Country Kitchen
Country Kitchen is not the most attractive magazine on the shelf. The first time I saw it in my local Waitrose, I thought it was a small distribution fanzine. That said, it actually has far more substance, ingredient information and down home recipes than some other current UK food publications.
The photography and printing are obviously produced on a budget as I suppose is standard for an independently produced magazine. Hopefully in time as it grows in stature, Country Kitchen will take on the slickly produced finish that it deserves.
Country Kitchen is aimed at the non-city dweller and people who have access to seasonal produce, game and so forth. However, they have a monthly series called Foraging Around the M25. This month, there is an interesting article about mushroom hunting, in particular Morels. It is fascinating to read about the hidden gems, just peeking out from behind the constant flow of traffic on our motorways.
With February and March being the leanest months, produce wise, there is an interesting article on Store Cupboard foods, with some deliciously cosy meals utilising dried pulses, some traditional uses for milk (and a cry for us to start usi
ng the milkman again) and a wonderful article on the Kyle of Tongue Oysters.
In fact, unlike its glossier and burlier shelf buddies, Olive, Good Food (both popular BBC publications) and Delicious (from heavyweight publishers, Seven), every page has something worth reading, it is not cluttered up with advertisements and the relative anonymity of its journalists make it feel more like the food takes centre stage (although, it does cite Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Mary Berry, Paul Rankin and James Martin as contributors to the magazine).
The writing is friendly and ingredients all sourceable within this country. There is nothing in the magazine that I feel I, as an amateur home cook, couldn’t prepare with ease and enjoyment. I recently cooked Februarys cover dish, the Love Apple Tart, with great success.
What I find most charming about Country Kitchen is that it feels like an approachable magazine. There are no expensive restaurants reviewed and the food doesn’t look like it was arranged by a highly paid food stylist.
Of course, for the time being, this will work for and against the magazine, but if it continues to grow with such dogged determination, alongside achievable recipes and its slant towards homegrown organic produce (surely the culinary keywords for this millennium), it will soon receive the readership it deserves.
