Carrots in plastic bags vs well done Booths.

Buying vegetables wrapped in plastic is a real bug bear of mine. Big supermarkets wash carrots within an inch of their life and heavily soaked in water bag them in plastic. Watching the supermarket shelf stackers load them in place it can be seen the amount of water in the packs as the carrots sweat and the water condenses behind the plastic. The customers wonder why they have to throw the carrots away a few days later when they go rotten. In the days we are trying to cut down waste, as I said, Its a real bug bear of mine.
Well done Booths selling carrots as they should be sold.

Bread at Booths Supermarket, Penrith

I am fussy about the bread I buy. This loaf called ' The Staff of Life' from Booths Supermarket in Penrith is splendid. It has a not too hard crust and a slightly sweet taste, with herbs for flavouring. The texture is close and it was risen for 20 hours.

I served the bread with some beetroot relish. Made with grated beetroot, pomegranate juice and seeds and some spring onions. Seasoned with salt and pepper. The Red Leicester cheese goes very well with it.

Yotam Ottolenghi

Yotam Ottolenghi is a master of recipes and tastes. This is the display at his Motcomb St shop in London. While I was there I had baked cauliflower with saffron, sultanas, red onion, pine nuts and parsley. Balsamic glazed carrots and puy lentils with goats cheese red onion and herbs. To take away I had roasted squash with cardamon and preserved lemon yoghourt with spicy pumpkin seeds and mint. The raspberry cheescake was sumptuous.

http://www.ottolenghi.co.uk/

Great Bread

Flourish Bakery From Tottenham High Rd London are at three London farmers markets. Pimlico Rd and Ebury St, Saturday. Nottinghill, Saturday. Thursday Portobello Rd. Sunday Palmers Green train Station. More detail and fabulous photos on their website. http://www.flourishbakery.com/

I picked up one of their great textured and flavoured bread at the corner of Pimlico Rd at the market there. The texture is fantastic and the chewy crust just right. Its obvious the bread is made with a starter. This loaf in the photo has a rye and wheat flour mix. It would be great to dip in soup or eat with cheese.

Cooking with Grannie: Chocolate by Paul Young

Cooking with Grannie: Chocolate by Paul Young

Chocolate by Paul Young

Award winning chocolate maker Paul Young has three shops in London. The Wild pepper bar is award winning and I can taste why. Who ever would have thought of putting chocolate and pepper together, well Paul did and it got him an award. The pepper bar is very filling as its 66% cocoa solids and if you could say pepper was sweet, well it is, and aromatic. Excellent taste.

www.paulayoung.co.uk

Wardour St London W1 8WA
Camden Passage London N1 8EA
The Royal Exchange London EC3V3LP

Baked Parsnips and apple with onions. Seasoned with fennel seeds, nutmeg and a chilli yoghourt dressing

This winter dish is simple and requires about 15 minutes in the oven.

Use 1 to 2 parsnips and half an apple per person.
Peel and cut the parsnips into large chunks. Simmer in salted water for five minutes then toss in an unflavoured oil such as rapeseed. Place on a metal oven tray.Core the apples do not peel them and cut into chunks. Add some chopped spring onions. Bake at 200C until the parsnips are brown and the onion soft. Add a spinkle of fennel seeds and grated nutmeg. Sprinkle some pumpkin seeds over the top. To 2 tablespoons of plain yoghourt add a pinch of chilli powder. Serve drizzled over the top.