Last week saw us out and about at our usual spots, St Helier Hospital and Hackbridge station Wednesday, the Rose & Crown pub and Carlshalton Station Thursday. Due to lighting issues we opted for candle light, enchanting! This week the lighting is fixed and the produce is as fresh and yummy as ever!

Bramley apples seems to be a current favourite with you all, so I thought this week it would be nice to share with you a few Bramley facts:
In 1809 the first Bramley tree grew from pips planted by a young girl, Mary Ann Brailsford, in her garden in Nottinghamshire, in 1846 a local butcher, Matthew Bramley, bought the cottage and garden. In 1856, a local nurseryman, Henry Merryweather asked if he could take cuttings from the tree and start to sell the apples. Bramley agreed but insisted that the apples should bear his name.
The bicentenary of the Bramley apple was celebrated last year and has won many awards. It holds the Royal Horticultural Society’s ‘Award of Garden Merit’.
The town of Southwell hosts many celebrations of the Bramley Apple including the Bramley Apple Festival in October and is also home to ‘The Bramley Apple Inn’, located just a few doors away from the original Bramley apple tree, which is considered to be a town treasure.
There is no mention of an apple as the forbidden fruit in the Bible. It is referred to as “fruit from the Tree of Knowledge”. The original Bramley apple tree continues to bear fruit to this day!

This is a Delia recipe, so you know its going to taste great!

Curried Parsnip and Apple Soup with Parsnip Crisps

get the recipe from her website here. But we’ve also copied it here for you:

Ingredients:
1,1/2 llb (700g) parsnips
1 medium Bramley apple
1 heaped tsp coriander seeds
1 heaped tsp cumin seeds
6 whole cardamon pads (seeds only)
1,1/2 oz (40g) butter
1 Tbp groundnut oil
2 medium onions chopped
2 clove garlic, chopped
1 heaped tsp turmeric
1 heaped tsp ground ginger
2 pints (1.2 litres) vegetable stock / or chicken
salt & freshly milled black pepper
for parsnips crisps:
1 medium to large parsnip
6 Tbs groundnut oil
salt

Begin by heating a small frying pan and dry roasting the coriander, cumin and cardamom seeds – this is to toast them and draw out their flavour. After 2-3 minutes they will change colour and start to jump in the pan. Remove them from the pan and crush them finely with a pestle and mortar. Next, heat the butter and oil in a saucepan until the butter begins to foam, then add the onions and gently soften for about 5 minutes before adding the garlic. Let that cook, along with the onions, for another 2 minutes, then add all the crushed spices, along with the turmeric and ginger, stir and let it all continue to cook gently for a few more minutes while you peel and chop the parsnips into 1 inch (2.5 cm) dice. Add the parsnips to the saucepan, stirring well, then pour in the stock, add some seasoning and let the soup simmer as gently as possible for 1 hour without putting on a lid.

To make the parsnip crisps, peel the parsnip and then slice it into rounds as thinly as you possibly can, using a sharp knife. Now heat the oil in a 10 inch (25.5 cm) frying pan until it is very hot, almost smoking, then fry the parsnip slices in batches until they are golden brown, for about 2-3 minutes (they will not stay flat or colour evenly but will twist into lovely shapes). As they’re cooked, remove them with a slotted spoon and spread them out on kitchen paper to drain. Sprinkle lightly with salt. (If you like, you can make these in advance, as they will stay crisp for a couple of hours.)

When the soup has been simmering for an hour, remove it from the heat, then liquidise it if possible. If not, use a food processor and then a sieve – or even just a sieve, squashing the ingredients through using the bowl of a ladle. After the soup has been puréed, return it to the saucepan, taste to check the seasoning, then, when you’re ready to serve, re-heat very gently.

While that’s happening, peel the apple and, as the soup just reaches simmering point, grate the apple into it. Be careful to let the soup barely simmer for only 3-4 minutes.

Serve in hot soup bowls garnished with the parsnip crisps

Enjoy the recipe and we hope to see you soon.

Jill, Julian & Steve