When we think of a cup of tea, the name refers to the fermented leaves of the plant Camellia Sinensis that originated in south west China centuries ago during the Shang dynasty. It was initially used as a medicinal ingredient.
There’s nothing like an early Easter to lull you into a false sense of security. The weather’s still a little inclement and it’s hard to know what line to follow when preparing dinner. Something that transcends the seasons is a good roast chicken. It can be a source of comfort accompanied by potatoes, vegetables and lashings of gravy or served with a crisp dressed salad on a sunny day.
The increased price of meat has encouraged us to look at cheaper cuts. Often they’ll require long slow cooking like beef brisket, pork shoulder and lamb shanks to name a few.
Today marks the end of Real Bread Week, an annual, international celebration of properly produced bread and the people who make it. The main aims of the campaign are to encourage people to buy bread from local, independent bakeries and to bake it at home. We’re lucky here that most towns still have a bakery – anything from the traditional selling wheaten bread, farls and apple turnovers to the hipster variety stocked with sourdough and Nordic inspired pastries.