Home economics add up

As their campaign wins them friends in high places, STEPHEN JARDINE and his family are discovering that their Scots-only diet is helping them look after the pounds in more ways than one. The jury is still out, though, on the merits of kale

EATING for Scotland can be a lonely business. Having my wife and son sharing the burden certainly helps, but every day brings fresh challenges. Thankfully, the message that Scottish food production needs our help seems to be spreading and gaining support: Alex Salmond spent last week eating only Scottish produce to back the campaign.

Since politicians are partly responsible for the food policy that has broken the link between seasonal food, local producers and consumers, I was initially sceptical. But the First Minister approached the experiment with determination and real enthusiasm, and said: "We have some of the world's best ingredients and we have to end the absurd situation where it is only appreciated abroad."

Last week the Scottish Government announced it is to spend £60 million developing and promoting Scottish food and setting up supply chains to bring it to our plates. Alongside that a national conversation involving public consultation has been launched about what food we want to eat, so if someone asks for your views, please take the chance to have your say. While that goes on, Salmond has been putting his money where his mouth is.

With help from nutritionists and experts at the Rowatt Institute in Aberdeen he put together a balanced diet reflecting what we have available at the moment in Scotland. He also stuck to a strict budget based on the average weekly spend – but still managed to afford a menu including roast chicken, salmon fillets with honey, whisky and apple cake and the odd piece of shortbread. Tonight on the five thirty show on STV we'll hear how he coped with the challenge. Hopefully others will now feel inspired to follow his example.

The first question most people ask me about the Scottish diet concerns the cost – is it more expensive ? My honest answer is no. Processed convenience foods are costed completely out of proportion to their basic raw ingredients. Eating for Scotland takes more time and more planning, but it needn't cost more. And, as the manager of an Aberdeen supermarket pointed out last week talking about just this subject, local produce means lower transport costs which can be passed on as savings to the customers. It all makes perfect sense.

All over Scotland change seems to be on the menu as people realise that importing meat and exotic fruit and vegetables from around the world isn't sensible or sustainable when we have a fantastic natural larder on our own doorstep.

Last week I was in Edinburgh for a special event bringing Scotland's top chefs together with some of the country's best local food producers. Organised by the Slow Food Campaign, the Chefs' Market aims to ensure the best kitchens in the country have access to the best produce. The event was launched by Michelin two-starred chef Andrew Fairlie and his brother, Jim, who is a sheep farmer in Perthshire. Jim supplies the lamb for Andrew's internationally renowned restaurant at Gleneagles and both men feel the time is right to take Scottish food from the doldrums to the heavens. "There seems to be a political will now to recognise the importance of Scottish food production", Andrew told the audience. "Scottish people want to have access to good Scottish food and the big retailers ignore that at their peril."

As always, the proof is in the eating. At the end of the event we sat down to venison shot in Perthshire and for dessert, a cake made with organic Scottish carrots. Eight weeks into my mission to eat only Scottish produce from Burns Night to St Andrews Day, it was my meal of the year so far. When I embarked on this experiment, eating out was a scary prospect. At home I felt safe with my box of fresh, seasonal produce from Damhead Organics and a pile of old Scottish recipe books but venturing out meant facing a dazzling display of forbidden produce. However, as each week passes, I'm growing in knowledge and confidence. The other day I had an excellent all-Scottish meal in a new Glasgow fish restaurant called Striped Bass. The manager was happy to talk me through the menu and from the West Coast razor clams to the North Sea herring almost everything turned out to to be Scottish.

Back home, the challenge is trying to come up with new ideas. We're beginning to run out of interesting things to do with turnip, but, as far as fruit and vegetables are concerned, this time of year is as bad as it gets. As winter turns into spring there is the promise of more interesting produce starting to emerge from the shadows. In the meantime, eating Scottish is hardly a hardship. Over the past week we've enjoyed fantastic pork sausages served with parsnip mash and purple sprouting broccoli, shepherd's pie with carrots from East Lothian, and poached salmon served with leeks and rocket grown just a mile from the Edinburgh city bypass. I've even decided to give my Scottish food nightmare another chance. Last month, you may remember, I vowed to avoid kale after a culinary disaster that turned it into leprechaun ectoplasm.

However, a letter arrived from the Countess of Wemyss who offered some kale cooking tips that will apparently change my attitude forever. I haven't summoned up the courage to try them yet but I will.

And I've saved the best news to last: after two months, I've lost two pounds on the Scottish-only diet. That's not the reason for doing this but it is an unexpected and very welcome consequence.

I'm still missing bananas and I dream about curry on a regular basis, but I'm not going hungry and with no signs of scurvy, the mission continues.

MEAL OF THE MONTH
Smoked Trout Dauphinoise
450g potatoes, peeled or scraped
225g smoked trout fillets
300ml double cream
200ml milk
1 tablespoon Arran mustard

Method
Slice the potatoes lengthways and place in a baking dish along with the broken-up trout fillets, then toss together. Add the cream, milk, mustard and salt and pepper to taste. Bake for one hour and serve with salad and crusty bread to mop up the juice.

MEAL OF THE MONTH
I carefully followed a recipe for honey-glazed turnip with sesame seeds in the hope of making our winter staple vegetable a bit more interesting. Unfortunately, it didn't.

SURPRISE
Tesco wanting to send a hamper filled with their "Scottish produce" in exchange for a photo of me with it. I don't think so.