We might be giants … again
Did you know Scots were once the tallest folk in Europe? With a better diet, we might regain the title
Neilforbes
We have a varied and proud food culture here in Scotland. One that is as old as the hills themselves. When you look at the Scots diet over time, we ate in a healthy way for many centuries. Before the industrial revolution, the Scots were the tallest people in Europe as our diet was so good, containing oily fish, oats, beremeal, peasemeal, venison, berries, cheese, foraged plants, lots of tatties and not much meat.
Along came iron foundries and factories in the cities, taking folk away from small holdings and farms in rural areas to live in cramped conditions with food of such poor quality the average height of a man and his average lifespan was reduced dramatically.
I believe we could improve the bad press of having the worst health statistics in Europe by shopping at independent shops and markets (even within a limited budget), by eating less (but better quality) meat, more veg and pulses, less massproduced food, and making food education a priority in schools. We can surely become giants again.
I remember working as a chef in Glamis decades ago, and feeding hungry farmers who loved their tatties, and plenty of them. Then, different varieties of spuds were used for different jobs, depending on their sugar and starch content.
As a treat when boiling a pot of waxy potatoes, I take a slightly cooled one, split it in two, and make a cold butter and Isle of Skye sea salt sandwich to eat whole as a little snack. It is the best taste. It is early potato time now, so get out there to support the Ayrshire growers and buy and eat as many as you can in fun and different ways.
Leek and potato soup with Mull Cheddar biscuits
This soup is so tasty and easy to make. You don't even have to blitz it in the liquidiser, as it is delicious chunky. The crème fraîche adds a rich, creaminess that I love in a soup. Enjoy the cheese biscuit, it is rather tasty and easy to make.
Serves four
For the soup:
1 large leek, topped and root removed, split and washed then roughly chopped, washed again 1 large or 2 small potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped into 1cm pieces 1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
Good salt and pepper
1 litre good chicken stock, veg stock or water
1 handful spinach leaves, washed and roughly chopped
4 teaspoons crème fraîche to garnish (optional)
A few slices of radish to garnish (optional)
Chopped chives to garnish (optional)
1 Melt the butter gently in a thickbottomed pan on a medium heat. Add the onion and sweat without colour for 5 to 7 minutes until soft. Add salt and pepper, stir and add the potato and leek, stirring for a few minutes.
2 Then add the stock, hot if possible, combine and bring to the boil. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, skimming off any foam.
3 When the potatoes are cooked, season again and add the handful of spinach. Once wilted, blitz in a liquidiser for at least 2 minutes; always be very careful using a liquidiser as they can erupt and cover your kitchen with boiling soup, so be careful. It may be better to use a handheld blender if you have one.
4 Once blitzed, pass the soup through a fine sieve. It’s hard work but it will make the soup super-smooth. Serve in a warm bowl with a dollop of cold crème fraîche topped with some chopped chives and a few slices of radish. Enjoy with a few cheese biscuits.
For the Mull Cheddar biscuits:
100g unsalted butter, diced 100g plain flour, plus a bit more for dusting
A pinch of salt
A pinch of cayenne or paprika 50g Mull Cheddar, grated
1 egg
1 Pre-heat the oven to 180C.
2 Combine the butter and flour then add the salt, cayenne and grated cheese. Try adding chives or grain mustard through the mix too. Add the egg and mix well. It will take around 2 to 3 minutes to mix. Prepare a rolling surface with flour and roll the mixture into a sausage shape the diameter of a £2 coin. Cover tightly in cling film and leave to rest for an hour. 3 Remove the cling film, cut into discs and lay them on baking parchment. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes but don’t over-cook or they will become bitter. Allow to cool and serve with the soup.
Lamb with olive, tomato and basil sauce
This is a blast from the past for me as I hadn’t used this combination for years until recently. I almost forgot about it! Everything just works. I like to chop the basil very small and even infuse some in the sauce. Not too heavy with the tomato and olive giving it a hint of the Mediterranean. Those fat and juicy kalamata olives are superb with this dish.
Serves 2
Half a loin of lamb from your butcher or market trader, skin removed, and fat scored so it renders more easily
1 small shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon rapeseed oil
Half a celery stick, roughly chopped 1 rosemary frond
1 clove garlic
1 glass red wine
500ml good, strong lamb or beef stock
Good salt and pepper
1 tomato, cut into quarters, seeds removed and retained, flesh chopped
1 tablespoon kalamata olives, pitted A few basil leaves, chopped
1 To make the sauce, add the shallots and add a half teaspoon of oil to a small pot and fry. Add the celery and fry again until there’s a good colour. This will take 2 to 3 minutes. Next, add the rosemary, garlic and wine. Reduce for around 4 minutes until
the wine resembles a glaze. Add the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 40 minutes, skimming as you go.
2 Add the tomato seeds. When simmered, pass the sauce through a fine sieve and reduce by at least half until the sauce is the consistency of double cream – about another 10 minutes. Add a leaf or two of basil and set to one side.
3 To roast the lamb, get a frying pan moderately hot on the hob and add the remaining oil. Season the lamb with salt and pepper and fry fat side down in the hot oil for 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown. Roll the lamb over and continue cooking carefully for about 5 minutes until all the meat is coloured, seasoning as you go. Finally, add a little knob of butter and baste the lamb. The lamb should be just firm to touch. It may need to go in the oven (at 180C) for 2 to 3 minutes. When ready, remove the meat from the pan and rest in a warm place.
4 Meanwhile, add the chopped tomato, olives and basil to the warm sauce and return to the heat.
To serve, carve the lamb and place on a warm plate. Spoon over the warm sauce, and serve with buttery mash and greens.
Lemon tart
This is an all-time favourite of many a chef and cook, and rightly so. It is clean, simple and made well, it cannot be beaten. Serve with whatever you like, rhubarb, berries, even just cold crème fraîche. This is close to the perfect dessert.
Serves 8 to 10
1 10-inch pre-baked sweet pastry tart case
1 egg, beaten for an egg wash 4 organic lemons, zested and juiced 9 eggs, beaten
375g caster sugar
300ml double cream
Extra sugar for glazing, about a teaspoon per slice
1 Heat the oven to 140C/gas Mark drying.
2 Brush the tart case with egg wash to ensure it’s sealed and no leaks will occur. Place on an oven tray.
3 Gently whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, eggs, and sugar adding each ingredient one at a time. Allow to settle for half an hour, skimming any bubbles from the top of the mix. Pass through a fine sieve to remove the zest and any impurities. 4 Pour the mix into the tart case, being careful not to overfill it. Place in the oven for an hour. Gently is the way to go here, all appliances are different and if your oven runs hot, reduce the temperature and the length of time you cook it.
5 Remove from the oven once the wobble stops being runny and allow to cool, in a cold room if possible.
6 When ready to eat, cut a portion and sprinkle over a teaspoon of sugar. Glaze with a blow torch, or flash under a very hot grill until caramelised. Serve with a dollop of crème fraîche.