9 hours ago
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I don’t wish to boast, but I’m typing this with a jumper on. Not because my flat has air-conditioning, but because it doesn’t – and the relentless heat of south-east England was having a seriously detrimental effect on my productivity and the health of my elderly dog (NB: the two are not mutually exclusive). So, with a second novel to write, I decided to rent a studio as far north, and as far west, as I could reasonably drive in a day. And, so far, I have no regrets. Driving through North Yorkshire, I had to put on a sweatshirt – the weather in the Pennines gave my car the first good wash it’s had in months – and now, in Scotland, the dog and I feast on hot porridge in the mornings. I’d genuinely forgotten what it’s like to be cold – and what it’s like to cook for pleasure.
This newsletter isn’t just for those parts of the country enjoying, rather than suffering, the sunshine; yesterday it was raining and tonight the temperatures will drop to almost single digits. It’s also for anyone, wherever you are, who’s eaten enough cool, crunchy salads and chilled soups to last a lifetime, or at least until next summer. (You’re not alone: last month, Waitrose reported a spike in sales of cottage pie and robust South African red wine.)
Much as I enjoy those things, I’m not craving winter food just yet; there will be time enough for that, and I’m keen to make the most of summer produce while we have it. I would have no issue turning on the oven for Yotam Ottolenghi’s Mexican-inspired prawn-stuffed peppers, for example, or Sami Tamimi’s Palestinian version with freekeh, lamb and spicy tomato sauce. Unsurprisingly, I also have a soft spot for my own Provençal-style stuffed courgettes.
Staying with baked vegetables, now is the perfect time of year for an aubergine parmigiana – in her recipe for a slightly lighter take, Rachel Roddy recalls her partner informing her that his Sicilian grandmother always did any frying or baking early in the morning, so the hot work was finished for the day by 10am, an approach familiar to me from recent weeks of recipe testing in London. On the aubergine front, I’m afraid I couldn’t choose between highlighting Atul Kochhar’s Chettiar aubergine curry, Arto Der Haroutunian’s aubergine tagine and Anna Del Conte’s showstopping aubergine pasta pie in this selection of recipes from 2013, so please have at them with my blessing.
I must confess, however, that I brought tomatoes up to Scotland with me, which I’ve mostly been eating on toast (would that I had the right ingredients for Joe Woodhouse’s luxuriant take with creme fraiche and mint). But if I happen upon any less worthy candidates, they’re going straight into Nigel Slater’s sausage, tomato and lentil bake gilded with chilli oil, or perhaps Jessica B Harris’ fried green tomatoes, a dish that, I was strictly informed by a lady from Alabama a few years ago, needs no accompaniment.
Although I suspect there must be great tomatoes available on the Scottish west coast, I know there to be fantastic berries and, thanks to the long, light days at this time of year, far better ones than most of those grown down south. You might fancy Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s raspberry and almond streusel cake, or Anna Jones’s roast strawberries with lemon and black pepper, though, whatever the weather, I still prefer my berries raw with cream in a fruit fool or an Eton mess; the most complex I might get is Nigel’s loganberry cream with flapjack.
When I find some really good ones, however, I’m more likely to eat them straight from the punnet. If you’re reading this somewhere hot, I very much suggest you do the same. Alternatively, take the day off cooking, and go and buy an ice lolly instead. I would.
My week in food
‘The worst curry in the world’ | According to a British-born Australian journalist with a column in the Canberra Times, this is Japanese katsu. Don’t click on it for his opinions on sashimi, or seaweed, or Indian food (“arguably overcooked”), but do read Emiko Davies’ rebuttal, which will teach you far more about Japanese cuisine, seaweed and nuanced, well-researched, thoughtful writing. And then try making katsu curry rice and decide for yourself.
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Scotland’s best service station | I haven’t visited every service station in Scotland – in fact, I’ve visited very few of them, because I usually bring sandwiches – but having stopped at Cairn Lodge Services on the M74, I think it must be a strong contender for this crown. Newly refurbished by the same group as Tebay and Gloucester services, it boasts a farm shop and a cafe offering homemade food, canteen-style, on china plates. I had a bowl of courgette, pea and mint soup with an excellent cheese scone, and I will certainly be stopping there for breakfast on the way home. Why can’t we have more options such as this alongside the hamburgers?
Great Taste awards results | The results of the Guild of Fine Food’s annual taste tests came out a couple of weeks ago, and it’s well worth having a look at the directory to see what has scooped those coveted three stars. Having helped to judge the awards for the past decade or so, I can promise you that the process is as fair and as rigorous as possible, and a starred sticker is often all the sales pitch I need. My takeaway from my stint this year: Irish readers, if you’re not familiar with sour cream from Green Pastures, I’d suggest rectifying that. We ate it straight from the spoon with no embellishment.
Best breakfast in Cornwall | I had the pleasure of spending a couple of nights in Penzance last month during the town’s literary festival, and thus of revisiting Chapel House (boutique) B&B. The menu included, among other delights, fry-ups with both black and hog’s pudding (a creamy white pudding that deserves to be better known outside the West Country), and an amazingly light-green omelette with spinach, tarragon and cheese, cooked in plenty of butter. Wish I’d asked for the recipe now. Sue, are you reading?
