Fred's newsletter 22.6.21
Good morning everyone,
That’s it, we are officially in full summer today; the longest day was yesterday. I spent a long day at Newton Garden with my helper Matthieu. Lots of weeding was done, as well as a fair bit of planting: more leeks and salad, also chervil, dill, coriander and parsley.
The other vegetables are coming along quite nicely with turnips, radishes, garlic, potatoes and many more so far. Even with a slow start down to the weather, we have caught up as the last two weeks have been magnificent. Water had been a bit of an issue but our no dig beds are holding the moisture quite well meaning the crops don’t suffer from the heat so much.
Again this week, we have tons of salad to give away, so all our take away orders will receive a green salad as a treat from me.
As I mentioned few weeks back, we are now growing at Monkton Garden too. It’s virtually 200 meters from Newton. Robin, Ellen, Elizabeth and Alexander are working extremely hard and are looking ahead to the late autumn and winter season. They’ve planted thousands of leeks as well as swedes, carrots, potatoes, parsnips and a few kilos of turnips. The broad beans are starting to come out, along with the artichokes and lots and lots of lettuces. And let’s not forget all aromatic herbs.
Two polytunnels have been erected and a green house on its way. In the tunnels we’ve planted 60 tomato plants and some aubergines; they are looking very promising. I am so looking forward to the harvest over the summer and beyond.
This is a great project, and one I hold close to my heart. Three to four acres of land, cultivated to produce food 12 months out of 12 is very exciting. I really think that with time, this should help bring l’escargot a fully sustainable supply of fresh salads, herbs and vegetables. Of course this is only the beginning but every effort will pay off and the Austin family are all very dedicated and showing a real passion for Monkton to be reborn as a producing farm. With their help, l’escargot will reach a new level altogether demonstrating that we are always searching for new and better ways to bring our quality onwards and upwards.
Of course, there is no plan to leave Newton Garden. It’s still my baby and I intend to keep growing there with the sweet Lady Mary; she has given me so much and is still helping a lot. Thank you Mary.
After reading the news last week on the Australian trade deal, I cannot stress enough how much more we need to do to protect our food freedom to make it accessible to all. We must educate youngsters to grow and eat well. Food travelling to us from across the world is not what we need here in Scotland, we need to teach awareness and show our young generation that food isn’t a commodity, it’s the key to a decent and healthy life. We simply cannot accept this, or be defeated. By swallowing everything that comes to us just to eat, we are feeding these hungry businessmen who want to own the world.
Understanding the nature of food and its benefits should be taught as kids grow up. It is never too late to learn and fight for this cause. All the work we are doing at Newton and Monkton Gardens is demanding, but it’s something that was done for many years, and can be done once more. This doesn’t just apply to vegetables, but also to meat and anything of an animal provenance. When choosing meat for a Sunday roast or cheese for a platter, knowing how that animal has been reared and feed is a priority and it should be clearly visible when purchasing. The same goes for bread; it should be clearly labelled showing what it is made of. Often the descriptions are used to promote sales and nothing more than a marketing exercise. These rules should also apply to restaurants and food outlets: clear messaging with honest descriptions and provenance should be a priority.
Encouraging small-scale farming is the way forward and important in a small country like Scotland. We have such a rich larder, and if we include seafood our country could be completely self-sufficient and healthy by preserving and regenerating land.
We have some lovely classics on our take-away menu this week. There’s St Maure de Touraine goat’s cheese as nibble, my personal selection of Italian and French olives, saucisse seche from the Southwest of France, and the salted butter from the creamery d’Etrez is available again. Of course all can be enjoyed with a baguette from Company Bakery - champions at this year’s bread competition at the Royal Highland Show. These guys are doing an amazing job, from selecting the grain in Scotland, milling it themselves and turning it into a fabulous bread, the French could (should) learn a lot from them! Thank you guys.
For starters I have added a steak tartare for you to mix at home, a great nibble with an aperitif à la French. I will be making boudin noir tomorrow as I like to do, and the velvet crab soup is making a comeback, as is the salted cod brandade and a salade Niçoise with fresh tuna, the weather is nice for that. This week’s terrine is made with organic veal shoulder from Peelham Farm with spinach and espelette chilli peppers. It comes with onion jam and gherkins.
I have collected at least 2 kilos of flowering thyme and this will be used in a large cast iron casserole with lamb legs from East Lothian that will slowly confit overnight at a low temperature, infusing and sucking all the flavour from both - should be tasty.
Tomorrow I (we) will butcher the goat received from Lunan Bay Farm. We will cook the shoulders and legs as a curry-style spicy casserole, cooked for 3-4 hours. The result will be tender and tasty. I like a good curry sometimes, ok it’s not quite French but it’s food cooked with heart that matters really. Another main will be a parmentier of beef cheeks and duck leg confit. Parmentier was a dish from the culinary bible at home. Every region of France would have its own recipe, but all in all it is a leftover recipe and like any leftover recipes, it’s usually homely and earthy, with any meat allowed, and I quite like the idea of beef and duck together. It comes with a green salad and a gravy to be poured over the mashed potatoes. It’s a succulent, easy dish that only needs to be cooked in the oven for 45 minutes.
There’s also a cassoulet of pork using a pig from Herb Majesty. Who says you can’t have a cassoulet in the summer? Personally, I love it anytime of the year and I want one. I look forward to having some this weekend!
The fish casserole will be bouillabaisse made with different fish and shellfish. It will just need warming up, before being eaten with croutons first, then the rouille, and then the cheese. Let it soak in the soup for few seconds, then enjoy with a nice, crisp white wine.
For dessert, there’s a vanilla flan à la Parisienne made with shortcrust pastry that’s cooked very (and I mean very) slowly until a thick coat appears on the top. We also have a refreshing lemon petit pot with biscuits, a tarte au chocolat, a crumble made with strawberries and the last of the rhubarb, plus a new dessert of a cherry and almond clafoutis. Now the important bit: the stones are left in the cherries, as is French tradition, so mind your teeth!
As we enter the height of summer, we need to open the restaurant on more days to sustain the business. We shall make announcement next week with our new opening hours. Bear in mind though that we might still be limited on evening opening hours due to regulations.
Voilà. I shall leave you with Rachel Hammond who will tell us a bit about charcuterie. Rachel makes charcuterie à l’ancienne, meaning the old-fashioned way with no shortcuts. Some of you might have met her at the Castle Terrace market on a Saturday. If not, go and see her, try her products, she is worth a visit!
À la semaine prochaine, enjoy summer.
Fred