What’s cooking?

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Black oats! I finally got to see them in the field at @hafodcheese – thank you Rebecca for taking us around your beautiful Welsh Farm. . These are being grown as part of Holden Farm’s crop rotation (as well as making Hafod cheese onsite, they also grow oats and peas). The black oats were *almost* lost – they have the most incredible journey of rediscovery (if you’re interested google Llafur Ni (our grains, in Welsh) to find the Gaia foundation’s beautiful film). Incredible thanks to @the_edible_gardener for being the co-ordinator – I only heard amazing things about you on my trip :-). This, along with the work that @harrigendall is doing with pillas, the Cornish naked oat that was also almost lost, is bringing me so much closer to British oats and informing the shape of the oat book I am at the very early stages of writing. . I didn’t get to try any of these black oats, but I did (thanks to @kitchencounterculture) come home with a packet of British naked oats from @hodmedods. I’m excited to play with them – my fellow oaty-nerds have told me the flavour is amazing. . I’ll post more pictures in my story today – including my 9-year old with Holden Farm pigs (that was his favourite part of the visit), the delicious cheese we took away with us and a magic book find I made :-)

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Black oats! I finally got to see them in the field at @hafodcheese – thank you Rebecca for taking us around your beautiful Welsh Farm.
.
These are being grown as part of Holden Farm’s crop rotation (as well as making Hafod cheese onsite, they also grow oats and peas). The black oats were *almost* lost – they have the most incredible journey of rediscovery (if you’re interested google Llafur Ni (our grains, in Welsh) to find the Gaia foundation’s beautiful film). Incredible thanks to @the_edible_gardener for being the co-ordinator – I only heard amazing things about you on my trip :-).

This, along with the work that @harrigendall is doing with pillas, the Cornish naked oat that was also almost lost, is bringing me so much closer to British oats and informing the shape of the oat book I am at the very early stages of writing.
.
I didn’t get to try any of these black oats, but I did (thanks to @kitchencounterculture) come home with a packet of British naked oats from @hodmedods. I’m excited to play with them – my fellow oaty-nerds have told me the flavour is amazing.
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I’ll post more pictures in my story today – including my 9-year old with Holden Farm pigs (that was his favourite part of the visit), the delicious cheese we took away with us and a magic book find I made 🙂

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Podcast

#64 – Better Broths & Healing Tonics

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Better Broths and Healing Tonics is a book that blew us away when we found it earlier this year. It is so thorough, so accessible and so creative – sharing many ways to make broths, and make them easy, plus incredible healing recipes for broth tonics, infusions, blends and meals. In this episode, Andrea interviews half of the pair that created the book, Jill Sheppard Davenport.… Read More

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Accidentally-impressive spelt sourdough! . I’ve made two sourdough loaves to last our final few days here in the UK. Both the rye and the spelt needed cooking at the same time but my mum (we’re staying with her) only has one large tin. The spelt got baked in the small tin. Doesn’t it look good?! . So, pro- tip: bake your sourdough in a too small tin for a baking confidence boost :-) . There are some shots from our trip to Wales in my story today. We loved it! Five days off IG, delving into @kitchencounterculture’s amazing cookbook collection! I saw black oats (pictures to follow), spent a day at Holden Farm and had some amazing Welsh food :-)

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Accidentally-impressive spelt sourdough!
.
I’ve made two sourdough loaves to last our final few days here in the UK. Both the rye and the spelt needed cooking at the same time but my mum (we’re staying with her) only has one large tin. The spelt got baked in the small tin. Doesn’t it look good?!
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So, pro- tip: bake your sourdough in a too small tin for a baking confidence boost 🙂
.
There are some shots from our trip to Wales in my story today. We loved it! Five days off IG, delving into @kitchencounterculture’s amazing cookbook collection! I saw black oats (pictures to follow), spent a day at Holden Farm and had some amazing Welsh food 🙂

… Read More

Instagram

One of the best things about being in the UK is the blackberries. My son has picked so many! Here’s the latest use: blackberry (and a touch of apple) pie with sourdough spelt pastry (just about to put a pastry lid on). I’ll post a pic of the result in my story.

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One of the best things about being in the UK is the blackberries. My son has picked so many! Here’s the latest use: blackberry (and a touch of apple) pie with sourdough spelt pastry (just about to put a pastry lid on). I’ll post a pic of the result in my story.

… Read More

Instagram

Does your food feel luxurious? . Today’s @ancestralkitchenpodcast is a deep dive into treat food within a nutrient-dense diet. . So much of gets eaten in our home is repetitive – and yet, it often feels like luxury. In this episode my husband, Rob, and I talk about why that is and share the simple foods that make us feel amazing. . We then go on to talk about three specific ‘luxury’ foods we create in our kitchen regularly – bean-to-bar chocolate, ancestral ale and home-roasted coffee. We share the vast differences between these home-made treats and their store-bought equivalents and philosophise over their roles as special foods within our society and our own home. . As @farmandhearth says in the podcast intro, we’d love to hear what your luxuries are, your views on treat food (and if that has altered as your diet has).

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Does your food feel luxurious?
.
Today’s @ancestralkitchenpodcast is a deep dive into treat food within a nutrient-dense diet.
.
So much of gets eaten in our home is repetitive – and yet, it often feels like luxury. In this episode my husband, Rob, and I talk about why that is and share the simple foods that make us feel amazing.
.
We then go on to talk about three specific ‘luxury’ foods we create in our kitchen regularly – bean-to-bar chocolate, ancestral ale and home-roasted coffee. We share the vast differences between these home-made treats and their store-bought equivalents and philosophise over their roles as special foods within our society and our own home.
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As @farmandhearth says in the podcast intro, we’d love to hear what your luxuries are, your views on treat food (and if that has altered as your diet has).

… Read More

Podcast

#63 – Everyday Luxuries

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Every once in a while Rob comes out from behind the tangle of wires and sits down on the other side of the podcast microphone and records an epic episode with Alison. This is one of those episodes. It is awesome and their dry British humor is the best.… Read More

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The ancestral chocolate cake…that could pass as ‘just’ a delicious chocolate cake to those not in the ancestral ‘know’. . Trying to interface cooking ancestrally with those I love that don’t dance this way is one of the hardest parts of my kitchen…but this cake does it :-) . It’s ancient grain (spelt), it’s sourdough, it’s egg and dairy-free (as my little one struggles with those), it is refined-sugar free, it uses ‘proper’ cocoa (not dutched)… . AND it’s delicious; to me and my boys but also to my son’s classmates and my non-ancestral eating family and friends. . (Next challenge…to try and explain to them why it takes a day to make and costs three times as much as a ‘normal’ chocolate cake.) . I’m going to make this cake again this week – it’s my mum’s birthday and my sister is coming over with her three children. I’m thinking of going for it *big* time and making two layers sandwiched together with fresh cream. I’m not in my own kitchen…so if I pull it off even I’ll be impressed :-) . The recipe will be in the forthcoming @ancestralkitchenpodcast sourdough spelt cookbook :-)

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The ancestral chocolate cake…that could pass as ‘just’ a delicious chocolate cake to those not in the ancestral ‘know’.
.
Trying to interface cooking ancestrally with those I love that don’t dance this way is one of the hardest parts of my kitchen…but this cake does it 🙂
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It’s ancient grain (spelt), it’s sourdough, it’s egg and dairy-free (as my little one struggles with those), it is refined-sugar free, it uses ‘proper’ cocoa (not dutched)…
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AND it’s delicious; to me and my boys but also to my son’s classmates and my non-ancestral eating family and friends.
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(Next challenge…to try and explain to them why it takes a day to make and costs three times as much as a ‘normal’ chocolate cake.)
.
I’m going to make this cake again this week – it’s my mum’s birthday and my sister is coming over with her three children. I’m thinking of going for it *big* time and making two layers sandwiched together with fresh cream. I’m not in my own kitchen…so if I pull it off even I’ll be impressed 🙂
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The recipe will be in the forthcoming @ancestralkitchenpodcast sourdough spelt cookbook 🙂

… Read More

Instagram

I batch-make stock and freeze it, usually in pint/quart jars. But doing it like that means I don’t get broth as often as I want it; a large jar takes a while to defrost and I have to remember to get it out of the freezer in time. . Problem solved thanks to a great idea from the book Better Broths and Healing Tonics – I’m now freezing some of my broth in silicone muffin tins. I fill these up, put them in the freezer until solid, pop them out and put them all into one bag. Now, when I want a cup of broth or to cook some oats in stock, I open the freezer and get one out!! I also love grabbing one or two to add to a cast iron dish if it gets too dry. . They are also on standby for when I forget to defrost a large jar of broth. I can take two or three and add them to a batch of cooking grains for supper. . Thank you @its.just.health and @drkarafitzgerald for writing this amazing book. I love it’s practical broth essentials plus all the tonics, smoothies (yes, broth smoothies!) and recipes in it. . We’ve a podcast coming up in a few weeks all about the book :-)

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I batch-make stock and freeze it, usually in pint/quart jars. But doing it like that means I don’t get broth as often as I want it; a large jar takes a while to defrost and I have to remember to get it out of the freezer in time.
.
Problem solved thanks to a great idea from the book Better Broths and Healing Tonics – I’m now freezing some of my broth in silicone muffin tins. I fill these up, put them in the freezer until solid, pop them out and put them all into one bag.

Now, when I want a cup of broth or to cook some oats in stock, I open the freezer and get one out!! I also love grabbing one or two to add to a cast iron dish if it gets too dry.
.
They are also on standby for when I forget to defrost a large jar of broth. I can take two or three and add them to a batch of cooking grains for supper.
.
Thank you @its.just.health and @drkarafitzgerald for writing this amazing book. I love it’s practical broth essentials plus all the tonics, smoothies (yes, broth smoothies!) and recipes in it.
.
We’ve a podcast coming up in a few weeks all about the book 🙂

… Read More