UK road trips, grilled fruit and summer vegetables

July 3 2023

Ottolenghi’s roast courgettes and yellow pepper with harissa and yoghurt

Introduction

Yes, it’s Sunday evening and ‘the Cook’s Edit’ has winged its way into your inbox. Early tomorrow morning, I will be travelling up the A1 to my mother-in-law’s funeral with lunch for 50 in the boot. I will do an extra Substack on the menu and how I catered at a distance which meant a lot of lists, big plastic boxes, ice and a decluttered fridge.

Travel

UK

Every tourist board seems to have the same idea as the Scots with their North Coast 500 which is now so popular. In the Sunday Times, it’s the turn of the Welsh with the Coastal Way runs for 180 miles from from St Davids in Cardigan Bay to Eryri National Park (Snowdonia) before turning southwest down the Llyn peninsula. If you do that, you might need to take note of 10 of the best hotels and inns in Wales from the Guardian,

And in Yorkshire, the new Route YC, down the Yorkshire coast from Whitby to Withernsea, but the author only went as far as Bempton Cliffs, north of Bridlington where you can see puffins, described in the Telegraph.  

Beach lovers’ guide to Cornwall and an old one to Pembrokeshire in the FT. 

A tour of Lancashire former mill towns in the Guardian. As my father was born and bred in Blackburn, I was fascinated by this, to explore the amazing markets in the North West coupled with all the famous pubs in Lancashire. I do love a National Trust house and garden and I’d never heard of Gawthorpe Hall in Lancashire. I’m going to investigate further. 

A lovely article on staying at a bothy and climbing Suilven in Scotland in the Independent which has also got me dreaming.

Europe

The Independent is on the trail of Picasso in Barcelona, with all the exhibitions and special events that are taking place for Picasso year.

It also opines that the Seine is not the only river in Paris with an account of how to follow the secret Bièvre river to see a different side to the French capital. . 

Verona for a weekend break in the Sunday Times, although I question why in the time of climate change, we should be encouraged to fly away for a few days. Maybe visit it as part of a longer holiday to Lake Garda as we did once. Or, more weather conscious, buy a £42 rail pass to visit Germany’s Baltic beach towns.

The Guardian also has nine of the best budget holidays in Europe for young people and readers’ favourite student trips. The way inflation is going, this could soon be all of us.

Restaurants

In the FT, Tim Hayward was at Bar Nautic near Marseille, a cabanon in the Calanques and declared, ‘the food was my favourite kind; made with great ingredients, craft, skill and love.’

In the Guardian, Grace Dent went to House of Ming, a Chinese restaurant in Mayfair, had a terrible time, and thought it ‘might just struggle in London SW1.’ 

In the Observer, Jay Rayner went to Burnt Smokehouse in London E10 and Rack City Ribs in London N6. He watches videos on Instagram ‘which always end the same way: with a bearded man, eating something with his fingers and then looking to camera, with a look which says, “Don’t you wish you were me?’ He liked them both.

In the Standard, Jimi Famurewa reviewed Empire Empire, a new contemporary Indian restaurant in Notting Hill, London W8 from Gunpowder founder, Harneet Baweja. ‘Ostensibly a joyous, disco-themed boogie’ he found it ‘failing to deliver on its tantalising outward promise.’

In the Telegraph, William Sitwell was in Somerset at the Three Horseshoes in Batcombe where Giles Coren went the other week. He said it was ‘generally very good grub, charming service and a fine manager’ but he liked the fish better than the vegetarian main. 

In the Times, Giles Coren went to Il Portico in Kensington, London W8 and wiffled on a lot about not charging for cabs on his expenses. Does he not know about the tube? He thought it was ‘good wild and fresh food with great wine and a host full of humour and kindness.’
 

Recipes

In the Guardian, Ravinder Bhogal uses summer vegetables to make stuffed tomatoes with capers, currants and pine nuts, baked courgettes with Romesco crust and roast red pepper, watermelon and feta salad. I n the Observer, Nigel Slater is also using summer vegetables, roasting new season potatoes, beetroot and carrots with coriander and lemon. He says boil or steam the veg first for the tenderest results which I never knew. And a luscious looking apricot crumble slice with almonds and pistachio.

The Times has recipes from chefs and food writers using grilled fruit including halloumi with nectarines, tarragon and basil by Helen Graves, grilled nectarines with jalapeño-mint pesto, stracciatella and macadamia nuts by Josh Katz and grilled plums, pistachio and almond crumble and spiced cream by Ana Da Costa

Peach and pistachio tart by Benjamins Ebuehi and roasted apricots with toasted pistachios, honey and saffron from Jose Pizarro, both in the Guardian.

Ottolenghi uses summer vegetables to make baked sea bream with red pepper bulgur and coriander salsa, watermelon with lime syrup and spiced salt and roast courgettes and yellow pepper with harissa and yoghurt, pictured above which were unbelievably good.

Vegetarian sandwiches by Diana Henry in the Telegraph including mature cheddar sandwiches with peach and ginger relish, beet Reuben sandwiches in which she used ‘The Cultured Collective Fennel, Apple & Dill Sauerkraut’ which she buys from Ocado and a chilli roast tomato, avocado and egg wrap with toasted corn relish

She also recommends a sandwich with Greek tomato fritters, griddled aubergines, cold tzatziki, feta, black olives and peppery olive oil in pita bread. I’ve been eating cold roasted aubergines and peppers with hard boiled eggs, (or should I say jammy eggs) and olives for my lunch this week.

Nadiya Hussain’s pistachio and raspberry brownie cake recipe in the Times has buttercream in the middle of two brownies which sounds unbelievably rich. 

Sichuanese picnic rolls with chicken and shredded vegetables by Fuschia Dunlop in the FT. 

Soy butter spaghetti with charred corn by Eleanor Steafel in the Telegraph. 

Drinks

I don’t normally include drinks but I’m making an exception for Mark Diacono’s six long, cold drinks for summer in the Guardian as, without fail, he always likes my Substack and these cocktails all sound delicious.

Try a peppery vodka-grapefruit pick-me-up; a rosemary-scented G&T; a limey kombucha mojito; a white rum twist on the dark and stormy; peach juice and fizz with lavender; and a salty, spicy, beer-and-lime livener.

Books

Simply Scandinavian by Trine Hahnemann

in the Independent, with an interview on Danish food here and recipes for a lighter fish pie, rhubarb sticky buns, instead of cardamom and cinnamon ones, and Norwegian potato pancakes.

Bold Beans: Recipes to Get Your Pulse Racing by Amelia Christie-Miller 

The author is founder of the Big Bean Co and in the Sunday Times, there are recipes for bean puttanesca, spring green baked eggs and caramelised cauliflower chickpeas

So good I made it twice. Ottolenghi’s roast courgettes and yellow pepper with harissa and yoghurt