Make the country come to you by going organic
City living doesn’t mean you can’t get your hands on some healthy fruit and veg, says Clare Latimer
As I don’t live in the country this is the perfect answer. Let the country come to me. My life changed when fruit and veg man Paul Jardine (020 7359 5702) came into my shop offering an organic box of vegetables to be dropped once a week or fortnight to my home.
I used a service like this many years ago but ended up with rotting vegetables. Riverford (www.riverford.co.uk) deliver wonderful fresh produce that will last two weeks – yes, I have tried – and it is all very enticing.
Last week I had asparagus, purple broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, unbelievably delicious mushrooms, potatoes, carrots, onions, huge lettuce and courgettes. There was nothing there that made me hide it at the back of the fridge thinking it may stay there.
It is a very good way to make you eat fresh vegetables, gives you new ingredients to play around with and prevents you having to walk round the supermarket staring at prewrapped vegetables mostly flown half way round the world to arrive on our plate.
You can also order fresh farm milk, eggs, drinks, wines, chocolate, and even cook books. The other great joy is once your box has arrived you can then go on the internet and look up their recipes to inspire new ways of cooking their goodies.
This week I have taken two recipes from them to give you an idea of the recipe standard. I am impressed. Many of my friends are now joining in so perhaps this could lead to veggie box evenings!
Potato, leek and wild garlic gratin
Serves four
Ingredients
Four or five large potatoes, peeled and sliced;
300g leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced;
50g butter;
three cloves garlic, crushed
large handful wild garlic
leaves;
100ml double cream;
100ml milk;
two tbsps of grated Parmesan;
salt and pepper.
Method
Melt butter in a large pan – add leeks and cook gently until soft. Wash and roughly slice the wild garlic. Next, add garlic and wild garlic leaves and cook for five minutes. Season well.
Add cream and milk and bring to the boil. Add one tablespoon of Parmesan. Check seasoning. Mix in a bowl with potato slices. Arrange in a gratin or ovenproof dish. Cover with tin foil and bake at 180ºC for one hour, until the potatoes are just cooked. Remove foil, sprinkle with the rest of the cheese – place back in the oven and cook until brown on top.
Carrot and
cauliflower stir-fry
Serves two
Ingredients
Two large carrots;
one cauliflower;
one tbsp sunflower oil;
Selection spices;
one tsp salt;
two tsp lemon juice;
one tsp sugar;
Method
Cut carrots into batons about 2.5 cm long. Separate cauliflower into small florets.
Heat oil in a wok, add all spices – one bay leaf, two cloves, one small cinnamon stick, two cardamon pods, three black peppercorns.
Stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add salt. Next add carrot batons and cauliflower then stir fry for five minutes. Add lemon juice and sugar then cook for 4-5 minutes. Vegetables should still be crunchy.
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