Elizabeth David

There were two moments in my life that I can still vividly remember, two moments which made me think about food differently. The first was my tenth birthday, my parents took us out for dinner to an Italian restaurant in Whitstable called Giovanni's, I think it might have even been the very first time I had been to a 'proper' restaurant? I had lamb chops. I will never forget how they tasted and my amazement at the flavour of the dried rosemary they had been sprinkled with, I had never tasted anything like it before and it was wonderful.

The second moment was just after my daughter R was born, we were staying with R's paternal grandparents for a few months. I spent a lot of time with R's Great Aunt N who lived next door. R's father would be away working on a film somewhere and her grandfather,C, would be down in the hop garden helping with the harvest. N and I would spend the mornings making soups or stews, at lunch time C and a small group of polish hop pickers would arrive for lunch. They were the simplest, most humble of lunches and the happiest of meals. Most of the ingredients were from my little vegetable garden or soups made from the biggest and most perfect Puffballs which kept appearing in The Valley that year, to this day I have never seen the like again.

During this time of discovery N gave me one of her copies of Elizabeth David's French Provincial Cooking, I read every page of it and was seduced by the modesty, the simplicity and the respectful understanding of food. I treasure this book, it is one of the tiny number of core books from which a million celebrity cook books have been spawned. Everyone should own a copy!

Barbecue on the Beach

It was a beautiful day today and we decided, at the last minute, to take the little disposable barbecue (that we never got round to using last year) to the nearby beach of Seasalter and have our tea there. We took some thinly sliced chicken and beef, a pack of sausages, lots of french bread, Ketchup and mustard. G packed the Gin and Tonic, our only luxury item.

The three children ate hot dogs and the strips of meat as it cooked. The bread was slathered with mayonnaise, mustard, Ketchup and coleslaw and tasted surprisingly good - probably a result of the mood and place in the same way Ouzo tastes so wonderful drunk in Greece, but bloody awful on a grey damp day in England!

We drove home full and tired, promising ourselves we should do it more often. There is so much on our doorstep and we don't see it!

Jo's Dough

For the first time this year I have just sat on the grass in my friend's garden! I know it sounds a little extreme but this could indeed herald the official beginning of summer; of balmy(ish) evenings, eating and drinking outside. It was nice to sit and drink coffee outside whilst being entertained by F skipping up and down and demonstrating her hand-stands!

My friend J had made some bread dough earlier that day but hadn't had time to knead and bake it so she gave me a piece for my supper. I thought I had some leftover pizza sauce but R had already eaten it, that scuppered my pizza plan. Instead I've just scattered some bits of onion, tomato and thyme, drizzled olive oil and seasoned my flattened dough. I will cook it as soon as G and I get back from our bike ride later this evening.

Raised Pie

With the elusive arrival of summer comes the promise of meals eaten outdoors. I love picnics and evening meals eaten on the half rotten table that wobbles on the decking in our 'communal' garden. Last year we would take one of those disposable barbecues out there, once it was up to heat we would sit it on a 'fireproof' base (a couple of bricks and an oven tray!). I would have a plate of very thinly sliced beef, chicken, pork and streaky bacon and we would each take a slice, cook it in seconds over the heat and eat, dipped in Dijon mayonnaise, Hollandaise, ketchup, HP sauce - whatever we had to hand.

One of my favorite picnic foods is the pie, shortcrust or hot water crust I'm not fussy I love them both, and the filling too (although I'm not too keen on a lot of jelly in my Pork Pie). This recipe for Raised Game Pie is simple and very savoury.

RAISED PIE - A carried meal or served hot or cold for lunch

80z plain flour 3oz fat bacon, minced

1 teaspoon salt 1 onion, minced (2oz)

2 oz dripping or fat 2 level teaspoons mixed herbs

1/4 pint water 1/2 level teaspoon salt

8oz sausage meat 1/4 level teaspoon pepper

Mix the flour and salt. Boil the dripping or cooking fat and water and add to the flour. Knead well and line a 1 lb bread tin with the pastry, keeping back enough to make a lid. Mix the other ingredients thoroughly, place in the tin and cover with the remaining pastry. Brush over with a little egg or milk and bake in a moderate oven for 1 hour.

Happy Birthday!

I have been a bad girl and neglected my blog these past couple of weeks. I haven't been very creative in the kitchen mainly due to lack of funds and G & R's request for lots of salads, now the 'warmer' weather is here. I feel very guilty and promise that I will try harder.

I did make a cake for my eldest nephew's 18th birthday. He wanted something naughty and so I presented him with this naked lady jumping out of a cake, he loved it but his 4 year old brother was not impressed and told me that I should have put clothes on her! His 11 year old brother, on the other hand, has already put in an order for his birthday!

Wedding Cake

It's that time of year when the 'Secret Society of Wedding Cake Makers' start to line their cake tins and mould their sugar paste. The dense balls of white clammy paste are lovingly kneaded and coloured; pulled, rolled and folded into delicate blossoms and blousy divas. These creators of edible gardens silently and deftly conjure any flower or leaf the fretful bride demands.

Gone is the plainly elegant three tiered, iced fruit cake decorated with a tiny plastic wedding couple, fresh flowers and silver horseshoes. The cake is no longer an ancient symbol of fertility and prosperity to be shared with the guests- in it's place is Cakenstein. Cakes of every shape, size, height and colour. Cakes that cost as much as a car and leave the happy couple in debt for the first years of marriage. Cakes featured on daytime TV, wedding magazines and at those huge wedding fairs. The poor bride, it's just another excruciatingly difficult decision in her long list of trinkets, trimmings and other tat that she is being led to believe she needs to make her day 'special'. How about keeping it cheap and simple to avoid debt and keep the marriage special?

Oakdene

Just off the London Road in Wrotham is a small, white single storey building. It looks very ramshackle and a little tired, with accidental garlands of light cables draped around it, peeling paintwork and grey windows. It sits silently, with the reverence of a Cathedral surrounded by motorbikes of every creed and colour. This is the Oakdene Cafe, a Shrine for its two-wheeled hungry pilgrims.

Inside there is always a full congregation; all walks of life indistinguishable in their uniform of black leathers, heavy boots, slogan T-shirts and neck buffs. Everyone equal and respectful in their roadside sanctuary.

I love it there and we always stop on our way through for a huge breakfast. On Good Friday, breaking up our journey to Bath, we ate breakfast at 9am, we both had the Oakdene Special and didn't feel hungry again until 6pm that evening! I am not going to wax lyrical about the food (and I certainly won't say anything negative through fear of rousing the mob!), it was a huge fry-up with a mug of tea, brown sauce and plenty of salt on the egg and tomato. Not recommended every day, but once in a while it's extremely good for you!

http://www.oakdenecafe.co.uk/