Tis the season...

...for survival!



No matter how good my organising skills get, no matter how much planning I do, these two weeks are frenzied and hectic! Once it gets to Friday 19th, London will start to empty and an eerie calm will descend - but until then, aaaaargh!

So I remind myself:

that Christmas shopping can be soooo pretty

(twinkly lights aren't just for the kids)

and prettifying, if you manage to cadge some free samples on the dash through the perfume halls

and most of all, that Christmas can be simple and soothing, and you don't really need much stuff to make it beautiful.

 

Inspiration Monday 9.12.2013

We must never allow the future to collapse under the burden of memory.

 

Milan Kundera, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting

Nelson Mandela: a winner is a dreamer who never gives up

Kiddo's Christmas Chutney

Spicy, fruity chutney is such a wonderful thing to have to hand for Christmas leftovers, and something I've always wanted to make. So I thought Kiddo and I could make up some jars as gifts for relatives and godparents, and hopefully one to spare for us too!


Chutney needs a few weeks to develop and mature, so make it now and it will be ready for Boxing Day.

This recipe has more tomatoes than many to give it a richness that carries the sweet fruit content. Using fresh ginger, rather than ground, adds something woody to the heat of the cayenne pepper. The spices can be varied to taste, and many recipes use clove or curry powder. Here I use allspice and brandy in keeping with the flavours of Christmas.

Makes around 12 x 250ml jam jars

2kg tomatoes, chopped
500g onions, finely chopped
500g eating apples, peeled and chopped
1.25kg sugar
1 tspn cayenne pepper
2 tspns grated ginger
2 tspns allspice
4 crushed and chopped garlic cloves
2 tbspns tomato puree
300g sultanas
800 ml apple cider vinegar
zest and juice of an orange
250ml brandy

Prepare the ingredients: how finely you chop the apples is a question of personal taste as to how chunky you want the chutney to be.

Heat a little butter in a large saucepan and then gently sauté the onion for 3-4 minutes on a gentle heat.

Next, add the pepper, ginger, allspice, garlic and stir. Then, the tomatoe puree, zest and juice of orange, and stir again. Chuck in the tomatoes and apples, pour over the sugar and stir it all together.

Turns out Kiddo is very good at stirring!

Pour the vinegar over, turn up the heat and when it starts bubbling, add the brandy. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat back down to allow it to simmer for 45-60 minutes.

\Towards the end of the cooking time, sterilise the jam jars  - if you no longer have your baby steriliser, then simply immerse the jars in boiling water and then put in the oven for 10 minutes at 180º to dry. Place jars on a baking rack or heatproof surface.















Once the chutney is tender and while the jars are still hot, ladle the chutney from the saucepan into the jars. Allow to cool and then seal the jars with wax paper if you can find it, and put the lids on tight.

Stick on labels adorned by your favourite artist, and store in a cool dark place.

I made up a couple of tester pots, to check on how the flavours are developing. 4-6 weeks is the recommended maturing time. Once opened, keep in the fridge, although I don't think these jars of wonder are going to last very long... I am dreaming already of slathering over brie, or perking up gammon leftovers... What do you eat with chutney?

Inspiration Monday 2.13.2013

Feelgood Friday: Fish Pie

The late autumn dilemma - too early for gamey casseroles, but too many root vegetables already. So I've turned to fish pie, to see if I can have me some comfort food and not wreck the pre-party season regimen.

This version draws on Nigella's Blakean fish pie recipe, a recipe from the first and best Delia Smith's Classic Collection and the more recent but immediately indomitable Ballymaloe. Surprisingly, Delia's is the least calorific and seems the most edgy with the now fashionably Mittel-Euoropeen addition of capers and boiled eggs.

For 4-6

750g fish - pollock, haddock, salmon, hake, cod if you must
800g potatoes
pint of milk
125g butter
onion, finely chopped


2 tbspns flour
pinch of nutmeg
3 hardboiled eggs
spoonful of capers
spoonful of chopped gherkins
parsley, finely chopped
150g cooked prawns



First make the mash potato topping. Add peeled and chopped potatoes to boiling water and cook for 15-20 minutes until soft. Drain the water, and mash the potatoes with a fork/masher/ricer depending on your taste for smoothness and your muscle power.

 

Heat half a pint of milk and half the butter in a separate pan, add that to the mash along and stir in. Set aside.




















Preheat the oven to 180ºc, gas mark 4. Now, gently sweat the onion in a wide pan until soft but not golden, then reserve. Place the fish in the same pan, pour in the vermouth, bring to simmering.

Then pour in enough milk to nearly cover and poach for 3-4 minutes (note that if you are using a mix of fish, you may need to put some in ahead to allow a longer cooking time).

Remove the fish to a plate, reserve the liquid to a jug. There should be about 400ml of liquid. Melt the remaining butter in the pan, add the nutmeg and stir in the flour to make a roux.

Then gradually add the reserved liquid, stirring all the time. Bring to the boil and then simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring all the while. Take the pan off the heat and add the fish, onions, eggs, capers, gherkins and parsley.

Now butter a 1 litre casserole dish and put in the fish mixture. Throw the prawns in too. Stir and season to taste. Then spoon over the mash, and top with a little grated cheese if you wish. Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes and when done, serve with sauteed leeks and peas.

My version today is without capers and gherkins - Grannie is visiting and said these are some of the few foods she doesn't like. I don't remember her applying that policy to me when it came to brussel sprouts, but one moves on.  Instead, I improvised a small and delightful lunch of soft boiled egg, mash and capers.

Exquisite.

Uptown Girls: Trunk Show in Chelsea

Trunk shows are such a great way for fashion entrepreneurs to share and sell in a social and intimate setting. Anne hosted this party in her Chelsea pad and gave friends the opportunity to try on and buy goods from three fabulous enterprises.

Anne's apartment is the perfect backdrop for the beautifully crafted goods on show, and champagne really does help with the decision making.

Fur is starting to make a comeback, and Marais Fur has laidback, rocking rabbit fur pieces that are accessible and wearable with a regular London wardrobe.






I felt rather Dynasty in this rabbit fur bomber, so I posed and did my best Alexis-style "you bitch" face...

...next I tried on the glamorous and versatile poncho that was the must-buy piece of the evening. Perfect for busy mums, this will have you looking street-cool at the school gate and yet sleek and sexy for date night. As Claire, Marais Fur's founder, describes it: this is grab-and-go fur!

The beanies were a hit too - the bobble is removable for those days you want a simpler look.

Caroline has been making gentleman's bespoke shoes for many years now and it is only fair that she has turned her hand to making women's brogues. Those handbags peeping in the background are pretty fine too!
















One of the pioneers of the social shopping concept, Stella&Dot has just arrived in the Uk from New York. There is a wide range of jewellery and I think it is particularly suited to busy working women who want fuss-free accessories - striking earrings and necklaces that will flatter a shift dress or open necked business shirt.


I couldn't resist the Sutton necklace, which can be worn five different ways and at different lengths. With gold and silver plate strands, it is still light enough to stay on all day without feeling too clunky.
















The Stella&Dot stylist Victoria was happy to recommend complementing products and ideas for how to wear. That's the real beauty of the trunk show - a fun and personal way to shop and share connections and ideas.

To the Bar: Why have cotton when you can take Silk?

"Taking silk" is the barrister's term for becoming a QC - a recognition of excellence and seniority, awarded to about 30% of barristers after 18 or 20 years' experience. The term originates from the QCs' court gowns, traditionally made of silk.

When I said 30% of barristers, you didn't think I meant 30% of the men, and 30% of the women, did you?! 


For a few years now, the progress of women at the Bar has been the focus of a number of professional bodies, keen to reduce the rate of attrition which is particularly pronounced among barristers in their mid-30s (i.e. when the kids come along). Last night, I attended a talk at the Temple Women's Forum where no less than 8 female QCs shared their experiences and gave advice to those wanting to apply.




It was inspiring to see such an impressive panel of women - top barristers as Bridget Jones might have put it, but not a bunny outfit or a Mark Darcy in sight.



It is a pretty closed world, so this sort of event was a golden opportunity to gain some insider knowledge. The discussion took place in one of Inner Temple's beautiful halls, a stone's throw from the church built in the 12th century by the Knights' Templar... it didn't feel like the place to whip out my iPhone and snap, so you'll have to make do with an outside shot!





The application system changed in recent years from a nod-and-wink system to a more modern process, with applicants assessed against professional competencies. Since that system was introduced, the percentage of successful female applicants has doubled!

Why is it so important to raise the number of female QCs? Well, we all stand to benefit from the raised profiles of other professional women - and crucially, being a QC is a step towards becoming a High Court Judge. If we want women judging cases about divorce and children, domestic violence, rape, human rights then this is the first step. And we may even want to have more women deciding cases about banking, phone-hacking, tax - goodness knows the boys could do with some help there.

Inspiration Monday 25.11.2013

I didn't always know what I wanted to do, but I always knew the kind of woman I wanted to be.

Diane von Furstenburg

Feelgood Friday: Hamper of Heroes

I've been starting my Christmas shopping online, and looking at the hampers put together by the department stores. Hampers are the loveliest gift and always such a treat to receive ... but it is rare to find one that contains much of use. Even the fabulously expensive Harrods hampers have stuff in them that you just know will sit at the back of the larder for ten years! It's the same story for the mid-range hampers, with a couple of feature items, then a lot of fillers. Who eats shortbread anyway?

So I've put together my own hamper of uber-useful kitchen heroes. Call it a basket of fantasy, or just a sandwich short of a picnic, these are the foodstuffs that keep on giving.



Here they are, some familiar, some less so.























Chez moi, these are the triumvirate - a mere teaspoon-meaure capable of bringing to life salads, sauces, grilled meat, pasta.








I discovered the tomato vinegar on a now-closed shop in Kensington that sold only specialist vinegar. A tricky business model to pull through a recession, perhaps, but the vinegar is superlative: light, flavoursome, not too tart, not too sweet. A bottle lasted me a few years and when I needed to restock, I discovered that Wholefoods sold the range so I have added Figue to my repertoire.

My great friend Grant introduced me to Belazu balsamic vinegar - dark, syrupy, unctuous - and the vinegar isn't bad either!! It makes plain old rocket and toms into a kicking salad.

Many of my heroes are already legends and need no introduction

 

And when I come to make my own sauces, it is rare these old stalwarts don't make an appearance

Is is legal to write a food blog these days without paying homage to Ottolenghi? Sumac is definitely getting my attention of late, but I think my heart will always belong to rose harissa (Belazu again).

 

It wouldn't be a proper hamper without a bottle of cheap and not-very-drinkable (although we do try our best) booze. And Vermouth is about the cheapest of them all - I like to think it has the taste and price tag of 1981.

No risotto can really come alive without a dash of Vermouth stirred in at the end of cooking. And once you have it in your larder, you will reach for it time and again when making sauces and casseroles. 

Which are your always-to-hand kitchen goodies? What secret ingredient do you cherish most?

Inspiration Monday 18.11.2013

Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is noone alive who is Youer than you.

Dr Seuss

Feelgood Friday: Spaghetti with bacon, peas, basil and mint

It's shivery-cold, the nights have drawn in and the Christmas parties not yet started - a little cocooning, a little comfort is called for. That surely means pasta and Friday night telly?


The combination of basil and mint in this recipe is not an obvious one, but it works to give a gentle lemony flavour. Last weekend I made this spaghetti with the herbs and peas, and it was crying out for the sharp and salty introduction of bacon.









For two adults: 100g spaghetti; four rashers of bacon; two handfuls of frozen peas; 10 mint leaves and 10 basil leaves; 2 tbspns sour cream; one egg; half a lemon.

First, boil a pan of water for the spaghetti and get that started. A slug of olive oil will help stop the pasta getting sticky. While the pasta is cooking, use scissors to cut a couple of rashers of bacon and put them on to fry. I cut off some of the excess fat and put the bacon in the frying pan without any cooking fat - but if no-one is watching, you can do as you like.

Now get the other ingredients ready. Take 10 or so leaves of basil and the same of mint, and tear them up. Cut a lemon so it is ready to squeeze into the spaghetti, and have the sour cream to hand. Separate an egg and keep the yolk.

Towards the end of the pasta cooking time, throw in two handfuls of frozen peas. When the pasta is done, take half a cup of the cooking water and reserve. I know it sounds strange to do this, but it makes all the difference.

Once the spaghetti and peas are cooked, drain it and put it back in the pan on a low heat. Throw in the reserved water and the egg yolk, spoon in sour cream and stir in well.

Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon, and any seasoning. Add the bacon and torn herbs and mix in gently, so as not to bruise the leaves.

Et voila! It will take a good sprinkling of parmesan if you like, and a glass of unoaked Chardonnay would not be a bad idea at all.