Brawn Wine Bar and Restaurant

Brawn Sample Menu

'Brawn' is the new offshoot from the team who set up 'Terroir' wine bar and restaurant just off Trafalgar Square a couple of years ago. Inspired by Parisian natural wine bars, they proudly offer rarely seen natural wines, some biodynamic, from small producers.  Co-owner Eric Narioo is the wine expert, often disarmingly referring to the wines as "cloudy reds and murky whites".  Their stated aim is to serve food and wine which is natural, free of additives and from artisan sources, in a relaxing, friendly environment.  Terroirs has quickly built up a loyal following for both its unusual wines and its hearty food so a new venture in Hackney was something I had to check out.

Though only a few weeks old, Brawn has been receiving some very positive reviews.  Its location on Columbia Road may prove a bit more challenging than its West End parents' site.  There are certainly plenty of potential customers around on Sundays when the well-known Columbia Road Flower Market, and the interesting eclectic mix of entrepreneurial shops, is in full swing.  Weekdays it is currently rather quieter.  However, with the nearby Old Street area of Shoreditch being talked up as the UK's answer to Silicon Valley, and only a stroll away, maybe it's a smart decision.  Decor-wise it certainly fits right in with the Hackney/Shoreditch style - mismatched tables and chairs and a slightly worn recycled look for this former wood-turning workshop.  Nothing wrong with that if they can deliver, and here they mostly do.  It's a no-fuss, sit where you like sort of place and at a weekday lunch staff were friendly and laid-back (but thankfully not too laid back).  The two dining rooms look out onto lovely London Plane trees across the road.

The name alerts you to the fact that there is plenty of that noble animal, the pig, on the menu and it was reassuring to recognise the provenance of the charcuterie.  It comes via the trader I buy my own carefully sourced cured meats from.  The Jesus du Pays Basque of Pierre Oteiza has a sweet, porky depth and a silky texture spiked with cracked black peppercorns, whilst the Saucisse Seche has a drier, pleasingly chewy quality.  The Piero Montali Prosciutto is, in my view, the best you will find in London.

A commitment to seasonality is clear and careful, and sourcing is sometimes very local, including the bread with a delicious, crunchy-crusted, Hackney Wild Sourdough from the E5 Bakery in close-by London Fields.  With a range of delicious sounding small dishes on offer the difficulty is in choosing.  On a cold winter's day a creamy Abruzzo Bean Soup served with a slug of excellent Valentini olive oil hit the spot.  Baked Field Mushrooms spread with bone marrow, garlic and parsley were juicy and unctuous  - nice to have the earthy flavour of the undervalued field mushroom.  Mussels from the Shetland Isles were plump and tasty served with a leek and bacon broth, and Chanterelles on toasted sourdough were made lipsmackingly good with the addition of a duck egg yolk.  As you would expect, there is Tete de Veau on the menu, served with a classic Sauce Ravigote but that will have to wait for another time.  For pudding, the  Crepes were a little resilient, though the Salted Butter Caramel sauce was gorgeous.  With treacle tart and Yorkshire Rhubarb Crumble currently on the menu, it's a tough choice.

Wines here, as mentioned, need to be approached with an open mind, or as Terroir/Brawn put it regarding the "truly natural" wines they offer, take "a walk on the wild side".  A couple of 175ml carafes of Ferme Saint Martin Cotes du Ventoux "La Gerine" came to £13.00.  The vineyard is certified organic and this Grenache grape wine is an naturally produced one.  The first taste was odd but ultimately rewarding.

The menu changes daily, always a good sign.  On Sunday a set-lunch for £25 per head is offered.  Our bill, with a couple of espressos came to £56 for two including service.  Overall, good value and very good food and I'll definitely be back, though something tells me I may not just be able to walk in off the street for much longer.

Brawn
49 Columbia Road
London E2 7RG
Tel: 020 7729 5692
http://www.brawn.co/index.html

http://www.terroirswinebar.com/index.htm

Flamiche

Leeks for Flamiche

At this time of year it's easy to forget we have an allotment, especially when winter is turning out to be so long and cold.  Well, it feels long, and it's only the first week in February.  Having been unable to dig parsnips from the frozen ground for Christmas lunch the previous year, we made sure we got some up the week before this time round.  These are the dog-days of winter where growing our own veg is concerned.  Apart from Parsnips, we are reduced to Brassicas - Savoy cabbage and Cavolo Nero.  The purple sprouting broccoli is just beginning to show promise.  The saving grace is the Leek which thrives in winter's grip and is at its flavoursome best right now.  In the teeth of a howling gale I managed to extract half a dozen of them from their sodden clay bed.

Flamiche 1

So, what to cook?  Something warming and comforting is needed, and a hot creamy leek pie fits the bill well.  Yes, it's rich but that's what we need in this weather.  The Belgians and French have a lovely word for this pie - Flamiche.  Provenance is claimed by them both and, depending where you find it, it can be a single pastry layer tart or a pie.  At this time of year my preference is for a rich, filling pie.  Some recipes add eggs to the mixture, which is deeply wrong I think.  This recipe is inspired by La Flamiche restaurant in Roye, about 80 miles north of Paris.  I prefer to make a rough-puff pastry rather than using puff pastry, but it's up to you.  If you've never made rough-puff do give it a go as it's really easy and works well in many recipes which advise puff pastry.  The baked pastry is not quite as light but I prefer the slightly resisting texture, and I even use  it in dishes such as Tarte Tatin.

Flamiche 2

Flamiche
(Serves 4-6)

You need 450g/1lb Rough-Puff  or Puff Pastry
If making rough-puff:
190g plain flour
190g unsalted butter
Half tsp salt
90ml iced water

Filling:
900g/2lb Leeks (discard the tough dark green part), sliced, washed and dried
75g/3oz unsalted butter, diced
6 tbsp Double cream
A little nutmeg to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

1 egg yolk

To make rough-puff pastry, add the salt to the flour and place on a work surface.  Add the butter and rub it into the flour.  When the butter cubes are small and half squashed, form a well and pour in the iced water,  gradually mix in until everything holds together.  Do not knead or your pastry will be tough.  Roll out on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle about 1cm thick.  Fold in three, bottom to mid-point, then top to bottom, and turn 90 degrees.  Roll out again to a rectangle and fold in three again.  You have completed "two turns".  Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for 30 minutes then repeat to complete two more turns. 

Cut the pastry in half  and roll out two rounds of pastry to around 22cm/9" and place both on a plate, separated by greaseproof paper, and return to the fridge for 30 minutes  (this will make your assembly of the Flamiche much easier and stop the pastry from shrinking and spoiling the shape whilst baking).

Melt the butter in a large frying pan and add the leeks.  Cook gently until very soft - 15-20 minutes.  Add the cream, increase the heat and cook for a couple of minutes to thicken the cream  (you do not want a wet mixture).  Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Transfer it from the pan into a bowl and cool completely.

Preheat the oven to 210C.  Place one round of pastry on a baking sheet.  Working quickly, brush a 2.5cm edge with egg yolk and place the cold leek mixture on the pastry in a flattish mound within this.  Place the second round of pastry on top, pressing the pastry edges together with the tines of a fork to seal the Flamiche. Brush with the remaining egg yolk and make a couple of incisions in the top to allow steam to escape.  Decorate the pastry with the point of a knife if you like but don't pierce completely through as you want the filling to be contained.  Bake in the oven for about 30-35 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and golden brown. 

Allow to cool for 10 minutes then serve in wedges with your choice of crisp dressed salad - you may be more organised than me but in my case, in deepest February, shop-bought!

Brindisa - from saffron to smoked anchovies

Saffron strands

Brindisa has long been the place to shop in the UK for the best choice of ingredients from Spain.  Starting with a small warehouse in The Borough area of London, they would throw open the doors to shoppers on a Saturday morning.  Some weeks they would set up a tiny barbecue outside to offer free tastings of their cooking Chorizo.  These were the early days of Borough Market's retail trade, and how things have changed.  These days you can find Brindisa in a large retail space in the Market fronting Stoney Street, and you can buy a spicy barbecued Chorizo sandwich from the Chorizo grill.  At the London Bridge end of the street, on the corner with Southwark Street, you can find Tapas Brindisa.  On Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings it does a good market breakfast with a Spanish twist before the tapas gets underway.  Jose Pizarro was the chef behind the launch of this great little tapas bar which has spawned a couple of offshoots.   Sadly Pizarro has moved on, but the good news is he is planning his own place - more of this later.  (See my Favourite Books section for a review of Pizarro's first book).

So, a photograph of saffron to head up this piece.  An obvious choice given the subject matter of a Spanish food shop and the name of my blog.  But there was a third reason for choosing to write on this topic now.  The market in this most expensive spice has been hit by scandal.  The Spanish newspaper El Pais recently revealed that although Spain produced around 1,500 kilos of saffron in 2010, it managed to export 190,000 kilos!  Most of the Crocus sativus flowers from which saffron is derived are grown in the La Mancha region and its quality is renowned.   Saffron is also produced in Iran, and some companies have been importing and passing off this inferior Iranian grown saffron as Spanish.  It is currently not illegal to do this - for labelling purposes it is where the product is processed that counts - but Spanish authorities are under pressure to act to protect their lucrative market.

Good quality saffron takes time to release its colour and aroma but when it does so your patience is rewarded with a golden glow and sweet taste.  Inferior saffron can sometimes contain more of the flower than just the essential stigma.  That's not to say carefully sourced Iranian saffron does not have its place.  As long as you are confident that what you are buying has been carefully sourced and labelled, a cheaper, lower quality, saffron may be adequate for what you want to use it for.  Brindisa keeps two saffrons - one I am assured is a carefully sourced Iranian grown one, and the other is a La Mancha grown saffron.  The Iranian one is labelled honestly (product of Iran, packaged in Spain) and sells for £2.95 for 0.5 gram, and the Spanish one bears its DO (Denomination of Origin) and sells for £9.99 for 1 gram.

In Brindisa's shop you'll also find Serrano and Iberico hams being hand-carved, cooking and cured Chorizo, a great range of artisan Spanish cheeses, Arbequina olive oil, Calasparra rice, salt cod, Ortiz Atun Claro tinned tuna and anchovies, Catalan Alemany honeys, almonds, delicious turrons and much more.  Whatever you do, don't miss the amazing smoked anchovies from Nardin.

http://www.brindisa.com/

Les Deux Salons

Les Deux Salons Menu

I've always considered the drag between the Strand and the National Portrait Gallery to be a particularly faceless part of London, dominated as it is by a large, unlovely post office.  It was a surprise when Terroirs restaurant trailblazed with its opening on William IV Street a couple of years ago, but successfully so.  Now we have Anthony Demetre and Will Smith choosing it as the location for their third restaurant venture.  Then again when you consider its proximity to the West End Theatres, Galleries, railway and tube stations, it looks like a pretty smart move. 

Having had huge success with their intimate restaurants Arbutus and Wild Honey, Demetre and Smith have now upped the volume with a classic grand French brasserie seating many more than their other restaurants combined.  Spread over two floors, the upstairs for private dining, it's spacious and stylish and clearly some serious money has been spent.  Tiled floors, brass rails, globe lighting, comfortable banquettes and some discreet corners, it's a long way from the building's former incarnation as a Pitcher & Piano bar.  The one bum note being the really bad faux-aged mirrors which, frankly, look as though they've come from B&Q. 

Arriving late for a quick lunch without a booking, they just managed to fit us in amongst the media and business lunchers.  There was a lively buzz, though thankfully there are enough soft surfaces to soak up the clatter.  The evening crowd is probably a bit less buttoned-up and I can see this place attracting some of the customers from The Ivy and Sheekey's, maybe even The Wolseley.  The food is less creative than can be expected at Arbutus and Wild Honey.  At Les Deux Salons you'll find French Brasserie classics such as Bouillabaisse, Belly of Pork petit salé and Sliced tête de veau, and a "Josper" charcoal grill offering Bavette of Scottish Beef, Elwy Valley Lamb Barnsley Chop and Andouillette de Troyes.  A sprinkling of English dishes fit in seamlessly - Slow Cooked Ox Cheeks with Parsnip Mash, Cottage Pie, Herefordshire Snail and Bacon Pie.

The offer of a Dish of the Day is very French and very welcome.  Being Thursday it was the day for Cassoulet, a dish I find hard to resist.  The Cassoulet was served correctly in a covetable cast-iron skillet.  Even the French cannot agree on how to make Cassoulet so it's pointless to consider how authentic this version is.  I can tell you the haricot beans were satisfyingly creamy and topped with breadcrumbs, the garlicky Toulouse sausage was very meaty, the pork tender and the skin of the duck leg nicely crisped - all-in-all delicious.  Now, a small gripe about those skillets.  Seeing most of the main courses arrive in identical dishes was puzzling.  The food was good but for me this presentation introduces a note of dishonesty, especially when a waiter warns you the pot is hot and actually it isn't.  Serving a dish of Fillet of Pollack in a skillet seemed, frankly, silly.  If the pot had been hot the fish would be overcooked by the time it arrived at table.  Is it for show, or is the kitchen so far away from the diners that this is the only way they can serve the food warm?  Having got that out of my system, I have to say my Ox Cheek with Parsnip Mash served with glazed carrots was very good - if a little tepid in its skillet!  The side of winter greens was generous and virtuous.

Chocolate Mousse, Crème Brûlée, Rum Baba and Floating Islands are certainly authentic French Brasserie dishes, and all able to be pre-prepared.  We had no time to try any so I can't comment on how well they are done here.  I do recall that the Floating Islands dish served at Wild Honey is far too sweet for my taste.  It's a pity the English influence hasn't extended to the puddings, this is, after all, something we do rather well and I could see Bread & Butter Pudding, Apple Crumble or a Rhubarb Fool fitting in rather well at this time of year.   After all, even the French love an English Crumble.  But maybe hot puddings would be putting too much stress on the kitchen.

Most of the wines are available by the 250ml carafe as well as by the bottle, a good number of them reasonably- and all proportionately- priced.  You'll even find the odd English one.  A carafe of Corbières at £6.50 went down very well - yes, I know I'm a cheap date.  Service was slightly mechanical but swift and efficient, and given how busy they were perhaps to expect any more at these prices would be asking too much.  A daily Set Lunch is offered and Theatre Suppers are served 5-6.30pm  - 3 courses for £15.50 make both options excellent value.  The style of Les Deux Salons bucks the trend for the small plates/sharing plates which we've seen with recent London openings such as Polpo, Polpetto, Morito and Brawn.  Given the size of restaurant, it needs to remain busy to retain its "place-to-be" atmosphere.  Whilst I don't think this will become my favourite dining spot, I would certainly recommend it for a lively lunch or pre-theatre dinner.  With the afternoon tea market also catered for, Demetre and Smith may be paying off that debt sooner than most restaurateurs could manage. 

Les Deux Salons
40-42 William IV Street
London WC2N 4DD
Tel: 020 7420 2050
http://www.lesdeuxsalons.co.uk/

Monmouth Coffee

Wathenge Coffee

OK, so Monmouth Coffee is far from a secret, but my aim is to bring you quality, not novelty.  A recent refit, and the arrival of some delicious Lemon Madeleines, is the only excuse I need to remind you what a great place for coffee this Covent Garden resident is.  The shop occupies a tiny space, and there's nothing they can do to change that - I doubt they'd want to.  If you don't fancy take-away (and doesn't coffee taste all the better out of porcelain), the lovely young, knowledgable, mostly arts student, staff will do their best to squeeze you into one of the booths at the back. 

The original treacly wood interior has been stripped out and replaced with untreated oak and some new lighting, making the space much lighter and at least look roomier.  The place has lost none of its charm in the process.  You still get cosy with your neighbours.  If you don't like that, don't go.  Maybe it's the stimulating effect of the drink but, along with a few grumpy encounters, I've had many fascinating conversations whilst knee-to-knee with perfect strangers in here.  True, I've also had to put up with some annoying food bloggers trying to get the perfect photo of a cup of coffee.  I agree with Giles Coren - Stop it!

For my money, Monmouth still sells the best coffee in London.  Owner Anita Le Roy has been running Monmouth for 33 years and is  very much hands-on and as enthusiastic as ever.  She created a vibrant, independent and distinctive coffee company, and it still is.  It shows in the attention to detail and, not least, in the excellent coffee.  There is a growing trend for making a great fuss of the brewing process, generally involving test-tube-like equipment which puts you in mind of a laboratory rather than a coffee shop.  You won't find that here.  No amount of time spent faffing over the beans will compensate for a poor product.  Monmouth source all their coffees personally on regular buying trips around the world.  They make no extravagant claims for their business but personally source from single farms, estates and cooperatives, travelling extensively to do so.  They believe by investing time in building relationships, an equal, fair and sustainable trading policy is achievable.

My favourite filter coffee right know is the Kenyan Wathenge, produced by the New Gaturi Farmers Cooperative Society which has around 1200 members from four villages in the area.  Monmouth's espresso is currently a mix of two Brasilian Fazenda beans, Tunje Grande from Colombia and the Guatemalan Pasajquim.  To take home, you can buy the the freshly roasted beans or have it ground to your requirements.

If you want something to eat with your coffee there is a selection of pastries, Sally Clarke's gorgeous chocolate truffles and, on Thursdays only, the special treat of delicious Lemon Madeleines.  Monmouth  also has a cafe at 2 Park Street, Borough and they open their roasting arch at Spa Terminus, Bermondsey as a cafe on Saturdays from 9-2pm.  Now remember, if you go be prepared to share your space and leave room for me.

http://www.monmouthcoffee.co.uk/

UPDATE JUNE 2014: All about Origin at Monmouth Coffee

Rhubarb Triangle

Forced Yorkshire Rhubarb

According to Jane Grigson, only pink rhubarb is worth eating, and in general I agree.  She had bad memories of being made to eat 'green' rhubarb as it was "good for you", but my first encounter with the fruit was clearly kinder.  Even when I was quite small I would pull a stick from the pale heart, cut off the base and poisonous leaf tip, and dip the deep pink fruit into a paper twist of sugar sneaked from the kitchen.  The memory of this wonderful sweet and sour combination is what lingers for me.

I won't get into the argument about whether rhubarb is fruit or vegetable.  What is definite is that it is a native of Siberia.  It was grown for its medicinal properties at least as far back as 2700BC and was thought to be effective in gut, liver and lung problems.  Although rhubarb has been grown in the UK since the 16th century, it wasn't until the early 18th century that it became popular here as a desirable food source rather than a purgative.   The secret of making it palatable to the British was arrived at by accident when gardeners at the Chelsea Physic Garden in London left some roots piled high with garden waste during winter.  By the time they were uncovered, tender roots had pushed through and these were found to be far tastier than the later fruiting rhubarb grown without cover. 

Though this was actually "blanched" rhubarb, it was the starting point for "forced" rhubarb growing which was embraced enthusiastically by growers in Yorkshire and developed into the use of forcing sheds for an early, tastier crop.  So good was the quality that growers in other parts of the country gave up trying to compete.  Today forced rhubarb continues to be grown in a small area around Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield in Yorkshire known as "The Rhubarb Triangle".  One of the oldest growers, and best known, being E Oldroyd & Sons Ltd.  You can even take a tour of the atmospheric candle-lit forcing sheds and experience the popping sounds of buds forging upwards to reach the dim light.  No longer do the "Rhubarb Express" trains to London operate but Oldroyd's forced rhubarb still finds its way to London markets.  By mid-January I am looking out for it at Tony Booth's grocer's arch on Druid Street, Bermondsey and expect to find it into early spring.  Unforced rhubarb then takes over, starting off quite well, though taste and texture are definitely inferior, it becomes quite a different fruit by its mid-summer end.

I haven't tried eating raw rhubarb and sugar since childhood, perhaps I should.  Persian cooking makes use of rhubarb with lamb dishes, and a barely sweetened compote is a good accompaniment to pork, or to cut the oiliness of fish, like mackerel.  These days, if my purchase doesn't make it into a rhubarb and polenta cake, it'll be a sweet compote - the rule is 4 parts fruit to 1 part sugar but you can use a little less sugar with forced.  Rhubarb has a high water content and will collapse into a mush if not cooked sympathetically - see my recipe below.  I'll serve it simply with yoghurt and a spoonful of honey, with a slice of toasted brioche alongside if I have some.  Or maybe folded into lightly whipped cream, or a mix of cream and yogurt, to make a rhubarb fool, enjoyed with a good almond biscuit.  If I have some meringues, preferably slightly chewy ones, and a little cream then it might be a take on Eton Mess like this one.

Rhubarb Mess 
(for 4)

2 egg whites
125g caster sugar
600g pink forced rhubarb
125-150g caster sugar
Half a vanilla pod (optional)
250ml Double Cream
50g sliced, toasted hazelnuts (use folded into the meringue before cooking or sprinkled on top of the Mess)

The Meringue
Heat the oven to 180C.  Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form then add half the sugar gradually, beating until the mixture is firm and fluffy.  Gently fold in the rest of the sugar (and the hazelnuts if using) with a metal spoon.  Place 4 large spoonfuls of the mix on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment.  Place in the oven and immediately turn the heat down to 120C.  Bake for 1 hour then turn the oven off, open the door and leave to go cold.  
The Compote
Heat oven to 160C.  Wash and trim the rhubarb and cut into 1 inch/2cm lengths.  Place in an ovenproof dish.  Add the caster sugar (and half vanilla pod, scraping the seeds in the dish, if using).  Cover with foil and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring gently once.  Check after 40 minutes - the fruit should be soft, yet still holding its shape.  Remove from oven and use a slotted spoon gently place the rhubarb in a bowl.  Pour the juice into a small heavy-bottomed pan, bring it to the boil then simmer until the juice is reduced by half.  Cool and stir the thickened juice gently into the fruit.  The compote will keep in the fridge, covered, for 5-6 days if necessary.
The Mess
Lightly whip the cream until just starting to thicken (it's important not to over-whip).  Add the meringue, broken into small and larger pieces, and fold in.  Add the rhubarb compote and fold in very lightly, just enough to get a ripple effect.  Spoon into bowls (and sprinkle toasted sliced hazelnuts over to serve if you haven't used them in the meringues).

http://www.yorkshirerhubarb.co.uk/ruhbarb_triangle.htm

Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb has been awarded DOP status.

Hereford Road Restaurant

Hereford Road Restaurant

You've probably got the message by now that I'm a big fan of all things St John - particularly 'Bread and Wine' and the Bakery.  Well, now the decision of where to go for a meal just got harder with my discovery of Westbourne Grove restaurant 'Hereford Road'.  This not being an area of London I naturally gravitate to, it has taken a while for me to get around to checking it out.  Well, more fool me.

Chef and co-owner Tom Pemberton was head chef at St John Bread and Wine, before before spreading his wings, which explains why I enjoyed it so much.  Occupying a space which was formerly a butcher's shop has provided a picture window complete with display counter, used to good effect to entice diners.  Inside the space starts narrow, with intimate tables for two facing the gleaming white-tiled open kitchen.  The area steps down into a wider dining room at the back.  The comfort level is a notch higher than anything St John would think necessary, but none the worse for that.

Menus are dictated by the seasons and change daily according to market availability.  Thankfully this is now becoming more common in London, though not often enough.  You will be fed robust British food, focused on carefully sourced ingredients simply prepared and served without fuss.  A particular delight is a starter of Soft Herring Roes on Toast.  A lot of thought goes into what-goes-with-what, as evidenced in dishes such as Beetroot, Sorrel and Cow's Curd, Duck Breast and Pickled Chicory, or Quail with Medlar jelly. Some main courses are intended for two, three or four to share - always a good sign, I think.

Puddings are done particularly well.  At this time of year for fruit we are reliant on our stores of apples so you would expect to find Apple Crumble, and very good it is served with vanilla ice cream.  Sticky Date Pudding, Brown Bread Ice Cream, or Chocolate Cake could be on the menu too, and perhaps Caramelised Quince Roll and Custard (a nice twist on Roly-Poly Pudding). Needless to say the cheeses are the best of British.  They don't seem to have found any English wines they are prepared to keep yet, but a reasonaby priced, mainly French, wine list offers some good ones by the glass, bottle or half-litre.  In addition to the main menu, there is a daily Set Lunch, with three choices at each course, at remarkable value for food of this quality, honesty and integrity - £13.00 for two course £15.50 for three.  If you are in a hurry, there is also a daily Express Lunch of a set main course, a glass of wine and coffee for £9.50.

The food is right up my street.  The welcome is warm.  Service is quietly efficient and sincere.  The bill, gratifyingly small.  I'm looking forward to my next meal.  Try it for yourself and see what you think.

Hereford Road
3 Hereford Road
Westbourne Grove
London  W2 4AB
Tel: 020 7727 1144
http://www.herefordroad.org/

Fishy Business

Razor Clams

Having watched the first instalment of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's "Hugh's Fish Fight" on Channel 4 last night, my timing of a visit to London's Billingsgate Fish Market this morning couldn't have been better, notwithstanding the 5:30 am start.  The campaign Fearnley-Whittingstall is backing aims to stop the scandal of half of all the fish caught in the North Sea being thrown back overboard.  The reason this is happening is twofold.  Thanks to the quotas imposed by the European Commission's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), fishermen are forced to discard a high proportion of their catches.  But that is not the whole story.  Many more thousands of tonnes are thrown back because our fishermen cannot find a market for them.  What many of us, including me, may not have appreciated is that these fish do not live to swim another day but almost all of them are returned to the sea dead.

The policy on quotas is clearly obscene.  Fishermen advocate a better way would be to allow them to keep all of their catch but regulate them by net size, time or weight instead.  Our politicians are talking tough right now.  It remains to be seen whether their spines will remain stiff when they get to the final negotiation.   As for the problem of "no market", apparently in the UK we are so fond of cod, salmon and tuna that we are reluctant to buy much else.  The challenge is to persuade people to change their eating habits, and Fearnley-Whittingstall has proved himself very good at that.  We, in the UK, eat 25% of the Cod caught worldwide.  So I was keen to see if this was reflected in what was on sale at Billingsgate.

Whilst there was plenty of farmed salmon there was far less fresh Cod and little evidence at Billingsgate of Tuna but plenty of Trout, Carp and Tilapia, a warm water fish found in Asia and the Caribbean and now farmed in the UK.  It was hugely depressing to learn that 75% of the fish traded at Billingsgate is farmed.  Thankfully I did see quite a few traders offering Sardines, Mackerel, Monkish and Gurnard.  The traders were very friendly and knowledgeable and the common consensus was that Coley is actually preferable to cod and a lot cheaper.  One real Billingsgate character, who also broadcasts on the subject of fish, enthused about the vast variety of fish and warned of our tendency to overcook.  His secret for perfect fried squid was memorable – take a deep breath, put the squid in the hot pan and when you have to breathe again get the squid out of the pan and it will be beautiful.

There were an awful lot of traders selling frozen fish and a small number specialising in salted or smoked.  The best sight was a pitch specialising in live Crabs, Scallops and Razor Clams.  It was heartening to learn there is a training school at Billingsgate running courses for supermarket employees, schools and the public with an emphasis on sustainability.  I picked up a top tip too.  Buy your scallops from a fishmonger who displays them flat side uppermost - the scallop survives much better in this position and hence reaches your plate in prime condition.  If you get the chance to visit Billingsgate Fish Market, I recommend traders James Nash & Son Ltd who have been trading since 1858.

Apart from the opportunity to buy a whole Red Gurnard for £4, my favourite moment came at 6.00am when outside the main trading hall I glanced into the dock and saw a grey seal pleading for a fish.  He was the best-fed seal I have ever seen, and anyway I had plans for that Gurnard.

If you want to join 'The Fish Fight', you can sign the petition. 250,000 signatures will ensure that a reformed Common Fisheries Policy has the elimination of the discards policy as a primary objective.  You can also think about what you buy.
http://www.fishfight.net/

http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/corporation/LGNL_Services/Business/Markets/

Cheese and Ale

The Kernel Brewery's Baltic Porter
with Stichelton Cheese

Cheese and Ale?  We are now more likely to have a piece of cheese with a glass of wine, but it was not always so.  Both brewing and cheesemaking used to be womens' work, and both would be done in the home.  From this modest start came our taverns and inns. It's no coincidence that the School of Artisan Food teaches both Brewing and Cheesemaking.  So, maybe it's time to think again about this combination. 

Many people are familar with Stilton cheese, nowadays produced under licence by six dairies in England.  This creamy, blue-veined English cheese has, since the 1930's, only been allowed to be made in three counties, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire.  In 1989 an outbreak of listeria was linked to Stilton.  Though this was never actually proved, it resulted in all Stiltons being made from pasteurised milk which was considered safer.  A subsequent granting of an EU Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) set these requirements in stone, so few people know or remember what the original stilton tasted like.  You may not, as yet, have come across Stichelton.  Looking similar to Stilton, but with a sweeter, more crystalline crust and creamier texture thanks to being made from raw milk.  To my mind the best of the Stiltons is made by the Colston Bassett dairy, but when Stichelton is at its full-flavoured best it would definitely be my choice.  Made at The Stichelton Dairy on the Welbeck Estate on the northern borders of Sherwood Forest, with milk from a herd of 150 Friesian-Holstein cows raised organically, it's a relative newcomer. 

Around six years ago a conversation over a beer led cheesemaker Joe Schneider and Neal's Yard Dairy's Randolph Hodgson to embark on a  journey together to recreate Hodgson's memory of the creamy, gentle flavours he associated with unpasteurised stilton.  By October 2006 Stichelton was on the slate-topped counters of Neal's Yard Dairy and is now stocked by the Dairy's wholesale customers outside the UK (see website link below).  Essentially a two-man operation - Schneider and diaryman Mick Lingard - the recipe continues to be developed but production is kept deliberately small so as not to compromise quality.

Here then would be my cheese recommendation, a slice of creamy Stichelton.  But what to drink?  Porter was a popular drink in Britain for at least a couple of centuries until the beginning of the 20th century when Stout, given its name because it was a "stouter" or stronger version of Porter, took over.  It's widely accepted that Porter got its name from the food market Porters who were partial to the drink.  Due to the natural ingredients used Stout and Porter were considered nourishing and sometimes replaced a meal for the working classes.  Porter is more aromatic, malty and bitter than stout.  The Kernel Brewery's London Porter is 5.4% abv, and it also brews a Baltic Porter at 7.4% abv.  All of the Baltic states brew Porter, theirs being traditionally stronger than London Porter.  Evin brews his Kernel Brewery artisan beers in small vats under the railway arches of Bermondsey.  The good news is that you can now buy them from various stockists in London and beyond (see the link below, and be sure to check-out the youtube video).

The mellow creaminess of Stichelton goes incredibly well with the dark malty chocolate and fruit notes of Evin's Baltic Porter.  This, of course, is the ideal combination.  If you can't get your hands on either of them, then try a glass of the best Porter you can find along with a good Stilton, like Colston Bassett.  Not quite the same thing but well worth experiencing.

http://www.stichelton.co.uk/index.html
http://www.thekernelbrewery.com/

Nose to Tail Eating - A kind of British Cooking



Nose to Tail Eating
A Kind of British Cooking
Fergus Henderson

Fergus Henderson calls a trotter a trotter.  If you like your food primped beyond all recognition, and there are plenty of chefs who will oblige, he is not for you.  Henderson has a reputation for serving up the less appealing parts of animals at his London restaurants St John and St John Bread & Wine.  This is not done to shock but out of respect for the animal.  His philosophy being that if an animal has been killed for food then we owe it to the beast to use all of it - from its nose to its tail - and waste nothing. 

Yes, in his book "Nose to Tail Eating" you will find Stuffed Lamb's Hearts, Rolled Pig's Spleen and Giblet Stew.  There are also recipes for Pot Roast Brisket, Roast Quail, and Smoked Haddock, Mustard and Saffron.  For me, a non-carnivorous summation of Henderson's thinking is in the entry for "How to eat radishes at their peak".  It makes me smile, and think twice before discarding anything.  I urge you to look it up.  Henderson is a hugely influential chef in the restaurant world, but he wrote this book with the home cook in mind for " .... cooking and eating at home with friends and relations, not replicating restaurant plates of food".  His follow-up book is "Beyond Nose to Tail" and is just as good as the first but with a greater focus on baking, having more input from St John's terrific baker, Justin Piers Gellatly.

http://www.stjohnrestaurant.com/