mwnch

This blog is written and published from Wales and I have a passion for history, so what Gerald of Wales has to say on the Welsh diet is of interest:

‘Almost all the people live upon the produce of their herds, with oats, milk, cheese, and butter; eating flesh in larger proportions than bread.’

The Description of Wales by Geraldus Cambrensis

I’m not sure that things have changed too much.

A friend of mine recommended Bath Ales, citing gem as his current favourite tipple and I must admit I’m glad of the recommendation.

Cultured, well flavoured ales, the two I’ve tried, gem (an amber ale) and wild hare (an organic pale ale) slipped down very easily and are a pleasure both on the nose, the eye and of course most importantly the taste-buds. These aren’t traditional beers, they aren’t heavy with hops, yeast and / or malt, but are more cultured, more modern and more subtle in their charms … delicious. Neither do they skimp on alcohol content weighing in at 4.8% and 5% respectively - pretty grown up serious stuff.

One thing that really sticks out for me is the packaging. I’ve always been a believer in the adage that we eat (& drink) with our eyes first and these bottles really are appealing to the eye. Even the bottle top is a cracker…

I notice on the website that they sell 36 pint beer boxes by mail order which really are a tempter … now if only I can find an excuse.

Recommended.

Of all the cooks I’ve written about in this series, Mitch Tonks is the only one that I can claim to have personally insulted.

We ate in one of his restaurants two or three years back when they were running a Good Food evening (which was great value 6 or 7 courses and as much as you could drink). I made some quip about there being no seats (it was busy & there was a lot to drink) which embarrassed Mitch and lead to us being ushered to the back of the restaurant where there was a table out of harms ways. I sure it didn’t even register, but sorry Mitch.

I’ve eaten in his Bristol restaurant a couple of times and used the Fish Works fish shops both in Bristol and Bath on a number of occasions. I actually had my only case of seafood poisoning from a batch of mussels from the shop in Bath…but don’t let me put you off - I blame myself for not checking them thoroughly enough (or perhaps it was revenge for the restaurant episode).

Anyway, having set the scene so eloquently through embarrassment and food poisoning (!) I must admit that I really like Mitch’s food and recipes. Great produce, simply cooked. In the world of fish Rick Stein is the king of the kitchen, with his seemingly encyclopaedic knowledge of classical cookery, farflung travels and giddy passion and Mitch is perhaps the Prince-in-waiting with a more modern, simpler, lighter touch!

Based upon what I’ve read in various sources from Elizabeth David to the Sunday Times, I’ve adopted a fast then slow method of cooking meat.

Select a first class secondary (to use the Elizabeth David term) joint of meat - topside, sirloin or upper fillet, weighing around 1 kilogram.

Brush the meat with olive oil and stand on a grid above a roasting dish.

These times provide medium-well cooked meat.

• Heat the oven to Gas Mark 7, 420F, 220C and cook for 10 minutes.
• Then reduce to Gas Mark 5, 375F, 190C and finish cooking for 50 minutes.

Adjust times proportionately for larger pieces of meat.

Allow to stand before carving and serving - provided that you’ve bought good quality meat, you’ll not get a more succulent joint.

No guarantees that this will work for you - it works for me - please always apply discretion when cooking meat.