Forum Food Corner

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ardross
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Nothing wrong with Asti I might add . Asti Spumante is a bit of fun. Moscato d'Asti is a lowish alcohol fragrant lightly sweet and gently fizzy dessert wine from Piedmont - jolly nice with a ripe peach .

K I suppose they fear people will nick them . Did you see that Majestic were doing 3 Belle Epoque for the price of 2
 
One was disappointed not to employ one's trusty poacher's pocket on this occasion. Actually, one was also disappointed not to find Maker's Mark or Rebel Yell on the 'Hard Likker' shelf. I've trawled a number of offies and supermarkets, but these just don't seem to be available. A shame, as both are really lovely, smooth, and slightly smoky.

Oops - just seen your note re Majestic. Blimey! That's a bit tasty, innit? Are they online?
 
Yes at www.majestic.co.uk but that often does not seem to have anything like their full stock

Here is your local shop - you have to buy 12 bottles of wine but they can be mixed

Majestic Brighton
271 Old Shoreham Road
Brighton,
SussexBN3 7ED
Tel 01273 777 085
 
Brilliant, old bean! I'll phone tomorrow - sox bittles of wixed mines, an' bix sottles of Jerrier-Pouet, pleashe... :P
 
Some months on . I can recommend strongly an unusual white wine from M & S at £4.99 - Aramonte Cattarretto , no it neither smells of cat or gives you catarrh but is a very fruity enjoyable wine from Sicily made from the rare Cattaretto grape that tastes as if it ought to be more expensive than it is . Recommended to me by an Italian friend who knows her Italian food and wine .Definitely a step up from Poleshill Bindweed !
 
aussie-wine.jpg
 
Returning to topic I have some friends - one of whom is involved in an organic food shop ( his wife works in car insurance so rather different careers) and they have an allotment and keep chickens . Whenever they visit or I visit them I am plied with produce to take away . This week lots of tomatoes and as they have only just come on stream some eggs .

These chickens root about in a pen at the end of their garden , as happy as larry fed organically and these eggs made both a fabulous omelette and scrambled eggs.

I am somewhat sceptical that organic food necessarily tastes better , as distinct from animals fed on their natural diet and in conditions free from stress, and wonder whether it is not just the freshness of the food as these eggs were laid on Friday.

I would be interested to know other people's opinions and especially Julie involved as she is in high quality welfare friendly non-organic farming.
 
Ardross, I'm very much into organic food but I would agree that it is not necessarily the fact that the food is organic that provides the flavour, etc.

With meat and poultry production, I think enhanced flavour comes from a) good animal husbandry, whether it is organic or not, and b ) the fact that the organic farmers often rear animals that produce good, flavourful meat, eggs, milk, whatever, rather than rearing animals for quantity/speed of growth. I remember very fondly the eggs that came from the chickens my father kept - they were not, strictly speaking, organic but they were VERY free-range and they were also "old breed" hens (Marans and Barnavelders). They produced wonderful eggs.

The same is true of organic vegetables and fruit - the enhanced flavour comes, in my view, when the producers go back to basics and grow varieties for flavour and texture, rather than for quantity.

Freshness is a key for fruit, veg and dairy but not necessarily for meat. To get a good flavour from meat, it should be hung for far longer than is commonly the case now.

Not all organic food is good, or well-produced, as Julie has pointed out in the past. Equally, not all of it is any more flavourful and nutritious than anything else that is on sale. I have to say, I also have a fundamental objection to buying organic fruit, veg and meat that comes from outside the UK. To me, it defeats the object.
 
Leads on also to the question of seasonal food . I try as much as possible not to eat food flown in out of season , though sometimes fail when i feel like asparagus say. I question for example whether African countries should be growing French beans for M & S when some of their population is starving .
 
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