Island Life Magazine Ltd February/March 2008 | Page 95

FOOD & DRINK

monthly
flavours
february/march

by Mark Young

life

seasonal produce
vegetable

Find out what you could and should be eating this
Brussel sprouts, cabbage, wintergreens,
leeks, kale, Swede, purple sprouting.

month and meet some of the producers

Chefs Table Talk

Some like it hot –
and smokey
The phrase has already been snapped up
elsewhere, but Julian Bagnell’s customers
confirm they can really taste the difference
between his smoked trout and any other.
“I use cherry wood to smoke the
trout, which gives a far milder taste
than oak, which is traditionally used
to smoke fish. It ensures the delicate
flavour of the fish isn’t overpowered.”
Julian, who with his wife Stephanie, has
run the Island Fish Farm since 1998, also
uses a low-salt brine in the process. “Salt
isn’t so essential as a preservative now we
all have refrigeration, so I’m able to make
this a far healthier product,” he says.
The whole fish is hot-smoked,
which results in an exceptionally
moist fish with a more subtle flavour
than the equivalent mackerel.
He uses this as the basis for his
pate, which has a remarkably light
texture, perfect for a snack on toast.
The secret is that rather than cream
cheese he uses Greek yogurt. “People
who don’t even like fish come and
buy a pot every week!” he laughs.
The latest product from the fish farm
is a citrus-coated smoked fillet, which,
together with his cook-it-at-home
recipe backs – a prepared fish with
a Thai sauce, say, or lemon and herb
butter – prove very popular at the
Farmer’s Market in Newport where, from
Easter, he will be back each Friday.
“The fish comes in a vacuum pack,
which makes it very easy to cook. Or you
can bake it in a foil parcel,” says Julian.
The Island Fish Farm, Muggleton
Lane, Limerstone. Tel 740941

Island Life - www.isleofwight.net

Purple sprouting, sometimes called
sprouting broccoli is an often underrated,
but in my opinion, superb vegetable
to accompany many winter dishes.
Simply trim the stems and steam
for a few minutes until tender.

fish
Cod, Pollack, skate, bass,
brown cock crab

Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s
“Chicken Out” campaign, part
of Channel 4’s “Great Food
Fight” week seems to have had
a massive impact on those that
tuned in. Massive overcrowding,
const