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Friday 18th March

Hungry Delivery supplier named 'best butcher'

We’re proud to announce yet another accolade this week for Hungry Delivery supplier M. Moen & Sons butcher – Telegraph food writer Rose Prince has named them ‘Best Butcher’ in her book The Good Produce Guide 2011. 

Prince mentioned this in a piece she wrote in yesterday’s Telegraph about the false economy of buying budget-priced chicken.  The debate was sparked by some bigger than average birds currently available at Moen’s, weighing in at a massive 9lb.  Raised in the back garden of a smallholding in Suffolk, they’re being dubbed the Rolls-Royce of chickens and of course they cost considerably more to buy.  Prince argues that it’s actually a good value buy; not only does the meat taste superior, but she goes on to explain how she cooked a number of different dishes with the leftovers, equaling 22 helpings in all.  When you look at it this way, the budget option comes out at much less of a bargain than the supermarket headlines would have us think.

This relates to my blog post a few weeks ago about knowing where your chicken comes from.   If I had a big family feast to cater for, I’d happily pay more for an extra-large chicken knowing that it had been fed and killed by hand without even going near an abattoir, that it would taste better than anything I could ever get at the supermarket, and that I could feed the family for the rest of the week on the leftovers. 

Follow this link to Rose Prince’s full story from the Telegraph – it’s definitely worth a read.  And if you’re tempted by all the talk of tasty chicken, follow her recommendation and order some from Moen’s poultry section here on Hungry Delivery. 

Friday 4th March

Remember remember, Tues 8th March!

Last year I got into big trouble after realising that it was Pancake Day three days after the event, so this year I’m on the ball, stack of lemons and frying pan at the ready. 

Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday, is the last day before Lent, and pancakes used to be a way of using up supplies of eggs and butter before the 46 days of fasting until Easter.  I wouldn’t dream of, or get away with foregoing the traditional lemon and sugar filling, but in recent years I have branched out into savoury fillings, especially after a couple of holidays in Brittany.  Over there, sweet pancakes are crepes and the savoury ones are called galettes, large, parchment-thin pancakes normally made with buckwheat flour.  These are on the menu in just about every eating establishment, and the fillings are usually variations on the core ingredients of cream, ham, cheese and mushrooms, plus the lighter option of smoked salmon and crème fraiche.

Try this recipe from the BBC website for buckwheat pancakes, and have fun experimenting with fillings.  No-cook ham and cheese is the simplest, but you can’t go wrong if you sauté some fresh wild mushrooms with a couple of slices of smoked bacon and then stir in some cream.

Don't forget to order plenty of lemons; you always need more than you think for that one last batch of batter.  Good luck with the flipping - remember it's all in the wrist. 

Friday 25th February

Conjuring Up A Quiche

The other day, as I was serving up some home-made meatballs I had slaved over, my six-year-old wrinkled up her nose and said “Mummy, can you make quiche tomorrow?”  I’m used to this – daughter is a notoriously fussy eater and I’ve long since learned not to take it personally.  I’m also quite proud that she has disdained all varieties of supermarket quiche, declaring “they’re soggy and don’t taste of anything, not like yours.”  Fussy as she is, she does have a point.

I told her to look in the fridge and see what ingredients she could find.  Quiche is like pizza or soup in this respect - you can throw in whatever leftovers you have and personalise the flavour however you like.  You need eggs, cream and cheese for the basics but after that it’s really up to you; leeks, red pepper, caramelised onion, bacon, ham, leftover roast vegetables, broccoli all make great quiche fillings - not all at once, but you get the idea.  Served with a light salad, a slice of homemade quiche is perfect for lunch, and as my daughter will testify, makes a welcome change from boring sandwiches in a packed lunch.  Pastry is dead easy to make if you have a food processor but you can always just roll out some ready-made to save time. 

The type of cheese you use will determine the underlying flavour of course.  Regular Cheddar is fine but if you’re planning the quiche rather than just using up leftovers, try an extra-special cheddar like Vintage Godminster or some of MacFarlanes’ other superb cheeses – Gruyere or Stilton goes well with broccoli, or experiment with a combination of three or four different cheeses. 
 

Or Try MacFarlanes'Quiche Slices from Hungry Delivery - just as good!

Here’s my recipe for a versatile quiche for you to customise, but if you don’t have time to make one and still want to sample the real thing rather than the soggy supermarket variety, we’ve just added MacFarlanes’ fresh homemade quiche slices to the HD website.  They come in four delicious varieties, Roast Italian Vegetable, Spinach, Sun-dried Tomato and Feta, Red Onion and Sun-Dried Tomato, and Spinach and Tomato.  I’ve tried them and found it difficult to believe they came from a shop.  Order some for Saturday lunch, or cut them up into squares to serve as canapés.

Friday 18th February

Which farm does your chicken come from?

Earlier this week I made Nigel Slater’s Creamy Colourful, Fragrant Curry, a dish that I haven’t made for months, using chicken thighs, fresh tomatoes and ginger.  I always use thighs in a curry because the bones provide a lot more flavour.  My friends commented that the chicken was especially tasty and asked if it was organic.

One of the advantages of buying from independent retailers is that you can ask them about where they source their produce from and get a reliable answer.  The shop owner or manager will have researched and selected their suppliers themselves and so will have a good knowledge of their farming or growing methods.    The chicken I used wasn’t organic, but I was I was able to tell my friends that all Hungry Delivery chicken from Moen’s butcher, both organic and non-organic, is free-range and fed on a cereal diet free from antibiotics, growth promoters, hormones and genetically-modified food. 

Gary Moen has five farmers currently supplying his poultry, and for each one he can tell you what breed they supply, what goes into the feed and what the minimum age for slaughter is.  My friends said that they order chicken labelled ‘organic’ from the supermarket in the hope that this will ensure the standards I have described above, and a better taste.  The hope is often vain; lobbying of organic certifying bodies by supermarket producers results in exemptions to the rules, and suppliers claiming to be organic getting away with non-organic practices.

Personally, I trust an independent retailer and his relationship with his supplier more than I trust supermarket-driven standards.  If like my friends this has given you food for thought, add some Moen’s chicken to your Hungry Delivery order, and let us know what you think.  

Friday 11th February

Valentine’s Night In

So hands up who’s got a hot date for Valentine’s Day next week?  Or, to put it another way, who in their right mind is going to brave the cold to eat from a boring set menu on a Monday night?  Especially if you’ve been together for, well, more than ten years.  Let’s face it, swooning at each other over a draughty table in a room full of couples doing exactly the same might be enjoyable for the first few years, but now I’m quite happy to be wined and dined at home and then curl up on the sofa together to watch Silent Witness (partly, I have to confess, because I’m too scared to watch it on my own). 

The Way To Everyone’s Heart

In my book, going out of your way to plan, prepare and cook something really special at home is an expression of love in itself, whether for your partner, your family, the gorgeous bloke in the book club you’ve invited round to discuss Stieg Larsson, or your best friends.  And as those TV chefs keep telling us, a simple dish cooked with the very best produce will win anyone over.  Find out what they like to eat, put a little effort into finding out what’s in season and is therefore likely to taste better, and dare to be different – most people love to be surprised by something new. 

Romantic Recipes

If you’re still stuck, I can tell you that British venison and guinea fowl are in season if you’re looking to be a bit adventurous, and if it’s all-out seduction you’re going for, so are oysters.  Exotic fruits in season are pomegranates and passion fruit (cut the top off and serve in an egg cup for breakfast for a cheat’s Valentine offering). 

You can always check out the shop profile pages here on Hungry Delivery for some romantic recipe ideas, like pan-fried venison with blackberry sauce or passion fruit fool, and I can say hand on heart that flowers and chocolates are never a bad idea. 

Friday 4th February

Spring is in the air

Well, what a relief to see the back of January (and my cold)!  It’s ever so slightly warmer, the days are a little bit longer, and on a rare winter foray outside my back door I noticed that the daffodil bulbs are already poking through – spring is definitely in sight.  

Meal planning - it really works!

My husband has been away on a business trip while I’ve been laid up with the lurgy (why is this always the way?) and so I had to actually plan the shopping this week instead of relying on my usual haphazard habits.  

Normally I browse and order on Hungry Delivery for my quality produce, but end up going the supermarket at least twice for essentials.  Then while I’m there I’ll grab things that look good on impulse, with little thought as to how they will fit into the week’s meals.  Sound familiar?  Last weekend I sat down and took ten minutes to draw up a meal planner of menus and ingredients for the whole week, then made two orders, one from the supermarket for the basics, and one from Hungry Delivery for meat, fish, fruit and veg and some treats as I was feeling under-the-weather, like some tasty cold meats and cheeses for lunches, and honey and fresh lemons for my sore throat.  

Now we’re at the end of the week I’m surprised to find I haven’t had to top up with a visit to Waitrose, I haven’t got any “what on earth am I going to do with that by tomorrow” items left in the fridge, and I’ve managed to spend less money while still buying better quality produce, all by taking ten minutes to plan.  If you’re already a planner, forgive me for sounding like I’ve had an epiphany but that’s what it feels like! 

I haven’t done next week’s plan yet but I see that two of my favourites, purple sprouting broccoli and rhubarb are at their best right now, and that guinea fowl is also in season.  I might try this week’s Roast Guinea Fowl recipe on Sunday, just to celebrate the sight of those spring bulbs. 

Friday 28th January

A short post this week as I have succumbed to the cold currently doing the rounds and am pretty much out of action (tea and sympathy most welcome).

Fish Facts

Just wanted to tell you about this week’s fish supper – last week it was plaice fillets cooked very simply under the grill, and this week I tried Jamie Oliver’s Mediterranean Linguine with Herring recipe.  I’ve never cooked herring before and wasn’t sure about the bones.  Moxon’s filleted the fish so I received them from Hungry Delivery with just the very small bones left in.  As the recipe said "pin-boned fillets" I started picking them out but it was too fiddly so I just cooked them with the bones in and honestly, they’re so small they just blend into the cooked fish; when you eat it you wouldn’t know they were there.   So, another useful fish fact I’ve learned – it’s not necessary to pin-bone a herring! 

The capers, lemon juice and chilli added wonderful bite to this dish, the herring itself was really tasty (and great value) and the cherry tomatoes gave it a nice fresh finish. 

Good news for traditional local shops

And just before I go back to bed, last Sunday Susie Mesure reported welcome news in The Independent that sales are rising in traditional food shops like the ones here on the HD site:

          “New bakers and butchers are opening up all over the country, ending a decades-long decline. Retail      experts believe the resurgence reflects a growing demand for high-quality produce, from artisanal loaves to dry-aged beef, aided by television programmes that expose the nutritional inadequacy of many supermarket products.”

Good news for these wonderful shops, and good news for us shoppers on a quest for quality produce.

Friday 21st January

Fired up about fish

Has anyone else noticed that the world seems to be all fired up about fish recently?  There were at least three TV programmes dedicated to fish in one form or another on Channel 4 alone last week.  Jamie and Heston were cooking it and dear old Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall was out braving force eight gales on a trawler, watching tons of dead cod being thrown back into the sea as discards.   EU laws prohibit any fish exceeding the strict quotas from being brought ashore, so the fishermen have no choice but to throw it overboard.  I’d read about this but seeing the sheer volume of wasted fish on Hugh’s Fish Fight was truly sickening.

The good news is that cod stocks are rising again, but to allow them to return to former levels and get the quotas increased, we need to consider eating other species of fish too, especially ones that are lower down the food chain. 

Encouraged by Hugh’s enthusiasm, I’ve decided to try and order fish once a week from Hungry Delivery.  Many of us worry about cooking fish and only order it in restaurants, but in fact fish often tastes best when cooked very simply.  Take the plaice fillets I cooked the other night, for example; I rubbed a little butter (you could use oil instead) and black pepper over them, and grilled them skin-side down under a medium to high grill for ten minutes.  Plaice is a delicate creamy white fish and I didn’t want to overpower its subtle flavour, so I served the fillets with mashed potato, along with sliced courgettes sautéed in olive oil and just a hint of chopped garlic. Moxons, our fantastic Hungry Delivery fishmonger, did such an expert job of filleting the fish that I found not one tiny bone, a feature often missing from supermarket fish. 

If mussels are more up your street, try the Mussels with Cider, Bacon and Leeks recipe featured on the HD site this week – they sound absolutely delicious. 

Friday 14th January

Too many cooks

Well that’s Christmas over for another year, or it will be when those pesky pine needles have finally all gone.  A good time was had by all, in spite of a comedy case of too many cooks when my husband and I were unwittingly working from two different recipes – Prue Leith and Delia Smith use quite different ingredients for their respective Beef Wellingtons it turns out… I’ll leave you to picture the scene.  The hybrid version we ended up with was still very good, with the beef fillet in the middle pink and tender and praised by everyone. I’m planning to sample more of Moen’s range of meats in 2011 and if they’re as good as the beef, that’s me converted. 

Cut out the giving up

And so to 2011.  Another New Year, another set of resolutions.  It’s always struck me that the goal of giving up or cutting out is a rather negative way to achieve something.   If you want to stop smoking or cut down on the cakes, or even watch less TV, you’re more likely to achieve this if you phrase it in positive terms and think about what you do want to do.  Start that evening class, be more creative with your cooking, challenge your body, breathe only clean air into your lungs (okay that’s difficult in London, you probably might as well smoke, but you see where I’m coming from), and increase your fruit and vegetable intake.  That last one is definitely one of mine, and I’ll be taking advantage of the current HD offer of a free seasonal fruit and veg box from First Choice when placing an order over £50.

Flying Sky High with Kale

Talking of seasonal fruit and veg, curly kale is all the rage at the moment and I have a great recipe for you to try; John Donohue’s Fly Sky High Kale Salad (eating it makes you feel that good) from his Stay at Stove Dad blog.  Kale is packed full of antioxidants, beta-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin K so it’s a great antidote to the excesses of Christmas and might also help protect you from those nasty winter bugs circulating at the moment.

That’s all for this week, I’m off to drool over the shiny new bikes in my local bike shop.  All resolutions have to start somewhere.

Thursday 16th December

Nine days and counting…

Well folks, Christmas is almost upon us and no doubt you have your halls decked, your parcels posted and the fridge fully stocked for the festive season.   If that has prompted some slightly hysterical laughter, you’re not alone!  I haven’t even started on the kids’ presents although I have ordered a FIrst Choice fruit and veg box to see us right through the holiday period, including those all-important clementines for Santa to stuff into the Christmas stockings.

I love Nigel

It’s difficult at this time of year to balance the demands of Christmas planning and preparation with the daily requirements of feeding the family.  I have to confess that fishfingers have graced the children’s’ plates more than once over the last few days, so last night I sat down and leafed through the cook books looking for inspiration.  I found a fantastic recipe in Nigel Slater’s Kitchen Diaries for Mushroom Lasagne with Basil and Cream.   It’s a spot-on seasonal dish perfect for vegetarians or anyone who, like me, would welcome a rest from all those roast dinners over Christmas.  If you want to have a go at making it you can order all the main ingredients here on Hungry Delivery. 

The cheat's appetiser

While we’re on recipes, I have an absolute gem to pass on.  Smoked Mackerel Pate is possibly the easiest appetiser you can ever make and it never fails to impress guests, tasting like you’ve put far more work into it than the five minutes it takes to mash the three ingredients together.  You can order Moxons whole or filleted smoked mackerel from Hungry Delivery but don’t forget some of the HD shops will be taking last orders tomorrow. 

One bottle or two?

I’m eagerly awaiting my Moen’s Beef Wellington fillet for our Christmas dinner, and I’ve been doing some research into which wine to serve with it.   Philglas and Swiggot have one on the HD site that they tell me is perfect for Beef Wellington - a Rogers and Petersen 2007 Shiraz with “bright, full dark berry fruits, black cherry and deep earthy spice complemented with ripe tannins and refreshing acidity.”  I’d better buy two bottles – sister-in-law and boyfriend do like a drink. 

I'm not hinting but...

We’ve been invited to lunch with friends between Christmas and New Year and I’ve been wondering what to take as a hostess gift.  Personally I always appreciate a small but thoughtful contribution to the table if I’m hosting dinner – a selection of special olives or some different cheese.   If you want a suggestion, the Godminster vintage cheddar from Macfarlanes was a bestseller flying off the stall at the Ritherdon Road street fair on Sunday.  Thanks to everyone who came along, it’s always good to meet some new local faces. 

Well, time for me to get cracking with those last minute Christmas orders.  That’s all from me until 2011.  A huge Thank You to all our customers for helping us to support our wonderful local shops, and from all of us on the Hungry Delivery team, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

9th December

Brrr, it’s still freezing cold out there.  Last week the Hungry Delivery team were at Allfarthing School’s Christmas Fair, spreading the word about our Christmas products and handing out free chocolates from Macfarlanes Deli.  Because my children go to the school, yours truly was also helping manage the queue for Santa’s Grotto.  After stamping my feet in the snow for an hour, I was ready for something really warming when I got home. 

Butternut Squash Risotto

One of my favourite recipes at this time of year is butternut squash risotto.  The slightly sweet flavour of the roasted squash contrasts beautifully with the savoury chicken stock stirred into the rice, with the rosemary giving it a lovely aromatic finish.  I don’t order this dish in restaurants any more because I’ve never actually had one that tastes as good as my husband’s version. If you want to try it, here's a link to the recipe.  All the main ingredients are available to order here on Hungry Delivery.

Two weeks and counting...

I woke up this morning and realised that there are, gulp, only two weeks until Christmas!  I had my annual panic about being completely unprepared – how am I going to buy all the presents and get all the food in for Christmas?  Thankfully Hungry Delivery can come to the rescue and I’ll be ordering all our Christmas fare from the HD website, including beef fillet for the Beef Wellington, or Boeuf en Croute.  Yes, I’ve ended last week’s dilemma after consulting sister-in-law and boyfriend who will be feasting with us on Christmas Day – beef fans both.  It’s a really special dish, tender beef fillet wrapped in flaky pastry with mushroom stuffing, great served with dauphinoise potatoes.  You’ll need about 800g of thick-end fillet to serve 6 people according to the recipe I’m going to use from Delia’s Complete Cookery Course, and you can order a piece this size on the HD site.  To find the perfect wine to complement this or any other dish, use the “match by food type” category in the Philglas and Swiggot section and look under roast beef.

Cheese please

Hungry Delivery has some super Christmas puds, but if like me you find the traditional Christmas dessert a little on the rich side, how about serving a really special cheese board instead (or as well)?  There’s a fantastic selection of premium and artisan cheeses on the site.  Then of course there are the vegetables, the port and brandy, the wine, the ham for Boxing Day, the chocolates and dates to snack on…all available to buy here on the site without leaving home.

Free chocs

Talking of chocolates, here’s an early Christmas present for you – place an order before 17th December and enjoy a box of luxury chocolates and truffles from Macfarlanes Deli, courtesy of Hungry Delivery.  Just enter the code CM4SZKX in “redeem voucher” prior to checkout. 
Stay warm and stay calm  - remember Hungry Delivery is here to make your Christmas easier! 

2nd December 2010

Welcome to the Hungry Delivery Blog!

Hello Hungry Delivery shoppers and welcome to the HD Blog. When I heard about an opportunity at Hungry Delivery I jumped at the chance to get involved.  Our household definitely fits into the foodie category and I love the shops on the HD site, but living in Wandsworth, working part-time and having two young children means it’s not easy to get to them.  Cue Hungry Delivery – what a godsend!  

Over the coming weeks I’ll be exploring and reporting back on the top quality products on the HD site, and keeping you updated on what’s new.  For starters there are lots of new Christmas products to buy on the site, including Hungry Delivery Christmas boxes, Christmas puddings and mince pies, and of course turkeys.

Talking of turkeys...

Truth be told I’ve never been a big fan of turkey, and was already pondering a beef wellington for Christmas dinner this year.  However, last weekend my husband and I hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for eight people in honour of our American friend staying with us.  Thanksgiving means turkey, and as I’d just joined the Hungry Delivery team I thought I’d try out the service and order a free-range one here on the HD site.   It came from M. Moen & Sons (in cardboard, not plastic, yay!) and was quite frankly not only the best turkey I have ever tasted, but also the only one I can honestly compare to other roast meats in terms of flavour intensity.  Crispy skin, tender moist flesh; nothing like the bland and often dry meat I’ve been served at Christmases past.   

I didn’t do anything special to the bird, just rubbed it with butter and salt and pepper, and placed a Bramley apple in the cavity as suggested in the leaflet that came with it.  These turkeys have never been frozen and they’re allowed to grow slowly to maturity, giving them a nice layer of fat under the skin to keep them moist during cooking.  I’m pretty sure that’s why ours tasted so good, but whatever the reason, I’m now in a dilemma about what to cook for Christmas dinner.  After tucking into yet another turkey-leftover sandwich today (in pitta, with cranberry sauce and mayonnaise, mmm) I am seriously tempted to order another turkey – after all I wouldn’t be snacking on beef wellington sandwiches nearly a week later, would I? I’ll let you know when I’ve made my mind up.