Citrus & Salt
This week has been all about fast food. Not the fried chicken, cheap burger or doughy pizza variety, but food that can be made in under 15 mins, after rushing back from a shoot and trying to get a meal on the table while juggling homework, feeding rabbits and unloading the washing machine. Weekday food can’t be overly complicated, but I still want to be enthused by it and during the week it has to make it from the fridge to the table in quarter of an hour.
Cooking
For me, modern eating is all about flavours and textures and while Monday to Thursday is generally about me sticking my head in the fridge & cupboards and working out what combinations are going to work, sometimes they hit the sweet spot like Tuesday’s combo of Courgettes, bacon, Halloumi and pine nuts, dressed with an olive oil, Dill and lemon dressing. Bang on.
Eggs are pretty damn handy too; for my money, on a busy day it’s hard to beat eggs on toast, and food writer Ellie Pear has the perfect way to cook them here
I will never faff about with poaching them again – 6 minute eggs all the way.
Reading
I have shelves all over the house that are full of cookbooks, (I like to call it research, but it’s coming close to a fetish …) but in my kitchen I keep a core handful that I use on a regular basis.
Anna Jones is hard to beat for flavour packed food, I have both her books, and there is a brilliant section on her website that I bookmark for days when my inspiration is in need of a jumpstart. Pretty thrilled to see she has a third one coming out soon.
Ellie Pear, she of the 6 minute egg above, also has two corkers that I use at least once a week, her latest here
And I’m really looking forward to getting my copy of Claire Thompson’s new The Art of the Larder for inspiration when you think your cupboards are bare.
Restaurants
I haven’t managed to eat out anywhere of note this week for pleasure, but I did shoot the new menu at The Tavern here, so I *might* have eaten my way through their menu…. personal favourites were the Salt& Pepper Squid with Nuoc Cham, and the Salmon with Shitake Mushrooms and Asian greens, but for sheer retro joy it has to be this Banana Split!
My eye was also caught by this review of Cook Daily in the Guardian here – a fast pace Vegan joint that has managed to shake the beards and sandals image of Vegan food and is attracting a far more rock and roll crowd.
I’m off to work at Abergavenny Food Festival this week; it’s shaping up to being an exceptional event with top food heavyweights giving talks and demos, and a plethora masterclasses (including mine on Saturday!), markets, debates, feasts, forages and kids events.
Come, it’s going to be a corker.
Copyright:
Should you wish to use any of my photographs, recipes, or excerpts of my posts please abide by the copyright laws (because you want to give credit where credit is due, right?) You can request permission to use the copyright materials on this website by writing to kirstie@kirstieyoungphotography.com