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iN The oNioN Bag<br />
The football seas<strong>on</strong> is here and there’s no better exc<str<strong>on</strong>g>us</str<strong>on</strong>g>e for cooking up some good<br />
savoury dishes for players and pundits alike, says Bill Collis<strong>on</strong>.<br />
There are some sad things about leaving the<br />
summer behind – the l<strong>on</strong>ger days, the easy in-andout<br />
way of living and eating and the sunshine. And<br />
there are some good things. And <strong>on</strong>e of them is<br />
football.<br />
Playing it, watching it, reading about it, listening<br />
to pundits disc<str<strong>on</strong>g>us</str<strong>on</strong>g>sing it, football – for many – is a<br />
highlight of the Autumn. Indeed, there are those<br />
who barely register the passing of summer, so<br />
wrapped up are they in league tables and transfers.<br />
It goes without saying that these people are<br />
predominantly men.<br />
This year there is an added reas<strong>on</strong> for <str<strong>on</strong>g>us</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>Lewes</strong>ians<br />
to get out our vuvuzelas, since the Rooks is <str<strong>on</strong>g>now</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
a community-owned team and it really needs our<br />
support. You too can become part of the roar<br />
that sweeps across the town <strong>on</strong> a grey Saturday<br />
afterno<strong>on</strong>! Forget the fat cat Premier League stuff<br />
– this is where it’s at. And, as we can all become<br />
shareholders from the end of this seas<strong>on</strong>, we need<br />
to get down there to check out the talent.<br />
If you are a football fan (or about to become <strong>on</strong>e),<br />
Saturday afterno<strong>on</strong>s have a particular res<strong>on</strong>ance<br />
and whether you’re playing or watching, some<br />
gathering together of friends is likely to feature<br />
and if it’s all round to your ho<str<strong>on</strong>g>us</str<strong>on</strong>g>e, you’ll need some<br />
Saturday afterno<strong>on</strong>/evening staples that extend<br />
bey<strong>on</strong>d a crate of beer.<br />
On the whole, or in fact without questi<strong>on</strong>, these<br />
should be of the big-savoury-hit variety, partly to<br />
soak up the beer and partly, beca<str<strong>on</strong>g>us</str<strong>on</strong>g>e if you’ve been<br />
running around <strong>on</strong> a pitch for an hour or so, you’ll<br />
be needing it.<br />
Homemade burgers stuffed into a bun are good,<br />
served al<strong>on</strong>gside a tray of golden oven chips made<br />
from roughly chopped potatoes, skins <strong>on</strong>, tossed in<br />
some olive oil and sea salt and cooked in a hottish<br />
oven for about an hour.<br />
w w w. V I VA l E w E s . C o M<br />
F o o D<br />
Pizza is also good, as are sa<str<strong>on</strong>g>us</str<strong>on</strong>g>ages, oven-baked and<br />
served inside some toasted sourdough or with a<br />
helping of creamy mash.<br />
This is good too: Buck Rabbit. Apparently, the<br />
word rarebit is a misunderstanding and it’s not that<br />
rarebit was wr<strong>on</strong>gly called rabbit, but the other<br />
way round. No matter, it’s a good and tasty dish,<br />
whatever the spelling: cheese, beer, m<str<strong>on</strong>g>us</str<strong>on</strong>g>tard and an<br />
egg, poached or fried, to finish and here with the<br />
additi<strong>on</strong> of some leeks. A properly Welsh Welsh<br />
Rabbit!<br />
Bill’s Leek and Cheddar Buck Rarebit<br />
For 4: 1 leek, 100g butter, 1 tbsp flour, 75ml ale. 75ml<br />
milk, 1tsp English m<str<strong>on</strong>g>us</str<strong>on</strong>g>tard powder, 150g Cheddar<br />
cheese, grated, large knob butter, 1 tbsp Tabasco<br />
Sauce, 8 slices good bread, 4 eggs, opti<strong>on</strong>al<br />
Wash the leek, dice it into 1cm pieces. Melt half<br />
the butter in a pan and fry the leeks till they’re soft.<br />
They can be beginning to colour, but d<strong>on</strong>’t let them<br />
burn. Add the flour and the rest of the butter and,<br />
stirring c<strong>on</strong>stantly, gradually add the beer and the<br />
milk, bringing it to a gentle simmer. Add the m<str<strong>on</strong>g>us</str<strong>on</strong>g>tard<br />
and roughly 100g of the cheese. Keep stirring until<br />
you have a smooth and thickened sauce. Grind a good<br />
amount of fresh black pepper in and turn off the heat<br />
to let it all sit.<br />
Toast the bread, spread each slice with the cheese<br />
mixture and slide under a hot grill until the slices are<br />
golden and bubbling. Meanwhile, assuming there is<br />
more than <strong>on</strong>e cook in the kitchen, somebody else<br />
should be either frying or poaching eggs, ready to<br />
put them <strong>on</strong> top as the slices emerge from the grill.<br />
Finish with the rest of the cheese, a good grinding of<br />
fresh black pepper and a shake of Tabasco.<br />
You can add to this with ham, grilled m<str<strong>on</strong>g>us</str<strong>on</strong>g>hrooms or<br />
flaked mackerel. If you do, the extra ingredients go <strong>on</strong><br />
to the toasted bread before the cheese mixture.<br />
Photograph by Katie Moorman<br />
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