Natural and Organic Products Show 2014

I was pleased to be invited by the organisers to this year's Natural and Organic Products show, having attended last year. I was interested to see what was new, what has gained recognition and won awards and what has changed in the last year.

There were many great products and enthusiastic producers and merchants at the show, all suffused with passion for their wares and enthusiasm to spread that passion. Sadly, I can't feature everyone I met, but here are my highlights of products I think are worth looking out for, or worth UK retailers stocking.

Obviously, this blog has a bias towards home cooking. So it was interesting to see that organic cooking oils appear to be a growing trend in natural and organic foods. I found that there were 2 prizewinning products. The first was an organic "virgin" coconut oil, perfect for south Indian cooking.  

The other was an organic extra virgin olive oil, but not from Italy, as you might expect, but Sierra Nevada in the USA. 

  

I often find that pastas, pulses and risottos make excellent nutritious and sustaining dinners. I was therefore very interested in TerraBio, an Italian organic co-operative, which was the first to be certified to the exacting Naturland Fair standards. 

TerraBio's members, over 60 farmers and food processors make high quality durum wheat pasta, egg pasta and something quite novel; semi-wholegrain spelt pasta. Cereals such as spelt, millet and cous cous, and pulses such as chick peas, borlotti beans, red lentils, green lentils and the rarer "Mountain lentils" are their other popular lines.  They find themselves located near Urbino in Le Marche in central Italy, is a fertile area blessed with lots of sunshine. 

I hope that their products will be appearing on the shelves of good delis and health conscious food stores, as they are small production, high quality products. All their pastas are bronze die formed/cut and their products completely organic. 

  

One of my favourite producers of teas and infusions is Pukka. I love their herbal teas and their green and white tea blends. So I was pleased to see that their new Serene Jasmine Green Tea had won a prize. This new tea is organic, and you will see that a donation is given to the WWF for each box purchased.

  

Arcadie is a company, founded in 1968 specialising in organic herbs and spices. Arcadie have 2 major operations, L'herbier de France (producing organic herbs and teas) and Cook (organic seasonings, spices and dried food goods). 

It is a truly international operation, with partners all over the world. Madagascar is where they obtain organic Bourbon vanilla along with nutmeg, pepper, turmeric, ginger, chilis, pink pepper and cloves, all grown by family groups on a Fairtrade basis. Iran provides saffron and Hungary produces mild paprika. Tea, coffee and spices are grown in Kerala, South India. Other producers are located in Guatemala, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Germany, Austria and Burkino Faso. Much of the 100% organic herbs are grown in France, in the Ardeche, Massif Central and South East.

I hope to see their products being taken up in the UK, as they are good quality, ethical and organic. 

Anyone who loves Indian food and cooks it at home knows that what you end up with is lots of small quantities of many spices, which despite their obvious benefits to the flavour of your dishes, take up space. Eventually, if you don't cook with them frequently, you re-discover your little stash, long after you bought it, often long past its "best before" date. Then there is the whole question of measuring, toasting and grinding. Pre-blended curry powder is one solution to this problem, but is there another which doesn't lead to such a predictable and expected flavour combination? Holy Lama are a small company who were a finalist in the Ocado Top Supplier competition for 2014 who may have cracked this problem. Their product is the unique "Spice Drops"; the essence of the spice in question in terms of aroma and flavour having been captured in oil. The herbs and spices are all grown in Kerala, South India. The oils have an incredible aroma, which has to be experienced to be believed, such is the intensity. 

So far I have only focussed on new and innovative products. It is easy to forget that there are many earlier pioneers of good quality organic products. It was a pleasure to see that Infinity Foods are going from strength to strength. I was at university at Sussex, where I first discovered their products. Being Brighton based, our university Co-op shop supported them as an ethical local business. I was delighted to find that partnership continues.

 

I had the opportunity to meet and chat to Jean-Michel Chaurier from Caves de Rauzan. Cave de Rauzan is the only organic wine producer in Bordeaux which operates as a co-operative. It is a co-operative with an impressive pedigree, consisting of 62 chateaux, founded in 1933. Caves de Rauzan grows 6 types of grape in its farms situated in the Entre-Deux-Mers region, only 15 kilometres from the world famous winemaking town of Saint-Emilion. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc are all used for their red wines. Sauvignon Blanc, Semilon and Muscadelle for the white wines. 

Cave de Rauzan has a unique way of working, where they try to achieve the best aromatic profile for their wines. They do this by timing as accurately as possible the date to pick the grapes from the vines. An average grape takes 100 days from flowering to reach full size. After 110 days, it takes a matter of days to switch from the best condition for the grapes' "black fruit" quality, to "red fruit" quality, this change fundamentally affecting the flavour and colour of the resulting wine. The colour of the grape is monitored carefully to see those changes as they occur. The window of opportunity to catch the grapes as they switch between these states may only be 4-7 days. Cave de Rauzan work to co-ordinate their harvesting to speedily and efficiently gather the grapes as soon as the optimum point has been reached. 

Cave de Rauzan aims to achieve harmony in its wine. Their goal is an easy to drink wine which is appropriate and enjoyable in all occasions. Their watchwords are a smooth length, good nose and good palate. Perhaps not up to the dizziest heights of the Bordeaux region, but that is an unfair comparison as we would be comparing with the very finest wines in the whole world. But I do agree with Jean-Michel that they have succeeded in their aim; to create a wine where they "want to make each sip so you want another". The white wine I tried was beginning to get a little warm at the end of the day, it was a warm day and the ice in the ice bucket had truly started to melt, so although I can say it had potential, I cannot rate fairly. 

 

I met Primrose from Dorset based "Primrose's Kitchen" at the event. Primrose Matheson's naturopathic products range from superfood powder sprinkles (to cleanse, increase energy or improve brain power),  to almond butter (a highly nutritious alternative to peanut butter with a more gentle flavour, with variants with chia seed or hemp seed). 

However, it was their flavourful mueslis which grabbed my interest. These are slow dehydrated mueslis, and this process has had a noticeable effect on both the texture and taste of the finished product. The addition of interesting ingredients like beetroot, ginger, carrot and cinnamon mean that these are inviting and tasty mueslis, banishing all memory of bland bowls of Alpen. 

My final product highlight would be the seaweed based products by Marinoe based on the Brittany coast. Established in 1992, Marinoe harvest edible organic seaweed, which they use to make fresh algae for retail sale, "tartares" (delicious robustly flavoured pesto style pastes for use either as a pesto, tapenade or chutney), agar agar sweet desserts, dried seaweed condiments (like the Japanese would use as a seasoning for sushi rice balls).

All were interesting, desirable products. However, the fresh salads were my personal favourite. Deli salads, which require refridgeration, these are healthy, low in fat and full of fibre. The Esprit d'Asie salad (spirit of Asia), has kombu, sea spaghetti and wakame seaweeds. Dressed with a sesame oil salad dressing and featuring mung bean (glass) noodles, this salad would make a wonderful lunch or accompaniment to grilled fish. The Esprit du Sud salad is typically Provencale in flavour (hence the name, which translates as spirit of the south), with chilli, sea spaghetti and tomato. It is punchy, and redolent of the Mediterranean, to be eaten on its own, stirred into pasta or served with crusty French bread. 

Snigdha attended the Natural and Organic Products Show 2014 as a guest of the organisers. 

Brilliant Bordeaux bounces back

Last year I reported from the "En Primeur" wine tasting for the 2012 vintage presented by the "Cercle de Rive Droite", an association of wine growers and producers on the right banks of the Gironde river in Bordeaux. (My post can be found here: http://snigskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/cercle-de-rive-driote-wines-of-right.html) 
Now, the left and right bank have united and formed "Le Grand Cercle de Vins de Bordeaux", encompassing both sides of the Gironde.

2012 had been a good year for Bordeaux, but 2013 definitely has not. Highly challenging weather conditions have caused destruction, mayhem and many sleepless nights for the winemakers of the region. Wet weather brought a real threat of spoilage of the grapes. The window of opportunity for harvesting in 2013 was very small, causing an organisational nightmare for the growers. The final insult was heavy hail, causing unseasonally cold weather and damage to the vines. 

But this is not going to hold the region back. They have a long tradition of winemaking, great expertise, passion for their craft and pride in their product. They also have a worldwide reputation to preserve. This will be the year that Bordeaux bounces back!
 

I was delighted to meet the amazing Jilly Goolden at the event. She was the ORIGINAL wine expert on the iconic Food and Drink show back in the 1980s. I remember watching her as a child, seeing her speak with such flair and energy about wine, something I had no knowledge of whatsoever. Her vocabulary and vivid descriptions had be glued. I remember thinking that if Jilly got so much enjoyment from wine that she could talk about it with such love and effervescence, it had to be something I gave a try. She is one of my earliest food and drink heroes. 

This is the effusive and wonderful Dominique Bessineau from Chateau Este Montpezat. His Cuvee Compostelle white wine was a highlight of the tasting. Made from 30% white sauvignon, 30% grey sauvignon and 30% semillion grapes, is it put into oak barrels made of oak from Burgundy. Yet the result is not an overly "oaky" wine. It is fresh, light and a little grassy, and the wine is a pale and light colour. 

Chateau Este Montpezat is a small producer, making only 5000 bottles of this particular wine. Dominique had this advice for white wine lovers:
"Don't overchill your wine, if you do, you kill it. For me, the best things about having a glass of wine is that once you've finished it, you want another one. It should be fresh and not strong."

If you are a white wine drinker keen on learning a bit more about red wines, I have an interesting pick for you. 

This wine is a Pomerol, by Chateau Vray Croix de Gay. The producer describes it as "a wine of energy". It is a perfect red wine for the reluctant red wine drinker. It has waves of flavour, an initial smoothness to entice you in, and a good afterglow. Get ready to be tempted!

It was great to catch up with one of last year's exhibitors, Agnès Florisoone, from Chateau Godeau. Agnès writes a fabulous French cooking blog in French, which you will find here: http://www.cookagnes.com/

Chateau Godeau tries as far as possible to work with the local ecology to avoid the use of chemicals and nasties. It is not completely possible for them to avoid them altogether, but natural methods are used as far as possible. Ploughing is used as a techniques to prevent pests from occurring, pesticides are avoided as far as is possible.

To ensure that only the best quality grapes go into the wine, the grapes are picked over by hand after harvest, with spoiled and damaged grapes rejected. The result is a smooth, rich Saint-Emilion Grand Cru with spicy tones and good length. Agnès is a woman of many talents, as the wine is superb.

Another very good Saint-Emilion I sampled was the Chateau Le Marzelle, which is a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classe. This is a small producer, from a small chateau. The overall production is only 55000 bottles. The 2010 mature vintage showed me what I hope they will be able to achieve with their new batch. One to watch out for!

Now that the original "Rive Droite" circle has been expanded to include the whole Bordeaux region, the mighty Sauternes is now a member of Le Grand Cercle. I sampled the primeur of noted producer Chateau Raymond-Lafon.

I met with Jean-Pierre Meslier from Chateau Raymond-Lafon. The Chateau is run by the Meslier family, who have been at the Chateau since the mid-19th Century. They employ a policy of very severe pruning of their vines, and they keep only the best grapes. Their thoroughness and care means that they only obtain the equivalent of one glass of wine per vine. This is a very low yield, but assures the quality of the finished product. 

Jean-Pierre's Sauternes primeur had the characteristic sweetness you would expect with some vanilla-honeyed aromas. But it is a wine which needs time and love, it will require ageing. The 2010 vintage I tried is the more mature version showing what the 2013 should be able to achieve; a harmonious, complex wine with gorgeous floral notes in the bouquet.

The En Primeur tasting event is a chance for the wine buyers for wine merchants and restaurants to steal a march on their rivals. They can order the wines they see potential in before others cotton on. As a result, many wine critics and writers were present. Here is Hugh Johnson, deep in conversation....

I chatted with Coralie de Bouard from Chateau Le Fleur de Bouard, a producer of Pomerol (red) wine. 

Her wine had a deep colour with an equally deep fruitiness. Hers is a "state of the art" winery. They use a unique system, where the juice is extracted from the grapes by a gravity fed system. There is no machinery in their cellar apart from the elevator which initially loads the cones. This means there is little interference with the natural juices from the grapes. The idea is not to harm the tannins. Too much mechanical interference can be aggressive, and this gentle approach to the fruit is to bring out the finesse of the flavours. The resulting wine was delightful, and would be excellent with food.  

I had a fascinating evening speaking with the highly knowledgeable and enthusiastic producers and sampling their wines, both the En Primeur and the older vintages. I had a great time and hope the Bordeaux winemakers show the world that the challenges of 2013 are something they can take in their stride.

I attended the En Primeur tasting event as a guest of Grand Cercle des Vins de Bordeaux.

April 2014 Favourites List

April has been lovely here in the UK. We've had wonderful mild weather and a good amount of sunshine. There have been chilly days, but it's always lovely to see blue skies. And you can always put on a cardi or wrap up with a modern and funky scarf. So I can't say the cooler days have been much of a hardship. No, I didn't get my wish from last month of being able to put my coats away, but I know it won't be long until I do.

In terms of cooking and eating, these are days when you are a little caught between a Summer and a Winter mindset. On fine days, light and fresh dishes are what come to mind, but just as I find I can't quite put my coats away, I am also holding on to the comforting and heavy dishes of Winter. Recently we have had casseroles alternate with salad, Summery grilled meats giving way to slow cooker stews and perennial Snig's Kitchen favourite, homemade meatballs.

This month's pictures are, like last month's pictures, from my recent trip to Kerala, South India. It was hot, sunny and steamy during our trip last month. It will be even more humid and hot now. It's a glorious, tropical place, full of gorgeous scenery, kind and lovely people and amazing food and produce. 

Blogs Worth Following:

Inspired vegetarian cooking from Aruna Panangipally:  http://aahaaram.wordpress.com/

If you love afternoon tea, you will love this site with many reviews and a guide to afternoon tea etiquette: http://katieandchelsie.blogspot.co.uk/

Recipes:

Big beans with fennel, a flexible dish for Springtime: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/giant-lemon-fennel-beans-recipe.html

Single dish oven supper, Mark Hix's butter beans with smoked ham hock and tomato gratin:

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/recipes/mark-hix-recipe-baked-butter-beans-with-smoked-ham-hock-9190585.html

A new way of cooking Little Gem lettuce, giving them a life beyond the salad bowl: http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/braised-little-gems

Pot barley (or Scotch barley) still has some husk on it, giving it more flavour and texture than pearl barley. Here are some interesting recipe ideas, http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/mar/07/pot-barley-recipes-yotam-ottolenghi

Hate diets but want to either lose weight or maintain your weight? Recipe from three-Michelin-starred chef Michel Guérard and book review from Fuss Free Flavour's Helen: http://fussfreeflavours.com/2014/03/eat-well-stay-slim-recipe-steamed-brill-en-papillote/

One to impress at a dinner party. A classic dessert, Cherry Clafoutis, as made by Raymond Blanc's own Maman. Requires making the batter the night before: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/10711051/Raymond-Blancs-clafoutis-recipe.html

Lemon & tarragon roast chicken for Sunday lunch or relaxed weekend cooking: http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/roast-lemony-tarragon-chicken-with-juicy-new-potatoes

Love ceviche or carpaccio? Serve with pickled radish for crunch and colour: http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/pickled-radishes-

Pesto made with peas and beans - safe for people with nut allergies. By wannabe lawyer, guitar player and food blogger, Dewi: http://boycancook.wordpress.com/2014/03/24/spaghetti-with-pea-and-bean-pesto/

A classy little starter of prawns, mussels, clams/cockles and Spring asparagus by Mark Hix: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/recipes/mark-hix-recipe-asparagus-with-shellfish-9207382.html

Weekday supper saviour, Warm beef, beetroot and rocket salad recipe: http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/warm-beef-beetroot-and-rocket-salad

29 Avocado recipes. Varied, tasty and super cool: http://www.buzzfeed.com/tashweenali/super-easy-avocado-recipes

Chicken with anchovies, lemon and rosemary recipe (roast chicken thighs in a shallot and lemon sauce with a touch of anchovy):   http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/10600126/Chicken-with-anchovies-lemon-and-rosemary-recipe.html

Cabbage leaf "dolma" with rice and mince: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/feb/26/jack-monroe-stuffed-cabbage-leaves-dolmades-recipe

Roast cauliflower, garlic and fennel soup. Thrifty supper, from Jack Monroe: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/feb/19/jack-monroe-cauliflower-garlic-fennel-soup-recipe

Baked aubergine pasta with garlic and fresh tomatoes (vegetarian): http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/mar/25/baked-aubergine-pasta-vegetarian-recipe-nigel-slater

Slow cooker Mushroom Stroganoff: http://supperinthesuburbs.wordpress.com/2014/03/09/slow-cooker-mushroom-stroganoff-v/

Mark Hix's Moroccan lentil soup with brown or puy lentils for those occasional chilly Spring days, needs 1 hours soaking in advance: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/recipes/mark-hix-recipe-moroccan-lentil-soup-9190588.html

Articles/Know How:

Astute advice for the cash conscious; lists, working out which shops to visit, supermarket shelving tricks and "hero" ingredients: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/feb/05/jack-monroe-how-to-save-money-food-shopping-budget

10 kitchen tips. Interesting and useful - I'm sure everyone, even the seasoned cook will learn something: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/mar/26/ten-kitchen-tips-every-cook-should-know-felicity-cloake

Bargain wines for £6. Thank goodness! http://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/foodanddrink/cheers-weve-found-the-6-wine-bottles-worth-drinking-9253717.html

TV:

House Of Cards (US version, made for Netflix), Season 1

Music:

Bibio - The Green EP

Band of Skulls - Himalayan

The War On Drugs - Slave Ambient

Please note: as with every monthly Favourites List, all of these items have been selected by me simply because I love them. I do not receive any money, benefits in kind or other incentive for posting these links or recommendations.

Kojiro, super sushi in Vienna

Vienna is a wonderful city. I loved tramping through its streets, and I found lots of lovely places to eat, sophisticated cafes, super bars and places to hang out. The trouble is, great as it is, once you've had a few schnitzels and sachertortes, you want something a little different, don't you?

During our week in Vienna, we found Viennese food to be very good, but eventually, we found ourselves in need of a change. So we decided to visit what we had heard was the best sushi place in the city. Intriguingly, it was described as a sort of small, "hole in the wall" kind of place near the Naschmarkt.

We really didn't know what to expect, but decided to show up with tummies rumbling and minds open. We were in for a bit of a surprise! Now, you will recall I said it was small, right? Well, when I say this place is small, I mean it. There is one bench which 3 people can sit around, right in the window (the best and most comfortable place at Kojiro), with 5 additional stools for people to perch on, bar style. You could swing the proverbial feline animal here, but only just. And it would be much to the annoyance of staff and clientele alike!

The decor is basic; clean ceramic tiles, with pictures of sushi on the wall. It's rustic and unpretentious. But to be honest, it is not the reason you visit.

Why come here? Because you will find wonderfully fresh fish prepared with the utmost care and love. The fish is crafted into wonderful handmade sushi by quick and deft hands with speed and efficiency. 

Many Viennese have twigged to Kojiro's high quality sushi and phone through their orders. But they miss half the fun; seeing their order made up. I already told you the place was small, didn't I? Well the lovely people who make these morsels of deliciousness work in a tiny little kitchen area in the very corner of the establishment. 

These amazing three guys clearly know and love each other well. They work in close quarters with each other, preparing the sushi with speed and accuracy in between long conversations in rapid Japanese. They joke and laugh and act like they've known each other all their lives, which I suppose they probably have. It's like finding yourself in another corner of the world, you hardly feel like you're in Europe.... until one of the guys takes a telephone order in fluent German!

Kojiro makes great sushi, served beautifully formed at a very reasonable price. I'd visit once you've had your fill of beer, schitzel and heavy patisseries. There is another lovely feature of this great little sushi shop, which is free piping hot green tea which you can refill as you wish.

My only warning is that this little shop is so popular, if you visit at lunch, you might have to stand around waiting for a table for a little while, but you will witness the phone continually ringing as locals ring through their take away orders. And then there will be a constant stream of people coming in to pay and then collect their precious cargo of sushi. Wait patiently, soak up the atmosphere and watch the sushi triumvirate work their unique magic. It's totally worth it!

Kojiro Sushi

Rechte Wienzeile 9

Vienna 1040

+43(1)586 62 33

Monday to Friday open from 11:00am to 18:30 (order by 18:15) 

Saturday open from 10:00am to 14:00 (order by 14:00)

Sunday closed

Snigdha and Him Indoors paid for their sushi. Flipping nice it was too!