To kick off this new section on our blog, we are featuring Jamie Ferments, based in South East London. We featured Jamie’s Kimchi, Kale Kraut and Piccalilli Kraut in the our Explorer Box in April and May. His piccalilli truly stands out as one of the more unique ferments we’ve had: well balanced, crunchy cauliflower and not overly sour with earthy notes from the fresh turmeric. We’ll definitely have it again, thank you Jamie for being part of the tribe.
Here’s Jamie answering our most pressing questions:
What’s the story that got you into fermenting food?
I became interested in the possibility of a healthier gut flora having a positive impact in general health. Id long known that mind body and spirit are not separate so it felt intuitively right that what goes on in our gut speaks to everything else in our system. I knew almost nothing about fermented food, so set about tinkering with vegetables and jars, and fell for the creative magic of leaving things and seeing what happens. I still feel that way.
What is your personal favourite fermented food?
This is a tough question to answer for a fermenter. I tend to start my day with a glass of kefir, homemade. Kimchi features in at least one meal a day because its so versatile. So those are the two ferments I enjoy most. But actually, my favourite is probably regular sauerkraut. Perhaps because it amazes me that three or four simple ingredients can make such a taste explosion.
What fermentation experiment have you got going on at the moment?
Im working on a fermented hot sauce right now with a view to market that. Im also enjoying pickling, with pink pickled onions in R&D and pickled spinach and pickled eggs on the go at home!
Follow Jamie Ferments on Instagram at @jamieferments