Queenies are a blast from the past for Mark Hix, who recommends baking them in herbs October 5, 2016 When I was at primary school my mate Mark Hawker’s dad had a fishing boat, and from it I would watch the local ships come in piled high with sacks of queen scallops fished from the reefs. Sadly, over-trawling put an end to all that, and you rarely see them fished in Lyme bay any [...]
Our resident chef Mark Hix on why these orange giants should be eaten all year round September 27, 2016 Pumpkins and squashes aren’t just for Halloween. We should eat them like we do other more mainstream root vegetables, because they are equally delicious. The pumpkin and squash family, collectively known as cucurbits, are actually a fruit. They have hundreds of relatives; nearly a thousand to be precise, including melons and cucumbers. Years ago you would [...]
Our resident chef Mark Hix on how British farmers are extending asparagus season to incredible new lengths September 21, 2016 Traditionally, the asparagus season is a brief one, running from late April until late June depending on how our British weather behaves. But thanks to milder winters and clever growers, that season is getting longer. One producer who’s really put some thought into fighting the overseas competition is the Chinn Family, who grow asparagus in [...]
Our resident chef Mark Hix on how pheasants shouldn’t be roasted, but smashed into escalopes before cooking September 13, 2016 Pheasant is the most common bird to shoot and grows relatively quickly, and so by the end of the season the demand is almost non-existent and the gamekeepers are very keen to get rid of them. Pheasant is also a notoriously tricky bird to cook. It roasts a bit dry, even when cooked to perfection. [...]
Our resident chef Mark Hix on why we should make the most of our British plums September 6, 2016 I'm a bit fed up with seeing rock hard, imported plums on sale in supermarkets. What’s the point? They sit in the fruit bowl taking ages to ripen, then they go off after a few days. What’s wrong with our home grown plums? We grow plenty of varieties here, from the well-known Victoria to the [...]
Our resident chef Mark Hix champions the Kentish cob nut, a great seasonal ingredient and friend to Brussels sprouts August 23, 2016 The Kentish cob nut is one of those great seasonal ingredients, with an even greater history behind it. In the early 1800s, the Victorians loved this variation on the hazelnut and planted thousands of acres of cob nut trees. They were cultivated in large amounts by Mr Lambert of Gourdhurst in Kent and that’s how [...]
Our resident chef Mark Hix on how the tomatoes from his youth have inspired the tomatoes of his today August 16, 2016 One of my fondest food memories as a kid was my grandfather’s tomatoes. At a certain time of year, he grew chrysanthemums in one greenhouse and tomatoes in the other. I would often help him gardening and at night we would go to the greenhouse armed with tweezers and a torch to remove earwigs from [...]
Our resident chef Mark Hix on how the Glorious Twelfth heralds a hunting season full of delicious grouse August 9, 2016 This Friday marks the Glorious Twelfth, the day on which the grouse-hunting season officially begins. I’m hoping to squeeze in a little shoot in Dumfriesshire, and perhaps do some salmon fishing on the River Nith while I’m at it. The game season is one of the most important events in the British culinary calendar – [...]