SAKE & FOOD, ANGEL, 9-12th JUNE

If you want to learn more about sake and pairing it with foods from all over the world, then head down to the piazza in Angel Central shopping centre this weekend to find out more. You can taste sake from some of Japan's top sake breweries, see live cooking demos, taste delicious food and learn how to make the tastiest sake cocktails.

On Thursday there's a macaroon piping masterclass at 3pm from Atelier des Chefs, followed by sake cocktail making with Chef Events at 5pm. Friday's activities include Pratap from That Hungry Chef making Bengali chicken tikka paté on toast from 3-4pm and Eccie from Karma Cans will be dishing up ceviche samples from 5-6pm. I'll be there on Saturday and Sunday from 5-6pm showing you how to make delicious umami canapés that go perfectly with a glass of sake, and from 12-1pm ex-Fat Duck stagier Andy Chapman will be making a chocolate water ganache with crispy rice and matcha on both weekend days. Pratap is also back there with his Bengali chicken tikka paté on Saturday from 3-4pm.

So come say hi, get some free nibbles, and sample lots of different types of sake. It's a free event and runs from 3-7pm on Thursday and Friday, and from 12-7pm on Saturday and Sunday.

 

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COCKTAILS and DRINKS

Whether you fancy a glass of wine at home or heading into central London for a cocktail or three, I've got some great recommendations for you.

First let's talk cocktails. This week is the annual cocktail event Cocktails in the City, taking place from Thursday 10th - Saturday 12th March at One Mayfair. The three nights will see 20 world-renowned bars serving cocktails in this stunning four floor building, where there's also a rooftop BBQ. You can experience so many different drinks and bars without having to leave the building! There's live music, masterclasses and a liquid nitrogen bar. Tickets are £15 and include one cocktail. If you want to drink more cocktails (of course you do), then they're all £7.50 on the night.

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SAKE TOUR OF JAPAN

Until last month I'd never been to Asia. I've travelled around a lot of Europe and a few places beyond but had never made it that far East. Then an email landed in my inbox at the beginning of January inviting me on a sake tour of Japan three weeks later, so off I went.

Japan was fascinating - I learnt so much, laughed so hard, ate some of the best food I've tried, saw sights that blew my mind and sampled more sake than I ever thought possible. I've got so much to write about our trip, so will break it down by city over the next couple of weeks on here (we did five cities in eight days!) but today's post is all about the sake.

Sake is the national drink of Japan and has been an integral part of Japanese culture for well over 1,500 years, and according to one video we watched, "makes interactions with others smoother". Sake is a Japanese rice wine made by fermenting rice which has been polished to get rid of the outer bran. Most white rice that we eat has been polished 10% - getting rid of the bran, and leaving 90% of the grain. Rice used in sake making can be polished up to 65%, leaving only 35% of the grain remaining. The rice is polished in a rotating machine with a sharp stone which makes it purer, clearer and more expensive.

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DRINKS....

It's been all about the food round here recently, but I've been testing out lots of drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) over the last few months, and have got a round up for you today on what's hot in the liquid world. There's some I'm sure you've heard of, and others that maybe you haven't, but you should definitely check out....

Cocktails to make at home...

Aperol Spritz. If you haven't heard about Aperol (an Italian aperetif made with orange, rhubarb, herbs and roots) then I guess you've been away all summer?! This year's seemingly most talked about drink has been everywhere, including my house! I was sent a bottle to try out, and have played with various concoctions using it. There's the obvious - the Spritz, made with 3 parts prosecco, 2 parts Aperol and 1 part soda water, it's a slightly bitter yet very refreshing long drink that's topped off with a slice of orange, to accentuate that fruity bitter taste. Another way to drink Aperol that I really like is with whiskey and ginger beer, finished off with mint leaves.

Cocchi Rosa Spritz. Another Italian aperitif that's not dissimilar to Aperol is Cocchi Rosa. Made with a wine base that's blended with aromatics tasting of wild rose and summer berries, its ingredients also include herbs, fruits and spices, as well as ginger and rose petals. Make your own version of Cocchi Rosa Spritz at home by mixing the aperitif with prosecco, strawberries, basil and soda. 

VII Hills. VII Hills is a new (1 year) to the market gin that was created by the team who work at Mr Fogg's. It's made with ancient Roman botanicals and tastes of juniper and sweet orange with a slightly sweet, peppery aftertaste. Perfect for tonic and citrus based cocktails - keep it simple with a shot of VII Hills, a dash of lemon juice, topped up with champagne, or mix it up a bit by combining VII Hills with lemon juice, egg white, grapefruit juice and soda.

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COCKTAIL MASTERCLASS AT THE CONNAUGHT

If you're a fan of top class cocktails, or know someone who is, there's a masterclass this Autumn where you can learn how to make the best cocktails at the bar that's just recently been voted Best Bar in the UK by GQ Magazine, and has also been named as World's Best Hotel Bar - the Connaught Bar, in the stunning Connaught Hotel in Mayfair. Award winning Director of Mixology Agostino Perrone (who's won the prestigious World’s Best Bartender Award at Tales of the Cocktails) is hosting a series of mixology masterclasses at the Connaught Bar, taking place throughout Autumn where you can learn to make the perfect Connaught cocktails. Each date focuses on a different drink, with masterclasses in Champagne, cognac, vodka and gin, and whisky. Full details of all the classes are below.

I went along to a little preview of what lies in store, and if you book this you're in a for an absolute treat. You'll be welcomed with delicious canapés - ours were rabbit and ham, salmon and caviar and beetroot on a cheese crisp - which were all as delicious as they were pretty. You'll also have a welcome drink - ours was a Champagne, Aperol, bergamot, orange and ginseng creation and was the perfect balance of bitter, herbal and fruity.

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WIN DINNER & DRINKS AT BURY COURT

I've got a real treat for you today.... Earlier this week I popped down to the newly refurbished Balls Brothers venue - Bury Court, next to Liverpool Street, to sample their new food and cocktail menu, and they've very kindly given me a meal and drinks for 4 people to win on my blog - just enter below using the Rafflecopter widget. You can gain up to 3 entries by following the instructions below. Let me tempt you by telling you about our visit there and the delicious cocktails and food we tried.

Bury Court is right at the foot of The Gherkin building in The City. Despite its location there was quite a mix of people in there when we went on a Tuesday evening - not just the suits you'd expect, but groups of girls drinking cocktails, couples and mates out for a bite to eat. Bury Court has a great cocktail menu so we were convinced to try a few of these. I didn't know until now that Balls Brothers was born in the 19th century and started life as the Old George Public House on Bethnal Green Road, not far from the Bury Court site. They became renowned for the quality of port, brandy and sherry they served and the business grew into speciality booze shops that were known for their top quality produce. It's with this in mind that the new cocktail menu was created. If you really want, you can have a mojito or a Bloody Mary at Bury Court, but it was these old fashioned cocktails inspired by the spirits that The Balls Brothers built their empire on that had me interested.

We started with Shaky Pete's Ginger Brew, made from Beefeater gin, London Pride, lemon and gingery syrup. I think this was my favourite of the 3 we tried - it was light but fiery from the ginger, and I don't think I've tried a cocktail made with ale before, though I definitely would again. Next up was a Sherry Cobler, made with Hidalgo Amontillado Napoleon (a fino sherry), Smooth Ambler Old Scout 7 year Bourbon, Cointreau, gomme and orange bitters. It's an old drink that was said to be the most popular mixed drink of the 19th century and is apparently the reason the straw was invented, as previous mixed drinks had all been served in short glasses, whereas this is served in a long glass. It's strong and boozy, and not one for the faint hearted. While I enjoyed it, it was my least preferred of the 3 we tried. Both drinks look similar in colour, but tasted very different - Shaky Pete on the left; Sherry Cobler on the right.
 

 

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SPIRIT SOCIAL, NOTTING HILL

Spirit Social is a monthly event near Notting Hill that's being run by new to the market rum brand, The Duppy Share. Spirit Social is a really fun night, showcasing some of the UK's newest booze brands, with great street food, live music and darts. I went along to their first event to see what it was all about, and of course, to try out the spirits.

Spirit Social takes place every 2nd Thursday of the month at the Maxilla Hall Social Club that's located between Ladbroke Grove and Latimer Road tube stations. It's an evening where "1920s cocktail glamour and toe-tapping gypsy jazz tunes meet dart boards with a dose of Duppy mischief in an old school social club under the Westway". Despite going on launch night, and arriving early, the place was heaving. One side of the room is taken over by 4 bars, each showcasing their spirit brand. Drink brands will vary from month to month, with The Duppy Share ever present. When we went, we got to sample the following:

The Duppy Share - a new rum brand made with a blend of 5 year Jamaican and 3 year Bajan rum which is bottled at the Thames Distillery in London. Launched last year, and already available to buy in Selfridges, The Whisky Exchange, Borough Wines, Spirited Wines and tons more independent booze retailers in London, The Duppy Share is already proving extremely popular. Bartenders love it too, and you can get it in cocktail form at The Wolesley, The Grain Store, The Princess Victoria, Rum Kitchen, Boom Burger and lots more. They're launching in over 20 bars in Manchester soon as well. It's a young, fun brand that brings a new energy to the rum market. Cocktails being served on the night were The Duppy Conqueror - made with rum, sugar, lime and nutmeg; and a Rum Old Fashioned - made with rum and orange. Both delicious, and both let the rum shine through. I'm going to be using The Duppy Share to create a welcome cocktail at my next pop up on 25th April, so if you're coming to that, you'll be able to sample it then.

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COCKTAILS FOR VALENTINES

There's so much hype around Valentine's Day nowadays. I think a lot of it is commercial nonsense, with companies looking for an excuse to make an extra buck in a quiet time of year (errr... mine included?!?! I'm doing a pop up on Valentine's though it won't be any different to my normal pop ups, so no pink heart balloons or tacky decorations in sight!) But it is also a nice day to spend with your loved one, and it doesn't have to cost a fortune to have a good time. So rather than go out to a restaurant where you'll be packed in with tons of other cosy couples whispering sweet nothings into each others ears, why not stay home, cook each other some delicious food, and whip up some fancy cocktails? I've got a few of my favourite recipes for you here, one of which I'm serving at my pop up, as I like to welcome guests with something boozy when they arrive.

First up is a cocktail that uses 2 new drinks ingredients I've recently discovered. I call it the Wild Honey Ginger Apple.....

50ml The Wild Geese Irish Honey Liqueur - a delicious, sweet spirit made using Irish Whiskey and Irish honey - delicious in this mix, but also so good on it's own or on ice
50ml James White Bramley Apple Juice - a dry, crisp 100% filtered juice made with apples from British orchards
50ml ginger beer
1 lime

In a cocktail shaker mix all the ingredients together, including the juice of 1 lime. Pour into a glass and serve on its own, or over ice. Decorate the glass with some slices of apple, or even better, if you have a heart shaped pastry cutter, stamp out some hearts and put these on the side of the glass. So rom!!

 

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EL PATRON, FULHAM

Tequila and Mexican food make me happy! It's not even that they remind me of Mexico, where I actually never ate a pulled pork burrito nor any of the Mexican food I've found in London restaurants, it's just that I love the flavours of London's version of Mexican food as well as the whole ethos of the street food style it's served in. And as for tequila, I don't think I need to explain that one. So I was curious to find out more about the newest Mexican restaurant bar to arrive in London, El Patron in Fulham. I was invited to the press opening last week to try out some of the tequila cocktails and Mexican food they'll be serving there. Press events are always lots of fun, but you never quite get a true sense of how the restaurant will be day to day so I'm definitely going to be going back to El Patron soon to check it out on a "normal" night! And for more of the Mexican food and cocktails.

El Patron have over 60 different types of tequila behind their bar, and were serving 3 cocktails on the night - a margarita slushy, straight from a slushy machine; the Poncho, made from arête blanco, coconut kalani liqueur, lime, egg white and peach and orange bitters; and my favourite of the evening, the Scorpion, made with AquaRiva Blanco, Stone's ginger wine, lime, chipotle, Falemum liqueur, ginger beer and bitters - a spicy, strong, long drink served in a jam jar.

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WINE TASTING AT VINOPOLIS

How much do you know about wine? I'm lucky enough to have been on quite a few wine tastings and talks, and have a brother who is the ultimate wine buff, but if you're not sure what makes one wine sweeter, or tastier, or fruitier than the next, then I know the best place for you to find out. According to Google, Vinopolis is "a London visitor attraction operated by Wineworld London that presents the subject of wine and oenology through exhibits and wine tastings". It is essentially a wine museum, where you can eat, drink and learn about wine. I visited for one of their Wine Tasting Experiences, and though I didn't learn anything new, I had a lovely time sampling some wines I otherwise wouldn't have come across.

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CARDHU GOLD RESERVE at RAMUSAKE

A few weeks ago, just before my holidays, I went along to an evening of whisky tasting at the recently opened Ramusake restaurant in Kensington. Cardhu whisky was new to me so it was fascinating to learn more about the brand and its history. Cardhu is a Speyside distillery near Moray in Scotland, which was set up on a farm by whisky smuggler John Cumming in 1824, and is now run by Diageo, the world's largest spirit producer. The distillery was originally run by John's wife Helen, before being taken over by their daughter-in-law Elizabeth, after it had been moved to a new site. The distillery produced so much whisky that the majority of it was sold to Johnnie Walker and Sons to add to their own blend. And in 1893 the distillery itself was sold to Johnnie Walker and Sons under the promise that the Cumming family would continue to actually run it.

Cardhu produce a range of single malt whiskies that vary between 12 and 21 years old. But we were at Ramusake to try their new product - Cardhu Gold Reserve, a single malt whisky made in hand-picked toasted oak casks. This creates an extra sweet, rich whisky, with notes of red apples, toffee, pear, clotted cream and tropical fig! It finishes on a dry note, and has a very rounded finish, unlike other whiskies I've tried that have a harsher finish. Cardhu Gold Reserve is perfect on the rocks, with or without ice, and is the first whisky I've really appreciated drinking straight.

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GIN TASTING at THE WARWICK

How much do you know about gin? I'm sure if you like to drink it then you know which your favourite brand is, but if you're like me, then not much more than that! I went to a gin tasting a couple of weeks ago at The Warwick in Soho, who've just had a refurb and have added a sparkly new Gin Emporium. I learnt so much about how to taste it, what to look for, and which gins they pair with different garnishes - a fascinating evening that I want to share with you.

Gin came to the UK from Holland in the 17th century and immediately became the drink of choice for many due to the fact that there was no tax on it, unlike other spirits. It has grown in popularity since then and has had a recent revival, with lots of small producers popping up due to the relative ease of making it.  I'm going to talk you through the botanicals used to create the flavours of the 8 gins we tried, as the lovely team at The Warwick did for us at the tasting.

We started with Portobello Road, which as you might've guessed, is made on Portobello Road, where you can go and make your own gin as well. It's made using botanicals including lemon, orange, nutmeg and liquorice, but if you go to the distillery you can make yours with whichever selection of botanicals you fancy. At the Warwick it's served as a gin and tonic with Fever Tree tonic (as all their G&Ts are) and with a ruby grapefruit garnish to bring out the citrus botanical flavours.

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CHAMPAGNE TASTING w DEVAUX at NOTES

I've got some news about an exciting free event happening in London! On Tuesday 25th November and Tuesday 2nd December you can go to a free champagne tasting evening - how great is that!

I went to the first of these events this week and it was such fun and really informative. Tuesday evening's event was hosted by Notes who are a speciality coffee, food and wine bar, with 3 branches in London - Moorgate (where we went), Trafalgar Square (where the event on 25th November is being held) and Covent Garden (where the 2nd December event will be). All of the wine that Notes sell is provided by Liberty Wines, so they sent James along to teach us all about Champagne Devaux, one of the champagnes stocked and sold by Notes. All 3 tastings follow the same format and offer 4 types of Champagne Devaux to try.

The evening started with a bit of history about Champagne Devaux. This champagne house was founded in 1846, some 168 years ago and run by the Devaux family who sadly lost 3 of the men running the house at an early age. In fact by the late 1987 none of the Devaux family remained to run the house and it was sold to the Union Auboise, one of the biggest vineyard holders in the region. However, Champagne Devaux remains one of the top quality champagnes available. With all this talk of champagne it was definitely time to try some, and first up was the Devaux Grand Reserve NV, a 3 year old champagne (double the minimum required age for champagne). There are 3 grapes that can be used to make champagne - Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Devaux only use Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for their champagnes and the Grand Reserve uses a blend of 69% PN and 31% Chardonnay. The Pinot Noir grape that Devaux grows is one of the finest in the champagne region. This produces a very gentle champagne, that's extremely drinkable! I often find bubbly can be great for a glass, but that I wouldn't want to drink more than that, whereas I could the Devaux Grand Reserve all night!! It retails at around £25 a bottle, but tastes like it's worth a lot more.

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SUMMER with ROSE D'ANJOU

Rosé has always been my Summer wine of choice. I think it's hard to beat a glass of crisp Rosé, served perfectly chilled on a long summer evening. So when I was invited to a Rosé tasting I jumped at the chance - particularly, as although I drink it quite often, it's probably the wine I know least about when it comes to varieties and flavours.

So on a sunny Wednesday evening a few weeks ago I jumped on the tube across town to the Queen of Hoxton where we celebrated pink pleasures from the region of Angers, France.

Having got over the embarrassment of saying to lady on the door "I'm here for the Rosé evening" and responding that my name was 'Rosie', I hot footed it up the many flights of stairs to find the roof in all its evening sunlit splendour.

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FREE STOLI VODKA LEMONADE SORBET!!

Over the next four weeks there's a treat in town! Stolichnaya® vodka have teamed up with everyone's favourite gelateria, Gelupo, to create a vodka lemonade sorbet that they'll be giving out for free across London over the next few weekends. They've created a low-fat alcoholic sorbet using Stoli vodka, fresh lemon juice and zest and natural sugar syrup, that's the perfect Summer refresher for 2014.

You can chase the free samples all round London this Summer, as the sorbets are being served up from the Stoli lemonade van which is a customised 1950's Citreon H Van from the South of France. Free samples of both the Stoli and lemon sorbet and the Stoli and lemonade drink are being handed out to passers by. You can find the van in the following well known London locations from 12-7pm each day:

28th June      Truman Brewery
11th July        King’s Cross
12th July        Coin Street, South Bank
19/20th July  Box Park, Shoreditch

If you miss the van or can't make it to one of it's stop offs then you can get the Stoli lemon sorbet in-store at Gelupo (7 Archer Street) in Soho throughout Summer.

 

I really suggest you track down the van to get your sample, or failing that, pop into Gelupo and buy yourself a whole portion, as it's such a delicious mix. It doesn't taste too sweet and sickly, so is wonderful on a hot sunny afternoon. And I've even managed to get hold of the secret recipe for the Stoli Lemonade cocktail for you, so you can whip up a batch at home for a BBQ and really impress all your mates!

Stoli Vodka Lemonade Recipe:
50ml Stoli Vodka
20ml Lemon juice (fresh) 
10ml Sugar syrup
Wedge of lemon to garnish

Pour ingredients into a glass and fill with lots of ice, top up with still water.

For more info find Stoli on twitter and if you pick up a free sample, don't forget to get a photo and upload it using the hashtag #StoliLemonade!

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DUCKSOUP, SOHO

Last night I ventured into Central London for some dinner with my brother and his wife. We had plans to go and check out the new DubJam restaurant in Covent Garden, but unfortunately Lucy wasn't able to make it in the end, so we didn't want to go there without her. We popped into Flatiron, Polpo and Burger and Lobster, but they all had waits of over an hour, and by that point neither of us could wait that long for food! Luckily though Ducksoup had room for the 2 of us, and I'm so glad we ended up eating there, as neither of us had been before and we absolutely loved the food! Sadly, as we were sitting downstairs, it was quite dark, lit mostly by candle light, so the photos I took are terrible!! But bear with me, I'm sure you'll get the gist, and you should go check it out yourselves anyway as I think their menu is really original and utterly yummy.

Ducksoup's menu consists of small bar menu plates, and larger plates from the kitchen. We decided to share a few things so we could get to try as much as possible.

We started with a plate of capocollo, which is cured pork shoulder, and tasted like it was seasoned with black pepper and juniper. It had the perfect balance of meat and fat, and just melted in the mouth, leaving it's wonderful flavour lingering:

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HOMEMADE LAMB SHISH / HUMMUS

Despite my attempts at vaguely healthy and responsible eating, there may have been occasions, after a few pints at the pub, that I've ducked into the local kebab shop for a lamb shish on the way home, normally at around 2am! I don't do this often, in fact probably only about once a year, but I've still done it. The alcohol normally fuels the hunger, but I do actually really like the taste of lamb shish! So here's my recipe for those naughty kebabs, which you can now make at home (although maybe not at 2am after the pub!)

I can't promise that this version is massively healthier than the kebab shop's, but at least you know exactly what's gone into this one! The thing that makes homemade kebabs super tasty is the marinade, so you'll want to get your lamb out of the fridge, ready to marinate a couple of hours before cooking.

Serves 2

For the lamb:

250g diced leg of lamb (I get mine from the excellent Wyndham House butcher in Chiswick)

1 tsp coriander seeds

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp ezapote (Mexican herb)

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp coriander leaf

1 tsp dried chilli flakes (I didn't use these in mine, but would've done if I wasn't sharing with the chilli-allergy one!)

2 cloves garlic, crushed
Squeeze of lemon juice

Large glug of olive oil

Black pepper

For the hummus:

130g tinned chickpeas (one of the mini tins)

1 tbsp tahini paste

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp water, more if needed

Pinch of sea salt

Black pepper

1 tsp cumin powder

For the garlic sauce:

2 tbsp natural yoghurt

1 tsp mayonnaise (I cheated and used shop bought, which I don't normally do, but it actually works best in this sauce)

1 large clove garlic, crushed

Squeeze of lemon juice

Half tsp salt

Everything else:

Flour wraps

Salad leaves

Pickled red cabbage

Sliced tomatoes

Jalapenos

Get things started by getting your lamb in the marinade. Heat a dry frying pan over a medium heat and add the coriander and cumin seeds, toasting for a minute or so until you can smell the aromas - be careful not to burn them though as they turn very fast. Tip the toasted spices into a pestle and mortar and grind into a powder. Add the paprika, ezapote, oregano, coriander leaf, chilli flakes, crushed garlic and black pepper. Pour this into a dish with the olive oil and lemon juice, and mix it all together. Toss the lamb pieces in the marinade and put the bowl back in the fridge until you're nearly ready to cook.

Ideally you want to leave your lamb to marinate for at least 2 hours, so give it the time it needs to absorb all those delicious flavours. After a couple of hours, remove the lamb from the fridge and leave it on the side, to allow it to come to room temperature. Whilst that's happening you can make your hummus, and garlic sauce.

You do really need some sort of blender to make the hummus. I use my magimix, but anything with a blade and motor will be fine. Stick the chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, water, salt, pepper and cumin into the blender and whizz for a couple of minutes, until it's really quite smooth. Taste the mixture at this point, and adjust the lemon/salt/cumin ratios to your liking. If it's a bit gluey, add some more water, a little at a time. Put to one side.

To make the garlic sauce, simply combine the mayo and yoghurt, crush the garlic into the mix and stir in the lemon and salt. Taste, and add more garlic/lemon/salt if needed.

I like to layer up the wraps at this point, before the lamb is cooked, so that once the lamb's ready you can just add that, and eat the kebab nice and warm. A stripe of hummus and a stripe of garlic sauce, with salad leaves, tomatoes, pickled cabbage and some jalapenos.

Then on with the lamb. Heat a large, wide frying pan over a medium to high heat, and once hot, add the lamb pieces. I start at the edges and place in a circle so that once all the lamb is in the pan I can start turning the cooked pieces over. My chunks were around 2.5cm square, and I cooked them for a couple of minutes each side, to leave them tender and a little pink in the middle.

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NEXT A LITTLE LUSCIOUSNESS POP UPS!

Last October I started doing a monthly pop up restaurant/supper club at our home in Acton Town and I've absolutely loved every minute of menu planning, food sourcing and all the cooking and preparation involved in putting on these events, as well as meeting all the lovely guests who've come to eat my food.  

My next pop up is on Saturday 29th March 2014, at our lovely house, in Acton Town, West London (Piccadilly line). The menu for the night is:

STARTER – Salmon three ways - beetroot cured with capers, sashimi with spring onions and pan fried with soy glaze

MAIN – Bavette steak, dauphinoise potatoes, greens and red wine sauce

PUDDING – Rhubarb hazelnut crumble, homemade stem ginger, hazelnut ice cream (this is the same pudding I served at my February pop up, but it went down so well, and rhubarb season should be made the most of, so I'm serving it again in March!)

CHEESE – Montgomery cheeseboard, spiced chutney and herby salted crackers

COFFEE and HERBAL TEAS served with sticky chocolate balls

If you'd like to come along but there's something on the menu you don't like, just let me know in the comments section of the booking form, and I can make you an alternative.


Tickets are available HERE.

You can come on your own, bring a date, grab some friends, or book out a whole table for however many of you there are! It's £30 a head for the evening, and it's bring your own booze, so feel free to bring a bottle of your favourite!

I do my public pop ups once a month, and the next one after this will be April 26th. Link to tickets and menu is HERE.

Hope to see some of you at one of my pop ups soon!!

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BEST WEEKEND EVER - MY 30th!

I know, I know. It's another non food related post... Sorry! But firstly, I still can't cook all that well with my broken arm, and secondly I just have to tell you about our amazing weekend away!

I started planning my birthday weekend in about January this year. I know this seems like a ridiculously long time before my actual birthday (September) but I also know how quickly my friends weekends get booked up, and my birthday weekend is one of the most popular weekends for weddings, so I wanted to make sure I had my accommodation booked for our weekend away. A flurry of emails went out to friends and most came back saying yes, they'd love to come. So the next task was to find somewhere that would house 20+ of us for 3 nights. I always knew I wanted to stay in the UK, preferably within 90 minutes of London and Brighton, where 90% of my friends are. I looked on various websites including Canopy and Stars, and had I known about Airbnb in January I probably would've booked something via there, but I didn't, and ended up booking Manor Farm House in Kent, via Rural Retreats. The property boasted 3 houses, a swimming pool, jacuzzis, a sauna, pool table and 2 acres of land. It sounded perfect!

The 'summer', weddings, festivals and parties, came and went and I could eventually get excited for my birthday weekend. It's not every year you turn 30 - I think this might be the last birthday I actually want to make a big deal of!!

So Friday arrived, and off we headed, with a van full of enough stuff to last us for weeks! The rain cleared as we drove East, and we arrived at Milstead in Kent, the tiny village that's home to Manor Farm House. I was so, so excited about seeing the property, and wasn't disappointed when we arrived. Each of the 3 houses had 3-5 bedrooms, most with en suites, and all done to a really high spec. We poured ourselves a drink, settled on the terrace and waited for the others to arrive.

 

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HOMEMADE ELDERFLOWER CORDIAL

Elderflower cordial is one of my favorite soft drinks. I've never been one to drink fizzy drinks and occasionally have a Ribena, but I always make sure we have a bottle of elderflower cordial at home. So last year, when the elderflowers were out and blooming I was determined to make some cordial. Unfortunately it rained and rained and rained during their flowering season, so the flowers didn't seem as fragrant as they normally do, and I left it, promising myself I would make some this year. Which is exactly what I've done.

Elderflowers are best picked on a sunny late May/early June day, when the flowers are creamy white.

Elderflower cordial is pretty easy to make. Other than the initial mixing process, all it then involves is the patience to let the flowers stew in the syrup for 48 hours - our fridge smells delicious when I open the door!

You want your flowers as fresh

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