Island of plenty
Country Life UK|August 16, 2023
From crustaceans, scallops and shellfish to its legendary milk and cream, Guernsey has long been famous for the quality–and abundance– of its produce, reveals Oliver Berry
Oliver Berry
Island of plenty

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.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

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.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA COUNTRY LIFE UKSe alt
Tales as old as time
Country Life UK

Tales as old as time

By appointing writers-in-residence to landscape locations, the National Trust is hoping to spark in us a new engagement with our ancient surroundings, finds Richard Smyth

time-read
2 mins  |
November 13, 2024
Do the active farmer test
Country Life UK

Do the active farmer test

Farming is a profession, not a lifestyle choice’ and, therefore, the Budget is unfair

time-read
3 mins  |
November 13, 2024
Night Thoughts by Howard Hodgkin
Country Life UK

Night Thoughts by Howard Hodgkin

Charlotte Mullins comments on Moght Thoughts

time-read
2 mins  |
November 13, 2024
SOS: save our wild salmon
Country Life UK

SOS: save our wild salmon

Jane Wheatley examines the dire situation facing the king of fish

time-read
3 mins  |
November 13, 2024
Into the deep
Country Life UK

Into the deep

Beneath the crystal-clear, alien world of water lie the great piscean survivors of the Ice Age. The Lake District is a fish-spotter's paradise, reports John Lewis-Stempel

time-read
4 mins  |
November 13, 2024
It's alive!
Country Life UK

It's alive!

Living, burping and bubbling fermented masses of flour, yeast and water that spawn countless loaves—Emma Hughes charts the rise and rise) of sourdough starters

time-read
4 mins  |
November 13, 2024
There's orange gold in them thar fields
Country Life UK

There's orange gold in them thar fields

A kitchen staple that is easily taken for granted, the carrot is actually an incredibly tricky customer to cultivate that could reduce a grown man to tears, says Sarah Todd

time-read
3 mins  |
November 13, 2024
True blues
Country Life UK

True blues

I HAVE been planting English bluebells. They grow in their millions in the beechwoods that surround us—but not in our own garden. They are, however, a protected species. The law is clear and uncompromising: ‘It is illegal to dig up bluebells or their bulbs from the wild, or to trade or sell wild bluebell bulbs and seeds.’ I have, therefore, had to buy them from a respectable bulb-merchant.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 13, 2024
Oh so hip
Country Life UK

Oh so hip

Stay the hand that itches to deadhead spent roses and you can enjoy their glittering fruits instead, writes John Hoyland

time-read
4 mins  |
November 13, 2024
A best kept secret
Country Life UK

A best kept secret

Oft-forgotten Rutland, England's smallest county, is a 'Notswold' haven deserving of more attention, finds Nicola Venning

time-read
3 mins  |
November 13, 2024