Kellie's Tomato Tart - a last taste of summer

As soon as I saw the photograph pop up in Facebook I knew that I had to make this tomato tart.  If you haven't visited Food to Glow then you have a treat in store because Kellie makes beautiful food which is also very healthy.


Get the recipe here Tomato Tart with Seed and Nut Herb Crust




I'm adding this to Bookmarked Recipes the challenge to help you used those recipes you've saved, whether in books, magazines or online.

Labels: Bookmarked Recipes, Food to Glow, tart, tomato

posted by Janice @ 21:47 14 Comments

How to improve your blog writing

Chapter 4 -Food Bloggers learn about good writing

I felt like I was back at school when John Cooke, food writer and marketer took us through the basics of writing about food for our blogs.

John started by reading two pieces with very different styles: AA Gill's 'Table Talk' and Claudia Roden's 'Arabesque'.  The point of this was to help us understand that good writing is good writing whatever the style and that good writing tries to tell you something you don't know. Which is exactly what he then proceeded to do:

• Think about  why you are writing and who you are writing for, off line or online?
• Write as if you are writing to one person
• Where will it be read?  PC? Tablet? mobile phone?  Size matters!
• Do your research - find out something your audience doesn't know
• Avoid cliches: 'Drizzle not', No to 'Nom Nom'
• Edit and write again in half the space (be your own editor)
• Do the overnight test - DON'T PRESS THE BUTTON
• Read it aloud to yourself, read it to someone else if you can
• Being funny isn't easy, leave it to the comedians
• Think about colour in your writing, use similes
• The start is very important, make sure the first sentence grabs your audience
•  End by referring back to where you stared

 Back to the classroom, it was our turn to write. Working in pairs, our topic was "the best meal you have ever eaten" and we had to write no more than 180 words.

 I was fortunate to be paired with Kellie Anderson of Food to Glow.  At first we struggled to find a topic, but then I remembered a meal eaten in Penang, Malaysia and we were off!

"The best meal I ever had was not about fine dining, there was no Michelin star chef, nor a sommelier.  In fact I wore flip flops and we drank local beer. I don't remember the name, but it was ice cold and hit the spot.  I can't remember what we ate, but we rode in a cable car to the top of a mountain and stepped into a different world.  The menu was unintelligible but the views over Penang were unforgettable. We could have had a cheese sandwhich and it still would have been a memorable experience.  I may not recall the menu but I can almost see, smell, taste and hear it some 30 years later."

Although the memory was mine, Kellie was a superb co-writer and editor and I doubt the piece would have had the same impact without her input. I am trying to avoid cliches, but in this case, two heads are definitely better than one.

I thought you might like to see the photograph, of my husband, which was in my mind's eye when I recalled this most memorable of meals.  When I looked at the photograph I was surprised to see that the food was visible because all I could remember was that glass of beer!

Many thanks to John for his workshop, it was good to be reminded that, just like cooking and baking, writing is a craft which requires practice and constructive criticism to improve.

Why don't you tell me about your most memorable meal?

Labels: beer, food blog writing, Food to Glow, John Cooke, Malaysia, memorable meal, Penang, tips for blog writing

posted by Janice @ 07:22 12 Comments

Food Bloggers go mad in Ayrshire

Chapter 1  - Sustainability, Seasonality and Ethical Purchasing

When an email from Taste of Ayrshire popped into my in-box in the middle of July, I jumped at the chance to meet up with other bloggers and learn more about the craft of blogging.  There was very little information about the programme, but I booked up anyway then got straight on to Twitter to let the blogging community know.  I'm not sure how many people were sent the email but I do know that there was a bit of a ripple effect from my tweets which reached Jacqueline at Tinned Tomatoes, Louise at Please Do Not Feed the Animals, Stuart at Mr CakeyBoi  and Kellie at Food to Glow.

It's always a pleasure to meet up with Jacqueline from Tinned Tomatoes (on the right) more photos of food bloggers in my next post, but as there is a lot of information to share, I am splitting this into 'chapters' expect 'lashings of ginger beer!'.



Our first speaker was Justin Galea, the Executive Chef at the Turnberry Hotel.  Justin is passionate about food and talked about three important aspects of showcase food: sustainability, seasonality and ethical purchasing.  He is able to buy excellent game, beef and vegetables from the local area around the hotel.  He also has access to fresh fish landed at Girvan and  quality seafood from the island of Arran on his door stop. Justin told us the story of a diner who asked for an asparagus omelette out of season and how he is prepared to 'say no' to customers on the grounds of seasonality, if the product is not in season it won't be on the menu.

Sustainability is only one aspect though, buying locally is only sustainable if the product is good and ethically produced.  There were more tales of local suppliers, some of whom were artisan producers farming using organic methods, but unable to get the accreditation.  As long as he was satisfied with that the production was of the highest quality and ethically produced he was willing to pay a premium.  Buying high quality produce locally means that the carbon footprint and environmental impact of the Hotel resort stays low.

It was news to me that the majority of foraged food for the top 50 restaurants comes from Scotland.   Justin is fortunate enough to be able to walk 200 yards from his kitchen into the woods behind the hotel and forage for ingredients which reach high prices in the markets in London.

Justin then moved on to talk about value for money. The Turnberry Hotel is an expensive place to eat, but from Justin's point of view, value for money is about the enjoyment received for the price paid, walking away with an experience.  I would agree, but would be unlikely to be prepared to pay £600 for a dinner for two!

We were also guided as to how to identify a good chef.  Justin recommended quizzing the waiters, they should be able to tell you everything about the dish you have ordered. Ask the name of the farmer who produced the main ingredient, and for meat like beef, ask whether it is grass fed or grain fed.  Was the fish farmed or line caught?  In a nutshell "Where has it come from and why?"

One of the questions asked of Justin was "who influences you and who do you follow online?"  The answer was an interesting one as Justin has been following his food heros, such as Alain Bourdin, since he was 10 years old, when there was no Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.  He 'follows' them wherever he can find them, but also recommended You Tube as a rich source of inspiration citing Grant Achatz of the Alinea Restaurant and Ryan Clift  of the Tippling Club in Singapore as well worth watching.

Chapter 2 coming soon...

Labels: Alain Bourdin, Food to Glow, Grant Achatz, Justin Galea, Mr Cakey Boi, Please Do Not Feed the Animals, Ryan Clift, Taste Ayrshire, Tinned Tomatoes, Turnberry Hotel, Twitter

posted by Janice @ 22:21 12 Comments