Orford Food Revolution photos
Orford Town Hall proudly displaying the Food Revolution Day banner. Below are some photos from the day which was just brilliant. As of 31 May, over £ 1430 has been raised from the event and that figure was still rising. Joanna, Michelle, Kate and Roger all deserve a round of applause and a rest for organising the day and the ongoing good work in the village and for the young people.
Orford Food Revolution Day
Can you smell the Food Revolution in the air? Well you should as it is happening and upon us. This Saturday 19 May I shall be in Orford, Suffolk for
Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Day
. The Orford Food Revolution Day will be held in the village square which has been pedestrianised for the day and all the regular Orford Country Market stalls will be there as well as some additional ones, including me - Smy Chutney. This community event will be an opportunity for people who love food to share information, talents and resources; to pass on their knowledge and highlight the world’s food issues. It's all about making a difference and getting all the elements of community of all ages together and promote better food and education for everyone. This is also a global event with people all over the world coming together. From schools, restaurants, local businesses, dinner parties and farmers' markets, to date the following are involved:
- 543 CITIES
- 57 COUNTRIES
- 391 PUBLIC EVENTS
- 425 DINNER PARTIES
WOW! I'm so excited by the concept and so excited to be participating in the Orford Food Revolution Day - where I am from!
Orford Primary School’s Kitchen Garden Project
has been running for two years as a pilot project for the Jamie Oliver Foundation, thanks to the combined efforts of the local community, and the educational charity
. Using an approach that has been fully integrated into the school’s curriculum, the project teaches children the joys of growing and cooking their own food in the hope of planting a seed for positive eating habits that will last a lifetime.
My earliest memories are of pulling up potatoes, picking and eating strawberries, the smell of the Oysterage, going to see freshly hatched chicks, cracking open coconuts won at the Flower show and eating fish and chips on the castle green. I feel so lucky and proud to be from Orford and can't wait to be part of this event and its message. Now I'm based in London but get back to the village whenever I can and always bring back a bounty of bootiful fruit and vegetables from my dear Auntie Chrissie's allotment. I've posted before on
, the
and
if you're interested.
I'm also thrilled to be involved in Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Day as I live and work directly across from
in London. I've always been a fan of his passion for food but for five years I've had a unique insight into just how hard all of his team work. No matter what time I get up, the kitchen are already hard at work and continue to do so well into the night. The restaurant team and the team in the offices are also working methodically throughout the day and night. The deliveries in the morning and the Fifteen shutters retracting each night are sounds that regulate my day as do the flashbulbs and chatter of the patrons excited to see the stunning Fifteen building and eager to enjoy their fabulous meal together. Most inspiring is to hear and see all the Fifteen apprentices. I'm not a stalker (promise!) but when I'm not attending to my chutney pots or working at my kitchen desk, I'm at my desk in the window and it's a beautiful view of the cobblestones, Fifteen and
. I was loved Richard Scarry's What Do People Do All Day? book when I was little and it's a bit like that:
So I took it as a good sign for the Orford Food Revolution Day when I heard some commotion outside on Monday and when I looked out, this is what I saw:
Jamie Oliver and Richard Branson! They were at Fifteen where
and the
held a special event at Fifteen to announce the winner of the
competition. Richard Branson has also promised to cook a shepherd's pie on Food Revolution Day and share the recipe.
What will you do on Food Revolution Day? Check out their
to see what's going on in your area or come to the Orford Food Revolution Day! Thanks to Joanne of
and Roger of
for inviting me and all their hard work and involvement and obviously the Jamie Oliver Foundation for their hard work, involvement and vision. I'm donating a percentage of any proceeds that I make on the market stall to the Orford Primary School’s Kitchen Garden Project and am hoping to be inspired and inspire future and existing preserve makers. I have fond memories of the school and I'm sure the project will have a lasting impact on all those involved. Can't wait to see what they've been up to and to see everyone there!
Blog Eat Blog - The Weiner Results
Congratulations to Will the Blog Eat Blog Champion!!!
Will of
)
won with his tasty Jam Hot topping.
Here's the motley crew of from left - me, Abiye of
(
), Will, Paul of the
blog (
), Ian of
(
)
and judge Chris Harding (
)
reveling in our prizes at
(
). Prize packs were 2 kilos of meat in the form of a Big Apple BBQ pack!
And a certificate! If you know me then you'll know that this was almost as exciting as the BBQ pack...well almost.
Abiye having a well deserved slug of champers. Thanks for bringing all us crazy topping nerds together, it was great fun and I can't wait for the next installment, there are already lots of great ideas swirling around.
It was a great tournament and a great night. I'd like to apologise to my neighbours, again, for the very late night hula hoop session that took place in my flat many hours after these photos were taken. Ginger beer, champagne and rum are not conducive to hula hooping techniques. Luckily I awoke to my Big Apple BBQ pack which took centre stage in a massive breakfast and later induced a two-hour sausage coma/nap. Thanks again and see everyone soon!
All Summer in a Day
It seems like it's been raining steadily for the past two weeks. Or should I say that for two weeks now I have been adorning my sexy rainproof shoe covers, mac and rain cape yet still managing to get soaked while out and about on my bicycle. Whenever it's as rainy as it has been I always think of a short film that I saw as a child after moving to America. Years later I was reading a collection of short stories by Ray Bradbury when I realised that one of them, 'All Summer in a Day," was the basis for the short film that I had seen years earlier.
The story and film take place on a colony of Venus where the sun only appears for a few hours every seven years. A group of schoolchildren are preparing to see the sun as they were too young to remember it the last time it appeared...all except for Margot who is the the only child to be born on Earth. The other children are skeptical of her memories and drawings of sunshine and flowers as theirs is a grey and dismal world. The film and story are sweet, funny and sad. The film reminded me then and now of England and being stuck indoors as a child when it's chucking it down outside. Playing in the rain, puddles and mud can be as much fun now as it was then but after awhile it gets a bit boring and you just want to see the sun. For years I looked on YouTube for this film and a few years ago it finally popped up. I hope you enjoy it and hope that we don't have to wait as long as Margot and these children do to see the sun again.
The story and film take place on a colony of Venus where the sun only appears for a few hours every seven years. A group of schoolchildren are preparing to see the sun as they were too young to remember it the last time it appeared...all except for Margot who is the the only child to be born on Earth. The other children are skeptical of her memories and drawings of sunshine and flowers as theirs is a grey and dismal world. The film and story are sweet, funny and sad. The film reminded me then and now of England and being stuck indoors as a child when it's chucking it down outside. Playing in the rain, puddles and mud can be as much fun now as it was then but after awhile it gets a bit boring and you just want to see the sun. For years I looked on YouTube for this film and a few years ago it finally popped up. I hope you enjoy it and hope that we don't have to wait as long as Margot and these children do to see the sun again.
Part 1
Part 2
Pt 3
Food Fixie
Sweden-based photographer Fabian Ohrn and art director Joakim Hedblad have created a beautiful fixed gear bicycle that also happens to be totally edible!
The bicycle is made of leeks, kolbaz sausages, regular spaghetti, Swedish rhubarbs, ginger, organic carrots, syrup, lime, lemon, black spaghetti, grapefruit, cowberrys, pear, cheese, whole wheat macaroni sticks, cucumbers, sugar, orange, and extra virgin olive oil.
If I recreated my bicycle out of food I would need lots of aubergine, grapes and dark plums!
Six-pepper Sunday Roast Chicken
I love a Sunday roast. I love six-pepper jelly. So I massaged six-pepper jelly into a chicken and roasted it up.
I've tried this technique many times and the resulting chicken is crispy, spicy and super moist.
There's nothing like sharing a home-cooked roast dinner with friends and family but I knew that I had a hectic week and that by roasting a chicken I would be setting myself up for some easy but tasty meals to eat throughout the week. I made three tasty salads with some of the left over meat and ate those on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. This one has the chicken, mixed greens, shredded carrot and beetroot, mixed seeds and a dollop of rhubarb chutney.
With the left over carcass, some onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf, parsley, salt and pepper I made a chicken stock. I use stock cubes in emergencies but I always try to have an arsenal of homemade stocks in the freezer as they make such a difference in soups and gravies.
From which I then made red cabbage, chicken, parsnip and pinenut soup to have for lunch on Thursday and Friday and I was able to freeze two large portions as well.
I'll share some of my other leftovers meals as there are so many, I have a post nearly ready to go on rissoles and risottos. I'll also post the full recipe for the above soup.
Blog EAT Blog - 18 March - Heat Four
Aw, what a lovely day at the Vibe Bar for the fourth heat of
(
) Blog EAT Blog. See my recent post
for links to loads of posts regarding the first three heats of Blog EAT Blog.
Here's a photo of the man who brought us all together, Abiye of Big Apple Hot Dogs, dashing as ever in red:
You can find Abiye and his delicious, gourmet, handmade hot dogs at 239 Old Street across from the old Foundry, Tues-Fri 12-6.
The lovely Clara of
(
) created Devious Dolly made with red and white cabbage, carrot, mayonnaise, Clara's secret scotch bonnet hot sauce and more! It was colourful, creamy, crunchy and spicy!
Today's contest saw
) rock up with Jam Hot - Jack Daniels, bacon, chorizo pineapple jam, ndjua cheese sauce, cider fried jalepenos & magic jerky dust topping. It was meaty, crispy, slightly sweet, overall goodness that tasted and looked delicious.
For my topping I decided to do a Big Apple & Pepper Chutney 4 a Big Apple Hot Dog - apple and pepper chutney which is bramley apples, onions, cider vinegar, demerara sugar, Smy six-pepper jelly then topped with Spanish onions fried in goose fat and a drizzle of additional six-pepper jelly for those who wanted to take it up a notch!
Whilst frying my last bunch of onions this morning I went to check the time and this happened:
BOOM - a cornflour and kilner catastrophe! I decided to think of it as an offering to the Blog EAT Blog hot dog gods and that I would clean it up upon my return...which I am now putting off by blogging.
So in summary here are the three entries:
I love this photo from Abiye where all three contestants seem to be gazing lovingly at their dawgs:
Hybrid hotdog topping action courtesy of
Let Abiye know which one was your favourite by tweeting #blogeatblog or
and the winner will be announced soon as will the final series which will be announced soon and will see the winners from all four heats battling once more to win Blog EAT Blog 2012!!!
Thanks again to Abiye, Vibe Bar and everyone who came out for a great event and day! The best bit was chatting to the contenders and the people who came down. The London food revolution will not be televised...well it kind of is...but it will most definitely be tweeted and blogged about...Blog EAT Blog style!!!
and remember...
it's not your chutney...
it's Smy Chutney.
please follow Smy Chutney on
and
...
and if you haven't seen it already, here's a little video made by
(
) about Smy Chutney:
Fulvio Bonavia - A Matter of Taste
Fulvio Bonavia's handmade food fashion and accessories are gorgeous, check out his work at
artichoke pageboy hat - check
nutty sandals - check
blackberry handbag - check
cheese wedge necklace - check
It's 'Blog EAT Blog' Out There!
I'll be participating in the fourth leg of the Blog Eat Blog series which has been created and arranged by
Abiye
of
(
) to get bloggers and food-lovers together for fun and fodder by challenging them to create the ultimate topping for his ultimately tasty hotdogs. I met Abiye last year and he's great, his hot dogs are great and it's great that his Old St stall is just around the corner!
The Blog EAT Blog series have been held each Sun lunch since 26 Feb at the
. Unfortunately I couldn't attend the first three heats but I've been following the latest Blog EAT Blog news via Big Apple Hot Dogs twitter, the participants twitters and blogs and I've decided to to a little summary here in preparation for this weeks upcoming heat of which I will be stepping into the ring.
Heat One - 26 February:
Here is a photo from the day by Big Apple Hot Dog...
...and here is a close up of a Big Apple Hot Dog + Turkish Slaw by and from
of the
The winner of Heat One of Blog EAT Blog
Check out the full run down of the day and winning recipe here at the
Heat Two - 4 March:
Check out ALL of the following blog posts as they feature brilliant pics, recipes and stories of those participating who were...
Ian who can be found twittering as
and making people hungry on
and tempting people at Blog EAT Blog with
a West Indian inspired Callaloo & crab, with pickled red onions and fiery hot pepper sauce. He has done a brilliant
post on his website
.
Adam twitters as
and blogs about food and all sorts as
he also has done a super fine post on the days events and his entry the
Ostenderfurter
on his blog
.
can be found on twitter as
and came up with the brilliantly sounding and titled
Bacon Cheese Animal Dog. You can find the recipe for their
Bacon Pickle Animal Cheese Sauce on their
created a Smoked Beetroot Mayo doubled with a Kiwi Pinot reduction by Louis Fernando for their entry and have blogged about it
and can be found on twitter at
.
There's also a great piece and photos here that summarises Heat Two by
.
Heat Three - March 11:
The participants this week were...
Representing
was
who created a bourbon-bacon marmalade with crispy fried leeks topping. I'm curious from his Twitter info and nod to the Red Sox if he is from Massachusetts...? Do check out his
and here's a great photo of all four contestants entries from
:
The chilli cheese goodness on the bottom left belongs to
whose blog I love...you had me at Slutty Brownies! She tweets as
and she has
posted about the day on her
.
Next up was
and his Damson Relish, pictured top right, and a man after my own heart...you can see his recipe and all about the day on his website
and find him on Twitter
.
Then there was
Poutine topping of cheese curds, gravy and crushed crackers and can be seen above lower right
. Paul can be found on Twitter as
, or on his
blog.
and I also loved Sunshine Day's
covering Heat Three and her shoes!
Heat Four - 18 March:
(Update!)
) will be participating...
as will Amy of
and
Carla of
(
)
and I know I'll be participating and I'll give you a hint...my secret ingredient is six-pepper jelly!!!
Come out and say hello, this Sunday at the Vibe Bar!!!
and remember...
it's not your chutney...
it's Smy Chutney.
please follow Smy Chutney on
and
...
and if you haven't seen it already, here's a little video made by
(
) about Smy Chutney: