It’ll come as no surprise to learn that Pork Belly collects cookbooks.
Not the glossy, high on style, low on substance coffee-table extravaganzas. He prefers the smaller, quirky and more unusual ones that very soon become well-thumbed, sticky and stained.
And when he’s in recipe-testing mode he’s just as likely to have print outs from the internet, snippets from magazines, the backs of packets and hand scribbled notes covering the table.
In short he’ll seek inspiration from anywhere.
One thing he does like, is fresh, local produce. Which makes the Brighton and Sussex Cook Book right up his street.
Featuring 25 recipes from independent cafés, restaurants, delis and patisseries it tells the stories behind the dishes.
And the recipes aren’t the usual run-of-the-mill offerings.
Experts in charge
Ethical supermarket hiSbe share their cauliflower steak with mushroom risotto, a vegan dish created for them by Brighton’s zero-waste restaurant Silo.
Pallant of Arundel offers a light lunch recipe for local goats cheese and tomatoes on sourdough toast.
Slake Spirits from Shoreham has a scintillating gin cocktail in partnership with Vitality Hemp.
Tom Martin-Wells, Slake’s distiller, says: “Hemp is an amazing plant – a green chemical factory producing hundreds of volatile organic compounds which give a whole range of flavours. It makes an interesting aromatic botanical, a particularly good cocktail ingredient and a striking garnish too.”
The Dragon – a colourful character who presides over the bar at Marwoods Coffee House in The Lanes – shares his Lemon BonBon cocktail recipe.
Presuming Ed proffers a decadent gluten-free peach bellini cake.
Harry Petrakas of Marwoods says they’re super happy with the way the book has turned out.
“In a world full of disposables leaflets and social media ad campaigns, being part of a good old fashioned cook book, with some great recipes from local businesses, seemed like a great idea.”
Former MasterChef:The Professionals winner Steven Edwards says he too is excited to be involved.
“To be surrounded by such amazing produce and be part of a dynamic food scene makes me very proud.”
His recipe for sea trout and cucumber sorbet requires an ice-cream maker, blowtorch and vacpac so probably not one to recreate at home but stunningly beautiful.
Most of the other recipes are very straightforward and easy to follow, so the book will appeal to experts and beginners alike and it’s packed with pictures to spark ideas for places to visit as well.
About the Brighton and Sussex Cook Book
The Brighton and Sussex Cook Book costs £14.95 and is the 24th in the “Get Stuck In” series of regional cookbooks from Meze Publishing.
Most of the contributors have copies for sale at their outlets, you can find it in Waterstones and other bookshops or you can order online from Amazon here.
Where to next?
• GBBO winner Sophie Faldo
• Bakewell pudding history
• A taste of chocolate history