The idea of this blog is to share ideas for using hand-made pots to serve good food.

Eating with friends and family is one of life’s greatest pleasures. I hope to show how the warmth and character of hand made ceramics can really enhance the pleasure of cooking, serving and eating food.

This blog will include pots from other potters as well as my own and recipes for the food which I enjoy, hoping that you will like it too.

Tuesday 30 October 2012

Mushrooms in Italy




As promised on my previous post, here are some Italian mushrooms.



I went on holiday to visit my son, Ben, who is farming in Italy.  When I arrived at the small town of Borgo val di Taro, near where he lives, there was a mushroom festival going on.  The streets were lined with stalls selling mushrooms and other local produce.  The man in the picture above is selling mushroom driers, an essential piece of kitchen equipment in the area, so you can keep all those lovely porcini to use through the winter.



I took a present of one of my oven dishes and was pleased to see that it felt very much at home in this lovely old farmhouse kitchen.   We took one of those baskets out to the woods near the house and came back with enough porcini for a delicious feast.  Iris also found a huge parasol mushroom which she dusted with flour and fried whole.



As you can see, it took up the whole pan!

No wonder that so many of the recipes in my new Pots and Food Calendar include mushrooms after that kind of inspiration.






Sunday 28 October 2012

Pots and Food Calendar 2013





Firstly, I must apologise for the long gap between posts.  It has been a very busy summer, mainly in the studio, though I did manage a trip to Italy, arriving in the mushroom season, which was great.

Last week was very much focussed on pots and food, as I did a photo shoot for a calendar for next year.  The calendar features a different dish, with recipes, for each month, presented on a selection of my pots.  Some of the recipes have already featured on this blog, but the images are all new.







I was lucky enough to be able to work with the photographer, Jose Lasheras, to create a series of mouth-watering shots. We had help from a food stylist, Alison Clarkson, who assisted us to make the most of each dish.  It was hard work, but a lot of fun, doing the photo-shoot, and my daughter, Hana has done a great job with the artwork, putting it all together.

It has certainly helped with my own Christmas present list, as the calendars come cellophane wrapped with their own envelope, so very easy to send to friends here and abroad.
I am selling the calendars (Size 30 x 30 cms) for £9.95 through the Devon Guild of Craftsmen and my showroom here at The Studio.  I am also making a special offer to people like you, who follow my blog - for £8.00 - including postage and packing, for customers in the UK.

If you would like to order one (or more!) just email me at psimpson@thestudiopots.fsnet.co.uk , giving me details of where to send it and send me a cheque, made payable to Penny Simpson, at The Studio, 44a Court Street, Moretonhampstead, Devon TQ13 8LG.

The images shown here are a summer recipe for a spanish Tortilla - approved of by the photographer, who is Spanish! 
Also a mushroom risotto.

Talking of mushrooms, I will post about the Italian mushrooms I met on holiday next.  Promise not to leave it so long between posts this time.