8 minute read
Food & Drink
Whiteparish restaurant gets the nod for the prestigious 2023 AA guide
BETONY by Matt Tomkinson at Whiteparish is the only restaurant in the area to feature in The Restaurant Guide 2023.
Published by the AA, the highly respected food lover’s guide is a county by county breakdown featuring more than 1,400 restaurants that have been awarded rosettes for culinary excellence by the AA’s professional inspectors.
Three out of the 27 Wiltshire restaurants are in the guide for the first time: The Dumb Post Inn in Calne, The Marlborough in Marlborough and The Hidden Chef Brasserie in Trowbridge.
The Restaurant Guide 2023 provides food lovers with breakdowns of restaurants by county, including a detailed description of each destination, information on latest chef changes, opening times, sample menu prices and images of many of the featured locations.
And for those looking for the best establishments in the UK’s culinary scene, The Top Restaurants of 2023 features all 3, 4 and 5 Rosette restaurants as judged by AA experts.
Simon Numphud, managing director of AA Media, said: “We are delighted to publish the leading guide to the UK’s top dining destinations, with 150 new establishments added to The Restaurant Guide 2023.
“From Northern Stars to the Heart of England, Scotland to the capital, the restaurants in this year’s Guide demonstrate the high quality of culinary experiences across the country, offering delicious food and service of the highest standard.”
Betony is at The Kings Head in Whiteparish
College restaurant ready to re-open
FOOD fans can get a threecourse meal at a discount rate when Wiltshire College’s student-run restaurant returns next month.
The Wessex Restaurant, at the campus on Southampton Road, is due to open for service on Thursday, November 3.
Budding chefs and hospitality professionals at the restaurant are gearing up for their first service from a professional kitchen.
The Wessex is operated by students under the guidance of highly-trained professionals.
It runs a weekly lunch service from 11.45am to 1pm each Thursday, offering a freshly-prepared three-course meal for £12.
Several bookings are already in place for the first service, said Steve Lloyd, deputy head of department for hospitality at the college.
He said: “We are delighted to be opening the Wessex Restaurant at our Salisbury campus for the first time in the new academic year.
“We know that the restaurant is extremely popular with local residents and we look forward to welcoming our customers back in the coming weeks.
“Being able to cook and serve food to order for paying customers is a key aspect of students’ development and will best prepare them to start their careers in the industry.
“All of our menu items are, where possible, locally sourced and made from fresh ingredients, including produce from the college’s Lackham campus.”
For more details, and to book a table, contact The Wessex Restaurant on 01722 344253, or email wessexrestaurant@ wiltshire.ac.uk.
Food & Drink
A not-for-profit resource, run by the people of Salisbury for the people of Salisbury, has been launched to provide free fruit and vegetables for those caught in the ‘heat or eat dilemma’, this winter.
F3 will also offer opportunities for school children and adults to develop a deeper understanding of how their food is grown as well as the skills needed to grow their own.
F3’s Mark and Sue Brandon, said: “The combined effects of Brexit, climate change, the war in Ukraine and the rising cost of energy means that an increasing section of our community are facing financial difficulty.
“A recent Food Foundation report revealed that already some 4.7 million adults have gone through a whole day without eating.
“The Pantry in Catherine Street is well placed to help and we shall be channelling our produce through them. Chafyn Grove School has provided a growing area of 158 square metres, as well as space for a good-sized shed, greenhouse and compost bins.
“We shall be growing organically in raised beds and with input from the RHS for suitable cultivars to cope with climate change.”
The project is now in need of volunteers and spare garden tools. An oversight panel is already in place, but the team is actively looking to recruit an honorary Management Task Force, including the positions of secretary, treasurer and fundraising coordinator, as well as team leaders.
To find out more, contact Mark and Sue Brandon via email at markandsuebrandon@outlook. com or on 01722 328259.
Chafyn Grove School has provided an area of land to enable the project to grow its own food
Pumpkin pie will prove just desserts
As we become more and more aware of environmental concerns and issues surrounding sustainability, it is perhaps time to start giving serious thought to the annual pumpkin carve-up. Pumpkin is quite a versatile food, although the mess might put people off, and the flesh and seeds are perfect for turning into delicious meals.
Pumpkin pie is something of an American delicacy, but it’s fairly easy to make and looks great. Ingredients can be switched around and there are many versions available. Why not experiment a little.
You’ll need:
750g pumpkin, peeled, deseeded (save the seeds), cut into chunks; 350g sweet shortcrust pastry (you can make this, but life’s too short); 140g caster sugar; ½ tsp salt; 2 eggs, beaten; 25g butter, melted; 175ml milk (some recipes use evaporated milk); Spices: ½ tsp fresh nutmeg, grated, 1 tsp cinnamon, you use ginger if you wish, or even more exotic spices; 1 tbsp icing sugar for dusting (optional).
Here’s what you do:
Place the pumpkin chunks in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Once boiling, cover with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain the pumpkin and leave to cool.
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and then line a 22cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Chill this for 15 minutes. You will need to blind bake as the pumpkin mixture will be runny. Line the pastry with baking parchment and baking beans, then bake for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and paper and cook for a further 10 minutes until the base is pale golden and biscuity. Remove the tin from the oven and allow it to cool slightly.
Now, turn the oven up to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Push the cooled pumpkin through a sieve into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, salt, nutmeg and half the cinnamon (whichever spices you choose to use). Mix in the beaten eggs, melted butter and milk to the spice combo then add to the pumpkin purée and stir it all together to combine.
Pour the puree into the blind baked pastry and cook for 10 minutes then reduce the temperature to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4 and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the filling has just set.
Leave this to cool, then remove the pie from the tin. If you want to add an extra detail, mix the remaining cinnamon with the icing sugar and dust over the pie. You could also add a squirt of cream or a dollop of crème fraîche. Serve chilled.
Pumpkin crunch
If you’ve read the Pumpkin Pie recipe on the opposite page you would have noticed the instruction not to throw away the seeds. They can roasted to make a delicious snack, either eaten on their own or used as a topping on other dishes.
I found this recipe on the Inspired Taste website, but there are many versions because it is so quick and easy.
So, if you are carving a pumpkin or using one for a recipe, once you’ve scooped out the seeds, set them to one side until you are ready to get roasting.
First, those slippery little seeds will need to be cleaned under running water. Alternatively, put them in a bowl of cold water and swish them around to separate any clinging flesh (ooh, halloweeny) from the seed.
Next, add a couple of teaspoons of salt to a pan of water and bring to the boil before adding the seeds.
Simmer for around five minutes, then strain the seeds and place them on a clean tea towel or kitchen paper. The simmering process softens the seeds slightly and seasons them slightly.
Dry the seeds as well you can, the drier the better they roast. Once dry, toss them with some olive oil and sprinkle with whatever dry spice you would like to add. Something with a little bit of kick works well.
If you are using a spice already in an oil, like harissa paste, you do not need to sprinkle them with oil first.
Finally, spread them on a baking sheet into a single layer and roast until they are crisp and brown around the edges.
Depending on the size of the seeds and your oven, this could take between 10 and 25 minutes. Simple but delicious and you can do the same with butternut squash seeds. https://www.inspiredtaste.net Credit: Macey Bundt/Unsplash
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