Gloucestershire food with Rob Rees August 2009

From artichoke and basil to corn on the cob – eating seasonally in Gloucestershire this August is as easy as learning your A, B, Cs, according to Rob Rees, The Cotswold Chef.

While the August weather is not exactly scorching in Gloucestershire just yet, the county’s summer produce is reaching fever pitch, and readily ripening before our very eyes.

Corn on the cob will be crammed into farm shops and markets the county over in August. Demanding to be munched and gnawed like a dog with a bone, unless you get butter dripping down your chin and your hands covered in its sweet juices you are not getting the best from this vegetable. Par boil, barbecue or bake in the oven till tender, and enjoy.

The globe artichoke too celebrates the best part of its life during August. A colossus in the veg world, its individual leaves sit tight together challenging you to rip them away from its heart – and its bulb is so rich in nutrients and flavour. Brush with lemon juice, cook gently in a pan of simmering water with lemon for 10 minutes, and eat with a touch minted melted butter.

A cornucopia of terrifically juicy tomatoes will be hanging heavily on the vine and coming in very handy this month. Beef tomatoes combined with cumin, chopped peppers, fresh tarragon and a touch of paprika make a fine salsa. While cherry varieties can be lightly seared and paired with more paprika, rosemary, turmeric, olive oil and a little diced Windrush Valley goats cheese.

Bulking out markedly this month, consider the use of basil as a compliment to foods rather than to mask other natural flavours. Garden-grown coriander will be enlivening dishes with its distinctive leaves, while for a real fiery kick chillies can be grabbed straight from the plant in August.

Salad onions, both red and green, are starting to be around in abundance. Lightly boil in water then grill or pan-fry with a touch of Homeleigh Farm butter, before drizzling with Cotswold honey and some fresh sprigs of garden thyme.

Ending on a sweet note, plums can be copiously seen around the county. The opal, a small and deep reddy-purple colour, can be indulgently picked straight from the tree, while the Victoria is slightly sweeter and cooks perfectly. De-stone, add to a warm pan with a touch of butter, sprinkle with cinnamon, sugar, five spice and chopped tarragon, before flaming with a touch of rum, and serve with on meringue with a dollop of Winstons ice cream, for a taste of summer in a bowl.

Towards the end of the month, providing the sun has made a welcome appearance during August, blackberries and blackcurrants will be changing colour and commanding picking too. Line and bake blind a tartlet case with sweet pastry, add a layer of blackberries and fill with a light sponge mixture before baking further in the oven. This peasant dessert, known as clafoutis, is great for a Sunday lunch dusted lightly with icing sugar and homemade vanilla custard. Delicious.

Enjoy the summer holidays, and see you again in September for more sensational food highlights from across Gloucestershire.

Rob Rees
5 August 2009