Turmeric latte. And a lot of people.

Life is full of surprises. Take me for example, I'm not as young as I look. And that's all down to the restorative elixir made from Nature's wonder: turmeric. Yes, that's right, for only a few pence a day, you too can look and feel like me. And you will have the guaranteed extra benefit of living forever.*

Try as I might these days to shop and eat food from sources I know and trust, it's not always possible if I want to continue with the occasional exoticism. We have been trading spices for years as a nation (not always necessarily in a morally legitimate way) so I accept that my cupboards are full of fragrant wonders of the world I thoughtlessly spice up our meals with.

The turmeric in this drink came from Peru and I have no idea of what the lives of the farmers and workers is like. The almond milk supposedly came from organic small growers and co-operatives, but we all know that a lot of almond farming is on environmentally shaky ground and the cost of growing is huge.

The pepper came from Telicherry, Kerala, meant to be the finest pepper in the world. As I stir it into the drink, savouring its fruity aroma, what's the picker doing after a day's work? And the saffron, cardamon and coconut oil that goes into it too? Could I not just be happy with a fresh mint tea, made from the herbs growing in my garden? But then I think if there was no demand for all of this, there would be no point in growing it and no economic benefit. Is a pathetic wage really an economic benefit at all?

I love this drink though. It's comforting, healthy, tasty and nourishing. But as with everything we ravishingly consume it's worth stopping to think a little about where it comes from and the people who have been involved in its journey. From the earth to the farmers who grew it; the pickers and packers; the delivery drivers who collect and transport it; the shipyard workers and the ship's crew; the distribution workers here and the people you hand your money over to before you bring it home. All for a moment's pleasure and the guarantee of eternal life.**

*not a guaranteed benefit.
**not a guarantee.

Method
I make a paste from about five tablespoons of turmeric powder (dried is best for this, it is more concentrated so you get more of the curcumin) and add a fair amount of water until it's the texture of houmous.
This is all done in a small pan on a gentle heat, so when I add a tablespoon of coconut oil, it melts easily in and is quickly absorbed.

A good twist of pepper, some ground cardamon (about a teaspoon's-worth), a pinch of chilli flakes or cayenne pepper and sometimes a touch of ground cloves go in.

Finally, a pinch of saffron if I'm feeling the urge, maybe some ground ginger or cinnamon and then I transfer it to a glass jar, kept in the fridge to use over the course of the week.

To make it up, put a heaped tablespoon of the paste in a small milk pan and top up with a tumbler-full of almond milk. You can, if you prefer use cow's milk, coconut milk, soy milk, rice milk, whatever.

Stir well and serve warm.

Cod willing

Clearly there is absolutely no need to salt and preserve fish here in South East London in 2017. There is also no need in many of the Mediterranean restaurants you may find yourself in as none of us travel in galleons for months on end with only a goat and a cabin boy for company any more.However, it persists, as do many dishes that were born from necessity. Preserving and fermenting is and has been a way of life for thousands of years, so I'm not going to knock it. A life without pickled cucumbers would be a sad thing to live.I always salt salmon, cod and haddock fillets for at least 15 minutes before cooking to firm the flesh and draw out the proteins that coagulate when the fish is heated. But here, I salted the cod with herb salt and left it for an hour and a half to become as taut and firm as a mountain goat's buttock. It needed a good rinse before cooking, there is a fine balance between salty and inedible.Of course, you could just use fresh cod (or another firm and flaky white fish), but I think the texture contrast against the onion and potato is worth that little extra step. Capers would also make a sharp entrance to the dish if you prefer them to gherkins. Entirely up to you. Whatever you decide, this dish – once the fish is ready to cook – takes less than ten minutes to prepare. Perfect for a lunch on the stormy seas.Ingredients for two2 cod loin fillets, about 150g eachRather a lot of fine salt to cover the fish (you can use table salt or fine sea salt if you must, but the herb salt does add flavour)2 Anya potatoes, thinly sliced - about the thickness of a thick coin1/2 a red onion, peeled and sliced super thin2tsp yuzu juice (or lemon juice)2-3 tablespoons – I assume, having just poured some in – of tarragon vinegar4 or so tablespoons of olive oil (see above)A small handful of chopped parsley. I prefer curly for the textureA tablespoon of chopped chivesA little Maldon saltA good twist or two of pepper (I often use Japanese pepper with fish for its citrus flavour)A couple of sliced large gherkinsA pinch of ground turmeric and chilli powder to finishMethodSalt the fish all over in a wide bowl and cover with clingfilm. Leave for at least an hour, two if you want, but you really must rinse it well after. You could put it under gently running water for about ten minutes if you want to be sure.Pat dry and set aside.If you are organised, you will have done the next bit while the fish was soaking. If not, you can do it now.Cook the sliced potatoes, just covered, in salted, boiling water until soft but still with a little bite. Drain and set aside to cool and dry a little.Mix the onion, parsley, chives, vinegar, oil and yuzu and leave to gently rest a little so the onions become softer and loose a little of their rawness. Season carefully with a pinch of salt and the pepper.Heat the oven to high, I have a gas oven so most of the time I just turn it up to full and pay attention to the food. However, 8 minutes at 180c is about right. You can test the 'doneness' of fish by inserting a metal skewer into the middle then putting it against your wrist. Cold is under cooked, warm is cooked and hot is overcooked, by which point it's too late.Put each fillet on a plate and press it down to separate it into flakes. Mix the potatoes with the vinaigrette and pour over the fish. Top with a sliced gherkin and a sprinkle of the turmeric and chilli powder to serve.

Turnip for the Books

I had a couple of packets of baby turnips in the fridge. I always struggle with them, as in, what is their point? I've always thought of them as a bulbous, soft crunch of flavourlesness. A little like eating a toasted tennis ball.To give them a chance, I threw some of my favourite flavours at them, knowing that whatever I did would be an improvement. It's hard to improve upon slowly caramelised onions, and the thought of draping them over the turnips once they had been roasted in some chilli oil was enough to get the oven on first thing this morning.Three quarters of an hour later and I had a delicious mid-morning snack with enough chilli punch in it to finally get the day going after having survived my children's joint birthday party with no fatalities and I think all children safely returned. We may yet find one or two in the bushes.So turnips are safe, for now. This would make a splendid accompaniment to spatchcocked, grilled tandoori-spiced chicken or roast coriander and cumin slow-roast lamb shoulder. Now there's an idea for next weekend.Ingredients:A few packs of baby turnips2tbsp chilli oil1tbsp chilli flakes1/2 white onion1/2tsp ground coriander1/2tsp ground cumin1/2tsp ground turmeric1tsp ghee or vegetable oilSalt and pepper to seasonMethod:Heat the oven to 180c and roast the turnips, drizzled with the chilli oil for about 45 minutes.While they are cooking, finely slice the onion and slowly sauté in the ghee with the spices and a little seasoning. Cook slowly until they are golden and starting to ever so slightly caramelise.Spoon over the turnips, drizzle with a little more chilli oil and scatter with chilli flakes.Serve immediately, being careful to not burn your tongue on the onions like I did.

Fruit smoothie

About an hour after I've had my jasmine tea in the morning,  I'm ready for breakfast, which almost every morning is a Nutribullet smoothie.Usually I will start with a base of kale or other greens then add a little fruit or avocado, some coyo yoghurt, and top it up with almond milk and various ground things from mysterious containers. (Actually, they're all labelled, so there's no real mystery).This morning though, I was distracted. No hemp seeds, no flax seed, no greens. Mainly berries. And that's fine every now and then. It was much like a fruit ice-cream milkshake, and that's a pretty good way to start any day.Fortunately I have a few boxes of Bioglan superfood powders on the shelf. A tablespoon of the supergreens one went in. A quick fix. I can steam the greens later with some garlic, chilli and ginger and have them with lunch.Ingredients for two1 large or two small bananasA large handful of frozen berries (I used a mix of raspberries, blackberries, redcurrants and blackcurrants)1tbsp PB2 powdered peanut butter (amazing stuff- goes great with bananas)1tbsp Bioglan supergreens powder, we got ours on Ocado (if you don't have this, I would recommend it. Along with hemp powder, flax seed, chia seeds and all those things you can get in the health food shop and many supermarkets now)1tsp raw cocoa nibs1tsp turmeric (fresh preferably, but I only had extract and powdered on my shelf)Almond milk, fill up to the line, otherwise enough for two glasses (unsweetened and preferably with a high almond content)MethodBlend it all together until smooth. Couldn't be simpler. If you don't have a Nutribullet, a normal blender should do the job.

Porridge with iced fruit, turmeric, spirulina and coconut nectar

It’s just gone seven o’clock in the morning, a rainy and grey London summer morning. I have to take the children to school and nursery soon and then drive to a shoot in Camden.So, before I start the day, it’s time for a few moments to myself.A cup of green chai tea and a bowl of porridge makes the move from the warm comfortable bed to daytime a pleasure, especially when you jazz it up a little.This time, I’ve added frozen fruit. Get a heavy bottomed saucepan, pour in a load of sprouted porridge oats and add double the volume of almond milk. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 4-5 minutes, stirring all the time. When the milk is absorbed, add a handful of frozen fruit, some turmeric and spirulina then drizzle with coconut nectar. If that doesn’t get your day off to a good start then there’s no hope for you.