Traditional English Harvest Fare!

With September upon us, we've reached the traditional 'harvest home' celebrations in England. During the late summer/early autumn it was the time when farming communities pulled together to gather in the crops and there was little time for preparing hot meals. Over the centuries farmers' wives have prepared cold meals to enable their men folk to have a filling and nutritious meal without too much fuss and bother. This tradition has certainly prevailed within our family here in rural Norfolk and there's nothing I like more on a cold autumn evening than sitting down in front of a log fire eating a 'harvest supper'.

Traditionally, a farmer would have home cured ham, smoked fish, pickled vegetables and chutneys available as standby fare for the long winter months. This is our family's version of a 'harvest platter'. The meal is normally placed in the middle of the large kitchen table and each member of the family digs in and has a mixture of whatever takes their fancy.

1 loaf of crusty bread, sliced thickly and buttered
Thick slices of cured ham
Smoked fish (eels are traditional here in Norfolk but I have to confess I prefer mackerel or, if the pocket allows, salmon)
Cheddar cheese
Apples
Pickled onions
Pickled cabbage
Pickled beetroot
Green tomato chutney
Sticks of celery
Salad comprising thinly sliced raw white cabbage, raw onion, raw carrots (a basic coleslaw mix - so mayonnaise can be added but this isn't traditional)

Now just dig in and enjoy. Follow this repast with sliced crusty bread and jam/jelly.

We normally wash this down with a good mug of tea or sometimes some home-made ginger beer (a good winter warmer!).

The pickles are also surprisingly warming (they normally leave me with a rosy glow!) and the meal itself is nutritious. The fruit and veg going into the pickles and chutneys are picked when they're young and in their prime so no vitamins and minerals are lost. The celery, apples, white cabbage, carrots and onions are harvested during autumn so can be picked when they're at their best, both flavour-wise and nutritionally.

Simple, quick and so very English at this time of year. In fact it's one of the things I most look forward to with the onset of winter!