Gizzi Erskine: A healthy attitude towards food at Cheltenham Literature Festival

'Clean eating' can sod off. 

After attending two fantastic events last week at The Cheltenham Literature Festival, I'm both inspired and full of preachy rage about this stupid buzz-phrase. Sure, I'm not adverse to healthy eating, eating well, and trying to lower my calorie intake - I've gone on juice cleanses (see my post on The Core Chelt), I own a NutriBullet, and I've eaten spiralised 'courgetti' just as much as the next person has - but I'm sick of the frankly quite bullying promotion of #cleaneating.

Food events at the lit fest are always my priority (you can read my previous #cheltlitfest experiences here), and with the likes of Cornish king Rick Stein, wine buff Oz Clarke, and London heroes Honey & Co and Spuntino making an appearance, there was so much to choose from. I would've sold an arm and a leg to be able to get tickets to all of them (it gets expensive business), but with two of my all time fave ladies in the world of food, it was easy to make my decision. And happy-frickin'-days, both Gizzi Erskine's and Nigella's new books speak the truth about all this obsessive attitude over 'clean' foods.

I've owned Gizzi's latest book 'Gizzi's Healthy Appetite' since the day it came out, and FYI it's still a purse friendly £7.99 on Amazon. I went mad over the recipes in 'Skinny Weeks and Weekend Feasts' - the Pork Bun Xao is a firm staple in our house and I've wowed people dishing up the Braised Veal Shin Bourguignon for Sunday lunch - but her new book is something I'm completely obsessed with. Not a week goes by where I haven't made at least one thing from it. Just look at some of my efforts...

'Healthy Appetite' is a clever double entendre; she's really interested in health foods and food that will keep you in shape - note the superfood salad and smoothie recipes - but it also describes her indulgent side - the best ever Black Velvet Cake, truffle pappardelle using leftover hollandaise and her famous Korean fried chicken. In her discussion with Red Magazine's Pip McCormac, she proudly outed herself as being a little piglet that could easily take anyone down when it comes to how much she can eat. I salute that! Though anyone who follows her on Instagram would already know this; if it's not photos of her cute kitties - Kimchi and Ponzu - it's all the mega food she likes to cook and all the shit-hot places she likes to eat out at. I'm pretty much green with envy and constantly craving London; arghh.

"Having a healthy appetite means having a healthy lust for life," she says. If you're beating yourself up over having a slice of bloody cake at the weekend, then get a grip. Gizzi believes that all these new diets and the rise of 'clean eating' is putting too much blame on food. We know that things like alcohol and refined sugar are bad for us - fine - but to exclude whole food groups to eat saintly raw meals is a little extreme. I've lost count of the amount of people I know who have gone dairy-free, gluten-free, wheat-free, blah blah blah, and whilst I can totally understand if these people have an actual problem, just to cut them out believing it makes you 'healthier' is pretty misguided. Luckily, Gizzi is here to help, and from what I gathered from the event, her new book is just the start of her food education revolution.

Not naming any names, she discussed the problems with the popularity of health food bloggers on social media; the dishes tagged with #cleaneating or #fitfood might look delicious, and no doubt they are, but "spiralised courgette with pesto made from whizzed-up avocado is not dinner. It's a salad." Her idea of nourishing the body is about understanding balance and why we break up our plate into proteins, carbs, vegetables, fats, and the right volumes of these things. She's made friends with new techniques such as spiralizing veg and making rice out of cauliflower, but feels that it's very much misrepresented by those who aren't trained in the world of food and nutrition.

As we tucked into her dishes cooked by the Relish Events team at the Literature Fest (Ox Cheek Goulash with Spatzle followed by Maple Syrup, Orange & Rosemary Tart), it was evident that it's time to start loving our food again. Gizzi, along with others like Jamie Oliver and his latest food programme and indeed Nigella, are bringing back the emphasis of cooking fresh food from scratch and giving people a different attitude to healthy eating.

If you just do one thing this week, buy 'Gizzi's Healthy Appetite'. Oh, and "do cover your vegetables in butter; it's actually good for you!"... It tastes pretty damn good too.

**Keep your eyes peeled for my round up of Nigella's 'Simply Nigella' discussion with Jay Rayner.**

Tom Kerridge & The Hand & Flowers

Early October saw Cheltenham Literature Festival return to our home turf. As usual, the brochure was jam packed full of exciting events and big names, which inevitably makes our jobs harder in trying to choose who to go and see. With a limited budget, The Chap and I could only really get tickets for a handful of things, but the No.1 priority was to snag Tom Kerridge's 'Best Ever Dishes' promo talk.

The nation fell in love with him from the start; a big burly chap with a cheeky grin, an infectious laugh, a thick West Country accent, and the ability to produce mouth-watering gutsy pub food that pleases everyone, including those ruthless Michelin inspectors! In 2011, The Hand and Flowers became the first pub to receive two stars in The Michelin Guide. It also proudly holds four AA rosettes and is currently voted number one UK restaurant by Restaurant Magazine - blimey!

Even though Tom's literally half the man he used to be, his charm was exactly the same at the event; we creased up laughing at some of his childhood tales, swooned over stories about him and his wife (the talented Beth Cullen Kerridge), and drooled at the descriptions of his recipes. We needn't have been too envious of all the delicious sounding food though, The Chap and I had a reservation at his pub, The Hand & Flowers, the following month!

It had been a LONG time coming; we booked it in January and could only get in in November! It was pencilled in as a belated anniversary trip, but thanks to a crazy turn of events, it turned out to be more of an extended engagement celebration. We stayed nearby at Danesfield House - George Clooney had a second wedding party here don't you know - and they were SUPER generous in helping us celebrate such a momentous event... Frankly, it was perfect.

I won't go into all the details of what we ate, you really only need to see how utterly awesome each course was. The food at Hand & Flowers makes no apologies for it's rich indulgence, and as a result, we could only manage one dessert between two. Whilst I'd normally stew in my own disappointment after situations like this, I'm in the fortunate position of having another reservation at the pub for my Dad's birthday next year. I'll make it my mission to make up for it.

We arrived early so we could have a couple of drinks at the bar; The Chap tried out the H&F beer, whilst I had the house G&T. In Tom's previous TV series, he went to The Ginstitute in London to create his own gin to serve at the pub, and this is it; I honestly consider it to be one of the best G&Ts I've ever had. With herbs and celery nestled in the glass, it was fresh and distinctly savoury. I also had a Monkey 47 with lingonberries, which was nice, but the first was so unusual it couldn't be beaten. 

Appetizers of sourdough and whitebait cured our munchies whilst we made tough choices on the menu (and scowled at neighbouring tables already tucking into their dinner). 

Not often choosing the soup option, I went against the grain and plumped for Lovage Soup with Bramley Apple, Smoked Eel, and Ham and Cheese Tortellini (£9.50).

The chap had Crispy Pig’s Head with Spiced Date Puree, Apple, Plum and Pancetta (£10.50), and I had a little piggy jealousy.

My main course was Barrow Farm Partridge with Black Pudding Purée, Morello Cherry Ketchup, Frosted Almond and Game Pie (£35.00) - perfect for this time of year.

The Chap had Essex Lamb “Bun” with Sweetbreads and Salsa Verde (£27.00) with a side of Hand & Flowers Chips (£4.50). This lamb bun was something else (at the back of the photo), and it needs explaining. A sphere of brioche/pastry with a cutlet bone proudly sticking out of the top; inside is a layer of cabbage encasing slow cooked lamb and sweetbreads and a final joyous nugget of lamb in the centre. Sat lonely on a giant plate, it didn't look like much, but boy was it deceptive; those cylindrical chips were never destined to be polished off!

For dessert we shared Blueberry Soufflé with Parma Violet Ice Cream and Lemon Verbena Syrup (£9.50). It was light, sweet, floral and a little sharp; and although we were forcing ourselves to fit it in, it was much needed after all the rich, salty food. YUM.

Our wine choice was Saumur-Champigny, Domaine des Roches Neuves - Loire, France 2013 (£40.50). Predominantly Cabernet Franc, it had layers of red and black fruits, elevated acidity, young tannins, and a seductive savoury earthiness. It felt like a very food friendly wine; its depth and intriguing quality complimented each of our courses wonderfully.

For me, The Hand & Flowers was a game changer; it's a completely different experience to any other Michelin starred restaurant I've ever been to. A meat-eater's heaven, the food is big - in flavour and richness - yet it still has the finesse that you expect from somewhere carrying two stars. 

It's not cheap, but after waiting 9 months to get a table, you really don't care; it totally lived up to all my expectations. And the finishing touch? Our doggy bag of leftover chips, which we scoffed the next day.

Cheers H&F, see you again in March! 

Khool French Kitchen

Last weekend I found myself at another foodie event at the Literature Festival, 'Lunch with Rachel Khoo'. The British born kitchen queen, who actually has a degree in Art & Design from Central Saint Martins (yep - art & food - pretty much THE dream), is famed for cooking in her tiny Parisian apartment, where, in days gone by, she hosted intimate supper clubs for just a handful of people. Lured to the French capital by the exquisite patisserie, she studied pastry at Le Cordon Bleu, and has since thrown herself into the world of food. Her first TV show/cookery book 'The Little Paris Kitchen' was a global success, and with the release of her new book 'My Little French Kitchen', this event gave her the chance to divulge more about it, along with the attendees being able to taste a few of her recipes.

I suppose it was more like an 'in conversation with..' kind of thing, and the interviewer, who seemed like a less orange David Dickinson, started off very straight to the point. "There are so many cookbooks around these days, so why should we buy yours?" Phwoar. Bombshell. Luckily, Rachel is just as she appears on TV - very bubbily with a strong personality - so she was able to cope.

What sets her apart from the endless stream of newly published books, is her sincere approach. You can tell from the size of her miniscule working space that she doesn't have a hell of a lot of equipment, and there's definitely no room for all the high-tech gadgets that do really cheffy things, so in turn, none of her recipes require us to have any of that stuff either. Some pots and pans, a good sharp knife, and some stirring utensils are all we need, she says, and if we top it off with good ingredients, then we're all set.

For the book, Rachel visited six different regions of France - Brittany, Bordeaux, Basque, Provence, Lyon and Alsace - where she'd gone out to meet the locals and the food producers, be it in their homes, on farms or at markets, etc. She immersed herself in their cultures, their traditions, and most importantly, their cuisines, and taking inspiration from each of these, she's stacked up a list of over one hundred of her own recipes that give us a food tour of France that we can recreate at home. Unlike Paris, which has that all-year-round touristy perfection when it comes to food produce, the regional areas thrive on the histories behind what they make, and use the seasons to dictate what is best to eat when. This is evident from the herby, floral dishes of Provence, or the spice-laden, festive eats from Alsace, to the rich, hearty gastronomy of Lyon.

Being asked if she's here to "fight for real food", she responded by saying it was more like a mission to discover and reveal the stories behind the food that our European neighbours eat; it's not all fine dining and complicated cooking, and no matter how hard you look, there are certainly no frogs legs here. Rachel's key is enjoyment, she wants us to take pleasure in following her recipes, whether they're the easy pop-it-all-in-one-pan-and-hey-presto kind of thing, or the slightly more refined, take-your-time-to-impress-your-friends extravaganza. In both instances, the recipes are short and simple, and where she's used french ingredients, she has listed English alternatives, so everything is do-able.

The book itself is a thing of beauty, and its clear to see that Rachel takes great pride in being part of the whole creative process - she's even responsible for all the cute little illustrations that run throughout. The photographs are all shot on location, straight after cooking, and the crew eat what was made straight after, there is no faffing around with food styling, and everything is done under natural light, which gives the whole thing a fresh feeling. She stipulates that she's "not just a pretty face", and even when it comes to the TV show, she doesn't just turn up and read a script, like many others do; she does it in her own way, and that's very honest.

Talking of honesty, Rachel admits to being a fully fledged croissant snob; it has be the butteriest, flakiest, most delicious one she can find. There's no point in having a crap one, when you secretly know that there are better ones in existence, as it will only end in disappointment. Which leads to questions on health; the French cuisine isn't exactly known for being 'light', so how does she stay looking so fabulous? Whilst "butter is better", it's all about quality over quantity, she'll have her cheese, wine, pastries, etc, but just not all the time. Actually, she tells us that the French are very much anti-snacking, and it's almost unacceptable to be seen eating in the streets. It doesn't matter if its a freshly made baguette, still warm from the oven, with the glorious boulangerie aromas wafting in your face, you must push those temptations aside. It's basically social suicide.

Being put on the spot once more, ol' Dickinson asked what he should go home and make from the book this Autumnal evening. A few umm's and ahh's, then some sticky ribs cooked in cassis, with a broad bean cous cous, was suggested. Failing that, what we were having for lunch would be perfect: Poulet Roti au Vin Rouge - or Roast Red Wine Chicken to the rest of us - a boozy bird from Bordeaux, with crisp potatoes, and plenty of herby vegetable accompaniments. If this was anything to go by, 'My Little French Kitchen' is set to be a winner, and even cooked for the masses, it was delicious.

Dessert was the Chocolate Basque Beret; a genoise sponge encased in a rich chocolate ganache, coated with chocolate orange shavings. We're told that the black beret is the sartorical symbol of the Basque region, so that's where the inspiration for the cake comes from. Rachel pre-warned us that this was for serious chocaholics, rich and doused in syrup, however, luxurious as it was, it didn't quite come across as this. Nevertheless, it's made me want to try and make it for myself, so by letting us sample a couple of dishes, this whole promo-event has done it's job. 

Book purchased and signed, this weekend I'm all set to gastro-trip around France in the comfort of my own home. I best go get my stripey shirt back out.  

Breakfast with Malcolm Eggs

Early Saturday morning, day two of Cheltenham Literature Festival, and luckily I had tickets for 'The Full English'; a talk with Seb Emina about his new book 'The Breakfast Bible', with added brekkie no less.

I didn't initially have this of my list of things to go to during the ten day event, but after talking to a friend about it, it went straight to the top. Being a massive lover of breakfasts in all shapes and sizes - those crafty little nibbles on the go, long luxurious weekend treats, and even a simple bowl of cereal - why would I not want to go to hear more about this eating ritual we do day in, day out.

To give a little potted history about Seb Emina; it was mid noughties, and whilst there was a great deal of emphasis on food culture and eating out, this only ever seemed to apply to lunch and dinner. Having a love of going out for breakfast, but being riddled with disappointment in all those places that were making just half arsed attempts at it, he took it upon himself to start a blog where he could write about his experiences. So with a pseudonym of Malcolm Eggs, and a band of brothers (and sisters) - called the likes of Blake Pudding, Shreddie Kruger, Dr Sigmund Fried, etc - he coined The London Review of Breakfasts, who are still hungrily munching their way through the cafés of the capital.

You may have heard about Seb recently, on Radio 4's Today Programme he posed the idea that people should never feel obliged to talk at breakfast, and that we shouldn't be offended if the room is completely silent, which then escalated - like a game of Chinese Whispers - to people quoting him to have said that 'couples should not talk at breakfast'. The newspapers got hold of the story, it was printed front page, and even Loose Women got in touch, but of course it was just a statement misconstrued. What he was really getting at was that we should use this time in the morning as a bit of leisure time before we shoot off and go to work; many of us lead such busy lives today, to the point where we might often skip breakfast or just eat on the go, but really we should take the time to sit and enjoy it. This may be solitary time, or time shared, you can just stick the radio on, read the newspaper, and not feel as though you should have a deep conversation, when really you're probably still just waking up. Look at James Bond for example, he's the master of solo breakfasting, but no one questions him; but then again, why would you, he's 007 after all.

'The Breakfast Bible', as the title suggests, tells us everything we need to know about breakfast. From extensive research, *cough* eating a lot, there are apparently nine ingredients which create the perfect 'Full English', that truly British dish; bacon, sausage, egg, mushrooms, tomato, black pudding, baked beans, bread (either toasted or fried) and finally, some sort of potato goods, in most cases a hash brown. Potato seemed to be a somewhat controversial ingredient on the list, particularly when bubble and squeak is suggested, though Seb kindly reassured us (not that I needed convincing) that it's a great way to smuggle greens onto your predominantly beige plate, 'a Trojan Horse for cabbage' if you will.

Thinking about other morning foods; we eat a lot of cereal, it's kind of the ideal breakfast in terms of quickness and ease, or maybe we go traditional with porridge (it was coincidentally the Golden Spurtle World Porridge Championship that day). But if we were to look globally, there doesn't seem to be the same kind of breakfast culture that we have here. On the continent you'll find pastries with meats and cheese, America goes big with lots of sweet/savoury combinations (think pancakes, bacon, maple syrup.. mmm), the far east have rice based dishes, and there are lots of spicy egg options amongst other flavour-loving countries, but essentially most of them tend to eat similar things to what they may have had the night before; there doesn't seem to be that, distinctly different to dinner, repetative eating that us Brit's do. 

So, what else can we find in the book? There's a list of songs that are perfect for boiling an egg to, all of which are just the right time depending on your runniness needs; we're told Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights, or Pulp's Common People are great for soft boiled yolks. A substantial section talks about 'Hair of The Dog', which is quite commonplace amongst weekend breakfasters, and has a long tradition dating back to Homer's Odyssey. Drinks range from the famous Bloody Mary, which just takes the edge off of the morning, to a deadly sounding Corpse Reviver, probably the thing to drink if you want to get back on it. It's packed with recipes, advice, and random facts, such as famous last breakfasts, and strange cereals of the 80s. Like it's subject, this really is the most important book of the day.

A Q&A followed the talk, which gave us an extra insight into the breakfast aficiondo. It turns out he's not a fan of brunch; "it's breakfast grabbing the territory formerly occupied by lunch." And don't even talk to him about breakfast in bed, admitting he has a crumb phobia, he'd much rather be sat eating at a table, he hates that feeling of being "prisoned by kindness with a tray." 

Obviously we all want to know where the best place to go is, and after plenty of umm-ing and ahh-ing, where you could pretty much see his brain sizzling away, he simply said that those typical greasy spoons, with a constant stream of taxi drivers coming through the door, are your best bets. However, if you want something a bit more exravagant, try the new restaurant in The Shard, where he can recommend the eggs benedict, or perhaps The Hawksmoor, which seems to be bringing back the old school stuff like kidneys and liver. Just don't go to Macdonalds though, yeah?

With a nod to the bible, out came a nine piece Full English. Alas, there was no solo breakfasting here - Bond would not be impressed. Instead we shared a table with stangers, all chatting away about their own personal ideas of best breakfasts; it's clearly a subject which divides opinions. Seb knows this though, and when asked what's next on his agenda, he said there's still room for more explanation.. How eggs-citing.