At Jenny's convenience

Friday, April 25, 2008

With the current buzz word in cookery circles being 'cheating', it seems everyone has their own take on Delia Smith's recent foray into shortcut cuisine, whether they approve of her use of tinned mincemeat and mashed potato or not. Although controversial in this era of 'fresh is best' and farm shops, her new book How to Cheat at Cooking shot to the top of the bestsellers lists.

But Co Antrim chef Jenny Bristow says that convenience cooking (a term she prefers to cheat's cooking) is something she has focused on for years.

"Convenience cooking is a philosphy I've followed all along — food you can cook at a moment's notice," she says.

"For instance, I have a recipe for crispy sausages with mustard and red onion gravy, served with champ. It doesn't take long to peel a few potatoes. And I make no apology for encouraging working mums to buy a packet of stir fry vegetables. With a bit of imagination you can cook up something tasty and simple."

Jenny had convenience cooking down to a tee when her children were growing up.

"It was a matter of split second timing because everyone was going off in different directions from 4pm to 8pm," she says.

"Now that they're all grown up, it's much more relaxed — I can cook when I'm ready. The griddle pan is the most amazing utensil I have, it's great for cooking grilled chicken fillets, meat or bacon, and I always cook vegetables of some sort. I believe in using locally grown produce — a farmer who lives just a short distance away from us grows pak choi, so there are these amazing superfoods on our doorstep that you can cook in minutes."

So does Jenny think that Delia Smith has gone too far with her use of tinned minced lamb and frozen mashed potato?

"I haven't caught a complete programme but I think that it certainly has diversity and a lot of good inspiration," she says. "I try to encourage people to go with fresh ingredients as far as possible, and by doing so you're keeping your eye on the salt, sugar, oil and fat content, and it's a great way to be in control.

"Everybody has a different take on this so-called cheating at cooking, and the feeling is that what works for one doesn't work for another. Within cooking there has been a massive change and the role for chefs is to try and encourage people to get back into the kitchen and cook, and cook good simple family meals."

One of Jenny's current projects is working with Neill's flour to develop simple baking recipes such as soda bread and scones. All you have to do, she says, is add milk.

"We have a wonderful tradition of baking and cooking in Northern Ireland and when I'm out and about at events I hear people saying, 'I don't bake any more because it's too complicated' or there are only two people in the house. But when they think back they remember the wonderful smell of baking — it stays with people their whole lives.

"I've created, in conjunction with Neill's Flour, a complete range of products on the theme of Jenny at your convenience — we have totally simplified the concept of home baking, and we have created recipes which simply involve adding milk.

"The basis is that they are foolproof — there's a recipe for soda bread, which can be used as a base for pizza, scones, apple and cinnamon bread which is lovely for afternoon tea. The smell of this baking in the oven is just amazing, and you can serve it toasted or buttered with a hot mug of tea. There's also a recipe for wheaten loaf and a multi grain wheaten. These recipes are for everyone."

The aim of today's cooking, Jenny believes, is to ensure it's as healthy and convenient as possible, and that it incorporates local produce.

"It's all about common sense," she says. "The recipe I've developed for soda bread, which can be used as a pizza base, can be topped with lots of lovely vegetables and bacon. It could be referred to as Mother Hubbard's pizza — it's about looking into your fridge or cupboard to see what you have there.

She adds: "I also believe strongly in working with local producers. I'm a farmer's daughter; I grew up on a dairy farm with Jersey cattle and I want to try and get people to support the farming industry, more and more.

"We have some of the best produce in the world right here on our doorstep. My recipe for Thai fruit salad in scented syrup of lemongrass and lime with Dundermot coconut ice cream, uses the produce of this local farmer, Hugh Reid, who has created his own ice cream with a wonderful range of flavours."

As well as being a food ambassador, which involves her speaking and giving demonstrations at events and masterclasses throughout the country, Jenny is taking part in a new TV series which is expected to air in October. And she proudly reports that her new website has reached 300,000 hits per month, with people from around the world logging on.

"Just this morning I got an email from someone in Sweden asking where they could buy a certain ingredient. It's great to see and I'm delighted with how it's all going."

Any local producers who would like their food products to be considered for use in Jenny Bristow's masterclasses throughout Northern Ireland should email: producers@jennybristow.com . For more information visit www.jennybristow.com .