Food ‘n Drink

These days we’re so spoilt with the amount of different fruits and vegetables available to us in supermarkets, in fruit and vegetable shops or on the stalls in markets. We may be spoilt but is this a good thing? Personally I don’t think so when it comes to certain foods. Some foods are find being shipped from the other end of the world (bananas for example), and some foods we’ll never be able to grow in this country anyway. However there are a lot of fruits that are just so tasteless being sold or vegetables that are well past their best by the time they arrive in this country.

Take Asparagus for example. The UK season is around May time, it doesn’t last very long and Asparagus is best eaten within minutes, at the most hours of being picked. I just laugh at seeing Asparagus in the supermarkets now, usually from Peru. That means it’s been picked at least 24 hours previously! I guarantee the taste between Peru Asparagus and freshly picked British Asparagus will be very different (if you live in the UK of course!).

I’ve recently been so tempted to pick up the half price deals on plums or some nectarines but I know both of these are going to taste rubbish. I actually bought plums the other week and at no point when I tried one did they taste sweet and juicy!

So how do you know what’s in season? Besides checking all of the seed packets in the local garden centre to work out what is reaped when, you could use the BBC Food In Season section. Whilst not comprehensive it does give you a basic idea of the more popular foods, and doesn’t just include fruit and vegetables. Another option is to find out where the food comes from that you’re buying. In supermarkets they usually have a label somewhere stating where it’s come from, from a grocer’s you may need to ask.

Of course, another option is to fine a local farm shop and see what they have on offer. Usually (not always!) they’ll only sell what they’ve grown. Farmers markets can be a little hit and miss though. Our local Farmers Market at the start of May (British Asparagus Season) was selling French Asparagus picked the day before!! In my opinion, the more locally grown food you can purchase the more can be produced. It’s not just about supporting local farmers and food growers, it’s also about improving your own tastes and discovering what tasty food is actually all about!

Leek and Cauliflower Cheese

Leeks are in season right now, and this recipe is great to add to virtually any meal, especially a roast dinner.

You Need:
1-2 Leeks
Cauliflower
Grated Cheese
Milk
Butter
Flour

Put the cauliflower and chopped leeks into a pan of water and bring to the boil. Switch the heat off once the water is boiling. In a separate pan melt the butter over a low heat. Add about a tablespoon of flour to create a paste, then add around 200ml of milk (amount depends on how much you need). Use a whisk and mix the flour into the milk until the lumps have all gone, then slowly add the cheese, whisking/mixing it round slowly. Use a whisk as it will get rid of the lumps easily (don’t ask me why as I really don’t know!). You want a nice strong tasting cheese sauce that’s quite thick as the veg will let out a little water which can loose the sauce in the oven.

Drain off the veg and put it into a pyrex bowl and pour the cheese sauce over it all. Then put into a preheated oven at 180 degrees for about 20-30 minutes.

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