An Edible Voyage

July 2021 With all this hot weather, I find myself craving the fresh, bright, juiciness of the season's best produce, and light, refreshing meals to keep me cool of the hottest of days.  I relish opportunities to browse the farm shop, selecting whatever takes my fancy, and then combining ingredients in to colourful patterns on my plate.  Here are some of my favourites. Chicory, Dolcelatte, Clementine, Pine Nuts This is my #1.  Bitter chicory is perfectly offset with creamy Dolcelatte and sweet clementine, whilst toasted pine nuts add a satisfying crunch.  With a simple dressing of olive oil, white wine vinegar and honey, this is quick to make and the flavours dance on my taste buds. Watermelon, Feta, Mint There's nothing quite like slicing through a watermelon and revealing that glorious red flesh, and biting in to cool wedges as the juice drips down your chin.  This salad takes seconds to prepare.  Toss a handful of cubed feta and a sprinkling of torn mint...

June 2020 I can't say that I've ever had Tibetan food before and it seems I've been missing out! Yeshi grew up in rural Tibet and has brought over the flavours of his native cuisine to excite the taste buds of Oxford with Taste of Tibet.  Hearty and a little spicy, his dishes are real soul food.  The vegan feast is definitely not an understatement with 3 curries, rice and a momo jam packed in to the foil container - it seemed a never-ending meal of flavour.  A mild spinach and chickpea curry, and Tibetan dahl ss balanced by the spicy potato and pea curry, and people flock from miles around for their highly acclaimed momos - dumplings filled with vegetables and steamed to create 2-bite sized balls of deliciousness.   Bread is my weakness and generally one of my most enjoyed parts of any cuisine so I had to try a Tibetan flat bread.  I was expecting it to be similar to a naan bread but it was much denser, good for scooping up a mouthful of curry. Ta...

April 2020 Mackerel is one of my favourite fish - I love the rich flavour and the moist, oily texture, and it makes so many other ingredients really shine.  And when you're a little bit salty from a day on a fishing boat in Devon, what could be better than cooking up the fruits of your labour!   Simply grilled, oily, melt in the mouth fish, is balanced by an acidic, punchy dressing of cider vinegar and mustard.  Crunchy, aniseedy fennel, soft potatoes, zesty lemon, and the slight crunch of peppery leaves fresh from the farm combine to make this a truly delicious light and fresh healthy dinner, perfect for a warm evening.

September 2019 To stock me up for my journey home, I wanted to find some good, solid Ukranian cuisine.  Puzata Hata was just the place - a cheerful canteen with a wide selection of Ukraine's most iconic dishes, decent quality, and big portions for a small price tag.   The potato vareniki were surprisingly flavourful for what it is effectively a potato dumpling, although, as expected, they were rather mono-textured.  The dill crepe cake was a bit like a salad in cake form.  The crepes gave it an interesting texture but it had a surprisingly overpowering flavour and the liberal mayonnaise made it rather rich. Find these, alongside many other Ukrainian specialities, at Puzata Hata.  There are many branches across the Ukraine, including several in Kiev.

March 2020 Hidden away in Worton Park, where commercial and rural co-exist in harmony, is an organic farm shop, piled high with fruits, vegetables, Worton eggs, and farm pressed apple juice.  Hidden within this, is a cafe.  Homely and warm with a wood burning stove, food inspired books lining the walls, and the most delicious home-made food. Thai Spiced Beetroot Soup Gorgeously vibrant, I wasn't sure what to expect from a thai-spiced beetroot soup.  Would it work? Yes! It definitely did.  The zingy thai flavours blended perfectly with the earthiness of the beetroot, and a dollop of natural yogurt brought it all together into a hearty but healthy feeling lunch.  The sourdough was divine - a little chewy, tangy and with a delicious caramelised crust - a fantastic loaf! Masala Dosa Originating in Southern India, this rice and lentil crepe is stuffed with potatoes and served with a variety of chutneys and yogurt.  It's fresh but filling, and m...