Lavazza Coffee Calendar Launch & The Romanian Beggar Lady

I will eat hot food tonight she tells me.

It’s raining.  I am walking back to perhaps one of the most luxurious hotels I can remember staying in.  It’s the Palazzo Parigi in Milan.  Everyone is beautiful.  The waiters’ are beautiful.  The other journalists are beautiful. Everything is beautiful.

There is a Lamborghini in the shop window. I can smell coffee in the damp air.  I am going through the list of questions I want to ask Francesca Lavazza.  I want to find out if Lavazza treat the farmers who grow the beans that they use in their coffee fairly.  I am worried that they might not, partially because I have been drinking Lavazza coffee for years, and partially because I am a guest of Lavazza.  How will my journalistic integrity stand up if I find out that they are less than fair?  The PR team has assured me that they take the sustainability of their coffee and the welfare of the growers seriously.

My parents have been buying Lavazza coffee for years.  Of course we’d rarely buy it here in the UK.  The French supermarkets do a four pack and it was always cheaper to buy in bulk when the exchange rates was good.  We’d travel back home with a boot full of wine, coffee and stinking cheese.

I don’t feel as though I belong here despite bing half Italian. I am simply not beautiful enough. I haven’t had time to sort my roots out and I can see grey. My nails are embarrassing. I hold my hands in such a way so my nails don’t show at supper. I feel huge in comparison to all these tiny dark haired impeccably dressed women who look stunning.  I have to remind myself I am here to tell a story.

I approach the hotel and spot the concierge.  I must hurry, as I am late for the grand unveiling of the 2014 Lavazza calendar, with Ferran Adrià, a Spanish Catalan chef who was the head chef of the elBulli and is considered one of the best chefs in the world. The photographs  of Ferran Adria

Albert Adrià, Massimo Bottura, Michel Bras, Antonino Cannavacciuolo, Davide Oldani

and Carlo Cracco have been shot by renowned photographer, Martin Schoeller, and looking forward to seeing the calendar.  (It is a work of art and you can see the photos in Xanthe Clay's report here in The Telegraph. )

I’m about to walk up the steps when I spot a woman trying to shelter from the rain.  It’s more like a fine drizzle. I look into the marble foyer of the hotel and then back to the woman.  It’s a surreal moment because I am in that instant overwhelmed with a feeling of shame.

Who am I? Who am I to be the one to enjoy privilege? Who am I to worry about my grey roots showing? Who am I to be embarrassed by my hardworking gardening hands? I am absolutely ashamed that my concerns are so trivial.

I turn around and go over to the woman.  She is Romanian. Maria explains to me that her husband is dead, and her children are a long way from here.  I can’t understand much more, but I want to ask her if she’d like a coffee with me?  I ask her in my broken mix of French, Italian and smattering of Spanish.  The concierge isn’t smiling now.  He is almost scowling. 

I don’t blame him. It is his job to keep beggars away from the from of the hotel and if I ask this lady to come in I will most likely get him in trouble. Instead I ask Maria if she will allow me to take her photo. She stands with a sign and a smile.  I give her 20 Euros.  It’s all I have and she is delighted.  I will eat hot food tonight she tells me.

 I look into the marble foyer of the hotel and then back to the woman.  

I go back into the hotel feeling like a coward.

All though the presentation I think that I should have asked her in for a coffee.

The presentation is over.  It is beyond glamorous and I am given a generous slot to interview Francesca Lavazza. Lavazza was founded in 1895 in Turin by Luigi Lavazza and is still owned by the Lavazza family – it is now in its fourth generation and so I am to have the chance to ask Francesca Lavazza directly about their initiatives. I am amazed to find out the company employs over 4,000 people around the world. As we sit in a conference room with the translator see in Francesca pride in her Italian heritage, its premium quality and its mission is the authentic Italian coffee experience – but I want to know is that at the expense of the famers?

What does sustainability mean to Lavazza? I ask. Francesca is clearly used to answering this question. “For Lavazza, contributing to the sustainable development of coffee producing countries is a key commitment,” She tells me. “We have always been a responsible company and we really pay close attention to the human, environmental and cultural resources of the countries from which we source our coffee.  We are very proud to be associated with and working alongside the Rainforest Alliance to protect the future of our environment and industry.” It sounds rehearsed but it is good to hear that the company takes their ethical responsibility seriously.

 I have read about the collaboration with The Rainforest Alliance that Francesca tells me about the ¡Tierra! Project  launched in 2002 aimed at helping improve living conditions of coffee-growers in Peru, Colombia, India, Brazil, Honduras, and Tanzania. Lavazza have been improving things through the development of environmental, economic and social initiatives. Francesca goes on to explain that the aim of their initiatives is to improve the living conditions, social development and economic growth with in the farming communities.  It has been successful. The second phase, was launched in 2010 and involves India, Brazil and Tanzania. 

  Left  - Ferran Adrià, a Spanish Catalan chef who was the head chef of the elBulli 

Reading between the lines it seems that if the famers do well then Lavazza also does well.  It is, it seems, in their interest to look after the farmers.  The main drive is economically beneficial to all and by developing high-quality productions that are increasingly ecological and profitable, alongside new agricultural techniques and production tools the overall aim is greater competitiveness and independence, whilst looking after the environment. It does sound like corporate spiel, and although I want to believe every word I have some doubts about The Rain Forest Alliance.

The biggest difference between the Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade seems to be the price paid for the coffee. The Fairtrade Foundation guarantees farmers a minimum price per pound of green coffee beans. This is generally quite a bit higher than the market price. The Fairtrade Foundation also pays an extra premium.  This social premium is to invest in community projects and yet the The Rainforest Alliance offers no minimum or guaranteed price.  When I was in Uganda I saw clearly that the policies of the Fairtrade foundation take into account all of the issues that the Rainforest Allience do.. so for me Fairtrade is simply fairer. Perhaps I am missing something?

 Bottom left Massimo Bottura of Osteria Francescana and right Martin Schoeller

Fancesca tells me that more schemes are being put into place and so far it seems that they have improved, simplified and made coffee production more efficient with all the initiatives.  They have built new homes, and infirmaries, schools, and micro projects for other crops have been established. Perhaps Lavazza provides this extra money and this is in place of the Fairtrade premium?   I ask but the answer is wooly, however Francesca is keen to convey that their corporate responsibility projects meet the needs of everyone involved. Lavazza excellence and sustainability go hand in hand.  I’d rather see it first had though than be sitting in a five star hotel talking about it.

I also am keen to find out more about Lavazza’s decaffeination process, having read so much about some of the processes and some somewhat dubious chemical practices used in the decaffeination process. Francesca explains that they use a water decaffeination process.  They own one of only two plants in Europe that use this method and I am delighted when I am invited to come and look at the factory in the spring.

Perhaps I will get the opportunity to meet some of the coffee farmers one day.

In the end the only thing I can do …  is try to resolve my feelings when I am faced with such inequality.  The world is simple not fair and the only way I can deal with this is through being more determined then ever to use my privilege to help others.  Its good to chat to Farncesca about the corporate responsibility program, but I’d like to see it for myself. 

The 2014 Lavazza Calendar can be viewed online here. 

Sweet Sourdough bread with Dan Lepard - Guest post by Andrea Norrington

I seem to have an insatiable appetite for sourdough.  Since learning to make my own earlier this year with Vanessa Kimbell, the mention of sweet sourdough seemed too good to resist.  When I found out that the tutor for the course was Dan Lepard I was champing at the bit to be able to learn more.  Unfortunately I couldn't commit to the course date, and I sat wistfully looking at my well-used copy of Short and Sweet.   Thanks for the wonder of Twitter; a last minute opportunity for a place on the course became available.  My commitments had changed and I was free for the day so I sent off a tweet to enter....

The upshot was a wonderful day where I learnt so much.  The kitchen at Juniper and Rose is so welcoming.  Vanessa has created an environment that lets you feel part of the house.  There is none of the uneasiness of being in a more formal kitchen environment.   

There is another Sweet Sourdough Course on the 1st February 2014.

 As Dan introduced his plan for the day, Vanessa prepared our lunch, with amazing smells wafting around us.  The recipes had been carefully selected for us, and with the lovely (and very well qualified) Maureen assisting on the weighing and measuring we were able to concentrate on the tips and techniques from Dan without having to worry about watching the scales.

Being shown how to work the bread and to understand the texture and consistency of a working dough is an invaluable experience and one that is so hard to gain from reading or even watching on TV.  My confidence soared as Dan gently corrected my technique and I could immediately understand the difference that it was making to my handling of the dough.  Although a confident cake maker, I consider myself a newbie to bread making and not once did I feel daunted or overwhelmed by anything that was mentioned.   Dan answered any question we had – not just on bread making but on a whole range of baking topics.  He was so full of enthusiasm and passionate on this subject that I have been inspired to follow up the day with learning about different flours.  Of particular interest was how he explained the science behind dough, this was not technical at all and even novice baker like me suddenly had a light bulb moment in understanding what was actually happening when I was allowing bread to prove.

Totally delicious! 

One of the highlights of the day was the time spent chatting with Dan over coffee during a proving break.  He showed genuine interest in our own baking experiences that we were able to share tips (and photos) of our successes and discuss what might have happened for the failures.  The other by-product of day like this is the friends that you make – fellow twitter buddies to share your baking triumphs and woes with.  I have found that fellow classmates are so generous with their tips and recipes.  By the end of the day we had all made three recipes.  It was sad to leave the kitchen with our bundle of chocolate sourdough cake, sweet grape focaccia and pumpkin and raisin sourdough loaf but I went away inspired and enthused about what I could make.

Footnote: The chocolate sourdough cake has already become a firm family favourite and we have experimented with several toppings – chocolate orange seems to win at the moment!

There is another Sweet Sourdough Course on the 1st February 2014. 

Bed and Breakfast is now open

The perfect table to enjoy your sourdough toast &  Fairtrade pot of tea at in the morning  

Oh I am just so excited. It's been months of hard work, with electricians, roofers, tilers, plasters, decorators, carpet fitters and plumbers here .. but the newest Northamptonshire bed and breakfast is now ready to have guests.  

I've tried to think of every small detail.  From buying beautiful organic cotton bedding to sourcing British made fluffy white towels, to making sure all the furniture and crockery are all vintage so as to be as ethical as possible where ever possible, and we even found some 100% wool carpets, with no man made fibres.

I think that the piece of furniture I am most delighted with I bought from Sugden and Daughters - it's a French dough table which is so appropriate in the breakfast room not least because of the sourdough bread making courses I run here. 

We started the project in July and left the builders to it whilst we were in France, but this week has seen a run for it.  Just 4 days ago there were bare floorboards and now after a marathon three day put together marathon we are up and running just in time for Dan Lepard to stay as he will be teaching here on Friday. 

Thankfully we are ready!

For more details on how to book click here. 

To gracefully let go of things not meant for me ...

The past few weeks have gone by fast.  I feel like I am quite literally galloping towards Christmas. I had hoped to be making an exciting announcement about a book deal this week, however I decided at the very last minute, despite all the hard work of planning and proposals that the organization I was going to be working with was not what I thought it was. It’s been a disappointment, much like finding out someone who you are a huge fan of is actually not all that nice. At one point last week I was so upset by an aggressive and confrontational person my hair started to fall out in clumps.  I took this a sure sign that it was not for me.

I keep on reminding myself of the Buddhist saying that in the end "only three things matter.  How much you loved, how gently you lived and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you." Clearly this book was not meant for me, so despite being really saddened I shall try my best to be graceful and some really positive things have come from this.  I have to go back to the drawing board, but there is another book brewing…

October is my favorite time of year but I’ve had little time to appreciate it.  I use to wonder why there were so few women in highflying positions.  I now realise that if you have children they are demanding, but when you have sick or poorly children then they are beyond demanding.  They are everything. I remember being so certain that having children was never going to affect my career, or my sex life or my figure. With a size 12 figure, two full time personal assistants and being newly married I was beyond naïve.  I was ignorant of the most fundamental instincts of life.  So here I am sleep deprived, a size 12 a dim distant memory and no personal anything anymore let alone two assistants. I am, however, happy and I wouldn’t change a thing.  

On Tuesday I went to the World BreadAwards. I was the category leader for the sourdough section and loved every minute.  There were almost 40 breads to choose from and Charles Campion was my partner, along with team judges Linda Hewett and Luke Collings from The Cake and Bake Show. It was a brilliantly organised event and I really felt that it was done with the same good spirit that bread is baked with.   The winners were The San Francisco Sourdough by The Bread Factory and the runner up was from Alex Gooch, artisan bread baker.
 

My mum popped over yesterday and kindly dropped off a bucket of pears from her tree, so I figure I will bake a pear and walnut muffins tomorrow. I’m also about to add some more courses on to the cookery school website which is always fun.  A jam and preserves making course, a pastry making course and a fantastic guest tutor with Chantal Coady of Rococo Chocolate coming up for the day.

My trades are finishing off the last of the renovations in the coach house as the bedroom and breakfast room are finished today, so the bed and breakfast will be ready as soon as the downstairs is insulated and boarded out.  So we are just a just a few weeks away from being able to advertise that students will be able to stay over.

I have to admit that I am really looking forward to people staying, although there will always be a degree of chaos in the place, with chickens, dogs, children and a new kitten, people will have to just take us as they find us.