The River Cottage
Well, what do you think of it so far? We’re two-thirds of the way through The River Cottage Treatment (the final show goes out this Thursday, the 16th), and I’m delighted by the positive feedback. The shows are about my attempts to change the eating habits of various groups of dyed-in-the-wool convenience food addicts, by inviting them to spend some time with me at the new River Cottage HQ. Can they really change their ways? Well, I think we’ve shown pretty conclusively that they can.
As ever, I’ve got my critics (is it elitist and unrealistic to suggest people have to bite the bullet and pay more for good food?) and some people (River Cottage “traditionalists”?) seem to think I’m just getting a bit too serious (back to the nettle-eating competitions, Hugh) – but most agree that our look behind the scenes of the mass-produced food market is timely and apposite. We’ve even had word that some supermarkets sold out of free range and organic chicken the day after the first show aired. That’s about the best endorsement I could hope for. What do you think? Visit the River Cottage forum to let me know…
We’re currently enjoying one of the most beautiful spells of autumn weather I’ve seen for a long time: day after day of clear blue skies and cold, crisp air glowing with November sunshine. It’s been a great season for mushrooms – though the first few hard frosts are bringing that to a close now. But it’s also been a bonanza year for sweet chestnuts – not only is the crop bigger than I can remember it for years, so are the individual nuts. There’s more out there than the squirrels alone can consume, and you should be able to find them, among the leaf litter on the forest floor, right through into December.
Once you’ve braved the prickly skins and retrieved the sweet little nuts inside, there are a thousand and one things you can do with them. You’ve got to cook them first, though. My preferred method is to slit the skins (to stop them exploding), then roast the nuts in the embers of a fire. I happen to have an old chestnut-roasting ladle – which looks a bit like a small frying pan with holes in – which is perfect for the job. To prepare fresh whole chestnuts for various other recipes, boil the slit nuts for about 5 minutes before peeling them. They’re fantastic ingredients for stuffings and stews, and work wonderfully in many sweet dishes too, but one of my favourite ways to use them is in a chestnut, kale and bacon soup – a lovely amalgamation of seasonal ingredients.
This is also the time of year when we have our annual pig weekend at home – and we had ours a couple of weeks back. It’s a well worn and much-loved ritual. I take a pair of good fat baconers (usually 9 or 10 months old) to slaughter, then invite family and friends to spend a couple of days helping me turn them into chops, chaps, hams, salamis, bangers and black puddings. Ray the River Cottage butcher and his wife Mary joined us this year on the Saturday, and we sat down to a lunch of just-made sausages, devilled kidneys and flash fried tenderloin, as well as some sensational air-dried ham from last years’ pig. It was a great day.
If you’re interested in keeping pigs yourself, or just think you might be interested in becoming interested, I can’t recommend our Pig in a Day course highly enough. It’s hosted by Ray, ably supported by the rest of the River Cottage team (and sometimes me!) See below for more details on this and the other River Cottage meat-related events.
With such meaty joys to look forward to, and with the first crackle of frost in the air to remind me that Christmas is not too far away, I’m getting in the mood for some seriously comforting cooking. But I wouldn’t complain about a few more of these fine sunny days. I hope you’re enjoying the month as much as I am.
As ever, I’ve got my critics (is it elitist and unrealistic to suggest people have to bite the bullet and pay more for good food?) and some people (River Cottage “traditionalists”?) seem to think I’m just getting a bit too serious (back to the nettle-eating competitions, Hugh) – but most agree that our look behind the scenes of the mass-produced food market is timely and apposite. We’ve even had word that some supermarkets sold out of free range and organic chicken the day after the first show aired. That’s about the best endorsement I could hope for. What do you think? Visit the River Cottage forum to let me know…
We’re currently enjoying one of the most beautiful spells of autumn weather I’ve seen for a long time: day after day of clear blue skies and cold, crisp air glowing with November sunshine. It’s been a great season for mushrooms – though the first few hard frosts are bringing that to a close now. But it’s also been a bonanza year for sweet chestnuts – not only is the crop bigger than I can remember it for years, so are the individual nuts. There’s more out there than the squirrels alone can consume, and you should be able to find them, among the leaf litter on the forest floor, right through into December.
Once you’ve braved the prickly skins and retrieved the sweet little nuts inside, there are a thousand and one things you can do with them. You’ve got to cook them first, though. My preferred method is to slit the skins (to stop them exploding), then roast the nuts in the embers of a fire. I happen to have an old chestnut-roasting ladle – which looks a bit like a small frying pan with holes in – which is perfect for the job. To prepare fresh whole chestnuts for various other recipes, boil the slit nuts for about 5 minutes before peeling them. They’re fantastic ingredients for stuffings and stews, and work wonderfully in many sweet dishes too, but one of my favourite ways to use them is in a chestnut, kale and bacon soup – a lovely amalgamation of seasonal ingredients.
This is also the time of year when we have our annual pig weekend at home – and we had ours a couple of weeks back. It’s a well worn and much-loved ritual. I take a pair of good fat baconers (usually 9 or 10 months old) to slaughter, then invite family and friends to spend a couple of days helping me turn them into chops, chaps, hams, salamis, bangers and black puddings. Ray the River Cottage butcher and his wife Mary joined us this year on the Saturday, and we sat down to a lunch of just-made sausages, devilled kidneys and flash fried tenderloin, as well as some sensational air-dried ham from last years’ pig. It was a great day.
If you’re interested in keeping pigs yourself, or just think you might be interested in becoming interested, I can’t recommend our Pig in a Day course highly enough. It’s hosted by Ray, ably supported by the rest of the River Cottage team (and sometimes me!) See below for more details on this and the other River Cottage meat-related events.
With such meaty joys to look forward to, and with the first crackle of frost in the air to remind me that Christmas is not too far away, I’m getting in the mood for some seriously comforting cooking. But I wouldn’t complain about a few more of these fine sunny days. I hope you’re enjoying the month as much as I am.
posted by Cassie from NJ at 
