Yesterday was Day 1 of my Sourdough Challenge and time to start growing my Starter. As per my recipe, all that needed to be done was mix equal quantities of flour and water together (I used 100g of each). Time and the natural yeasts in the air around us will, apparently, do the rest.
I used a standard 2 litre water bottle with the top cut off to make my starter in – hopefully it should be big enough to cope with my Starter’s (fingers crossed) imminent expansion. I’ve been hearing all sorts of stories of exploding jars (don’t use a glass container!) and messy radiators!

Obviously, chosing the flour to use was a big decision. I changed my mind between rye and wheat several times but eventually settled for rye – which is the most traditional for Sourdough and apparently a little more reliable. I used wholemeal organic flour since this has more of the natural yeasts and proteins in it which will help feed my Starter.
I’d love to hear your comments or if you’re a sourdough veteran who has any tips .
And it’s not too late to join in and start growing your very own Starter. Follow my recipe (or try your own if you prefer) and let me know how you get on. If you email me photos of your Starter, I can create you your own post which you can leave daily comments on charting your Starter’s progress. If you email them to me, I can add daily photo updates, too since you can’t post them in the comments directly.
I look forward to hearing from you – and that’s a challenge!

Post your own reviews for the chance to win books here >>

In the FoodLovers Britain offices we get loads of cookbooks sent to us for review (lucky us!) but I still can’t get enough (you really never can have too many) so I thought why don’t we swap reviews so that we all know which are worth splashing the cash on and which aren’t. I’m going to start regularly posting reviews of new books I read as well as some favourites from my personal library on the blog and you can leave your comments on the books you’ve read and then together we can build up a review archive to guide our shopping…

Here’s a quick run-down of food festivals and Christmas Markets taking place this December in the UK.

First up we have Fowey Christmas Market (Friday 5th to Sunday 7th December) which is set right by the river and will feature local Cornish food and drink for you to stock up before the big day. There will be live entertainment in Fowey and restaurants around the town will be offering special menus to give you inspiration.

Next up is the 28th Cancer Research Great Christmas Pudding Race (Saturay 6th, December) at West Piazza, Covent Garden, London, where teams of six wearing fancy dress negotiate a challenging obstacle course through Covent Garden whilst balancing a Christmas Pudding on a tray. The aim is to get to the end of the course with your pudding still on its tray, having completed all the necessary challenges on the way round.

Connoisseurs of the vine should not miss the Sotheby’s Wine Auction taking place on Tuesday 9th and Wednesday 10th December.

And then moving up North, try the York Christmas Farmers Market (Friday 19th and Saturday 20th December 2008, 9am-4pm) in Parliament Street & St Sampson’s Square, where all the producers come from within a 40 mile radius, so you can guarantee the meat, vegetables, turkey, pies – whatever you buy – will be daisy-fresh for Christmas Day itself.

This is just a selection of food events happening this month. To see a fuller list check out our full list in the Food Lovers Foodie Events section on our website.

We are starting our Christmas prize giveaways and competitions from today, starting with a chance to win a KellyBronze free range turkey accompanied by all the trimmings – oak-smoked streaky bacon, Musks Original Newmarket chipolatas, sausagemeat stuffing with chestnut puree and citrus peel and a FoodLovers recipe sheet to take the strain out of cooking it all.

Win a X-mas Turkey

NB – To enter, you must live in the UK

For more Christmas inspiration, visit our Big Green Christmas Book.

This month’s Food Lovers Recipe comes from Ian Rogers of Manor Farm Game. As he says “It’s easy, delicious and warming on a cold winter’s night.” More to the point, it’s almost completely hands-off cooking, leaving you to get on with anything you like.

Serves 4

1 pheasant, yellow fat removed
2 carrots, sliced
2 shallots, sliced
4 oz mushrooms, sliced
Mixed herbs (try thyme, bay leaf or parsley)
1/2 pint chicken stock
1/2 pint cider
Salt and pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 150C.

Heat a little oil in a lidded casserole pot and brown the pheasant on all sides. Add the sliced vegetables, herbs, stock and cider and bring slowly to the boil.

Add salt and pepper and transfer to the oven – lid on – for about 3 hours, or until the meat starts to fall off the bone.

Remove the pheasant and take all the meat off the carcass and put it back into the casserole.

Reheat gently when ready to serve (as with any casserole this is always better made earlier) and serve with creamy mashed potato and a green vegetable.

For more pheasant recipes, see our Seasonal Ingredients for November on the main website.

Here’s a quick run-down of food festivals and events taking place this November in the UK.

First up we have British Sausage Week (Monday 3rd to Sunday 9th November). Events will be taking place around the country. Look out for sausage tastings, cooking demonstrations, offers, menus and competitions.

Next up is the Clovelly Herring Festival (Sunday 16th, 10am-4pm at Clovelly, Bideford). Herrings were once the staple economy of Clovelly; they now celebrate this king of fish to help safeguard the livelihoods of the local fishermen and promote this much-underrated fish. There’s a kitchen on the quay, shanty singers, food stalls and competitions, Devon cider by the bucket-load and a traditional smokehouse.

Then a big event for us at FoodLovers, it’s the BBC Good Food Show in Birmingham (Wednesday 26th to Sunday 30th November) at NEC, Birmingham. This year’s show features masterclasses from Slow Food and tastings from wine experts.

Finally, at the end of the month we have the Winchester Christmas Family Fayre (Sunday 30th November 2008, 10am-3pm). One for the whole family with opportunities to buy presents, meet – and be photographed with Father Christmas – and enter the prize draw raffle.

This is just a selection of food events happening this month. To see a fuller list check out our full list in the Food Lovers Foodie Events section on our website.