Better to invest in a whole chicken once in a while and turn it into several meals as I've suggested before (15 January this year). I'd sooner buy a guinea fowl than one of those pumped-up white chickens because guinea fowl actually tastes more like real chicken than many of the fowl around.My best recent chicken feast was up at Peter Gott's Sillfield Farm in Cumbria. Peter's a larger-than-life character, a farmer who has hosted parties of Jamie Oliver's trainees, and has a stall at Borough Market. When I visited, his partner Christine slow-cooked one of the one-year-old birds that were raised on the farm, simply putting it in the Aga for about four hours. Intensive farming has made chicken some of the cheapest meat on the market And it tastes like it too People must think it's value for money, but it's not. Nor should decent birds that have been properly brought up be considered an out-of-reach luxury. Instead of buying economy chicken breasts for everyday eating, isn't it better to eat top-quality chicken - legs, thighs, wings? That way, you can still have chicken breasts, of course, but occasionally, as the treat they should be Anyway, plump white chicken breasts don't do it for me.
Suya is skewered, spicy grilled meat - chicken, goat, beef, lamb, kidney, gizzard - and Obalende is a takeaway with a counter.43 Peckham High Street, London SE15, 020-7703 7033. Follow pepper soup with mafe, the Zimbabwean peanut sauce, or obe "African curry" from the east, with palm or South African wine.322 Deansgate, Manchester, 0161 835 1099Obalende SuyaSome of the best Nigerian food in south London. Specials stand out: lamb with mango or chicken with fresh coconut.102 Drummond Street, London NW1, 020-7383 0918Zigni HouseNamed after the spicy stews of Eritrea (there's an overlap with Ethiopian food: enjera sourdoughs underpin the food), Zigni also offers alichas (milder, drier stews), and even east African breakfasts.330 Essex Road, London N1, 020-7226 7418Jowata RestaurantJoan Jowata Obiyan has cooked African food for 12 years. E(020-7431 4213), ; Ambience; Service; Meal for two, with wine, about £30 SIDE ORDERS: OUT OF AFRICA African Kitchen GalleryEverything's for sale at this Nigerian gallery cum caf?The menu's long, the tables few, and the heart big. Following the summit, let's hope the momentum continues, bringing the changes needed for many more Ethiopians to have access to the kind of feast we were privileged to enjoy in Tobia. And that raises the timely issue that more than 7 million Ethiopians subsist on food aid, and millions don't have access to the clean water we so casually ordered by the litre.That's why so many people have been putting pressure on the G8 leaders.
Half an hour later, and we were ready for our first lovely, thick, rich sip.Our meal came to around £15 a head, for much more than we could eat. Perhaps I should have warned him that Tobia specialises in an elaborate coffee ceremony, during which the beans are roasted in front of you, while frankincense is burned to cleanse evil spirits. "I ordered some Ethiopian coffee," Harry said proudly when I returned from a bathroom trip Ah. We probably didn't acquire it quite quickly enough.Starters and puddings aren't a feature of the traditional Ethiopian meal, but coffee certainly is Boy, is it ever. Enjera itself is an acquired taste, with the flavour of sourdough and the springy texture of carpet underlay. "Good to see that they haven't toned the food down for Western tastes," we agreed, between sobs.Of the vegetable side dishes, we particularly enjoyed a sour-sweet salad of red lentils, and some fluffy, buttery spinach.
