Jason Atherton, Sophie Grigson & Adam Gray

Changing direction and becoming a food writer means you have to get into the scene. By getting out there and meeting people, finding out about what they are doing, and how they are doing things is half the battle and last night I attended the Northamptonshire Food and Drinks Awards, with my parents and cousins from italy , Luciana and Alfonso. It was a delicious evening in every sense. The food, of course was as to be expected from Adam Gray, fabulous, local and utterly delicious. As I arrived I was handed a glass of my parents bubby, Champs D’amour. Sipping this I was introduced to a man called Jason. He was handsome, engaging and interested in the people around him and I hadn’t got the foggiest clue who he was .. but he asked me how my book was coming along.. He nodded knowingly as I said that truthfully right now it’s hard work. He smiled said that the middle bit of a book is always the hardest part. The start and the end is fun. He knew this as he’s written three recipe books himself. Now as I am writing this I am feeling a little bit like I’ve had my head in the sand - I’ve clearly lost touch with the world. As I asked the titles of his books he must have been amused to literally watch the penny drop. I mean duh .. ! This charming man was none other that Jason Atherton. Just three months ago he launched Gourmet Food for under a Fiver. He was also recently in the news as he is launching a new restaurant in Mayfair as he ended his partnership with Gordon Ramsey to do his own thing. But when have I had time to read the paper or watch TV ?

But the truth is that I had already fallen a little but in love with him before I knew any of this.

The Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards facilitate business in the county. By organizing an event like this it acts as a base, a catalyst from which people meet each other. Facilitating trade, friendship and a sense of community it certainly does do that Whist Mum and Dad won runner up for their bubby in the drink awards I watched people all around me. There were restaurant owners arranging to use local tarts on their menus, beer makers organizing visits to pubs, and cupcake makers being clocked for promotional gift opportunities’. All round me links were being forged. This enterprise will ripple out across the food and local economy for many months and even years to come. For me this gave the opportunity to speak to one of my absolute favorite food writers and presenters again, Sophie Grigson. The awards had already afforded me the opportunity to meet Sophie in August, but this time I explained that I need some words at the front of the book to get the book buyers to take me, an unknown author, seriously. Sophie kindly agreed to have a look at my idea and give some words I can use on the cover of the book. I cannot thank her enough. To have one of our counties leading food writers make a comment on my work will make such a difference. I was so close to tears as she said she would and gave her a great big impromptu hug!

So I’d like to thank Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards for facilitating meeting both Jason and Sophie. For their effect on the local food, drink and tourism for Northamptonshire will be felt across the lives of almost every person involved in this industry across the county including the participants, the runners up and the winners and of course … me. Thank you

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Chili Chocolate Cake

To get started as a food writer I offered to write the column for my local paper. It's a super opportunity and gets my recipes out of my kitchen and into the local community. What's more, is that when I took the proposal for this book to the publisher in June I was already , be it only for 4 weeks at the time, a food writer. I love it. Last week I was asked to come up with a cake for adults only .. and as I am writing the chocolate chapter I thought 'd share it with you. On Tuesday I shall be heading to meet Chantal Coady at Rococo Chocolates on Motcomb street to delight in the best chocolate ever. .. and I have been asked to attend a book launch .. I'm so excited ... I've never been to one before !

In the mean time, with the October weather closing in I can highly recommend this ... this one is certainly not for the children - this cake is for grown ups. You get your sweet fix, followed by a chill hit and chocolate burst to finish – just how I like it. Intense. It is a rich cake so it’s worth the calories to enjoy just one. Two words of warning - don’t get carried away with the chili. Use the exact amount. Too hot is not nice. Secondly don’t get mixed up and use picked beetroots!

Makes 2 cakes

Preparation time 10 minutes for the cakes & 15 minutes for decoration

Cooking time 25 minutes

Suitable for freezing YES before decorating

Make an extra one - to freeze

Cake

150ml of rape seed oil

3 eggs

300g grated drained cooked beetroot

225g self-raising flour

75g cocoa powder

1 level tsp chili powder

280g caster sugar

1tsp bicarbonate of soda

Icing

150g icing sugar

60g egg white

50g cocoa powder

Chili’s

Two small packets of florist icing paste

One red, one green

Filling

150g dark chocolate ( I use this from Rococo Chocolate )

50ml of double cream

1 Preheat the oven to 170C/350F/Gas mark 4

2 Sift all the dry ingredients for the cake into a bowl

3 In a separate bowl place the 3 eggs and whisk. Add to this oil and beetroot and oil.

4 Add the dry mixture in to the wet ingredient. Mix well

5 Divide the mixture between 2 eight-inch tins and bake in the oven for 25 minutes until they have risen and spring back in to shape if touched.

6 Leave to cool on a wire rack.

7 For the filling melt the chocolate in a bain marie and add the cream. Mix well until the chocolate thickens. If it is little too runny pop it in the fridge to cool down. Cut the cake in half and spread in the middle before sandwiching back together.

8 Mix the egg, cocoa powder and icing sugar together. Adjust the consistency to get a good thick icing sugar and spread generously on top.

9 To make the sugar chilies. Break off small pieces of the red sugar paste roll in your hands to a chewing gum consistency and roll into a chili shape. You have to work quickly as it dries out. Keep what you are not using covered. Make a stalk using the green paste. Using the end of a chopstick push a small dent in the top and using a really tiny drop of water as glue stick the two together. Voila – top your cakes with chilies!

The East Midlands Food Festival I got covered in poo and left empty handed

To meet and find out more about your local food is absolutely essential for any food writer. Local food festivals is one of the places where you meet people and get new opportunities. Aside from being fun it's one of the most important ways to create links and get yourself known to the people in the thick of food, and I’ve literally just got in from The East Midlands Food Festival. I had just 2 hours to look around and meet people and I’ve been looking forward to it for weeks. Now I find myself, not blogging about he superb food as I expected, but blogging about it as fast as I can to warn anyone and everyone who, is visiting. Take CASH. Take Wellies.

Yes I know today was about getting writing opportunities ..but I set out this morning with, not one but two baskets and intentions of seriously denting the credit in my account along the way! I cautioned myself along the way. Be sensible. Don’t spend too much. But you know how it is when you’ve been looking forward to something for ages. I went with serious food acquirement intent.

But I’ve come home practically empty-handed. And covered in mud and cow .. well .. .. poo. The parking was horrendous. This was not the glamourous life of a food writer I had expected !

There was no signal. No debit or credit card could be used and there was no cash point. I queued for 25 minutes to pay to get in and still there was no signal and the card machines didn’t work. A woman came out to apologise. But that was the sum total of her use. In the end I resorted to borrowing my 8-year-old daughters pocket money to get in. It was only £6 entry. This left me just £4 to spend!

I did not leave empty handed, I might say, through lack seriously great food being available. On the contrary. There were the most beautiful cupcakes, delicious bison meat, superb local sausages ostrich burgers, and delightful local cheese from Leicester, chutneys jams and cheese, divine chocolate. I also got to meet the editor of Great Food Leicestershire and Rutland, Matthew Wright. Fortunately as I explained what I do and the lack of cash Matthew gave me a magazine.

My daughter bought a pancake with the £4 that was left. It was all the more delicious for being the only thing we ate!

Typically of me on the way out I spotted a well-presented slightly older chap in a high viz. Ah ha ! …. Someone to complain to. It turned out that he was just he very person to complain to; Matthew O'Callaghan - The chairman of the East Midlands Food Festival. After I ranted about cow doo, lack of purchases and a not very pretty entrance .. (see the photo of the entrance - arriving to the sight of 4 portaloos this was hardly the beautiful stately home in the promotional shots!!)

That said, he was good enough to give me a minute on the Audioboo. He explained that the venue allowed them to bring the entry price down from £8.50 to £6. Which is a fair point, after all the lower price had facilitated my entry by borrowing pocket money!

He also apologised for the lack of card facilities. They had put in a signal booster, that didn’t work. My advice? Put a large notice at the front of the website BRING CASH. WEAR WELLIES. That would manage my expectations and I would have had nothing to complain about, at all.

But the food was good. Really good.

THE ENTRANCE .. past the portaloos .. mmm nice !

Plum & Cardamom Crumble with Vanilla Custard

I have thing for Plums. So much so, there is a whole chapter in the book dedicated to them, and as the autumn sets in and the world seems to be falling into a slumber the last of the plums can be found in the local farms shops. Yes, I know that crumble is a little old fashioned, but it’s comforting as the nights draw in. By adding cardamom and jazzing up the topping it gives a fresh perspective on this old favorite, and you can further keep it healthy, by using rapeseed oil in the topping. The deep dark plums sit, stewed in sweetness under a light aromatic crunchy topping. For me it has to be served in a great puddle of creamy vanilla custard. The cardamom binds with the rich plumy base and the vanilla floats effortlessly across the top. There you have it ... a delicious sophisticated crumble.

Makes crumble for 6 - 8 people

Base

800g plums

60g sugar

25g butter

Topping

230g oats

125g sweetened desiccated coconut

100g flaked almonds

50g sugar

1 level tsp ground cardamom

125ml of rapeseed oil

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 Remove the stones from the plums. Place in an ovenproof dish about 10 inches wide and 2 inches deep. Sprinkle the sugar and butter over evenly.

2 Mix all the dry ingredients together, and then drizzle the rapeseed oil. Mix really well.

3 Sprinkle this topping over the plums and bake in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes, until the topping is a light golden brown and the fruit is bubbling away underneath the crumble topping.

Wait a few minutes for the crumble to cool before serving with warm vanilla custard or thick cream.

Makes 750ml of custard

Vanilla Custard

500ml full fat milk

200 ml double cream

5 egg yolks

100g vanilla sugar

1 In a heavy based saucepan place the milk, cream, and egg yolks sugar and stir on a low heat, and keep moving this lightly using a whisk

2 Keep stirring as the custard thickens. This can take 10 – 15 minutes so take your time an don’t be tempted to heat it quickly ( .. you will get scrambled eggs!) The mixture will thicken. When the custard coats the back of a spoon remove from the heat.

Note: Don’t throw your vanilla pod away. Wash and dry it and add it to your sugar pot.