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I- Carrots: Organic v Non-organic
mums
I “W Cl” [All McMaster has opened up Tattie Mac’s on a nice wee site at 61 Otago Street in Glasgow, which in recent years has seen more change than a busker on Byres Road: you may remember it as Otago, the Cheese Bar or, most recently, Pizazz. The bistro is open all day from 11am, serving coffee and cakes, a set ‘Market Menu’ or full a la carte. It offers modern bistro fare by chefs trained in French cooking with the odd dose of local produce, and there’s a deli counter selling fresh bread, casseroles prepared daily, olive oils and chutneys. Call 0141 337 2282 for bookings or go to www.tattiemacs.co.uk
Supermarket ‘local’ 78p/kg, on offer at 50p/kg
There are Saltires galore at the point of sale to ensure we're aware of the origin and carrots grow well in Scotland. so it's a bit odd to trumpet what w0uld seem an agriCultural assumption. They're moist and crunchy but the flavour is pretty weak and there's very little sweetness. This is close to peak season for carrots. though all the carrots we found for sale seemed fresh on0ugh. O.
Supermarket non-local £2.17/kg The supermarket we visited had three different types of carrots for sale. including baby carrots from Holland. which were sold in plastic trays and clingfilrn. They were noticeably sweeter. as you would expect for baby veg. as well as more expensive. though in truth the flavour didn't last for long. Still nothing to get Our taste panel. which included some of the chefs from David Bann's Vegetarian Restaurant. anything close to excited. 0.
Corner shop £1.08/kg
After potatoes. carrots are our most consumed vegetable: they are also a stalwart of the organic vegetable box scheme. so we decided to see what difference we could find locally available carrots. These ones came from a decent dedicated local greengrocer. Described as ‘English' but not organic. they're sold loose and cleaned. The flavour is middle of the road. and there's some sweetness there. but not lots. .00
Local organic from Stair Organics Tarbolton, Ayrshire (www.0rganicgrowing.com), £1.94/kg online or as part of box scheme to the Glasgow area
We washed all our carrots before tasting. but didn't conduct nutritional analysis. which is one area in which
Local organic from Phantassie East Linton, East Lothian (www. phantassie.co.uk), £1.20/kg at Edinburgh farmers’ market or as part of a box scheme to the Edinburgh area
These had an earthier taste. but in the end none of the carrots delivered
Supermarket organic £1.28/kg Grown in Scotland. there wasn't a noticeable boost in sweetness or flavour. The first hints that the taste advantage in the organic choices would be negligil_)le. while the sharper flavour could be explained by the tougher skin. Most nutritional experts
agree that peeling carrots strips them of some of their goodness but doesn't necessarily remove pesticide residue.
particularly outstanding flav0ur. These certainly raise questions about the freshness that a short food chain offers
small organic growers feel they have an advantage. These had less orange colour than the others. though they did
Edinburgh called Under the Stairs. which lives up to its billing in many ways — you could walk past it a
dozen times without realising there was actually anything there. but then what a great space to discover: full of old furniture and delightful mysteries. It’s at 3a Merchant Street, just off Candlemaker Row (in the former Chai Teahouse) and from noon till nine—ish serves some pretty respectable bar food including snacks. burgers. salads. bagels and share boards. Between the low ceiling and the old stone walls is a bit of chilled out living room chic and some interesting DJs on Friday. Saturday and Sunday nights after 9pm.
something organic varieties should be completely free from. 0..
and whther organic actually means tastier. COO
FOODFOR Sarah Raven
Writer, cook and broadcaster
have the most distinctive and intriguing flavour. O...
I spent a lot of time in Italy as a child and l was brought up in a foodie family so I’ve always been interested in food. I like very simple. peasant food so I eat homegrown wherever I can.
For breakfast I have either a smoothie or muesli with yoghurt. At the moment I'm using blackberries and apples in my smoothies. but my ingredients (lei.)end on what's in season.
On a normal working day l have something picked from the garden for lunch — salad. or tomatoes and mozzarella. Sometimes at work one of us will make a big vat of soup. using stuff from the garden again.
Dinner is definitely the main meal of the day for me, although I suppose it shouldn't be really. Last night we had roast beef with vegetables from the garden. It was one of our own cows. The trouble is. I'm not a moderate person at all »— once I start eating in the evening, I like to keep eating. I think the good thing about growing your own food. even if it is just in a window box. is that it makes you appreciate the delicious simplicity of fresh grub.
I Sarah Raven W/// be appearing at Soil Association Scotland's Organic Food Festival. Merchant City, Glasgow. Sat 20 8 Sun 2] Sop, wwwsaranravencom
I 'I'll I0. AT I'll I'll. end of the official Scottish Food Fortnight but the events are still coming thick and fast. Look out for special markets and menus around East Lothian (www.foodanddrinkeastlothian. com), Peebles (www.peebles foodfestival.com), and Glasgow’s Merchant City (www.merchantcityfestival.com)
18 Sop—2 Oct 2008 THE LIST 1 1