jan/feb 07

good cateress, newsletter. Jan/Feb ‘07


During the bitter cold of the last few weeks, I have had the joys of comfort food on my mind. Be it warming soups, stews and casseroles; to desserts of steamed treacle pudding, blackberry and apple crumble. I have always felt that England's food triumphs are these because we needed these foods to counteract the invasive cold damp winters. In England we rarely if ever, had these harsh freezing bright days but the constant grey low clouds, and the damp that seeps into the very marrow of your bones.

The aga was our saviour during the winter in particular. Although a Swedish invention, they became intrinsically English. To this day when I go into someone’s house and see an Aga, even in the heat of the summer, I rush forward to lean against the front bar, back to the warmth being generated from this gentle giant of the cooking world. Coming home from school, after walking down Folly Lane, in the backdoor and immediately lift the lid of the hot plate and hold my hands over the plate to warm up; the large aga kettle was already simmering with boiling water for tea. Other friends would jump up on the side warming plate of the Aga, that overtime gained a dip on it from being sat on.

The Aga was also the perfect cooker for comfort food, with it’s four ovens of varying temperatures. A casserole could be put in the semi slow oven and be left to slowly stew for hours, flavours melding together without burning.
Jacket potatoes in the top oven. A steamer for a pudding on the top quietly bubbling away.

Everyone in my family loved steak and kidney pudding with its suet dough on top. I must confess this was never a favourite, Kidney was a major texture problem and the doughy suet top, was difficult to swallow. I was the spoiler but we still had it a lot. Chicken pie, Steak pie, yes they had my name on. Of course Shepherds pie, I think this was first savoury thing I learnt to make. It remains my favourite comfort food of all, but it needs to be home made.
Every family has its own recipe. There was a time when we were older, when we would be home between travels, Mum would ask Simon and I to each make dinner once a week. You could rest assured that I would make Shepherds Pie, Simon would look recipes up and experiment.

For my shepherds pie, I sauté onion and garlic in a little butter and oil, adding a piece of chopped celery, diced carrot and slices of mushroom; seasoned with salt, pepper and a good amount of worcester sauce I add a mix of chopped sirloin and ground round, a little water, bring to boil, let simmer for 45 minutes or so. In the meantime make mashed potatoes. Place meat in a baking dish of the appropriate size, place potatoes on top with a couple of dabs of butter on top. Place in 375 degree oven. Bake until golden and crisp.

Sundays were always days for walks or trips. Winter walks across downs or cliffs, wind whipping the hair around my face, squally rain coming in blasts, me moaning all the way, but quietly enjoying it nonetheless.

The South Wight was always the best walk at all times of year. Here the waves would come crashing in from the Channel. We would close the Folly (our pub, see Nov/Dec newsletter ‘06) and drive South across the island, to Compton beach, Atherfield or Whale chines. The fields leading to the cliffs filled with cabbages and cauliflower's; the smell of damp Brassica’s underlying the brackiness of the salt carried on the wind. It is here along these cliffs that dinosaur remains abound, on Brook beach there are dinosaur footprints in the sand. Ammonite fossils could be found lying on the beach as the sandstone cliffs crumble. We would look for fossilized shark teeth and the like. After scrambling down the wet slippery cliffs; inevitably the stairs would be partly washed away, we would walk the beach, dogs running in and out of the cold water. There might be a brave surfer or two. The sea air blowing from our brains all thoughts, just the elements and walking remained. Of course the climb back up the cliff was always difficult but by this time we were looking forward to tea.

In those days Hannover House in Brook was the best tea on the island. All home made cakes and scones while sitting next to a roaring fire, large pots of tea with refills. The first order was for toasted tea cakes, with butter melting on top. Scones and clotted cream, followed by coffee and walnut cake. We would often know other people as the room filled with other brave walkers or people just out for tea. These thoughts make me want to jump up, turn the oven on, throw a batch of scones together and eat them warm from the oven.

Cheese scones: 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon of dry mustard, pinch cayenne pepper, 4 tablespoons butter, 4 oz grated cheddar, roughly 2/3 cup of milk.
Mix dry ingredients together in bowl, cut butter into flour, using rub in method or with a mixer and paddle attachment mix until it resembles fine bread crumbs, add grated cheese and slowly add milk, giving a fairly soft light dough. Roll out until 3/4 inch think cut into rounds, although I like to make a large round and cut into triangles. Place on buttered baking sheet, brush tops with milk, place in 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes.

I love to eat hot from oven with raspberry or damson jam.


Keep warm and stay healthy