A MEAL IS  REWARD, SO SAVOUR IT

Eating is something we really cannot escape from. Mother nature only has one intention for us, and that is to multiply. Many hundreds and even thousands of years ago our natural instinct for survival was much more prevalent than today. Everyday would have been a struggle for survival and every man and woman would have been constantly reminded of how fragile life could be. For survival, our needs were, and still are very basic. To cut away all the peripheral factors, food and water were of the highest order. If any one of these was taken away from us, then survival was impossible. Man and woman had to fight, hunt and gather to protect and secure these two simple life giving elements that were and are essential for life to carry on. Things have obviously changed a great deal over the years, and we now take things, such as food and water for granted. We still have to secure a meal at least once a day, however the methods of doing this are completely different from a time long forgotten. We no longer get hunted by the clan in the next cave and should no longer be attacked by wild bears, but our needs are still the same and our vulnerability is also on the line. We could lose our jobs and our income! The point we are trying to make is that food was and is an essential part of our lives. We all know too well that many times we are guilty of not thinking and planning what we are going to have for breakfast, lunch, dinner or supper and the consequence of this could be an unremarkable visit to the freezer, microwave then to the sofa. We sometimes loose the sight of what life is mainly about, we work for many things in life, but one of the main things we work hard for is our food, and many neglect this, and quite understandably so with the pressures of modern life. Eating food is essential, but it is also a reward and meal times should be highly treasured. Think about the saying “a way to a mans heart is through his stomach”, this is a very true statement. It is also the way to a woman’s heart and this brings us right back to the mother nature scenario again. So yes, some recipes for smoking foods and the smoking plank may seem a little elaborate, but once the work has been put in, the sense of achievement and satisfaction outweigh the time spent preparing the food, (you should savour every aspect of dealing with the food, from hunting, gathering or shopping, through to the preparation, cooking and serving of the food). The recipes chosen for the smoking plank all include mainly fresh ingredients, so the end results are superior. The amount of ingredients for recipes varies as well, as you would expect. Just because a recipe may only have a few ingredients, does not mean to say it is any less flavourful than one with many different ingredients. For example the “Jake’s simply smoked salmon” is very light on the ingredients, as it takes advantage of the natural flavour of the fish and the smoke combined.

We all have choices about what food we eat, and at Jake’s© we feel and hope that by wanting to read this and wanting to purchase our fine gourmet foods, food smokers and planks, you already have a vested interest in the way your meal is created. We are quite certain you and your guests will appreciate the end results. Above all, using the smoking plank with our food is a fun and easy way to cook food outdoors, not forgetting to mention the wonderful gourmet flavours and the stylish presentation it gives to the food.

Spend a little time thinking about your food, where is it from? How did you get it? And how are you going to cook it. Okay, so it's not what life is all about, but it's a simple pleasure that brings many rewards.
                                                                                                                                        Matt Gill

©2007