January Foods

I was noticing that the list of seasonal fruit and veg is shortest at a low this time of year in Britain. I remember reading somewhere that in the old days summer was the time of hunger, when the winter stores were used up but spring planting hadn’t yet produced. I expect those few pounds put on in winter were a blessing back then, but let’s not talk about that.

I bought some magazines at the airport last month and I noticed that Women & Home listed seasonal, locally grown foods, which I’ve highlighted on this list (just to show you they aren’t just a list of fusty old foods from an antique book).

Fruits and Vegetables
apples
artichokes, Jerusalem
bananas

beetroot - Not only featured in W&H but also in Runners' World where research showed that this vegetable is good for stamina: people given beetroot juice could train for longer. Bill is weary of it and while it’s not my favourite, I plan to add it to my lunchtime soups, particularly on training days.

broccoli

purple sprouting broccoli – We grew some of this last year, thinking it was cabbage (the nursey had mislabeled it or mixed their plants); we soon realized it wasn’t cabbage, but not knowing just what it was, we found the leaves reasonably edible, if a bit tough. Amazingly the plant survived long enough to produce the pretty purple sprouts and we eventually ate those as well; I thought it pretty good to get two foods from one plant, like beetroot also gives you greens.

Brussels sprouts

cabbage (best) – The red cabbages around here are enormous!


cauliflower – A good excuse to make cheese sauce and call it the main course.

carrots

celeriac – Not my favourite flavour and so not worth the price, but Good Housekeeping featured a recipe, with double cream…so inappropriate for January's resolutions!

celery
cranberries
endive
fennel
grapefruit
grapes
horseradish
kale
leeks
lettuce
mandarines
mangoes
mushrooms
onions
oranges
parsnips
pears
pineapples
plums
potatoes
salsify
savoys (best)
seakale
shallots
swedes
sweet potatoes
tomatoes
turnips

Fish and Game
bloaters

bream - According to W&H not only seasonal, but not-farmed, in case you want to be really picky.

brill
cockles
cod dabs
duck
eel
haddock
halibut
hare
herring
John Dory
lobster
mallard

mussels (best) - Bill won't touch these with someone else's bargepole, but I’ve actually eaten mussels, once. Vivien and I met for lunch at the Big Mussel (who knew it was Belgian?) near the University, knowing we could get food other than mussels. But since I was there, I asked if they did any ‘taster’ dishes for mussel-virgins. I explained didn't want to order a whole dish that I might not like, but I wanted to at least try some for future reference. They brought out half-a-dozen mussels in the shell with a variety of flavourings and Vivien and I both tried some. I would describe the smell as a little fishy (as you would expect) and the texture as slightly chewy, and they tasted largely of the flavours in which they were cooked, much like prawns and lobster do. I thought they were quite nice, actually, but I’m unlikely to ever get Bill near the place.

oysters - The only time I’ve eaten these was once in Cannon Beach, Oregon. (I actually found some scanned pictures of Ecola beach, which is just north. It's one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen.)



I wouldn’t ever eat raw oysters, but deep fried, they were pretty good. I could probably eat just about anything – and have eaten calamari (squid) – deep fat fried.



partridge
pheasant
pidgeon
plaice
prawns
red mullet
river trout
scallops
shrimps
skate
smelts
snipe
sole
sprats
teal
turbot
venison

whitebait - I've eaten whitebait before, at a French restaurant in Gosforth, Newcastle, one time when I was out with the girls from work. Going out for a meal with your friends at work is part of the culture here and for the longest time our boss only seemed to hire women...that's a whole other story I'm not planning to tell; I prefer to just pretend he doesn't exist. Anyhow, I remember having two major experiences in the same meal: whitebait (sort of like deep fried minnows, eaten whole) and frogs' legs, and I lived to tell you that the latter tastes like chicken and other than being weird, they aren't anything to blog about.

whiting
widgeon