Lewes Farmers’ Market

Spinach, salad, summer cabbages, courgettes, cucumbers, new potatoes, herbs, cherries, gooseberries, lamb, chicken, honey and jam are all likely to make an appearance at this Saturday’s farmers’ market. What to do with them? This weekend I might make a cherry and rosewater pie from an 17th century recipe, or a Sussex rarebit with some local hard cheese and a slosh of Harveys. Or perhaps a honey pudding with a jarful from Paynes.

The recipes all come from a classic local cookbook, Sussex Recipe Book (with a few excursions into Kent), recently republished by Lewes’ award-winning historic food publisher, Southover Press. This delightful and delicious compendium was done MK Samuelson, a sparky woman who was her racing driver husband’s pit stop assistant when she wasn’t unearthing recipes from Sussex farmhouses, manors and inns during the 1930s. The book is full of places that are familiar and people who are convivial and tastes you will want to try, be it Southdown lamb or elderflower vinegar. Historic recipes, as well as being a good read, link up with local food. The ingredients are familiar from farm and local shops, as well as the farmers’ markets. The seasons, after all, remain the same – at least in the world beyond Tesco. Sussex Recipe Book (with a few excursions into Kent), Southover Press, £15. HE