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Instagram and Facebook – just pop in The Coastal Kitchen Devon and you’ll find us. Julie: And watch out for us at the Dartmouth Food Festival later this year too as we have something exciting up our sleeve …
Manna from Devon: You’re obviously based in south Devon which has a huge number of food producers, large and small. What are your favourite products - traditional and innovative? Helen: Gosh, this is so hard as there are so many excellent local producers out there. If I had to pick one product I couldn’t be without, it would be Butter Bike peanut butter. Slathered onto a piece of hot buttered toast, stirred into porridge or made into cookies it’s so moreish. In terms of innovation it would probably be Sea Spoon, who produce a range of dried seaweed seasoning blends that can be used in so many ways.
Julie: I love Sharpham Rustic cheese, and can’t wait to try the new version with added dulse and sea lettuce. But generally, I enjoying buying and trying out any locally produced food. This area has great farm shops and markets and we have the beauty of some amazing produce on our doorstep.
Manna from Devon: What’s your favourite thing to cook when you get a chance to create a feast for yourselves?? Who are your favourite chefs/food writers? Julie: As I cook full-time, sometimes for me it’s the simple dishes that are the best. I love nothing more than a wonderfully cheesy macaroni! Three types of cheese in a creamy sauce with crispy breadcrumbs on top - just delicious.
Alongside my interest in food, I
love to travel and seeking out those little places that make a holiday something special. Thankfully, both these interests work well together. Because his books combine these two passions, my favourite food writer is Rick Stein. He’s been to some amazing
places and I love trying out his recipes as it transports me all over the world – especially at the moment when real travel is curtailed.
Helen: During Lockdown I think we all took the opportunity to experiment a bit more in the kitchen and I decided to get to grips with spicing. So, I treated myself to the Dishoom book, and have had great fun producing all sorts of delicious Indian dishes. I’ve really missed having lots of people around our big kitchen table and can’t wait to have friends round for a slap up Dishoom banquet when Lockdown restrictions ease. My favourite food writer without a doubt is Nigel Slater. I read his books like I do a novel, from cover to cover. He writes so seductively and I feel a sense of calmness flow through me when I sit down with one of his books. I just wish my kitchen could be as uncluttered as his.
Manna from Devon: What do you think are the most important things to get the next generation cooking? Will you be able to incorporate any of those ideas into your new venture? Helen: In a previous life I worked as a Community Dietitian and spent a lot of time working in schools. I think the main way to get children into cooking is to let them help in the kitchen from a very young age and to make it fun. Bringing back practical lessons in school would also help. We really hope that parents will bring their children to the markets and let them sample all the lovely products on offer.
Julie: I think that Lockdown has allowed us to spend a little more time considering what we eat, and maybe taught us all that cooking from scratch isn’t as hard or as expensive as we think. I hope the next generation will now be driven less by convenience and more by adventure.
Manna from Devon: Tell us about your foodie memories - what do you think set you on this road? Helen, you’re from Wales and
Julie, you’re from Scotland (as you know!); what are your fondest foodie memories from where you grew up? Helen: In all honesty I didn’t come from a very foodie background, although everything was fresh and cooked from scratch. My dad was a traditional meat and two veg man and even a crispy pancake was met with a frown. He did make a mean welsh cake though. Mam loved to bake and made amazing novelty cakes – her fairy princess castle was a sight to behold! And her profiteroles were legendary.
Julie: My fondest foodie memories would be fishing with my Grandad off Tobermory on the Isle of Mull. We mostly caught mackerel, which on our return to the kitchen would be turned into fishcakes on a family production line. We often caught pollock and hake as well, which provided us with a tasty dinner way before these kinds of fish were seen on restaurant menus.
Manna from Devon: You’ve really got a great plan for focussing on local food producers - how do you see your business developing? Where do you hope to be if we come back and chat in a year or two? Julie: The possibilities are endless really, once the world has opened again. We wouldn’t rule anything out, but we do want to grow organically. Wherever we end up you can guarantee it will involve food, travel and fun.
Manna from Devon: Thanks so much for chatting to us about your new plans for the Coastal Kitchen Devon. We for one are really looking forward to seeing it all come to fruition. Lots of luck – we’re sure you won’t need it!
www.coastalkitchendevon.com
hello@coastalkitchendevon.com #coastalkitchendevon
The new Dartmouth Farmers Market will start on May 8th and then every 2nd Saturday in the month.
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