Charlotte's Newsletter | Issue 14

Issue 14 | Friday 26th August 2022

Welcome to Issue 14

Welcome back!

It's been a whole three weeks since my last newsletter. Thank you for bearing with me whilst I was away in Italy. I've had a busy time cooking up a storm in south eastern Tuscany for the last two weeks. It has been a really interesting experience cooking in Italy again. Even in this post-Covid world, supermarkets seem not to have made such an impact on the food system as they have in so many other European countries. In rural Tuscany, one has to rely on visiting the local market and supermarkets. There is no home delivery service, on which I and so many others usually rely, and the choice of fresh produce really is limited to what is local and in season. I admire this enormously, but it does highlight how much variety we are all used to.

Further on in this issue, I am pleased to share some Italian recommendations. I also have some more recipe recommendations for you, and another of my exclusive discounts for you to enjoy. I hope you will find these useful. 

I also have some dates for you for cookery demonstrations at autumn food festivals, and I hope to see some of you there. I also have news - all my classes will be private one-to-one classes for the foreseeable - so if you'd like to book a class with me for a one-to-one, group or corporate class, you can do this on my website.

Finally, I have made the decision to start a Patreon account, for those of you who enjoy reading the newsletter and would like to support my work. Thank you to everyone who has very kindly supported me so far. It is very much appreciated. You'll find the link at the bottom of the newsletter.

I hope you will all have a positive and delicious fortnight ahead. I hope you enjoy the Bank Holiday weekend. It's my birthday, so I'll be back at the start of September, and I'll look forward to writing to you all again then.

Charlotte

Charlotte's Basket

Last time, I mentioned finding aubergines and tomatoes in Tuscany, and boy, did we feast on them there. The apricots, nectarines and courgettes were in peak season and tasted amazing.

Back home, I've harvested my borlotti beans, picked damsons and Victoria plums, Bramley apples and blackberries from the hedgerows. These are brilliant sources of food for free and easy to find, even in an urban environment. 

In the garden, the runner beans continue, as do the courgettes, beetroot, chard and kale. We've been using Ecover to wash up and keeping the grey water in the kitchen to water the garden now we are under a hosepipe ban and can't run the sprinklers on the veg patch.

In the supermarket, the stone fruit is really good right now, so look out for these for better value as berry season is really over for the year. Tomatoes and corn are really delicious and good value at the moment.

Charlotte Loves

New 'Charlotte Loves' Discounts I'm absolutely thrilled to tell you that I am working with some of my favourite friends in food to bring you some exclusive discounts on their products. These discount codes will only be available through my newsletter. I hope you will find them useful. If you have a friend who might find it of interest, please do invite them to subscribe, so they don't miss out. For avoidance of doubt, these discounts are purely for you to enjoy. I am not paid to offer them, nor do I receive any commission. The first is from my friends at Pipers Farm. I have bought much of my meat from Pipers Farm for years, and they have expanded recently to offer a wider range of first-rate ethically and sustainably produced fresh produce through their online grocery website. They now offer fish, dairy, and an extensive range of pantry goods, all available for UK delivery. Pipers Farm have kindly offered you all a 20% discount off your first order if you use the CHARLOTTELOVES discount code. You can use this link to join their points scheme, too.  I also have an amazing 20%off for new customers and 10% for existing customers at the Bold Bean Co. who produce the most delicious jars of beans. Visit their website and pop in CHARLOTTELOVES to secure your discount.

What to cook this week

• I need to write up my recipe for this, but I love to make a version of Vincisgrassi, which is such a delicious Italian pasta dish. I made it in Italy last week.

• My spiced apple crumble cake is so good to use up apples at the moment. The recipe is in my book FERMENTED, and posted online.

• My Dorset apple cake recipe is available online here. It's such a delicious and economical cake to make, and a real crowd-pleaser.

• Another old recipe, but a good one is my Tuscan sausage ragù to serve with pasta. 

• Finally, I'm sharing my sausage roll recipe, in case you are planning any Bank Holiday picnics. It's a real winner.

Off to University?

Congratulations to everyone who received their results in the last week or two. 

If there is someone you know who is off to University, I'd love  you to consider my Hungry Student Cookbook Series as a small gift. They're available in all good bookshops and signed copies are for sale on my website. 

I'm so proud of these books, and they are loved by students and non-students alike.

They're full of simple but delicious recipes that really work to produce easy but enjoyable every-day meals.

I hear from people young and old who have found these books really useful.


 

Something for the Weekend

As the weekend approaches, here are my upcoming food festival dates and 
some of my top recommendations for things to try and also to bring back from Italy.

Do, please, let me know if you try any of them, and what you think.

Autumn Food Festival Dates

• I will be demonstrating at the amazing Ludlow Food Festival on Friday 9th September at 1:30pm. Please do come and see me there, and do come to this wonderful food festival if you can.

• I'm very pleased to be running the cookery classes at Dartmouth Food Festival again this year. Do book your places in good time as we had a sell-out in 2021.

Delicious things to do in Italy

• Have a coffee standing up at a bar, just like the locals

• Try the local gelateria - they are usually so good. I love nocciola and fior di latte flavours.

• Go for an aperitivo at a local bar. I love a good negroni or campari soda. Or a Franciacorta. Aperol spritz, for those who like it, plus prosecco, are drunk all day long...

• Visit the local market. Have a coffee and watch the world go by with the locals shopping. Hand gestures work well to order if you don't speak Italian.

• Have a look at the kitchen kit aisle in the supermarket. You can find some really useful bits of kit for just a few Euros. I picked a metre long pasta rolling pin and an gnocchi ridger (both wooden) for 12 Euros.

The Taste Testers

I am really excited to be working on a new consultancy service, The Taste Testers. I've joined forces with AJ Sharp of Sharp Relations to launch this new service, helping food and drink producers to make more delicious products. We are working with businesses of all sizes to develop and improve new and existing products. This really is a must for anyone looking at starting a food business, or wanting to take existing products further into award territory. Please don't hesitate to get in touch for more information.