#blocked drain bournemouth | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

kristablogs · 4 years

Text

Archaeologists and construction workers are teaming up to unearth historic relics

Workers exhume rows of graves near London’s Euston Station, the terminus of a new train line. (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images/)

Matthew Flinders is barely 40, but he looks 70. His once dark hair gleams white, his already slight frame skeletal. As a captain in the British Royal Navy, he’s survived shipwreck, imprisonment, and scurvy, but this kidney infection will do him in. Facing death, he finishes writing a book that will change the world as Europeans know it. Flinders completed the first circumnavigation of the “Terra Australis Incognita,” or “Unknown South Land,” in 1803. A decade later, he compiles his writings, maps, charts, and drawings of the rugged coasts, extensive reefs, fertile slopes, unusual wildlife, and other features of the faraway continent that he suggests naming “Australia.”

His wife places a copy of the freshly printed book, A Voyage to Terra Australis, in his hands as he lies unconscious in their central London home the day before his death in July 1814. Later, he’s interred at St. James’s burial ground, but within a few decades, the tombstone is missing. When the railways at nearby Euston Station expand in the mid-1800s, workers relocate, pave over, or strip graves. Lost in a subterranean terra incognita, the explorer might lie somewhere under track 12. Or 15. Or the garden that’s replaced the cemetery. No one knows.

Today, a bronze Flinders at the station entrance crouches over a map alongside his beloved cat Trim, who also made the trip around Australia. If the statue could lift its head, it would see commuters rushing across the plaza past construction barriers. The hub is expanding again, now as a new terminus of the huge HS2 high-speed rail project, which will connect the capital with points north.

This time, though, a team is carefully exhuming and documenting remains before the tunnel-boring, track-laying, and platform-building begins. They know that Flinders and an estimated 61,000 others were buried here between 1789 and 1853. But, with only 128 out-of-place headstones remaining, they don’t know who they’ll find.

Caroline Raynor, an archaeologist with the construction company Costain, leads the excavation. On a typically overcast day in January 2019, she oversees work beneath what she calls her “cathedral to archaeology,” a white bespoke tent so massive that it could house a Boeing 747. It shields a hard-hat-clad crew of more than 100—and the dead, sometimes stacked in columns of up to 10 as much as 27 feet deep.

Where the London clay is waterlogged and oxygenless, delicate materials survive. Clearing earth by hand and trowel over the course of a yearslong job, Raynor’s diggers uncover bodies wearing wooden prosthetics, as well as the Dickensian bonnets that used to hold the deads’ mouths closed. One man still sports blue slippers from Bombay. Even plants and flowers remain. “Some of them were still green,” Raynor says.

Suddenly, a crewmember runs over with news about a grave fairly near the surface. Very little of the coffin is intact—wood doesn’t fare well in the granular, free-draining topsoil—so there’s nothing to open. A lead breastplate rests atop a bare skeleton: “Capt. Matthew Flinders R.N. Died July 1814 Aged 40 Years.”

The discovery is one small chapter in the saga the HS2 project promises to tell. If the first stage of the $115 billion initiative is fully realized, the train will cut through ancient woodlands, suburbs, and cities along the 143 miles between Birmingham in the north and London in the south—though not before teams like Raynor’s uncover any underground treasures. “It looks like we’re finding archaeology from every phase of post-glacial history,” says Mike Court, the archaeologist overseeing the more than 60 planned digs for HS2 Ltd., the entity carrying out the rail initiative. “It’s going to give us an opportunity to have a complete story of the British landscape.”

With more than 1,000 scientists and conservators involved, the scale of HS2’s excavations is unprecedented in the UK, and perhaps all of Europe. However, it’s hardly an outlier. As development continues to tear through hidden civilizations across the continent, investigations like this are becoming common; in fact, they’re often required by legislation. While researchers once bored trenches exclusively on behalf of museums and universities, many now work on job sites. These commercial archaeologists dig up and analyze finds for private companies like the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA), a primary contractor on HS2. Because their work is tied to the pace and scale of building projects, their targets are quite random, and discoveries can be boom or bust. Sometimes they’ll unearth just a few graves during housing construction; other times they’ll turn up dizzying amounts of data on battlefields and cemeteries in the path of huge public works.

When efforts at Euston wrapped in December 2019, Raynor’s crew had uncovered some 25,000 of the boneyard’s residents, including ghosts like auction-house founder James Christie and sculptor Charles Rossi, whose caryatids watch over the nearby Crypt of St. Pancras Church. Gazing at the site from her makeshift office, Raynor marvels at the scope of the work still ahead: “It’s very difficult to dig a hole anywhere in the UK without finding something that directly relates to human history in these islands.”

More than 60 excavation sites dot the first phase of the HS2 rail project. (Violet Reed/)

Construction and archaeology weren’t always so close-knit. Through much of the 20th century, builders in the UK often haphazardly regarded artifacts and ruins. Sites were rescued only by the goodwill of developers or ad hoc government intervention.

The chance discovery of the Rose in the late 1980s spurred England to adopt new rules. Among the brothels, gaming dens, and bear-baiting arenas on the south bank of the River Thames, the Rose was one of the first theaters to stage the works of William Shakespeare, including the debut of Titus Andronicus. The construction team had the right to pave over it after only a partial excavation, and the government wasn’t eager to step in to fund a preservation.

Actors like Sir Ian McKellen, Dame Judi Dench, and Sir Laurence Olivier joined calls to save the 16th-century playhouse. At 81, Dame Peggy Ashcroft was on the front line blocking bulldozers. The builders wound up saving the theater, spending $17 million more than planned.

To avoid future conflicts, in 1990 the country adapted a “polluter pays” model for mitigating harm to cultural heritage. Now developers must research potential discoveries as part of their environmental-impact assessment, avoid damaging historic resources, and fund the excavation and conservation of significant sites and artifacts.

That tweak led to “vast changes” in the UK, says Timothy Darvill, an archaeologist at Bournemouth University in England. “Just the sheer number of projects that were undertaken increased manifoldly.” According to his research, thousands of digs occurred per year in Britain from 1990 to 2010, increasing tenfold from decades prior.

Other governments followed suit. Most European countries have signed the 1992 Valletta Convention, a treaty that codified the practice of preservation in the face of construction. Findings published by the European Archaeological Council in 2018 show that developers now lead as much as 90 percent of investigations on the continent.

Archaeologists have opportunities to uncover enormous swaths of history on sites that logistically and financially might have been inaccessible before—especially in the course of major civil-engineering initiatives. Infrastructure authorities have funded multimillion-dollar projects to turn up mass graves on Napoleonic battlefields in the path of an Austrian highway, and 2,000-year-old ruins under Rome during a subway expansion.

Before HS2 became Britain’s banner big dig, Crossrail was the nation’s largest such program. Beginning in 2009, efforts ahead of the 73-mile train line across London revealed thousands of gems at 40 sites: fragments of a medieval fishing vessel, Roman skulls, a Tudor-era bowling ball, and 3,000 skeletons at the graveyard of the notorious Bedlam mental asylum.

To carry out all this work, many nations have competitive commercial markets for research and excavation. MOLA, an offspring of the Museum of London, is one of the largest British firms, and HS2 is one of its major clients. Its field crew surfaces thousands of objects destined for cataloging by a team of staffers on the other side of town.

MOLA headquarters sits in an old wharf building on the edge of a canal in East London’s Islington borough. The ground-floor loading bay leads to a labyrinth of rooms of dusty 20-foot-high shelves packed with dirt-caked finds trucked in from the field. Pallets and containers full of architectural stones, pottery fragments, and tubes of sediment flank narrow aisles. Thanks to the glut of construction-backed excavations, spaces like these see a constant flow of goods demanding attention.

In a small office near the maze, a researcher holds a human skull. Alba Moyano Alcántara is a “processor,” using a paintbrush to dab away soil on the centuries-old cranium. Like a triage nurse, she’ll decide the next steps for these remains and other artifacts. Damp bones will dry slowly on racks in a warm room down the hall; pieces of metal get X-rayed to reveal their original forms.

Eventually, they’ll head upstairs, where MOLA’s specialists catalog the minute details of the finds. In an open-plan office, senior osteologists Niamh Carty and Elizabeth Knox inspect a pair of incomplete skeletons. Carty studies the top half of a young woman; Knox, the bottom half of a man. Truncated bodies are common in old boneyards, where new graves often cut into old ones. Confidentiality agreements with clients keep the researchers mum on the exact origin of the remains, but they offer that these are from a “post-medieval cemetery.” If it wasn’t St. James’s, it was a place like it.

The thousands of skeletons that pass through MOLA contribute to a database of London’s population-wide rates of pathology, injuries, and other bioarchaeological information from prehistory to the Victorian era. “Every skeleton we look at is adding to the bigger picture,” Carty says.

She lingers over a rotted-out tooth, which likely caused a painful abscess before this young woman died. Knox’s skeleton’s lower legs have an irregular curvature, perhaps a sign that he suffered from rickets in his youth; his spine has Schmorl’s nodes, little indentations on the vertebrae created by age or manual labor. “Archaeologists probably all have them,” Knox quips.

Sometimes a small sample can shed light on nationwide phenomena. The Crossrail dig uncovered a burial pit from the 17th-century Great Plague of London, which killed nearly one-quarter of the population. In teeth from that site, researchers discovered the DNA of the bacteria that caused the outbreak. Analysis of all the HS2 remains might one day reveal migration and disease patterns from the Middle Ages to the Industrial Revolution.

MOLA employees also gain insight from individual artifacts. Across the office, Owen Humphreys and Michael Marshall—so-called finds specialists—study uncommon relics weeded out from the pottery pieces, nails, animal bones, and other abundant objects destined for bulk inventorying. “I once likened our job to being the seagull in The Little Mermaid,” Humphreys says. “People bring us things, and we take a wild stab in the dark as to what they are—”

“—a very well-informed stab,” Marshall adds. He holds the wooden leg of a Roman couch found on the Thames waterfront, its paint still red nearly 2,000 years later. “You very rarely get things like this in Britain,” he says. “It’s lucky that we got an opportunity to find out a bit more about what people’s homes looked like.”

These inspections can help determine the objects’ fates. The Museum of London houses the world’s largest archaeological archive of more than 7 million items from more than 8,000 excavations awaiting further study, placement in a collection, or, in the case of the St. James’s bones, reburial. A precious few finds will earn spots on public display.

An archaeologist carefully cleans one of the thousands of bodies uncovered in St. James’s burial ground in London. (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images/)

Leather shoes, wooden combs, an amber carving of a gladiator’s helmet, and some 600 other Roman artifacts adorn the ground floor of Bloomberg LP’s new European headquarters in central London. The nine-story structure sits on the site of a 3rd-century Roman temple dedicated to the god Mithras. First discovered during construction of an office building in the 1950s, the Mithraeum suffered an infamously botched reconstruction deemed “virtually meaningless” by the site’s lead archaeologist.

After MOLA reexcavated in 2014 on behalf of Bloomberg, the developers had another shot to tell the temple’s story. Now visitors descend several flights of stairs into a darkened room. Light and mist create the illusion of complete walls extending from the stubby foundations of the subterranean temple. Footsteps and ominous Latin chanting piped in from the speakers crescendo, transforming this ruin into the site of secret cult rituals.

To be sure, many builders see archaeology as a compulsory, time-consuming, and expensive hurdle. There’s little publicly available information on the costs for these investigations, even for HS2, but according to the research of Bournemouth archaeologist Darvill, digging might add an extra several million dollars, depending on the scope of the plans. Still, the flashy new Mithraeum is evidence that some have found a symbiosis in using the past to try to make their projects more palatable to locals. Across the city in Shoreditch, a once-gritty East London neighborhood now synonymous with gentrification, the remains of a 16th-century Shakespearean playhouse called the Curtain Theatre will be incorporated into a new multipurpose development. According to the ad copy, the Stage will be an “iconic new showcase for luxury living,” and the “first World Heritage Site in East London.”

The archaeology story of HS2 will be too sprawling to fit neatly in a basement or lobby. It will take years to process and analyze all its finds. As of fall 2019, only the two biggest digs had finished: St. James’s and the excavation of another 6,500 graves from an Industrial Revolution-era cemetery at the Birmingham station.

HS2 archaeologists are now running test trenches to decide precisely which spots they’ll uncover in between. “Some of them are once-in-a-generation archaeological sites, and some are smaller, still interesting, but not large scale,” says project field lead Court. We already know that HS2 will cut through a mysterious prehistoric earthwork called Grim’s Ditch in the hills outside London, and farther north, a Roman town and a millennia-old demolished church. Researchers also hope to find traces from the Battle of Edgecote Moor, which broke out in Northamptonshire in 1469 during the Wars of the Roses.

The fate of HS2’s archaeological ambitions, however, is entangled with what has become an increasingly unpopular infrastructure project. Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered a review to determine whether the rail should be scrapped because of ballooning costs and delays. Critics argue that the benefits won’t outweigh the environmental disruption, the land seizures, and the financial burden to taxpayers. The community around Euston Station protested the construction, which gouged a green space, and leveled homes, offices, and hotels, displacing longtime residents who complained about shoddy compensation. The vicar of a nearby church even chained herself to a tree.

In such a controversial effort, any incidental cultural benefits are bound to conjure a degree of suspicion. “I’m fascinated by the stories that the dig at St. James’s Gardens is helping to bring to light,” says Brian Logan, the artistic director of the Camden People’s Theater, located at the doorstep of the site. “But I think you can be enthusiastic about archaeology while being a little skeptical of the purposes to which it’s being put.” In the first act of a 2019 performance that dealt with those issues, Logan knocked the project’s PR department for casting the rail as a bonanza for discovery: “Is archaeology really a profession we want to run on a bonanza basis?”

In the era of developer-led digging, that’s a question practitioners are reckoning with too. Costain archaeologist Raynor, whose focus now turns from St. James’s to the 15 miles of track leading out of Euston Station, would at least agree that her profession lacks sustainability. According to Darvill, half of archaeologists work in jobs tied to construction.

Bonanza-like conditions also create a gold rush of information—a blessing and a curse. With overstuffed basements, museums around the world face a storage crisis, and more digging might only compound the problem, especially now that archaeologists consider sites as recent as World War II worthy of study. Raynor sees the management of all that information as the bigger challenge—not just for scientific analysis, but also for public consumption. The excavation at St. James’s alone generated 3.5 terabytes of data. “It loses meaning if you don’t communicate it,” she says.

Luckily, communication is the easier piece of the puzzle. In Raynor’s experience, people viscerally react to pots, bowls, tools, and other bric-a-brac from the past. “As human beings, our wants, needs, and desires haven’t changed that much,” she says.

While the saga of HS2 is still being written, those small finds might resonate as much with the public as the discoveries of icons, like Matthew Flinders, whose life stories are embedded in the UK’s ever-changing stratigraphy. Flinders himself wouldn’t recognize Euston Station today, nor would he have thought he’d be an interesting scientific specimen. For better or worse, he helped chart a course through history, only to find himself in its path.

This story appears in the Spring 2020, Origins issue of Popular Science.

0 notes

scootoaster · 4 years

Text

Archaeologists and construction workers are teaming up to unearth historic relics

Workers exhume rows of graves near London’s Euston Station, the terminus of a new train line. (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images/)

More than 60 excavation sites dot the first phase of the HS2 rail project. (Violet Reed/)

An archaeologist carefully cleans one of the thousands of bodies uncovered in St. James’s burial ground in London. (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images/)

This story appears in the Spring 2020, Origins issue of Popular Science.

0 notes

sosplumbingdrainage · 2 months

Text

Impeded drains generally base via various widespread culprits. Built up sauces along with extra fat via preparing food could congeal within just pipe joints, generating Blocked Drain Bournemouth uncooperative blockades. Foodstuff debris, curly hair, cleansing soap scum, along with unusual physical objects in addition usually help with the challenge.

#Blocked Drain Bournemouth

0 notes

allriskflatinsurance · 5 years

Text

Fundamentals of Block Insurance for Flats You Must Know

The quote to block insurance for flats is the most important aspect you have to consider before subscribing to the policy. You have to present all the probable risks to the insurance company when they come for an inspection. If you miss out on any of the risks, the chances of cancelation will be very high. I am saying it from my personal experience a few years ago. Let me tell you what happened then.

Potential Water Leaking Risk – an Untold Story

The building I owned at that time had five flats. The building was located very close to an old lake that used to get water during rainy seasons. When I got the block of flats insurance policy the lake was dry. During rains, the water would cause frequent inundation into the basement of my building. And I had made no arrangements for the floodwater drainage system.

The insurance inspectors might have also ignored the fact when they came in for inspection. So, I got the insurance approved and started paying the premium. The real problems started during the next rainy season.

The basement of my building got flooded as usual with the lake water. Unfortunately, it resulted in the sinking of the left section of my building. It was as though the building had inclined to an angle from the horizontal ground.

I applied for the claim and the inspection team came for assessment. Then they observed the lake and the missing flood drains in my building. They created a hue and cry. The company refused to pay the claims. I tried many legal procedures but all of them backfired. Then I realized my mistake.

Accurate Information – Vital Element for Hassle-Free Insurance

Make sure that you have submitted all the relevant details of your building, personal details, and the potential risks top your block of flats insurance Birmingham Company. The companies in the block of flats insurance Bournemouth have a transparent system that can accommodate the most suitable plan for you.

Read the policy application in detail and understand every parameter clearly. It gives you a clear picture of what you are going to subscribe to and how you have to approach the company during claims.

Fill in all the mandatory data accurately and correctly. The channel of communication you choose plays an important role in maintaining a friendly relation with the insurance company. Attach all the mandatory documents (if required).

Once you have sent an online application, you may have to wait for the inspection. Once they give the clearance you may have to visit their office with all the original documents and papers. Verification and assessment may take a few hours before you get the approval.

Premium Payments – Make Sure You are Punctual

Prompt payment of premium and other payables is very important to ensure a smooth claim. Maintenance of your building is the next critical element that ensures risk-free clearance of claims on time.

Conclusion

The block insurance for flats is the most beneficial plan which can get you the simplest procedure for claims. Make sure you have chosen the right company that is friendly and professional.

#blocks of flats insurance

0 notes

starrnews-blog · 6 years

Text

Clearall Drains - Blocked Drains Bournemouth | Drain Services Poole | Drain Unblocking Christchurch

Clearall Drains – Blocked Drains Bournemouth | Drain Services Poole | Drain Unblocking Christchurch

Clearall Drains are local Drain Services Poole based specialists who have years of experience offering professional and affordable drain solutions to domestic and commercial customers in Poole and across the surrounding areas

View On WordPress

0 notes

emergencyservicesseo3 · 5 years

Photo

Blocked Drains Bournemouth

Sometimes, blocked drains can be frustrating. At Blocked Drains Bournemouth can make it hard to continue living in your house comfortably because you can’t get rid of waste efficiently. Most of the time, clogged drains are a result of either poor installation, grease, hair, toys, or rugs.

#plumber service #drainage blockage #drainage plumber #drainage plumber near me #blocked drains bournemouth

0 notes

spytoad27-blog · 6 years

Text

When To Phone A Blocked Drain Plumber

From a minimal trouble to a major nightmare, drain blockages surely can lead to everything. Of program, neither of which is welcome, most specifically during the getaway time. It is for this really explanation that you should know the symptoms of trouble. And when you notice the initial signal, you require to call in a pro to have it fixed before it gets worst. Blockages can in fact come in various forms and occur at distinct places of your plumbing. But do you know when to get in touch with a blocked drain plumber? Expert shared some of the troubles that necessitate the help of these kinds of specialist. Diverse Troubles That A Blocked Drain Plumber Addresses Blocked Sink Drain - Lavatory and kitchen area sinks usually get their drains blocked. All sorts of factors typically manage their way down the drain. Worse, they are unsuccessful to very clear their way through. Possibly, you currently have encountered some type of blockages before and most most likely, you made a decision to deal with it yourself. Be aware that this is not recommended. Your ideal go is to get assist from the experts as they are educated and expert sufficient to offer any blockages. Heading for the Do it yourself route could trigger more damage than good. Clogged Stormwater Drains - These difficulties typically manifest appropriate right after hefty rains. Stormwater drains are meant to handle bigger volumes of water nevertheless, if there is a blockage, assume that you will be enduring numerous troubles in your house. These incorporate puddles around your home, water coming out from the downpipes, weird noises from drains, and pooled h2o at area grates. Blocked blocked drains bournemouth - This is extremely challenging to deal with. Most importantly, this is the most uncomfortable situation to handle. Hence, you have to deal with this as an crisis problem and make contact with a blocked drain plumber immediately. He certainly understands how to offer with the dilemma correct absent. To avert the situation from turning out to be worse, you should stay away from flushing as this is the speediest way of producing almost everything more disgusting. Clogged Sewer - The common offender of this concern is tree roots. However it is fairly simple to discover the issue, it is a bit challenging for you to pinpoint where the blockage is. To effectively take care of this situation, specific tools and products are required. These incorporate a sewer jetter, a drain digital camera, and a hydraulic root cutter.

0 notes

tebbyclinic11 · 7 years

Text

Home-grown harvest: Chicory | The Caterer

New Post has been published on http://kitchengadgetsreviews.com/home-grown-harvest-chicory-the-caterer/

Home-grown harvest: Chicory | The Caterer

amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "c8415-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "Shop Related Products"; amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "cooking"; amzn_assoc_default_category = "Kitchen"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "51fe4d035c7af8dc5928e6f5e5b79c4e"; amzn_assoc_default_browse_node = "284507"; amzn_assoc_rows = "4"; amzn_assoc_design = "text_links";

A chef’s craft is all about balancing flavours, and the bitterness of chicory can play a part in a well-rounded recipe, says Russell Brown.

Modern science has shown that around 25% of the population are “super tasters”: people who have a double copy of a gene that makes them more responsive to bitter tastes. It is therefore no wonder that bitter leaves, such as chicory, can prove unpopular. Toxic items are generally bitter and our sense of taste and smell has evolved to protect us from consuming dangerous things. But conversely, as a species, we accept a degree of risk and, as such, have discovered a wider range of foods that are safe to eat – something that has contributed to the success of the human race.

Combine the genetics with a general move towards sweeter food and it makes vegetables and leaves that fall into the bitter spectrum a tough sell. Many plant breeders and growers are breeding out bitter flavours in food – the prevalence of the pink grapefruit as opposed to yellow is a case in point. On the other hand, where drinks are concerned, we actively seek out bitter tastes, and double-hopped IPAs, coffee and cocktails such as the Negroni are all hugely popular.

Generally, this aversion to bitter foods is an Anglo-Saxon trait. In Italy especially, bitter flavours are an intrinsic and popular part of the cuisine. Think aperitifs, a radicchio salad with walnuts, roast duck with cime di rapa, a bergamot pudding or a double espresso.

Forcing and blanching are two growing techniques that have evolved to reduce the bitterness in plants. Dandelion, for example, is often blanched by covering it with terracotta pots on a small scale or black polythene on a commercial basis. Rhubarb and chicory – also known as witloof or endive – are forced, which is somewhat different. For chicory, the plant is field-grown initially and forms a parsnip-like root with a very leafy top. The roots are lifted and the tops trimmed before moving to cold storage. Once this cycle is complete, the roots are moved to forcing sheds where the warmer temperature starts the new shoot, known as a chicon, growing. As with rhubarb, this is done in near darkness to prevent the head colouring and developing those bitter flavours. It takes around 21 days for the heads to reach a harvestable size, and for wholesale they are often wrapped in blue paper to block out the light.

The main UK grower is a company called DGM Growers in Lincolnshire and its produce is available from a number of UK supermarkets and wholesalers. The crop is available all year round, but it has particular relevance to the chef in winter when few other British leaves are available. The main season is considered to be November to April.

Balancing flavours is all part of the chef’s craft, and bitterness plays a hugely important part in the success of a dish. It often cleanses the palate and balances both sweetness and richness. Chicory is certainly versatile and it can be cooked or can be served raw. Thinly sliced it can be cooked down into a marmalade; it can also be braised or caramelised and it cooks well sous vide. Josh Eggleton, chef-proprietor at the Pony & Trap in Chew Magna, Bristol, uses soy sauce and orange juice to braise chicory, and José Pizarro in London pairs chicory with breaded goats’ cheese and clementines in a winter salad. Matt Budden, executive chef at Schpoons & Forx in Bournemouth, serves a salad of duck confit with both red and white chicory, watercress, Roquefort and a mustard dressing.

Buying and storage tips

The key thing with chicory is to keep it refrigerated and in the dark.

Heads should be firm and crisp.

Avoid heads that are turning green or brown.

Market report

Italy, Holland and Belgium are the biggest suppliers of chicory, and it is available all year round. Dutch chicory is the most popular as it is better value for money; Belgian chicory is higher in quality but is a lot smaller and usually more expensive.

Yellow chicory is always cheaper than red as there is a lot more yellow leaf around. Chefs should look to pay around £2-£2.50 per kilo for yellow; the price of red, on the other hand, can change on a daily basis. For example, in the middle of December red chicory costs around £3.60 per kilo, but in January it can reach up to £10.30 a kilo.

Ashley Clemence, Total Produce http://totalproducelocal.co.uk

Roast breast of duck with caramelised chicory and charred clementines

Serves 6

For the sauce 2 banana shallots, finely sliced 1 clove garlic, crushed 50ml olive oil 200ml cider 100ml orange juice 4 sprigs thyme 1 litre duck or chicken stock Cornflour, to thicken

For the chicory 6 chicory, halved and core cut away 2tbs honey 200ml chicken stock 50g butter Lemon juice, to taste Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the duck 6 duck breasts Maldon sea salt

To serve 3 clementines, skin removed, halved and charred on the cut surface

Start by making the sauce. Sweat off the shallots and garlic in the olive oil until tender and then increase the heat to caramelise lightly. Add the cider, orange juice and thyme and reduce to a syrup. Add the stock and reduce by around three-quarters. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Thicken with the cornflour to give a light sauce consistency. Pass into a clean pan, pushing down well on the solids.

Drizzle the cut surface of the chicory with the honey and season well. Place it cut-side down into a hot, dry non-stick pan to caramelise the surface. Add the stock and butter along with a squeeze of lemon juice, turn the chicory over and baste well. Cover with parchment or a butter paper and transfer to a 180°C oven and cook for six to eight minutes, basting occasionally.

Score the duck skin in a diamond pattern without cutting into the flesh. Season the skin with Maldon salt and place skin-side down in a medium-hot pan. Cook until the skin begins to colour and the fat starts to render. Season the flesh side and turn over, cook for one minute to seal the meat and flatten out the breast. Return to the skin side and drain any excess fat. Cook until the skin is golden and beginning to crisp. Transfer to the oven for three to four minutes until done. Remove to rest skin-side up.

To serve, slice the duck breasts lengthwise and place on the plate cut-side up. Lay the chicory piece to one side and the charred clementine to the other. Drizzle over a little sauce to finish.

Spaghetti with chicory, apple and pancetta

Serves 4

400g good-quality, dried spaghetti Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 150g pancetta lardons 1 clove garlic, finely sliced 200ml vegetable stock 1 large crisp apple, peeled and cut into small batons 1 head of red chicory, finely sliced Lemon juice, to taste 50g Parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve

Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add salt and then cook the pasta for eight to 10 minutes until it is al dente.

In the meantime, cook the pancetta lardons in a heavy sauté pan until golden and the fat has rendered. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute. Add the stock and allow to reduce by half. Once cooked, add the lightly drained pasta, making sure to reserve the cooking water. Toss the pasta with the sauce and allow to cook together for one minute. Add the apple and chicory and cook until the chicory is just wilted. Adjust the seasoning and add lemon juice to taste. Remove from the heat and stir in the 50g of Parmesan with a little of the pasta cooking water to create a creamy sauce.

Divide between bowls and serve with extra grated Parmesan.

amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; amzn_assoc_search_bar_position = "bottom"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "c8415-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "Shop Related Products"; amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "cookware"; amzn_assoc_default_category = "All"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "b45319dac495d29e17b5eff312392025"; Source link

0 notes

culinaryinquisitor-blog · 7 years

Text

Home-grown harvest: Chicory | The Caterer

New Post has been published on https://culinaryinquisitor.com/home-grown-harvest-chicory-the-caterer/

Home-grown harvest: Chicory | The Caterer

amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "wasto77-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "Shop Related Products"; amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "cooking"; amzn_assoc_default_category = "Kitchen"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "51fe4d035c7af8dc5928e6f5e5b79c4e"; amzn_assoc_default_browse_node = "284507"; amzn_assoc_rows = "4"; amzn_assoc_design = "text_links";

A chef’s craft is all about balancing flavours, and the bitterness of chicory can play a part in a well-rounded recipe, says Russell Brown.

Buying and storage tips

The key thing with chicory is to keep it refrigerated and in the dark.

Heads should be firm and crisp.

Avoid heads that are turning green or brown.

Market report

Ashley Clemence, Total Produce http://totalproducelocal.co.uk

Roast breast of duck with caramelised chicory and charred clementines

Serves 6

For the sauce 2 banana shallots, finely sliced 1 clove garlic, crushed 50ml olive oil 200ml cider 100ml orange juice 4 sprigs thyme 1 litre duck or chicken stock Cornflour, to thicken

For the chicory 6 chicory, halved and core cut away 2tbs honey 200ml chicken stock 50g butter Lemon juice, to taste Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the duck 6 duck breasts Maldon sea salt

To serve 3 clementines, skin removed, halved and charred on the cut surface

To serve, slice the duck breasts lengthwise and place on the plate cut-side up. Lay the chicory piece to one side and the charred clementine to the other. Drizzle over a little sauce to finish.

Spaghetti with chicory, apple and pancetta

Serves 4

Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add salt and then cook the pasta for eight to 10 minutes until it is al dente.

Divide between bowls and serve with extra grated Parmesan.

amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; amzn_assoc_search_bar_position = "bottom"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "wasto77-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "Shop Related Products"; amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "cookware"; amzn_assoc_default_category = "All"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "b45319dac495d29e17b5eff312392025"; Source link

0 notes