Food & Drink

FOOD & DRINK living

DAN BATCHELOR

The chef and founder of award-winning street food business Flying Cows tells us we’ve got his mum to thank for sparking the cooking bug and how he likes nothing more than tucking into veggies at home

Tell us about your cooking

I like to do restaurant-style dishes in burger form, so classic big flavours in a burger.

How did you become a chef?

I started cooking in the local pub aged 15 and I just loved the atmosphere in the kitchen. I moved to London for a while and when I came back I worked at Simpsons in Kenilworth and then in Birmingham when it moved to Edgbaston under Luke Tipping. I left and did various things including opening my own restaurant but that didn’t go so well.

I started doing farmers’ markets before the street food scene really kicked off and when Digbeth Dining Club took off I got involved. I’ve a lot to thank founders Jack Brabant and James Swinburne for. They gave me loads of help and support. Street food is completely different to being in a restaurant setting. No two events are the same and you meet really nice people. There’s a freedom it gives you, too.

What do you eat when at home?

Funnily enough a lot of vegetarian food - risotto, pasta, curries. Cooking meat for weeks on end means I’m ready for some veg at home.

Who’s the best chef in the world and why? And who’s the best in Brum?

It’s a tough one, but probably Gordon Ramsay. There are loads of chefs I look up to, but Ramsay springs to mind. In Brum, I have to say Luke Tipping as he was my boss! Brad Carter’s pretty good though and I met Glynn Purnell last month and he’s pretty nice, so we’re spoilt for choice.

Is the customer always right?

Yes. My dad always said the customer is king and I agree with that.

Share a cooking tip

Just season really well. A little salt can absolutely transform a dish.

What was your favourite food as a kid?

Cake! My mum is a very good cook and I used to love baking cakes with her as a child.

Food heaven and food hell?

Heaven would be wild mushrooms simply fried. I love them. Hell would be raisins.

What’s the most unusual thing you’ve eaten?

Probably something like sheep’s intestines. I’m not keen on offal.

If you weren’t a chef, what would you be? An astronaut!

What do you recommend from your menu?

I’d go for the burger that won the British Street Food award – the Truffle Boy. It’s a steak burger with smoked streaky bacon and black truffle mayo. ■

FLYING HIGH Flying Cows was awarded Best Street Food at the Food & Drink Awards hosted by Stephen Fry last month and Britain’s best burger at the Street Food Awards in 2017 and 2019.

BARNT GREEN INN

Kendal End Road, Birmingham, B45 8PZ. Tel: 0121 445 4949 barntgreeninn.co.uk

Admittedly we hadn’t been to the Barnt Green Inn for approximately 34 years, so comparing its recent transformation to what went before was a bit beyond us. However, having expected a country pub vibe on route, we were a bit blown away by the interiors. It’s clear from the first glance that somebody has very deep pockets and good taste. The lighting’s great, bar area’s cosy, the restaurant’s all grown-up and glamorous… and we liked! The clever sticks running the relaunch welcomed us with a build-your-own gin and tonic station which was fun. Hicc! This was the media launch, so while it’s not a regular feature, the bar’s well stocked and wine list superb. The menu was a bit of mash up of genres – quite a few Asian-inspired dishes alongside pub classics and Mediterranean vibes which bamboozled us slightly. We plumped for some Asian flavours to kick off. We liked the miso aubergine bao buns a lot which came with a hefty hit of red chilli and a mango and spring onion salsa on the side. Massaman chicken skewers were tasty and all the familiar spice and nutty notes were there, but we didn’t much care for the tzatziki on the side.

A sea bass fillet was delicious served with a tangy tomato and lemon aioli, new potatoes, samphire and spinach. The charred octopus tentacle balancing on top didn’t add much apart from a bit of smoke. Sticky glazed pork belly was probably our favourite dish – soft, unctuous, sweet meat

with satisfyingly crisp crackling served with roasted butternut squash, cavolo nero, creamed corn, mash potatoes and a red wine jus.

A lemon meringue flamed Alaska was super sweet in a good way, but the portion was huge. There are mini versions of desserts served with coffee which a bit more modest. The mini crème brulee was perfect.

There was probably something on every dish we sampled that you could have removed which would have either improved the plate or we wouldn’t have noticed. Less is more sometimes. Having said that, the food was on the whole great, the service was excellent despite being very new and we loved the vibe of the place. ■

SHORTS BIRMINGHAM HAS A LIVELY AND BUZZING BAR AND RESTAURANT SCENE. HERE, WE PRESENT OUR INSIDER GUIDE TO WHAT’S GOING ON IN YOUR CITY’S EATERIES AND DRINKING DENS FOOD & DRINK NIBBLES and

MEALS DEAL Birmingham-based restaurant, Holy Moly – home of the ‘Proper Mac’ – has teamed up with national charity FoodCycle to help support vulnerable people in the local community with hot meals. Holy Moly donated its first selection of its vegetarian cheesy ‘Proper Mac’ to the charity in January and is now providing much-needed meals every week. FoodCycle combines surplus food, spare kitchen spaces and volunteers to create three-course meals for people and families at risk.

STEAK DATE The doors open this month on Michelin-star chef Aktar Islam’s new Argentinian steak restaurant Pulperia at Brindleyplace. The eatery is in the unit previously occupied by CAU which closed in 2018. Pulperia boasts a unique Argentinian v-shaped, charcoal and wood-fired grill and serves food 'inspired by and adapted from some of the world’s finest Argentinian recipes', as well as a wide variety of fish, grilled chicken and vegetarian options.

TASTY TRIO OPENS Three new food and drink destinations – Vita, Green’s and Taste Collective – have opened in Solihull’s Mell Square shopping centre. Vita serves desserts and cakes from local independent bakeries, while Green’s offers innovative cocktails created by acclaimed mixologist Robert Wood. Taste Collective is home to independent pop-up street food traders serving a variety of cuisines.

BAKING IT VEGAN A new vegan bakery has set up in a factory unit in Alcester. Ridge Hill Bakery is the brainchild of John McGreal and Millie Slater, specialising in vegan cakes and breakfast delights such as sausages and hash browns. John explained: “We are making food for people like ourselves, not necessarily vegan but people who want to eat more ethically. At the same time it has got to taste great.”

SWEET IDEA Local restaurateur Alex Claridge of the Wilderness in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, has met with some of the city’s homeless as part of his work with the charity SIFA. The stories he heard will help inspire a collection of chocolates he is developing with proceeds going to help the homelessness charity. Alex is active in speaking out on the issue of the growing numbers of homeless people in the city.

FROM MUMBAI TO SHIRLEY A slice of Maharashtrian street food is on the menu in Shirley with the arrival of SKVP. Located next to Fiesta Del Asado in Stratford Road, the emphasis is on Mumbai’s popular street food, Vada Pav – a spicy potato filling sandwiched between buns and layers of spicy garlic and green chutney! Totally plant-based, the menu also includes Misal, Bhel Puri, Kachchi Dabeli and many other tasty vegetarian Indian dishes, all made to order.

SPRING IN A GLASS We’re all set to toast the new season with this zingy Lychee and Gingerbread Cocktail

Apparently, spring is coming… not sure we’re totally convinced just yet but, hey, why not welcome in some warmer weather with this cheeky little number from the talented mixologists at Sky By The Water. ■

ALL YOU NEED TO MIX IT UP BEAUTIFULLY INGREDIENTS:

■ 50ml Lychee juice

■ 25ml Pineapple juice

■ 15ml Gingerbread syrup

■ 15ml Lime juice

■ 10ml Brown sugar syrup

METHOD: Put all the ingredients in a shaker and shake without ice first. Fill the shake with ice and shake it again (for maximum foam). Double strain in a coupe glass. Garnish with a dehydrated pineapple semi-wheel. For an alcoholic version, our recommendation is to add 50ml of Kraken Spiced Rum.

Sky By The Water, Resorts World, Pendigo Way, Marston Green, Birmingham, B40 1PU resortsworldbirmingham.co.uk

MILANO

If you only go to the Aracadian for pre-theatre drinks and nosh, you’re missing a trick. Italian restaurant Milano – opposite Glee – has had a facelift and feels very much a place we want to spend more time.

Two words – garlic bread. We’re just going to put this out there. The tomato garlic bread was the best we’ve ever eaten and while we didn’t sample the pizza, we are fairly confident based on this beauty it would be trippily good. Bags of garlic on a perfect blistered slightly charred base with tangy tomato sauce. Bliss. We could have stopped there, but we didn’t. Instead, we devoured our own body weight in food and booze beginning with the letter ‘L’. Think linguine, lobster, lamb, limoncello… Aside from the garlic bread there were other highlights, like the lobster linguine which was generously loaded with meaty chunks of the shellfish, a tangy sauce and plenty of herbs. The plate was big enough to feed a family, but that aside it was good.

Lamb cutlets with a fruity redcurrant sauce raised a smile from the carnivore although the mash it was served with didn’t hit the mark. Less said the better. A bowl of mussels with a punchy tomato sauce to mop up with warm bread was a treat and got us wondering why we don’t eat them more often. A panacotta and a plate of sweet treats including chocolate truffles and gorgeous almondy biscuits were very good. By this point we were hankering after a peppermint tea, but then came the limoncello. It was a Monday after all.

We reckon the manager might be a feeder! He was so warm and generous in that typically Italian way that’s impossible to decline. Well, why would you want to? If you’re after warm friendly service with a hit of personality, stonkingly good pasta and pizza and a good wine list, Milano is the one. ■ Arcadian Centre, Hurst Street, Birmingham, B5 4TD. Tel: 0121 622 3999 milanorestaurant.co.uk

SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE

If the thought of lying in the sun and reading a book for a week bores you to tears, then check out these actionpacked holidays in countries all over the world. From skydiving in Australia to going on a safari in South Africa, discover the best adventure holidays on offer. Bungee Jump in Auckland

If you’re going to bungee jump, there’s no better place in the world to be than New Zealand. Ever since the day A J Hackett and Henry van Asch set up New Zealand’s first commercial bungee operation in the 1980s, bungee jumping in New Zealand is almost a rite of passage.

Auckland, once the country’s capital city, holds the world’s first harbour bridge bungee jump. Not only that, it’s also the only place you can do an ocean touch bungee! Suspended over Waitemata Harbour, you’ll take in 360-degree views of the area before leaping from the Auckland Harbour Bridge. Take an exclusive bridge walk to the purpose-built bungee pod and feel the adrenaline as you plunge 40 metres towards turquoise waters. Visit Auckland’s Sky Tower for more exhilarating activities. How to get there from Birmingham Airport: Check out flights with Emirates or Qatar Airways and enjoy a stop-off to break up your journey. Ride Roller Coasters in Orlando

Orlando is famously the theme park capital of the world, so where better to get your adrenaline rushing than on some of the city’s best rollercoasters? From Disney World to Hollywood Studios, there is a plethora of pulse-racing coasters to choose from.

If you want to ride some of the best rollercoasters in the city, head to Universal Studios. Among our favourites there is the Incredible Hulk, where Hulk sends passengers soaring up its Gamma Force Accelerator tube. Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, sends you up a 17-story vertical lift hill before being dropped at 65mph, and the Revenge of the Mummy ride, is a coaster in complete darkness.

How to get there from Birmingham Airport: Fly direct to Orlando with TUI or use Aer Lingus with a short stop-off in Ireland’s capital, Dublin. GREAT ADVENTURE HOLIDAYS BRING OUT THE THRILL-SEEKER IN US ALL, AND SOME OF THE MOST EXCITING DESTINATIONS CAN BE REACHED FROM BIRMINGHAM AIRPORT. SO, GO FOR IT – WE DARE YOU!

Skydive in Perth

You can’t get much more adventurous than chucking yourself out of a plane, thousands of feet in the air. Skydiving is at the top of many people’s bucket lists and if you’re going to conquer your fear, you want to choose the best place for it.

So why Perth, Australia? Well, for the coastal views for one. Western Australia is blessed with stunning beach coastline and favourable weather which makes for a perfect skydive. As well as jumping in Perth’s CBD, you can skydive from Rockingham Beach or Jurien Bay, both offering stunning views for your jump. Skydiving is a highly regulated activity in Australia and you can safely jump from up to 15,000ft in Perth which means over 65 seconds free fall time.

How to get there from Birmingham Airport: Book flights from Birmingham Airport to Perth. Fly with Emirates and enjoy a quick stop in Dubai before the second leg of the journey or fly with Qatar Airways for a connection in Doha.

Safari in Johannesburg

A safari is one of the best adventure holidays you can go on and from Birmingham Airport you can fly to Johannesburg, a city that offers many options for safari. From South Africa’s biggest city, you don’t need to travel far to get out into the bush.

There are plenty of safari parks and game reserves within a four-hour drive of the city. Day-trippers can head to reserves just an hour’s drive away, while those looking to spend a few days on safari can go further afield. All these areas are malaria free, so there’s no need for medication.

How to get there from Birmingham Airport: Pick from a range of airlines to Johannesburg with a convenient connection including Air France, Emirates, KLM, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines. ■

Hopefully, one of these adventurous holiday destinations gets your pulse racing. Birmingham Airport offers flights to locations all over the world.

THE TRADITIONAL CHOICES TO GO WITH MEAT OR FISH DON’T HAVE TO APPLY AS MODERN TASTES THROW UP MORE EXCITING COMBINATIONS, SAYS WINE EXPERT ROB PRICE RED OR WHITE?

The old adage of white with fish and red with meat, while not wrong, if followed without any flexibility will limit your choices and mean you’ll miss out on some very good food and wine combinations. The main point is the increased emphasis being placed on the personal choice of each person. We all have very different tastes and react to smells and other sensory aspects in a wide variety of ways. Some people are very sensitive to acid, others sweetness, so it would be impossible to lay down any firm rules. If you like it, that’s good enough…

SAVOURY PICKS

The other main element we now take notice of is Umami, which is a savoury taste. Umami can make life CHAMPAGNE WITH FISH AND CHIPS Yes, it really does work very, very well. The acidity in the Champagne off-setting the fatty nature of the fish and chips. I think every fish and chip shop should have a Champagne vending machine so everyone can appreciate the majesty of this combination! 4 ROB’S TO PAIR

PINOT NOIR WITH CRISPY DUCK Duck is quite a fatty meat and Pinot Noir is characteristically high in acidity and it’s this acidity again that helps counteract the fattiness in the duck. My must try is crispy duck with a Central Otago Pinot Noir from New Zealand.

PORK BELLY WITH OFF DRY GERMAN RIESLING Another example of a crisp acidic wine that complements the fat of the pork. Try a Kabinett-style Riesling which works even better if the pork comes with apple sauce and crackling.

TOKAJI ASZU WITH SALTED CARAMEL CHOCOLATE TART Wow, what a flavour combination! Tokaji Aszu is an intense luscious sweet dessert wine, and when paired with an equally intense pudding it will make your taste buds tingle and be the most satisfying end to a meal any person could wish for.

As you can see, most of my favourite combos are acidic, refreshing wines that cut through fatty food. But, go on, experiment and find your own favourites. more difficult when matching wines with food high in acidity, such as dried mushrooms, tomatoes, dried meats, shellfish and oily fish. Umami in foods makes wines taste more bitter, drying and acidic and less sweet and fruity. It can make tannic red wines taste extremely bitter, metallic and unpleasant. So, the best matches are wines with little or no tannins (white, rose, and light bodied reds). However, dishes with high levels of Umami can also be made more food friendly by adding a little salt or acid (lemons/tomatoes) to the meal.

You’ll be surprised just how well this works! It’s important to think more about the weight and intensity of flavours. Delicately flavoured foods need delicate wines, while strongly flavoured foods need strongly flavoured wines.

SAUCY OPTIONS

Also don’t forget the sauces – these are normally more important than the meat or fish they accompany. Again, match lightness of sauce with lightness of wine and the same with heavier sauces. The cooking method also is a significant factor.

Steamed foods need more delicate wine – light whites or reds. Stews, more medium-bodied reds, Sangiovese, Merlot perhaps, while roasts can stand fuller-bodied wines, like Barolo or Cabernet Sauvignon.

Here are some keys points to keep in mind: ■ Match the flavour intensity of the food with the flavour intensity of the wine. ■ Match sweet wines with sweet foods. ■ Match food and wines both high in acidity. ■ Avoid savoury (Umami) foods with wines high in tannin. ■ Pair fatty and oily food with high acid wines. ■ Match weight and richness of the food with the body of the wine.

TEST YOUR TASTEBUDS If you want to learn more and test your tastebuds, Birmingham Wine School is holding a food and wine pairing tasting evening on Saturday 20 June in Birmingham. For more information contact Rob Price on 0121 270 7359, or visit www.birminghamwineschool.com Birmingham Wine School is an independent wine education company that offers fun informal wine tasting events and Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) courses in Birmingham, Sutton Coldfield and Warwick.