Label rouge Poultry

I've been using Label Rouge poultry for a few years now, I became familiar with the brand as one of the butchers I frequent has them in stock. So while I am a big supporter of local produce, it is difficult when you move to a new country to work out what products are the best quality. So when you do find something that may not necessarily tick the local box, but ticks the box on traceability, quality, consistency and flavour, it solves a lot of problems in the kitchen.

I do like to know exactly where my food comes from and so it's always good to get a chance to meet the farmers behind the product. Last week I was invited by Label Rouge and Melman communications to join journalists from Vlees+ and VoedingNU to visit farmers and butchers in Lyon and the surrounding Auvergne region in France.

World champion butcher Didier Massot and recipient of the Meilleur Ouvrier de France

So what exactly is Label Rouge and what does it mean? Label Rouge was set up in 1960 as a backlash to the mass production in poultry farming after the second world war. A syndicate of farmers wished to improve the conditions of the animals and also provide a support network for quality farming. It covers every aspect from hatching to slaughter and delivery.  It was also a way of stepping back to traditional free range farming methods but ensuring similar quality with all participating farmers. The birds are kept safely indoors overnight and get to roam freely during the day, they also have plenty of space within the coop and also outdoors.

Chickens seeking the shade at the farm of Romaine Guillaume

The coop at Nicolas Picard's farm in Auvergne

Plenty of space to roam

The guidelines from Label Rouge cover the types of bird being farmed (slow growing breeds only), the feed (high quality locally grown grains), the number of animals per metre squared (11 chickens) and no chemicals are used in the feeds. They do not encourage fast growing breeds or growth stimulants, the aim is for a happy, healthy, tasty bird. The birds are slaughtered at a minimum of 81 days which is almost twice what other companies dictate and can also be left to grow for longer.

Yellow foot breed, they have a distinguishing bald neck which keeps them cool

What does it mean for the farmers involved? They see it as a support network, and are proud to adhere to the stringent guidelines laid down by Label Rouge. There are independent ad hoc checks on a regular basis to ensure guidelines are being followed. The farmers are proud knowing they are part of a quality industry, not just in animal welfare but producing a tasty animal too. When visiting the farms it was clear to see that the farmers really cared for the animals, the birds were healthy looking and the coops clean with plenty of space for them to roam outdoors too. At every stage of production there are inspections and lots of paperwork for the farmers to fill in to ensure there is complete traceability. On the label for the end product you can see where the animal was farmed, how it was raised, where it was slaughtered. This is available to the end consumer.

Farmer Nicolas Picard

So what does this mean for the end consumer or chef ? Label Rouge is seen as a mark of quality in France. When visiting a supermarket butcher a customer overheard us speaking in English about the brand and remarked ''it's the best!''. French butchers want to be associated with quality so they will ensure they have label rouge birds in stock for their customers. It's a well known brand associated with being the best, so customers specifically ask for it. Here in the Netherlands it is gaining ground with high end butchers who are aiming for quality products. Very few brands offer complete end to end traceability and a guarantee that the bird will have a superior flavour.

When you see the Label Rouge chicken in the butchers here in the Netherlands, there are three breeds. Black foot, white foot and yellow foot. The birds will vary in flavour, the yellow foot is more tender and has a higher fat content than the others. The black foot, has a gamier flavour and the white foot a lighter flavour.
In France they are sold with the head and feet intact, but having spoken to my butcher Johan van Uden from Chateaubriand in Heemstede here in the Netherlands he said that they presented the bird in a more "oven ready manner" as people were often put off by traditional presentation. Speaking with the chefs in France, they said that the Label Rouge brand was one of the few that could guarantee flavour as well as quality and that is why the birds featured on their menu.

So how does Label Rouge compare with Beter Leven chickens? Label Rouge has a close comparison with 3 star Beter Leven level.
Beter Leven also has slow growing breeds, but slaughter the birds at 71 days in comparison with 81 for Label Rouge.
Chickens number 10 per metre squared in comparison with 11 for Label Rouge. Both Label Rouge and (organic) Beter Leven chickens have access to outdoors.  Although Label Rouge isn't exclusively organic, they do have the same stringent applications as Beter Leven free range animals.
Label Rouge here in the Netherlands also imports guinea fowl and duck as well as chicken. In France they also have beef, lamb pork, shrimp and herring as well as flour.

Magimix Gelato Expert review

It's been a few months of testing with the Gelato Expert and I think I've given the machine a good run for it's money thus far. I thought my other half would be fed up of ice cream by now but he doesn't seem to have got bored just yet. It's not just my other half, but friends and neighbours too that have got to try the ice creams and give feedback. I wanted to be as thorough as possible with testing.

The machine was given to me by Magimix to test, to provide honest feedback to them, and to you, my readers. This is not a paid or sponsored post.

I have been looking at the outcome of each recipe that I've made and the quality of the end results. I'm looking for good smooth consistent textures, good mouthfeel, lightness that comes with good incorporation of air with churning. There's no point comparing it with shop bought as this is purely home made ice cream and comparing with commercial defeats the object. I also looked at how the end results compared to my old machine which was also one with a built in compressor.

The ease of use of this machine is a great bonus, there is nothing else to do other than add ingredients push a button and off you go. The only extra prep needed is to use a saline solution or cooking alcohol if you use the removable bowl (it stops the bowl from sticking to the inside). I like the fact there are two bowls if you want to make several batches. When you are done making ice cream you can pop most of the items used into the dishwasher.

I've tested all three functionalities; the ice-cream/sorbet, the gelato and the granita functions using traditional and not so traditional ingredients.

First the ice cream/sorbet functionality; it produced a nice creamy texture with any of the methods used. I tested traditional custard bases using 1:1 milk-cream, all cream and all milk bases. I also used meringue bases, mousse bases and the all in one method using yoghurt or coconut milk as a base. The machine produced consistent results every time, clean good texture and nice creaminess. The only variation was the time taken for the machine to finish and this was dependent on the volumes used. For 450ml time taken was 16 - 20 minutes and for 1 litre it took no more than 35- 40 minutes. Bear in mind that during the churning process the mixture will often double in size so you end up with a greater volume.

I used traditional sorbet recipes (fruit juice and 1:1 sugar syrup) and also fruit based (puree and 1:1 sugar syrup). All resulted in a light and airy finish, no graininess or excess of ice crystals at all. Some of the recipes I also added alcohol to see how it would cope, alcohol lowers the freezing point. The only difference was that it took slightly longer but the end texture was still good.

The gelato function gives you a more traditional soft ice cream texture, which the only downside was that you did need to serve the ice cream pretty quickly as it did have a tendency to melt faster.
The granita function is an added bonus, many of us will have used the tried and tested recipe of putting the base mix in the freezer and taking it out to scrape every 30 minutes with a fork to produce the required effect. All this machine requires is that you put the mix in and select the granita function. The texture it produces is exactly as you would expect from a traditional Italian granita, close textured, yet creamy with a nice fine-grained end result.

So what are the downsides, if there are any?
As mentioned before if you use the gelato function, you will need to serve it pretty quickly once it is made, as it melts quickly.
If using the main in built bowl, some of the mixture will freeze quite hard on the sides as it churns. The size has often been a sticking point with reviewers, width wise it is less than other machines,  but it is quite tall which makes storage a little awkward.
The machine only flashes to indicate when it is finished, it doesn't beep, though luckily it will go into storage mode and keep the mixture cool for up to 2 hours.
It is noisy as any machine with an in built compressor will be, but not excessively so.
There is also the price to consider, at €599, it does come in at the high end of the scale, but no more than other ice cream makers in the same pro quality range. Some of the other ice cream machines at the higher end and similar price range vary in capacity from 800ml to 1.5l , the Gelato Expert being one of the few that has a two litre capacity.

If you like to make ice creams on a regular basis, then this machine is a quality investment, it is very easy to use not just for conventional recipes but non conventional too. I've produced ice creams such as plain old vanilla, butter popcorn, soy sauce caramel, mango and kaffir lime as well as cherry, honey and yoghurt. Sorbets such as strawberry, balsamic and black pepper and a ginger beer and pineapple and also a pimms granita to name but a few. The machine makes light work of any recipe and is ready in very little time. It suits any ability from the novice to the professional cook. Consistent results every time no matter what recipe you use.

If you want more information and specification on the machine go to http://www.magimix.nl/producten/voorbereiden/IJsmachine/Gelato-Expert/

Magimix Gelato Expert

Magimix NL have asked me to test out another Machine for them, this time it is the Gelato Expert ice cream maker. Perfect timing as as we're now coming up into the warmer months. I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but I make the exception for ice cream and nothing beats home made. Been making ice cream at home for many years now and it's just so much better than shop bought.

My first ever ice cream maker 16 or so years ago was also a Magimix, the one with the bowl that you have to put in the freezer (Glacier 1.1). While it was nice and compact, you needed to remember to put it in the freezer before you made the ice cream and while I'm not bad at forward planning there were times where I had the ingredients and forgot to get the bowl ready. I decided it was time to get something with an in-built freezer component and came across a Gaggia professional one at a bargain price in a local shop, again this was many years ago. It will be interesting to know how things have changed with these types of ice cream maker and the difference in the end product.

Over the coming months you will see an increase in the number of recipes for ice cream, sorbets and granitas as the Gelato Expert has a function for all three. I'll be interested in how long it takes to churn as well as the consistency of the ice cream and sorbets. I'll be talking about the different methods of ice cream making and trying some interesting ingredients. Like my testing of the Cook Expert I will be as honest as possible in my feedback and experiences.

Initial impressions are good; clear concise instructions and handy hints and tips to get the best out of your recipes in the accompanying recipe book . The unit is never going to be petite or light, but it's not as heavy as my old one, so there have been some advances in refrigeration units. I like the fact that it has several functions from gelato (softer ice cream) to granita and also that it has a manual function so you can control the amount of time you want to churn.  It also has two bowls; one in built and one that you can remove and the capacity is 2l which is nice.

So here we go, I see a lot of ice cream in my future!

If you'd like to find out more about the Gelato Expert then you can find the specification on the Magimix NL website 

Goat, Cooking and Eating - review

This is the first book from James Whetlor, founder of Cabrito goat meat and a keen advocate of ethical goat farming. While many of us would not necessary consider goat a daily staple or a go-to meat. James makes a good case on why we should consider it and also why more chefs need to put this on their menus.

The book starts out giving us a history and background about the goat industry through the ages and how it is perceived in various cultures for farming cooking and eating. It also gives us a good reason why we should consider goat meat, in particular billy goat meat. As well as ethical reasons, we get even more reasons in the shape of many and varied delicious recipes from Europe, India, the Caribbean, China, West Africa and the Middle east.

The recipes take the shape of various forms of cooking and cover everything from slow cooking to BBQ (some of my favourite methods of cooking), traditional roasts and bakes. You are greeted with recipes such as suya kid chops, the iconic Caribbean dish curry goat (you can't not have a curry goat recipe in there!) and moving to traditional dishes such as souvlaki, shawarma, pastilla, tagine and cassoulet. There are dishes to suit all tastes and all levels of cooking skills and if you want to push the boat out, how to make your own sausages and cook a whole goat as well!

As well as recipes from James himself, he has also given us recipes from the likes of Yotam Ottolenghi, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (one of my food heroes), Olia Hercules (a fellow alumna from my old chef school Leiths), Jeremy Lee, DJ BBQ and Gill Meller to name but a few. The photography by Mike Lusmore is striking and colourful and the dishes are styled simply which I like, it makes the recipes more approachable. I'm a big fan of spice and there are plenty of recipes that feature those elements.

It is also good to know that 50% of the proceeds from the book go to support the charity Farm Africa, who work with local farmers and communities to help them support themselves and fight poverty. 

I really enjoyed the diversity of recipes in the book and the fact it incorporated goat into dishes that would not necessarily feature it. Nice to see a nod to West African cooking too with suya and peanut curry dishes, as many of you know I've become a fan in the last few years. I certainly think this book will change people's mind about a not so well known meat and maybe we will start to see it become more widely available in the shops and feature on Restaurant menus too. Here in the Netherlands I know of only a few restaurants that feature goat Rijks and Nacarat in Amsterdam and Dartel in Leiden. If there are others, do let me know!

Goat is released on April 5th in the UK (currently available on Amazon) and in the US and Australia on the 1st of May. I have also been reliably informed that there is a Dutch version coming out soon and will keep my dutch readers posted as to when.

Magimix Cook Expert review

So it's a few months into testing and you'll probably want to know how I'm finding it. Having this piece of equipment has required a little change of mindset on my behalf. While I was happily using the Magimix food processor for many years, the range of recipes that I could use was limited to what you could chop and puree, or in making pastry, pastes and pasta. The induction facility has opened things up a bit more. Many recipes that I would happily cook on the hob can now be cooked in the machine without me having to stand over the pot and stir.

The machine is a powerful beast with a good sturdy base which means it does not rattle all over the place when performing it's duty. The processor works very quickly and efficiently, it does however require some worktop space, but with the breadth of functionality it has, it will get used on a regular basis.

If you are time poor then this is a useful tool to have, stir fries and dishes that require a lot of chopping can be prepared in minutes with the variety of blades. Soups can be cooked all the way through and then pureed or creamed (depending on how smooth you like it). I do like the soup functionality as it is such a joy to throw ingredients in and 30 minutes later without having to raise a finger you have perfectly smooth soup. Smoothies are quick and easy and a good texture, it compares well to my Waring pro blender and is much quicker. I'm also a big fan of the steam function too, which is great for veg, fish and meat and I've started cooking a lot of dim sum recipes with this facility. 

I had reservations about chucking things into the machine and pushing a few buttons and leaving it to it's business, it's not in my nature. I'm classically trained and used to making a lot of traditional sauces such as creme anglaise, buerre blanc and bechamel by hand, you need to ensure the temperature of the ingredients and the pan are strictly regulated and ingredients are added bit by bit to ensure the right texture and it doesn't split or go lumpy.

So for me throwing all the ingredients in at once like I did for on my first time with a bechamel sauce was anathema to how I cook. Traditionally you need to ensure that the flour is cooked out first otherwise you get a pappy taste with the sauce. With the CookExpert I got a lovely smooth sauce, no floury texture or flavour. A lot of thought has gone into how recipes are traditionally prepared and how the induction facility should behave in producing a good end result.

For the first month I did spend my time hovering over the machine and stopping it at intervals just to check how a dish was progressing as I really wanted to ensure that as it was my own recipe that it was performing as I would expect. With a few tweaks to functionality I got to to the point where I could throw the ingredients in and just leave it to do its job. I also like the fact that I can use the rinse function to quickly clean the metal bowl, so I can use it again for another dish, rather than having to spend ages washing it by hand or running it through the dishwasher. 

The induction facility holds its temperature well but I did find there were slight fluctuations between the bottom and top of the liquid of a few degrees. If you do decide to use it for confit, you will need to give it some time for the temperature to stabilise. It does take a few minutes to get up to temperature when cooking or when using the steam function, so bear that in mind when cooking items that require a set amount of time. 

My only reservations have sprung from the meringues that it produces. The texture of the whisked egg whites is very loose and while this is suitable for plain unshaped meringues or macaroons, it doesn't hold its shape very well when piping the meringue. It doesn't give much in the way of volume, so two egg whites produce a lot less than for example, when I whisk them with my Kitchen Aid. With the Kitchen Aid, I also get a firmer texture which means it holds its shape better. This however, is probably down to the fact the Kitchen Aid has an open bowl and a different type of whisk.

I also find that with the rubber ring in the lid of the metal bowl that you have to be careful when removing the lid after cooking as it has a propensity to drip everywhere. Doesn't seem to matter how careful I am when doing so. So be careful when taking the lid off. I would advise being especially careful when using the steam function and also when you have made jams as the liquid collected in the lid will be hot.

When cooking stews, I like to brown the meat, which I prefer to do on a flat based pan, the shape of the induction bowl makes this a little problematic. It's only really suitable for casseroles with chunks of meat rather than whole cuts such as shanks and oxtail. I would advise browning the meat first before adding it to the induction bowl. Also when making stews you can chop the vegetables with the CookExpert which is fine but you do get the odd chunk even if you have scraped down the sides to make sure it's chopped evenly. Another thing to bear in mind is that it does hold the moisture in really well if you leave the small lid on. So if you are cooking stews, chillies or ragus that require a nice thick consistency, you will need to remove the small lid before the end of cooking to allow it to reduce a little.

With any kitchen gadget it takes a while to get familiar with functionality, Many people have expressed a preference for a knob you can turn rather than a button functionality as this has. To be honest if you use it enough the functionality will become instinctive. 

The metal bowl can be used for a lot of the same functionality (pastries, cakes, pasta, pastes) as the food processor bowl, but my preference is for using the food processor as the mixture comes out a lot easier as I can remove the blade quickly. With the shape of the metal bowl and blades it can be a bit fiddly getting those last bits of dough or mixture out. There is a specially designed spatula which helps, but it is still a faff.

Lets also address the elephant in the room, the price, it retails at just under €1200, which for any kitchen gadget is not cheap. You do get quite a lot for your money, induction cooking, food processor, chopping blades, cookbook, spatulas and scales. It also combines the efforts of gadgets such as induction hob, blender and stand mixer into one and you get a quality piece of equipment which will last. Like any Kitchen gadget you will need to question how much will you use it in order to get good value out of it.

For me it's become indispensable in the kitchen, I am really enjoying the additional induction functionality on top of the food processor. Lots of dishes that I would normally cook on the hob now get cooked in the Cook Expert. I also love the fact there is an app as well as the cookbook, so I can quickly look up recipes on my phone. So the question is, would I recommend this? I certainly would, I find the additional cooking functionality really useful. For the novice cook it will make certain dishes and sauces a lot easier to master and for the more accomplished cook, give you more time to attempt more complicated dishes.

If you'd like more information go to http://www.magimix.nl/producten/VOORBEREIDEN/Kokende-Keukenmachine/Cook-Expert/

This post is not sponsored by Magimix and any opinions are independently given as the Cook Expert has been given to me on loan to test and give honest feedback.

Magimix Cook Expert - the journey begins

I'm pleased to say that Magimix Netherlands have asked me to try out their Cook Expert food processor for the next six months. This is the first time since I started my website that I've been asked to do something like this and I'm quite chuffed. 

I'm no stranger to Magimix, I've been using their food processors for the past 13 years. I was introduced to the brand when I did my chefs diploma during my year at Leiths School of Food and Wine in London. The product does play a large part in my cooking repertoire and I've used it to make pasta, pastry, mayonnaise, curry pastes, hollandaise, pates, meatballs, scones, crumbles... the list goes on. Not to mention it being a recent life saver when I had to chop several kilos of onions for my dish at the recent Big Green Egg Favour Fair. As much as I like to use my chefs knives, the chopping blades come in useful for large quantities or when I'm feeling lazy.

The Cook Expert comes the extra ability to use it for other than normal food processing. The thermo bowl has an induction facility with temperature control, so you can prepare soups and stews without having to use your hob. It also has a steam and bread function, so it will be interesting to see how these work.  

So for the next few months I want to see if this all singing, all dancing tool will make a difference in the way I cook. I'll be comparing the end results to what I get from my existing equipment such as my Sansaire Sous Vide, my Waring Pro Blender and my Kitchen Aid. I'll also be comparing the end results of the slow cooking facility against how they turn out in my Staub casserole. Even comparing it to making things the old fashioned way by hand. 

I'll be giving my Magimix 4200xl a well deserved holiday while I try out the Cook Expert. Over the next six months, there will be articles on how progress is going. I'll endeavour to give an honest opinion on how it compares and its ease of use. As well as outlining the possibilities of having such a tool in the kitchen. 

Initial thoughts on the Cook Expert are that the base is much larger and heavier than the 4200XL. It takes up a lot more space, especially as you have two sets of bowls. One set of 3 for the food processor and another for induction cooking and steaming. The chopping blade set is a lot more compact and it also comes with a hardback recipe book.

The bowls on both processors are roughly the same size but the blade is much bigger and slightly differs in design on the Cook Expert. The same for the whisking blade which is also bigger and designed differently. The dough hook that I was sent is metal and a tougher design than the plastic version that comes with my 4200XL. The weighing scale that comes with this model, is sleek and responsive, but only does solids rather than liquids. Like most models, measures in increments of 2(g/oz etc...). It is compact and has a wipe clean surface which is good.

My focus initially will be more on the cook expert facility, rather than the food processor (I'm already very familiar with those capabilities). I will be interested to see how the blades perform in comparison with my model and what the improvements are. I will peruse the recipe book, but my main focus will be on my own recipes and how it fits in with my cooking repertoire.

Let the cooking begin.

Urban Farmers - more local than you think

Many of you who are familiar with the blog know that my motto is eat local and seasonal. I also place a huge emphasis on knowing exactly where my food comes from, who produced it, how was it grown and did it have a good life? 

I was lucky to be invited by Makro to the launch of their collaboration with Urban Farmers in Den Haag. Many of you will be familiar with Makro as a wholesale/cash and carry but they are looking to change that image by working with smaller businesses and initiatives throughout the country. This way they can focus on quality and locality in the products that they sell.

I'm surprised that I hadn't heard about Urban Farmers in The Hague before, I live in Leiden which is only a mere 15 minutes by train and it's the kind of initiative that I'm very interested in. So, who Exactly are Urban Farmers? It is a concept new to the Netherlands, whereby food is grown in an urban setting using modern and sustainable techniques such as aquaponics. It is currently one of the largest urban rooftop farms in Europe. 

Much of the food that we see in supermarkets and even in the market has travelled hundreds, if not thousands of miles to the reach the shelves before we buy them. Most of it will have been pumped full of pesticides and preservatives for longer shelf life and a lot of it will not have, lets be honest, flavour. While Urban Farmers may not focus strictly on seasonal as it is grown in greenhouses, the major focus is on reducing the carbon footprint of your food while supplying sustainable tasty produce.

Urban farmers are based on Televisiestraat in Den Haag, a mere 5 minutes from Holland Spoor station in the old Phillips building. The gardens are based in green houses on the 6th floor and they have a small selection of crops such as tomatoes, aubergines, peppers, cucumbers, salads and micro cresses to name a few. 

They also have a fish farm where the fish are raised in small numbers in tanks and the water from the fish is used for the gardens on the roof. A nice symbiotic setting, there is no pesticide or herbicides used, even the packaging that your produce comes in is green too.

Urban Farmers are looking to expand their influence to a wider audience. They currently supply to some local restaurants and also work in combination with local caterers. They also cater to the public, every Friday from 16:00 to 19:00 there is a UF Dak Markt (roof market). You can also avail of tours of the farm and there's even a pick your own tour on Wednesdays; these need to be booked in advance.

As of September last year they started a Fresh Basket initiative whereby you can order online and they are then available at various pick up points in Den Haag. 

To find out more check out their site  www.urbanfarmers.nl
Urban Farmers
UF002 De Schilde
Televisiestraat 2
Den Haag 2525KD

I've got to face it, I'm addicted to books.

My name is kitchen exile and I am a cookbookaholic.

I can't deny it and nor will I stop buying them. I blame the house we moved into last year, it has one room with floor to ceiling bookshelves and of course those shelves just begged to be filled with yet more books. Prior to that my books were packed any which way on a tiny set of shelves that were groaning from the weight of what was already there. Because of the way I'd piled them on top of one another I couldn't get some of them out such was the weight. Now they all have their home in the "library" as the upstairs room is jokingly called. I now have a room where I can go up pick a book off the shelf, sit on the sofa and just peruse the books. As chef Dan Doherty of the Duck and Waffle says, he doesn't read them for recipes but for inspiration. As such I've had to stop reading them in bed as all they do is get my mind buzzing about food and then I can't sleep.

So how did this all start?  
I've always had an interest in food, but never really got the chance till I went to university to kick it off. I used to love looking through the few cookbooks my mother had and even purchased my own tiny cook book aged 12 for fifty Irish pence, which I still have after all these years. Growing up it was always my mother who cooked or baked, I rarely if ever got the chance to flex my cooking muscles. My first foray into cooking at university was cooking a meal for 12 people on a small baby belling oven/stove combi, maybe at tad too ambitious perhaps?

I enjoyed cooking but never really had the funds as a poor student to properly go for it. I did love cooking for others, especially on Shrove Tuesday as everyone used to come to mine for pancakes. I was very lucky as a student to have flatmates from various nationalities and as a result got taught how to cook dishes from Italy, China, Burma, India and of course the UK. I did enjoy the stints with my Italian flatmates as it seemed Italian men hadn't quite grasped the concept of portion sizes. It always meant that I would be asked to join them for dinner as they had cooked too much and that it would be pretty tasty food.

It was an English flatmate who pushed my interest in cooking that little bit further. We used to watch ready steady cook on day time TV (as you do when a student) and then try the recipes that evening. Back then though I wasn't an avid purchaser of cook books. I recall buying The Cordon Bleu - Step by step cooking which is a very good book and I still dip into it now and again for recipes. Someone once bought me a Nigella book - How to Eat, which I thought was a pretty pompous affair and a tad frivolous, I wasn't at all gutted when I realised I had left it behind after a house move.

The turning point for me was Nigel Slater's Real Food, and that was an epiphany, a proper cooks cookbook with easy recipes that made your mouth water just reading it. I always enjoy his books and recipes, a life long favourite is his Baked Camembert and also his cheats soufflés (aka cheese and thyme puddings). It's also his enthusiasm for great produce and growing your own that encourages you to try out your own versions and play with his recipes. So I also blame Nigel Slater!

After that I couldn't get enough but 20 years ago the cookbook market wasn't as flooded as it is now. Cooking and cook books are now more popular than ever, but for every good book there is a lot of tat. There weren't that many TV chefs, the UK restaurant scene was only just blossoming, so I only had Nigel. I think it all changed with Jamie Oliver, while I'm happy to admit I bought his Naked Chef books I got bored with him quickly. There was also The River Cottage programmes hosted by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall which were very interesting and the accompanying early books were also pretty good too.

Up till about 2004 I had only a handful of books but then I went to Leiths School of Food and Wine to train as a chef and it all changed from there on. When you have chefs and wine tutors such as Peter Gordon, Yotam Ottolenghi, Bruce Poole, Ursula Ferrigno, Anthony Rose, Tom Kime, Alastair Little and Henry Harris you will end up buying their books. What was worse is people on the course would always mention books they had bought and you'd end up buying more. After that I couldn't get enough, although calmed down for a bit when I ran out of space and we were about to move country and I realised that the majority of our moving boxes were for cook books.

I suppose you want to know with all the books that I do have which ones (to date) are my favourites? I do keep my staple go to books in the kitchen, ones which I'm always using recipes from directly. I love cooking Thai food and always use the Chiang Mai cookery school cook book from when I did some of their courses in 2005. Next is Cafe Spice Namaste by Cyrus Todiwala closely followed by Rasoi Vineet Bathtia's - New Indian Kitchen. I love Simon Hopkinsons books and he closely rivals Nigel Slater for a place in my culinary heart, so his book the Good Cook is always there. Then there's a very dog eared copy of the Diffords guide cocktail book and also last but not least Nose to Tail eating by Fergus Henderson.

There are some books that haven't quite made the kitchen window just yet but will probably be dragged downstairs and they are in no particular order.

1) Duck and Waffle Cookbook - Dan Doherty, I only bought this a month or so ago and love the recipes, I also love the fact its the recipes that he cooks in the restaurant as well. So glad I don't have to miss the awesome food, cocktails and views as they're all captured in the book. I only have to look at the lovely pics and mouthwatering recipes and think of the many good times I had with friends at the Duck and Waffle and in the cocktail bar at the Heron tower in London.

2) Cracking Yolks and Pigs Tales - Glynn Purnell. This book really captures the character of the cheeky Brummie chef, but is not a book for a beginner cook. There are some awesome recipes and I can't wait to try them especially the monkfish masala which I tried when I went to Purnells Resturant in the past. I was also lucky enough to meet chef when we went there the second time and spent ages chatting to him about curries.

3) Tom Kerridges, Proper Pub Food, by well, Tom Kerridge, I love his restaurant the Hand and Flowers and the book is good honest cooking.

4) The Hawskmoor Cook Book - one of my favourite restaurants in London, and now I've got the recipes for all the delicious sides we used to have. If you're a fan of steak then this is the book for you. It also goes into detail about the need for good meat and meat production. Love this. 

5) Serious Barbecue - Adam Perry Lang,  I had to buy this book, lots of good tips.

So there's the history of my addiction and I won't be seeking advice on how to stop. If anything there's a growing number on my amazon wish list waiting to be purchased.

Copenhagen - this time with pictures

Another trip again to Copenhagen, how could I resist, this time I asked my friends from the Contractor UK Grub Club to join me.

Grub club was formed about 2 years ago whist I was contracting back in London, it was an excuse to gather together once a month and eat at nice places such as Hawksmoor ( grub club favourite), St John ( of Suckling pig feast fame), Barbecoa and also indulge in champagne cocktails at Searcys champagne bar in St Paul's. Grub club is now in the capable hands of a mate who still organises outings.

It was pretty much a repeat of the last trip that I took with my other half in August, we also managed to go to Ruby for cocktails and it was nice to have more people on board and this time I had mates with better phone cameras than mine.

For me this time BROR was the outright star in the food and atmosphere stakes, we all really enjoyed the food and everyone was brave enough to try the lambs testicles, which again were very tasty. Also the guys at BROR cooked us a confit pigs head which was succulent and tasty and reminiscent of our trip to St John in London.
Amass we went for the 9 course menu and it was good, but not as enjoyable as the first time I went there. They still had the potato bread on the menu which I'm going to make an attempt at at some point.

So here come the pics.....