Well June has flown by. We’ve had the longest day and all those birthdays of people we know called June, but what have been our favourites in the tasty world of food last month?
Food Festivals – The Global market. You’ve got to admit that Nottingham is a fantastic place to be a foodie and the Global market was a great place to pick up some authentic continental treats between 24th – 28th June. The Market square was home to an array of traders from all over the world, bringing foods and products from their country of origin. There was a huge variety of flavours to try and also crafts to explore including The Greek Grill House offering a selection of Gyros meat skewers, Mediterranean Delights had a number of tasty olives and homemade breads and Meats of the World encouraged visitors to explore the culinary opportunities of the Global Market, offering exotic meats from around the world including Ostrich, Impala, Crocodile and even Wild Boar! Well June has flown by. We’ve had the longest day and all those birthdays of people we know called June, but what have been our favourites in the tasty world of food last month? Time to find out.
Traders represented a number of countries from all over including Kenya, Belgium, France, Germany, Spain, Thailand and many more.
On the box – ‘Eating Together’ – Nigel Slater. I adore Nigel Slater. He seems such a genuinely nice guy. I loved the film ‘Toast’ about his childhood and I’m loving the series ‘Eating Together’ currently showing on BBC 1 in which the food writer and cook meets devoted home cooks across multicultural Britain to find out culinary secrets from across the world and discover what makes different cultures in Britain tick.
Website – EBay. You know what, I’ve found EBay can actually be quite good for picking up things that are hard to find or those that you might not have the time to go for. Spices are a good example, particularly for Asian or Thai dishes. If you’re a home cook and don’t want to buy in bulk then EBay may be the answer. Obviously be careful, read their reviews – I don’t want you buying a random powder that’s passed off as a herbs! but you can find some great stuff. Don’t forget though that locally we do have Asiana if you’re able to pay them a visit.
Ingredient – Rhubarb. A seasonal choice here this month. A friend of mine recently took over an allotment and inherited a whole lot of rhubarb and so consequently, so did everyone who knows her. I love the smell of rhubarb. As soon as Molton Brown bring out their seasonal rhubarb and rose collection of body washes and hand lotions I grab a bottle. Maybe its because it reminds me of my own Dads allotment when I was a kid. He grew rhubarb and I remember my Mum stewing it. Sometimes it was ok, other times sour. I used mine to make a self saucing rhubarb pudding from the following recipe which worked really well. http://www.penandspoon.com/rhubarb-self-saucing-pudding/
Cheat – Carex Complete Handwash. As I just mentioned. I love Molton Brown products but I picked up these cute little hand washes by Carex from a local Savers store. I don’t know how they do it they smell just like Cola Bottles and Chocolate Orange. They’re antibacterial and a bargain at only £1 each so stock up now!
Event – Cake Eaters Anonymous. I first wrote a feature about Cake Eaters Anonymous for another site a couple of years ago and have been meaning to go ever since. I finally got round to it last week and went along to meet fellow cake addicts and bakers. Proceeds from the fun event go to charity, with the winning cake earning the star baker key ring. I intend to blog about my experience at the event soon so watch this space, but for more information in the meantime visit: http://main.cakeeaters.co.uk/
Chef – Jordan Cox. Speaking of cakes, this month I’m choosing a baker and member of cake eaters anonymous Jordon Cox. Jordan from Nottingham impressed judges in the last series of the Great British Bake off, and whilst he didn’t ultimately make it to the finals, as well studying a patisserie course in Nottingham and working for Bell-Fruit Games, Jordan is now a regular demo-ing at the food festivals. We caught his demo at Nottingham Castle as part of the Great food and Drink Festival and he’ll also be demo-ing at the next Great Food and Drink Festival at Newstead Abbey in August.
Recipe – Rick Stein’s Kidney Bean Curry. This vegetarian curry is one of the easiest and healthiest I’ve probably made for a while. Taken from his cookbook ‘Rick Stein’s India’ its well worth trying. Serve with rice or chapatis. The link to the recipe is here:http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/kidney_bean_curry_rajma_57839.pdf
Recipe – Rick Stein’s Kidney Bean Curry. This vegetarian curry is one of the easiest and healthiest I’ve probably made for a while. Taken from his cookbook ‘Rick Stein’s India’ its well worth trying. Serve with rice or chapatis. The link to the recipe is here:http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/kidney_bean_curry_rajma_57839.pdf
Restaurant – Homemade. We were lucky enough to be invited to the launch night of Homemade at the Pavilions summer evening menu. I’ve been a fan of Homemade for a while. Established in May 2005 by Jasmin Barlow-Wilkinson, Homemade is friendly, independent café bar serving delicious homemade food. Licensed and fully stocked with beers, wines and ciders you can enjoy your favourite tipple along with your meal. Homemade do a selection of boozy milkshakes too. Homemade believe in supporting other local producers and local independent businesses, with the majority of their suppliers being within a three mile radius of the cafe, another reason to try their delicious food. For more information visit: http://homemadecafe.com/
As I write this we are currently experiencing a heatwave (or ‘Summer’ as we called it as a kid) So as we move into July, will next months favourites be full of cocktails and barbeque food? There’s certainly lot to look forward to with the food market on Smithy Row, the opening of the Cross Keys in Epperstone under the management of ex chef to the Royals -Des Sweeney, the reopening of the John Borlase at Canning Circus, the Chilli Festival in Newark at which we’ll be guest judging, the Nottingham Riviera, the Riverside Festival and if that wasn’t enough, restaurants are now launching their Christmas menus. We’ll see you next month to let you know what we enjoyed, but for now, do let us know what foodie events you enjoyed throughout June.
By Tanya Raybould
