Weed not
Donald Reid meets two Edinburgh
reed
women who have discovered
that the urban jungle is an unexpectedly generous larder
his is the age we live in:
foraging means a trip to the
local shops rather than the supermarket and the phrase ‘food for free~ is associated more with ‘buy one get one free' than nature‘s bounty. However. the green revolution may not all he about refusing a 5p poly bag. The lidinburgh-based authors of a new book would like to suggest a few alternative locations for picking up food: cycle paths. city parks. riverbanks. local woodlands and sea shores.
Seaweed and [fat I! was compiled by l‘iona Houston and Xa Milne as a way of creating a bit of family adventure while reinforcing a love of fresh food and cooking. A beginners‘ guide combining plant
identification with recipes. common—sense tips and the anecdotes behind a year of
plundering wild food. it‘s all set in Scotland and begins in the heart of lidinburgh.
‘We wanted to say: if we can do it. so can you.‘ explains Xa Milne. "l‘he idea of the book is that it leads you out of the front door. There’s a lot of suspicion when something can‘t be bought over the counter. ‘
By the banks of the River Almond on a March morning last year they found organic edibles such as wild garlic (makes excellent pesto). goose grass (juice it) and the young shoots of stinging nettles (for nettle gnocchi). Spring greens such as these. picked before they flower. are packed with minerals and
WHEN
FOOD BOOKS
How to Cook for Food Allergies by Lucinda Bruce- Gardyne, Rodale, £16.99 Another local author. LtiCinda Bruce-Gardyne is a profeSSional cook With children who suffer from various food allergies including dairy. egg and gluten intolerance. As a way of empowering other sufferers and parents she has put together a hugely practical book rooted in the belief that good. real food can still be enioyed despite allergies. She offers sound basic cooking skills to give you the confidence to cook from scratch, tips and techniques for adapting established reCipes and practical approaches to issues such as eating in restaurants. eating at parties and maintaining a varied. interesting diet despite the restrictions.
12 THE LIST 13—27 Mar 2008
‘THERE'S A LOT OF SUSPICION
SOMETHING CAN'T BE BOUGHT'
vitamins. ‘They're almost designed for curing winter ailments.‘ Houston points out. ‘Gathering
them gives you an instant appreciation of the seasonal aspect of food:
More than anything it was the commonplace proximity of all these interesting foods that surprised them. ‘()nce you start
Delia's How to Cheat at Cooking
by Delia Smith, Ebury, £20
When honesty and integrity in food is putting up a commendable resistance in the face of dominating Supermarkets. yOu have to wonder why on earth Delia IS making a Virtue out Of dishonesty and subterfuge. The same Delia who Once championed the baSICS and dOing things Simply but properly. Is it sheer contrariness that recipe number one lists Aunt Bessie's Homester frozen crispy potatoes and ready-grated Gruyere frOm Tesco’? There are s0me useful ideas and senSible short-Cuts to eating well when time is short. but they sit very uncomfortany alonQSide frequent endorsements for processed food from name- checked Supermarkets and suppliers.
be u-
POLLAN
looking for clderl'low ersf they esplain ‘you'll wonder how you ever missed them. 'l‘here's probany an elder tree growing on a street corner or back alley within walking distance of your house.’ lilderflowers are turned not inst into cordial but syrups (to pour o\ er ice-cream). sorhcts and fritters.
At other times of the year they set off to plunder nature around other city landmarks: chickweed by the Water of l.eith. sweet ciccly on (‘alton Hill. sorrel on .'\l1lltll“s Scat. wood blewits in lnverlcith Park.
One recipe in the book is entitled ‘l’ilton l’udding' after the suburb of lidinburgh infamous for its associations with 'I'I'uins/mlllng. Houston. Milne and their families found the cycle path there lined with autumn brambles. elderberries. rosehips and apples. No real surprise. then. that Seaweed has been dubbed the foodie's answer to The Dangerous Book fin‘ Boys.
Seaweed and Eat It: a family foraging and cooking adventure by Fiona Houston and Xa Milne, Virgin Books, £10.99.
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11’3"?” ’1 In Defense of Food A by Michael Pollan, Allen Lane, £16.99 In the tradition of urbane. liberal. erudite American JOurnalistresearchers fthirik Bill Bn/son. Siriioii Schama) comes this engaging argument to reclaim our relationship Wlth food from dabbling food SCientiSts, big busmess. nefariOus food
marketing and rudderless. sensation-seeking Journalism (‘Eat chocolate! Don't eat r,hocolate!',. The best bit of the book is the final section where POIIan explains some useful maxims for those of us keen to eat well, among them: avoid food products that make heath claims. do all your eating at a table (no. a desk is not a table). and don't get your fuel from the same place your car does.