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

Rundles Sophisto-Bistro

Rundles Restaurant You are going to want to go here. Maybe you have a first date coming up with a cool boy… maybe you are married to a cool boy (or girl) and your anniversary is coming up. Maybe your best girlfriend is getting married and she needs a heart to heart before the big day over a really nice meal (and a big glass of wine!). Maybe its your dad’s birthday and you want to stroll down the river Avon, look at some swans and then have a really nice meal. Whatever the reason, you are going to want to make that next date with your most favourite person at Rundles Sophisto-Bistro in Stratford. Table and Masks – Garden Room The first thing you are going to notice is the details. This place is so cool, it’s Danish meets Tribal, meets nineteen-sixty meets nineteen-eighty, meets now. I loved all the little trinkets, the modern masks on the wall, the ethereal mobiles hanging from the ceiling and the outdoor garden. It’s such an amazing place, even the wooden bread box squeals with character – make sure you take a look at it! Freshly Baked Baguette   Homemade Butter We sat down and our host for the evening – Andrew came over to spoil us. I let him know I was interested in where all of the food came from and he was happy to guide me through the menu and all of its hidden treasures. First off, he brought us over a freshly baked baguette that is made in-house along with the homemade butter which they turn on site, in the kitchen from locally produced cream. If you look closely in this photo you can see that there are little pieces of course salt set atop of this glorious little cylinder of butter. It tastes very French, but it is very Ontario. Local Organic Baby Arugula and Spinach Salad with Oyster Mushrooms Although I would have been quite happy to sit for the entire evening with just the butter and baguette, there was much more to come. The menu at Sophisto-Bistro is a fixed menu. You pay a set price and you can choose from about four different items in each category for an appetizer, a main and a dessert. The kitchen is run by Neil Baxter who is also head of the acclaimed Stratford Chef School. I caught a glimpse of him coming out of the kitchen at one moment, but I resisted my urged to run up to him and beg him for a cooking class. For my appetizer I chose the local organic baby arugula and spinach salad with oyster mushrooms. The salad is served with finely sliced red cabbage, and grilled oyster mushrooms and garnished with chopped egg and fried sourdough breadcrumbs. The greens, cabbage and the eggs are from Anthony John’s farm at Soiled Reputation out of Sebringville Ontario. The mushrooms were unlike any I have ever tasted, they were like slivers of tender, juicy and nutty flavoured steak! The sourdough bread crumbs are of course homemade. You can see in this photo the colour and the presentation are sublime. The taste combination here is so delicious, it was perfection in a salad. PAN-FRIED PORK TENDERLOIN PICCATA   HOT-SMOKED, KOLAPORE SPRINGS TROUT SALAD grilled chiles poblanos, carrot and red onion escabeche (Mexican pickle) For our mains, Sean chose the Pan Fried Pork Tenderloin Picatta that sat atop a mixture of local vegetables including brussel sprouts, celeriac and devilled sauce – christened with capers, it was delicious (yes, he did let me taste test!). The pork is the elusive Berkshire variety – Rundles is bringing in locally from Perth Pork Products. For my main I chose the smoked trout that they smoke in-house, back in the kitchen. The trout comes from Kolapore Springs Trout Farm which is located near Collingwood. I have heard of Kolapore Springs and I remember it was a very interesting place where they do things differently than most fish farms. Sustainability is key in their business and they feed the trout a special fresh water shrimp that actually enhances the flavour, the nutrional value as well as the pink colour of the trout. It was a sweet tasting trout with a delicate smokiness to it that is quite unlike any I have ever had. Farm raised trout is one of the most sustainable fish for us to choose in Canada and it is very safe to raise trout in a farmed environment (unlike salmon). To make the dish even more adventurous it is served with grilled chiles poblanos, carrot and red onion escabeche (mexican pickle). Sounds exotic, but Chef Neil Baxter is replicating and at the same time reinventing a traditional dish here with local ingredients. The colour in this dish is terrific – various hues of pink, green and orange shine back at you as you take in all the flavours and the wonderful smokey and sweet scent. Table Charm This is one of the many little charms that reside in Sophisto-Bistro. A charming little moveable statue to keep you amused while you await your next course and next surprise. CANADIAN, UNPASTEURIZED MILK CHEESES For my dessert, I chose the cheese plate. It is a wonderful selection of (mostly) local cheese. All but one of these lovelies is from Ontario and believe me, you will not mind the one traveller in the group. The Sophisto-Bistro cheese plate is a selection of four unpasteurized milk cheeses. The blue cheese was called Tiger Blue and is from British Columbia, so even though it travelled a little further , it is still a welcome fellow Canadian. It was so creamy and delicious that I could have been finished there – but no, there were three more to sample. The next cheese was called Solaire from MonForte (Stratford), the next was Orati (near Ottawa) and the last was another MonForte Cheese called Paradiso which was a sheep’s milk cheese. The cheese plate is accompanied with a side of homemade walnut raisin bread and an in-house flax seed cracker that is a treat in itself. It was almost like a cookie and was so good it had me ohhing and awing. All of this comes with one more sidekick, a homemade apple and raisin chutney with a killer cinnamon bang with every bite – delicious! Rundles Rosehall Run Wine Wine, wine and more wine. Rundles and Sophisto-Bistro has a huge selection of wine to accompany any meal that you choose. I let Andrew our host pick my wine for the evening. He chose the house wine which is made for Rundles at Rosehall Run Winery which is a boutique winery that resides in Prince Edward County, Ontario. They make the private label for Rundles and it was a delicious choice that carried me right through from appetizer to dessert. This meal was surely one for the memory books. Sean and I felt like a King and Queen as we dined in such a unique environment with such amazing service and food that is truly exceptional. We will not forget it, in fact I am already planning my next day trip to Stratford so that I can stop in and try some of the other items on this menu. Anyone want to join me? Rundles Spohisto-Bistro 9 Cobourg Street Stratford, ON N5A 3E4 (519) 271-6442 www.rundlesrestaurant.com Twitter @Rundles Blog: rundlesrestaurant.wordpress.com  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

The North End Masonville Friday Market

Sara Griffin from Green Door Gardens – Organically Grown Heirloom Tomato Plants, Herbs, Preserves and Herb Mixes In case you have not been yet, the Friday North End Farmer”s Market is back into swing for the year. It has been up and running since May 7th and will run every Friday from now until October 8th, it is open from 8 am – 2 pm and is located in the Masonville Parking lot. Yesterday I went over with my friend and work colleague Carolyn who wanted to buy some worms that are available there from Annelid Cycle. The worms are special warm blooded critters that are said to be excellent in helping with your compost pile. I will find out some more about how this works and post here a bit later because it looks pretty cool! Some things I saw at the market: Andy Devries is there from Concreations – he sells concrete statues and little gnomes to watch over your garden. Dolway Organics (who are a real favourite of mine) and sell at Covent Garden Market on Saturdays are there, so I was happy to see there are now two places that I can buy produce from them. Bayfield Berry Farms is there with their meat pies, berry pies, preserves, veggies, breads and all kinds of other goodies. There is a local cheese vendor there selling fresh curds and white cheddar and he has samples! Bacon Acre's Product List Sharon Kodde from Bacon Acre Farms is there. Bacon Acre (don”t you love that name?!) sell all cuts of pork and I will highlight these guys for a bit later as I was invited out to the farm. I will report back as I know quite a few of you have emailed me in the past looking for places to get meat through the year. Joyce Farms is there, they have a variety of vegetables that they grow on their own and they also bring in a lot from other local farmers as well. Right now they are bringing in some greenhouse grown peppers from Leamington for those of you (like me) who cannot wait! There were many other vendors there, I just did not get all of their names and I know there are many more vendors to come as the season picks up. I saw mounds of asparagus, I spied purple white and green varieties of the little green soldiers. Strawberries are fully going now, although perhaps as I was late in visiting the market, as I only saw a few pints for sale. You can still get plenty of rhubarb and there is a lovely woman there named Sara Griffin who is selling Heirloom tomato plants for you to plant at home. Sara runs a business called Green Door Gardens which provides Heirloom tomato plants, herbs, preserves and herb mixes. Sara says because of the rain, many people are a little behind on planting this year. It is still not too late as the plants are a really good size. Sara will be there next Friday if you want to try your luck at growing your own this year. Market season is well on, and I can”t tell you how happy I am to get right back to it! See you there.  Read More

Loblaws to go Local?

image from the national Loblaws to go local…is this for real? Thoughts..comments….anyone? Loblaws lovers out there.. Haters? Anyone? I had the pain and pleasure of working at this chain for more than 10 years.. in my youth.. oh the blood sweat and tears.. I am thrilled at the prospects of Loblaws going more local…it would do a world of good for reducing the carbon emitted by shipping food from farms to plates.. the sustainability (economically) on the local farming side would have to be argued by a local farmer. Will they pay the right prices to make it work is what I am getting at. One can only dream… There is absolutely NO WAY they could not possibly go all local in my opinion.. I mean come on… what about “Memories of Tuscany”.. “Memories of Singapore?…. hey Galen Weston that AIN”T local man.. lol.. Full story below courtesy of cbc.ca Consumers hungry for locally grown food, struggling Loblaws toldLast Updated: Tuesday, May 22, 2007 4:03 PM ETCBC NewsCanada”s No. 1 grocer faces major challenges as it tries to stem sliding profits, but some analysts and consumers say the key for Loblaws may be to cater to a growing demand for locally grown food. In the parking lot outside Loblaws Real Canadian Superstore in downtown Ottawa, Heather Epton carries just two small bags. Inside are cleaning products and toilet paper. “I don”t usually buy vegetables in this store,” Epton says. “If they concentrate more on local, I”d definitely buy here. But right now, I go to two stores.” The buy-local movement comes just as Loblaws goes head to head with U.S. retailer Wal-Mart, which is moving deeper into the grocery business. Elizabeth Margles, a spokeswoman for Loblaws Companies Ltd., prefers to see the bright side to Wal-Mart”s diversification strategy. “It”s great to operate in a competitive environment. It continually drives us to make sure that we”re ahead of the curve,offering customers what they want,” she says. But distribution and warehousing problems along with a management overhaul have led to a dip in Loblaws” share price. Last year, it posted its first loss in 19 years and in the first quarter of this year, profit dropped more than 60 per cent. The company is also dealing with millions in restructuring costs after laying off 20 per cent of its administrative staff. “I”d say Loblaws has a lot of challenges and difficulties ahead,” says Ian Lee, an assistant professor at Carleton University”s school of business in Ottawa. “In the U.S., some of the major grocery chains did fail. [They were] beaten up by Wal-Mart.” If Loblaws is at a crossroads, it”s been here before. In the 1970s, the company was in debt and Galen Weston Sr. was called in to rescue the family business. He hired his former college roommate, Dave Nichol, who introduced the now-famous and popular President”s Choice products. While the brand remains a lure for customers today, Nichol is long gone and Wal-Mart”s low-cost, one-stop-shopping experience has influenced new management at Loblaws.Don”t emulate Wal-Mart, says analyst Lee says that”s a mistake. “I think they should focus on the quality side, the differentiation, and say, ”We”re not Wal-Mart. We have fresher food and far greater choices,”” he said. “The buy local [strategy] is part of that and I think it would be a potent source of competitive advantage.” Loblaws CEO Galen Weston Jr. has acknowledged that consumers want local food. But at the corporation”s recent annual general meeting, Weston also told shareholders it plans to lower prices. While doing both will be a challenge, Margles insists Loblaws is going local. “As long as it makes sense for everybody, we are always happy to work with local vendors, local suppliers, local manufacturers across the board,” she said. But a survey of Ottawa”s Loblaws Superstores finds there”s no local meat. The garlic, a common eastern Ontario crop, comes from China, and all the apples are from outside the country. Ottawa-area farmers say it”s hard to get their products into Loblaws. Analysts say the reality for huge operations like Loblaws is that it”s easier to buy, transport and track from big suppliers, few of which are in eastern Ontario. Lee says it won”t be easy to find a niche in local, high-quality food, but he maintains that”s the way Loblaws will compete successfully against Wal-Mart. “The most important strategic question facing Loblaws today [is] what do you want to be when you grow up?” he asks. “Does Loblaws want to be in the mid-market selling reasonably good-quality groceries? Or do they want to get into the lower end of the market and sell schlocky merchandise?”  Read More

Hungry Hollow Organics on Dragons Den

Well, Hungry Hollow Organics is ALMOST on the hit CBC show Dragons Den. They are asking for $350,000 dollars so that they can expand their organic meats and products business, so that we can all eat more great tasting local food! You can watch the video here: http://www.cbc.ca/dragonsden/auditions/hungryholloworganics.html They would like people to help out and vote for them to get on the show – although the website does not allow anonymous comments or votes, which is kind of a pain, so you have to sign in – just takes a few minutes. Good luck Hungry Hollow Organics!! http://www.hungryholloworganics.com/  Read More

Five Great Reasons to Eat Local

Eating Local and it”s effect on our environment.By choosing to eat local, you are saving the world”s lungs of up to 17 times the oil and gas that would usually be consumed just by getting the food to your plate. In the average North American home, when we sit down (or stand!) to eat, each ingredient has typically travelled at least 1,500 miles. That is a heck of a lot of carbon! Wake up your tastebuds – Taste Matters!When you shop at the Farmers Market, or your local grocer and choose to buy Ontario grown produce over imported produce that may have been shipped in from Mexico or California, you are eating food that has been picked at it”s prime, inside of 24 hours. You will find that this food is superior in taste, it has not been bred to withstand long, rough truck or ship rides and it has not been picked weeks (sometimes months!) early. This makes locally grown and harvested vegetables and foods better tasting, and all around nutritionally better for you. Get a Food EducationBe aware of what you are eating. It is much easier to find out if the farmer sprays his/her foods with anything or if your corn is a genetically modified product (GMO) if you decide to eat local. Less travel means that it is easier to get to the source of your food. Find out how it is actually grown. There are many reasons that sometimes locally produced food may be a tad more expensive, but these reasons are generally well justified and worth the extra cost involved. You will also have a new found respect for why an ontario strawberry tastes so much better in June,than a shipped strawberry from a far-away land in the middle of February. Get SocialBring back community. Talk to the people that grow your food. When you shop directly from the farmer,there is a wonderful benefit of a food and social education. You will find out about how your food grows, why it looks the way it does, who grew it, the history behind a certain variety of vegetable that may have deep roots within our community of London. Shopping local will connect you with the people around you in ways that benefit our community financially as well as socially. Being a locavore also makes you a local-tourist. Searching out your local suppliers and visiting them makes for some very reasonable mini-getaways with added food benefits! Drink Great Wine and Spirits!We are lucky enough to be within 100 miles of many great breweries, and wineries right here in Southwestern Ontario. This is a major bonus in the eating local challenge. Make sure to check out your 100 miles, you will see that it is alot farther and includes much more than you may think.  Read More