Actions speak louder than words they say, and though I would be a complete philistine to so simply brush off the great literature and rallying calls that the men and women of this little planet have produced over history, in some cases it is a great truism. I have known for some time that all is not well on the aforementioned little planet, especially in my minuscule world of food. It is hard to encapsulate the exact causes but I am going to settle with the word “over”. A little word that says it all, we are over fishing and if we don’t stop it is going to be all over (as far as the fishing heritage this generation is in charge of is concerned)

This is of course not a new problem but has, over the past few years, become an increasing concern to the public. This is of course a wonderful thing, fishmongers, retailers and restaurants can lead, but the public must follow, or better still demand. I do not know of an allegedly aware generation like mine, who, in a such a small time span has had such and effect on a species. We happily ignored history; whales, American bison and many more besides. When I first started cooking, salmon was amongst culinary royalty, seabass a commoner and monkfish the very poor man’s lobster. At the turn of the last century, one of England’s great dishes, steak and kidney pie, was served as steak, kidney and oyster, not for because of any culinary tour de force, but because oysters were cheap and plentiful and used as make weights. Simply put our eating habits regarding fish are over.

This change does not come easily, and at the Manoir and in the Brasseries, we have been working very hard on this for some years. Immediately I saw that the solution was not going to be simple. The end result was easy, quality fish that my guests would enjoy. To start with the problem was information, there are just under 30,000 species of fish (not all edible) so including all the sub species, and the numbers melt your brain. Add farmed fish to the mix, the fabled solution but only if you discount the possible quality and the effect these farms have on the local environment. Finding a trustful partner with the knowledge and vision was not easy. Sometimes these various organisation gave us contrary information. I can’t blame them, gathering correct information from neat and far, at sea, throughout the year is an unenviable task. After an enormous amount of work, I finally got there. The work was rewarded with the recent awards by Fish2 fork, placing the Manoir top of the league and the Brasseries in the top 10 restaurants in the UK.

This, however, is not about blowing our own horn; I called this piece fishy business for a reason. Cheap food is cheap for a reason, fish is no different. There is a price to pay for all this, whether wild or farmed, quality fish is even more expensive these days and I hope that the public understand this. The easiest example is chicken, I can go and buy a chicken in a supermarket for under £3.50 or at the top end I would not get much change from £30. Both are chickens but the similarity stops there; the taste and the type of farming will differ wildly. So here is the point of this sermon, I know that compared to many the Manoir and the Brasseries fish dishes slightly steeper, but they like that for a reason and a bloody good one at that. I really think that the industry as a whole should follow the same approach.

There is a risk that whole chapters of cookery books will be consigned to the history section of libraries, dishes will take on mythical status and old men like me will be asked what we did in the fish wars.

The choice is ultimately yours, especially tough in such difficult times I understand, but I have made mine.

Il faut cultiver son jardin

February

I write this as England is paralysed by snow, so any thoughts of getting the garden ready for Spring seem futile but in February you will be setting the foundations for your plants’ year ahead.

If the weather is promising to be clement start unwrapping anything you may have given a winter coat to. You could use these old overcoats to protect and warm up areas that you plan to plant (recycle)

Any Winter or early Spring bedding plants should be dead-headed, this may encourage a longer flowering period

If it is a clement February you can prune your roses towards the end of the month, this may also apply to a number of simmer flowering shrubs.

Your perennials should be looked at and any brown leaves cut.

If the drainage on your lawn is poor, a quick fork will improve it immensely. Finally a sprinkling of bonemeal on the beds will go down a treat

March

March is when you regret not listening to my advise regarding planning and ordering.

Busy time for the lawn, rake and spike, sow or lay new turf and give it a light trim and apply some fertiliser

This is the time to plant your standard and climbing roses (spray for black spot) This is a good time for clematis too, but towards the end of the month.

Yes the weeds are back, small maybe, but start weeding. Slugs are also awake, looking towards those new tender shoots.

If you spent those winter months choosing and ordering those summer flowering bulbs, now is the time to plant them. The same goes for any hardy annuals you plan to grow from seed.

April

Keep giving your lawn a light trim and fill any holes that may appear.

Last chance for flowering bulbs (see March)

Weeds are now in full swing, so you will have to be out with the hoe. Though beware of the tender shoots.

Dead head the daffodils and any tulips as the flowers fade, why waste all that energy on seeds.

A good time to prune the buddleias, hardy fuchsias and hydrangeas.

It is easy to forget stakes, before the plants get too big and you struggle. The other advantage is that the plants will grow around the stake thus hiding them.

Enjoy

Carrots

Can I prick your interest with facts regarding the humble carrot? Though it’s roots (I know its a cheap joke) are mainly European and thus less exotic, I think you will find its story no less gripping. The root, sorry. The etymology of the word itself is from the word “horn” due to the shape and unlike a lot of native plants it seems to have kept this regardless of language. Many think the carrot is a root, close it is in fact the taproot of the plant, a sort of reservoir of goodness. The carrot is biennial, one year charging up that taproot, the next using all the goodies to flower.

Carrots are rich in carotene, something that the body turns into vitamin A (though this is not done with great efficacy. Lack of vitamin A can cause poor eyesight and this leads to my first carrot discovery. There is a well known myth that eating lots of carrots will make you see in the dark; wrong it will simply make you go orange (literally) The truth is a wonderful example of spin. During the Battle of Britain, the RAF became adept at shooting down enemy planes during night raids. The carrot myth was propagated to hide the far more scientific use of radar.

Our humble carrot’s ancestry is not quite european, it is to Afghanistan we need to turn. Here, its early relatives were grown for seed and leaves. They still are: parsley, cumin, dill and fennel. The carrot then seems to have headed east and west on quite separate journeys. The difference seems to be colour at this point; yellow to both point of the compass, but purple in the east and red to the west. Note no orange yet. This movement is recorded around the 8th century. The orange colour does not make an appearance till the 17th century in Holland (allegedly) Though this is wildly disputed by carrot experts (no letters please) I love the story that our carrot was developed to celebrate William of Orange and Holland’s national colours, though the natural colour of wild carrot root is white, so I was there first. Back to our journey of carrot conquest. The Spanish took care of South America and the British finally achieved carrot world domination by introducing the plant to North America, this is sort of fitting as Holtville California has been holding a carrot festival for the past 60 years and has the only carrot museum in the world.

This carrot is a classic, but sadly much ignored. It is incredibly easy and cheap, so don’t be stingy by trying to use tap water

Carottes Vichy (SERVES POUR 4)
Glazed Carrots

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED

• Large saucepan and lid
• Large knife
• Chopping board
• Greaseproof paper

INGREDIENTS

• 500g carrots, peeled and cut into 3mm thick slices
• 75g butter + plus enough to spread on greaseproof
• 25g sugar
• Parsley finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic finely chopped
• SaltPepper
• Bottle of Vichy water

COOK

1. Put carrots into the sauce pan
2. Cover with water
3. Add butter, salt, pepper and sugar
4. Cover pan with buttered greaseproof
5. Use lid to keep greaseproof in place
6. Cook for 10 minutes on low heat
7. Remove lid and paper
8. Evaporate water on a high heat
9. Lightly shaking pan so that carrots do not stick
10. Add parsley and garlic
11. Serve

Strange as it seems the use of the mineral water Vichy does add to this dish. Over time people have forgotten the difference between bottled water and true mineral water

The ubiquitous M.Blanc spreads his mesage about good food through his flagship Oxfordshire restaurant Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, his books and now on The Restaurant TV series where aspiring restaurateurs have to meet his exacting standards if they want to be his partner. Although the brasserie chain is on a much smaller scale than Le Manoir the philosophy remains the same. All the fish dishes on the menu are scrupulously sourced: Loch Duart salmon, Norwegian cod and Cornish by catch for the fish soup. The Tiger prawns are the only dish we would criticise but suspect these too will soon be sourced from an organic farm. The Brasserie chain deserves its 3 Blue Fish score.

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The Loire Valley

I am constantly amazed by the knowledge the British (and French) profess to have about the Loire Valley without actually having visited. If this area is a feast for the eyes, and I make no apology for massacring the analogy, this is a feast that must be devoured not merely stared at from afar. This is the land of light summer wines and the physical proof of the power and folly of royalty (the word folly is quite apt, whereas in England the odd landowner built a small unusual Greek temple here and there; the French went for the jugular with castles that would put Disney’s princesses to shame)

Follow the River from Vendôme to La Flèche

With so many other man made distractions in the area, it is easy to forget why they all flocked to this area in the first place. Though this could take up a large part of the day, this little trip is a more sedate meander along the “inférieur” branch of the river. The word “inférieur” has nothing to do with quality, my English does not allow me to find the word, but it has to do with the smaller branch of a river. Whatever the word, this 70 km drive is uninterrupted by any of the extravaganzas that I will describe later, and in many ways, all the better for it. Start in Vendôme, a quite stunning medieval city, ominously watched by the ruins of a castle built on the rocky outcrop overlooking the town. Vendôme traces its roots back to the Gauls, and has a long history of political and warring too and fro. This sadly culminated in the total destruction of the town by Henry IV. Luckily the sumptuous abbey survived and is well worth the visit. On a more encouraging note for those of us who are less than proud of our early schooling prowess, the great Balzac was schooled here, and was such a “bad influence” that the resulting thrashings led his grandmother to decry schools for the state they returned “our pretty children in”. Take the D5 out of town to follow river. At this point I would ask you to get a map to choose the roads that mirror the Loire on its trip to La Flèche, if I list all the B roads this little tale will start looking more like the periodic elements table than a travel log. The trip is punctuated with little delights, and part of me wants me to allow you to discover them for yourselves. They are not in themselves the most memorable sights, but bit by bit they will add the wonderful pleasure of your day. Remember this was a working river, and has been fought over, built on for centuries. This has left its mark with the inevitable results of God and Mammon in the form of churches and fortresses a plenty. Each built to protect the spiritual and physical wellbeing of the residents. Having said I want to allow you to discover all this for yourselves, the control freak in me at least warns you not to miss; Lavardin, La Possonière and especially Le Lude. The end of the trip will find you in La Flèche, a sweet little place to end a pleasant day, it is home to a military schools and the delectable little Church St Louis (which boasts an impressive organ).

Orléans

As a Frenchman it is just impossible for me to talk about Orléans without mentioning the Maid. It is possible that this young girl may just be at the root of an entente less than cordial. The fact that this happened nearly 700 years ago and involved the French as much as the English only goes to show that we are capable of holding a grudge for a long time. Orléans was the scene of her greatest triumph as the managed to raise the siege the town found itself under. Discretion and tact allows me to go no further. If one can judge the importance of a city by the wars scars it bears, then Orléans is up there with the best; from early business inspired massacres, Cesar, the Normans, the English, the Prussians, the Germans and finally a carpet bombing by the Allies, many have shown a keen interest.

The fact that anything survived is a miracle. The truth is that the city is a treasure trove of beauty, possibly enhanced by the rich merchant class forced to rebuild after each wave of invaders. This is not a place that dwells solely on its past, the modern and elegant bridge de L’Europe and the tramway, system testify to this.

The cathedral of St. Croix is central and overlooks the centre of town, this imposing building, as with most things, is made up of many varied parts but mostly it is a gothic statement of intent of the 17^th century (though continues today). I am particularly fond of the fine wood sculptures at the heart of the Cathedral. Sadly access to the two great towers is still restricted as they have yet to be restored. The high vaulted ceilings, the magnificent stained glass windows and not forgetting the acoustics make a leisurely visit a calming and truly gratifying experience.

The aforementioned merchant class are richly (literally) represented by the Hôtel Groslot. This is a wonderful Renaissance town house that leaves the visitor with no doubt as to the position of its original owners; they were indeed a Big Lot. Lesser family pied à terres can be found in and around the Cathedral, this area lends itself wonderfully to a leisurely bordering on the lazy walk of discovery.

Finally no trip to Orléans is complete without a visit to the house of Jeanne D’Arc …. Actually this really not all it seems, firstly it is not original; it was rebuilt after being bombed. Secondly it’s not really her house, she stayed there in 1429. It is quite a sad little thing with model “scenes” of the period and “clothes they would have worn. A final word of warning on the topic, if you should become aware of the constant mention of Cochon, this is not an insult. It in fact refers to the Archbishop Cauchon who is held responsible for her doom.

Chenonceau

I know I talked about the hidden gems of France, and you could not describe Chenonceau in any way as hidden. If the term picture perfect did not exist it would have to be invented to describe my favourite of all the Châteaux of the Loire. Yes it’s one of the most visited places in France, yes its beauty borders on the kitsch and yes you have seen it in photographs. BUT if you have never been, you have a gargantuan hole in your life; I use the word gargantuan as its originator Rabelais was born down the road. What the uncouth giant would have made of such finery as Chenonceau is another matter. Back to sheer beauty though.

In a world where superlatives have lost their meanings, Chenonceau is just superb. A level of perfection, which I can only dream of achieving in cooking. For this we have to thank a woman; though the financier Thomas Bohier provides the money, it is in fact his wife Katherine Briçonnet who overlooks the design and build of the building. I am sure it is this feminine and quite modern thinking woman who makes this place so enchanting. Nothing seems to be have been left to chance, with beauty in mind she plans layouts, rooms and gardens.  A lovely example is one of the first uses of straight staircases, no easily defended corkscrew horrors for Katherine. Oddly this is not the only woman whose history intermingles with Chenonceau. At Bohier’s death the palace falls into the king’s hands and Diane de Poitiers, then Catherine de Médicis and the list goes on. It is because of this female influence that castle is, I think, so utterly wrong as a description. This is a palace. The wedding cake type design over the river is a veritable tour de force. It strangely lacks the allegedly feminine chi chi of the other château de la Loire. Chenonceau is elegant, very elegant even painfully elegant. It is the Audrey Hepburn of palaces. I could go on but I will never do it justice. If only for once in your life, be a tourist an GO.

Radishes are plentiful this month, traditionally used as a salad ingredient in England, but can so easily be sautéed and served with grilled fish. Japanese cuisine uses one particular variety of radish sashimi and noodles. Young tender Leeks are in season, peel away the fibrous outer leaves, then braise the tender hearts for a few minutes; serve either hot or cold with a good mustard vinaigrette. ( the outer leaves are normally used when preparing a bouquet garni to wrap the herbs into). When looking to cook something slightly different, Forced rhubarb should now be available. Wonderful pink stems, that when lightly cooked give the whole dish a lustrous pink colour. Actually a vegetable but commonly prepared as a fruit, poached rhubarb goes with roast pork, grilled fish and of course as a dessert to be used in crumbles, fools and sorbets.

Oh what a wonderful month, Spring has arrived again at last. Wonderful combinations are possible, Succulent spring lamb with the fresh shoots of flowering rosemary; Wild morels with slow braised breast of chicken in a creamy sauce, or simply fried in a little butter and served on warm toast.

Wild garlic also starts to shoot. Such a wonderful ingredient that can be used in stir fries, soups, pasta, fish dishes or just simply cooked with tender spinach leaves.

This is the month to be adventurous. The English asparagus season is in full swing. Grilled or poached, asparagus can simply be eaten drizzled in fresh butter or used as an accompaniment in salads, with fish and with meats. Sea asparagus is now available. Samphire is found in marshy shallows and on salty mudflats. Rinse it well, then cook in boiling water for 60 seconds only. Try it with all fish dishes, on its own with a little butter, or try it with a poached egg on top. May is that one month of the year when Elderflowers are in full bloom. Pick them now and prepare a traditional cordial with them to see you through the hot balmy months of  the summer.

Potato

Is it not odd that a whole continent, hardly renowned for its cuisine, should supply us Europeans with such a wealth of ingredients. To the tomato and chilli we add the humble potato. The potato started life in the dizzying heights of the Andes some 6000 to 7000 years ago. The local Aymara Indians soon cultivated over 200 species.  They also created one of the first recorded instances of freeze dried preservation: Chuňo. Sliced, covered in straw, left in the cold overnight air over several nights, they were then washed, trampled to remove any moisture. Having left the mixture to dry the “instant mash” would last up to three years. It would be quite a few millennia before we Europeans would get our greedy little mits on them. Many European countries have their own discoverer of the potato; Parmentier in France, Sir Walter Raleigh in Britain. The honest truth is that inevitably it was the Conquistadors whose legacy was not the gold they sought out but something that feeds a large part of the world.

The beginnings were not auspicious: the local Spaniards in South America saw the potato as a local product for peasants and shunned it. They did however recognise the calorific value and in Spain the potato started life as a very cheap way of feeding the poor in hospital. The potato had another PR issue, you may not know this, but it comes from the Nightshade as in Deadly Nightshade. It is true that the leaves, stems and fruit (yes potatoes do bear fruit) contain glycoalkaloids that affect your nervous system, but the potato itself …. safe. All this bad press delayed the potato invasion, and though by end of the century it had spread throughout Europe, it was still seen as cattle fodder and for the destitute. Even peasants rebelled at growing this misshapen horror that had originated from heathens far away.

Oddly enough it was the “educated” class who started championing the potato. In  1795, the Board of Agriculture no less, published a pamphlet entitled “Hints Respecting the Culture and Use of Potatoes”. The Times joined the bandwagon. France waited patiently till the 18^th Century and Auguste Parmentier a chemist to rally the troops. His thanks, as ever in France, was to have a dish named after him. He was strangely backed by no other than Marie Antoinette who took to wearing potato blossom in her hair. Maybe she should be more kindly remembered as saying “let them eat potatoes”. Having crept northwards through the Americas, Ireland received its potato from the American colonies, becoming such a vital part of the food supply that it eventually lead to the disaster that was the Great Famine. In Russia none other than Catherine the Great saw the possibilities, and ordered her countrymen to grow the potato. She was contradicted by the Church who, stating that the potato was not mentioned in the Bible, advised against it. In the end the potato won, heathen or not, it had many things on its side: high calorie value, easy to grow, higher yields than wheat, more resistant to infection, easy to collect and cook it had one further ace up its sleeve; rampaging armies would easily destroy wheat fields by just passing through, the potato was left safe underground. Rarely has a vegetable had such an influence, it is said that this easy form of nourishment was the catalyst for the Industrial Revolution. A far cry from something that was frowned on by the Church and commonly given names such as “Earth’s testicles” or even “Eve’s Apple” as it was said to increase the libido. Like others before and after, the potato piggy backed on the ships trading around the world and are now common in the Middle East, the Far East and Asia. The greatest producer of potatoes in the world? ……………………. China.

I forgot to talk about the name, again we have the Spanish to thank, potato is a mixture of Spanish and the original Quechua name: Batata (sweet potato) and papa (potato)

What next for the potato? Who knows, but what do you think the first vegetable grown in space was ………….. the potato always reaching new heights

November

With Winter nearly upon us, we must ready ourselves and our gardens for the harsh weather. Oddly enough if a frost is coming , but there has been no rain, water the plants. Frost will  damage dry roots much easier. This is the month to plant daffodils and hyacinths and to move anything so the roots can settle in before the frost comes. Then we get down to some preventative work, weed that garden as much as you can, give those weeds a rough time before winter and they will have problems come spring. Tidy up shrubs, hedges and lawns, unless you want the seeds tidy up the perennials (even if you don’t the seed heads are good for the birds, and birds are your friends). If you have anything delicate like geraniums, bring them in or protect them with something.  Always thought of doing something with “that” bit of the garden, this is a good time to start. Clear it to the bone and start ordering books for inspiration. It will be so much nicer reading about what you are going to do knowing the back breaking part is done

December

More of the same really as far as maintenance is concerned. Keep on top of fallen leaves. Maybe it’s a good time to look at your tools (sharpen, oil) and remember to insulate any taps. Check out the very long list of plants you can sow at this time of year. And finally give your beds a good mulch

January

Keep your eyes on any leaves but little else. I suggest reading those books now, plan and start ordering things like bulbs

After all this talk of potatoes and Mr. Parmentier what other winter dish could I possibly share:

Hachi Parmentier - French Cottage Pie (serves 6)

ORIGINATES FROM: D’ORIGINE, National dish to commemorate the potato king

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED (EQUIPEMENT NECESSAIRE)

Large sauce pan and lid
Small saucepan
Colander
Wooden spoon
Large oven proof dish
Large knife
Chopping board

INGREDIENTS

The Hachis
600 g of boiled beef
2 diced onions
2 finely chopped garlic cloves
1 diced celery stick
1 chopped small bunch of Parsley
30g duck/goose fat
2 sprigs thyme
The Puree
1.5 kg peeled and large cubed potato (mashing like Desiree)
2 dl milk
1 dl double cream
1 pinch nutmeg
Salt
Pepper
100g butter
100g grated Emmenthal

COOK

1. The Puree
2. Fill saucepan with cold water
3. Add salt and potato
4. Cook till tender
5. Pour into colander and allow to “dry”
6. Heat cream and milk in small saucepan
7. Mash the potatoes whilst adding the milk mixture little by little (do not overwork)
8. Season to taste
9. Add butter and fold in
10. The Hachis
11. Soften garlic, celery and onions in duck fat for 10 minutes on a low heat
12. Add the beef
13. Add parsley and thyme
14. Season to taste
15. Butter the bottom of the oven dish
16. Spread a layer of potato in the base of the dish
17. Then a layer of meat
18. Keep going but finish on a potato layer
19. Sprinkle with cheese
20. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes at 180c (longer if out of the fridge)

*Use shank or brisket for the beef, add salt a bouquet garni, pepper corns and slow cook for roughly 2 hours (sieve the stock and freeze for later use)