Western Morning News (Saturday)
Summer cooking the kids can sink their teeth into...
Martin Hesp asks for tips on how parents keep their children well fed in the school holidays
You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone. The words of Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi, 53 long years ago, when a great many teenagers like me fell head over heels in love with her song – not that many 13-year-olds understood what those words meant. But half a century later, those of us who grew long hair in the Sixties will understand exactly what Joni was saying. And one thing I miss now at the very height of the school holidays is not making more of the time when our kids were at home.
I know, I know... It’s easy to say such a thing. I happen to be in that window when our children have long since flown the nest and any grandchildren are yet to materialise. But I do remember that, trying to keep down a full-time job while having the kids at home day after day, can place a major load on the shoulders of even the most efficient and patient of parents. I also know that organising all the food and drink required for those long summer days can be something akin to a major military manoeuvre.
But I do miss it now that it’s gone – and look forward to the slightly less daunting experience of being a grandparent and helping out when called upon.
My recollections tell me that children do not tend to appreciate a lunch of last night’s warmed-up leftovers in the same way in which grown-ups are happy to hoover up the weary contents of a fridge.
Nowadays, leftovers account for four-out-of-five of my midday repasts on a weekday – but I do wonder how warmly my future grandchildren will welcome a soup that is the whizzed-up end-game for yesterday’s roast dinner.
In my dreams I am hoping they might at least admire the way their granddad can take the tired remains of a cooked chicken and turn it into a vibrant stock which makes a brilliant risotto which, in turn, creates those really toothsome crunchy arancini they love so much. But in reality I suspect that is a dream too far.
So with this potential failure in mind, I asked my colleagues at RAW Food and Drink PR for their tips on feeding the kids during the summer hols. All of them are mums and all of
them are busy – so how do they wear the twin hat which sees them being public relations experts and school cooks?
“With a ravenous 14-year-old son, who seems to grow several inches everyday, I need to make sure he’s properly fuelled, and not just with bars of his favourite Wispa Golds!” says Lucy Johnson (who some readers will remember used to be equine editor of this newspaper).
“We’re always on the go with hiking, biking, paddle boarding and surfing part and parcel of every day life,” says Lucy. “There’s also the four dogs, four horses and the vegetable plot to look after which requires an awful lot of energy.
“We recently discovered the most delicious, decadent, luxurious flapjacks made by Tavistock-based Flapjackery, which are packed full of British oats, plus sugar, and far better than mass-produced flapjacks. We recently ordered an Adventure Box online and took it on a trip to Scotland, which included a hike up the Merrick in the Galloway National Forest, and mountain biking at Killoughtree. They were so welcome when we got to the top in murky miserable rain and chilly winds. Rather than providing that instant sugar rush you get with chocolate, they kept us all going for much longer.”
RAW’s founder Hayley Reynolds told me: “We have already had lots of visitors this summer and a good way to start their stay is with a cream tea, which children love too. Juggling work with entertaining two teenagers and a 10-year-old means we do tend to cheat and buy freshly baked scones from The Bakehouse in Kingsbridge and serve them with oodles of Trewithen Dairy clotted cream and a local strawberry jam.
“We tend to keep cooking simple over the summer, but with so much superb local produce it’s easy to create delicious meals. Catch of the Day fishmongers, also in Kingsbridge, is always busy but worth a little wait to get wonderfully fresh fish and seafood. My husband Jonathan and our two boys are spending a lot of time on our 60-year-old wooden boat, so the pressure cooker gets lots of use on board, with one-pot dishes such as chilli con carne, using chuck steak or similar from the Salcombe Meat Company at Ashby’s, or the town butchers.
“Our daughter Jemima is working at Salcombe Dairy and the crepes they’re selling this summer, alongside their divine ice cream and chocolate, are too good to resist. We always look out for Yarde Farm ice cream too when we’re out and about in Devon.
“Our fridge is full of Luscombe Drinks – and Sandford Orchards Devon Red cider and Salcombe Brewery Pale Ale for the adults – so there’s plenty to offer guests. Luscombe Elderflower Bubbly and Raspberry Crush are a particular hit with our three.”
Mum of one baby and one toddler, Harry Hook, believes in adding plenty of fun to the holiday feeding regime: “Summer meals are all about feeding the family with as much theatre and fun as possible. We cook at least one meal every day on the barbecue – it only takes 10 minutes to come up to temperature. We like to throw something in to the Kamado Joe in the afternoon so it’s ready for an early dinner. Chicken thighs, corn on the cob – food’s always best when cooked over fire.
“Failing that, we’ll grab something for an outdoor picnic, gather up a few friends and head somewhere beautiful,” says Harry. “Best of all – there’s no washing up! All it takes is a few Chunk pies and everyone’s happy.”
Kath Hope is another busy mum with a busy household. “If everyone is going to be around for lunch we always try to have fresh homemade bread. Our sourdough starter works overtime in the summer holidays, but a quick and simple recipe serves up delicious bread every time. The key is to use great tasting flour. Matthews Cotswold Flour have a huge range of speciality flours and we order a mixed selection.”
My old friend at the WMN, Gillian Molesworth told me: “I tend to make big batches of things, make it easy for people to help themselves. I find that kids during the holidays like to keep their own schedules and they don’t always coincide with yours. I like cooking a whole ham and a whole chicken to be kept in the fridge and made into sandwiches, or a big batch of cucumber salad or coleslaw.
“When I cook rice or pasta I make loads extra and keep a bowl of that in the fridge as well. We tend to only have one meal a day together in the evenings. Also, obviously you’ve got to eat down whatever your veg patch is producing: for us right now it’s all about
cucumbers and courgettes!” She adds: “Obviously taking advantage of what’s in season is a great idea. Summer is fantastic for fruit, so have a big bowl of nectarines on the table and stuff like that. When we barbecue I’ll also do halved peppers, courgettes and aubergine brushed with olive oil, salt and herbs; these give you a break from protein dense barbecue menus and also can be used for leftovers later, with feta cheese and added to rice, couscous or pasta.”
For a super easy and popular summer punch, use any fruit juice of your choice, says Gillian. “For instance pineapple, tropical or apple, and add that about half and half to either lemonade or ginger ale in a big jug. Throw in a bit of mint or citrus slices for garnish. Super easy, everyone loves it, and if you put in a wine glass it looks gourmet.”
I can vouch for Gillian’s tray-bake of summer vegetables so, kids or no, that’s one I shall try here at home.