(Not up for the chitchat? Completely get it. Click the email title to go to a web-based version then jump straight to the recipe or Cultural Fun.)
I was teaching at the Dusty Knuckle last night but people were watching the football at the 40 Ft Brewery next door so I could tell by the regular outbursts of cheering that it was going well for England.
Their victory came just after the class had finished and I emerged onto Kingsland Road to witness what I believe the youth refer to as “absolute scenes”. Dancing and singing in the streets, topless young men spraying passers by with beer, Three Lions playing from every car that passed and much, much tooting of horns.
I was pleased. Of course I was. But I feel quite distant from it all. When the New Yorker reviewed (Star Wars spin off) Solo there was a line that really stuck with me about the endless expansion of the franchise: that each successive film “will make the Star Wars universe bigger, while making each individual act within it smaller.” This is a great way of understanding why Star Wars, Marvel and the many other IP-based franchises seem to be playing to diminishing returns, if not financially then at least emotionally.
The first time you save the universe it’s important. But if the universe needs constantly saving, always did (prequels) and always will (sequels), well, eventually it’s not mythic any more. It’s just a chore. Admin with laser guns.
I think my attitude to the football is informed by the same feeling. Even as someone who thinks of themselves as generally uninterested in sport I’ve been watching England (mens team) compete in World and European Cups since Italia ‘90. I always get sucked in to some degree. I’ve cared a lot in the moment but the sense of importance never stays with me.
There’s a great Mitchell and Webb sketch which features David Mitchell as an increasingly hyperbolic sports pundit, working himself into a frenzy at the prospect of constant, never-ending football. It ends with him yelling that: “It will never be finally decided who has won the football! There’s still everything to play for and forever to play it in!”
Even if you do win the football it doesn’t stay won.
But, you know, Come On England! I genuinely do hope there’s reason for topless young men to dance in the street on Sunday night.
Maybe the two footballing details that have captured my interest most have been why several members of the England team have holes in their socks (something to do with bloodflow to the calves apparently) and the fact that they have been drinking pickle brine to help with muscle cramps. Theirs, I think, were vinegar-based but it’s another reason not to throw away the brine after you’ve finished a batch of pickles…
There are just a few tickets left for my final supper club of the season at Lizzt’s on the Green on Saturday 20th July. The kimchi devilled eggs and cheesy choux bites are back due to popular demand but I’m also very excited about the preserved lemon dolmades and the apricot noyaux ice cream.
Tickets are £42.50 and include a welcome cocktail. The vibes will be sunny, whatever the summer weather throws at us and I would love to see you there.
This is a multi-purpose side dish, good at a BBQ but nice later in the year too. It will work with all kinds of veg and kraut but this is what I did.
Serves 6
Ingredients
300g red cabbage (about half a small cabbage), shredded
1 apple, cored and matchsticked
small bunch of spring onions, thinly sliced
small bunch of dill, roughly chopped
small bunch of parsley, roughly chopped
small bunch of tarragon, roughly chopped
100g mayonnaise
200g Greek yoghurt
2 tsps fennel seeds, ground or crushed
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
300g kraut
100g roasted, salted almonds, chopped
Method
Mix the veg. Put the red cabbage, apple, spring onions and herbs in a large bowl and toss to combine. Save some herbs for garnish if you like.
Mix the dressing and kraut. In another bowl mix the mayonnaise, yoghurt, fennel seeds and mustard. Make sure it is combined evenly and then add the kraut. Mix well and taste for seasoning. Depending on your kraut you may want to add a little more acidity in the form of lemon juice or vinegar or a bit more salt.
Add the dressing and nuts to the veg and mix well. Keep a few nuts back and sprinkle on top along with any left over herbs.
Notes (If Ifs And Ands Were Pots And Pans…)
I prefer to matchstick the apple as grating makes it soggy which I don’t like. I used a Braeburn but anything with some crisp sweetness will do.
I think it’s nice to have a mixture of red cabbage, white cabbage, onions, carrots, apple and herbs here, whether in kraut form or fresh. In this case, my kraut was made with white cabbage and carrot and the rest of the veg was fresh. But play around with what you’ve got. A red cabbage kraut with fresh carrot would also be glorious.
Cultural Fun
James and I had a fun mini-break in Folkestone at the weekend. Too mini really as we faffed about on Saturday morning so didn’t arrive until lunchtime. And then too much of the beautiful sunny evening that could have been spent sipping wine on the Harbour Arm was frittered away watching some lumpen football.
But the time we did have to look around was lovely. The whole town is filled with public artworks and there are some useful maps on the Creative Folkestone website breaking them down into trails.
I particularly liked the Gormley underneath the Harbour Arm and the little house by Richard Woods floating in the harbour itself.
We also had a delicious dinner at Annapurna, a Nepalese restaurant. Highly recommended. We’ll definitely be back, to eat more of Annapurna’s momos and look at more art. And, not least, because there was an ice cream shop with a gypsy tart flavoured ice cream that I didn’t get to eat. It was closed when I spotted it, after a swim in the rain on Sunday morning, but I can not stop thinking about the idea and will not rest until I have tried some.
Bye! See you next week!
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In Good Taste is a Sycamore Smyth newsletter by me, Clare Heal. You can also find me on Instagram or visit my website to find information about my catering work, cookery lessons and upcoming events.
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