Food with Attitude

We returned to England. I worked as a waitress a lot and often ended up in the kitchen due to shortage of staff or time. I realised that my cooking was a lot better than the average chef, mainly because I put more love into it, and I ended up working as a ‘Cheffe’ as I called myself. I still collected recipes that interested me.

A Grand Collection

I’ve got a collection of around a thousand cookery books.
I started entering competitions, creating original recipes, and I’ve won quite a lot. My neighbours are willing guinea-pigs and give me honest opinions.

Here’s one of my recipes

 It had to be a fruit recipe.

CURRIED PEAR AND BRIE SOUP

2 oz butter
1 small onion, chopped.
4 pears, peeled and chopped
1 level tblsp curry powder
1 200g wedge of Brie
Seasoning
1 pt water.
1 tblsp lemon juice
Crème fraiche

Method

Place everything except crème fraiche in pan.
Cook for approx 20 minutes
Stir in crème fraiche.
Liquidise.
Serve topped with parsley.

It’s a lovely colour and tastes great! It won me a nationwide competition.

Everything we need is in the Shops

We’re lucky in this country because we have a huge range of available food and ingredients. We’re unlucky because it’s mucked about with so much.

Mother Nature is creative

Tomatoes and cauliflowers don’t naturally grow all the same size and shape. How come they’re identical in our supermarkets? Why are chickens all the same weight?

Living with Allergies

I’ve developed food allergies so I have to be careful what I eat now, and it angers me, knowing that fruit and vegetables are being sprayed with preservatives not listed on the wrapper because they’re not ingredients.

I love Farmers’ Markets.

 You’re guaranteed a selection of natural food, produced by people who work hard and care about what they’re doing. What a shame that some councils charge such high rents that the farmers have to put up their prices to pay for the stalls!

When I’m abroad I don’t suffer from my allergies..

I look forward to our holidays and I enjoy shopping and cooking. A French deli isn’t just a shop, it’s an art gallery!

I love the way that Mediterranean market stallholders lovingly set out their wares; giant crunchy Cos lettuces, tiny sweet cucumbers, dozens of different olives. What a joy to see large misshapen tomatoes with a touch of green on them! And, oh, the flavours!

How wonderful to eat and smell gorgeous fresh bread made with unprocessed flour! It goes stale quickly, but who cares? It’s cheap enough to buy some more!

What fun to visit a fish market and buy something that I’ve never seen or heard of before!

Why oh why do we have a need to hoard everything in this country?

 Is it a built-in fear of war or famine from our past? Shops are open seven days a week. Why don’t we buy fresh food every day?

I’m guilty as well, though I keep trying to change. I’ve got a large chest freezer full to bursting and a collection of tinned food that I never get round to eating. I think it saves me money

Change is Needed

Maybe if we all started shopping the French and continental way the producers wouldn’t have to add preservatives to our food and we’d be a healthier nation with better figures, more energy, and a lower crime rate too!