MAD food Symposium, Copenhagen

I recently attended the MAD Food Symposium in Copenhagen. The word mad means food in Danish and the theme of this year’s Symposium, held in a red circus tent, was GUTS. This was interpreted in a variety of ways from intestines to raw courage by the speakers. There were many dramatic moments throughout the two days.

The symposium was launched on a stage that represented a Danish forest woodland scene – trees and logs and a carpet of grass and wild plants. A whole carcass of a Gloucester Old Spot pig dangled by the back legs from a chain in the centre of the stage, which gave us a hint that this year’s MAD Symposium was going to be a visceral two days of raw emotions and painful honesty.

I was almost the only white haired woman there, that is apart from Diana Kennedy, the feisty 90 year old cookbook author and noted environmentalist who gave a spirited talk about her life collecting and documenting recipes around remote villages in Mexico for over 60 years. Virtually everyone else was young, so many brilliantly crazy people: chefs, farmers, journalists, politicians, scientists, food writers, some of the brightest minds, all united by a love and passion for food and food issues.

With Ben Reade, a past Cookery School student, head of R& D at the Nordic Food Lab, and the Butter Vikings who we are hoping will join us for the next LitFest

David Chang from Momofuko in New York who co-curated the symposium with René Redzepi and his team, launched the event by telling us about his gutsy decision to open Momofuko in 2004. He introduced Dario Cecchini, the legendary Tuscan butcher famous for being able to recite Dante spontaneously as he butchers his carcass like poetry. He strode onto the stage dressed in red, green and white, knife in hand, with his wife Kim,  and told us the story of his family who have been butchers for over 250 years. He started to learn his trade in his early teens, but didn’t get a taste of beef a la fiorentina until he was 18, as butcher’s families and children traditionally ate the offal and less expensive cuts. He spoke dreamily of the peasant dishes his mother and grandmother used to make and as he did so, he gently slit the stomach of the pig and the guts tumbled out in a neat bundle. He transferred them to the butcher's block, then removed the liver, the heart and the kidneys, all the while talking about the noble craft, the importance of rearing, feeding and treating the animal humanely and being grateful for the gift of meat. All of this in front of an audience of over 600 people. It may sound macabre but it was really beautiful, one felt that the pig was having an honourable end and was being treated with respect, and was meant to promote conscious carnivorism and respect for animals.

Attendees enjoying lunch. With Nordic pears and plums there for the taking in a hollowed-out tree trunk in the foreground.

Over two riveting days different speakers (more than two dozen in all) explored the meaning of GUTS.  Margot Henderson from Rochelle Canteen in London and Barbara Lynch chef-owner of eight successful restaurants in Boston, spoke of the guts and courage it took to establish themselves as female chefs in a largely male dominated culinary climate, what Fergus Henderson (Margot’s husband  and beloved chef owner of St John Restaurant) refers to as ‘blokedom.’ They both got a standing ovation, as did Indian activist Vandana Shiva who has for many years been a stalwart champion of biodiversity, conservation and of small farmers around the world. As ever, she spoke eloquently and passionately about the myth of the ‘green revolution’ and “the dangers of a world where five companies control all life on earth.” She reminded us that the meaning of seed in virtually every language is to renew, so in that sense GM (Genetically Modified) seeds are not seeds at all because they are manufactured to deconstruct at the end of every growing season to prevent seed saving, so that the companies can sell the seeds to the farmers and create a system of dependence. She spoke of the re-colonisation that’s happening in Africa at the hands of the biotech companies and the 250,000 farmer suicides in India that have been the result of these policies.

When ten-year-old Martha Payne, walked on stage the audience went wild, so much so that she was almost overwhelmed. She started writing her blog ‘NeverSeconds’ when she was just nine years old and gained instant notoriety and started a school lunch revolution. Her Dad, a sheep farmer from Scotland delivered her presentation as she stood shyly by his side: beautiful powerful stuff. When her head mistress banned her from blogging, her farewell post got over 11,000 emails of support in response. Her chosen charity Mary’s Meals has raised over €74,000 for kids in African villages.And there was so much more...

It was a truly memorable event.

Noma Pops Up in Shanagarry

On Saturday night in the autumn, two young chefs, both of whom had worked at Noma for several years created a wonderful menu in the spirit of Rene Redzepi's inspirational restaurant in Copenhagen.

Yannik and Louise Bannon arrived several days early with a totally open mind on what they would cook. As soon as they arrived they donned their wellies and headed out to the farm and gardens and into the greenhouses to find what tempting produce was still about available.

Next it was over to Ballycotton to have a chat with a local fisherman to check out the likelihood of spanking fresh fish, then they were off over to Ballynamona and Shanagarry strand to forage for seashore plants and seaweeds at low tide.

When they had checked all that out they were off to forage in the woods like a pair of excited kids in Hamleys at Christmas. It's not a great year for wild mushrooms but they found a few yellow legs, lots of wood sorrel and some myrtle berries.

Here's the magic menu they created.....

Louise is the baker, she made all the sourdough breads for dinner, in little individual timber "bread tins". We served it with virgin butter freshly churned from the cream of our three Jersey cows.

Cured pollack with sea lettuce and sea oak pods.

Plating up...

Popping a fresh myrtle berry onto the top of each Malt Puff, before they were coated in chocolate.

A weekend in Copenhagen

Foodies from all over the world are clamouring to get a table at Noma, Rene Redzepi's iconic restaurant in Copenhagen and brilliant though it is, it's certainly not the only reason to visit the Danish capital. One can have many memorable breakfasts, brunches, lunches, afternoon teas and dinner, but there never seems to be enough time to enjoy them all.

I had compiled a long wish list for a recent week end trip to Copenhagen.
Several restaurant including Relae and Herman in Tivoli were already booked up, but not being one to take no for an answer easily I thought it was worth a try to swing by at lunch time, after all the worst that could happen would still be NO but as luck would have it they had just had a cancellation at Hermans.

We had a fantastically good lunch. The first 'course' was two oyster leaves served on a little mound of empty oyster shells. This intriguing little plant Mertensia Maritimia tastes distantly of oysters, a little teaser at the beginning of the meal. The next three courses were oyster related, a cushion of oyster flavoured foam served on a flat pebble, this came with instructions to allow it to slide off the pebble into your mouth. It dissolved into a little pool of briny deliciousness, that was followed by a couple of oysters with smoked olive oil and pine flavoured granita served on a plate of seaweed and rocks with little sprigs of pine tucked in here and there.

Next up, oyster, veal, and sour cream served in a marrow bone - sublime! And on it went, frozen duck liver with cherries, meltingly tender fresh scallops with camomile jelly, crispy pigeon leg and confit with chestnut, tiny nasturtium leaves and trompettes de mort.

A plate of Danish farmhouse cheeses followed, Red Christian from Jutland. Trope Need Krondil, a hay cheese, and a blue cheese from Fyn, served with a little loaf of warm walnut bread with rose hip marmalade and chutney.

Several puddings and three cheeky petit fours signaled the end of the meal. Little branches of witch hazel and little squiggles of orange flavoured chocolate rolled in cocoa, a fun nibble and delicious. Next there were jet black marshmallows served on grey stones and finally a white chocolate 'quail egg' tucked into juniper branches. I forgot to count the courses, each was tiny and perfectly pitched, a celebration of Nordic seasonal ingredients with a mischevious, fun element running throughout.

Hans Kong is yet another brilliantly talented Danish chef, sadly since writing this post I've heard that Hermans has closed, watch out for this chefs next venture.

The new food Market Torvehallerne is worth a visit even if it is rather sanitized. There are lots of good things there but don't miss the pizza rolls called klapper.

On Saturday we took a taxi to Jaggerborggarde, this used to be a really dodgy area with junkies and drug dealers on every corner but now thanks to a conscious decision of the landlords it has become the hippest food street in Copenhagen.

Don't miss The Coffee Collective, really terrific freshly ground from single estates, when we were there, a group of baristtas from New York came in to enjoy and check out the Coffee. Close by the smell of freshly baked artisan breads and pasteries from Meyers Bakery had people quequing down the street.

I was also intrigued by Grod a tiny little cafe and shop that just sold porridge and lots of accompaniments, also on Jaggerborggard.

Ammanns, new take on smorgasbord is also worth seeking out, I loved it and hear that they have now opened in Manhattan.

Noma was completely brilliant and of course needs a whole blog to itself, can't wait to go back to Copenhagen where I actually got engaged in 1970, boy has the food improved since then!