This week saw Jamie Oliver cooking up a storm at the G20, with a very British menu showcasing the best of our own homegrown, home-reared produce. Whilst the Guardian food blog saw a few discontented foodies bemoan the choice of "trendy" Jamie for chef and wailed at the simplicity of the menu/this ingredient/that ingredient etc.
Well, I thought the boy done good, the dinner was simple, wholesome food (the type Italy gained its fame for), using fresh British veg which doesn't make it onto our tables nearly as often as it should, such as samphire and sea kale.
He also uses several ingredients which have PDO (Protected Destination of Origin) status (clotted cream, Jersey Royals), which we should be showing off as we have so few of them compared to France and Italy. For the full menu click on the link:
Not that I'm a hardcore fanatical about this: you'd struggle to live entirely on UK homegrown food unless you had an allotment, lots of time on your hands, lots of money, great weather or a huge love of potatoes. Somerset tomato, anyone? Nah, didn't think so... I did want to stress, however, that to make a great meal, you don't need to rely on imports. I also prefer to support our local producers wherever possible, even if it means spending a tiny bit more.
Inspired by all this, I headed to my local supermarket to shop for ingredients to create a Best of British dinner using only UK produce to get an idea of how a normal family of three or four could feed themselves on good-quality produce for less than a fiver a head. All without relying on Argentinian plums and New Zealand lamb, or dubious economy 90%-breadcrumbs sausages.
The rules:
-all ingredients MUST be UK.
-no economy range/additive-filled stuff
- less than a fiver a head
Naturally, I'd love to do all this at a local farmer's market or local shops, and I would encourage that and repeat this exercise at one of my local markets. This time round though is for the benefit of those who have difficulty in getting to a farmer's market.
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1 comment:
I love Jaime. I think he has introduced a healthier style of eating to the west, but also encourages people to eat(buy) as close to home as possible. His style is VERY approachable, and he seems like he really wants people to learn, not that he is there to show off how fancy he is.
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