The first event was held at The British Larder Suffolk where Mark Poynton and Paul Foster formed part of the lineup with Ross and all the chefs at the British Larder. James Stoddart from Enotria was also there to conduct a wine and swine pairing, which went down a storm.

Menu 29th of February at The British Larder Suffolk

To Start…
Paul Foster, Tuddenham Mills, Newmarket

Slow cooked pork neck, scratching, chicory, Walberswick sea vegetables and beer pickled sweet potato
(Gruner Veltliner, Erich Machherndl, Austria)

In the Middle…
Mark Poynton, Alimuntum, Cambridge

Spiced pulled pork shoulder, slow roast fillet, celeriac ‘slaw’ and pickled apple
(Dolcetto, Cantine Giacomo Ascheri, Italy)

To Follow…
Ross Pike and Madalene Bonvini-Hamel , British Larder Suffolk, Bromeswell

Pork belly, swede, date puree, pigs ear and puffed pork rice
(Tinto, Herdade dos Grous, Portugal)

Finally…
Ross Pike and Madalene Bonvini-Hamel , British Larder Suffolk, Bromeswell

Chocolate Brownie Caramel Popcorn, Rhubarb Meringue Pie, Goats Milk Panacotta Blood Orange, Passion Fruit Ganache

The second event was held on the 25th of April, and this time it  moved to London, hosted by the Victoria Pub. This time round we had two extra chefs joining the lineup. Ross and myself, Paul Merrit, Mark Poynton, William Curley and Paul Foster. We each cooked a course and even the pudding had a piggy flavour.

Menu 25th April 2012 at The Victoria

To Start…
Paul Foster, Tuddenham Mills, Newmarket

Pig’s Trotter Carpaccio, charred broccoli, smoked garlic, peanut, burnt onion
(Thalassitis, Sanatorini 2009, Greece)

To Follow Secondly…
Mark Poynton, Alimuntum, Cambridge

Pork rillette, braised jowl, acorn praline, pineapple and chickweed
(Larry Cherubino, Ad Hoc Wallflower Riesling, 2009, Australia)

To Follow Thirdly…
Ross Pike and Madalene Bonvini-Hamel , British Larder Suffolk, Bromeswell

Crispy pig’s head, ham scotch egg, salsify, piccalilli and nasturtium
(Peres Cruz, Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva, 2010, Maipo Chile)

To Follow Fourthly…
Paul Merrett, The Victoria, London

Aisan Dingley Dell pork: 12 hour belly vindaloo with coconut sambal, Jungle style cheeks with soured mango noodles, Dim suo with bloodorange and fennel
(Rioja El Talud Rosada, 2012, Podegas Martinez Laordern, Spain)

Finally…
William Curley, Patissier Chocolatier, Richmond

Amedei dark chocolate entremet centered with a smoked bacon caramel & served with apricot compote & lemon thyme ice-cream

(Quady Winery, Elysium Black Muscat, 2010, Madera, California USA)

From a personal point of view this is an experience of a lifetime – to be involved with something special and something I believe in. Being in the same kitchen working on dishes created by such highly accomplished and successful chefs is equally inspiring and humbling. We all have and show a lot of respect for each other and I also usually learn something new to apply to my own cooking style.

This recipe of pig’s head is only one of the elements that we served in London on our dish; if you wish to create the whole dish then add half a Scotch egg using a quail’s egg, following my recipe for Dingley Dell Scotch egg.

Bernard Zeija was the photographer for the evening and he has captured the event, spirit and feel beautifully. All credit for the images on this page goes to Bernard Zeija apart from the main image of the pig’s head croquettes which I took the following morning.

Watch this video of the first event at the British Larder, all credit to Andy, Tim and the Bruizer team who has captured the spirit of the flying visit beautifully.

Click here to view the embedded video.

 Finally all credit for this hugely successful concept goes to Mark Hayward who has put a lot of resource and time into keeping the Dingley Dell Flying Visit spirit alive.

I came across this video of  USA baking legend Peter Reinhart and I must say he confirmed my feelings for baking bread. His passion together with his simplistic and humorous manner of explaining how to make the perfect dough, what happens during the “making” process and all things  technical  is just simply perfect!

If you have a  spare 16 minutes watch this video as it definitely clarified any remaining issues as to why I still sometimes bake bricks! Baking bread is the radical transformation of taking wheat or flour and making it into a tasty loaf, it’s a tricky process and the fate of your loaf lies in your hands. The baker makes the ultimate decisions on which flour or ingredients to use but a small fluctuation in temperature and timing  will effect the final outcome of your loaf.

In short you cannot fast track the process and without the true understanding and knowledge it’s a daunting task. Anyone can bake bread but armed with the knowledge and know how, it’s an even more interesting and exciting process.

Peter talks about the 12 stages of bread baking and explains the Bakers Mission of extracting flavour from wheat or flour:

1. Mis-en-place – weighing ingredients and getting everything ready
2. Mixing – developing the gluten to give the dough the strength to grow and activates the yeast
3. Fermentation – developing flavour – this is the stage  where the yeast ‘eats’ the sugars and starts to ferment by creating carbon dioxide and alcohol- in Peters words the yeast “burps” and “sweats”
4. Dividing – the dough into smaller pieces which makes it easier to handle
5. Shaping – Shape the dough into required shapes such as loaves, rolls, sticks etc..
6. Resting
7. Final Shaping
8. Panning – transferring the dough to suitable tins and baking vessel such as baskets, loaf tins or baking trays
9. Final Fermentation also known as proving stage
10. Baking – Three transformations take place: 1. the sugars caramelise and forms a crust; 2. proteins coagulate at 160°C, this forms the crumb of the loaf; 3. gelatinisation takes place when the dough reaches 180°C, all the moisture is absorbed and the yeast bubbles bursts and all the flavours are transferred to the bread
11. Cooling
12. Eating!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Oh! the wind is cutting through my bones today! It’s grey, miserable and very wet. Well I know what you must be thinking, there she goes again whingeing about the weather. Well yes that’s true but I’m taking advantage of the cold to cook this absolutely delicious, body and soul warming soup. Well it’s more like stew  as it contains loads of chunky pieces of mushrooms, potatoes and pasta with a rich and soothing broth.

The word Minestrone means ” big soup” made with plenty of chunky vegetables. Minestrone soup forms the cornerstone of Italian cuisine and there is no real set recipe. It’s mainly cooked with whatever vegetables are to hand, with the addition of either pasta or rice but meat is optional.  Well I suppose it all comes down to what leftovers that are available. This kind of recipe is right up my street as our dinners normally consist of whatever needs using up. There is plenty to go round for a few suppers, it’s filling and packed with plenty of flavour.

A few weeks ago I went to Great Garnets Farmers Market held every second Saturday of the month. I was pleasantly surprised as there were plenty of stalls showing off their locally produced wares. The vibe was great as around 500 people flock from near and far with their wicker baskets and recycled bags. You could clearly see which stalls were the most popular as some were nearly done and dusted within a few hours from opening.

It was a lovely sign as the beautiful barn exuded  excitement, as the wicker baskets filled up with various seasonal and local goods. I had a warm fuzzy feeling thinking that people made an effort to drive down the windy bumpy country lane to come to Great Garnets to find local seasonal produce. I believe that this is one of many events round the country supporting local small producers and suppliers. It’s great and made me definitely feel good to contribute and partake.

My best finds of the day were :- this delicious English chorizo made by Sean from The Back Garden in Essex; Coldham Wood Mushrooms; Goose Eggs and Smoked Goats Cheese from Springstep Farm, Maldon Essex; and then the most delicious smoked bacon and award winning sausages from Great Garnets itself. The chorizo, made from the pork produced by Great Garnets,is a tasty dried lightly spiced sausage. It is a great product and can be used in small amounts in plenty of different ways. The chorizo adds a smokey rich flavour to this recipe, however you can substitute it for a more traditional sausage if you do not have chorizo to hand.

I have used Orzo pasta also known as rice pasta. You might find this a unfamiliar ingredient in the UK  however it is widely used and found in Europe and USA. I have known about orzo for quite some time now but I could simply not find it anywhere until fairly recently. It’s good news as we can buy orzo now in the UK , Merchant Gourmet started selling orzo online and some supermarkets stock a small range of their products.

* Ps* I did not forget to use the goose eggs and smoked goats cheese, it will feature in another delicious breakfast recipe very soon….

Well our adventures included lots of food, eating and meeting with some wonderful people in the food business.

We had a spectacular lunch at the Ledbury and were inspired by the way chef Brett Graham made humble vegetables look amazing and almost gave them a new lease of life. One of the vegetables that he used, the humble leek, stayed in my mind and I was tempted to recreate Brett’s flame grilled leeks at home. I did not  flame grill the leeks but griddled them on a very hot griddle pan which gave my leeks almost the same flavour of the flames. The earthiness of the leeks is a great pairing with the earthiness of the pickled mushrooms, curly kale and the pheasant breast. It reminded me how much I have grown to love winter and the wealth of seasonal bounty on offer, who said that winter food should be brown and dull?

On the last day of our relaxing week and foodie adventures, we met the wonderful and talented Laura Santtini. Laura launched a fantastic range of spice rubs and salts in Selfridges earlier this year named Easy Tasty Magic™.

Laura has stolen my heart with this range, I was inspired to cook with it and was overwhelmed with the magic it brings to my seasonal winters ingredients. It added a touch of class and glamour to my cooking. Laura reminded me of myself and how we are both madly in love with food, cooking and our careers, the only obvious difference is that Laura has, unlike me, retained a beautiful slim figure where as my career neatly caresses my waistline.

I have chosen to use two of Laura’s Easy Tasty Magic™products in this recipe, the Carnal Sin and the Salt of The Earth. I love the vibrant pinky reds that the Carnal Sin offers, I have not only chosen it for the colour but I also love the rose petals, pink peppercorns, beetroot and sumac that Laura used in this blend. Sumac has a citrusy taste and cuts through the richness of the pheasant, the beetroot compliments the earthiness and the pink peppercorns adds a touch of mystery, perfect choice! The Salt of The Earth includes flower petals and lemon peel which works it’s magic on my pickled mushrooms and griddled leeks.

This slow cooked pheasant breast with griddled leeks and pickled mushroom dish is very pretty and fragrant and it would bring a touch of sparkle to a dull and dreary day. Perfect for a lunch, main course or serve smaller portions as a starter.

So on the first available day we went to the Ledbury, Notting Hill for lunch, where the very creative chef Brett Graham is at the helm.

Brett is an outstanding chef and the thing I love the most about his Michelin star cooking is that he takes humble seasonal ingredients and turns them into something mouth watering, outstanding and incredibly innovative.

We love talking food with Brett, he’s a very generous man not only with his food and creativity but also with his time. We normally find ourselves getting carried away chatting about food, ingredients, new inspiration, food trends and all sorts of foodie talk. After a visit and yet another meaningful encounter in Bretts presence I feel revived and freshly inspired to go and cook. I find myself looking differently at a leek or beetroot and the need to give myself a bit of a talking to for partially losing touch with my cooking, so with a deep breath it’s onwards and upwards. I think it’s  fair to say that Bretts influences are in a way addictive, if you have not had a chat for a while you quickly develop the urge to revisit the man.

Brett always has something good to say about other chefs,  which I think is a very good and upbeat quality to have. I think it could easily swing the other way, as if one has x-amount of Michelin stars behind your name, a chef could easily find it difficult to see  good in others, not Brett, he’s humble and incredibly positive. He’s very in touch with reality knowing that his business must make money but then is equally appreciative of his staff, respects his restaurant and has an immense awareness of seasonality, all qualities I could only dream of having in one package.

The menu was exquisite….

Beetroot and Foie Gras Meringues

xxx

Chestnut and Truffle Soup with Quince and Pheasant Beignet

xxx

Cervice of Scallop, Seaweed Oil, Buttermilk and Horseradish Granita, Kohlrabi Pickle and Apple Jellies

xxx

Squid Risotto with Cauliflower Shavings, Cauliflower Foam, Sherry Reduction and Roasted Pine Nuts

xxx

Salt Baked Beetroot, Cigarillo of Goats Cheese and Elderberries

xxx

Poached Oysters with Romanesco and a Brown Bread Emulsion

xxx

Flame Grilled Leek, Hand Made Macaroni, Sauteed Cod, Truffle Shaving and Mushroom Puree

xxx

Sea Bass Liquorice Skewer, Mussels Poached and Beignet, Avocado Cream

xxx

Pigeon Breast, Chinese Leave, Golden Beetroot, Grapes, Parsnip and Black Olive Puree, Lardo Baked Parsnips;

On the side a Smoking Dome with the Confit Pigeon Legs and Foie Gras

xxx

Granny Smith Sorbet, Burnt Custard and Elderflower Granita

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Rhubarb Ravioli, Buttermilk Sorbet and Panacotta

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Brown Sugar Tart, White Raisin Ice Cream, Muscat and Vincotto Grapes

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Banana Gallet, Salted Peanut Ice Cream and Passion Fruit

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Warm Chocolate Madeline’s, Candied Walnuts, Walnut Ice Cream and Chocolate Ganache

xxx

Coffees, Tea and Petit Fours

The whole menu was absolutely delicious and I could not fault nor better any of the elements or dishes presented to us. I have to have a few favourites though. I thought the Squid risotto was the most innovative dish I have had in a very long time, the squid itself was the risotto, so surprise no rice. I loved the texture, eating experience and just everything about this dish was brilliant.

The Pigeon dish was truly remarkable, the theatrical presentation of a glass dome, filled with smoke, bearing the most delicious nuggets of foie grass and confit pigeon legs and together with the main part of the dish which was cooked to perfection, delicious.

Lastly the most memorable dish for me must be the chocolate dessert. If I close my eyes I can almost still taste the pureness of the incredibly high quality chocolate that’s been used. I like the hot and cold aspects along with the clever use of different textures crunchy, crispy, soft, grainy, smooth etc… they are all there, truly memorable!

Our experience at The Ledbury was yet another reminder why Brett Grahams holds a Michelin Star, and he definitely deserves it.

The Ledbury,127 Ledbury Road, Notting Hill, London, W11 2AQ

]]> https://www.britishlarder.co.uk/lunch-by-brett-graham-the-ledbury/feed/ 10 https://www.britishlarder.co.uk/momofukus-pork-buns-recreated-by-the-british-larder/ https://www.britishlarder.co.uk/momofukus-pork-buns-recreated-by-the-british-larder/#comments Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:09:11 +0000 Madalene https://www.britishlarder.co.uk/?p=5618 I have not been this excited about a book for a very long time! I always try to be enthusiastic and promise myself to read them as soon as they arrive.Unfortunately that promise normally wears off quickly as I get bored and then put it down never to continue. However this one Momofuku has definitely made a mark and so I could not put it down and I still can’t.

If I can make one comment or perhaps a request to his publishers, I would have loved it if the

Last month Mr.P received a invitation to visit Barcelona and to have dinner at El Bulli, the best restaurant in the world.

I got home after a very long and hard day at work and when he met me at the door he was all nervous, yet he had done the housework, cooked dinner and even took my coat on arrival. All this is fairly uncharacteristic behaviour so I was obviously suspicious…he could not contain his excitement any longer so he spilled the beans. I think he thought I would go mad and be very upset as I did not get an invitation. I did not actually feel anything when he told me, I wanted to be jealous but could not be. The reason for this strange feeling was that I know that in my lifetime I will never eat at El Bulli. I have tried making a reservation for such a long time that the desire has faded…bizarre but true.

Mr.P had a fantastic time in Barcelona, visited the famous but secretive door No.7 where all the ground breaking work and development for El Bulli takes place, a visit to La Boqueria, stopped off at Happy Pills and finally a detour to Vincon a rather expensive but addictive shop if you are partial to collecting beautiful cutlery and presentation plates.

On his return it was fantastic to listen to his experiences and it sounded amazing. Food that you can see and taste without feeling it, herbs that give you electric shocks and all sorts of mad things. It seems that the food has its own intelligence and plays with your senses and mind. He said that you should not think that you will enjoy every single one of the 38 courses, some of the ingredients and textures were challenging, some were not to his taste but the experience was priceless.

The kitchen brigade seems to be countless, there are so many people working there, reportedly there are 2 staff for each diner…….that’s pretty impressive stuff. Apparently there are only five full time chefs and the rest are all volunteers wanting to work there for the experience, that is true dedication indeed!

The dining room layout is simple with heavy floral embroidered chairs, which is very Spanish and homely. So much so that it reminds me of  my mums front room, which  had very similar seat coverings.

There is something unique about this experience, it’s an amalgamation of old and new; science, emotion and perception without pretentiousness. A very well balanced act but there must be enormous pressure on Ferran Adrià’s shoulders to maintain this level of performance each year and produce food that  is more increasingly dramatic and inventive. I take my hat off to him and his team, as it cannot be easy to come back year after year and deliver outstanding results time after time.

I wonder what triggers his thought processes, does he imagine the dish first or does he take a scientific approach by discovering the technique and then turning it into a dish? Wow all these questions are erupting in my mind when looking at the photos and menu. There is something rather seductive about the presentation of most of the dishes, I think his head must be a wild place to be in….crazy!

The thirty eight course menu adventure started at 8:00 pm and did not conclude until 2:30 am the next day…

The menu reads as follow:

sugar cane: mojito – caipirinha

handkerchief (the dish that we made where inspired by this course)

grape tea and cassis

shrimp

gorgonzola globe

Campari

mimetics peanuts

sesame cracker

potatoes in tempura

Parmesan crystal

flower nectar

coconut sponge

berries cookie

raspberries cookie

icy – cookies

Carisa electric

apple sandwich

“Joselito” ham and ginger canapé

Montjoi Lentils

truffle of truffle

tatar of marrow

tender pistachios

cockles with yuzu

soya milk with soya

persimmon salad

sea anemone with te trout roe

roses / artichokes

pinenut shabu – shabu

prawn two firings

“espardenyes” gelée

parmesan ravioli

fall hunt

sweet potato moshi with persimmon sorbet

pond

puff pastry of pineapple

chocolate handkerchief

shellfish

Morphings….

Mr.P literally bounced round the room when he related his tale of El Bulli, which left us with no option but to try and make a dish from one of the four El Bulli cook books that we have but barely understand. This would be my poor substitute for Mr P’s experiences. So the result was our own take on his “handkerchief” course. It turned out brilliantly and in true El Bulli style we served it in the simplest but elegant manner we could think of….

If you are intrigued like I was then you better have a peep at this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZgOJxlHrKU!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Sat is very proud of his Indian roots and when questioned on his favourite spice his response was fenugreek.

I then asked the obvious question why had he not opened an award winning curry house, and with a broad and very infectious smile Sat replied  ‘I’m born British’

It was an unexpected answer but he is incredibly proud of his upbringing which was obvious when he was telling us about his mothers cooking and how she used fenugreek in a potato dish that she used to make for them.

I was very pleased to have discovered that Sat has on his menu a dish called  “Sweet Curry”, which we were privileged enough to taste and it’s delicious. The dish was developed by Sat’s pastry chef and this clearly shows how Sat is influencing and inspiring his team.

This dish has the perfect properties to seamlessly transport your taste buds from savoury to sweet.

This demonstrates to me a person that understands flavours.

Sat stated that he is controlling the acidy tones in his food as a high acid consumption within one meal can cause taste fatigue. Again it all makes brilliant sense.

When we had the opportunity to visit Sat Bains at his Nottingham Restaurant a few weeks ago we were delighted. Even more so when we managed to spend a few hours in the kitchen.

It’s immaculate and well presented.

The kitchen is truly bespoke; every shelf and every table is in the right place for its specific  function. Then we saw the cooker.

Cooker is perhaps not the right descriptive word for this state of the art well designed piece of engineering. Sat told us that the chap, who designed the cooker,immersed himself in the kitchen to fully understand what was required. It’s brilliant!

The passion generated carried on for the rest of the day. Every dish was plated with a lot of confidence and pride. This Organic salmon dish is no different.

Sat was telling us about his use of British produce with a slight Japanese influence due to his recent visit to Kyoto and the understanding that he has for Umami.

This dish made a real impression on me from the subtle but perfectly developed nettle juice to the perfectly cooked organic salmon.

Every flavour, texture and taste detected in this dish was clearly discernible.