a taste of kent

The last weekend in September was a bright and sunny one here in Canterbury.

It was perfect timing for Eurofest, a festival and market held right near our house, designed to celebrate regional foods from here in Kent, and farther afield in France and Italy.

It was a great opportunity for Daiku and me to become more familiar with some of the goodies grown and made right in our backyard.

Such as chutneys made from local fruits and spirits. Plum chutney with English rosé wine? Yum.

Some fine Kentish beer made with some fine Kentish hops.

this beautiful locally-grown russet apple. (a little taste of home and apple picking!)

along with some other local produce: pears and bramley apples. 

from abroad, we had delicious and colorful produce from France, such as these blood-red tomatoes,

these plums, fresh of the tree with their bloom as proof,

artichokes the size of my head, 

bunches and bunches of lavender (I've loved learning the subtle scent differences between English and French lavender),

possibly some of the best marinated olives and mushrooms I've ever tasted (including "pistou" olives marinated in basil and garlic- yum!

a range of mustards that would make even the most hard-core mustard lover swoon, and nuts and dried fruit as far as the eye can see. It has been really fun getting to know our local landscape, and getting to try out all the wonderful produce that is grown here in Kent and all of the yummy foods prepared with it as well.

a taste of kent

and then... they had kitchen equipment

*cue heavenly music*

so by our second week here, Daiku and I finally sorted out the kitchen situation- and got a bunch of basic equipment! I'd never been so happy to see ordinary pots and pans before. and what was the first thing we cooked after living off of packaged and convenience foods for so long? if you know me, it should come as little surprise that the answer involved: brown rice! lentils! and greens! I could probably eat some version of this meal every day. the brown rice and lentils were cooked together, and on top went a mixture of greens sauteed with garlic and olive oil, topped with raisins, sultanas, and balsamic vinegar. heaven on a plate. 

ATTENTION: For those who generously made donations for my sky dive last month, I will be holding the long-promised drawing on this blog in the next couple of days. Watch for your name! If you win, I'll need you to email me about the prize (and your postal address, of course!)

and then... they had kitchen equipment

wales, finally!

"save the planet go vegan" carved into a gate somewhere in Pembrokeshire

I'm finally getting around to blogging about our journey to Wales! I'd never been there before, but always knew that I wanted to, in addition to the country's beauty and all the good things I've heard about it, it also happens to be the place where my parents went on their honeymoon. As you can see from the above photo, Wales is an incredibly veg-friendly country, as we found out in towns, in peoples' homes, and in restaurants and pubs. Would you expect any less from a country whose official vegetable is the leek?

Our first night, we stayed in Cardiff. The couple we were staying with took us to dinner at Pearl of the Orient, a Chinese restaurant in Cardiff Bay with plenty of veg options. Seriously- it took up over a page on their menu! I finally decided to go with spicy Szeschuan tofu- blocks of luxuriously silky marinated tofu in a spicy chili mixture of veggies. It had such a fresh and unique flavor. Daiku, who ordered a meat dish and also tried all of our companions' omni dishes, declared that my tofu was the star of the evening! We also shared an order of veggie fried rice (hold the egg) which complemented the tofu nicely. This restaurant seriously knows how to season its dishes- I'm still craving that tofu now, a week later!

The next day we traveled farther west, eventually ending up in Pembrokeshire, in the town of Newport. The family we were staying with were very vegan-friendly! The mom was vegan, and the dad cooked us a very delicious vegan version of a traditional Welsh meal. There was a hearty cawl, normally a lamb stew made with tvp chunks, and some mashed potatoes (made with soy milk instead of dairy) to go with it. After a long day of driving and exploring in cold rain, this meal was so welcome!

After dinner, it was time for pudding. We got a delicious warm fruit crumble, complete with homemade vegan custard for the topping! The fruit crumble was good, and the fruit mixture included bananas- I'd never thought to put bananas in such a dish before, but now it makes perfect sense. I'll be sure to repeat that tasty experiment in the future. 

Amid all the cold and sleet, lo and behold, more blackberries! I feel so spoiled that even now in October, the plentiful blackberry bushes all around the U.K. still have sweet fruit to pick as you're walking along!

The best thing about a cold and rainy hike? The hot cup of coffee...

...or tea (with some soy milk that I snuck into the tea house!) to warm back up.

Look what we came across in the woods- a dragon in a tree!

I have to highlight all the non-food coolness in Wales- such as these ruins of a medieval castle that we got to walk around.

This megalith (a giant stone structure like Stonehenge) served as a burial ground thousands years ago.

Here's a moody coast in the fog.

And my favorite- animals everywhere, and I mean EVERYwhere. You can't drive for more than a few minutes in the Welsh countryside without seeing some cows.

Enough that they warrant their own road signs!

And sheep! There are happily grazing sheep dotting the landscape everywhere you go.

Finally, weekend car rental, £45. Getting to say you drove on the "wrong" side of the car and the road? Priceless.

For more of our Wales photos, have a look at my set on flickr. 

wales, finally!

crumpets.

Happiness is a warm crumpet out of the toaster, slathered with margarine, ready to go with your cup of tea. 

crumpets.

mini post about a mini-veg

Maybe I've lived a pretty sheltered life. But I never knew that baby corn were actually... baby corn! I always thought they were some weird created object you could only find in a can, they tasted ok but weren't very exciting.  However, what I've seen everywhere since coming to England is fresh baby corn! Is it just me? Have you guys seen this before? It is such a surprising and nice addition to a crudité platter, and it tastes just like fresh sweet corn, nothing like its limp canned counterpart. 

So tell me- have you had fresh baby corn before? It's one of my new favorite veggies*!

*I know, I know, corn isn't really a vegetable, it's a grain, but you know what I mean...

mini post about a mini-veg

oskri quinoa bar review

Just a quick product review tonight. I've seen these Oskri Quinoa Bars at stores for a while now, but have never tried them until now. As much as I love quinoa, I just couldn't imagine how it would taste as a sweet bar. Well, I wish I'd tried these a lot earlier! This bar was delicious. I couldn't really taste the quinoa per se, it was like biting into a crisp and sweet piece of sesame brittle (there are sesame seeds in there). Perfect for an energizing and wholesome treat with a cup of tea or some other hot beverage. 

oskri quinoa bar review

blackberry-picking

Day 6: The Blean Woods, Kent

Blackberry-picking by Seamus Heaney

Late August given heavy rain and sun

For a full week, the blackberries would ripen.

At first, just one, a glossy purple clot

Among others, red, green, hard as a knot.

You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet

Like thickened wine: summer's blood was in it

Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust for

Picking. Then red ones inked up, and that hunger

Sent us out with milk-cans, pea-tins, jam-pots

Where briars scratched and wet grass bleached our boots.

Round hayfields, cornfields, and potato-drills,

We trekked and picked until the cans were full,

Until the tinkling bottom had been covered

With green ones, and on top big dark blobs burned

Like a plate of eyes. Our hands were peppered with thorn pricks,

Our palms sticky as Bluebeard's.

We hoarded the fresh berries in the byre

But when the bath was filled we found a fur, a rat-grey fungus, glutting on our cache.

The juice was stinking too. Once off the bush, 

The fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour.

I always felt like crying.

It wasn't fair

That all the lovely canfuls smelt of rot.

Each year I hoped they'd keep, knew they would not.

blackberry-picking