Forum

Living in London I've been pretty blessed with access to a wide range of ingredients from not only the UK but around the world. 

Thing is of late I'm increasingly noticing ingredients disappearing. What I find odd is that these ingredients are from recipes in books that were published around 10 years ago. Things like wild rabbit ( £22 farmed are available!), back fat, slab bacon etc. One independent food retailer said it was the 'power of supermarkets' Looking at 'modern' cookbooks I think he's right, recipes have become supermarket shopping lists of the most processed, 'value added' & profitable ingredients. It's relatively hard to find recipes that use a whole chicken but loads that use the parts ie chicken thighs, breasts etc.

So, was wondering if you live in a more rural location do you still have access to more traditional ingredients?

In summary: I agree! I also live in London.

To take your specific examples, I know of two fairly local establishments that have game licenses, but I haven’t seen a wild rabbit in either that I remember (I’m not a big fan of rabbit, so I wouldn’t look out for them); I don’t think I’ve seen a hare since 2000.  All they have are pheasant and partridge, sold oven ready and usually not hung long enough because people get squeamish if they get a faint sniff of that old cheese smell. While I’m not an advocate of hanging game until it is “high” I think folk buy them once because oven ready but never again because they are tough and tasteless prepare like that. I think people are generally squeamish about eating “bunnies” these days.

Back fat, slab bacon etc – I can get back fat if I really want it, (try Morrisons supermarkets in England) but even the good butcher gets his excellent bacon in pre-sliced and pre-packed; at least it is cut to the right thickness, not the wafer-thin stuff often found.  I think the problem is, as you say change in the supply chain, so few butchers get whole carcases now, those that are make a virtue of it and charge accordingly (the MEAT small chain in London for example, very good). If you can get out into more rural areas farm shops are sometimes a good source of the of odd bits. Or covered markets when visiting other towns.

I do agree it’s a change in the way recipes are presented and used too, mayonnaise, lardons, and pulses for example are all assumed to be bought ready to use and there is no alternative or suggestion that you might not just open the jar, packet, or can. I saw one cook writing in a magazine get quite panicky about what to do if you couldn’t buy lardons, apparently she thought attacking bacon with a sharp knife would be beyond her readers, though that’s what I did for my first 30 years of cooking.

I’m hoping the idea that one 400g can of beans is right for any recipe soon goes, like many people now I have an electric pressure cooker (mine’s an Instant Pot mini) and it is no more trouble to cook just the right quantity of pulses on an automated setting than to open a can or two, or an overpriced jar of Posh Pulses. One day I’ll find a pack of dried flageolets again in London, one day.

Not just in the UK. Here where I live in Australia, it is impossible to find good preserved lemons, for example. I have suffered for years :) so I planted both lime and lemon trees. They bore fruit for the first time this year, and my preserved lemons are awesome. Flageolets - tinned or dried - disappeared a decade or two ago.

The loss of small shops and the monopoly supermarkets have changed eating habits, I am sure. I wonder if the current cost of living crisis will bring people back to some cheaper ways of preparing food, but I am not sure it will.

Well done on growing and processing the lemons Ganga108!

We’re nearer the Mediterranean here and there are a few relatively recent specialist brands eg Belazu and Odysea that import Mediterranean foods such as preserved lemons, jars of flame roasted peppers, olives etc and are available from both supermarkets and independent grocers, so those things are now easier to get than they were though of course sometimes expensive, and there are problems with the health of mediterranean olive groves so anything based on olives is more scarce and  expensive than it was.

In Paris/France global, we have two specialists apps/website that deliver from various butchers/shops (for Epicery) and producers (for Pour de bon). You type what you are looking for and then it shows which butchers stock it or which producers are selling it.

Maybe they have similar websites or applications for the UK? Pour de bon might deliver abroad, but i don't know the cost or if to the UK 

In the UK (I lived 13 years in London) I used to order in advance and get delivered from Lidgates Butcher ... but they have a large choice and of excellent quality usually

My comment here is a bit on topic and perhaps a bit off :) 

I just bought an otherwise lovely cookbook that I know I will use a lot, but when the author claims "I guarantee that every grocery store carries this product...you just have to put in the effort to look",  you will hear heavy sighs coming from my house.  "No...actually every grocery does NOT carry that product... including the 2 that I can shop from unless I take a 3 hour (or more) round trip".  I don't mean this to sound like a "main character syndrome" rant (ie woe is me) but at least acknowledge that some of us might find it locally, others not and so maybe include "here's what you might do instead".

I cannot find food items easily even in our diverse mini town/suburb.  I frequent 8-10 markets for various items but often end up ordering online for many things. It has to do with quality at times though. 

Bob's Red Mill sells buckwheat flour. You may find it in your grocery store or you can order it online. 

Kudos to @Ganga108, I have your same problem, I can´t find good preserved lemons here in Madrid, I have to order them online or do them myself. You can't find either lime kaffir leaves, or juzu or Thai basil, and certain other ingredients.

The funny thing is that during Christmas time, you can find almost anything, the variety and quality you might find during Christmas time is astounding. The price though is not so cheap, but you can find fresh international ingredients, as well as capons, poulardes, porc or goose fat, etc etc

I had the same issue with preserved lemons. The owner of a Persian market I frequent said he couldn't get them anymore. I while later I was in an Afghan market and found jars of 'salted lemons'.

The one I am having an issue with is canned gingko nut. When we could no longer find it in Asian markets, we were able to get it in Mexican markets labeled as 'white boiled nuts'.

We like the texture of the canned gingko nut in Jook. What's out there now, if you can find it, is the vacuum-packed version, which has a firmer texture and does not break down as mush to add flavor and some thickening to the Jook.

I was looking at a recipe this morning and remembered that pot barley can't be bought for love or money here. It has been unavailable for at least 6 or 7 years. In fact, many shops that might sell it have not even heard of it. Once it used to be available in supermarkets and specialty shops. Pearl barley is still around, thank goodness, but this favourite winter ingredient has disappeared.

UPDATE: Also, I realised this morning that kombu and hijiki (both seaweeds) are only available from small boutique online suppliers. So sad. They used to be commonly available - kombu at least and hijiki from bulk healthy food places.