God bless the Easter bunny

I'd like to start this entry by apologising in advance to any religious friends who might be reading. I'm afraid I'm about to write an entire blog about Easter without mentioning God or Jesus, because for heathen like me, the best thing about Easter is the chocolate.

As some of you may have already gathered from other posts on this blog, I worship at the alter of the cocoa bean. Chocolate is, quite frankly, a pretty damn good reason for living, and a life without chocolate would be, quite frankly, pretty damn pointless. 

I love chocolate in all it's forms. I don't discriminate. There are some people who get a bit snobbish about chocolate, favouring only organic or 85% cocoa. But while I do most certainly appreciate the difference between good chocolate and cheap sugary chocolate, I'm pretty open to eating any and all of it. 

So I guess loving Easter is a no-brainer. We give each other big chocolate eggs - what's not to like? And there's something extra-special about Easter egg chocolate isn't there? Even if it's just plain old Cadbury's, the egg somehow tastes better than the humble bar. It must be something to do with the subtle curve and smooth surface of the egg chocolate - and the way it feels in your mouth. Plus Easter eggs are rarely of uniform thickness the whole way through, so finding those amazing thick bits where the chocolate has pooled is an extra (or should that be egg-stra?) treat.

Apparently we give eggs at Easter because they are a symbol of fertility and rebirth, and the practice of decorating eggs pre-dates Christianity. But who wants a painted chicken's egg when you can have a chocolate one?!

My "mainstream" egg from grandma

These days the supermarkets are crammed full of Easter eggs at this time of year, with many of the larger stores dedicating a whole aisle to Easter eggs and gifts. And most of them tend to stock mainly the big names in chocolate - Cadbury's, Nestle, Thorntons and the like. I've got one of these eggs courtesy of my grandma, and like I said above, I'm no snob so I'll definitely be eating it. Well, all accept the Snickers bar, anyway. Snickers, in my view, is the booby prize of chocolate. It's chocolate gone wrong. It's just not cricket.

However, as we're avoiding the supermarkets, I've gone for more artisan Easter eggs this year so the ones I've bought for people are a bit more interesting than my 'Mars and Friends' offering from Grandma.

The two eggs from Brown and Green

I did my egg shopping with my lovely friends at Brown and Green, in Derby, and picked up two gorgeous milk chocolate offerings. The first, decorated with sweeties and jelly beans, was made by The Bittersweet Chocolate company, which looks like an absolutely amazing little firm in Melbourne, South Derbyshire. These guys have a brilliant website and it looks like they also run chocolate making workshops, so perhaps I ought to pay them a visit at some point (all in the name of supermarket-free research of course!).

The second, slightly smaller egg, with little mini-eggs melted into the front of it, was made by Cottage Delight, a firm that makes "speciality foods" in nearby Staffordshire. 

But the real win on the Easter egg front was a gorgeous egg made by The Elegant Baking Company, in Sheffield. We found a huge selection of these eggs in a little co-operative craft store in the city, and the one I chose was milk with an iced egg design on the front. Even the box it came in looks gorgeous, and at just a fiver it was a real bargain when you compare it to the top-of-the-range Easter eggs in the supermarkets.

And whose egg is it? Mine of course! Happy Easter. 

Elegant Baking Company egg

Elegantly wrapped

Blogger's block

Today my friends I have a little case of blogger's block. I've been doing my supermarket-free challenge for three months now, and posting every day, with the exception of four days when I went on holiday. I've talked about farm shops, vegetarianism, horse meat and loo roll. So have I finally now run out of steam?

I'd like to think not. When it comes to shopping local I'd like to think I'm only at the tip of the iceberg. But the problem is that this week I've not really been home much, so I've not really been shopping much, so I've not got a hell of a lot to report. I have of course bought a couple of lovely supermarket-free Easter eggs, but naturally I'm not unveiling those on the blog before tomorrow!

I've also got some amazing cakes from a Chinese cake shop to tell you about, but I've not eaten them yet, and as we all know the proof is in the pudding, so if I blog about that now it'll be a story half told.

The thing is, we're pretty much rattling along quite happily at the moment. We're in our supermarket-free routine, we've fallen into habits with favourite local shops, and we're happy.

So perhaps that in itself is something to say. Because people still keep asking me how we're managing, and telling me there's now way they'd be able to cope without going to Tesco or Morrisons. But we are more than coping - we're enjoying it. We're a quarter of the way into my year without supermarkets and I still can't imagine going back. So put that in your pipe and smoke it!

I do have one little thing to report though - the supermarket-free ethos is slowly spreading. I was out with some friends last night and my pal Rich was keen to tell me how he's been avoiding the supermarkets and trying to shop local instead.

Now this is a man who loves his food and loves to cook, but with a Tesco just round the corner from his house he does generally buy groceries from the supermarket. However, since reading my blog he's been going to Sheffield wholefood store Beanies and also shopping at his local butcher.

Rich raises a glass to local shopping

"So what's the food been like then?" I asked him.

"Oh so much better," he replied. "The meat especially tastes so much nicer from the butcher, and it's a decent price too."

"That's great," I told him. "So does that mean you're not going to Tesco anymore?"

"Er, well, no," he laughed. "I'm still at the supermarket about twice a week!"

Oh well, you win some, you lose some. At least Rich is making an effort, and local businesses like his butcher are benefiting as a result. Well done Rich!

Supermarket-free birthday cards

Well my friends and family came up trumps yesterday with some lovely cards that didn't appear to have been bought from supermarkets.

They all clearly think I'm turning into an anti-supermarket Nazi and are terrified!

I think it's an interesting point though, because supermarkets are no longer just places to pick up groceries. You can now buy virtually everything from Tesco or Asda, including cards and gifts, and I for one have certainly been guilty  in the past of grabbing a card and book or CD for somebody as a present along with my shopping. We're back to that old chestnut of convenience again.

And of course the impact is being felt on the high street. Look at what happened to Clinton Cards. Yet again shoppers are choosing supermarkets over individual/specialist shops and its having a big impact.

Flicking through my birthday cards I can see that quite a few of them are obviously from small independent card or gift shops. 

Cath's card....

My lovely friends Cath and Stefan, who live in London, even popped a note inside their card saying "we made a special effort to buy a card not from Tesco just for you". This is especially kind when you consider that Cath was one of the friends I visited and blogged about in January, who freely admits that she gets pretty much everything from the supermarket round the corner from her house. So thanks Cath!

Other cards were harder to source, because of course they tend to be branded with the name of the company that designed/made them, rather than where they were sold. But I reckon the ones with a price code on the back are likely to have come from the bigger retailers - and potentially the supermarkets. I got several of these.

....and message 

Of course all cards and birthday wishes were very well received. But if you don't want to see the demise of small independent card shops, or even bigger high street chains like Clintons (who frankly rather deserve their fate I think - their prices were astronomical!), then it's worth supporting them when you can.

Supermarket-bought presents

So today is my birthday without supermarkets. Happy birthday to me! This is going to be a very very short blog because we are going out, but hopefully I will have some supermarket-free birthday adventures to report on tomorrow.

I’m also going to be paying attention to whether any of my cards or gifts were sourced in the supermarkets. It’s an interesting point - you can make a decision to avoid the superstores yourself but you can’t control where those around you shop, or what they chose to give you.

My betting is that I’ll be opening up at least one Tesco-bought birthday card or supermarket-bought bubble bath.

Technically this is not against the rules. Although I cannot ASK anyone to go into a supermarket on my behalf and buy something for me, I can't control what items are given to me or brought into my house by others.

And nor would I want to - all presents gratefully received! Ha ha!

But as a point of interest I will be looking out for any supermarket labels or stickers and reporting back tomorrow. Pity my poor friends!

In other news (not at all supermarket related but just thought I'd share), I've just been on Google and was alarmed to see that apparently it knows it's my birthday. I was greeted with a special birthday motif, and when I pushed my curser over it, it said "Happy Birthday Jade". So apparently it's not only Tesco that is monitoring my every move. Scary stuff.

Google wishes me happy birthday

I'm alive!

I’m alive! The yogurt I ate yesterday that was past its use-by date didn’t kill me! It didn’t even render me poorly or in pain. So from that I think I’m going to deduce that use-by and sell-by dates should be taken with a pinch of salt.

I did I bit of research online and found some quite conflicting opinions on the dates on food packaging. I found one piece by a doctor saying that yogurt can certainly be eaten after it’s passed the use-by date on the packaging, as long as it doesn’t smell sour or look a funny colour.

But I also found a piece on the NHS Choices website warning consumers not to gamble with use-by dates.

The Food Standards Agency ran a campaign last summer as part of its Food Safety Week warning consumers of the risk of food poisoning from using food that is past its use-by date.

But it also said that best-before dates simply indicate the freshness of food.
The problem is that there are several different labels in use - sell-by, use-by and best-before, and they all mean slightly different things.

The FSA said that use-by dates appear on foods that go off quickly and indicate the last date when it is safe to eat the food. So apparently these are the ones that should be taken most seriously. And if you open food on its use-by date it should be eaten or thrown away on that date - rather than saved for the following day. The FSA warned that bugs like E. coli and salmonella don’t cause food to smell off, even when they may have grown to dangerous levels. So food could look and smell fine but still be harmful.

Best-before or sell-by dates appear on food that have a longer shelf life and indicate that the food will be at its freshest until that date, but should probably be okay to eat for two or three days after.

And sell-by or display-until dates are not required by law, and are often just used by stores for stock control purposes.

The FSA also recommends people should store leftovers in the fridge, cool them first as quickly as possible, cover them when they’re in the fridge and eat them within two days. So there goes my colleague’s five-day rule!

This is all very well and good, but personally I still think these dates can be taken with a pinch of salt and common sense. The yogurt I ate yesterday was over its use-by date (or “safe until” date) and I survived.

And as I pointed out yesterday, my grandma is still in robust health at 93, despite gratuitously flaunting all the above rules for decades.

How seiously should I take use-by dates?

How seriously do you take sell-by-dates? Do you chuck things out as soon as they hit the date on the packaging or do you happily mash up brown bananas and scramble less-than-fresh eggs?

This post has been prompted by a little dilemma I have. I’m now pretty much addicted to Ann Forshaw’s yoghurts (I lead a sad life I know) but I’m reaching the end of my stash and the snow is preventing me from getting up to my favourite farm shop to buy more.

The last yogurt in the fridge went out of date five days ago. So do I bin it  or do I eat it?

As a nation I think we’re becoming more and more wasteful, and I reckon the supermarkets are playing a big part with their special offers and by-one-get-one-frees that mean we invariably come home with more than we need.

There are two schools of thought - those who stick religiously to sell-by and use-by dates, and those who disregard them.

My 93-year-old grandma is very much in the second camp. From the wartime generation, she will never throw anything away. I’ve seen her scraping mould of cheese, stirring the skin into sauces and making potato cakes out of four-day old mash. Her fridge is crammed with cellophane-encased leftovers and half empty jars. Sometimes when I visit I sneakily go through it and bin the stuff that is actually growing fur.

But of course, she’s still alive, and kicking, and still living independently in her own home at 93, so perhaps eating fur-covered food is the way forward.

The colleague who I sit next to at work is also a big fan of reusing and recycling food. Five-days is his rule for leftovers, and he’s just told me to eat my yogurt because “it’s in a sealed pot and it’s been kept in the fridge”.

It’s an interesting issue because since our ban on the supermarkets we’ve been wasting a lot less. I think it’s because we’ve got a bit more respect for our food because we know exactly where it’s coming from and we know who is making it. For example, I know that the couple who run Baked bakery in Derby get up at 2am every morning to make their fresh bread, so there’s no way I’m going to throw that away.

Similarly, I’ve looked on the website for Ann Forshaw so I know how much work goes into making the yogurt. So I don’t really want to chuck it. Plus it’s super-tasty. And it’s pro-biotic, so surely it’s just going to have had chance to grown even more good bacteria while it’s been sat in my fridge?

I’ve just opened it and it doesn’t smell sour, so I’m going to give it a bash. If I don’t blog tomorrow then I’ve got a tummy upset!

More creepy mail from Tesco

Like a church trying to lure back its dwindling congregation, I think it must have dawned on Tesco that I've not been to worship in a while. As an honorary Clubcard holder my shopping habits are easier to track, and it looks like my absence in the aisles has been noted.

So I received some decidedly creepy mail from the supermarket this week containing some special coupons.

The message on the front of the jolly, Easter egg-peppered envelope, shouted in block capitals that it contained "12 EXCLUSIVE COUPONS ON THE THINGS YOU OFTEN BUY".

Okay, I thought. this should be interesting. I wonder what Tesco thinks I often buy.

I opened the letter expecting to find some silly offers for its most-popular products (which I imagine to be things like multi-packs of fizzy drinks and horse meat burgers).

Instead I got a bit of a shock.

The message inside informed me that Tesco had sent "a little something extra from us". The Clubcard team wrote: "We've chosen 12 exclusive bonus coupons just for you."

And flicking through the coupons, it became apparent that Tesco is actually able to monitor my shopping habits very closely. They included money off fresh greens or kale, green tea, Robinsons squash, the cheese counter, croissants, Yeo Valley natural yogurt, creme fraiche, pesto and anything from its own-brand meat free range.

These were all items that, up until three months ago, I very regularly put into my trolley.

So what do we think of this? Convenient? Thoughtful? Useful?

I'm not so sure. I actually found it rather creepy that (presumably thanks to my Clubcard) Tesco was able to track my shopping habits so closely. I can only conclude that there is a database somewhere that stores all this information and uses it to target and entice consumers.

In a way I guess my feelings are almost a contradiction. After all, Judi, who runs my local pet shop Hasland Pet Supplies, knows which brand of cat food I prefer. And Banana Bob, who delivers our weekly veg box, has a detailed list of our likes and dislikes. But these are actual people who I have conversations with. And like! Not some weird faceless "Clubcard team" (which is presumably a computer).

Judi knows the cat food I like because I've stood in her shop and had a conversation with her about it, as well as numerous other things. But when I was swiping my Clubcard at one of those impersonal self-service tills, little did I know that my preferences were being recorded and stored.

Sorry Tesco, I don't like it and I'm not biting. This shopper is staying supermarket-free and those coupons are going in the recycling bin.

RECIPE: My take on Riverford bread

Yesterday, thanks to the snow, I was unable to buy any bread because our local bakery had sold out. So this morning I'm sitting here eating my scrambled eggs on toast on home-made bread and I thought I'd share the recipe, just in case anyone else is struggling to get hold of fresh bread today due to the weather.

Making bread is something I only tend to do sporadically, largely because it is a little bit time-consuming and faffy. There are those smug people who go through life making their own bread and telling others that there's nothing easier, but I'm afraid I'm not quite sure I agree. It's not difficult, but there is a technique to it and it does also take a little time, which depending on your schedule you might not necessarily have.

But a lazy snowed-in Sunday is the perfect time to make a loaf.

I've tried a number of different types but the recipe I always tend to fall back on is from the Riverford Farm Cook Book. 

Riverford organic Farm is an absolutely amazing business that will appeal to anyone interested in shopping local and sustainability. It originated on a farm in South Devon that we visited while on holiday a couple of years ago. Guy Watson began farming organically there in 1985 and delivering his vegetables to local shops, and from this his business grew into a nationwide home-delivery vegetable box scheme with sister farms around the country. Riverford is now one of the country's largest independent growers.

Riverford cook book

At the original Devon farm there is now a restaurant called the Field Kitchen, which is where we enjoyed one of the most tasty and memorable meals we've ever had. The atmosphere was so relaxed and friendly, with guests seated together on huge rustic benches, passing around and sharing huge plates of food as though sat down for a family dinner. But the food itself, all made from fresh, local and seasonal ingredients, was absolutely divine.

We came away from Riverfood with a subscription to their veg box scheme and the firm's cook book. We've now switched to getting a veg box delivered from our local organic green grocer, Banana Bob, instead, mainly because we decided we wanted to support a small local business. But we're still huge fans of Riverford and the cook book gets a regular airing.

The bread recipe in the book makes two loaves, so I tend to halve it to just make one, and the ingredients list below is the halved and slightly amended recipe that I use.

RECIPE: RIVERFORD BREAD (JADE'S VERSION!)

INGREDIENTS

1 tsp dried yeast
1 tbsp honey
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
300ml tepid water
225g malted flour or wholemeal flour
225g white bread flour
75g rye flour
1 tsp salt

METHOD

This morning's bread - thanks Riverford!

This is also a little amended from the cook book - I've sort of developed my own style of making it, so this is my version. Stir the yeast, honey and olive oil into the tepid water and leave for five minutes. Meanwhile, measure out the flour into a large bowl and add the salt. Slowly mix the water mixture into the flour mixture to form a dough. If you need to add a little more water or flour to get the right consistency, that's fine.

Turn out onto a work surface and kneed for 10 minutes, then pop back into the bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to stand for at least an hour until the dough has doubled in size. Then knock back the dough, shape into a loaf, place onto a greased baking tray and leave to stand again for at least 40 minutes.

Oven bake at 220C for 20-25 minutes, until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Leave on a wire rack to cool.

Now you need your local shops!

Springtime in Chesterfield!

Most of the UK has has a huge dump of snow overnight - not exactly what we were expecting for spring! We've got a good few inches here in Derbyshire - this is what our garden looks like this morning, and the snow is still falling....

The car is in a snowdrift, the roads are treacherous, and I reckon there will be a fair few people who can't get out to do their normal Saturday morning supermarket shop.

It's at times like these that local shopping comes into its own and being able to walk to a nearby store becomes invaluable.

I've just popped my wellies on and walked round the corner to grab a loaf of bread, only to discover the bakery has sold out. And I don't think I've ever seen our little local high street so busy.

The pavements were full of folk togged up in thick coats and snow boots, kids pulling sledges, and dogs tied to lampposts. I even saw one woman with a Westie that had been zipped into a tiny, four-legged snow suit, with just its little paws and its head sticking out.

Our busy high street this morning

All the shops were open, although stock was running low. Several of the shopkeepers told me it had taken them several hours to get into work, dig the snow from their entrances and open up, but at least they were reaping the benefits by doing a roaring trade. it even looked like they had cleared the pavements.

This is why looking after your local shops is so important - because at times like these we really need them. But we can't expect them to survive year-round with only a tiny bit of custom, while we all pile off to the supermarkets. They need our support all the time, and then they in their turn will go the extra mile and find ways to open up on snow days when we need them the most.

All the fun of the (food) fair....

So today sees the publication of the fifth in my series of features on Food You Can Trust for the Derby Telegraph, and I decided to write about food fairs. With the heavy snow currently blanketing Derbyshire it's pretty hard to believe that it's meant to be spring, but it is indeed Easter next week so it's that time of year when seasonal food fairs are held.

I reckon a lot of people would like to do a bit more local shopping – but perhaps aren’t quite sure where to start.

After all, as a nation I think we’ve become rather too used to going to the supermarket, and the idea of trying alternatives might seem a bit daunting. Or even just a bit too much trouble if you lead a busy life.

This is where the humble food fair comes in. These wonderful events showcase some of the best of what locally-made food has to offer, with opportunities to taste and no pressure to buy.

  

They make for a great afternoon out and you can find out a bit more about local food into the bargain.

While researching the piece I spoke to Louise Curd, from Derby College’s Food Hub, at Broomfield Hall, which is hosting a Spring Food and Craft Festival tomorrow.

  

Louise is a woman after my own heart – she’s passionate about teaching people where their food comes from and helping them access local producers.

“Food security and food miles are major issues,” she told me. “The amount of food we import into this country is madness. How do we know where it has come from? If you shop local, from a farm two minutes up the road, you can physically see where it’s been grown or produced."

Louise agreed that food fairs are fantastically user-friendly, offering a relaxed chance to pick up a few bits of shopping as well as having a good day out.

“It can be really expensive to go for a family day out,” she said. “But at our food fair you can combine having a lovely day out with a chance to do your shopping.”

So if you want a little education on what local food delights are on offer in your area, look out for food fairs and take the opportunity to enjoy a great day out and do a bit of grocery shopping.

Today's piece

Better butter

One of the things we've really noticed since going supermarket-free is how much nicer our food tastes.

I've argued for a long time that organic vegetables from a greengrocer or veg box delivery scheme like the one we use are much much tastier than the bland, out-of-season and under-ripe supermarket offerings. And I've already blogged about how Neil has been delighted with the quality of the meat he's been getting from butchers and farm shops.

But after careful consideration we really do feel that pretty much everything we've been buying tastes better than the stuff  we used to get from the supermarket - no doubt because we're now going to specialist producers/shops and buying from people, farmers, bakers and other businesses who really care about their produce.

Even the humble packet of butter has now become something of a taste sensation. Before starting this challenge Neil usually bought something like Lurpak or Co-op Spreadable, while I often went for margarine instead. But since January we've been buying our butter from local farm shops and delis, I've ditched the marge, and we've really noticed the difference. It's been richer and creamier and full of flavour.

We are genetically programmed to seek out high energy food, which is why butter tastes so good - it's made of 80% fat. But really good butter needs to be made from good quality cream, so it follows that better quality butter will taste better.

Humans have been eating butter for thousands of years and apparently (you will recall that I'm not religious) there are a number of references to it in the bible. But in the latter half of the 20th century butter got something of a bad reputation and a lot of us switched to eating margarine instead. However thankfully it's now enjoying a come-back as we have realised that the trans-fats in some brands of marge are actually much worse for our health than butter. Margarine is a processed food while butter is a natural product made simply from milk.

Margarine is, in fact, so unnatural that it has to be artificially coloured yellow - otherwise it would be an unappetising shade of grey.

A recent study by scientists in the US concluded that margarine is actually much more damaging to health than butter.

As well as containing saturated fat, butter also provides vitamins A, D, K and E. Saturated fat, in small quantities, is essential for the production of certain hormones, is present in cell membranes and aid the absorption of some vitamins and minerals. Butter also contains the sort of cholesterol that is vital for brain and nervous system development.

So don't feel guilty about eating butter - just go for the extra rich, extra creamy variety from grass-fed cows and shun the pale ultra-processed stuff. As ever, your local farm shop is a great starting point.

The butter we're using at the moment is from Netherend Farm, a Gloucestershire dairy that specialises in producing butter. The farmers, who have been at the site for generations, began making butters in the 1980s when the demand for fresh pasturised milk meant there was a surplus of cream.

The butter is still traditionally churned today and there are no additives, flavourings or colourings - just a pinch of salt.

Campaign to save The Crispin

At my book club last night one of the lovely members told me that he and his wife always read this blog, which was great to hear. However he said he doesn't want to hear any more about vegetarianism! Belt up about the green stuff Jade and get back to the supermarkets. So in honour of this gentleman, I've found a new supermarket-related issue to tell you about today....

I was flicking through an edition of S40 Local, a brilliant little local community magazine in my area, when I spotted an article that caught my eye, for obvious reasons.

The piece in S40 Local

It was about a campaign that had been mounted to prevent a local Chesterfield pub, called The Crispin, from being taken over and turned into a drive-by Tesco Express.

The article made for some interesting reading. I was surprised to learn that if the application was successful it would become Chesterfield's nineth Tesco-owned store, which of course begs the question what on earth would a small town like Chesterfield need with NINE TESCOS? Especially as we have a Tesco Extra which must be the size of a small village right in the centre of town.

The piece also explained: "The conversion of a pub to a supermarket is a change of use that doesn't require planning permission - only things like car parking, signage, and an ATM require approval so typically change can slide through unchallenged."

Luckily in this instance it appeared that the application was being challenged by local people living near the pub. The Crispin, on Ashgate Road, has been a public house since 1840 and was originally a hostelry for weary traders bringing salt to the tanneries of Chesterfield.

Now I have to admit when I read this little article I didn't hold out much of a hope for the campaigners trying to save The Crispin. It seemed like something of a David and Goliath battle, and I've been working in local newspapers for long enough to know that controversial planning applications often get rubber-stamped despite local opposition.

But I also noted that the issue of S40 Local that I'd been reading was rather an old one (it's been hidden under a growing pile of papers for quite a few weeks) so I decided to do a little Google search to see if I could find the latest news on the campaign.

I was really really chuffed to find this newspaper article from last Friday's Derbyshire Times telling me that Tesco's application to turn The Crispin into a small food store was recently turned down by town planners. Apparently more than 1,100 local people had joined the campaign to save their local pub.

Tesco has not yet decided whether to re-submit the applications, which included installing an ATM and an extension, or appeal the decision, so the future of The Crispin remains in doubt.

But in the meantime a Facebook page (FB/savethecrispin) tells me that the campaign remains very active and there are a number of initiatives to promote the pub and get people using it.

I guess you don't need to be a genius to figure out where I sit in this particular debate. I think that nine Tescos in one small town is already nine too many, so I really hope that David will triumph over Goliath in this instance. Save The Crispin!

RECIPE: Aubergine veggie burgers

Topped with halloumi in a bun

I promised some vegetarian recipes, so here's a really easy and tasty way to make veggie burgers. They're also pretty healthy, at around 300cals per burger, and they contain two of your five-a-day.

INGREDIENTS:
1 aubergine, diced into 1cm cubes
1 red onion, finely chopped (or yo can use white)
1 large garlic clove,crushed
20g butter
1 cup breadcrumbs (I used one wholemeal roll)
100g hard cheese (I used double Gloucester)
1 egg, beaten
1 handful chopped rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil for frying

METHOD:
Heat the butter in a large frying pan and gently saute the aubergine, onion ad garlic for around 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Mix the breadcrumbs and cheese in a large bowl, then add the aubergine and onion mixture, herbs and seasoning. Stir well. Add the beaten egg and stir again until all the ingredients are combined.

To fashion into burgers use a measuring cup or cookie cutter.

They can be prepared in advance and rested in the fridge. When ready to fry, heat olive oil in a frying pan and carefully add a burger. Fry on both sides until crisp, then heat in the oven (on about 200C) for five minutes.

Serve in a bun with salad and chips. Halloumi cheese slices work well as a topping.

Before cooking

From the oven

Time for a supermarket-free slimming plan?

When I began this challenge to avoid the supermarkets I'd got high hopes of effortlessly losing weight as a result. After all, most of life's unhealthy food comes from the supermarket - doesn't it? No more bumper bags of crisps or oven-ready pizzas.

It's not as if I particularly NEEDED to slim down - more that as a 21st century woman being bombarded with never-ending airbrushed pictures of scrawny celebrities and perfect bodies, weight loss is pretty much a standard and ever-present life goal.

Unfortunately it hasn't quite worked out. In fact, since January I've managed to put on 6lbs. I attribute this partly to the fact that I had a tummy bug just before Christmas, which brought the year to a rather lean conclusion, but also to the fact that perhaps I've been slightly too enthusiastic about my new (and extremely yummy) supermarket-free diet.

For the last three months I've been chowing down on real butter, loads of different cheeses, cream, lovely pies, scrummy bread, chocolate brownies, thick sauces, and generally just a truck-load of really wholesome food.

The problem is that I have an absolutely HUGE appetite; I'm pretty much the human equivalent of a labrador. The word "full" doesn't really enter my vocabulary. After all, I'm a Yorkshire lass, brought up in a family where love is demonstrated by feeding someone until they are in actual physical pain.

And now we're shopping in farm shops and buying our food from local bakers, it's just so tasty that I can't get enough of it!

So lovely tasty food + my huge appetite = weight gain.

Okay, so is this really the end of the world? Well it's not particularly convenient. I've got several pairs of trousers that now no longer fit and with summer just around the corner I fear I could be unveiling a muffin-top beneath my t-shirts.

But there's an even more pressing reason to bring the bulge under control, as at the end of June I'm going on a beach holiday to Majorca with my mum.

"But your mum will love you just the way you are," my friend pointed out when I was moaning to her about it the other day.

Not true, sadly. My mum has a cracking figure, she's practically a size zero, and she will think nothing of pointing out that I've got a backside the size of Brazil if I accidentally block her sunlight with my thighs.

"Hmmmmmm, you've put on weight," she will say as she eyes my bottom with disapproval as we sit sipping our cocktails by the pool.

"Do you really think you should be eating that?" she will ask, while looking pointedly at my bingo wings, as I tuck into an icecream sundae at the beach bar.

So it's time to think about dieting. I know it's still three months away, but this is good because it means I can diet in a gentle and hopefully not too traumatic way, rather than doing the panic starvation plan when I realise I've only got three weeks to go before I get on the plane.

Unfortunately I'm not really feeling very enthusiastic about dieting right now. I like butter. I like cheese. I like both of those things together in a really creamy sauce. And I like chocolate.

I also like to eat until I feel sick.

So I'm on a bit of a sticky wicket. I need to find a diet that allows me to eat huge quantities of scrummy food and still lose weight. If anybody has heard of such a thing then please do give me a shout!

Farming delivers

We've been on our usual Sunday jaunt to Highfield House Farm Shop this morning, which has become a real favourite since we quit the supermarkets nearly three months ago. It's a murky, misty, damp and freezing day here in Derbyshire, and there are still lines of snow criss-crossing the hills alongside the dry stone walls.

The shop was quieter than usual, perhaps due to the weather, and we found farmer David Prince alone behind the counter. Despite the fact that he's been getting up at 3am for the last two months for lambing duties he still managed to give us a warm welcome, and told us that he's only got 18 more nights of lambing (he's clearly counting down!) left to go.

I picked up some of my favourite Ann Forshaw's yogurt (I'm actually addicted to this stuff now), some Longley Farm cream for a soup we're planning to make this week, and some cheese which David tells me is from Derbyshire's Hartington Creamery. I'm not going to say any more about that right now because there's a brilliant story behind the creamery and it deserves its own blog post, so I'm planning to visit and do it properly when the weather gets a bit better.

Then while Neil chose some burgers from the freezer (he went for Cajun pork and steak) I spotted a new notice taped to the front of David's counter.

It read: "My New Year's resolution is to make it British, make it local, and make it happen."

Sounds rather familiar - in fact it sounds a hell of a lot like my own resolution to go supermarket-free this year.

It appears to have been produced by an initiative called Farming Delivers for Britain and there's a website address - www.farmingdelivers.co.uk.

So of course I got my laptop out as soon as I got home and went online to check it out.

It turns out that Farming Delivers for Britain is a campaign launched last May by the NFU (National Farmers' Union) to highlight the contributions made by agriculture and horticulture to the UK. Its key themes are food, animal welfare, the economy, the environment, careers and cleaner energy.

And of course it is also intended to show consumers how they can play their part by shopping local and buying seasonal British produce.

It's a really brilliant website and I just can't do justice to it here - if you have time please go and have a look. It includes simple explanations on why supporting British farmers is so important, resources and leaflets to download, a newsletter you can sign up to, information on what's in season and what you can do with it, details of where you can see the NFU Lets Talk About Farming roadshow, and loads more.

In the wake of the horsemeat scandal the NFU commissioned a poll which found that shoppers are 86% more likely to buy food that has come from British farms.

I've said it once (or maybe a million times!) so far on this blog and I'll say it again - if you want to know where your food comes from then support your local farm shops, greengrocers and butchers. It couldn't be easier.

And just in case you think I'm leaning back towards the meat debate again, I'll be posting some fab veggie recipes this week... so stay tuned.....!

Local milk... from a vending machine?

Well this is a new one... I'm well acquainted with vending machines that dish out bags of crisps and cans of coke (and some might say rather too well acquainted with one particular vending machine in my office), but I've never heard of a vending machine that sells bottles of fresh local milk.

Neil introduced me to this concept the other night. I'd requested that he pick up a bottle of Molly Milk from the shop opposite his office in Sheffield, but he got "accidentally side-tracked" by the pub (hmmmmm, I wonder how that happened) and ended up missing the shop's opening hours.

Neil commutes from Chesterfield to Sheffield by train, and on this particular evening I drove to pick him up from Chesterfield station. 

"Bet you've not got the milk, have you?" I asked him on our way back home.

"I have," he said.

"Bet it's not local milk though is it?" I accused.

"It is," he said.

"But I thought you'd not been able to get Molly Milk?" I cross-examined.

"I didn't," he said (isn't he infuriating?).

"You'd better not have been in the supermarket," I demanded.

"I haven't" he said. Smugly.

With the look of a magician conjuring up a white rabbit from his hat, Neil then produced a bottle of Woodthorpe Grange milk from his bag.

"It's local," he said. "It says on the bottle it's from a dairy farm in Ashover, Derbyshire."

"But where on earth have you got that from at 9pm at night?" I spluttered.

"From the milk vending machine on the train station platform," Neil announced proudly.

The platform vending machine

It transpires that there is actually a vending machine on the platform that dispatches bottles of fresh cold milk from this local dairy. What an absolutely brilliant idea. Whether you're buying milk to take into work for the office tea club or bringing a pint home for your tea and cornflakes the following morning, surely the option of buying it fresh and local at the train station couldn't be any more convenient?

Sadly I haven't been able to find much information online about Woodthorpe Grange. I can see its location in Ashover, and in fact we rambled past it a couple of times on country walks last summer, and it looks like it's been in business for nearly 50 years. But that's about it.

However I do know that it's the milk we sometimes buy from our local farm shop, so I've vowed to ask if they have any more information for us next time we visit.

But in the meantime it's nice to know we can get a pint from a local farm so easily.

Food You Can Trust

There's just so much to love about my challenge to avoid the supermarkets, and yesterday I found yet another reason - Scaddows Farm Shop in South Derbyshire.

Myself and a photographer from the Derby Telegraph travelled out to the shop to take some pictures for my fourth Food You Can Trust feature - printed in today's Derby Telegraph (yep, I'm back in the game now after my illness). And as well as taking some lovely photos I also took the chance to sit down for a quick chat with farmers' daughter Lizzie.

In the lovely airy converted hay barn

Having grown up on the farm, Lizzie set up the farm shop in 2006 after studying farming and marketing at university. She said she wanted to diversify and break down the barriers between farmers and their customers that tend to be created when people are more used to shopping at supermarkets rather than visiting farms.

Admiring some of the homemade jams

An old hay barn was converted into the shop and cafe, and Lizzie spent months researching the products she wanted to stock, visiting local farmers and producers - such as the local lady who still delivers her handmade jams and chutneys straight to the shop.

It means that Lizzie and her team have an in-depth knowledge of where all their produce comes from and one of the highlights of the jobs is talking to customers and telling them the history behind what they're buying.

Lizzie also said she appreciated the opportunity to advertise the shop on the platform that our Food You Can Trust features are providing - which is great because it means the paper is helping to give a boost to local businesses too.

And in keeping with my pledge to bring veggie back - this farm is also very veggie friendly. In fact, some of the main crops are cabbages, Brussels sprouts (mmmm my favourite!) and an extensive Pick Your Own business that allows customers to get down and dirty with nature as they harvest their own strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries and blackcurrents during the summer months.

With icy rain forecast for this weekend, only the most hardcore walkers will be out rambling. But you can still enjoy a taste of the countryside by taking a drive out to visit a farm shop like Scaddows. If the clouds lift then there's bound to be a footpath nearby, many of them have cafes so you can enjoy a coffee and cake, and then you can head home with all the ingredients for a warming end-of-winter hotpot.



Today's feature - featuring Scaddows



Hardworking farmers will still be out lambing their sheep and tending their land whatever the weather - so get out there, meet them and show them your support.

Easy veggie bolognese recipe

As I explained yesterday, I'm bring veggie back. This blog has got far too meaty of late, so I'm going back to my vegetarian roots with a few posts about leading a meat-free lifestyle.

Vegetarian cooking doesn't have to be boring and you really can make some incredible meat-free dishes. I've got loads of amazing recipes that I'll be sharing on this blog over the next few months, but first of all I've decided to start with something very simple - a bolognese sauce.

I wanted to do this because when meat eaters ask me how difficult it is to become a vegetarian, I find a lot of the time they are simply finding it hard to envisage because they are imagining their current diet, minus the meat - rather than thinking about the culinary possibilities.

But even if you don't want to be too experimental with your diet, there are so many meat-free alternatives available these days that it's very easy to eat quite a traditional diet whilst still avoiding meat.

Most families eat a pasta dish at least once a week, but now that horse DNA has been found in ready meals like lasagne and spag bol, I reckon more people will now be trying to make their own. So here's a really easy veggie bolognese sauce recipe that Neil and I tend to make about once a fortnight. We normally have it over spaghetti on the first night, then the following day use the leftover sauce to make a pasta bake. This is really easy - just cook some pasta, stir in the sauce, pop in a baking dish, sprinkle grated cheese on top, and heat in the oven.

You can also freeze this sauce. - making it an ideal recipe to cook at the weekend and then use for mid-week teas.

Meat-free mince is much lower in fat than even lean minced beef, so it's healthier too. You can buy meat-free mince in the fridge or freezer section of health food shops like Holland and Barrett or whole food shops.

VEGETARIAN BOLOGNESE SAUCE

INGREDIENTS (serves 4-6)
1 standard-sized pack vegetarian mince, any brand
3 tins peeled plum tomatoes
2 bell peppers, diced, any colour you like
1 large onion, diced, again whichever colour you prefer but we use white
1 whole green chilli, scored once
4 cloves garlic, sliced (we like garlic - you can use less!)
1tbsp tomato puree
Approx 300g mushrooms, chopped, button or flat work well
1 handful fresh oregano or basil, or 1tsp dried
Splash Henderson's Relish (optional)
Dash olive oil

 
METHOD:

In a large, heavy-bottomed pan, fry the onion, chilli and garlic in olive oil for about five minutes or until the garlic becomes sticky. Add the tinned tomatoes and herbs, and simmer for around 25 minutes on a moderate heat. Rinse the tins out and add any extra juices. Adding the splash of water too is fine. Remove the chilli, then mash the tomatoes using a potato masher or fork. Add the tomato puree, mushroom and pepper, and season. Cook for a further 15 minutes or until the pepper starts to become tender. Finally add the mince (you can use it straight from the freezer) and simmer for a further 15 minutes. 

Serve with spaghetti, penne, or even over jacket or wedge potatoes.