CRISPY PANCAKES WITH SMOKED HADDOCK AND SPINACH COOK’S NOTE

Caroline Lindsell, 42, and Dylan O’Shea, 40, are dedicated to designing handmade textiles and statement interior pieces woven in Guatemala, and flat-weave rugs from India. They live in London with daughters Coco, seven, and Juno, three.

Remember Findus Crispy Pancakes? This is my take. The packs of baby spinach leaves in the supermarket aren’t ideal; old-fashioned big leaves are the thing, and greengrocers are a good source. Or use frozen whole leaf spinach.

Serves two (two each)

INGREDIENTS

150g smoked haddock,

skinned 150ml milk

1 bay leaf (optional) 250g fresh spinach or 125g frozen whole leaf spinach,

defrosted

2 tbsp butter, plus 1 tbsp melted butter for finishing

1 tbsp plain flour Whole nutmeg, for grating 4 wholemeal pancakes, at least 18cm across (see basic pancake recipe above right) 1 egg white, for brushing 4 tbsp dry breadcrumbs

METHOD

h Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas 4.

h Slice the smoked haddock into 3cm chunks and put in a small pan with the milk and a bay leaf if you have

one. Heat gently until the milk comes to a boil, then draw off the heat, cover and leave to cool.

h Wash the fresh spinach, and chop roughly. Unless the stems are very coarse (thicker than a pencil) include them too. Heat one tablespoon of butter,

add the spinach, cover and cook gently until the spinach wilts. Uncover and stir over heat until any liquid evaporates. (Using frozen spinach? Squeeze it dry, add to the pan with the butter and toss until well coated.)

h Heat the second tablespoonful of butter in a small pan and stir in the flour. Strain the milk from the haddock and stir the milk into the butter/flour mix little by little, to make a smooth sauce. Cook for a couple

of minutes, taste and season with pepper and grated nutmeg; it may

not need salt.

h Flake the haddock and mix into the sauce along with the spinach. Divide

between the four pancakes, folding them

over in half. Lay on a baking sheet lined with non stick parchment. Brush with egg white, sprinkle with breadcrumbs, then trickle with melted butter.

h Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden.

Grilling the pancakes does make the edges very dark – I love the smoky note this gives but you could

tuck them underneath to protect them, if

you prefer.

“There’s a movement towards making conscious choices. Rather than consumerism for consumerism’s sake, people are choosing to surround themselves with things that resonate,” says Dylan O’Shea. “I read Development Studies at uni, looking at processes of change in developing countries. I like the idea of enabling change – giving people the capacity to change things for themselves through fair exchange.

“When I met Caroline, she’d been working in fashion design in London and America and was in need of a change, tired of the relentless pace and the constant need for something new. We wanted to create a design studio based on a principled way of working, with a mission. Caroline has an unerring eye for colour, scale and line, and we’re both drawn to geometric patterns, which led us to Guatemala, where the brocade fabric woven by Mayan women is a living part of everyday life.

“We found handmade textile heaven there. Our aim is to preserve the legacy of the craft while presenting it in a new way to a wider audience, allowing it to breathe in a different air and work in new contexts – reinterpreting the designs for a contemporary setting.

“We bring work directly to the women, so they can earn from home and champion their ancient, indigenous ‘jaspe’ wooden, portable backstrap loom weaving culture and the treadle loom techniques introduced by the Spanish in the 1500s, without leaving their community or their families.

“Without an in-between taking a cut, artisan processes are inherently sustainable and engender better working conditions. Our weavers’ looms are powered by their hands and feet. It’s a physical, small-batch process with little waste, and our partnership with our weavers is symbiotic.

“There’s a certain tactile quality to the fabric, which is extremely beautiful, with an imperceptible irregularity – every time I see it, the detail still blows me away. It brings warmth and a story to a room. Beyond Central America, Indian flat weave rugs are a centuries-old tradition, and we wanted to work with the masters of the craft. The name A Rum Fellow plays on an idea we had of a bold, brave renegade, someone who strays from the beaten track to source something out-of-the-ordinary, that can’t be found anywhere else.”

“Good design enhances the space we live in. Great design changes the world we live in,” adds Caroline Lindsell.

“These are woven by Ramji, a talented craftsman from Gujarat in western India, and are for both the everyday table and for special occasions (they go in a washing machine on a 30-degree cycle). We sit with Ramji for hours, merging our styles.”

Napkin, £20

Since 2016, the Yorkshire

Dales and North York Moors national parks have held dark skies festivals each February. This year, for obvious reasons, it’s going virtual. Its theme is nature at night, and attendees can learn about bats’ echolocation

calls or owls’ asymmetrical ears. There

will be talks on the importance of moths to

the ecosystem via nocturnal pollination, and live webcam footage of

owls and stoats. Astronomy will be covered too, and the talks are aimed at ages

10 and above. For more information, visit gostargazing.co.uk

and dark skies national parks.

org.uk