Maybe it's because I'm a Londiner

Stocks Farms still needs your support

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:04:10 +0000

Last Saturday the heavens were not kind and cried a river over Stoke Newington Farmers market, dampening the previous enthusiasm of local fans for queuing to buy beautifully delicious and sustainably-produced, high welfare meat from the boys of Stocks Farm.

Chris and Ian Learmonth have been overwhelmed by the response to their call for help when it looked like rising food prices and low sales were going to put these dedicated small-scale farmers out of business.

Sales picked up and offers of help came flooding in. But as Chris and Ian say “the extra sales are helping, but we still have quite a long way to go”.

To boost business, the brothers are setting up an online order system so you can order your meat through the week to pickup at their weekend market stalls in Stoke Newington and Queens Park. There are plans for a home delivery service, too. At the markets they’ll have a text ordering service - so you can text what you want when you join the queue and it should be ready by the time you get to the front!

But costs still need to be cut, so the Learmonths have decided to stop being certified by the Soil Association. Though they’ll continue to farm in the same way, organically, they won’t be able to call their products organic. However, they are joining the Wholesome Food Association, whose members pledge to farm organically and operate an open-gate policy so customers can keep an eye on how their food is being produced – and taste it (Iain’s thinking Open Day barbecues!).

So keep buying from Chris and Iain if you can, safe in the knowledge that their meat is what is says it is, and has been produced in a sustainable way that is “good for the environment and animal welfare”.

stocksfarmfood.co.uk

Now go eat that Voodoo that they do so well

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 10:33:54 +0000

Not sure why you’d want your slice spiced by an ancient Beninian religion, but if you can get over the gratuitous appropriation of a cultural meme, Voodoo Ray’s in Dalston (related to the Dalston Superstore, so it’s all haircuts and music turned up to 11 even when there’s no one in there, but hey) is well worth a visit for monster slices of 22-inch pizza that taste of magic – black or otherwise.

The thin bases pick up tasty stone-browned patches in an American Garland baker’s oven, and are topped with intense, flavour-packed sauces. My Chili Slice (£4.20) had a thin but rich layer of chilli con carne, red onion, generous slices of jalapeño, mozzarella and sour cream. Eat folded in half with two hands, meaty juices dripping down your arms. That’s the kind of voodoo ritual I like.

Voodoo Ray’s, 95 Kingsland High St, E8. Open 6pm-1am Sun-Thurs, 4pm-3am Fri & Sat. facebook.com/VoodooRays

24 hours and 40 storeys

Sat, 06 Oct 2012 15:46:00 +0100

My birthday lunch was consumed high above London, higher than the gherkin, here, and I wondered how we managed to stay afloat so high under the weight of the City guy egos surrounding us.

The food also did its best to bring us back down to earth, not always in a bad way. It was heavy on pig, but the slices of porky head were thin and mouth-melty; rich ox cheek shreds were enwombed by spongey doughnut casing; dainty pea arancini came with a forest-floory dip.

Trouble was, too much of this tasty stuff was smothered in heavy dustings of smoked paprika. Love it, but it gave the impression the menu was designed to compete for attention from bankers whose minds are more on comparing sizes of each other’s expense accounts (the wine list gives ample opportunity for conspicuous consumption) than subtle signals from the palate.

Go? Yes, at 2am (it’s open 24 hours, drinks licence 8-3am), surrounded by the City’s nighttime jetsam, for a glass of English fizz and a bag of deep fried pigs ears, and watch London twinkle like a dirty star below.

Found this in our bag of delicious shrimp from Tom Disson at...

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:32:40 +0000

Found this in our bag of delicious shrimp from Tom Disson at George’s Plaice on the Roman Road.

Another surprise to add to the delight of finding this, “the last old fish shop in the East End”. This description comes from the Gentle Author, who tells the tale of Tom and his stall so much better than I ever could, here.

Our haul also included the tastiest whelks I’ve ever had and a plump pickled herring with sweet, sweet onions.

Get down there and take some time to chat with Tom, while you decide between the crab, cockles and jellied eels. He’s got over thirty years’ worth of fishmongering stories to tell you…

George’s Plaice, 486 Roman Road, London E3 5LU

Another wonderful Spitalfields Life post: Charlie Caisey, Fishmonger

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 13:25:00 +0000

Another wonderful Spitalfields Life post: Charlie Caisey, Fishmonger:

And I never knew there were seals (or possibly just a seal) in the wharf at Billingsgate!

(The title above is a link)

Giving Dalston finger-lickers an ethical alternative

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 13:39:00 +0000

Challenging the chick-pizz hegemony, a group of idealistic chicken lovers want to give Dalston finger-lickers an ethical alternative for their fried chick-dins by establishing the first free-range fried chicken shop in the UK.

In their own words “We are here to serve people who love fried chicken but hate how and what it’s made from.” As well as cruelty-free, free-range fried chicken, they’ll be dishing up alternatives to fries, such as mash and rice.

I think it’s a great idea and hopefully will encourage locals to think more about eating a bit more healthily and with more consideration for how what they eat is made and where it comes from.

They’ll be offering at-cost school’s out specials to catch the kids on their way home, train local youth to work in the shop and offer them mentoring if they want a catering career, plus they’ll give a portion of profits to local youth charities.

A ten quid donation here gives you a free chicken dinner that leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy rather than greasy and queasy. Bargain.

http://www.peoplefund.it/the-chicken-shop/

Visited Charcuterie & Company at the South Bank last Sunday....

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 11:08:00 +0000

Visited Charcuterie & Company at the South Bank last Sunday. Perhaps a mistake to go on the last day, but I was disappointed. There were a few charcuterie stalls selling their wares from Poland, Austria, Britain and Spain, but diluted with cake stalls, chopping boards and other stuff. I wanted more information, education and interaction.

I did catch the end of the ham-off in the event tent, which pitched noir de bigorre, culatello and jamon iberico against each other. A great opportunity to taste some delicious products but a travesty of a vote which gave the win to the culatello! Nothing compares to jamon iberico and anyway, these three cured hams were totally different in texture and flavour - quite incomparable.

Still, I did come away with some superb jamon iberico de bellota from Flavours of Spain, which I had for breakfast on pa amb tomaquet, made with the last of my homegrown tomatoes - sweet grushovkas from the Real Seed company. Try planting them next year. They’re early and easy growers.

Mealworms with yoghurt and bee vomit (aka honey) from Stefan...

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 13:37:00 +0100

Mealworms with yoghurt and bee vomit (aka honey) from Stefan Gates’ Extraordinary Snack Box at the Experimental Food Society event last weekend.

Also in his box were: lambs testicles (delicious), gilded sausages, jellyfish salad (nice but I’ve had it before), and space dust. Fun, interesting, tasty and educational. As I was hoping the rest of the event would be - but sadly, no. Cue big farty Family Fortunes wrong answer noise.

Stefan’s lunchbox was easily the best thing in a rather disappointing event. It should have been renamed the Spectacular Sugar Sculpture society, cos that’s what most of the displays were. I wanted more tastings, more activites, and more variety, please!

Only a fiver for a ticket but I still felt rather ripped off.

Mealworms were delish, though. Kind of sesame seedy.

They’re pretty hard to find if you want to try them for yourself and aren’t happy eating birdfood. I’ve found a couple of sites that sell ‘human-grade’ BBQ flavour mealworms - they might go better with, say, yoghurt and maple syrup or a savoury creamy dip.

Try here or here.

Very excited

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 11:15:53 +0100

After many, many years of searching, I’ve finally found somewhere that serves bienenstich.

That’s beesting cake, a german sponge with cream or custard and honeyed almonds.

I grew up in Chester in the 70s and 80s. The true star of the city, for me, was not its Roman walls, famous racecourse or the Rows, but its Weinholts bakery, owned by a family of German heritage. Their bienenstich had the softest brioche and a filling of vanilla custard AND cream. It comforted me through my teenage years and I’ve been looking for it ever since leaving home.

Well now I’ve found it. At the new Beyond Retro in Dalston, of all places.

The cavernous shop has a cafe that manages to be cosy despite its industrial setting, with friendly helpful staff who are very good at persuading you to have cake, especially when you’re staring at it as if it’s a long lost love. Coffee’s good too, but I don’t like the fact they only have disposable cups. Hmmm. There are cutesy kitschy cups dotted around filled with sugar and twizzle sticks, so how about putting coffee in them?

Beyond Retro Café

92 -100 Stoke Newington Road
London , N16 7XB

02079232277

Mon-Wed 10:00 - 19:00
Thurs 10:00 - 20:00
Fri-Sat 10:00 - 19:00
Sun 11:30 - 18:00

Toad-in-the-hole with garlic, chili and paprika sausages from...

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 18:28:27 +0100

Toad-in-the-hole with garlic, chili and paprika sausages from Stocks Farm at Stoke Newington Farmers’ market.

A farmers' market bargain?!

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 09:41:09 +0100

Who ever heard of such a thing.

Well hold onto your fascinators, babies, because I’m about to blow your minds.

I think I have found the philosopher’s stone of the farmers’ market - a bargain!

The Location: Stoke Newington Farmers’ Market, St Paul’s Church, Stoke Newington High St, N16

The Time: 10am-2.30pm,every Saturday

The Holy Grail: Moist, delicious cake-bread in an array of fruity, spicy and boozy flavours

The Source: Global Fusion Creole Vegan bakery. (I know, it sounds like something Charlie Brooker would invent to snark at, but it’s true! Deliciously deliciously true!)

The Price: £4 for a sizeable loaf (I reckon about 10 good portions).

For some reason, I didn’t want such a good bargain so I bought half a mango and linseed loaf for £3. Still a great price for a moist cake with an intriguing and irresistible tangy/sweet-savoury flavour. It would go brilliantly with homemade cocount icecream, if anyone wants to bring me some.

Afternoon tea fans! Do you want to indulge in some of the finest...

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 09:13:15 +0100

Afternoon tea fans! Do you want to indulge in some of the finest cakes known to London, served by lovely ladies in beautiful vintage gowns, all for the amazing price of £5!

You do? Of course you do. Well, head over to…

http://www.justgiving.com/avohoteldalston

…hand over as much dosh as your heart and purse will allow and reward yourself with the lightest scones, the moistest sponge and the daintiest cucumber sandwiches.

Afternoon tea in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care
3-5pm, Sat 30 July
Avo Hotel, 82 Dalston Lane, London E8
020 3490 5061
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=158277960912466
http://www.justgiving.com/avohoteldalston

As I was heading out this morning a lovely man appeared as if by...

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 16:09:42 +0100

As I was heading out this morning a lovely man appeared as if by magic, bearing a box.

What was inside?

Cupcakes.

Sweet-strawberry-stuffed fluffy and still warm at heart.

£1 each. I only had a fiver. He only had one pound change. I bought four.

As you can see, there are two in the photo.

You do the delicious, sweet, naughty naughty math.

Hopefully my mystery cupcake man will return and I will get his details to post here in case my dear readers would also like a magic morning cupcake moment.

Lunch today: leftovers from my Abkhazian feast yesterday....

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 18:58:56 +0100

Lunch today: leftovers from my Abkhazian feast yesterday. Shredded chicken in a yoghurt, walnut and polenta sauce spiked with the famous Abkhazian spice paste, adjykha, along with eggs in adjykha-spiked yoghurt and spinach also dressed with adjykha and yoghurt.

The feast was research for part one of my new series: Around the world in more than 80 dishes without leaving London. Catchy title, eh?

I’m eating my way alphabetically through the 203 sovereign states as listed by Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states). This includes some states with limited international recognition, such as Abkhazia, which makes for some interesting geopolitical discussions over dinner.

Look out for a proper report on my initiation to Abkhazian cuisine, coming here soon!

Best kebab?

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 09:02:34 +0100

Well, Best Turkish Kebab. But this well-worshipped doner temple wisely doesn’t qualify the ‘best’ in their title.

Is it the best in the world? Or best in Hackney? Or best between 123 and 127 Stoke Newington Road? The acres of gushing newsprint on the walls, featuring glowing reviews from the likes of Charles Campion and, one assumes, his Turkish equivalents, might lead you to conclude ‘best in the whole darn universe ever ever ever’.

As this suggests, the BTK has been widely recorded elsewhere, so I won’t go on.

Things I liked:

The time taken to cook my lamb shish fresh.

The crisp salad fixings.

Moist tender meat, with only the merest gristle (well, it is a kebab).

Things not so ‘best’:

Rather chilly attitude from servers when everyone else seemed like an old pal.

The large customer sneezing wetly several times onto the wall.

Oh, and there’s a signed photo from Ainsley Harriott.

Ainsley knows Best.

Best Turkish Kebab, 125 Stoke Newington Road, N16 8BT, 020 7254 7642
www.bestturkishkebab.com/

Cardamom-infused chocolate brownies, made to a recipe from Tara...

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 16:00:00 +0000

Cardamom-infused chocolate brownies, made to a recipe from Tara Stevens’ Clock Book.

I just love the utter prettiness of the pistachio green and rose pink decoration.

But they also taste damn fine.

Lesson learned, though - thick ceramic dish does not a good container for baking brownie make.

The man who eats all the organic waste in Hackney’s blue boxes is getting a lot of burnt brownie crust this week. Bon appetit, Horace!

Three things you should do

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 19:28:00 +0000

1. Subscribe to Fire & Knives magazine, edited by the Guardian’s Tim Hayward. Inside you will find stories of well-considered consumption and want-worthy products such as…

2. Rare Tea. Buy some from Waitrose or online and try not to choke on the price. Remember, you are buying real tea leaves not paper bags and tea-ish dust. I got four cups out of 2g of the Lost Malawi (otherwise known as Hampstead builder’s) tea, which works out at about 6.5p of leaves per proper…

3. …cup. It may be my age but I am increasingly fond of a proper cup of tea in a proper cup and saucer. I bought some second-hand (you might say vintage) ones from my local tearooms called, er, The Tea Rooms.

Lovely.

Aphrodisiac sausages

Sun, 16 Jan 2011 18:58:03 +0000

Seen in the window of the Enjoy Café, on Kingsland High St.

Don’t get my gutters running, I must say.

Possibly the best greengrocer in the world

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 12:10:50 +0000

Newington Green greengrocers are possibly the best in the world… or at least in Newington Green. And they’ve just expanded next door into larger premises so there’ll be less unseemly jostling among the organic lemons.

Why so good? Because, among other things, they have this….

Yes, real fresh turmeric for grating (surely you have a microplane!) into your dhals.

Violet Cakes

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 18:35:13 +0000

Claire Ptak, a talented baker who used to work at the famous Chez Panisse, sells out her range of American-style cupcakes at Broadway Market every Sunday. So a few months ago she opened a little bakery/cakeshop/coffeeshop on Wilton Way near(ish) London Fields.

I stumbled across it today and nearly kept going, making a mental note to try it another time, but couldn’t break through the buttercream icing forcefield. It’s quite sticky, as forcefields go.

In the interests of science I had to take a representative sample, but reined it in a bit with a couple of minis - a mini salted caramel cupcake, and mini whoopie pie, both of which just made the polenta and almond cupcake with lemon icing look even more decadently large.

I fell in love with salted caramel in Paris, and the pink sugar ball in the centre of Violet’s salted caramel cupcake seemed to add a bit of gay Paree sophistication to this divine salt-sweet-buttery bite.

After this wee amuse bouche, I investigated what was to be my first Whoopie Pie (I know, I’m in the slow stream at cake school). I think I’m a convert. It offers greater variety of flavour and texture and greater ease of eating than the cupcake. This version had pistachio nubbins in its sponge and on the icing, along with intense candied rose petals.

The lemon iced cupcake, with grainy polenta sponge was delicious and intriguing, but the polenta gave too much of a gritty texture for my liking. But this won’t be enough to stop Violet being an obligatory stop on the way to and from London Fields - I’ll just have to add a few lengths at the Lido.