Flavour London Issue 8

for people who love local food

London | Issue 8

WIN!

A weekend break for two at Kesgrove Hall

INSIDE

James Chocolates – a Festive Firecracker www.flavourmagazine.com Follow us on Twitter @flavourlondon

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Loving the Leek

Spring into Easter with a host of seasonal recipes

A walk around town A tasty tease into Kensington’s offerings

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Editor: Nick Gregory Email: nick@flavourmagazine.com Art Director: Bruce Mytton Email: design@flavourmagazine.com Advertising: Miranda Coller, Director of Sales Email: miranda@flavourmagazine.com Louisa Nairne, Marketing Director Email: Louisa@flavourmagazine.com

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Photography: Diana Chacour Contributors: Cheryl Cohen, Nick Harman, Duncan Shine, Jack Stein, Zeren Wilson, Mark Andrew, Peter Lawrence, Sriram Aylur, Emily Conradi, Megan Owen, Shu Han, Ben Norum Flavour Magazine 151-153 Wick Road, Brislington, Bristol BS4 4HH Tel: 0117 977 9188 | Visit: www.flavourmagazine.com

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For general enquiries: Peter Francomb Email: peter@flavourmagazine.com For competition entries: Email: competitions@flavourmagazine.com © Copyright 2012 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.

The opinions expressed or advice given are the views of the individual authors, and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of flavourmagazine.com

flavour magazine provides effective communication through design. We specialise in brochures, corporate identity, advertising, direct mail, marketing and design for print.

We have a reputation for clear, creative solutions to communication problems for a number of corporate, sports, financial, charity and leisure industry clients.

We maintain the highest of standards, throughout each individual project and our client relationship.

We pride ourselves on delivering distinctive designs and ideas that will get you noticed.

For more information, please contact Peter Francomb Tel: 0117 977 9188 Email: peter@flavourmagazine.com Visit: www.flavourmagazine.com

Competition Terms & Conditions In addition to any specifically stated terms and conditions, the following applies to all competitions.

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 back after 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.

Prizes do not include unspecified extras (such as travel). All prizes are subject to availability.

Please state if you do not wish to receive any further correspondence from flavour or competition organisers. You may be required to collect your prize.

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Inside...

04 WIN! A weekend break for two at Milsom’s Kesgrave Hall 10 In Season Cheryl Cohen and Matthew Driver cook-up the best of the season’s produce 46 5 Pollen Street Nick Harman discovers posh without pretension in Mayfair

welcome Welcome to the latest copy of flavour, an edition that sees the beginning of spring, the clocks going forward, Easter, bank holidays, the lot!

This is my favourite time of the year, with six or seven months of expectation ahead. It’s away with the warming soups, the casseroles, hot pots, heavy roasts, cooked puddings and coffee, and instead it’s the welcoming in of salads, new potatoes, barbecues, cups of tea and beer gardens. It’s like getting out of a refreshing shower with the promise of an invigorating day ahead. That’s how I see it anyway!

We welcome in our latest contributor, Jack Stein, who will be bringing us his fabulous dishes straight ‘Out of the Ocean’ (P.18), Nick Harman looks at where to go for a ‘not-too-expensive’ lunch (P.46), while Zeren Wilson takes in the delights of the much-admired Novikov (P.14).

I hope for all of our sakes (save those allergic to sunlight) the weather delivers what we always hope for and this can be the beginning of a wonderful few months of embracing the outdoors. Don’t forget to email us with any ideas, events or even just little snippets of news!

49 Flavour’s Cup of Tea We take a look at some exciting venues and products that give our nation of tea drinkers a boost

Well done!

70 New Wine Finds High-quality Italian Nebbiolos with Mark Andrew

Nick Gregory

N ick

Please recycle this product.

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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

FRONT COVER: JAMES CHOCOLATES James Chocolates have an abundance of Easter treats for you to feast on. And the one to try (and featured on the front cover) has to be the ‘Easter Firecracker Egg!’ Ecuadorian dark chocolate with ancho chilli and popping candy combine spectacularly with a hand-topped explosion of pink peppercorns, white chocolate and edible glitter for a unique adult gift.

www.jameschocolates.co.uk

GALVIN DEMOISELLE Situated in Harrods’ striking fruit, vegetable and pantry food hall on the ground floor, Galvin Demoiselle opens this month to great acclaim.

This bijou bistro offers quality French cuisine combined with Galvin’s warm, friendly hospitality in a unique, elevated location overlooking the bustle of the food hall. Ideal for shoppers looking for light dishes and refreshments, Chris and Jeff Galvin have created a menu including soupe du jour, charcuterie, cocottes, salads and light fish dishes, plus popular signature dishes of apple tarte tatin and confit of duck, and vegetarian options. The menu also offers a selection of cakes and the Demoiselle afternoon tea.

The restaurant seats up to 60 covers and is open from Monday to Saturday 10am – 7pm and Sunday from 11.30am – 6pm. The restaurant has a no-booking policy. www.galvinrestaurants.com

MILSOM’S KESGRAVE HALL From the moment you turn into the driveway, leading to the stunning Milsom’s Kesgrave Hall, you just know that you are going to relax and have a great time.

The bistro restaurant has everything you would expect: inventive food alongside classics such as the delightful fish and chips, a buzzing but relaxed atmosphere and wonderful service from a friendly and professional team.

WIN!

Milsom’s Kesgrave Hall has teamed-up with flavour to offer one lucky reader a weekend break for two, including a deluxe room with full English breakfast, a four-hour sail on the river Orwell in a 50-ft yacht and a three-course dinner on both evenings.

To enter, simply email competitions@flavourmagazine.com and put Kesgrave Hall in the subject header, stating where you saw your copy of flavour in the body copy. Good luck!

Milsom’s Kesgrave Hall Hall Road, Kesgrave, Ipswich Suffolk IP5 2PU 01473 333741 www.milsomhotels.com/kesgrave.com

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AYE, MACAROONA! We all know that these colourful meringue-based almond treats have stolen the cupcake’s crown as our indulgence of choice. Now all die-hard fans can add some flavour to their everyday life and choose one of these very cute macaroon key rings.

Made from tactile rubber, they come in a variety of colours and make an excellent present for anybody with a sweet tooth. Also available are small chocolate bars (£16).

COCKTAIL OF THE

MONTH GREEK ODYSSEY

www.cookiecrumbles.co.uk

MEG RIVERS SIMNEL TREATS! These top-tasting Simnel Cakes from Meg Rivers Artisan Bakery are the perfect offerings for your Easter get-togethers or send them as Easter gifts for friends and family! For all orders placed by flavour readers before 3rd April, you’ll also receive a free pack of original Meg Rivers Shortbreads worth £6!

Bar Manager at The Capital, Cesar Da Silva, has been inspired by celebrated chef of the moment Athinagoras Kostakos, who took the helm at the Capital Restaurant recently to create a special Greek-themed cocktail.

INGREDIENTS 60ml freshly-squeezed blood red orange 10ml fresh lime 40ml Bombay Sapphire Gin 15ml Ouzo 12a Flamed orange peel twist

Choose from large (£22), standard (£12) or new 6 mini Simnel pack (£15) plus £6 P&P. Order online at www.megrivers.co.uk or by phone on 01608 682858 quoting ‘FLAVOUREASTER’.

FOLLOW FLAVOUR ON TWITTER flavour has joined the twitterati! Follow us on Twitter for recipes and tips, as well as regular updates on London foodie hotspots, new restaurants, in-vogue chefs and those who look set to break into the thrilling yet turbulent circus that is our capital’s dining scene.

Follow us at: www.twitter.com/flavourlondon

METHOD Chill a Martini glass. Combine all the ingredients along with ice into a cocktail shaker. Shake for a few seconds and then finely strain into the chilled Martini glass.

To add an extra intensity, take the orange peel, briefly warm under a flame and then squeeze to extract the oil.

Garnish with a physalis.

ENJOY!

COMPETITION WINNER Congratulations go to Anne Harding from Newbury, who wins a spa escape break for two at Careys Manor 5

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D WOONRTHE STREET

52° NORTH 21-22 Poland Street, W1 Offering traditional British cuisine alongside artisan beers and whisky from the Innis & Gunn brewery, fine English wines and a host of Champagnes, 52° North is an exciting new bar and restaurant on Poland St. The menu sports dishes such as Abroath smokies, fish cakes and English trifle.

MELE E PERE 6 Brewer Street, W1 Mele E Pere is a new Italian trattoria, bought to you by former Wild Honey and Les Deux salons chef Andrea Mantovani.

Set in Soho, expect a blend of modern and traditional Italian cuisine, with such delights as hand-chopped raw veal and snails with pecorino and guincale.

Mamma Mia! MARI VANNA 116 Knightsbridge, SW1 Laden with extraordinary attention to detail, Mari Vanna will immediately transport each guest into an archetypal Russian home adorned with trinkets and tchotchke, including the iconic Russian Bear, stacking dolls and Cheburashka, bookshelves filled with Russian literature with elaborate chandeliers hung far and wide. Expect an authentic Russian culinary experience and an appreciation of the meaning of true Russian hospitality.

LOVE VEG, HATE WASTE? Not sure what to do with those leeks? Got a few spare carrots to use up? Find inspiration for weeknight suppers and Sunday lunches alike with the help of the new iPhone app from Riverford Organic.

Simply enter up to three types of veg that you have in your veg rack, fridge or vegbox into the Riverford veg machine, spin the wheels and let Riverford sift through almost 800 recipes from the award-winning Riverford Farm Cook Book and their inspiring weekly newsletters, to find the perfect match. Recipes include vegetarian mains and sides as well as dishes with meat. Why not get the children involved? The Riverford veg machine is a great way to encourage them to eat a variety of veg.

Visit the App Store, or www.riverford.co.uk/pages/riverford_iphone_app

BEST OF BRITISH WITH PGI Make sure you’re eating the very best of British produce by seeking out the coveted PGI label. PGI – Protected Geographical Indication – is a coveted status that guarantees the origin of a product and the qualities that can only be afforded by a particular region. The PGI label is becoming progressively better known with an increasing number of products applying for the sought-after status that boosts their brand appeal.

The blue and yellow PGI label is displayed on every product that has been awarded the status and recognises that a product can only be made at one place. For instance, only Cornwall can officially produce the Cornish Pasty, only Melton Mowbray can make the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie and only Wales with its wet, mild climate, lush green mountainous landscape and generations of experience and animal husbandry can produce Welsh Lamb and Welsh Beef. PGI also acts to protect these products, so unless it’s from a specified region with the qualities only they can produce, it is illegal to give a product the same name – so its origin and authenticity is guaranteed.

CEVICHE 17 Frith Street, W1 Ceviche, the hotly-tipped Peruvian restaurant, will be serving up ceviche – freshly caught sustainable fish coldcooked in Tiger’s Milk marinade made from lime juice and Peruvian aji chilli – and many other Peruvian classics, at the beginning of March. The site, formerly known as Café Emm, will be transformed into a space that will be bright, fresh, cheeky and vibrant... just like the food it will serve.

STICKS ‘N’ SUSHI 58 Wimbledon Rd, SW17 This is the London premiere of a popular Denmark-based chain that offers both sushi and yakatori (skewered meat).

There will be salmon tartare with trout roe, beef tataki and panko-fried duck.

Thor Andersen and brothers Kim and Jens Rahbekand devised the concept of Sticks ‘n’ Sushi, which has 10 restaurants in Copenhagen. Expect big things.

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WINE OF THE

KOPI THIS Kopi is a new gourmet coffee by subscription company that UK coffee lovers are fast warming to. Think of it as a wine club for ‘proper’ coffee drinkers. Members get a different, rare, single-origin coffee delivered every month, complete with a stylish guide explaining why what’s in the bag is so special.

MONTH

All the coffees are ethically-sourced from only the best co-operative farms and growers – so if you are looking for a gift for the discerning coffee lover in your life – look no further.

KOPI are happy to offer one lucky flavour reader a limited-edition Starter Pack to give your coffee love a kick start. The Starter Pack includes a Bodum Cafetiere and two mugs, as well as a pack of the finest ground coffee available and a handy guide on tasting notes, and the coffee region. Simply email competitions@flavourmagazine.com with Kopi in the subject header for your chance to win. Good luck!

www.kopi.co.uk

Tim McLaughlin-Green, sommelier and wine consultant of Sommelier’s Choice, was shortlisted for the Harpers & Queen Sommelier of the Year award. His philosophy is to search for and work with family-owned wineries, producing highquality wines in small quantities, aiming for something really special.

March, yummy, the first Jersey Royal potatoes arrive and spring lamb, rosemary, garlic and anchovies are all beginning to feature on the menu.

The choice of wine for this month is Clos de la Cure 2008, St Emilion Grand Cru.

WIN! THE SWAN AT STREATLEY The Swan at Streatley (P. 42) is offering an overnight break for two, which includes accommodation in a river view bedroom, dinner in the 2 AA Rosette Cygnetures Restaurant and full English breakfast the next morning.

To enter, email competitions@flavourmagazine.com with The Swan at Streatley in the subject header and your FULL contact details in the body of the email. Good luck!

Terms and conditions apply. www.swanatstreatley.co.uk

Clos de la Cure is a blend of 75 per cent Merlot and 25 per cent Cabernet Franc. A wine for the Claret lovers, St Emilion is a favourite that offers some excellent quality wines. Clos de la Cure has a silkiness to the palate with notes of oak, tight tannins and packed with fruit.

This is an extremely rewarding wine. Allow it to breathe for 30 minutes or longer.

The joy with wine is to marry it with the right food. Try new season lamb and Jersey Royals with butter and mint – the fat of the lamb will allow the tannins in the wine to mellow.

Available from Q Wines, Bristol; Redfield Wine Merchants, Paignton; Palmers Wine Store, Bridport; Fine Wine Sellers www.finewinesellers.co.uk. Priced from £17.95 to £22.68

www.sommelierschoice.com

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The Icon of Walkers & Son The Original, King Size Pork Pie This is where it all began for Walker & Son, with its distinctive taste and fluted outer casing this pork pie is The King!

For more information on Walker & Son please see:

www.walkerspies.co.uk Follow us on Twitter @Walkersandson

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Find us on Facebook under Walker & Son and tell us what you think of our pies

Available in Waitrose & Co-op RRP ÂŁ2.99

14/03/2012 09:29

> 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 THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA COOKBOOK INA GARTEN Bantam Press, £20

PICK OF THE MONTH!

For more than 20 years, Barefoot Contessa, the acclaimed speciality food store, cooked and baked extraordinary dishes for enthusiastic customers in the Hamptons. For many of those years, people tried to get the exuberant owner, Ina Garten, to share the secrets of her store. Finally, the energy and style that made Barefoot Contessa such a special place are shown here, with dozens of recipes and more than 160 breathtaking photographs, in The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. Ina Garten teaches us how to entertain with style, simplicity and a relaxed sense of fun. There are notes throughout the book for giving cocktail parties, lunches and dinner parties where everything is done before the guests arrive. And there are easy instructions for creating gorgeous party platters that don’t even require you to cook!

BREAD REVOLUTION DUNCAN GLENDINNING & PATRICK RYAN Murdoch Books, £17.99

Award-winning bakers Duncan Glendinning and Patrick Ryan, from Bathbased eco-artisan bakery The Thoughtful Bread Company, are challenging the food establishment and showing you don’t need to be an expert baker to serve up fantastic loaves! Bread Revolution is a call to arms, encouraging us to rethink our ideas about baking and show us just how easy and cost-effective baking at home can be. From cider and apple bread to cinnamon swirls, potato and rosemary loaves to crusty sourdough, Bread Revolution demystifies the bread-making process with more than 65 easy-to-follow recipes for everyday breads, deliciousflavoured loaves, sweet treats and accompaniments.

With simple and affordable recipes, including summer gazpacho and winter-warming bread and butter pudding, this is real crust-to-crust eating for anyone and any budget.

PIES & TARTS MARTHA STEWART

THE MEAT FIX JOHN NICHOLSON

Bantam Press, £16.99

Biteback, £12.99

From the Queen of American cookery comes this tantalising, delicious and beautifully illustrated baking book complete with 150 irresistible recipes for sweet and savoury pies and tarts. Yum! Filled with seasonal fruit, piled high with billowy meringue, or topped with buttery streusel, pies and tarts are comforting and foolproof. In Martha Stewart’s Pies and Tarts you’ll find 150 recipes – some are savoury, some sweet; some simple enough for a weeknight, while others are fancy enough for special events. There are individual pies, savoury classics like quiche, holiday desserts for nearly every occasion, and much more besides. The book is a feast for the eyes and the palate, as well as a practical teaching tool. Fully illustrated throughout and packed with clever tips, bakers of all levels will look again and again to Martha Stewart’s Pies and Tarts for inspiration and perfect results!

For 26 years John Nicholson was a vegetarian, following a seriously healthy diet that included no cholesterol or animal fats but plenty of brown rice and lentils.

However, for 26 years John Nicholson was ill – tormented year after year by apparently untreatable IBS. The Meat Fix details his remarkable transformation with the characteristic wit and humour that saw his We Ate All The Pies long listed for the 2010 William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award. It is the story of how eating meat again after 26 vegetarian years changed his life powerfully for the better, and of his quest to understand why the supposedly healthy diet he had existed on was actually damaging him. This is a fascinating, surprising, often hilarious and shocking journey of discovery.

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> flavour in season

At their best right now

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

Every month our seasonal selections come from Cheryl Cohen, director of London Farmers’ Markets which runs 18 weekly markets throughout the city.

Matthew Driver, a contestant in MasterChef 2011, has worked in the London restaurant scene, as a private chef and now as flavour’s recipe developer...

Sprouting Broccoli Sprouting broccoli seems to appear earlier and earlier in the winter months and very welcome it is too, signalling that spring is not too far away. Native to the eastern Mediterranean and Asia Minor, sprouting broccoli was cultivated in Italy in ancient Roman times and like so many other vegetables was introduced into England about 1720. It’s a tender green; don’t overcook it, sprouting broccoli turns from fresh and crunchy to wilted, mushy dark green in a second.

CHARGRILLED SPROUTING BROCCOLI WITH LABNEH AND TOASTED WALNUTS AND CUMIN Serves 2 (as part of main course) To make the labneh, put some thick live natural yoghurt, salted to taste, into muslin and strain over a bowl for up to 48 hours in the fridge. Open out the muslin and transfer 100g strained labneh to a plate.

Form into walnutsized balls and store under olive oil. Slice 2 cloves of garlic and place in a bowl with 1 tbsp of olive oil, salt and pepper and 1 tbsp of lemon juice.

Remove the tough outer leaves from 12-14 stems of sprouting broccoli and cut off the woody bases.

Blanch the stems for 2 minutes in boiling salted

water, drain well and while still hot, place in the bowl with the garlic, olive oil and lemon juice. Heat a frying pan and toast 2 tsp cumin seeds, but don’t burn them.

Remove the seeds and place 4 walnuts, shelled and roughly chopped into the pan.

Toast, but again, don’t let them burn. Set aside. Get a ridged griddle pan smoking hot, add the broccoli and make sure it gets clear char marks all over.

Just before it’s done, throw the garlic slices over the top to cook for just few seconds and then put everything back into the bowl of lemon juice and olive oil. To serve, lay the broccoli spears onto a plate and dress with the garlic slices, bite-sized pieces of labneh, walnuts and cumin and a little olive oil and lemon juice.

This makes a complete meal with a simple rice or bulgur pilav, and also works well as part of a meze selection.

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> flavour in season

Cauliflower Believed to have originated in ancient Asia Minor, the cauliflower has undergone many transformations. It was popular in Europe, specifically in France in the 16th century and loved in the court of Louis XIV, holding an honourable place in the kitchen garden because of its delicacy.

Roasting or frying brings out the lovely nutty flavours. The texture is great in a curry or in fritters and look out for varieties at farmers’ markets such as Romanesco, a vivid green cauliflower with spiralled florets, and purple cauliflowers that keep their colour when cooked. The traditional white or creamy-coloured cauliflowers are equally tasty.

CAULIFLOWER AND CARAWAY FRITTERS WITH WILD GARLIC YOGHURT Serves 4 Slice and chop 2 or 3 leaves of wild garlic, mix well in a bowl with 300g thick, natural yoghurt, salt and two tbsp rapeseed oil, taste, and leave in the fridge to chill. Cut 1 small cauliflower into florets and place into a pan of boiling salted water. Simmer until tender but still with a little bite. Drain and toss with a tbsp of rapeseed oil.

Finely chop 1 garlic clove and 2 small shallots and mix together with 120g of plain flour, 4 eggs, 2 tsp allspice, 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, 1½ tsp salt and 3 tbsp of chopped parsley to make a batter.

Get a pan hot and toast 2 tsp caraway seeds, but don’t let them burn. Remove

the caraway then put the cauliflower in the same pan. Let it catch so it has dark brown bits all over. Add the cauliflower and caraway to the batter and mix in well.

Pour 500ml sunflower oil into a pan to a depth of about 2cm. Heat, then spoon in portions of the cauliflower batter, about 2 tbsps per fritter.

Cook for about 3–4 minutes, until golden brown on each side. Remove and drain on kitchen paper. Serve with yoghurt. This can be a main course, as part of a meze or stuffed into a flatbread for a snack.

Cockles Let’s hear it for cockles; whilse the more fashionable clams are lauded and popular, the cockle languishes behind.

It’s about time their value was reclaimed. If you see them, do buy. The return on them is the same for the poor fisherman as clamming, for less reward. With a lovely flavour and texture they’re equally easy and quick to cook as clams or mussels; cook with garlic, wine or cider, or add them to a fish soup.

COCKLES WITH FENNEL, BACON, POTATOES AND CIDER Serves 2 Put 700g live cockles in a bowl and cover with fresh water, changing the water about four or five times over the course of an hour to get rid of the sand. Peel 2 small potatoes, dice and place in a pan of cold water, bring to the boil, add a little salt and simmer until tender. Drain and allow the water to evaporate.

are soft but the fennel still has some bite. Remove from the pan and put the bacon, shallots and fennel with the potatoes. Turn the heat up, pour ½ pint dry farmhouse cider and bring to the boil. Put the cockles in the pan and put the lid on. Shake until all the shells have opened.

Finely chop 2 small shallots and coarsely chop ½ medium fennel bulb.

Cut 4 rashers smoked streaky bacon into 1 cm square pieces. Heat 2 tsp virgin rapeseed oil to a medium temperature in a pan that will be large enough to hold everything (and has a lid). Cook the bacon until just done, with 1 tsp fennel seeds.

Remove the cockles and boil the liquor for about a minute to reduce a little. Stir in 2 dessertspoons of double cream and boil. Season with black pepper and a sprinkling of cider vinegar. Turn down the heat, return the potato, bacon, shallots, fennel and cockles to the pan, mix and heat through then mix in half the herbs.

Remove the bacon and seeds then add the chopped shallots and fennel bulb to the hot fat. Cook until the shallots

Serve with fresh chervil, tarragon or parsley (or a combination).

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loving the leek!

Entertain at Easter with tantalising and traditional British leek recipes

I

f you’re entertaining this Easter, tantalise your taste buds and celebrate the beginning of spring with a host of seasonal recipes from British Leeks. From a warming braised mutton with creamy leek and mint sauce to a light, leek and watercress layered vegetable terrine, the smooth sweet flavour of leeks is the perfect complement to traditional Easter ingredients.

The British Leek Growers Association advises people to look for leeks with a firm, unblemished white lower part with

Leek Braised Mutton with Creamy Leek and Mint Sauce

INGREDIENTS 2 leeks, trimmed and cut into 4 rounds

Gentle braising with leeks, aromatic cinnamon, cloves and orange gives full-flavoured tender meat – use the juices for the accompanying leek sauce.

1 cinnamon stick

Serves 8

300ml braising juices, skimmed off fat

1 orange, quartered 2 sprigs rosemary 1 carrot, halved Sprinkling of sea salt and ground black pepper 1ltr full cream milk 75g butter 75g plain flour 8 fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped METHOD 1 Make 20 regular-spaced small slits in the skin of the mutton and insert cloves.

Weigh joint and calculate cooking time at 90 minutes per kilo. Place mutton in a deep roasting pan and surround with

bright green leaves and a crisp texture.

Smaller leeks tend to be sweeter and more tender. Like all vegetables, leeks should be washed thoroughly to ensure all grit is removed.

Try out these three, easy to prepare, classic leek recipes for all the family this Easter or visit the British Leek website for seasonal British leek recipes for every occasion. www.british-leeks.co.uk

all braising ingredients and pour boiling water to come halfway up the side of the meat. Tuck a piece of wetted baking parchment over the meat and braising ingredients and cover with foil. Oven braise, adding more water if required.

2 Once cooked, remove from oven and save 300ml of the juices for the sauce, skimming off fat before measuring the liquid. Allow the meat to rest for 30 minutes before carving into thin slices.

Meanwhile prepare the sauce.

3 Simmer the prepared leeks for 3-4 minutes until just tender. Drain. Melt the butter and stir in the flour. Gradually add the reserved braising juices and milk, stirring continuously over a gentle heat until the sauce is simmering. Season and add the mint and leeks.

4 Pour the sauce over the carved mutton slices and accompany with crispy oast potatoes, carrots and braised red cabbage.

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> flavour loving the leek

Leek and Watercress Layered Vegetable Terrine

INGREDIENTS 1 tbsp light and mild olive oil

Serves 6

4 cloves

25g butter 2 oranges, grated, zest and juice 300g tender young leeks, finely chopped 75g watercress, stems removed and roughly chopped 5 sheets of leaf gelatine Generous sprinkling ground black pepper 150g reduced fat creme fraiche 1 medium red pepper, seeds removed and quartered 1 tsp olive oil 200ml tomato juice Pinch of chilli pepper METHOD 1 Lightly sauté the leeks with the oil and butter, orange zest and cloves to soften.

Leek and Potato Rösti with Monkfish Kebab Perfect for entertaining, the rösti mix can be made in advance, chilled and then cooked to order. Likewise prepare the kebabs and leave in the marinade for up to 24 hours before cooking.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS 750g old potatoes such as Maris Piper, peeled and coarsely grated 450g leeks, trimmed and finely shredded in food processor 1 clove garlic, crushed 40g butter 1 medium egg Sprinkling of ground sea salt and black pepper 1 tbsp light and mild olive oil for frying 8 sticks of lemongrass 500g monkfish tail, skinned and boned 2 red peppers, cut into pieces 8 bay leaves 2 lemons, grated zest and juice 1 tbsp light and mild olive oil

Reserve 15ml of the orange juice and add remainder to the pan along with the watercress. Cook briefly until the watercress has wilted. Season well and remove the cloves.

2 Cut and soak the gelatine leaves with the reserved orange juice and follow pack instructions to melt. Whiz leek and watercress mixture with the melted gelatine and creme fraiche until smooth.

Spoon between six mini Hovis-style sins or individual ramekins lined with cling film. Chill until set.

3 Prepare tomato layer. Preheat oven to 220°c and roast the red pepper drizzled with the oil until soft. Peel away skin.

Cut and soak the gelatine leaves with 15ml of tomato juice and melt as above.

Combine with the remaining tomato juice, roasted pepper and seasonings.

4 Whiz until smooth and pour over the set leek layer. Chill terrines until set. Turn out onto individual plates and peel away cling film just before serving.

METHOD 1 Pat grated potato with kitchen paper to remove excess moisture. Microwave for five minutes with the butter in a covered bowl. Add the shredded leek and garlic and cook for a further three minutes.

Season well and bind together with the egg. Chill until ready to cook.

2 Cut the monkfish into large cubes and thread onto the lemongrass skewers along with the bay leaf and red pepper.

Place in a container and drizzle with the lemon juice and olive oil. Cover and chill until ready to cook.

3 To cook rösti shape into 8 x 8cm rounds using a pastry cutter and shallow fry over a very gentle heat for ten minutes on each side until crisp and golden, turning carefully with a fish slice. Grill marinated kebabs for 6-8 minutes under a hot grill turning halfway through cooking. Serve kebabs on top of the rosti along with a mixed leaf salad.

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08/03/2012 17:55

Novikov Bling bling, all aboard the sparkling Novikov machine.

Zeren Wilson sees a powerful Russian stroll into town.

A

rkady Novikov. Russian Big Dog and owner of over 40 restaurants in Russia.

Two restaurants in one behemoth of a site off Berkeley Square is how he has announced himself with his first opening outside of Russia – he’s not messing around.

The Asian restaurant occupies the front of the building, a hefty 130 covers, while the Italian restaurant sprawls behind even larger.

We tried the Asian restaurant where Head Chef Jeff Styler has been installed, carrying solid experience from the Mandarin Oriental group, Roka in London, and a period in Japan honing his sushi and tempura skills.

The room looks like the love child of Hakkasan and Zuma, with a nod to Roka, all melded into one. Shamelessly derivative but not a bad place to start when it comes to restaurant design.

Somehow they manage to pull it off without appearing like a sham imitation with zero class.

A large display of seafood on ice sits in front of an open kitchen in view behind glass, around 20 chefs furiously wokking and chopping – it’s an impressive sight.

Cutesy baby bok choi are brought out unbidden, served with a couple of punchy palatesharpening chilli sauces, an elegant and measured start.

The menu is intimidatingly large, the kind that leaves you umming and ahhing for an age before a decisive waiter will help you choose by pointing out their favourites. We found service to be unerringly sweet and smiley, particularly our tirelessly enthusiastic Portuguese waiter Tiago, who endured our hesistancy and faffing over the sprawling menu with grace and patience. It’s pricey, there’s no hiding the fact, but hey this is Mayfair and if you feel squeamish about the prices, then you really should have known better.

We start by plundering the dim sum menu, a great place to gauge the

quality of a machine like Novikov with such lofty ambition. Very decent har gau and coriander and shrimp dim sum are teeny tiny, and probably the most expensive in London at £6 a pop for four pieces. A foie gras and beef dumpling is prepared in the ‘Pot Sticker’ style, the edges crimped and fried on one side. Heavy, clunky and no better for playing games with foie _ oozing, watery grey matter seeping out of a dumpling somehow ruins the romance.

“New Style Sashimi” is a wow dish, thin slivers of sea bass perked up with a tricksy little dressing of yuzu and soy _ £15. Crab, avocado and cucumber salad sounds plodding, but again the transforming power of yuzu lifts everything, an intense citrussy charge cutting through rich crab and creamy avocado. Maki roll of prawn tempura and avocado, resting on a slick of sticky sweet soy is wonderful and would never get tiresome _ if someone else is paying. Braised pork belly comes out lacquered with a spicy sweet and sour glaze, and is the pauper’s option on the menu at £12.

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16/03/2012 13:12

> flavour novikov

The platter of sushi we have is nothing less than sparklingly perfect, buttery textured tuna, salmon and scallop. The usual temptations at a gaff like this are there, black cod, wagyu beef, Dover sole, but we swerve these and content ourselves with some juicy spicy barbecued lamb cutlets (£27) and a side of excellentlycooked French beans with a pine nut and Szechuan peppercorn sauce.

Silken tofu with enoki mushrooms is a decadent little side order. A dish of stir-fried duck is the only low point, scrag ends of duck looking forlorn, tasting no better than a cheap Chinatown effort _ not acceptable at these enthusiastic prices.

The wine list is solid and wideranging, put together by Danilo Zilli, and the team is strong _ I recognised several sommelier faces from previous London gaffs.

Piemonte and Tuscany is particularly extensive. There’s a commendably long list of Franciacorta, the Italian sparkling from Lombardy that is Champagne in all but name. There are sakes proudly displayed on ice

alongside one wall of the kitchen, a tiny detail, but one that hints promisingly that they are giving a genuine ‘fig’ about the drinks offering.

Desserts are a reminder of where the main event is on the menu, and it ain’t the puddings. Green tea brûlée comes out with a textural personality problem, thinking it’s a panna cotta, complete with requisite “wobble”. Caramelised apple is a decent impersonation of the apple on a tarte tatin without the pastry and pleasant enough.

As a Flash Harry restaurant it’s perfect, and has the necessary bling factor to pull a few Nobu regulars across the road now and again, including those of questionable reputation. There is a startling botox count inside amongst the laydees, there are lads’ tables of middle-aged Russians, and the bar at the entrance can barely hide its ‘pick-up joint’ aura. Doormen at the entrance with clipboards are hulkish, intimidating, and short on patience – it’s a genuinely unwelcoming welcome.

Front of house inside more than make up for the frosty first exchange.

Out-of-towners will love the buzz in here on a Friday night, enjoying the bright lights of London as the music volume leaps up every hour and the lights dim, but for Londoners there is no reason to spend huge wedges here, rather than at Zuma, Nobu, or Hakkasan – these venues all have that indefinable “sizzle” that keeps them hip, in the clutches of the zeitgeist, and singing a siren’s song to snare the ‘A’ listers.

Novikov won’t hit the high ‘celeb’ count of London’s most coveted restaurants, but everyone inside won’t care – they’ll be spending far too much money to worry about that.

Novikov 50a Berkeley Street Mayfair London W1J 8HA 0207 399 4330 www.novikovrestaurant.co.uk 15

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16/03/2012 13:12

THERE IS A COCOA BUZZ IN TOWN

Niko B Organic Chocolates have opened a cool new addition to East London’s thriving food community.

Following the success of their dessert-only supperclub, Niko B are transforming the boutique Avo Hotel into a major chocolate workspace encompassing a chocolate shop, kitchen and canteen serving serious hot chocolates alongside weekly desserts at solid wood communal tables.

On Sundays, they offer brunch – American pancakes with a chocolate twist, flipped hot by American-born chocolatier Anthony Ferguson. These authentic, deliciously-topped hot cakes are set to become favourites.

Expect classics such as chocolate sauce, maple syrup and bacon alongside chocolate pancakes with caramelised cocoa nibs; pumpkin cakes with honey and halloumi and, for those in for a feast, Cocoa Black – corn cakes topped with cocoa rich black beans, cheddar, bacon, salsa and sour cream.

The changing weekly dessert menu boasts chocolate amaretto figs with yoghurt and honey, pomegranate gelato with pink peppercorns, pumpkin brownies with fresh vanilla ice cream and an earthy beetroot cocoa cake, whilst the fresh syrup-flavoured hot chocolates can come with aromatic chocolate-covered jasmine marshmallows to dip.

True to their name, all produce is organic. As much as possible is seasonal and locally-sourced from fellow traders at the Stoke Newington Organic Farmers’ Market.

f lavour

Open Wednesdays-Saturdays 11am-6pm for chocolates and desserts.

Sundays 10.30am-3pm for brunch, 3-6pm for chocolates and desserts.

Niko B. @ Avo Hotel 82 Dalston Lane, London E8 3AH 07505 783 275 www.nikobchocolates.com

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readers get

10% off until end Apr il

Like the new Hackney bakers, smokehouses and brewers, the provenance and process of Niko B’s craft is key.

Chocolates and confections, such as their burnt caramel and lemon truffles or award-winning honey nougat, are visibly made and displayed fresh on-site so you can experience how chocolates are made, melted, flavoured and, importantly, how they taste when they are served straight from the kitchen.

There’s no stopping this proudly independent producer. Keep an eye out for the chocolate afternoon teas starting on 18 March for Mother’s Day and an evening bar with a chocolate-inspired drinks menu coming soon.

16/03/2012 12:12

‘Super’ saag, a versatile spinach curry Saag (or palak) refers to a puréed spinach curry and it’s super handy because you can make proud claims to a list of at least six Indian dishes with just one recipe. Just marinade your choice of ingredient in your favourite Indian spices, quickly pan fry or roast them à la tandoori, and pour this versatile spinach gravy over. Paneer cubes for the popular palak paneer, potatoes for saag aloo, chicken for saag/palak murgh; it’s ever so versatile.

INGREDIENTS 4 large bunches of spinach 1 handful fresh coriander

Spinach

8 cloves of garlic, minced (I’m a huge fan of garlic) 1 onion, chopped finely 2 green chillies, chopped ½ tsp cumin seeds 1 tbsp coriander ½ tsp turmeric ½ cup local and organic cream or full-fat yogurt sea salt Squeeze of lemon

BY SHU HAN LEE

2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter) Generous pinch of sea salt

The sun seems to set a tiny bit later in the day and I get woken up at dawn by annoyingly chirpy birds, but the cold winds still blow. I can’t decide if winter is finally over. Much as I love roasted parsnips and carrots, the stodgy root vegetables and potatoes of the wintry months have lost their appeal, and I find myself wishing more and more strongly for the lightness and greens of spring.

The more delicate herbs and salad leaves may not be ready to take their place at the farmers’ markets, but there is one vegetable that makes a welcome early start on the leafy green front.

The appearance of spinach marks the turn of spring for me. Its tender leaves

make a great addition to raw salads, and are beautiful with goat’s cheese, beetroot and a sprinkle of your favourite nuts; or, for a more decadent treat, with crispy bacon and a warm mustard dressing made from the bacon fat. I love it cooked too, simply steamed/blanched, or sautéed with lots and lots of garlic and anchovies.

But since it’s still a bit too chilly for salads, soups and curries seem to me the best way to use the spinach. Do note that spinach cooks down astonishingly, so make sure you get large bunches.

Spinach is incredibly rich in nutrients, so there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be enjoying more of it. Popeye had it right!

If you want to find out more about this recipe, just do a search on my blog, Mummy, I can cook! mummyicancook.blogspot.com

METHOD 1 Blanch spinach in boiling water for one minute, uncovered. Drain. Refresh in cold water to stop it from overcooking and to retain its beautiful bright green.

2 Over a medium high heat, add the ghee. Toast the cumin seeds.

3 Add the onions (plus a pinch of salt), garlic and green chillies, and sauté until the onions sweat and turn translucent, but aren’t browned. Then, add the ground spices and sauté for a minute more.

4 Adding the puréed spinach, season; bring to a simmer, before stirring in the yogurt or cream and simmering gently for two more minutes.

5 Finish off with a squeeze of lemon.

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16/03/2012 12:34

Flavour’s latest columnist Jack Stein brings us the best from the sea...

Jack Stein was born in Cornwall and is the middle son of three boys to celebrated chef Rick Stein. He began his career as a kitchen porter during school holidays in The Seafood Restaurant kitchen. At 16 he moved to front of house where he remained throughout his education. Jack completed a BSc in Psychology and an MA in Ancient History at Cardiff University.

In 2003, he returned to The Seafood Restaurant as commis chef then after two years, took up the position of sous chef at Rick Stein’s Café for another year.

Following this, Jack then went on to Paris to do a stage at La Régalade, which ignited a passion for travel and a period of stage work all over the world. During this time, Jack travelled to Australia for an extended stay at Tetsuya’s in Sydney, before exploring the Far East and Japan.

On his return to Padstow, he re-entered The Seafood Restaurant as sous chef before moving on to a tournant role across the whole company. He is currently the head of development for the company, leading the installation and introduction of a development kitchen for the business, where new recipes and ingredients will be tested.

Follow Jack on Twitter @Jackstein 28

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Image ©David Griffen.

Recipe ©Jack Stein

08/03/2012 18:07

> flavour out of the ocean

Jack on herring Growing up, herring always had a place on our Sunday breakfast table as the ‘ubiquitous’ kipper. I regard this as one of the finest fish caught off the British Isles and in the winter and early spring Cornish herring are at their best.

What I love is the appearance; they exude beauty with their sleek silvery dart-like profile. This seems something that a lot of oily fish have, from the striped mackerel to the sardine. Secondly, I love their taste.

The oily flesh and soft skin provide a perfect base ingredient to build on. Finally and very importantly, they are plentiful

around the Cornish coast and, as a result, relatively inexpensive.

online and a great ingredient for adding depth to a variety of dishes.

Oily fish always pair well with acidity; the two balance themselves leaving a well-rounded flavour. This acidity also helps to preserve the fish, which is why you commonly see them pickled in Scandinavian dishes such as rollmops.

With this dish, I have made a pickling liquor which has a hint of savoury smokiness from the Japanese dashi granules – a tip of the hat to the kipper.

These are not essential, but relatively easy to find in good supermarkets or

The fish is briefly salted and pickled to add flavour and firm up the flesh and the liquor is reserved, flavoured, heated and used for the slaw. The balance works really well and is very simple, a nice finishing touch are the fried capers for textural contrast.

It’s popular to speak of herring’s health benefits, I grew up eating them and I seem to be fairly well adjusted, so take from that what you will!

Pan fried herring fillets, hot pickled slaw and fried capers Serves 2 as a starter Ingredients

Method

4 herring fillets 100ml rice wine or white wine vinegar 25ml water ½ tsp dashi granules (optional) 1 tbsp vegetable oil 50g carrot, finely sliced 25g shallot, finely sliced 2 juniper berries 2 black peppercorns 1 star anise A sprig of thyme Small pinch of chilli Knob of butter 1 tsp capers A few springs of chervil Salt to taste

1 Salt the flesh side of the herring and leave for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, create the pickling liquid by combining the vinegar, water and dashi granules in a pan and warm gently over a low heat.

2 Wash the salt off the herring and lay it on a plate, skin side up and pour over the pickling liquid, so that it covers the flesh side. Leave to pickle for 10 minutes, then remove from the pickling liquid and pat dry, reserving the liquid.

3 Heat the vegetable oil in a pan and fry the capers until crispy. Leave to dry on kitchen paper.

4 For the slaw, cut the carrot and shallot into thin strips and place in a pan with the juniper berries, peppercorns, star anise, thyme, chilli and a good pinch of salt. Pour the reserved pickling liquid over the slaw, bring to the boil and take off the heat.

5 Take the herring fillets and fry them skin side down on a moderate heat for 1½–2 minutes, add a knob of butter to finish.

6 Once cooked, assemble with some of the warm pickled slaw, the fillets of herring, capers and a few sprigs of chervil. Deglaze the pan with some of the pickling liquor, reduce briefly and use to sauce the plate.

Image ©Robert Sroga

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08/03/2012 18:07

The Grange The Grange is a gem among culinary schools, set in the stunning and tranquil English countryside of Somerset, with the finest ingredients, world-class reputation, instruction and facilities.

GISELLE, DENTIST, NORTH CAROLINA

C

ookery at The Grange started life more than 30 years ago, and is renowned around the world for its residential cookery courses.

Set in the heart of the rolling Somerset countryside, The Grange is surrounded by beautiful grounds with a walled garden growing fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers for use indoors. Together with her love of growing and cooking food, owner Jane Averill, has travelled and lived around the world and so has a deep understanding and knowledge of food.

The Grange believes passionately in amazing ingredients – they grow and buy wonderful local, seasonal produce to transform into vibrant, colourful meals.

The knowledgeable kitchen team enthuses students with their love of food and inspirational cooking. The fun, friendly atmosphere is the ideal environment to learn to cook. By touching, feeling, smelling and tasting your food from raw ingredients right the way through to the table, you’ll develop an understanding of good food as well as the ability to cook it.

Two large, light and well-equipped kitchens allow a mix of traditional and contemporary flavours from Europe, the Mediterranean and Asia to percolate your senses.

The four-week Essential Cookery Course takes place throughout the year. The summer courses tend to be filled with students who are on their gap year, or who are doing the course during their holidays. Winter courses are more varied

and are often much more of a mixture of ages, with those on mid-life gap years, a change of career direction in mind or just for fun! In its converted Somerset farmyard, The Grange has created the ideal space to be immersed in food – living, eating, and cooking it for a month with like-minded students in a uplifting atmosphere. Life-long friendships are made and a skill for life is gained. By the end of the course students are equipped to use food and cooking to learn a living as part of their gap year, during university or as a career. In these uncertain economic times a vocational course is invaluable in finding work.

Jobs and careers following the course are many and varied in food and cooking, and it’s a fantastic area in which to find work. Cooking on yachts in the Caribbean and Mediterranean, ski seasons in the Alps, safari parks in Africa and cooking for families around the world are a few of the jobs that the students go on to do. The Grange alumni are involved in journalism, party planning – including the illustrious Pippa Middleton – and own restaurants as they progress on their career paths.

The Grange Whatley Frome Somerset BA11 3JU 01373 836579 www.cookeryatthegrange.co.uk

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16/03/2012 13:28

A month of peerless, lively and engaging tuition by cooks who know and understand their food. The Grange excelled at taking a middle-aged, unschooled in the kitchen into a cook. Jane and her colleagues have an extremely warm but personable approach that makes for a fun and rigorous day in the kitchen. The focus is very much working with the best locally sourced food.

HENRY, FUNDS MANAGER

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16/03/2012 13:28

Cookie Crumbles With a passion for cooking and a love of working with kids, Cookie Crumbles believe that cooking should be fun, educational and that it can promote a healthy lifestyle for kids‌ Being taught to cook your own food from scratch is the basis of a better understanding of nutrition. The food choices made by young children will affect the way they eat for the rest of their lives.

Cookie Crumbles believe that getting kids involved in all stages of food preparation encourages them to taste and enjoy new and healthy foods. They also raise awareness of different cultures, their recipes and ingredients.

Cooking helps the development of fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, it increases vocabulary and reading comprehension skills from following recipes, it helps develop maths skills, but most importantly kids get a great feeling of accomplishment when creating a recipe

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that helps confidence and self-esteem.

Cookie Crumbles’ parties are a real hit with all ages ranging from fourto 18-year-olds. They are great fun, unique and give your children hands-on experience. A minimum number of six children up to a maximum of 35 can enjoy these innovative experiences run by experienced chefs, where all menus are adapted to the age of the children.

Parties can be held at home or different venues across London. All equipment and ingredients are provided. School holiday workshops are held in Kensington and Putney.

0208 876 9912 www.cookiecrumbles.co.uk

16/03/2012 11:49

the spice king

> flavour sriram aylur

Seafood Moilee

The suggested beer is Lindeboom (Holland, 5% abv) SERVES 4 INGREDIENTS 4 scallops 6 mussels 100gms fish

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.

T

In cooking, one has to use sparingly which will help achieve its medicinal properties and also the golden colour one desires. If used in excess it tends to give an earthy flavour to the dish which may not be desirable. Turmeric leaf is also used at times to wrap fish fillets thus getting the flavour of the

50gms sliced onions 10gms ginger julienne 4 slit green chillies 15ml oil 3gms turmeric powder

Turmeric

urmeric is mostly used in dry powder form. It can also be used in fresh form in some marinates and as a cosmetic ingredient. Turmeric has antiseptic properties and so is used extensively in Indian cooking and also used in Pakistan, Thailand, Nepal, South Africa and Iran. Due to its saffron yellow colour, it is at times used as a cheap alternative to the illustrious spice. Turmeric is a root and the largest producer is Andhra Pradesh in South India.

100gms peeled shrimps

Salt 400ml coconut cream A handful of coriander leaves 3 curry leaves leaf to the fish and avoiding deep frying and leaving the fish soft and flaky.

In Goa and Karnataka the leaf is used to make dessert, making rice flour dough and filling with coconut jaggery mixture and steaming. Fresh turmeric can be ground with spices and used as a marinate. In Ayurveda, turmeric is used for skin treatment and also for other infections and stomach problems – hot milk with turmeric powder can help cure a sore throat. Turmeric has to be stored in an airtight container and cool place.

I am sharing my seafood moilee recipe from Kerala. Moilee is a mild dish which is always made with fish and/or seafood. The beautiful golden colour of this dish comes from the turmeric. Should be served with rice and Appam (rice pancake from Kerala). I hope you enjoy making this dish.

1tsp vinegar 2 diced tomatoes METHOD 1 Heat the oil in a pan and add the onion, ginger, green chillies – sautée until the onions are translucent.

2 Add the turmeric powder, seafood, salt and curry leaves.

Sauté for five minutes and add the diced tomatoes.

3 Add the coconut cream and simmer for five minutes. Add vinegar and garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with steamed rice or can also be served like a soup.

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16/03/2012 13:29

Flav_8_Lon_Adverts.indd 2

16/03/2012 12:42

got your goat?

BY MEGAN OWEN

GOAT MEAT CONSUMPTION IS ON THE RISE – AND WE’RE NOT KIDDING...

W

hen you hear about goats, they tend to be a feature of jokes, puns or petting zoos rather than a regular addition to our dinner plates. As a more common feature at farmers’ markets in the UK however, the demand for goat meat on a local and regional scale is in fact outweighing supply.

textures of goat to beef and lamb. What’s more, goat meat also offers a number of excellent health benefits when compared to other meats, for as well as being very high in protein and a fantastic source of iron, goat meat also contains less saturated fat and lower cholesterol levels than beef, pork, lamb and even chicken – fantastic, eh?

As a staple food for Muslim diets and a number of countries in Africa, Asia and South America, goat actually makes up more than 60 per cent of the world’s red meat consumption.

Despite the increasing demand however, many UK consumers may need convincing to feel comfortable about eating the animal on a regular basis, as although other goat produce, including wool, milk and cheese, is readily available, it seems a stigma continues to surround the consumption of goat meat.

If you are now feeling inspired to give goat a try (which may also be sold as chevon or cabrito to sound more appealing), why don’t you start by subtly substituting your normal mince in bolognese for goat mince? If you are more daring, you could try a goat stew, or take inspiration from Indo-Caribbean cuisine and make a goat curry. Whatever you choose, treat the meat kindly. For best results you should cook it at a low temperature to prevent the meat from drying out and toughening, and where possible add moisture in the form of a marinade for a succulent result. In terms of flavour, opt for ingredients you confidently use with lamb, such as mint – although herbs such as rosemary, thyme, basil or oregano beautifully enhance the flavour of the meat too.

Whatever the deterrent, the barrier identified is not unique to the UK, and producers worldwide are battling to overcome the perception of goat meat. In general, however, the reluctance to try goat meat should be easily overcome by the assimilations people make with the flavour and

ENJOY! 25

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16/03/2012 12:06

DANILO MANCO Extra Virgin Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars of distinction

Specialising in Extra Virgin Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars, Danilo Manco are a family-run business and purveyors of the finest personally sourced produce selected directly from small producers from Italy.

Found at Borough Market every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Danilo Manco taste, bottle and fulfil orders for London’s best restaurants and shops.

0207 740 1717 ORDERING ONLINE: Retail: www.theoliveoilmill.co.uk Wholesale: www.theoliveoilco.com

A MEMBER OF

www.danilomanco.com

> flavour oliver’s wholefood store

FOCUS on:

Oliver’s Wholefood Store

BY ELISABETH WINKLER

N

estled among the chichi boutiques of Kew Village is Oliver’s Wholefood Store. Its stylish darkblue painted front might lull you into thinking it is a mere haven for foodies.

Certainly, if its regular tasting events are anything to go by, the store does luxury par excellence. Customers old and new sip organic prosecco, sample biodynamic buffalo biltong, Spanish charcuterie, organic smoked salmon and taste Muscatel raisins, ‘stinky’ cheeses and olive oils. Their hessian goody bags, crammed with free samples are legendary.

Detox for spring with local, seasonal superfoods CARROTS Eat raw, grated in a salad or steamed with a dab of butter. Improves liver function, benefits lungs and skin.

KALE Stir-fry quickly or steam for an exceptional source of chlorophyll, calcium and iron. Great blood, bone and immunity builder.

PARSNIPS Roast to soothe intestines, reduce wind and treat headaches.

Oliver’s Wholefood Store is more than a top food shop, it’s a pioneer, promoting health through food since it opened in 1989. Last year, the multi-award store – no stranger to accolades – scooped a double-win in the Richmond Business Awards. Bucking the lentil-eating, sandalwearing stereotype, Oliver’s Wholefood Store combines the elegance of an upmarket delicatessen with cutting-edge nutritional know-how and great customer service.

Recognised as one of the best independent wholefood stores in the country, its knowledgeable staff can recommend the right book, organic and natural skincare or health product. Valerie, the in-store nutritionist, has been advising customers for 12 years on how to alleviate ailments with the right food.

One of the store’s mottos is from Hippocrates: “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.” Over 90 per cent of the goods are organic, from small

farms, family companies and one-woman bands. Impeccable sourcing results in gourmet products, so the shop is a magnet for foodies, as well as the health-conscious.

The big secret is that by looking after your health foodwise, you end up eating more sustainably and luxuriously.

Founder and owner, Sara Novakovic, has a lifelong interest in health. An early organic adopter, she imported organic citrus fruit from the West Indies in the ‘80s, was a chef and taught keep-fit.

She then worked with Patrick Holford, nutritionist and best-selling author.

Oliver’s Wholefood Store 5 Station Approach Richmond TW9 3QB 0208 948 3990 www.oliverswholefoods.co.uk

Visit Elisabeth Winkler’s blog realfoodlover.wordpress.com Follow Elisabeth on Twitter @Ewinkler 27

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16/03/2012 12:13

Pit Cue I

have a confession. I know Pitt Cue. I mean I REALLY know them. When a metal trailer pitched up on the South Bank beside the Thames over the summer of 2011, I was helping out and heaping long, smoked, pulled pork and ribs into cartons. It started slowly. The trailer got stuck on a walkway the night before launch, having to be tugged to its location under Hungerford Bridge by the RAC – a rock‘n’roll start for this street food newcomer.

The first couple of weeks passed by relatively calmly. By the end of the four-month stint a combination of word of mouth, Twitter buzz, and then finally press reviews, that little spot under the bridge had made a mark on the street food scene, with regular crowds descending – the original Pitt Cue Queue.

While I always knew they’d move on to bigger things, the move by Tom Adams and Jamie Berger to a permanent site has come quicker than I’d anticipated. Soho is now the home and within spitting distance of Carnaby Street, where the smell of smoking meat can be caught by the wind and taken all the way to Regent Street – follow your nose if you take a wrong turn.

The formula remains true to the original with the added benefit that Tom and the team have a proper kitchen with smokers on site (cutely christened Doris and Ethel), whereas before everything

Without a reservation, Zeren Wilson followed his nose into the heart of Soho...

was smoked in Vauxhall and transferred every day to the trailer. £9 will get you the familiar combination of a meat and then your choice of side, and a healthy dose of pickles to cut through that smoky, meaty, fatty onslaught. On a given day you may find pickled fennel, kohlrabi, daikon or red onion – the pickles were always a highlight. Pulled pork is still a staple, smoked for ten hours before being pulled off the bone and given a shot of moisture from the juices collected at the bottom of the smoker. St Louis pork ribs are finished on the grill, as are Fred Flintstone-sized beef ribs, coming out dark and crusted and jammed with more smokiness than you thought possible. The chalkboard talk is all about Dexter and Longhorn – the guys really care about the quality of their meat, and the beef ribs are getting the “wow” comments from diners.

There are now more adventurous specials, a bourbon and chicken liver pâté smeared onto toast and topped with grilled duck hearts was a recent highlight. Special mention must go to one of the most joyful mouthfuls so far ¬– the crispy fried shiitake, pickled with soy and ginger, covered in Japanese panko breadcrumbs and fried. The result is a remarkable combination of meaty shiitake encased in a delicate carapace, exploding and oozing with a sweetness and a sour twang as you bite. Messy, tactile and great drinking food. The cocktails have been ratcheted up a gear too, now they have access to proper

ice and a wider selection of bourbons and rye whiskeys. The whiskey sours are a particular strength. The Pickle Backs became the stuff of legend on the South Bank, a shot of whiskey chased down with some pickle brine left over from Tom’s pickling, a bizarre union that works and helps you to drink more, the pickle juice killing the alcohol burn and preparing you for another hit.

Is it perfect? Of course not. The basement space of the main room is doll’s house tiny, and you’ll get to know your fellow diners well as you’re jammed in right next to them. There is carping from some people about the no reservations policy, and the fact the queue can be painful at peak times. My advice is to time your entry: after 2pm for lunch or after 9pm for dinner. Having a drink upstairs in the bar as you wait takes the angst away.

From the Thames to Soho in one easy move. Smoke on the Water has grown up and found a new home.

Pitt Cue 1 Newburgh Soho London W1F 7RB www.pittcue.co.uk www.bittenandwritten.com Twitter: bittenwritten

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From the Thames to Soho in one easy move. Smoke on the Water has grown up and found a new home

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> flavour kensington

Kensington

BY BEN NORUM

Home to the UK’s most expensive streets, Europe’s priciest flats and many of the world’s most elite boutiques and eateries, it’s good to know you don’t need to be one of life’s super-rich or a member of the Made In Chelsea cast to eat out in Kensington.

W

ith museums, Harrods and Hyde Park on your doorstep, it’s just a matter of telling the top runners from the tourist traps. flavour knows the places that give some bang for your buck...

South Kensington.

The heart of the borough’s dining scene, South Kensington is the gateway to a world of cuisines. Head across the road from the tube and sample the Scandi lifestyle at Madsen (www. madsenrestaurant.com), the restaurant which flew the Nordic flag way before Noma made it notoriously trendy.

Norwegian-style meatballs and a bottle of Danish craft ale is as hearty as it gets, while gravlax on rye bread is far more virtuous. Add a shot of fiery akavit or two if you feel like channelling your inner Viking.

If Scandinavia leaves you feeling cold, there’s no shortage of Spanish sunshine down the street, with fine-dining Cambio de Tercio, tapas bar Tendido Cero and

ER’S INSID MET GOUR DE GUI

sherry bar Capote Y Toros taking proud ownership of Old Brompton Road (www. cambiodetercio.co.uk). While the first is a local institution and you can expect to queue for a table most nights, the latter is even more of a star, serving no fewer than 100 different sherries alongside some of the best ham you’ll find this side of the Med. Head back past the area-appropriate Lamborghini shop for another slice of Europe in the form of laid-back brasserie Racine (www.racine-restaurant.com), where chef-patron Henry Harris has built up an indisputable reputation for some of the best cooked, most reliably brilliant and good value food in the capital. Très bon!

And if you’re still feeling Francaise, then a tucked-away spot that’s worth knowing about is Le Metro.

Nestled inside The Levin Hotel (www. thelevinhotel.co.uk), the bar offers

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L’etrange

Launceston Place

Chakra

Capote Y Toros

Le metro

shoppers and sightseers salvation in the form of £10 for a glass of wine and a couple of small but perfectly-formed dishes. Equally good if you spent too much money in Harrods or are just patiently waiting for payday.

High Street Kensington Around High Street Kensington, it’s not the tourists you have to watch out for, but the celebrities. Thanks to a glossy, highfashion high street and a little movie magic courtesy of Hugh Grant and co, this area bordering Notting Hill doesn’t really do bargain. We reckon you’re best biting the bullet and spending your money on some seriously good grub rather than falling out of a club next to Prince Harry.

Chakra (www.chakralondon.com) is an Indian that’s as far away from your local curry house as it’s possible to be. Adopting the Royal style of luxurious Indian cooking but adding some artisitic flair along the way, the result is rich spicing, creamy

Colchis

finishes, an abundance of meat and fish and some very pretty plates indeed. This is curry the Kensington way.

The global voyage continues as you wander along to Colchis (www.colchisrestaurant. co.uk) a few streets back. This new Georgian restaurant serves-up tender kebabs, stunningly oozey dumplings and some modern cocktails, alongside a selection of wines from the world’s oldest grapevines.

Gloucester Road Head to this residential area of Kensington for some glamorous grocery shopping at renowned deli Partridges (www. partridges.co.uk) where you’ll find just about any foodstuff your heart could desire. While it certainly isn’t cheap, the prices are refreshingly fair for such a wellheeled part of town.

Shopping done, you may want to head to the area’s flagship restaurant Launceston

Place (www.launcestonplace-restaurant. co.uk), which is as well known for chef Tristan Welch’s simple but precise cooking, showing off the best of British produce, as it is for shockingly not yet having gained a Michelin star. What’s less well known is that if you pop in for lunch you can leave without having spent much over 20 quid, making it ridiculously good value.

Nearby L’etranger (www.etranger.co.uk) offers similar daytime deals, but veers well away from the British, serving up a heady fusion of French and Japanese food.

If you’re having trouble imagining that one, think tuna tataki with shavings of foie gras and you won’t be too far off. Oh, and if you are in the market for splashing out, then the stunning wine list here will help you on your way.

Now go and infiltrate those groups of celebs and sightseers. Just don’t let all the secrets out of the bag, or you’ll never get a booking...

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> flavour the xxxxxxx anglesea arms

the anglesea arms A regular contributor to CAMRA magazine Pints West, Duncan Shine champions the virtues of real ale and traditional cider.

A

s you exit South Kensington tube station, head south on Pelham Street and turn right into Onslow Square. Head down past the gardens and turn left. There, in Selwood Terrace, sits the Anglesea Arms, a mass of contradictions but a joy for all that.

The Anglesea Arms is a Victorian street corner local but, this being South Kensington, it has an air of aristocracy about it. As you approach, you are struck by the care with which the front terrace is maintained. There are copious hanging baskets and floral decorations (magnificent as spring and summer approach), and the whole area has been designed to create a sense of enclosure, almost like a tiny corner of rural England here in the heart of SW7.

The Anglesea Arms 15 Selwood Terrace South Kensington SW7 3QG

I’m not completely sure where the name of the pub originates, but it is most likely named for the 1st Marquis of Anglesey (for which Anglesea was quite a common alternative spelling).

Henry Paget, who rejoiced in that honorary title, was a hero of the Battle of Waterloo, and certainly had a good many pubs named after him in the years that followed. That’s not the Anglesea’s only historical connection however: Charles Dickens is said to have lived only two doors away for a time, and D H Lawrence is thought to have frequented the pub too.

0207 373 7960 www.capitalpubcompany.com /the-anglesea-arms/

These days you are struck by the large feature windows at the front, and enter to find an immaculately kept traditional pub.

The floors are of stripped wood. Furniture is a mix of wooden tables and chairs, as well as some plush leather upholstered bench seating around the walls.

Look up, and you’ll see brass chandeliers suspending those green lampshades that look as though they belong over a particularly opulent pool table. Around the walls are a whole collection of framed paintings, including one which depicts, really rather ‘candidly’, a young woman whose ghost, legend has it, roams the building.

The traditional Victorian feel is further accentuated by the drinking ‘booths’ at one end, and the inlaid glazed screens that, to me, only exist in 19th-century British pubs.

Indeed, there are antique features and arcana throughout this pub, and therein lies another of the contradictions.

You see, not only is the Anglesea both urban and yet somehow rural, it is also fiercely traditional and yet thoroughly relevant to today’s luncheoning solicitors and office workers. What the description of the decor cannot convey is the real sense of bustle about the place. The clientele is a mix of casual locals, intrepid visitors and unwinding professionals. There is a constant hubbub of conversation that never seems to become overbearing. Dogs (in the bar) and children (when eating) are welcome.

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Raise a glass to...

Adnams Broadside (4.7%) Brewed in a new energy-efficient brewery in Southwold on the Suffolk coast, this is a famous old brew. Its aroma is a not-unpleasant assault on the nose: a mix of hops, caramel and a hint of fruit. It has a telling aftertaste, a powerful mix of bitter and sweet. A properly substantial premium bitter.

Adnams Southwold Bitter (3.7%) Like Broadside’s gentler little brother.

It is coppery in hue, and there is a hint of sulphur in the nose. The hops are almost as prominent as with Broadside, but the malt is more pronounced. There is just the vaguest suggestion of fig in the flavour too. A quaffable session bitter.

There are areas set aside for dining, too, with the food pitched somewhere between ‘traditional pub fare’ and ‘contemporary gastro-pub’. So penne in tomato sauce might be offered alongside cider-braised rabbit or peanut-crusted halibut. There is an extensive selection of wines by the bottle or the glass, including some lovely dessert wines to go with your pud.

As for real ales, there are typically six available on hand pump. As a general observation, it is hard for pubs to offer six cask-conditioned beers and keep them all in good condition. A rule of thumb for landlords and landladies would be to serve fewer beers, but really well, rather than overextend the selection, lest some of the less popular brews become a little ‘tired’.

That doesn’t seem to be an issue here however, with a mix of resident beers and ever-changing guest ales, and a seeming commitment to ensure some of the beers are sourced from independent London breweries. On my visit, there was Adnams Broadside and Bitter, as well as the ubiquitous Sharp’s Doom Bar Bitter. Fuller’s London Pride is, I guess, technically an independent local brew, but Twickenham Original certainly fits that bill, and is very satisfyingly too.

So, a pub of condradictions. Urban yet rural, traditional yet modern, local yet professional, upmarket yet casual.

There is, however, a consistency to the warmth of the welcome, and the quality of the food and drink on offer. ■

Sharp’s Doom Bar Bitter (4%) Named after a treacherous sandbank in the Camel Estuary, this has become the brewery’s flagship beer.

Flowers and berries are recalled with a waft of this under your nose, and when you taste it the fruit remains but is joined more overtly by the malty bitterness that is its trademark.

It all ends up slightly sweet, which has made it very popular among less hardened real ale drinkers.

Twickenham Original (4.2%) A very traditional-tasting best bitter, coloured like a pale port. The taste has a hint of honey, a smidge of caramel, and there is definitely roasted barley in the aroma. The flavour is rich, almost creamy, with a satisfyingly dry aftertaste.

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THE POWER OF Strapped for cash but dying to dine in style?

Nick Harman checks out three fine restaurants where the bargains are located at lunch.

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Roganic

Kitchen Joel Antunes (Pictured left-hand page) The Embassy is the kind of club frequented by people who hold their hair back by putting sunglasses on their heads – and that’s just the men. The restaurant has traditionally been not very good, but with new glamorous styling by Jacobi and Dan, and the rebrand to Kitchen Joel Antunes, things have changed.

Chef Simon Rogan runs Michelin-starred L’Enclume in Cumbria, but you don’t have to travel north to get a taste of what he’s all about. Roganic is a temporary restaurant, its short lease expires next year, and in that time Simon aims to showcase his dazzling style of cooking through the medium of anointed chef Ben Spalding.

Roganic’s laudable insistence on British produce cheerfully in season means menus change all the time. The choice is between the 10-course menu and the six-course, from £80 to £55, and that’s it.

Except at lunch, because that’s when the canny foodie can also choose another set menu, £29 for two courses or £35 for three with some excellently-sourced wine Bread isn’t just bread at Roganic, it’s homemade and nuttily inventive and comes with butter served on a rock.

Yes indeed, a rock. Two perfect little amuses, one of squid ink paper with aioli, cucumber foam and linseed are gone in a flash but the taste memory lingers, and then it’s curtains-up on the starter: caramelised cauliflower, sour cream, raisin, roasted lettuce and pennywort. It’s beautifully plated; the attention to detail is tweezer perfect. We both exchange happy nods. This is pernickety but not pretentious, it feels right.

Middle White pork neck glazed in maple, mayweed, redcurrants and savoury sauce is another stunner both visually and on the tongue. The pork shreds to the fork and the maple’s unique flavour is almost ethereal. The redcurrants stab in some sharpness and yes that savoury sauce is very savoury indeed.

Dessert of warm, spiced bread, buckthorn curd, salted almonds and smoked clotted cream is again remarkable. The bread is close to be being a churro, only much more delicate and the smoked cream is marvellous, the curd is tangy.

You won’t get cleverer cooking for the money elsewhere in London, but hurry because there’s less than a year left!

Roganic 19 Blandford St, London W1U 3DH

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Prices in the evening are predictably high in this location but a lunch menu at £29 for three courses is a good way to see what Joel, a famous culinary name, can do. S had a generous slice of foie gras terrine with a terrific apple and red wine jam perfectly balancing its inherent richness. Marinated red peppers for me were intertwined with punchy and meaty anchovies dotted with some tiny capers.

These all paddled in a marinade so good I needed extra bread to mop up every oily drop. This isn’t rocket science cooking, it’s all about a talent for flavours.

Roast cod with pommes Anna and basil oil arrived with a red wine jus in a jug, which made S fret a bit. ‘With fish?’ he asked wonderingly, but I noticed he kept steadily pouring more on. The hunky fish was perfectly cooked and the pommes Anna (thinly-sliced potatoes layered and baked like a cake) a real buttery treat.

The food is ‘Provencal cooking’ as befits Joel’s pedigree, although are gnocchi French? Border disputes aside they surrounded two perfectly-cooked, pink morsels of duck. The gnocchi had absorbed some of the cooked duck juices as well as those of the wine-poached pear sat in the middle. The interplay of the textures of these three main ingredients was great and the flavours absolutely fabulous.

Dessert showed some playfulness as well as some serious skill. A tarte tatin, gloriously sticky and caramelly and with perfect pastry all around was the skill, while fun came in the shape of a giant Kit Kat bar made with tonka beans and nuts.

Sumosan With a wind direct from Siberia whipping around Mayfair, we began to regret choosing Japanese for lunch. After all, raw fish is not what comforts on a cold London day is it? Doubts faded when a welcome blast of hot air hit us as soon as we passed through the Zenly front door of Sumosan.

The room of this restaurant is large but still embracing and tables are well enough spaced for the slebs to not have their conversations overheard. This suited us because for the first five minutes we were discussing the benefits of thermal long johns, one of the joys of being an old geezer.

J’s miso soup was shimmering with good umami, and a tad too much salt, but warmed his cockles well. My seafood soup was pillar box red with tomato and gently spiced, some cubes of tender fish drifted below the surface while a juicy king prawn floated to the top.

A flurry of dishes followed, all immaculately presented. Green salad with Sumosan dressing was remarkable, a fairly simple salad of ollo rosso leaf acting as a shell to hold the other leaves and tomatoes, but it was the dressing – thick, vibrant and just acidic enough – that made it special. Sashimi of salmon and mackerel was squeaky fresh and the sushi rice sticky enough to withstand the journey to the dipping bowl.

Sweet potato tempura was a little undercooked and so the potato failed to release its full flavour, but the veg tempura were spot on. Vegetable fried rice was gorgeous and chewy while the lamb furikaki – deep-fried baby lamb coated in panko breadcrumbs mixed with sesame seeds, dried fish and seaweed – was outstanding.

Green tea ice cream and chocolate fondant in a golden cage finished us off nicely.

At £29 each, it was a fine taster of what Sumosan could deliver when you wanted to really push the sampan out.

Sumosan & J-Bar 26 B Albemarle Street Mayfair, London W1S 4HY

The young sommelier was bang on with all his by-the-glass recommendations and the service was sleek and confident all round. Lunch at the Embassy is really club class at economy prices.

Kitchen Joel Antunes Restaurant Embassy Mayfair 29 Old Burlington Street Mayfair London W1S 3AN

16/03/2012 12:32

The Beer Boutique

Based in Putney, South West London, The Beer Boutique offers a carefully-selected range of beers from around the world.

T

here are 150 different types from over 15 countries ranging from British ales, porters and stouts, wonderful local microbrews, to classic Belgian, German and more modern styles, like the hoppy American craft beers.

A big focus at The Beer Boutique is on raising the profile of beer – to have people treat beer not only as a refresher, pub or party drink, but also to revere and appreciate it and to understand how versatile and complex beer can be. The ambition is immediately apparent as you enter the shop. The beers are neatly laid out on rustic, reclaimed wooden shelves. There’s a wonderful red-brick fireplace and jazzy background music adds to the cosy and inviting feel.

The Beer Boutique 134 Upper Richmond Road Putney, South West London SW15 2SP 020 8780 3168 www.thebeerboutique.co.uk

The staff are highly knowledgeable and ooze passion and enthusiasm.

Jonathan, one of the shopkeepers, explains: “We try to help each customer have the perfect beer experience, whether they are looking for a refreshing drink, planning a meal, looking to add a local twist to their wedding party or want to buy a gift.”

To encourage and demonstrate beer’s ability to pair with food, the shop runs a weekly free tasting on Saturday afternoons.

More formal tasting events are coming soon. The Beer Boutique also offers consultation to hotels, restaurants and caterers. As Jonathan explains, “There’s no reason why a good restaurant or hotel bar shouldn’t have a fine beer list to match its wine list.”

The Beer Boutique also has a website where all beers can be purchased online for delivery (www.thebeerboutique.co.uk).

The site provides more information on the products and even allows customers to keep track of their favourite beers. A blog provides regular updates ranging from tips on pouring and storing beer to upcoming events.

“We’ve only been trading for seven months now,” explains Jonathan, “but the response so far has been immense. Particularly satisfying is the variety of people that come in and that they are rightly starting to view beer as an alternative to other beverages such as wine.”

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James Chocolates James Hutchins, owner of James Chocolates, began hand-making chocolates in 1995 when he was working at a deli in Bristol where in the evenings he began to blend his own creations at home. He’d previously studied biology and worked as a DJ, so this was a chance to use his experimenting and mixing skills to the full!

As well as traditional varieties such as mint, Champagne and caramel sit alongside strawberry and pepper, vanilla and sea salt and orange and cardamom James Chocolates have an abundance of Easter treats for you to feast on. And the one to try has to be the ‘Easter Firecracker Egg!’ Ecuadorian dark chocolate with ancho chilli and popping candy combine spectacularly with a hand-topped explosion of pink peppercorns, white chocolate and edible glitter for a unique adult gift.

Having already made 3kg white chocolate sheep for John Lewis, James Chocolates are at the cutting edge of design, taste and more than anything, fun. From truffles, bars and discs to miniature piglets, cows and fish, James Chocolates’ range is as appealing to the eye as it is to the taste buds.

James Chocolates Leighton Lane, Evercreech Shepton Mallet Somerset BA4 6LQ 01749 831330 www.jameschocolates.co .uk

20% OFF

FOR FLAVOUR READERS! Use code FLV0212 at online checkout (Valid until end of April)

They were also one of the first companies in England to develop chilli chocolate, and now have lots of variations like sweet Thai chilli, chilli honeycomb and chilli firecracker! James Chocolates are available from good delis, farm shops and food stores nationwide.

WIN! A collection of James’ Easter goodies worth £75, including a selection of eggs and chocolate treats to appeal to the whole family. The draw will take place on March 30 and one winner will be sent the prize in time for Easter. To enter, email competitions@flavourmagazine.com with James Chocolates in the subject header and full contact details in the body of the email.

Good luck!

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16/03/2012 12:44

> flavour sian blunos

Chef, food writer, author and mother Siân Blunos is passionate about children’s health and their eating habits, and believes that expanding your knowledge of food can only help benefit your child.

Over the past 50 years, lifestyles in the UK have changed in ways that tend to promote obesity. The rapid rise suggests that environmental factors rather than gene defects are the cause.

These may include the reliance on fast, high-fat, energy-dense foods, lack of cooking skills, larger portion sizes and lack of physical activity. Technology and labour saving devices could also play a part in increasing a sedentary lifestyle.

Childhood obesity is a significant social, medical and economic problem and its prevalence has escalated over the last two decades and has been described as an obesity epidemic. The Labour government introduced a number of

KNOW YOUR

LIMITS

policies aimed at tackling obesity, their initial focus was on children and the ambition was to be the first major nation to reverse the rising tide of obesity and in the population by ensuring everyone is able to achieve and maintain healthy weight children: by 2020, the aim is to reduce the proportion of overweight and obese children to 2000 levels.

An obese child can often be bullied and discriminated against by their peers; this can lead to low self-esteem and poor academic performance. As parents we can influence what our children eat, getting it right at an early age will hopefully encourage them to make healthy choices as they grow.

OVEN–BAKED CHICKEN WITH LEMON AND ROSEMARY Makes 6-8 portions INGREDIENTS 3 medium potatoes for the mash 1 medium carrot, diced 2 chicken legs 1 sprig of rosemary 1 small onion, chopped 275ml unsalted chicken stock Juice of ½ small lemon METHOD 1 Prepare the potato mash. In a saucepan, cook the carrot for about 12 minutes until tender and drain in a colander.

COOKING FOR COCO Like most busy mothers, Siân wanted to feed her baby well, but didn’t have a lot of free time on her hands. Her solution was to develop recipes using a wide variety of fresh, available foods, which could be batch-cooked and used to stock the freezer. Now, she always has a range of delicious dishes on hand, and you can too. With a little care and planning you can give even the youngest of children the experience of good, fresh food, which is tasty and nutritious.

To order a personally signed copy of Cooking for Coco for only £8.50 (including postage), RRP £9.99, email sian@blunos.com

2 Preheat the oven to 170°C. Put the chicken in an ovenproof pan with the rosemary and onion. Add the stock, bring to the boil and cover.

Transfer to the oven and cook for about 40 minutes or until the chicken is tender. Leave to cool in the pan, then strain the chicken over a bowl, reserving the cooking liquid.

3 Take the meat off the bone and put into a food processor with the lemon juice and add the onions and carrots. Blend, leaving it chunkier for older children. Put with the mash, adding more stock if necessary. Divide into portions, then serve or freeze.

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CITY E SCAPES

Brownsword Hotels www.brownswordhotels.co.uk

A

ndrew and Christina Brownsword, owners of Gidleigh Park, The Bath Priory, Sydney House Chelsea and Abode Hotels are delighted to confirm the successful acquisition of four additional properties – Amberley Castle, Buckland Manor, Lower Slaughter Manor and Washbourne Court.

Gidleigh Park: Our most luxurious spa suite, Darmeet is currently available at a seasonal offer rate of only £750 per night. www.gidleigh.com

“I am very proud to be custodian of these four new hotels which will, over the next few years, be redirected and refurbished to the highest standards in comfort and hospitality under the Brownsword Hotels umbrella,” says Andrew.

Amberley Castle: The ultimate romantic destination, February is dedicated to indulgent breaks. www.amberleycastle.co.uk

Gidleigh Park, beautifully restored and refurbished under Andrew’s guidance, sits firmly at the forefront of the group which is now balanced between Abode’s boutique presence in city centre locations and the splendid collection of country house hotels which the new properties form part of.

“We look forward to welcoming you to one of our properties soon and have compiled some tempting introductory offers to prompt your visit, whether that is for a midweek break or indulgent escape, we hope to see you very soon.”

The Bath Priory: Late availability on selected dates from £85 per person, per night. www.thebathpriory.co.uk

Buckland Manor: Comfort in the Cotswolds this winter, from only £195 per night. www.bucklandmanor.co.uk Lower Slaughter Manor: A little bit of last minute luxury rooms f rom only £150. www.lowerslaughtermanor.co.uk Washbourne: Midweek breaks from only £115 for dinner, bed and breakfast www.washbournecourt.co.uk ABode Hotels: Seasonal offers for accommodation and dining at some great city venues across the UK. www.abodehotels.co.uk

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Beachspoke A

s an artistic Mecca in the UK, St Ives has always been a popular escape. Boasting no fewer than five fantastic beaches complete with pale sands, turquoise water and some great surf, it’s no surprise people love to escape to this part of the world.

Beachspoke is a new and exciting boutique rental company with two properties right in the middle of the town.

Each has its own distinct personality – forget the traditional white-washed Cornish cottage and instead think of properties that are stylish, sophisticated and decadent.

Black Moon is a ‘pied dans l’eau’ property sitting on a rocky outcrop on Bamaluz

St Ives Cornwall

Beach in the town centre, locally referred to as ‘Downalong’.

This exceptional space has been designed by the owner as a private retreat and no expense was spared in creating a sophisticated, sensuous and unique hideaway for two. It’s only a minute’s stroll to the beautiful beaches of Porthgwidden and Porthmeor, The Tate Gallery, The Barbara Hepworth museum and the best beachfront restaurants.

Blue Moon is a converted fisherman’s cottage, just behind the biggest beach in town, Porthmeor. This cosy little haven combines a beachside chill-out vibe with a little bit of London style. Finished in December this is one super cool cottage.

Beachspoke, St Ives, Cornwall 0208 740 3001 • martin@beachspoke.com • www.beachspoke.com

The Capital Hotel W

elcoming guests for 40 years, this fivestar boutique hotel remains under the guidance of its original owner David Levin and his daughter Kate Levin.

Each month the hotel offers a new dining experience – a Bollinger night, Rioja dinner, Erdbeg evening and cheese pairing events.

Few hotels in London can boast such outstanding staff loyalty, family heritage and the ability to remain true to classic British design. An award-winning grand hotel

in miniature, The Capital has all the advantages of a large establishment, yet exudes warmth, understated exclusivity and personal attention to detail, which only a privately-owned hotel can afford.

The discreet London Hotel, and Apartments sitting proudly on Basil Street, is less than a minute from Harrods and moments from Knightsbridge tube station as well as Harvey Nichols, the Victoria & Albert Museum, Hyde Park and Sloane Street.

The Capital Hotel, 22-24 Basil St, Knightsbridge, London SW3 1AT • 0207 589 5171 • www.capitalhotel.co.uk

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The Swan at Streatley E

scape the hustle and bustle of everyday life and take advantage of the opportunity to kick back and relax at the delightfully unique and welcoming Swan at Streatley, set in one of the most beautiful locations in the South East of England.

This charming hidden gem, which dates back to the 17th century, is located on the banks of the River Thames, with glorious views to soothe the weary traveller. With just 45 bedrooms, the hotel has an intimate and charming elegance and in the spring and summer months the sunny terrace and rolling lawns make the perfect setting for enjoying a chilled glass of wine or Champagne.

The Swan at Streatley is the ideal place to refresh and revitalise in Venus Spa, one of Berkshire’s premier spas. Affiliated with Guinot, take your pick from the selection of massages, body wraps or holistic therapies available.

Food is a key ingredient in the Swan at Streatley experience and head chef Chris Prow and his team take pride in sourcing the best quality, seasonal ingredients available locally to create classical dishes with a modern twist.

It would be hard not to relax when surrounded by the natural beauty that surrounds the Swan at Streatley – be indulged at every opportunity.

The Swan at Streatley, Streatley-on-Thames, Berkshire RG8 9HR 01491 878800 • www.swanatstreatley.co.uk

Thornbury Castle O

ne of the most romantic hotels in the country, the magnificent Thornbury Castle is the only Tudor castle in England to be open as a hotel. Complete with turrets, winding staircases and panelled walls, a stay at Thornbury Castle is a unique experience. Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn once stayed here and today the castle still resonates its historic past with beautiful oriel windows and Tudor hall.

Step behind the heavy oak doors and encounter one of our sumptuous bedchambers – a truly magnificent setting. Perfect for an overnight stay, or a weekend away, you can also enjoy delicious modern cuisine… and it’s only 15 minutes from the M5.

Take Advantage of the Special Spring Break TEA & BUBBLES Reserve one of the beautiful bedchambers for two nights until the end of May and enjoy a delicious complimentary cream tea complete with a glass of Prosecco. This special break will include a three-course dinner on the night of your choice.

Rates from £430.00 for two adults.

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Thornbury Castle, Thornbury, South Gloucestershire BS35 1HH • 01454 281182 • info@thornburycastle.co.uk • www.thornburycastle.co.uk

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Bransc Barnell Cottage,

ombe, Devon

DEFINITELY NOT YOUR AVERAGE HOLIDAY LETTING COMPANY Rural Retreats are a world away from the average – both for the holidaymaker and the property owners.

Stringent standards ensure a high quality experience, well over 50% of the applicants fail to make it to our portfolio, but if you do, we make sure that, like the guests, you get the best.

Rural Retreats are The Holiday Letting Specialist, with over 25 years as the brand for quality cottages and country homes throughout the U.K. we have built a loyal customer base that delights in frequent return visits to a Rural Retreat.

An experienced and long serving booking staff are a vital link in productive marketing and occupancy - that key to a good return on your investment – is enhanced by our minimum 2 day stay offer which fills shoulder and off peak seasons efficiently.

Our service will be tailored to your circumstances from branded web marketing to a fully managed service throughout the United Kingdom (which takes the hassle out of exploiting 2 & 3 day breaks) If yours is definitely not an average holiday property, get a copy of our Owner’s Brochure by calling 01386 701177 or visit www.ruralretreats.co.uk

The Holiday Letting Specialist

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Rural Retreats Holidays Ltd, Moreton in the Marsh, Glos, GL56 9JY

16/03/2012 14:43

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The Ickworth

Hotel & Apartments I

ckworth Hotel and Apartments are truly unique, nestling in 1800 acres of National Trust Parkland on the Ickworth Estate.

Receive a warm welcome on arrival to the east wing of the house where you will really feel at home as the hotel offers the perfect setting for either a relaxed bite to eat in The Conservatory or something special in the award-winning, Fredericks Restaurant.

Their aim is to make your stay as relaxing as possible for all family members. Despite the grand setting and fantastic interiors, there is no stuffiness; this really is home from home... just like a wealthy relative inviting you all to their country pile for a few days!

The Ickworth Hotel & Apartments Horringer, Bury St Edmunds, IP29 5QE 01284 735350 www.ickworthhotel.co.uk

Sheepskin S

heepskin is a precious collection of carefully selected holiday properties, each one full of character located in inspiring locations. Sheepskin’s personalised service means you can have the confidence that your holiday will be exactly what you are looking for – your time away in your special place.

A comfortable base to enjoy Britain’s beautiful countryside, a holiday with quiet sandy beaches in easy reach or a place to simply escape for a while, you will find it in Sheepskin’s small collection. They will help you plan your holiday and give you all of the information you need in your personalised guide.

When you arrive the beds will all be made, there will be sumptuous bathrobes and a welcome gift with virgin olive oil, sea salt, roast coffee, Teapigs tea and some tasty treats for you to enjoy.

Sheepskin • 01865 764087 • inspired@sheespkinlife.com • www.sheepskinlife.com

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16/03/2012 14:43

5 Pollen Street Next to its posher neighbour, Nick Harman finds out it’s not just an established name that gets people through the door...

I

can see right into Jason Atherton’s renowned restaurant Pollen Street Social from my table opposite in 5 Pollen Street.

Jason’s place looks busy, but flurries of supermodels in furs coming through 5 Pollen Street’s door block my view. It must be an episode of Made In Chelsea, the one where they all go out for pasta.

5, as no doubt such classy regulars call it, has been here a while, long before Mr Atherton made this little street famous. An Italian restaurant in the upper reaches of expensive, it’s now under new management with a new chef in the kitchen too.

Massive paintings adorn the walls, so spectacularly loud they must have cost a fortune. Foxed mirrors reflect back the room and it’s cosy, warm and welcoming, although up past the bar is some ‘70s wallpaper that shimmers in a trippy 3D effect. This hypnotises me until I’m snapped out of it by the menu’s arrival.

Mozzarella and tomato is an Italian restaurant staple; the mozza normally decanted from its plastic Galbani pack straight onto rock-hard and horrible Dutch tomatoes. 5’s version is far, far better; a beautiful burrata with the correct creamily liquid centre, is sat on a pile of caponata. This mix of vegetables, nuts and raisins is almost certainly of Middle Eastern origin with its sweet and sour contrasts. Getting that balance right is crucial and 5 nails it perfectly with the burrata as fresh as a daisy.

5 Pollen Street Mayfair London W1S 1NE

P has griddled sardine fillets with a salad of fennel, olives and orange and, while liking the fish a lot, finds the fennel lacks its usual aniseedy punch. The concept’s fine, but something’s missing on this one and she’s ultimately disappointed.

0207 629 1555 www.5pollenstreet.com

Things pick up over plates of beetroot and ricotta ravioli. The earthy tang of the beetroot

hasn’t been boiled out, it was probably roasted that’s why, and its sweetness combines delicately with the familiar, slightly sour taste of ricotta. The pasta is al dente and the buttery sauce flecked with pinhead poppy seeds. We share the dish but fight over it to get more.

My main of oxtail is gloriously gelatinous and packed with flavour. A dish from Rome made from the ‘fifth quarter’ of the animal (the bit that’s not expensive), it’s had slow braising to tease out its rich flavour and soften the meat, in this case braised in tomato and celery to form a rich sauce. Served with puréed celeriac this is just the dish to counter the sub zero conditions outside – honest and heart-warming.

For P roasted breast of duck with cavolo nero and peverada sauce is perfect too, the duck pink and smartly presented in a fan shape. Cavolo nero is a brilliant winter veg, able to stand any amount of frost. Its metallic taste (think spinach to the power ten) is mixed with a good hit of garlic. Peverada is a pâté-like substance made from livers, in this case one presumes the duck’s own, some pevere (pepper) soppressa sausage, vegetables, anchovy and herbs. It’s very rich and very tasty and I steal some by spreading it onto rosemary-roasted potatoes.

Staff are whizzing about, as the restaurant is now full so we quickly order a tiramisu and Torrone semifreddo with chocolate sauce.

I only get one spoonful of the tiramisu, P is liking it too much, and so I content myself with the semifreddo. It’s good while not being outstanding and the torrone (nougat) is nicely half sticky, half crunchy.

5 Pollen Street has competition with the big boy over the road, but of course they are very different animals. Posh without being pretentious and now with a firm hand holding the kitchen tiller, 5 Pollen Street is a smart Italian that’s up anyone’s street.

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5 Pollen Street is a smart Italian that’s up anyone’s street...

Images: www.tomwillcocks.com

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16/03/2012 12:31

DABBOUS

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

enough to go 100 per cent Italian on the wine list, there are a couple of gems to hook out.

Niedermayr Pinot Noir offered by the glass for £7.50 is a good shout.

SEVEN PARK PLACE

10 GREEK STREET

William Drabble has a quite brilliant name. If you came across the name in a Dickens novel you wouldn’t blink. He’s also a quite brilliant chef. Taking over the reins at Aubergine from a certain Gordon Ramsay in 1998, he retained its Michelin star for over a decade – you don’t pull off a feat like this by being a slouch behind the stove.

The St James’s Hotel and Club is where he’s been for the last two years, swiftly picking up a Michelin star, and we were reminded just how good he is on a recent visit. Tortellini of langoustine is the kind of dish that you remember months later, impeccable pasta revealing the sweetest, freshest nugget of shellfish you could wish for. Veal cheek slow-cooked in Madeira with bone marrow mash reads like a dream, and is even better than expected. Show-stopping cooking in a beautiful jewel-box of a room that feels like you’re in another era. What the Dickens? Drabble, that’s what, and he’s good.

Luke Wilson and Cameron Emirali have brought a modest-looking operation to Soho, which is over-delivering at every step. This little place is already gaining a loyal crowd with a simple yet killer formula of great food with a wine list of unbeatable value. Luke is ex-wine trade, having sold wine to restaurants for Liberty Wines, one of the best merchants in London, while Cameron brings solid experience from The Wapping Project.

Wild mushroom risotto with the funk of truffle oil running through it, was a favourite on our last visit. Chargrilled Brecon leg of lamb, cooked to mediumrare pink perfection being another highlight. Sit at the bar where the action happens and drink Pieropan Soave “La Rocca” – a great addition to Soho.

www.meleepere.co.uk

www.10greekstreet.com

www.stjamesclubandhotel.co.uk

MELE E PERE Another Soho opening? You betcha!

Ex-Wild Honey chef Andrea Mantovani has teamed-up with Peter Hughes to open a Northern Italian-inspired basement restaurant on Brewer Street.

Ravioli of ricotta with walnut pesto and tagliatelle with beef cheek ragù pressed the right buttons, although a perfect Piemontese-style hand-chopped veal felt a tad too punchy at £11.50. The bar is our preferred spot, and a couple of early visits has seen the cavernous room lacking a bit of “sizzle”. While not brave

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

Ollie Dabbous has finally opened his hotly anticipated restaurant in Fitzrovia, and he hasn’t let us down. With a glittering CV taking in Noma, The Fat Duck, Mugaritz, Hibiscus and Texture, some of the most exciting cooking in London is coming out of his kitchen. A salad of fennel, lemon balm and pickled rose petals showcases his delicate sleight of hand, and beef tartare with cigar oil, whisky and rye is a quite brilliant interpretation of a classic – one of the best things we’ve eaten all year.

There is more than a touch of the Lower East Side aura about the place, and a stripped-back industrial feel continues in the zeitgeisty bar downstairs. Edgy furniture and a space looking like a scene from Blade Runner already feels like it’s been around forever. Crispy boneless chicken wings as a bar snack?

Oh yes please! www.dabbous.co.uk

GERGOVIE WINES Raef Hodgson has created a wine bar at 40 Maltby Street that has already become a favoured haunt for wine trade and restaurateurs alike, and as well as pumping out some great food from the tiny kitchen, he also imports every single one of the wines he serves at the bar – this kind of focus and clarity of purpose shows itself in the quality of the wines.

His buying instincts are firmly behind the ‘natural’ wine movement which, after a few years bubbling under the surface, is finally taking a monumental grip on London restaurants. This little number epitomises his range: zero sulphur, spontaneous fermentation without the addition of cultivated yeasts, and a wine of real character. Mainly Syrah with a splash of Grenache, it has more than a touch of the ‘animal’ about it, but the savoury character is balanced with enough spicy dark fruit to stop you running away. “A vin de soif for fun times,” says Raef. £10.80 www.gergoviewines.com

16/03/2012 12:15

tea

flavour’s CUP OF

THE NATION’S FAVOURITE BREW

HR Higgins encapsulates everything that we, as a population of tea drinkers, love about our cuppa; history, quality, assuredness, taste and pedigree...

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fflavour’ lavour’s

CUP OF

tetea ea

HR HIGGINS READER OFFER Enter flavour on the website to receive a 10% discount on any tea ordered online up until 31 May

HR Higgins (Coffee-man) Ltd is a third generation family business founded in 1942. Their aim has always been to offer the best quality and to guide customers to find the tea which suits them best.

They source some of the world’s finest loose leaf teas, also available in specially designed gift boxes, sold in their London shop in Mayfair’s Duke Street and online. Choose from rare teas like Darjeeling Makaibari 1st Flush Grand Reserve, Nepalese Himalayan Imperial, Indian Meghalaya Lakyrsiew and Mannong Ancient White Buds, to classic Assam Belseri Malt Ceylon Orange Pekoe St Clair, and our own blends Higgins Mayfair Blend, Duke Street Blend, and Higgins Afternoon Blend.

www.hrhiggins.co.uk

Teapigs’ Matcha contains two special amino acids that work together with matcha’s natural caffeine to give our bodies a gentle and sustained energy boost lasting four-six hours – no more afternoon slumps!

This dynamic combination also reduces stress and helps you remain calm and focused – that’s why Buddhist monks have drunk matcha for centuries – just what you need when you’re about to meditate for many hours!

When you drink regular green tea, once brewed, you throw away the leaves so it’s a bit like boiling spinach, throwing away the spinach and just drinking the water – you get some of the nutrients but you’re throwing away most of the goodness. Matcha is drunk as a fine powder diffused in liquid so you actually ingest the whole leaf, consuming every last bit of goodness.

To order online or to find out your nearest retailer visit www.teapigs.co.uk Use promotion code FLAV12 to receive 20% off online orders (excludes cheeky deals and gift packs, code valid until 30th April 2012)

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fflavour’ lavour’s NEWBY TEAS

CUP OF

tetea ea

flowering tea range

When tea was first discovered, it was savoured as a rare commodity – the drink of royalty and aristocrats. With its rise in popularity and mass production, tea has become a drink that is often consumed in a rush, with no sense of ceremony or respect for its prestigious past.

Newby aims to bring tea back up to its elevated position in society, creating innovative new blends and styles of teas to share with tea lovers and connoisseurs

across the world. It’s with this in mind, that Newby Teas has created a range of flowering Chinese teas. A Newby flowering tea is a simple luxury, handmade by crafting a delicate bundle of carefully selected green tea leaves and exotic flowers to form a ball.

When steeped in hot water the tea leaves unfurl, creating a unique visual display which emulates a blooming flower.

These teas are produced by skilled masters under Newby’s specifications and guidance.

As only the finest quality green teas are selected to create handmade flowering teas, they taste as good as they look...

www.newbyteas.co.uk

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16/03/2012 15:03

fflavour’ lavour’s

CUP OF

tetea ea

BOUTIQUE TEAS Clipper have searched the world’s finest tea producers and handpicked an exclusive range of speciality teas, each one typical of its region. Beautifully presented in a delightfullydesigned caddy, these superb teas will prove to be the ultimate discovery for fine tea lovers.

Each region and estate bestows a unique flavour profile for the teas it produces and each one of Clipper’s Boutique teas comes with tasting notes and the story of the tea estate or region.

The teas are either loose leaf or packed in silky tea tents to let the teas perfectly infuse.

These teas are limited edition as the leaves were all lovingly handpicked at the perfect time in the growing season.Visit the website for tasting notes on Clipper’s range, including Single Estate Assam Tea, Single Estate Darjeeling, English Breakfast, Earl Grey Ceylon, Jasmine Blossom White Silver Needles, Snow Dragon Green Tea and the world renowned Tie Guan Yin Oolong.

Buy yours now at

www.clipper-teas.com

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16/03/2012 15:04

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16/03/2012 15:04

THORNBRIDGE BREWERY

BREWING UP A STORM

From small hut beginnings to a thriving compact business, Thornbridge make beers of quality and no compromise, discovers Nick Harman on a jolly trip to the brewery.

T

he psychedelically painted VW camper is standing out like a very sore thumb in front of the rather stern facade of Thornbridge Hall in Derbyshire. Fans of Scooby Doo might recognise hints of the Mystery Machine in it, but fans of beer will zero in on the legend ‘Jaipur. The most exciting beer in Britain’ plastered across the van’s rear bumper. Thornbridge Hall is no ordinary stately home that’s for sure, not with a VW out front and a brewery out back.

Thornbridge Riverside Brewery Buxton Road Bakewell DE45 1GS 01629 641000 www.thornbridgebrewery.co.uk

“We take the van to music festivals,” explains marketing manager Alex Buchanan as he guides me through the estate’s walled garden towards a welcoming smell of malt drifting out from behind an ancient stone wall. “It’s a great advert for us and fun too.” Fun and passion seem to be the driving force of Thornbridge Brewery, who in the relatively short time since they started brewing have already piled up impressive awards for their unique range of bottled and keg beers.

Inside the brewery, pipes snake colourfully across the shining wet floor and vats of beer bubble cheerfully away. Originally

the heart of the brewing process, this refurbished estate toolshed is now used partly for the production of beer to sell, but mostly as a test lab for the young Thornbridge brewers scuttling about in their wellies and white coats. Today they’re trying a Russian stout recipe and the rich aroma is like putting your head inside a Christmas cake.

“Basically once we started getting so much demand for our beer we physically couldn’t get the big lorries into the estate to take it away,” explains Alex as we head off back to his car. “So we built a modern, bigger brewery down by the river.”

Thornbridge didn’t set out to be big though, they just set out to brew the best beer they could and things snowballed from there. The hall, which took on most of its present shape in 1896, was originally the home of the rather eccentric George Marples, a man who insisted his staff refer to him as Lord Marples. He built his own railway station on the estate, with a clock he could control from the house so that he never missed a train, and perhaps unsurprisingly finally died in poverty.

In 2002 after various owners, the hall

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was bought and brought back to life as a private house by Emma and Jim Harrison.

“Jim had the idea of brewing his own beer, just as many an estate did in the old days because having been boiled it was safer than water,” says Alex as the new Riverside brewery comes into view neatly tucked away in a local valley.

“But he wanted to do it right, not as an amateur. He bought some equipment from a redundant brewery and hired two professional brewers just out of training college, rebuilt the old shed and off they went and brewed.”

The first beer was named Lord Marples, in honour of the old owner of the Hall, and local pubs liked it. So did the experts, and Lord Marples was almost immediately crowned with awards. Now the range comprises keg and bottled beers and after a quick tour of the modern, but compact and human-sized brewery with its stateof-the-art computer controlled process, we settle down with head brewer Rob Lovatt. “I came to the opening and just had to get a job here to try a few bottles,” he said.

Thornbridge use 18 varieties of malt and

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around 60 varieties of hops from all over the world to give each beer a distinctive character. As we work our way through Jaipur IPA with its glorious aroma of fresh hops and citrus, Tzara, a Köln-style beer made with malt imported directly from Bavaria, Kill Your Darlings, a tasty Viennastyle lager, Bracia a whopping 10 per cent alcohol stout, and finally the refreshing White Swan, you can taste Thornbridge’s passion in every pour.

Serious about brewing, relaxed enough to have fun doing it, Thornbridge are everything a modern British beer maker should be, refusing to be pushed and determined to be the best.

Thornbridge bottled beers are available in Waitrose, who have supported Thornbridge from the start, as well as online. Draft is available in pubs across Derbyshire.

16/03/2012 12:37

goose bedding company

The Goose Bedding Company is for people who really love sleep...

The Goose Bedding Company is for people who really love sleep...

The Goose Bedding Company tenderly craft natural, luxury down duvets and pillows by hand in their Midlands workshop and, as a family, have been perfecting this art for over 35 years. The emphasis is on utilising only natural, renewable and breathable products in the bedroom. That means they use the finest materials that are made to last, are kind on the skin and give just the right warmth and comfort for any time of the year. This bespoke service is what sets The Goose Bedding Company apart. Whether you require extra long, extra thick, extra thin or any dimension of duvet or pillow, they can and will make it for you‌ 56

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> flavour goose bedding company

goose bedding... more sleep, better sleep…

Stefan Boehm, founder of The Goose Bedding Company, talks to flavour about his business...

How did Goose Bedding start and how did you get involved?

I think like most people I love sleep and when I recently left my career in the city I thought “What could be more rewarding than offering more sleep, making people happy and adding to their general well-being all at the same time?” My grandmother ran a very successful bedding business off Baker Street in the ’80s and along with my father had been in the industry for over 30 years. I thought using their experience and detailed approach to the craft of duvet and pillow making would be a great way to continue the legacy and by launching Goose, build on it through a strong, recognisable and trusted English brand for better sleep.

You mentioned that your grandmother started the business, what’s the best piece of advice she gave you?

That a guy needs to like a girl more for a relationship to work... Aside from being a rapport sage she was all about

using the finest materials and building products that last. She unfortunately passed away last year but what will stick with me is the constant message that because we spend so much of our lives in bed, it simply has to be the best.

We buy a top-quality jacket, handbag or car and spend an hour a day using it, but we spend eight hours in bed. Sleep is essential and yet many of us don’t consider what we sleep in or under.

If you can be unbiased, would you consider goose bedding to be a luxury or a necessity?

Ha! Well goose bedding is a luxury in that the product and materials used are only the finest and will keep you warm and comfortable for up to two decades, but the best duvet possible is a necessity for everyone I think. If you get more sleep you are going to be happier.

Why Goose?

To put it simply, more sleep, better sleep... not to mention our duvets should last up to 20 years if looked after properly. Our duvets will keep you at the right temperature all year round and goose down duvets especially will hug the contours of the body, and are lighter and softer than conventional bedding due to the air trapped within the down fibres.

What’s the biggest misconception about bedding?

I think it is probably that you can sleep under anything and that it doesn’t really matter what it is made from, or that bed linen is the most important aspect as this is what people visibly see on entering a room. What could be more important than the food we eat and the sleep that we get at night? I know they are two of my passions and if I eat and sleep well while surrounded by family and friends, I’m happy and I think that’s the same for most of us. The right duvet and pillows are integral to this balance.

Where are you based and how can I order?

We are online, but will be at a number of home and interior fairs later this year and there are plans for a popup shop in London to give people the ultimate experience – to try and feel the benefits we offer. We are excited about where this has gone and can go to and the positive feedback from Goose customers is what it is all about. Grab one of our duvets and snuggle up now...

Call: 0207 223 7821 Email: enquiries@goosebedding.co.uk Visit: www.goosebedding.co.uk

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16/03/2012 13:32

VEGFESTUK

AT BRIGHTON! WARNING – ADOPTING A PLANT-BASED LIFESTYLE CAN SERIOUSLY IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH AND WELLBEING...

F

ood producers from across the globe will unite in Brighton on March 17 and 18 at The Hove Centre at what promises to be the biggest veggie event anywhere in the world – with cuisine from four continents being represented, and all of it 100 per cent plant-based.

Caterers from India, China, Latin America, Africa and Europe will gather to produce the most exquisite range of cuisine imaginable, and with the emphasis on health and nutrition as well as taste and texture, the VegfestUK events become quite unique in the culinary experience offered to visitors.

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Admission is free to the public and as well as a series of informative talks, there’s also plenty of cookery demos for kids and adults alike. And with a genuinely huge selection of food to choose from there has never been a better opportunity for even the most hardened carnivore to enjoy the tasty and genuinely healthy options to choose from.

For more information visit www.brighton.vegfest.co.uk

16/03/2012 12:37

The measure of happiness In these early winter months, when you have most likely imbibed all sorts of intoxicating substances, January and February are usually the time for quiet self-reflection. Many of us will have made a New Year’s resolution not to drink again for an entire year/month/week. Ouch…

A

fter New Year’s I detoxed for an entire two days (not especially impressive, I know). But now it is dark and cold when I get out of bed, the credit card bill is on the way and spring is still a good month away, so I turn towards dessert wines. Just one glass of liquid sunshine gives me back the will to live.

Since dessert wines are usually limited to the end of a meal most of us tend not to look at them as fully-fledged wines for drinking anytime. Not true!

So how can one use these miraculous wines? First of all, the obvious: desserts.

I would say be brave, and match whatever you want with it, even though chocolate can be a tricky one. Another classic one is cheese. In this case, you should pay attention to the weight and the acidity: don’t drown a light goat’s cheese in a

thick, honeyed Sauternes. The heavier and riper the cheese, the better it is! When it comes to meat my ultimate choice is foie gras, but goose or duck work perfectly well with these wines, especially with Tokaj. It has the same level of richness as the meat, but the acidity cutting through all that fat makes it the perfect accompaniment. Alternatively, if you’re brave enough, try pork belly with Chinese five spice or jerk seasoning – prepare to be amazed! These wines are capable of a lot more than just being sweet.

Finally, my method: open a bottle, lower the lights, try to locate a leather armchair, plonk (no pun intended) yourself in it and read something positive or listen to (classical) music. It should definitely ease that winter gloom!

Gergely Barsi Szabó 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…

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16/03/2012 12:03

WALKER & SON

Britain’s best kept secret SSSShhhh...

Britain’s best-kept secret is tucked away in the heart of the country in Leicestershire and these award-winning pork pies have been made in the region since 1824.

Walker & Son was founded in Leicester in 1824 by Mark Walker and his son, and soon became an institution in the city for their pork pies. In fact, the people of Leicester loved their pies so much that families would queue around the block on Christmas Eve to buy them.

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> flavour walker & son

T

Today at Walker & Son, the Master Pie Maker, Ian Heircock, has been baking the famous Walkers Pork Pies with their distinctive character for over 30 years.

The famous fluted shape, which is made by the bespoke hoop in which they are baked, means the pie retains the succulence of the rich, hot water crust pastry. Each pie is filled with 100 per cent British pork and Ian selects only the finest cuts of pork shoulder and belly to go into the pies. This is combined with a secret blend of spices and bone stock jelly, which gives the pies their unique taste to partner the distinctive pastry.

As you’d expect from a man who has worked in the business for over 30 years, Ian is passionate about pies.

And waiting in the wings as heir to the throne is Scott Timmins, Ian’s Apprentice Pie Maker, who will be trained over the next few years. It takes a special person to fill Ian’s baking boots and Scott was selected not only for his baking skills, but also because he probably knows the business almost as well as Ian! In fact, Scott has worked for Walker & Son for over 20 years and is equally passionate about pies and ready to step into Ian’s coveted shoes!

Over the years, Ian has won numerous awards for Walkers Pork Pies, most recently winning The Grocer Food & Drink Award in 2011 for the Walkers Large Pork Pie and proving that he really is the ‘Best Of British’ when it comes to baking!

This year it’s Scott’s turn to shine, under the watchful eye of Ian, and he will fly the Walkers flag in numerous food awards and competitions in 2012.

Walker’s Pork Pie range is available in Waitrose, Co-op, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s. And exclusively to Waitrose, the Walkers Hot Pie, Classic Chicken, Bacon & White Wine Pie, Supreme Steak Pie, Sumptuous Steak & Stilton Pie (all available as 2 x 250g twin pack); and a single Glorious Chicken & Chorizo Pie (250g).

For more information on Walker & Son and its range of pies, please see:

www.walkerspies.co.uk

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16/03/2012 12:39

Copita C

A veritable armada of new Spanish restaurants sailed into London in 2011, its weapons the twin cannons of modern and classic tapas – all aimed straight at Nick Harman’s stomach...

opita is from the mothership of Barrica in Goodge Street.

Its sober frontage doesn’t exactly holler for attention but thankfully neither does it go for the faux dive look, which is now getting rather boring.

wants to share? It’s a remarkable bowl of flavour and texture and is quite sublimely tasty. Too much would be too much though as it has an intensity that might sit badly on the stomach, a dish best taken in small quantities.

Inside it’s all about tall stools and high tables and it’s a nicely judged balance of rough and smooth. Balanced precariously on a stool myself – I can never be truly comfortable on those things, they’re not quite sitting and they’re not quite standing – I’m finding it rather cosy and so is my wingman J.

But then tapas are of course small; those people who have complained about Copita portion size are surely confusing tapas with raciones? Our anchovy fillet with broad bean ice cream we fight over like seagulls and it’s gone in a few pecks. Slightly too salty, it was nonetheless another victory for the Spanish crew and the ice cream was straight out of the modern tapas cookbook, but without being silly or fussy.

Executive chef James Knight’s menu changes pretty much all the time, so your mileage may vary, but it always stays sensibly short and offers some intriguing options.

Prices are low but it’s easy to run up a bill through quantity when dishes are this good.

I love jamon but I fancy a change and the morcilla de bellotta does the trick. Unlike Burgos morcilla it’s not staunchly stolid with rice; instead it has globs of bellotta fat translucently winking inside it and almost dissolves in the heat of my fingers. Gloriously good stuff.

Mopping up fat with the bread we order a round of various things almost at random. An ajo blanco with beetroot is hard to share, being a virtual liquid, but who

The duck egg yolk, piquillo and white truffle is a rich dish, a winner on looks alone. Break the sous-vided, slow moving yolk, stir it in and then ladle it mouthwards.

There’s a crunch of nuts against the unctuous egg and the piquillo pepper has been laid out like a carpet under this fine little picnic.

The truffle adds some visible poshness but is actually a bit dry and not very truffley.

A wonderful slice of homemade butifarra is so fatty it makes my heart murmur. The meat, made of sweetbreads and other unmentionables, is delicious but that fat is the thing for me.

Catalans often add white beans to

this dish, Copita adds chickpeas, a tart little piquillo, and one of those monstrous caper berries and that all works too.

Simplest of all is a strip of Iberican pork shoulder just quickly grilled and sliced. Perfectly cooked to a delicate rareness it is all about the meat – and the meat is very good.

We finish with a sweet almond cream that contains the most remarkable caramelised grapes, as well as a dusting of nuts. I’ve never eaten the like in Spain but I’d happily go anywhere to eat it again.

The empty dishes are piled up and we are done.

Copita has certainly raised a standard in Soho, although I would worry that some Copita dishes can have a bit too much oil and a bit too much going on though. You need to be careful to balance your intake to avoid feeling a bit seasick afterwards.

It’s very showy cooking designed to impress and as the yin to somewhere like Pizarro’s classic yang, Copita’s a real treat. All in all it’s another easy away-win for those Spanish invaders.

Copita

27 D’Arblay Street London W1F 8EP 0207 287 7797 www.copita.co.uk

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16/03/2012 11:51

Prices are low, but it’s easy to run up a bil through quantity when dishes are this good...

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> flavour purbeck

Purbeck Ice Cream Thick Dorset double cream, local Purbeck milk and British sugar make for award-winning ice creams...

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he Purbeck Ice Cream team continue to mix, measure and swirl some innovative new concoctions for 2012 to join the existing portfolio of entirely natural, farm-made, great British and multi award-winning ice creams and sorbets made on the farm with fun, love and passion.

New this year is Chocolate Brownie ice cream using chocolate brownies made by Lizzie and Bekki, who run a very small, cottage industry based in Weymouth. They found their brownies to be the best having tried and tasted many over the weeks leading up to the production of this super flavour. Whilst they use no eggs apart from in the Chrimbo Pud, the new Chocolate Brownie contains tiny amounts of pasteurised free-range eggs so, if you are intolerant to eggs – step away from the brownies!

Another inspirational new flavour this year is Fig & Honey, made with local Purbeck honey and delicious, juicy Turkish figs. The two flavours naturally complement one another and, when enveloped in Purbeck Ice Cream, provide the perfect balance in taste and quality.

Finally, they have introduced Gooseberry flavour, made with plump gooseberries that give a little bite to the richly creamy ice cream for those wanting a less sweet variety, but still craving a zing in every mouthful.

All Purbeck Ice Cream is made on the farm overlooking Corfe Castle in the rolling hills of Purbeck by a dedicated, small and friendly team using local Purbeck fresh milk and thick Dorset double cream, British sugar and only the very best natural ingredients, all locally sourced wherever possible with no artificial additives, no gluten or GMOs, no added colours or nuts are used – everything suitable for vegetarians. Enjoy!

Purbeck Ice Cream, Lower Scoles Farm Kingston, Wareham, Dorset BH20 5LG 01929 480090 www.purbeckicecream.co.uk

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> flavour chef profile

chef profile Name: Brian Hughson Age: 44 Where From: Liverpool Where is Home: Hamptonwick

The Dorchester 53 Park Lane, London W1K 0207 319 7027 www.thedorchester.com

Did you have any epiphanies or eureka moments to becoming a chef? And how did you start?

From a very young age, I’ve always had a passion for cooking classic British cuisine and then adding my own modern interpretation. I get a kick out of bringing back and recreating a Best of British offering and focus a lot on sourcing the best quality produce from around the British Isles. I’ve been a chef for the past 20 years and before joining The Grill at The Dorchester as Head Chef in 2008, I had previously worked in other great British establishments such as Rhodes W1, Petrus, Rhodes in the Square, Frith Street, The Savoy Grill and Mirabelle. My career has brought me challenges, but also rewards: opening two restaurants, acquiring one Michelin Star and three AA Rosettes, and also having The Grill at The Dorchester included in the Ten Best Celebrity Chef Restaurants in Top Table’s Top 100 and in GQ’s Top Ten Eateries.

to keep everyone in the team involved, so every few weeks we have a team meeting where everyone pitches in ideas and suggestions, and we co-create what will be on the next season’s menu.

What gets you up in the morning?

My job gets me up every day, I love the fact that every day is different. The Grill at The Dorchester welcomes a highly discerning crowd who know their beets from their leeks which means that we always need to be on our toes, offering that much more in terms of quality, menu and service.

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

One of my main interests in cooking is to work with seasonal, high-quality produce sourced from around the British Isles.

This results in a beautifully elegant yet contemporary menu that celebrates the Best of British cuisine. I have a very close relationship with our suppliers and travel to their farms regularly to see how the produce is herded and/or grown.

How do you avoid complacency in the kitchen?

I’m very fortunate to have such a passionate team. From the kitchens to front of house and service, everyone involved works extremely hard to ensure we are offering our guests the best we can. I also like

Strength: My biggest strength is my knowledge and experience in recreating the classic British menu and turning it into a feast for today’s palate.

Weakness: My weakness for the English beetroot! I love using this vegetable as its great for bringing together other ingredients which normally one might think wouldn’t go together.

What is your style and what does that mean?

I grew up surrounded by British ingredients and British cooking, which quickly was adapted within my cooking style.

What foods do you most enjoy working with?

Besides the obvious beetroot, I very much enjoy working with all types of seasonal British ingredients. I like listening to nature when creating a menu, and this then filters through in flavour, ensuring a dish is unique to its season.

Is the matching of foods to wine/ beer/champagne really that important to the everyday diner?

Food is enhanced by the right wine/ champagne/beer pairing so yes, absolutely.

But I do think that it also comes down to a matter of the diner’s personal preference.

What makes The Grill at The Dorchester so special?

The Grill at The Dorchester has been serving the Best of British since the hotel opened in 1931, and it is now one of the oldest Grill Rooms in London. Everything from the menu down to the Scottish decor, which references the ancestry of The Dorchester’s original owners, allows for a truly fantastic British experience.

What is the house speciality?

The quintessentially British, rib of beef

carving trolley and our salmon carving trolley. These were both offered when the restaurant opened in the 1930s but they disappeared down through the years.

When I joined in 2008, this was one of the first items which was reintroduced back to The Grill. Guests love it.

What ingredient could you not live without?

Salt.

What tips do you have for aspiring cooks/chefs?

Never give up when the going gets tough.

There will be extremely challenging moments in the career of a Chef, but if you continue to pursue your dream, there is a great sense of accomplishment waiting for you on the other side.

Has food hit its peak or do you see scope for it to get even bigger?

What will be the next big thing?

To say food has reached its peak is to say something similar to art has reached its end. People will always be looking towards experiencing food in new and different ways, and will also return to classic favourites. Different trends and discoveries do influence food to some degree, however my style of cooking is more something that people can come back to time and time again.

What is your guilty pleasure?

Chocolate.

Any interesting things about you that not a lot of people know?

Before becoming a chef, I used to work as a caster for Rolls Royce, making the Flying Lady for Phantoms.

Any other business?

To support this year’s Egg Parade initiative, the world’s largest egg hunt to raise money for Elephant Family and Action For Children, The Grill at The Dorchester has just launched its Eggs Fabergé starter on the lunch menu with 50 per cent of the dish’s cost going to support the charity.

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Flav_8_Lon_Thyme_CookerySch:Layout 1 16/03/2012 13:57 Page 52

about thyme cookery school cottages business celebrations

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ocated on the outskirts of a picture-perfect Cotswold village, Thyme at Southrop Manor is the result of owner Caryn Hibbert’s vision to create an outstanding country estate where visitors can rest, play and learn; immersing themselves in beautiful rural surroundings whilst breathing in the bracing country air.

Having spent almost ten years dedicated to restoring the old barns and farm buildings of Southrop Manor Estate into a rare combination of facilities, Caryn was recognised by the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England for the exemplary quality of her work.

Thyme at Southrop Manor, sited on what is still a working farm, now accommodates luxury cottage suites, soaring entertaining spaces, meeting rooms and a contemporary food school with the most beautifully equipped Bulthaup teaching kitchens.

In designing the content of all the cookery and foraging courses, Hibbert was inspired by the seasons and by the locale, and, unusually, has created a food school where the chefs are gardeners and the gardeners are chefs, sourcing their ingredients from the estate’s own gardens, local suppliers, foragers and producers.

The courses are all intended to boost existing culinary skills or to start pupils off on the right foot if they come

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empty-handed. And for Caryn Hibbert, that means really understanding the relationship between the food we eat and the land it comes from.

What also sets a cookery course at Thyme at Southrop Manor apart is the atmosphere and the setting: relaxed, jolly and convivial, the modern teaching kitchens with their glorious floor to ceiling windows looking out onto the olive grove garden and the Cotswold countryside beyond are perfectly designed for working together.

The courses take a variety of forms; from full days, short days and evening classes, to cooking demonstrations, food-tastings and skill-based, hands-on cookery days.

Subjects covered are diverse; visitors can learn artisan cookery skills, such as charcuterie, bread making, cheese making and chocolate craft, as well as classes focused on particular ingredients, such as game, fish and shellfish.

A particular highlight of Thyme at Southrop Manor is the opportunity for guests to take over the food school entirely, whether with a group of friends, or perhaps business colleagues, and create an entirely tailor-made day.

Being able to sample real country life, albeit in luxury, is part of the attraction of Thyme at Southrop Manor. Across the courtyard from the food school are four beautifully restored Cotswold cottages, with a further cottage located in the heart of the village, opposite the pub. Grand and slightly quirky, the five luxurious cottages can sleep from two to 14 people.

A stunning achievement, Thyme at Southrop Manor is truly a place to thrive in. It is both a hive of learning and activity, as well as a destination for rest and recuperation, nestled deep as it is in the heart of the English countryside.

Cookery Course Dates 23 March

The Foodie Bugle lectures

27 March

The Handmade Chocolate

31 March

Charcuterie with Marc Frederic

3 April

Easter Bake

4 April

Chldren's Easter Baking

24 April

Rustic Italian

01 May

Classic French

3 May

Talking... Lebanese

09 May

Crab and Crustaceans

15 May

Bread Making 1–The Handmade Loaf

22 May

English Table "Spring Thyme"

29 May

Monthly Menus

09 June

A Seasonal Forage

14 June

Thai with Bob

19 June

Italian

26 June

Preserve, Pickle and Pot

03 July

Thyme for Fish

14 July

English Table "Summer Thyme"

28 July

Men at Work "Al Fresco"

And many more…

Reader Offer

10% OFF

any cookery class if booked before end of April.

Thyme at Southrop Manor, Southrop, Gloucestershire GL7 3NX Telephone 01367 850 174 • info.thyme@southropmanor.co.uk www.thymeatsouthropmanor.co.uk

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new wine finds Nebbiolo.

This enigmatic red grape is responsible for some of the world’s finest and most long-lived wines, with a reputation for quality and complexity that is familiar to wine lovers throughout the world. Why then is Nebbiolo so rarely seen planted outside of its native north-west Italy?

Why has Nebbiolo’s global status as one of the wine world’s treasures not led to the same internationalisation as Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir or Pinot Grigio? The answer lies in Nebbiolo’s sensitivity to its surroundings, as this is a variety with a fondness for its homeland and the ideal growing conditions found there.

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he grape has an almost unique combination of high acidity, high tannin and lots of dry extract – the upside of which is wines that can age prodigiously, but the downside is that the grape needs a long and warm growing season to ripen properly. It flowers early, giving small berries with thick skins that need as long as possible on the vine to develop ripeness levels to balance the tannin and acidity. Piedmont’s long autumns may not always be hot, but they are dry enough to give Nebbiolo the time it needs – sometimes the harvest doesn’t finish until November! Another indicator of Nebbiolo’s delicate constitution is its sensitivity to the soil in which it is grown.

Ideally, the vine will be grown in vineyards with high calcareous marl content, which in turn give the wine its charming perfume and mineral density.

The heartland of high-quality Nebbiolo production is the areas of Barbaresco and Barolo in Piedmont, a region of north-eat Italy. Until the 1850s, the hills around the village of Barbaresco were used to grow Nebbiolo and produce sweet red wines of dubious quality. It took a Frenchman to

introduce them to the techniques required to make tasty dry wine and another 130 years before the revolution in quality began that established the reputation that the region enjoys today.

The vineyard area in Barbaresco (680ha) is about half the size of Barolo and the calcareous soils are at much lower altitude than its neighbour. The result is easier ripening and more open and fruity wines that are ready to drink relatively early.

While the top producers of Barbaresco can often produce stunning wines from Nebbiolo, it is in the high hills of Barolo that the best examples of this variety are to be found. Barolo, like all of the finest wine regions, is a melting pot of winemakers with different styles and approaches.

The traditional approach was to produce muscular wines of incredible density that would spend many years in large old oak barrels before continuing their development for decades in bottle, while the modernists are making wines aged in small (and new) barrels that are fullbodied, but supple and forward enough to enjoy in their relative youth. ■

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> flavour mark andrew

2009 Langhe Nebbiolo; GD Vajra (Langhe is the name of the wider region around Barolo) If you don’t want to cough up for a Barolo or Barbaresco (and they can be eye-wateringly expensive), then here’s a tip: look for the ‘Langhe’ Nebbiolo of a good winemaker. It will usually be one of the cheaper wines in their range and lighter in body, but it will still be packed full of dark cherry fruit and hints of the rose petal perfume you find in the more expensive versions. This wine is a case in point – delicious and vibrant, full of Nebbiolo character and great value for money.

Available at Roberson Wine (£22.95) or on the list at Theo Randall (W1) & Le Café Anglais (W2)

2005 Barolo; Germano Ettore This is a serious wine, full of dark minerals and leathery notes to go with the classic cherry fruit.

But it is so fragrant and elegant that it is a joy to drink right now, especially with red meat dishes like a really posh stew or a good steak.

Available at Roberson Wine (£44.95) or on the list at Fifteen (N1) & Tate Modern (SE1)

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 his Master of Wine qualification.

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Purple Balance Superfoods Purple Balance, a young, vibrant and enthusiastic company with only natural and high-quality products, has teamed up with flavour and come up with a smoothie to end all smoothies...

The smoothie of this month; a powerful and delicious antioxidant containing olive oil and cinnamon.

Purple Balance 13 Onslow Gardens London N10 3JT Call: 07904 851308 www.purplebalancesuperfoods.com

When you mix these rich, dense ingredients with fresh juices or smoothies you have a powerful drink that can enhance your energy, vitality and well-being.

Olive Oil Cinnamon Bliss INGREDIENTS Two cups of almonds milk or spring water 1 banana A handful of frozen berries 2 tsp of goji berries 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice 1 tsp of cinnamon 1 tsp of honey METHOD Add all the ingredients to a blender, start at slow pace and increase speed for the last 20 seconds. If you want to learn how you can prepare your own delicious almond milk in less than 10 minutes visit the Purple Balance website.

Battersea Park 15 – 18 Mar 2012 London

Art. Love. Home. Contemporary art under ÂŁ4,000. affordableartfair.co.uk

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16/03/2012 13:18

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...

Diary of a

r e n e d r a G n e h c t i K g, dark ured snow, frost and lon It’s started! We have end time to s nature has decided it’ winter days but suddenly several for semi-dormant and glum ‘spring’ and after lying blossom and dener can now wake up months, the vegetable gar into action. grower’s Waiting to plant is the waiting for r dle tod a of equivalent ost ‘counting the alm elf mys d fin I Santa. r of frost has fea sleeps’ until the last e people huddle san t mos disappeared. When of the morning, ial den in et under the duv t to get out. the keen grower can’t wai nings, when the On these crisp, sunny mor oolchildren sch and cars need scraping often found is wer gro veg huddle, the over the solid tramping the white carpet asional clump occ black earth, kicking the son ahead. sea the ut and fantasising abo p. It kills sto l ful ’s ure nat The frost is n any dow aks off bugs in the soil, bre early any to end heavy clods and puts an is re the st, fro the er annual weeds. Aft much to do. waking up.

Now all around, nature is the trees and on s bud There are already ds above the hea ir the g tin bulbs are lif ming, sap rising, parapet. The soil is war you know it the birds singing and before life. For the h wit e garden will explod cial. Plant cru is ing tim veg grower, e missed the too late and you will hav l still grow wil starting pistol. Things a head start had e hav l but the weeds wil g catchyin pla be r eve for l and you wil g to green eyes up – green fingers turnin seem so much nts as your neighbours’ pla e abundant. mor and ier further on, health e frost lat a and ugh tho n soo Plant too dlings see young could wipe out all your

Flav_8_Lon_Pete Lawrence.indd 73

erience and luck literally overnight. Exp efully mean you hop l wil es in equal measur wing season will get it right and your gro be long and fruitful. the potatoes.

The first job is to ‘chit’ ing them up lin es olv inv ly ial ent This ess . out This year by the shed window to spr new potatoes, of y I have a good variet n crops, which mai rty hea salad crops and of spuds from should give a succession er. I’m also now August through to Decemb outside and in ps planting my salad cro each variety of few a – the greenhouse way I can be s Thi so. or s day every ten nach, rocket spi sure of daily pickings of e, radish, tuc let and baby chard, lamb’s atering thw mou for una mustard and miz in a matter ads sal d’ min r you ow fresh ‘bl of weeks. d to be had from There’s still decent foo e of year. The the plot too at this tim delicious purple sprouting broccoli, The last of r. vou fer steamed, grows with ps look a sni par and es ato the leeks, pot bowl of steaming little weary but a nice of shredded leek mash topped with a nest hot oil until in d and parsnip, crispe l stop. Out with ful r the ano golden, marks – spring is here the old, in with the new tle with nature – so much to do. Let bat ... its awa commence, my palate

Visit Peter’s website at: www.petelawrencetv.co.uk

16/03/2012 12:26

The return of the mac

Will 2012 see a retreat to comfort food and easy eating? Nick Harman sticks his fork in…

‘The best macaroni cheese in London?’ asks a recent wide-eyed Tweet, to which the instinctive answer must be ‘who cares?’

I’m not knocking The Mac. Back when I was a student a macaroni cheese supper saw me through many an empty larder night. There was always macaroni in the house and once you’d sliced the green bits off the cheap cheddar, and wrung out the last sour drops from the milk carton, you were all set. Anyone can make macaroni cheese and at some point everyone probably has.

My mother used to make it, her culinary quirk being to thoroughly blacken the top under the grill before serving. As a result whenever I now taste burnt cheese I get an immediate Proustian flashback to visions of striking miners.

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.

Apart from being cheap food macaroni cheese is also baby food, or invalid food, soft stuff for people who aren’t up to eating ‘proper’ meals, either because their taste buds are still in their infancy or their dentures aren’t too reliable. And like last year’s easy-eating fad of burgers, it’s now being championed on social media.

It’s not quite finger food but it is simple and already other easy-eating, student grub is doubtless being eyed up for its 15 minutes of

fame. Perhaps fried chicken (not the Colonel’s though, obviously, as it’s far too working class) and maybe even doner kebabs?

People will eat the classic elephant’s leg with relish, or more likely artisan chili sauce (aymaaaayzin!), and they will actually say they enjoy scoffing it while perched precariously on a cold concrete bollard somewhere in the city centre.

The reason has to be the recession. Online foodies are mostly under 30 and the economic climate means that instead of growing up, finding a partner and getting a home, many have been forced to continue to live in shared houses. Others have even gone back to living with their parents. They have the spare cash to go out to eat but they don’t want to spend too much or be too challenged. They want to eat as a group, be on trend at all times, eat the same things and eat things that are comforting.

So stuck in post-grad limbo they are beginning to coddle themselves with the food from their earlier youth. We won’t be seeing macaroni cheese, or mac’n’cheese as it’s being tiresomely called, everywhere thank goodness, but if Twitter has its way expect to see it on many a cool new pop-up restaurant’s handwritten menu. It costs nothing to make, it’s almost impossible to muck up and hardly anyone dislikes it. The mac is coming back.

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