New Year's Resolutions: a 21st century good life in Bristol

When we were putting together the February issue of Countryfile Magazine in a mad rush before Christmas, I felt inspired by the special section on trying to live a bit more self-sufficiently and get closer to the countryside that I love so much. This was rammed home to me when I put our obscenely full bins and recycling out after the Christmas festivities.

The February issue's articles are all about taking more control of life – such as growing some of your own food and making or mending things instead of throwing them away and buying new. It feels right. 

I won't bore you or preach to you about why I think being more self-sufficient is important with a monologue about scarce resources, failing economies and climate change – other writers have trodden this path with more authority and wit than me.

For me, it's the challenge of learning new skills, taking time to do things properly, being braver, being crafty and saving a few quid by having fun. So, in 2011, I'm aiming to reduce my waste, pay for as little food as possible, build or repair as much as I can and feel a bit happier about my urban existence. I need a bit of Barbara Good, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Del Boy, Monty Don and Ray Mears.

With Christmas just gone by, my first port of call was the larder and the fridge, crammed with leftovers. The duck carcass (I followed Val Warner's advice from our December issue on what to eat for the Christmas feast) was saved from the bin and turned into stock/soup using a load of fridge-bound cooked vegetables – so that's several lunches sorted. The scraps from a leftover beef rib went into a huge bolognaise while everything else was either curried or casseroled. Any excess fat went to the birds.

I also made ravioli from scratch – actually not very difficult if you have one of those pasta machines that occasionally turn up unwanted at Christmas. There were lots of unappetising ends of cheese in the fridge door so I mashed them all together with the end of a pot of ricotta and created a filling. It took about 90 minutes from start to finish but the little parcels were absolutely lovely according to my wife Catrin, and four meals cost about 50p.

Better still, a New Year's Eve guest gave me a brace of pheasant that he'd shot. I left them hanging in the cellar for a day or two before plucking up the courage to butcher them. Luckily, a forage on YouTube produced this little video and I had both birds skinned in half an hour. Not bad for a first go. The breasts will be pan-fried (four meals), while I casseroled the rest in the duck stock (another six meals there – the freezer is filling up). It was a variation on a theme of this recipe though I used home-made wine instead of gin.

In all, I reckon I have about three weeks' worth of lunches and suppers from Christmas alone.

As for breakfast, I found a bag of bread flour that baker Jane Mason had given me during a baking lesson back in the summer. Having run out of bread, I decided to test my kneading skills. Unfortunately, my impatience and the cold weather meant that the bread never had a chance to rise as well as it should have – but it still tastes and smells like bread, even if it might double as a house brick. I'll need to work on baking skills.

But man or woman cannot live on toast alone. So I've bartered a couple of pots of last year's jam (marrow and ginger – I have a glut of this) for a dozen eggs from a friend.

So that's a start. Of course, I'm only scratching at the surface of self-sufficiency and will have to make many trips to the shops and supermarkets. But from tiny acorns… you can get acorn coffee, or so they say.

Next, it's the critical issue of home brewing… great tasting booze without the expense. Part II to follow next week…

Happy New Year! What are your country-related resolutions for 2011?

Fergus Collins

Fergus Collins is the editor of Countryfile Magazine and enjoys growing, foraging and harvesting his own food from his home in Bristol.