October is such an exciting month. It does includes National Chocolate Week and National Curry Week, after all. The leaves are turning, it’s a time for walks and slow food comes into its own. And most excitingly of all I’ve staged a takeover of the Cranks website. I already have a giveaway running for a Hotel Chocolat box of autumnal chocolates and now I have five copies of the Cranks Bible up for grabs.
So in what way have I taken over the Cranks website, you may well ask? Don’t worry, I didn’t muscle my way in and hold a piping bag to their heads. I’ve done nothing more dastardly than write three autumnal slow food posts for this lovely month of October. You can read about my early association with Cranks in the first post along with my not-to-be-missed recipe for roasted squash, pepper and leek tart with a walnut crust. My second post is all about slow food and comes with 12 autumnal slow food ideas – it’s well worth a look. The third post hasn’t been published yet, so I’ll have to keep you in suspense on that one.
Cranks started life back in the swinging sixties as a vegetarian restaurant in Carnaby Street. Several other restaurants followed in various locations, including the one I remember as a child, based at Dartington in Devon. This is the only one that now remains. I would recommend a visit. Cranks also has a number of popular vegetarian cookery books to its name. The Cranks Bible: A Timeless Collection of Vegetarian Recipes
NB 2 November 2106 – I can now reveal my final recipe which has just been publish on the Cranks site. It’s this comforting barley bean bowl with hazelnuts, mushrooms, black beans and cabbage. Perfect for autumn.
5 Copies of the Cranks Bible Giveaway
All About Food is kindly offering five Tin and Thyme readers a copy of the Cranks Bible. To be in with a chance of winning, please fill in the Gleam widget below. You will need to leave a comment on this post, answering the question, which then gives you additional chances to enter if you so wish. Gleam will pick a winner at random from the entries received who will then be contacted via e-mail. If you are commenting anonymously, please give me some way of identifying you as I will be verifying the validity of entries. Any automated entries will be disqualified. This giveaway is only open to those with a UK postal address. Winners will need to respond within 5 days of being contacted. Failure to do this may result in another winner being picked. There are no cash alternatives. 
Slow cooked food means comfort, warmth and all things lovely to me.
I think it’s where it cooks on a lower heat for a much longer period of time
I’d say it was something you spent time making from scratch, with love, therefore it’s tasty & nourishing.
slow cooked food is by far the best and most tasty like a slow cooked stew! #Yumm
food that is produced or prepared in accordance with local culinary traditions
Yay, another good answer Colin – a succinct one too.
food cooked from scratch with fresh ingredients
unprocessed made from scratch
Slow Food (Grassroots) ” Picked to Pot to Plate ” either grown by yourself or locally
All the ingredients put into the crock pot and left for hours to slowly cook
Slow food – the opposite of takeaways – cooking from scratch at home 🙂
Longer cooking time meaning lots of really deep and intense flavours, something to be done on a cold and wet weekend.
slow cooked food is by far the best and most tasty
Food cooked well, using only the best ingredients 🙂
stew or slow roasting
Slow Food was initially founded by Carlo Petrini and a group of activists in Italy during the 1980s with the aim of defending regional traditions, good food, gastronomic pleasure and a slow pace of life. In over two decades of history, the movement has evolved to embrace a comprehensive approach to food that recognizes the strong connections between plate, planet, people, politics and culture.
Yay Helen, that’s about the most comprehensive response yet and the one that I understand slow food to be.
To me slow cooking is doing it the right way, all from scratch. Its wholesome & hearty, good for body and soul. I feel I’m providing for my family more when I cook proper meals rather than a fast, easy, open box and stick it into the oven meal!
Something cooked well and using good ingredients.
Slow food to me means making a dish with all ingredients added and cooking slowly so all flavour combine….like in a stew
It means to mean cooking from scratch with none processed ingredients
A meal that has had thought put into it, using responsibly sourced natural ingredients. The opposite of fast food and junk food
Slow food is homemade, healthy food.
COOK WITH ALL DIFFERENT ROOT VEGETABLES MAKES A VERY HEALTHY DINNER.
Cooked with healthy and natural ingredients xx
slow food to me is either the cooking style or actually sitting round to enjoy the food slowly and chat
Im Omniverous…but love Veggie food !
Slow food to me means being able to start cooking your food in the morning and leaving it on all day while you get on with work/chores, a good home cooked meal will be ready for you upon your return
Slow food to me is cooking from scratch without using processed ingredients
slow cooked food means fresh nutritious and slowly prepared so all the flavours get absorbed and makes it extra tasty.
Slow means to me, hearty food that you’d eat in the winter.
Slow food to me is the opposite to fast food. Food that is cooked from scratch from quality local ingredients and with love, care and attention.
Healthy, tasty homecooked food
I love slow cooking, but always do the same recipes, so need some more, b ut with working so much, slow cooking means that I can get good wholesome food
Slow Food to me is the whole ethos of taking your time to savour and enjoy your food and meals – not eating on the run, wolfing down your meals as part of your busy life but taking the time out to sit, relax and savour every single mouthful.
My younger sister is a vegetarian so I am always on the lookout for new and exciting meals to make her!
A meal That’s yummy and time and love spent on it
I’ve had the pleasure of tasting some of these recipes – yum!!! Would love a bible of my own!
Slow food means a couple of things to me, food I’ve cooked from scratch in my slow cooker, coming home to warming aromas is wonderful at this time of year – also food that is grown or produced locally to me
Tasty and healthy!!!
slow release of energy while digesting over 2 –3 hours
Slow food is healthy and nutritious to me. It can even take a while to cook.
slow food is food thats made slowly using wholesome ingredients that keeps you fuller for longer
Slow food – not fast food. Good quality, healthier, prepared from scratch meals.
I think slow cooking means:- low temp over long time
To me it means something that you take your time over when you’re making it
I guess slow food for me could have two meanings – your traditional ‘slow cooked’ stews and hearty winter broths, or dishes that are properly home made with everything prepared from scratch.
Slow food to me means cooking from scratch and making a good dish with a longish cooking time.
slow food is not an expression I am familiar with..but I guess if takeaways are fast food then food prepared at home is slow food…………….maybe??
Sort of David. Slow food is a concept of taking care about the food we eat, how it is produced and where it comes from as well as cooking from scratch – or that’s how I understand it anyway!
A curry full of flavours to make sure they are given enough time to infuse together to make one delicious meal!
I haven’t heard of Slow foods, but I do love to slowly enjoy food.
Good one Sheri. It’s so true that in a busy world we probably don’t take the time we probably should to enjoy our food 🙂
My husband’s had to go veggie because he’s got gout! This book looks great and would be really helpful.
cooking from scratch I think
I think slow food is food that slowly releases energy and stops you feeling hungry for longer
To me slow food is food prepared from scratch, respecting the time and care involved in producing or raising those ingredients and then appreciating their qualities as you eat.
Slow food is all about taking the time to create a magical and nutritious meal, never compromising on flavour
Slow food I think is another name for slow cooked which is a wonderful way to cook in flavours and is always lovely and tender 😀
I love to cook from scratch for the family, usually with one for the freezer for those times when there isn’t time to be slow!
I like to make a vegetable chilli and then leave it overnight to marinade all the flavours together
nice warm hearty food
Slow food , the use of good natural wholesome home grown preferred organic in recipes .
I can prepare it, leave it cook slowly while i tend to the children and still enjoy a fresh great tasting family meal at the end of our day. xx
slowly cooked- means fuller flavour, tastier meals which save time as you can do other things while it cooks
Slow food is food cooked from scratch using healthy ingredients cooked with love
slow food to me is just nice and relaxed steady cooking- no rush, no stress
I’ve never heard the term slow food but I hope that porridge is included!
I think porridge is definitely included 🙂 Slow food is a concept of taking care about the food we eat, how it is produced and where it comes from as well as cooking from scratch – or that’s how I understand it anyway!
I like the idea that slow food is opposite to fast food and therefore more nutritious and natural
slowcooking equals hearty comfort food
Slow food to me just means cooking from scratch with all natural ingredients.
Food that is more flavourful, which is prepared from scratch.
Meals cooked from scratch using fresh ingredients and then cooked slowly to get the full flavours.
I haven’t heard the term ‘slow food’ but imagine it refers to meals cooked in a slow cooker.
Food cooked over a longer period to enhance flavour and add succulence
It’s convenient but also means the food gets cooked properly and you have more control over flavourings etc.
curry and stews
Slow food means weekend cooking. Taking the time to source the best recipes, best ingredients I can afford and spending a whole day preparing a delicious feast.
Healthy and slow, long releasing energy?
Food that you take your time over, in prep, cooking and eating ….the antidote to fast food
Cooked from scratch and made with care
It’s a meal that has slow releasing energy that will maintain you throughout the day.
To me slow food means the veggie stews that I put in my slow cooker before I go to work then a lovely meal is ready when I walk through the door.
Food that has a lot of thought and effort put into keeping the max nutritional content.
Fresh ingredients cooked from scratch over a long period of time to develop the flavours.
What does slow food mean to you (comment in ten words or more). . . . . . two words . . . tender and tasty . . . . . home cooking at its best
To me slow food means preparing meals from scratch using fresh ingredients
Forget to say well done on the recipe inclusion! Looks delicious.
Thank you Ness, lovely to hear from you. I keep forgetting about Love Cake until it’s too late. Will try to enter this month. BTW #WeShouldCocoa has no specific theme anymore, just any recipe that includes chocolate as a main ingredient.
I think slow cooking is taking the time to gather all your ingredients together from great sources be they your allotment, farmers markets or independent shops. Then preparing them with love and sharing your food with friends and family.
For me it definitely means warming and comforting food, best enjoyed when the weather starts to become colder. I love this book – I’ve got a copy of a previous edition, but I admit that many of the pages are stuck together with food splashes! Always a sign of a good cookbook that has been used over and over, but I’d love a shiny new copy and promise to look after it!
It means you can savior all the taste, slow is the future!
Never heard of slow foods before. Thought they were from the slow cooker
Slow food. I’ve never heard this term before. Does it mean food that releases energy slowly, throughout the day – like porridge?
slow food is a meal that a lot of effort and time is put in when making it and thought about who is going to be eating it
slow food means a meal cooked easily.
Slow food is the opposite of fast food, so to me means home cooked non-processed foods that are nutrient rich
Slow food makes me think of traditional, homely food like stews. 🙂
Slow food is what used to be everyday food, made at home from real ingredients not mass-produced fast food full of addictive saturated fats and additives.
To me – Slow cooking is gently cooking through at a low temperature to retain and enhance the flavouring of meat.
Healthy, cooked for few hours, yummy stew 🙂
To me, slow food is food which takes more then a couple of hours to complete – stews, belly pork etc.
Slow food means home-cooked foods, made with wholesome ingredients!
To me slow food means one pot hearty casseroles and soups – warming food for the cold Winter days ahead
Food that takes a while to grow and a while to cook, because that’s just how it is.
Slow food is any food that takes longer than 15 minutes from declaration of intent to the moment you start eating. Faster than that and odds are it’s probably not very healthy haha!
just pop your food into slow cooker and go to work, come back and the dinner is ready.x Great prize, always wanted one.xx
to me it means cooking authentic homemade dishes from scratch with locally produced ingredients and growing your own if you can
Slow food to me means lovingly prepared from scratch – the opposite of fast food. In our household we tend to make things ourselves rather than buy convenience food. We don’t do takeaways, we don’t even own a microwave. It takes time to prepare meals but at least we know what goes in them and what doesn’t.
That sounds very similar to us Mrs F – long may it continue.
cooking from scratch,no short cuts
Not entirely sure but to me it would mean either slow as in takes more time and effort to prepare and cook from scratch or slow to release energy therefore keeping you full for longer x
Simple unprocessed food cooked with local ingredients
Healthy wholesome food which is cooked from scratch
To me slow food means healthy, homecooked food that is cooked slowly (possibly in a slowcooker) and is slower to digest, leaving you fuller for longer
*aagh* I think you may have said ten words or less but can’t get back in to check the question so may have dreamed it, if not the shortened version!
“simple wholesome food, cooked well from scratch.”
I think from a cooking point of view something cooked from scratch, minimizing packing and waste. I also thought it also was about food miles too, not sure if that’s true though! So buying local fresh produce supports local economy, minimizes environmental impact etc
Great prize
Slow food is about taking your time to wait for food that is made from fresh ingredients and cooked just for you.
1st thoughts were that the food is cooked for longer at lower temperatures to maybe keep the flavour in better
It means warming, tasty and healthy. And the lovely smell of ‘proper’ grub wafting through the house.
Food that takes time & care to prepare, with nothing pre-made.
slow food means early preparation, then a long delicious anticipation with no disappointment at the end of it!
slow food as being meals that are cooked from scratch and with lots of vegetables.
slow food cooking is when you put something in your slow cooker and make a lovely filling hot pot or stew 🙂
Slow food means to me the freedom to spend my day enjoying the great outdoors then coming home to the welcome aromas of a delicious hearty meal!
To me, slow food means cooking from scratch with ingredients sourced as locally and seasonally as possible.
Oops, ,it’s my comment in the name box by mistake! Ah well, here I go again… To me slow food is all about slowing things down. Taking the time to cook properly (doing the opposite of fast food) and then the time to savour it with loved ones.
Slow food means more traditional kind of food to me – stews, soups etc. Things that take a while longer to cook but are much more nutrional, filling, and warming.
Wholesome and healthy homemade foods with optimal flavour x
Slowly cooked to keep in the goodnesss
Slow food is somethings I take time over and think about the ingredients and where they came from.
Slow food is about cooking food from scratch using quality ingredients. Another side to it is eating the food in a relaxed and leisurely manner with good company i.e. not eating on the move.
Slow food to me is cooking from scratch. Using healthy wholesome ingredients. Basically the opposite to ‘ fast ‘ or ‘ junk ‘ foof
Slow food to me is about using ingredients and carefully planning a healthy meal
Good wholesome ingredients, cooking from scratch. Tastes so much better than ‘ready meals’ and much more nutritious
For me it is about taking time to create something proper – it doesnt even need to be a long time. Using proper ingredients and making it from scratch. Makes all the difference
cooking from scratch, maybe in a slow cooker, getting all the nice flavours out
To me its a meal that takes time to prepare and cook, in our house that would be my veggie casserole which I tend to start making the night before 🙂
It is a global, grassroots movement that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment. It works to build links between producers and consumers.
Yay Solange, 9 out of 10 for you 😉
I think it has something to do with regional food traditions.
For me ‘Slow Food’ is food cooked with care and attention to detail, not simply thrown together but using ingredients that takes thought and intuition when it comes to what tastes fit together.
Slow food for me is a recycling bin devoid of excess packaging, ready meal trays and bits of plastic, hazard tape across the microwave door and really enjoying sourcing great ingredients, trying new recipes and loving my time spent in the kitchen.
Great explanation Caroline. Especially love the hazard tape across the microwave 🙂
Slow food to me means taking time and careful preperation to make meals cooked with love. This includes sourcing ingredients locally. It’s good for the environment and it’s good for you.
Cooking from scratch using natural/fresh ingredients which takes a lot longer hence the term slow food
To me it means cooking food the long (slow) way round! Preparing and cooking meals from scratch rather than buying pre-prepared
For me slow food is about quality of food, seasonality, sourcing locally and then taking the time to prepare and cook it well.
it means i’ll have tea at tea time 🙂
For me, slow food is all about thoughtfulness in our food, taking time to consider where is comes from and seasonality, how it’s prepared in traditional ways, and time to savor and enjoy.
Tasty home cooked food that someone has taken the time to prepare for the whole family to enjoy.
Food thats been allowed to let the flavours come out as its been cooked over long time
Food that has been made slowly so it’s really tasty
Snails
I had to giggle over this 🙂
To me slow food is cooking from scratch with healthy ingredients, my mum always did this when I grew up 🙂
Slow food means to me shopping local cutting down on carbon footprint and seasonally.
Slow food means that the food is prepared according to local traditions, normally using local ingredients.
Taking time to cook food slowly and thoroughly combine different flacours.
All good things take time and care, and that applies to making great food too.
Food that is cooked from scratch, healthy and takes a long time to prepare – the opposite of fast food
To me it’s all about traditional food – food that’s cooked with local traditions in mind, and using ingredients that are local and grown with care.
Slow cook means to me releasing wholesome, nutritious flavours into the food and at the same time achieving a work/life balance!
That tart looks amazing! Slow food to me is made from scratch and that effort means you must savour every bite -slowly!
Thanks Rebecca, the tart is a firm favourite with us.
nourishing warm hearty food
nourishing, nurturing comfort food
I think of slow food as food cooked in a slow cooker but it may be slow release into the body
To me, slow food means nothing about it has been done in a hurry – no rush to the growing or raising of the ingredients, shopped for and prepared with love, and enjoyed as a family, no hasty dashes to the supermarket for a ready meal to fling in the microwave, one person at a time
slow food means cooked perfectly and soft and tender
Slow food to me means nourishing food. Something to come home too, and something that fills you up!
For me ‘Slow food’ conjures up images of autumnal and winter recipes, pots and pans that have been bubbling away all day, condensed flavours, bowls being refilled- again and again and again. Yummy
Slow food is food that is slow to prepare. Back to basics, cooking home grown ingredients, giving a wholesome meal.
Slow food means using fresh, healthy ingredients to make wholesome and delicious food from scratch rather than getting a take out or popping a ready made meal in the microwave. It takes longer to make but its so worth it 🙂
Slow food? Home-cooked food prepared from scratch, sometimes including some of the remaining beets dug out of my garden 🙂
I’ve actually never heard the expression “slow food” before, but to me it means recipes you can just throw a load of ingredients in together and then leave to potter on whilst you do other things!
Slow cooking meat helps retain all the good nutrients.
slow…means taking it easy taking your time to make things just perfct specially when cooking
Slow food is what I love best, whether it’s in my slow cooker, casseroles in the oven or nice slowly baked fruit cakes. And of course it is also about food being grown, reared slowly in its own time, not forced.
I agree, how the food is produced is a key factor. You’ve got me all fired up to make a fruit cake now.
I think slow food is slow cooking at a low heat over a long period of time either in the oven or in a slow cooker with older cuts of meat ie oxtail stew or mutton
Thanks for a fantastic giveaway. In my younger days, when there was a lovely Cranks close to where I worked, I spend many happy hours there!!!! This is a lovely reminder of a wonderful time in my life. Thank you 🙂 x
Lots of people have fond memories of Cranks, it’s good to hear them Sara.
Slow Food is about food which has values: It can be summed up in three words, Good, Clean & Fair
It means food which tastes good and sustains our communites, food which doesn’t damage the environment in its production or that is full of preservatives, and that both the farmer and shopper get a fair deal in price.
It means a more abundant way of eating – we have 4000 varieties of apple in the UK, yet 70% of all those we eat are from 3 varieties, and 70% of those apples are imported.
It doesn’t have anything to do with cooking speed – a beautiful autumnal mushroom omelette would be Slow Fast Food!
Find out more at www . slow food .org.uk
Great explanation Shane. I was hoping someone would mention the Slow Food movement.
Slow cooking is great – once you have prepared everything and put it on to cook you can just sit back and put your feet up. Makes for a quick leftovers meal the following day in the microwave
A meal which has been lovingly cooked in the oven when you get on with all those other household tasks
Healthy wholesome food prepared from scratch. Rare in my house, I love convenience
i think slow food means, food that is cooked slowly to make meats more tender and allow the flavour to really soak into the meat.
slow food to me means cooking something from scratch
I know I don’t qualify to enter for the Cranks book, but I was sad to see that Cranks of Carnaby Street was no longer around. I used to work a few steps from this shop and many times enjoyed a lovely lunch there. I’m sure the surviving Cranks still serves beautiful healthy food. Slow cooking – the way I always cook!!!
Slow cooked food means comfort, and warmth and all things lovely to me. And maximum return for minimal effort!
Healthy, hearty stews with lots of winter veg – no fuss in my slow cooker x
I think of slow food as being meals that are cooked from scratch and generally healthy as well.
Slow cooking to me means something that takes some time to prepare, so usually cooking from scratch, i.e. peeling and preparing veg, soaking and cooking beans, lentils, etc, and either cooked in the oven like a casserole or crumble, in a saucepan like a stew or curry or slowcooker.
love Cranks! Slow Food means winter warmth and the most amazing aromas wafting through my home and tasty tasty food…
Dom, there are always amazing aromas wafting through your home and loads of tasty tasty food.
My whole life is slow, so preparing slow food is a natural part of it. Meals are nearly always from scratch. Even after all these years I can still look forward to the simple act of slicing fresh vegetables and washing salads. Just one thing after the other. No rushing. Classical music in the background. Taking deep breaths once in a while. Looking out of the kitchen window into the garden. Lovely smells, delicous food …..
It all sounds so wonderful Henk. One day I will get a bit more time in my life. A slow life sounds totally dreamy.
Slow food makes me think rustic and made with fresh ingredients like when I cook from scratch using my allotment goodies and herbs from the garden.
Slow Food?? cooked from scratch with natural ingredients and love!
Slow food in the form of slow cooking (which I think you are referring to) means comforting winter casseroles from cheaper cuts of meat, which are made succulent through long cooking at low temperatures.
It’s interesting to hear what everyone’s take on slow food is. For me, it’s not so much slow cooking, although that’s part of it, it’s about good food cooked from scratch.
Slow food is an alternative to fast food and is all about creating recipes using traditional wholesome ingredients such as meat, vegetables, pulses etc either homegrown, or from small businesses.
Yes, that’s pretty much my understanding of it too Tracy. Thanks for coming back to comment.
I’m not 100% sure what slow foods mean to me it means a meal that it’s nutrients are released over time which leaves you feeling fuller for longer
I like your thoughts on slow food. Not quite thought about that aspect before. Apologies for the confusion and thanks for coming back to comment.
Curry week and chocolate week? A good month indeed!
Yes indeed. Both of them were actually in the same week – bliss!