The Broke Vegetarian

Serves 2/3

In an effort to be “healthy” (a constant battle between my love of chocolate and my love of green stuff), I’ve been experimenting with vegan things I can put on bread. Bread is my true love, but I have to make sure I keep things interesting. After all, any long term love story needs intrigue, variety and spice! This is a very simple, very delicious dip that keeps well for a few days in the fridge (if you don’t nail it in one sitting. Which, is difficult not to do in all honesty). Guilt free gluten indulging at your fingertips!

Yes, yes I am. Shit you caught me. I am indeed copying this blog that I have known about for about 10 minutes. I’m actually a multi millionaire living in South Kensington and I own a slaughter house. My bed is made from meat. 

Primeur , Canonbury N9

Small plates, communal dining and low intervention wines. 

By it’s very nature, a “low intervention wine” is just that; wine created with as little human intervention as possible. In many ways it is an inevitable trend, similar to our understanding of how important sourcing sustain-ably has become, in a world so aware of global warming and negative human impact. We no longer want to consume food and drinks pumped full of chemicals. Wine is no different. The practice of certified organic and biodyanamic viticulture is so widely practiced, that even First Growth Bordeaux and Domaine Romanee Conti (the average price of which will set you back several thousand pounds... per bottle!) use it exclusively. Yet it is more than that. True “low intervention” carries forward into the vinification process itself. 

Refusing to inoculate a ferment, favoring instead the natural yeast that accumulates on the bloom of a grape. Using the power of gravity to filter and clarify a wine; separating the liquid from its solids without foreign protein fining agents. Adding the barest minimum of Sulphur (if any) as a preserving agent (though it is impossible to make a truly 100% Sulphur free wine, as it is a natural bi-product of fermentation). No forced malolactic fermentation, no chaptilisation, encouraging skin contact vinification in white wines (hello Orange wine you sexy beast), ageing in buried Amphorae to naturally regulate temperature and impart desirable characters naturally... the list goes on and on. 

The lack of fining using foreign proteins, also means that low intervention wines are almost exclusively Vegan. Fining agents such as Isinglass (protein found in the swim bladders of fish), Egg albumen (egg white protein), Gelatine and Casein (protein found in milk) are widely used in winemaking. Their trace presence in a finished wine means that some aren’t even vegetarian, let alone vegan. With low intervention wines these fining agents are rarely used (if at all). Thus they are not only environmentally friendly, but cruelty free too! 

Winemakers are stripping back the process, returning to ancient vinification techniques, and farming sustain-ably in order to preserve their vines for future generations. After all, since Phylloxera wrecked havoc on both the Old world and New (Europe in particular was devastated by the pesky insect during the late 19th C and has only just managed to recover), maintaining the now “old vines” planted since, is key to higher quality production in the future. Vines, like fine wine, get better with age!

“Low intervention wines” are not simply a trend, they are a tasty peak into the future of Wine. It is the only way to keep the industry thriving in a world constantly feeling the effects of global warming. It is wonderful to see restaurants embracing it so wholeheartedly. Many choose to stock these wines exclusively to educate customers about their importance; celebrating the independent and passionate small producers, so often dismissed and forgotten in the past. 

Serves 6

Strangely, I can vividly remember the first time I had a stuffed pepper. I was roughly 6 years old, stuffed into a pretty (and uncomfortable) dress, on a hot summers day, running around in the village hall after my youngest brothers Christening. It’s quite the niche memory, and in many ways It’s aggravating that I can recall that but forget most people’s names as soon as I’m told them. Food memories always seem the strongest though; plus it’s pretty ingenious to stuff food with more food! I also recall ruining my pretty dress with mud and food stains that day, which is just a victory for small tom boy 6 year olds everywhere (my poor mum, she tried!). This recipe is inspired by that memory, and also incorporates my two favourite things: spice and courgette (so damn tasty!). Make them on Monday and eat through the week, or serve up to friends for dinner with a cheeky glass of something peppery and red!

Vegetarian London: Where to Eat (Pt. 1)

Left to Right, Top to Bottom

Craft, North Greenwhich

Italian Farmers, Finsbury Park

Lily Vanili, Columbia Road (Hoxton)

Pavilion Cafe, Victoria Park (Bethnal Green)

Bageriet, Covent Garden

Pan de Vie, Leicester Square

Farm Girl Cafe, Portobello Road (Notting Hill)

Borough Market, London Bridge

The Cheese Truck, Maltby Street (Bermondsey)

When you buy cheap flights to New York to see in 2016 with your best friend, two things happen. The first is a whirlwind adventure of Momofuku noodles, New Years Day walks in Central Park, drunk sunrises, drunker sunsets, Brooklyn loft parties with $8 wine, The Met, the Natural History Museum, High Line wandering, correcting every wrong over Guac and Frozen Margarita's (A balanced and nutritious dinner?) and beautiful photo’s of a beautiful human. 

The second is a 3 hour delay sat on the JFK runway, getting stranded in Boston, missing your first shift of the year, no sleep and that “I could kiss the floor” feeling when you finally get back to London. I suppose this is what happens when you’re broke and buy flights 7 months in advance, because you need those 7 months to crawl back out of your overdraft.

Two return flights to Edinburgh and one night in an Airbnb: £100

A weekend of whisky fueled adventures, endless laughter, warm hugs and bad puns with a handsome man: Priceless.

Serves 8 - 10 

Easter is probably my favourite holiday; that one weekend a year when you’re actively encouraged to eat chocolate for breakfast. Sure, it leaves you in a sugar coma by midday, but you get to spend that sugar coma with family; playing board games and gearing up for the mother of all roast dinners (which is actually a lunch. Dinner is for more chocolate and leftovers). This year, however, was pretty different! I am what people might (wrongly) refer to as a “functioning grown up”, which means I now do adult stuff like spending holidays with my boyfriends family. Now don’t get me wrong, Al’s family are brilliant. I got to spend three days eating his parents cooking (so good!), being adored by cats (the goal in life) and entertaining a very hyperactive puppy (no complaints here). The thing is, I’d only met them once before. I was nervous, and when I’m nervous I bake. The only way I know how to make a good impression, is by turning up with cake. No one can dislike someone who brings cake, right? That was my logic anyway. So behold, a recipe that combines two of the greatest flavours of all; chocolate and peanut. Sweet and just a little salty, this recipe is low cost but high impact. Plaster in more chocolate for added wow factor, and added chance to sneak treats while you bake. 

‘Artisan du Chocolat’ Easter collection at Selfridge’s. White chocolate duck eggs, filled with a dark chocolate ganache and salted caramel. 

Serves 4

Pasta is by far my guiltiest pleasure. Our love affair got pretty steamy during my time living in Italy; small restaurants tucked down Venetian side streets (the kind that aggressively avoided tourist interaction!), provided endless supplies to satisfy all cravings. Yes I’d previously flirted with pasta, had a few flings, saucy rendezvous’ and illicit affairs, but it took the no nonsense chef’s of Italy to cement the relationship as a true love story. 

I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Pasta, is really easy to make! Granted my first proper attempt ended in literal tears (turns out going in, all guns blazing, pushing for restaurant quality ravioli isn’t how a pasta novice should start out. Ridiculous really), but after I got over my pride it was smooth sailing. Ignore people who say that it’s hard, it’s not just the work of ridiculously skilled chef’s and hot headed Italian Nonnas. If you have time to bash out your stress, and a half decent rolling pin (Though in all honesty, I ended up borrowing one of the pasta machines from work! Perks to hospitality careers!), you’re well on your way to a romantic night in, with a bowl of fresh tagliatelle!

Chablis > Gevrey-Chambertin > Vosne-Romanée > Nuits-St-Georges > Beaune > Meursault > Puligny Montrachet > Vermenton > Chablis 

Morning, Afternoon and Twilight