International Lifestyle Magazine Issue 49 | Page 29

Wo r d s : A l a n C o x o n CHERRIES AND MAD DOGS I am delighted to announce that at long last my new TV series “From Birmingham to Bombay” is being transmitted this month on Food network UK ( Freeview channel 48 and Sky 262 ), from the 19th – 23rd August at 12 noon. A book to accompany the series (part one of a set of 5) is also now available and comes as a download, or a hard copy ( print on demand) if you prefer and can be ordered via www.booksbyalancoxon.com Book one looks at the foods and ingredients from the Northern part of India, the Punjab and the city of Amritsar, home to the golden temple and the community kitchens that serve over 40,000 free meals to the poor every day!, needless to say there are some stunning photos that capture two of our most important elements “Food and Life” and it also takes you behind the scenes of filming the TV series itself. The experiences at the communal kitchen`s has stimulated me to offer a % of all profits from all 5 book`s to go towards food charities, as I feel no one should go hungry or starve in this day and age. When I look back, all of my cooking in India was on a BBQ In a variety of diverse locations, such as on the top of a hill overlooking the Tarj Mahal, on the golden sands awaiting the fishermen of Madras to land their catch or by the waterways of Kerala with a passing water buffalo. Recently my BBQ cooking experiences were extended to Extremadura in Spain where I had the pleasure of filming a promotional DVD for Picota cherries. The Jerte Valley is where it all happens during the summer months for over 1 million cherry trees contribute to 8.5 million kilos of Picota cherries that are all handpicked by nearly 15,000 people in the space of 6 weeks !. I was impressed to say the least. Picota basically means “Peaked” and relates to the shape of the cherry that has a peak towards the base of the fruit. It is the only cherry that is picked without a stork, something that was relatively detrimental to its very existence a few years ago , as consumers always wanted a cherry containing a stork due to them looking more attractive. Alas, efforts to save this cherry has been successful and it is now being sold throughout all the large supermarket groups across the UK. www.internationallifestylemagazine.com