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#WFOOD

There is always an emphasis on healthy eating in the new year, but you can skip the juice fasts and tasteless cabbage soup diets in 2016

and indulge in a quirky, flavoursome and nutritious trend that’s sweeping the country: fermentation.Fermented foods have been in existence for thousands of years, but the natural process is now firmly back on the cool list. Only recently are we rediscovering these health-giving food and drinks in Western culture.For nine thousand years people have traditionally used fermentation to preserve food and create flavour, and we still use it day to day - bread, yogurt and wine, for example, all go through a fermentation stage on their road to scrumptiousness. What’s new about the current crop of ferments though is that we’re beginning to realise the health benefits.

“In very simple terms fermentation is a magical naturally occurring process that transforms ingredients, both preserving them and enhancing their flavour and nutritional content,” says award-winning food writer and chef Charlotte Pike. “As fermented foods are highly rich in probiotics, they are very good for improving gut health, which can help with overall health and well-being, brain health, immunity and more.”Charlotte will be running an exciting new course at Bath’s Demuths Vegetarian Cookery School – owned by renowned vegetarian chef Rachel Demuth – in February. During the course, she will offer people the chance to find out more about the world of fermentation and will present recipes from her new cookbook, Fermented: A Beginner’s Guide to Making Your Own Sourdough, Yogurt, Sauerkraut, Kefir, Kimchi and More.“There is a very broad range of fermented food

and drinks from all over the world, and they all have their own flavours and characteristics,” says the author whose book has been shortlisted for the prestigious André Simon Award. “By experimenting with fermentation, you are opening yourself up to a wide range of new and interesting flavours, ingredients and cuisines.“It’s very easy to do at home,” she adds. “All you need are some glass jars, muslin, some string, and a couple of bowls, jugs and sieves. “You might be likely to have some of these items already and none are hard to find or expensive to acquire.”During the class at Demuths, participants will learn how to get started with fermenting at home and there will be a mixture of hands-on cooking and demonstrations with recipes such as homemade yoghurt and labneh, sourdough breads, fermented drinks, cooking with black beans, tempeh and miso, dosa pancakes, sauerkraut and kimchi.

AwArd-winning food writer And chef Charlotte Pike is coming to BAth’s demuths cookery school in feBruAry to shAre her expertise on the mAgic of fermentAtion. she gives us An insight into why fermented foods Are Being hAiled As the new superfoods And shAres one of her fAvourite recipes with us.

The magic of fermentation

“Kimchi is an essential component of Korean cuisine and is served with almost every meal,” says Charlotte. “My recipe is a slightly sweet, tangy and vibrantly flavoured, crunchy textured kimchi.”

Ingredients825g white cabbage, sliced50g ginger, peeled and grated6 cloves garlic, finely chopped50g red chilies, sliced thinly3 carrots, peeled and grated1 bunch spring onions, thinly sliced400ml fish sauce65g palm sugarJuice and zest of 2 limes200ml filtered water

MethodMix the cabbage, ginger, garlic, chilies, carrot and spring onions in a large jar.Stir in the fish sauce, sugar, lime zest and juice and water. Press down any vegetables which may be poking out of the liquid – they need to be covered.Leave to ferment for at least a week before eating.

kimchi recipe to try

Charlotte Pike’s fermentation Class takes PlaCe on february 7, 2016, at Demuths Cookery sChool on terraCe Walk. to book, visit WWW.Demuths.Co.uk

images from fermenteD by Charlotte Pike, PublisheD by kyle books

milk kefir

tempeh

blackberry vinegar

above, kimchi and, below, preserved lemons

rumtopf

raspberry lemon yogurt loaf cake

Charlotte Pike