HOT X BBQ - GOOD FRIDAY

In case you haven't already seen it splashed all over my social media, I wanted to share details of the most amazing pop up I'm doing with a very good friend of mine on Good Friday. Lucy and I have signed up to climb Kilimanjaro in August, to raise money for young adult cancer support charity Trekstock, so we thought we'd put on a huge pop up restaurant, with all proceeds going to the charity fundraising pot. 

On Friday 14th April Neil Rankin, from one of my favourite restaurants, Temper, and Hardeep Singh Kohli, one of our favourite comedians, are joining us to put on this epic Good Friday feast. We're serving up a feast of BBQ'd Indian lamb (from Daphnes Original Welsh Lamb) dishes, BBQd cauliflower curries, veggies, chutneys, homemade breads, and lots lots more. For pudding there'll be zingy lemon tarts and wonderful rhubarb stewed in cocchi rossa, followed by cheeses and chocolates made with Diplomatico rum. Tickets are tiered in price and all include drinks - there's a saintly non alcoholic option for £45, then all-in packages at different prices depending on how much and what you'd like to drink, going all the way up to a open bar ticket for £100 which includes champagne, high end wine and cocktails, and food, of course! We're doing pre and post dinner cocktails using some of favourite spirit brands, and wines with the meal include gorgeous roses from Vins de Provence. Every guest will also receive an Easter themed goody bag from our lovely friends at Farmdrop. 

Our HOT X BBQ is taking place in the gorgeous Brunswick Studios in Queen's Park, where we've got enough space to host 100 guests for dinner, with welcome drinks on their stunning outdoor terrace. 

And if all that's not enough to tempt you down, then how about our wonderful auction prizes.... Hardeep will be hosting the evening for us and auctioning off some "money can't buy (except at our HOT X BBQ pop up) prizes. We've got a pair of tickets to the London premiere of Alien Covenant with Michael Fassbender; artwork by cult artist Stedhead; film club for two at either The Soho Hotel, Charlotte Street Hotel or Covent Garden Hotel which includes a movie and either a three course dinner, brunch, lunch or afternoon tea; dinner for two at Temper, Soho; a pair of tickets to the hugely popular Literary Hour pop up restaurant; a hamper of oils and olives from Filippo Berio; a case of wine and £100 voucher from our friends at Honest Grapes; a lovely package of cured meats, cheeses and preserves, and lots more. 

Tickets are available here - we really hope you can come and join us for what is bound to be one of the best pop up restaurants in London this year!

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INTERVIEW with MATT BURGESS

Here's another interview with a great chef for you today. This time it's Matt Burgess who I met when I went to review Ealing Park Tavern after it reopened following a refurb earlier this year. Matt's taken over the kitchen there and I pop in to say hi whenever I'm eating at EPT. Ealing Park Tavern was always a favourite of mine, but since Matt's taken the reins he's really stepped it up a level on the food front. We've had many fantastic meals there, including their whole joint Sunday roasts which are incredible. Matt also works with DJ BBQ on summer food festivals as well as being the in house and on road chef for Hospital Records - one of my favourite record labels. In fact, the more I found out about Matt, the more I realised we had in common and knew some of the same people - good old Instagram, always connecting the dots!

1. Who has inspired you the most in your career?

 

I can't pick one exact person that has inspired me the most - as I'm inspired by people every day.  If I had to choose, it would be my son and my mother. Jamie Oliver has also been a big part of my inspiration over the past 3 years and for his work on eating better.  Finally, Stuart Powell (flourish bakery) on being a great mentor, advice giver and friend.

 

2. What is the first thing you remember cooking?

 

My mother is a great cook, she was bought up by my nana who  lived in the kitchen, baking cakes.  My mum had a spice rack the size of our family kitchen so from as early as I can remember I would play with her spices making constant variations in cups of water and forcing my mum to taste them.  I vaguely remember making a spaghetti Bolognese with every single spice mum had - I'm sure it didn't taste that great! (Glad you're cooking's improved since then Matt!)

3. What is your favourite restaurant in London? 

 

Ooof that's a tough one.  I can't live without Meat Liqour but I also love Bluebird on Kings Road and XO in Belsize Park. Arrgggghhhh - such hard questions!

 

4. What is your can't live without kitchen gadget? 

 

A blender called margarita madness – it’s really loud, big and bulky but could blend metal to the lightest, finest puree you have ever tasted!

 

5. What your top 3, can't live without, ingredients?

 

- Piran sea salt from Slovenia

- Karachi (form of ginger)

- Soy sauce

 

6. What's your newest ingredient discovery?

 

Pisco, it's an incredible spirit from Peru – but it’s also very, very dangerous and should come with a warning! (I'm a massive Pisco fan too - might have to use it in cocktails at my summer pop ups)

 

7. What is the most difficult food intolerance to cook for?

 

I once had a customer that couldn’t eat off ceramic. That was tough. (Um, ok - what a nightmare!?)

 

8. What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone wanting to start a career as a chef?

 

It may seem glam on the outside but in reality it's not. It's hard work, long hours in a really hot environment, you will make no money and never sleep!  If you accept these negatives early on, the positives will be a whole lot better!

9. What do you make of supper clubs? Have you ever been to one? 

I LOVE THEM! Great concepts, anything that promotes better eating is a good thing for me! I’ve never been to one but I'll be coming to yours soon Rosie, to break my supper club virginity! (Correct answer Matt, 10 points for you!!!)

10. And finally - what's the plan for you in 2015, and beyond? Where are you currently working, and do you have any exciting projects in the pipeline (that you don't mind my readers knowing about!) 

 

BBQ season is nearly upon us and I have spent the last 2 years helping out my great friend DJ BBQ.  We have a lot of dates in the bag and this year will be bigger and better that ever! Grillstock, Camp Bestival, Jamie Oliver's big FEASTIVAL to name a few! I have lots of other big plans with Hospital Records so watch this space! (I can't wait to hear more!)

You can currently find Matt at the pass in Ealing Park Tavern cooking up a storm, including this super delicious looking Spring plate of lamb cutlets, shoulder, pear mostarda, peas and artichokes - yum!!
 

 

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INTERVIEW with CARL CLARKE

Following on from my interview with Michel Roux Jr at the end of the last year I've decided to start a series of chef interview posts.

Today's chef is Carl Clarke, who was named one of London's most influential people by The Evening Standard. Carl has popped up all over London with ventures including Rock Lobsta, English Laundrette, God Save the Clam and Disco Bistro EC4 & N1C - two of which I went to when they were open. Now he's back with his first permanent restaurant, Chick n Sours, which opens in Dalston on the 17th of April. Here's what he had to say when I asked him a few questions...

1. Who has inspired you the most in your career?

I've met so many brilliant people, from chefs to artists to amazing producers, and just being able to work and learn from them on various  projects has been inspiring in itself. (Carl used to DJ at Turnmills before turning his hand to cooking - one of my old hangouts...!!)

2. What is the first thing you remember cooking?

I never used to cook or be interested in food as kid. I was from a working class Irish family and food was just sustenance rather than pleasure. I became a chef really out of the necessity of eating. The love came later.  I guess it was cooking toast on a fork in the dark with my sister on an electric fire. Quite a risky way of cooking toast!!

3. What is your favorite restaurant in London?

I've got so many for so many different reasons so its hard to say. My favorite Indian is called The Regency Curry Club in Queensbury. An old boozer that does next level Bengali grills and has their own larger brewed for them. (I'd never heard of the Regency Club but definitely want to try it now).

4. What is your can't live without kitchen gadget?

Thermomix

5. What your top 3, can't live without, ingredients?

- Gochujang (a savoury and pungent fermented Korean condiment made from red chilli, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans and salt).

- Smoked beef dripping.

- Ssamjang (a thick, spicy paste used with food wrapped in a leaf in Korean cuisine. The sauce is made of doenjang, gochujang, sesame oil, onion, garlic, green onions, and optionally brown sugar).

6. What's your newest ingredient discovery?

Toban Djan (a fermented paste that combines hot chillies with broad beans) & yam bean (white flesh of the root can be eaten cooked or raw. Crisp, moist, and slightly sweet, the flesh draws comparison with that of the apple).

7. What is the most difficult food intolerance to cook for?

I'm not quite sure really. I can't keep up with all the new intolerances!!

8. What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone wanting to start a career as a chef?

Learn to love the amazing produce that we have in this country, its an important part of becoming a great chef. Have respect for the producers and their produce and the rest will follow. (THIS is why I cook and what my own cooking is all about - absolutely 100% agree with Carl here).

9. What do you make of supper clubs? Have you ever been to one?

I've done quite a few pop ups in my time, but the idea of sitting in someone's front room having dinner weirds me out a bit so no, not really. (Carl - you should come and try my one - I think I'd change your mind...!)

10. And finally - what's the plan for you in 2015, and beyond? Where are you currently working, and do you have any exciting projects in the pipeline?

I'm currently just about to open my first full time restaurant called Chick n Sours. It's basically built on my obsession with fried chicken and we are going to do awesome sours cocktails. So that's going to keep me busy for most of next year but I can't wait!! It will be open in April.

Thanks so much for your honest and interesting answers Carl.

To try Carl's cooking, do check out Chick n Sours once it opens - I've had fantastic food at both of Carl's pop ups that I've been to, and am really looking forward to trying the new menu of  free-range, herb-fed fried chicken; mouth-watering sides such as pickled watermelon and peanut salad, and grilled kimchi with Japanese mayo and crispy chicken skin; sour cocktails made exclusively for the restaurant by Sam Dunne, formerly of The Rotary and Milk & Honey; locally brewed beers and Willys Cider from Chase Farm; and Weetabix or white chocolate and miso soft-serve ice-cream creations.

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EALING PARK TAVERN - REVISITED

I'm SO excited! One of my favourite local pubs closed months ago for a refurb by its new owners - and now it's reopened. I've been waiting (not very) patiently for months and I can confirm that Ealing Park Tavern is back and better than ever.

I was invited to go and try out the new menu so headed down the day before New Years Eve with the boy. We started with drinks, as always. They've got a new cocktail menu and a friend of ours making the amazing cocktails there. I went for the porn star martini which was refreshing and the perfect balance of sharp, sweet and fruity with the shot of Prosecco.

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INTERVIEW with MICHEL ROUX JR

It's not every day you receive an email asking if you'd like to send some interview questions through for Michel Roux Jr, but that's exactly what happened last Friday, much to my surprise and excitement. I love the Rouxs as chefs and always have done. I watch little live TV - only Attenborough, football and cooking shows - but have always loved what I've seen of Michel Roux Jr on shows such as Masterchef and Food and Drink, which I have on catch up in the background on Saturday mornings when I'm cooking for my pop ups. I was asked to provide questions for this interview as Michel is fundraising for a really great charity that he is a patron of, VICTA - a charity that fundraises to provide support and activities for visually impaired and blind children - by trading from an initial budget of £2,500 with City Index and trying to make as much money as possible - as stressful as a day in the kitchen I'm sure, just not half as tasty! Michel is a long term supporter of VICTA and has run several marathons for the charity too. I've enjoyed reading Michel's answers to my questions so much, and I hope you do too - he really seems even lovelier than I already thought he was:

1. Who has inspired you the most in your career? 
My first boss when I was an apprentice pastry chef, he was a man that led by example and rarely shouted. He was the first person in, in the morning and the last one out at night. 

2. What is the first thing you remember cooking? 
The first thing I remember cooking wasn’t actually cooking it was making ice cream as a child. My father had made the custard and I must have been about six and had to churn it by hand as we didn’t have an electric machine. It was churned on ice and was a very hard job. I was rewarded with a scoop of freshly made ice cream. 

3. What is your favourite restaurant in London? 
My favourite local restaurant is The Dairy in South London. I think it would be wonderful if every local restaurant was like the dairy. It’s affordable, run by a husband and wife team, and has a real homely feel. It ticks all the boxes of what I look for in a restaurant. 

4. What is your can’t live without kitchen gadget?
At the moment this would be a pressure cooker, I think they’re back in fashion now, when you say pressure cooker you usually think of your granny or old cabbage but these days they really are state of the art. 

5. What are your top three can’t live without ingredients? 
These would have to be venison, truffles and chocolate. 

6. What is your newest ingredient discovery? 
A forgotten vegetable, cardoons. 

7. What is your worst food intolerance to cook for? 
Working in a restaurant you have to cook for lots of different intolerances, but the one I have the most sympathy for has to be gluten, as I really couldn’t give up bread, pasta or any wheat products. 

8. Why did you choose to fundraise for VICTA today? 
Visually Impaired Children Taking Action - I’ve run marathons for VICTA for 16-18 years now. It’s about taking blind or partially sighted children out-and-about and getting them involved in sporting activities. It’s a small charity and I believe the smaller the charity the more of the money actually goes to the cause. I’ve had over four operations on my eyes myself and they really do deserve a little bit of help.
(I'm completely with Michel here with regards donating to smaller charities as I also believe that more money gets to those who need it this way) 

9. What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone wanting to start a career as a Chef? 
The advice I would give is for someone in a job or apprenticeship to take notes - not necessarily recipes but just little notes as you go along, in the form of a little diary. I still look back at my notes I made when I was apprentice and it really is an inspiration to look back and to learn.
(This is such a nice answer from Michel. So many chefs answer this question with "don't become a chef" which is really unhelpful for those who've already decided that they do want to be a chef!) 

Such interesting answers! The first thing I did when I read them was look up cardoons - it's a vegetable known as the artichoke thistle, and both the stalks and leaves can be eaten, and have an artichoke flavour to them - something to consider for my pop up menus!

There was one question on my list I'd sent through that Will didn't have time to ask for me, which was what Michel thought of supper clubs, and would he like to come to mine one day?! So if you're reading this Michel, why don't you come and try it out?!?
 

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ANNA HANSEN of THE MODERN PANTRY - CHEF'S TABLE

I feel very lucky to get some really great invites to wonderful events via my blog. I have been to brand new restaurants, farms where I buy produce from, wine tastings with top sommeliers, and lots of other exciting trips that I've written up on here. I only accept invites to events which I would've gone to anyway, and ones that I think my readers will be interested in. One event that really stands out for me though is the dinner I went to last week. I was invited to go to a chef's table with Anna Hansen, who owns and runs The Modern Pantry, a restaurant that has been on my (long) list of must-visits for a while. The lovely people at Miele invited 5 of us to their Mayfair showroom for a very intimate dinner cooked by Anna.

I was first to arrive (never normally happens!) and was greeted with a glass of bubbles while I waited for the others, and had a sneaky look at all the amazingly high tech ovens in the showroom. The others arrived in no time at all, and once there, we were fed some incredible canapés to start us off, beginning with soft boiled quail's egg, chia seed crostini, wasabi mayo and dukkah - I could've eaten a whole plate of these. The creamy egg and mayo went perfectly with the crunchy, seedy biscuit underneath. I would say these were my favourite of the nibbles, but I couldn't possibly choose between them, they were all so good!

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WELLS FOOD FESTIVAL - 12th OCT

On Sunday 12th October there's a food festival happening in Wells, Somerset and I'm going to be there to give a talk about food blogging and pop ups!

Wells Food Festival launched last year and had over 3,500 people come along on the day. This year they're back - bigger and even better. The day focuses around showcasing local produce with a food market, lunches, talks, street food stalls and more. The day runs from 10.30-4.30 and everyone is welcome to this free event.

So, what can you expect from the day? Well first of all there's the artisan market, with over 50 stalls selling locally produced food from within 25 miles of Wells. There's locally produced organic wines, loads of Somerset cheese, flour, apples and cider, chocolates, pies, breads and sausage rolls, chillies, honey and loads more - I can't wait to roam around and buy one of everything to take back to London with me!

As well as all the stalls selling produce there'll be 13 street food vans on site selling hot food, ready to eat so you can pick up a wood fired oven pizza, a buffalo burger, veggie samosas or a plate full of Greek meze delights. But if you fancy something a bit more substantial for your Sunday lunch there are a few sit down banquets happening on the day as well.

Chef Valentina Harris is doing The Great Italian Sunday Lunch, using Somerset ingredients to cook up an Italian style feast. Tickets are £40 a head for this 5 course lunch which is sure to be an absolutely scrumptious feast.

Another option for lunch is Tom Hunt's Forgotten Feast Autumn Banquet that he's making using vegetables rejected by supermarkets for not being pretty enough, and a whole pig, fed purely on these same 'waste' vegetables. His starter of hot smoked pigeon breast with blackberry sorbet served with sourdough and truffle butter has already got my tummy rumbling! Tom Hunt's cooking is right up my street, and if you want to know why, then book a ticket for £30 each and go along and find out for yourselves. Tom is cooking his feast for 200 people, so there's plenty of tickets to go around.

If it's tea and cake you'd prefer there's afternoon tea at the banqueting room in the town hall, running from 2.45-5pm where you can pop in for hot drinks, finger sandwiches, scones and cakes. You'll also find Pearl Lowe and Trine Hahnemann signing copies of their newly released books.

The afternoon will offer the opportunity for learning as well - there's various talks and walks going on, covering subjects like foraging, truffles and how to grow great veg - full details of which can be found HERE. And from 3pm you can find me, along with 2 great bloggers - Anita, from A Lover of Creating Flavours and Vanesther of Bangers and Mash, - at the Parkes room in the town hall, doing a food bloggers workshop to talk you through starting your own blog, keeping it going and what to do with it from there. We will be there to answer all your questions and help you with anything you need blog-wise. Spaces are limited though so if you'd like to come along, then do send an email to the team.

If you are coming along, do leave me a comment below, and please do come and find me and introduce yourself - I'd love to meet you and learn your blog and/or foodie ideas!!


 

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HOP VIETNAMESE

I've been eating out a lot more than normal recently, which I've been really loving (it's always nice to be cooked for!) Last Tuesday I was very kindly invited to go and check out a new pop up - HOP Vietnamese. The lovely Liv from Grub Club was due to go, but after not being able to rearrange a meeting that clashed she asked if I wanted to go along instead. Which I did!

This was HOP's second pop up, at House of Wolf, a cool cocktail bar set over several floors on Upper Street, near Highbury and Islington. We were greeted at the door and taken to the 1st floor, where a man resembling Ludo Lefebvre from The Taste was serving up delicious cocktails. Sadly, as it was a Tuesday evening and the middle of an already busy week for me, I had decided to not drink, so I stuck to the non-alcoholic versions, which were still really good - refreshing and tasty. I had a raspberry mint fizz, but could've had a chilli and lemongrass Collins or a coconut crush.

 

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GLOBAL GASTRONOMY / CINNAMON KITCHEN

This post is so embarrassingly late, I don't know where to start with the excuses! My photos are also dark, but I promise it's worth a read!

In November (the 3rd to be precise), I was kindly invited to a wonderful feast, provided by top chefs at Vivek Singh's restaurant, The Cinnamon Kitchen, near Liverpool Street. It was the most wonderful evening, and was put on in aid of Action Against Hunger's Global Gastronomy campaign.

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ENOUGH FOOD IF...

Last night I went along to an Action Aid bloggers' meet up to talk about the Enough Food IF campaign, which is being supported by over 170 global charities and organisations.

The campaign has come about due to the fact that the world produces enough food for everyone, but not everyone has enough food.

On June 8th Enough Food IF are inviting you, me and everyone who can get there to come to Hyde Park, to make a noisy and visual petition, so loud and large that world leaders can't ignore it, and are forced to act on world hunger NOW. It is absolutely unacceptable that 1 in 8 people in the world go to bed hungry. And by hungry I mean they haven't eaten all day.

Last night Action Aid brought along various guests to talk to us about world hunger problems. First up was actress and cookbook author, Fay Ripley. Fay talked to us about her involvment with Action Aid, which stemmed from her exasperation with the cost and waste involved with children's birthday parties, and her and her 6 year old's mutual decision to request donations rather than presents, which would fund her sponsorship of an African child. Fay has since visited schools in Africa with Action Aid, and has seen for herself how much difference food makes to a child's ability to learn, and go about day to day life.

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ANDY BATES - WIN HIS NEW COOKBOOK!

I have recently been sent a couple of copies of Andy Bates’ (AKA The Pie Man) new cook book – Modern Twists on Classic Dishes. One is for me, to cook up some of the super tasty recipes, and tell you all about them, and I have another copy to send to one of you!

Andy Bates has been busy recently – he is of Pie Man fame, known for the pastries, pies and scotch eggs he makes and sells at Whitecross Street Market in London but has also written a fantastic cook book and is starring in a series documenting the street food scene across America - Andy Bates American Street Feasts. This is a great show, and Andy is a wonderfully charismatic presenter. You can see he has a real, genuine interest in what he presents. The shows are split between him visiting popular street food vendors and cooking up recipes inspired by what he has seen and tasted. The shows aired every weekday on the Food Network channel and you can watch them on catch up at http://www.foodnetwork.co.uk/tv-shows/andy-bates-american-street-feasts.html. As well as previous episodes, there is an interactive street food map on the website where you can look for places to eat, or tell others about street food vendors you have discovered in the UK

Recipes from some of the shows feature in Andy's cook book, including Salted peanut chocolate brownies (blog testing this recipe to follow soon), Braised Pork Belly and Walforf Salad Pretzel, Chicken and Mussels in Cider with Baby Gem lettuce, Black Pudding Scotch Egg, Honey Cheesecake and much, much more. The book is a lovely mixture of inspiring recipes, and short stories about Andy’s love of particular foods, and history of where the recipes came from. Modern Twists on Classic dishes is available from WH Smith, Waterstones, Amazon and independent book stores throughout the UK.

All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning your free copy from me, is leave a comment below, telling me about your favorite place for Street Food in the UK.

Competition closes this Friday!

Good luck!

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COOKING WITH JAMES MARTIN

Last week I received a very exciting invitation for a cooking event with Saturday Kitchen's very own James Martin. I'm used to my interactions with James Martin being via a TV screen whilst I am still in pyjama mode, so it was a real treat to get dressed and head over to the wonderful cooking school, Food at 52, just off Old Street in East London to meet the man himself and hopefully pick up a few tricks of the trade.

The day was arranged by the lovely people at Thomas Cook, whose in-flights meals James Martin has recently designed. The day was split into two parts, with the morning spent cooking our 3 course lunch under James' watchful eye, and the afternoon being a 6 course cooking demonstration given by James, which I unfortunately had to miss.

There were 12 of us at the event, an equal split of enthusiastic food bloggers, and Thomas Cook marketing staff. We got aproned up and took our places around a long table, with James at one end, instructing and helping us. We prepped all the ingredients for the three course lunch, which was Thai Crab Risotto, followed by smoked haddock Rarebit, and a chocolate pudding for desert. It was really good fun to get involved with all the food prep and pick up some cooking tips from James (for example, I learnt that when using tomato puree in a recipe, it should always be added at the start of cooking to give it time to cook through and reduce any bitter taste). He also talked us through how to get all the meat out of a crab for his delicious risotto.

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