Twyford Pantry August Sept 2020
Welcome back! Who would have thought since writing for the Feb/March issue our worlds would have been thrown into such turmoil? I hope that you have all stayed safe and well but if you have fallen ill or sadly known someone who has passed during this extraordinary time my thoughts are with you. Our wonderful NHS and keyworkers have, and continue to do all they can for us – never have we needed them more or appreciated them enough to be honest, so the clapping may have stopped but the sentiment should never falter. There have been some real lows but with every situation there is good that comes from it and may some of those positives long continue – more support for local business and producers, increased support for each other in the community, quality time with those around you (although at times I can imagine it didn’t feel a positive!), imaginative ways to celebrate occasions and creative ways of communicating with each other and those you miss most. This pandemic has shown us all nothing is guaranteed, and time is precious so we must use it wisely, waste even less of what we have and reach out when needed – whether for a listening ear or where to get flour from when it becomes more scarce then gold again!
I don’t know how you have found Lockdown, everyone has their own experiences, I know I had my struggles – even losing my mojo for cooking at one point. I joined a fab group on Facebook called Let’s Get the Nation Cooking Again which allows people to swap favourite recipes and show the odd butchery tutorial – check it out if you use FB for some great ideas. Like many, Leo and I started a veg patch early on when things looked uncertain which has been rewarding but we also started getting a veg box in the meantime until our crops are ready, so we now find ourselves occasionally deciding how to use up a mound of cabbage or a backlog of aubergines! Some of you will have been even more active in your kitchens – baking, being creative, cooking with your children, batch cooking for the freezer – I hope its brought you some pleasure when there seemed little else to do. If you need some inspiration we are now uploading Twyford Pantry recipes online here!
If you have any Lockdown recipes to share let us know so we can include them. As I write this, the doors are opening once again for bars, restaurants and cafes which is a welcome step for everyone in the hospitality industry and those missing the chance to eat and drink away from home. Let’s hope by the time you read this it has been a good month and all has gone well – none of us want to see the restrictions back limiting our contact with each other once again. Hopefully, also by the time you read this I will once again be able to spend close time my parents who have been shielding, like some of you who have had to endure isolation like never before. Wherever we all are we know we have each other, in more ways than we may have once appreciated so we know we will be ok. I guess I should move back to food now but it would have seemed remiss not to reflect for a moment on where we are and where we have been for a while.
As always, have fun in your kitchens whether for simple grub, functional meals, special occasions, or home fine-dining. Now more than ever, as my new best friend, whom I found in Lockdown, Marie Kondo suggests – only do it, keep it or live with it, if it brings you joy ?
Love Tina x