Special guest: Paul Ainsworth
SLICE OF LIFE #4 Places he heads to for coffee, cakes, quiet beaches, ice cream, pasties and the best meat money can buy. PLUS the low-down on his first cookbook: it's cover-to-cover heart & soul
There’s suddenly a nip in the air, but it’s still warm in the sun. Let’s grab those sitting-outside, vitamin D moments while we can.
For some reason I’ve been struggling to get this newsletter right. Self-editing is a (necessary) harsh process and gut instinct comes strongly into play. Nothing to do with the lively and lovely Paul Ainsworth (gems from him further on down) but everything to do with me and a befuddled brain as we navigate a big move away from London and endlessly precarious house-selling/buying chains. How does anyone ever manage it? And, after 20 years in the same beloved, so-hard-to-leave, big-window house, I’d forgotten how emotional the process is. But enough of that… Stories in the making; stories for another day.
There are so many big-name food books out this year and I’ve been fortunate enough to have chats with a few of the authors, so this is advance notice of good-read moments coming up with Matt Tebbutt, Rick Stein, Kate Humble, Donna Hay, Diana Henry and more. The last one with wonderful Diana will take monumental wrestling into shape as we talked for (gasp) 3.5 hours, but it’ll be worth the wait. The joyous rest will be trickling through to you alongside other regular newsletters, plus interviews I’ve had in the wings for a while (apologies to Mark Diacono and Caroline Eden for the delay). SO… Expect a little more of KBJT popping into your inbox than usual over the next few weeks.
BIG note to self, highlighted in neon yellow: remember I’m no longer putting together a 132-page magazine and there’s only one of me (no snickering at the back, husband and friends).
First, a few newsy nuggets
Great Taste Awards – the winners: the ceremony was last night at Battersea Arts Centre, and the Supreme Champion 2024 – that’s the overall winner chosen from a staggering 13,672 products, from 115 countries – is ‘Authentiko’ Cretan thyme honey by Melicreta Leontarakis. Find a report on the awards, plus a list of all the finalists and Golden Fork winners here. I can’t wait to try the Authentiko, and as soon as I find out who in the UK is stocking the honey I’ll include it in a newsletter.
By the way, if you missed my behind-the-scenes glimpse on being a Great Taste judge, here it is.
Fig leaves: the trees might be starting to turn, but fig leaves are still firmly on the trees (the ones in our garden are, anyway) and I loved this tip by George Egg on Instagram. Read the words, swipe through the images… I’m making that basque-inspired cheesecake by Ruth Tebby (you’ll find it in the comments on George’s post). That fig powder would be great in ice cream, too. A side story: George and I once had a protracted argument on live radio about whether tomatoes should ever be included in sandwiches. I was in the no camp. Unless they’re cooked. These are the significant life decisions I get asked to comment on.
On a more serious note: the Future of Food Festival is happening in London from 16–22 September. The title says it all. Events include masterclasses, talks and demos focusing on sustainability and tackling food waste, plus special feasts. Tickets from as little as £10 (one I can see is free); feasts cost more.
Better loaves: three cheers for Gail’s bakeries which, today, are launching new loaves made with regenerative grains (grains that improve soil health). Gail’s is mainly in the south-east of England but now has shops in Manchester, Chester, Wilmslow and Bristol, too. They do mail order, but only if you have a store fairly local to you. Visit the website for stockists.
Now over to today’s special guest: Paul Ainsworth
This chef works HARD and he gets stuff DONE. He grew up in Southampton in his parents’ guesthouse, and my eyes widened when I stumbled across an interview he did a while back where he talked about having, at the age of 12, “four paper rounds, two shifts at a newsagent and five night shifts in a fruit and veg merchants.” Plus a sideline selling what he described as “pretty tacky household goods”.
You get the picture. It’s not surprising that, after deciding food was his thing, Paul ended up working under some of the UK’s most famous, not to mention notoriously demanding, talents: Gary Rhodes, Gordon Ramsay, Marcus Wareing. Now, of course, he ploughs his own restaurant furrow in Cornwall, the county he loves to call home.
Here’s one of the things he said to me during our chat a couple of weeks ago:
"When you get past your clubbing days, sitting down to eat with people you love is one of life’s greatest pleasures"
The quote made me smile because it reminded me of a phrase I put right at the top of the delicious. magazine cover when I took over as editor in 2010 (minus the clubbing bit): because food is one of life’s great pleasures.
Paul’s first cookbook, For The Love of Food (HarperCollins, £26), came out a few weeks ago. It’s been a looooong time in coming, especially when you consider how many tomes by chefs are published every year (I’m losing count in 2024) and how long Paul has been a familiar face on TV.
I was keen to discover what held him back from signing that big-moment book deal for more than a decade, to find out what drives this obsessively quality-focused, entrepreneurial, yet full-of-warmth man, and (attention all Cornwall-lovers) to winkle out of him his Joyous Things: the places he rates for pasties, saffron buns, coffee and meat that might just spoil you for all other butcher’s shops. The good news is, even if you can’t get to Cornwall, you can buy delights from some of his recommendations online. He shares his off-the-beaten track beaches, too (one of them occasionally has a food truck on it selling lobster and chips – yes please), plus great-scenery walks and his food manifesto. Good stuff to come. But first…
Making a difference – and how you can help
A word about a challenge that’s been filling Paul’s every spare waking minute. It’s about as far removed from a steamy restaurant kitchen as can be, but one that requires equal dedication. Swimming? Running? Cycling? ALL THREE. Just over a week ago he completed the Ironman triathlon in Austria, which he did to raise funds for the Children’s Cancer Fund, with money going to support children and families going through cancer treatment at Treliske hospital in Cornwall (a hospital close to my heart, too).
As a thank you for this interview and in support of brilliant Treliske, I’m pledging to donate half the revenue from annual 2024 subscriptions taken out using the special-offer link below, by the end of this month – that’s 30 September 2024. AND those special annual subscriptions are, until the end of September, 25% cheaper than a £5-a-month sub. If you’d like to find out more, click the button below (worry not: clicking doesn’t commit you to anything – it just explains what’s what).
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