At the beginning of the Pandemic I started writing this series of blogs. In the early months I tried following Jamie Oliver and posted some recipes in the style of Oliver’s ‘Keep on cooking and carry on’. To help me out I had Paul Lion our All Saints chef and former owner of the Elva Lodge Hotel. As some of you know I quite like cooking but normally curries, roasts, stews, chillies and basically meals that are easy to throw together. Then one evening in the middle of June I received an email from a family from church inviting me to their home with Monika and Lilly to share a meal with a former Master Chef winner! I replied in haste clearly deciding that this was not an invitation too good to be true, although I did comment on how fussy Lilly is with her food. She is after all a poodle. The evening was a delightful one and not just because of the quality of the food.
We arrived to meet Steven (Third ever winner of this famous show) and Jeremy and Sue our hosts. Clearly Jeremy and Sue had told our esteemed chef about my pilgrimage to Santiago in 2013 and my enjoyment of Spanish food. Having settled down with a glass of wine we were offered pinchos the tapas from the Basque country. It is a mistake to call the small food tapas in the Basque region as was depicted in the film ‘The Way’ which I have viewed on thirteen occasions. The French friend that I met on the pilgrimage called it pika pika like the little bird pecking at small amounts of food. It is a wonderful way of sharing hospitality.
On numerous occasions in Northern Spain I would innocently follow a yellow arrow (for pilgrims that do not read maps) only to find that a delightful Spaniard had placed a false arrow to lead us to his restaurant. When you are walking ‘The Way’ no one cares that much if you go astray as long as it’s not in the Mesata Desert where there is no food or drink to find on some long stretches. The joy is meeting with other pilgrims and sharing a bottle of Rioja or two with some tortilla de patatas bravas, Manchego cheese, Iberian ham and calamares and some pulpo. By the end of the evening you are probably 15km behind schedule but my goodness you have enjoyed the day!
Steven offered us beautiful toasts with delicious sardines and roasted tomatoes. Over the food we discussed being a contestant on Master Chef and Steven shared how it had been very stressful but an experience that enabled him to cook from the heart and discover a career that has taken him around the world discovering new flavours.
How do you cook from the heart when trying to watch and follow a three star Michelin Chef in France and then try to re-create the starter, main course and dessert for other Michelin Star Chef’s? I guess you have to have a great talent and an ability to be creative in a way that can bring wonderful joy to others. Sue asked Steven if he had practised 100’s of times for his final dishes and his response was that if he had tried that he would probably have got it wrong. He wanted to show the people that he could cook from the heart.
We were to discover first hand the food of someone cooking from the heart. The main course was Paella which is one of my favourite dishes. I remember ordering it with my friend Mark Hooper in Majorca on our first ever trip without parents in 1985. It was an amazing experience even though we had shown our ignorance by ordering it as a starter! We were invited to watch Steven prepare the dish. He had already spent a few hours preparing a stock and of course a delightful dessert. The stock is often where I fall down in the chef stakes. Throwing a few bisto cubes in your paella or risotto really doesn’t have quite the same impact on the taste buds. Monika and I then watched as chorizo, squid, clams, tomatoes, prawns, onions, celery, saffron, chicken, green beans and the delicious stock were added carefully. Even Lilly seemed to be enjoying the aroma that was filling the kitchen.
The food was served from a large pan and Steven explained that the Spanish people delight in the crusty part that sticks to the base. The vibrant colours, the sensational aroma and the delightful flavour and taste of the food led to an enjoyable evening’s conversation. Following the paella we were treated to the most gorgeous dessert of pavlova made with gooseberries, (which I think had been soaked in a cordial) cream and white chocolate. One of the experiences of Spanish food is the hospitality and friendship. A few years ago in Barcelona Monika and I visited a Tapas bar where large tables with families of maybe 15-16 people sat. There were children of five years and adults perhaps of eighty -five but they were enjoying the pika pika and their shared conversations.
Meals are, of course, at the heart of religious belief. Within the Jewish and Christian faith we have the Passover, The Last Supper, The Eucharist and we pray that we journey towards the Heavenly Banquet. One of the ways I describe Heaven is timelessness. You know those moments in life listening to great music at a concert, watching a wonderful film that moves you, being caught up in the emotion of a great sporting occasion (good luck England in the Semi), looking out at a beautiful sunset on the Cliffs of Moher with wonderful friends and sharing the joy of food created from the heart over delightful conversation. That night with Steven, Jeremy, Sue and Monika passed very very quickly!
Thank you for the joy of the experience.
Father Jeremy's Journey 
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