The very word ‘sloe’ is pretty much synonymous with ‘sloe gin’ or ‘sloe vodka’. Not so much ‘sloe whisky’ though…which is a real pity. As much as I love gin, it has got a dry, sharp taste which works really well with the acidity of lemon or lime…but in my humble opinion sloes work best [...]
Archive for October, 2011
Sloe Whisky
Posted in Puddings, Sweet Snacks, tagged alcohol, autumn, berries, boozy, christmas present, damson, gin, liqueur, recipe, Scotland, Scottish, sloe, vodka, whiskey, whisky on October 31, 2011 | 4 Comments »
Cooking olives with Omar Allibhoy: deep fried, with chocolate, in ratatouille…
Posted in Light Lunch, Maincourses, News, Uncategorized, tagged batter, chocolate, clerkenwell, food at 52, manchego, mediterranean, olives, Omar Allibhoy, sea bass, spain, spanish, tapas, tapenade on October 29, 2011 | 8 Comments »
It’s rare that you remember your first acquaintance with new food – I don’t remember my first cheese sandwich or my first sip of orange juice. But I do remember eating my first olive. I was about 14 years old –round the same time that I decided to like stilton and red wine. It’s not [...]
Häagen-Dazs job application — I NEED YOUR VOTE!
Posted in News, tagged application, haagen daz, Häagen-Dazs, ice cream, job, rachel s, rachel smith, taste test, tasting assistant, vote for me on October 28, 2011 | 5 Comments »
I love ice cream. It’s not a whimsical affair, not just a fad—it’s not like I enjoy a scoop of vanilla from time to time, but I’m full on infatuated with all colours and creed—sorbets, sundaes, syrups…the whole works. So, imagine my excitement when I heard that Häagen-Dazs is looking for an official Taste Testing [...]
Chicken leek and mushroom pie
Posted in Maincourses, Savoury snacks, tagged autumn evenings, chicken, chicken leek and mushroom pie, comfort food, food, leek, mushroom, puff pastry, rainy days, recipe on October 26, 2011 | 3 Comments »
Ingredients (for 4 people who eat lots or 6 people who are able to demonstrate more restraint) A pack of 8 chicken thighs (chicken breasts are more conventional so that’s just fine too) 150g chestnut mushrooms 2 leeks 1 sheet of jus roll puff pastry 2 heaped dessert spoons of crème fraiche Chicken stock—fresh, frozen [...]
Beef Jerky
Posted in News, tagged beef, beef jerky, blog, food dehydrator, jerky, turkey, willyums on October 24, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
If I had to list things I’d like to receive in a parcel at work, then beef jerky would rank pretty damned highly…so imagine my excitement when the dream became a reality and the lovely blogger Willyums actually sent me a packet of chewy, meaty goodness to my desk last week. His lust for beef [...]
Back at Bonnie & Wild
Posted in Maincourses, News, Reviews, tagged Bonnie & Wild, Bonnie and Wild, Chapel Market, fish, game, Islington, pie and mash shop, pop up, restaurant, review, venison, Wild Game Co on October 24, 2011 | 3 Comments »
After five days in the office, I was counting down the hours to get into the kitchen at Bonnie and Wild. It was an epic night. Thanks to a wine matching menu, 30 of the 80 covers went out in one go…no mean feat with just three of us in the kitchen. But by the [...]
National Baking Week: London Cake
Posted in News, tagged Bethnal Cream, Big Ben cake, London cake, London Eye Cake, Marble Arch cake, National Baking Week, Puddington, sponge, St Pancras, Swiss Roll Cottage, tube map cake, victoria sponge on October 21, 2011 | 2 Comments »
With only three days left of National Baking Week, it’s time to start whipping, whisking…and (most importantly) conjuring up some extreme-decoration concepts. To get you inspired, here are some shots of a cake that I stumbled across in St Pancras Station yesterday. The seven foot extravaganza maps out London with coloured Smartie tube lines, sponge [...]
Behind the scenes at Bonnie & Wild
Posted in Maincourses, Reviews, tagged Andy Waugh, Angel, Bonnie & Wild, Bonnie and Wild, Bonnie Gull, bring your own booze, Broadway Market, Chapel Market, crab, game, grouse, Iain Sims, M Menzes, mullet, online game, pie and mash, razor clam, restaurant, stall, venison, White Cross market, Wild Game Company, wood pigeon on October 18, 2011 | 6 Comments »
When Bonnie & Wild asked if I’d come and work some shifts in their kitchen, I jumped at the chance. Firstly, I could do with the extra cash (sadly blogs don’t pay…and the magazine industry barely does). Also, it’s a great restaurant with a lovely chef, and (most of all) it was a chance for [...]
Mini Victoria sponge
Posted in Puddings, Sweet Snacks, tagged afternoon tea, cream, jam, mini victoria sponge, recipe, victoria sponge on October 17, 2011 | 2 Comments »
On Saturday I set about tidying my room. This was even less fun than I expected. Especially on a sunny day, and especially when it took me two hours to clean the goddamned windows. As soon as you start to notice the dust in London that’s the end of it. The only option is to [...]
Nduja Take Two
Posted in Maincourses, Savoury snacks on October 16, 2011 | 2 Comments »
Seeing as a little bit of nduja goes a long way, I only used half of the fairly small amount I’d bought, which left me with more to play with. After my first experiment with ‘neat nduja’ on pasta, I thought I’d try diluting the chilli hotness with my second meal… …so, in true Gavin [...]