Water water, not everywhere, and not enough for food 💧
It’s the longest dry spell the country has seen since the seventies. So how does this affect food?
It’s expected to be the worst year on record for farmers, and will affect next year’s crops too
“Water water everywhere, but not a drop to drink” is the famous line in Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s lyrical ballad, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”. The 28 page poem haunted me as a teen, not only for its length but its darkness. Although written in 1798, fast forward to now and Coleridge’s line still rings true for what’s happening around us. Although we've had some rainfall, it's still not enough to quench the thirst of the extremely long period of drought that continues.
We’re in the middle of summer, and the dry weather is continuing to send the mercury soaring. Brits dream of long, sunny and dry summers. But not like this: grass is scorched brown and turning to dust, while leaves have already fallen, ensuing what feels like a fake autumn, and we’re having increasing bouts of heatwaves, whether we like it or not. (Read: we don’t).
What we've just experienced is the longest dry spell Britain’s had since the seventies, according to Met Office figures. And some areas are still waiting for the rain to fall. But what has this got to do with food? Well, everything.
Food is everything, as food writer Caroline Steel, author of one of the most influential food books, Sitopia, says: "We live in a world shaped by food”. She explains the name of the book “comes from the ancient Greek words sitos (food) and topos (place)”. Her simple but effective drawing (a clearer one is featured in the book) illustrates how food is the central element of the whole universe. At its most simple, without nourishment from food, we die.
With that in mind, the weather means crops are failing, and farmers are expecting it to be the worst year on record yet, with crops such as potatoes, leeks, beetroot and beans likely to be most affected.
Leaked documents seen by The Guardian from a meeting of the National Drought Group suggest crop failure in England could be as bad as 50%, and suggest water companies are not doing enough to prioritise food production, after “dithering about hosepipe bans”.
It doesn't stop at crops though. As The Guardian also reported: “Milk production is also down nationally because of a lack of food for cows, and wildfires are putting large areas of farmland at risk.” It's scary stuff.
Nina Pullman, editor of Wicked Leeks, the magazine by organic farm Riverford, also says that due to the soaring temperatures, crops are dying just ahead of when they’re due to be harvested, which is devastating for farmers.
But the issue is not just confined to this summer, or this dry period. It will affect winter crops, as well as those we're going to rely on for next year, which farmers are currently considering whether to plant now or not, in fear of more failure. This could result in animals being slaughtered as there’s not enough feed for them, and potentially more food lost too. This on top of wheat and sunflower oil scarcity and price increases due to the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, makes our food system even more fragile.
One of the major issues of how climate change is affecting food production is our lack of future-proofing how we store water. This is usually done using reservoirs. Although we have 273 in Britain, one hasn’t been built since 1991, yet populations have risen year on year, so demand on these resources is also increasing.
We’re well and truly in the throes of the climate crisis. It isn’t just “this summer”, and there likely won’t be a gap of fifty years again until the next "unusually hot" summer, like those who remember the heatwave of the seventies. This very well could be our new normal. A terrifying and sobering thought, as we perhaps become unable to produce the food we do, that leaves us all asking “so, where will our food come from?”.
We all need to have a serious think about how we use water. Yes, usually we think of Britain as wet, but water is not an infinite resource. And neither is our food.
Wasson:
Cornish translation = it basically means “what are you up to?”
In this section, I’m going to champion great things I’ve seen, eaten, bought, listened to or maybe even written (!). My personal favourite slot is “slave to the crave”, where I can talk the most nonsense, and I’d love to hear about other people’s weird food cravings too.
Taste test
I've been busy cooking up these recipe boxes to find the best. Although they're all great in so many different ways, for me, Gousto has been the best for years. It's so reliable, my dishes always look like the picture, they're easy to re-make and many of the dishes have found their way into my usual recipe repertoire. I also really loved Pho's Vietnamese box and Grubby's really fun vegan recipes.
Eating out
I was today year's old when I realised Nando's was Portuguese. Sorry everyone. I don't really like chicken (controversial opinion) so I never really went to Nando’s or engaged in it. The week before last, I did go to Casa Do Frango, which is often nicknamed "posh Nando's". I also didn't order any chicken, (again, who am I?!). Instead, we thrived on sides - notable dishes include: iberico pork croquettes, bacalhau fish fritters, grilled baby gem in an insane Manchego sauce, and chargrilled cauliflower in a piri piri sauce.
All the non-chicken dishes a gal could ask for
Food for thought
“Kuchisabishii”: This Japanese word means “you’re not hungry, but your mouth is lonely”, and it is quite literally the most beautiful, but also bizarre, thing I've come across in ages. I am dreadful at languages, but often love the literal translations. I mean, we all know the feeling: "I'm not actually hungry, but I want to eat". And to think the reason behind that is that my mouth is lonely is really quite, well, satisfying.
Slave to the crave
This week, a friend was reviewing Tatale, a modern pan-African restaurant in Southwark, and took me along for the ride. Since going, I've thought a lot about the ackee croquettes. Although ackee is native to Ghana, it's mostly associated with Jamaica and its ackee and saltfish dish. These little balls of goodness were slightly nutty, with a warming hit of scotch bonnet and tang of lemon and soy, and just so incredibly moreish.
Another friend also wrote this amazing feature after interviewing the chef behind Tatale, Akwasi Brenya-Mensa, so you should absolutely read this too.
In my defence, the lighting was bad. But the croquettes were excellent
Where to eat: Bude, Part 1
I'm missing home at the moment (that’s Cornwall) as summers to me are not spent in a city. I grew up on the beach and its salty water seeped into my veins. A colleague was going camping in Bude and obviously I had to wax lyrical about my favourite places to go, so I thought I'd share them here too. So as not to make this too long, I'll make this part one.
Potters
Oly and Nikki Clarke took over this space in between lockdowns, which is no easy task. Numerous lockdowns saw them get creative and turn their hands to takeaway fish and chips while restaurants were closed, too. Oly is also from Bude and after working around the country, he's brought his skills back home to create some very impressive food. It’s recently been mentioned in the Michelin Guide 2022 too, which said the food is: "attractive, well-balanced modern dishes".
He champions local ingredients and producers where he can - such as Woodlands Cornish venison, Electric Bakery bread (see below), Bude mushrooms and Yallah Coffee. He's worked hard to plate up such beautiful dishes and is absolutely helping to raise the food profile of Bude.
Electric Bakery
If you go to Bude and don't make it to Electric Bakery, you're doing it wrong. It's tucked away out of the main town on a little industrial estate that gets very busy. It started pre-covid and you could sit inside on one big table: oh the garlic butter greens and poached eggs - I only had it once, but still think about it.
Now it's all takeaway, but there's some benches outside to eat on too. There's so much to mention, but one of my favourites is the doorstop bacon sarnie. It's huge and the bacon is streaky - the only way to be, in my humble opinion - and my, is it hearty. As a real bacon sarnie connoisseur (self titled) it's up there with the best, thanks to is incredible sourdough and the bacon is well done (but still juicy, a real skill). If you're around on a weekend, Saturdays are home to the £10 lunch special. They're excellent, and are a must eat. Usually there’s a meat and a vegan option, and it's announced on its Instagram a few days ahead, so if you're visiting, do follow to be in the know. Turkey tacos and a cauliflower burger with all the trimmings are personal highlights, although I've not been at home to eat as many as I'd like to.
Temple
Although I've not been here for a while, and not since it most recently reopened with a new look and menu, when I had eaten at Temple, it was great. Said colleague went here on her recent camping trip and loved it, so that’s good enough for me. But if it’s not for you, Thomasina Miers, co-founder of Wahaca Mexican restaurants, has just been to Temple and posted about how much she loved the barely miso. If that’s not a seal of approval, I don’t know what is.
It also has a sister company, Beautiful & The Feast, who were due to do our wedding food, before we moved on the wedding a year, and then cancelled it in favour of a small lockdown wedding in Scotland instead. As everything is content, I wrote about that here too.
Next time:
My favourite places near Bude: Part 2; We’ll see what else comes up in the meantime.
You can follow along on my Instagram too: @emmahendy_
Happy eating,
Emma