This Month through my Lens #9
Despite the forecast, live like it's Spring
Hello! And welcome back to the monthly newsletter from Lens Soup.
My aim with these is to share the things that have caught my eye in the world of Food and Photography, and random things that I think this Lens Soup community might love.
©Kirstie Young
I am officially declaring a 5th season - so welcome to Springter! That point in the year where you dress for Spring, and yet outside it’s still quite clearly Winter. I have stepped outside every morning, led by the dog, sunglasses optimistically perched on my head, only to have them knocked off by a gust of arctic wind and being forced to admit that it’s all too soon and that March is simply Winter in a floral dress. So I’m contenting myself with insane amounts of daffodils filling every windowsill and fully embracing the idea that if I just eat enough Spring foods I can fool myself into believing its actually warm outside.
©Kirstie Young
3 THINGS I’VE BEEN COOKING, AND A CHEEKY RHUBARB MIMOSA
FOCACCIA
©Kirstie Young
A bit of a project recipe, but this masterclass for making Focaccia by Tom Herbert is brilliant. Tom is a 5th generation baker, so knows a thing or two about dough, and he’s also the co-founder of the brilliant Social Enterprise The Long Table. If you enjoy his recipe, do consider becoming a “friend” of the LongTable and help them to continue their mission to make sure everyone has access to really good food, and people to eat it with.
More details by clicking here
CHARRED PSB, PICKLED CABBAGE, JAMMY EGGS & BEANS
©KirstieYoung
The perfect thing to go on top is this delicious bread is the charred PSB, pickled cabbage, jammy eggs and beans recipe created by Kathy Slack and shot by me for Delicious Magazine this month. If you have been following either of our Substacks, (Kathy can be found atTales from the Veg Patch by Kathy Slack) you may have heard that we are co-hosting a delicious House Party style experience this year, from 19-23rd June in South West of France, where you can cook and photograph alongside both of us in the most beautiful setting. There are only a couple of places left if this sounds like your idea of heaven (it’s definitely ours!) and you can find out more by clicking here
RHUBARB CRUMBLE
©Kirstie Young
Making Rhubarb Crumble is my own personal cozy rebellion against this weather, it’s the kind of dessert which can be relied on, whatever else this temperamental season is throwing at you. I loved the Hairy Bikers recipe, linked above.
RHUBARB MIMOSA
©Kirstie Young
And if you have a few Rhubarb stalks leftover, then I can strongly recommend this Rhubarb Mimosa recipe by Lia Leendertz to warm your cockles
A SPRING WINE
If you are looking for something a little different to drink over Easter, then this Conejo Verde is perfect, isn’t it?! And honestly, I’d take a glass of this over a chocolate egg any day.
©Kirstie Young
I shot this as part of an Easter wines series for my brilliant local Wine shop, Vinotopia, who have incidentally also just won Independent Drinks Retailer of the Year. They run their business from a Wine Barn, (who doesn’t want one of those in their neighbourhood?) where you can sit and drink a glass or two on their sofa or terrace before choosing a bottle to take home. It’s ace, and I absolutely love working with them - do visit if you are in the Stroud Area.
COOKBOOK
An Invite!
Last year I worked on Fern Green’s latest Cookbook, “Lunch Well”, which is a joyful 85-recipes-worth of lunch ideas. I got my pre-copy through the post this week and, (I might be biased, but) I think its glorious AND super useful.
If you are around the Bath area in June, then we’d love you to come along to Toppings Books on the 9th for a chat, a demo and some tastings from the book. We’ll be chatting about everything from what goes into creating a cookbook, to how to style and shoot the recipes. You can grab a ticket from the Toppings website here, and the ticket price includes a free book for you to take home!
PODCAST
I haven’t quite nailed what time of day to listen to this podcast - a series based on the intersection between history and booze! So far I’ve listened to episodes on the battle for the Vineyards of France at the end of WW2, the world of monastic mixology, and the history of the Martini and I challenge you to listen to it without wanting a tipple in your hand. Which is tricky as I generally listen to podcasts early in the morning at the gym …
But that issue aside, this is a great podcast, and I’m stowing away some of the juicier gems for retelling in the pub this weekend.
©Kirstie Young
ART
A brilliant piece in the FT this week, which highlights an exhibition opening today in Hong Kong, focusing on how food and dining culture in China have evolved through movement, trade and tradition.
”One of Chiang’s most surprising discoveries was possibly one of the earliest forms of food delivery, like a 16th-century version of Deliveroo, Foodpanda or DoorDash. “I found records from the Qing dynasty where customers asked restaurants to prepare food in picnic boxes,” Chiang explains. “They then delivered picnics to docks, where travellers could collect them as they passed by.”
I am 11 months into writing this Substack and have grown from zero to over 300 Subscribers, so thank you so much. Genuinely, there is so much brilliant content available to read on here that I am thrilled to have collected my own small group of like minded people, and truly appreciate the support.
