We were contacted by a lovely lady from Friends of the Earth, who told us about the BBC’s urban chef, Oliver Rowe who teamed up with Johnny Borrell, lead singer of Razorlight to cook up a low carbon meal as part of a Friends of the Earth day to highlight the solutions to climate change. Oliver’s restaurant Konstam, sources most of its food from within Greater London, cutting down on food miles. The day was organised in support of The Big Ask, Friends of the Earths climate campaign.

Food that can be grown in the UK is often shipped in from around the world; travelling miles from producer to plate by air and sea, creating massive carbon emissions. By introducing a strong climate change law the Government could make it easier and cheaper for everyone to reduce their carbon footprint by eating more locally produced, seasonal food.

Ninety two per cent of all fresh produce used at Konstam, near Kings Cross in London, comes from within 16 miles of the restaurant. Fresh milk and eggs come from Spitalfields City Farm; honey from rooftops of London tower blocks; mushrooms from underneath the North Circular. While Konstam’s bread is made from wheat grown in Dartford and Barnet, milled in Ponders End and the bread is then baked in Wandsworth.

Johnny’s menu at the restaurant included ham, pea and mint soup followed by seared Mersea mackerel and bacon spring salad with horseradish and beetroot or broad bean pirogis with herb salad, bread crumbs and crème-fraiche.

Grilled mackerel, bacon, barley & spring salad with horseradish sauce

For 4 people:

Salad

1 cup of barley

6 slices of un-smoked streaky bacon

2 fresh green onions

6 radishes

8 spears of asparagus, lightly blanched

A handful of peas, also lightly blanched

Cold-pressed rapeseed or extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 Lemon

1 sprig each of parsley, chervil, chives and dill

4 mackerel fillets

Horseradish sauce

60g freshly grated horseradish

130 double cream

½ tbsp wholegrain mustard

3 tsp red wine vinegar

Salt & pepper

Rinse the barley, and place it in a saucepan with plenty of water, add a teaspoon of table salt and bring to the boil, reduce the heat so that the water is simmering nicely and cook until the barley is tender but not soft. The texture of the barley is one of the key elements of this plate - a little resistance to the tooth but no bite.

To make the horseradish sauce, lightly whip the cream until it starts to really thicken up. Gently stir in all the other ingredients and season. Place in the fridge. (Depending on how much horseradish sauce you like there may be some left over, but don’t worry it should keep in the fridge for a day or two and goes really well with a whole range of things.)

I have heard of Oliver and Konstam, I really like his principles and his commitment for reducing food miles.Thanks so much Anna for the article and the recipes!

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