Vegetables

Two Beetroots and one straight carrot – the first of our crop of root vegetables grown in our small back yard!

Two Caravans – a book review.

In Two Caravans (sometimes sold under the title Strawberry Fields) Marina Lewycka has written a wonderful, funny, and thought provoking novel. Her first book was A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian.

Two Caravans examines the life of immigrant workers to the UK who are recruited to work legally and illegally picking fruit and vegetables each summer. It follows Irina, a politically western leaning Ukrainian from Kiev who has come for an adventure, and Andriy, from the industrial and mining east of Ukraine which politically looks to Russia. Irina joins a team of strawberry pickers from Poland, Ukraine, Malawi, China, and Malaysia, working on a farm in Kent. They live in two caravans by the side of the field, their food is basic, and their pay is virtually nothing. But what are they to do?

However, things start to go wrong. Irina is not very good at picking strawberries. And Vulk, the burly ‘recruitment officer’ thinks he will get better money for her by putting her to work on the streets at night. Irina runs away. Together, the rest of them hitch up one of the caravans to the farmer’s Land Rover and escape to find Irina. Some get new work in slaughter houses for chickens. This section is described so vividly that it really makes you want to eat organic. Their work takes them from restaurants in London, care homes near Peterborough, to Sheffield – the city that Andriy has been dreaming of since childhood. All the time on the run from Vulk. And there is a surprising hero.

At the heart of the story is a story of love and protection – how a western leaning city girl can fall for an eastern leaning pro-Russian former miner. Their love deals with things that are far more important than politics, loyalty, friendship and protection. These things are also portrayed as more important than trying to climb up the prosperity ladder whilst leaving their morals behind, as some characters do. Lewycka writes about some quite horrific things – how prostitution can be seen as a step to the better life, the constant fear of escape from that life, the poor conditions for immigrant workers, and the conditions in the chicken-houses for workers and chickens! But all along she makes the narrative bounce along with lightness and humour.

Well worth reading.

Devaluing the Starbucks brand

The First Starbucks in Seattle

It has been announced today that Starbucks have made their first quarterly loss in the company’s history (from BBC news). The article claims that shop closures are to blame. However an older article, also by the BBC looks at other issues.

They claim that the brand has been devalued through its own success. There are too many Starbucks shops around, too many in the same city as they began to take business away from each other. Quality has slipped leaving room for competition from more exclusive chains which serve ethical quality coffee, and independents that aren’t two-a-penny. They also tend to serve better coffee.

Latte Art at Stumptown

On my trip to Portland and Seattle in the spring, I drank wonderful coffee from Stumptown Coffee Roasters of Portland, and Top Pot in Seattle. These independant shops were way better and felt more individual and unique than the cloned Starbucks experience. And they were generally cheaper too. In Plymouth, I tend to go to Caffe Nero, an italian style chain which is cheaper and much nicer tasting than Starbucks.

Starbucks kick-started the coffeeshop craze, but have they become victim of their own success?

The Best Caramel Shortbread

The best caramel shortbread, or millionaires shortbread, in the world can be found at the Boston Tea Party coffee shop in Exeter, UK. They have a few other branches in the South West of England.

Update: Top quality caramel shortbread should be made from quality chocolate, caramel and shortbread. Many places try to cut corners by using a crushed biscuit base rather than actual crumbly shortbread. Shortbread is best made with top quality white flour, caster sugar, butter (not margarine or spread), and a pinch of salt. Once the ingredients are fully mixed, put the mixture in a baking tray but do not press down – leave it loose.

Caramel can be made perfectly adequately by boiling an unopened can of condensed milk in water for two hours. Simply put the whole can unopened in a saucepan and submerge it in water. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for two hours.

Once that is done, simply spread the caramel mixture over the cooked and cooled shortbread and the melted chocolate over that. Allow to cool before eating.

How to melt chocolate… well I’m sure you can work that out!

Here’s an alternative, but still quite simple recipe that gives another way of making the caramel.

Enjoy!