Tom Parkinson is a forager by definition, if not entirely by trade. Foraging being what it is, Tom reluctantly earns the bulk of his living behind a desk like most Londoners. At weekends he runs guided foraging walks, and makes a range of foods and products using seasonal wild ingredients gathered within Greater London.
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Forage for victory
April 16, 2009
The competitive nature of the human spirit manifests itself everywhere it can- and foraging is no exception. This weekend, in Mytholmroyd West Yorkshire, the fiercely fought battle of the World Dock Pudding Championships is taking place. I doubt there’ll be many internationals flying in, but it’s a West Yorkshire dish so it makes sense that the cream of Dock Pudding makers would be found close by.
Dock pudding is a breakfast dish made from Dock leaves, onions and oatmeal. Here’s a recipe from www.calderdale-online.org
Traditional Recipe
Ingredients
2 lb fresh, sweet variety dock leaves (polygonum distorta)
2 large onions, or 2 large bunches of spring onions
½ lb nettles
A handful of oatmeal
A knob of butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Wash and clean the dock leaves and remove the stalks
Wash and clean the nettles
Chop the onions
Fry the vegetables in the butter until tender
Add the oatmeal and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring to prevent the mixture from sticking, the pudding is then ready for eating or for storing in a sealed container
I think this must be a vegetarian recipe, as I’ve seen elsewhere that it should be fried in bacon fat- but then again these sorts of things are always fiercely debated, with recipes hidden behind picture frames and buried in tins under trees (or maybe I’m too much of a fantasist). Anyway, if anyone is tempted to try it, it’s not the same dock you’d use to balm a nettle sting. It’s a different plant that grows mainly in the north of the country, but you could always use more nettles, or young burdock leaves (might be a little bitter though) or hogweed.
The Hawthorn blossoms have broken through. I’m making some wine and filming it this weekend, so my next blog may well be a Youtube link.
I’ll be doing some guided walks in May in places around South London, so let me know if you want to come along for a stroll and a snack.
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