good cateress newsletter
September 2011



This newsletter was inspired by my trip to London and the Isle of Wight in August. It was glorious in so many ways. Although the weather cooler, than I had anticipated, the sun shone.

As the plane descended over Southern England, it had been light as we flew over the Scilly Islands and the Cornish peninsula. Dusk fell as we flew, but in the fields below I could see the lights from the Combine’s in the fields steadily harvesting the wheat. It was somehow comforting, that in the midst of rioting in London’s streets, the eternal cycle of farming the English countryside, quietly went on.

In what has become a tradition, my first taste of England is my cousin Sue Searle’s Bacon, Onion, Mushroom Tart. I have to confess during my flight to London; as
the discomfort slowly sinks in and I pass up, what the airlines choose to call food, my mind turns often to the tart awaiting me. Not a quiche, a heartier English tart, fragrant with onions, bacon and mushrooms generously sprinkled with grated cheddar warm with a salad, tomatoes and cucumbers from the garden.

Roast leg of Lamb is our family dinner the next night. The dining room table is laid with glass, silver and china. The middle of the table has steadily filled with numerous varieties of vegetables: Potatoes, roast and new one’s boiled; Cabbage, Runner beans and broad beans from the garden; roast parsnips; onion sauce, gravy.
And then dessert of nectarines, blackcurrant (garden), marzipan baked in the oven. Graham and Sue have spent the day preparing, cooking this scrumptious repast I have learnt from past experience to pass on the slice of jam sandwich cake, when I first get home, with my cup of tea!

I headed down to the Isle of Wight, train and ferry. A journey I knew well from my years living in London, it would need to be something very good to keep me in ‘town’ for the weekend. Of course, I preferred the older ferries, standing on the deck, wind and spray in your face, as Ryde seafront lights glittering welcomed us home. Now you are enclosed in a ferry that closely resembles a plane’s interior, and I suspect we will soon have to pass through security.

A very pregnant Jemma with sleepy Mabelle picked me up from the ferry; Simon lent me wheels from www.fairleesevicestation.com; Mandy bought home dinner from Farmer Jack’s and promised me first thing she would take me to Arreton, to see it myself. Aga roasted Isle of Wight Chicken! Ben and Sam’s salad greens; Ratte potatoes. The beautiful Jen, the bride, arrived with baby Rory and Sam, my handsome talented godson. www.HaleDesigns.com. I was home, surrounded by old friends.

I easily fall back into the grove of Hale Manor, it is an old comfortable slipper, we know each other well. Coffee, aga toast and the paper at breakfast, people popping in and out. Kettle and teapot constantly on the go. The unofficial headquarters of A E Brown Farms, a hardworking farm in full throttle. Wheat harvest is in full swing and it is bumper year, sun and rain at he right times! Sweet corn is ready to be picked; asparagus is over; Squash and Cauliflowers later in the year. And the newest edition Farmer Jacks new farm shop.

Two years ago, Farmer Jacks had been a smallish farm stand in a corner of the car park at Arreton Village. I was eager to see the new full shop, Sam built all the shelving and storage, for Ben’s brain child, this was a family affair. As my eye’s caught sight of the shop, my face just had huge grin on it. We had all talked for many years about this and here it was. So much more than I had imagined. The first thing I saw was the butchers stand, with a real butcher and all Isle of Wight meats, poultry; home-made sausage, scotch eggs in four different flavors. A stand with worldwide cheeses including the Isle of Wight, my two favorites Blue and Gallybagger a seriously sharp cheddar style cheese.

Shelves stacked with Isle of Wight items. Many new to me, including the Isle of Wight Tomato stalls, ketchup; roasted tomatoes; juice, chili sauce all from www.thetomatostall.co.uk . My favorite marketing was Oil of Wight, a rapeseed oil pressed and bottled at Marvel Farms, we old Isle of Wighters pronounce Isle as Oil. Baskets and vegetable stands filled with Isle of Wight produce of every description. Breads from two local bakeries, Bembridge and Scarretts Lane. One made exceptional eccles cakes and the other a very moorish doughnut - European style with Jam and granulated sugar. I was excited about the life a new generation was blowing into local farming and food. www.farmerjacks.co.uk.
Farmer Jacks also has many international food items, not least the frozen croissants and pastries., which are yummy.

I bought a variety of Scotch Eggs, my favorite being the herbed sausage meat, to take with me to Uncle Tony’s house for lunch the next day. Not that I thought we would need it, I knew from old that there would be masses of food, it was a Dixon family event. Michael, Tony and Betty had been very busy cooking up a storm. Michaels Thai seafood salad was a standout, the desserts were to die for - and I nearly did! It was fantastic to catch up with my family, new babies, grown up children.

Before going to lunch, I drove to Gurnard to meet Nick and his family and see the start of the Fastnet Race, the final race of Cowes week. As a family we had often gone to see the start of the big races; Round the Island, Old Gaffers and this one. It is hard not to think of the Fastnet race in 1979 which had been hit by a force 10 gale - Hurricane - in which there had been 15 fatalities. Today the Solent was full of huge Ocean racers, the smaller, slower boats started later. The wind was blowing, clouds scudding across the sky, Halyards rattling in the wind, brightly colored spinnakers being hoisted to catch the wind, yachts visibly lurching forward as the big sail filled with wind.

I had a couple of pub lunches in the following week. I have a complaint here about pubs generally, but some restaurants I go too as well. Far too many food choices. Not just on their regular menu but then endless “Specials of the Day”. Anyone with any cooking skills at all, knows instinctively that there is no chef making 10 additional choices to the menu. A special should not be that weeks special from “Brake Bros”. I would rather see one excellent addition than ten muddled idea’s. Not everyone is Jamie or Gordon. And my other complaint, huge portions; and they wonder why people are obese?

Gardens I love to sit in and eat. Red Lion at Freshwater; Waverley at Gurnard; Warren Farms, Totland; Buddle Inn, Niton and The George in Yarmouth. Clearly I do not get to the East end of the Island! I do think of the Crab Inn in Bembridge fondly!

Over the last five years I have enjoyed some fantastic meals at The Taverners in Godshill. A true Gastropub, and one some of the others could learn from. All local ingredients, home made food, seasonal ingredients, including Rook Pie before it was removed from the menu. I have to admit I was a little disappointed this time, but I suspect it was all to do with my choice; Lamb Burger with beets and feta. As I ate it I kept thinking I would have preferred it with grilled eggplant and a tzatziki dressing. The runner bean fritters with thai chutney were outstanding. I have kept wondering what was in the thai chutney? It was also August,and I am sure the chef was exhausted.

Friday I met Jo in Ventnor for Breakfast at Besty and Spinky’s. Just about everyone told me that this was the best place for Breakfast not just in Ventnor but on the Island! It was lovely sitting outside in the sun and wind eating a bacon sandwich.

For me the greatest thing about Ventnor, is that there is now a local fishmonger, Blake’s. It always seemed so odd that the Isle of Wight was surrounded by water and there was no fishmonger. Over the years a few had tried but failed because so few people supported their endeavours preferring their fish from the supermarkets. I bought three plaice, my favorite fish, had them filleted ready to cook meuniere on sunday night.

And so to the wedding! When I arrived at Hale the previous week, the Yert and Globe ‘disco’ tent, that Sam had designed and built were up. The Globe was incredible, the structure was built in hexagons made up of hazel branches from around the farm, and then covered with sail cloth made by sail maker Conway Hughes The floor mirrored the basic structure with a removable fire pit hole above a central air hole that could be left covered too.

When I got back from breakfast there were already half a dozen beautiful and handsome young people helping to decorate and set the tables in the marquee. Sam had built a bar around an old victorian fireplace and mantle; cascades of white and yellow chinese lanterns in different sizes hung like chandeliers from the ceiling. Wooden birds with different flower names hung from the tables, with matching paper bird place cards. Empty french jelly jars also hung down filled with wild flowers, Queen Ann’s lace and purple daisies. Multi colored and patterned home made bunting from was strung fluttering in the wind. From somewhere a coconut shy appeared. As the day wore on, more young couples arrived to help. A picnic of Farmer Jacks cheeses, pates, breads and fruits was laid out.

I am so used to setting up an event, with my crew in New York City, I had forgotten the pleasure and joy of friends and family creating the space and feel for themselves. I suspect that English country weddings like this are unchanged for a couple of hundred years or more. I felt for a moment that I was in a Thomas Hardy novel. It was here that I began to realize I needed to go back to live in England. After all, what I missed was the friendship and support of those we love and live among; the easy camaraderie of people who love and believe similar things.

Jen and Sam had made some Elderflower cordial in the Spring, which we mixed with white wine and fizzy water, decanted into Isle of Wight Tomato stall ketchup bottles, served with a straw as the pre wedding drink. I made hors d’oeuvres. The wedding supper was all local produce, simple and delicious. There were 2 outstanding food moments for me, both came later.

Andrew Long and his brother raise a few Gloucester Old Spot pigs, one of which was their present to Jen and Sam. Stuffed with a ginger stuffing; Slow roasted a good part of the day and into the evening. Served in rolls, with chutneys on the side, after a good deal of dancing and drinking at 11pm, it was hard to know when I had eaten something so good. Succulent, flavorful, piggy and perfect.

The other was Barb’s wedding cake. Jen and I had talked about the cake during the planning. Barb arrived with it on Friday. It has been so long since I have had a really great traditional English fruit cake, I wanted a slice immediately. I held off. When it was officially cut with an Ax, I sliced up one layer, and had my first slice to try. Fruity, spicy moist, right amount of marzipan and icing. I will not say how many more slices I ate that night, but the best was with a cup of tea by the aga at 2am!!!