A Cook's Library

Before you get started on recipes and how to shop and eat, it is a good idea to get a handle on what to eat and why. So here it is, my food philosophy.  Sorry for the length and the tricky scientific bits but I feel quite strongly about all of this so pick and choose as interest dictates. For sources of this kind of food click the page on Where to Buy Good Food and if you don’t know where to start here are lists for Stocking a Green Pantry. Lastly, for advice on shopping lists and how to plan a weekly menu click here.

Most of us eat three times of day at least (or should) so you might as well ENJOY it and make the most of healthy, seasonal and delicious produce. For me this means a main weekly shop at the local farmer’s market (on a Saturday which is nice as it means the treaty stuff arrives at the weekend), an organic vegetable box deliverd on a Tuesday, which fits perfectly as that is about when the market veg has run out.  In between I use any independent butcher, greengrocer or fishmonger I can find, no need to be chi-chi just not part of the industrial food-chain (see more under Shopping Beyond the Barcode).

Failing that OF COURSE I use the supermarkets but mainly for dry goods; second to that I do buy fruit and vegetables in the supermarkets as the choice, quality and awareness of season and locality is so much improved these days and some offers are irresistible particularly given the amounts we put away as a family. I rarely buy meat or fish at the supermarket, simply because I am the fussiest about the provenance of this kind of food.  As I don’t follow complicated recipes I need the quality of the food to be able to speak for itself.

In order to make this even passably financially viable (can’t spend the weekly food budget in the farmers market AND the supermarket) I buy ALMOST no processed food. Sorry to sound sanctimonious but I just decided I couldn’t bear to pay good money for the cost of processing, packaging, chemicals, food-science engineers, marketing budgets etc when it could be spent on REAL food. (By the way I don’t consider most processed food ‘real food’ at all – for further reading see the bottom of this post).  The ‘almost’ covers things like organic baked beans, canned pulses and fish like sardines, pasta, grains, Marmite, frozen peas and tomato ketchup. And yes, dark chocolate and odd treats here and there. I DO have children so an 80% ‘good’ – 20% ‘never mind’, food police policy seems reasonable.

Another reason I shop for real food is that like to think that what I put in my mouth does some good to my body, although that means my taste buds first because it is anathema to me to eat something that doesn’t taste good too.  All this worthiness becomes doubly important once you have children and realise that it is not just your health you have responsibility for but two WHOLE NEW PEOPLE as well.  And as the saying goes ‘you are what you eat’.

Meat: I have started with meat because, despite flirting with semi-vegetarianism in the past and certainly going through a phase of believing red meat was bad for me, I now eat a small amount of meat and I honestly believe that well-reared meat is very good for you and especially for growing children – it is one of the best sources of complete protein and one of the few reliable sources of vitamin B12.

Aside: if you do choose to go vegetarian for ethical reasons, of course I respect this but include ethically-reared dairy, and better still small amounts of sustainable fish, if you can.

By good red meat I mean beef and lamb from animals allowed a pasture-rich diet (as nature intended, cows were designed to eat grass not grain, for reasons why read Why Eat Grass Fed Meat) plenty of time to grow and a humane killing with respect to the whole animal when it comes to eating it – yes, that means offal too . . . gulp. (The offaly parts of the beast are some of the best bits for you, containing generous amounts of iron and vitamins A and D).

The same applies to chicken and pork – slow rearing, a natural pasture-rich diet and plenty of grubbing about and foraging for the wild foods these animals evolved to thrive on.

So I buy the best meat I can, seeking out independent farms, organic producers and paying a little more for the privilege of eating meat that tastes great and does growing bodies a power of good.  I’d rather buy less but eat better. I also always use every last scrap of meat on a carcass and make a stock with the bones to stretch the budget further.

I have also learned with relief that the fat on these well-reared meats should not be discarded, but is a similarly rich source of vitamins which is lucky for greedy gourmets like us who enjoy crunchy crackling, golden chicken skin and the crispy layer of fat filched from the brisket of beef resting before serving.  Fat also gives our meat its flavour and juiciness so that it is not as dry and tasteless as old shoe leather.

Fish: I am a huge fan of fish of all kinds: white and delicate it is an easily-digested form of protein, oily fish is essential for its omega 3 content and shellfish has a high concentration of nutrients. Don’t just buy the ubiquitous farmed salmon, it is the battery chicken of the sea I would rather wait for the wild salmon season, pay the exorbitant price and eat sparingly though organic salmon farming has its supporters and since the furore over some salmon-farming practices it is getting better. Sardines and mackerel are plentiful, cheap and healthy.

For white fish experiment with some ugly ducklings, for price and for ecology: Pollack and gurnard for example and if you enjoy bass and bream check out its credentials carefully.

Choose crabmeat, both white and brown, shrimps and scallops (dived) for their unique richness and ignore warnings of high cholesterol in these species. As with eggs the evidence is unconvincing and health benefits excellent; eat small fish at the lower end of the food chain if you are worried about mercury in large fish such as tuna.

Unfortunately through over-fishing the oceans are becoming increasingly depleted and some species are at a real risk of extinction. Check out this website for current advice on what and what not to eat http://www.fishonline.org/advice/eat/

Dairy: I am an avid LOVER of all things dairy. It is the one food group I would find it virtually impossible to give up. I did once in my health-obsessed (misguided) twenties do some massive detox of the sort we all know and hate where wheat and dairy are the first victims (along with any pleasure in food). My brief encounter with soy and other dairy substitutes was not a happy one and to this day I am slightly suspicious of the mass promotion of soy, a common allergen, as a healthy alternative to dairy products.

It is difficult in this time when the dairy camp is split so vehemently into for and against to offer constructive advice but I would urge those who have given up dairy on a whim or because all the fashionable folk are doing it to make sure it IS a problem before cutting out this nutritious and delicious food group entirely.

If you are absolutely sure dairy is a problem, I of course respect that what is right for one person is not necessarily for another – if I’ve learnt anything from my former years of food faddism (and of those all around me when I worked amongst the models and beautiful folk of the fashion industry) it is do what is right for you so skip this part if you will!

To me dairy feels right and tastes better so I eat cheese, yoghurt, milk, cream, sour cream, crème fraiche, butter and eggs of course.  I seek out artisan-produced cheeses from the indispensable crumbly salty, aged parmesan to fresh and delicate young goats cheeses, creamy blues mottled with veins and oozing, stinky white-bloomed cheeses that threaten to crawl out of the fridge by themselves.

With regard to pasteurisation I am a fan of both unpasteurised cheeses and, more controversially, unpasteurised milk and cream (I get mine from Hurdlebrook or Grove Farm). As far as cheeses go, aged hard cheeses made from raw milk pose no threat at all (Parmesan is one and most of us happily eat that). Some would have you believe that young raw milk cheeses carry a greater risk of listeria but the figures simply do not support this; far more cases of listeria are found in contaminated supermarket salad bags or water than in cheese.

As for unpasteurised milk this is black market land in many ways. Mostly condemned by health officials (though change is afoot) it is possible to buy from farmers markets or direct from the farm and many believe it is a panacea for all ills. Without the heat treatment, the vitamin and mineral content is higher and enzymes are left intact, including the all-important lactase that those with dairy-intolerance lack. So, in effect, unpasteurised dairy carries with it its own digestive enzymes allowing all to enjoy it. Those who believe themselves – or especially their children – to be lactose intolerant might try raw milk instead. You can get it at most of the London farmers markets.

Most of all, this milk, cream and cheese TASTES better; it tastes like old-fashioned milk used to taste. Given the choice look for a Guernsey or Jersey herd with its thick layer of yellow cream on top.  As with meat, the milk from the cows reflects its diet so you want to look for pasture-grazed and organic is an extra reassurance.

If you can’t find, or choose to avoid, raw milk at least buy and most importantly give your children full-fat, organic unhomogenised milk. (Homogenisation where they put the milk in a super-shaker to incorporate the fat molecules into the thinner part of the milk affects the nutritional profile of the milk significantly for the worse). And as the  vitamins in milk are fat-soluble buy full-fat – the more fat, the higher the calcium absorption.

Yoghurt is of course less controversial and we all know it is loaded with gut-friendly bacteria IF you buy good quality natural, whole milk yoghurt or make your own from good milk. I find cow, buffalo, goat and sheep milk yoghurts with their varying degrees of milky whiteness and creamy richness a daily essential for the children and myself. (Please don’t buy those yoghurts marketed at children. The nutritional profile is poor, they are expensive with regards to the quality of ingredients and they are packed with sugar. Instead add honey, maple syrup or fresh fruit puree to natural yoghurt at home, though you may struggle to get away with this in lunch boxes unless your child is totally immune to peer pressure, unfortunately).

Fruit and Vegetables:  Luckily everyone agrees fruit and vegetables are good for you and I happen to like them and, without making too much of a fuss my children eat a fair amount too. I try to eat seasonally and organically but in practice this isn’t always the case. Apart from farms like Riverford Organics and their weekly box scheme which makes a huge effort to source as locally as possible, much supermarket organic produce is shipped or air-freighted. It can also be cripplingly expensive so I would rather stock up at the London Farmers Markets where things are not certified organic but I can talk to the farmer who grows them and buy seasonally and shortly after harvesting.  Even in supermarkets I choose local over organic more often than not (organic asparagus from Peru versus home-grown half the price . . use you head!)

Similarly with strict seasonality – with some things this works, the aforementioned asparagus for example or strawberries which we eat a glut of in season. But I do buy strawberries earlier in the year from Europe, though I balk at buying them mid-winter – it is that hard call between getting the fruit into a child who loves strawberries and justifying air miles. Actually price usually dictates what I buy and when, and I do feel it is good for children to grow up realising things are not available all year round – plus things taste better and are generally better for you in season, and the meat/fish that is in season at the same time as certain fruits and vegetables often go together (fresh peas and wild salmon, mackerel and gooseberries etc). And you appreciate them more if you don’t have them all the time . . . any more arguments?

As far as getting vegetables into reluctant small people soup is by far and away the easiest method.  Amazing what you can blend into a primarily sweet carrot or beetroot soup, combined with home-made chicken stock (INCREDIBLY good for growing children and an excellent protein sparer, so economical too); a slug of olive oil or spoonful of cream and you have covered all your food groups.  Talking of olive oil all vegetables are much improved if cooked lightly and dressed with a generous helping of oil or butter and a sprinkle of mineral-rich sea salt.

Fats: The two fats I use the most of in my cooking are butter and olive oil. Luckily the once-maligned treat that is creamy, yellow butter has been absolved recently now that we know those early, supposedly-healthy margarines were full of evil, and far more damaging trans-fats. Basically we have been eating butter for thousands of years – as long as we have milked cows and quite why it should have become unhealthy in the last 100 years is beyond me.

Luckily olive oil is not so controversial, health officials and foodies alike appreciate its voluptuous flavour and multitude of culinary uses. I for one could drink it out of the bottle I am such a fan. Choose cold-pressed, extra virgin and don’t heat it to too high a temperature to preserve its goodness. Keep in a dark bottle and use quickly. (For advice on choosing a good one, click here)

Lastly, those fats we don’t necessarily add to food but are part of them, namely beef, lamb and poultry fat.  If we have been eating butter for thousands of years we have been eating animal fats for as long as man has hunted and gathered; it is the true staple of the paleolithic diet you may have heard bandied about of late.

In fact, these poor degraded fats are not as bad as health officials would have us believe. Beef and lamb fat may be more saturated than not but half of this saturated fat is stearic acid, a fat that behaves like a monounsaturated (think olive oil) fat in our bodies. The rest is comprised of palmitic acid – believed along with stearic acid to lower LDL cholesterol – and monounsaturated oleic acid.  Grass fed beef and lamb also have a high ratio of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) proven to be beneficial to health.

Pork fat is another unfashionable fat but extremely rich in vitamin D and lard makes the best flaky pastry. Make sure the source you find is not hydrogenated or render your own. Otherwise enjoy bacon, belly pork, ham (nitrate-free please) or lardo.

Poultry fat also has an upside – it is in fact mostly monounsaturated and has a long cultural history (think Jewish Schmaltz) so gourmets please relish goose-fat roasted potatoes, crispy chicken skin, foie gras, duck liver mousse, and globs of healing yellow fat floating atop a restorative chicken soup.  For more information and recipes read Jennifer McLagain’s excellent book ‘Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient’.

Grains: If I eat more meat, fish and cheese (and fat!) than I once did – and believe me my wobbly blood sugar is all the happier for it – by default I eat fewer grains. But, and this is maybe why people fall off Atkins, there are few things more pleasurable than a tangy slice of sourdough bread buttered so thickly that your teeth make marks when you bite. Nothing warms like a bowl of soupy risotto, deliciously comforting when the weather turns cold.  Or proper porridge, cooked the old-fashioned way with water and salt then drenched in cream or with a puddle of melted butter and a thick river of dark, chestnut honey. It is no accident that we want more stodge in winter when our bodies need the fuel to keep warm. And whole grains are healthy whatever the carb-phobes will have you believe.

If you are going to eat grains make them as unprocessed and unrefined as possible. And if you can make the time all whole grains appreciate an overnight soaking in slightly acidic water (add a teaspoon of lemon juice or yoghurt) to help break down the phytates present in all grains that can cause digestive irritability and inhibit the absorption of the valuable minerals and vitamins present in whole grains.

Other than bread (I prefer sourdough with its natural leaven rather than commercial yeast) I use grains in soups with stock and vegetables and in ‘risotto’, though not always as the Italians would recognise it as I use a variety of grains. Or as a base for a salad in summer where they absorb flavours wonderfully and in stews to thicken and warm winter dishes.  My favourites include barley, spelt and farro, as well as carnaroli risotto rice and the more unusual black rice and wild rice.

I have used the highly nutritious grains such as quinoa and millet in the past and liked them – note to self, start cooking all those lovely middle-Eastern fluffy grain dishes dressed with lemon and yoghurt, jewel-like dried fruit and mountains of green herbs  again . . .

Pulses are another good store cupboard ingredient that are invaluable for inexpensive, healthy recipes. Buy from a supplier with a good turnover and make sure to soak for 12-24 hours and cook very thoroughly to avoid an indigestible supper.

Sugar . . . or not: You may wonder why there is a bit of a lack of sweet recipes on this site. Well, I do think sugar has a lot to answer for, whether you are talking refined sucrose or fluffy white bread, which to all intents and purposes your body considers to be the same, causing blood sugar to spike and crash and all the problems that that entails.

Suffice it to say that I try to limit sugar in my diet, not always successfully but I have reconciled myself to not being perfect (in my case this means a daily dose of sugar within 75% bars of dark chocolate, I argue the health benefits of the cocoa outweigh the downside of the sugar . . .hmmm!) It is an ongoing struggle with children, particularly once they reach school age and see what their peers are eating (chocolate spread sandwich on processed white bread anyone?) Banning sweets outright is hopeless and impractical so we have a constant trade off situation, they battle for sweets, I counter-attack with organic meat and vegetables.  They KNOW about healthy eating but sweets taste good – let’s face it sugar is addictive. I do bake cakes or biscuits with sugar but just sugar, butter, ground almonds, flour or polenta rather than give in to the role-call of artificial additives found in most sweets marketed at children. At least they both still like dark (70%) chocolate . . . it’s a HEALTH food, I promise.

I know there are many alternative sweeteners such as brown rice syrup, agave nectar or rapadura sugar (or stevia, the sweetening herb) but I have never really got the measure of these: baking is not instinctive with me the way cooking other food is. So I tend to cook a cake as the recipe dictates using organic unrefined sugar (I realise this is not very different but no bleach at least) and cutting the quantity a little if I think I can get away with it. Otherwise I use honey (cold-pressed and raw if I can get it) as it is one of my favourite things to eat and fits the bill as far as being natural and unprocessed goes. Maple syrup is another good choice and kids like it.

Having read this little soapbox post through again I fear I may be turning into a food activist – having never campaigned for anything in my life and being a generally well-brought up, meek and mild type (stop laughing in the corner) this is new territory for me but I do feel PASSIONATELY about eating real food for our health and the health of our children. If you want to know more there are many, many resources out there. For starters the most readable books I have come across are Nina Planck’s Real Food and Real Food for Mother and Baby and Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food.

Lastly, and I hope I am not contradicting myself here, but try not to get too hung up on what exactly you are eating: I have done this myself and it can be crippling, questioning everything you put in your mouth.  Make pleasure in food your first rule of thumb. Luckily plenty of food that is good for you tastes delicious.

Lastly, ANY steps you make to tip the balance towards fresh food and away from processed is an improvement. You will feel better, pleased at your accomplishments and apart from anything else I would rather take my children tasting round the local farmers market than tantruming over mulitpacks of Haribo sweets at the checkout.