Flavour_SW_ISSUE_56

for people who love local food

South West | Issue 56

www.flavourmagazine.com

Flavour Saver Cut the cost of going out with our fantasic offers

HealtHy eating gUide Start the new year as you mean to go on

Plan Your Perfect Wedding

A delve into some top West Country venues

WIN!

An overnight stay at The Bath Priory

INSIDE

Your regular Greenliving edition Follow us @FlavourMagazine

Join us at Brasserie Blanc for the scrumptiously seasonal

RAYMOND BLANC SET MENU 2 courses for £11.50, 3 courses for £13.95 Add a glass of house wine for only £1.95.

Available until 7pm.

BRASSERIE BLANC BATH Ground Floor, Francis Hotel, 6-11 Queen Square, Bath BA1 2HH. Tel. 01225 303860. bath@brasserieblanc.com BRASSERIE BLANC BRISTOL The Friary Building, Cabot Circus, Bristol, BS1 3DF. Tel. 01179 102 410. bristol@brasserieblanc.com

www.brasserieblanc.com

Editor Nick Gregory Email: nick@flavourmagazine.com

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Art Director Becky Hamblin Email: design@flavourmagazine.com Advertising Miranda Coller, Director of Sales Email: miranda@flavourmagazine.com Maggie Fox, Account Manager Email: maggie@flavourmagazine.com Photography Jeni Meade

welcome

Contributors Martin Blunos, Tom Bowles, Nick Harman, Duncan Shine, Megan Owen, Mitch Tonks, Laura Roberts, Angela Mount, Rob Magnuson Smith Flavour Magazine 151-153 Wick Road, Brislington, Bristol, BS4 4HH Tel: 0117 977 9188 | Visit: www.flavourmagazine.com For general enquiries Peter Francomb Email: peter@flavourmagazine.com

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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.

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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.

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Inside...

04 WiN! An overnight stay for two at The Bath Priory 08 in Season Tom Bowles brings us the best of the season’s produce 20 Lucknam Park Cookery School Angela Mount tries out the latest venture from one of the West’s best hotels 35 Planning your perfect wedding A look at some of the best venues around the area 50 Flavour Saver Cut the cost of going out with some fantastic offers 57 Healthy Eating Guide Start the new year with some tantalising recipes full of all the right goodness

Please recycle this product.

Happy New Year and welcome to a bumper issue of flavour; full of reviews, profiles, recipes and ideas as we take on the new year and our battles with the bulge.

We are packed with more recipes than usual this issue, and that’s because I know, if you are like me, you’ll be desperate to evict those extra pounds added over the festive period. And so, our ‘Healthy Eating Guide’ (Page 57) is stacked with ideas to keep flavour, but at the same time to reduce the stodge and replace with goodness.

Another aftermath of the festive period is usually a battered wallet, so to ease the burden we have approached some great local pubs and restaurants and retrieved some special offers for you in our ‘Flavour Saver’ feature (page 50).

Just because you’ve spent a bit too much over December, it doesn’t mean you have to go completely without in January and February.

I’ve made no resolutions this year – I can’t stand failure – but I am going to make some sort of effort to cut out the rubbish from my diet. My life of two extremes (fine dining or fast food) has to be curtailed and instead of a whole bottle of red I’ll make it a half.

Who am I kidding – I’m in the wrong business for making such silly constraints! Bring it on 2013, do your best...

Well done!

Nick NiCk GrEGory

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

Martin Blunos takes to the stoves at Harveys Cellars Martin Blunos is to cook up a sherry-fuelled, latinothemed feast at harveys Cellars to celebrate a successful first year on thursday, January 24.

Martin will create a fantastic tapas-style menu using the famous harveys sherries both in his cooking and paired to dishes. With a wide range of harveys variants to suit all different moods and occasions there is a sumptuous sherry for every type of dish. tickets will be £85 for tapas and expertly paired sherries – a fantastic dining experience brought to you by one of the best chefs in the country coupled with one of our most celebrated drinks brands!

CoMPeTITIon WInneR Congratulations go to Louise Wonham from Ashcott, in Somerset, who wins a two-night break at Combe Grove Manor.

Well done!

0117 929 4812 www.harveyscellars.co.uk

RapId ExpansIon foR BRIstol REstauRant ChaIn a family run Bristol company is rapidly expanding in the south West by launching its fourth restaurant in the south West within five years despite the current economic climate.

Mezzé Restaurants, which opened its first restaurant, Mezzé at the Royal George in thornbury in 2008, has grown at a phenomenal rate and will shortly have a chain of five restaurants under its belt. the company is busy redeveloping the Warwick arms in Clutton, with a £400,000 makeover in preparation for its official launch in february. www.mezzerestaurants.com

Perfect answer for the skinny season With diet season looming in front of us, there’s never been a better time to try Marshfield farm’s skinny Vanilla ice cream. at 95% fat free, yet containing all the flavour and quality you’d expect from a Marshfield product, the skinny Vanilla ice cream offers a tempting diet-friendly option for those of us who’ve overindulged with a little too much high-cal Christmas fare. skinny Vanilla is made on the farm with organic milk produced daily by the farm’s 300 cows, and is flavoured with real vanilla pods. It’s available to buy in one-litre retail tubs (£4.99) and is suitable for vegetarians, is GM and gluten free and can be found at farm shops, delis and independents across the West Country as well as london and the south East. www.marshfield-icecream.co.uk

Win! An overnight stAy for two At the BAth Priory

Wine OF THe

MOnTH

WIN! The Bath Priory is a sublime luxury hotel located a short stroll from the Georgian city of Bath. Privately owned by Andrew and Christina Brownsword, the staff at this country house hotel are genuinely welcoming and the atmosphere emanates warmth and total comfort – making you feel as though you are a guest in a wonderful private house rather than a hotel. The award-winning restaurant, under the direction of Michelin-starred Executive Chef Sam Moody, serves superb modern European cuisine. one reader can win a three-course dinner for two guests from the à la carte menu, a full English and Continental breakfast, use of the Garden spa facilities during your stay (excluding treatments), complimentary on-site car parking and a morning newspaper. to enter, email competitions@flavourmagazine.com with Bath Priory in the subject header and your full contact details within the email body. Good luck!

this prize is subject to availability and must be taken within one year of the prize being drawn, valid sunday to thursdays excluding school holidays, Christmas and new Year.

01225 331922 www.thebathpriory.co.uk

NEW RANGE FOR BATH PIG the Bath pig Company, famous for their award-winning, higher welfare British chorizo, are now producing a variety of salami and saucisson sec. produced initially for sale at the Bath Christmas Market, the company founder Mash Chiles says, “Keep your eyes peeled for some great new products in 2013. We have been talking to a major retailer and will be releasing an exclusive range of salami and saucisson for them in early spring.” www.thebathpig.com 0800 6785823

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 high-quality wines in small quantities, aiming for something really special.

January is usually the month we decide to join the health club, to rid ourselves of the extra pounds gained during december. In 2013 why not embrace the fact that we have gained a few pounds and decide to add some fizz to our lives? We could also eat more fish (a simpler way to shift a few pounds without really noticing)! Well, bubbles it is then! plaisance is my choice, a fizz from the loire Valley produced by domaine du haut Bourg, a renowned Muscadet producer from the Cote de Grandlieu. nicolas Choblet of domaine du haut Bourg introduced me to plaisance two years ago and I loved it. nicolas produced plaisance to sell to a few friends that lived close to the domaine. With only 6,000 bottles being produced from a grape variety called Grolleau gris – a grey pinkish colour – the wine is left on the lees for nine months and undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle. plaisance has an attractive aroma of citrus fruits with hints of apricot and lychee. In the mouth the wine is fresh, with wonderful small bubbles that coat the palate. for all of you that are health conscious, try plaisance with sole, keep it simple. happy new Year to you all! stockists - dorset wine company, Clifton Cellars, the Wine shop & sommeliers Choice £13.99–£16.60.

All wines available from:

www.sommelierschoice.com

South-Sands-Flavour-ad-v3.indd 1

24/10/2012 11:14

> flavour fab foodie reads

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!

FEEDiNG orchiDS To ThE SluGS

PicK oF ThE MoNTh!

TALES FROM A ZEN KITCHEN FlorENciA cliFForD, VAlA £15.99 Florencia Clifford is a Zen cook. In this evocative and powerful book, we move seamlessly from Buddhist retreats in an isolated farmhouse in mid-Wales, to the hills of Florencia’s childhood in Argentina, and back again. She describes her experiences in sensual detail: the subtle and magical shifts in herself, the seasons, and the people around her. Along the way, she shares her insights and many delicious vegetarian recipes.

This is a journey of cooking and healing, taking us into a deep and luminous understanding of the food she prepares, and of the world around us. It tells of the growth of love, as the author learns to care for all beings, including the slugs in the title. This is an intensely felt and highly personal description of the transformation of a Zen cook’s life through cooking. Beautifully written, with flowing prose, this book will inspire anyone who cooks.

EASY WEEKENDS

A GooD EGG

BATh’S luSciouS lArDEr

NEil PErrY, MurDoch BooKS, £20

GENEViEVE TAYlor, TrANSWorlD,

lorAiNE hArE, BAlMY KiTchEN, £14

Renowned chef Neil Perry celebrates home cooking with over 100 delicious recipes for any weekend occasion. Whether you’re looking for an easy family stir-fry for a Friday night, clever ideas for Saturday dinner party menus, or a lazy Sunday breakfast, Easy Weekends has an inspiring and accessible recipe for you.

With everything from buffalo mozzarella lasagne to roast pork shoulder and raspberry and pear cake, Easy Weekends contains recipes suitable for two or four people as well as meals perfect for larger groups and dinner parties.

An incredible resource full of simple tips and techniques, Neil Perry’s Easy Weekends is a celebration of happy cooking and the memories, life, love and happiness that come with it.

PuBliShErS, £15

An egg is the simplest and most versatile of ingredients. Nutritious, rich in protein, low in fat, perfect for a quick brunch, essential for baking and key to so many starters, main courses and puddings, there is something magical about the humble egg.

Inspired to find the most imaginative ways to make the best use of her hens’ steady supply, and at the same time use as much fruit and vegetables from her garden as possible, Genevieve Taylor has created a year’s worth of recipes that are shaped by the changing seasons and are spontaneous, unfussy and joyful.

With four million people in the UK now keeping poultry in cities as well as the countryside, this is the perfect book to make use of their on-hand egg supply!

Having lived in Bath for almost half her life, Loraine Hare has come to appreciate its unique location in the midst of some of the most fertile farmland in the country. The surroundings have inspired a passion for the local ingredients that are available thanks to the dedication of local farmers and their wonderful produce.

Through this book and her recipes, Loraine shares her enthusiasm for all things local and demonstrates how ingredients produced within a 50-mile radius of Bath can be used with delicious results.

By buying locally-sourced food we can help to preserve this precious resource, enhancing our own lives as well as enabling the farmers to continue to produce good food in the right way.

7

> flavour in season

Rhubarb Originally rhubarb would be out of season until spring, although we can now enjoy a ‘forced’ variety that is grown in dark conditions producing a tender and less robust crop.

Most forced rhubarb originates from the ‘rhubarb triangle’ of Wakefield, Leeds and Morley, where soil type is very suited to its production. Not only does forcing rhubarb provide us with one of the great ingredients of winter warming recipes, but it also provides a much more vibrant, tender and less sour plant. It will need a lot less cooking and sweetening than its hardier outdoor version too. Look for bright, firm stalks with equally vibrant mustard yellow leaves. It is best to eat rhubarb fairly quickly as it will start to wilt and dry quickly.

At their best

right Jerusalem Artichoke

With no real links to Jerusalem and no relation to other artichokes, this vegetable doesn’t seem do what it says on the tin! However the proof is in the eating and here is where this little knobbly, nutty and nifty little veg more than makes up for it. If unsure it’s best to just treat them as you would a potato as they are great roasted, baked, boiled or, my favourite, as mash. When picking look for firm roots free from spots or ones that are sprouting. They can be prepared like potatoes too with the skins peeled off or left on. They are also known to discolour when peeled so a bit of lemon juice in water will cure this. They do store well in a cool, dark place for a week or more.

8

> flavour in season

Blood Orange The blood orange is a variation of the everyday orange but with a dark red tinge on both the skin and in the flesh. They are mostly grown in the Mediterranean but are more of a late winter fruit. In terms of taste, the blood orange is slightly more tart than its fellow oranges. Simply substitute them into a recipe instead of a normal orange to make deeper and darker puddings, sauces and marmalades. Enjoy them while you can as they are usually only around for a month or two at this time of year.

We all know that eating with the seasons makes for healthier bodies and tastier dishes. Each month Tom Bowles from Hartley Farm brings you all you need to know about the best produce of the month.

now

Hartley Farm Shop and CafĂŠ is located just outside Bath, selling a fresh and colourful selection of local, seasonal produce. Visit: www.hartley-farm.co.uk Follow Hartley Farm on Twitter: @hartleyFarm

Red Cabbage Red cabbage is a wonderfully warming winter veg that packs a lot of vitamins and minerals. Although it has a relatively long season that extends past the colder months, it’s often seen served-up braised with other ingredients that have the same wintery warming effects such as cinnamon and ginger, together with seasonal fruit such as apples or pears. It also lasts well once picked. It will keep for a week or two out of the fridge as I have been told that if kept in a fridge, it can lose its flavour.

When picking, check for crisp leaves and a firm feel to the main body. Red cabbage is also a great way to add a bit of colour to winter coleslaw with a bit of horseradish to spice things up.

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In Season Recipes DEMUTHs’

Jerusalem Artichoke Soup Jerusalem Artichokes do have a bad press for their ‘windy’ connotations. They contain insulin, a sugar which when digested by the bacteria in the gut produces a lot of gas. Some people are affected more than others.

I find that par-boiling them first and then discarding the water gets rid of the inulin. They have a delicious nutty flavour and make a creamy white soup and are also excellent roasted or stove cooked with onion, garlic and tomato.

ServeS 4 IngrEDIEnTs • 500g Jerusalem artichokes • 1 small leek, finely chopped • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped • 1 tbsp olive oil • 1 tsp vegetable bouillon • 750ml stock made up of half milk, dairy or soya and half water • Salt and freshly ground black pepper • 1 tbsp thick dairy cream or soya cream • 4 tbsp pine nuts, lightly roasted • Parsley to garnish

METHoD 1. Wash the artichokes, place them unpeeled in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer until the skins easily slip off – depending on size about 15 minutes – The water will become green and scummy, but don’t worry as it will be discarded.

2. Drain the artichokes, leave to cool a little and then peel off the skins, which should come off easily. Fry the leeks and garlic in the olive oil until softened. Roughly chop the artichokes and add to the leeks and garlic and fry for a few minutes.

3. Add the vegetable bouillon, milk and water, stir, bring to the boil and simmer until the artichokes are soft. Leave to cool a little and then liquidise.

4. Return the soup to the saucepan, reheat and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

5. To serve, add to the top of each bowl of soup a swirl of cream, a sprinkling of toasted pine nuts and a garnish of parsley.

Tips: the easiest way to toast pine nuts is in a small dry frying pan over a gentle heat; stir constantly as they burn very easily.

The Vegetarian Cookery school 6 Terrace Walk Bath BA1 1LN Call 01225 427938 Visit www.vegetariancookeryschool.com 10

> flavour in season recipes

THE MooDY goosE’s

Red Cabbage Soup IngrEDIEnTs

METHoD

• Unsalted butter

1. Melt 50g of butter in a saucepan. Add the onion and sweat over a medium heat until softened. Add the caraway seeds, the apples and red cabbage and fry for 10 minutes. Add the stock, wine, cranberries, vinegar and sugar. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the cabbage is tender – about 40 minutes.

Season to taste, blend and sieve.

• 1 onion, diced • 1 tsp caraway seeds • 1 apple peeled, cored and sliced • 250g sliced red cabbage • 800ml vegetable stock • 250ml red wine • 100g cranberries • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar • 1 tbsp brown sugar

2. Serve chilled in glasses and garnished with set yoghurt, dried cranberries and an apple ball or warmed with pancetta, yoghurt and a few toasted caraway seeds.

The Moody goose at The old Priory Church Square, Midsomer Norton, Bath BA3 2HX Call 01761 416784 Email info@theoldpriory.co.uk Visit www.theoldpriory.co.uk

olD Down Manor’s

Rhubarb and Ginger Mousse with Sparkling Wine Jelly ServeS 4 IngrEDIEnTs • 40g blanched ginger • 500g rhubarb pulp • 200g whipped cream • 400g Italian meringue (made using 3 egg whites and 100g sugar) • 2 gelatine leaves For THE JEllY • 400ml sparkling wine • 2 gelatine leaves

METHoD 1. Cook rhubarb and ginger to a purée consistency and add the gelatine while the mixture is still tepid.

2. Whisk the cream to a ribbon consistency. Make the meringues using the egg whites and sugar. Mix all the ingredients together and pour into moulds to set as a mousse.

3. Reduce the jelly by boiling the sparkling wine and gelatine. Leave to cool and pour over the mousse.

old Down Country Park & Manor Foxholes Lane, Tockington, Bristol BS32 4PG Call 01454 414081 Visit www.olddownmanor.co.uk 11

> flavour in season

wHolE FooDs MarkET’s Healthy Eating Specialist, Angie, loves to inspire people to eat a rainbow of colourful, nutrient-dense food.

Mixed Greens with Blood Oranges & Fennel This is an easy and perfect salad to accompany any savoury winter dinner. Its bright colours and flavours bring a celebration to the plate, demonstrating that salads needn’t be boring in 2013!

Blood oranges are packed with more than 130 per cent of the recommended daily dose of vitamin C, as well as potassium, dietary fibre and anti-ageing antioxidants.

IngrEDIEnTs • 2 blood or navel oranges • ½ very thinly sliced fennel • ½ thinly sliced red onion • Mixed salad leaves – arugula and watercress • 3 tbsp olive oil • ¼ tsp honey • 1 tbsp champagne vinegar • 1 tbsp orange juice • ½ tsp salt • Ground black pepper, to taste • Optional —1 oz Pecorino Pepato (or any hard cheese) METHoD 1. Peel the oranges and slice into ¼-inch rounds and then cut the rounds in half to form half-moon shapes.

2. Thinly slice the fennel, keeping the tops (they add extra flavour!). A great way to slice fennel is by using a mandolin.

Slice the red onion into thin rounds and then half-moons.

3. Transfer the oranges, fennel and onion to a bowl and set aside.

4. Combine the oil, vinegar, orange juice, honey and salt and pepper and drizzle over the greens. Toss well. Form a pile of the greens in the centre of the salad plates.

5. Place orange, fennel and onion on top of the salad and shave 3-4 large pieces of the Pecorino Pepato over the greens (leave out if you choose). Serve immediately.

whole Foods Market Gallagher Retail Park, Tewkesbury Road, Cheltenham GL51 9RR Facebook facebook.com/wholeFoodsCheltenham Twitter @wfm_cheltenham Call 01242 542950 Visit www.wholefoodsmarket.co.uk 12

W NE ted i Lim ition Ed

e Win on e of thes

Have a healthy new year with our delicious new 0% Fat Yeogurt!

We’re giving away a personalised Wildflower Planting Kit by Plantabox every day with our new Lemon & Poppy Seed Yeogurt.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO FIND OUT MORE WWW.YEOVALLEY.CO.UK

YF5911 Lemon&PoppySeedsLtdEd_Flavour Magazine Ad_PRO_02.indd 1

13/12/2012 09:54

Jon Thorner’s

the

butcher’s

tip

Jon Thorner is the founder of Jon Thorner’s Ltd and is South West Chairman of the Q Guild of Butchers association. The awardwinning businessman has a farm shop near Shepton Mallet, five butchery counters across the South West and makes fantastic pies...

Jon Thorner’s Bridge Farm Shop Pylle, Shepton Mallet Somerset BA4 6TA 01749 830138 www.jonthorners.co.uk

Twitter: @JonThorners Facebook: Jon Thorner’s

casseroles & pot roasts The pace tends to slow down after Christmas and the focus is on staying at home and saving the pennies. So the new year becomes the perfect time to enjoy casseroles, pot roasts and slow-cooked dishes.

These types of dishes are perfect because as you stay indoors to banish the winter weather, you can slowly cook a delicious meal. They also lend themselves to the cheaper cuts of meat available, helping you budget for the weeks ahead.

Some fantastic alternative meal ideas are: Pot roasting using brisket of beef Steak pie, using slow-cooked braising steak Pork hock stew Replace your usual roasting joint for belly pork Braised lamb shank Homemade oxtail soup The slow cooking times bring out the best in these cheaper cuts by ensuring the meat is beautifully tenderised to create a delicious meal. These meals are also perfect for making in volume and freezing for a later date, when you don’t have as much time to cook.

Although these cuts are considered the ‘cheaper cuts’ this does not reflect in the taste. If you use a local butcher you trust, any cut you choose should be good quality.

Your butcher will also be able to offer you interesting and diverse cuts of meat, to keep your menus exciting, something your nationwide supermarket will not.

PoT-roaSTed BriSkeT in Beer WiTh ParSniPS & muShroomS 1-1.25kg/2.25-2.75lb boned and rolled brisket 5 tbsp vegetable oil Large knob of butter 2 large onions, halved and sliced 2-3 celery sticks, finely chopped

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2 carrots, sliced 200-250g/8-9oz large flat mushrooms, thinly sliced 500-550ml bottle brown ale or stout A few fresh thyme sprigs 2 bay leaves 1-2 tsp light muscovado sugar 500g parsnips, cut into wedges 1 tbsp Dijon mustard Chopped fresh thyme, to serve Preheat the oven to 190ºC/gas mark 5/ fan oven 170ºC. Wash and dry brisket and season. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a deep casserole and brown beef all over.

Remove from pan. Turn down heat, add butter and fry the onions, celery, carrots and mushroom stalks for 6-8 minutes.

Return beef to pan and add beer, thyme, bay leaves and sugar. Add water if necessary so the liquid comes about two-thirds up the beef. Season, bring to a simmer, cover tightly, and cook in the oven for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 160ºC/gas mark 3/fan oven 140ºC and cook for 2 hours, turning twice, until tender.

An hour before the beef is done, toss the parsnips in oil, season and roast on a baking tray above the beef for 50 minutesan hour until tender, turning once.

Turn oven up to 190C/Gas 5/fan oven 170ºC. Lift out the beef, tent with foil and keep warm.

Stir the parsnips and mushroom caps into the beef juices. Check seasoning; add water if needed. Cover and cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes until mushrooms are tender.

To serve, use a slotted spoon to remove vegetables and arrange round the beef. Spoon off the excess fat from the juices, then whisk in the mustard and pour into a jug. Moisten the beef with a little juice and scatter with thyme.

askachef: Q

Do I need a special tagine cooking pot to make Moroccan food?

Helen Long, Clifton The short answer is no! A tagine or tajine is the special earthenware pot with the cone or domed shaped lid that is typical of the region and is designed so that condensation from the cooking returns to the dish. But tajine is also the name for the style of cooking: Moroccan slow-cooked stew – usually lamb or chicken — left at low temperature so the result is tender and aromatic meat. So long as you use a casserole dish that has a lid, this should do the business just as well.

Q

What’s the best rice to use for making risotto?

Thomas Hannell, Bath Risotto is one of those dishes that should be a doddle to make – a quick, supper dish for a busy cook – but don’t be fooled! It relies on two things: time to stand over the cooker and stir it, and the right kind of rice. The two main contenders are Arborio rice – a short-grain, stubby type of rice named after a town in the Po Valley – and Carnaroli, a medium-grained rice grown in the Vercelli province of northern Italy.

Both have a higher starch content than normal rice (Carnaroli has the higher content) which means its holds its shape and texture when cooked and the result is a creamy but firm and chewy dish. I favour Carnaroli which is superior and available pretty widely. Don’t forget to finish off your risotto with a knob of butter and a good amount of Parmesan stirred in just before serving.

Q

It sounds so easy but I am hopeless at whisking egg whites.

They are either too sloppy or I over-whisk them. What am I doing wrong?

Matthew Tolley, Thornbury Whisking egg whites is not as easy as it sounds – a bit like when people say “I can’t boil an egg.” That too is one of the hardest skills to get right. There are a couple of rules about egg whisking. Firstly make sure that you use a good-sized bowl, because egg whites need air. Secondly make sure there is no grease – so the whites must contain NO yolk at all, and your whisk and bowl must be squeaky clean and dry before you start.

Once the whites start to thicken, slow down the whisking. For folding into other dishes such as puddings or soufflés, the whites need to be in soft peaks.

For meringue, the peaks need to be firm enough that the whites don’t slip out of the bowl when you tip it, but don’t be too cautious – it’s better to over-whisk than under.

Chris Staines Chris Staines is the Chef/Patron at Allium Brasserie in Bath, which opened in June 2012 and is already winning awards. Chris is a former Michelin star holder at Foliage at the Mandarin Oriental in London.

Q

Restaurants always seem to offer dishes with a jus.

How do I make one of these?

Laura Fern (Keynsham) Jus comes from the French Au Jus meaning with its own juices. It’s a way of using the flavours of the meat that have come out during the cooking process as an accompaniment and to moisten and enhance the flavour of the dish. Depending what you are making, remove the meat from the cooking or frying pan and set aside to relax, then you can add stock and wine to the juices. Season and flavour with fresh herbs and then let it boil until it has reduced by three quarters and become thicker. Check it for seasoning and then pour it over each serving of meat on the serving plate.

Q

I want to try and eat healthily after the over-indulgence of Christmas.

What’s best to keep colds (and weight) at bay?

Oliver Coates, Shoscombe Good plan! Christmas is a fantastic feast of food, but festive fare is not known for being very low calorie or nutritious. In the new year you need a bit of a detox, but you also need to be eating well to boost your immune system and keep energy levels up.

Because we had such a disastrous harvest last year, some of the winter staples are in short supply, and expensive, but you can still make the most of produce that is abundant at this time of year. Be guided by what the supermarket seems to have a lot of.

Abbey Hotel, North Parade, Bath BA1 1LF – 01225 461603 – www.abbeyhotelbath.co.uk 15

> flavour celebrating 100 years

The Bristol Hippodrome 2012 has been a remarkable year for The Bristol Hippodrome theatre, culminating in a recent celebration on Sunday, December 16.

For it was on this day in 1912 that this glorious and much-loved theatre opened its doors for the very first time. In front of a packed and expectant house, the curtain rose with a performance of Sands of Dee, an amazing water spectacle in which enormous waves broke across the seashore and horses dived into 100,000 gallons of water to the rescue of Mary, the heroine.

international fame as Cary Grant. Many other famous names have performed at the theatre including Morecambe and Wise, Laurel and Hardy, Frank Sinatra, Peter Sellers and Marlene Dietrich to name but a few.

A unique feature of the auditorium and one, which, unlike the water tanks and glass screen still survives – is the dome in the roof above the stalls, which could be slid open to reveal the night sky above.

This still happens on occasion!

Bristol’s West End theatre, as it has become known, has played host to several premieres over the years and in more recent years World Premieres have included Windy City in 1982 and English National Ballet’s The Nutcracker in 2002.

But who could forget the spectacular World Premiere of Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s co-production of Mary Poppins in 2004?

Many stars have trodden the boards at the theatre. Shortly after the war, a young Bristol boy called Archibald Leach joined the Hippodrome staff as a callboy.

Later on he joined a company who were appearing there – Bob Pender’s troupe of acrobats. With them he sang, danced and juggled and when they went to America in 1920, Archibald Leach went with them.

He stayed on in New York after the troupe returned to England but followed them after two years of odd jobs. He was back in New York however in 1923 in an Oscar Hammerstein musical comedy and after some stage work moved to Hollywood where of course he achieved lasting

Now owned by the Ambassador Theatre Group, the staff are hugely proud that it is the company’s flagship venue out of the 39 within their portfolio. The Bristol Hippodrome continues to flourish and goes from strength to strength. 2012, the theatre’s centenary year, has proved no exception and a loyal and enthusiastic public flocked to see shows such as Thanks For The Memories (the theatre’s centenary show), Phantom Of The Opera and Disney’s The Lion King and with fantastic musicals such as Oliver!, 9 to 5 The Musical, Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Hairspray already selling well for 2013, there’s no stopping this grand old lady!

Without the Hippodrome, the people of Bristol would be deprived of so much that is lovely, for it is a frame which presents the theatrical arts to perfection.

Dame Anna Neagle

For tickets call 0844 871 3012 Visit www.atgtickets.com/bristol

> flavour celebrating 100 years

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> flavour pre-theatre dining

The Bristol Hotel The Bristol Hotel is ideally located within five minutes’ walk of the famous Bristol Hippodrome and the historic Bristol Old Vic. In terms of pre-theatre dining The River Grille is open from 6pm and two-course (£19.95) and three-course (£24.95) table d’hôte options are offered, together with the full a la carte if preferred.

With an enviable location minutes from the Bristol Hippodrome, the Radisson Blu Hotel, Bristol provides the perfect place to stay when attending a theatre performance. Begin the night with a delicious meal from Filini Restaurant’s Rapido pre-theatre menu, and return after the show for a relaxing nightcap in the bar.

Filini is an Italian and Sardinian restaurant located on the first floor of the hotel where the emphasis is on good quality, home-cooked Italian food. You can enjoy a relaxing meal with family and friends and views overlooking the waterfront are magical at any time of the year.

The pre-theatre rapido menu is a great way to enjoy some Italian favourites when you are on a time frame to go and watch your favourite show at the Hippodrome and is available from 12pm–7pm every day of the week (apart from Sundays).

Radisson Blu Hotel & Filini Restaurant Broad Quay, Bristol BS1 4BY Telephone: 0117 9349 500 Email: filini.bristol@radissonblu.com www.filinirestaurant.com/restaurantbristol

The Bristol Hotel Prince Street, Bristol BS1 4QF Telephone: 0117 900 7818 Visit: www.doylecollection.com/bristol

the devilled egg < flavour

A new year, a new you at The Devilled Egg Kitchen Academy We all know that January feeling. We’ve overdone it on the chocolate and cheese, sat on the sofa for hours on end, and now it’s January, a month when motivation can be difficult to muster. Which is why The Devilled Egg Kitchen Academy has launched a series of classes designed to help you kick-start 2013.

Learn something new in the kitchen If your new year’s resolution is to learn something new, their series of courses throughout January and February could be what you are looking for.

First up on January 16 is the ‘New Year, New You’ course, specifically designed to teach you some new and exciting recipes, as well as exploring seasonal produce and a herb and spice tasting to teach you which flavour combinations work and why.

Or, if you want to get back to basics, the four-week ‘Basics in the Kitchen’ course starts on February 6 and is designed to give you a foundation course in cookery.

From a simple stock to a classic bread recipe and much more, buy all four sessions and you get one free.

The Devilled Egg also recognises that more and more people have a food intolerance to deal with. Dairy-free and gluten-free courses will help people to understand their food intolerance and make delicious food and substitutes.

Finally, if you have been longing to learn more about foods from around the world, they will be covering everything from Thai to Vietnamese cooking – visit the website to learn more.

The Devilled Egg Kitchen Academy Latchford House 8 Downfield Road Clifton BS8 2TH Call 0117 973 2823 Visit www.thedevilledegg.com

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> flavour luckham park

Wine writer and keen cook Angela Mount takes up a day’s instruction at Lucknam Park’s latest offering…...

Lucknam Park W

hen I got the call to review the stylish, new cookery school at Lucknam Park, I was filled with both excitement and trepidation. Yes, I know about wine, and I know about food.

I love cooking and I think I do a fairly decent job for friends and family and I love experimenting with flavour combinations and ideas – but that’s in my own kitchen.

It’s a whole different game when faced with the prospect of going back to school and learning from a great chef, especially when I’ve had no formal training.

But that’s exactly the reason why the prestigious Lucknam Park Hotel has launched its new cookery school. On a frosty December morning my hapless fellow student (you cook in pairs) and I drove through the gates of the magnificent Lucknam Park estate and swept along the gravel drive, past the imposing mansion and over to a charming period house, which has recently been converted into a state-of-the-art cookery school.

After a warm welcome we were led upstairs to the beautifully appointed changing rooms to get into our chef’s whites and aprons. The interior of the house is modern and supremely elegant, while the kitchen/teaching area and dining room is slick and stylish, yet practical, created by designer Stephen Graver with cutting-edge appliances and ovens from ATAG. Opened only a few weeks ago, Lucknam Park Cookery School already has a packed programme of courses, from ‘Michelin star cooking at home’, to a range of courses covering meat, fish, patisserie, pasta, vegetarian and kids courses. In addition, and somewhat uniquely, there are five different and fascinating courses on Indian cuisine, from each corner of the country, plus one on ‘Indian street food’.

Which brings us to the man who heads up the cookery school, the very charming and engaging Chef Hrishikesh Desai, better known as Kesh. Kesh has been Head Chef of the Michelin-starred restaurant and Rosette-starred Brasserie at Lucknam

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Park for eight years and is now in charge of the cookery school. His objective is to teach his students new skills, to get them to learn something new and to lose the fear of experimenting with cooking. In his words: “It’s all about learning about flavours, skills and the basic ingredients, learning what you can do with them and then enjoying the satisfaction of creating something special. I want people who come on this course to start to have confidence in the way they cook.”

He is the perfect teacher; never patronising; he was encouraging, enthusiastic and gave us confidence, yet he kept us on our toes and made us work and learn. With great humour, an easy style of teaching and an infectious smile, he began to impart some basic cooking techniques. A modest man, it was only a couple of hours into the course that we learnt that, not only had he won the Roux Scholarship in 2009, which led him to work and train in some of the top restaurants in the world, including the renowned French Laundry, in California, but he had then gone on to win the highly contested ‘National Chef of the Year’ award in 2010!

The courses run from 9am to 4pm; I was attending the ‘hot and cold canapés’ course. Courses are for up to 12 people and are a combination of teaching demonstrations by Kesh, showing prep and cooking skills and techniques, with practicals, where we then had to try to replicate what he had made look easy!

All the ingredients are prepped, and trayed up in a very professional manner for we poor students to try our best.

delicious chive-infused cream cheese.

Melt-in-the-mouth rum and raisin financieres were a suitable finale.

The concept of working as a team by cooking in twos is brilliant. You engage, you learn, you enthuse, you giggle, you become very competitive and there is such ridiculous pride in the results.

After all this hard work, we were treated to a lesson in mixology from Lucknam Park’s resident barman, who blended an amazing passionfruit martini for us to enjoy with the canapés that we had worked so hard to produce.

The best part of these courses is that you get to sample and enjoy what you have prepared. We had a delightful lunch where we enjoyed the food that we had somehow created and cooked, and revelled with pride. And we were given gourmet doggie bags to take away!

What did we learn? Techniques for a start. I now know how to chop an onion finely and efficiently. I know why you need to cook flour properly in a roux for choux pastry, and I’ve also learnt that with a little bit of preparation I can do a great deal of the prep for these delightful morsels in advance.

Kesh is a superb teacher and a fount of knowledge. His ethos is to learn the basics, understand flavour and keep it simple. In the words of my cooking partner on the day: “I can’t wait to get home; I’m inspired to cook.”

I can’t wait to get back to learn more.

So what did we cook? Amazingly, between us, we managed to create 12 different canapés and party food dishes; Kesh taught us that from one batch of bread dough, you can create three different canapés; the same works for pastry. We discovered the art of marinading, both Indian and Turkish style, and we made choux pastry and naan breads. Highlights for me were the delicately spiced Indian chicken kebabs and the simply sublime Gruyere cheese gougeres, piped full of

Courses cost from £175 per person and include lunch. Courses run daily Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm.

Lucknam Park Colerne Wiltshire SN14 8AZ Call 01225 742777 Visit www.lucknampark.co.uk

Amazingly, between us, we managed to create 12 different canapĂŠs and party food dishes

> flavour martin blunos

THE TALE OF THE STONE LICKER He’s back! Martin Blunos pops home to enjoy one of Latvia’s favourites…

Having not graced this publication for some months now I feel it’s time to get back in the saddle and tell of my journeys into the big wide world of food.

I’ve mentioned before that as a chef you never stop learning, whether it’s a new technique, gadget or an untried or untasted ingredient.

It was on a recent visit to Riga, the capital of Latvia, home of my parents, that I had the (new to me) task of preparing, cooking and eating lampreys – eel-like fellas about a foot long. They are parasitic fish with odd-shaped mouths, cartilage instead of bones and they’ve been around since the dawn of man and have evolved very little in that time. The Latin name means ‘stone licker’. The rivers that fed the Severn were once teaming with them till we messed things up with ‘progress’ (you’re more likely to catch a shopping trolley than a lamprey) so now, if you want them, you have to go further afield.

So further afield I went. My last trip to Latvia was back in 1981 when the Baltics were still occupied by the Russians.

Arriving in a much-changed Riga on a snowy, late December evening I drove with chef and good friend Martins Ritins

(a second generation Latvian like myself, but unlike me he went back to set up shop in the motherland). Motoring through the city to his restaurant ‘Vincents’ we chatted as, in true tour guide style, he pointed out the old and new landmarks.

What he doesn’t know about local ingredients, suppliers, hotels and the restaurant scene in Latvia is not worth knowing about. Pretty much every top-end eatery in Riga has a chef or waiter that has passed through Vincents with the guiding hand of Chef Ritins.

The team at Vincents are a hard-working happy bunch of lads and lasses, all of whom were cracking on with prep for ‘Terra Madre’ day, a biggy in the slow food movement’s calendar and a movement that Martins is heavily involved with.

The celebratory nine-course menu had lamprey on as one of the dishes. So I was lucky to get some ‘stone licker’ action prepping, cooking and eating them!

I first came across lamprey some years ago while filming a series for HTV on medieval food. Berkeley Castle was the backdrop and I touched upon the mysterious lamprey when recalling (well, reading from my brief) that King Henry I back in 1135 popped his chainmail clogs from eating too many of them!

Not much of a USP for them was it?

Perhaps that’s why they fell out of favour!

Back in 1976, when I started in this industry, I wouldn’t have imagined that in late 2012 I’d be adding to my repertoire with a lamprey dish cooked two ways – poached and grilled – with the flavours of black tea, bitter coffee and rich mustard.

My ‘bit’ on the menu was my take on borsch soup, which I learned from my mum who in turn learned from her’s (just around the corner from where I was – who’d have thought it!).

Staff food got dished up at around midday, with the whole team from kitchen to the office to the waiting staff helping themselves from piled high dishes laid out across the hotplate. Over the years I’ve seen all manner of ‘grub’ for the crew. From egg ‘n’ chips (a luxury) to boiled rabbit shoulders (basically the remnants of a mighty fine rabbit stock) and everything in-between. This typical staff meal consisted of hot dill-boiled potatoes, soused herrings, beetroot salad and black rye bread. All very civilised and eaten, pre-service, en masse in the restaurant, very nice it was too and a little different from the norm. The day went well and, although short, I really enjoyed my time. Watch this space as I hope to have more tales from ‘back home’!

Follow me on Twitter: @martinblunos1

One of the South West’s most talented chefs, Martin Blunos was born and brought up near Bath, his parents having come to England from Latvia just after the Second World War. He has held two Michelin stars for more than 15 years and appears regularly on television and radio with slots as guest chef on BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen with James Martin, BBC Market Kitchen, ITV Daily Cooks and ITV’s Saturday Cooks.

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> flavour martin blunos

If you want to try a Baltic lunchtime treat here’s my recipe for soused herrings.

PICKLED SOUSED HERRINGS INGREDIENTS • 6 herring fillets, skin on • 3 heaped tbsp sea salt • 500ml white wine vinegar • 180g caster sugar • 1 medium white onion, very thinly sliced • 2 medium carrots, very thinly sliced • 3 bay leaves • 1 small sprig fresh dill, roughly ripped • 8 black peppercorns • 6 juniper berries • ½ tsp fennel seeds • ½ tsp coriander seeds • 1 tsp mustard seeds METHoD Lay the herring fillets skin-side down on a plate, sprinkle the sea salt over their flesh side and leave them to firm up for at least an hour, two hours if possible.

Combine the vinegar, sugar, onion, carrots, bay leaves, peppercorns, juniper berries, fennel, coriander and mustard seeds in a pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for two minutes then set aside to cool. Add the ripped dill.

Once your herring are nice and firm, rinse the salt away, pat dry with kitchen paper and cut the fillets in half. Take a mediumsized jar with an airtight lid and put three pieces of herring in the bottom. Place a handful of the cooked onion, carrots and dill on top. Repeat these layers until the jar is full.

Pour the spiced vinegar into the jar until it is three-quarters full. Give the jar a gentle tap to remove any trapped air and settle, then pour in more spiced vinegar to fill.

Seal the jar and store in the fridge without opening for at least a week. Once opened, refrigerate and consume within 1 week.

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The

George Wedmore

A little bit of luxury in the beautiful Somerset village of Wedmore

Come and enjoy one, or all three of our roaring log fires.

Fantastic local fare, ales and fine wines.

Our food ingredients are sourced as locally as possible, and seasonal produce is put to full use by our award-winning head chef Richard Sampson and his team, allowing us to create great tasting food whilst maintaining variety.

Call now to reserve your table, or make a weekend of it in one of our beautiful rooms.

Visit us online www.thegeorgewedmore.co.uk or call us on 01934 712124 10% off all food bills for flavour readers, just let us know upon booking.

Book now for Valentine’s Day Five courses, including canapés, chocolates and bubbly from £29.99pp Available 14th–16th February 2013

> flavour xxxxxxx

Marlborough Marlborough, or should we now call it ‘Royal Marlborough’ having schooled the lovely Duchess of Cambridge, is just off the M4 corridor and if you haven’t yet visited the area, you should. This classic Wiltshire market town is steeped in history and as such features great architecture, a town centre that oozes character and an abundance of great shops, pubs, restaurants and hotels. There are also inviting cafes, delis and the butcher’s shop there to lull you in with tempting sights and smells — all fit for a princess...

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> flavour marlborough xxxxxxx

The Castle & Ball Marlborough A regular contributor to CAMRA magazine Pints West, Duncan Shine champions the virtues of real ale and traditional cider.

M

arlborough, for those who don’t know it, is a beautiful and historic market town. It predates Roman times, boasts the olde worlde magnificence of the Merchant House and Marlborough College, and is surrounded by beautiful Wiltshire countryside.

Nowadays, the town is popular with tourists and shoppers alike, with a plethora of small independent shops offering diverse and varied ‘retail therapy’ opportunities. The High Street is apparently the widest such thoroughfare in Britain and here, about halfway along on the northern side, is the Castle & Ball Hotel.

The Castle & Ball Hotel High Street, Marlborough, Wiltshire SN8 1LZ Call 01672 515 201 Email 6422@greeneking.co.uk Visit www.oldenglishinns.co.uk/ marlborough/index.php 26

Dating in its current guise back to the 15th century, the first thing that strikes you about the Castle & Ball is the five pristine white columns that give the place a grandiose, unashamedly oldfashioned air. The uneven brickwork of the upper storeys is actually a more accurate reflection of the history of

the place, but the mini-colonnade probably gives a better clue to the ambience of the 21st-century hotel.

For, as you enter through an unfeasibly wide front door, you are greeted by a throwback to an Agatha Christie novel.

Immaculately dressed people are taking afternoon tea in front of a real fire in the lounge to your right. You just know one of the couples is revealing a vital clue to Miss Marple at this very moment.

To the left is wood panelled flooring, and a bar offering sweet and savoury treats as well as the usual array of beers and wines. The decor is of oakbeamed ceilings and gentle beige walls, adorned by a mix of modern art pieces and old local photographs.

Up a couple of steps opposite the entrance is a plushly carpeted dining area and the hotel reception (35 beautifully appointed rooms, some with four-poster beds,

> flavour The Ring O’ Bells

Raise a glass to...

give an idea of the deceptive scale of the place), then round to the left a much more formal restaurant.

The food is uncomplicated but imaginative, with the main menu offering traditional pub fare of steak; Hunter’s smothered chicken, roasted cod loin and chicken tikka masala. But there is also a succulent venison burger, or a good choice of vegetarian dishes.

From the restaurant area there is a narrow and uneven alleyway back to the bar at the front of the hotel.

The low ceiling here caught me out, and it was only as I was sheepishly rubbing my forehead that I noticed that most quintessentially English of signs: ‘Duck or grouse’.

To refresh the thirst of slightly cranially dented patrons such as myself, The Castle & Ball offers real ales from

the Greene King stable, with IPA and Abbot Ale being complemented by Morland Old Speckled Hen which is a legacy of the old Morland brewery in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, but these days is, like all Greene King beers, brewed in Bury St Edmunds. There is also a house beer called Castle & Ball Ale, provenance unknown.

Formal functions and conferences are catered for, and there is also a delightful and secluded walled garden to the rear. There is a patrons’ car park accessible through an archway directly from the High Street.

The Castle & Ball Hotel is entirely in keeping with the upmarket but unpretentious gentility of the town of Marlborough. A haven of conversation, uncomplicated treats and the ideal place to pause and pretend it is 1930 and a body is about to be discovered in the billiard room!

Greene King IPA (3.6%) It is increasingly rare to get a relatively low-strength beer these days, and often the ‘entry level’ beer from national brewers is designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator of taste.

Not so with this complex pale ale.

There’s a hint of currants and other dried fruit, but also a real hoppiness to it. There’s also a subtle and gentle aftertaste that seems to say ‘See, no harm done, have another!’

Greene King Abbot Ale (5%) A real premium beer oozing character.

This one is rightly famous the world over and always seems to appear in those ‘great beers of the world’ books. Full of fruitiness, this beer goes through a longer than usual brewing process which gives it a much smoother, richer flavour.

Morland Old Speckled Hen (4.5%) Originally brewed in Abingdon, this beer was moved to Bury St Edmunds during the 1990s, but has continued to be widely available ever since. Worth noting that the cask version is not as strong as the bottled variety, the cask version has a pleasant toffee flavour to complement the fruit that is present in most Greene King brews. The overall bitter maltiness and dry aftertaste make this a moreish pint indeed.

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> flavour marlborough

Kingston, Marlborough, Wiltshire SN8 3SD The Barleycorn Inn Collingbourne Call 01264 850368 Email barleycorninn@hotmail.co.uk

The Barleycorn Inn pride themselves on providing locally sourced products on a seasonally changing menu.

Some of the favorites to look out for are the ‘slow roast pork belly served on fresh mash potato with black pudding and a red onion jus or the game pâté, made fresh with chicken livers and locally-sourced game, fresh from local shoots.

They also offer a high standard of bed and breakfast at competitive rates in their converted ‘old brew house’.

Throughout the dark winter months there is a large inglenook fireplace to warm yourselves with one of their hand-pulled ales or a glass of fine wine.

Great food and good service in a friendly country pub in the picturesque village of Collingbourne Kingston should see you right!

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> flavour marlborough

RamsbuRy bReweRy Ramsbury is an award-winning microbrewery established in 2004 and part of Ramsbury Estates, a long-established farming business based just outside of the village of Ramsbury, straddling Wiltshire’s beautiful Kennet Valley.

With the estate growing excellent barley and having its own impressively pure source of water, it was a natural decision to revive the area’s 200-year-old tradition of using these fine ingredients to produce exceptionally good real ale.

2013 will be an exciting year for the brewery. They have started the building works on their new site for a brand new, state-of-theart brewery and distillery. This will be accompanied by a brewery shop and a visitor centre with the aim to organise regular tours, introducing the art of brewing and distilling to the public. So next time you are visiting the Marlborough area pop in for a chat.

bring this article with you and receive a 10% discount on purchases. www.ramsburybrewery.co.uk stock Close Farm aldbourne, wiltshire sN8 2NN Telephone 01672 541407

The Swan aT wilTon Worth the Walk

The Picturesque village of Wilton with its windmill and duckpond is nestled beneath the Downs close to both the ancient Savernake Forest and the Kennet and Avon Canal. Surrounded by beautiful walks and noted for its excellent food, local ales poured direct from the casks behind the bar, traditional cider, impressive wine list and relaxed atmosphere, The Swan has it all to offer.

The décor is unfussy, with wooden floors, dried hops and farmhouse furniture. There is also a pretty beer garden with picnic benches.

The food is traditionally British and the menu features classic pub fare as well as some more innovative dishes. Many ingredients are local and the menu changes daily, featuring handmade terrines, pies and chutneys as well as fresh fish and local game.

The Swan Inn Wilton, Marlborough, Wiltshire SN8 3SS 01672 870 274

www.theswanwilton.co.uk 29

> flavour brace&browns

Clifton local Rob Magnuson Smith’s little stroll ended in big flavours...

brace&browns G

rowing up in England in the culinary dark ages of the 1970s, the word tapas would have been as foreign to my tongue as ‘British cuisine.’ How times have changed. These days you can find tapas everywhere – and Great Britain’s food, at long last, has become great once again. At impressive Clifton newcomer brace & browns, you can celebrate British classics in true tapas style; small plates that punch above their weight and at flexible price points to suit a variety of appetites and budgets.

I visited the restaurant on a Saturday night. I brought along my friend Leah – a local girl who manages one of Bristol’s leading charity shops, appreciates the value of food, and most importantly knows how to eat. We walked up Whiteladies Road and found our restaurant on the bottom floor of a semi-detached Victorian, recessed in a dimly lit courtyard. Inside, the place was busy and boisterous, with a cheerful racket of ice clinking in cocktail shakers. The wallpaper pays tasteful tribute to iconic British products – Golden Syrup, HP Sauce, Marmite.

I headed for the bar and ordered the house special, the ‘dizzy goose’. This drink came in a tantalising flute and blends Grey Goose vodka, St. Germain elderflower liqueur, and fizzy water, garnished with a sprig of mint. “That’ll clean your palate,” Leah said, and it did.

Our server guided us to our table in the main dining room, where young professionals chatted in large gatherings.

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The ambience was open, festive, and candle-lit. The menu offered a range of ordering options (1 for £4.75, 3 for £13.50, 4 for £17.50, 10 for £40), divided by categories of ‘meat’, ‘vegetarian’ and ‘fish’. I was momentarily addlebrained by the pricing grid.

Ingredients were locally sourced and fresh. The portions of these ‘small plates’ were much larger than I expected, and at the end of our meal I must have looked defeated! “We have to get pudding,” Leah said. She gazed into the kitchen without fear.

After a brief huddle, like a mixed doubles tennis team preparing a serve-andvolley attack, Leah and I calculated our ordering strategy. First we decided on the 1997 Chateaux Tagac Margaux. This wonderful Bordeaux is an old favourite of mine. Bone dry and earthy, with top notes of tobacco and stone, the wine proved surprisingly resilient to the many powerful tastes it would encounter.

You don’t argue with the manager of a charity shop. I nodded obediently – and ordered a glass of vintage port along with chocolate fondue, a creamy tower of rich chocolate topped with carmelised honey lattice. Leah went for the Christmas pudding. Since I’m the critic I was allowed a bite. The pudding was a decadent, compact little number with high concentrations of sugar and spice, presented on a slate platter alongside a wodge of ‘Christmas pudding ice cream’ and mini mince pie. She paired her dessert with a Late Harvest Moscatel; fruity, tightly structured, with hints of fig and raisin.

Our food came out all at once. The emphasis at brace & browns is clearly on presentation – and while there were a few questionable choices, the collective effect is impressive. The wild mushroom soup arrived in a Hendricks Gin mug and proved full-bodied and rich. The tempura prawns sizzled inside a miniature version of a deep fat fryer. The mussels, in their cider and cream reduction, occupied a tiny stainless steel bucket that stayed warm and accessible to multiple crusty bread dips. The sea bass fillet, possibly because it had been wedged into a tiny ornamental saucepan, came to the table overcooked. The asparagus and pea salad, on the other hand, bursted with flavour inside its earthenware crockery.

The fillet of beef – deliciously rare, thinly sliced, and salty – poked seductively from its bed of Yorkshire pudding.

Brace & browns opened its doors in April 2011. After some early minor setbacks the restaurant has become a hit. You might struggle to get a table, but you won’t struggle to leave satisfied. Here in Bristol you can enjoy tapas dining while sampling the best cuisine of our newly great food destination, Great Britain.

Brace & Browns 43 Whiteladies Road Bristol BS8 2LS Call 0117 973 7800 Email info@braceandbrowns.co.uk Visit www.braceandbrowns.tumblr.com

The portions of these â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;small platesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; were much larger than I expected, and at the end of our meal I must have looked defeated!

> flavour chef profile

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> flavour chef profile

chef profile Name: Dougie Bonar Age: 46 Head Chefs at: The Kilted Chef Where from: Edinburgh Where is home: Portishead – soon to be Bath!

The Kilted Chef 7a Kingsmead Square Bath BA1 2AB Call 01225 466688 Visit www.kiltedchef.co

I have always wanted to be a chef, following inspiration from my mother, an amazing cook, and inspiration from my great-grandmother, who was pastry chef to the Queen Mother at Glamis Castle.

From working with my brother-in-law in Edinburgh, I then got an apprenticeship at the Caledonian Hotel in Edinburgh, before moving to work at The Savoy in London. I opened my own restaurant in Edinburgh in the mid-’90s, where I gained a Michelin Red M and Double Rosettes.

Our specialty must be the Scottish venison with the haggis fritters – we can’t keep up with demand – a great combination of the sweetness of fruitfed deer, and the savoury, spicy haggis.

My home smoked Scottish lobster finished with a citrus butter also sells fast and brings a delicious smell throughout the restaurant. In the next few weeks, my Arbroath smokie soufflé will be returning to the menu after so many people have asked for it back.

The Kilted Chef is an independent, and judging by our customers, this is what a lot of them look for when choosing a restaurant these days. We are also a British cuisine restaurant, again, something that a lot of our customers really like. We’ve a proud food heritage, and I think over the last few years, what with television endorsing this, people are keen to see restaurants use local and regional cuisine on the menu. Top this with a restaurant environment that has a contemporary feel suitable for either a special romantic meal or a family Sunday lunch, and attentive professional service – we are delivering what local, regional and even national customers want and this makes it a very special place.

I like to remember that I’m cooking for the public and not for myself. Cook to people’s requirements. If they want a well-done steak, cook them a well-done steak. I want people to enjoy and get what they ask for, not leaving anything on the plate, and certainly not cooking it to how I think it should be served. But it doesn’t matter if you’re cooking for five or 500, if you’re not organised, tidy and well managed then you’re not going to cope. With a lot of restaurants now doing just tasting menus and nothing else, we offer full à la carte as well as tasting menus, set-lunch menus and pre-theatre menus, which can put more strain on the kitchen, but with 30 years’ experience then you are wiser to know how to cope and manage the situation.

People eat with their eyes, so sure, you want their food to look attractive, but it also has to have taste. There’s no point in beautiful food that tastes like cardboard.

As our restaurant strapline says, I produce ‘classic flavours, reassuringly contemporary’, combining traditional cooking methods with a modern delivery.

I love cooking with game and seafood because with seafood you have such a huge variety of fish and shellfish to choose from, and the game from Scotland that I use has a beautifully natural, earthy taste that gives the dishes I produce a rich, individual depth of flavour.

Look out for Burn’s Night at The Kilted Chef. Och aye! We will probably have the only homemade haggis in Bath, a secret recipe of my own, as one of the four courses for our special Burns Night Supper Menu, which also includes the Selkirk Grace, parade of the haggis, Immortal Memory and of course a piper!

Being in a kitchen from 8am in the morning to 1am the following morning six days a week for the last three months, means I’ve not seen too much of Bath just yet, but what I have seen reminds me of my home town of Edinburgh, and I can’t wait to move here.

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l Awarded 2 AA rosettes for

food excellence l Featured in The Michelin & Good Food Guides l Al fresco restaurant of the Year Bath Good Food Awards

2 course lunch for just £12 Available Monday to Friday.

You can enjoy a 2 course set lunch for just £12.

Or 3 courses for £15.

Steak Nights at The Marlborough Tavern Monday 4th Feb, and the 1st Monday of every month.

Grab yourself a juicy local steak for just £9.95 - and wash it down with a cracking bottle of red for the same great price.

35 Marlborough Buildings, Bath BA1 2LY 01225 423731 reservations@marlborough-tavern.com www.marlborough-tavern.com

> flavour cookery schools

Weddings Now that all your Christmas and New Year marriage proposals have hopefully been accepted, you may want to start thinking about where to hold that special day. Well, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done the hard work for you and put together some fantastic venues to make the big moment in your life just perfect...

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> flavour wedding venues

The Walnut Tree Hotel Weddings at the Walnut Tree Hotel, Somerset are a speciality. They fully understand the complexities of the organisation and have perfected the art of creating spectacular and impressive wedding days — the type of which memories are made.

They have a mix of rooms; an intimate wood-panelled Chaucer Room, The Avon Room with its modern style and the larger Somerset Room. They can cater for up to 100 in their Sedgemoor Suite or smaller parties in five other private function rooms.

They pride themselves on the level of care and attention provided by their team to ensure a special day to remember. They can assist in the complete service including seating plan, wedding cake, cars, photographer and flowers.

One-stop Wedding Fair, Sunday 3rd March 10.30am to 3.30pm The Walnut Tree Hotel North Petherton, Somerset TA6 6QA Call 01278 662255 Email reservations@walnuttreehotel.com Visit www.walnut-tree-hotel.co.uk

Winford Manor

Award-winning Winford Manor is a stunning hotel with 22 rooms, set at the head of the beautiful Chew Valley. After restoration, Winford Manor is a blend of old and new, sitting comfortably together in a relaxed and peaceful environment – a perfect venue for any wedding with an emphasis on environmental awareness and accessible services.

Sitting in 7.5 acres of stunning parkland, it has ample space for a marquee if desired, breathtaking scenery for your precious photographs and extensive car parking for all your guests.

As every wedding is unique, their dedicated wedding coordinator will meet with you to discuss your requirements in detail. From the moment you arrive, the friendly, professional staff will be on hand to ensure that the day runs smoothly and that your special event is truly memorable.

Winford Manor has a ceremony licence and welcomes even the smallest of ceremonies. Visit the website for details of their special all-inclusive offers – a few dates available for 2013.

Winford Manor Winford Manor Hotel, Winford, Bristol, BS40 8DW Call 01275 472292 Email reservations@winfordmanor.co.uk Visit www.winfordmanor.co.uk 36

> flavour cookery schools

Brasserie Blanc The reinvention of a Bristol icon

If you ask any Bristolian what the first building is that springs to mind when you say ‘wedding’ it would probably be the old registry office – countless happy couples from the West Country have passed through its hallowed halls.

What many don’t know is that this beautiful set of buildings, which has been lovingly restored by Raymond Blanc’s Brasserie company, has a much older link with the church, or churches, as the case may be.

The former Quaker meeting hall now houses Brasserie Blanc, and connected to this iconic building are two beautiful 13th-century monastery halls – Bakers and Cutlers – complete with stone mullioned windows, gloriously high arched ceilings and original oak beams which seem to soar into the heavens.

This collection of classically beautiful Bath stone buildings is now comfortably ensconced in the high-end Quakers Friars, a contemporary urban redevelopment of the city centre.

Run by Blanc Events, a division of Brasserie Blanc, the halls have remained true to their heritage and have maintained a license for civil ceremonies.

With two fabulous function halls and a private dining room, all with their own entrances, the B&C halls offer flexible spaces perfect to tailor to any event. And with a dedicated function kitchen manned by Raymond Blanc’s chefs, the venue offers everything you need to make that special day the happiest of your life.

Halls are open for viewing most days as long as you ring ahead to make an appointment, and a dedicated function manager will answer any queries you may have.

Brasserie Blanc The Friary Building, Cabot Circus, Bristol BS1 3DF Call 0117 910 2410 Email bristol@blancevents.com Visit www.blancevents.com 37

> flavour wedding venues

Stanton House Hotel Surrounded by beautiful landscaped gardens At Stanton House Hotel they understand the excitement and feeling of not knowing where to start that comes with planning your wedding…

That’s why they are hosting their annual Wedding Fayre, held on Sunday, March 3.

This will be their 10th annual fayre and will be bigger and better than ever! It’s the biggest wedding fayre in Swindon, with over 50 exhibitors and lots to see and do all day long. Come and view Stanton House Hotel and the beautiful grounds, chat with wedding experts and suppliers and speak to experienced and knowledgeable wedding coordinators Cheryl and Cathy, who will be on hand to talk to you in more detail about your perfect day.

Country House Gazebo Surrounded by beautiful landscaped gardens, the gazebo creates the perfect setting for your English garden ceremony. Your guests will gather to witness your special moment underneath the picturesque gazebo with the backdrop of St Leonard’s Church with views across Stanton Lake and Park.

Visit their website for a comprehensive breakdown of all the fabulous packages Stanton House Hotel has to offer.

Stanton House Hotel The Avenue, Stanton Fitzwarren, Swindon SN6 7SD Call 0843 507 1388 Email weddings@stantonhouse.co.uk Visit www.stantonhouse.co.uk 38

Charingworth Manor The Cotswolds

The perfect Cotswold manor house hotel in warm Cotswold stone, Charingworth has commanded views over idyllic rural Gloucestershire countryside for 700 years. Every one of the 26 bedrooms has recently been carefully refurbished to the highest standard; offering contemporary style, all-new beds and duvets, plasma TVs, tea and coffee facilities and, most importantly, fabulous bathrooms.

With its stunning location, Charingworth Manor is an exceptional location for your special wedding day in the Cotswolds.

The hotel is fully licensed for civil ceremonies for up to 85 guests, and the choice of three different function suites means they can cater for wedding parties from an intimate gathering of 30 to wedding receptions for up to 120. The variety of wedding menus and packages will help you find the one that suits you.

Pose for photographs in the stunning gardens with views unparalled anywhere in the Cotswolds, and for summer weddings, make the most of the special event marquee.

Best of all, they are there to help you with all your plans. Call the Events Manager who will take you through all the details of the wedding packages, and work with you, right up until the moment you leave as husband and wife. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We would like to thank everybody at Charingworth Manor who made our wedding just the most perfect day. We had such a great time and so did our guests.â&#x20AC;?

Charingworth Manor Charingworth, Nr Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire GL55 6NS Call 01386 593555 Visit www.classiclodges.co.uk/Charingworth_Manor_The_Cotswolds 39

> flavour wedding venues

L ast Minute Offer For June 2013

Saturday 8th and Saturday 15th June 2013

Only £75.00 per guest To include a glass of prosecco and canapés on arrival, a three course wedding breakfast served with wine, a glass of prosecco to toast the bride and groom and late night food The offer also includes a Complimentary DJ Plus…

Upgrade to Exclusive use for only £7,000 reduced from £9,000!

Quote “Your Bristol and Somerset Wedding” to receive your complimentary Bridal Suite!

CHARLTON HOUSE SOMERSET

Shepton Mallet | Somerset | BA4 4PR | T 01749 342 008 | F 01749 346 362 enquiries.charltonhousehotel@bannatyne.co.uk | www.bannatyne.co.uk

Minimum of 60 Guests and on the above dates only.

Leith’s-trained

Wedding Caterer Canapés, B uffets, Waited Service, Outdoors Hen and Stag Weekends Competitive prices (VAT exempt) “Your food was amazing and service fantastic”.

“Many thanks for helping make the day such a success. the food was lovely and your staff superb”. request a quotation now!

Email: Jo@JoannaParker.co.uk Or call Jo on: 07951 514 172

www.JoannaParker.co.uk

www.JoannaParker.co.uk 40

> flavour wedding venues

Combe House Devon For rural romance and irresistible charm

As you weave your path through the chocolate box beauty of Gittisham, with its thatched cottages, village green and babbling brook, and along the elegant drive to Combe House, the clamour of the modern world diminishes to barely a whisper.

or exchanging vows before a crackling log fire in stirring Elizabethan surrounds during a candlelit winter ceremony.

Rich in timeless beauty, the striking Elizabethan manor is flanked by dense woodland gardens, magnificent cedar trees and 3,500 acres of idyllic countryside grazed by horses and roamed by pheasants. The house crowns a sublime vantage point overlooking miles of rolling hills and wooded valleys, the heights of Dartmoor on the horizon.

It’s an achingly romantic venue for a wedding. Imagine supping on Champagne as horses gallop across the valley and the sun sets over Dartmoor,

What’s more, the team at Combe House take a highly personal and entirely flexible approach to weddings and do their utmost to incorporate your ideas and requests.

With its enormous fireplace, carved oak panelling and 18th-century portraits on the walls, The Great Hall is an atmospheric backdrop for a civil ceremony. Alternatively, a series of dining rooms offer intimate and equally distinctive ceremony settings: breathtaking views come with exquisite details from ornate chandeliers to beautiful hand-painted murals. The nearby Church of St Michael’s makes an enchanting option for a church ceremony.

For celebrations exceeding 100 guests, a marquee reception may take place before dreamy vistas on the croquet lawn. The head chef will tailor a menu utilising the cream of local produce; that which isn’t sourced from the kitchen garden comes from a select group of top-quality local suppliers.

There are 16 light and airy bedrooms, each oozing individual character and effortless elegance, while the newlyweds may choose the pure escapism of the thatched cottage to spend the wedding night.

Tucked away in the woods, this charming little retreat is set within a private walled garden; a stunning synthesis of original features and contemporary furnishings makes it a breathtakingly beautiful place to commence married life.

Combe House Hotel & Restaurant Honiton, Nr Exeter, Devon EX14 3AD Call 01404 540400 Visit www.combehousedevon.com 41

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

Here’s the ca ch

How to... cook fish on a budget

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

By the end of this month we’ll know whether we have won the Fish and Chip Restaurant of the Year and so my mind is drawn to that dish which is such an enduring favourite in Britain. Because we are in the new year I thought maybe a lighter version of the batter and a smaller portion might be more on the cards, so I’ve gone for tempura batter.

This is a great way to serve prawns and the crisp, light batter really locks in the juiciness of the prawns perfectly. You could make up a sweet chilli jam or jelly to dip these tasty little bites into, but I also like to dip them into a little heap of salt and pepper, giving a bit of a kick and punchiness and not taking away from that fresh prawn taste. Enjoy! © Mitch Tonks.

RockFish Grill & Seafood Market Fishmonger, food writer, restaurateur www.rockfishgrill.co.uk www.mitchtonks.co.uk www.twitter.com/rockfishgrill 42

> flavour mitch tonks

Tempura Prawns with Salt & Pepper IngredIenTs • 24 large raw prawns • 4 tbsp plain flour • 4 tbsp cornflour • A small bottle of sparkling mineral water, straight from the fridge • 1 tbsp ground salt • 1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns Image courtesy of Peter Cassidy

• 1 tbsp black peppercorns MeTHOd 1. Prepare the prawns by removing the heads and peeling off the shells, leaving the last segment of the shell and tail intact as these go crispy, are packed with flavour and are delicious to eat. They also make good grips to pick up the prawns with.

Remove any dark veins running down the prawns. To make the batter, mix the two flours together well, then whisk in the cold sparkling water in a steady stream until the batter is the texture of double cream.

2. To make the dip, put the salt, the Sichuan and black peppercorns into a small frying pan and toast gently while shaking the pan. There will be a wonderful aroma. Place the roasted spices in a pestle and mortar or a spice grinder and grind until fine.

3. Heat vegetable oil in a deep-fryer to 190ºC, making sure you use clean oil (you can use a saucepan half full of oil and heat it until a cube of bread turns golden in 6-7 seconds when dropped in). Give the batter a final stir, hold each prawn by the tail,

dip it in the batter, and drop it into the oil.

Cook 3-4 at a time – if you add more the oil will cool down and the batter will become soggy. They will take 3-4 minutes to cook.

The batter may not turn golden, especially when fresh, clean oil is used; instead it will be crisp, firm and white. I always give the basket a shake as I add each prawn, to stop it sinking to the bottom and knotting itself to the basket. Lift out the prawns when cooked and drain on kitchen paper.

4. To serve, lay out 4 plates and place a napkin on each. Put the salt and pepper dip into 4 small dipping bowls, espresso cups, egg cups, or just in a pile on the edge of the plate. Put some prawns on top of each napkin (if you wish, you can garnish with parsley and a small wedge of lime). Enjoy!

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> flavour old down bistro

flavour’s Maggie Fox found a little piece of magic just a short drive from Bristol ...

Old Down Bistro O

ld Down Bistro may not be an obvious choice for a Saturday evening’s dining, being home as it is to the Old Down Country Park’s café during the day. However, It transforms, as we discover, into a fine dining bistro by night. This was our first visit and, having negotiating the South Gloucester country roads in the dark, this became a voyage of discovery that only added to the sense of occasion.

From the courtyard car park you pass through the ornate iron gateway and down a meandering lantern-lit pathway that directs you to the imposing stone-built barn, home to the bistro – the seasonal effect of entering a winter wonderland is striking. On entering through the large oak doorway, you are greeted by the open-plan layout of the building with its exposed stone walls, high wooden-beamed ceilings, subtle lighting and candlelight, and the smell and warmth of the logs blazing and crackling in the two wood burners.

I settled back into the leather settee by the bar area with a glass of rather fruity Rioja from the comprehensive wine list, while my partner opted for a pint of local real ale as we perused the menu. The Old Down Bistro prides itself on using as much locally produced meat and seasonal produce as possible, a lot of which is either grown or raised organically on the Old Down Estate. The menu certainly reflects this; ranging from poached and roasted local pheasant, braised Gloucester Old Spot pork and pan-fried sea bream to steak and seasonal starters such as roasted parsnip soup and locally produced cheeses.

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Our table, complete with subtle candlelight and freshly cut flowers provided the perfect setting, while a selection of homemade sourdough breads served in a cute white chef’s hat complemented our initial delight. The staff here are both friendly and knowledgeable and not once were we hurried and nothing was ever too much trouble.

I started with the home-cured ‘gravadlax’ of salmon wrapped around a beetroot salad accompanied with a dill mayonnaise.

Served against the backdrop of a jet-black slate plate this was engaging in sight, taste and smell, all told making it a very pleasing dish. My partner chose an elegantly layered ham hock terrine with toasted brioche and a sweet tangy apple cider chutney. I had to have a nibble on this as it looked divine and, as I discovered, it also tasted amazing. I especially liked the spring onions enveloped in the middle and the Parma wrap. Bring on the mains!

I opted for the rump steak with grilled portobello and dressed salad leaves, which included a gorgeous creamy Béarnaise sauce and triple cooked chips, stacked like Jenga bricks; golden brown and crunchy on the outside and flirtily fluffy on the inside.

This was without a doubt one of the best steak and chips I have ever eaten! A simple dish transformed elegantly with thought and care.

My partner, torn between the local pheasant and the rabbit, opted for the latter and was delighted he did. A poached and roasted saddle, rabbit pastiche, garlic

fondant, pancetta, artichoke purée and an Armagnac jus combined to produce a tender and succulent bite, while the sweet, earthiness of the artichoke contrasted and complemented the rich, fruity flavour of the jus. So many different flavours on one plate and such good value for money at just £14.50.

I am a big rhubarb fan so my dessert choice was a no-brainer. I was intrigued and latterly delighted by the rhubarb crumble baked Alaska topped with rhubarb sorbet, while my partner’s traditional bramble and almond tart with clotted cream ticked all the boxes.

Compliments go to head chef Manuel Perez-Monzon. The food is of the highest quality and the portion sizes were more than adequate and great value.

This is an adult venue in the main (no kids’ meals), so if you’re planning a special occasion, group booking or just fancy a romantic dinner for two you’d better book early, as I am sure once the word gets around about this very talented chef, this bistro is going to get very busy.

Old Down Bistro Foxholes Lane Tockington Bristol BS32 4PG Call 01454 414958 Visit www.olddownbistro.co.uk

This was without a doubt one of the best steak and chips I have ever eaten! A simple dish transformed elegantly with thought and care

> flavour spotlight

PLYMOUTH An emerging dining destination...

Moorland Garden Hotel located on the edge of dartmoor, just a few minutes from Plymouth city centre, a friendly welcome awaits you at this country hotel set in nine acres of moorland garden. recently refurbished, the Moorland Garden Hotel now boasts modern suites, bedrooms with garden views and family and dog friendly accommodation. the Wildflower restaurant and dartmoor Bar offer deliciously seasonal menus using locally sourced ingredients. the beautiful Crystal room, with its 12 chandeliers, ornate mirrors, and the four state-of-the-art meeting spaces, offer events for up to 160 guests.

Moorland Garden Hotel, Yelverton, dartmoor, devon Pl20 6da 01822 852245 stay@moorlandgardenhotel.co.uk

www.moorlandgardenhotel.co.uk

rock salt cafĂŠ & brasserie

This unassuming newcomer is both cafĂŠ and brasserie, popular with the local community and those out for a special meal.

The staff are cheery and chef David Jenkins manages to produce everything from an all day breakfast, brunch to impressive evening food.

From bacon butties to seared Brentor venison, hazelnut maple-glazed parsnips and red cabbage.

Rock Salt Cafe & Brasserie 31 Stonehouse Street Plymouth PL1 3PE 01752 225522

www.rocksaltcafe.co.uk 46

> flavour celebrating a centenary

100 Years of Hotel Star Ratings As people start to think about this year’s holiday, one of the most exciting but stressful things is choosing the right hotel. The simplest way of gauging what a hotel is like and the type of hotel it is, is by looking at the star rating.

The 1913 guide did not feature any of the London hotels.

It’s common knowledge that a one-star hotel will provide an informal, basic standard of accommodation while at a five-star hotel guests will benefit from more luxurious accommodation and a range of extra facilities during their stay. However, very few of us stop to think how this system of rating hotels came about or how long it has been used. 2012 marked the centenary of the AA Hotel Ratings scheme, so it’s at least 100 years!

Good quality hotels have been recommended by the AA almost since its inception in 1905. In 1908 about 1,000 of the leading hotels in the UK worked with AA scouts to provide information for motorists on places to stay, which was then listed in the 1909 handbook. By 1912 it was felt that a more critical approach was necessary to indicate the kind of hotel that was listed. The then AA Secretary, Stenson Cooke, had once been a wine and spirit salesman and felt that the star rating of brandy would be a familiar yardstick to apply to hotels. In his words, ‘a really decent, average, middle-class hotel’ would merit the standard three stars. The 1912 AA Handbook carried details of the new ratings and by the 1913 AA Handbook the hotels listed carried the star ratings.

More recently, in collaboration with VisitBritain, VisitScotland and VisitWales, the AA developed Common Quality Standards for inspecting and rating accommodation on a rising scale of one to five stars. These standards and rating categories are now applied throughout the British Isles.

The latest version of the AA Hotel Guide has details of over 3,500 establishments ranging from intimate, personally run establishments to elegant country houses, fashionable boutique hotels, five-star rated hotels and over 500 budget hotels.

In the 1913 AA Handbook there were around 1,375 hotels listed; 20 of these hotels were rated as five star, five of which still appear in the current AA Hotel Guide – The Grand Hotel, Brighton; The Majestic Hotel, Harrogate; The Midland Hotel, Manchester; The Spa Hotel, Tunbridge Wells and The Royal, York. Sixteen of the five-star hotels were in England and four were in Scotland. The guide did not feature any of the London hotels.

The AA Hotel Guide 2013 is available from all good bookstores as well as The AA Shop priced £14.99. Also available as an app from iTunes and Android stores.

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> flavour oz clarke

Angela meets Oz

By AngelA Mount

O

z Clarke, the nation’s best known and favourite wine presenter and writer, braved the rain and the storms to visit Bath recently, popping in to Great Western Wine to see the new shop and sign a few books, before hosting a tasting at Topping’s bookstore, for over 100 enthusiastic guests.

Oz was in the South West to promote his new books, Bordeaux - a New Look at the World’s Most Famous Wine Region, and his highly popular, annual paperback My Top Wines for 2013, which includes his top 100 red and white wines from wine merchants all around the country. Guests at the Topping’s tasting were treated to an entertaining evening, with Oz at his eloquent and engaging best, talking them through his love affair with Bordeaux, with the team from Great Western Wine on hand to provide the accompanying wines.

Angela Mount is a wine expert, writer and presenter. Probably best known for having her taste buds insured for £10m by her former employers Somerfield, she is passionate about helping wine drinkers discover new and exciting wines. She also writes and presents events about wine and food matching, judges at all the major UK wine competitions and chairs the judging panels for the Bristol and also the Bath Good Food Awards.

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Oz fell in love with wine at Oxford University, but his early career was on the stage, starring in big West End shows such as Sweeney Todd and taking on the role of General Peron in Evita. However, his fascination with wine and his incredible palate soon led him to become known as ‘the actor who knows about wine’; he leapt to fame on the BBC Food and Drink programme in the 80’s and never looked back! As he told me: “The best bit of my job is talking; I love talking to

a live audience, communicating with them, being passionate about what I’m talking about and getting them involved.”

In choosing the wines for his top 100, Oz tastes through the year and selects with the reader in mind. As the front cover states, these are all ‘delicious, good value wines to try tonight’, a mix of what the readers can already relate to and some which push the boundaries, but that he thinks his audience will love.

Oz’s natural enthusiasm is infectious and he has a simple message to encourage more timid wine drinkers to experiment.

“Work out what wines you enjoy, be that by country or grape variety, and then start to experiment within that. You don’t have to be too brave too quickly, but exploring wines slowly will start to increase your confidence.” He stressed the importance of talking and sharing views on wine: “Wine is a pleasure, it’s sociable and it’s for sharing. So make friends with your local wine merchant, learn from them, taste the wines and trust their suggestions – they know their wines!”

> flavour oz clarke

oz Clarke’s favourites from great Western Wine Tasting notes from My Top Wines for 2013

Anselmi San Vincenzo 2011, Italy, £11.95 ‘Anselmi wines have never been better. This is a wonderfully original wine, smelling of ripe russet apples, baked pears and savoury custard and tasting of pear and pineapple syrup that’s rich but doesn’t cloy, and is cut by a spritzy tingle and the acid of boiled lemons and russet apple peel.’

Heartland Shiraz 2009, langhorne Creek, Australia £13.50 ‘The remarkable Limestone Coast flavours are still there: eucalyptus, rosemary, lemon, verbena acidity, intense blackcurrant – and these are mixed with a black purple scent, black treacle and licorice bittersweet depth from Langhorne Creek. Well worth a try.’

Iona Sauvignon Blanc 2011 South Africa £12.50 ‘Iona is one of the most southerly Sauvignon Blanc vineyards in South Africa, its vines getting the full blast of the cold, drizzly winds that swirl about the bottom of the continent. These growing conditions produce good tangy whites, with even a slight spritzy prickle on the tongue, yet the wine is full and ripe. But it’s ripe green fruit, not tropical ripe: ripe green apples and greengages and the soft citrus chewiness of boiled lemons.’

Quinta do Crasto Douro Red 2010, Portugal £10.95 ‘Quinta do Crasto has mastered the art of making red Douro table wine a thing of beauty, while many of its neighbours continue to overcomplicate and over-oak the stuff. This is an utter delight: scented with jasmine, bulging with ripe black plums, mulberry and blueberry fruit with the slightest tug of chewy tannin...’

yealands Black label Sauvignon Blanc 2011, nZ £10.75 ‘Yealands’ vineyards are in the Awatere Valley district of Marlborough. It’s cooler and windier down there and the grapes always retain a really snappy, tangy, green quality but they are not raw. This is an appetisingly ripe wine, but it’s a green ripeness, with green apples, green pepper, gooseberries and greenskinned pears, along with scrunched-up blackcurrant leaves and a couple of freshroasted coffee beans.’

All wines are available from www.greatwesternwine.co.uk

Champagne Jacquart Brut Mosaique nV, £25.00 ‘They call this Mosaique because its made up of different wines from a whole mosaic of vineyards in the two best Champagne zones – the Montagne de Reims and the Cotes des Blancs – and most of them are grand cru or premier cru, the top sites. But that’s not all. This is a non-vintage wine and 20 per cent of the blend is of old reserve wines kept back to add richness. Add to that a period of three to four years when the wine lies on its yeast lees, soaking up the creamy softness they exude and, well, you’ll be getting thirsty. But it really works. There are so many mellow flavours flickering in and out of the wine.’

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flavour saver

Stanton House Situated in the charming village of Stanton Fitzwarren on the edge of the Cotswolds, Stanton House Hotel is a classic Country Manor House with a modern twist.

Surrounded by beautiful gardens designed by Gertrude Jekyll in the 18th century and overlooking Stanton Lake and Park, it offers the peace and tranquillity that is craved in today’s world, while delivering all the comforts that you would expect from an AA HHH hotel.

Enjoy a three-course meal in Yakiniku @ Mt Fuji Restaurant, traditional Japanese indoor barbecue.

Offer available until February 28th (16th, 18th and 23rd February excluded). Bookings subject to availability, Reception will confirm availability at time of enquiry. Bookings via telephone only.

Stanton House Hotel The Avenue, Stanton Fitzwarren, Swindon SN6 7SD Call 0843 507 1388 Visit www.stantonhouse.co.uk

FLAVOUR SAVER DiNNER, BED & BREAkFAST FOR TwO iN A CLASSiC DOUBLE OR TwiN ROOM £99

Old Down Country Park Nestled within the Old Down Country Park and Manor’s 66-acre estate, a truly relaxed dining experience can be had at Old Down Bistro – housed in a beautiful old barn with a canopy of exposed beams, a warm and inviting atmosphere, friendly staff and delicious food expertly infused.

FLAVOUR SAVER 15% OFF FOOD iN JANUARY & FEBRUARY .

Thursday to Saturday from 7pm to be used in One voucher per table and not . Booking essential. conjunction with any other offer

Old Down Bistro is proud to support and promote the achievements of its neighbouring farmers, who provide the delicious locally reared meat for the table, while the team of expert gardeners work relentlessly to provide a rich bounty of tender vegetables and sweet, juicy seasonal fruits.

Old Down Bistro Foxholes Lane, Tockington, Bristol BS32 4PG Call 01454 414958 Visit olddownbistro.co.uk

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flavour saver

The Queens Arms The Queens Arms, Corton Denham is three miles from Sherborne and tucked into the hills forming the dramatic Somerset-Dorset border. with eight individually designed, luxurious rooms, AA Rosette food and an award-winning drinks list, The Queens Arms offers a chic rural getaway for those in search of something a bit better.

Terms and conditions apply.

The Queens Arms Corton Denham, Sherborne, Somerset DT9 4LR Call 01963 220317 Email relax@thequeensarms.com Visit www.thequeensarms.com

FLAVOUR SAVER

2-NiGHT MiDwEEk DiNNER, BED & BREAkFAST PACkAGE wiTH ½ PRiCE SECOND NiGHT, SAViNG £82

FLAVOU SAVER

R

S’ 3-NiGHT D wEEkEN , DiNNER D BED AN T S A F BREAk w E iTH PACkAG iRD THE TH EE, R NiGHT F £110 SAViNG

The Catherine Wheel Real ale, great food, beautiful surroundings Cosy up in The Catherine wheel, which has a warm and inviting ambience, enhanced no end by the gentle heat from the log burner and the murmuring of contented diners.

Using local produce when available – all food is freshly prepared. A variety of eating areas are available, including an elegant dining room which seats up to 30 and weather permitting, a lovely little patio.

Three comfortable en suite guest rooms with TV and tea and coffee making facilities.

FLAVOUR SAVER

15% OFF FOOD iN JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2013 On production of this voucher

The Catherine wheel The High Street, Marshfield SN14 8LR Call 01225 892220 Visit www.thecatherinewheel.co.uk 51

flavour saver

The Winford Arms The winford Arms is an award-winning, traditional country pub just outside Bristol that offers a warm welcome, great pub food, a good range of ales and beers and an exceptional atmosphere.

R AVE S R

FL

U AVO 6.95

S £ RSE U CO R 2 7.95 SES O F £ UtaRrters, week. s CuO ry 2 f 3 Rw men eossertsye-Tvheursday.

O F Ne nd 2 d onda a M ains alid 2 m ff e r v O

This building has been around since the 1800s and retains all the charm and character of its era – although the facilities have, of course, been modernised. There is a large garden with a children’s play area on pleasant days and ample parking too. The menu has been created to appeal to a broad range of tastes and is based on the ‘traditional’ pub menus of the past, with a few innovations thrown in.

Situated just five minutes from Bristol Airport, with outstanding views of the surrounding countryside and close to the glorious Mendip Hills, a paradise for walkers who often frequent the winford Arms for refreshment.

The winford Arms Bridgwater Road, Bristol BS41 8JP Call 01275 392178 Visit www.winfordarms.co.uk

The Moody Goose at The Old Priory Situated in the market town of Midsomer Norton and just a short drive from the cities of Bath, Bristol and wells, The Old Priory is reputed to be one of the oldest houses in Somerset and dates back to the 12th century when The Priory was founded.

A wood-burning stove and original stone flooring welcomes guests into the cosy lounge during the cold winter months, while the award-winning Moody Goose restaurant provides guests with a splendid atmosphere in which to dine and relax. The kitchen specialises in modern English cuisine and the menus are changed regularly to reflect the seasons, featuring fresh local produce where possible.

The Moody Goose at The Old Priory Church Square, Midsomer Norton, Bath BA3 2HX Call 01761 416784 Visit www.theoldpriory.co.uk 52

FLAVOUR SAVER

FiRST BOTTL E OF wiNE HA LF PRiCE FOR ANY TABLE O T wO O R M O F R EATiNG FRO E M THE à LA CA RT E MENU. Valid Tuesday to Fri day in January and February.

flavour saver

> flavour xxxxxxx

The Upton Inn The Upton inn is a traditional country pub serving good, old-fashioned pub food in the beautiful village of Upton Cheyney, near Bitton.

AV UR S

ER

O FF FLAV15% O BiLL UT AL

TOT UGHO& Y O THRANUARARY J BRU FE

The Upton inn have worked really hard on their new menu and are pleased to announce that it is now available. Pop in and give it a try.

Not only do they have a fabulous new menu, they also offer a quiz night and curry with a BiG CASH PRiZE every Monday, a steak night on Tuesdays and Fresh Fish Fridays, bringing you a vivid taste of the sea.

our g in dinin or bar n e wh aurant rest

The Upton inn Brewery Hill, Upton Cheyney, Bristol Call 0117 932 4489 Visit www.uptoninn.com

The Natterjack Inn The Natterjack inn is the perfect place to cosy up for Sunday lunch with the family, dinner with friends or a candlelit supper for two.

Food at The Natterjack inn is well renowned and the hospitality secondto-none. For the perfect break you can retire to one of the five beautiful bedrooms in the recently converted Old Cider House.

Each room has its own style, blending antique furniture with retro prints to create a luxurious and yet homely feel.

A warm welcome, wonderful food and Casque Mark real ales await you at The Natterjack inn.

The Natterjack inn Nr Evercreech Junction, Evercreech, Somerset BA4 6NA Call 01749 860253 Visit www.thenatterjackinn.co.uk

FLAVOUR SAVER

TwO NiGHTS B&B DOUBLE OR TwiN FOR £130 iNSTEAD OF £160; OR £160 wiTH AN EVENiNG MEAL FOR ONE OF THE NiGHTS. Offer is

valid February and March, and must be pre-booked.

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flavour saver

> flavour saver

The Fox at Broughton Gifford There is nowhere better to enjoy fabulous food than at The Fox at Broughton Gifford. widely regarded as one of the county’s premier dining pubs, included in The Good Pub Guide, The Michelin Guide and Alistair Sawday’s Pubs and inns, The Fox sources locally and also grows an extensive amount of their own produce, including rearing British Lop pigs, chickens and ducks – younger members of the family will love it.

FLAV

UR SAV A TABLO ER MORE ET OF TwO OR H A T LEAST T HAS AT wiLL REwO COURSES BOTTLECEiVE THEiR SO ½ PRiCFE wiNE January.

Champag Feburay exclud es ne Monday & dessert wine s. s evening s only

You are even able to wander around the smallholding that is situated behind the beer garden. The Fox goes that extra mile in searching for excellent ingredients, and the quality of their weekly changing menus reflects the commitment the young team has to keeping to their high standards.

The Fox Broughton Gifford, Melkskam SN12 8Pw Call 01225 782949 Visit www.thefox-broughtongifford.co.uk

Regil, Winford, Bristol BS40 8AY. 01275 472388

Great food. Great drink.

Great company.

Frank and Cath offer you a warm welcome with a log fire, real ales, local cider, fine wines and home-cooked food. Find out what’s on at our Facebook site facebook.com/TheCrownRegil

15%

off

CHRISTMAS MENU available from December 1st to 24th.

Dining Room for up to 25 people, Total food50% billdeposit required.

throughout January

To book please call and February, 01275 472388 or quoting flavour email thecrownregil@ magazine gmail.com

OPENING TIMES Monday 5-11pm, Tuesday-Thursday 12-11pm, Friday-Saturday 12-11.30pm, Sunday 12-10.30pm FOOD SERVED Monday 6-9pm, Tuesday-Saturday 12-2.30pm, 6-9pm, Sunday 12-9pm 54

MT_TheCrown_135x190.indd 1

16/10/2012 22:46

Tasting on the Hill Free event at The Hare & Hounds Join celebrated chefs from The Hare & Hounds as well as some of the area’s pioneering producers for a free tasting event in Bath.

On January 25, from 8.30am to 11.30am, The Hare & Hounds on Lansdown is hosting a tasting session for the general public and trade alike, taking in the delights of the chefs’ creations as well as tea, biscuits and delicious fruit juices.

Bradley’s

MyStir

Mullion Cove

Hand selected fruit, delivering superb juices

Clever thinking tea drinking

Traditional fairing biscuits

www.bradleysjuice.co.uk

www.mystir.com

www.mullioncove.net

The Hare & Hounds Lansdown Road, Bath BA1 5TJ www.hareandhoundsbath.com 01225 482682 For more information contact peter@flavourmagazine.com 0117 9779 188

Free

goodie bag for each visitor

Flavour_BFC_oct12.pdf

26/09/2012

11:50:28

C

M

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CM

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Come rain or shine, we bring you the best local and organic fare around

CMY

K

Food hall & deli: 94 Whiteladies Rd, Bristol Shop & café: St Werburghs, Bristol

www.betterfood.co.uk

Jon Thorner’s

Butcher • Farm Shop • Pie Maker

JON THORNER’S CAFE

01749 838938 FREE WIFI OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK

START YOUR YEAR WITH GOOD FOOD, LOCALLY SOURCED

We sell... West Country meat We make... handmade pies We bake... our own cakes

We have... award winning products We use... local suppliers We support... Somerset farmers

Bridge Farm Shop, Pylle, Shepton Mallet BA4 6TA 01749 830138 www.jonthorners.co.uk Butchery counters - Farrington’s Farm Shop, Frome Valley Farm Shop, Radstock Co-op Superstore, Street Co-op, Whiterow Country Farm Foods

OAP MENU £5.95 FRESHLY GROUND COFFEE HOMEMADE CAKES

healthyliving healthyliving

Although highly clichĂŠd, the early part of the New Year is generally a time for abstinence and redressing the balance of your festive-abused body. So, with that in mind, we have a selection of health-consious recipes and ideas to get you off on the right foot â&#x20AC;&#x201C; without compromising on taste.

healthyliving

Bradley’s Juices Bradley’s pride themselves on having the shortest ingredients list, as they believe the more ingredients you add to a drink the more you hide the flavours of your fruit.

The flavours of the juices are determined by the variety of the fruit, starting with a sharp Bramley to a rich silky sweet Russet. With no extracts, additives, preservatives or flavourings, you are assured of all the natural healthiness of the fruit.

If it’s handpicked, fresh fruit in a bottle you are after, then this Somerset producer offers you just that, and a wealth of taste to boot!

Bradley’s Box Bush Farm Box Bush Lane, Somerset BS24 6UA Call 01934 822 356 Visit www.bradleysjuice.co.uk

Lemon & Poppy Seed Cupcakes Ingredients (serves 12)

Method

• 1 cup of Yeo Valley 0% Fat Lemon & Poppy Seed Yeogurt

Mix cupcake ingredients and spoon into a muffin tray lined with cases. Bake at 165ºC for 15-20 minutes.

• 1 cup of sunflower oil • 1 cup of caster sugar • 3 cups of self-raising flour • 1 cup of eggs • 2 tsp baking powder For the icing

• 250g Yeo Valley unsalted butter • 250g icing sugar • 2 tbsp Yeo Valley 0% Fat Lemon & Poppy Seed Yeogurt • Handful of poppy seeds

For the icing, blend the icing sugar in a food processor and then add the butter in cubes. Blend on high into a thick paste, then add the yogurt and whizz until smooth.

Spoon into a piping bag with a star nozzle attachment and chill for about 30 minutes.

Pipe the icing onto the cooled cupcakes and finish with poppy seeds and a thin wedge of lemon.

Visit www.yeovalley.co.uk

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healthyliving

Whatley Manor’s

Soy Glazed Mackerel resting on an Oriental Salad For the pickled ginger • 75g peeled sliced ginger • 1 lemon • 700ml cold water • 25g caster sugar • 200ml rice wine vinegar • 60g caster sugar Method 1. Cut the lemon into quarters then peel and slice the ginger thinly. Squeeze the juice from one quarter of the lemon onto the ginger to stop it from oxidising.

2. In a saucepan, place the ginger, half of the cold water, half of the sugar and squeeze the juice from one quarter of the lemon. Bring the mixture up to the boil and strain through a colander. Repeat the process once more.

3. In a separate pan mix the rice wine vinegar and the sugar, then add the strained ginger and bring to the boil.

Once boiled take off the heat and allow to cool. Place in the fridge until ready to use.

For the Oriental dressing • 75ml Rice wine vinegar • 75ml honey • 100ml peanut oil Method 1. Place the honey and the rice wine vinegar into a bowl and whisk together until completely mixed. Slowly add the peanut oil until incorporated. Set aside until ready for use.

For the soy glaze • 100ml ketjap manis • 10ml light soy sauce Method Mix the two ingredients together. Set-aside until ready to use.

serves 4

For the mackerel • 5g toasted sesame seeds • 2 whole filleted, pin boned and skinned mackerel (ask your fishmonger to fillet and pin bone the mackerel) For the salad • ½ cucumber • 150g frozen edamame beans • 4 red radishes • 50g mixed baby leaf lettuce • 20g pickled ginger • prepared oriental dressing Method 1. Wash the baby leaf salad in a bowl of cold water and allow to drain in a colander until ready to use. Peel the cucumber and cut in half.

2. Using a teaspoon scrape out the cucumber seeds and discard. Cut the cucumber into two-inch batons about the thickness of a pencil.

Meanwhile defrost the edamame beans in cold water.

3. Remove the beans from the pods and the skin from around the beans. Frozen broad beans work just as well if edamame beans are unavailable. Remove the sprout and take the bottom off the radishes with a sharp knife. Slice them thinly on a Mandolin or with a sharp knife.

Method for the Mackerel 1. Lightly toast the sesame seeds under a preheated grill and set aside.

2. Place the mackerel onto a non-stick tray flat side facing up. Using a pastry brush heavily brush the soy glaze over the fish ready to cook.

3. Place the mackerel under a preheated grill for four minutes and brush more soy glaze onto the mackerel every 20-30 seconds so that the glaze starts to thicken Assembling the dish 1. In a large bowl mix the salad leaves, radish slices, drained pickled ginger, edamame beans and cucumber batons.

2. Lightly dress the salad with the oriental dressing and split between four pasta bowls making sure there’s an even mix of the leaves and vegetables in each bowl and set aside until ready to use.

3. Arrange your salad leaves and vegetables in the centre of the plate. Once the mackerel is cooked gently lift from the tray and place on top of the salad. To finish the dish sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds over the mackerel.

Whatley Manor Hotel & Spa Easton Grey, Malmesbury, Wiltshire SN16 0RB Call: 01666 827 070

www.whatleymanor.com This dish is served in The Brasserie at Whatley Manor and is chosen because of its nutritional content and is an extremely healthy dish mainly due to the oily fish mackerel. Mackerel is high in essential omega oils and vitamin B, high in protein and low in carbohydrates.

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healthyliving

Detox with MyStir Most of us gain weight during the annual Christmas extravaganza. Drinking tea can help us lose those extra pounds as well as neutralise and eliminate potentially harmful substances in the body. But which teas should we be drinking in January? MyStir recommends:

Sencha Rose We highly recommend this green tea for its health benefits. Green leaves are rich in polyphenols, which are a type of antioxidant and these nutrients halt damage to cells and appear to have other disease-fighting properties. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s believed that drinking green tea reduces the risk of developing several cancers and heart disease. Recent studies have also shown that three cups of green tea a day helps weight-loss by boosting the metabolism, controlling hunger and regulating blood sugar.

Ingredients: Organic Sencha green tea, lemongrass, sunflower petals and rose.

Masala Chai This is the perfect choice for black tea enthusiasts. While tea is associated with a number of health benefits, the spices added to this blend enhance digestion and are considered to be detoxifying.

Their anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and anti-virulent qualities are essential during the cold and flu season.

This tea warms the body and relaxes the senses after a stressful day. Drink Masala Chai without milk and sugar to increase the health benefits and reduce calorie intake.

Ingredients: Black tea, ginger, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, black pepper.

Balance Tea This tea is a blend of detoxifying herbs and spices and is considered an excellent stimulant and effective diuretic, used to help remove toxic substances from the body. The health benefits of drinking this infusion are countless; ginger boosts the immune system and improves digestion, fennel is an excellent anti-flatulent, cinnamon promotes respiration and circulation, the liquorice root prevents liver toxicity, while the cardamom counteracts the toxic effect of coffee and mucus-forming food, such as dairy products. These are just some of the amazing properties of the spices used in this tea. And this drink is not just extremely healthy, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s delicious as well!

Ingredients:Cinnamon, cardamom, liquorice roots, coriander, fennel, ginger roots, rose petals.

Call 0117 9616 116 Visit www.mystir.com

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healthyliving

Award-winning chef-patron Adam Fellows has provided flavour with one of his house specialties, perfect for a healthy start to the year

Fillet of red mullet with new potatoes, herb salad and red wine & caper vinaigrette Ingredients • 4 red mullet (approx 30g) • 16 new potatoes • Mixed salad and herb leaves • 4 tbsp Cabernet Sauvignon red wine vinegar • 4 tbsp olive oil • 4 tsp fine capers • 1 tbsp chopped flat parsley • 2 spring onions • 2 slices of pancetta (¼ cm thick) • One small shallot (chopped)

Method 1. Fillet the red mullet, remove all bones and rinse under cold water. Place on a tray with olive oil and reserve.

2. Cook and peel the new potatoes and cut into 1cm slices. Sauté in a frying pan until golden. Cut the pancetta into small strips (lardons) and add to the pan with the potatoes. Continue to cook until coloured. Chop the spring onion and also add to the pan, continue to cook for one further minute. Season and then place onto kitchen paper to dry.

3. Reduce the red wine vinegar with the shallot by half. Whisk in the olive oil then add the capers and chopped parsley.

Cook the red mullet under the grill for 5-6 minutes.

To dress: place the potatoes on the base of the plate. Put the red mullet on top of them and pour the vinaigrette around.

Finish with the mixed lettuce and herb leaves. Pour over a little dressing.

Chefs’ tip – To make thin, crispy strips of pancetta, ask your delicatessen to slice it on a meat slicer. Then place the strips onto a baking tray between two sheets of greaseproof paper with a tray on top.

Cook in a hot ocwn for approximately 15 minutes. They will be crispy and very flat.

Goodfellows 5 Sadler Street, Wells BA5 2RR Call 01749 673 866 Visit goodfellowswells.co.uk

healthyliving

Taste the (fruit & vegetable) rainbow lasagne

BY MEGAN OWEN

For many people, a new year represents a new start, with resolutions set out to improve certain aspects of life; but whether you want to lose weight, quit smoking or save money, change can be hard to implement. One thing that you can easily control however, is what passes your lips, so why not make 2013 the year to focus on food, and extend your culinary repertoire by developing a collection of dishes that not only taste delicious, but allow you to lead a healthier lifestyle as well.

One way to make your meals more nutritious is to focus on the colours of foods used within them. A large proportion of your daily food intake should be made up of a rainbow assortment of fruit and vegetables, which, as well as enhancing the aesthetic appeal of dishes, provide your body with the essential vitamins and minerals it needs to perform its daily functions.

The following recipe is for a much-loved Italian dish that has been colourfully adapted for a nutritional twist. It is perfectly suitable for vegetarians, however you could add mince to the filling, or even diced chicken, for a protein boost.

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Ingredients: • 2 tbsp oil • 1 large red onion, diced • 1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed • 1 carrot, peeled and cubed • 1 courgette, peeled and cubed • 1 yellow pepper and 1 green pepper, de-seeded and cubed • Handful of mushrooms, washed and cubed • 2 tins/cartons chopped tomatoes • 1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed • 1 stock cube • 1-2 tsp fresh or dried mixed herbs • 6-8 lasagne sheets Cheese sauce: • 50g butter • 50g plain flour • 600ml milk • 75g cheese

Method: 1. Pre-heat the oven to 190°C. Prepare the vegetables, chopping them into even-sized chunks. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, and cook the onion for two minutes until softened. Add the other vegetables to the pan and cook for two minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, the stock cube and the herbs, and simmer for 10 minutes. Season as desired.

2. Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce.

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour, stirring to form a roux. Gradually add the milk, stirring continuously to ensure the mixture remains smooth. Once the milk is added, continue stirring the sauce until it bubbles and thickens. Remove the sauce from the heat, add the cheese and stir until it is melted. Season as desired.

3. Remove the vegetables from the heat and layer them into an ovenproof dish with the lasagne sheets and cheese sauce.

Finish with a sprinkling of grated cheese.

4. Place the lasagne in the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes. When cooked, the lasagne sheets should be softened.

Islay

> flavour xxxxxxx

For those that love a ‘wee dram’ or a late-night ‘schnufter’, a trip up to Scotland may be just what you need. We sent Rob Magnuson Smith on a whirlwind tour to find out all there is to know about the Bowmore Distillery on Islay.

A

fine single malt can drive a man wild. Around the best drams of whisky we become as giddy as schoolboys, brandishing fistfuls of cash and bickering over tasting notes (‘smoky’, ‘peaty’, ‘hints of dark chocolate’). Premier vintages such as the recently released

1957 Bowmore can fetch an astounding £100,000 a bottle. I love a good single malt. The trouble is, I’m usually sipping it at the end of a full meal, after generous portions of wine, when my appreciation can be less than ideal.

So I decided to spend a couple of days on Islay and tour the Bowmore Distillery – for edification’s sake, of course. On the island I discovered an intelligent and intrepid people eager to share their food, wisdom and whisky with the mainland and beyond.

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> flavour islay

I flew from Bristol to Glasgow in late November. Newspaper headlines announced ‘Villagers Rescued as Rain Brings Severe Flooding to Scotland’. As fire brigades headed to Perthshire on dinghies, I boarded an evening flight to the Hebrides.

The twin propellers on the Flybe 50-seater made a raw and deep-throated growl. We lifted off, soared above the commuters heading home in a snake-like crawl, and entered the black fog over the Firth of Clyde. When I landed 25 minutes later, I stepped into an unworldly silence, broken only by the sound of the sea.

Islay is one of the most fertile islands in the Hebrides. Situated so far south (Port Ellen lies below the English town of Berwick-on-Tweed), the temperature is milder than you might think. The soil is potent with peat, the fields rich with barley.

Though only 2,500 people live on Islay, some of the world’s finest whiskies are produced here – Bowmore, Lagavulin, Cao Isla, Ardberg, Laphroaig. You’ll find otter and red-tailed deer. Bird lovers will spot the red-beaked chough and corncrake.

After a short shuttle from Port Ellen to the village of Bowmore (Scotland’s first planned village in 1768), I checked into the Stillman’s Cottage, one of the recently renovated properties managed

by Bowmore Distillery. This cottage is spacious and modernised with full kitchen, Jacuzzi tub, and a living room that opens onto the distillery gardens, making for convenient access.

Flying over all those commuters had made me thirsty, and I was greeted by a member of staff with the local drink – a ‘smoky mule.’ This cocktail of whisky, ginger beer and lime made a perfect refresher.

Next I headed up the road to the Bridgend Hotel and Restaurant, where manager Lorna McKechnie keeps watch over a busy port of call. The restaurant has open fires, pleasant staff and a full bar. Straight away I ordered half-a-dozen Islay oysters – fat, full-bodied, with a taste of sweet brine. The first one slid down my throat 64 30

in less than a second. Lorna was at my side to admonish me. “You can’t just slurp it down,” she said. “Chew it to get the flavour!” (I obliged her for the remaining five; she was right.) The home-smoked scallops are a must. The fish stew, with a lemon and saffron broth, overflowed with fresh langoustines, scallops, oysters, and crab claws. I had no room left in the belly, but Lorna was back at my side, insisting on pudding. It’s not my nature to offend. I opted for marmalade pudding – a springy number, rather shy at first, yielding on further bites to honey and orange spice.

I slept like a wee bairn that night and woke to the smell of the sea. When you find a telephone number to a distillery on your bedside table, you know you’ve come to the right place. I soaked in the Jacuzzi tub with a cup of tea, then made my way outside. The sky was clear, the sun shining across the water of Laggan Bay. Down on the jetty, fishermen were unloading their creels.

I needed fortification for my distillery tour.

At the Harbour Inn and Restaurant, at a table overlooking the black mountains of Jura (where George Orwell wrote 1984), I enjoyed a yoghurt and muesli, fresh coffee and fillet of haddock topped with a poached egg. (One needn’t be guilty about eating so much seafood here. The waters around Islay teem with fish, scallops, three varieties of crab, and lobster, even outside the summer months.)

After breakfast I walked up to the distillery. Nestled against the grassy crags overlooking Laggan Bay, Bowmore dates from 1779 and is the first distillery on the island. (Bowmore is now owned by Suntory, the Japanese consortium, though the Managers and Board of Directors are almost entirely Scots). The white stone malt barns have a sedate, almost monastic charm. In the visitors’ centre I met up with Eddie MacAffer, Distillery Manager.

> flavour islay

An understated and measured man, Eddie has worked at Bowmore for over 46 years.

He started off digging drains, trained in the mash house, then worked his way up the chain of command. Eddie took me into the malt barn where peat fires warmed the air with a toasty aroma. “Islay peat is millions of years old,” Eddie said. I followed him into the next building and did my best to understand the dizzying stages of whisky production – the germination and roasting of the barley, the grains ground into grist, then fed into the mash tun for fermentation.

“What happens to the grain after it’s finished?” I asked Eddie.

“That’s called ‘draff’, laddie. It goes to the local farmers. Feeds the cattle.”

We walked over to the ‘washbacks’, where yeast is added. Washbacks are great big wooden containers, and at Bowmore they’re made of sturdy Oregon pine.

Inside, the foaming white-capped froth churned with living yeast. Eddie threw down a stainless steel ‘diver’ and brought up the vessel for a taste. It was a warm and heady brew, fragrant of fresh bread. I wanted to fill the Jacuzzi with it.

Whiskey is a relatively simple concoction (the only three recognised ingredients are water, barley and yeast) but it has infinitely complex methods of production.

In the 14th century whisky emerged in Scotland (though the Irish dispute this claim) through the hereditary MacBeath clan of medical professionals schooled in native herbal lore. Eight hundred years later, the spirit has become decidedly high-tech. Not only the way whisky is distilled and refined, but the manner of its storage, is analysed at a molecular level.

Bowmore is consistently ranked among the best single malts in the world. What are the secrets underlying its success?

“The chemists are working hard to find out what happens in the cask,” Eddie told me. “And I hope they never do. Because that’s the mystery of good whisky. If the chemists find out, they’ll fix it to suit themselves.”

We were nearing the tasting portion of the tour, down at the Number One Vaults, the oldest maturation warehouse in Scotland.

Here, below sea level, the whisky breathes through the casks, picks up the flavours of the wood and matures at its own pace.

Eddie unlocked the big black doors, and inside the vaults, on wooden racks, the hogsheads of whisky stretched deep into the chambers. Bowmore uses North American bourbon barrels for ageing, along with Olorosa sherry barrels from Spain. Eddie picked up a wooden hammer and banged open the bung on a 17-year single malt aged entirely in Spanish oak.

He dipped a valenche down and handed me a glass.

I lifted the whisky to my nose. The colour was of burnished copper, the aroma reminiscent of wildflowers. When I had my first sip I realised I’d never really had whisky before, not like this. There were three discrete stages to my enjoyment— the embrace of a delicate mouth-feel, followed by an intense, smoky sweetness along the palate, finished by long, lingering flavours of caramel and sea salt.

The flavour persisted in my taste buds, long after my flight home.

You don’t have to limit yourself to whiskey drinking on Islay. The beaches and hill trails are ideal for walking. Hunting game and a round of golf make for enjoyable escapes. But if you’ve got an appetite for seafood and a nose for the juice of the barley, you would be wise to visit Bowmore – if only for the sake of edification.

FACT BOX

FACT BOX

The Bowmore Cottages: with the 40% seasonal which runs until Where to discount stay March, the prices range £153 The Bowmore Distillery from Cottages for three nights for the one bedroom www.cottages.bowmore.co.uk cottage, to £576 for three nights in the biggest cottage Bridgend Hotel which has six bedrooms and can sleep 14. www.bridgend-hotel.com For this distillery tour, we had the twoCoillabus Lodges hour Craftsman’s Tour (£45). Standard www.coillabus.com distillery tours with a dram cost £6.

Islay Croft Holidays Our flights to Islay were with Flybe – www.islaycroftholidays.com prices are approx £130.

How to get there www.flybe.com www.flybe.com cottages.bowmore.co.uk Further information anne.kinnes@morrisonbowmore.co.uk anne.kinnes@morrisonbowmore.co.uk info@harbour-inn.com info@harbour-inn.com info@bridgend-hotel.com

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> flavour islay

Bridgend Hotel Enjoy a truly original Islay experience at Bridgend Hotel, offering a warm, friendly and personal service to anyone who stays with us or dines in the restaurant.

The menus offer the customer fresh and seasonal local produce, which includes vegetables from the Community Garden, game from the Estate, amazing shellfish and of course the local oysters!

01496 810 212

www.bridgend-hotel.com

Bridgend Hotel, Bridgend, isle of islay

Coillabus Lodges on the island of Islay are celebrating the award of a 5-star quality assurance grading, the highest possible accolade from VisitScotland.

Every winter week booked at Coillabus comes with a £100 voucher towards a high season stay.

The island enjoys regular Calmac sailings from Kennacraig in Argyll as well as scheduled half hour flights from Glasgow with good UK connections.

Low season rates; October to March £995 for couples and £1,095 for 3-4 guests. April to October £1,600 for couples, £2,000 for 4 guests.

07824 567 435

www.coillabus.com

Islay Croft Holidays A warm welcome, peace, tranquility and the beauty of the Hebridean Island of Islay awaits you.

At Balaclava, a traditional 600-acre croft, there are two luxurious but cosy self-catering houses situated close to stunning beaches, the picturesque seaside village of Port Ellen and Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg, three out of Islay’s eight unique and famous malt whisky distilleries.

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This idyllic location provides panoramic sea views stretching as far as the Mull of Kintyre, the Irish Coastline and Loch Indall – a perfect location to enjoy and explore this magical island. You won’t want to leave.

Balaclava Croft, Port Ellen, Isle of Islay, Argyll PA42 7DB

01496 302005 www.islaycroftholidays.com

> flavour fork to fork

fork to fork Steve Tucker is farmer and owner at White Row Farm, Beckington www.whiterowcountryfoods.com

Cabbage is king in the midst of winter; harvesting them is quite hard work in the cold but they do look absolutely stunning. there is often a frost on the leaves and the deep green with the white frosting is a look that epitomises all that winter is on a farm. We have plenty of hardy veg in the farm shop including savoy, January kings and red, cauliflowers, purple sprouting, leeks, parsnips, kale (including curly), red, purple and nero cabbages and petit posy.

ground with nutrients ready for planting.

Another job, but less glamorous, is cleaning down the polythene in the polytunnels.

We are now ready to start planting seeds for cauliflowers, broccoli, pointed and round cabbage in the polytunnels, while planting in the fields will start in early March when the ground hopefully starts to warm up, but that will be limited initially to early potatoes – Maris Bard most likely.

The challenge as always is the weather! But who’d be a farmer if they didn’t like taking on this challenge? If it’s very cold we will have frozen pipes and if it’s too cold we will have to manually take water to the pigs and hens – fine but so much more time consuming.

If the ground and the weather is dry enough I’ll start ploughing to get the ground ready for the new season brassicas and potatoes; that also means getting the stored manure out and ploughing it in to feed the

If the temperature gets down to -7 or -8 then the vegetables will get damaged.

This is much more difficult to deal with and may mean further planting later on, resulting in later harvests.

Steve Tucker is farmer and owner at White Row Farm, Beckington www.whiterowfarm.co.uk

Roast Skate Wing with Chorizo, Clams, Mussels and Scallops A really delicious dish using lots of fish from Garry at the Scallop Shell here at White Row and a treat for the cold winter months. I’ve made the recipe for one person, just double up for two and so on.

This would be ideal served with some buttered cabbage which is bang in season right now.

IngredIents • 1 skate wing • 50g mussels • 40g clams • 1 scallop • 5/6 petit posy • 2 baby fennel • 1 cooking chorizo diced into thumbnail size • 75ml cooking white wine

Method Place the skate wing on a non-stick tray, season, add a knob of butter and place it into the oven on 180ºC for about 20 minutes or until it’s cooked.

Meanwhile place all of the other ingredients into a tin foil bag which you can make. Ensure it’s secure with no leaks, scrunch up the top so no heat can escape and put in the oven for 10 minutes.

When the skate is cooked, put it onto a plate and open the tin foil bag containing the other ingredients (being careful not to scald yourself with the steam), simply pour over the skate wing and serve.

• dash of sherry vinegar • 1 small shallot diced • 1 clove garlic chopped 68

©Garry Rosser, The Scallop Shell Fishmonger and Fish & Chip Cafe at White Row Farm www.thescallopshell.co.uk

> flavour gordon ramsay

Gordon Ramsay lends us a few of his recipes for a healthy, and yet hearty, new year…

“Healthy eating is a topic close to my heart. I’ve been passionate about leading a healthy lifestyle for many years now. It started when my father-in-law signed me up for the London Marathon in 2000.

Back then, I was overweight and out-of-shape, but I loved the challenge and now I’m hooked. As for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, it goes without saying that keeping fit and eating well go hand-in-hand. Any chef will tell you that we lead the most unorthodox and unhealthy lifestyles – we pick at food all day and have no time to exercise.

Only on our days off are we likely to eat properly.

However, I refuse to be pigeonholed into a stereotype. With a little extra knowledge and effort, I believe anyone can make little changes that will improve their diet and everyday lifestyle…”

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> flavour gordon ramsay

Beef Burgers with Beetroot Relish and Cucumber Raita Serves 4

600g good quality, lean beef mince

Put the beef mince into a large bowl and add the paprika, cayenne, ½ tsp salt (or less to taste) and ½ tsp pepper. Mix well with your hands, then shape into four neat patties.

Place on a plate or tray, cover with cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes to set the shape.

1 tsp smoked paprika Pinch of cayenne pepper Sea salt and black pepper Olive oil, to cook and drizzle 250g cherry tomatoes on the vine

Make the beetroot relish in the meantime. Roughly chop the beetroot and place in a food processor along with the capers, parsley, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Pulse until the mixture is roughly chopped – you don’t want to purée the beetroot. Season to taste and transfer to a bowl.

For the cucumber raita, peel the cucumber and quarter lengthways. Scrape out the seeds with a spoon and discard. Roughly chop the flesh and place in a bowl. Add the chopped mint and toss with enough yoghurt to bind. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Splash of balsamic vinegar 4 Iceberg lettuce leaves, trimmed to neaten (optional) Handful of wild rocket leaves (optional)

Beetroot relish:

250g cooked beetroot in natural juices, drained 3 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained Handful of flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 3 tbsp olive oil

Cucumber raita: 1 large cucumber

Handful of mint leaves, chopped 3-4 tbsp natural yoghurt Squeeze of lemon juice, to taste

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Heat the barbecue or heat a little olive oil in a non-stick frying pan. Brush the burgers with olive oil and cook on the barbecue, or pan-fry allowing 3½–4minutes on each side for medium burgers. Remove to a warm plate and leave to rest for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes to the barbecue or pan and drizzle with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Cook for 1–2 minutes until the tomatoes are soft but still retain their shape.

Serve the burgers with the tomatoes, beetroot relish and cucumber raita. For a neat presentation, spoon the raita into lettuce cups and garnish with a handful of rocket.

> flavour gordon ramsay

Herby Crayfish and Prawn Pilaf

Plenty of essential minerals and B vitamins

Serves 4 2-3 tbsp olive oil 3 small or 2 large red onions, peeled and thinly sliced

Heat the oven to 190°C/gas mark 5. Cut a greaseproof paper circle slightly larger than a heavy-based ovenproof pan or a cast-iron casserole. Snip a small hole in the middle of the paper to act as a steam vent.

Heat the pan with the olive oil, then sautĂŠ the onions for 4-6 minutes until they begin to soften. Stir in the rice, lemon zest, thyme, garlic and some seasoning. Stir well to toast the rice for a couple of minutes. Pour in the hot fish stock and bring to the boil.

250g basmati rice Finely pared zest of 2 lemons Few thyme sprigs 2 garlic cloves (unpeeled), lightly smashed Sea salt and black pepper

Add the crayfish to the pan and quickly cover with the greaseproof paper.

Transfer the pan to the oven. After 15 minutes, take the pan out of the oven, lift the greaseproof paper and scatter over the prawns.

Re-cover with the greaseproof paper and return to the oven for 10 minutes until the rice is tender and the prawns are just cooked through and opaque. Remove from the oven and leave to stand for about five minutes before lifting off the paper.

Fork through the rice to distribute the shellfish evenly. Check the seasoning and stir in the chopped herbs. Serve at once.

550ml hot fish stock 750g live crayfish, washed 250g large raw prawns Handful of chives, finely snipped Handful of basil leaves, finely sliced Handful of chervil leaves, roughly chopped 71

Vanilla Pannacotta with Blueberry Sauce

Blueberries are a great source of antioxidants

Serves 6 600ml whole or semiskimmed milk 1 vanilla pod, split 125g caster sugar 4 sheets of leaf gelatine 200ml natural yoghurt

Blueberry sauce:

250g blueberries, rinsed and dried 3 tbsp caster sugar or honey 2-3 tbsp lemon juice

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Pour the milk into a saucepan and scrape in the seeds from the vanilla pod, adding the pod too. Add the sugar and heat gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to a simmer.

Meanwhile, soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for a few minutes to soften them. As soon as the milk begins to bubble, remove the pan from the heat.

Drain the gelatine leaves and squeeze out excess water, then add to the hot milk. Stir to dissolve, then leave to cool before straining through a fine sieve into a bowl.

Add the yoghurt to the infused milk (which must have cooled completely). Pour the mixture into six pannacotta or dariole moulds and set them on a tray. Cover with a large piece of cling film and chill for a few hours until set, or overnight.

For the sauce, put the blueberries, sugar and lemon juice into a saucepan.

Bring to a simmer and cook for three minutes until the berries are soft, but not completely broken down. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool, then chill.

To unmould each pannacotta, dip the mould in a bowl of warm water for a few seconds, then invert onto a plate and give it a gentle shake to release. If necessary, dilute the blueberry sauce with a tiny splash of water. Spoon a little sauce around each pannacotta and serve.

> flavour gordon ramsay

Berry and Yoghurt Smoothie

Energising breakfast in a glass

Serves 4-6

200g raspberries

Place all the ingredients in a blender and whiz until smooth, sweetening the mixture with icing sugar or maple syrup to taste. Serve in chilled glasses.

200g blackberries More ideas for smoothiesâ&#x20AC;Ś 6 heaped tbsp low-fat natural yoghurt 300ml milk 3-4 tbsp icing sugar or maple syrup, to taste

Fig, Honey and Yoghurt Serves 4 Trim eight ripe figs, removing the tops, then cut into quarters. Put into a blender along with 600ml semi-skimmed milk, 200ml low-fat natural yoghurt and 6-8 tbsp honey to taste. Add 4-6 ice cubes for extra chill if you like. Blend until smooth and thick, then pour into chilled glasses.

Pomegranate and Banana Peel Serves 4

Cut three large ripe bananas into chunks and freeze in a plastic bag for an hour. Drop the banana chunks into a blender. Scrape the seeds from a vanilla pod with the back of a knife and add them to the blender. Pour in 250ml pomegranate juice, 500ml low-fat natural yoghurt and 1-2 tbsp honey. Blend until smooth and serve in chilled glasses.

Healthy Appetite by Gordon Ramsay Quadrille Publishing, ÂŁ14.99 Photography by Lisa Barber 73

> flavour chef profile

chef profile flavour catches up with Sam Coltman, head chef of the Marlborough Tavern, one of Bath’s ‘go to’ pubs and restaurant…

Name: Sam Coltman Age: 26 Where from: Bath Where is home: Castle Combe

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

I started working in a professional kitchen when I was 12 doing the washing up where my eldest brother was a chef. As I got older I got more involved helping with prep and then when I left school I was offered a full-time job and the chance to train as a chef.

Brief history?

I was born in Bath but grew up in Caslte Combe in Wiltshire. I’m from a large family and have three older brothers, an older and a younger sister. They have all worked in catering at some point in their lives so it was almost inevitable I would grow up working in the trade. I have been a chef since school working mainly in the Wiltshire area, apart from two years that I spent working near the coast in Dorset.

What gets you up in the morning?

How do you maintain your enthusiasm?

The chance to learn something new or to create something different. We have a great team at the Marlborough and to see them getting excited about food and new dishes is very rewarding.

The Marlborough Tavern 35 Marlborough Buildings Bath BA1 2LY Call 01225 423731 Visit www.marlborough-tavern.com 74

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

It’s important to look out for what other chefs are doing, whether it’s using new ingredients and techniques or going out to eat at different places to keep in touch with what other pubs and restaurants are

offering. I like to keep an eye on what the main competition are doing to try and stay ahead of the game.

How do you avoid complacency in the kitchen?

I try and keep pushing myself and my team and setting new goals and targets to achieve. It’s important we keep focusing on constantly trying to improve what we doing otherwise the complacency will kick in.

What is your style and what does that mean?

I would say my style is quite simple in that the main ingredient on a dish can’t be overcomplicated. It’s got to be the main focus point on that dish, and it’s got to be cooked perfectly.

What foods do you most enjoy working with?

I really enjoy working with the cheaper cuts of meat where I have to spend a bit longer prepping and cooking them, but the end product is really rewarding. In the kitchen we call it ‘a good braise’! I also love working with seafood. If I was sat in a restaurant with a big bowl of seafood in front of me that would be my food heaven!

What’s next for the Marlborough Tavern?

We are close to launching a new menu which is always exciting for the staff and the customers. I’m hoping to try some new special themed food nights this year as well.

> flavour chef profile

Who do get your inspiration from?

I use my suppliers’ knowledge as much as I can when I am putting together dishes. We are privileged to work with suppliers who are willing to let us visit where the products we use come from, whether it’s a fish port on the South Coast, an estate full of deer in Wiltshire, or a field full of vegetables just outside Bath. This really helps give me inspiration for dishes and also makes you appreciate the hard work that goes into giving us the produce we use.

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

I think it’s good from a customer’s view to be able to get advice from the waiter or waitress on what wine goes with what food, otherwise you could end up with a strange contrast of flavours in your mouth!

What makes The Marlborough Tavern so special?

It has a unique offering to the customers. You can enjoy really good-quality food but in a warm relaxing pub atmosphere. The garden is also a massive plus. There is a really good buzz about the place at the moment.

How do you manage to keep the standards at their highest when cooking for so many?

The main thing I try and do is to keep a calm head and stay focused.

If you start panicking mistakes happen and standards drop.

How important are accolades?

Accolades are important because they give you targets to work towards, but I also believe if you keep working really hard and continuously try and improve your standards the awards and accolades should follow.

What is the house specialty?

Braised beef shin and Guinness cottage pie; a relatively new dish, but has proved very popular. We use a cheaper cut in the beef shin which takes 24 hours to prep and cook, and then serve it with herb crusted beef fillet, spring cabbage and braised carrots.

What ingredient could you not live without? Probably quite obvious but it would have to be salt. We use it in pretty much everything.

What tips do you have for aspiring cooks/ chefs?

Listen to every bit of advice or knowledge any chef gives you and appreciate the ingredients you are given to use.

What is your guilty pleasure?

Minstrels. If I open a bag I will eat the whole lot!

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

I was an extra in a film called Scarlett when I was 11 years old. It was filmed in Castle Combe. I got £30, a pub lunch and a whole day off school!

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> flavour bertinet’s january

This month, The Bertinet Kitchen Cookery School has provided us with a couple of simple, healthy and yet still hearty recipes to bring in the new year.

Bertinet’s January People often assume that the post-Christmas period would be quiet for a cookery school, that all the excitement would be directed at producing a wonderful spread for the big day and the interest falls away after this is accomplished. If anything, we have always found that the opposite is the case.

After a glut of rich food and excess, and often armed with a gift voucher as well as a few extra Christmas inches, we see a steady stream of people wanting to change something about the way they cook and eat. For some, it’s a matter of starting at the beginning so they can diversify from beans on toast, for some it is a desire to be better informed about the ingredients they are choosing, while for others it’s a lifestyle change; a desire to eat a more balanced and healthier diet.

Recently we spent an evening with some of the team from Bath Rugby. The younger lads are away from home for the first time and it’s essential they learn to cook – not just something quick and easy but also something that works with the demands of their training and diet. Recipes work best when they are versatile so here are a couple that we taught the boys. In their simplest forms they work brilliantly for a post-work supper whether you are on your own or cooking for the family. With a little twist they can be taken up a notch and are great for impressing guests or even the other half.

Smoked fish chowder ServeS 4-6

IngredIents

Method

• Large fillet of smoked haddock, skinned (undyed if possible)

1. Dice the onion. Use a pair of scissors to snip the bacon into strips. Halve or quarter the mushrooms. Peel and cube the potatoes. Cube the fish.

• 3 or 4 potatoes • Punnet of button mushrooms • Packet of streaky bacon • Packet or half bunch of fresh parsley • 1 onion • Knob of butter • Olive oil • Small tin of evaporated milk (or double cream if pushing the boat out) • Liquid or cube fish stock made up with boiling water • Salt and pepper

the Bertinet Kitchen 12 St Andrew’s Terrace, Bath BA1 2QR Call 01225 445531 Email info@thebertinetkitchen.com Visit www.thebertinetkitchen.com 76

2. Melt a little butter in a large pan and add some olive oil. Add the onion and bacon and fry gently over a medium heat, stirring well. Cook until the bacon browns a little. Add the mushrooms, stir then cook for a minute.

Add the potatoes and stir again.

3. When all the ingredients in the pan are well coated in oil and butter, add the stock so that it just (but only just) covers the ingredients. Stir and bring to the boil. Simmer for eight minutes.

Add the fish and cook for a further five minutes. Add the parsley and stir. Add the evaporated milk. Taste to check seasoning. As the bacon and fish are salty it may not need any salt, but add a good few turns of black pepper.

If you are entertaining, substitute a small carton of double cream for evaporated milk.

> flavour bertinet’s january

Chicken with fennel and herbs ServeS 4

IngredIents

Method

• 4 pieces of chicken (breast or thigh as you prefer)

1. Pre-heat your oven to 220°C. De-stalk the herbs. Cut the fennel bulbs into quarters and remove any tough stalks.

Halve the tomatoes. Crush the garlic. Crush the star anis and squeeze the lemon.

• 4 bulbs of fennel • 6 medium tomatoes or 4 large beef tomatoes • 2 cloves garlic • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil • 1 lemon • Large handful of mixed fresh herbs (thyme, tarragon, basil, parsley) plus rosemary and thyme sprigs • 2 star anise • Glass of white wine • Salt & pepper

2. Take a large oven-proof dish and rub the dish with the crushed garlic.

Leave the garlic in the bottom. Lay the fennel and tomato in the dish, season and sprinkle on the star anis and the rosemary and thyme sprigs.

3. Season the chicken. If you are cooking for a dinner party, then squish the herbs into about 150g butter and push under the chicken skin before placing it on top of the fennel. If you are watching the calories

or just cooking mid-week then place the chicken on the fennel and sprinkle over the herbs. Drizzle with olive oil and add the glass of wine and lemon juice.

4. Place into the oven for 18 –20 minutes depending on the size of the chicken pieces. When the meat is cooked, remove and reserve. Return the pan to the oven so the vegetables can brown.

5. For everyday, simply place your oven dish onto the table. If you are entertaining, you can prepare individual plates: place some tomato in the centre of the plate, layer on some fennel and then balance a piece of chicken on top. Garnish with a sprig or two of herbs and drizzle over some of the cooking juices. Either way, it’s delicious served with new potatoes.

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A stunning location, with food to match

A short distance from the city centre, leave the real world behind...

Open for breakfast every day from 8:30am.

Food served all day, seven days a week.

The Hare

Hounds, Lansdown Road, Bath BA1 5TJ www.hareandhoundsbath.com reservations@hareandhoundsbath.com Tel 01225 482682

Your lifestyle guide to all things eco...

An Incredible Journey Manna from Devon founder completes milestone walk

Wake up to a New Year Make the sensible travel options

Keeping it Local and Healthy for 2013 Rapeseed oil ticks the boxes

www.greenlivingmagazine.co.uk

p u e k a W greenliving

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greenliving

Bath harvest’s

Salmon Risotto with Chilli Oil serves 4 • 50ml Bath Harvest Infused Chilli Oil • 1 medium onion chopped into small cubes • 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced • 200g Arborio rice • 1 tbsp tomato purée • 100ml white wine • 400ml fish stock or hot water • 250g salmon fillet diced into 1.5cm cubes (skinned and boned) • 12 cherry tomatoes cut in half • 2 tbsp flat leaf parsley chopped • Juice of ½ lemon • Salt and pepper for seasoning

Visit www.bathharvestoils.co.uk.

Win! To celebrate their launch of the new lemon and poppy seed limited edition yogurt. Yeo Valley are giving away these great goodies.

A Wild FloWer PlAnting Kit From PlAntAbox, box, together With A cool bAg oF Yeo VAlleY goodies!

For your chance to win, simply email competitions@flavourmagazine.com with Yeo VAlleY comPetition in the subject header and your full contact details in the email body.

Good Luck!

www.yeovalley.co.uk

16:19

Recipe by Michel Lemoine Bistro La Barrique, Bath

1. In a frying pan, gently sweat the onions and garlic in the chilli oil for a few minutes. Add the Arborio rice and mix thoroughly. Leave to cook for three or four minutes, ensuring the rice has absorbed the chilli oil. Stir regularly.

2. Add the tomato purée and cook for a further three or four minutes, again stirring regularly. Add the white wine and bring to the boil. Cook for a couple of minutes and then add the hot stock (or water), cherry tomatoes and salt and pepper.

3. Cook for approximately 15 to 20 minutes, continuing to stir during the cooking time. When the rice is nearly cooked, add the salmon cubes and cook for a further eight minutes or so until the rice and fish are tender.

4. Finish by adding the chopped parsley and lemon juice, stir together, check for seasoning. Dress with a little drizzle of chilli oil and balsamic vinegar, serve immediately.

Variation: You could also try this recipe using the Oak Smoked Chipotle Chilli Oil or omit the chilli altogether by using Bath Harvest Oils’ original Extra Virgin Rapeseed Oil.

greenliving

spectacular and dramatic:

Walking the South West Coast Path Courageous David Jones, co-owner of Manna from Devon Cooking School, has just returned from walking the South West Coast Path to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association. He spent 25 days, from December 16, rambling on this spectacular path not only taking in the truly inspirational scenery but also travelling through some of the country’s most desirable food destinations too.

En route, some of the South West’s leading chefs showed their support by joining David for an afternoon of walking and an early dinner in the camper van with him and Holly. Mitch Tonks joined them in Dartmouth, Matt Hall from the Beach House in South Milton and Roger and Sally Birt, owners of Red Dog Bakery, in Bude. Like David, Roger and Sally are passionate about producing artisan bread using traditional methods.

The South West Coast Path is England’s longest way marked long-distance footpath and a National Trail. It stretches for 630 miles, running from Minehead in Somerset, along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, to Poole Harbour in Dorset. For David, who is a true food aficionado, some of the highlights of the trip were eating Bigbury Bay oysters, delicious Exmouth mussels and cheese from The West Country Cheese Co. He also enjoyed brief visits to the Porthminster Beach café in St Ives, Town Mill Bakery in Lyme Regis and the Hive Beach Café in Dorset.

Follow David and Holly Jones on Twitter @mannafromdevon and facebook www.facebook.com/mannafromdevon.

Read more about David’s walk on his blog http://mannafromdevon.com/mannablog/.

David has already raised an incredible £6,000.

If you would like to make a donation to David’s challenge, you can do so on his JustGiving page — http://www.justgiving.com/SWCP25x25.

David was not walking entirely alone as his dog Rex accompanied him and his wife Holly drove ahead with their other dog Poppy in a camper van (from South West Camper Hire).

october 2012

David and Holly Jones run Manna from Devon Cooking School (www.mannafromdevon.com), which is positioned in an area of outstanding natural beauty in Kingswear. The stylishly decorated, homely kitchen and the outdoor decking overlook simply stunning views across the Dart Estuary to Dartmouth.

greenliving

Wake up to a new year and a new way to travel Would you like to be less reliant on your car in 2013? Alternative ways to travel could be healthier, cheaper, more efficient and eco-friendly.

A New Year’s resolution to make small changes to the way you travel could lead to a long-term change in lifestyle. Why not give walking, cycling, bus or car sharing and go and reap the immediate rewards!

Get Fitter

After a festive period of overindulgence, walking gives you a fantastic opportunity to become fitter and healthier. Dust off that pedometer and take pride in the distance you’ve covered! Just 30 minutes a day of brisk walking can have many health benefits including helping to reduce the risk of heart disease, helping to control your weight, strengthening your bones and reducing high blood pressure, stress and anxiety.

Tone your legs and enjoy an aerobic session before you even start your working day by getting on your bike… If the distance you travel is too great and you have to catch the bus, consider getting off a stop early and walking the rest of the way.

Whether you cycle or walk for your whole journey, or simply part of it, you know you will be healthier as a result!

SAve Money

Enhance the benefit to your purse by walking (it’s free!) or cycling. Once you have bought your bike, cycling is a really low-cost option.

If you are fed up with shelling out for fuel and paying for parking then have you thought about hopping on the bus? Over time, taking the bus works out cheaper than travelling by car. Another way of saving money on your transport costs is to invest in multiple journey and season tickets for the Park and Ride services that many cash-savvy commuters benefit from. By making the investment up-front you are more likely to keep your resolution and you also don’t need to worry about having the right fare on you when you board the bus.

Car sharing is also a great way to save money, it can be very sociable and help cut down on fuel and parking costs. Do you have a spare seat in your car?

Could you offer a lift on a regular basis? Find your car sharing match online – maybe it’s something you could consider trying just a few days a week?

Most of us make a concerted effort to be eco-friendly at home, maybe 2013 is the year to extend this to the way you travel. Remember to be flexible and find a solution that works for you, it could be that on some days you choose to cycle and other days you car share! visit the website for travel options in your area, including up to date travel and real time information.

www.travelwest.info

greenliving

Bath Harvest Rapeseed Oil Keeping it local and healthy for 2013

With 2013 now on us, you may be thinking about the little changes you can make to improve your lifestyle and diet. The good news is it doesn’t take much to make a big difference for your health and cooking.

Take a look in your cupboards. Which cooking oils do you have?

Our guess would be an extra virgin olive oil plus a lighter olive or maybe sunflower oil? This is often the case as olive is the current market leader for culinary oil. However, this can come at a hidden price as invariably you’ll be paying more for the food miles as opposed to the product and, with olive oil fraud on the increase, it’s a product that can have questionable ethics. However, there is a truly British alternative that some have been lucky enough to already discover!

The health benefits are impressive and difficult to ignore...

British Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil is fast becoming the nation’s new favourite culinary choice. As such, regional producers are popping up across the UK resulting in locally produced cold pressed rapeseed oil being much more widely available.

Bath Harvest Rapeseed Oil is your local top-quality brand, produced from homegrown seed at Wilmington Farm situated on the doorstep of Bath. The golden, extra virgin oil has a lovely subtle nuttiness that adds to the taste of your food but equally won’t overwhelm it.

This means you can use it for everything from salad dressings to stirfries, as rapeseed oil has a higher burn point compared to olive oil. Quite simply it’s a natural drop of Somerset.

Bath stockists include The Tasting Room, Chandos Deli, PJ’s Farm Shop and Newton Farm Shop. For Bristol, find the oils in The Better Food Company, Arch House Deli and Bristol Farm Shop. More stockists plus online sales can be found on the website.

Twitter @BathHarvest Facebook.com/BathHarvestOils

www.bathharvestoils.co.uk

• LOW IN SATURATED FAT (7.5%) half that contained in olive oil (15%) • HIGH IN OMEGA 3 ten times more than olive oil • OMEGA 6 & 9 good ratio to Omega 3 • VITAMIN E 10ml satisfies 23% of your RDA (adult) • GM & ADDITIVE FREE • HELPS WITH LOWERING CHOLESTEROL

greenliving

Bradley’s Juices Bradley’s range of traditional juices are sold throughout farmers’ markets in and around Somerset and Bristol, where customers are more than welcome to sample the produce and meet the family. You can also find these juices in selected delis, restaurants, farm shops and tearooms across the South West.

And now, starting this month, you can buy these wonderful juices and have them packed and delivered directly to your door.

With no additives, extracts or flavourings, you can be assured the freshest juices and a wide range of choice from some of the finest orchards.

It’s not just us that think so either, Bradley’s having recently picked up three Gold Stars from The Great Taste Awards and winning the Good Food Award in Bath for their nonalcoholic drinks.

Feedback is very important to Bradley’s and they have used this to develop new varieties of juices. As such they have just launched a new Sparkling Apple Juice, made with 100 per cent fresh Worcester pearmain apples – complete with a fantastic aroma. Also look out for the sparkling lime and ginger juice now available in 33cl and 75cl glass bottles.

What they say: “The elderflower reminds me of how our mother made it.”

“The ginger beer made from fresh ginger is very natural and does not have a hint of any additives – better than anything else we have tasted.”

“The apple and ginger heated makes winter evenings so much more enjoyable.”

Bradley’s

Box Bush Farm, Box Bush Lane, Somerset BS24 6UA Call 01934 822 356

www.bradleysjuice.co.uk

The apple and rhubarb is the elixir of life itself – the most fantastic drink ever.

> flavour nick harman

Casanovas Beware That special day of roses and chocolates is given a once-over by Nick Harman…

Ahh, February the month of l’amour, with Valentine’s Day in a restaurant the highlight. Of course Valentine’s Day is often a minefield for love. All too easy to take a false step and find oneself being blown up. Many men think that the perfect time to pop the question is in a restaurant on Valentine’s Day, but sadly I think it is not.

Restaurants on this day are busy, busy places. The waiters are looking forward to good tips, yet at the same time are harassed by the unusual number of patrons filling the extra tables the boss has greedily shoved in. Drop down on one knee in the aisle and you are likely to find a waiter going base over apex over your head as he rushes distractedly about. Regaining your feet to find yourself covered in fettuccine al fredo and your waiter stuck under a neighbouring table tends to put a damper on things.

And should the meal be ‘not very good’, it casts a pall over the whole evening.

‘Why don’t you complain?’ your lady friend will insist in shriller and shriller tones.

Your reply that English gentlemen do not complain on the spot but prefer to go home and write a nasty anonymous blog post or tweet will not go down well.

The word ‘wimp’ may well be advanced.

Couples with children will start to get twitchy at the inevitable slow service and start worrying about paying Tatyana the babysitter extra money as well as her cab fare home. In any case, by 9pm most long-term couples will have run out of things to say to each other and be fondly wishing they’d stayed at home with an M&S gourmet meal for two and a DVD of The Killing.

There is also another hazard – amorous waiters determined to steal your lady.

In Italian restaurants they will sidle up behind her and show off an enormous pepper mill whose symbolism is obvious.

With gruesome thrusts of his shiny, tightly trousered groin the Latin lothario

will shower pepper onto her food as if it were fecund pollen, whilst making eye contact with you and sneering at your lack of manliness. She may well simper and play up to this offensive behaviour and if you are not careful she may be found at some point pressed up against a dustbin behind the kitchen.

So do enjoy your Valentine’s Day but remember, pick your restaurant wisely.

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

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Offering a range of 24 courses that include, Health is Wealth, Michelin Star Cooking at Home, Seasonal Vegetarian and authentic Indian cuisine brought to you by Cookery School Chef, Hrihikesh Desai. Learn how easy it is to create great food at home.

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Courses available in February 2013 Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

4th North- Spice Route of India

5th The Street Food of India

6th Traditional British Cookery

11th Adult & Child

12th Adult & Child

Kids Only

Kids Only

13th Seasonal Brasserie Dishes

18th An introduction to Patisserie

19th Afternoon Tea Entertaining

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27th Fish & Shellfish

Thursday

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