During this crazy year where we all were forced to slow down, where plans were impossible to make and we had more free time than ever, many of us turned to the same pastime. Cooking.

Watching people discover their inner Julia Child, embracing their mistakes, getting inventive when ingredients were hard to come by and making an effort to minimise food waste was a beautiful thing. Food has always been a central part of my life. My entire family loves to cook and eat. So when I meet others that are cut from the same cloth, I can’t help but feel an affinity to those people.

In October I was invited to the small holding and event space, Mello View on the border of Somerset and Dorset. I’ve known Vicky and Ed, the owners of this food oasis, for just over a year. They needed new photography of their recently completed barn and I was more than happy to photograph it for them, giving me a legitimate excuse to trade the bustling streets of London for the muddy country roads of Somerset.

Like me, Vicky and Ed had once lived in London. In 2014 however they decided to leave the city so that they could start their dream of living off the land, growing and rearing what they ate as well as cooking and entertaining for others. They eventually found a 1950’s cowshed with an unobstructed view of Axe Valley. Ed began building their dream home, which has all been documented by the Channel 4 series Grand Designs. Several years later, they’re now married with two beautiful boys, a few cows, pigs, chickens, ducks and hens. They’ve created a beautiful little pocket of greenery with a farm garden that would be an endless source of inspiration for any chef or home cook.

It was a sunny day but the Autumn air was crisp and by the end of the shoot we were all ready for something warming. Ed, who had an effortlessness way about him in the kitchen, that only a practiced chef would have, began to make us lunch. As we chatted, he chopped, sautéed and stirred the ingredients together. I had no idea what he was cooking up but I’d learned over time that whatever it was, it would be delicious.

When the stew was finally done we were more than ready to dig in. Hearty, flavourful and entirely delicious it has now become a staple in my home. Though I only tried for the first time this October, I’ve already recreated this stew three times. It’s important to note that this recipe is quite simple. What makes it magic is the quality of the ingredients. Ed had reared the pig himself, the chicken stock he’d also made the day before and all the vegetables were grown on his property. The chickpeas I’ve learned were these from Brindisa. Though I’m not asking you to rear your own pig or buy these specific chickpeas, just make sure that you’re buying something good. It’ll be worth it!

Feel free to adjust the quantities to your personal liking. It’s quite an easy stew to adapt. This recipe is for a stew as there isn’t much liquid, but if you’d prefer it to be a soup simply add more stock and/or water as you see fit.

You can follow Vicky and Ed’s story here.

Mello View Stew Recipe

Ingredients

700g jar of Chickpeas (best if in a glass jarred, not tin)

500g Chicken broth, can add more if you’d like the stew a bit more soupy

2 Parsnips, cut in quarters lengthwise

3 Carrots, sliced

2 leeks, sliced into thin rounds

3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

150g Bacon lardon, cubed

1 cup of water

Instructions

Fry the bacon on a medium heat in a dutch oven until it begins to brown. Once browned, remove with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pot.
Toss the carrots into the pot with the bacon fat and sauté until softened.
Next add the leeks. Once softened, add the garlic. Season with pepper.
Add the bacon back in along with the parsnips and chicken broth and a cup of water. Let it simmer for an hour, add water if it starts to dry up.
Ten minutes before you serve, add the chickpeas to the stew. When it’s at a consistency that you like, serve.

Words & images: Ariana Ruth

Ariana Ruth is the Editor-in-Chief of Table Magazine, a bi-annual publication sharing food stories and the people that make up the food community.