Whitstable Oysters and Bruschetta with Artichokes, Olives and Mixed Peppers

Whitstable Oysters

and

Bruschetta with Artichokes, Olives and Mixed Peppers

Bruschetta with Artichokes, Olives and Mixed Peppers

Whitstable Harbour in Kent, England where the annual Oyster Festival is held in July

Bruschetta with Artichokes, Olives and Mixed Peppers

~ Monday 25th July 2011 ~

St Christopher’s Day & St James’s Day

Whitstable Oyster Festival ~ Kent, England (23rd July ~ 29th July 2011)

Ebernoe Horn Fair ~ Sussex, England

Buy your Oysters here! (Photo by ricard67 on Flickr)

~ Lundi 25 Juillet 2011~

St Jacques le Mai

Today marks the beginning of the Wakes, Feasts, Fairs, Festivals and Revels season in Jolly Olde England! Late July leading into August is the traditional time for merriment and jolly japes for the hard working factory workers, as well as agricultural workers ~ a time for Sunday School picnics and general “al fresco” eating events! One of the best known and busiest festivals, is the Whitstable Oyster Festival in Kent, England. The festival runs from the 23rd to the 29th July this year and there are a vast array of events, exhibitions, oyster and seafood tasting and starts off with the “blessing of the waters” ~ today this is organised today by “Association of Men of Kent and Kentish Men”.

A plate of Whitstable Oysters

Today’s oyster festival was reintroduced when the local oyster industry, almost wiped out in the 1920s by a combination of disease and overfishing, was revived in the 1980s. It is best described as a modern evolution of the older ‘Holy Day’ festivals, being a mixture of arts, family events, and food and drink, with some contests thrown in, but it does not include any water-based games or contests. By the end of the 18th century these had evolved separately into a series of events that became known as the Whitstable Regatta. Originally composed of of yawl, rowing and swimming races, the Regatta is still continued in the town today. Like the Oyster Festival this too has evolved and no longer includes ’walking the greasy pole’ or ‘millers and sweeps’, (where the occupants of two small boats fought each other with soot and flour! before blowing up a ship provided by the Whitstable Salvage Company) but it is still a great day out and a good reason to visit Whitstable again.

(Information from the official website of the 2011 Whitstable Oyster Festival)


An old boat ~ retired now! (Photo by Kev_Bite on Flickr)

Another mysterious and old event is the Ebernoe Horn Fair in Sussex, England; The horn fair is a centuries old that was revived in Ebernoe in 1864. The current festivities surround a cricket match between the Ebernoe team and that of a nearby village. The highest scoring batsman receives a pair of horns taken from a sheep that the villages had been roasting throughout the day. Well, pass me a slice of roast lamb!! There is even a Horn Fair song associated with this Fair:

Horn Fair Song

As I was a-walking one fine summer morn,
So soft was the wind and the waves on the corn.
I met a pretty damsel upon a grey mare,
And she was a-riding upon a grey mare.

“Now take me up behind you fair maid for to ride”,
“Oh no and then, Oh no, for my mammy she would chide,
And then my dear old daddy would beat me full sore,
And never let me ride on his grey mare no more.”

“If you would see Horn Fair you must walk on your way,
I will not let you ride on my grey mare today,
You’d rumple all my muslin and uncurl my hair,
And leave me all distrest to be seen at Horn Fair.”

“O fairest of damsels, how can you say No?
With you I do intend to Horn Fair for to go,
We’ll join the best of company when we do get there,
With horns on their heads, boys, the finest at the Fair.”

(Information and song from Mysterious Britain and Ireland website)

An idyllic view of an English cricket green (Photo by clockity on Flickr)

But back to food, YES at last she is talking about food ~ here is a wonderful recipe that I made for lunch ~ not English, and with no oysters or ram’s horns, but just right for a light meat free meal, which we like to indulge in several times a week. I bought the bruschetta bread from Aldi, (5 large slices were £1.19 and €1.75 in Lidle France) but any large loaf of bread will do, if you cut a slice from the middle of a large loaf to make a nice “roomy” base! I am still enjoying my Spanish peppers and artichoke hearts, so they made yet another appearance today~ but I can never get tired of good, fresh produce.

Still enjoying my Spanish Peppers and Artichoke Hearts!

Bruschetta with Artichokes, Olives and Mixed Peppers

Just out from under the grill and ready to serve.

A wonderful way to serve bruschetta for a light but substantial lunch ~ the sauce is easily made and everything can be prepared beforehand, just assembling the bruschetta before you want to grill and serve it. We did not find a need for an accompaniment, but a green salad would be great if you wanted to increase your “5 a day” in one meal!

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and diced

2 – 4 cloves garlic,peeled and minced

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 large red pepper, de-seeded and cut into rings

1 large green pepper, de-seeded and cut into rings

1 tin (400g/14 ozs) chopped tomatoes

1 teaspoon mixed dried herbs

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tin (400g/14 ozs) artichoke hearts

100g/4 ozs Cheddar cheese, grated OR cheese of your choice (I would have used Mozzarella, but the cupboard was bare!)

24 black olives

fresh basil leaves

4 bruschetta slices, OR 4 large slices of bread cut from the middle of a large loaf

Chilli oil to serve

Method:

1. Make the sauce ~ gently fry the onions, fennel seeds and garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil over a low heat for 5 minutes until the onions are just cooked and transparent. Add the fried onions, fennel seeds and garlic to the tin of chopped tomatoes along with the sugar and mixed dried herbs.Mix well, season to taste with salt and pepper and set to one side ~ this can be made well ahead of time and kept in the fridge until it is needed.

2. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan ~now gently fry the pepper rings for about 5 minutes until soft but still keeping their shape and colour. Set them to one side.

3. Place the bruschetta slices on a large baking sheet and place under a hot grill and toast one side only; then add the tomato sauce – spreading it over evenly and re-heating it gently if it is very cold; add the cooked peppers and then the artichoke hearts (cut them into halves or quarters if they are too big) and arrange them evenly over the top of the bruschetta. Finally add the olives and scatter over the grated cheese. Place under the grill and cook for 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted and is golden brown and bubbling.

4. Scatter over the basil leaves, drizzle over some chilli oil and serve immediately with a green salad if desired!