Simply Cooked Seasonal,Quality,BritishFood

At the time you receive this edition of the Journal l will have been at the Club for nine years. Since l arrived l have been on a mission to provide “Simply Cooked, Seasonal, Quality, British Food” our food ethos. This has been a wonderful journey for me, looking for suppliers and farms that can offer what we want, as and when we require it.

I have always tried to let you know where our produce is coming from, which is mentioned on our seasonal menus, and over the years it has proved to be a talking point for many of you. If a county isn’t mentioned during one season, it might be mentioned the following. But l can’t guarantee that during the course of a year every county will be represented.

We are struggling with exact locations of products used at present, due to supply and demand issues, including the effects of Avian Influenza. Dairy products including milk, cream and butter don’t always come from the same farm or dairy that we expect, but they are British, of equal quality, and in some cases a better product.

When talking about geography in this country there is great debate about the UK, Great Britain or the British Isles, which is why l thought it worthy of a mention, as members do ask why we are using food from certain areas.

The United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (to give its full name) refers to the political union between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The UK is a sovereign state but the nations that make it up are also countries in their own right.

The Channel Islands and Isle of Man are not part of the UK, but are Crown Dependencies.

Great Britain

Great Britain is the official collective name of England, Scotland and Wales and their associated islands. It does not include Northern Ireland.

British Isles

This is purely a geographical term –it refers to the islands of Great Britain and Ireland – including the Republic of Ireland – and the 5000 or so smaller islands scattered around our coasts.

I hope this explains why you see some of our produce from certain places. It’s all about the British Isles for us, in our ethos of “Simply Cooked, Seasonal, Quality, British Food”.

Enjoy!

Chef