SE1: The Place to Be

London Lite 7th October 2009

I know that living in London is not everyones cup of tea but being a short distance from Borough market means I can do my weekly food shopping at one of the best places in London. I often forget how fortunate I am to have it on my doorstep, its an integral part of my Saturday routine to pop down and buy my seasonal produce which is 90% organic, at reasonable prices. People don’t often believe me but I spend much less at Borough than I would in a supermarket, I can buy much more than I need including eggs, meat or fish for £30-35.

I’m the girl walking around with the bags over-spilling with greens and carrot tops – so if I do inadvertently attack you with my prime veg, whilst mooching from stall-to-stall then apologies in advance.

I know people complain about being ripped off, and yes it is true that some stalls can put up prices that would make your eyes water but over the past six years I have uncovered the best and cheapest stalls which means I avoid the tourist traps. If you want to avoid the crowds, go between 8-11am… come midday it gets ridiculous. After 3pm it calms down again before the market shuts at 5pm.

My secret squirrel guide to Borough Market:

Vegetables:

Wallaces (opp Monmouth Coffee on Stoney St)

Tanya & Rachel never fail to make me smile on even the coldest wintery day. Fresh, sesaonal, organic veg straight from Secrett’s Farm.

Ted’s Veg (Green market, nr Southwark Cathedral)

Organic veg from Lincolnshire, if Wallaces don’t have it, Ted will.

Fruit:

Wallaces (as above)

Chegworth Valley (Jubliee Market, accessible via Rochdale place/Stoney St )

The most amazing berries (that freeze beautifully) in the summer, apples & pears all year round. Everything either unsprayed or organic.

Eggs:

Sillifield farm (in main market next to the pork pies & opposite Borough Wines)

A box of free-range eggs for £1.20 that you pick yourself, if you’re feeling adventurous try their duck eggs too.

Meat & Chicken:

Northfield Farm (inside the market next to the large fish stall)

Often overlooked for the more media-renowned Ginger Pig, but my personal favourite. Brendan, my brilliant butcher, will always spend time to talk me through the current seasonal cuts of meat, bone/chop my chicken when I can’t be bothered to do it myself and never fails to disappoint with recommendations. Try their Collar bacon – it’s so yummy, once you’ve tried it, you’ll never look back!

Fish:

Furness Fish (inside the main market next to Northfield Farm)

Busy and always friendly, Furness fish have everything from Scottish salmon to Lobster to conger eel. They also have a game section if you fancy it.

Cheese:

Neals Yard Dairy (Stoney St)

If you’re a cheese lover, you can’t go wrong with NYD. They have the patience of cheese saints and are as passionate about their cheeses as Paul Smith (who’s got a boutique a few doors down) is about fashion.

Bread:

Flour Power City (Stoney St or Green market)

Try the Rye pumpernickel bread, toasted with a little butter or humous is just divine. You can buy 1/2 or 1/4 loaves if you want to try, but beware, it will get you hooked!

Misc:

Humous/Falafel: Arabica (Green market)

Fab falafel for your market munchies or test out the array of arabic delicacies. Fresh, no nasties and worth every penny.

Taramasalata/Feta & Halloumi Cheese: The Greek Connection (Green market)

Once you have tried their taramasalata (yes it is supposed to be white) you will never return to the supermarket version. The feta and halloumi also have the ability to send you back down memory lane to your wonderful Greek Island holiday.

Linseeds & Linseed oil: Flax Farm (Green market)

If you want the best linseed/flax oil in the UK, Flax Farm is the stall for you. It is organic and has a nice nutty taste which is often lacking from flax oil bought in health food shops. You can also buy flaxseed (brown or yellow), ground flaxseed which are a nice addition to your muesli or porridge

Tofu: Clean Bean Company (Green Market (opposite Flour Power City)

The best Tofu in the UK. Clean Bean make their tofu in Brick Lane in the traditional Japanese way. If you take your own pot then you get a discount too.

Olive Oil: Apuliablend (Green market opposite Ted’s Veg)

A recent discovery which I’d ignored for years, thinking it was too dear. Thankfully, I have been proved wrong. Delicious olive oil, superior to that I’ve bought in health food shops for the same price. You can spend lots of cash on very high quality oil if you choose to but if you want a good nutty oil that can be used for cooking and salads, this is your place.

Coffee: Monmouth Coffee (Stoney St)

If you love your coffee there is no where else to go. They are meticulous with their coffee sourcing from the best places in the world. You can buy whole beans or they will grind them for you – they also opened up their own roating house. Be prepared to queue and they don’t use anything other than full fat organic jersey milk.

Nut Milk

What is ‘Milk’?

‘Milk’ is used to describe any liquid that is white(ish) in colour and can be used, in some places, as a replacement for Dairy milk – aka Cow Juice. Dairy is one of those food groups that isn’t very well tolerated by humans, however we have been marketed to so well over the decades by the Milk Marketing Board & various dairy-led manufacturers that it is now in our psyche that milk is a key element of our diet. This is mainly due to the abundance of calcium within it, however, research has shown that it is actually pretty hard for the body to absorb this calcium and that there is more calcium available from green vegetables than there is in dairy.

I don’t want to get too involved in the science part this evening as it’s late and I want to write another post with more detail at a later date, however, suffice to say, I’m one of those people who just doesn’t really get on with milk. I wouldn’t say I’m ‘intolerant’ but I have never really taken to it, nor enjoyed cream and if I drink it then I don’t feel tip top, more bloated and like I have a film across my teeth. That said, I’ve always had a soft spot for cheese and yogurt however, it doesn’t mean that my body thrives on it (it doesn’t), however it probably tolerates it more due to the processing that both products go through.

So tonight, I’m going to tell you about nut milks and how easy they are to make… you can use then as a replacement for liquid in cereals, as a topping for porridge, instead of cream and in smoothies. You can also make ‘cheese’ out of them… however, I’ve not done that yet, so you’ll have to wait for that!

My Nut Milk Story:

I’ve been making nut milk since 2008, but as with many things, fell out of practice of it as my routine changed. I visited  Unpackaged last week and had a fresh batch of gorgeous organic pecan nuts to play with. I first discovered nut milk in  Rawsome! by Bridget Mars – a book that I was recommended whilst I doing my nutrition training. I’m a wannabe raw foodie, but always get sucked back into the cooked food lifestyle… maybe its because I always ‘try’ when its cold and get that need for warming food when its so cold outside.

When I first heard about it, I was really daunted about trying to make it as I thought you needed some fancy implements to make it, so avoided doing it for ages. Many books suggest you buy a nut milk maker, muslin and it was totally different to what I was used to, but I found some nut milk in my local health food shop so I tried that first. I thought it was really tasty, but it was pretty expensive and on closer inspection, I noticed the ingredients including ‘maltose’ which is a sugar, and as I was in a stage of my life where I was trying to be as pure as pure can be with regards to food, I stopped buying it.

On closer inspection the recipe in Rawsome! was really simple, so I tried it out and I’ve been a fan ever since. I no longer follow the recipe as I’m totally confident now, and like to try different flavours. I’ve even made pumpkin seed milk – which was an interesting shade of green(ish) white.

The great thing is about Nut Milk is that it is full of goodness, it has protein, essential fats, minierals and vitamins and some carbohydrate, depending on what nuts you choose. It is very moreish… so watch out, otherwise it can get very expensive!

Top Tips:

1. Soak your nuts & fruit of choice overnight in filtered water – this rehydrates them and makes the nutrients more available to the body to absorb. But don’t forget to rinse them before putting them into the blender.
2. Try out different nuts, but remember that some may need a little more sweetening that others.
3. Using a variety of dried fruits not only changes the taste but also provides your body with different nutrients.
4. If you don’t have any muslin (like me) then a sieve in a bowl is the next best option, but the liquid won’t be as smooth as the holes are bigger
5. Don’t through away the fibrous left overs, you can add this to your breakfast cereal, or to a pudding such as cooked apple/pear with some cinnamon or nutmeg. You can even make a humous-like spread but adding olive oil & tomatoes to it.

Have a try and see what you think…

Ingredients:

1 cup pecans (soaked overnight)

2 dried figs (soaked overnight)

2 cups water

Implements: Blender, seive, large bowl, jug & (preferably) glass bottle.

Method:

Soak nuts & fruit overnight in filtered water, rinse at least once before adding to the blender with the water.

Put the blender on for 5 mins or until the liquid is white and looks smooth.

Place the sieve into the bowl and pour the contents of the blender into the sieve. Scrape a sppon around the side of the sieve to help push the liquid through and seperate it from the husks. When all the liquid has gone through the sive, press against the side of the sieve to remove as much liquid as possible.

[You can also pour the liquid into a nut bag or through some muslin which will remove more of the nut husks].

Pour the liquid into a jug and decant into a glass container.Keep in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

Spoon the left over husks into as container and keep in the fridge and use as suggested above.