Right Royal Garden Party to Relish

Summertime and it doesn't get any more British than standing at a Garden Party in the Rain discussing the weather - This Summer is no exception, Mark and I received a lovely embossed envelope from the Lord Chamberlain inviting us to attend the Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in July 2011. So we arrived dutifully suited and booted and stood in a long queue clutching our passports as ID, although I can confirm that they don't any resemblance to what I look like in person ! (does anyone have a passport picture that does actually look like them? ) Anyway, we were led through the doors and into the quadrangle, and then through the main door into the palace itself.
Trying to take in every moment and sight whilst being careful not to trip up and make a right "royal" entrance at the same time. Through the beautiful state rooms and out onto a long veranda spanning the whole of the Palace on the far side of the building and with a vista stretching out across the beautiful lawns to the private lake and gardens beyond.

The tents to the left were filled with beautifully dressed ladies and gentlemen all enjoying a brief respite in the rain to take afternoon tea, served on a long platter with a choice of "of course" cucumber sandwiches (with mint and black pepper), crusts off naturally, Wiltshire Ham and Mustard and Egg and Cress, Smoked Salmon Blini's and fresh Salmon with creme fraiche, then an array of desserts from a light Victoria Sponge slice, Fruit Cake, Strawberry Tartlet, Creme Brulee Tartlet and a mini Chocolate cake adorned with the Royal Crest. There was more but you are given a short period of time to fill your platter and choose between Iced Coffee and Afternoon Tea before moving on to allow the next person to take their selection.

The Royal tea tent was to the opposite side of the lawns where the Royal Family, VIP Guests and Diplomatic Guests are entertained, I felt it was quite strange to see how many people lined themselves up to sit and watch the royals having their afternoon tea, we watched the Royal party arrive, the Queen in resplendant in Green (Mark thought she would be in Yellow and I said Blue so she obvioulsy combined them for us!) The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, The Princess Royal, Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra amongst many others whose faces were familiar all headed off to enjoy their tea whilst being watched by the Hoi Polloi lined up at a safe distance, we left them to it and took a gentle amble (in high heels) around the lake and through the gardens, an idyllic and peaceful space in what is an otherwise hectic area in London, whilst the band of the Royal Air Force Squadronaires played in the background. Back at the Lawns whilst the band played on despite the downpour we were handed ice creams and stood beneath a dripping oak tree to enjoy the music and escape the world for a short while longer.

The second band of the Scots Guards played nearer the Palace steps entertaining those close to the Diplomatic area, where we found ourselves towards the end of the afternoon enjoying a medley of music that seemed to sum up the afternoon. Finished off of course with resounding blast of the National Anthem which made the hairs on your neck stand up and so, brimming with national pride we left the Palace gardens and the strangeness and eccentricity that is so British.

We do it so well.

Foodie travel trip to Kick Start the New Year

Winter this year has been so cold and frozen that leaving the UK for warmer climes was non too difficult - with exception of some issues over Visa's and the fact that daughter No 2 lost her passport at Dubai - we headed south.

We have just returned from our "almost" annual pilgramage to India, a short two weeks travelling from Chennai- formally known as Madras to Kochi (formally Cochin) We headed first to Pondicherry a wonderfully atmospheric French Colony, Mark insisted on taking us to the Bar Qualite' where I confirm that despite the beer being cold it was far from living up to it's name but does excude a certain charm. Delightful French meals on the menu's here giving some light relief for our 14 year old daughter who was a bit curried out !.
From here we headed to a place called Dindigul, the crossroads on the plains behind the Western Ghats, the aim being to visit the town of Palani and the great Hindu temple, we'd been before but the once a year festival was taking place and was heaving with pilgrims all walking barefoot towards the town that we had no chance of getting anywhere near - guess what? we picked the same day of the year again ! typical, so we gave up on that and went to Madurai one of my very favourite cities in India.

The Meenakshi Temple is a sight to behold, and although closed for their own festival on the day we arrived we rose early and ventured in at 7am the following morning, they get somewhere in the region of 25,000 visitors a day so getting there early was wonderful, and very atmospheric, watching my mother in law's face as the elephant blessed her, dribbling on her coiffured hair will be a memory I will long treasure.

The temple was in operation and the site of a Hndu university many centuries BC and yet it is still a thriving centre, highly prized in Hindu religion and we felt honoured as non hindu's to be allowd access to the temple and see the divinty in practice. To site in one of theh rooftop restuarants and watch the sun change the colours of the tall Gopurums that mark the site of the Temple complex is a wonderful way to sepnd an evening or two.

From here we travelled up to the hill station of Munnar, not the prettiest of towns but the scenery along the way is utterly breathtaking, through miles of manicured tea plantations. the next day we travelled down to Kumily and stayed at the wonderful Jungle View Homestay, one of my favourite places in all of India, Mr Ramachandran and his lovely wife make you so welcome and are so laid back and relaxed that if you have an ounce of stress this is the place to leave it all behind. That's until you take a backwaters houseboat trip that is, apart from having to cross a decidedly rickety plank to get on board this is the most decadent and lazy way to enjoy the food and scenery without having to lift a finger or move more than a few feet all day long.

We stayed for two nights and am so glad we did, the cabins were lovely and sitting on the wicker chairs watching the world slowly float by was wonderful. Our on board chef cooked up a delicious array of food including fresh water prawns so big we could only manage one each ! I'd like to say Mark spent his time reflecting on ideas for new recipes but in all honesty we just sat and watched the wildlife and people all going about their daily lives. true bliss.

We finished off this whistle stop tour in Cochin, Fort Cochin is home to the evocative Jew Town, famous not only for the synagogue which is well worth a visit if you are there any other day other than Friday or Saturday, but also for the vast array of spices, teas and coffee being traded, if you have a cold, my advice would be to stroll around Jew Town and take a few deep breaths of the drying ginger root and you'll be right as rain in no time.

Back in the main city of Cochin known as Ernakulum, which sounds as though it should be close to Rome, but only in name, we visited our old friend Mushtaq, or Mr Ali to you and me. His emporium is a treasure trove and he is so lovely, we have traded with him for almost 18 years now and it feels like visiting family whenever we call in. Once again we managed to buy goods for our shop so watch out they'll be coming soon !

As food oddessy's go the highlights were definately the Prawns for me, Mark would go for the Fish Pollichattu any day of the week, marinated in spices and cooked wrapped in Banana leaves so that the fish steams inside. Daughter Izzy I think would go for the Pizza she had in Pondicherry ( ah well you can lead a horse to water !) actually she tried everything and apart from a dislike of Coconut she enjoyed pretty much everything and no-one went hungry that's for sure ! Breakfast usually was a combination of boiled eggs, bananas and sometimes toast, to Parathas, eggs with onions and pea dal, all were delicious. Coffee varied from being so weak you could see the bottom of the cup to murky and cloudy and suprising tasty. My favourite was the Masala Chai on offer in the road side stop off points, not like tea as we would know it here in the UK but very refreshing.

Overall a great way to renew the batteries and enjoy the 96 degree heat when you know it is -10 here in the UK. It's funny how when you are in the cold you can't imagine being that hot, and vice versa, but back now a week and I am so missing that wonderful warmth.

Off now to make heart warming mutton curry for tea.

Heading towards Christmas and the Silly Season

We are all hands on deck as we head into Christmas - by far our busiest time of year, for these few weeks we have demands to create and deliver orders with very little or no notice, sometimes, we are requested to have orders the other side of the world in a couple of days - and you know what, we consider it a challenge and invariably we do it.

We're busy making hampers and gift wraps, like elves at the North Pole, actually it was so cold here yesterday that we could actually believe we were in the North Pole, the office (and me) have it cosy and warm whilst the kitchen - housed in a lovely 16thC barn without any insulation or even draught proofing freeze their pickles off. We are all hoping that we don't have the big freeze that we had last year with day after day of temps below -10c. We are just not geared up for that here in the UK. But we have supplies of grit at the ready, and down our road we have piles of salt appearing by the day (either that or some very busy termites havd taken over!)

If you are looking for the perfect gift for Christmas, pop in and see us in the shop or online and you'll find all sorts of goodies and christmas hampers and bags just waiting for you. If you are around the Lake District the first weekend of December, just call in to Hawkshead where the village is hosting a fabulous Christmas Fair, Late night shopping on Friday 3rd includes free wine and nibbles at Hawkshead and discount on hampers on the night too ! so come on over..........

Summers on the way

Summer is tantalising us with the odd few days of warm sunshine, nights of clear cold frosts and the most glorious of sunsets. We have runner ducks at home and my daughter has counted over 50 eggs waiting to hatch, some under birds and some in the incubator, so far we have four that have hatched and another 3 pecking their way through - so if you live in the Lake District and want some runner ducks, let me know !

All of this tantalising taste of summer makes for a dilemma in the kitchen, do you go for a hearty warming tattie pot or a salad of fresh leaves with some fresh sardines ! Well I think this time of year is great because anything really goes, and our favourite at the moment for these inbetween days is Moroccan dishes that lend themselves to warming food but equally good when eaten outside with a cooling glass of something chilled and a fresh couscous and mint salad.

Try this simple dish for a very quick easy tasty treat.

Everything is approximate go with what you like and add these in, if you don't like something leave it out you don't need to be exact.

serve 4

1 Onion Chopped

1 tbspn of Hawkshead Relish Hot Garlic Pickle

1 tbspn of Hawkshead Relish Preserved Lemons

1 tbspn of flaked Almonds

1 tspn of Ras al Hanout (the fragrant Moroccan spice mix- I use the one from Seasoned Pioneers which is great and available from our shop)

1 Pack of Chicken thighs (about 6-8 pieces)

1 Tin of Tomatoes

1 Tin of ready cooked Chick Peas (or if time allows use dried ones that you have soaked and boiled previously)

Green Olives - pitted (handful)

Olive Oil

Fresh Parsley - chopped

Fresh Coriander - Chopped

Couscous or Rice

Flat bread (naan works really well)

This couldn't be easier to make and very tasty -

1. Blend the garlic pickle with a little olive oil in a pestle & mortar to form a paste.

2. Pop this paste into a heavy bottomed pan with a little extra oil

3. Add the Ras al Hanout and the Onions

4. Cook the onions to translucent

5. Add the chicken and coat with the spice and onion mixture

6. Add the tomatoes and break them down slightly with a wooden spoon.

7. Season with salt & pepper

8. If using chick peas add them now and top up with a little water just to cover the meat.

9. Allow to cook for around 40 minutes with a lid on and simmering gently.

10. Toast the flaked almonds in a dry pan and keep on one side.

11. Chop the preserved lemon and add to the pan with a little of the chopped parsley and coriander, and the olives and cook for another 5 minutes

12. Prepare the Rice or Couscous according to the instructions and when ready stir through all

but a little of the fresh herbs (reserving just a sprinkle for the finish) and the flaked almonds, I quite like to add a few sultanas as well but the choice is yours, and season.

13. Serve with the flat bread and sprinkle the remaining herbs over the meat.

Job done, lovely fresh, tasty and will work well whatever the weather is doing - you can substitute the chicken for some lamb cubes and add a little more spice to the mix, and maybe use mint instead of the coriander - play with it and see what you like, the best part of this sort of cooking is that you can blend your own recipe together using the basis of a recipe to work your own magic.

The only advice I would give, is write down what you have done differently, that way if it works you'll remember for next time and if it doesn't you'll still remember what you have done and can avoid it next time.

Vietnam visiting - we recently returned from a fabulous trip around the mysterious country of Vietnam, in the UK most people think of Vietnam as a war torn country filled with poverty and unexploded bombs. How very wrong we are.

Over the centuries the French have occupied the country twice and their influences are everywhere, as indeed are the nearby Chinese who also occupied the country. In the north of the country the Communist effect is palpable, but in the south like the weather things are more laid back and relaxed. We travelled in January and so Hanoi was indeed cloaked in a grey mist and not altogether warm, but it was very atmospheric and filled with fabulous sights unique to the country.

We were lucky enough to meet a wonderful French Chef Didier Corliou who has lived in Hanoi for over 20 years and has the most amazing restaurant and spice shop, along with a new restaurant which is run together with his wife. http://verticale-hanoi.com/

We spent a brilliant morning at the local market smelling, feeling and tasting many new things including morning glory leaves and Vietnamese basil which is very different to the British basil and can be found in almost every Vietnamese dish. We then took our purchases back to the restaurant and got hands on making our lunch.

We had both expected that the flavours of Vietnam would be heavily spiced with Chilli and we couldn't have been more wrong really, the flavours that really hit us , were the fresh herbs and vegetables, the use of fish sauce is prevalent in most dishes and you soon become accustomed to its piquant flavour, usually added sparingly with a touch of sugar, oh and in Vietnam everything is really sweet so if you are following a recipe beware and add a little sugar if required you can always add more if needed but you can't take it out later.

Travelling around the islands of Ha Long Bay was a huge highlight of the trip and one that will remain with us for a long time to come. As will the ancient capital in Hue with so many wonderful Pagodas and ruins of the ancient citadel. The scenery of the Perfume river as you sail along in a Dragon boat is just perfect. Rice Paddies line the river with the brightest green background that almost looks unreal it is so vivid. The main Market in Hue is a thriving hubbub of activity with people pushing and pulling but always good naturedly.

From Hue we took the road to Danang and Hoi An over the Ocean Cloud Pass, a drive through valleys and mountain passes and always with a spectacular view to enjoy, stopping en-route to take pictures and stretch our legs and to have a massive bowl of fresh clams, cooked with ginger and fresh lemon-grass, the clams fresh from the tanks and as big as I've ever seen. I can taste them now (not in a bad way in case you wondered) In fact after a few days we soon realised that all the food was so fresh and well prepared that we did not need to worry that Delhi Belly or rather Vietnam Vom would attack - so long as you are sensible using bottled water and choosing where and when to eat it is incredibly safe - not once did we have the twinges that we have come to know and (not) love from our India travels.

Onwards to Hoi -An a beautifully picturesque town set on the banks of a river, almost so pretty that it feels like a Disney version of itself, clean and vibrant with clothes shops everywhere, that is shops making clothes to whatever design, shape, size or colour you would like. The best place in town seems to be Yaly Couture, although we used several others as well and everything was well made and not at all expensive, you will pay more at Yaly but if you go you will see why and it was definitely worth it.

The food in Hoi-An was extraordinary and several of the restaurants had tasting menus which are definitely worth a try if you have the stamina, they run to quite a few courses but not a huge amount and plenty of time to amble your way through them whilst watching the world wander past along the riverside. And maybe buy a few trinkets from the kids who are sent off to sell little pot whistles and the like to tourists, I had a pocket of lollipops so that once we had bought all our trinkets we could decline them with a smile and a lollipop which seemed to go down well.

Reluctant to leave the joyous Hoi-An (where we had also spent a day at the Red Bridge Cookery School- another wildly fun experience) we travelled onto Saigon, before we left we thought of it as Ho Chi Minh City or HCMC but once there we found most people still refer to it as Saigon, in fact the main centre is indeed called Saigon and the river is the Saigon River. Hot, steamy and very noisy with at least a hundred thousand motorbikes on the streets at any one time, crossing the road is an art form. Basically you look the oncoming traffic in the eye and head off, don't deviate slow down or stop and somehow they will avoid you and you them and you'll find yourself on the opposite side miraculously in one piece - hopefully.

We had a wonderful meal at Vietnam House in the centre of Saigon a real era of colonial past with live piano music and very traditional food all sublimely fresh and tasty. I so wish there was one of these in the UK . I would travel far and wide for that meal over again. Whilst in Saigon we took a trip out to see the Chu Chi tunnels created by the Vietcong to appreciate the vastness of the complex of tunnels, the sight of the awful traps and methods used to trap and maim the enemy was extremely harrowing and by no means unbiased but it was also extremely powerful to see the opposite view of the war as it had affected those on the ground on both sides. Not a day that either of us would easily forget nor want to.

We spent our final few days on the Mekong river, well next to it to be honest, the whole area is swathed in water with tributaries all heading into the mighty Mekong from far and wide, this is a river that starts out way up in Tibet and meanders through several countries on its long journey to the South China sea.

Mark enjoyed (not sure that is the right term!) some snake for dinner - a slightly rubbery not too exiting version of yes you guessed it "chicken" we did see some roast dog, but never on a menu and quickly hidden from view, it is apparently only eaten by men on the full moon who believe it is the next best thing to Viagra. Happy to say we did not give it a try.

We did spend an interesting afternoon at a Fish Sauce Factory however - the temperature outside was around 30 degrees once inside it was heading on for 45-50, the smell was unbelieveable, with big open stone baths filled with fish layered with salt and left to rot for three months, the whole lot is then transferred in a swampy sweam to huge stone tanks where more salt is added and then the liquid that is created is drained off. It comes out surprisingly clear and a light colour, which were given a glass of to try, amazingly it actually tastes really good, very salty and fishy but you have great difficulty is accepting that it won't immediately strike you down having taken the slightest of sips. This is like the first pressing of the olive oil and the first fish sauce is most prized as the rest is squished and water is added the colour becomes darker and the flavour slightly more putrid, this can take over a year for it to all be processed and the final dregs are then put back into the river for fish meal - so no waste. After a while we became slightly more accustomed to the smell. Until we headed back out and got into the car, where we soon realised that all our clothes had become impregnated with the odour and we spent the next three hours with the windows wound down and the air blowing through the car.

On our return Mark has set about (not making Fish sauce you and I will be pleased to know) but he has come up with a couple of jellies which are truely evocative of the flavours we encountered we have Chilli, Lime & Ginger Jelly and a Coriander and Lemon-grass Jelly. Both are fabulous and for summer will no doubt be perfect with BBQS, fish, chicken, salads and in stir fries. If you are in Hawkshead pop in and have yourself a free taste.

The dreaded "THE"

THE - is a word that drives me mad when it comes to the name of our company - I am happy to be referred to as the The Hawkshead Relish Company Ltd, BUT when listed in catalogues, brochures, show guides etc the dreaded THE rises up in self importance and takes centre stage ! Why oh why do they do it, listing companies under "the" is silly, daft, thoughtless and stupid .......... it makes my blood boil as you may have gathered - especially when our company name doesn't actually have a "the" but it gets put in as it sounds better in speech, all well and good, but for anyone trying to find us it would be the last place they would think to look. I have recently been sent a catalogue for all Welsh producers which is a lovely glossy magazine supported by the contributors and paid for by the Welsh development agency at great expense, and there amongst the pages is a whole raft of companies listed under T for The, when like us it is not even part of their name, why would you look under T for the Anglesey Sea Salt Company or Halen Mon (its Welsh name) when neither of these start with T !

Rant over - but if any copywriters read this please take note !

New Year - Cold Weather and SNOW

I cannot believe that it is so long since I blogged - just goes to show you how busy we were up till Christmas ! Right up to Christmas Eve we were wrapping and sending hampers and orders so by Christmas it was definitely time to relax - then we all got colds and the men got flu (and the teenagers obviously)

Now it is back to the grind stone - we have had a terrible winter weatherwise. although very pretty to look at it it has caused so much disruption. At first the girls jumped with glee to be told it was snowing and possibly school would be closed, they donned boots, gloves, hats and set off into the fields to sledge, some 6 weeks on and the novelty has very much worn off. As eldest daughter has to prise open the duck house door which is sealed with ice every morning, and crack the water bowls so they can drink the fun element has long since gone. but it still looks pretty.

The shop has been having a bit of re-fit and paint job in January, so a slightly deeper red colour on the walls, new windows and flooring all make the shop ship shape and lovely for the coming season. The start of which was last week with the school half term holidays. We have some new things in the pipeline too so watch out for these.

The new year brings about a new feel to everything and so Mark will be setting his thoughts and ideas down to getting creative with new flavours in the next few weeks.