Stephen Hackett wrote this blog about Table B'hote and I thought I might share it with you.
People tend to talk a lot about the pace and the stresses of modern life. To an extent I prefer to resist comments like these as rather ill-informed; it is after all difficult to think of a time in this country when living standards were higher or life expectancies longer. On the other hand, especially in London, there is a tendency for life to feel like it is hurtling along at 100 miles an hour. An endless succesion of work and other events, even very pleasant events, sometimes leaves one wishing things would just stop happening for a bit.
The impact of this upon diet is fairly well discussed. The basic point is that, if you arrive home tired at 7:30 or later, your enthusiasm for spending a couple of hours cooking is likely to be muted, even if you are happy to eat as late as 9:30 on a regular basis. This problem is pretty ubiquitous, and doubtless this is at least partly to do with the fact that fewer married couples have one member that stays at home during the day.
I genuinely feel, and have felt for some time, that a cookery book that took a holistic approach to advising on the food lifestyles of foody people with professional-type jobs would be a good idea. At the moment those books that exist don't really engage with the reality of the situation. I haven't looked at Jamie Oliver's latest book, which is called "30-minutes Meals", but I have my doubts that it will work. I respect the fact that he is trying to engage with the problem, but I'm afraid to say I doubt he understands it.
Take a look at this recipe for jerk chicken, for example. I dare say that a skilled chef who had the method down pat could cook it in 30 minutes. Also, let's ignore the clearing up, which with this recipe, including numerous pots and pans, would surely take at least 30 minutes on its own. No, the real problem is the ingredients. There are 34 of them; do you fancy tottering home with those, juggling them with your briefcase and umbrella to try and press your Oyster Card against the reader on the tube? The ingredients are not that esoteric, but then again, how confident are you that the Tesco Metro by the bus stop will have a scotch bonnet chilli or red chicory?
I'm sure the book will be useful to many, but it does not solve our difficulties. Better Jamie Oliver's idea, though, than Delia Smith's response to the problem, which is this whole "Cheat" business. A mere glance at the ingredients for this recipe for shepherd's pie is pretty quease-making. Tinned mince from M&S? Ready diced carrot and swede from Tesco? Frozen mashed potato in a form referred to as "discs"? This is unthinkable. I do not believe for a second that the output will be as good as making things from fresh. In any case, finding Delia using ingredients like these is very unsettling; it is like discovering your grandmother has replaced her elevenses with a crack pipe.
Possibly the only way we could acquire a book for busy foodies that actually works is to write one ourselves. Maybe one day, when I have enough readers, I will ask you for your ideas and collate something. At the present rate of reader increase, expect that book to hit the shelves in about 2437.
I have recently discovered a pretty good interim solution, however, in the form of a supplier of ready-made sauces called "Table B'hote" (so for once the questionable wordplay in the title of the post is not my doing). I met the producer of these sauces at a farmers' market a couple of months ago, and I have to say that, particularly taking into account the price, they are really excellent. The three I have tried are a sweet and sour sauce, a cottage pie sauce and a bolognese sauce.
The great thing here is the ingredients. If you look on the side of the jars you will recognise and understand them. The cottage pie sauce, for example, includes such unsuspicious flavourings as Worcester Sauce, mushrooms, carrots and onions. The sweet and sour sauce is particularly exemplary, because let's face it how often are you going to make a sweet and sour sauce yourself? There is not a sniff of MSG to found; at Table B'hote they have created the trademark sticky effect by doing something with peppers.
Unfortunately, in London it is impossible to buy these in shops, at least for the moment. It wouldn't surprise me if a distributor was to be found soon. In the meantime, though, you can order them from the website in batches of half a dozen. They keep, unopened, for a year, so it's definitely worth your while to stock yourself up.
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