The London - Autumn 2022

Working in collaboration with London Golf Club, we are delighted to bring members exclusive offers, discounts and sneak peaks.

Discover our collection of fine wines, champagnes and spirits from around the world.

At the start of every month, we are offering London Golf Club members an exclusive wine bundle worth more than £150, for just £100. There is no monthly commitment, just scan the QR code each month to access your exclusive bundle.

Plus, use code LONDONGOLF for an exclusive 10% off all wine and champagne when ordering online. Any purchase made from London Club members will enter our prize draw.

Welcome to the autumn 2022 edition of The London. It has been a busy golfing season with fantastic summer sunshine throughout, and we are pleased to see our members, guests, and visitors enjoying the Club’s facilities.

In this edition we will explore the hospitality side of the Club and are thrilled to introduce you to two key food and beverage partnerships that are helping us transform our offering. A few small changes we have already made, which you will learn more about as you read, are the introduction of our LGC branded pilsner and gin. Our pilsner has been brewed in collaboration with Shepherd Neame, a longtime partner of the Club, who have infused this Kentish pilsner with plants from around the property. In addition, Marden based Kentish gin distillers, Anno Gin, have hand-picked gorse and elderflower from our 700-acre site to create our very own LGC gin. Both 19th hole beverages are available in the Spike Bar for you to enjoy now, and you may also purchase bottles of our gin to enjoy at home.

Another new partnership we are delighted to introduce is with a local company known as Suburban BottleStore. We plan to host a wine tasting social event in the new year for members to sample their products, so stay tuned for more details. When purchasing from Suburban BottleStore, members receive an exclusive discount and can have their wine delivered directly to the clubhouse or their home.

As we grow and evolve in this area of the business you will see our food offerings change as well, with more details and a new menu coming very soon. Plus, we will be adding in new social event offerings to mix up our traditional calendar, so stay tuned for further details.

On behalf of all the team at LGC, we hope you enjoy this hospitality themed edition of The London, and we look forward to seeing you around the clubhouse.

Warm regards, Adrian Simmonds Director of Hospitality

Hatch Kent TN15 7EH www.londongolf.co.uk

London Golf Club members are being invited to raise a glass to their very own brand of gin later this year, with the specially commissioned spirit made from plants taken straight from our golf courses.

The club has joined forces with Anno Distillers to create a unique custom gin that includes botanicals such as gorse and elderflower foraged from areas around the Heritage and International courses.

The proud tradition of gin distilling in Kent had been lost for more than 200 years when, in 2011, lifelong scientists Andy Reason and Norman Lewis offered a glimmer of hope to spirit lovers across the county, conspiring to create Anno and Anno Kent Dry Gin. Fast forward over a decade and one of the early pioneers of the craft gin craze now boast a gin which owns the title of “World’s strongest gin”.

The aptly named Anno Extreme 95 Gin, which weighs in at a hefty 95% ABV, proudly flies the flag for British distilling as the strongest gin anywhere in the world today. Despite its high alcoholic content, the gin is actually a really smooth and easy to drink offering, with exotic botanical notes of grapefruit, eucalyptus and nutmeg, and only needing five millilitres of the spirit to make a comparable G&T due to its concentrated botanical formula.

Over the years, Anno has become an acknowledged expert in combining the beautiful nature of the Garden of England with the “Spirit of Alchemy” to create multiple award-winning gins and spirits. Putting the company’s 300-litre copper-pot still – lovingly named Patience – to good use, their team is dedicated to helping others to also enjoy the spirits which they have such a passion for. Anno is far from a one-trick pony, and boasts a stable of spirits that have won a number of prestigious awards. These include a sold–out, limited edition of Kent’s First Whisky; a range of gins including flavours such as the wonderfully crisp ‘Orange and Honey Gin’; a deep, fruity sloe gin; a ‘B3rry Pink Gin’ and a colour-changing ‘magic’ gin; and, most recently, a fantastic range of delicious rums with a modern twist. Every Anno spirit produced continues to maintain the high quality and dedication to scientific principles that have embodied the brand since its inception.

Fans of Anno’s spirits can visit the distillery in Marden to be taken through the process of making the perfect gin using science by its knowledgeable team of experts, as well as getting to sample the fruits of their labours with their suggested serves, whilst learning a bit more about the history of the spirit itself. For those that want to try their own hand at being an alchemist, Anno also offer blending experiences, where guests can create their own bottle of spirit in the gin lab before taking it home the same day with a personalised label.

To create the gin, work starts in Anno’s two-litre development still called ‘Faith’, with a ‘base gin’ developed that is distilled using traditional botanicals such as juniper and coriander seed. Separately, citrus elements such as orange, lemon and lime peels are distilled to make a citrus spirit.

The next step sees the foraged botanicals distilled to understand their flavour profile and concentration. The liquids are then mixed in a series of small experiments and the resultant blends tasted.

Subsequent blending and tastings are conducted until the desired flavour profile is obtained before calculations are made to work out how much of each botanical amount is required for a single, all-together distillation (conducted in Faith). It is only then that the operation is scaled up and increased to take the recipe to a 300-litre scale in Patience, Anno’s production still.

You’ll be glad to know that development of the London Golf Club gin is going well, and it will be available at the bar and shop in the coming months. Watch this space!

WHATIS GIN?

Gin is a spirit that has been around for hundreds of years. During this time, it has evolved from the Dutch Genever style of spirit to the modern dry and flavoured gins which are now so popular across the globe.

So what is gin and how is it made? By law, gin is described as a spirit that is predominantly flavoured with juniper berries and that has an alcohol level by volume of 37.5 per cent or more. However, a gin that only has juniper in it would be rather simple in flavour and not very exciting to drink. Distillers, therefore, carefully select a set of additional botanicals to flavour their gins to a particular style. Botanicals are plant parts such as leaves, berries, flowers, woods and spices.

In making gin, the distiller starts with high-grade alcohol at 96 per cent ABV which has been specially distilled to remove all flavour apart from the alcohol itself. This is placed in a still with the mix of botanicals and then boiled to create a vapour which rises through the still, taking flavours from the botanicals with it, to the condenser where it is converted back to a liquid.

The first part of distillate is called the ‘heads’ and this contains flavours that are often sharp and therefore discarded. The main part of the distillate is then collected as the ‘heart-cut’ which has the alcohol and flavours wanted for the gin.

The final part of the distillation is called the ‘tails’ and like the heads has flavours not wanted in the gin and are therefore also discarded. The heart cut will typically be between 80 and 90 per cent ABV so is diluted with pure water to bottling strength.

RECIPES

The Golden Bear

• 125 ml pineapple juice

• 50 ml London Golf Club gorse and elderflower gin

• Crushed lime and mint cordial

• Dried pineapple wedge and edible flowers to garnish

The Grand Slam

• 200 ml ginger beer

• 50 ml London Golf Club gorse and elderflower gin

• 5 ml Bottle Green bramble cordial

• Dried grapefruit and edible flowers to garnish

LGC G&T

• 200 ml Fever Tree tonic

• 50 ml London Golf Club gorse and elderflower gin

• 5 ml Chambord

• Dried grapefruit to garnish edible flowers to garnish

MEMBER COMPETITIONS RESULTS

Twenty-one years after he first started working at the London Golf Club, Adrian Simmonds is back in a new role as his career has come full circle. We caught up with the club’s director of hospitality this month to hear more about his most recent career move and his F & B plans for the future.

Interview by Pete Simm, The Azalea Group.

So you returned to the club last year, nearly 10 years after leaving following spells working at Royal Blackheath, The Buckinghamshire and Littlestone golf clubs. How did the move come about?

When I went to Littlestone, they had big plans to expand their F & B operation which included transforming one of the clubhouses there into dormy-style accommodation but, as is the way with old-school clubs, things have to be approved by committees, committees then change, and nothing ends up happening. I was there six years and 10 months but towards the end a new chairman came in and he had a different vision. I’d come from The Buckinghamshire to Littlestone to build something but could see that wasn’t going to happen, so I eventually left in 2020. Last year, London Golf Club said they were going to have a tournament in August 2021, so I reached out to the head chef who was still a friend. I said to him that I was about if he wanted me to come in and do some work. Then the chief executive, Stephen Follett, and head of finance got in touch. I was thinking I would come back for a week, but we played a round of golf to discuss things and I ended up coming back full time. .

Was the plan to always do something in the F & B industry?

When I left school, I trained as a chef. I then spent 14 years working at a wine bar and then, under the same owners, at a restaurant but they had a management change and I asked if I could go to a front-of-house position. I started off parttime before going full-time and enjoyed that a lot more, and 30 years later, here I am still at the front of house, looking after people.

What are the parts of the job that you really enjoy?

I love making sure that people are looked after and trying to meet their needs. In any catering

ADRIAN SIMMONDS

environment, we never get it right all the time: you go to a Michelin star restaurant and they get it wrong, I love making people happy on the day. I have been in golf since my early thirties, every customer that comes here I know, 100 per cent hasn’t come for our food. The thing about London Golf Club, more than any other club nearby, it’s all about the experience. You get to the gates at the top of the drive and you get a warm welcome; you drop your clubs off at the clubhouse and one of the team takes care of them; and we want that to continue when you come in here – for example, someone is on hand to greet you even before you’ve sat down. That’s the ethos that we want –if you start happy, you’re hopefully happy out on the golf course and, even if you haven’t played so well, you come back in and we make you happy, whether you have a drink or some food. What we want is for people to have a great experience so that they not only want to come back themselves but also then tell their friends to visit as well. It’s not just a round of golf here, it’s the all-round experience. We want to create something that people want to be a part of, whether it be as a someone that comes back once, twice or three times a year or as a member. That’s what all of us want as a management team.

How have you changed things since you came back?

I came in and hit the ground running, as it was three weeks before the Cazoo Classic last year. From July 12 when I started until Christmas, it was full on so we kept things running as they were and then we have evolved things slightly and freshened up the menu. Golf food is ham, egg and chips, it’s a burger, it’s a tuna sandwich, so you can’t change the world but we have put a lot more vegetarian dishes on since I came together with healthier options, from a summer salad to edamame beans, pomegranate and

couscous. This has come a little bit from feedback we’ve received from guests and little bit from me knowing what people want.

Do you run your new F & B ideas past the team before introducing them to the menu and can anyone contribute?

As a team – and that includes everyone from our chefs and people that are here five days a week to people that are part-time – we’ll sit down and I’ve always been open to hearing what anyone has to say so, if your idea is a good idea, we’ll take it on board and run with it. If it doesn’t work, so be it, but I’d rather people spoke up and the beauty of here is that we print our own menus so can change things overnight. That certainly wouldn’t happen at a private members’ club where it can be a painfully slow process to make changes. Can you elaborate on how the club has adopted a more sustainable approach to F & B?

We have started to bring our suppliers into a local radius from the club to help support local Kent businesses. Our butcher lives literally over the hill near Brands Hatch; our fish is from a company in Sevenoaks; and we’re with Anno Gin, Maidstone Gin and Dockyard Gin as gin is probably the biggest thing in this industry from a front-of-house point of view. We have got Shepherd Neame as our brewer and have done a collaboration with our beer so that we have our London Golf Club pilsner now which has gone very well with our customers. Shepherd Neame is actually brewing the Thai lager Singha themselves now while we also have one of their ciders on draught. In addition, the soft drink company for all my buggy and on-course items is a company in Ashford which is run by a very keen golfer who loves being in golf clubs. The materials we use in cleaning products is from a place just

outside Dartford, while the major chemicals we use are from a local company that supplies all the hospitals. The owner and chairman of CK Facilities is a very keen golfer who sponsors a couple of young pros in the south (Matt Ford and Alfie Plant) and, because of the pandemic, got into golf. They were giving us chemicals, hand sanitiser, gloves, aprons and everything we needed in difficult times. The way things are done now is light years away from when I started, and we are very proud to support local.

How important is it that the London Golf Club is at the forefront of local initiatives like these? Very, as I would consider us to be the elite club in Kent. One of the things that we’re currently looking at is having different flavours of tonic water on a dispense system, which would eliminate the use of bottles. The industry is already starting to talk about that, in 2024, there is talk of a return to a deposit system on all glass bottles, so the less we use not only will it help financially but be better for the environment. This would be a good thing and it would be great if we can help with that. I know one of the projects that our CEO, Stephen Follett, has talked about is ways that we can condense down all our plastic waste so that, whether it be buggy, on-course or in the bar, you can collect all the bottles and then there are companies that will take the plastic away and turn it into clothing, so that then becomes the staff uniform for the greenkeeping department, the clubhouse or wherever. That is something that we are actively looking into. We know it’s a few years on but the world is constantly evolving, and we are forward-thinking enough as a company to be looking at that.

ALL IN A

DAY'S WORK...

05:30

Most days I am up early, and my first duty is to make a coffee for my wife Gail. Then I’m off and out walking my dog, Daisy, a copper eared cockerpoo. We walk for around an hour before heading home to get ready for my shift. Some days I must skip this if a group has an early breakfast, in this case she gets a quick walk with Gail early and I take her for the longer walk in the evening.

08:00

This summer due to the industry suffering with finding staff, I have run most of our function breakfasts. This allows not only myself to be here on site as the early duty manager but allows the key members of my team to be available either in the spike bar or to do the busier later parts of a golf day upstairs

11:00

The closing shift of staff arrive around this time. I try to get together with the senior member of each floor to go through the day so that we are all aware of the functions and their requirements. It also gives them the opportunity to go through the day before functions and raise any issues they may have had.

07:15

My drive to the club takes around 45 minutes and it’s a great time whilst driving to get things planned so that I can start the day in either breakfast area. My first task once in the building is to make sure that all the areas are ready for the day. I turn on the TVs and sound system upstairs, make sure that the lights are on in the rooms we will be using and that they are ready for the day.

10:00

Every weekday the operational side of the club get together for a 10 @ 10 – a ten-minute meeting at 10:00. This allows us all to communicate what our teams are up to that day and if there are any details from other departments that may affect the daily running of our own.

Adrian Simmonds is the Director of Hospitality at London Golf Club. He has a rich history of working in the food and beverage industry in restaurants, bars, and golf clubs. His passions including cooking, hospitality, and the training and development of his staff. Adrian previously worked at London Golf Club from February 2002 – February 2012. However, more recently he has been the Food and Beverage Manager at Littlestone Golf Club.

11:30

Our staff lunch is between 11:30 and 13:30. We split the day’s staff into groups and make sure that everyone can enjoy a break, and our chefs prepare a lunch for the entire team each day of the week. It is an important staff benefit and a great moment in the day for us all to take a break before heading into the busy afternoons.

18:00

Home time is typically dictated by the events we are hosting at the club. Although the time varies, it always remains important to me to show the team that I am there to support them, and to give the customer the best possible experience. At the very least, I like to make sure main courses are served before heading home.

13:30

The afternoon for me is spent getting ready for the next day or next big event. I try to plan any meetings in the afternoons as I have more staff on hand to look after the bars and restaurants. On a typical day, I spend time with our suppliers speaking about the latest products or services they can provide that will benefit both the staff development and the offering to our members, guests, and visitors.

19:00

Once home, it is time to rest and catch up on the day’s events with the girls at home. I enjoy cooking for my wife and two stepdaughters, and spending time with our dogs. If I’m lucky, I also get to watch a bit of American football whenever it is on. Go Falcons!

Members’ Christmas Party

• Saturday 3rd and Saturday 10th December

• £95 per person

• Includes champagne and canape reception, three-course meal with amuse bouche, followed by coffee and mints

• Live entertainment and dancing

Party Nights

• 2nd (fully booked), 8th, 9th (fully booked), 15th, and 16th December

• From £50 per person

• Includes fizz on arrival, three-course meal, DJ, and dancing. Drinks packages available for pre-order.

Members’ Christmas Family Lunch

• Sunday 18th December

• £40 per adult

• £20 per child over 4

• £15 per child under 4

• Includes three-course Sunday lunch and a visit from Father Christmas.

Members Christmas Carvery

• Sunday 4th December

• £35 per adult

• £15 per child

• Includes three-course carvery lunch in the restaurant, followed by coffee and mints.

LONDON GOLF CLUB RAISES GLASS TO SHEPHERD NEAME WITH OWN EXCLUSIVE LAGER

A familiar name across London and south-east England, London Golf Club has a long-standing relationship with Shepherd Neame and we’re proud to have taken our partnership with the Kent brewery further this summer with the launch of our very own lager.

Aswell as offering familiar favourites from the brewers including Spitfire Amber Ale, Whitstable Bay Pale Ale, Singha Thai lager and Orchard View cider, members and guests have had the opportunity to relax and unwind over the last few months by sampling a glass or two of our exclusive London Club Pilsner. Britain’s oldest brewer with more than 300 pubs throughout the south-east region, Shepherd Neame is an independent family brewer and pub operator, and has been based in the medieval market town of Faversham for more than 300 years.

Using water from its artesian well on site that has been used

to brew beers since at least 1573, the Kent company still uses this same source of mineral-filtered water to craft its award-winning beers today, with around 80 per cent of the hops used in its ales grown locally in the Garden of England.

Committed to sustainable brewing – 97 per cent of the grain and hop used in the brewing process is recycled – it’s not just local drinkers who have had the chance to sample its award-winning brands in 2022 with its drinks showcased at many events throughout the year, including as the ‘Official Beer Partner’ of the 150th Open Championship in St Andrews.

Shepherd Neame helped thousands of golf fans to celebrate Australian Cameron Smith’s victory in style as they raised a glass to golf’s newest Major winner in the bars at the Old Course and at bespoke outside bars around the course.

The original Thai lager Singha, which Shepherd Neame began brewing for the UK market earlier this year, Whitstable Bay Black Stout, Whitstable Bay Pale Ale and Orchard View cider on draught were all on sale at the Home of Golf, and we have a few suggestions this month to help you get the most from its range by combining a drink with a variety of dishes on your next visit to the club.

A quintessentially British icon, Spitfire Amber Ale complements pies, quiche and pate.

Whitstable Bay Pale Ale, a brand Inspired by Creativity, pairs with fish dishes of all kinds, including smoked fish and rich fish pie.

Premium Thai lager Singha is ideal for enjoying with spiced fishcakes, Pad Thai and steamed rice pork balls.

Both Orchard View and London Club Pilsner are refreshing and light, pairing well with burgers of all kinds and barbequed foods.

LGC LAGER

It

was a pleasure to host our members and their families again for the first time since 2019 for our annual Father’s Day BBQ.

Everyone enjoyed an afternoon of grilling and games in the clubhouse. Our chefs put on a fantastic spread including blackened smoked pork, tomahawk steak, and beer-can chicken, served with an array of sides and salads. For dessert, our chefs prepared banana pudding, peach sundaes, Mississippi mud cake and more. A very special thank you to Think Scalextric and Leisure King Events for helping us create our man cave theme with Scalextric, mini golf, virtual bowling, giant connect four and kerplunk.

londongolf.co.uk

Souffled Crab, Saffron and Spring Onion Tart

INGREDIENTS

For the pastry case:

• 80g chilled butter cut into cubes, plus extra for greasing

• 275g plain flour, plus extra for dusting ½ tsp salt

• 80g chilled lard (or white vegetable fat) cubed

• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten

For the tart filling:

• Generous pinch of saffron

• 175 ml whole milk plus 1 tbsp warmed

• 75g butter

• 25g plain flour

• Bunch of spring onions very thinly sliced

• 350g fresh white crabmeat

• 40g finely grated parmesan

• 2tbsp finely chopped parsley

• 3 large eggs, separated

• 150ml double cream

METHOD

To make the pastry case:

1. Grease a 27cm, loose-bottomed fluted tart tin that is 3-4cm deep with butter.

2. Sift the flour and the salt into a bowl.

3. Add the butter and lard and work into the mixture until it represents a fine breadcrumb.

4. Stir in three tablespoons of cold water and bring together into a ball.

5. Turn out and knead briefly.

6. On a lightly floured surface roll out the pastry and use to line the tart tin.

7. Trim the edges, prick the base with a fork and chill for 20 mins.

8. Pre-heat the oven to 200C, 180C fan or gas mark 6.

9. Line the pastry case with baking parchment and baking beans and cook for 15 mins until the edges are biscuit coloured.

10. Remove the paper and beans, return to the oven for another five mins.

11. Brush the base of the tart case with the egg white and then return to the oven for 4-5 mins.

12. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Head chef Michael Sargent

How to remove meat from a cooked crab:

1. Put the crab on its back, on a board and break off the claws.

2. Twist off the thinner legs. Try to remove the knuckle joints with them and discard. This makes it easier to remove the white crab meat from the body later.

3. Lift the tail flap, which will be pressed close to the belly of the crab, break it off and discard.

4. Push the blade of a large knife in between the body and back shell (at the point in which you broke off the tail) and twist the blade to release the body.

5. Holding the back shell down, put your thumbs on each side of the body section and press firmly upwards to release it. Lift it all away from the back shell.

6. Pull off and discard the feathery looking gills (often called dead man’s fingers) from the body section and the small sac at the top of the crab’s body.

7. Scoop out the brown meat from the centre of the body, keep separate from the white meat.

8. Cut the body in half. Remove the white meat from the little channels with a crab pick or a skewer.

9. Crack the shell of the claws with a hammer and take out the meat, removing the thin bone concealed with in the meat of the claws.

10. Scoop out the rest of the brown meat from the back shell, and you’re ready to go!

To make the tart:

1. Lower the oven temperature to 190C, 170C fan or gas mark 5.

2. Put the saffron into a small bowl and cover with 1tbsp of warm milk, set this aside.

3. Melt 50g of butter and add the flour, cook this gently for one minute.

4. Remove from the heat and gradually stir in 175ml milk. Return to the heat and bring to the boil.

5. Stir until smooth, lower the heat and simmer very gently for a few minutes, stirring to thicken.

6. Meanwhile melt the remaining butter in another pan, add the spring onion and fry for a minute until just soft. Stir into the sauce with the saffron milk, crab meat, parmesan, parsley and some salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.

7. Mix the egg yolks with cream and stir into the cooled crab mixture.

8. In a large clean bowl, whisk the egg whites into soft peaks. Fold into the crab mixture with a large spoon. Pour into the pastry case and bake for 30-35mins until set, puffed up and golden brown.

Fireworks Evening

Our annual Member’s Fireworks Evening invites guests to experience bonfire night in a different way. From the comfort of the clubhouse everyone can keep warm and enjoy the evening’s entertainment whilst awaiting the fireworks display.

This year the party was started with music provided by Mint DJ, and balloon art and glow sticks for the children. The chefs prepared traditional favourites including mulled wine, hot chocolate, hot dogs, and a hog roast. Plus, guests could enjoy a chocolate fountain with an array of sweets for dipping as dessert. With the help

of Flashpoint Fireworks, we lit up the sky over London Golf Club and watched a spectacular display from the Long Bar Terrace. Save the date for 2023, as tickets for this event sell-out quickly each year. For more information on our member social events, please contact the Wedding and Events department on 01474 875720 or email weddingandevents@londongolf.co.uk

londongolf.co.uk

Your wedding is a unique occasion, and we would be delighted to help you celebrate at London Golf Club. It is one of the few wedding venues located on the beautiful North Downs, set in the heart of 700 acres of idyllic Kent countryside providing a picturesque and private venue for your special day.