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Guy Awford’s Food Column: February

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Fruit that has been forced to grow outside its natural season is, by and large, disappointing. English strawberries in spring are tasteless in comparison to an August crop. Hard, acidic hot house tomatoes are no substitute for sweet and juicy sun ripened ones. Fruit grown in this way is purely a commodity to sell; the quality of the produce has been compromised beyond recognition. There is, however, one exception: forced rhubarb.

February sees forced rhubarb at its best. Grown in hot sheds in virtual darkness the young shoots grow quickly in a desperate search for light. The shoots are delicate and must be handpicked in a very low light to avoid damage. Pinker and less acidic than the outdoor variety, forced rhubarb has the added advantage of tender stems, which don’t need peeling. With such a scarcity of fresh British fruits available this month a dessert made with this is just about your only seasonal option. This month’s recipe is for the ultimate comfort food – rhubarb crumble and custard.

Forced Rhubarb Crumble with Fresh Custard – serves 6

  • For the crumble mix place 500g of plain flour in a large bowl and rub in 300g of soft butter until it becomes sandy in texture. Rub in 275g of caster sugar and refrigerate.
  • Rinse and cut the leaves from 14 rhubarb stalks. Cut into bite sized pieces, sprinkle generously with sugar, drizzle with a little water, cover and cook on a tray in the oven until tender.
  • Place the rhubarb in a suitably sized oven dish and sprinkle over enough crumble mix to give an inch of topping.
  • Bake in the oven at 190C for about 30 minutes or until the top is golden & crunchy.

Fresh Custard

  • Heat 500ml of milk with 1 vanilla pod (cut open lengthwise to let the seeds out).
  • Whisk 6 egg yolks with 75g of sugar, 50g of corn flour and 50ml of cold milk.
  • Pour the hot milk onto the yolks & whisk.
  • Place on medium heat and cook, stirring constantly until thickened.
  • Pass through a fine sieve into a serving jug.

Seasonal Ingredients

Vegetables: Leeks, Swede, Winter Kale, Beetroot, Brussel Sprouts, Savoy Cabbage, Salsify

Fish:                       Sea Bass, Oysters, Clams, Cockles, Halibut

Fruit & Nuts:      Forced Rhubarb

Meat:                     Vension

Greenwich cruise liner terminal approved

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A planning application for a cruise liner terminal, hundreds of new homes and a new hotel has been approved by Greenwich Council.

The mixed use development will be built at the disused Enderby’s Wharf adjacent to Christchurch Way on the south western side of the Greenwich Peninsula.

In addition to 770 new homes and a 251 bedroom hotel, the 3.6 hectare site will also include shops, a creche and a gymnasium. The cruise ship terminal will have one cruise liner berth capable of accommodating  ships up to 240m in length. There will also be two berths for Thames riverbus services.

The land includes the Grade II listed Enderby House which was built in the mid 19th century. The property will be extended and converted into a restaurant “with accompanying exhibition and tourist” space.

Once completed,  365 full time equivalent jobs are expected to be created and a “skills academy” will train 16 – 21 year olds for opportunities at the cruise terminal and hotel.

The site itself was formerly owned by Alcatel Lucent – still based on adjacent land – and it was from here that the Enderby Brothers were pioneers in the development of telegraph cables that would be laid across the Atlantic.

The proposals received the unanimous backing of councillors at last week’s meeting of the council’s Planning Board.

James Blakey, commenting on behalf of developers Mason Properties who are behind the scheme, said:

“We are delighted that the Planning Boardhas decided to endorse the recommendation to approve the Enderby Wharf proposals. The collaborative approach to preparing the proposals over the past 18 months has resulted in a comprehensive mix of uses, which will bring a range of economic, environmental and social benefits to the borough and London as a whole. At the heart of the proposals is the provision of an international cruise liner terminal in the maritime heartland of Greenwich and London. The proposals have optimised the deep water within the River Thames to create a new tourist destination in a highly accessible location”.

Council tax in Greenwich frozen

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There will be no rise in council tax after a freeze was agreed by councillors for the year 2011 – 2012 at a full meeting of the Council last Wednesday at Woolwich Town Hall.

Band D homes will continue to have an annual council tax of £1,290.73.

At the same meeting, councillors agreed an average rent increase of £5.16 per week for council tenants.

It was also revealed that the council is to consult its tenants on implementing a new service charge to help close a gap in the housing budget.

Council officers report that a £2.00 weekly service charge would meet the shortfall but a range of figures will be included in the consultation – the results of which are expected to be introduced from October 2011.

Daily Photo: 31/01/2011 – Sculpture on the Beach

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Sculpture on the foreshore – taken in December 2010

Many thanks to Peter Grahame Woolf for sending me photographs of a sculpture on the foreshore near to Greenwich Sailing Club. Peter explains that it has “survived all the tides and weathers including the recent freeze, and gradually accreted more bits and pieces over the years.”


Taken in March 2010


Taken in October 2008

Greenwich planners approve cable car scheme

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A cable car system across the Thames took a step closer to becoming a reality last night after it won the unanimous support of Greenwich Council’s Planning Board.

The TFL scheme to build a cable car linking the Greenwich Peninsula with the Royal Docks has already been backed by Newham Council.

Once built, the Thames Cable Car will carry 34 gondolas – each with a capacity of 10 people – on the short journey fifty metres above the Thames.

In their review of the scheme, CABE praised the “the elegance, inventiveness and originality” of the towers that will straddle both ends.

For further coverage of the planning committee meeting, see Darryl’s report at 853.

Nick Raynsford MP told Greenwich.co.uk last year that the scheme was a “nice little project” but not one that would address the “absolutely hopeless cross river links”

Changes agreed to Planning committee system

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More objections will be required for future planning applications before they are referred to council planning committees following a decision taken at last night’s full council meeting.

Currently a planning application that receives two or more objections will be referred to the local Planning Board by council officers, but this threshold is being increased to eight.

The cost saving measure is estimated to cut the number of applications considered by committees from 179 to 75 in a year and result in a saving of £27,000 in 2011/2012.

Council officers say that at least ten London borough have a higher threshold than that which is being introduced in Greenwich, or they leave referral at the discretion of officers and members.

Conservative councillors voted against the plans, with Cllr Alex Wilson suggesting the plans wait til the Government’s Localism Bill has been published – expected to make many changes to local planning rules – and Cllr Geoff Brighty questioning whether applications could be dealt with in a timely manner if the number of meetings were being reduced.

Deputy Leader of the Council, Cllr Peter Brooks, backed the plan and said that the proposals could be reviewed at the council’s AGM in May.