The moment of truth

“So I’d like you to cook a low-carbon lunch for the office and write about it for the website”.

My heart sank. My skills in the kitchen barely extend beyond beans on toast and macaroni cheese at the best of times, without giving too much thought to food miles or the efficiency of my oven. Here I was, five weeks into my internship, faced with the prospect of my culinary inadequacies being on show for all to see. It didn't feel good.

Ozi, the low carbon vegetables and me

Low-carbon cooking all starts with the ingredients, I soon learned, and the key is in finding produce which is locally sourced and seasonal. Living in north London, I had the luxury of a food market just down the road, where helpful owner Ozi gave me the low-down on his fruit and veg. It’s a good time for mushrooms, leeks and carrots apparently, and most of Ozi’s were straight out of the ground in Hertfordshire. And they were cheap too!

Armed with my assortment of vegetables, I sat down to consider a menu. Choosing not to get caught up in the heated 'can-I-care-about-the-environment-and-still-eat-meat' debate, I chose a dish which covered both angles - a leek and mushroom pie that goes well with (but doesn't rely on) a bit of chicken. Meat tends to be carbon intensive but if you can't imagine your Sunday lunch without it, chicken is a pretty good bet.

I had a quick chat with our resident technical guru Duncan, who gave me a few good rules of thumb:

• Make the most of the oven when it's on by cooking everything at once.
• Gas cookers are better than electric ones as they avoid waste on the way from the power station to your home.
• Try to avoid opening the door when the food is cooking - it can reduce the temperature inside by up to 25c.

Sion looks apprehensive...

A morning of sheer panic later, I had a fairly convincing looking pie and some surprisingly satisfied co-workers. I won't be working the kitchens at the Ritz any time soon, but I'm definitely a convert to the easy, cost effective and totally tasty world of low-carbon cooking!

The recipe

Serves 6
Prep Time 10 mins
Cooking Time 35 mins
Ingredients

• 3 large leeks, washed and chopped into 2.5cm slices
• 1 ½ red onion, roughly chopped
• 18 medium mushrooms, finely sliced
• 500ml boiling water
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 9 desert spoons of natural yoghurt
• 75g butter
• 75g plain flour
• 750g shortcrust pastry
• 1 egg, beaten
• (6 chicken thighs or boneless breasts)

Method

• Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large frying pan and add the leeks, onion and mushrooms
• Cook for 5-6 minutes until softened and transfer to pie dish
• Combine the softened butter and flour in a bowl until it becomes a paste
• (Skin and cut the meat from the thighs, or skin the chicken breasts)
• (Chop the meat into small pieces)
• (Heat the remaining oil and cook the chicken 2-3 minutes until brown)
• Slowly add the paste, water and yoghurt and stir for 2-4 minutes until the mixture thickens
• Transfer to the pie dish with a slotted spoon
• Roll out the pastry to fit the pie dish
• Brush the edge of the pie dish with the egg wash and the rim of the pastry
• Carefully lay the pastry over the pie dish, pressing down the edges
• Brush the top of the pie with more egg wash
• Using a sharp knife, gently pierce the pastry 3-4 times to let the steam out
• Bake in a pre heated oven 150°C or gas mark 6, top shelf for 40-50 minutes