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Baked spinach and pea risotto

A thrifty one-pot recipe that makes great use of frozen vegetables

brasseries, trattoria and diners – entirely democratic and blessedly unchanged. There are the eternal classics, like The Regency Cafe in Pimlico (regencycafe.has. restaurant). Or E Pellicci in Bethnal Green (epellicci.co.uk), all dark wood-panelled walls, pasta and mixed grills. And modern heroes like Tufnell Park’s Norman’s.

A no-nonsense, old-fashioned caff can still be found ( just about) in pretty much every town and city. No artisan coffee, avocado toast or almond milk. Thank god. Rather white toast soaked in margarine; daily specials (always fish on Friday); vinegar, white pepper, brown sauce and ketchup in tomato-shaped squeezy bottles on the table; the slightly suspect sausages, the floods of baked beans and the ubiquitous bacon sandwich. I love them all. One of my favourites (and the saviour of many a university hangover) was the St Giles Café in Oxford, now gone, and turned into some gourmet hotdog place. Sadly, this seems to be the norm. These places need our support.

The same goes for that other great British stalwart of good value, and the shops that have kept us going through war and peace alike. Yup, the chippy – best, I find, out of London, and often, but not exclusively, by the sea. Whether the Anstruther Fish Bar in Fife (anstrutherfishbar.co.uk), Devon’s Rockfish mini chain (therockfish.co.uk), Henley’s of Wivenhoe (henleysfishand chips.co.uk), Shakies in Fleetwood (shakieschippy.com), The Golden Galleon in Aldeburgh (aldeburgh fishandchips.co.uk), or whatever your favourite happens to be, it’s all about fresh cod or haddock, fried in a crisp golden batter, slathered in salt and vinegar and eaten out of paper with a fistful of fat chips. Tough times lie ahead for everyone, and their future, as ever, lies in our hands. Use them, as they say, or lose ’em.

THE CANNY COOK

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2022-09-25T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-09-25T07:00:00.0000000Z

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