Flavour London Issue 6

flavour for people who love local food

London | Issue 6

ÂŁ3 where sold

WIN! A two-n ig eco brea ht k in Dorse t

CITY ESCAPES

ISSN 1756-2899 22

Whisk yourself away from it all

TASTE OF CHRISTMAS

A festive feast for all the senses

9 771756 289018

www.flavourmagazine.com

BOUGHT, BORROWED & STOLEN Recipes and knives from travelling chef Allegra McEvedy

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Editor: Nick Gregory Email: nick@flavourmagazine.com Art Director: Richard Cook Email: design@flavourmagazine.com

welcome

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Advertising: Miranda Coller, Director of Sales Email: miranda@flavourmagazine.com Louisa Nairne, Marketing Director Email: Louisa@flavourmagazine.com Richard Stevens, Sales Account Manager Email: richard@flavourmagazine.com Photography: Diana Chaccour, Eamonn J McCade Contributors: Ben Brill, Cheryl Cohen, Ren Behan, Nick Harman, Duncan Shine, Mitch Tonks, Zeren Wilson, Helen Best-Shaw, Gergely Barsi Szabó, Mark Andrew, Louis Labron-Johnson, Julie Friend, Johanna Uy, Peter Lawrence, Angela Mount, Sriram Aylur, Anita Pati

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Flavour Magazine 151-153 Wick Road, Brislington, Bristol BS4 4HH Tel: 01179 779188 | Visit: www.flavourmagazine.com For general enquiries: Peter Francomb Email: peter@flavourmagazine.com For competition entries: Email: competitions@flavourmagazine.com © Copyright 2011 flavourmagazine.com All rights reserved. Material may not be reproduced without permission of flavour. While we take care to ensure that reports, reviews and features are accurate, flavourmagazine.com accepts no liability for reader dissatisfaction arising from the content of this publication.

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All information forms part of the rules. All entrants are deemed to have accepted the rules and agree to be bound by them. The winner will be the first entry drawn at random from all the entries sent in by the closing date and will be notified by either post, email or telephone. The prizes are as stated; they are non-transferable and no cash alternative will be offered. All entrants must be at least 18 years old. Competitions are open to UK residents only. One entry per person. Proof of postage is not proof of entry. flavour accepts no responsibility for entries lost or damaged in the post. Entrants agree to take part in any publicity material relating to the competition. The name of the winner will be published in the next edition. The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

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inside...

10 In Season

Cheryl Cohen from London Farmers’ Markets brings you the best of the season’s produce 24 Bought, Borrowed & Stolen

Recipes and knives f rom travelling chef Allegra McEvedy 40 WIN!

A two-night eco break at The Green House 44 Brothers in Arms

The Galvin boys reveal all 68 Bollywood Trip

Dive into a world of drama and mayhem

Right then, welcome to flavour and just a handful of days remaining before family get-togethers over Christmas, New Year shenanigans and the inevitable lull that is January. And we have all those bases covered in our bumper festive issue…

It’s that time of year when invitations come flooding in, options abound and saying no is so difficult to do. And with that in mind, the better half, the dog and me are packing a duvet, stove, tin of beans and a torch and heading off in the camper van to evade those very same temptations.

It’s not that I’m humbug or anything – it just seems like an unusually different thing to do!

However, for the sensible ones among you and those not wishing to sacrifice comfort, tradition and sociability, we have a packed edition to tease and entice, including a look at what’s hot with Zeren Wilson (P.34), a comprehensive guide to Luxury City Escapes (P.36) and our own intrepid explorer Louis gets to grips with Nudo Oils in Northern Italy (P.59).

Food aside, the festive season is not unknown for a beverage or two and so we have stocked-up on recommendations for keeping your palate wet. Check out Gergely Barsi Szabó’s thougths on drink and game (P.71), Mark Andrew’s wine picks (P.78) and not forgetting the shelfloads available at Taste of Christmas (P.14).

Whatever you are planning in the next few weeks, have a really good one and don’t forget to write in and let us know of anything food or drink(ie) that catches your eye.

Anyway, I’m off to fill up with diesel, check those tyre pressures, look at campsites and then do a U-turn and plan the festivities around friends, family, food and drink…

Well done and have a tremendous few weeks!

Nick Gregory

Nick

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> flavour news

If you have any news or events that you would like to share with us here at flavour then email enquiries@flavourmagazine.com

this month

COMPETITION WINNERS Congratulations to Alison Edwards from Twickenham, who wins a foodie getaway to Coworth Park, and Corinna Semper from Chiswick, who wins dinner, bed and breakfast at The Royal Horseguards.

i DINING Jump on the i revolution with Michel Roux Jr’s new iPhone app; Fine Dining with the Master Chef (£4.99) Michel is calm, unpatronising and an excellent teacher, while his recipes are inspirational. The app includes half-a-dozen video methods for things like potato terrine with smoked bacon salad, and rabbit pie with quince.

Recipes are organised into categories such as breads, salads, fish, meat and desserts – everyone should do this. Dishes look beautiful: stuffed saddle of lamb with spinach, garlic and saffron jus; cockle risotto; spicy crab and glass noodle salad. Brilliant… www.michelroux.co.uk

PIE TIME! Walker & Sons has launched a new line of quintessentially British pies. This traditional brand, known for its authenticity, has added hot pies to its current range of premium products, perfect for food lovers to enjoy during the cold winter months.

The hot pie range is available in Waitrose supermarkets - the single pie costs £2.79 and the two-pack pies £4.99. Now, who doesn’t love a pie!? www.walkerspies.co.uk

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What is extravaganza for Piper Heidsieck? Constantly revisiting our long history, with an added touch of glamour and elegance. The energy of audacity, creativity and a lightness of spirit. A spirit present at the heart of the brand since 1785, and regularly revisited

www.piper-heidsieck.com

The new range of Walker & Sons pies includes three different varieties of two-pie packs; Supreme Steak & Stilton, Sumptuous Steak and Classic Chicken, White Wine & Mushroom (2 x 250g) and a single Glorious Chicken & Chorizo Pie (250g). These mouth-watering, deliciously flavoured pies are ideal for foodies seeking a high-quality and filling British snack.

FLAVOUR FRONT COVER

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TO CHEW OR NOT TO CHEW? Is it a rock or a native? How do I open them? Where can I get decent oysters for under £10 in London?

Is it wrong to cook oysters?

Oysters are no longer the preserve of over-priced Champagne bars and cigar-smoking gentlemen.

A new generation of oyster eaters can be found grabbing a glass of wine and a plate of oysters on the hoof between business meetings in the City or shopping trips in the West End. Celebrity chefs including Mark Hix and Richard Corrigan are including oysters in their menus, and more and more people are prepared to give them a go.

The London Oyster Guide is invaluable for anyone taking their first steps towards realising how very good oysters can be. Colin Pressdee's genuine passion for oysters is evident throughout the book. www.londonoysterguide.com

WIN! BULLSEYE! WIN A STAY IN THE BULL HOTEL

XMAS ON THE DOORSTEP field&flower farm, butcher and deliver fresh, grass-fed beef and local free-range lamb, pork and organic chicken direct from Somerset to their customers throughout the UK via their recently launched easy-touse website and they have unveiled their limited edition, free-range Christmas turkey box with streaky bacon.

The box – priced at £85 including free delivery – contains a fantastic free-range bronze or British white bird that has been raised and slow grown outside on a local Somerset farm. This box also contains three packs of free-range streaky bacon. www.fieldandflower.co.uk

XMAS AT SOUTHBANK This autumn there will be something to suit everyone’s taste as Southbank Centre hosts a series of weekly food markets throughout the season providing the perfect opportunity for seasonal shoppers to shop for unique Christmas gifts in a magical riverside setting.

Southbank Centre will be home to a variety of food markets including two markets never seen before in the UK, culminating in the magical Germanstyle traditional Christmas market that will take us right up to Christmas Eve. www.southbankcentre.co.uk

Easy-going, informal and bursting with life, this former 17th-century coaching inn oozes eclectic style and contemporary rustic charm.

Set in the heart of the bustling market town of Bridport in West Dorset, and boasting two award-winning restaurants, The Bull Hotel offers the perfect combination of market town energy, rural loveliness and coastal beauty that makes it just about the perfect place to be.

Win! A fabulous two-night stay in one of The Bull’s fabulously unique, top–of-the-range deluxe double rooms, including breakfast.

For your chance to win visit www.thebullhotel.co.uk/flavour

T&Cs: Prize is for two nights’ bed & breakfast in a deluxe double room, based on two people sharing. Subject to availability, not valid during half-term and school holidays. It must be taken before 29 March 2012. Entrants must be aged over 18. Transport is not included. The winner will be drawn randomly and notified by 6 January 2012. www.thebullhotel.co.uk/flavour

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D R O W ON THE

WASTE NOT, WANT NOT

STREET

• HAWKSMOOR GUILDHALL 12 Basinghall Street, EC2 The third outpost of Huw Gott and Will Beckett's steak empire; whatever these two touch usually turns to restaurant gold - and this second City restaurant is bound to be a huge hit. It'll be the first Hawksmoor to offer breakfast all week long and will have a special beef tasting menu on offer. The designers are the ones responsible for Hawksmoor Seven Dials.

British shoppers bin nearly 10% of weekly shop, figures show. Analysis from Wrap reveals that British shoppers are throwing away an estimated £12bn worth of food a year.

Supermarkets have also come under fire for throwing away large quantities of food that is still safe to eat.

The average British shopper estimates that they bin almost 10% of the food bought in their weekly shop, while 8% admit to throwing away as much as a quarter of their food on a regular basis, according to new research.

AZALEA IN BLOOM

• CHAKRA 157-159 Notting Hill Gate, W11 Andy Varma was behind the now-closed Vama in Chelsea and has returned to launch this Indian restaurant with an emphasis on sharing plates. The menu is specifically focusing on recipes originating from Lucknow and Hyderabad.

Brighten up someone’s Christmas with a beautiful living gift from Sutton Seeds, which will arrive in bud and start flowering in two to three weeks, giving pleasure long after Christmas has gone. A stunning azalea tree, bearing pink flowers with white picoteed edges is ideal as a striking centerpiece and comes with a stylish 17cm cream pot for just £26.99 including postage.

• BURGER AND LOBSTER Clarges Street, W1 The folks behind Goodman are on a mission to offer Londoners the kind of Lobster experience you get on the east coast of America. They hope to offer the cheapest lobster in the UK, thanks to their tank, which can take a tonne of lobster at a time. And given the success of the Goodman burgers, we can expect those to be rather good too.

Call Suttons Seeds on 0844 922 0606 quoting FM112 or visit the website. Offer closes on 16 December for pre-Christmas dispatches.

• VELO 104 Tooley Street, SE1 Taking over from the previous restaurant on the same spot, Velo is taking things in a drastically new direction. Expect Vietnamese food delivered as fast as possible thanks to new touch-screen ordering technology.

• FLUTE CHAMPAGNE BAR Great Portland Street, W1 Flute Champagne Bars have already been successes in New York and Paris and now they're coming to London in a huge 2000ft place in Great Portland Street. Expect over 100 champagnes with 25 by the glass and a selection of small bites to accompany them. Chief among these will be the spring roll bar, with 20 varieties on offer.

www.suttons.co.uk/fm112

www.wrap.org.uk

COOK PASTA LIKE MOMMA CALDESI La Cucina Caldesi in London's Marylebone is an Italian cookery with literary hundreds of courses to chose from across a wide range of skill levels – there's bound to be a course that suits the Italian food lover in your life.

SINGALONG AT CIGALON Until the end of December, Londoners are invited to celebrate Christmas the Provencal way. Whether you are looking for a place to party with friends, family or colleagues, the seasonal treats found at CIGALON will prove to be an atypical journey in town.

The Christmas spirit of Provence and Corsica will burst into delicious flavours, to celebrate the merry period composed of three courses for £34.50. Originally in the Marcel Pagnol’s film, Cigalon is the story of a master chef, stubbornly French, who refuses to cook for customers he deems unworthy of his talent. www.cigalon.co.uk

From mastering fresh pasta to learning how to make the perfect risotto, discovering the dishes of hidden Italy to baking an Italian breadbasket, the full gamut of Italian cookery is covered and there's a keen emphasis on seasonality and sustainability.

Their flexible gift vouchers make the ideal Christmas gift and can be bought online at… www.caldesi.com

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> flavour niko b. organic chocolates

NIKO B. iko B’s Magik Edible Chocolate Boxes, delicious inside and out, are beautifully adorned and bursting with organic, exoticallyflavoured seasonal truffles, freshly ground giandujas, hand-cut candied fruits and award-winning nougats.

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Like each of their chocolates, these unique objects are made by the master skills of chocolatier Anthony Ferguson.

Magik Edible Chocolate Boxes come in small, medium, large and the extra special, extra large chocolate box with 24 fresh truffles and confections for the ultimate chocolate lover. Niko B’s selection of organic, inventive truffles combine flavours like burnt caramel and

lemon, marsala chai, lemon, ginger and cayenne or Earl Grey and vanilla.

The range also includes brownies made with chestnut and pumpkin, the indulgent Taboo – chocolate dipped amaretto or cognac soaked figs filled with chocolate ganache; Caju – caramelised cashews and sesame seeds in chocolate or the fiery Hot Nuts – caramelised hazlenuts and chilli pepper in chocolate.

At the heart of Hackney cool, Niko B. have started a cocoa buzz on London’s thriving supper club scene with an indulgent monthly Cocoa Club – a stunning four-course, chocolate infused, seasonally inspired dessert menu, elegant yet laid-back chocolate cocktail parties and lively chocolate tasting sessions.

Taste their chocolate creations at The Chocolate Festival, Southbank Centre on 9-11 December, every Saturday at the Stoke Newington Farmers’ Market, N16, and every Sunday at Chatsworth Market, E5.

Proudly organic, all their products are Soil Association certified and Fairtrade.

To book your own bespoke Niko B. event filled with adventurous flavours and Niko B. party vibes, or to order a Magik Edible Chocolate Box, please visit the website.

07505 783 275 www.nikobchocolates.com

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> flavour fab foodie reads

For bookworms who love nothing more than cooking up a feast for family and friends, our monthly selection of new releases is enough to keep anyone entertained!

fab foodie reads ITALIAN HOME BAKING GINO D’ACAMPO Kyle Books, £18.99

One of the UK’s best-loved Italian chefs, Gino D’Acampo is delighting his readers this autumn with a fifth book which dives into the world of Italian baking at home. With four best-selling titles to be proud of Gino felt ready to write about the ultimate in comfort foods: Italian breads, cakes, biscotti, pasta, party food and of course, pizza. Some of these recipes also draw direct inspiration from his home town of Naples, including Pane Rustico and Pizza Volante – a round pizza ‘sandwich’ stuffed with spinach, ricotta and mozzarella.

GALVIN: A COOKBOOK DE LUXE CHRIS GALVIN & JEFF GALVIN

HAWKSMOOR AT HOME FIONA BECKETT & RICHARD TURNER Preface, £25

The Hawksmoor restaurants in Spitalfields and Seven Dials have been a sensation.

Their credo is simple: the best ingredients – dictionary-thick steaks from Longham cattle dry-aged for at least 35 days, simply cooked on a real charcoal grill.

Hawksmoor At Home is a practical cookbook which shows you how to buy and cook great steak and seafood and indeed much else (including how to cook both the ‘best burger in Britain’, and the ‘best roast beef in Britain’); how to mix terrific cocktails and choose wine to accompany your meal. Above all, Hawksmoor At Home entertains and informs in the inimitable ‘Hawksmoor’way.

PICK OF THE MONTH!

Absolute Press, £25

SPICES SOPHIE GRIGSON Quadrille, £20

Sophie Grigson provides a captivating yet practical guide to the exciting wealth of spices that we all have access to. They are grouped into chapters of specific tastes, from Bitter and Sour (turmeric and sumac), to Aromatic (cumin and juniper); and each spice has its own dedicated entry, complete with recipes that explore and enhance its unique aroma and flavour.

Packed with intriguing tales and enticing recipes, Spices ensures you’ll look at spices as fascinating pieces of our culinary history.

From Britain’s favourite Michelin-starred chefs comes Galvin: A Cookbook de Luxe, in which brothers Chris and Jeff Galvin provide their singular take on the world’s favourite cuisine – the much-loved and ever-popular brasserie de luxe food of France.

This beautiful book comprises 150 recipes and is richly illustrated throughout. Together, the remarkable Galvin brothers have had huge success with their restaurants: Galvin Bistrot de Luxe, which opened in 2005 in Baker Street; Galvin at Windows, opened in 2006 and gaining a Michelin star in 2010; as well as Galvin La Chapelle and Café Vin, both opened in 2009, with La Chapelle gaining its Star in 2011.

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> flavour in season

At their best Every month our seasonal selections come from Cheryl Cohen, director of London Farmers’ Markets which runs 18 weekly markets throughout the city. She is on the board of London Food, works closely with the Farmers' Markets Retail Association and with London Food Links.

pumpkins

quince retains its air of mystique.

Even one lone fruit will scent the air if you keep it long enough. The fruit of Aphrodite can’t be eaten raw, but comes into its own as a preserve; most famously as quince cheese, but also to flavour vodka, or in savoury dishes, tarts and pies. You’ll find them at most of our farmers’ markets.

mutton Once a lamb is one-year-old, it’s hogget. Over two-yearsold and it becomes mutton.

The older it is, the longer it is likely to take to cook, but the flavour pays off. Find it at farmers’ markets, farm shops and good butchers.

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right

MUTTON WITH QUINCE, CHESTNUTS AND SAFFRON Cut and core 2 quinces. Cut each quarter into four and drop them into a bowl with 300ml boiling water and lemon juice squeezed in. You need to keep the quince slices from browning. Peel 15 pearl onions and garlic. Roughly crush the garlic. In a pot melt 40g butter. Brown 1 kilo mutton, add the onions and garlic. Add 1 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp red pepper paste and water. Cook over a low heat for about 15 minutes. Add the quince slices, 4 peeled and cubed potatoes, 15 cooked chestnuts, 1 tbsp sugar or pomegranate molasses, 1 tsp cinnamon, salt and pepper. Add a generous pinch of saffron to a couple of tablespoons of warm water to let the colour develop for a minute. Add to the pot. Add enough water to cover the meat and vegetables.

Cook on a very slow heat until tender. Serve with rice or bread.

Pumpkins and squashes are part of the cucurbita (gourd family) which also includes courgettes and marrows.

Introduced to us in the 15th century, winter squashes are picked once their skins have hardened and their flesh is denser and sweeter. They’re amazing keepers. In a cool space a winter squash will keep until the following spring if you’re lucky. There are so many varieties, so experiment until you find your favourite. Some will be sweeter, others more solid in texture.

Stuff or roast them, turn them into soup, purées or the best pasta filling.

This dessert is everywhere in Turkey in the autumn and it’s pretty fabulous.

Turks’ Turban would be appropriate; I use acorn or onion squash.

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> flavour in season

celeriac For more information contact: www.lfm.org.uk www.twitter.com/londonfarmers

now

Many people ignore what they regard as an ugly vegetable. Under the skin celeriac has a fabulous mild celery flavour, great roasted, mashed with potatoes to serve with game, in gratins and soups.

This is a classic recipe, as a starter or to serve with cold meats. Buy a celeriac; use half for this salad and the rest in a hot dish.

CELERIAC REMOULADE Make the dressing before the celeriac has time to discolour. There will always be a fair amount of mud and wastage.

Once you’ve topped and tailed it it’s fairly easy to peel the skin.

Mix together 150g mayonnaise, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 tspn of salt, 1 tbsp lemon juice, and a few grinds of black pepper. Peel ½ kilo of celeriac and grate it coarsely. Mix the dressing with the celeriac and add more seasoning, mustard, and lemon juice to taste.

Options: use a mixture of yogurt and mayonnaise to cut the fat content. Add white cabbage, kohlrabi and carrot for a winter coleslaw. A handful of walnuts or cobnuts would be nice too…

TURKISH CANDIED PUMPKIN; KABAK TATLISI I’ve added some warm spices; leave them out if you prefer a ‘pure’ version.

SERVES 4 Cut a 1.5kg pumpkin into wedges about 5cm, remove the seeds and pulp. Peel and cut widthways into slices about 1cm thick. Place the slices in a large frying pan (with a lid), sprinkle with 450g sugar and leave to stand for 4 hours or overnight. The sugar will draw out the liquid in the pumpkin. Heat your oven to 370°C. Place the pumpkin in one layer in an ovenproof dish with a small cinnamon stick, 2 cloves and a grating of nutmeg. Cook for about 40 minutes until tender, checking and moving the pieces around to allow them to cook evenly.

If you like, put the dish under a grill to caramelise. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Sprinkle with 100g walnuts.

I think it’s best served with crème fraiche to cut through the sweetness.

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Passio o poured o c c e Pros nfruit Passio ht from e r a e Rookb an be boug good tc et, Sorbe oods Mark lls F od Ha o le F o h d n W a s Shop l be Farm ide and wil do w ca n O io nat rough ble th a il a v a 2. in 201

Come and try it on Stand P R7

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> flavour taste of christmas

From 2-4 December, some of the world’s greatest chefs and foodie experts are getting together at Taste of Christmas to show you how it’s done. n the AEG Taste Theatre, world-famous chef Jamie Oliver, as well as celebrity chefs Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Gary Rhodes, Jean-Christophe Novelli and Michel Roux Jr will all be taking to the stage to help you perfect your festive dinner party menu. See flavour’s exclusive Q&A with JeanChristophe on the opposite page.

I

Taste of Christmas is also the perfect place to source ingredients and tick off your Christmas shopping list. Be sure to explore the boutique market where premium brands and artisan producers will be showcasing the best food and drink the country has to offer. And don’t forget to come and meet the flavour team on stand 422!

If you love baking – or just enjoy sampling baked goods – head on over to La Pâtisserie Peugeot, where baking experts Eric Lanlard, Mary Berry and Rachel Allen will be rustling up a selection of sweet and savoury treats sure to tantalise your taste buds.

Before you head home, be sure to drop into a wine, chocolate, beer or cheese tasting to help you choose the best produce for your Christmas table or a cosy night in.

Also taking to the stage to entertain will be wine expert Neil Phillips, and Paxton & Whitfield’s Jeremy Bowen.

Teaming up to present the Ryvita Cheese and Wine Theatre, they are guaranteed to entertain and educate as they take you through their matching tips.

Don’t miss the offerings from some of London’s top chefs in the Taste restaurants, where seasonal menus of dishes designed to inspire will be served up. Create your own menu from some of the capital’s finest kitchens – with the likes of Rhodes W1, Asia de Cuba, and an Action Against Hunger pop-up restaurant featuring L’Anima’s Francesco Mazzei and Anna Hansen of The Modern Pantry.

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Eat, drink and be merry in style this year and prepare for the Christmas countdown.

FLAVOUR READER TICKET OFFER! BUY TWO TICKETS FOR £26 SAVING £18* ON THE DOOR PRICE! Please visit the website: www.tasteofchristmas.com or call the ticket hotline on 0871 230 7132 and quote FLAVOUR. *Calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras. Booking and transaction fees apply.

Saving calculated on the door price.

Jamie Oliver’s Dining Ticket and other ticket types available from www.tasteofchristmas.com

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Nick Gregory caught up with the enigmatic Jean-Christophe Novelli before his appearance at Taste of Christmas.

What keeps you going and motivated?

My appetite for my professional life, which involves a lot of sport commitments, as well as my family, who are great. I also love being part of exciting constant projects everyday. My ability to please keeps me going as well.

How do you see the food industry… has it reached its peak?

Things have changed dramatically over the past few years, and an enormous amount of individuals have finally achieved much higher standards. It looks like there is a lot more to be achieved. It is a privilege to witness these high standards in Britain over the past 29 years. I have found all the producers and farmers at food festivals throughout so many counties, to consistently produce some of the highest-quality locally grown produce. This can only help and inspire all of us in the food industry to gain a higher quality of life.

Do you think the UK can justifiably call itself a food destination?

Absolutely, London has become one of the gastronomical capitals of Europe. There is so much variety, and it is incredibly affordable outside of London.

You keep coming back to Taste of Christmas… Why? Because it is a special event at this time of year in London, which contains a lot of ideas to enjoy the festive season to come. It is like

a little treat for me, as going there allows me time for myself; it is a great place to do my Christmas shopping.

Is teaching something you really enjoy, and why?

Yes, it has allowed me to interact even more, and it is nice not to be behind a wall in the kitchen like I used to be for so many years; the plate should not be the intermediary between the guest and the chef. Teaching allows you to express yourself so much more.

How can we brighten up the standard British Christmas dinner, and do we need to?

By using fresh ingredients from local farmers’ markets, or even from farms themselves. The meal itself should not be changed as we should respect its tradition.

Can too many cooks spoil the broth?

If they do not communicate properly and if they all have different objectives, yes.

What do you think of the term ‘Celebrity Chef’?

It means I do not have to queue if I go to the local swimming pool, and it is nice that people don’t call me Jean-Paul or Jean-Claude anymore.

Where next for you Launching my own knife collection with Ziganof knives, as well as my own selection of charcuterie.

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n every quality wine region across the globe there are scores of winemakers producing exceptional quality sparkling wines that often beat champagnes in competitions - but they are not widely known.

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Grays & Feather bring these high quality, great tasting wines together for the first time at www.graysandfeather.com, offering outstanding cuvées from small growers for the same price as entry-level wines from large champagne houses.

Looking to the Christmas and party season Grays & Feather come into their own with over 40 great value sparkling wines and gifts for you to choose from.

Each wine is carefully selected to bring you the best from each region and new and exciting tastes - as well as a selection of the very best England has to offer there is great Valdobbiadene Prosecco recently recommended as

exceptional value by Joe Wadsack at a recent Coutts Wine Cellar tasting, a unique Argentinean Malbec Brut rose, an opulent red made from the famous Burgundian Pinot Noir and a distinctive Brazilian white mistaken for champagne by the president of France.

STAND W31

G&F also supplies the world’s smallest bottle of sparkling wine.

At 125ml the bottle contains one glass and is perfect for wedding favours, stocking fillers, Secret Santa or the Christmas table.

As leading wine writer Joanna Simon says, "a good sparkling wine is better than cheap Champagne".

Grays and Feather aims to bring you the best sparkling wines the world hasto offer.

07920 837807 www.graysandfeather.com

Rookbeare ookbeare, sorbet and ice cream makers from Devon, have been making their favourite ice cream for more than 20 years, with only fresh Jersey milk, fresh double cream, free-range eggs, cane sugar, unadulterated fruit, homemade fudge and Cuban rum.

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The Sorbet is a more recent development, but the principle is the same – they use their own spring water, lots of fruit, cane sugar and a little lemon. As a result, all their products have a wonderful and clean taste.

Observer Food Monthly picked Rookbeare mango sorbet this summer as the best; Woman and Home Magazine selected Rookbeare passionfruit

sorbet as their buy of the week, the raspberry sorbet won a Taste of the West Gold award and we at flavour rank them all up there with the very best of them!

All of their products are made in small batches to ensure proper artisan quality and are available in 500ml tubs from good food outlets all over the country. The full sorbet range is available at Whole Foods Markets, good farm shops and food halls, and from selected Waitrose stores and Ocado. The range is now available in 120ml individual tubs.

Tuck in…

01363 866424 www.rookbearefarm.co.uk

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ore than just a spirit, more than just a whiskey, Buffalo Trace embraces all that is unique from the critically acclaimed and award-winning Buffalo Trace Distillery.

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Buffalo Trace is an eight to12-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey crafted with the finest Kentucky and Indiana corn, selected rye and superior malted barley. A maximum of 50 barrels are selected from their premier ageing slots for each production batch and, to ensure the consistency and exceptional quality, each of these barrels is tasted by the Master Distiller and his team to ensure the taste profile and balance of Buffalo Trace is just right.

Constructed of massive wood beams and covered by a brick shell, the centuries-old warehouses at the Buffalo Trace Distillery facilitate the complete production of bourbon whiskeys, allowing the alternating cooling and warming of Kentucky's four distinct seasons to mature the bourbon by nature's timetable. www.buffalotrace.com www.hi-spirits.com

Buffalo Trace Distillery Firsts: • To ship whiskey down the Mississippi River • To use steam power for distilling • To heat the warehouses • To use the ‘bung-up’ method • To use reverse osmosis water • To commercially market single barrel bourbon • American distillery to be named ‘Distillery of the Year’

ND STA

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The Chocolatier was founded by Aneesh Popat, a graduate of science with a passion for opening people’s minds to new food experiences through chocolate gastronomy.

“I want people to feel the power of food,” he says, “it’s the only form of art experienced by all five of our senses and it’s for that reason that it has a profound effect on our emotions. Step into the unknown and experience pleasure through my chocolates.”

A Niche

by Aneesh he Chocolatier creates exciting and experimental chocolates using truly unique flavour combinations. All are handmade using real ingredients. What’s more is that the chocolates do not contain any cream, butter, eggs or gelatine!

This means you get a cleaner tasting chocolate packed full of flavour, fewer guilt-pinching calories but with no compromise on indulgence!

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The truffle collections feature an array of flavour combinations created by the scientific process of food pairing, where each flavour component is delicately examined and paired to its suited chocolate variety. Chilli and Lime Truffle, Masala-Chai Tea Ganache and Bramley Apple Pie Mousse will certainly surprise your senses.

If you want to see nature at work, experience The Chocolatier’s spice collection made using fresh cardamom, cinnamon and their own London-grown saffron. For those really keen to push the boundaries, Aneesh recommends the ‘Niche Selection,’ with the most ‘out-there’ flavours. At The Chocolatier laboratories they combine precision with art to bring you memorable journeys with every bite.

The Firework Praline does just that – crispy feuilletine followed by a rising heat of chilli to a crescendo of popping candy!

The Chocolatier prides itself on hand-finished truffles, after dinner mousses, bars, decorations, and even extravagant chocolate sculptures. Fancy a Fir Tree infused truffle this Christmas? Taste the unknown with The Chocolatier...

07904 983589 chocolates@the-chocolatier.co.uk www.the-chocolatier.co.uk

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Visit Southbank Centre for magical family shows, free events and bustling Christmas markets. For food lovers, the riverside Christmas markets offer exciting festive ingredients, ideas and street-food, as well and unique gifts!

UNTIL 11 JANUARY

REAL FOOD CHRISTMAS MARKET 16 - 23 December Southbank Centre Square ince pies, mulled wine, cheeses, chutneys, wild game, charcuterie and all manner of chocolate treats.

A magical mix of traditional fare and gastronomic goodies in this festive feast.

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12pm – 8pm daily (6pm Sunday)

TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS MARKET Until 24 December Queen’s Walk

CHRISTMAS CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL

raditional twinkling wooden chalets line the riverside, selling unique and hand-crafted gifts, toys, jewellery and gingerbread hearts. Enjoy traditional German food and plenty of festive treats whilst you soak up the magical Christmas atmosphere.

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11am – 8pm Mondays to Thursdays, 10am – 10pm Fridays & Saturdays, 10am – 8pm Sundays

9 –11 December Southbank Centre Square Discover and learn about the goodness of artisan fine chocolate, indulge, taste and take home some irresistible Christmas presents.

T southbankcentre.co.uk/winter

11am - 8pm (6pm Sunday)

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the devilled egg The South West of England has a bright new star on the culinary horizon: Barbora Stiess, who was chef-trained both at Leith’s of London and by Michelin starred Michael Caines, and has established an extraordinary and luxurious cookery school in the affluent Clifton quarter of Bristol.

Stepping inside a stately Georgianperiod house, guests will be invited into the purpose-built kitchen, where they will learn valuable skills and techniques, then apply these to the cooking and preparation of some carefully selected dishes, before retiring to the dining room.

There they can feast on their creations.

A firm departure from recipe-based cooking, The Devilled Egg Kitchen Academy aims to demystify and popularise the techniques used by professionals to make us all more proficient home cooks. Only a year on since its establishment, the school has already received numerous accolades and universal praise for its innovative and refreshing approach to cooking.

Classes can be completely tailored to the requirements of the individual, from focused one-on-one tutorials, to food and wine tastings for larger groups. Typical topics include how to recognise perfectly cooked shellfish; how to ensure soufflés will always rise properly; and how the correct manipulation of rice will create the creamiest of risottos in no time at all.

The entire range of set courses as well as guide prices for bespoke classes can be found on the company website, and a range of gift vouchers for tutorials and tastings can be ordered directly online. The Devilled Egg website also plays host to an excellent set of 20

virtual cookery classes, and offers tickets to their amazing Fitness & Flavour retreats coming up in 2012.

These are also available as vouchers, and would make unique and wonderful Christmas presents for any budding Ramseys or Blumenthals.

For those wishing to make a whole weekend of foodie fun, The Devilled Egg recommends staying at Your 0-Space in Bristol, whose serviced apartments offer spectacular views and luxury accommodation near the centre of the city.

The Devilled Egg Latchford House 8 Downfield Road Clifton Bristol BS8 2TH

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn valuable culinary arts that will stand you in good stead at that all-important dinner party.

01179 732823 www.thedevilledegg.com www.yourspacebristol.com

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d'iSSa Ltd The cosmopolitan character of Borough Market really comes to the fore in the run-up to Christmas, as yuletide delicacies from around the world jostle with traditional seasonal British produce for the attention of fine food shoppers.

This international flavour is perfectly represented by the traders profiled here who offer Croatian and Portuguese specialities and, in particular, rare sweet confections that are traditionally enjoyed at this time of year.

Tempting new products are arriving daily, and it won’t be long before the historic arches are festooned with festive garlands and buzzing with seasonal entertainments and cookery demonstrations. With so much to explore, and extended opening times in December, we hope you will join us in celebrating the heady mix that is Borough Market at Christmas.

The team at Borough Market

D’Issa is the brainchild of Christopher Stewart and his Croatian wife Ana-Maria Volaric, a couple and a team who share a fierce passion for Croatian culture and cuisine.

“Despite the range of delicious cuisine on offer, the UK was initially a difficult market to serve Croatian food to as it is so geared towards French and Spanish cuisine,” says Chris. “But Croatia is rapidly becoming a top travel destination, with over 750,000 Brits descending on the beautiful country every year. People go there, love the food and the wine, and when they return they want more. So now we find that the majority of our customers have actually been to Croatia, and are very happy to find that they can get authentic Istrian produce in Borough Market”.

D’Issa is now approaching its second Christmas at the Market, and has a whole host of new products that are sure to

delight and inspire. This includes Arancini - candied orange peel - sugared almonds and Bobici which are delicious gluten and dairy free almond meringue biscuits.

Organic jams and spreads bursting with fruit can also be found alongside unctuous Istrian truffle and olive oils. "Our speciality is our Smokvenjak dried fig, almond and walnut range, which goes great with cheese, is ideal as a high-energy, natural snack, or as a new and original cooking ingredient.”

All these wonderful delicacies and more are waiting at D'Issa's stall, and will serve as a fabulous introduction to the delights of Croatian cuisine. www.dissa.co.uk

Rainha Santa PoRtugueSe FoodS Born of a love for Elvas sugar plums - a Portuguese speciality and the trademark product of this Elvas based producer - Rainha Santa has been delighting customers for over 20 years by crafting some exceptionally high quality regional delicacies.

Tim Clements took over the business from his father ten years ago, and has done much to help local suppliers and growers in the Elvas region of Portugal.

“It started off just three of us preparing these hand made Elvas plums using the traditional techniques that Clarissa Nuns were using in the 16th century.

Soon local farmers, who might have had a few orange trees, or some little oregano plants, started coming to us to sell their wares, which we would then prepare

under the Rainha Santa name, and eventually sell in England”.

The plums, (technically greengages) are harvested in July, cooked, and then soaked in sugar for six weeks before being washed and sun-dried. Each plum is then individually prepared and packaged.

Based in Borough Market, Tim sells all sorts of carefully prepared Portuguese products such as smoked chouricos, artisan cheeses like the creamy sheep's cheese Serra de Estrela from the same region, peri peri sauces, marmalades and extra virgin olive oils, along with the legendary plums, all of which are beautifully presented and make excellent gifts. www.rainhasanta.co.uk

BOROUGH MARKET 8 SOUTHWARK STREET, LONDON SE1 1TL www.boroughmarket.org.uk

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THE POWER OF Looking for a quick lunch?

It doesn’t have to be a soggy sandwich at your desk.

Nick Harman tries Street food, Mexican food, and finally, food of the gods

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Roti Chai ‘Roti doesn’t just mean the bread,’ owner Rohit Chugh explains. ‘it means food in general, Mum would shout out to us kids playing in the street “come and get your roti!” meaning come and eat.’

Born in Sheffield, but fuelled by annual trips to see family in India, Rohit loved the street food he found there. Roti Chai is his homage to that food, but done with requisite attention to cleanliness and consistency, things street food isn’t always famous for as many a traveller has found out.

What I like about Roti Chai, apart from the colourful interior and the relaxed urban canteen atmosphere, is the compact menu. Restaurants that offer pages of dishes only make life hard when you’re in a lunchtime hurry, We had a dish of Hakka chilli paneer, vibrant with colour and freshness, the paneer cheese easily the best I’ve had - textured, sticky and redolent of cheesiness. Chicken lollipops - chicken wings – deep fried in a spicy crumb coating were as hot as Hades but the mint and coriander dip kept us cool.

Railway lamb curry was advertised as being mild, but one bite called that into question. We Brits can take it though and it didn’t detract from the gloriously soft slow-cooked lamb and the flavour-packed sauce we cheerfully dunked our chapatis in.

Andhra Pradesh chicken curry referred to the region of India known for a heavy hand with the chillies and spicing and yet it wasn’t as scary as it sounded; spicy yes but in a good way.

Something of a fruit dodger I was persuaded to try Paysam - freshly cut fruit in a saffron and almond custard and it was excellent. Just the thing to damp down the fires, along with the nonalcoholic ginger beer we’d been happily knocking back.

Stood in the shadow of Selfridges, Roti Chai brings a real bit of Indian sunshine to Oxford Street.

Roti Chai 3 Portman Mews South London W1H 6HS

Harrods Steakhouse

Chipotle

(Pictured left-hand page) Battle through the lunchtime crowds gawping at the wonders in Harrods Food Hall and get to the new Steakhouse, but don’t sit down on one of the stools just yet. First you have to pick your steak to be cut from one of the fabulous hunks of 21-day, dry-aged Aberdeen Angus waiting in the glass cabinet behind the butcher.

The meat looks magnificent, and as the butcher holds his knife and looks at you for size approval, the temptation is to have the lot. J, barely able to breathe with excitement, has a large hunk of fillet. I supervise just the right size slice to be cut from a T bone.

The meat is wrapped, flagged with a number and passed across to the grill while we steady ourselves on the stools and wrap the wonderful, towel-like, Harrods napkins across our laps.

This is fast food as I like it. We eat gorgeous olive bread while watching our steaks take their turn on the grill.

Wine by the glass is poured by the team behind the counter; tourists drawn by the aroma check their wallets and calculate the cost and whether they can afford it. Up here at the bar, J and I feel like international playboys and beautiful women eye us appraisingly or possibly with horror.

Steaks are quickly served, cooked absolutely 100% as asked - a medium rare that verges on rare. My T-bone, having a bone and fat, is superb. This is beef that’s gone to heaven, the little scrappy bits having as usual the best flavour. J waves his fork in circles in the air, speechlessly telling me his fillet is excellent too.

The thrice-cooked chips are pretty tasty as is the creamed spinach. The oven roasted vine tomatoes are sweet and only the green salad disappoints by tasting rather muddy for some reason.

A crème brûlée flamed at the table is just the way to round off a great steak meal and we slip regretfully from our stools to make way for the hordes of hopefuls queuing for their turn to lunch like Lords.

Harrods Ltd 87-135 Brompton Road Knightsbridge London SW1X 7XL

Mexican food seems to be up and down in popularity; one minute it’s all dismissed as brown stodge, the next lauded as the freshest thing since the Prince of Bel Air. Chipotle Marylebone is one of the newer hombres on the UK block and takes the route of counter ordering in a room designed for fast eating, and adds a surprising amount of real care over ingredients.

Founded by Steve Ells, a man who occupies a place in his company’s collective psyche somewhere between Steve Jobs and L Ron Hubbard, Chipotle has grown massively in the USA and could do the same here.

Backstage the day’s ingredients really are freshly prepared. Tomatoes are oven roasted to increase their sweetness and drive off water and then skinned before being blitzed to go into salsas. Avocados are scooped and smashed.

Burritos, fajita burritos, burrito bowls, tacos and salads are on offer and you choose from chicken, pork carnitas, barbacoa, steak, or vegetarian (with guacamole) to go in, or with them, and the price varies accordingly. People queuing have time to look at the chart and get an idea of what they want and the process runs fast enough even for me, inclined as I am to tut loudly at ditherers.

Pork is sourced from ethically correct suppliers, beans are mostly organic and they support family farms. Of course all this sandal-wearing is irrelevant if the food tastes the worse for it, but it doesn’t. There is a real zing and freshness to Chipotle food. The burritos are like everywhere though, strictly for gluttons only. Perched unsteadily back at my stool I found the tacos crispy and the carnitas pork, braised in house, smokily attractive.

Salsa comes in various degrees of heat, but medium seemed a happy one - you don’t want customers leaving with smoke coming out of their ears after all.

Hot and tasty, Chipotle delivers the fast food promise for lunch.

Chipotle 101-103 Baker Street, Marylebone, London W1U 6WG

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BOUGHT, BORROWED & STOLEN

Some women collect shoes - Allegra collects knives!

“This is the first cookbook I’ve written that isn’t about recipes that I’ve come up with: instead it’s a book of special things I’ve eaten all over the world that moved me, and that I’ve recreated using my notes and taste memory. Wherever you are in the world, there’s no better way of giving people joy than by handing them a plate of food made with love …and watching them love it too.”

Allegra McEvedy

As a professional chef, Allegra McEvedy has developed a healthy admiration for the tools of her trade, and it became her quest to search for a knife that reflected the country she was currently eating in. From each of 20 countries, Allegra has chosen the absolute best of what she ate there - flavours that engrained themselves in her food memory and are what she calls “knock-your-socks-off yum.”

We have selected a few that we think will tickle your tastebuds and leave you wanting more…

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CONFIT SALMON IN GINGER JUICE (Pictured on previous page)

Purity is an important part of Japanese culture, and the cleanliness of this dish reflects that.

We eat porridge for breakfast and they eat salmon, ginger and salty soy: ours is for the energy levels, but this, first thing in the morning, definitely feels like brain food.

Ingredients Around 600ml rapeseed/light olive oil/grapeseed oil (or enough to submerge your salmon pieces) 300g piece of salmon, from the head end, skin on and pinboned 150g/5oz ginger, washed and peel left on 2 tablespoons sake 2 tablespoons mirin 1 tablespoon light soy sauce A small handful of alfalfa sprouts ½ punnet of mustard cress 50g salmon eggs Method 1 Warm the oil in a shallow pan/small frying pan (about 20cm/8 inches across) over a medium heat: you’re looking for the point at which a corner of bread fizzles with small bubbles but nothing explosive happens when you drop it in. From there turn the oil down a bit and wait a couple of minutes so that the temperature stabilises (for those with thermometers, it’ll be around 110°C/230°F).

2 Halve the salmon along both axes to make 4 squarish blocks, then slide them into the oil, skin-side down. They should sink and bubble gently but you don’t want them to colour at all. Cook for 3 minutes, then gently lift them out and drain on kitchen paper.

3 Using the big holes, grate the ginger into a bowl. Pick up half of it, squeeze the fibres over a little bowl to extract the juice, and once you’ve squeezed the life out of it do the same with the other half – it should produce 3-4 tablespoons of juice (you can keep the squeezed solids to make tea/toddies). Mix the ginger juice with the sake, mirin and soy.

4 When the salmon has cooled to room temperature, peel off the skin. Spoon the sauce onto 4 plates, and put a piece of fish on each. Mix together the alfalfa and mustard cress, and put a small pile onto each of the fish pieces. Share the salmon eggs between the 4 plates and serve the whole thing at room temperature.

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BRUNCH HASH is, or something like it but a bit greasier, was the first thing I ate when I went on my illegal job-hunting mission to New York in this tiny joint on Second Avenue. is is one of the yummiest brunch dishes out there: such a quick and easy cook – I dare you to make a hash of it!

BOUGHT, BORROWED & STOLEN

By Allegra McEvedy Published by Conran Octopus, £25

Serves 4 Ingredients 500g potatoes (ie 2 large ones), diced 3 tablespoons light oil 2 tablespoons butter 2 onions, diced 2.5cm square 4 really thick slices of salt beef*, weighing about 75g each, large diced or roughly broken into big pieces 1-2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, to taste A big handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped 4 medium, cooked beetroot (about 200g), diced 4 spring onions, sliced 4 eggs A good pinch of chilli flakes Salt and pepper

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is is one of my all-time favourite tapas – the saltiness of the fish, the creaminess om the mash and the slight piquancy of the peppers all come together perfectly in every bite. As with most tapas, these are great party food, but I’ve also done a couple with a bit of rocket as a damn fine starter.

PIQUILLO PEPPERS STUFFED WITH BRANDADA DE BACALAO Makes 16ish

Method

Ingredients 175g salt cod 400g mashing potatoes, peeled 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 3 small shallots (or 1 banana shallot), finely sliced 2–3 cloves of garlic, minced 2 pinches of smoked paprika, preferably the hot one but sweet will do 3 tablespoons double cream A squeeze of lemon, if you fancy it A tin or jar of piquillo peppers with at least 16 pieces in it, drained pepper

1 Soak the salt cod overnight, changing the water a few times. Next day, first get your mash going: quarter the spuds into cold salted water, bring to the boil, simmer until tender, then drain. While the spuds are going, lift the cod out of the water, pick/cut out any bones and peel off the skin, then roughly chop the flesh.

2 Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Heat the oil in a medium-sized frying pan and fry the cod, shallots, garlic and smoked paprika for a few minutes until the cod is opaque and the shallots have softened, then turn the heat off.

3 Once the spuds are well drained mash them into the cod with the cream. Season well with pepper and a squeeze of lemon, and let the mix cool a little by spreading it out on a plate.

Stuff the peppers, put them on a small, baking tray, then brush them lightly all over with water.

4 Bake in the oven for 10ish minutes until hot but not collapsing; you can give them a splash of extra virgin olive oil when they come out of the oven if you want, but in Spain they are usually served matt.

Method 1 Cover the potatoes with cold salted water, put on a high heat and bring to the boil, then simmer until they are almost tender and drain.

While the spuds are cooking, heat half the oil with half the butter in a large, heavy pan and fry the onions over a medium heat until they are softening and starting to brown.

2 Chuck in the drained potatoes, add the rest of the oil, turn the heat up to maximum, and fry for a few more minutes, until the potatoes are just starting to pick up some colour.

3 Season, stir in the beef, mustard and parsley and lastly add the beetroot, turning it in carefully so as to avoid everything going pink. Once the beetroot is warm – just a minute or two – turn the heat off and stir in the spring onions.

4 Fry the eggs in the rest of the butter, then season and sprinkle with chilli flakes. Divide the hash into 4 portions and put an egg on top of each.

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LOBSTER SPAGHETTINI e best start to a New Year I’ve ever had: 1 January, sitting in the Campo Santo Stefano in Venice eating this dish in the sunshine. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so set up for the year to come.

Serves 4 as a starter Ingredients 1 live lobster (weighing about 600g) A knob of butter Extra virgin olive oil 150g dried spaghettini 75ml double cream A small handful of tarragon, finely chopped A large handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped A small squeeze of lemon Salt and pepper

For the stock 200g shell-on North Atlantic prawns, raw or cooked A splash of sunflower oil or other light oil ½ an onion, cut in half again A few cloves of garlic, unpeeled 3 tomatoes Mixed stock vegetables (carrots, celery, fennel, mushrooms, parsley, bay leaves etc), roughly chopped

Method 1 To make the stock, first whiz the prawns in a food processor for a couple of moments to break them up a bit.

Fry them in oil over a high heat for a few minutes, then add the onion, garlic, tomatoes and the mixed stock vegetables. Stir together until the vegetables have warmed up, and then cover with water – about 1 litre/ 1¾ pints. Put a lid on the pan, bring to the boil, then turn the heat right down, tilt the lid so the pan is only half covered, and let it gently bubble for 30 minutes whilst you amuse yourself elsewhere.

2 Once it’s cooked, drain the stock into a bowl, and really push down on the solids using the back of a ladle so that all the goodness is squeezed out. Pour the liquid back into the pan and boil until reduced by about two-thirds, giving it a good skim along the way.

3 Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Put in the chilled, knocked-out lobster and boil it for 10 minutes. Fish it out, keeping the water, and leave the lobster to cool. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Bring the pan of water you used to cook the lobster back to the boil, with a big pinch of salt and a dash of olive oil; keep the lid on.

4 Boil the spaghettini in the lobster water until just al dente, then drain and cover. As the pasta is cooking, lay the lobster on its back and use a long sharp knife to split it into two lengthwise. Crack the claws with the back of the knife, put on to a baking tray and spread the butter on the lobster flesh. Put the empty pasta pan straight back on the heat and when it is really hot pour in the prawn stock (helps double-time reducing). Bring to a rapid simmer, add the cream and seasoning, and let it bubble until it is a sauce-like consistency.

5 While the sauce is reducing, cover the lobster with foil and reheat in the oven (10 minutes). When you are ready to serve, stir the cooked pasta, tarragon, parsley and seasoning into the sauce.

Finish with a squeeze of lemon. Plate the lobster and, like the presentation I had in Venice, use tongs to drape the pasta over and around the lobster’s body.

> flavour allegra mcevedy

> flavour xxxxxxx

"Time and again, in the chaos of the seed, the new organism is built up again out of the whole universe.” Rudolf Steiner, 1924

future

heralds of a wholesome

With financial and political crises taking the limelight, seriously parallel farming issues - a ferocious gathering storm - go almost unnoticed. As we read about food in organs such as this, we might be surprised to learn that, just beyond the purely aesthetic delights of the morsels that reach our lips, there’s a story of great decline.

Sick soils, a toxic atmosphere, acidification of streams, rivers and oceans, newlyemerging diseases of food crops and livestock all confirm that the days of intensively produced plenty are nearing an inevitable end: Nature is showing us at every turn that the environmental, ecological and human costs are too high: the game is almost up and it looks as though we are on the brink of learning some hard lessons - more than a bit on the tardy side!

Human health and behaviour show disturbing signs of a malfunction and wild species are in a freefall of decline, all at a pace consistent with the passing of true agricultural wisdom and the loss of strong, numerous and resilient farming communities.

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What’s more, we cannot escape the fact that the nutritive value of the vast majority of our foodstuffs - yes, even organic – has been plummeting too. For example, the most valuable constituent of our grains and our cereals – protein – is but a fraction of what it once was, yet its growing takes ever more expensive, harmful, synthetic inputs than ever before.

All this is not to say that we need to bring primitive conditions back to humanity, though we’d do well to remember the three genuine necessities for physical survival: food, warmth and shelter!

No, if we delve into the radically natural methods being pioneered by Ian and Denise Bell at Foxholes Farm in Dorset, then we are given a glimpse of why their meat (produced and marketed direct to customers under the label Heritage Prime) is hailed by the most notable food experts as “probably the best on the planet”.

On a broader plain, we’ll see a whole new template for the regeneration of farming as an indispensable social necessity, indeed where the farmer will be recognized for what he truly is: the most important professional of all; where our young may be inspired and

enabled to pursue farming as a career and, where the farm may become a haven for knowledge of the very forces, the spiritual elements, that play into the landscape in which we grow our food.

Here is a unique farm that, managed with the skills only to be attained through testing experience, has combined the great philosopher Rudolf Steiner’s biodynamic method with some of the afore-mentioned natural wisdom and a no-nonsense, complete rejection of all artificially derived material and pharmaceutical products.

Not for nothing do Ian and Denise Bell feature regularly as heralds of a future where blind materialism is relegated in favour of more wholesome, more life enhancing human ambitions, especially when it’s a matter of what we expect to gain from what we eat! www.heritageprime.co.uk

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The Three Stags & James Brown aving started hiscareer as a kitchen porter during his summer holidays in Cornwall, The Three Stags’ head chef James Brown became fascinated by the process of taking raw ingredients and turning them into something tasty that people enjoyed eating.

And working with these fresh and locallyproduced ingredients early in his career has materialized into a passion and respect for British provenance.

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After plying his trade all over the UK in top restaurants and Michelin-starred venues in and around London, James became disillusioned with the corporate environment, feeling too far removed from the importance of good ingredients and traditional cookery… but then he found The Three Stags and owner Richard Bell, who rekindled his passion for cooking great ingredients – carefully, thoughtfully and honestly.

“I am just enjoying traditional, honest cooking,” says James. “It was important for me to get right back in touch with fundamental cookery and good flavours.

Of course there are some modern

influences, but my main aim is to provide delicious food that make people feel happy after eating.

“We have an honest and pure passion for delivering the best, most responsibly sourced, produce to our customers and are probably the most modest sustainable place in London.

Other restaurants bang on about it as if they are doing something new and ingenious.

For us it is common sense to use the best of British. And it is crucial to our environment that we recycle everything and save energy wherever possible.

“So, we always use British and free range from HG Walters family butchers, Chiltern Farms, Elwy Valley and recently we have been buying quarter carcasses of Heritage Prime beef from Denise and Ian Bell at Foxholes Farm in Dorset. The beef we have been fortunate enough to indulge in from these guys is just amazing! Forget Wagu and Kobe.

fantastic. The bones make fantastic gravy, the fat is rendered for cookery and every single morsel of the beef is used in one way or another.

“We put a load of effort into sourcing the best possible meat where the flavour comes through and that is ultimately why our customers come back.”

The Three Stags is non pretentious and as James says, ‘honest’, making it a definite ‘go to’ when looking for that something special.

67-69 Kennington Road City of London SE1 7PZ 0207 928 5974 www.thethreestags.org

Their dedication to homeopathic farming is a complete obsession and has absolutely paid off, and for a little pub like ours to be able to deliver it to our customers is

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Westfield Stratford City, Europe's largest urban shopping centre, opened in September to great aplomb. Alongside the shopping and leisure facilities – 250 shops, 70 bars and restaurants, a 17 screen Vue cinema, 14 lane All Star Lanes bowling and the UK’s largest casino - is the burgeoning Great Eastern Market. Located at the entrance to the 32,000 sqft Waitrose food store, the food market provides a modern interpretation of a traditional market, within an original and unique trading space...

✽ PASTA REMOLI Simone Remoli started his deli-cum-cafe in Westfield Stratford City with fond memories of his family homestead back in Italy. “As a child, every morning I would wake to the sweet sights, sounds and smells of the matriarchs of my enormous family pounding away at the creation of fresh pasta,” Simone says, “resulting in me starting up Pasta Remoli, which focuses on fresh, simple concoctions.”

You can sample a delicious dish in store, choosing from many types of pasta including gluten and egg-free options and over 10 raviolis, stuffed with delectable fillings such as sun-dried tomato, black truffle, and Simone’s personal favourite; a slow-cooked oxtail ravioli, his speciality.

Diners can eat in – there is space for about 12 – but Pasta Remoli is more geared up for takeaway. A delicious meal can be knocked up in just a few minutes, and is perfect for hunger on the hoof.

The market consists of an eclectic mix of food specialists, including a variety of delicatessens that showcase food from around the globe.

Cookery demonstrations in the kitchen from retailers, celebrities and the community alike add to the sensory experience the market brings.

Westfield has created the next chapter for lifestyle and the introduction of this food market reflects the way East London lives and breathes. At Westfield Stratford City, the products, ingredients and experience reach far beyond traditional shopping centres and delivers an experience that covers all bases.

Inspired by some of the best global markets, the Great Eastern Market celebrates local culture and cuisine and here at flavour we have found five traders who epitomise that ethos and have already made their mark at Westfield…

Great Eastern Market Westfield Stratford City London E20 1EJ

Simone’s homemade pastas and sauces can be bought in the deli section, so you too can have a little slice of Remoli in the comfort of your home. www.pastaremoli.co.uk

✽ L’ORCHIDEE After meeting up in a famous London West End hotel, chef Daniel Garcia and Elias Dayub discovered a common passion for fine desserts, which took them on a fantastic journey to create an incredible patisserie. And, after combining their wealth of experience in the food business, L'orchidee was created.

L'orchidee is passionate about delivering quality beyond the highest expectations. There is an amazing range of highly fashionable yet very classic French macarons and truffle lollies, which are elegance and delicacy incarnate, as well as a fabulous festive range of luxury cheeses, sticky toffee puddings and Christmas puddings, which would make the perfect festive gift.

“The macarons and lollies are handmade daily using only the finest ingredients Daniel could get his hands on, from organic British strawberries, Venezuelan chocolate and bourbon vanilla to the greenest pistachios you ever saw.” www.lorchidee.co.uk

westfield.com/stratfordcity

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> flavour westfield

westfield stratford city ✽ GRIND “Grind Coffee Bar came about in Putney SW London in January 2010, when we decided to put a small coffee machine in the front of a music shop,” says David Dickenson, “and we boldly stuck a sign on the street saying ‘we have the best coffee in town’.”

✽ TAP EAST Tap East is a brewery pub with a huge selection of fantastic beers both local and exotic, which customers can sample whilst admiring the burnished copper microbrewery behind the bar.

Manager Glynn has high hopes for Tap East, as it joins a legion of excellent microbreweries popping up all over London. “The beer scene in London is bursting right now, its going through the roof. There are a lot of breweries that have been open little over a year, and are already winning international awards, so the standard is high. We’re hoping to be sitting up there with them.”

Tap East sells over 120 bottled beers from all over the world, including the Belgian Chimay and The Flying Dog from the States. “We have the master brewer just finishing off our first beer right now,” says Glynn.

“We will eventually be serving three permanent beers, as well as one seasonal and two guest ales”.

The wealth of choice at Tap East is incredible, and the staff are clearly very passionate and knowledgeable about their beverages. www.utobeer.co.uk

✽ EL CANTARA El Cantara started as a Moorish tapas bar in Soho serving excellent traditional food from Morocco and the southern coast of Spain, and its success has propelled it toward Stratford City.

Enthusiastic manager Mehran explains the philosophy of El Cantara: “The idea is that we bring not only great produce, but also the Moorish way of life to Londoners. We have around 40 dishes on our menu, and each day we will select 15 and customers can pick and choose. After eating, the customer can browse our deli, which contains the produce to recreate tapas El Cantara-style.

We provide recipes so that you can discover our food at home.”

The finest produce is sourced and imported, with serrano and jamon Iberico hams, as well as a range of cheeses such as Montenegro and a pecorino matured in brandy. There are spices from Morocco, and a range of Moorish wines and beers.

The music shop quickly became overrun with customers queuing up for their daily coffees, so three months later it was time for the owners to move into a shop of their own and Westfield was the perfect place to showcase this great little haven.

El Cantara is the real deal: authentic and traditional. There is a desire to share and impart knowledge here, so we can all feast as the Moorish do.

www.grindcoffeebar.co.uk

www.elcantara.co.uk

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WALKER & SONS

Ian Heircock, Award-winning Master Pie Maker from Walker & Sons

PRIDE OF BRITAIN!

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> flavour walker & sons

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hat better way is there to keep warm during the cold British winter than with a quintessentially British hot pie? Few foods have quite the same warming and filling effect as a well-made hot pie that can be enjoyed by all the family.

Based in Leicestershire in the very heart of England, Walker & Sons are experts in the fine art of pie making. Founded in 1824

by Mark Walker and his son, the family-run business soon became something of an institution within the region, respected for its pork pies. Legend has it that Walkers Pork Pies were so popular that families would queue around the block on Christmas Eve to buy their favourites.

Walker & Sons has recently launched a new range of hot pies.

Filled with only the finest ingredients, these new hot pies are available from Waitrose in four different flavours; Supreme Steak & Stilton Pie, Sumptuous Steak & Classic Chicken Pie, White Wine & Mushroom Pie (2 x 250g), and a single Glorious Chicken & Chorizo Pie (250g).

Using only the best quality cuts of British meat, the pies are delicately flavoured with herbs, spices and complementary ingredients such as Stilton and Chorizo. Each pie is skilfully encased in a rich crust pastry and is delicious eaten alone or as part of a traditional British meal.

The new hot pies are baked at Walker & Sons bakery, which boasts a trophy cabinet that underlines the company’s heritage and expertise. The Master Pie Maker, Ian Heircock, has been baking the Walkers Pork Pie for over 30 years and his passion is reflected in the premium quality and taste of everything that comes out of Walker & Sons. Ian has been recognised for the quality of these pies at the British Pie Awards where in the last three years he has won 84 certificates, been crowned Supreme Champion twice (2009, 2010) as well as winning the Best Pork Pie Class in 2011. In addition to his British Pie Awards success, Ian also received a Grocer Food & Drink 2011 Award for the Walkers Large Pork Pie. Walker & Sons delicious range of hot pies are available exclusively from Waitrose. A single pie costs £2.79 and the two-pack pies are £4.99. The cold pie range, consisting of The Picnic Pie (148g), The Crispy Classic (300g) and The Original (440g) are available at The Co-operative, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Waitrose and cost between 95p and £2.99 respectively.

What better way to celebrate the Great British Winter than with a Great British Pie. Hot or cold, there’s simply nothing quite like it! For more information on Walker & Sons and its range of pies, please visit the website.

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the dining dance...

"Next time you're sipping your aperitif in a restaurant and are gearing up for a good night, take a moment to look your waiter in the eye.

It could be the start of something special..." says Zeren Wilson

T

his is a paean to the workers, a big shout out to everyone working in the restaurant gig, as they are all heroes brave and true.

As diners, when we walk into the room and sit at our appointed table, we expect the clockwork machinery of a restaurant to start clicking into motion - we're fully entitled to, we're paying for it after all.

We expect to be greeted warmly, handed menus, asked if we'd like a drink, then left to chat with friends as we peruse the menu and make our decisions.

It's a dance with rules, etiquette and a whole host of expectations.

As the clock nears 9pm and the room fills, there is invariably a moment when the room "pops", volume reaches a crescendo, and the whole place is buzzing with the frenetic pace of dinner service at full pelt – and still we have our expectations.

The true skill and beauty of a restaurant team in complete control of 34

the floor, even at the moment of peak pressure, is a wonderful thing to watch.

Everyone is playing their small but crucial part in keeping the dance alive, in the knowledge that the slightest slip, the forgotten order, the misplaced dish, the delayed dessert, can begin to unravel a smooth service into stressinducing moments at best, and unbridled chaos and panic at worst – it's a tightrope balance. Experience is the only way that creases are ironed out with minimal impact on the experience of the diner, the restaurant manager that has seen it all before and can react instantly, the chefrestaurateur that responds instantly to moments of pressure in the kitchen.

Front of house still have to keep their peckers up after any mistakes, keep smiling and keep serving. Confidence can take a knock early in the night and prey on the mind; that first pour of wine that splashed unceremoniously onto the table a niggling detail that may affect the waiter for the rest of the night.

Imagine how they might be feeling after three double-shifts in a row, an exhausting three days of lunch and dinner service. At the end of day three the energy levels will always be sapped, mind a little frazzled, and body yearning for a day off.

So spare a thought for these brave souls who have thrust themselves unto the breach, to make your night as good as it can possibly be. Take a moment to look into their eyes and see if they're having a good time, even ask them how their night is going if you feel like it - they'll appreciate it, believe me.

If they're having a good time, chances are that you'll be having a good time along with them. It's part of the dance, you see.

Take them by the hand and give them a little twirl. Do the foxtrot with them, perhaps a little tango if you like, and if you're really in the mood and it's Friday night, go for it and shimmy along with some salsa - they'll love you for it.

Let's dance baby!

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. . . e n i v e p Gra

Onthe

A food writer and wine consultant, Zeren Wilson will leave no stone unturned in his quest to find the hidden gems of London’s food scene and bring it to you on a plate. Check out Zeren’s restaurant review site for a taste of what he has to offer: www.bittenandwritten.com

MANSON Alan Stewart has shaken up Fulham dining in a serious way. Venison tartare is an absolute beauty to look at, like a bejewelled box of rubies shining alongside girolles, celeriac and cobnuts that sing with the flavours of autumn. Previously working at Michelin-starred Launceston Place, Alan's ethos takes in many ingredients grown in allotments close by, and there's an unnerving focus to each dish delivered.

Exquisitely presented food, thoughtful balance of ingredients, and a wine list guided by the hand of experienced sommelier Micky Narea, pulls this former boozer up by the jockstrap and over-delivers at every step. www.mansonrestaurant.co.uk

www.senkairestaurant.com

LAWN BISTRO The most devastatingly silky chicken liver and foie gras parfait has landed in Wimbledon, Ollie Couillaud's signature dish, and something of a superhero's ‘special move’. He's brought a proper neighbourhood restaurant to Wimbledon Village, with all the clattery, bustling charm of the best brasseries. Ollie comes with a solid pedigree, previously chefpatron of Bord'eaux in the Grosvenor House hotel, and head chef at Tom Aiken and La Trompette. A welcome beacon in the chain-dominated Wimbledon Village. www.thelawnbistro.co.uk

The best named wine all year?

I reckon. Maverick winemaker and ex-Danish thrash metal band manager (yes, really) chucked in the music business and headed to Washington State, Oregon, to make some punchy wines with even punchier names. Kung Fu Girl Riesling, Boom Boom Syrah and now this plush Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon blend are all part of his gang. The Velvet Devil attacks from the start, a ball of intense blackberry at its core, silky, supple and seductive. Lock horns with this little demon if you dare. www.bibendum-wine.co.uk

SENKAI Reborn and refreshed under head chef Tim Tolley, the hidden-away ex-Cocoon site is now Senkai, still with a sushi bent, the addition of a Robata grill adding fire and glamour to the party. Free-range chicken with miso and coriander coruscates with Umami layers, while a disturbingly flavourless piece of ‘Wrasse’ on a sushi platter shows that sustainable ain't always best. Cocktails are serious enough and a big focus, career bartenders happy to think on the hoof, tailoring your spirit of choice with a mixologist’s panache.

THE VELVET DEVIL

FOUR SISTERS Burlesque is flicking its tassels and showing more than a bit of leg at the revamped 25 Canonbury Lane bar, now restyled as a cheeky bolthole with a lascivious twist. A raucous re-launch night saw owner Andrew Green shaking his stuff with the ‘four sisters’, sexy and sassy denizens of this new boudoir in N1. The Canonbury Cabaret will be a monthly affair, complete with some of the finest tattooed ladies seen since Spuntino in Soho. Risqué and raunchy, this place is a riot. www.thefoursistersbar.co.uk

www.bittenandwritten.com Follow Zeren on Twitter: @bittenwritten

PUTNEY PIES An altar to the pie has emerged in Putney with generously-filled pies, handmade on the premises, with a satisfying variety of different crusts on each pie and a notable craft beer list including flavour of the month from The Kernel Brewery. It's highly stylised, and ready-made for a rapid roll-out, but there's a bouncy energy about the place that charms. Bubble and squeak misfires with almost zero seasoning, there's no need for the ambitiously flavoured chutneys that include an Indian spiced number, and mash doesn't have the decadent butter-laden intensity to send the heart aflutter, but it's the pies that matter. The pies have it. www.putneypies.co.uk

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City eSCapeS

Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa S

et within the beautiful Georgian buildings that make up the Royal Crescent Hotel, this little known gem in the heart of the city of Bath is truly a secret to be shared. Focusing on the natural elements of earth, air, fire and water, The Bath House embraces both ancient and modern day spa culture.

With an extensive range of therapies using world-renowned product ranges, The Bath House is able to soothe mind, body and spirit.

The contemporary style of The Bath House was created from a converted coach house and stables, and opens onto the gardens, which are a stunning setting for The Bath House. Enjoy the wonderful relaxation pool heated to 35˚C, cool and tepid plunge tubs, sauna and steam Karahafus, as well as a

fully-equipped gymnasium. Treatments range from soothing massages to full aromatherapy facials, and from fruit enzyme wraps to holistic foot and nail treatments.

The Royal Crescent Hotel is the most impressively located luxury hotel in the World Heritage City of Bath, occupying the two central buildings of the world's finest crescent. The Grade I listed buildings were designed by the famous Georgian architect, John Wood the Younger, and were first occupied in 1775. Beyond its magnificent façade lies a hotel renowned for its charm, elegance and superb service, and for the unexpected beauty of the astounding oneacre, landscaped garden, which leads to the skilfully-converted coach houses that now accommodate the award-winning Dower

House restaurant and Bath House spa.

The Dower House overlooks the hotel’s leafy and secluded garden estate. In the summer months, the sunny terrace and manicured lawns make the perfect setting for idyllic al fresco dining.

A number of individually designed rooms, such as The Library and The Pavilion Conservatory, are available for private dining and special occasions, such as gatherings of family and friends, important business meetings and so on.

This iconic hotel is far more than a remarkable collection of buildings and beautiful gardens; it also offers the opportunity to experience a style of gracious living from the age when Bath was the very centre of the civilized world.

The Royal Crescent Hotel, 16 Royal Crescent, Bath BA1 2LS • 01225 823333 • www.royalcrescent.co.uk

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tep in off the bustling market streets of Bridport, West Dorset and discover the wonderful world of the Bull Hotel. Easy-going, informal and bursting with life, this former 17th century coaching-inn lovingly restored by owners Richard and Nikki Cooper oozes eclectic style and contemporary rustic charm.

the Bull Hotel

Only a short distance from the epic Dorset Jurassic Coast (a World Heritage Site) and the seaside attractions of West Bay and Lyme Regis, a stay at the Bull offers the perfect combination of market town energy, rural loveliness and coastal beauty that makes it just about the most perfect place to be.

Tuck-in at the Bull’s awardwinning restaurant, which serves a range of great dishes from the easy going moules frites (now a Wednesday night institution in Bridport), a laid-

back market day brunch, a lavish celebration meal or morning coffee and cakes, you will find every occasion catered for with relaxed, rustic food.

For something a little more unusual, try The Stable, situated in The Bull Hotel’s historic stable block. Expect hay bales, communal tables and just a hint of the Wild West. Serving a vast selection of unique ciders, from single variety specials to proper local brews, wine by the carafe and a mouth watering range of homemade Dorset pizzas and pies, it’s a totally new concept that brings the best of the West Country to the table.

The Bull Hotel 34 East Street Bridport Dorset DT6 3LF 01308 422878 www.thebullhotel.co.uk

Careys Manor Hotel & SenSpa xperience a world of pure relaxation and luxury at Careys Manor Hotel & SenSpa, where world-class spa facilities, luxurious bedrooms, versatile function spaces and three delicious dining options combine to make this hotel in the serene New Forest National Park so special.

E

dishes. Alternatively, enjoy authentic Thai cuisine with menus offering a fresh infusion of exotic flavours at the Zen Garden restaurant.

For relaxed dining, Le Blaireau Brasserie and Bar offers simple, high-quality and authentic French cuisine with a selection of fine wines.

Careys Manor makes for an ideal place to escape and discover unique surroundings, relax and revitalise in the award-winning Thai-theme spa or indulge in a range of sumptuous cuisine from one of the three on-site restaurants.

SenSpa is the perfect luxury escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday city life, where you can ease tired muscles, restore inner calm and renew your energy levels. Adorned with sumptuous Thai silks and infused with the hypnotic scents of the Orient, the world-class SenSpa offers Eastern and Western treatments and philosophies inspired by ancient traditions to evoke tranquillity.

The two-rosette Manor Restaurant is the perfect place to sample fine dining and enjoy a formal dinner – great for romance or celebration. The menu is designed and expertly cooked by the executive chef, creating delicious and traditional British

Lyndhurst Road, Brockenhurst, New Forest, Hampshire SO42 7RH • 01590 624467 • www.careysmanor.com

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Hotel Felix C

ambridge offers such a smorgasbord of local attractions that it’s no wonder that the city rates among the Top Ten destination cities in the UK. And Hotel Felix couldn’t be more perfectly placed to enjoy its delights; whether that’s a visit to the Fitzwilliam Museum, a stroll around the University’s beautiful Botanical Gardens, a wander through the cobbled streets of quirky, independent shops or a punt along the famous Backs.

The Felix, a privately owned, boutique hotel has at its centre a statuesque Victorian Villa which houses its award winning Graffiti restaurant and a truly eclectic collection of contemporary art. With its own peaceful gardens and an abundance of complimentary

parking, the Hotel, located just a mile from the centre, is both an ideal starting point from which to explore this arresting historical city and a welcome sanctuary to return to after a hard day’s sightseeing, or shopping!

Between Christmas and the New Year the Felix is offering a special Twixmas package to include accommodation, full English breakfast, Wifi and 10% discount on lunch or afternoon tea. From £115 per room per night.

Hotel Felix Whitehouse Lane Huntingdon Road Cambridge CB3 0LX 01223 277977 www.hotelfelix.co.uk

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~WIN!~

The

Green House T

he award-winning Green House is a beautiful eco-friendly boutique hotel in the heart of Bournemouth that lives, eats and breathes sustainability.

The hotel opened in April 2010 to rave reviews and in November 2010 was named ‘Small Hotel of the Year’ at the Bournemouth Tourism Awards.

Just minutes from the white sandy beaches of Bournemouth, this privately-owned Grade II Victorian Villa has been extensively renovated with an investment in excess of £5m, to prove that luxury travel and eco-consciousness can co-exist.

On the surface, this 32-bedroom hotel may appear to be the same as many other designer boutique-style properties – its contemporary décor, tactile fabrics and quality natural materials including wood, metal and glass, complementing the light, airy period rooms and gothic architecture.

Dig deeper though and you will discover that extensive thought and painstaking research has gone into every aspect to ensure that this designer hotel minimises its impact on the environment at every turn.

Interior highlights include 100 per cent UK wool fabrics, woven on the isle of Bute, British designed and made wallpaper, FSC certified, printed with vegetable ink, sumptuous organic goose down duvets,

solid hardwood furniture, either recycled or hand-crafted in the UK from fallen trees damaged through storms or disease.

Solar thermal energy, complemented by electricity generated on site, ensure that public resource is only used where absolutely necessary, lighting has an array of low-energy features – even the flat screen TVs are backlit with LEDs, using less than a quarter of the energy normally required. All of this without compromise to guests’ satisfaction and pleasure, and this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Food lovers are in for a taste explosion when they dine in the hotel’s restaurant, The Green Room. Young chef, Andrew Hilton, is a creative soul who has a passion for wild and wonderful ingredients which he gathers from a treasured collection of local artisan suppliers.

Examples of local seasonal produce include mushrooms from Mrs Tee, elderflowers, berries, cheese, trout and preserves all from the New Forest. Pheasant eggs are sourced from the Salisbury Plains, smoked eels from the river Tess, Dorset snails from the Dorset Snail Company. Beef, pork and lamb are locally reared in the Mendips and Wiltshire. Fresh fish and seashore vegetables like fennel or samphire are sourced from the Cornish coast. A 6-course tasting menu starts from £50 per person.

The Green House is offering a twonight eco break for two in a master suite, and to truly sample the chef’s culinary delights there is a sixcourse taster menu on the first evening along with a cream tea on arrival, plus a full English breakfast each morning.

To enter, please email competition@flavourmagazine.com leaving your contact details and stating where you picked up your copy of flavour. Good luck!

The prize is valid until 31 March, excluding Christmas and New Year’s Eve, and is subject to availability.

PLUS READER OFFER! In December, enjoy a glass of Hot Chocolate and our very own Green House Cream Tea in the Green Room Lounge when you arrive for this two night break. Take a trip into Bournemouth town for a spot of Christmas shopping and take in the infamous Bournemouth Christmas markets! Enjoy dinner from our six course tasting menu on one night and breakfast on both days. And if we have larger rooms available when you check in we’ll upgrade you free of charge. The December Christmas market break is priced at £149 per person (based on two people sharing a standard double room) - a saving of over £160!

4 Grove Road, Bournemouth BH1 3AX • 01202 498900 • info@thegreenhousehotel.com • www.thegreenhousehotel.co.uk

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liveden is unique. The setting, architecture and interiors all speak eloquently of extraordinary extravagance and remarkable refinement. There is a palpable sense of history, for this is a house that for over 300 years has been dedicated to the pursuit of pleasure, power and politics

Cliveden House & pavilion Spa This grand stately home is set in the heart of the countryside and surrounded by 376 acres of magnificent formal gardens and parkland, while the chalk cliffs that give the estate its name provide visitors panoramic views and is arguably the finest of luxury hotels near London and Heathrow Airport.

Cliveden has been a byword for fine dining and lavish entertainment for over three centuries, and this tradition still flourishes today.

The Terrace Dining Room is a spacious south-facing room filled with radiant sunlight.

With its three impressive chandeliers, six sets of French windows offering panoramic views over the Terrace Parterre and River Thames beyond, and numerous portraits, it's hard to imagine a grander setting in which to indulge.

The chefs use only the very finest produce to create inspirational dishes and menus that are every bit as sumptuous as the restaurants in which they are served.

Tucked away in the walled garden made famous by the Profumo affair in the ‘60s, The Pavilion Spa offers a unique and historic spa experience in breathtaking surroundings.

This haven of tranquillity offers an impressive list of beauty and holistic treatments for houseguests and club members in the seven treatment rooms. In addition, you can relax in the heated indoor and outdoor pools, Canadian hot tubs, whirlpool spas, men’s and ladies’ steam rooms and sauna, while the walled garden is a secluded suntrap, with an array of sun beds next to the pool.

Cliveden is, at heart, a charming country house hotel where you can come away to escape, relax and be indulged at every opportunity.

Cliveden House Hotel Taplow, Berkshire SL6 0JF 01628 668561 www.clivedenhouse.co.uk

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(Please quote ‘flavour’ when booking)

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In-between filming BBC One food programmes such as Nigel Slater’s Simple Suppers and Simon Hopkinson’s The Good Cook, BBC Executive Producer Peter Lawrence somehow finds time to tend his organic garden…

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Kitchen Gardener the plot ith more brown bits than green on h that it’s heartening to still see one patc its blazes colour. The squash bed with in oasis an is sizes and es shap of assortment was my the wintry desert that until recently t. abundant allotmen

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www.petelawrencetv.co.uk

perfectlySquash, though, gets the prize: six . fruits p plum formed pale-yellow,

t Spaghetti There is something amazing abou in half, Cut ly. simp it cook to Squash. I like le with oil widthways, scoop out the seeds, drizz of garlic le coup a and r butte and add a knob of bake for half foil, with r Cove y. cavit the into s clove n you serve, an hour, and remove the garlic. Whe . lding unfo trick ic it’s like a mag as you start The squash looks like any other, but yellow pale the flesh t ulen succ the out p to scoo the time the By rate. spaghetti-like strands sepa its as pass y easil could it plate the spoonful hits ming stea gs, strin pasta namesake: Long golden r in a tomato and intertwined. Some like to cove sauce. In my m crea or se chee a rs othe ut, rago A little butter, mind it doesn’t need a lot of fuss. hint of a aps perh and er pepp some black tribute. Winter Parmesan, to me this is the perfect gh of these enou with but er corn may be around the tening hear it's beauties to last a good few weeks, hine suns of fuls plate of ty to know that I have plen the over l swir s leave the as to, ard to look forw pumpkin patch.

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56-57_FL_Galvin:Layout 1 24/11/2011 21:45 Page 44

Photograph by Eamonn J McCabe - www.ejmccabe.com

galvinised...

Name: Jeff Gavin (left in picture) Age: 41 Where is Home? Welwyn, Hertfordshire Name: Chris Gavin Age: 53 Where is Home? Essex

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he brothers Galvin are two eponymous chefs whose illustrious careers have intertwined many times throughout the decades.

Originally inspired by the cooking of his grandmother, Chris started out more than 30 years ago in a small neighbourhood restaurant as a pot washer for Antony Worrall Thompson, where his younger brother Jeff would later brandish his first scourer.

Both have gone on to run Michelin-starred kitchens, and in 2005 the brothers teamed up to launch their own venture, Galvin Bistrot de Luxe, which opened to much critical acclaim and has won numerous awards.

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> flavour galvin brothers

the galvin bros Did you have any epiphanies or eureka moments to become a chef? And how did you start?

Jeff: I visited my brother at the Ritz Hotel and it went from there. I then started on the pot wash at 14!

Chris: We had to use our dinner money to cook lunch; I didn’t look back from then.

What gets you up in the morning and how do you maintain your enthusiasm?

JG: The thought of a double espresso gets me up and the restaurants I have keep me enthused and I am immensely proud of them.

CG: Every day is different, the seasons change, ingredients change and we will discover something new.

How do you keep what you are doing ‘fresh’ and relevant?

JG: By searching for new ingredients, and regularly changing menus.

CG: We always question ourselves; regularly visit markets and eat out regularly.

How do you avoid complacency in the kitchen?

JG: With such a long-serving team they all help to avoid this.

CG: Constantly raise the bar and work hard to exceed customers’ expectations.

Is there much rivalry between you both?

JG: Not at all, just the opposite in fact.

I remember when Chris won his first Michelin star I was probably happier for him than when I achieved the same goal a few years later.

CG: None!

Do you complement each other or get in each other’s way?

JG: I am an optimist and Chris is a realist!

CG: Very much complement each other.

What is your style and what does that mean?

JG: To lead by example, being in our kitchens as many hours as anyone and being a member of the team.

CG: Market driven and ingredient led.

We only use the best and never make do.

What foods do you most enjoy working with?

JG: I especially like working with foods we have found on one of the markets.

CG: Fish

Is the matching of foods to wine/beer/ Champagne really that important to the every-day diner?

JG: Yes, they may not realise the hard work we have done to match things up, but they will definitely benefit.

CG: It’s essential - it brings harmony to the experience.

What makes the Galvin restaurants so special?

JG: They are beautiful spaces, with front of house that show great hospitality and menus that represent good value for money.

CG: They are individual, owner-driven and each has its own characteristics generated by its location and neighbourhood.

What ingredient could you not live without?

JG: Fresh herbs.

CG: Salt.

What tips do you have for aspiring cooks/chefs?

JG: Work hard when you are young, and be well mannered.

CG: Cook with love, patience and always select the very freshest, seasonal ingredients to work with.

Has food hit its peak or do you see scope for it to get even bigger? What will be the next big thing?

JG: I think it will get even bigger; youngsters are eating in good restaurants now and are educating themselves in food and wine. I think there will be lots of new restaurant openings running up to and after the Olympics.

CG: I think it’s just the beginning and as we learn more the next big thing will be to eat less but with more quality.

Is the London restaurant scene saturated and if so is that a good thing for the industry and for the customer?

JG: The scene is definitely not saturated, I can think of many new restaurants on the way.

CG: Look at New York or Paris and you will see we have a way to go. It’s good to have competition as it improves quality and the customer has more choice at better value.

If you could have anyone prepare you a three-course meal for your first night back at home, what would it be and who would you most like to cook it for you?

JG: My wife, with a little help from me, would prepare a dozen oysters (to share between us) to start, slow roast shouder of lamb with anchovy, garlic and rosemary to follow and apple tart with vanilla ice cream to finish.

CG: Langoustines, grouse and pistachio soufflé by Pierre Koffman.

What is your guilty pleasure?

JG: A Cornish pasty!

CG: Wine!

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Angela Mount is a wine expert and presenter, highly experienced in the wine industry and widely credited with revolutionising wine on the high street, making quality wine accessible to millions of consumers. Probably best known for having her taste buds insured for £10m by her former employers, Somerfield, Angela now works with producers to select just the right blends for the UK market, presents regularly on radio and at wine and food industry events, and writes regular wine columns and a blog. She has worked with some of the UK’s top chefs at various consumer events, exploring the world of wine and food pairing…

planeta

a wine journey through sicily... laneta – probably the most visionary wine company in Sicily and widely considered responsible for putting Sicilian quality wines on the map! Their innovative experiments and challenges with grape varieties, soil types, styles of winemaking and sub-regions, have made the family-run wine business a real pioneer and respected leader in the drive to improve the quality and perception of what Sicilian wines can truly deliver.

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With their origins in south west Sicily, and their ancestry steeped in agriculture, the Planeta family started their innovative project and founded the family company in 1995 from their home estate near Menfi.

It’s very much a family affair, started by the vision of Diego Planeta and is run by Alessio, Francesca and Santi, with other family members also involved in the business.

www.planeta.it www.greatwesternwine.co.uk 46

At the time of starting the estate project, Sicily was producing over 10 million hectolitres of wine, much of it sent abroad as bulk wine, millions of litres distilled, and only two per cent produced in bottle. Sicily’s reputation was as a bulk provider of cheap,

low-quality wine, with few redeeming qualities. Planeta’s vision was to put Sicily on the quality map, and they began the project with Chardonnay, believing that it would be easier to convince the overseas wine-drinking public of the potential for Sicilian wine by using a recognised grape variety. The first vintage of Planeta Chardonnay received international acclaim in 1996, and they have not looked back since.

The family ethic of passion, effort and innovation was apparent when I spoke to Francesco Planeta at a recent tasting at Great Western Wine in Bath. It’s a fascinating story; over the years, they have gradually broadened the range of grape varieties that they use, and have bought estates in different areas of Sicily, always pushing the boundaries, always seeking the next challenge, always developing and evolving. Today, with six estates and wineries under their ownership, Planeta produces iconic wines from two of the great Sicilian grape varieties – Fiano and Nero d’Avola – their latest project is a winery and vineyards on the northern slopes of the Mount Etna volcano!

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From western Sicily, to the south east and now to Mount Etna in the north east, the tasting of Planeta wines was a fascinating voyage of discovery around Sicily. Here are some of my favourites...

✽ CARRICANTE 2010 This is the second vintage of Planeta’s first venture on Mount Etna, from their Castiglione di Sicilia estate, and shows the fruits of their efforts in pushing the boundaries to try new soil types with indigenous grape varieties. From the little known Carricante grape variety, this was a top favourite from the tutored tasting, with its exuberant style and freshness. The aromas are enchanting – floral, fragrant with zesty green apple and scented quince, which were also bursting through on the palate. I loved the vibrancy of this wine, its tangy freshness, yet delicate, smooth, slightly spiced flavours, and an edge of steely minerality. Perfect on its own or with seafood and grilled fish.

✽ COMETA FIANO 2010 From the original estate of the Planeta family in Ulmo, SW Sicily, this ripe, intense dry white showcases the great quality that the Fiano grape can produce. With its eye-catching blue label, and intense style, it’s unusual and delightful! It’s a very textured wine, with an aromatic, fruity, yet elegant complexity – bursting with scents and flavours of apricots, nectarines and fennel, it is a unique combination of full-on flavour and subtle complexity, with a huge amount of charm. This would be great on its own, but would work well with meats with fruity sauces, sweet grilled prawns, and great with seafood pasta with the traditional Sicilian edge of chilli pepper.

✽ PLUMBAGO 2009 Nero d’Avola, probably the best-known Sicilian red grape variety, is responsible for this beautifully silky, surprisingly delicate red from the south west estate of Sambuca di Sicilia.

It’s named after a local flower, and floral characteristics are prevalent on the nose, which is brimming with violets, thyme and black cherries. A surprisingly gentle, and delicate style of red, with a delicious intensity of ripe red fruits, and a dusting of cocoa. Soft, gentle tannins add to the elegance and charm of this delightful wine, with its fresh and vibrant style. As well as red meats and pasta, this wine would work perfectly with all types of game.

✽ BURDESE 2006 Another red from the family’s original estate in SW Sicily, but this time showcasing two classic grape varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc (‘Burdese’ is local dialect for ‘Bordelese’ referring to Bordeaux style). This is a big, bold red, packed with intensity, substance and flavour from some of their top vineyards. Powerful and concentrated aromas of blackcurrants, herbs and mint on the nose, it leads to a rich, vibrant mouthful of deliciously vibrant currant fruit, enhanced by integrated tannins and a soft edge of mocha and spice. Voluptuous and smooth, it’s ideal with steak, meaty casseroles, roast lamb and cheeses.

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Flavour editor Nick Gregory goes behind the scenes to find out who does what in the kitchen according to long-held standards…

lost in translation? arlez-vouz Français? Nope, me neither, but to get to grips with the front and back of house in a restaurant you’ll need to brush up on those skills pretty quickly, and that means knowing more than just ‘Garçon!!’ when you’re ready for the bill.

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The ‘brigade de cuisine’ is the system of hierarchy found in restaurants, a concept developed by legendary French chef and restaurateur Georges Auguste Escoffier, who, among many other achievements, published Le Guide Culinaire, which is still used as a major reference work, both in the form of a cookbook and a textbook on cooking.

Escoffier died on 12 February 1935, but late in the 19th century, in London's Savoy Hotel, he developed the modern brigade system from the structure he learned while serving in the French Army, where he organised the kitchen into a hierarchy of authority, responsibility and function.

Like an army, the restaurant has a strict structure with a chain of command – executive chef or chef de cuisine, sous chefs and then chefs de partie responsible for different departments, and then demi-chefs, cooks and commis below them. Of course, not all restaurants have the space, budget

or desire to link in all these ranks and files, but if you hear the terms ‘pâtissier‘ or ‘ploungeur’ from now on, at least you’ll know what they mean!

Chef de Cuisine: The head chef or executive chef, responsible for the overall management of the kitchen, supervising staff, creating the menus, buying the produce and training-up apprentices. He or she is the top dog or bitch!

Sous Chef (de cuisine): Second in command, the sous chef takes over when the chef de cuisine is unavailable.

Watch out for a mutiny, however, as the sous chef often has designs above his station.

Chef de partie: This is the senior chef responsible for managing a given station in the kitcken and overseeing the cuisiniers, the cooks delegated to preparing certain dishes. Those that work in a lesser station are commonly referred to as the demi-chefs. They aren’t seen as very important!

Commis Chef: Works under a chef de partie to learn the station's responsibilities and operation. This may be a chef who has recently completed culinary training or is still undergoing training.

Pâtissier: Or a pastry chef, is a member of the classic brigade de cuisine in a professional kitchen and is the station chef of the pastry department, skilled in the making of pastries, desserts, breads and other baked goods.

Plongeur: Not an esteemed position this one as it involves washing the dishes, often under the guidance of the Marmiton, the pot and pan washer.

The plongeur may occasionally, and only if he’s been really good, be entrusted with basic preparatory duties.

Other positions of note are the poissonnier (fish man), the confiseur (prepares the petit fours and small candies) and the garçon de cuisine (the kitchen boy), who helps out all the others as and when required.

Obviously this structure is not employed in all restaurants and hotels, but it is found in many. Escoffier’s hierarchical structure has stood the test of time and you certainly won’t find many in the know knocking it. And next time you hear noise from the kitchen, it may not necessarily be the chef de cuisine bellowing at the commis, it could be the marmiton wanting to know what the plongeur is up to.

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ducksoup

> flavour ducksoup

restaurant Is it a good idea to grill lemons? Is it a good idea to incinerate artichokes? Is it a good idea to open a minimalist bar restaurant in Soho? Nick Harman finds out….

I like simple grilling, frying and roasting but an artichoke subjected to intense heat resembles something saved from a bonfire with a lot of burnt leaves and a subsequent vicious struggle for the tender centre. Grilling lemons adds a pleasant caramilisation but makes the seeds even more bitter in the mouth than usual. The Fritto Misto at Ducksoup, a new London restaurant, might be better named a Fritto Mysterioso, as in ‘why would they do that?’

It’s a small place, as narrow as the corridors on old trains; your elbow is jogged remorselessly every time someone goes past. Removing the plaster from the walls has widened it by a few inches, and given it the current requisite ‘vibe’, but makes it look a little unfinished and, at £14 for what was a small Fritto Misto, a little cheap.

Only open a few weeks, and already drooled over by the kind of people who see a new restaurant as a stamp to be added to the collection, Ducksoup is the work of some ex-Hix staff. They’ve carefully watched what hits the spot on Twitter and served up a suitably zeitgeist-friendly place. There’s nothing wrong with that of course, far too many restaurants are opened by people who have done no research at all and which consequently fail.

The kitchen is keeping things simple, another sensible idea, and the menu is handwritten on a scrap of paper, which is corny but obviously cuts costs and adds cool. It’s not a bad menu for choice though and most of it appeals in a ‘let’s get a bite to eat before the cinema’ kind of way and the female 50

staff are sweet. The males though are rather standoffish and ‘up themselves’, as J charitably put it after we were safely out of earshot.

Fried squid with salt and fennel from the bar snack menu was teensy-tiny but tasty, even if the squid was rather brown suggesting that the oil may have been too hot. The main thing was that the squid was tender. A small bowl of excellent sliced sauciss on was crisp and salty, but of course no cooking involved there, just good sourcing.

Quail had run out, which was a shame, as I wanted to see how the kitchen actually cooked, as opposed to fried, so I had Lardo di Colonna instead. Not exactly cooking either, this came sliced from the bar, thus giving a man apparently otherwise engaged in checking his reflection something to do, and was served on bread strewn with hunks of Parmesan topped with a perky dressing and a scattering of luminous parsley.

The whole ensemble was a beast to cut up, the knives being totally inadequate for the job, so I set the table rocking madly as I sawed ineffectually away.

It was certainly enjoyable but then I defy anyone to make such uncooked ingredients taste bad, although the Parmesan’s saltiness threatened to mug a Lardo that was otherwise deeply fatty and flavoursome.

Dishes came out ‘when ready’; a neat trick that means that you can’t complain if you’ve finished your course before your partner has had his. J’s Fritto when it came was overall worth waiting for, but the fish was a sea of

bones that had him constantly breaking off conversation to gingerly extract them from his mouth. The saffron mayo was fluffily well-made but the advertised oyster was missing unless it was the rather rubbery thing J swallowed without really noticing.

We rather expected a langoustine too for some reason, but there was instead a scallop which miraculously had survived frying A bottle of beer called ‘F***** Hell’, presumably as in ‘F**** hell, it’s £4 a bottle!’, was okay for me but the large range of bio wines (all the rage, don't you know) written up on any bit of spare white wall or tile available seem well worth exploring if you have the time and money.

And there’s the rub. Despite it’s lowrent, quasi-shabbiness, Ducksoup is not exactly cheap and we left still hungry and £40 down. Yes we could have eaten more, but it would have sent the bill far too high for a quick lunch.

So will it survive longer than previous occupant Zilli? I suspect it will ride a wave for a while, supported on the spume and foam of novelty and social media, but it may struggle for a regular Soho customer base when the trend surfers have moved on to the next breaker.

41 Dean Street Soho London W1D 4PY 020 7287 4599 www.ducksoupsoho.co.uk

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Only open a few weeks, and already drooled over by the kind of people who see a new restaurant as a stamp to be added to the collection

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ike music, a specific ingredient or meal can often transport you back to a place or time and evoke vivid memories. For me, nutmeg sparks two such visions. One, crunching my way through the rainforest in Grenada ‘the Spice Island’ where the little, aromatic nut is so common that many are just left to rot underfoot on the forest floor, wrapped cosily in their red mace ‘vests’..

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The second is of John Prescott coming back for another helping of this soup during my first round of MasterChef, declaring he could eat a whole bowl of ‘that there stuff’. Praise indeed.

I keep my nutmegs in a small, battered old tin with a tiny grater and love the warm, deep aroma it gives to many different foods both sweet and savoury. Grate a little extra on top just before serving to get that delicious spicy kick.

Ingredients 25g butter 2 tbsp olive oil 125g pancetta, or good quality smoked bacon 1 onion, finely diced 1 carrot, peeled and chopped 1 potato, peeled and chopped 700g pumpkin or squash – peeled and diced – a mixture of butternut squash and the more traditional orange-fleshed pumpkin gives a good texture 750ml chicken stock or good vegetable stock ½ tsp chopped fresh marjoram or thyme Dash of Tabasco ¼ tsp grated nutmeg plus a little extra to serve 200ml double cream Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method 1 Melt the butter in a large pan with the olive oil. Add the bacon and onion and fry until soft and just beginning to colour. Add the chopped potato, carrot, pumpkin and marjoram. Cook for a further five minutes.

2 Add the nutmeg, allowing the spice to warm through then add the stock and Tabasco. Turn to a simmer, cover and leave for around 15-20 minutes until all the vegetables are soft.

3 Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, before puréeing with a food processor or hand blender.

4 Add the cream and season to taste. Re-heat gently but try not to boil. Grate a little more nutmeg on top to serve.

www.facebook.com/flavourstufnellpark

In 1997, while enjoying her post as the CEO of a medical charity, Julie Friend entered BBC MasterChef purely because her late mother had once sighed 'You could win this darling!’

As the saying goes, the rest is history. Mum was right (aren't they always?) and from then on Julie moved from a desk to the kitchen, combining private catering with teaching and food writing.

In 2005 she opened her delicatessen Flavours in Tufnell Park, North London, which has become a local meeting place, particularly at the weekend when the shop also has a stall at the local food market.

julie friend

pumpkin soup

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black garlic Oeufs en Cocotte with Black Garlic and buttered soldiers Ingredients per person: A handful of freshly-washed and dried young spinach leaves A little softened unsalted butter for cooking the leaves, buttering the dish in which to cook the egg and for dotting on top 1 clove of black garlic, peeled and chopped A large fresh egg 2 tbsp double cream For the Black Garlic Herb Butter 150g unsalted butter, softened 5 cloves of black garlic, peeled and pounded 20gms or 2tbsps mixed chopped fresh chives, parsley and tarragon Zest of a lemon Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste Method 1 Preheat oven to 180C/350F/ Gas Mark 4.

With its unique and mellow flavour, soft and velvety texture and vibrant colour, black garlic is bringing a new and inspiring taste to the table. Not to be confused with its regular ‘garlic’ counterpart, black garlic offers subtle hints of balsamic and rich-molasses flavour mixed with tangy garlic undertones that make this an appealing delicacy.

lack Garlic is made from natural regular white garlic. The garlic is treated with heat and humidity for a month resulting in this fascinating mouth-wateringly sweet new superfood.

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Black Garlic has twice white garlic’s antioxidant count and an added anti-oxidant called S-Allycysteine, which is soluble in water rather than fat. That means Black Garlic has all the health benefits of regular garlic plus twice the

anti-oxidants and is absorbed by your body quicker, avoiding the ‘garlic breath’!

The taste instead is sweet and can be added to a multitude of delicious meals.

Black garlic is naturally aged, is jet black, completely soft and has a jelly like dried fruit texture. Its flavour is reminiscent of molasses – a viscous byproduct of the processing of sugar cane, grapes or sugar beets into sugar – with a slightly sweet garlic undertone.

2 To prepare the black garlic herb butter, blend all ingredients together using a food processor, a small blender or by hand. This should then be rolled into a sausage in cling film and kept in the fridge or freezer, sliced as and when required.

3 Butter a ramekin or French style ovenproof egg dish. Cook the spinach with a little butter in a non-stick pan with the garlic and season lightly.

Arrange in the bottom of the prepared dish (draining first if necessary) and leaving a space for the egg.

4 Break the egg into the middle, seasoning with salt and pepper. Spoon over the cream, dot with butter and a little grated parmesan cheese if desired. Bake in the oven for about seven minutes until the white is set and the yolk still runny.

Serve with crusty toast soldiers spread with black garlic herb butter.

www.blackgarlic.co.uk

Mitch Tonks runs RockFish Grill & Seafood Market in Clifton, Bristol. He is an award-winning chef, restaurateur and food writer and has two other seafood restaurants in Dartmouth.

With sustainable fishing top on the agenda, each month regular flavour columnist and seafood specialist Mitch Tonks cooks up a storm with his seasonal fish of choice...

I had the great pleasure of travelling on the UK’s last remaining Pullman dining car a couple of weeks ago, and on the journey was given a tour of the kitchen they use on board. It was a great reminder of the limited space available to cook in when travelling; from the galley of a kitchen to the back of a camper van, it can be a great challenge. But I have always said that no matter what the space available, you can still get not just good but great results.

When Matt Dawson and I travelled round the UK in my old 1976 camper van, we cooked up everything from South Devon crab with spaghetti to langoustine thermidor, with just the basic equipment available to us. As with most great food, good quality fresh ingredients are the key so try not to let practicalities get in the way too much - be adventurous. In the camper van kitchen don’t skimp on ingredients, just cut down on the pots and pans and go for a big fish stew like the one in my recipe; and if you’re lucky enough to travel on a boat try something tasty on toast like sardines, anchovies or mackerel.

If I had to give a few tips to help you make the most of limited space I would say: Reduce pots and pans and go for simple dishes. Serve these up in large bowls, family style, so that everyone can dig in.

In the meantime, if you want a little taste of old fashioned luxury I can recommend a trip to London or back on the Pullman carriage! ■ To win an opportunity to dine on First Great Western’s Pullman carriage, simply answer this question: Q: Mitch Tonks has been promoting which South Devon shellfish in 2011? A) crab b) whelk c) langoustine Winners will receive two train tickets plus lunch any day on the Pullman carriage, of if they wish to travel at dinnertime, they can do so Monday to Wednesday. Lunch would be served on either the 1000 Penzance – Paddington train, or the 1255 Plymouth – Paddinton train. Or for dinner, service would be on the 1803 London-Penzance train, or the 1906 Paddington-Plymouth train.

The offer is valid publishing date for 6 months.

Please send all competition entries to competitions@flavourmagazine.com

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A Simple Fish Stew Serves 2 Ingredients For the Aioli 1 egg yolk ½ tsp Dijon mustard 2 cloves of garlic, pasted 75ml good olive oil Juice of ½ lemon Sea salt

For the Stew 1 shallot, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped Olive oil 2 chopped tomatoes Pinch of saffron 3 or 4 sprigs of thyme Splash Pernod or anise Splash of white wine Selection of fish – you can use anything really, mussels, clams, gurnard, monkfish, wrasse, mullet Sea salt Parsley or basil chopped, for sprinkling over the top Method 1 For the aioli, put the egg yolk in a bowl with the mustard and garlic.

Whilst whisking add the olive oil in a steady stream until a thick emulsion is formed. Add the lemon juice, season to taste.

2 In a large pan, sweat the shallots and garlic in olive oil. Add the tomatoes, saffron and thyme and stir together.

Add the Pernod and tip the pan away from you allowing it to burn off the alcohol. Add the wine and simmer gently for 2 minutes.

3 Add the fish and add enough water (Henry could use sea water) to just cover it. Simmer for 8-10 minutes.

4 Remove the thyme and season.

Finally sprinkle with fresh chopped herbs and accompany with rich the garlicky aioli and bread.

> flavour mitch tonks

Š Mitch Tonks. RockFish Grill & Seafood Market Fishmonger, food writer, restaurateur www.rockfishgrill.co.uk www.mitchtonks.co.uk www.twitter.com/rockfishgrill Recipe taken from The Aga Seafood Cookbook

by Mitch Tonks published by Absolute Press.

Photo credit Pete Cassidy 55

andrew turner at

wiltons Wiltons 55 Jermyn Street London SW1Y 6LX 020 7629 9955 www.wiltons.co.uk 56

Upstairs at Wiltons in St James’s, lunch service is over and the cosy clubby atmosphere the restaurant enjoys at showtime has been replaced by the bustle of tables being cleared.

Downstairs Executive Chef Andrew Turner is supervising the final stages of the clean down as well as checking prep in progress for the coming night’s service. Nick Harman chats to him as he works.

> flavour chef profile

What’s your cooking background?

I learnt under people like Albert Roux and Rory Kennedy and made my name at 1837 at Brown’s hotel with my grazing concept (James pioneered the now ubiquitous concept of having multiple smaller courses, generally known as tasting menus, each one paired off with its perfect partner in wine). I then moved to 1880 at The Bentley, then Kempinski, followed by a stint at Pennyhill Park in Surrey. I then opened the Landau at The Langham in London before coming here.

of Wiltons; I would like to think it is geared up to be on a par with any Michelin star restaurant. We aren’t stuffy.

What’s Wiltons famous for then?

Consistent quality. It’s not a pop-up restaurant where mistakes can be treated as loveable quirks. Wiltons has been an institution since 1742, a place where people pay good money to eat well and so anything less than perfection cannot be tolerated.

Are you happy now being out of hotels?

They were all luxury hotel restaurants but I do like this better. I have more time to actually cook and develop the food because unlike a hotel, we aren’t a 24-hour a day operation. Besides, with hotels come lots of internal politics. We do without that here.

If I were eating the classic menu what would I see?

Dishes such as dressed Cornish crab; goose foie gras terrine; lobster thermidor or Newburg, and halibut grilled or poached. Maybe a sole grilled, meunière, poached or in goujons. Also fallow deer venison, woodcock and grouse when in season.

Isn’t Wiltons a bit stuffy for your style of cooking?

That’s the wrong impression of Wiltons.

I had people saying to me, ‘oh it’ll be all old school’ at first, but the fact is that we have kept the old clientele, but are also attracting new customers, younger customers. My tasting menu is a new part

And the Turner Menu, what does that comprise of?

It’s always been the food and the wine conception that’s made me different from everyone else (aka grazing). In fact it’s not a tasting menu here as such, it’s a food and wine menu. It’s food that’s designed to be matched to great wines.

What’s an example?

Right now there’s New Forest cep soup, salt and pepper duck sandwich and autumn truffle with a glass of Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru 2009 Domaine Vincent Dancer. There’s slow cooked English mutton, sweetbreads, spiced butternut, lentil puree and capers with Brunello Di Montalcino 2005 Tenute Silvio Nardi, and there’s my mango egg which is liquid yoghurt and mango sphered in an alginate bath, served with Besserat De Bellefon Brut Rosé NV “Cuvée De Moines”. There are seven courses in all.

Do I have to have the tasting menu to get at all these goodies?

No, we put a lot of the tasting menu dishes, sized-up, on the speciality menu too. But the tasting menu is really popular. The wines you can buy by the glass, of course, but the tasting menu is actually a cheaper way of experiencing them.

And who might I see at Wiltons?

Celebrities who don’t want to be seen but just have a pleasant night. We have some big names come in all the time but I can’t say more. ■ 57

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In Le Marche with Nudo Beauty, culture, flavour and tradition. This month, Louis Labron-Johnson travels to one of Italy’s best-kept secrets, where he discovers Nudo olive oil, tastes great Italian wines and learns the local processes of the growth and manufacture of these ancient Roman staples‌

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> flavour nudo olive oil

spectacular region on the east coast of Italy, Le Marche has largely been ignored in favour of its more glamorous neighbour – Tuscany. The consequence?

An unspoilt area of outstanding natural splendour where visitors can experience rural Italian life free from the trappings of tourism.

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Le Marche is one of Italy’s finest and most fertile grape-and olive-growing regions. All across the countryside the hillocks are strewn with green, rust and amber vines and trees arranged in haphazard patchwork thickets.

Eight years ago, olive oil makers Jason and Cathy bought Rosalio, a farmhouse set within a 21-acre olive grove. Here, they conceived Nudo’s Adopt an olive tree programme, which enables you to adopt one of nearly 1,000 olive trees in their grove. Your tree will be cared for and flourish, and bi-annually you will be sent exquisite tins of olive oil – in spring pure, in autumn three tins of naturally flavoured oils with fresh lemons, basil, mandarins or garlic.

Tasting olive oil from your own tree many miles away on a hillside in Italy has a genuine romance to it – many ‘tree parents’ like to visit their adoptees, and Jason and Cathy are always more than happy to oblige.

Tasting the oil is an art in itself, and Barbara Alfei – chief oil taster in Le Marche – is Michelangelo. Barbara demonstrates how to determine the properties of the oil: pour a little oil into a receptacle, and warm in your hands for a minute. Smell the oil and try to detect aromas – is there artichoke there, a hint of apple? Take a small sip, and roll the oil around your mouth, then take short, sharp breaths through clenched teeth to aspirate the oil. There should be a peppery kick at the back of your throat, offset by bitterness at the front: A fine oil will have the perfect balance between peppery, bitter, fresh and pungent properties.

The Art of Making Olive Oil talians have been making olive oil for centuries – it’s in their blood. But in the Corradini olive press in the tiny village of Macina there are two camps with opposing views on how to extract the oil: the traditional way is favoured by the older generations, who crush the olives with huge granite wheels to make a paste, before smearing the paste on plastic mats. These mats are stacked in a press, causing the oil to dribble down. Unfortunately this method exposes the oil too much, causing it to oxidise and lose flavour. The mats are rarely washed; after several weeks the oil is dark and tar-like, and will never be of extra-virgin quality.

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Recent innovations in the craft have led to a new type of centrifuge system, where more olives can be pressed rapidly in a controlled environment, resulting in much fresher, purer oil. In a series of stainless steel machines that snake around a large warehouse, the Marchetti olives are washed then crushed in a granite press. At this point Nudo may add fresh lemons, basil or mandarins.

The oil, water and pulp seep out together into a cylindrical machine that spins incredibly fast, causing the components to separate due to their differing weights. They are slowly siphoned out individually and nothing is wasted: the extra virgin oil is bottled, the water used as fertiliser for fields, and the olive pulp and stones are sold to large companies, who chemically extract inferior ‘pomace’ oil from them.

At the height of the season, Corrado – the third-generation owner of the press - can spend days on end without sleep, as every grove-owner in the area brings him olives to press.

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The Wine Country isiting local winemakers is fascinating, their passion and knowledge of the land and its produce inspiring: in Osimo, Umani Ronchi create superb whites from Verdicchio and Trebbiano grapes, and reds mainly from Montepulciano, aged in steel or ornate oak casks in a cellar burrowed into a hillside.

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www.nudo-italia.com

In Cossignano, at the Fiorano Agriturismo, organic wine and olive oil producer Paolo – one of the first collaborators in Nudo's Adopt an Olive Tree programme – talks animatedly about his vineyards and groves, where each grapevine or olive tree is planted in a particular spot. The differing levels of acidity in the soil, as well as elevation and gradient of land are all significant to the outcome of the produce. The hardy olive trees can be placed on steep hills, whereas the delicate grapevines are cloistered in the shelter of the valley.

With its hills and valleys, mountains and beaches, fantastic food and fine wines, Le Marche is a region begging to be devoured.

People here know how to live – contented, serene and well-fed – making Le Marche the perfect destination for culinary discovery, a relaxing jaunt or a visit to your Nudo olive tree. Get there before the travel agents do.

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Three Counties Fine Foods hree Counties Fine Foods was established in March by a team of three young, innovative butchers - Paul, Ben and Stefan - and are based on Drakeley Farm in Marden, in the heart of Herefordshire, a county renowned for its worldfamous Hereford beef. They produce high-quality meats and fine local produce delivered straight to your door. All meats are locally-sourced from freerange, quality assured farms to ensure the tastiest, most succulent cuts of beef, lamb, pork and poultry every time.

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With over 25 years of combined experience in the butchery, catering and farming trade, every product is personally guaranteed by the team who have tried to make it their mission to taste test everything we sell, yum!

In addition to providing customers with superb meat, Three Counties Fine Foods is committed to providing a friendly, helpful and very individual service to both its trade and retail customers.

Always happy to help a customer in any way possible, the Three Counties team are available for contact seven days a week. Any product can be cut from any carcass and monthly or mixed meat boxes can be made up to suit specific needs, allowing maximum flexibility. Customers can also choose to have their produce vacuum-packed to maintain freshness and are offered a free local delivery service on orders of ÂŁ30 or more.

Three Counties have Christmas all wrapped up for you as well and will take the stress of the shop out of the equation with their local free-range bronze turkeys, geese and ducks, while the handmade pigs in blankets, sausages and stuffing are sure to save you time and hassle and allow you instead to enjoy the festive period with peace of mind. Order now to beat the rush‌ 01432 882359 www.tcfoods.co.uk

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> flavour anita pati

anita pati’s

parmigiano in parma...

The epiphany sprang while washing my hands. Parma violet soap in a bathroom in Parma!

That waft of lilac sweetie hearts, symbols of playground affiliation or betrayal, came from flowers in this north Italian province that fought Mussolini’s fascists.

But of course, violets, Verdi and film director Bernardo Bertolucci aside, Parma and its surrounding region of Emilia-Romagna are most famous for Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano-Reggiano) and Parma ham; (Prosciutto di Parma) both of which have seen worldwide sales rocket over the last two years. UK sales of Parmigiano-Reggiano shot up by over a fifth, while UK imports of pre-sliced Parma ham increased by nearly one third between 2008 and 2010. That’s a lot of grated cheese on our lasagnas.

I was in the region of Emilia-Romagna to watch the production of Parmigiano, whose provenance and processes are fiercely protected under the EU Protected Designation of Origin status. There are around 280 farmers producing Parmigiano in the beech-covered hills of the region.

The Parmigiano plant we visited was an unassuming building from the outside – but what a ferment of scientific activity takes place within! Five local farmers own this dairy, each assigned his or her copper vat in which the morning and evening milk from Friesian cows is warmed and fermented.

Workers stir the frothy whirlpools at

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carefully regulated temperatures before a starter of enzyme-rich whey is added to begin the fermentation process.

Once the rennet goes in, the whey and curds separate before men with giant paddles bounce the embryonic cheese to the top of the vat while others hook a linen cradle under it. The rugby ball-shaped cheese is poured into moulds, marked and steeped in brine for up to 25 days for preservation.

After this begins the maturation process where hundreds of wheels are aged on a vast library of shelves for at least 12 months and up to three years.

There are three types of Parmigiano classed according to age, not all common in the UK. The first, ‘red-stamp’ type I tasted was 18-months-old; moist, elastic-textured and grassy to the taste. The ‘silver-stamp’ was a 22-monther; dryer and sweeter, a bit like bananas. The oldest ‘gold-stamp’ Parmigiano was the most complex at 30 months; crumbling easily, spicy with a walnut edge whose crunchy bursts of extra-developed protein are commonly mistaken as salt. And then the waft of walnuts took me back to Persia…

> flavour xxxxxxx

the charles lamb A regular contributor to CAMRA magazine Pints West, Duncan Shine champions the virtues of real ale and traditional cider. He’s also editor of the website britishpubguide.com

The Charles Lamb 16 Elia Street City of London N1 8DE 020 7837 5040 www.thecharleslambpub.com 64

One of life’s great joys is the unexpected discovery of a really lovely pub. Caught out by a sudden downpour, you shelter in a nearby doorway before realising you’ve stumbled upon a home-from-home hostelry to die for... Or you take a wrong turn down a residential road behind, oh I don’t know, the Angel tube station, Islington, and discover the sort of street corner local that seems to exist only in London.

So it was for me a few weeks back when, en route from a meeting, I strayed off the City Road and stumbled across The Charles Lamb pub in Elia Street. An unassuming little street corner pub where the quality of the beer is paramount.

Of course, in this great city, even – or perhaps especially - the backstreet locals offer a rich and sometimes bizarre history lesson, and so it is with The Charles Lamb.

It was built in 1839, the third year of Queen Victoria’s reign, and has spent much of its existence named after the Empress of India’s consort, Prince Albert. However, the clue to its current name lies in the street in which it is found.

Elia Street (and Elia Mews nearby) got their names from a poet and essayist

whose works used to appear in The London magazine, and who lived for a while just round the corner. The essayist’s works were published under the name of Elia, and indeed The Essays Of Elia remains perhaps the most famous published work of Charles Lamb.

Lamb also produced the children’s book Tales from Shakespeare with his sister Mary. Nothing too remarkable about brother and sister collaborating on a book, of course. Until, that is, you learn that this book was produced in the years after Mary stabbed and killed their mother in a fit of frustration and rage. When adapting Shakespeare’s plays for a younger audience, Charles thought it best to let Mary concentrate on the comedies...

But enough history. The 21st-century Charles Lamb is a very well-kept onebar, two-roomed local espousing the simple virtues of decent beer, imaginative and tasty food, and a thoroughly warm welcome. There are bench tables outside for those whose need for nicotine outweighs the need for warmth during the British winter, and hanging flower baskets for when spring makes its welcome return.

The glazed tiling around the exterior is classic for pubs of this age.

> flavour xxxxxxx

Raise a glass to...

RCH Pitchfork (4.3%) This beer, from just outside Westonsuper-Mare in Somerset, has been a doyen of beer festivals for some 25 or more years now. To all intents and purposes it’s a traditional best bitter, except it’s a little paler than you’d expect, and there is a definite citrus-fruit aroma there. There’s a yummy sweetness to it at first, which gives way to a more conventional bitter taste at the end.

The corner entrance has long-since been closed, so these days you enter to the side, on Elia Street, to be met by a single L-shaped bar in front of you. There are tall stools ranged around the bar, and a mish-mash of furniture around the edge.

To the right, in what I reckon used to be the snug, is an area largely given over to diners. However, even if you aren’t eating, it’s worth popping in here to look at all the maps on the wall. I love that sort of thing.

Back in the main bar, there are milky-limegreen panels throughout, wooden flooring and frosted windows to give a real sense of detachment from the outside world. There is unobtrusive music quietly playing in the background, and a game of Scrabble in full swing in the corner.

The food is perhaps closer to gastro than traditional pub fare, and you might be offered smoked salmon with capers and lemon, a lovely smoked haddock chowder or roast pork belly with lentils and salsa verde. Do leave room for pudding though, with rhubarb crumble a particular favourite. It is worth bearing in mind that this is a small pub with a good reputation.

They don’t take advanced bookings so, if you are planning to eat, it’s worth getting there early in any given sitting.

No such precautions required to sample the beer though. There is a wide selection of bottled beers and ciders, including a lovely Breton cider in bottles in the fridge.

Along the bar are four hand pumps offering an ever-changing selection of guest beers.

On my visit there was RCH Pitchfork, Brecon Gold Beacons, Pin Up Natural Blonde and the Kernel Big Brick Red Rye Ale (not sampled). The beers are popular and so are changed as often as twice a week. Apart from making it impossible for me to tell you which beers will be on when you visit (try phoning ahead if you don’t want to take pot luck), this also means that the beers are always fresh, and they were certainly in tip-top condition on my visit.

Brecon Gold Beacons (4.2%) From, as the name suggest, Brecon in Powys, this is a new beer which is rapidly gaining a good reputation.

Its colour is that of autumn sunshine, and there’s something satisfyingly smooth about the way the hops (Progress and Sovereign, apparently) are in perfect accord with the blend of malts. A lovely pint.

Pin-Up Natural Blonde (3.8%) Brewed in Essex, this is another beer new for 2011. It’s a straw-coloured brew, as you’d expect from the name.

First impression; there is a strong hint of breakfast fruit about the aroma, but this is replaced by a stronger and hoppier flavour than the colour suggests. Surprisingly flavourful for its strength.

One sad note on which to end... When I visited I was greeted by a cheerful looking Staffordshire Terrier, called Mascha.

Sadly, I have since learned that Mascha died a few weeks after my visit. Mascha epitomised what I liked about the pub; friendly, uncomplicated and welcoming to all-comers.

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> flavour sriram aylur

thespice king

prawn byadgi Byadgi is a place in Karnataka in southern India and the chillies from this region have a lovely colour and are moderately spicy.

This gives the marinade a bright look and the peppercorns give the dish extra heat. A simple but popular dish, Prawn Byadgi is as suited inside on a cold evening as on the barbecue in the summer…

Also known as ‘The Spice King’, Sriram Aylur is Executive Chef of St James’s Park’s The Quilon, the only Michelin-starred restaurant in the world specialising in Southern Indian food. hillies have been used in cooking for more than 6,000 years. The Central and South Americas had one of the first cultivations and it was the Portuguese who brought chillies to India. The best varieties are grown in the central and southern part of India.

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Chillies are mainly used for pungency and colour and the amount they impart varies. For example, Byadgi chillies from southern India yield medium colour but a good level of heat. Resham Patti from central India yield good colour but medium heat. The heat of chillies is measured in Scoville heat and can vary from 1500 Scoville heat units (SHU) to 500,000 SHU. Until chillies arrived in India, peppercorns were the main source of heat in Indian cooking.

The capsaicin in chillies is supposed to have the ability to treat arthritis pain, diabetes, neuropathy and headaches.

Capsaicin is also used in spray as a non-lethal weapon. Red chillies contain high levels of vitamin A and C. They also have high amounts of potassium, magnesium and iron.

Prawn Byadgi with Pietra beer (France, Corsica, 6%(abv) is a good combination that has equal amount of matching and contrasting notes. The chestnut flavour from Pietra and the after bitterness from the hops beautifully marries with the sweetness of the prawns and the heat of the chilli. Due to the subtle nature of the beer it lets the grilled prawn win – a heavenly combination and delicious…

Ingredients 12 cleaned king prawns, with tail 50g chilli paste 10g crushed black pepper 15g garlic paste 10g coriander leaves 2 tbsp lime juice Salt to taste Method 1 Mix the chilli paste, crushed pepper, garlic paste, lime juice, salt and chopped coriander leaves.

2 Marinate the prawns with the mixture. Leave it in a cool place for two hours.

3 Cook on or under a grill until nice and crisp.

www.quilon.co.uk

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> flavour ducksoup

the bollywood trip Dive into a world of drama and mayhem at Southbank Centre...

★★★★★

Denmark’s Nordjyske Stiftstidende

★★★★★ Denmark’s Kulturkongen.dk

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Photography: Republique Theatre

hat happens when a Bollywood star winds up in a psychiatric ward in Denmark?

Chaos, comedy, music, love and spectacular Bollywood dancing.

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Direct from its Copenhagen premiere with five-star reviews, The Bollywood Trip hits London with a bang at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall. East meets West as an international cast of actors, dancers and musicians present this tragicomedy by Republique Theatre, one of Denmark’s most acclaimed and groundbreaking theatre companies.

As the story unfolds, the charismatic Haroon (Janus Nabil Bakrawi) ends up in a Danish psychiatric unit convinced he is a major Bollywood star. The doctors at the hospital, however, think he suffers from delusions.

Meanwhile, the emotionally awkward psychiatrist Jens Sloth (Thomas Corneliussen) is too shy to declare his love for fellow nurse Mette Rose (Laura Müller). As Jens helps Haroon come to terms with

his past and displaced cultural identity, in turn Haroon becomes love doctor to the couple; teaching them to throw off their cold Northern European exteriors and embrace the Bollywood language of love.

The physical theatre show is interspersed with Bollywood numbers from Stephan Grabowski’s original score, played-out in fantasy, dream-like sequences, with all the stylistic devices of a Bollywood movie, including a melodramatic blend of realism and fantasy, mimed vocals and a mix of classical Indian and popular dance styles choreographed by Southbank Centre Artist in Residence Gauri Sharma Tripathi. Direction comes from the award-winning Rolf Heim, with an original score by Stephan Grabowski and band.

Waqas Ali Qadri, DanishPakistani rapper with hip-hop group Outlandish, brings his unique Hindi rap to the soundtrack.

The concept for The Bollywood Trip was developed by PolishPalestinian-Danish lead actor Janus Nabil Bakrawi, whose own story epitomises the East-meets-West culture clash examined in the show, and Danish composer Stephan Grabowski, who fell in love with Indian culture and music after his first trip to the country almost 20 years ago.

The duo worked with DanishIndian scriptwriter Parminder Singh to bring their vision to the stage.

Get ready for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest meets Bollywood!

TICKETS £30, £25, £20 12–18 December Queen Elizabeth Hall 12–16 December 7.30pm 17 December 2pm, 7.30pm 18 December 11am, 3pm Book your tickets now on 0844 847 9910 or visit www.southbankcentre.co.uk/bollywood

WIN!

Win a pair of tickets to see The Bollywood Trip on the opening night of its UK premiere, plus a meal at the Michelin star Indian restaurant The Quilon on Monday 12 December.

To enter the competition simply email competitions@flavourmagazine.com with your full contact details and where you saw the competition or picked up your copy of flavour. Good luck!

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gergely barsi szabó

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A few years ago I made a daring career change.

I left my business journalist life back home in Budapest and came to London for the wine trade. Wine has always been present in my life, my grandpas having their own vineyards.

I think if you choose wine you enter into a lifelong learning process. Since I came to London I tried to explore all the aspects of the industry: I was working on tastings, spent some years as a sommelier and now I am running Borough Wines in Borough Market.

Selling wine here is a bit like "theoretical sommelierie" – show me what’s in your bag, and as we go through the ingredients, I will recommend you a bottle of wine.

This will go perfectly well with what you’re about to cook…

game on! s we are getting into the middle of autumn two precious delicacies are coming into season: game, and Rhône wine.

For the game it is obvious: the animals are in their fittest condition and their tastiest shape... Why the Rhône Valley? It just goes so well with game, like nothing else that comes in a 750ml bottle.

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I like to think of wine as a seasonal product. When would you want to drink a rosé? You wouldn’t fancy it in the middle of the January chill would you?

And when would you like a heavy red with somewhat of a kick and a heckload of tannins? Not in July that’s for sure. As the weather turns colder we all turn to our ‘liquid wintercoats’ with great passion.

Of course wine cannot be taken or removed from its main context - food - but if your eating habits are pretty much seasonal, so will be your choice of wine. For most people seasonality means vegetables and nothing else. Unless you`re a great friend of a caged chicken you have to realise that animals have an annual life cycle as well, both domesticated and wild.

Game is the ultimate free-range meat, matching perfectly with the Rhone. I am talking about the genuine wild born and raised animals. So forget those poor pheasants full of antibiotics – and God only knows what else – that are bred to function as live targets on some shooting ranges. So if you think of game, you should think of something that had to survive by itself all through its life.

I honour these animals, even when eating them. It’s free range, It’s organic, it has all the magic words.

And you won’t find a sub region within the Rhône Valley that wouldn’t be perfect with some kind of game dish.

This is Syrah and Grenache country (along with many other great red varieties like Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Burbuleanc etc). In the steep, northern region you find more spicy and aggressive Syrah on the slopes.

As you head south, the landscape is a bit softer and the smooth and fruity Grenache dominates the wines.

For hardcore game fanatics I would suggest looking around the northern region; The Côte Rotie, Cornas, St Joseph, Hermitage and the Crozes Hermitage yield perfect Syrahdominated wines that go perfectly with anything from partridge to boar. If you go through tasting notes of Syrah, you often come across the “gamey word”.

A proper Rhône Syrah is rich with spices as well. When people refer to spice, they often get stuck at black pepper, but these wines have a whole spice shop in them, from pepper to nutmeg and cardamom.

Therefore you can enjoy a wine that is as full-bodied and concentrated with flavours as the roast you are eating.

I’ve just come across a fantastic Rhône red from the Crozes Hermitages sub-region called Clairmont Immanence. It’s full bodied and smooth, yet surprisingly spicy and rich. So guess what, I think I’ll get a second bottle and a nice venison steak, I can’t go wrong with that.

After all, we’re supposed to eat organic, free-range and whatnot...

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> flavour cassis restaurant

cassis

bistro

Gatecrasher Zeren Wilson tries out another new opening as he parties with the Euro set in South Kensington…

Marlon Abela doesn't mess around. His restaurants pick up and keep Michelin stars like they were discarded flotsam. He has a prodigious wine cellar, with matching encyclopedic knowledge to match, and also owns MARC Fine Wines, an importing business. The roll call includes The Greenhouse, Umu and Morton's members club, all in salubrious and Flash Harry Mayfair. He knows a thing or two about opening restaurants, owning a couple in New York too. On two visits to Cassis, the top man is here. This says a lot.

Cassis has had a lukewarm response since it opened, perhaps because there are already fine restaurants doing the whole Provençal shtick – La Petite Maison and Cigalon the main flag wavers for the region. They state they are bringing something ‘completely new to London's restaurant scene.’

I need some more convincing on that point.

Expensive art including a Julian Opie, he of the famous Blur Greatest Hits image, hangs on the walls. All originals. They know how to fluff their clientele's feathers, the website stating that the restaurant ‘reflects the sophisticated, contemporary lifestyle of the customers it has been created to attract.’ I'll get my coat then.

Conversation is all commission and Hong Kong and holidays.

It's a pleasant enough space, but plays it safe for the local punters and veers from slightly cringeinducing brasserie cliché with frosted glass emblazoned with ‘coriandre’, ‘canelle’, ‘échalote’ ‘romarin’, to a slightly anodyne and formulaicfeeling fit out. Euro cool for the Euro set.

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Cassis Bistro 232-236 Brompton Road London SW3 2BB

A wonderful small grower house Champagne, Goutorbe-Bouillot, imported exclusively, sets the tone, and at £11.50 wins my vote for best house Champagne in London – razor sharp, with a ball of pure fruit marking this out as a classy, small production fizz.

020 7581 1101 www.cassisbistro.co.uk

Petites bouchées wake the palate – little morsels of green and black olive tapenade, and a cute egg

Mimosa, halved eggs filled with a zingy crab mayonnaise, brimming with sweet crab.

Another opening mouthful are the Pastis flambéed snails in puff pastry, harking back to memories of 1970s dinner parties (not mine) when the vol-auvent was king, wonderfully garlicky and finger-lickingly buttery.

This is South Kensington though, and some prices stick in the craw. £23 for a Niçoise salad brings a dewy tear to the eye. Sure, its a Niçoise that gives a damn, sparking in all the right places, but perhaps the Kensington set have long since given up looking at trivialities like price and value.

Cigalon in Chancery Lane offer a glittering Niçoise for £6.50.

The Bouillabaisse passes the test, dense and deeply fishy, full of fillets of red mullet and sea bass, fleshy nuggets of mussels and clams in the mix too, a kick of Pernot adding the required anise flourish.

The wine list holds genuine intrigue, and Vacheron by the glass is a big statement, one of the classiest Sancerres around. The wines are lording it up in the tallest fridge display you'll see, a glimpse into the deep chasm that is Abela's cellar, and would be a joy to indulge in with a friend's American Express black card.

Marlon Abela has done this so many times before, he'll tweak and tweak again until the formula is right, and it feels like a restaurant that is just getting into its stride. The big man is keeping a watchful eye on it that's for sure.

If I lived in South Kensington with all the lifestyle accoutrements this entails, I'd sashay into Cassis several times a week. It would validate me, and remind me why I'm special. As a tourist to this part of town, you may feel like you're encroaching on someone else's party. Quite a fun party to gatecrash it is too...

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Marlon Abela has done this so many times before, he'll tweak and tweak again until the formula is right, and it feels like a restaurant that is just getting into its stride.

> flavour chef profile

chef profile Name: Gary Klaner Executive Chef at: Winter Garden and Two Twenty Two, both at the Landmark London Hotel

Going into the kitchen was a natural progression for me. My father was a great pastry chef and ran his own patisserie, so I got to see the ins and outs of a professional kitchen from a very young age and became enthused by it all. Saying that, pastry itself has never appealed to me since. I don’t know if that’s a result of spending too much time around it as a child!

When it comes to preparing banqueting – which a lot of my time is spent doing – you have to think differently to how you would for regular service. There are so many variables; the type of client, their expectations, the nature of the event and the resources available. All of these issues need to be taken into account. For example, if there is a fiveminute walk from the kitchen to the dining room, it’s no use us preparing a soufflé. It would be like a deflated balloon by the time it reached the customer. Organisation and communication is key. If you get that right, then preparing food for hundreds of people won’t be as big a problem as you might imagine.

Cooking for your peers can bring a lot of pressure to the table. On the occasions I have prepared banquets for a host of great chefs, it has always been of the utmost importance that I deliver the best possible experience to my colleagues in the industry. I think that most chefs prefer a simple dish, really well cooked and prepared with the best ingredients, as opposed to some flashy piece of gastronomic wizardry that may well be a bit hit-or-miss.

Personally, as a final meal I’d just like a lovely cut of beef, well aged and rested. Cook that to perfection and serve it with some good handcut chips and maybe a salad – perfect.

Coming to The Landmark has been a great experience for me. I used to pass it every day on my way to work at my previous job, and just think what a fantastic building it was, really overwhelming. I was lucky enough to get the executive sous chef position when it came up, and eventually got the number one job, which has been amazing.

The Landmark has so much history, and I find catering for hotels more satisfying than regular restaurants as there is so much variety in what you do. One minute we might be organising a ‘50s themed buffet, with ice cream floats, that sort of thing. The next it might be a children’s pantomime brunch or an elegant fine dining banquet – only one with a separate room full of all the desserts you could imagine – everyone’s childhood dream!

222 Marylebone Road London NW1 6JQ United Kingdom 020 7631 8000 www.landmarklondon.co.uk 75

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islington

London Farmers’ Market

London Farmers’ Market

London Farmers’ Market

Johanna Uy is a food and travel enthusiast based in London and currently writes for several publications including Lonely Planet. She also writes about cooking at home and away, fine dining adventures and travelling for food on her blog www.thehappydiner.wordpress.com

By Johanna Uy

R’S IDE ET S IN URM GO UIDE G

Don’t be fooled by the plethora of chains and the usual suspects on Islington’s high streets. When it comes to food, the Islington area is home to an incredible variety of flavours and cuisines, from British to Austrian and Thai. flavour’s gourmet guide shows you the locals’ pick of the bunch...

Islington has no less than eight street markets with the largest and longest, Chapel Market, home to the weekly London Farmers’ Market (www.lfm.org.uk/markets/islington) on Sundays at Penton Street. The largely organic produce on show at London’s first ever farmers’ market includes meat, dairy, fruit and veg and even ice cream. A stellar array of pork products have top billing at the Downland Pigs (www.downlandproduce.co.uk) stall, including award-winning sausages, bacon and ham, prepared and produced at the Wilkinson family free-range pig farm in Lacock, Wiltshire.

The aroma of sausages gently sizzling on the grill is irresistible, deftly manned by father and son team, David and Matt, who slap the sausages in lightly buttered soft baps. The meat theme continues with the fantastic array of homemade pies at Brockleby’s (www.brocklebys.co.uk), from poachers’ game, wild venison and Longhorn beef to the famous classic, Melton Mowbray organic pork pie. The meat is free-range from specialist or minority breeds and the pastry is lovingly handmade with organic flour and old-school shortening. Complementing the pork is relative newcomer South Downs Venison and Game (www.southdownsvenison.co.uk), specialising in high-quality game sourced from estates around the South Downs between August and April since 2008. Meanwhile, market stalwart, Tim Norris of Harvest Moon, has been peddling free-range chicken and eggs from his Hertfordshire farm for over ten years and is thus a firm favourite.

Seafood lovers are also well catered for at these Islington markets. On the fish and shellfish front, expect to find seasonal, fresh fish at Channel Fish, which owners, Vicki Ballington and Vince Flowers, hauled off the Brighton coast on their day boat.

Crab, lobster, smoked mackerel and potted shrimp are in abundance at David Jennings where the crab comes dressed, or sold separately as claw, white or brown meat in vacuum packs.

The most popular stall would have to be Sorbitium Ices, with their range of exotic and unusual handmade artisan ice cream and sorbets. Reaching the end of the farmers’ markets, Chapel Market stretches on with a further jumble of fruit and vegetable stalls and takeaway food stands, nestled in amongst jewellery, travel goods and all manner of other nick-nacks.

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insider’s gourmet guide

Kipferl

> flavour

Judging by the queues that frequently snake out the door on weekends, two of Islington’s most popular food shops are fishmonger Steve Hatt’s eponymous store on Essex Road and longstanding butcher’s shop Godfrey’s (www.fgodfrey.co.uk).

Steve Hatt is frequently quoted as London’s best fishmonger and with his impressive array of the freshest fish and shellfish sourced direct from Britain’s ports, it’s not difficult to see why.

Despite the crowds, the service remains impeccable, with staff always happy to provide cooking tips and tricks and help with selecting the best turbot or salmon for your next dinner party.

Meat is butchered at their Finsbury Park site for quick delivery to London destinations and beef is hung for a minimum of 28 days for maximum flavour.

Euphorium Bakery

One is never too far away from organic, seasonal and locallysourced baked goods in Islington, with a Euphorium Bakery (http://blog.euphoriumbakery.com) on almost every corner (two shops on Upper Street, including the flagship at 202, and a pit stop location at Chapel Market). The proudly British bakery makes everything fresh from scratch every day, and there is a lot of it! Breads, savoury lunchtime and sweet teatime treats, pastries and cakes are all available. All three shops have seating areas and are popular with locals, keen for a spot of tea and cake or simply as a place to catch up with friends over coffee.

More deli-style fare can be found at no less than three Italian delis in the area. Towards Canonbury is Piero Maurizio’s Fine Italian Delicatessen, with a good selection of antipasti, pasta, oils and vinegars for home. Compact Saponara on Prebend Street is run by two Italian brothers who know their stuff and are more than happy for customers to sample the cured meats and cheeses on display. For more antipasti, including smoked fish, and vegetables in oil, Italian and European cheeses and a good selection of Italian wines, look no further than Monte’s, a stone’s throw away from Upper Street. Once you have had your fill of Italian, try some Austrian sausages, desserts, beers and wines at Kipferl (www.kipferl.co.uk), which also houses a Viennese kitchen serving schnitzel and sauerkraut and other Austrian specialties. Rounding out the global cuisine selection at Islington is Thai-An (www.thai-an.co.uk), an Oriental grocery owned by Thai and An Nguyen, specialising in Chinese and Vietnamese goods, from fresh vegetables, herbs and noodles to frozen fish, meats and dim sum dumplings.

Cybercandy

Another popular spot for locals and tourists alike is the Islington branch of Ottolenghi (www.ottolenghi.co.uk), the biggest in the chain with seating for 50 and a fantastically colourful and delicious array of salads and cold dishes to take away. Everything is prepared and cooked on site from fresh, seasonal ingredients and given the Ottolenghi twist of bold, robust Mediterranean and Asian flavours and eye-popping colour, making the shop a great source for last-minute, healthy and lip-smacking suppers or weekend picnics.

A surprisingly excellent source for the creative and imaginative baker is Cybercandy (www.cybercandy.co.uk) on Upper Street, which sells an incredible selection of sweets and candy from all over the world. All the favourites are here, like Cadbury and Nestle bars, Jaffas, peppermint cakes, and marshmallows in a rainbow of flavours. American classics such as PEZ dispensers, Jelly Belly, Hershey’s, and Reese’s Cups are all here, as well as Cherry Ripes and Caramello Koalas for Antipodeans keen for a taste of home.

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November, a time for firework displays if you’re British and Thanksgiving if you hail from across the pond.

Until recently, there was something else to get excited about as the third Thursday of the month approached – a new vintage of Beaujolais Nouveau would be released.

This was a wine phenomenon that had merchants all over the world racing to sell the wine before their competitors, with thirsty customers queuing round the block to get their hands on a bottle. By 1986 sales had reached 6.4 million bottles and the man that had created the whole thing ~ Georges Duboeuf ~ was a living legend and a very wealthy man.

new wine finds

he rampant success of Beaujolais Nouveau led to the entire region jumping on Duboeuf's bandwagon, by bottling their wines earlier to preserve the jammy fruit, using the same synthetic yeast strain as Duboeuf to get that ‘banana and bubblegum’ flavour and replanting their beautiful old vines with brand new ones that yielded much more fruit (even if it had nowhere near the concentration or flavour as the old ones). Then the market lost interest and by the mid-’90s blockbuster wines from Australia and the USA were fashionable - the queues of people waiting for thin, jammy Beaujolais had disappeared.

T

But if you thought that was the end of the Beaujolais story, you’d be wrong. As sales declined, a new generation of winemakers emerged, farming with organic methods and nurturing the old vines that had survived the cull of the ‘80s. Rather than focusing on the 78

generic Beaujolais appellations (like Nouveau), they have worked on building the reputations of the region’s best vineyards in the 10 so-called ‘cru’ appellations.

Following the spectacular 2009 and very good 2010 vintages, these wines are just starting to get the attention they deserve thanks to their concentrated red berry fruit and savoury, gamey notes that add complexity.

Not only are they relatively light in alcohol and wonderfully drinkable, but as the region’s image is still in recovery, they also offer sensational value for money.

All of the 10 crus have their own personalities but my favourite is Morgon, a village that gives richly fruited and meaty wines that can be reminiscent of good Burgundy in the best examples. Here are two wines that exude this typical character and are delicious now, but will also reward further time in the cellar.

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2010 MORGON; JULIEN SUNIER

> flavour mark andrew

One of Beaujolais’ brightest young things, Julien makes sensational wines from Fleurie and Morgon. The fruit in this 2010 is so pure that it could almost qualify as one of your five-a-day!

Available at www.robersonwine.com (£17.95) and on the wine list at Gordon Ramsay Royal Hospital Road (SW3) and Mon Plaisir (WC2).

2009 MORGON ‘COTE DU PY’; JEAN FOILLARD Foillard is well-established as a leading light in the Beaujolais revolution and this wine comes from his vines in Côte du Py, Morgon’s most renowned site. There is depth, richness and complexity here that would fetch five times the price if it were from a more famous region.

Available at www.robersonwine.com (£26.95) and on the wine list at Coq d’Argent (EC2) and Kai (W1).

Mark Andrew Mark Andrew is the Senior Wine Buyer at Kensington- based merchant Roberson Wine. In addition to their award- winning shop on London’s Kensington High Street, Roberson supply wine to many of the UK’s top restaurants.

When Mark is not travelling Europe seeking out interesting new wines, he runs Roberson’s wine school and fine wine tastings, judges at numerous wine competitions (including the Decanter Magazine World Wine Awards) and is currently studying towards the Master of Wine qualification.

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November, a time for firework displays if you’re British and Thanksgiving if you hail from across the pond.

Until recently, there was something else to get excited about as the third Thursday of the month approached – a new vintage of Beaujolais Nouveau would be released.

This was a wine phenomenon that had merchants all over the world racing to sell the wine before their competitors, with thirsty customers queuing round the block to get their hands on a bottle. By 1986 sales had reached 6.4 million bottles and the man that had created the whole thing ~ Georges Duboeuf ~ was a living legend and a very wealthy man.

new wine finds

he rampant success of Beaujolais Nouveau led to the entire region jumping on Duboeuf's bandwagon, by bottling their wines earlier to preserve the jammy fruit, using the same synthetic yeast strain as Duboeuf to get that ‘banana and bubblegum’ flavour and replanting their beautiful old vines with brand new ones that yielded much more fruit (even if it had nowhere near the concentration or flavour as the old ones). Then the market lost interest and by the mid-’90s blockbuster wines from Australia and the USA were fashionable - the queues of people waiting for thin, jammy Beaujolais had disappeared.

T

But if you thought that was the end of the Beaujolais story, you’d be wrong. As sales declined, a new generation of winemakers emerged, farming with organic methods and nurturing the old vines that had survived the cull of the ‘80s. Rather than focusing on the 78

generic Beaujolais appellations (like Nouveau), they have worked on building the reputations of the region’s best vineyards in the 10 so-called ‘cru’ appellations.

Following the spectacular 2009 and very good 2010 vintages, these wines are just starting to get the attention they deserve thanks to their concentrated red berry fruit and savoury, gamey notes that add complexity.

Not only are they relatively light in alcohol and wonderfully drinkable, but as the region’s image is still in recovery, they also offer sensational value for money.

All of the 10 crus have their own personalities but my favourite is Morgon, a village that gives richly fruited and meaty wines that can be reminiscent of good Burgundy in the best examples. Here are two wines that exude this typical character and are delicious now, but will also reward further time in the cellar.

30-31_FL_MarkAndrew:Layout 1 24/11/2011 21:42 Page 79

2010 MORGON; JULIEN SUNIER

> flavour mark andrew

One of Beaujolais’ brightest young things, Julien makes sensational wines from Fleurie and Morgon. The fruit in this 2010 is so pure that it could almost qualify as one of your five-a-day!

Available at www.robersonwine.com (£17.95) and on the wine list at Gordon Ramsay Royal Hospital Road (SW3) and Mon Plaisir (WC2).

2009 MORGON ‘COTE DU PY’; JEAN FOILLARD Foillard is well-established as a leading light in the Beaujolais revolution and this wine comes from his vines in Côte du Py, Morgon’s most renowned site. There is depth, richness and complexity here that would fetch five times the price if it were from a more famous region.

Available at www.robersonwine.com (£26.95) and on the wine list at Coq d’Argent (EC2) and Kai (W1).

Mark Andrew Mark Andrew is the Senior Wine Buyer at Kensington- based merchant Roberson Wine. In addition to their award- winning shop on London’s Kensington High Street, Roberson supply wine to many of the UK’s top restaurants.

When Mark is not travelling Europe seeking out interesting new wines, he runs Roberson’s wine school and fine wine tastings, judges at numerous wine competitions (including the Decanter Magazine World Wine Awards) and is currently studying towards the Master of Wine qualification.

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The Three Stags

~ WIN! ~ ...A morning in the butchery with head chef James Brown followed by lunch.

To be used by the end of February 2012.

To enter, email competitions@flavourmagazine.com with your name, contact details and where you picked up a copy of flavour. Good luck…

function room • bespoke menus for parties • commitment to sustainability & ethically sourced produce • great wines and real ales 67-69 Kennington Road City of London SE1 7PZ 0207 928 5974 www.thethreestags.org

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Max Drake is a practising medical herbalist at the Urban Fringe Dispensary, where he also runs courses and workshops teaching how to use herbs safely and effectively, treat common ailments and stay healthy.

the herb doctor S THI TH N O M

fenugreek

enugreek seeds are both hypoglycaemic and hypocholesterolaemic, meaning they can help in regulating blood sugar and in lowering cholesterol levels in the blood, both of which are highly desirable, particularly if you are fond of sugary foods and grains in general.

F

There is a fibre in the seeds called galactomannan, which is thought to be the main component responsible for these potential health benefits. After eating a carbohydrate-rich meal blood sugar levels increase quite quickly, prompting a release of insulin to bring the levels back down. It is quite common for people to have chronically elevated levels of insulin in the bloodstream because our diets are so carb heavy, and this can lead to a rebound response, where blood sugar levels suddenly drop because there is too much insulin floating around in the system. This is one of the main reasons why people often feel tired 10 or 20 minutes after eating carbs, such as having a baked potato at lunchtime.

Fenugreek can help towards putting this right. A cup of fenugreek tea immediately after a carb-rich meal can help to reduce the rapid rise in blood sugar levels, without stimulating an increase in insulin production. Just put a couple of teaspoons of fenugreek seeds in a pestle and mortar, give them a bit of a bash and then make a tea with them in a small pot, infusing for 10 minutes.

Bashing them up a bit first will help to liberate more of the galactomannan.

The taste is pretty strange to start with and you may need to play around with the quantities to find a level that suits you, as too much can bring out a bitter aftertaste.

Like a lot of these things, once you’ve tried it a few times you get used to it and it actually starts to taste quite nice.

Fenugreek is a member of the pea family, and what you’re looking for is a kind of delicate sweetness underneath the more immediate taste sensation.

For more information and references visit: www.urbanfringe.org 81

A quick note about sugar Everyone knows that sugar isn’t very good for us, and all carbohydrates are basically made of sugars. Carbohydrates include anything made from grains – including pasta, pizza, bread and biscuits – as well as starchy root vegetables and potatoes.

Virtually all foods that have become part of the human diet since the advent of agriculture are rich in carbohydrates.

Sugar seems to be addictive, and when you walk through the average modern supermarket, it seems like 75 per cent of what is on offer is really just a vehicle for delivering sugar. It’s quite an interesting experiment to go for a few weeks without sugars in your diet to see what happens, although it’s not exactly easy to do this, believe me!

I’ve set up a website where you can find out a bit more about how to do it, and there’s also some more info and references about fenugreek. www.seriouslystoneage.com

> flavour nick harman

what recession?

Although gripped by financially trying times, Nick Harman discovers that rather than going ‘down the swanny’, the restaurant scene is more vibrant than ever…

There used to be a game in fairgrounds, and maybe there still is, where armed with a fat rubber mallet you had to whack the heads of moles that popped up randomly from the ground. The faster you did it, and the more moles you whacked, the more points you gained. It was fun and exhausting in equal measure.

The restaurant scene is much the same.

Restaurants are opening faster and faster and the poor critic whacks away as quickly as he or she can, but more keep coming and coming all the same.

We keep getting told there’s a recession on and yet we have probably never seen so many restaurant openings. Going to restaurants requires disposable income so how, in the worst recession in most lifetimes, are people affording to spend in these new places?

Nick Harman is editor of www.foodepedia.co.uk and was shortlisted last year for The Guild of Food Writer’s Restaurant Reviewer of the Year.

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Well I failed O-Level Economics, and I have the certificate to prove it, but it seems to me rather simple. If you are lucky enough to have a job and to be a homeowner, then with the mortgage rate being so low you probably have more spare cash than at any previous time in your life. That money, far from being sensibly salted away for a rainy day, is instead being splurged on eating out and fiddling while Rome burns.

Part of it is also down to how eating out has changed. The new generation of restaurant goers don’t want anything as dull as three courses and coffee, they want constant novelty or else. They want to be always finding their next ‘new favourite restaurant’ and then, paradoxically, to

never darken its door again because they’ve found somewhere else. This is good for them, but not so good for the restaurant’s longevity and earning power.

One ever-clever restaurateur has found a solution. Before the wave breaks on whatever his current restaurant happens to be, he is already planning to open another and at the same time stoking anticipation for that event via social media.

That way he’s always staying ahead of the curve, while the restaurants he’s already opened can cheerfully bob along after the initial crowds have moved on.

The secret of that approach is also to not to invest too much in the new restaurant’s fit out. Grab a small place that already has the correct licence in place, but is otherwise unprepossessing. Knock off the plaster, tear down the ceiling, stick in some cheap industrial chic, write a menu on scraps of paper, mixing quality ingredients that don’t need cooking with things that can be mostly grilled, and you’re all set. Then insist on not taking reservations and Kerching! you’ll be the temporary talk of the town and have queues around the block, for a few weeks anyway at least.

Where this leaves restaurants that are in it for the long haul, who want to give employment to professional staff and not resting actors, and who want to grow old in service is anyone’s guess. Mine is that they will hunker down, maintain consistency, and wait for the change that will inevitably come. Meanwhile, as for me, I’ll just keep steadfastly whacking away.

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