Tag Archives: Scotland

Swede Child(hood) of Mine

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Food Network UK| 1 Comment

Being born to a (very) Scottish father and an English mother, one central question dominated my childhood. Not devolution of powers, not Scottish independence, not even whether poem should be pronounced ‘poem’ or ‘poyem’. The question that seemed to most vex my family was: what does a turnip look like? Is it small and purple-tinged, as my Mum would argue, or large and orange as my Dad would?

In Scotland, a turnip is a swede, and a swede is a turnip. Or (just for diplomacy’s sake) in England, a swede is a turnip, and a turnip is a swede. Something funny happened, somewhere around Hadrian’s Wall, and left many a violent vegetable dispute in its wake.

A turnip by any other name would taste as swede

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Burns after reading

Posted on January 25, 2010 by Food Network UK| 1 Comment

It’s not hard to understand why the uninitiated might baulk at the idea of haggis.  There’s nothing particularly appealing about the thought of animal stomach that’s been stuffed with offal and left to boil for a few hours.  Not even the promise of oats and spice in the mix can soften the blow. It looks like a mud-filled water bomb; sometimes you can even buy it in tins.

Showing us how it’s done – a Burns Night celebration in 1958

Robbie Burns liked it though. He even went so far as to call it the “Great Chieftain o’ the puddin-race!”, which is probably exaggerating slightly. Is it technically even a pudding? Burns’ poem Address to a Haggis is an epic eight verses, glorifying the “honest” Scottish fare. In order to do so, he is forced to denigrate other European comparisons, suggesting that ‘olio’ (a word for stew derived from the Spanish word for stew pot, ‘olla’) would make a sow sick, and that “fricassee would make her spew”. An entire stanza alone is devoted to some “Poor Devil!” (a miscellaneous European who we can assume to be French) and his culinary “trash”. Still, despite the fact that you might accuse him of racism today, Burns is to be commended purely for the fact that he was able to crank out an entire poem about an otherwise perfectly bland dish. I’m only on my second paragraph and already I’m struggling (which is why no-one is going to commemorate my life with an annual feast some 214 years after my passing).

Burns Night traditionally takes place on the 25th of January to celebrate the bard’s birthday. Originally started by Burns’ close friends as a tribute to his memory, the event has since become a fixed date on the Scottish calendar, with various suppers taking place all over the country and throughout greater Britain. The suppers, and ceremony surrounding them, can be as formal or informal as you are, the only prerequisite being the consumption of haggis, neeps (swede) and tatties (potatoes), all washed down with drams of whiskey. If you’re a vegetarian, don’t think that you’re going to get out of it that easily.  Enter vegetarian haggis: a mixture of nuts, oats, lentils and mush passing for vegetable matter. A pleasanter sounding choice perhaps, but equally as aesthetically unappetizing as its meatier counterpart. If you’re a true Scot then you might have a Clootie Dumpling (a pudding prepared in a linen cloth) or Typsy Laird (a Scottish sherry trifle) for dessert. Don’t stop to think about what the consumption of this much brown is doing to your insides, just remind yourself that it only has to happen once a year, and make sure to eat a salad the next day.

(Disclaimer: I actually do love haggis and could happily eat it twice a year.)

By Annika Kristensen

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Places to… celebrate Thanksgiving in the UK

Posted on November 26, 2008 by Food Network UK| Leave a comment

Whether you’re an American expat living in the UK, a Brit that fancies doffing your cap to history, or you’re just a hungry person wanting an excuse for a bit of turkey and pumpkin pie, there’s an abundance of restaurants up and down this fair isle celebrating all that is Thanksgiving. Here are four of the best on offer…

Christopher’s American Bar & Grill, London
www.christophersgrill.com
(£40 for three courses)

Probably the most well-known American restaurant in London. Start with a traditional Waldorf salad with smoked duck, followed by slow cooked ballotine of Norfolk turkey and all the American trimmings; corn bread & Michigan cherry stuffing, cranberry relish, buttered beans and creamed potatoes. Finish with a spot of blackberry & apple cobbler with blueberry ice cream. Christopher’s ain’t cheap, but if it’s an upmarket thanksgiving experience you are after, this is it.

Momma Cherri’s Soul Food, Brighton
www.mommacherri.com
(£24 for three courses, under 10’s £12, under 5’s eat for free)

Food made with soul and rooted in the deep south of the US of A. Everyone sits at the communal table for a proper family style feast and there’s live music to get the party started. Starters include pumpkin & sweet potato soup, devilled eggs or smoked salmon and cream cheese. Hearty mains with a choice of roast turkey and stuffing, honey & mustard roast ham, roast lamb, an assorted fish combo or a veggie roast. The list of side dishes is as long as your arm and had me salivating all over my keyboard. The dessert menu, with its peach cobbler, marshmallow dream cake and pecan pie takes food porn to new heights. When I die, I don’t want to go to heaven, I’ll just waft around Momma Cherri’s for eternity.

Rufflets Country House Hotel, Fife, Scotland
www.rufflets.co.uk
(£27.50 for three courses)

For an eco friendly Thanksgiving set in the quaint hills of Fife, Rufletts – which claim to be one of the first carbon neutral hotels in the UK – is hosting its own celebrations. Starters are either butternut squash soup or game & chestnut terrine. Mains include roast turkey with garlic mash, apple & sage stuffing and maple glazed carrots. Veggies don’t miss out either with a fabulous roast artichoke, mushroom and goats cheese soufflé with pumpkin rosti. Round off with a non-traditional, yet delicious sounding dark chocolate tart with champagne sorbet. Do note that the minimum table booking is for eight people.

Thatched Cottage Hotel, Brockenhurst, Hampshire
www.thatched-cottage.co.uk
(£68 for four courses with wine plus a cooking demonstration)

This sweet thatched cottage, dating back to 1627 was converted into a small hotel and restaurant in 1991. Thatched Cottage will be hosting a traditional four course Thanksgiving dinner. The kitchen is open plan so guests are welcome to watch dinner be prepared while nursing a glass of wine or two and free tasting samples. There is also an opportunity to roll up your sleeves and take part in dinner preparations.

By Shay Garcia

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Good Food Show

Posted on November 24, 2008 by Food Network UK| Leave a comment

When I first started going to the BBC Good Food Show at the tender age of ten, it was held in the behemoth Birmingham NEC, and Albert Roux was doing demonstrations on the Marks and Spencer stand. Now I live in London I go to the Olympia dates – smaller, hotter, busier, but with just as many delicious things to sample. Held about a month before Christmas, it always has a wonderfully festive feel.

If you’ve never been, the Good Food Show is an assault on the senses. It’s a maze of food and drink stands, with everyone from the Co-op to tiny farm producers. The number of wine, beer and spirit exhibitors is also phenomenal, with a surprisingly large quantity of samples around, so you have to pace yourself!

In the six hours we were there, we tried everything from garlic sundried tomatoes to organic white chocolate with chillies. But if I listed everything we ate and drank it would be endless, so here are my highlights:

  • A deliciously fresh tuna sushi roll with truffle mayonnaise from Sumosan in The Restaurant Experience (where diners swap ‘dining currency’ for small portions of top end London restaurant food)
  • Some of the best Argentinean Malbec I have ever tried, from Marta’s Vinyard (Signature Reserve Vintage 1999)
  • Co-op mince pies – personally, I don’t like mincemeat, but when I asked my friends what their highlights were, these came up. Apparently the pastry is perfect, and the price is right
  • Crisp, smooth and cold Kingfisher lager – they were very generous with their samples
  • Pickle Power cheese from the Snowdonia Cheese Company – rich, crumbly cheddar, with added pickle chunks for an extra kick
  • Champagne tasting at the Lovely Bubbly stand – four different samples, with a talk about each, and then a glass of your favourite, for just £6

If you haven’t been, I’d highly recommend going next year (there are shows in London, Birmingham, and Scotland). Just make sure you wear comfy shoes, take a large bag for all your purchases and freebies, and go hungry!

If you missed this year’s Good Food Show but this has whetted your appetite, perhaps try some of these recipes:

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