British Seasonal Food by Mark Hix
A Modern Classic….
Mark Hix has done it again, his last book; British Regional Food is a wonderful journey of long forgotten food throughout the British Isles and,alongside Hugh Feanley-Whittingstall nobody champions British food better than Hix.
I’ve been looking forward to this, I’ve rediscovered my love for English food in recent years and it is always good to get some fresh ideas and inspiration. There is no doubt that the idea of eating seasonal food is attracting more interest from the public and I believe this will continue given the economic downturn we are currently facing. Eating food that is in season is important for a number of reasons and not least for the money we save when we buy food at the height of its growing season.
The book, as you would expect is broken down into individual months and each month contains a good choice of dishes from game to fruits, vegetables, fish and meats. There are some excellent recipes and each is complemented by Jason Lowe’s sublime photography. Here’s a few dishes to give you an example:
Wood Pigeon with Blaeberries
Grouse on Toast with Dandelion
Gooseberry and Elderflower Fool
Rabbit and Crayfish Stargazy Pie
Steamed Cockles with Bacchus and Samphire
Fried Duck’s Egg with Brown Shrimps and Sprue Asparagus
Razor Clams with Wild Boar Bacon and Hedgerow Garlic
If you want to sample Hix’s food for yourself then you can find him at Hix Oyster & Chop House near London’s Smithfield Market or Hix Oyster & Fish House in Lyme Regis, Dorset.
Miles
I like the sound of some of those. Strangely and mixture of your blog and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstalls new series River Cottage autumn has got e thinking about utilizing the hedgerows.
I’ll not be quite as deluxe as Mark Hix sounds but I’m keen to try and integrate the idea into some of my slightly more simple dishes.
Thanks for the inspiration and keep up the good work
Rod
October 20, 2008 @ 8:11 pm
Rod,
You’ll be suprised at what you can come find going around the countryside as you now do, it’s harder if you are in a car-you miss so much.
Miles
October 20, 2008 @ 8:14 pm
Have just returned from Herefordshire, which seems like local and seasonal food heaven compared to Nottinghamshire which seems locked between the jaws of large agro-industrial producers and all-powerful supermarkets.
My belief is that the future is local, seasonal and organic. But how we get to that place from where we are now, I am not at all clear.
November 1, 2008 @ 5:35 pm
Rob,
Welcome to the site and thankyou for taking the time to comment. It is a problem as you rightly highlight. I believe cost will, for most be the decisive factor in how and where they shop. Education in food is another fundamental issue and not just at school level, we just don’t cook enough anymore because it is too easy to stick something in the microwave and get the mealtime process out of the way.
I have seen budding allotment owners come and go, the idea sounds good but the reality less so. All in all I think it comes down to how badly we want it.
Nice to hear from you Rob, hope you return.
Regards
Miles
November 1, 2008 @ 7:08 pm