BY PETER BROOK More than just a cooker, our Aga—known in the family as ‘Aggie’—is a cast-iron monument to the reliable comforts of home. It is the 90-year-old engine room of our kitchen, and the undisputed heavyweight champion of multi-tasking, often combining cooking with warming up young, wet lambs; drying anything from washing to damp hounds; keeping those same hounds warm and cosy at night; … Continue reading The Aga Can
BY DOMINIC WIGHTMAN The venue for this year’s much anticipated S*l*n**r Club dinner looked distinctly crummy on a Street View. The location of Hakkasan in Hanway Place also appeared somewhat familiar, as most quiet backdoor backstreets in that part of London tend to, to those who have done time as a student in the metropolis and been caught short on the way back to halls … Continue reading Hakkasan
BY DANIEL JUPP Energy and food. These are things we just can’t do without. The vast majority of rebellions throughout history have been about food. ‘Every society is three meals away from chaos’. It doesn’t matter that Lenin said this or that an earlier version was invented by Dumas. The Russian experience has proven that on this he was right. Most of history’s greatest atrocities … Continue reading Fart Control
BY JIM WEBSTER Another supermarket caught up in a scandal. But it says a lot for the reputation Booths has built up that everybody seems to agree they were being cheated by their suppliers. Still it might be interesting to see who else those suppliers were supplying. Now the National Food Crime Unit is investigating just how it happened that Booths were supplied with products … Continue reading Buying British Beef
BY JOHN NASH The annual assault on wallet and digestive system has washed over us again accompanied by a stream of TV charity chuggers hoping to shame us into giving them money for every worthy and unworthy cause on Earth. I watched through heavy eyelids as the “last elephant on Earth” tottered repeatedly across the screen, bracketed by those cheerful adverts for happy funerals. It may … Continue reading Have Faith In Ferrero Rocher
BY ROGER WATSON I have just spent one of several weeks this year working in Italy. As with most countries I visit regularly, after initial impressions are over about similarities and differences, once you get to know more people and to know them in depth, you appreciate more of the differences and begin to understand at least part of what makes Italians the way they … Continue reading Have We Lost Our Link to the Land?
BY JIM WEBSTER Don’t you know there is a war on? What does it take to get people to take things seriously? Do we need Chief Warden Hodges from Dad’s Army storming round Brussels shouting ‘Put that Light Out’? There is a problem with people. They will continue to believe things even when they’re obviously not true. As an example of this, YouGov do a … Continue reading The EU Has Lost its Marbles
BY QUENTIN PIGG Why are those who claim to speak for the working class so troubled by a working-class man speaking for himself? For making the not unreasonable suggestion that foodbank users might benefit from education on how to cook meals on a budget, the Conservative MP Lee Anderson has been met with a series of furious charges: he is ‘uncaring’, ‘out of touch’, and … Continue reading I’m Alright Jack
BY ROGER WATSON There are many jokes about vegans, and you have probably heard them all. But, just in case, here’s one of the best: Question: How do you find out if someone you have just met is a vegan? Answer: Don’t worry mate, they’ll tell you within their first sentence. I may sound cynical, but I am convinced about the efficacy of veganism. It … Continue reading The Tiny Cult of Veganism
BY NOEL YAXLEY If ever there was a time of the year to conjure up images of the ‘winter blues’ it is January. If Covid restrictions had you reaching for the bottle, how about a spot of Dry January? But for those who truly aspire to reach the heights of ascetic self-denial, how about signing up for Veganuary? For the uninitiated, Veganuary is an annual … Continue reading Veganuary
BY JIM WEBSTER I don’t often apologise to the government of the People’s Republic of China but I confess I have been somewhat sceptical about their sincerity when it comes to cutting carbon emissions. But apparently they are trying. The government laid down strict limits on the amount of energy that could be used in various provinces. But when lockdown ended, there were a lot … Continue reading The Law of Unintended Consequences
BY DANIEL KAWCZYNSKI Here in the United Kingdom, we are rightly proud of our world-leading approach to animal welfare and food safety. Not only does this offer peace of mind to millions of us here in Britain, but they are a real selling point for British produce around the world. As we prepare to leave the European Union, Parliament is taking back control of our … Continue reading UK Food Standards Sacrosanct
BY JIM WEBSTER From talking to fellow farmers and others over the last few months, there has been ‘considerable dislocation’ in the market. The nearer you are to ‘commodity’ food production the more stable things have been. Whereas if you’ve specialised to produce for niche markets or even sell direct to the catering trade or at farmers’ markets, everything went very messy very quickly in … Continue reading Food Prices & Bumps in the Road
Ingredients: For the pastry: 3 cups (384 grams) all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup (8 ounces/226 grams) unsalted butter, cubed and kept cold until ready to use 1/2 cup (118 ml) cold water 1 large egg beaten to brush on pastry For the filling: 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 2 pounds (907 grams) beef chuck, cut into bite size cubes 1 … Continue reading Steak & Ale Pie
Ingredients: 2 red onions, chopped 30g shitake mushrooms 50g dice pancetta bacon 300ml Port 500ml chicken stock 400g Beluga lentils 2 sprigs rosemary 3 sprigs thyme 1 bay leave 1 chicken, backbone removed and halved 50ml olive oil Sea salt Method: Preheat your oven to 200°C/390°F/gas mark 6. Add chopped onions to a large roasting pan. Sprinkle over the sliced shitake mushrooms and chopped pancetta … Continue reading Roast Chicken Lentils Pancetta & Port
Ingredients: 4 duck breasts 1 tbsp. oil Salt and ground black pepper 200 ml port 2 tbsp redcurrant jelly 2 tsp concentrated liquid beef stock 50 g unsalted butter 200 g seasonal mixed berries 1 tsp arrowroot Method: Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7. Coast the duck breasts in the oil and season with salt and pepper. Place a large frying pan over a … Continue reading Duck Breasts with Port & Berry Sauce
A recipe invented by the regional magistrate of Yangzhou province in late 18th Century China, popularly known as Special Fried Rice in Chinese Restaurants today. Enjoy! Ingredients: 400g long grain white rice (cook a day before, cool and leave in fridge until ready to use) 3 tablespoons ground nut oil 2 large eggs, beaten 120g fresh prawns, de-veined and shells removed 3 shallots finely chopped … Continue reading Yang Zhou Fried Rice
Ingredients: 150g linguine 200g tin of tuna in spring water drained and flaked ½ a small red onion finely sliced 1 lemon juiced and zested 1 tbsp olive oil Small bunch of dill chopped Instructions: Cook the pasta as per instructions on the packet Mix together the remainder of the ingredients in a large bowl Drain the linguine and toss all the ingredients together Serve … Continue reading Linguine with Tuna, Lemon & Dill
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust You are well and that You and those around You are enjoying the summer. It’s the farmers and the incessant tractoring on our fields I want to focus on today. It’s them who have had to cope with the dry summer and it’s on these unheralded Brits that we depend for our sustenance over the year. … Continue reading A Prayer For Our Farmers
Ingredients: 60ml Gin 30ml Fresh Lemon Juice 20ml Sugar Syrup Instructions: Combine first three ingredients in a glass with ice Stir and then top with Soda. Add straws and serve Garnish with an orange slice Continue reading Tom Collins Cocktail
