
like the Cornish variety, reflects the local ingredients that go into it.
I popped off to the local studio and explained the thinking behind
the Powys Pasty and gave brief details of the recipe which I have placed on my
web site. Click here: The
Powys Pasty Recipe
I was, sadly, not surprised when it was recently announced that
Tesco shareholders had voted not to let the welfare of chickens destined for
their superstore shelves stand in the way of their profits. The raising of the
case for free range birds to a cause celebre by Hugh
Fearnley-Whittingstall and others did not shame the money men and did we ever
really think it would? The rapid rise of food prices egged on by the popular
press has just given the green flag to the Big Four to raise Point of Sale
(POS) prices on a weekly basis. Now any thoughts of insisting on high welfare
poultry have been shelved as shoppers’ weekly food budget is seriously
eroded.
There are answers. I recently had one of my cooking classes make a
chicken curry from scratch (grinding their own spices etc), and the meat I
selected was free range legs and thighs. These cuts give a better result and
stand up to the extended cooking time necessary for the dish. Most of the class
enjoyed it but one person retorted "I don't do bones!" The bones
could, of course, be easily removed when cooked and they had done their job of
adding additional flavour but it points to the way we have been weaned onto the
most expensive cuts such as boneless, skinless breast meat. If prices soar then
perhaps the answer is to look at cheaper cuts rather than cheapened produce.
Extending the meat in dishes is another good way of saving money.
My own version of cottage pie uses very lean beef but cooked with it are,
amongst other ingredients, finely chopped carrot thus reducing the red meat
intake and saving money both desirable habits. I am hoping to give a
demonstration of this later this month (July) when I cook Bombay Chicken
Fritters on BBC Radio Wales. Not quite loaves and fishes territory but
certainly extending two free range chicken breasts somewhat. Listen, if you
can, to BBC Radio Wales Tuesday July 29
A recent report from Harvard has confirmed that following a
Mediterranean diet can reduce the risk of contracting cancer by 25%. Just
swapping two ingredients, olive oil instead of butter and fish for extra meat will
make a noticeable difference. As a lover of Mediterranean food I need no
encouragement.
Once again our attention is drawn to the obscene amount of food
that we as a nation waste each week. Gordon Brown has weighed in with advice on
how to avoid this problem. Good for him.
Over-production in some areas may be to blame or a general
affluence amongst some could also be the reason. I remember lunching with a man
and his family some years ago. The man in question had grown up in a very poor
household and now he was reasonably well off he could afford the finer things
in life. We had dined on a large leg of lamb and following him into his kitchen
I remarked that there would be plenty for dinner the following day. He opened
his bin and jettisoned the meat into it. When I queried his actions he told me
he did not care for leftovers and could afford to buy fresh meat the following
day.
In poorer times more imagination was called for when constructing
family meals and people were forced to utilise ingredients that would now be
considered only fit for the bin. It is only right that living standards improve
but it must be wrong to discard perfectly edible foodstuffs just to remind
ourselves how much better off we are than were our grandparents.
Please revisit this page often as I will update it regularly.
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My peripatetic tutoring has increased over the last year and I
really enjoy sharing my knowledge of food and cooking with people of all ages
but inevitably there are disappointments too such as when I was teaching some
year ten kids as part of a special scheme. The venue is next to a large
comprehensive school and at lunch time three (that’s right – 3!)
vans gather outside the gates to offer the school children, who rush out
through the open gates, foul smelling burgers, hot dogs and chips washed down
with lurid coloured highly sweetened drinks. The phrase “fighting a
losing battle” springs to mind. I asked one mother, whose child attends a
different school, why does the school permit the children to wander freely
off-site and she said at her daughter’s school a note from the parents is
required for children to leave school at lunchtime. This woman said she did not
want her daughter leaving school during the day but the girl said all her
friends did and her life would be made a misery if she did not follow suit. The
note was written. Some heads are dedicated to improving food in schools and I
met a woman recently who works in the school canteen of a school in Northern
Ireland. She told me that they now produce a balanced meal for the children
every day and only allow chips to be served once a week. Sadly, she also said
there was a lot of wasted vegetables. The way forward has to be through
education and enlightenment both from parents and food professionals. It is no
answer to simply decree that junk food will be outlawed in school canteens and
each child must eat five portions of fruit and veg a day. I have been in a
school when the lunches were served and was struck by how the children
persevered with the broccoli that had been cooked thirty miles away, shipped to
the point of delivery and then reheated and kept warm for about half-an hour.
The resultant mush was wholly unappetising and lacking in any nutrition. Is it
any wonder that kids eschew vegetables like these in favour of junk food? Many
school cooks produce tasty, healthy and attractive food but it needs to be
prepared where it is to be consumed. I have judged heats and the regional final
of The School Chef of the Year competition and have seen some wonderful
dishes produced on a very tight budget.
I have added some new recipes to the site (see
“recipes” link), that I have found popular with my classes. As this
is game season give a try to the pheasant recipe and if you can obtain it also
to the partridge dish.
It is difficult not to be drawn in to the turkey debate and even
more difficult (impossible) for me not to comment. Whether we will ever
discover the truth behind the outbreak of bird 'flu in East Anglia is a matter
for much speculation but it once again points to the side effects of intensive
farming methods employed in the never ending search for higher profits and
lower prices at the expense of animal welfare and food quality. When I heard
turkey numbers of 150 - 160 thousand my reaction was one of disbelief that so
many birds could be housed in one location. Inevitable comparisons are going to
be made with other tragedies such as BSE and, I am sure, it is most people's
perception that more humane farming methods could have avoided this latest
crisis. It looks as if the outbreak was caused by the trafficking of processed
meat around Europe and this shows that the bulk of mainstream foodstuffs still
travel miles before they reach British tables and in some cases get imported,
exported and imported again undergoing various stages of processing at each
stop. Is it so naive to believe we should try to buy more of our food from
local producers? csc@christopherchallener.co.uk