NO matter how fervently you believe, the fact is that the jury’s still out on the causes of climate change and whether it’s possible to do anything about it.
Many tell us that it’s carbon-producing exhaust gases, the burning of fossil fuels in general and the production of methane that’s supposedly warming the place up.
Me, I find it rather complacent to think that our massively expanding world population isn’t going to change the climate in many ways – carbon fuel burning or not – just by actually existing. It’s also a dangerous arrogance to think that we can stop this change with environmental measures currently debated in the mainstream. King Canute and his wave-stopping foolishness springs to mind.
But there is an overwhelming argument for trying to reduce our fossil fuel usage; to make fuel-sipping cars and introduce non fossil fuel-based power generation; to cut down the miles we have to transport our food. Oil and coal is a finite resource. One day it’ll run out or get too expensive to get out of the ground. Sure, increases in demand and world wealth mean that there’s an incentive to keep finding new ways to get at the difficult stuff, but there’s only so much of it. The pot will empty one day.
The trouble is that the last few generations have happily lived in wasteful societies. As countries have got richer, their populations have demanded more and more of everything, including fuel-sapping accoutrements, to make them feel good; and you can’t blame the populations of the new emerging rich nations to want any different.
I took a recent trip to the USA – the home of the gas-guzzler. But it’s not just petrol they guzzle. It’s appalling to see the amount of food the average American fatty will order, piled high on their plate, and then leave half of it to be thrown in the bin. It’s a crying shame that they didn’t experience, as the UK did, the rationing of the Second World War. Wealth has made us so immune to waste.
I saw a programme on telly the other day where, over five days, the carcass of a dead hippopotamus was filmed, using motion sensing cameras, as it was eaten by different species of the animal kingdom. It was fascinating in many ways but to me, most of all, because there was no waste. Everything was used up and no part of the animal had died in vain, because other parts of nature had extended their lives via its demise.
Without meaning to be dramatic, it’s what we try to do at Oldfields. By committing to use whole animals and all their bits, we can sell certain prime parts such as steaks for less than we might have to otherwise because we’re also getting money for the cuts that might normally be either thrown away or used for the production of pet food.
After all, why do you think pet food is so heavily promoted? It makes money from bits of animals that traditionally have been hard to sell; particularly offal.
As we frequently say at Oldfields: waste not, want not. Anyone can sell a steak. But it takes guts to sell the rest of the animal.
HALLOWEEN may have come and gone, but it’s still the season for pumpkins. We’ve had this pumpkin cheesecake on the menu for the past few weeks and it has proved very popular. A little less sweet than some cheesecakes you may be used to, it’s great served with a little crème fraîche or yoghurt, maybe some pureed pumpkin and, like we do, with some walnut brittle.
It’s so much easier to make a cheesecake if you use a springform tin. This is one where the base and side are separate but held together by a clip that tightens the side like a belt. Loosening the clip means that the side can be taken away and the cake slid off the base onto a plate – rather than the turning over malarkey that doesn’t always work. If you haven’t got one, Christmas is coming.
Springform tins come in various sizes but 9in wide seems the most popular, so this recipe fits such a tin. It makes a cheesecake big enough for 10 or 12 – or fewer if you’re really greedy.
One medium-sized pumpkin
One packet of ginger biscuits
The zest of half a lemon
110g unsalted butter – just melted
750g full fat cream cheese
200g castor sugar
Three eggs
One tablespoon cornflour
Fresh nutmeg
A pinch of cinnamon
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Cut the pumpkin into six segments, scoop out the seeds and discard and place the segments on a roasting tray. Roast for 35 minutes, remove, allow to cool a little and then scoop out the flesh into the bowl of a food processor. Process to a puree and then, if you think there’s a chance of some small bits of skin being present, push through a sieve.
While the pumpkin is in the oven, break up the biscuits and use a food processor to turn them into crumbs (or place in a plastic bag and tap with a rolling pin). Place in a bowl, add the lemon zest and melted butter and combine well. Assemble the springform tin and spoon the biscuit mixture over the base. Smooth and press in well before placing the tin in the fridge for the base to set.
To make the filling, measure out 300g of the pumpkin puree and mix it well with the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, cornflour, a good grating of nutmeg and the cinnamon.
Have the oven pre-heated to 170°C, gas mark 3, and spoon the mixture into the springform tin on top of the biscuit mixture. Smooth the top and place the tin in the oven for 90 minutes, after which time turn the oven off and open the door a little.
Leave the oven and cheesecake to cool for at least 30 minutes before moving.
Once cool, remove the springform side, slide onto a plate if wished, and place the cheesecake in the fridge.
To serve, if you’ve any pureed pumpkin left, mix in a little sugar and nutmeg to taste, place a portion of the cheesecake on a plate with a spoonful of puree alongside and a little plain yoghurt or crème fraîche.
Oldfields Restaurants cookbook, Passion for Real Food, is available in good bookshops. For discounted copies, contact the restaurant on 0191 370 9595 or go to www.oldfieldsrealfood.com