Tim's blog - September 2008
Tim is the Head Chef at the River Cottage Local Produce Store and Canteen in Axminster.
So, September is upon us, the seasons turn, the days start to get a little shorter and our thoughts turn to winter, more homely, comfy food to nurture us through the cold and dark times ahead... STOP! It's not winter yet, and if the last few years of weather is anything to go by the best of the summer may still be to come.
The point I'm trying to get across is that although people don't think of September as summer, I do. Late summer but definitely summer as far as food goes, and you get the best of both worlds in the kitchen. Mature late tomatoes, dripping with juicy flavour and sweetness, tender young new season beetroot and carrots, sweet and crisp, a far cry from the woody things we will all be sick of by the end of February. My local fishermen are still bringing in a good catch, including a bass of some 6kg, a fine beast the likes of which we don't often see. Well done to John for reeling it in!
Things we are likely to be doing more of in the near future here at the canteen include caramelised beetroot and goats cheese salad, roast marrow, cauliflower in many forms and wonderful blueberry upside down cake with local organic cream. The blueberries seem to have done really well this year, plump and sweet, maybe it was all the rain we had over the last couple of weeks. Of course things are on the move in the store as well. Cheese of the month for September is going to be Quicks goats cheese, a hard cheese not disimilar to a young Sardinian pecorino, although clearly different and wonderful in its own right, ideal with pasta, risotto or maybe fried between two slices of aubergine and served with a tomato chutney. Nice.
We also start filming for the up coming River Cottage Autumn series so I will be mad busy as usual and will report back in my October blog. In the meantime why not pop along to the Canteen and be one of the first to try the new dishes?
Don't start to feel blue as the holiday season draws to a close, it may be coming to the end of summer but I think winter is still a long way off so let's enjoy the move for what it is - a natural and enjoyable change of culinary scenery.