Tuscany, Copenhagen and a spot of baking

March 14 2022

View from La Foce

Introduction

One of the reasons for writing this newsletter was to inspire me and others to cook new recipes and to travel to new places. Last week I made Nancy Birtwhistle’s seed bread from the Guardian which is so easy even I can do it, bread being my bête noire to cook, Diana Henry’s ginger beer roast chicken with scorched pineapple cooked all in one pan from the Telegraph and Jane Lovett’s spicy sausage and beans. This was from from her book, ‘Deliciously Simple’ which I love and which broke my self imposed ban on buying any more cook books at the moment. It was in the Times but I’ve linked to a version not behind a paywall although I just used two tins of beans from the supermarket.

Next week, there won’t be a Cook’s Edit as I’m going to Paris and my laptop is going to a repair shop. À bientôt.

Travel

UK

David Attenborough’s new documentary series ‘Wild Isles’ has prompted an article on where to see Britain’s native fauna and flora in the Telegraph. As well as animals and birds, it mentions Iffley Meadows, just south of Oxford to see fritillaries. I’ve pencilled in a trip in April with my ‘proper camera.’ There’s a similar article on locations in the series in the Guardian, mentioning the gannets at Bass Rock, Firth of Forth in Scotland, the white-tailed eagles at RSPB Loch Gruinart on Islay, the puffins on the Farne Islands as well as Skomer Island, a mile off the Pembrokeshire coast,

Dedham Vale is  in the Telegraph for its quintessential English landscape as painted by Constable

Europe

It’s Mediterranean islands and trains this week but I’ll start with an itinerary for a ten day trip round Tuscany in the Telegraph.  I’m digressing here but my tip not included in this article is to visit the gardens of La Foce,. pictured above. Even though I went on a rainy day as it’s only open on Wednesday afternoons and Sundays and you have to book tickets in advance, it was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. Before I went, I read an excellent biography of Iris Origo called Iris Origo: Marchesa of Val D'Orcia by Caroline Moorehead as well as Iris Origo’s own book War in Val d’Orcia, which is her story of life there during the Second World War. 

There were also frescoes in Italy in the winter when it’s so quiet travelling there  the Telegraph.

In these dreich days, I am dreaming of swimming in the warmth of the Mediterranean and I liked secret Balearic Islands: an insider’s guide to lesser-known Menorca and Formentera in the Independent. ‘Stay, eat and swim’; if you added reading a book and a mountain and a market nearby, these would be my favourite things. But, according to the Telegraph, there’s Dengue fever in Ibiza due to mosquitoes.

Brijuni Islands off Croatia’s south-western coast of Istria became the luxurious summer residence of Tito in the Independent and the two islands of Hvar and Dugi Otok in the Daily Mail and why you should explore Crete in the spring – and on foot in the Guardian.

The secrets of where to stay and eat in the world’s glamorous destinations in the Telegraph including Monaco, St Tropez and Lake Como but wouldn’t you just go somewhere a bit more affordable or have a day trip?

There are so many articles on European rail journeys, I’ve got confused so I am going to make a little list.

-Readers’s favourite European train journeys in the Guardian. The winning tip is Trieste to Bled, ie Italy to Slovenia including Zurich to Sicily, Genoa to La Spezia, Stockholm to Narvik on the sleeper with some helpful comments by readers, and some the usual bunfight. 

-See Europe by train: five great family summer holidays with no flying in the Guardian as well as going to Corsica by train and ferry with two children by the same journalist.

-12 new train journeys to get on board with this year and a great article on Bergen to Oslo in the Sunday Times

Copenhagen in the Independent this week with the best restaurants for all levels of budget and a complete city guide in the Times, and a guide to Oviedo, capital of the Asturias in the Independent

Five cultural European city break destinations you might not have considered, branching off the beaten track with information on Antwerp, Zaragoza, Kotor in Montenegro, Rotterdam and Timisoara, Romania in the Independent.

Back at Achill Beach in Ireland in the Telegraph because of the film the Banshees of Inisherin being nominated for the Oscars.

Restaurants

Where to find the best Indian food in London, from Gymkhana to Tayyabs and also where to find the best pies in London restaurants from Arments to Quo Vadis in the Standard

In the FT, Tim Hayward went to Akub in London W8, website here and concluded ‘it’s worth seeking out, and it’s absolutely ravishing once you get inside.

In the Guardian, Grace Dent went to Dorothy & Marshall in Bromley:

In the Observer, Jay Rayner went to Isibani in Peckham,

In the Standard, Jimi Famurewa went to Socca and thought ‘it has a swoonsome dining room, but overall it all feels nothing much more than perfectly pleasant.’

In the Telegraph, William Sitwell went to Tozi Grand Cafe.

 In the Times, Giles Coren went to Los Angeles at half-term for a ‘research trip’ as he thinks all restaurant trends emanate from there. 

Recipes.

There’s a European theme this week with how to cook easy French recipes by Claude Bosi, chef at new restaurant Socca, including  roast cod with lemon butter, grilled lamb chops with smoked aubergine and oven-baked plaice with romesco sauce in the Times

Jess Shadbolt, ex River Café, who cooks Italian food at the restaurant King in New York who is now cooking at a residency at Carousel in London gives recipes for panisse, pissaladière and a marmalade steamed pudding in the Times

Mark Hix’s has tapas recipes for a Spanish meal with Spanish salt cod, pork meatballs with cockles and fried prawns with chilli and wild garlic which are find if you live in Lyme Bay and can buy the prawns and pick the wild garlic in the Telegraph as well as José Pizarro’s recipe for smoked pimentón clam rice with chorizo and roast peppers in the Guardian

The other them is baking Rachel Roddy’s recipe for torta del paradiso, or paradise cake and Benjamina Ebuehi’s recipe for coconut and lemongrass cream buns in the Guardian, giant walnut, caramel and miso cookies, from Honey & Co recipe in the FT   and Nigel Slater’s recipes for ginger apple maple syrup cake in the Observer as well as his fried cauliflower with mint tahini.

Diana Henry has ideas for leftover bread in the Telegraph including canederli (Italian breadcrumb dumplings), chicken with sherry and picada and a casse-croûte (open cheese, ham and egg toastie) 

Ravinder Bhogal has seasonal purple sprouting broccoli recipes in the Guardian for roasted broccoli with spelt, cashews and ginger-miso dressing, charred broccoli with almond and anchovy sauce and lemon salsa and pickled sprouting broccoli stems in

Low-carb recipes by Mark Emberton in the Sunday Times including mussel and cod spiced chowder, cornbread and dukkah-crusted pork chops and Tenderstem broccoli

Books 

Mother Tongue: Flavours Of A Second Generation by Gurdeep Loyal

with recipes for Stilton and tamarind Mumbai toastie, kasundi keema lasagne roll and chocolate orange jalebi here and an interview with him here in the Independent.

PS. One of my friends said I should say I took all the photographs used in this newsletter and they are my copyright. They are from previous travels or recipes I’ve cooked that week.

cNancy Birtwhistle’s seeded bread