Author: Alison Kay

Flaking whole oat groats today in order to make Sowans, the traditional Scottish oat fermentation that results in both a porridge and a probiotic drink.
.
Oat growers in Scotland would have historically made this ferment with what was left *after* the processing of their sacks of oats at the local mill. They’d take their grains in and get two bags back – one as the rolled oats and the other was the ‘crumbs’ that were left over. Not wanting to waste, it’s these crumbs that they fermented to make Sowans.
.
I don’t grow oats and I don’t have access to the crumbs left over when they are milled…but I do have a Marcato Marga grinder that allows me to flake the oats and then use the crumbs to recreate this amazing ferment!
.
It’ll be 5 days until this is ready. I’m a bit of an extreme fermenter and I like my food sour 🙂
.
I’ve a course on how to make Sowans (whatever equipment you do or don’t have) over at @the fermentation school. There’s a link to it in my profile.

… Read More

A squeeze shot of yesterday’s wholegrain spelt sourdough with a barley scald!
.
So much to love about the sense-filling process of sourdough baking. I revel in sticky fingers, smelling my starter, shaping the dough, slicing through the crunchy crust and then giving it a squeeze 🙂
.
Lots of sourdough spelt recipes in my profile. All squeezable!

… Read More

Spelt sourdough with a barley scald. I love putting a portion of scalded flour in my doughs and the flavour of barley goes beautifully with nutty spelt.
.
Videos today in my story where you can see the barley being ground and this dough before baking.
.
I’m recording with @farmandhearth this afternoon for the podcast and will be cutting into this loaf for my tea afterwards 🙂

… Read More

We’ve been waiting excitedly for these green coffee beans from @mountelgoncoffeeandhoneycoop. They arrived Friday so this weekend was coffee roasting!
.
I drink green coffee only, but my hubby, Rob, drinks it dark and loves to roast at home.
.
Here are the beans going into the pre-heated cast iron pan. They’ll take about 60 minutes, during which we usually read out loud as a family whilst appreciating the roasting aromas!
.
Rob loves roasting his own beans because it’s healthier (less acrylamides, less change of mold), he feels better (no sleep issues and more vibrant feeling in his body after drinking) and it’s tastier (freshly roasted tastes so much better).
.
In addition, buying directly from the people who grew it (in such a cool way) feels good.
.
Roasting at home was so much more prevalent just a few generations back. Do you home-roast? Or have you tried home-roasted?

… Read More

Sourdough spelt focaccia studded with lard crackling (left over from rendering fat) and sprinkled with rosemary and salt.
.
This the the same recipe as the Pane Con Ciccioli that I posted last week (it’s linked in my profile), but instead of rolling the dough up like a strudel with the crackling inside, I mixed the cracklings into the dough and then flattened it onto a sheet pan before adding the herbs and salt.
.
Long live lard bread 🙂

… Read More

Farinaccio is a wild green that tastes a little like spinach. It is named so because, when you rub your fingers on the leaves, it leaves a powder behind that’s a little like flour (farina in Italian).
.
I love the variety of greens I find at my local market. In fact, I love the variety of greens in Italian cuisine. I am sure there have been an array of foraged greens in all cuisines, but I certainly didn’t taste any of them when I was growing up in a supermaket-stocked kitchen in the UK.
.
Check my story today to see what I cooked this up with 🙂

… Read More

Who hasn’t dreamt of packing everything up and setting off on a campervan adventure?!
.
But for those of us who care about what we eat, the thought of cooking four plates of nutrient-dense food three times a day in a tiny van; of only having a two-burner stove; of no limitless water supply, no freezer and a tiny fridge. Man, that sounds hard, right?!
.
That’s exactly what Charlie, our guest today on @ancestralkitchenpodcast did for two years, whilst travelling around Europe with her husband and her two small children.
.
Download to hear how she did it (including how she cooked pizza!), some wonderful tales of the seasonal produce she found in the many countries she visited, what the experience taught her and why, back in a normal house, she misses her tiny kitchen!
.
Thank you @babybusadventures for sharing your story and thank you for taking this gorgeous picture!
.
You can find us by searching for Ancestral Kitchen Podcast in your app or by streaming/downloading via the link in my profile.

… Read More

I love this statement from @historicalitalianfood’s article deconstructing The Mediterranean Diet.
.
We, as a society, believe so much about our food and our health that just does not stack up when you scratch under the surface.
.
How is that whole food paradigms that are followed by millions turn out to not be based on the truth? Why after years of walking this path am I still uncovering truths that change the fabric of everything I’ve ever been taught?
.
These are our bodies. This is our health. These are the lives of our children. I praise every single person that’s wanted to (or been forced to by bad health) find the truth. Keep going. Keep sharing.
.
Whilst recording our patron-exclusive podcast, Kitchen Table Chats, @farmandhearth and I often talk earnestly about food lies and food truths. Because they are *so* important. Our next episode will dive deeply into the ‘Mediterranean’ diet and what we’ve both learnt.
.
Thank you @historicalitalianfood, thank you @homegrown_education, thank you @farmandhearth and thank you @food.lies

… Read More

Making ‘imperfect’ looking chocolate is so incredibly more satisfying for the taste buds and soul than buying bars at the store.
.
This started life as a bag of raw cacao nibs. I roasted them, cracked them, shelled them, ground them and then mixed them with a small amount of melted cacao butter and coconut oil to make chocolate!
.
The result is rustic…one might say stone-ground. The flavour, however, is amazing. It’s so much deeper, more nuanced, more zingy and more satisfying than anything I’ve eaten from a wrapper.
.
And like all the foods we prepare with love in our kitchens there is some undescribable life in it *because* I gave it care and attention.
.
I’ve been making chocolate this way since I read the 700-page The Secret Life of Chocolate by @nocturnalherbalist and I can’t go back. There’s a set of videos that will walk you through how to do it yourself on the courses page of www.ancestralkitchen.com.
.
Fancy having a go?!

… Read More