Eating Local in London and the UK

For some reason or other, the UK has a bit of a poor reputation for its food. People, or at least tourists, tend to thoroughly enjoy visiting the UK and its many pleasant locations and historical sites – however, it is also common to hear that people’s least favourite part of visiting is the food. The fact is, though, that this might be a bit of an unfair criticism. One reason that people assume the UK does not have good food is simply that there are not many foods that one can specifically associate with the region. People immediately recognize foods and specialties from Italy, Spain, France and many other countries around the world. However, the UK, somewhat like the United States, does not have a strong national identity with regard to cuisine. Somewhat surprisingly though, the “food culture” of the UK has come a long way in recent years, and people in the region now seem more focused on producing great food. Now – particularly in London – there are a number of impressive local eateries and food producing regions. In fact, a lot of people in and around London much prefer to consume only local ingredients (even when going out to a restaurant or buying a Marks and Spencer Christmas hamper, and will go to great lengths to stay healthy and support the local food economies. Eating locally, particularly in an area that has something of a rejuvenated interest in food and ingredient production, can offer a number of benefits, not the least of which is taste. The fact is, imported ingredients are by their nature often less fresh than local ingredients, simply because more time elapses from when they are produced to when they reach your plate. So, if you are a person who cares deeply about the quality of your meals and their ingredients, you may have a lot to gain by eating locally, particularly if you have never really tried it. Whatever the case, and whatever your specific preferences may be, you certainly could benefit from realizing that the food scene in the UK, and particularly in and around London, has come a long way. For a region that does not necessarily get a lot of respect from the outside world regarding its food producing, there are actually a number of  “hidden gems,” so to speak, in this country’s  food production industry. At the very least, if you are curious about the UK food scene, do yourself a favour and experience it for yourself, rather than ignoring it because of the world’s unfair assumptions about it.    Read More

The Great Canadian Bacon Festival

  The Great Canadian Bacon Festival This is going to cause a stir. It’s bacon, it’s Canadian and it is happening on Canada Day! Oink, snort and grunt your way to this festival which is being held on Friday, July 1st at The Arva Flour Mill. Organizer Sarah Reynolds wants you to know: “Canada’s first ever bacon festival is a showcase of bacon delights to help raise funds towards the Arva Flour Mill Restoration Project. Each bacon enthusiast pays $5 for a wristband at the door (kids enter free) and then has the chance to sample treats directly from local pork producers/butchers. Even though we have the word festival in our title, we’re nothing like other food festivals. Our only focus is to invite bacon lovers to share a great meal with us and celebrate what Canada Day stands for, community culture and great food. Doors open at 11 am . The festival provides free parking, free educational arts & crafts for children, a silent auction table, some fantastic music and a shuttle bus from the Masonville Farmers Market every half hour. We’re also providing a full vegetarian menu with gluten free items for those who want to check things out but may not wish to consume meat products.” Thanks Sarah! I have told you all about The Arva Flour Mill before. It is one of my all time favourite, locavore destinations. If you still have never been – this is the perfect opportunity to go and check it out while the festival is on. If you are an ole’ regular of the mill – it is a great time to go and see some changes that have happened there. For instance, there is a new sign and a super fancy truck (see below), which I was able to snap a photo of one day as I was walking past the Mufflerman in London. The proceeds of this festival are actually going to a Restoration Project for the mill, so I am sure there are big plans to bring this ol’ beauty back to her original glory. I love the mill, I love the mill! You should love the mill too. It is a real gem to have a historic mill that is producing organic, local flour right here in our city, let’s show them we love them (and bacon!).   Arva Flour Mill Truck Baconfest, Canada Day. Will you be there? I will. See that poster up at the top? It’s printed on meatpacking paper, how cool is that? I am going to eat bacon, get a t-shirt and love my mill. Will you join me?    Read More

A local Latin BBQ

Meet Paul Spence. You may have met him at the Masonville Farmer’s Market sometime last season. Lo Maximo Meats is the name of Paul and his wife Sara’s farm business. Paul and Sara can be found running a creative and small-scale farm near Kent Bridge in the Chatham-Kent area. Lo Maximo Meats offers up a real specialty product to our community – Latin style cuts of meat. It does not stop there for this creative duo as they are now embarking on a new adventure – The Latin BBQ experience, which they are calling Experience Casa Latina. Paul and Sara hope to create a wonderful evening of introducing people to a new style of eating… the Latin way. What they are doing is really neat – they will let you take a peak at their charming farm, so you can see the journey from farm to plate and at the same time, they want to offer up an inside look at the Latin way of life. Music, salsa dancing, socializing and just plain having fun are all on the Spence menu. After the farm tour concluded, we headed over to The Botany Community Centre, which is an adorable and old one room school house dating back to 1883. This little school house has been converted into a cozy community centre with a working kitchen. It is steeped in history and some of that history runs deep in Paul’s own family tree – his great, great grandfather helped bring the bricks to build it and his own grandfather attended the old school. Sara had been there before us working her magic, and it was set up wonderfully with a gorgeous tableware, folded napkins and even ribbons adorning each chair. It definitively set the mood and made all of the guests feel honored to be there.   We all had a chance to talk to Sara about her hometown which is in Equador and her previous way of life before she moved to the cooler Canadian climate. Sara loves to have people ask her about South America and she wants more Canadians to know about it and experience some of the culture. One of Paul’s Chatham farm area neighbors Don Giffin was there with a whole display of the most gorgeous bottles of maple syrup I have ever seen. He was there to let people know how syrup is tapped and produced. He gave us loads of information on the syrup grades and consistency. He was an amazing guy whose maple syrup has won some pretty prestigious awards in the past. One of the large bottles had a gorgeous trillium displayed and on another favourite of mine – some maple leaves adorning it, they were truly exceptional. While we were inside talking to Sara and Don, Paul was outside grilling the meat on the BBQ – I believe that in Spanish the BBQ would be called a parrilla or open-fired grill and this is a very traditional way to cook the meat. Speaking of meat, there was alot of it. This is where the Latin experience comes in and really shines. We were introduced to the names of many different styles or cuts of meat and offal (hoove, tendons, brains, tongue – nothing is off the table at a true Latin BBQ). I am happy to announce that they did go easy on us at this particular parrilla.   There were regular farmer style sausage, pork and beef cutlets and the two most adventurous items on the menu were heart and kidney. I managed to try them both and I will say that I liked the heart but I think that would be my last time with the kidney. Some others that were present loved the kidney and passed on the heart – so, to each his/her own! Every kind of meat was accompanied with a homemade green sauce called chimichurri = delicious. There were also three gorgeous salads to accompany the meal, which Sara told me was more of a Canadian touch, as at a traditional Latin BBQ there would just be the meat. To finish, there was a delicious dessert which was Sara’s mother’s recipe – I cannot recall the exact name, but I believe it was a dulche de leche-type flan with another Canadian touch – whipped cream. As part of the Latin experience, Sara includes a salsa lesson to anyone interested, which we ran out of time on this particular evening. I have taken loads of other photos of the farm and some of the really creative projects that they have going on there currently, or are in the works. It really needs to be in another post, so if you are intrigued check back in a few days! Amar la vida! Experience Casa Latina Paul and Sara Spence 11945 Selton Line R.R.#3 Kent Bridge, ON, N0P 1V0 experiencecasalatina@gmail.com 519-365-9791    Read More

Beer, Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Have you heard? The Honeycrisp Apple is “the” apple of 2010. That”s right, just like fashion in the streets of New York has its trends and hot designers – Ontario Apple Farmers have listened to their consumer”s demands for a sweet, yet crisp apple that also packs a tiny tart punch and will amazingly also hold up in cooking – and they have given us the lovely Honeycrisp. The world of apple cultivars and those that breed them can be a complicated one at times. I have been told it takes about three years from planting a tree to actually being able to harvest the precious fruit – so those apple farmers are constantly taking risks, and going out on a limb (look at me – a pun!) to wager on what kind of apple we finicky consumers may be demaning three years down the road. How stressful, especially if you consider that an apple grower usually is growing something else at the same time and that there is also the threat of weather and pests, and sigh – well, it”s amazing that we get these wonderful different varieties brought to market to try and taste. I picked up some Honeycrisp apples and decided to make this wonderful soup from Ontario Chef Lynn Ogryzylo cook book – Niagara Cooks. It was delicious and I think you may like to try it! Apple, Beer and Butternut Squash and Beer Soup (slight adaptation) 1 tablespoon Ontario Canola oil (try Persall”s found here.) 2 cups Ontario onions – chopped 1 clove Ontario garlic – minced 1 teaspoon dried thyme 4 cups peeled and diced Ontario butternut squash 3 cups of Ontario apples (I used Honeycrisp) 2 cups chicken broth (I used vegetable) 2 cups of Ontario craft beer – try St.Thomas Ironspike available at LCBO 1/2 cup table cream pinch fresh ground nutmeg salt and pepper apple slices for garnish Heat the canola oil in your big soup pot over medium heat. Throw in the onions, cook until soft, stir on garlic and thyme and cook for about a minute. Add squash, apples, broth and beer. Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook at a simmer for about 15 minutes or until your sqaush is all soft. Remove from heat, use an immersion blender to puree the soup, add the cream and reheat. Season with the salt and pepper and the nutmeg. Garnish with an apple slice. Dig in with a big baguette and more beer!  Read More

The Bee Village at Windermere Manor

Nestled up amongst the trees on the hill at Windermere Manor there now resides a large village, a village of bees that is. When Neil Kellock, General Manager of Windermere Manor wanted to get some bees for the property and restaurant, he turned to Rick Huismann who runs Huismann Apiaries, located just outside London. Rick came and installed eight bee hives which they are now calling a ”Bee Village”. Each one of these hives contains roughly 10,000 bees and one very important queen. Windermere Manor expects to collect their first harvest of honey in the fall of this year. Neil seemed pretty excited about this new project and I can see why. It is so cool! Take a look at the hives themselves – aside from the now famous hives at the White House Kitchen Garden, these are some of the nicest looking bee apartments I have ever seen. Each one is marked with the Manor logo just below the roof line, so the bees know when they are home. The roof of each hive appears to be made of copper, which I am sure must have been chosen to help in heating the hives through the winter, but it sure looks nice at the same time. Photo: Windermere Manor A few restaurants are now keeping bees to collect honey for use in the kitchens of the restaurant (Garlics in London, The Royal York in Toronto), but these hives are generally placed way up on the roof,out of sight from customers and also out of reach. At Windermere Manor, Neil wanted customers to see the bees, he wanted it to be part of the whole experience. A sitting bench has been placed just out of reach of the hives where you are invited to sit and watch the bees hard at work. I have not been up to the hives in person yet. But I will probably walk up there at lunch tomorrow and check it out. The Windermere Manor is open 7 days a week and has for some time highlighted quite a few local items on their menu. It is a really nice spot to grab lunch or dinner and even breakfast, of course I may be a bit biased as it is also where Sean and I tied the knot almost five years ago. This is a wonderful project right now for Windermere, but also for London. With declines being reported all the time in the North American bee industry, the honey bees are in need of our help right now. So go see them, learn about them, feel like royalty as you sit among not one, but eight royal queens.  Read More

London Free Press – Rock”in Article

image: food network canada As I ate my lunch today I stumbled across an article in the London Free Press, which by the way was conveniently located right beside Jill Wilcox”s recipe for PARSNIP AND MUSHROOM RISOTTO WITH SAGE - yum-0! I thought I would mention this article for those who missed it, because I found it very interesting and full of useful little nuggets of information designed for a locavore. The article is about Toronto executive Chef Brad Long. Brad Long is also a celebrity chef – you may have seen him on Restaurant Makeover (he is co-host of the show). Long owns a four hectare property northeast of Toronto where he grows all kinds of things; artichokes, peppers, eggplants, pumpkins and a whole whack more. The article talks about how he supplies his own restaurant with fresh, sustainably grown food, as well as many other Toronto establishments. What I liked about this piece is how he points out that choosing what you eat can be considered a political decision. “You are voting with your dollars. Supporting local farmers, shop owners and artisans is a simple but powerful political and economic message that is noticed, counted and has a positive effect on your local economy and your diet. “ The article also lists a whole bunch of really great sustainable buying tips. My favourite by far would be this one because it will help you dive in and not be scared of trying to make a difference: “You don”t have to change your whole life/everything you eat in one fell swoop. Simply pay more attention to it and you”ll get the added benefit of enjoying and sharing your meals with a bit more awareness of what it is involved in putting it all together.” Full article can also be found on the LFP web site check it out!  Read More

Great resource for eating local

I have been in kind of a funk about the weather lately, so I have not been making it out to the farms too much. But where I have been, is to alot of garden centres as I attempt to get my garden ready…I was thinking about drafting up a post about planting your own garden, grow your own local, kind of deal – but it needs some more serious time alotted to get it just right – so I will at a later date. I will tell you this – I know for sure that you can find asparagus, lettuce, spinach, rhubarb, fiddleheads and even arugula right now, it”s out there – and its waiting to be eaten. If you have been procrastinating and have not been to a garden centre yet, you will be as surprised as I was to see that there are many more veggies available this year to grow in containers or in garden beds right at home – a heck of a lot more varieties than I remember seeing last year. I even heard that you can buy seedling heirloom tomatoe plants at the covent garden market on saturdays right now. What I do want to let you all know about is this great resource – every wednesday in the Londoner, there is a columnist – Christine Scheer that writes a column about eating with the seasons. Her section is always intelligent,with a delicious twist – apparently she was a chef for a number of years in london and she now grows and cooks local food and shares her adventures as well as her wonderful recipes in our local paper. I have been trying to add the links to her stories to this blog so that they are easier to find,but the latest one (on arugula!) can be read right here: http://www.thelondoner.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1056235&auth=Christine+Scheer happy eating xo  Read More

Rockin' Rhubarb

photo: Kelly Hunt Just the facts Rhubarb is a perennial vegetable (yes, this means it comes back year after year – so giving — that rhubarb is). Shoots of rockin” rhubarb appear early in the season, which makes locavores happy, because we are starving for fresh stuff in April and May. Rockin” rhube is a good source of vitamin C and iron, and is widely used in many desserts, jams and other good things. TOXIC? – Yes, there is truth in what you have heard – The leaves of rhubarb contain a high concentration of oxalic acid salts. The salts can be very toxic, so rhubarb leaves should never be consumed by humans or fed to your pets. The stalks (petiole) are just fine to eat, and apparently they will work wonders on your digestive tract – if needed (yes, that is short for – they make you “go #2″). Don”t throw out the leaves! Leaves of the Rhubarb provide a good source of organic matter in a compost pile. Rhubarb is pretty. Yes, it is and if you do not believe me, just go see for yourself,buy some local rhubarb. Now,here is your chance to impress your friends, tell them you are serving them a compote. A compote is made of fruit that is simmered in a sugar syrup. The syrup may be seasoned with vanilla, lemon, orange, cinnamon, cloves. The dish is then potentially topped with whipped cream, cinnamon, or vanilla sugar. It is one of those very chef-like dishes, that is dead easy, but all fancy. Rhubarb Compote6 cups 1-inch pieces fresh rhubarb (from about 2 pounds)1 1/4 cups sugar1/3 cup water Combine all 3 ingredients in large saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until rockin” rhubarb is very mushy and begins to fall apart. Stir occasionally, about 20 minutes. Here is where you can add in any flavours that you might like to jazz it up. Transfer compote to medium bowl. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, about 3 hours. Cover and keep cold. Serve chilled. Top with whipped cream and whatever else you might think tastes good. Enjoy. One more thing, rhubarb is not one of those things that I have been finding at farms, I believe that some farms do grow it, I just have not personally been running into it. For me, it seems to arrive from generous aunts and uncles or friends that have loads of it growing out of control in their backyards. If you don”t happen to know anyone that has an abundance of it to share – there is a house on Medway road with a sign out front that says “Fresh Rhubarb”. I saw it just this week on Medway Road between Richmond and Adelaide on the south side of the road. If all else fails, the grocery stores should be stocking Ontario Rhubarb right about now. Happy Hunting!  Read More

Eating Local – Know Your Seasons

(Photo: Kelly Hunt) Before you start to eat local, you are going to need to know what is generally “in season” around Southwestern Ontario so that you can make informed choices and get the best tasting fruit or veg right at its prime. This little list I have put together is pretty general, and it should be noted that even though all of these fruits and veggies are grown in Ontario, a lot of the winter season (Nov – April) that is available to us – actually gets picked at its prime and then stored – so that the farmers can still sell what stores that they have to us throughout the winter. Thank you farmers! There are an increasing amount of fruits and veggies that are now being grown in ontario greenhouses throughout the year (yum!) but I have not included them in this list. MAY Asparagus Fiddleheads Lettuce Radishes Rhubarb Spinach JUNE Arugula Asparagus Beans Beets Broccoli Cabbage Cauliflower Cherries Cucumber Herbs Kohlrabi Lettuce Peas Radicchio Radishes Rhubarb Spinach Strawberries JULY Apricots Beans Beets Blueberries Broccoli Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Celery Chard Cherries Corn Cucumber Gooseberries Kohlrabi Lettuce Onions Peaches Peas Peppers Plums Potatoes Radicchio Radishes Rapini Raspberries Spinach Squash Strawberries Tomatoes Zucchini AUGUST Apples Apricots Beans Beets Blueberries Broccoli Cabbage Cantaloupe Carrots Cauliflower Celery Chard Corn Cucumber Eggplant Garlic Grapes Kale Kohlrabi Leeks Lettuce Nectarines Onions Peaches Pears Peas Peppers Plums Potatoes Radicchio Radishes Rapini Raspberries Rutabaga Shallots Spinach Squash Tomatoes Tomatillos Turnips Watermelon Zucchini SEPTEMBER Apples Beans Beets Blueberries Broccoli Brussels Sprouts Cabbage Cantaloupe Carrots Cauliflower Celery Chard Corn Cucumber Eggplant Grapes Kale Kohlrabi Leeks Lettuce Nectarines Onions Parsnips Peaches Pears Peas Peppers Plums Potatoes Radishes Raspberries Rutabaga Shallots Squash Sweet Potatoes Tomatoes Tomatillos Turnips Watermelon Zucchini OCTOBER Apples Beans Beets Broccoli Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Celeriac Celery Chard Cranberries Corn Cucumber Eggplant Grapes Kale Leeks Lettuce Onions Parsnips Pears Peppers Potatoes Rutabaga Shallots Squash Sweet Potatoes Tomatoes Tomatillos Turnips Zucchini NOVEMBER (mostly stored) Apples Beets Broccoli Brussels Sprouts Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Celeriac Celery Chard Cranberries Garlic Leeks Onions Parsnips Pears Potatoes Rutabaga Radishes Squash Turnips DECEMBER (mostly stored) Apples Brussels sprouts Cabbage Carrots Celeriac Celery Garlic Leeks Onions Parsnips Potatoes Rutabaga Shallots Sweet Potatoes Turnips Squash JANUARY (mostly stored) Apples Beets Brussels sprouts Cabbage Carrots Celeriac Garlic Leeks Onions Parsnips Potatoes Rutabaga Shallots Sweet Potatoes Turnips FEBRUARY (mostly stored) Apples Beets Cabbage Carrots Celeriac Garlic Leeks Onions Parsnips Potatoes Rutabaga Shallots Sweet Potatoes Turnips MARCH (mostly stored) Apples Beets Cabbage Carrots Celeriac Garlic Onions Parsnips Potatoes Rutabaga Shallots Sweet Potatoes APRIL (mostly stored) Apples Beets Cabbage Carrots Celeriac Onions Parsnips Potatoes Rutabaga Shallots Sweet Potatoes  Read More

Naked Asparagus Frittata

this photo has gone missing Ok, I admit it..I have been ogling delicious looking foodie- obsessed web sites out there for a quite some time now. Some blogs just plain amaze me, they manage to make food that tastes really good as well as capture original, magazine quality pictures. I just find it fascinating. In homage to these wonderful sites, you can see that I have tried my hand at making my asparagus say “cheese” for the camera. Asparagus is an amazing thing, I have eaten it 3 days in a row now and I just am not getting tired of it. I believe that it is best all by itself grilled up with some butter, salt and pepper and then some fresh parmesan for the top – but here I have whipped up a little frittata to get you inspired. Ontario asparagus won”t be around forever, it is at the peak of its taste perfection right now, and it is also a very versatile veg – so go on out and get some already! It should be noted, if you are buying it in the grocery store,make sure it is local. Apparently the Ontario crop got hit by a very wicked frost about a week and half ago and alot of our green spear-headed friends were damaged beyond saving. Kelly”s Basic Asparagus Frittta 5 organic eggs 2 tblsp olive oil or butter 2 tblsp water 1 small red onion 5 medium sized ontario grown mushrooms half bunch of ontario asparagus 1/4 cup parmesan cheese salt and pepper to taste preheat oven to 350 Crack all the eggs into a bowl and beat. Add water and beat lighty again. Chop up the mushrooms,onions and your asparagus into bite sized pieces. Heat oil in pan (make sure to use pan that can go into oven after). Add onions, until they start to get transparent, add asparagus, mushrooms, salt and pepper. Saute until tender (about 5 min). Add your eggs, just cook without moving around too much, lift sides of egg and let juices run under bottom of egg to cook mostly. Add parmesan cheese on top. Once the bottom of the frittata is set and not runny anymore, pop it into oven to finish it off for about 8-1o minutes, check often as not to burn. Dee-lish!  Read More

Asparagus has arrived!

Asparagus Shoot Photo: istockphoto.com Let the garden gods bless aspargus. I know that many of you out there reading this happy little blog happen to live in London Ontario or perhaps, the surrounding areas. Well, we all know how long and miserable it seemed that this winter was for us. I know, I know, every winter seems long and cold and never ending in Canada, but this one – seemed to drag on an eternity, am I right? So to my glee, yes glee – driving into work just last week – I see the the most exciting spring happening, well.. just happening. Yes it is true, the glorious little green spears of the proud asparagus plant are emerging out of the fields, poking their brave and pointed noggins out to say “hello, we are here,yes,we are delicious, and we are ready to be eaten.” I am having a couple friends over for dinner this Saturday and I am going to pop into Mark”s Adelaide Street Farm (adelaide street north) and buy some of those fresh green, aspargus. I am not quite sure what I will do with them just yet, I promise to keep you posted – although, I do believe that it was Julia Child that once said the best way to cook asparagus was just with a little butter and some salt et voila. The below interesting facts have been provided by the Michigan Asparagus Board http://www.asparagus.org/ Did you know? Asparagus is a member of the Lily family. Asparagus spears grow from a crown that is planted about a foot deep in sandy soils. Under ideal conditions, an asparagus spear can grow 10″ in a 24-hour period. Each crown will send spears up for about 6-7 weeks during the spring and early summer. The outdoor temperature determines how much time will be between each picking…early in the season, there may be 4-5 days between pickings and as the days and nights get warmer, a particular field may have to be picked every 24 hours. After harvesting is done the spears grow into ferns, which produce red berries and the food and nutrients necessary for a healthy and productive crop the next season. An asparagus planting is usually not harvested for the first 3 years after the crowns are planted allowing the crown to develop a strong fibrous root system. A well cared for asparagus planting will generally produce for about 15 years without being replanted. The larger the diameter, the better the quality! Asparagus is a nutrient-dense food which in high in Folic Acid and is a good source of potassium, fiber, vitamin B6, vitamins A and C, and thiamin. Asparagus has No Fat, contains No Cholesterol and is low in Sodium. And.. Yes it does make your pee smell funny, but who cares!? This last fact was of course not on the Michigan asparagus web site, but added by yours truly. In fact, there is a reason for this smell, and not every one of us has the pleasure of producing it, just in case you are one of those people who has to know.. well anyways.. I”ll just cut to the chase, here it is : http://dsc.discovery.com/guides/skinny-on/asparagus.html Now go eat some local asparagus already, it beats the pants off any of that shipped in stuff some of you may have subjected yourselves to over this long winter.  Read More