Hasty Pudding - a bit of food history bandwagon

It must be that chef's have had enough with innovation, the buzzword over the last couple of years has to be:

'my dish is older than your dish'

'but my dish is even older'

'mine was cooked by cavemen'

'but mine was cooked by dinosaurs'

'but mine.................' and so it goes on.

We are obviously struggling to come up with new ideas and concepts, and wrapping it up in buzz-word terms such as keeping history alive, and that they really had to know their flavours back then.

By now you must think I am slapping and slating this trend as a cop-out in culinary terms, this could not be further from the truth, I think it is completely fantastic that records of these foods exist and that with modern day technologly and know how allow us to expand on what was once was and were fantastic recipes and dishes.

So what is Hasty Pudding? in a nutshell it is a savoury porridge, a recipe for which I use has onions and leek in it, doesn't exactly sound appetizing does it? Sure Heston at the fat duck has been making snail porridge for years to much acclaim, however I wish to stand up and make the bold claim "this one's yummier", probably get shot for that. Not that I think the snail porridge is not a lovely dish having been fortunate to try it on a number of occasions both as a guest and working in the kitchen, just that this combination is soooo moreish. don't beleive me? well I was surprised too.

enhancing the original recipe, I simply make a leek puree to cook my oats in and get a great colour, add some shredded leek and soften with a little goat's milk, the chicken is pot roasted, a few baby leeks, some madeira jus and finished with a little goats milk tapioca and a shallot crisp. I love it when a plan comes together.

more information on this dish and other great dishes from the annuls of time here