Beauty in the Brine

I fell in love with a coastal delicacy last year that has kept me drooling in anticipation for the next season of marsh samphire to return. The small fleshy leaved plant that inhabits the marshes and tidal mudflats of Britain’s shores is very much seasonal and as yet still a wild and uncultivated plant, thus making it a very special food from June until the end of August.

It is gathered by hand, an arduous and back-aching task, by fishermen and shore workers to supplement their summer income.
When I was in North Norfolk, last year, I saw it growing and was tempted to pull on my wellies and venture out into the squelchy mud to pick some for myself. I’m aware that it is not always acceptable to do so, although it is not illegal, one has to consider respect for nature and the environment, especially as the samphire grows on protected habitats.
For this reason, the best samphire grounds are kept secret and only those with permission have access to the green bounty.

Samphire is a type of succulent, perfect for tolerating the salt from each inundating tide. It has short branching stems, with a strange joint-like structure that reminds me of little alien antennae.
As I don’t live on the coast, I don’t often get the chance to buy it. It’s a rare thing to find in the shops around my way, so I almost fell over with excitement when the fish stall at my monthly farmers market was selling it. I bought a couple of generous man-sized handfuls.
Good, fresh samphire should be bright green and shiny, still engorged with moisture. Avoid any that looks dull or withered. It should also smell fresh, tinged with the scent of sea air.

Before eating, it is important to wash it thoroughly in cold water to remove any gritty sand and silt. I took three good washings and drainings to get mine clean.
Samphire doesn’t take much cooking, you can indeed eat it raw, but I like to drop it briefly into boiling water, drain and toss in butter. Don’t add salt to the water and use unsalted butter – the samphire has been seasoned perfectly well by the sea. Finish with a grind of black pepper and eat.

Obviously, samphire is an ideal accompaniment to fish, being juicy, clean flavoured, with just a hint of the briny blue. The very essence of all that is good about our wild coastline.

Win The Greatest Holiday in the World!

The Greatest Holiday in the World



   
Just imagine being able to stay anywhere in the world in some of the best hotels in the most exciting countries for free.
You could be trying a vast range of cuisines from north to south and from east to west, sampling a smorgasbord in Sweden, lingering over an evening of tapas in Spain, or even eating Dograma (don’t worry it’s a refreshing cold soup) in Azerbaijan.
With over 200 Radisson Blu hotels in over 50 countries there is vast and diverse menu of cultures to choose from.
Now I’ve got you feeling hungry for the experience why not enter the competition to enable you to have the holiday, or series of holidays of a lifetime? As soon as I had the opportunity to enter, I didn’t hesitate – it’s so easy to do.
The winner will get 365 hotel nights to spend at over 200+ Radisson Blu Hotels over a 5 year period.
As long as you are either an EU citizen, or a citizen of Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland you can participate.
To enter, simply visit the website (link at the top of this post) and tell Radisson why you deserve to win. It’s quick and easy and you’ll create a candidate page with your short story, so that other visitors to the competition site can vote and nominate you. The more votes you get, the higher up the rankings you go, increasing your chances of winning. You can also upload pictures and even a link to your YouTube video to enhance your candidate page if you wish.
If you’re feeling more creative there is also the added opportunity for yet another special prize.
Of course I’d be very honoured if you would vote for me, click here
And by way of thanks I can drop by your candidate page and do the same!
It would be great to read your comments – I’d love to know what you’ve submitted as your entry and where your dream destinations are and please let your friends know about this competition as it’s really too good to miss!


Sponsored Post

Family Values: Jackson Bars from Baileys Real Food Company

Thanks must go to Baileys Real Foods who entrusted me with two varieties of their Jackson Bars to try.
I unfortunately missed them on their stand at the Real Food Festival, but keen as we both were, me to taste their bars and for them to have me test them, Baileys kindly sent some in the post.

Baileys is a family run business in Herefordshire and they are passionate about promoting real food, health and happiness. The Jackson Bar, a type of flapjack was born from their own need to find a healthy and satisfying snack. What is very important to them, is that there is no over zealous adding of sugar and where the sweetness comes in an entirely natural form of honey, fruit juice or brown rice syrup.

The bars are indeed wholesome, using British oats and lots of seeds as the base for all the varieties.

I tried the 'Original' which had added fruits; raisins, sultanas, apricots and dates, and the 'Naughty' one with chocolate and marshmallows.

I was most impressed, the taste is rich and decidedly moreish and the texture wonderfully crumbly yet moist. I did end up with a lap full of crumbs, but who cares!

There's something of a good homemade quality about them, that no one would ever know if I popped them on to a plate and passed them off as my own creation, hiding the packaging first of course!

These would be great to take on a hiking trip, as they keep you going for a long time. After having one, I didn't feel hungry for hours – that must be the slow release qualities of the oats and low sugar content doing their work.

I only wish they were sold in a shop near me, but as yet I'll just have to order them.

Other varieties to enjoy are Tropical, Lovers, Nutty and Hot Spice. 

Of the two I tried, I preferred the Original - - - More please!

For more information and where to buy, visit Bailey's Real Food website: baileysrealfood.co.uk

Featured on The Artisan Food Trail

Spirit of The Age: Sipsmith

Never being one to pass up on a free tasting of Vodka, I stopped by the Sipsmith stand at the Real Food Festival, where I was amazed by their products.

Based in Hammersmith, London, tucked away in quiet street, Sipsmith's small distillery, was set up just a short while ago, in Spring 2009, by founders Sam and Fairfax who had always dreamt of creating a true artisan spirit.

LEFT: From left to right – The Sipsmiths, Fairfax, Jared and Sam

They make a Barley Vodka and a London Dry Gin which is gently delivered from their handmade copper-pot still, named "Prudence", the first in London for 189 years. This beautiful still, as well as functional, could also be considered a work of art with its graceful swan neck which has been taken as the inspiration for the attractive label designs.
Producing the spirit in small batches, no more than 500 bottles per batch, in fact, ensures exceptional quality and supreme flavour.

Being a vodka lover, I am quite fussy about what I drink. I wouldn't say I am an expert as such, but I know what I like. I prefer to drink vodka straight and slowly, no knocking back shots in a violent and greedy manner but in a more measured and considerate way so that I may enjoy the flavours.

Anyone who says that vodka has no taste and that it should always be mixed in with tonic and the like, has clearly never fully appreciated a decent spirit.

The Vodka is distinctly British, distilled from English barley spirit and then blended with water from the Lydwell Spring, one of the sources of the River Thames.

Most noticeable is that this spirit does not burn your mouth or throat and is exceedingly smooth, which makes it ideal for slow lingering sipping, Unlike some vodkas that need to be chilled in the freezer to make them tolerable, this is very agreeable even at room temperature.

With its nutiness, and growing sweetness, finally ending with a hint of pepper it is most enjoyable.

I haven't drunk gin in years, mainly because I've found it to have been a bad experience. Maybe it's because of the tonic that I had with it, made me believe it to be bitter. I couldn't have been more wrong.

ABOVE: Ten carefully selected botanicals are used including: Macedonian juniper berries, Bulgarian coriander seed, French angelica root, Spanish liquorice root, Italian orris root, Spanish ground almond, Chinese cassia bark, Madagascan cinnamon, Sevillian orange peel and Spanish lemon peel.

Sipsmith's version is a joy to drink, and the smell is like a breath of fresh summer meadows. Again, as with the vodka, it is mellow in the mouth, the juniper fragrant and refreshing accompanied by bright zesty notes of lemon and orange.
Shameful or not, I could happily drink this pure and unadulterated by mixers.

So impressed was I, that I bought both the vodka and gin to take home for further enjoyment, and all I can say is, that they're both slipping down rather nicely, if a little too quickly!

For further information and where to buy, visit their website: sipsmith.com
Photo source: Sipsmith website