food, reviews and of course coffee
So there I was saying how much I didn’t enjoy Young’s Scampi when I read on the BBC today about how ludricously Young’s catch their langoustine (scampi) off the shores of Scotland, ship them to Thailand for peeling, ship them to Grimsby for breading before moving them by lorry down to me here in the south-west.
It sounds mad: shipping UK-caught langoustine thousands of miles to be processed, then back again to be turned into breaded scampi and put on sale.
Now I feel even worse…
Well you walk around the supermarket this Christmas, do not under any circumstances be tempted by the Christmas prepared goodies you see on the shelves. You will find that you are much better off, cooking nice recipes yourself, as often these (so-called) goodies are just full of sugar or have even less of the nice stuff in it then the label or name suggests.
The Guardian sent three foodie experts to test out the goodies from leading supermarkets.
This year, you don’t even need to peel a potato for Christmas dinner. From gourmet seafood starters to exotically stuffed turkeys and hand-decorated cakes, you can buy all your celebration food ready made from the supermarket. But do these time-saving dishes taste any good? Our three expert foodies tested ranges from the five leading chains.
One thing for example, is roast potatoes cooked in duck fat, well you would think that was roast potatoes cooked in duck fat wouldn’t you. Well they aren’t they are roast potatoes cooked with 2% duck fat and a lot of rape seed oil!
Cook your own (organic) potatoes, get some duck or goose fat and use that, don’t buy the prepared veg, cook your own!
With just over a week to go to the big day, remember that it’s about now you should be putting your sprouts on to cook for the big day. They do take about a week, though three days might be okay.
Picture source.
Okay so I succumbed to the advertising outside my local supermarket and I went and purchased a bag of Young’s Premium Scampi.
These frozen scampi take seventeen minutes in the oven and are typical scampi to be honest, nothing special and nothing really to write home about (or a blog entry, oops).
I don’t know maybe, my expectations were too high, but I was thinking they would be extra special, but they didn’t really hit the spot, reminded me more of the scampi I would get from the local chippy.
Not going to go on my shopping list again.
Over the last couple of days I have been enjoying having some lamb steaks.
I have been cooking them very simply with some rosemary and a splash of olive oil.
My book choice this week (well my first book choice of the blog) is:
Jamie at Home: Cook Your Way to the Good Life
This book is very close to my heart. It’s about no-nonsense, simple cooking with great flavours all year round. When I began writing it, I didn’t really know what recipes I would come up with, but something began to inspire me very quickly…my vegetable patch! I came to realise last year that it’s not always about looking out at the wider world for inspiration. Being at home, feeling relaxed and open, can also offer this. I love to spend time at home in the village where I grew up, working with the boss, Mother Nature, in my garden and seeing all my beautiful veggies coming out of the ground. Inside, you’ll find over 100 new recipes, plus some basic planting information and tips if you fancy having a go at getting your hands dirty as well!
I like sweet potato and though I know a lot of people mash them, I much prefer to roast them.
My preference is simple to cut into slices and roast in the oven with a splash of olive oil. They then have a natural sweetness which really adds to a meal.
Sometimes simple is best.
Tonight I cooked some pork balls to go with the chinese meal I was cooking.
I created a simple batter, of self-raising flour and some beer. Mixed to a consistency which would coat a spoon, not too thick and not too thin.
Cut your pork into cubes about 1cm thick, tall and wide.
Hot oil and a few cubes at a time until golden brown.
They should be crisp and more importantly retain their crispness.
Many, many years ago I use to go out and eat at TGI Fridays, one thing they use to do with their steaks (and prawns and chicken wings) was either cook them in a Jack Daniels sauce or serve it on the side.
I remember trying to find that sauce at local supermarkets and other suppliers without success. I even (when I got the internet) trying to find an online supplier and again no success.
Eventually TGI Fridays stopped serving the sauce and it became one of those food memories, something you had once, and would never see again (like the Wispa).
So you can imagine my surprise when in my local Morrisons I found this.
Alas though it was nice it was not as nice as I remembered it, maybe it’s different, maybe it’s just time.
So how do you cook mashed potatoes?
Any tips to make the best mash?
My way is very simple, boil potatoes until they fall off when pierced with a sharp knife (twenty to thirty minutes).
To this I add a splash of milk and a large knob of (unsalted) butter. Mash with a potato masher until nice and smooth.
Season with freshly ground black pepper.
What’s your recipe?
