THANKS to its rich soil and temperate climate, everything grows with abandon on this little garden island, marooned in the English Channel a few miles from the French coastline. Hatched by hedgerows and parcelled up into an orderly patchwork of fields, this is an island where food is more than a staple: it’s a way of life. Many of the island’s farms are centuries old.
‘Guernsey’s history is essentially a tale of farming and fishing,’ explains Sara Lampitt, who works for the National Trust of Guernsey and helps organise the island’s biggest food celebration, Lé Viaër Marchi, held once a year in the parish of Castel. ‘That’s not really surprising—we are an island, after all. Most Guernsey recipes are connected with the land or the sea. And you can’t even begin to discuss the island’s food without starting with bean jar.’
A hearty meat, bean and veg cassoulet, bean jar is the nearest thing Guernsey has to a national dish. Cheap and filling, it’s a classic example of cucina povera (peasant cooking): the ideal fare for working folk to eat after a long day in the fields or on the boats. Customarily, it’s accompanied by a Guernsey biscuit, a flat, yeasty bread roll, ideal for soaking up sauce. The beauty of a one-pot stew such as this, Ms Lampitt explains, is that it could incorporate whatever leftovers people had to hand—from old vegetables to scraps of meat—and it required little time or effort to make.
‘In the old days, when most people didn’t have their own ovens, they would drop their bean jar off at the bakery, where it would cook slowly throughout the day—and they picked it up on the way home from work.’
Denne historien er fra August 16, 2023-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra August 16, 2023-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery