Christopher recently addressed the London branch of Slow Food, the increasingly popular global movement dedicated to counteracting fast food and fast life and the disappearance of local food traditions.

Many of the aims of the Slow Food movement are shared by the Clearspring brand and Christopher, who is himself a member, so he was honoured to be invited to give a talk on Japanese cuisine to the members.

Christopher explained how his interest in Japanese food soon became his life’s work, and outlined some of the things that make the foods of Japan uniquely appealing. Foremost amongst these is koji culture, which is used to make many of Japan’s most celebrated ingredients and food products including soya sauce, miso, mirin and sake.

He outlined the wonders of Japan’s rich variety of sea vegetables*, and other amazing ingredients such as kuzu, soba noodles and fu (wheat gluten).

He also pointed out that with their traditional food practices, the Japanese can show the way towards eco-friendly and sustainable food production. For instance:

• the way in which wastage is minimised by using every part of the vegetable
• energy efficiency is optimised because minimal heating is needed for cooking many of the Japanese foods
• the fact that Japanese ingredients can be cultivated in most temperate climates ensures ecological viability

Afterwards, Slow Food members were treated to a vegetarian Japanese buffet prepared by Christopher’s wife Setsuko and featuring such delights as Brown Rice sushi Rolls, Noodle Rolls, Seasonal Vegetables with Sweet Miso Dip Sauce, Hijiki and Lotus Root dish and Summer Fruits Tart, enjoyed with Clearspring’s 100% Rice Tamaki Sake.

*Look out for next month’s newsletter, which will include a comprehensive guide on how to get started with sea vegetables.