After work family eating

Posted on January 18, 2014 by geofoodie

I was talking with a couple of my work colleagues this week about family eating. Putting aside that a number of us do research on food related topics, even those who do not do this kind of work are pretty food aware. There is a member of staff who works on ice fields, but also raises sheep for wool and food (see the post about his lamb here), another member of staff is involved in bee keeping with his local church (he also sells the honey in the department), many of us have small vegetable plots. I have raised chickens. An even larger number cook. This provides great opportunities for recipe sharing. Continue reading →

We need to talk about hunger

Posted on January 11, 2014 by geofoodie

If you look through the door of my pantry you will see a window into my world. My pantry expresses my likes and dislikes and my cultural background by the presence and absence of certain goods. You will also see that in my house, we are not hungry. I have been hungry in the past. I plan against this by stocking up for the possibility that there might come a day when I might not have money. It isn’t an entirely rational approach to domestic food provisioning as it is a practice that produces waste. But, I always know where my next meal is coming from. And I also know I am lucky to be able to be so potentially wasteful. My household budget is shaped by my past experience of hunger. I am sure I am not alone, but for some reason hunger is not a fashionable term these days. What is that all about?

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Paris, Eating, Books and Promise

Posted on January 10, 2014 by geofoodie

I took my son to paris this week. It was a reward for more than surviving what was a difficult few months. Eurostar was having a sale; I felt we deserved a treat. In anticipation of this journey, I did what I usually do. I looked for guidebooks. I found a couple of good ones, and one in particular, The little Black Book of Paris (2014, Peter Pauper Press), proved particularly useful. I have also begun to buy a novel about the places I am visiting before going and this time I purchased a book called Lunch in Paris by Elizabeth Bard. I was going to Paris, I planned to eat lunch, it seemed a good choice. Continue reading →

When life gives you half price figs, make jam (and a tart)

Posted on January 9, 2014 by geofoodie

Figs were half price at our local Waitrose this autumn. I bought enough to make a batch of Marmellata di Fichi (Fig Jam). This is made pretty much like any other jam thought the ratio of sugar to fig is a bit less (I used 1.5 Kg of figs and 600g of caster sugar). I also added the zest of one lemon, the juice of half of the lemon and about 3 teaspoons of Chinese 5 spice (I know not the traditional Italian recipe). I think Chinese 5 spice should be used more widely. The mix I have consists of ginger, star anise, fennel, cinnamon, and cloves. It is wonderful in most things where you want a bit of Christmas-y/ Autumn-y hint.