The Belly Rebels
If this new grass roots movement gathers momentum it could well change the way we look at food in Europe and the Western world. Just like the International Slow food Movement it was born out of outrage.
Last November a huge conference sponsored by the Nordic Council of Ministers, was held on the future of Nordic food. Chefs from Norway, Sweden, Greenland, Iceland and Finland attended.
Camilla Plum and Katrine Klinken were among the 20 delegates at the conference. They noticed something very strange.
There were no women chefs taking part. Why, they asked.
The response was swift and spontaneous no women chefs were good enough to join this auspicious group to discuss the future of gastronomy in the Nordic region!
Not surprisingly there was incredulity at the audacity of the response, followed by fury hell hath no wrath like a woman chef scorned. The Danish Council and the Nordic Council blushed in shame.
Eventually, the idea for an alternative conference was born and the term Belly Rebellion was coined. Sponsors vied to support the event, women chefs, caterers, food companies, food producers, activists and farmers, immediately wanted to be involved. The delegates were an extraordinary cross-section of women mostly from Denmark, with a smattering from the other Nordic countries, England and Germany, and myself from Ireland.
I was invited to speak about food and our families and the farmers' market movement. The main issue that seemed to unite all the women in the room was the concern about the quality of food in Denmark and the difficulty of finding good quality food in a country where the retail food market is dominated by supermarkets and local shops are no longer independent.
Consequently, it is almost impossible to find fresh naturally produced food in season. There are a few organic box schemes and a few farmers' markets but for the majority of busy working people, the reality is that fresh, naturally produced local food in season is simply unobtainable. Mass-produced food is the only option.
At present, Danes spend 9.5% of their income on food, the lowest in Europe.
We spend 20.3% a figure on a downward slide from 22.7% in 1994/5, so we have no reason to feel smug.
The reality is that nowadays few people connect the food they eat with how they feel. And even fewer in the Western world really understand a basic fact which is blatantly obvious to our Asian friends our food should be our medicine.
Nonetheless, this issue has certainly stimulated debate in Denmark. The many speakers at the day-long conference to launch the Belly Rebellion addressed the problems and helped to heighten awareness about the health crisis which can be attributed to the fact that so much of the mass-produced, denatured food we eat is nutritionally deficient. There were calls for better food in hospitals, school, canteens, cooking and gardening classes for children and the establishment of school gardens.
Other speakers criticised the European food monopolies who decide all about the food we eat, about food in hospitals and kindergartens, about ecology and local food production.
This was the girls' day, not a chap in sight, no male journalists or photographers. Sanne Salmonsen, Denmark's queen of rock 'n' roll performed for free to show her support, as did the cool all-girl band called the Cookies. The Gipsy Mystique dancers, danced and swirled to wild and wonderful music.
Danish grande dame Jytte Abildstrom, the 70-year-old, red-haired comedienne had everyone in stitches, She too had volunteered her services.
The day eventually wound down about 12.30pm with delegates resolved to continue the debate and to suggest initiatives on the internet. You, too, can get involved. It's not even necessary to speak Danish as most Danes speak perfect English. Check it out on: www.oproerframaven.dk
Serves four
4 boiled eggs (yolk just stiff)
25 g butter
2 tbsp flour
400ml (14 fl oz) whole milk
4 tbsp coarse French mustard
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp traditional coarse mustard
Salt and pepper
2 handfuls very small dandelion leaves
2 handfuls lambs' lettuce
Bunch of rocket
Small crunchy head of lettuce
Bunch chives
Handful of salsify leaves
Bunch of chervil
Small bunch dill
50ml (2fl.oz) virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Clean the leaves in plenty of cold water.
Dry completely on a towel. Melt the butter in a small pan, without colouring, whisk in the flour, and then the milk, a little at a time. Let it bubble for five minutes. If it becomes very thick, use a little more milk. Take it off the heat and whisk in the different mustards. Spice with salt and pepper. The sauce must not boil again, or the mustard becomes flat. Mix the leaves with the oil, salt and pepper and arrange on 4 plates. Peel the eggs and cut in half.
Spoon the sauce beside the salad and arrange the eggs on top, cut side up. Eat with pickled or smoked fish, or with rye bread.
Bread and butter pudding is also delicious with apple and cinnamon or even mixed spice. I can't wait to try gooseberry and elderflower as soon as they come back into season.
12 slices good-quality white bread, crusts removed
55g (2oz) unsalted butter
450g (1 lb) red rhubarb
Sugar 450ml
(16 fl oz) cream
230ml (8 fl oz) milk
4 large eggs, beaten lightly
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
175g (6oz) sugar
1 tablespoon sugar for sprinkling on top of the pudding.
Garnish: Softly-whipped cream
1 x 8" (20.5cm) square dish
Slice the rhubarb in pieces, put into a dish and sprinkle with sugar leave to macerate for an hour.
Butter the bread and arrange four slices, buttered side down, in one layer in the buttered dish. Sprinkle the bread with half the rhubarb, arrange another layer of bread, buttered side down, over the rhubarb.
Cover with the remaining bread, buttered side down.
In a bowl whisk together the cream, milk, eggs, vanilla essence and sugar. Pour the mixture through a fine sieve over the bread. Sprinkle the sugar over the top and let the mixture stand, covered loosely, for at least one hour or refrigerate overnight.
Bake in a bain-marie the water should be half way up the sides of the baking dish. Bake the pudding in the middle of a preheated oven, 180C/350F/regulo 4, for one hour approx or until the top is crisp and golden.
Serve the pudding warm with some softly-whipped cream.
