OR, I DIDN’T REALISE ALL THIS TIME I COULD BE OUT THERE SUPPORTING THEM.
Well blow me over with a feather. I have been a bit of a thicko. Every Sunday the Marylebone Farmers Market is open where you can buy organic and free range. It is a thing of wonder, supporting our chaps and having cheerful companionship while shopping. I mean you and all the folk there have food in common! What better than to chew the fat with foodies and get your seasonal untainted goodies.
Now I’m not eating much meat, I have to know there is a little amount of suffering possible, and no chemicals are being pumped into these creatures that are destined for my table. This wonderful stall has all organic and free range including the eggs. The meat tastes markedly meatier and the eggs eggier. It’s like stepping back into your childhood when you roast up the chicken from this farm. Aromatic and festive, full of happy memories and as food should smell, to get your juices flowing. All of it juicy and succulent too, and very reasonably priced.
You do need to ask at each stall as not all of them go by this ethos and it’s a shame not to encourage it. This goes for checking the provenance of other produce such as the fish and fruit and veg. As I was interested in whether ginger was grown in England the man told me that it just ends up growing one long root, so no but he had some from Peru which as he said has a nicer, less rough flavour than the Chinese. I also bought some wonderful Jerusalem artichokes from him to go with my roast (yes it was a windy night that night!) Organic juices were to be had too including the wonderful earthy and healthy beetroot.
Next to this stall I spotted game. Pheasant I love, so I stopped and perused. There was all sorts of tasty earthy meats here and the banter was great. I was told by the chap there that there were no shoots this year so no lead shot in the birds. What they do at the moment is just leave big cages out with a bit of grain in and the dumb birds go in and stay in until the humans go close the cages, with said birds inside, and carry them off to their final destiny. As an old bird I felt a little indignant that these pheasants are so foolish giving all us old birds a bad name, but pheasants are rather bird brained I must say. Anyhow, he sorted me a nice fatty one after asking how I was cooking it, and told me at least there would be no lead shot in it. Apparently when all his family and friends are over for the weekend of feasting during the shooting season, they find lead shot in the bottom of the U-bend. It seems as it enters the toilet bowl it sinks down, being heavy and all, and needs removing from the toilet bowl after much hilarity and much mirth. Anecdotes like this are rife at this market. I had a tray of pigeon breasts too, saving the venison for next Sunday.
Nice to see a big variety of mushrooms here too, sold alongside eggies with pictures of their chucks running wild behind the vendor. This made me very peckish for brekkies which I had foregone due to the email reminding me the farmers market was open hence me leaping from the sofa and running straight out of the house. Now this just shows how we have been ignoring a lot of post in these fascist times, indeed a lot of things get cast to the wayside. These days I often don’t bother with knickers under my track suit trousers. Or even brushing my teeth. However I had no time to ponder breakfast as I had to trot off and buy my fruit and veg.
I continued on with this theme getting my unsprayed slightly ugly looking sometimes, fresh natural produce to last me for the week. This is a great way to shop as you plan out meals and don’t buy unnecessary crap. This means I can more or less banish my local supermarkets who have turned into another type of greedy monster in these lean times for all the shopkeepers and farmers. (A lot don’t even have British spinach I noticed the other day, all from Spain or Italy ffs) I then bought a nice fat smoked mackerel at the fish stall and am going back for their mussels soon.
Of course there was plenty of beautiful cheeses, pastas, breads, cakes and all sorts of other bits, but I know that I can ponder that next time and not get too piggy with eyes bigger that my belly this week.
Extra Treats, Beer and Hemp.
Now I have an empty flagon left at mine from the stall with the wheat beer that I love so much, but seeing as I’m not drinking at the moment I left it at home to avoid temptation. I have been abstaining every year for the last thirteen years for forty days. This is to make sure I’m not an alcoholic, get some work done, and more importantly renew my liver. The liver, as long as you don’t have something drastically wrong with it, regenerates completely in forty days.
So to avoid ruining my nearly new liver, I said my good day sir, to the friendly chap there and moved on to the hemp stall. There’s a lovely girl who mans the post there and although I wasn’t carrying enough cash (cash is king especially now) I chatted and planned out my hempy purchases for the next week. In Mexico I had marijuana cream rubbed into my broken foot, which although wasn’t going to fix it would reduce the inflammation. The lady cab driver said it fixed all her joints when achy which of course is ironic given the name of a marijuana cigarette. The stall girl (forgotten your name I’m sorry) agreed that it would be good for me to have an oil for my sculptors joints, as a tonic for them, so again this coming Sunday that’s on my shopping list unless I manage to escape the country and tick off more of my bucket list.
Purchases safely stowed away and a chilly wind blowing up I hightailed it back to Soho to prepare a much deserved Sunday roast, all from the farmers market. Incidentally the pheasant bones made a delicious consomme after, just right for this nippy weather. I’m going to Selfridges Food Hall to have a butchers on Wednesday just for the indulgence I’ll add some pics of that too.
Top Tip: The health aspect of this cannot be stressed enough. Everyone should insist upon beautiful healthy produce. For your health through the winter your body shouldn’t be battling disease with a depleted immune system from toxins from pesticides and all sorts of nasties in your daily meals. Sorry to be preachy my old birds, but I’ve stayed well throughout this awful brainwashing times by avoiding stress, sleeping well and eating well. I’ve supplemented my diet with a top up of magnesium, potassium and zinc, along with my chondroitin mix for my joints and a multivitamin too. Throw in some art for calming and not carrying excess body weight (you should be ashamed of yourself! Put down that bun!) and you have the recipe for a better, healthier and happier life. I love you guys so keep it real! x
Bye bye birdies xxxx
Old Bird Travels Solo! 