Churros and Hot Chocolate

By Keith Kellett

When I attend one of the Vaughantown English-language programmes, I’m always being told that the meals, while good, aren’t typically Spanish. So, any serious research into Spanish food usually is confined to tapas and snacks, which is fair enough. We’re there to give Spanish people experience in speaking English, not to eat.

The programmes don’t start until breakfast at 9 a.m. Now, I’m an early riser and often have a considerable amount of work done by then. So, while I  pass the time by writing notes and reviewing pictures it nevertheless seems a long time until breakfast. And, I usually feel peckish, or at least, in need of liquid.

A short way down the street from the Salamanca hotel where we were staying is an establishment, which opens very early, called a churreria, which serves something with which many Spanish people like to start their day.

Chocolate con Churros is hot, sweet drinking chocolate, so thick you could almost stand your spoon in it. It’s served with baton-like deep-fried pastries, freshly cooked in the same way as doughnuts, which are dunked in the chocolate before eating. Guide book lore has it that the party-loving Spaniards sometimes go straight from a party to work, and like to take on the energy jolt given by a chocolate con churros. However, most Spanish people I know deny this strongly — although they will admit it’s a good way to end a night out, as well as start a morning.

Hot chocolate beside a plate of freshly made churros. (Photo by Keith Kellett.)

Of course, it doesn’t do to indulge in this treat too often.  The words “calories” and “cholesterol” spring to mind. But, a lot of people have similar guilts about bacon and eggs, so why not occasionally!

The churreria itself, called the Graci, is a small room, most taken up by the bar, the machines for making the chocolate and the churros and the stove for frying the churros. There were one or two cramped tables and chairs, so it’s better to belly up to the bar to have your chocolate.

You can make your own churros, but you need to have a special machine, or a doughnut maker. The mix is a typical doughnut recipe: flour and water in approximate 1-1 proportions, salt and olive oil, according to how many you want to make. Boil the water, oil and salt, and add the flour till it becomes a smooth, thick paste.

At the churreria, they place the mixture in a special machine, from which the churros are taken as required. The machine is right over the pan they’re fried in, so they can be dropped straight into the hot oil.

There’s another version, larger than the churro called the porra. You have to be careful when you’re asking for these, as the word is similar to porro, which I’m told is Spanish slang for a joint or a spliff! Or, is it the other way around? Or, have I been completely misinformed?

Maybe it’s best to stick to churros?

Keith, our UK correspondent, can be reached at: Keith@globalfoodie.com.

By Keith Kellett

Appetizer at dinner. Photo by Keith Kellett.

When we took our first cruise, it was with another line, and we were nearly put off for ever. Although the ship was British-owned, it flew the Greek flag. Not only did we miss, for instance, the fabled sunset on Santorini, we were hull-down on the horizon, tucking into roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.

I ask you! We can get that at home any day of the week; I can even prepare it myself, if need be.

Then, in 2006, we visited Santorini again, cruising this time with the Italian cruise line Costa Crociere, or Costa Cruises, to give them its English title, on the Costa Atlantica. This was much more like it! Free coffee whenever we wanted it, and pizza … real, crusty, thin-based pizza at most times, especially welcome if you’d been on a shore excursion, and missed lunch.

Dining Room on Costa Serena. Photo by Keith Kellett.

This year, we sailed on the Costa Serena, bigger than Atlantica, and themed around Greek mythology; Atlantica is themed around Fellini films.

Generally, whether we had Italian food for dinner, or some other cuisine, the menu was arranged Italian-style. First, the antipasto, or appetiser, then the pasta dish then the main course. Cheese was generally served before the dessert; we presumed, to clear the palate before the sweet.

It’s not only at dinner that you get such service. Although a sit-down breakfast or lunch is obtainable at all the restaurants, most use the buffet, which is open longer. And, here, the choice is much wider. You can indulge in your own national preferences if you like … although one of the very few issues I have with Costa is that they don’t seem to be able to cook bacon the way I like it. But, for their ice cream, I can forgive them even that. And, there’s plenty of other things to have for breakfast.

Executive Chef Massimo Molinaro. Photo by Keith Kellett.

In the kitchen, Executive Chef Massimo Molinaro presides over a staff of 115 chefs, cooks, and porters, catering for up to 3,780 passengers in the five restaurants on board, in addition to the 1000 crew, who also need feeding. It’s almost non-stop , starting at breakfast at 7.00 a.m. and ending at 2 a.m.

There’s usually a complicated ‘vegetable sculpture’ on display in the buffet. And, at the ‘sit-down’ meals, the food is always painstakingly plated to make it look as attractive as possible. It’s never forgotten, though, that the main object is to feed the client not just to impress him.

(The kitchen staff on Costa’s ships are faced with something their fathers didn’t consider. Costa is heavily committed to preserving the marine environment, and strives to make the ships as green’ as possible. They no longer use the procedure known in the Royal Navy as “pumping gash’,” or simply dumping the kitchen waste over the side. Every scrap of waste food must be incinerated, and the ash disposed of ashore.)

Take six to a dozen different people, from all kinds of backgrounds and varied cooking abilities. Add a French master chef, a skilled sous-chef, one who is also a wine expert, and her husband, who is another wine expert. Blend together in a modernised 200-year-old farmhouse in France’s Languedoc district, serve with walking, cycling, tennis and swimming on the side, and you have the French House Party.

St. Raymond's Gastro Acadamy where we learn to cook.

The French House Party offers a wide range of courses, ranging from video and movie making, through drama and artwork to creative writing. But, their signature dish is probably the Gastro Academy.

There are three cookery courses to choose from; the 7-day Cook au Vin;, the 6-day Gourmet Explorer; and the 3-day Cuisine in Brief, which I attended. But, please be advised, they aren’t intended to turn you into a gourmet cook overnight. It’s a pity experience is the only appropriate word I can think of.

Chef Robert Abraham ready to teach us some of what he knows.

Chopping and creating our masterpieces.

But, before I get carried away by the relaxing Art Deco atmosphere of the dining-room, sitting room and bedrooms, I’d better talk about the kitchen which, of course, would be the main focus of our business. After lunch on the first day, we were briefly introduced to it, to help to make amuses-bouche, which sounds a lot nicer than nibbles,  to go with our pre-dinner apéritif.

The kitchen is long, with a central table running down the middle, with provisions  for taller (or shorter) people to take part without too much discomfort. It was only recently refurbished, and gasps of admiration and envy greeted it. And, I have an idea that some of those features might shortly be adopted in the kitchens of the participants.

Before dinner, the chef de cuisine, Robert Abraham, introduced himself. He would, he said, be overseeing our cooking on the morrow, but first, we needed ingredients. In the morning, we would accompany him to the market in Revel to buy them.

The chef manages to find the market's best.

Up to a year ago, I thought that the idea of the chef going to the market and personally selecting ingredients was a fiction put about by the makers of TV food programmes. But, in the last twelve months, I’ve met two chefs who did just that, so I’m happy to stand corrected.

Unfortunately, my French isn’t good enough to understand the discussion — maybe even haggling — that went on between Chef Robert and the stallholders, but we came away with basketfuls of provisions that could have been entered in a competition in any County Show at home in the UK.

So, with all the people and ingredients assembled, we were ready to begin cooking. We had three sessions, prepared three meals and, for the sake of brevity, I’ll just talk about the main courses. Under the eye of Chef Robert, we all took part; some to a greater extent than others. I thought back to basic training days, when I’d sit down to a meal, and think, with pride, “I peeled those potatoes!”

For lunch on the first day, we had duck breasts with apples reinette. The apples were baked with lemon juice, honey, butter, pepper and cinnamon; the duck cooked in Noilly Prat and served in slices. It was covered with a sauce made from apple juice and the juiced the duck was cooked in.

Our plated duck and apple slices with Noilly Prat and sauce.

Dinner was St. Jacques scallops served with orange butter sauce and parsnips. I used to think I didn’t like parsnips, but I changed my mind when I tasted these. The main learning point, though, was getting the edible bit out of the scallop. Weretained the shells, to serve a seafood starter for the the following lunch.

The main course on that occasion was monkfish rouelle, served with new potatoes and a tartine of a slice of fried aubergine (that’s eggplant, to my transatlantic readers) topped with a sauce of mussels and shallots.

We also helped to make starters and sweets too numerous to mention here, except that everyone enthused about the crême brulée and the madeleines.

No French meal would be complete without the wine, and here, wine expert Carl Hargreaves came to the fore. He selected wines he thought would go best with each course and he and his wife, sous-chef Debbie, held a wine-tasting just prior to our departure.

My favourite was the Muscat served before the first dinner. It’s said that Dom Perignon visited the area, and refined the recipe for Muscat into champagne.

We all enjoy a little wine talk -- and the wine.

And, a misconception about French cooking was also corrected. I’d missed it, but it wasn’t till the end, on the way back to the airport, that director Moira Martingale pointed out that, at no point in the weekend did Robert use garlic.

In 2008, the French House Party was named ‘Top Learning Retreat’ in the National Geographic book “100 Best Worldwide Vacations to Enrich Your Life.” Cooking is by no means all that goes on there. Find out much more at

www.frenchhouseparty.co.uk

By Keith Kellett

Outside the newly renovated Hare and Hounds

When I drove through Bowland Bridge, in Cumbria last year, I was saddened to see one of my favourite pubs, Hare and Hounds, abandoned forlorn and boarded up. I wasn’t really surprised, though. Pleasant as it was, Bowland Bridge is a small community of half a dozen houses and is miles from anywhere. It was accessed by only a minor road, served by one bus a week. The only other public facility there is a small Post Office and a general store.

In the past, the Hare and Hounds had a prosperous farming clientele, In those days, any hostelry within walking distance was recognised as one’s “local” and those farmers were prepared to walk a fair distance for a drink and a bit of a craic* with their friends.

However, much has changed in the pub habits of the average Briton. Much of the blame has been laid on television, greater mobility, stricter drink-drive laws and the British Government’s habit to tax anything pleasurable to a fare-thee-well. People rarely just go for a drink these days. To survive, a pub needs to offer something else; a large-screen television, live entertainment and great food. Most places serve food. To stay ahead of the game, pubs must really serve better fare than the opposition. Nuking a pre-cooked, frozen meal in the microwave just isn’t on any more. “Locally Sourced” is a phrase we’re hearing more and more in the realms of pub grub.

Hare and Hounds Cumbria Sausage

You can imagine my delight when I heard from a friend that the Hare and Hounds was back in business–with that locally accessed produce! It was smaller than it used to be, because some of the building was sold to make private residences. But, fresh whitewash, a trim garden and an inviting patio sort of smiled a welcome.

Inside there is an old-world look without looking contrived. The menu won me over with one proviso; please be patient, because each meal was cooked to order, not in bulk. Most of us had ham and eggs, but, as I always do in these parts, ordered Cumberland pork sausage.Yes, you can get Cumberland sausage elsewhere in the UK, but it does taste better in its area of origin. OK, Bowland Bridge was in Westmorland (it’s all Cumbria now, anyway) but we still like our Cumberland sausage. There are those who say true Cumberland sausage comes in a continuous spiral, rather than the more usual links. I don’t really think it matters, as long as the right blend of meat and spices are used; the taste is just the same.

Inside Hare and Hound.

The sausages came on a bed of mashed potato; some say this is the only way to serve them. But, with the potatoes came a delicious onion gravy that really complemented the potatoes and the sausages. And, I made a discovery. As the “designated driver,” I chose apple juice instead of ale. It goes really well with these sausages. In fact, I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before — after all, we often eat apple sauce with pork.

Writing about hidden, secret places  such as this of often means it doesn’t stay secret for long. But, better to mention the reopened pub than have it remain  secret … and out of business.

Hare and Hounds
Bowland Bridge
Grange-Over-Sands, Cumbria, LA11 6NN
Telephone: 08721 077 077

*craic is originally a Gaelic term and means a bit of music and fun with great conversation.
Keith Kellett is globalfoodie’s UK correspondent. His email is: Keith@globalfoodie.com

Hafod Eryri, Snowdon Summit Visitor’s Centre

By Keith Kellett

Someone once said that you can see six kingdoms from Snowdon’s summit: Wales, England, Scotland, Ireland, the Isle of Man and even the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever wrote that obviously went up on a clear day. Quite often, low clouds mean you see absolutely nothing but mist. If you walked up on one of many footpaths, you might still risk visual disappointment. You would certainly enjoy the trip if you rode up to the summit on Llanberis village’s delightful vintage rack railway. Once there, your reward — a meal at the recently rebuilt Hafod Eryri Complex, located just below the summit. If it’s a clear day you’ll get additional sustenance from the view.

By world standards, a restaurant a little over 3,500 feet above sea level isn’t all that remarkable. After all, there are whole countries that sit much higher. But, the Hafod Eryri Complex is in Britain, Snowdon, Wales, to be precise, only 60 feet below the country’s highest point. Officials are careful with facts and figures and say that it’s the highest restaurant in England and Wales. But, technically speaking, the Ptarmigan Restaurant in Cairngorm, Scotland tops it at 3,520 feet –but then again, that’s another kingdom away ….

The Hafod Eryri restaurant, originally designed to fit into the hilly landscape, was extensively renovated and refurbished and now offers an attractive and inviting building to those who make the journey, either by foot or by the little vintage rack railway that has been climbing the mountain since 1896.

Hafod Eryri’s predecessor was a squalid, grim concrete blockhouse, which I was surprised to learn was designed in the early 1930s by the noted and environmentally friendly architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis of Portmeirion fame. (Williams-Ellis designed Portmeirion, a resort village reminiscent of Portofino, which sits on the Snowdonian coastline.)

“But, it wasn’t Williams-Ellis’s original design,” Vince Hughes, the restaurant’s communication manager, said. “He called for large windows, which got completely destroyed after the first winter.”

It’s not surprising, really. Winds of up to 150 miles per hour have been recorded on the summit. So, those windows were replaced with narrow panes, more suited to a military bunker.

Modern technology has, however, allowed big, panoramic windows in the new building. They’re called “’whispering windows.” Stand close and you’ll hear an audio interpretation of what you see (or what you could see if the clouds weren’t there) or a poetry reading from the former National Poet of Wales, Gwyn Thomas.

The steel frame and granite are from Blaenau Ffestiniog and Portugal. Most were transported up on the train in 10-ton pre-fabricated pieces, and some of the work was finished on site. The design is and was intended to blend in with the contours of the mountain, rather than stand out against them.

The pleasing, attractive interior is lined with Welsh oak, a sharp contrast to the former structure, which made a vacuum flask and sandwiches carried up the mountain seem a much better proposition.

It would be tempting for the owners to offer dinner on “the roof of Wales” but they can’t. Everything, including the water, is brought up by train. And, since the electricity comes from the restaurant’s generators, they can’t really operate large ovens, deep-fat fryers, or even dishwashers,

“So, all our crockery has to be disposable,” Hughes said.

Visitors who come up by train, only have half an hour at the summit before returning on the same train, otherwise, a place on a later train isn’t guaranteed. And, it’s a long walk down! Although, of course, if you walked up you can stay as long as you wished. There are now three till points that cater to those walkers. There was once a self-service cafeteria and only one till point. Visitors could easily spend all summit waiting in line for food.

Hot food needs to be of the sort that can be cooked quickly – in a small oven or a microwave. It doesn’t, by any means, mean the choice is restricted, though. And, the prices are reasonable. For instance, a sausage, egg and bacon panini only costs £3.55 – and it’s Lincolnshire sausage, too! There’s also a tempting range of panini, hot savouries such as Cornish pastys (I am reliably informed that, in Cornwall pastys is the correct plural), baguettes and cakes.

It’s all fresh, too. Unable to sleep, I took a walk early in the morning, saw and photographed the food assortment delivered by a baker’s van. “Locally sourced” is a phrase you hear often about the food there. Workers load it on to the early morning train, which brings supplies and any staff needed to reinforce or replace those who have spent the night up there.

Top of the hot food range is the traditional Welsh “Oggie’,” which is almost the same as a Cornish pasty, but made in Wales; and it’s much bigger. Both have similar origins and were a handy means of providing a portable packaged meal for miners. The Welsh coal miners held it by the crimping in the crust, because of the coal dust on their fingers, the Cornish tinners held it so to keep from ingesting the antimony and arsenic, which were a lethal by-product of tin mining,

Both would leave the crusts for the spirits they believed haunted the mine, and, if you kept them fed, would give warning of impending disaster. The Welshman would throw his crust over his shoulder with a cry of “Oggie,” which is probably the origin of the Welsh rugby fans chant.

No, I didn’t try one. Only two hours earlier, I’d got on the outside of a gargantuan Welsh breakfast at the Dol Peris Hotel. Even if I hadn’t, I don’t think I’d manage it; it’s definitely an item for sharing!

(Yes, I know my mobile phone, which I placed by the Oggie to give an idea of the size, is so last century, But, I am planning to replace it soon!)

For more information visit:

www.snowdonrailway.co.uk/hafod_eryri.html

www.dolperis.com

Keith Kellett is globalfoodie’s UK correspondent and an expert on England’s food history and origin. He can be reached at: Keith@globalfoodie.com. You can see more of his work at: travelrat.wordpress.com.

by Keith Kellett

I have it on pretty good authority that mice don’t really care about cheese one way or the other; apparently, peanut butter is far more efficacious bait for mousetraps. Were I a mouse who didn’t know this fact I’d have thought I’d died and gone to heaven after entering the Dairy Products Hall at this year’s Royal Bath and West Show.

Bath is in Somerset; so is the village of Cheddar, so, naturally, the great majority of dairy products on show were cheese. And, the greater proportion of that cheese was cheddar.

Now, cheese doesn’t have to be produced in Cheddar to be called cheddar. I’ve seen Irish cheddar, Australian cheddar and Canadian cheddar. Cheddar has become widely used internationally, and does not currently have a Protected Designator of Origin (PDO). However, the European Union does recognise West Country Farmhouse Cheddar as a PDO.

To be called West Country Farmhouse Cheddar – the real stuff – it must be made on a farm, and that farm is within the four counties of Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall. Those four make up the south-west of England.

Even in the old days, people said that only cheese produced within a thirty-mile radius of Wells Cathedral should be called cheddar.

A certain process must be used, too. After heating, the resulting curds are kneaded with salt. This is then cut into cubes to drain the whey. The cheese is then wrapped in cloth, and stored, and turned at intervals. The longer it’s matured, the better it is. It can be released for sale after three months; but mature cheddar usually starts at around 15 months. It can be stored for up to five years, after which time, I’d suppose you need to eat it quickly, before it eats your cracker!

Most of cheddar cheese country is in limestone country, which means there are plenty of natural caves to store the cheese. These are ideal, because, winter and summer, the temperature in a limestone cave remains constant. Even show-caves, such as those in the Cheddar Gorge and at Wookey Hole have side-caves for storing Cheddar.

While cheddar is usually made from cow’s milk, one stall offered me a goat’s milk cheddar. “Can you still call it cheddar?” I asked. I was told “yes; it’s made in Somerset, and the ‘cheddaring’ process is used.”

Cheesemakers throughout the country also brought their products. Double Gloucester, Stilton; Wensleydale (my favourite!) and Caerphilly, were among countless offerings. Some offered morsels of their cheese – even for those entered in the ‘Smelliest Cheese’ category.

Of these cheeses, I particularly liked ‘Stinking Bishop,” and I wondered, if, like some beers, they give unattractive names to the good stuff to discourage those who don’t know, and leave more for those of us who do?

For more information:
Royal Bath and West of England Society
Royal Bath and West Show
www.bathandwest.com

Cheddar Cheese:
www.farmhousecheesemakers

Aussie Pies

by Keith Kellett

When asked what the Australian national dish was, a comedian once waggishly replied “Pies.” Maybe it’s not the national dish, but I’ve visited very few places where I couldn’t get one. Call it a “footy pie,” a “four-and-twenty pie” an “Aussie pie” or simply just a pie, everyone there knows what you mean.

You don’t ask what goes into it, though. American author Doug Lansky once did, and was simply told “Meat!”

There are some establishments where your pie is served on a plate, and eaten with a knife and fork. But, usually, it simply comes in a paper bag, which you use to protect your fingers as you eat.

Another is the “pie floater.” The pie is served in a dish, immersed in green pea soup. You can, at your discretion, add a swirl of sauce and a side order of chips. At the Balfour’s Pie Cart, outside the railway station in Adelaide. They say it’s the cheapest meal in Australia, which is just as well, because the gambling casino stands next to the station.

The pie floater was reputedly born in Port Pirie, South Australia, conceived by one Ern “Shorty” Bradley – but, no one knows how. Did he inadvertently drop a pie into a bowl of soup? Or maybe, it developed from the Yorkshire “pea and pie supper,” useful when you have a lot of people (e.g. at harvest time or a cricket match) to feed on a budget.

The pie carts were as much a part of the Adelaide scene as “Light’s Vision” or the Glenelg Tram. The very first one was opened by an English ex-sailor called Gibbs. He opened his pie stall in 1864 on the corner of King William and Rundle streets, looking to cater to workers in search of a wholesome, but inexpensive meal.

Obviously, the site wasn’t as busy as it is nowadays. Today it’s probably the most trafficked street corner in Adelaide, but the last place you want to stand around eating a pie.

By 1915 there were nine pie carts in Adelaide, but by 1958 only two remained. They were Cowley’s Pie Cart outside the GPO on Franklin Street, once claimed as the oldest still existing in Australia, and the already-mentioned Balfour’s Pie Cart, outside the railway station.

The pie carts, for me, sum up all that’s democratic and egalitarian about Australia. They became a meeting place where cabbies, policemen and other workers rubbed shoulders with theatre patrons in formal evening wear, musicians, politicians and businessmen.

But, to visit the most famous pie-cart of all, we must go to Sydney, and head for Wooloomooloo, where Harry’s Café de Wheels carries on the tradition of selling what they claim are the best pies going. They don’t sell pie floaters as such, however, but “Tiger,” a pie with peas, mashed potato and gravy on top, is similar to the pie and mash served in some parts of London.

Wooloomooloo is the Royal Australian Navy’s equivalent of Portsmouth, and it was near the entrance to the Navy base that Harry “Tiger” Edwards set up his pie stall in 1938. He reasoned, correctly, that sailors returning to the base after a night on the town would be hungry, and there were very few places in Sydney where a reasonably inexpensive meal could be had at that time.

As in Adelaide, theatre and concert-goers began to frequent Harry’s, too and, as in Adelaide, mixed happily with the night-workers and sailors who frequented the café. One ex-sailor recalled seeing a full captain in dress uniform sitting on a nearby wall eating his pie.

The original stall was on wheels, because a city by-law said that such establishments had to move at least twelve inches each day. So, the structure was studiously moved the specified distance, and returned to its original position the following night.

Except for one night, when some practical joker stole the wheels … and the café temporarily became the “Café de Axle.”

In 1939, the café closed while Harry was away in the Army. But, on his 1945 demobilization, he found that the Sidney eating situation hadn’t improved while he was away. The Café de Wheels was soon operating almost to capacity once again.

Somehow, the word spread, and the café found itself hosting such household names as Frank Sinatra, Robert Mitchum, Johnnie Ray and Marlene Dietrich. And, perhaps the most distinguished visitor was Colonel Harlan Sanders, of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame. He ate three portions of pie and peas there, and declared Harry’s pies were the best he’d ever tasted.

Harry Edwards retired in 1970, and sold his now-thriving business. But, the café retained his name, and continued to prosper. A lot of customers still came from the Navy, and, in 1978 they decided to mark the 40^th Anniversary of the opening of the Café de Wheels in a rather unusual way.

It was officially commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy as one of its unsinkable’ ships, and was called: HMAS Harry’s!

Harry died in 1979, but the Café de Wheels continued, and its fame continues to spread. Celebrities still flock there. Elton John, Kevin Costner, Brooke Shields, Olivia Newton-John, Pamela Anderson and others of that stamp know Harry’s well.

The present owner is Michael Hannah, and I rather think he may be connected with Hannah’s, the firm who makes the pies. And, very good pies they are too, as I learned when the Open-Top bus tour I was on passed through Wooloomooloo around lunchtime.

The stall isn’t the original; that can be seen in Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum. But, the ethos is still there. I watched as office workers, taxi-drivers, glaziers, telephone engineers and road menders came for their lunch. It’s easy to tell who does what, because sometimes it seems that everyone in Sydney wears a corporate uniform.

And, of course, a policeman came. He was rather disappointed, though, because I wanted to photograph him buying his pie rather than astride his motor-bike. He’d visited Salisbury, where I live, he said, and, mentioned a B&B where he’d stayed, one run by some friends of mine.

But, I didn’t see any celebrities. Maybe I came at the wrong time; maybe I should have come back in the evening. I got what I came for, though — a pie. What at an excellent pie. It was so good I bought another!

As always, Keith captures the moment — and the food. Contact him at: Keith@globalfoodie. More of his work is available on his website at: travelrat.wordpress.com.

By Keith Kellett

Since English isn’t the first language in Tunisia, I thought it might be a prolific hunting ground for my Silly Signs, which I collect, photograph and occasionally post in my blog (see information below). No such luck. The only one I saw was from a bus, and we were gone before I could photograph it.

My luck changed later when we were passing through a Berber village.  I saw a restaurant promising “Authentic Barbaric Food.” Well, the two words come from the same root, anyway!

But, we didn’t have to stray far from food to finally find something. One night, we went to a “Traditional Tunisian Banquet.” where wine was served.

Now, although Tunisia is a Muslim country, alcohol is readily available, and, in fact, beer and wine are produced in country. Grapes for wine are grown in Tunisia, rather than them making wine from imported grape concentrate, as they sometimes do elsewhere. The centre of wine production is at Mornag, a little way to the south of Tunis. They produce reds, whites and rosés, and the result is … well, I wouldn’t go out of my way to seek any, but I’ll drink it if it’s offered.

I do think they might have been a little more careful with the name, though! As Oliver Hardy might have said:

“This is another Vin de Mess you’ve gotten me into, Stanley!”

Keith can be reached at Keith@globalfoodie.com. To see more of his work visit his blog: travelrat.wordpress.com/

by Keith Kellett

I like cheese.

There’s nothing like a cheese-board to round out a good meal. One of the best ones I’ve had in a long time is produced by John Crompton, the chef at the Hotel Aravis Lodge in France’s mountainous Haut Savoie district.

There were only two cheeses on the board, the local Reblochon and, from further afield, Tome de Bauge. But, they were enough, especially accompanied by glasses of red wine and bowls of dried apricots and walnuts.

The previous day, we sat in an upland pasture and feasted on crusty batons, stuffed with the Reblochon and Tome. Looking down the verdant and lush valley, one surrounded by lofty mountainous peaks, made the “cheese sandwich” description sound inadequate.

We hadn’t come here to taste the cheese, though. We’d come to walk in those mountain pastures, but, cheese was everywhere and couldn’t be avoided.

Our daily path led us past mountain chalets, or upland farms. In winter, the farmer and his family live in the valley, where the herds are kept while snow lies on those high fields. In spring, the cows are led up the hill, and the family move back into the chalet.

France is noted for its wide variety of cheeses, and also has the AOC, or Appelation d’Origine Contrôlée. This means that the names of locally-produced cheeses are protected by law. You cannot do as they do in England, where “cheddar” cheese is sold – and it wasn’t produced in England, let alone Cheddar.

Reblochon has been made in the Thones valley since the 13^th Century. It ust be produced within that area and made from milk from only three breeds of cows.

Reblochon means second milking from the product of which the cheese was originally made. It is sometimes said that farmers used to be taxed according to the milk yield of the herd. But, to avoid paying tax on unsold milk, they only partially milked the cows, taking just what they estimated they could sell. Then, they turned the cows back out to pasture, to milk them again when the inspector had gone. This milk had a sweeter taste than the first official milking

They couldn’t, however, sell the milk obtained by this method, so they made cheese instead.

These days there are two kinds of Reblochon. Some farmers take the milk to a co-operative, where the cheese is made; this is marked with an edible red disc, or pastille in the cheese’s rind. If the farmer makes the cheese himself, it gets the green disc and is called ‘Reblochon Fermier. It is made from the milk of a single herd and held to be superior.

One important note: you mustn’t call your cheese farmhouse cheese unless it was made on a farm.

If a farmer doesn’t actually make cheese, but sends it to a milk to a co-operative, it’s blended with milk from other herds, and is distinguished from Reblochon Fermier by being marked with a red pastille in the rind.

A close relative of Reblochon is Tome, a name which comes from a dialect word ‘Toma’, which means “cheese from the mountain pastures.” It’s made in much the same way as Reblochon, but cooked at a higher temperature and left to mature for longer.

This results in a harder, nuttier cheese, and the most highly regarded is the already-mentioned Tome de Bauges … distinguished by spelling its name with one “M.”

Walking the Walk

For a lot of people, the phrase ‘Alpine walking’ is a bit of an off-put. It conjures up visions of using a lot of arcane and expensive ironmongery to climb up a gnarly, near-vertical, ice-covered rock face. But, in actual fact, the kind I’m talking about involves good paths through lush meadows, accompanied most of the time by the plangent clangour of cow-bells.

With the minimum of clothing and equipment, maybe you’re marvelling that you are well above the highest point in the British Isles. Even then, you’ll frequently pass a farm where they make and sell cheese.

But, if you don’t fancy that kind of walking, you can go into Annecy on Sunday morning where a market is held in Old Town. Around here, as well as elsewhere in France, the phrase “farmer’s market” is a tautology. Most stalls sell local produce … ham, vegetables, and, of course, cheese.

How to Get there: The nearest airport is Geneva, across the border in Switzerland; approximately one hour’s drive from St. Jean de Sixt. The nearest main rail station is at Annecy, about one half hour away. There’s a bus service from Annecy approximately every two hours; fare is about seven euros.

There is no public transport form Geneva airport, except in winter, when a ski-bus operates.

Where to Stay: We stayed at the Aravis Lodge Hotel in St Jean de Sixt, where there’s an excellent kitchen presided over by chef John Crompton, who also runs cooking holidays, see www.cookinginfrance.biz. The owners of the Aravis Lodge organise ski-ing and walking weekends. You can find the details at www.karibuni.co.uk. If you’re taking part in one of these tours, or just staying there, the owners will arrange a free transfer from Annecy or Geneva for you.

Keith Kellett is globalfoodie’s UK correspondent. He can be reached at: Keith@globalfoodie.com.