Covid, Brexit and the threat of rising inflation has made me wonder about food security during the coming winter.
Rumours of shortages in the supermarkets mean sourcing local and seasonal food will be more important than ever. We’re lucky to have plenty of vegetables in the garden, but rising fuel prices mean I’m re-thinking the way I cook.
We’ve got electricians working here at the moment. They often have to cut off the supply, so I’m having to plan our meals carefully. I was up at 5am baking sourdough loaves.
Later I’ll be making leek and potato soup for the first time since last spring. We’ve got a gas hob, so than can be cooked without electricity. I’m in the process of making the twenty-first-century equivalent of a haybox. That’s a way of cooking soups and stews without electricity.
A haybox uses the heat retained within a dish to cook it. Recipes are brought to a rolling boil on a gas ring or open fire, then the pot is plonked into a highly insulated container. This keeps the food cooking for a long time, while the temperature gradually drops away. It’s suitable for soups, stews, and rice pudding. Dishes typically take about six hours to cook.
I haven’t done any haybox cookery since I was in the Girl Guides. In those days, the insulation really was hay. This time around I’ll be stuffing a cotton casing with the kind of filling used for beanbags. That will be a more hygenic way to keep our leek and potato soup cooking!
Wish me luck. I’ll let you know how it turns out!