Gloucestershire food with Rob Rees January 2011

Fondue, whoopie pies, themed restaurants and heritage vegetables – The Cotswolds Chef Rob Rees lets SoGlos.com readers in on his 2011 Gloucestershire food predictions this January.

What a brilliant month January is. Truly it is. Let us not look at the doom and gloom of the post-festive season, the miserable weather and the onset of flu, but focus on the fact that the foodie year has begun all over again!

More than ever we should be excited as new producers and products start to arrive in the brilliant Gloucestershire larder, with 2011 expected to bring food lovers all kinds of fab new things to get the taste buds tingling.

Watch this space for whoopie pies to replace the cupcake craze, expect to be sipping a range of new Cotswold beers and ciders in the county, as well as chewing on tasty local salamis, chorizos and pancettas. Smoked food will be huge in 2011, and nature’s most wonderful honest to goodness heritage vegetables will be all the rage – mark my words.

We will start to see much more entertainment value placed upon our eating out experiences as consumers start to demand ‘added value’ when spending their well earned money in restaurants. This means that some of the themed restaurants of the past will make their way back. Watch out for bring-your-own-wine establishments, tepenyaki and cook-your-own hot rock experiences will also make a return, as will the classic 1970 fondue craze!

Of course, January does make us think about the comfort foods that we have in our recipe books and often many of us indulge in those handed down through the generations. For me I love the idea of hearty stews and casseroles with handmade dumplings. Whether yeast-, flour- or potato-based with a little bit of spice and herb dumplings offer a fantastic sponge to the abundance of flavours extracted during the slow braising of a lamb shank, chuck steak or venison saddle casserole.

The winter vegetables still abound and there is a real joy to that beautiful sweetness of a January parsnip. When mixed with roasted carrots and red onions, a good drop of olive oil, some torn rosemary, a dash of Cotswold honey and loads of chopped parsley such simple vegetables with slithers of cold roasted chicken or beef makes for a most fantastic winter supper.

Also think about adding some diced local goats cheese, baked almonds and sliced figs together with a warm caper, saffron and cherry tomato dressing to warm the cockles. Or top a baked sweet potato with crème fraiche, crispy Old Spot bacon and balsamic vinegar reduction to give you a lifting cuddle in a bowl.

Finally, do look out for Farmhouse Breakfast Week at the end of January, which has now become a firmly fixed event in the culinary calendar and encourages us all to embrace the most important meal of the day as well as keeping it local.

This can be anything from a great bacon or sausage buttie using products from our farm shops or markets to a wonderful homemade muesli, or you can even be as daring as doing a Gloucestershire kedgeree using local trout. Or how about making a homebaked loaf of bread, and slathering the slices with lashings of Netherend Farm butter and strawberry Jam – true comfort indeed and perfect any time of the day.

See you again in February for a look at what tasty Gloucestershire grub this romantic month has in store.

Rob Rees
11 January 2011