The Regent’s canal means so much to me for a few reasons. First, I live right next to it and it feels like it belongs a little bit to me. I will use terms such as MY canal or YOUR canal to our friend Maite (who also lives close to the canal) when I spot a new baby swan. Second, if it wasn’t for the canal I would probably not cycle to work every day. I know some cyclists deserve to be pushed in the water and be attacked by swans but not me. I am a very nice cyclist who keeps count of the animals and potential foraging sites. And third, I always find these foraging sites!
The [tough] reality of baking Rye bread at home
“Baking your own bread is so rewarding, it will taste better than shop-bought bread …” blablabla. Baking bread for me involved weeks of trying, failing, reading and sitting in front of the oven waiting for that “oven push” that never happened. I must say I learned quite fast for basic white sourdough bread, but when it came to Rye bread I thought I would never stop producing bricks after bricks. And I am not even talking about a 100% Rye!… this one might take me the rest of the year to master properly…
What a start to a post! But do not despair and get started, because it took me about 3 months to have a tasty, good looking rye bread worth talking about. I honestly believe that if you are keen to start baking your own bread, doing a crash course on bread basics could make your experience more pleasurable. Understanding how active is a starter, how bouncy the dough should be before baking, did I knead it enough, did it rise enough? Being didactical at bread baking is really taking the strenuous route, so make the most of the tips available online and the many good books out there. Or like I said, save up and go to a bread baking course, which I am still yet to do.
Foraging trip 2: The Bramble Walk
Armed with our walking and foraging books, a good picnic and lots of water, we made the most of the beautiful weather on Sunday and set off on another foraging adventure. This time we went South close to Brighton, starting from a village called Hassock and finishing in Lewes (Itinerary here). Another bountiful land! Continue reading
Gooseberry and Elderflower compote
My mum’s auntie and uncle live around Lyon where it is much greener than in Provence where I grew up. They have a lovely little garden where some wild gooseberry bushes manage to produce a few berries every year. My mum loves gooseberries and she always told me how surprised she was when she found out that nobody liked them which is why they never tended these bushes.
It is gooseberry season right now and I decided to make the most of it for two reasons:
– My mum will be delighted when I bring her a pot of my compote in September when I visit and,
-It looks like Elderflower and Gooseberry are best mates, and since I recently made Elderflower cordial and Elderflower syrup, I thought it would be a good idea to combine them. Of course you can still do this recipe without, just follow the steps below. The Elderflower adds a sweet and floral taste to the compote, which makes it very fresh and perfect for the summer. Continue reading
Noémie's kitchen 