SUE’S TASTE OF AUTUMN
Just yesterday I did roasted butternut squash and chive tarts.
I often do savoury tarts, and squashes and pumpkins are so brilliant in the autumn. I happened to go out into my garden and noticed how many chives were still growing, so I decided to do something with those. I just roasted the butternut squash, put in a little bit of chopped chilli, dried them off, popped them in the tart
cookbook, A Taste Of Scotland’s Islands, saw her journey to the likes of Mull, Raasay and Luing.
“We all gave suggestions, and then later had the guy on again after she accepted. They wanted the panel’s suggestions of what they could cook for their small lockdown wedding. That just shows that the audience are really with us through thick and thin.”
She added: “Another time, I remember taking a whole, massive cooked chicken – which I got from Linda Dick Chickens in the Borders – in a tiny wheelie trolley on a three-hour train journey to film an episode in the north of England. I could see everybody on the train looking around and thinking, ‘What is that lovely smell?’
“The trolley was really well insulated, so the chicken was still almost tepid by the time I got it to the show. We do go to a quite astonishing lengths for the live shows.”
And speaking of the live recordings, being part of the series has given Lawrence the opportunity to travel the length and breadth of the country which, although fun, can mean logistical challenges.
She explained: “One of the places we went was in the middle of nowhere, vaguely near Bristol – that’s all I can remember – in a tiny hamlet.
“It used to be a circus venue, so the green room was a sort-of cupboard-cum-dressing room. All of the panel, before the show, ended up doing hula hoops and juggling and dressing up – we looked completely ridiculous, before we suddenly looked like normal people and walked on to the stage. So, some of the venues can be very interesting.
“But there is a downside to having to travel the whole country. One time, I was travelling from Edinburgh down to Ludlow, and there was an issue with the train so I ended up being stuck in Carlisle. It was panic stations for everyone else – there’s only four panellists so if one person is missing it’s a lot of work for the others.
“I had to get a bus home and arrived about midnight having not even managed to do the show! So, in a way, the shows are fun and exciting but sometimes the way we’re doing them at the moment is a little easier. In saying that, we’re going back to the live format as soon as we’re allowed.”
Being able to share food again with her colleagues, and the live audience, is one aspect of The Kitchen Cabinet Lawrence can’t wait to revisit, especially given some of the interesting concoctions she’s tasted over the years.
However, for now, bringing the sight, sound, scent and taste of food to the radio – and the series’ 1.4million listeners – will have to suffice.
Lawrence continued: “Just the thought of sharing platters is quite exciting, isn’t it? The next show I’m on we’ve actually got to have some Sichuan peppercorns in front of us. We have no idea why – we never do – so it will be a complete surprise on the day.
“Nothing’s every easy for the panellists, but it always ends up being a good programme – we hope.”