Food available in the UK only - our seven day challenge

[the.fee.fairy]

Oooh, that sounds delicious! Might have to have a go at that for dinner tomorrow. Must check to see how much pearl barley we've got...

[Wombat]

I'd love to be part of it but I can see some problems for me........

[Trinity]

sweet Cicely as a native sweetener providing you like the aniseedy flavour!

Thank-you
I'm avidly taking notes!

[Stonehead]

Stoney - my list of exceptions is almost the same as yours... And as to rye, I think it's not grown here because so few people eat it. (Back to this lottery win that I've been waiting for for years - once I have a little farm myself, I'll grow rye! )

Come and do our cottage up, then you can live there and grow as much rye as you want. Provided we get a tithe!!

I agree with the pearl barley; in addition to the recipe I gave above for "sweet" barley (I call it sweet even if I don't put sugar or honey in, but I generally use a few sultanas), it is extremely nice cooked like risotto. The simplest recipe for that would be sweat off a few chopped onions, stir in barley, top up with veggie bouillon, cook slowly until done, but still moist, mix in fresh herbs as available. Serve with other cooked veg/salad/eggs/whatever you fancy.

We do much the same. I like to add a lump of butter at the end, along with a good amount of chopped fresh parsley, a little marjoram, a little thyme and a lot of pepper.

For the meat eaters, try it with good quality beef or mutton stock.

[Trinity]

Thank you for the list of exceptions Stoney! It's wonderful to hear that you are primarily self sufficient up there.

This year is our first gardening year, since we have a large plot (erm... considering we are in a town) of a about a third of an acre. We have a local spelt place here. They grow the spelt, mill it and the make bread.

It's so funny, I served pearl barley the other week instead of rice, and noone spotted the difference I guess that means a big thumbs up for barley.

I'd LOVE to see lentils growing here in the UK. So what would it take

[Trinity]

I agree with the pearl barley; in addition to the recipe I gave above for "sweet" barley (I call it sweet even if I don't put sugar or honey in, but I generally use a few sultanas), it is extremely nice cooked like risotto. The simplest recipe for that would be sweat off a few chopped onions, stir in barley, top up with veggie bouillon, cook slowly until done, but still moist, mix in fresh herbs as available. Serve with other cooked veg/salad/eggs/whatever you fancy.

This has given me some lovely inspiration thank-you. I can taste it now!
Trinity
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[Trinity]

I'd love to be part of it but I can see some problems for me........

That's funny. About a half hour ago I was sitting chatting to my Australian friends (who are returning to near Byron's Bay area soon) talking about sustainable local food... and they began to talk the things available locally to them i.e. mangoes, avo's, bananas! It made me remember the time I spent in Hawaii. It's a completely different story to the UK (I do remember that it was a lot easier to be self sufficient with coconuts and fruit dropiing off the local trees at every opportunity, and gardens with a sea of avocadoes laying rotting on the ground because noone wants them
Ahhhhhh! I'll get back to me Barley and blackberries!
Trinity

[ina]

Come and do our cottage up, then you can live there and grow as much rye as you want. Provided we get a tithe!!

If you were closer to my place of work, I'd take you up on the offer...

[Trinity]

I feel so chuffed!

Today I realise that we can buy "organic barley malt extract" in the health food store. Grown and produced in the UK! Perfect sweetner for our baking.

[Trinity]

We mostly live on UK produce as we grow most of it ourselves.

A few key exceptions to UK foodstuffs are:

• Strong bread flour (most wheat varieties grown in the UK are soft wheats, not the hard wheats needed for strong flour) for leavened bread
• Rye flour (if it grows in Scandinavia and Germany, why not the UK?)

Great news Stoney

Just thought I'd have a peek at origin of some of the things mentioned here during my health food store visit today I found that Doves farm grow their own rye and produce rye flour!

Trinity
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[Cheezy]

Interesting idea!

Where do you buy uk pumpkin seeds etc... the ones we get from suma are from USA I think.... or further afield.

I'd fail at this straight away because of my liking for red wine. Not much of that in the UK - is there any??

Hiya Shirlz,

I just grown my own pumpkins this year, and I washed and dried the seeds, kept some for planting next year, the rest I roasted in salt and a little spanish smoked paprika (tiny touch of olive oil so to coat the seeds better.) they are absolutly fab esp. with a nice G&T.

English wines are getting so much better. I travel down to Kent and Sussex on business and I try to pop into wineries in any spare time...just to show support

THe best red wine Ive tried is Seddlescombe (http://www.englishorganicwine.co.uk/) , it's a pinot-noir/regent mix, and they are an organic producer. ...but it's expensive (£15 a botttle)
It's a little lean and is more like a Beaujoulei

Near by Taylor Carr vinyard is OK, the rose isn't bad, the best value being the sparkling wine ("champaign method") at £11, it's excellent, don't go for the more expensive vintage it isn't so good.

[Trinity]

I just grown my own pumpkins this year, and I washed and dried the seeds, kept some for planting next year, the rest I roasted in salt and a little spanish smoked paprika (tiny touch of olive oil so to coat the seeds better.) they are absolutly fab esp. with a nice G&T.

Hi

That sounds interesting. Did you shell them, or leave the husk around the seed?

THe best red wine Ive tried is Seddlescombe (http://www.englishorganicwine.co.uk/) , it's a pinot-noir/regent mix, and they are an organic producer. ...but it's expensive (£15 a botttle)
It's a little lean and is more like a Beaujoulei

Ooooh I remember these guys. I visted their place about three years ago when I lived in Sussex. Mmmmmmm! I think I delighted over the samples they offered during our visit and happily came away with the most delicous tasting blackcurrant wine.

Trinity
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[ina]

Just thought I'd have a peek at origin of some of the things mentioned here during my health food store visit today I found that Doves farm grow their own rye and produce rye flour!

That's great news - I think I looked at their stuff a long while ago and then they were still importing the rye...

[Trinity]

I've learnt a lot this week. I've been gathering together lists of all the fresh produce available.

I have quickly come to learn how dependent we are in the UK on imported goods. There are many things we can grow here that are simply imported from countries link china and the USA (seeds and beans for instance). It seems that it is cheaper and less effort to import and produce these things from the other side of the world! Perhaps wellies, a garden spade just doesn't appeal to most people (how odd - the thought fills me with such excitement:flower:)

Trin
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[Trinity]

Here are my lists so far of fruits, herbs, spices, nuts, seeds and cereals that we can grow here.....

Fruit:
Apples, pears, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, black currants, red currants, gooseberries, plums, damsons, blackberries, grapes, medlars, cranberries, loganberries, elderberries, melons, quince, figs, mulberries (fruit can also be dried for use throughout the year)

Herbs and spices:
Rosemary, sage, thyme, lemon balm, borage, corriander leaf (cilantro), coriander seed, basil, parsley, mustard leaf, mustard seed, chamomile, dill, caraway, mint, elderflowerm chives, chervil, winter pursulane, winter savory, marjoram, oregano, summer pursulane, nasturtium, sweet violet, fennel, marigold, calendula, bergamot, fenugreek, feverfew, angelica, anise, cumin, dog rose, evening primprose, lovage, good king henry, lavender, hyssop, tarragon, sweet cicely.

Beans and pulses for drying:
Haricot bean, canneleni bean, pea bean, barlotta Lingua di Fuoco, dried peas

Nuts and seeds:
almonds, hazels, walnuts, acorns, beech and pine, sunflower, marrow, squash, pumpkin.

Grains/cereal:
spelt, barley, rye, oats, wheat. I have also heard that quinoa can be grown in the UK. Something I'd like to explore.