Spoon HQ

New Blog Address

2010-12-21T07:35:00.000-08:00

The Spoon HQ blog has now moved to http://spoonhq.wordpress.com/.

See you there!

Made in Camden

2010-11-11T05:20:00.000-08:00

London Lager Tour

2010-11-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

“Want the Tour to come to your door?"

Meantime has developed the quintessential London Lager and is taking it on tour around the capital. Make a short video telling us why we should visit your home or workplace and we will bring a caravan full of lager directly to your doorstep.

Enter a video or vote for a video

Bill Knott at Blacks

2010-10-25T04:01:00.000-07:00

Sunday nights at Blacks was certainly a treat. Bill Knott cooked up a storm which included such delights as Partridge en Escabeche and Blackberry Trifle. Here's the full menu for your perusing pleasure:

Bacchanalia

October 24th 2010

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Sustenance- Bill Knott + Robin Freeman

Exotica – Goddess of the Stars

Inebriation – Giuseppe Mascoli

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Partridge en Escabeche, Fried Polenta

Domaine du Rey, Gros Manang, Gascogne, 2005 - £5.50/£20.00

Manzamilla La Gitana, Bodeyas Hidalgo - £3.50

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Venison Pie

Sauteed Wild Mushrooms

Bitter Leaf Salad

Villa Gemma, Montepuleiano D’Abruzzo, Massiarelli 2000 – £25.00/£100.00

Bardiga, Valli Unite, 1999 - £8.50/£99.00

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Chartreuse and Green Apple Sorbet

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Somerset Pecorino with Pears

Vinci, Cotes Catalanes, Coyade, 2006 - £6.50/£36.00

Verduzzo Marco Sara, Savorgnano del Torre, Udine, -£3.50/£28.00

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Blackberry Trifle

Colombaia, Vino Rosaro Frizzante Naturale, Toscana, 2009, - £5.50/£29.00

Cartagene, Andre Bourget, Languedoc, NV - £3.50/£28.00

Plectrum Live Edition: A Night at the Rockabilly Revuebar 27th October 2010

2010-10-15T03:59:00.000-07:00

PLECTRUM LIVE EDITION: A NIGHT AT THE ROCKABILLY REVUEBAR…

where “it ain’t no sin to take off your skin, and dance around in your bones…”

An evening of live music, author readings and talks, screenings, and more, with

MAX DÉCHARNÉ, THE WOLFMEN, PAUL WILLETTS, HORST A. FRIEDRICHS

Hosted by GUY SANGSTER ADAMS

Wednesday 27th October 2010

The Horse Hospital, Colonnade, Bloomsbury, London WC1

(Russell Square underground station, Piccadilly Line)

www.thehorsehospital.com

Doors 7.30pm Performances begin 8pm

Tickets: £6 on the door

To reserve tickets email: guy@theculturalpick.com

On sale on the night:

All issues to date of the print edition of Plectrum - The Cultural Pick

(more details: www.theculturalpick.com)

Featured performers' books, recordings, and merchandise which they will be happy to sign

(please note no credit card facilities will be available on the night)

Saraban by Greg & Lucy Malouf

2010-10-12T04:58:00.000-07:00

We are thrilled to be working with Hardie Grant Books on the forthcoming launch of "Saraban: A chef`s journey through Persia" by Greg and Lucy Malouf. Based in Australia and an acclaimed master of modern Middle Eastern cooking, Greg Malouf will be in London at the end of January 2011 for a series of dinners and other events.

Greg Malouf is the executive chef at MoMo in Melbourne. Lucy Malouf, Greg`s former wife, is an award-winning food writer and editor.

Saraban (£30) will be published on 1 November 2010.

www.momorestaurant.com.au

We look forward to introducing Greg in person next year.

The Hardwick Wins Two National Restaurant Awards

2010-10-12T03:50:00.000-07:00

We are very pleased to announce that The Hardwick scooped last night's National Restaurant Awards at the Grand Connaught Rooms, London, winning Best Gastropub and coming No. 13 in the top 100 Restaurants in the country. This is a tremendous achievement, and having eaten at The Hardwick, we can truly say that it was well deserved!

Chocolate by Trish Launches

2010-10-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

Mauro Colagreco at The Loft Project

2010-10-11T04:51:00.000-07:00

On Friday Mauro Colagero wowed guests at the Loft Project with an extraordinary ten course meal. The best dish had to be the razor clam with parsnip cream and coffee emulsion, though the quinoa risotto came a close second. Cooking food as wonderful as that in a kitchen the size of a handkerchief was no mean feat.

Chocolate by Trish Launches at Selfridges

2010-10-05T05:00:00.000-07:00

French based, Irish chocolate lover, Trish Deseine, author of the bestselling 'Je Veux du Chocolat' ('I Want Chocolate!'), will be introducing her new range of French cook's chocolate - 'Chocolate by Trish' during Chocolate Week from the 11th October 2010.

Trish has sold over 1 million cookbooks, presented three TV series, and writes for both English and French language publications. Now her love of chocolate and her belief that using good quality can transform any cook's baking has led her to create her own range of quality French cook's chocolate due to launch in Selfridges in October, and perfect for using in recipes at home.

On Thursday 14th October, as part of the Selfridges Chocolate Week celebrations Trish will be demonstrating her Chocolate Making Kit and inviting customers to participate in blindfolded tasting tests. Seated, and enveloped by gorgeous, chocolatey aromas, all senses will be directed towards the taste of Trish's milk, white and dark chocolates and the ingredients they encompass.

All it takes is the right stuff. Rich in cocoa butter. Made in France with love and care.

Chocolate Week is the UK's largest and most indulgent celebration of chocolate, featuring a variety of exciting events nationwide.

FACTS:
Chocolate by Trish will be launched in Selfridges during Chocolate Week, from the 11-17th October 2010.

Available in Selfridges Food Halls - London, Manchester Trafford, Manchester Exchange Square & Birmingham.

And online at www.selfridges.com

Address:
Selfridges & Co,
400 Oxford Street,
London
W1A 1AB
Telephone: 0800 123 400

UK PRESS OFFICE:
Spoon PR
Contact: Sarah Canet
Telephone: 0207 610 9821
Email: sarah@spoon-pr.com

For more information on Chocolate By Trish visit www.chocolatebytrish.com

First Look at The Hardwick's New Rooms

2010-10-04T07:23:00.000-07:00

THE HARDWICK, ABERGAVENNY NOW OFFERS 8 LUXURY BEDROOMS

2010-10-04T06:51:00.000-07:00

Stephen Terry’s critically acclaimed restaurant, The Hardwick in Abergavenny, opened 8 beautiful bedrooms in time for the Abergavenny Food Festival which took place in mid-September.

This is the first accommodation venture for internationally renowned chef and restaurateur Stephen Terry, owner of The Hardwick. Known for its mighty reputation as an outstanding place to eat and drink, Terry’s restaurant has now been expanded to offer visitors an astounding place to stay. The result is a gastronomic hideaway in the heart of Wales’ lush,verdant hills.

The restaurant remains at the heart of this idyllic escape and the understated, natural elegance of the accommodation blends perfectly with the restaurant’s simple and honest philosophy. Terry’s cleverly remodelled building, though contemporary, is thoroughly sympathetic to its tranquil countryside setting and its Welsh identity. Within The Hardwick’s beautiful oak-clad building, 8 contemporary double bedrooms have been created, combining elegant, understated design with historic Welsh charm. Hand-crafted oak doors, desks and shutters and Welsh slate floors sit comfortably against luxurious ensuite bathrooms, crisp white sheets and modern comforts, such as HD TV, Wi-Fi and a Roberts DAB Radio with iPod and iPhone connections, making it the ultimate escape from the city.

The Hardwick’s award winning restaurant offers exceptional food and drinks and is a
convivial place for guests and visitors alike to meet for breakfast, lunch or dinner. From Ham, Egg and Chips to a beautiful piece of roasted Gower Peninsula Sea Bass, the restaurant is recognised for using the highest quality locally sourced, seasonal produce. In addition, an elegant mini-bar containing good half bottles of wine and champagne, bottled water, milk and a selection of truffles by chocolatier Damian Allsop is available in each bedroom- creating not only the smartest but also the tastiest accommodation in Wales.

Located in beautiful countryside overlooking the Brecon Beacons National Park, this rural retreat provides an excellent base for touring the Wye Valley, an “Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty” and for exploring nearby picturesque market town Abergavenny. Famed for its annual Food Festival, it is steeped in history and enjoys an enviable position in the South Eastern corner of Wales, only 20 miles from the English border.

FACTS
Opened - September 2010

Reservations number: 01873 854220

Address: The Hardwick
Old Raglan Road
Abergavenny
Monmouthshire
Wales
NP7 9AA

Email: info@thehardwick.co.uk

Website: www.thehardwick.co.uk

FOOD AT THE HARDWICK
The Hardwick is a country pub which very much leans towards being a restaurant. This is largely due to the owner, critically acclaimed chef Stephen Terry, being a cook by nature and not a publican. A place where everybody is made to feel welcome, whether it be for a quick pint or meeting friends and family for lunch or dinner, The Hardwick has a simple & honest philosophy- to source, cook and serve to the best of its abilities at all times.

Produce is treated with the respect it deserves and served with the minimum of fuss and maximum of flavour, using seasonal produce that allows customers and staff alike to look forward to certain ingredients throughout the year.

Creating The Hardwick has been a labour of love for Stephen, with the combination of his honest and intelligent food with The Hardwick’s relaxed, unstuffy atmosphere earning it the reputation as one of the best restaurants in the country.

In 2007, The Hardwick was awarded a Bib Gourmand by the Michelin Guide, it has
retained it every year since and is currently the only restaurant in Wales to hold one. Two years on, The Hardwick was named runner-up for the Best Restaurant in the Observer Food Monthly awards and feted for having the UK’s “Best Use of Local Produce” by the Good Food Guide. Last year, ranking 51st in the top 100 restaurants at the National Restaurant Awards 2009, this “highly recommended” establishment was crowned “Best Dining Pub in Wales” (Good Pub Guide 2010).

Stephen Terry
Chef- proprietor Stephen Terry has a great pedigree. From starting off his career with Marco Pierre White to achieving a Michelin star (for the second time) at The Walnut Tree in Abergavenny, Stephen’s talents have recently been witnessed on TV courtesy of The Great British Menu. Stephen’s arrival at The Hardwick has been a long and interesting journey.

After training with Marco at his first restaurant, Harvey’s, Stephen went to Le Gavroche where his introduction to classic French cooking became an integral part of the foundation of his philosophy to cooking. His next stop was Scotland as Sous Chef at The Breaval Old Mill, followed by a journey back to London where he opened The Canteen in Chelsea Harbour for Marco and Michael Caine and was awarded his first Michelin star, at the age of 25.

After two years at The Canteen, it was time for a sabbatical and France beckoned.
Following six months in the South of France at a one star Relais chateau Le Roches,
Stephen spent a further successful six months at Parisian two star Michelin L’Arpege led by inspirational Chef Alain Passard, eventually leaving to take up an offer from Oliver Peyton to be head Chef at his new restaurant, Coast in Mayfair, London – still remembered as one of the most cutting edge restaurants of the late nineties.

After Coast, Stephen travelled a little, taking in Australia and parts of North America and was then approached by Francesco Taruschio to purchase The Walnut Tree Inn. In 2002, a year after opening, Stephen won a Michelin star. Two years later, he returned to London to a position as Head Chef consultant at Cecconis, the legendary Italian restaurant in Mayfair that was in need of a little inspiration. From Cecconis it was on to another consultancy at The Pear Tree Inn, Whitley, Wiltshire, which was then awarded Best Pub in England by the AA Guide in 2005. It was whilst commuting from home in South Wales that The Horse & Jockey Pub came on the market. With a new lease of life and the help and support of friends and family, The Hardwick was born within four weeks of purchase.

Images available upon request
For further information on The Hardwick, please contact
Sarah Canet
E: sarah@spoon-pr.com
T: +44 (0)20 7610 9821

Made In Camden: In the Making

2010-10-01T06:41:00.000-07:00

Sarah headed across to Camden yesterday for a tour round Made In Camden. Still very much a Work in Progress but the kitchen is very much in full swing with Josh Katz, MIC's Head Chef, testing out the new menu. Here's a few sneaky photos of a few of the dishes;

September 2010 – Stephen Terry picks up the AA Restaurant of the Year Wales Award for his Abergavenny restaurant, The Hardwick.

2010-09-28T05:31:00.000-07:00

Attended by industry chefs, hoteliers and restaurateurs, last night’s AA Hospitality Awards 2010, held at the London Hilton on Park Lane was a momentous evening for Chef Stephen Terry whose Abergavenny restaurant, The Hardwick, picked up the prestigious AA Restaurant of the Year Wales Award. It’s been one hell of a fortnight, having also thrown open the shutters on 8 new bedrooms and seen a newly refurbished bar and restaurant packed to the rafters during the Abergavenny Food Festival.

“We selected The Hardwick as AA Restaurant of the Year for Wales because this delightful country road side restaurant has fast become one of Wales’ most popular dining destinations. This is in no small way due to the passion and dedication of acclaimed chef patron, Stephen Terry, who along with his family has put everything into making this a fantastic, value for money destination restaurant.”
Giovanna Grossi, AA

“This feels like an almighty pat on the back for all of us. Creating consistency and exceeding expectations is only possible because I've got a really great, finely tuned orchestra at work. I'm simply the conductor.”
Stephen Terry, chef patron The Hardwick.

FOOD AT THE HARDWICK
The Hardwick is a country pub which very much leans towards being a restaurant. This is largely due to the owner, critically acclaimed chef Stephen Terry, being a cook by nature and not a publican. A place where everybody is made to feel welcome, whether it be for a quick pint or meeting friends and family for lunch or dinner, The Hardwick has a simple & honest philosophy- to source, cook and serve to the best of its abilities at all times.

Produce is treated with the respect it deserves and served with the minimum of fuss and maximum of flavour, using seasonal produce that allows customers and staff alike to look forward to certain ingredients throughout the year.

Creating The Hardwick has been a labour of love for Stephen, with the combination of his honest and intelligent food with The Hardwick’s relaxed, unstuffy atmosphere earning it the reputation as one of the best restaurants in the country.

The Hardwick is no stranger to critical acclaim. In 2007, The Hardwick was awarded a Bib Gourmand by the Michelin Guide, it has retained it every year since and is currently the only restaurant in Wales to hold one. Two years on, The Hardwick was named runner-up for the Best Restaurant in the Observer Food Monthly awards and feted for having the UK’s “Best Use of Local Produce” by the Good Food Guide. Last year, ranking 51st in the top 100 restaurants at the National Restaurant Awards 2009, this “highly recommended” establishment was crowned “Best Dining Pub in Wales” (Good Pub Guide 2010).

Known for its mighty reputation as an outstanding place to eat and drink, Terry’s restaurant was expanded in time for this year’s Abergavenny Food Festival to offer visitors an astounding place to stay. The result is a gastronomic hideaway in the heart of Wales’ lush, verdant hills with 8 contemporary bedrooms, combining elegant, understated design with Welsh charm. The ultimate gourmet getaway with state-of-the-art comfort.

FACTS:
Reservations number: 01873 854220

Address: The Hardwick
Old Raglan Road
Abergavenny
Monmouthshire
Wales
NP7 9AA

Email: info@thehardwick.co.uk
Website: www.thehardwick.co.uk

About the AA Hospitality Awards
Winners are selected in recognition of their excellence and success within their chosen market, but they must also have shown a significant improvement in their services and facilities in the preceding 12-18 months. Achieving an award puts an establishment at the pinnacle of the hospitality industry.

For more information on the AA Hospitality Awards please refer to their website;
aahospitalityawards.com/hospitality.php

About Stephen Terry
Chef- proprietor Stephen Terry has a great pedigree. From starting off his career with Marco Pierre White to achieving a Michelin star (for the second time) at The Walnut Tree in Abergavenny, Stephen’s talents have recently been witnessed on TV courtesy of The Great British Menu. Stephen’s arrival at The Hardwick has been a long and interesting journey.

After training with Marco at his first restaurant, Harvey’s, Stephen went to Le Gavroche where his introduction to classic French cooking became an integral part of the foundation of his philosophy to cooking. His next stop was Scotland as Sous Chef at The Breaval Old Mill, followed by a journey back to London where he opened The Canteen in Chelsea Harbour for Marco and Michael Caine and was awarded his first Michelin star, at the age of 25.

After two years at The Canteen, it was time for a sabbatical and France beckoned. Following six months in the South of France at a one star Relais chateau Le Roches, Stephen spent a further successful six months at Parisian two star Michelin L’Arpege led by inspirational Chef Alain Passard, eventually leaving to take up an offer from Oliver Peyton to be head Chef at his new restaurant, Coast in Mayfair, London – still remembered as one of the most cutting edge restaurants of the late nineties.

After Coast, Stephen travelled a little, taking in Australia and parts of North America and was then approached by Francesco Taruschio to purchase The Walnut Tree Inn. In 2002, a year after opening, Stephen won a Michelin star. Two years later, he returned to London to a position as Head Chef consultant at Cecconis, the legendary Italian restaurant in Mayfair that was in need of a little inspiration. From Cecconis it was on to another consultancy at The Pear Tree Inn, Whitley, Wiltshire, which was then awarded Best Pub in England by the AA Guide in 2005. It was whilst commuting from home in South Wales that The Horse & Jockey Pub came on the market. With a new lease of life and the help and support of friends and family, The Hardwick was born within four weeks of purchase.

Images available upon request
For further information on The Hardwick, please contact Sarah Canet
E: sarah@spoon-pr.com
T: +44 (0)20 7610 9821

Bill Granger at Whole Foods

2010-09-24T03:26:00.000-07:00

Last night Bill Granger was signing copies of his new book 'Bill's Basics' at Whole Foods on Kensington High Street, tempting the crowds with a mountain of brownies and a mountain of books, by 8 o'clock all that was left were crumbs - success indeed.

Thirsty Thursday was taking place too, with recipes from Bill's newest collection of simple and delicious meals - from his 'Crisp skinned salmon with Green goddess dressing' through to a 'Chicken and dried apricot pilaf'. Spoon Hq were lucky enough to grab a plate of the truly incredible 'Crisp Pork Belly with apple' - crisp salty crackling above tender, succulent velvety meat... our Sunday roast plans are now decided upon!

Laura Santtini

2010-09-23T08:07:00.000-07:00

Exciting News!

From October, Laura Santtini fans in Canada will be able to get their hands on her famous Taste #5 Unami Paste. Holt Renfrew will be stocking Taste #5 as part of their Christmas holiday selection!

Bill's Basics put to the Test

2010-09-22T02:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday continued our week of culinary adventures here at Spoon as we tested out another recipe from Bill's Basics. On Tuesday, his laksa reigned supreme. Light, fragrant and brothy, it was quick and cheap to prepare. And with being easily adaptable to whatever veggies you happen to have, we thought this was a winner!

PUBLISHING LEGACY IN GOOD HANDS

2010-09-21T09:08:00.001-07:00

Four months ago publisher Lannice Snyman died and the family-owned publishing house went into survival mode. Lannice's daughter and virtual business partner Tamsin has taken charge of the business and Lannice Snyman Publishing is back up and running, continuing the special legacy that Lannice left.

Publishing

Lannice Snyman Publishing currently has 15 cookbook titles in print and looks forward to continue producing South Africa’s finest and top-selling cookbooks.

We are therefore extremely thrilled to announce our latest cookbook, Simply Good Food by acclaimed author and all-round foodie Justine Drake. The book will be launched countrywide in the next few weeks. Justine presents a selection of fresh and original recipes based on ingredients and principles from the Discovery Vitality HealthyFood™ programme. She has, with characteristic flair, struck a fine balance between the art of healthy eating and the scientific principles at the heart of the programme. It is upbeat, accessible, inspirational and, above all, appetising.

Distribution

Courtenay Snyman remains in charge of distribution and makes sure our books reach all corners of Southern Africa as well as America, UK and Australia. We are pleased to be working with Pick n Pay and you’ll see Simply Good Food on their shelves this month. Book sellers should make sure to contact Courtenay to ensure they don't sell out.

American Express Platinum Fine Dining Programme

Publisher Tamsin Snyman will take over the Western Cape region for these annual awards. American Express® conceived and developed the Platinum Fine Dining Programme as a tripartite relationship with its discerning Platinum Card members and the country’s truly special restaurants.

This year's awards took place in Johannesburg on 6 September and in Cape Town on Monday, 20 September at Jordan Restaurant with George Jardine.

Visit www.americanexpress.co.za/personal/platinum_fine_dining.asp for more info.

S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards

Event Director Nathan Garnett has asked Tamsin to take over from Lannice as Regional Chairman (Southern Africa & Indian Ocean Islands) for the S. Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurant Awards which takes place in London every year. She will select and work with 30 locally-based judges who travel and eat out internationally. South Africa’s La Colombe (Luke Dale-Roberts) is currently in 12th position and Le Quartier Français (Margot Janse) is currently in 31st position.

Restaurant Consulting

If you need a menu revamp or your food styling turned up a notch, know that we are passionate about getting things right! Don’t miss the new 12-course menu we planned and devised for GOLD Restaurant which is launching 20 September.

Go to www.goldrestaurant.co.za and book a table and experience the finest Cape Malay and African cuisine that Cape Town has to offer.

Rickety Bridge Gourmet Products

Lannice and Tamsin joined forces with Rickety Bridge Wine Estate in Franschhoek to create an innovative range of co-branded gourmet products. We have had wonderful press coverage since we launched in March this year. A newly built food manufacturing plant and a dedicated team is in place to produce the range of 20 products which include speciality salts, salad splashes, balsamic squeezes, chutneys and relishes. Our current top sellers are the Tomato, Chilli & Coriander Sauce, Garlic & Ginger Peri-Peri, Red Wine Onion Jam and the Pomegranate Salad Splash. We stock the entire range at our office in Hout Bay, so please pop round anytime to sample the range and take a bottle of something special to your next dinner party. Visit www.ricketybridge.com for more info.

Bay Gourmet Catering & Events

Tamsin's own business, Bay Gourmet Catering will take a back seat for the immediate future, but we are available for any queries. Having been in the event co-ordination game for seven years, we have a heap of knowledge that we love to share.

The Bay Gourmet Hiring Division of crockery, platters and stemware will remain in operation, so please be in touch if you need anything from our well-stocked storeroom for your next special occasion. (021 790-3367 or 082 8989-442)

Website

We look forward to welcoming you to indulge in our brand new website www.lannicesnyman.com which will be up and running in the next few weeks. Watch this space!

Twitter

Join us on Twitter - @tamsinsnyman – and keep track of where we are, what we are eating and the happy events we find ourselves at.

Blog

We are in the process of creating a blog and we’ll be keeping you up to speed with what’s happening and hot-off-the-press food news.

………….

We look forward to once again working with all our customers and clients and establishing connections with future partners.

Tamsin Snyman

Publisher

tamsin@lannicesnyman.com

Courtenay Snyman

Distribution Manager

courtenay@lannicesnyman.com

Michael Snyman

Chairman

michael@lannicesnyman.com

IS THIS THE BEST BREAKFAST IN BRITAIN?

2010-09-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

Spoon HQ was lucky enough to stay at Stephen and Jo Terry's luxurious hide-away- THE HARDWICK-nestled in the beautiful hills of Abergavenny during last weekend's Food Festival. After a busy day trawling the Festival, and later filling up on Wild Boar and local cider at the Castle, what could be better than returning to a packed Hardwick bar, filled with merry Festival goers? As our taxi travelled the short journey along the rambling road from town, we welcomed the warm glow from The Hardwick's window in the distance and felt giddy at the prospect of getting into our beautiful, brand new, bedroom.

Pampered by Champney's sugar salt scrubs, luxurious White Company bedding and dressing gowns, we had a look through the DVD library and armed with a vast selection of every tea, coffee and sugar we have ever wanted, settled down for the most peaceful and relaxing night a couple on Londoners have had in a long time.

In the morning, we made our way over to the Hardwick's new dining room and feasted on what Spoon HQ has now proclaimed to be the "Best Breakfast in Britain." Here's what we had (we challenge you to find a better breakfast this side of the Atlantic/Pacific)

Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
Local Organic Apple Juice

Teas, Cafetiere Coffee, Espresso, Cappuccino

Cereals

Greek Yoghurt with Granola and Local Honey

A Rack of Toast with Butter, Jams, Marmite or Lemon Curd

Cooked Welsh Breakfast: Bacon, Sausage, Fried Egg, Mushroom, Tomato, Baked Beans, Black Pudding and Bread Fried in Pork Fat

Black Mountain Smoked Salmon with Free-Range Scrambled Eggs

Poached, Fried or Scrambled Eggs on Toast

Toasted Bacon or Sausage Sandwich

Smoked haddock with Poached Eggs and Mustard Sauce

I could gush all day about Stephen's food and I haven't started on the bedrooms (and most importantly, the bathrooms) More to come.......

http://www.thehardwick.co.uk/

LUKE DALE-ROBERTS UNVEILS PLANS FOR A NEW CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

2010-09-21T01:16:00.000-07:00

South Africa, Cape Town, Tuesday, 21 September 2010; Luke Dale-Roberts has secured warehouse premises in Cape Town at Woodstock’s bustling Old Biscuit Mill as part of his vision to create a unique fine dining experience.

Named ‘The Test Kitchen’, it will be a creative space for Luke and his team to explore the relationship between art and food. Time will be split between developing new dishes, researching flavour combinations and designs, and of course operating an intimate dining venue offering guests something quite out of the ordinary.

In under four years as Executive Chef at La Colombe, Luke has taken the restaurant to 12th place at the San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards, picking up Eat Out’s Restaurant of the Year along the way, and the coveted Rossouw’s three star rating for the past two consecutive years. He has recently been appointed to a hands-on consultancy role at this renowned eatery.

In planning this project Luke has been working closely with some of South Africa’s most talented designers and artists in a collaborative effort to bring a wholly original sensory dining experience to the restaurant scene.

Luke commented, “I wanted to put myself into a completely new environment, take myself out of my comfort zone. I have been spending a lot of time in the last few months with all kinds of artists.

This has been something new for me and totally inspiring. The more time I spent with them, the more I realised I wanted to try something new. This project is the realization of a vision that has been formed through the many experiences I have had before coming to South Africa, as well as during my time here. I am going to start again. Look at everything with a keener eye and take more time to enjoy the creative process”.

The Test Kitchen will open November 2010. During the first month of operation Luke will be entertaining exclusive groups of guests offering tailor made dining experiences on a booking only basis. Following on from this the test kitchen will open its doors for lunch and dinner. For bookings or further information visit www.thetestkitchen.co.za or follow Luke on Twitter.

For press assistance contact Ian or Lise Manley of Manley Communications on 0861 MANLEY (626 539), email to premierbrands@publicity.co.za or visit the Press Room of Manley Communications at www.manleycommunications.co.za.

Bill at Abergavenny

2010-09-20T08:48:00.000-07:00

Bill entertained crowds at the Abergavenny Food Festival on Sunday with a cooking demonstration, and a conversation with Henry Dimbleby. It was a fun and relaxed event with questions taken from the audience. Spoon's very own Sarah Canet made a guest appearance in the kitchen, showing off her superb home economic skills. Bill whipped up a delectable array of delights during the demo, and treated onlookers to an exhibition of his famous scrambled eggs, prawn noodle salad, and lovely lemon chicken.

The Rude Health Debate: Local Markets or Supermarkets? Where to for the aspiring quality food business?

2010-09-20T08:27:00.000-07:00

Saturday evening saw the most successful debate at Abergavenny to date.

Hosted by Rude Health, the debate between Rude Health's Camilla Barnard, The Grocer's Adam Leyland, Slow Food's Catherine Gazzoliand, and Patchwork Pate's Rufus Carter, was chaired by Sheila Dillon, and asked the question "Local Markets or Supermarkets: Where to for the aspiring quality food business?"

A lively debate was initiated by the panel and sustained by a feisty bunch of producers, suppliers and members of the public including Valentine Warner, Chocolatier Paul Young and Trewly Farm's James Swift.

Rude Health has a tradition of sparking healthy debates and discussions that rotate around food and the food industry. Co-founder Nick Barnard is forever ranting and raving about real food, and Saturday proved he is not alone in his passion.

Bill's Basics put to the Test

2010-09-20T08:12:00.000-07:00

Today kicked off a week of culinary adventures here at Spoon, as we set out to try one recipe from Bill's Basics every lunchtime. Today it was Nasi goreng and what a treat it was! So easy, and with not many ingredients, we knocked it up in about 20 minutes from start to finish. We couldn't get hold of any kecap manis at our local supermarket so made it up ourselves by simmering soy sauce, brown sugar and some star anise together until it became a deiliciously thick and gloopy syrup. This was an all round winner, wholesome and satisfying, yet packed full of flavour. Three empty plates indicate that it will have to be made again. Check here soon for our next lunchtime experiment.

Bill Granger Cooking LIVE for Australialive at Westfield Shepherds Bush

2010-09-17T09:03:00.000-07:00

Alice Stanners of Spoon HQ has just sent through an image of Bill wowing Westfield crowds for the Australialive event there today.

The assembled people are getting treated to master-class of his Lemon Chicken and Thai Beef Salad from his newly published book Bill's Basics.

Bill's Brunch at Hereford Road

2010-09-16T04:12:00.000-07:00

On Saturday 11th September, Bill Granger hosted a brunch serving a selection of his classic reciepies at Nottinghill restaurant, Hereford Road.

Friends, family, journalists and fellow West Londoners spent the morning tasting a variety of dishes including sweetcorn fritters, crab cakes, ricotta hotcakes and brownies, washed down with Prosecco.

The Old Brewery Wins Best New Design at Time Out Awards

2010-09-16T03:24:00.000-07:00

Paris Restaurant Tips

2010-09-15T09:05:00.000-07:00

Here at Spoon, there is only one thing we like more than food, and that's when food is combined with travel. So we've put together our top Paris restaurant tips to help you plan your next city break.

Le Chateaubriand - The coolest place with the greatest food, it was ranked No. 11 in this year's 50 Best Restaurants. The menu is decided on the day with meals costing around 45 euros per head. Early booking is advised.

http://www.theworlds50best.com/awards/1-50-winners/le-chateaubriand

Thoumiex- The new restaurant from Jean-Francois Piege (previously of the Crillon).

http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/france/paris/review-137137.html
http://www.thoumieux.fr/

Chez Michel- It's not new but it is our all-time favourite restaurant in Paris. You eat elbow to elbow with the next table and the waiters look as if they've been dragged off the street. When matched with the food this is a wonderful experience.

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/paris/D41217.html

Rino – Highly recommended by blogger Foodsnob.

http://www.lefooding.com/restaurant-2234-rino.htm

Spring - Rumour is circulating in the foodie world that this is the hottest place to be.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/7bc76266-a0ea-11df-badd-00144feabdc0.html

Frenchie – This cute bistro is headed by Grégory Lemarch who previously worked with Jamie Oliver. Glorious food reasonably priced.

http://www.frenchie-restaurant.com/
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/06/hidden-kitchen-chien-lunatique-s/

Le Verre Volè – This small eatery only seats 18 and is also a very well stocked wine shop.
http://www.leverrevole.fr/

Thirsty Thursday

2010-09-15T08:29:00.000-07:00

On Thursday 23rd September Bill will be signing copies of his new book Bills Basics at Whole Foods in Kensington. The resident Chefs will be cooking up the following tasty treats, which will be available to sample.

Stir-fried tofu with chilli and basil
Chard with olive and lemon
Pan-fried fish with 2 sauces
Crisp pork belly with apple
Chicken and dried apricot pilaf

All will be expertly matched with the perfect wines.

Time: 1700-20.30

Address:
Whole Foods Kensington
The Barkers Building
63-97 Kensington High Street
London

All the details can be found here:
www.wholefoodsmarket.com/storesbeta/kensington

Made In Camden- in the making

2010-09-15T02:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a sneaky peak at Made in Camden, North London's soon-to-be favourite bar and dining room. Watch this space...

Bill Granger Brunch at Hereford Road SOLD OUT!

2010-09-08T08:17:00.000-07:00

Just 24 hours after our last Bill Granger post and the tickets for the Bill Granger lunch at Hereford Road has already sold out. But never fear, there are still tickets available for other events on Bill's book-tour in celebration of his beautiful new book Bill's Basics.

Dinner at Noma - 7 September 2010

2010-09-07T23:01:00.000-07:00

Nasturtium flower and wild snail

Leeks

Seabuck thorn leather and pickled hip roses

Cookie with lardo and currant

Rye bread, chicken skin, split peas and smoked cheese

Radish, soil and herbs

Pickled and smoked quails egg

Toast, herbs, smoked cod roe and vinegar

Shrimps and sea urchin

Dill and beach plants

Gem salad and hazelnutmilk

White currant and juniper

Dried Scallops and grains

Watercress and squid

Mahogni clam and cucumber seeds

Tatar and sorrel

Taragon and juniper

Langoustine and söl

Parsley and seawater

Oyster and the ocean

Cauliflower and pine

Celeriac and black truffle

Garden sorrel

The hen and the egg

Deer and wild thyme

Beetroots and red fruits

Desserts.....

Hay and chamomile

Sorrel and herbs

Jerusalem artichoke and marjoram

Apple and malt

Blueberries and wood sorrel

Walnuts and blackberries

Dusted cream

Bill's Basics Hereford Road Menu

2010-09-06T04:57:00.000-07:00

Hot of the Press - the dishes for the inaugural event of Bill's Basics Book Tour have been confirmed and here at Spoon HQ we're already salivating with anticipation.

Ricotta hotcakes and clementine curd

Mini hash browns and house-cured gravlax

Corn fritters and chilli relish

Hereford Road toast and Bill's scrambled eggs

Crab cakes

Butterscotch madeleines

Brownies

Glass of Prosecco on arrival

Cafetieres of coffee and hot milk

Smoothies for kids

Places are still available at the Notting Hill neighbourhood restaurant for the informal, sociable brunch. Children welcome.

Saturday 11th September

Bill Granger Brunch at Hereford Road

Address: 3 Hereford Road (Opposite Leinster Square), London, W2 4AB

Time: 11am – 12.30 pm

Tickets: £12.50 for adults including a glass of Prosecco.

£7 for children

To book your place contact 020 7727 1144 or info@herefordroad.org

www.herefordroad.org

Bill's Basics Public Tour

2010-08-31T07:08:00.000-07:00

Bill Granger
Bill’s Basics Book Tour
September – December 2010

Bill Granger, hugely popular Australian food writer, television chef and restaurateur has worked his particular magic on over 100 of his favourite classic dishes, bringing them effortlessly into the twenty-first century. Bill’s Basics is a cheat’s guide to making the recipes that every home cook wants to master. Bill has simplified techniques, minimised fussy ingredient lists and given these core dishes a modern twist that’s in tune with our busy lives and passion for fresh and healthy flavours.

Bill will be touring around the UK, stopping off at some of his favourite gastronomic locations- Abergavenny, Bath and his new home town, London. Members of the public will be able to watch Bill demonstrate recipes, have copies of his book Bill’s Basics signed & dedicated and taste Bill’s cooking at specially designed meals- brunch, lunch and dinner.

Selected Events from the Bill’s Basics Tour

LONDON
Saturday 11th September - SOLD OUT

Bill Granger Brunch at Hereford Road

Address: 3 Hereford Road (Opposite Leinster Square)
London
W2 4AB

Time: 11am – 12.30 pm
Tickets: £12.50 for adults including a glass of Prosecco.
£7 for children.
To book your place contact 020 7727 1144 or info@herefordroad.org
www.herefordroad.org

Bill Granger will be preparing a selection of small portions and canapés at Notting Hill neighbourhood restaurant, Hereford Road. Expect to see dishes such as Bill’s famous Ricotta hotcakes and Corn Fritters during an informal, sociable brunch. Children welcome.

BATH
Thursday 16th September

It’s Time for Elevenses- Bill Granger at The Glove Factory

Address: The Glove Factory
Brook Lane
Holt
Bradford upon Avon
BA14 6RL

Time: From 11am
Tickets: £10
To book your place contact 01225 784080
www.glovefactorystudios.com

Dynamic cultural hub, The Glove Factory, will play host to a late morning Tea and Cake Session with Bill Granger, who will be singing copies of his new book, Bill’s Basics.

ABERGAVENNY, WALES
Sunday 19th September

Bill Granger in conversation with Henry Dimbleby at the Abergavenny Food Festival

Address: Borough theatre
Market St
Abergavenny
NP7 5XZ

Time: 2pm – 3pm
Tickets: £6.00. Tickets available online from Abergavenny Food Festival Website
www.abergavennyfoodfestival.com

LONDON
Wednesday 22nd September - SOLD OUT

Bill Granger Master Class and Dinner at HIX Restaurant and Champagne Bar

Address: Selfridges
400 Oxford Street
London
W1A 1AB

Time: 7pm - 11pm
Tickets: £60.00 each includes a 3 course dinner, half a bottle of wine and service charge
To book your place contact Augusta on 01689 855 390

Bill Granger will be the first chef to kick off the master classes at Hix Restaurant and Champagne Bar. Bill will be demonstrating one of the recipes from his new book Bill's Basics, followed by a 3 course dinner.

Bill’s Basics Public Events

Saturday 11th September / LONDON
TIME: 11-12:30
Hereford Road Brunch
3 Hereford Road (Opposite Leinster Square)
London
W2 4AB
Tickets: £12.50 for adults including a glass of Prosecco
£7 for children
For more information: www.herefordroad.org

Sunday 12th September / LONDON
TIME: 11.00 – 13.30 High Road House
Brunch at High Road House
162-166 Chiswick High Road
London
W4 1PR
Tickets: TBC
For more information: www.highroadhouse.co.uk

Monday 13th September / LONDON - SOLD OUT
TIME: From 19:00 La Fromagerie
Hosted dinner at La Fromagerie
2-6 Moxon Street
Marylebone
London
W1U 4EW
Tickets: £70.00pp including wines
For more information: www.lafromagerie.co.uk

Wednesday 15th September / BATH
TIME: From 19:00 Babington House
Dinner and Accommodation at Babington House
Babington House
Babington near Frome
Somerset
BA11 3RW
Tickets: £350 Dinner and Accommodation Package for 2 people
For more information: www.babingtonhouse.co.uk

Thursday 16th September / BATH
TIME: From 11:00 The Glove Factory
Tea & cakes at The Glove Factory
The Glove Factory
Brook Lane
Holt
Bradford upon Avon
BA14 6RL
Tickets: £10
For more information: www.glovefactorystudios.com

Thursday 16th September / BATH
TIME: 19.45 for 20:00 talk Toppings
Bill Granger in conversation
The Paragon
Bath
BA1 5LS
Tickets: £7 with £7 off the book
For more information: www.toppingbooks.co.uk

Sunday 19th September / Abergavenny, WALES
TIME: 14.00 – 15.00 Abergavenny Food Festival
Bill Granger in conversation with Henry Dimbleby
Borough Theatre
Market St
Abergavenny
NP7 5XZ
Tickets: £6.00 available online from Abergavenny Food Festival Website
For more information: www.abergavennyfoodfestival.com

Wednesday 22nd September / LONDON - SOLD OUT
TIME: 19:00 –23:00 Hix Selfridges
Hosted dinner at Hix Selfridges
400 Oxford Street
London
W1A 1AB
Tickets: £60 each includes a 3 course dinner, half a bottle of wine and service charge.
For more information: www.hixatselfridges.co.uk

Thursday 23rd September / LONDON
TIME: 17.00 – 20.30 Whole Foods Kensington
Thirsty Thursday inspired by Bills Basics
The Barkers Building
63-97 Kensington High Street
London
For more information: www.wholefoodsmarket.com/storesbeta/kensington

Thursday 30th September / LONDON - SOLD OUT
TIME: 18.30-19.15 Waterstones Piccadilly
Cooking demonstration at Waterstones Piccadilly
203-205 Piccadilly
London
W1J 9HD
Tickets: £6
For more information: www.waterstones.com

Sunday 28th November / BIRMINGHAM
National Exhibition Centre BBC Good Food Show
Birmingham Cooking demonstrations
For more information: http://www.bbcgoodfoodshow.com/

Friday 3rd December / LONDON
ExCeL London Taste of Christmas
Cooking demonstration at the ExCel Centre
Royal Victoria Dock
London
E16 1XL
For more information: www.tasteofchristmas.com

The Loft Project hosts Sydney sensation, Mark Best of Marque restaurant for a singular supper club

2010-08-27T09:02:00.000-07:00

ONE NIGHT ONLY
Thursday 16th September 2010

For one night only, acclaimed chef Mark Best will be cooking a very special degustation dinner at Bethnal Green’s Town Hall Hotel, as part of a collaboration with The Loft Project.

Mark Best started by discovering the stoves accidentally and ended up becoming an unquestionable symbol of the new Australian Cuisine. His perseverance and his ‘eternal dissatisfaction’ (as he calls it himself) are the vitamins for his spectacular professional development.

On Thursday 16th September, the S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants Award Breakthrough winner 2010, holder of ‘Three Hats’, Sydney Morning Herald’s ‘Chef of the Year’, and Time Out Sydney’s ‘Restaurant of the Year, will be serving dinner to 12 guests on one large table in the De Montfort Suite.

Guests will be able to sample a culinary exploration echoing the menu at Marque, Mark Best’s award winning Sydney restaurant. Each course from the proposed menu which is laid out below is subject to Mark Best’s market visit, to be undertaken as soon as he touches down in the UK. He will amend his dishes to make use of the best in local seasonal ingredients available in London. Mark’s resolute ethos is such that only the very best of ingredients have a place in his food. The resulting dishes are delicious, harmonious and aesthetic, where the technique is hidden and the ingredients shine.

This is the first time Mark has showcased his cooking in the UK and is a unique opportunity to sample his eclectic and boundary-breaking style.

Location: The De Montfort Suite
Town Hall Hotel
8 Patriot Square
Bethnal Green
London
E2 9NF

Time: 7.30pm
Price: £160 including all food and wine.
To reserve a place: Please contact Clarise Faria at theloftproject.co.uk
clarise@theloftproject.co.uk 44 (0) 7956 205 005

Mark Best of Marque restaurant
Hosted by The Loft Project
At
Town Hall Hotel
Thursday 16 September 2010

Menu

Chaud-Froid Free Range Egg Alain Passard 1998

Almond Jelly with Blue Swimmer Crab, Almond Gazpacho, Sweet Corn & Avruga

2008 Weingut Knoll, Loibner Grüner Veltliner, Federspiel, Wachau, Austria

Mackerel with Smoked Foie Gras, Lardo, Mustard & Gherkin

2005 Domaine des Baumard, Clos du Papillon, Chenin blanc, Savennières, France

West Australian Marron with Lemon Curd, Vadouvan, Cos Lettuce and Burnt Fennel

2004 Georg Breuer Berg Roseneck Riesling, Rheingau, Germany

Crab Custard

Organic Root Vegetables with Peas & Ham Consommé

2008 Pierre-Marie Chermette Les Griottes Beaujolais, Burgundy, France

Roast Muscovy Duck with Steamed Eggplant, Yoghurt and Dried Scallop

2008 Archaval Ferrer, Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina

Lacquered Roast Grouse with Beetroot, Radicchio, Cocoa, Hazelnut and Vanilla

2006 Sutton Grange Winery Estate, Shiraz, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia

Vacca Rossa Reggiano with Black Truffle & PotatoŒEn Cocotte

Chestnut Fizz

Sauternes Custard

Chocolate Mousse Écrasé, Eucalyptus & Coconut Provençal Musketeer

Salted Caramel Chocolates, Lemon Drops & Bitter Bon Bons

Note – the wines listed are what they would use in Australia and are included as an indication of style for the sommelier.

Editor’s Notes

For more information on Mark Best and Marque Restaurant please contact Sarah Canet:
Sarah@spoon-pr.com +44 20 7610 9821

For more information on Town Hall Hotel please contact Louise Moore:
Louise@purplepr.com +44 207 434 7062

The Loft Project

The Loft Project is the brainchild of acclaimed chef Nuno Mendes. Originally set up as a temporary supper club and personal test kitchen, The Loft soon evolved and became a ‘chef’s gallery’ where specially chosen guest chefs take up residency to showcase their food. An experiment in hospitality, The Loft Project brings food, drink, art and people together, set within an intimate and considered environment in East London.
www.theloftproject.co.uk

For more information on The Loft Project please contact Gemma Bell:
Gemma@gemmabell.com +44 7957134595

Sneaky Peek at The Hardwick's New Rooms

2010-08-24T04:51:00.000-07:00

This is The Hardwick's new accommodation block and courtyard in the lovely summer rain…

All set to open on 13th September!

A GOURMET GETAWAY WITH STATE-OF-THE-ART COMFORT: THE HARDWICK, ABERGAVENNY TO OPEN 8 LUXURY BEDROOMS IN SEPTEMBER

2010-08-24T03:50:00.000-07:00

Stephen Terry’s critically acclaimed restaurant, The Hardwick in Abergavenny, is set to open 8 beautiful bedrooms in time for the Abergavenny Food Festival in September.

This is the first accommodation venture for internationally renowned chef and restaurateur Stephen Terry, owner of The Hardwick. Known for its mighty reputation as an outstanding place to eat and drink, Terry’s restaurant has now been expanded to offer visitors an astounding place to stay. The result is a gastronomic hideaway in the heart of Wales’ lush, verdant hills.

The restaurant remains at the heart of this idyllic escape and the understated, natural elegance of the accommodation blends perfectly with the restaurant’s simple and honest philosophy. Terry’s cleverly remodelled building, though contemporary it is thoroughly sympathetic to its tranquil countryside setting and its Welsh identity. Within The Hardwick’s beautiful oak-clad building, 8 contemporary double bedrooms have been created, combining elegant, understated design with historic Welsh charm. Hand-crafted oak doors, desks and shutters and Welsh slate floors sit comfortably against luxurious en-suite bathrooms, crisp white sheets and modern comforts, such as HD TV, Wi-Fi and a Roberts DAB Radio with iPod and iPhone connections, making it the ultimate escape from the city.

The Hardwick’s award winning restaurant offers exceptional food and drinks and is a convivial place for guests and visitors alike to meet for breakfast, lunch or dinner. From Ham, Egg and Chips to a beautiful piece of roasted Gower Peninsula Sea Bass, the restaurant is recognised for using the highest quality locally sourced, seasonal produce. In addition, an elegant mini-bar containing good half bottles of wine and champagne, bottled water, milk and a selection of truffles by chocolatier Damian Allsop is available in each bedroom- creating not only the smartest but also the tastiest accommodation in Wales.

Located in beautiful countryside overlooking the Brecon Beacons National Park, this rural retreat provides an excellent base for touring the Wye Valley, an “Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty” and for exploring nearby picturesque market town Abergavenny. Abergavenny, famed for its annual Food Festival, is steeped in history and enjoys an enviable position in the South Eastern corner of Wales, only 20 miles from the English border.

FACTS

Opening- September 2010

Reservations number: 01873 854220

Address: The Hardwick

Old Raglan Road

Abergavenny

Monmouthshire

Wales

NP7 9AA

Email: info@thehardwick.co.uk

Website: www.thehardwick.co.uk

FOOD AT THE HARDWICK

The Hardwick is a country pub which very much leans towards being a restaurant. This is largely due to the owner, critically acclaimed chef Stephen Terry, being a cook by nature and not a publican. A place where everybody is made to feel welcome, whether it be for a quick pint or meeting friends and family for lunch or dinner, The Hardwick has a simple & honest philosophy- to source, cook and serve to the best of its abilities at all times.

Produce is treated with the respect it deserves and served with the minimum of fuss and maximum of flavour, using seasonal produce that allows customers and staff alike to look forward to certain ingredients throughout the year.

Creating The Hardwick has been a labour of love for Stephen, with the combination of his honest and intelligent food with The Hardwick’s relaxed, unstuffy atmosphere earning it the reputation as one of the best restaurants in the country.

In 2007, The Hardwick was awarded a Bib Gourmand by the Michelin Guide, it has retained it every year since and is currently the only restaurant in Wales to hold one. Two years on, The Hardwick was named runner-up for the Best Restaurant in the Observer Food Monthly awards and feted for having the UK’s “Best Use of Local Produce” by the Good Food Guide. Last year, ranking 51st in the top 100 restaurants at the National Restaurant Awards 2009, this “highly recommended” establishment was crowned “Best Dining Pub in Wales” (Good Pub Guide 2010).

Stephen Terry

Chef- proprietor Stephen Terry has a great pedigree. From starting off his career with Marco Pierre White to achieving a Michelin star (for the second time) at The Walnut Tree in Abergavenny, Stephen’s talents have recently been witnessed on TV courtesy of The Great British Menu. Stephen’s arrival at The Hardwick has been a long and interesting journey.

After training with Marco at his first restaurant, Harvey’s, Stephen went to Le Gavroche where his introduction to classic French cooking became an integral part of the foundation of his philosophy to cooking. His next stop was Scotland as Sous Chef at The Breaval Old Mill, followed by a journey back to London where he opened The Canteen in Chelsea Harbour for Marco and Michael Caine and was awarded his first Michelin star, at the age of 25.

After two years at The Canteen, it was time for a sabbatical and France beckoned. Following six months in the South of France at a one star Relais chateau Le Roches, Stephen spent a further successful six months at Parisian two star Michelin L’Arpege led by inspirational Chef Alain Passard, eventually leaving to take up an offer from Oliver Peyton to be head Chef at his new restaurant, Coast in Mayfair, London – still remembered as one of the most cutting edge restaurants of the late nineties.

Bill Granger's Christmas Coleslaw

2010-08-24T02:44:00.000-07:00

At heart I’ll always be a Sydney boy, and whatever the weather, I crave salads. I need that crisp, refreshing, healthy-tasting hit and I find it hard to eat a meal that doesn’t have some kind of crunch. I always find an excuse to include a ‘slaw. Maybe it’s the buried memory of a youthful guilty pleasure…those little fast-food tubs of coleslaw!

I always make a version of coleslaw for the hot Australian summer Christmas. Now we are in England, I make a great winter version- a red cabbage salad with toasted pine nuts and fried onions rather than raw- that can again be made ahead of time and served at room temperature.

Bill’s Basics published by Quadrille £25
www.bills.com.au

A DIY Christmas for Chocoholics

2010-08-24T02:39:00.000-07:00

In France, it is tradition to give beautiful boxes of chocolates to friends and neighbours at Christmas. In her Chocolate Maker’s Kit, a collection of tools of the trade and a specially created English version of her chocolate recipe book Chocolate Atelier, chocolate-lover Trish Deseine shares her recipes for creating perfect hand-made truffles and glossy miniature chocolates to give away.

And what better way to spoil your guests at the end of a meal than a home-made tray of chocolate biscotti or chocolate shortbread? Last-minute Christmas stocking ideas are also taken care of with recipes for chocolate lolli-pops and tips for personalising mendiants.

Trish’s top tips for creating DIY chocolate presents for Christmas;

“Try to find the best chocolate you can. High and pure cocoa-butter content, rather than high cocoa-solids content, is the way to go. The cocoa butter means the chocolate has a good base of flavour, will be smooth on the palate and easy to melt.”

Chocolate Kit £25.00
Kit plus bag of Chocolate by Trish chocolate £29.95
Available from www.selfridges.com

AND A HOPPY CHRISTMAS TO YOU TOO!

2010-08-23T09:38:00.000-07:00

Rod Jones, The Old Brewery’s on-site brewer shares his tips for a Beer Lovers’ Christmas menu.

To start off the day’s celebrations, a glass of Meantime’s cloudy, golden-orange Bavarian-style Wheat Beer with its moderately dense white head and zesty aromas provides a beautiful accompaniment to a light, elegant smoked salmon starter.

The full bodied hoppy nature of the India Pale Ale would be an ideal match for a fine turkey and would also stand up to the sharpness of the cranberry sauce. Its unusual, slick bottle would also look far more interesting on the Christmas Dinner table than a bottle of wine!

Meantime’s rich and rewarding Chocolate Porter-style Ale blossoms with rich fruity desserts so is a perfect match for Christmas pudding.
Meantime beers available from Sainsbury’s and good independent retailers nationwide.

www.meantimebrewing.com

I Saw U-MAMMA Kissing Santa Claus

2010-08-23T09:31:00.000-07:00

An Alternative Christmas from Spoon PR

I saw U-mamma Kissing Santa Claus
Especially for Christmas, Umami Queen Laura Santtini has put together some tips for an Umami-packed Christmas feast.

-Try rubbing a bit of porcini butter underneath the skin of the turkey for a truly easy, tasty bird.

-Add a dash of Taste #5 Umami Paste to your usual gravy recipe for an extra flavour punch.

-Lift red cabbage by combining with high glutamate ingredients such as bacon and balsamic vinegar.

-Sprinkle shavings of Parmesan cheese over parsnips for a truly moreish side dish.

-Coat cocktail sausages with Taste #5 Umami Paste and wrap in Prosciutto or Parma ham.

-Turn your stuffing balls into flavour bombs by adding mortadella, Prosciutto cotto, tasty sausage meat, grated Parmesan cheese, pistachio nuts and dried apricots.

-Taste #5 Umami Paste available from Ocado, Waitrose, Selfridges £2.99 – The perfect stocking filler www.laurasanttini.com

Have Yourself a Medieval Christmas

2010-08-17T07:19:00.000-07:00

One of England’s oldest national dishes, Frumentry, a type of spicy porridge with dried fruit, nutmeg, cinnamon and almonds, was a popular dish in Western European medieval cuisine and laid the foundation for today’s Christmas pudding. Made with almond milk, Rude Health’s Fruity Date porridge is perfect for a Christmas morning treat, with its hot sticky dates and apples and hint of cinnamon for sweetness.

www.rudehealth.com

Christmas Cheers from The Old Brewery

2010-08-17T07:16:00.000-07:00

For hard to please fathers, Meantime Brewing Company’s The Old Brewery in Greenwich has come up with the ultimate beer-lover’s gift. Perfect for true beer connoisseurs or those who just enjoy a good pint and an interesting night out, the evening Brewery Tours run from Monday till Thursday, with Meantime’s on-site brewer, being able to accommodate 2 – 6 people comfortably on his hour-long historical tour of the site. The tours cost £40 per head including beer sampling and a three course meal from their acclaimed restaurant menu.

www.oldbrewerygreenwich.com

And a DIY Christmas to you, too!

2010-08-17T07:13:00.000-07:00

In time for Christmas, Trish Deseine has created a Chocolate Making Kit with a selection of basic tools of the trade, beautifully formed chocolate moulds and a specially created English version of one of her chocolate recipe books, Chocolate Atelier. A perfect present for a chocoholic or an excellent investment for those looking for satisfying and creative present suggestions to fill up stockings and gaps under the tree. The kits contain tips and tools to make the hottest chocolate gifts from homemade boxes of truffles, personalised mendiants, chocolate covered dried fruit and florentines to hints for creating professional looking chocolate decorations.

Chocolate Kit £25.00 http://www.selfridges.com/
Special Offer - Kit plus bag of Chocolate By Trish chocolate £29.95

chocolatebytrish.com

Stocking Fillers from Laura Santtini Spellbinding Flavours

2010-08-17T07:07:00.000-07:00

"An entire Italian Christmas hamper, cleverly squeezed into one delicious tube!"

For an ideal unisex and utilitarian stocking filler for any in-the-know foodie, Laura Santtini has gathered the ingredients from an entire Italian Christmas hamper and cleverly squeezed them into one delicious tube. The phenomenal Taste #5 Umami Paste is a taste-sensation using the finest umami-rich Italian ingredients such as Parmesan cheese, anchovies, Porcini mushrooms and Balsamic vinegar. An inexpensive flavour-bomb that has all the allure of a luxury beauty cream, all that’s missing is the panetone!

For a truly enchanting Christmas, Laura Santtini Spellbinding Flavours Alchemical Larder makes a heart-racing gift. Packaged in dazzling jewel coloured glass jars, the captivating kits contain 16 magical ingredients such as aphrodisiacal cacao nibs, devils penis chilli and grains of paradise. Commence an exploration of alchemy and a seductive voyage of taste.

Alchemic Larder £25 www.selfridges.com
Taste #5 Umami Paste £2.99 www.ocado.com
www.laurasanttini.com

Tips for a "No Worries" Christmas from Bill Granger

2010-08-17T06:45:00.000-07:00

‘No Worries’ Christmas

This September, in time for the busiest season of the year, Bill Granger, Australian restaurateur, food writer, television chef and busy father has worked his particular magic on over 100 of his favourite classic dishes. Bill’s Basics is a straightforward guide to making the recipes that every home cook wants to master and includes his Christmas Favourite, Gravalax.

“People think curing fish must be complicated, but it couldn’t be easier: the fridge does all the work and you take all the credit. This makes a nice Scandinavian change to smoked salmon and is an impressive dish to serve to a big group of friends, especially at Christmas.”

Bill’s Basics published by Quadrille £25
http://www.bills.com.au/

Spoon hits the BBQ with Hare's Moor

2010-08-13T05:54:00.000-07:00

Spoon's intrepid Eva Fiedler (currently tandeming around a finest in Poland) recently took to the BBQ with a helping hand from Hare's Moor's new BBQ Kits (and her boyfriend Steve) Chicken Tikka Skewers and Shish Kebabs were big hitters with comments such as 'mmmmmm', 'delicious' and 'this chicken tastes better than in an indian restaurant.'

www.haresmoor.com

SPOON NEW CLIENT: STEPHEN TERRY AND THE HARDWICK

2010-08-13T03:50:00.000-07:00

We are proud to announce that Spoon's newest client, Stephen Terry’s critically acclaimed restaurant The Hardwick in Abergavenny, is to open 8 luxury bedrooms in time for the Abergavenny Food Festival in September. The ultimate gourmet getaway with state-of-the-art comfort. Watch this space for more news...

http://www.thehardwick.co.uk/

Chocolate by Trish Unveiled

2010-07-30T01:59:00.000-07:00

Trish Deseine unveils Chocolate by Trish a new range of Cook’s Chocolates exclusively in Selfridges’ Food Halls October 2010

Renowned chocolate lover, author of the best-selling and award-winning Je veux du chocolat! (I want chocolate!), Trish Deseine unveils her essential, rewarding and unashamedly gorgeous dark, milk and white cook’s chocolate range: Chocolate by Trish.

“Trish has developed a fantastic range of chocolate ingredients that doesn't compare to other cooking chocolate. The couverture offers incredible flavour that adds intensity to any dish. We're delighted to launch Chocolate By Trish at Selfridges and in doing so encourage customers to have fun with cooking and to think about the quality of the ingredients they use”.

Tanya McMullen, Selfridges' Grocery Buyer

Made in France from the very best cocoa beans the Chocolate by Trish range benefits from a fabulous length and depth of flavour. Because each button is rich in cocoa butter, this wonderful cook’s ingredient melts as enticingly on the tongue as it does smoothly in the bowl.

Trish Deseine’s carefully created chocolate buttons contain more cocoa butter than you would usually find so they melt even easier without palaver or waste. Their taste structure is distinctive yet simple.

They are quite simply very, chocolatey chocolates. They boost the flavour of your favourite chocolate recipes and ease their preparation, and then as your confidence grows encourage you to try some new ones.

White Buttons mix sugar, milk and cocoa butter to perfection. Great for dipping and making shapes and decorations, their incomparable unctuous texture adds luxury to a panna cotta or folds of cream over a rhubarb trifle. Trish’s Dark Chocolate Buttons come in two different blends. The elegantly powerful 74% Dark "for baking" buttons have sturdy, earthy, aromatic and intense undertones whilst the sweeter 64% Dark "for covering but mainly nibbling” buttons balance bitterness, acidity, fruity undertones and, of course, sweetness. This means they are the perfect chocolate for moulding and covering, making bonbons and truffles. Creamy yet grown-up 38% Milk Buttons have notes of biscuit and spices and are wonderful for melting, cooking and using in salted caramel mousse. The milk gives the smooth texture we know and love, yet doesn’t stifle the distinct chocolate aromas that sit so well in milk ganache chocolate sauce.

Trish’s crumbly and flaky Dark and White Chocolate Shards jazz up chocolate sundaes, make a masterpiece of a pavlova or dissolve wistfully into steaming mugs of creamy milk whilst the beautifully bitter Cocoa Dust deserves an altogether different treatment. This luxurious Dust is wonderful for coating hand-rolled truffles or adding extra force to a cake, hot chocolate, smoothie or shake. Perfect for savoury recipes too.

Trish has also created a specialist chocolate-making kit with a selection of basic tools of the trade, beautifully formed chocolate moulds and a specially created English version of one of her chocolate recipe books, Atelier Chocolat.

“I’ve been trying to work out how to put good, simple French cook’s chocolate into kitchen cupboards, right next to the flour and sugar. Making it an essential and rewarding ingredient as well as an instant and unashamed pleasure.”, Trish enthused.

On her re-vamped Chocolate by Trish website, launching in conjunction with the range’s appearance in Selfridges, Trish Deseine will be regularly sharing chocolate recipes and video tutorials with visitors to show just how easy cooking with chocolate can be.

Chocolate by Trish Events

As part of Selfridges’ Chocolate Week celebrations in October 2010, Trish Deseine will be creating a deliciously playful trail of chocolate and chocolate recipes throughout the store to taste and make at home. It’s a mini voyage of chocolate discovery with fold-out trail maps available from the Chocolate By Trish stand and ideas planted throughout the store for customers to discover. Expect to see Chocolate ideas throughout the Food
Hall and Selfridges' eateries.

Trish Deseine

Trish Deseine, the “Frenchest of Irish cooks” has lived and worked in France for the past 20 years, developing her love of cooking and subsequently becoming one of France’s most celebrated food writers. She has sold over 1 million cookbooks, presented three TV series and writes for both English and French language publications (Image Ireland, Waitrose Magazine, Elle (France), ELLE à Table, le Guide Fooding…)

Her favourite product is and always has been chocolate.

STOCKISTS:

Chocolate by Trish will be launched in Selfridges in October 2010.
Selfridges Food Halls – London, Manchester Trafford, Manchester Exchange Square & Birmingham.

And online at www.selfridges.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT
www.chocolatebytrish.com

At Home With Trish Deseine

2010-07-28T04:24:00.000-07:00

After introducing us to the delights of chocolate granola for breakfast, we have all just been treated to a demonstration of Duck Liver Pate with chocolate (not fois gras) on Irish fruit bread.

Upcoming treats for this afternoon include;

Truffles

Mendiants

Shapes and Moulding Bars

Northern Irish Traybakes and cakes

French Mousse Cake

Milk Chocolate Salt Caramel Mousse Cake

Little Cups de Cognac

Coeur du Cognac Truffles

White Chocolate and Apricot Trifles

Savoury surprises;

Smoked Venison with chocolate on Irish fruit bread

Venison Sausages with chocolate

Butternut Squash Puree with White Chocolate

Crab Rissotto with Chocolate

Trish Deseine at Selfridge's Christmas Press Day

2010-07-23T02:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday saw Spoon HQ accompanying Trish Deseine to an utterly moreish and truly delicious day of chocolate buttons and shards. In anticipation of Christmas at Selfridge's lucky journalists were treated to some of Trish's chocolaty creations as well as her new range 'Chocolate by Trish' set to launch in Selfridge's in the autumn. Beguiled and salivating Trish's divine morsels were tasted, nibbled and devoured.

As soon as the launch date is confirmed Spoon HQ will be announcing it here and all across the land we will be creating our own mendiant courtesy of Trish's truly beautiful chocolate.

REAL QUALITY WITH A DASH OF REAL ALE

2010-07-22T08:36:00.000-07:00

A 4* review from today's Evening Standard for The Old Brewery, Greenwich.

"oh joy, a new restaurant and it’s really good. So good that it’s worth the trip to SE10 if you’re not one of us." Fiona Hughes, Evening Standard

To read the full article

www.oldbrewerygreenwich.com/

Two new culinary elixirs from the Easy Tasty Magic™ range by Laura Santtini Spellbinding Flavours

2010-07-20T05:22:00.000-07:00

Angel Mist & Broken Halos and The Devil’s Breath

U-mamma! Hot on the heels of her Taste #5 Umami Paste™ and the glittering launch of her Food Bling – edible gold and silver flakes and kits – come two potent mists which combine the notion of a potion with the sparkle of edible noble metals. The Devil’s Breath is a transformational mist of brandy liqueur with chilli and edible 23 carat gold flakes. Angel Mist & Broken Halos combines grappa and edible silver flakes. Both can be used to transform drinks and food with the quickest of spritzes and make unusually inspired gifts.

With the summer drawing to an end, transformation is on everyone's minds. As the leaves begin to turn vibrant shades of gold, orange and red, summer’s light and refreshing dishes of carpaccio, ceviche and crudo can be transformed by a light, alcoholic misting with accents of gold and silver.

From ordinary to bling at the push of a finger, few things pimp up a fine autumnal supper more than a squirt of gold. Hearty vegetable soups, slow-cooked stews and blackberry crumbles that warm the soul can be transformed from modest comfort foods to wickedly flavoursome dishes that look devilishly delicious.

‘These seductive boozy atomizers are all about taking the glamour of the boudoir to the table, and because they are mists you get the heady without the headache!’
LAURA SANTTINI

Angel Mist & Broken Halos
A transformational grappa liqueur and edible silver spray for food and drink.
Grappa is a pure white grape-based elixir with fruit aromas and a legendary potency. The grappa is produced and supplied by Distilleria Bottega, an award-winning Italian distillery that have been producing grappa for 3 generations. For centuries, Italians have sipped this Italian Elixir after meals and even added a little to their morning espresso, to "correct" it. For pure bling, mist a dozen freshly shucked oysters with Angel Mist & Broken Halos or let the fine droplets and silver flakes dance seductively over a trembling panacotta. Also delicious on a simple lemon pasta or risotto.

The Devil’s Breath
Warning: Contains 23 Carat Guilt
With sweet notes, potent heat and a tantalising shimmer, this brandy liqueur is infused with a drop of lucky red chilli pepper and a generous pinch of edible gold flakes. Expel an alchemic breath of this brandy liqueur mist over fillet steak in a creamy mustard sauce, dark chocolate mousse or a simple pasta with pan fried chicken livers and sage. The ideal final touch to a creamy hot chocolate. The brandy liqueur is also produced and supplied by Distilleria Bottega.

Easy Tasty Magic™ is part of Laura Santtini’s Spellbinding Flavours range. Also featuring within the range is Laura’s Credit Crunch Chocolate and Taste #5 Umami Paste™. With a little abracadabra, Easy Tasty Magic™ empowers cooks of all levels with spectacular kitchen wizardry.

Editor’s Notes

The Devil’s Breath
+
Angel Wings & Broken Halos

Bottle size: 100ml

Alcohol content: 38% vol

Price: £17.99

AVAILABLE
Selfridges – London, Birmingham, Manchester Trafford & Manchester Exchange Square
Selfridges Enquiries: 0800 123 400

Online via: www.selfridges.com

For details of the rest of the Easy Tasty Magic™ range please visit:
www.laurasanttini.com

LAURA SANTTINI
Laura Santtini is a long standing consultant to Selfridges. Her inspirational and truly delicious Credit Crunch Chocolate has received global acclaim whilst her ground-breaking Taste #5 Umami Paste™ became a worldwide culinary phenomenon after landing in Waitrose stores in February 2010. Aside from writing an award winning book, Easy Tasty Italian and developing her own product range, Laura Santtini Spellbinding Flavours whilst running Santini Restaurant, Laura has developed a new Selfridges’ own label herb and spice range.

DISTILLERIA BOTTEGA
Based in Bibano in the Prosecco area, 25 miles north of Venice, Distilleria Bottega has been producing award-winning grappas, wines and liqueurs since the 1970s. The company sells its products in more than 110 countries and produces 6 million bottles per year. Its hand-blown Murano glass bottles, made according to the Venetian glass-blowing tradition and part of the Alexander line, are sold all over the world and have won many design awards

PRESS CONTACT

Sarah Canet
Spoon PR
Telephone: +44 207 610 9821
Email: sarah@spoon-pr.com

Bill Granger Cookery Demonstration

2010-07-19T06:28:00.000-07:00

Bill Granger will be giving a cookery demonstration for his new book

Bill's Basics at the

WATERSTONE'S PICCADILLY

Thursday, 30 September 2010, 6:30PM
Tickets £6 includes a glass of wine or soft drink

As part of the delicious.magazine Top Books for Cooks series we are delighted to have a cookery demonstration with Bill Granger.

Further details: 02078512419

Bill Granger at Abergavenny Food Festival

2010-07-14T06:13:00.000-07:00

Stop Press! Bill Granger new addition to guest line-up...

Confirmation of this event came too late for our printed programme (which will be hitting doormats shortly). But we’re delighted to announce that Australian chef Bill Granger will be appearing at The Borough Theatre in conversation with Henry Dimbleby on Sunday 19 September at 2.00pm. Let’s make sure we give him a big welcome.

Son of a butcher, one-time art student and self-taught cook, Bill Granger opened his first Sydney Restaurant at the age of 22. Two more followed in Sydney and two in Japan. He has recently moved with his family to the UK, and the legendary ‘bills breakfast‘ is coming to London soon.

Describing himself as an enthusiastic home-cook – not a chef – his joyful, uncomplicated approach to food and dining is quintessentially Australian and has won him a world-wide fan base for his cookery books and TV series.

Henry Dimbleby is co-founder and proprietor of Leon, London’s health fast food restaurant chain, and the author of Leon Book 2, Naturally Fast Food.

Book your tickets online from 15 July.

The Old Brewery Video on the Guardian Website

2010-07-14T04:42:00.000-07:00

Spoon HQ was delighted to see the video 'Meantime, its Beer O'Clock' on the Guardian Website.

Henrietta Lovell visits the Old Brewery for a day of discovery 'in pursuit of a better quality pint'!

See the link, http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/video/2010/jul/10/beer-brewing-meantime-greenwich

Summer at The Old Brewery

2010-07-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

Summer Menu for The Old Brewery
Following a successful launch menu with upbeat reviews from Time Out, The Independent and first past the post Dos Hermanos, The Old Brewery’s head-chef Daniel Doherty has created a tempting new menu of fresh summer dishes for coat-free evenings and hearty suppers for cooler nights.

As usual, Meantime’s award-winning beer has been skilfully woven through The Old Brewery’s menu and all dishes come with refreshing beer recommendations from the restaurant's extensive beer menu to both compliment the food and help while away lazy summer evenings.

Light summer dishes include a Heritage tomato salad that uses heirloom breeds such as Black Russian, Cherokee Purple and Hillbilly combined with whipped goats' cheese, baby herbs and confit shallot dressing, which has been expertly matched to Meantime’s refreshing Wheat beer, a light feast of banana and cloves.

‘The fruitiness of Meantime’s Wheat Beer compliments the sweetness of the tomatoes and contrasts perfectly with the slight saltiness of the goat’s cheese. Its soft mouthfeel works well with the texture of the cheese.’
Alastair Hook, Master Brewer, founder of Meantime, owner of The Old Brewery.

Seared Dorset scallops with summer squash puree, tomato and cumin dressing are perfectly matched to the fresh and mellow flavours of a chilled glass of Blanche de Bruxelles. Meantime’s popular brew, Kolner, is recommended as a beer match with the Grilled whole lemon sole with Cornish cockles, cucumber, caviar and lemon butter sauce. As Alastair Hook explains:

‘The clean, slightly fruity nose and flavour, together with delicate sweet malt and restrained bitterness, make Meantime Kolner a perfect match for lemon sole. Its crispness cuts the richness of the lemon butter more effectively than many wines.’

For a cooling digestive, a deliciously light Meantime Raspberry Beer Jelly with summer fruits and vanilla cream is logically matched with a wildly refreshing glass of Meantime Raspberry Grand Cru, a beer celebrated for its full raspberry fruit nose, balance of sweet and sour fruit on the palate and zesty finish.

Family-Friendly Alfresco Dining
Adjacent to The Old Brewery’s bar, a beautiful landscaped courtyard provides a sheltered escape from the hustle and bustle of Greenwich’s thriving town centre, making it an instant hit with Greenwich residents, visiting families and those searching for the elusive perfect pit-stop when travelling down the Thames on a river boat. After an enlightening day spent next door at Discover Greenwich trying on Tudor costumes, a morning spent star-gazing at The Royal Observatory or deer-gazing in London’s oldest royal park, there is nowhere better to set up camp for the afternoon and grab a relaxing bite to eat.

This is no average beer garden. Perfectly nestled within Sir Christopher Wren’s architectural masterpiece - The Old Royal Naval College’s complex of historic buildings - The Old Brewery’s family-friendly outdoor space is positioned next to the River Thames within ear-shot of the sounds of practicing musicians from the neighbouring Trinity School of Music.

An all day bar menu of seasonal dishes is available in this idyllic setting. An excellent selection of fish and seafood that befits Maritime Greenwich includes a Pint of Atlantic Prawns with home-made mayonnaise, Irish Carlingford rock oysters doused in Meantime London Stout, Fish and chips with a homemade tartare sauce and a rustic Tuna Nicoise salad. Herdwick mutton burgers with harissa, coriander and lime crème fraiche, Galloway beef burgers, Rib eye steaks and Veal T-bone are available from the grill.

Take-Away Lunches for lazy days in the park
During the day, a selection of food from The Old Brewery’s cafe is available for take-away. The kitchen has put together summer dishes for simple alfresco dining, whether you’re eating in a group or enjoying the sun on your own. Daniel Doherty’s team have prepared the perfect take-away treats for those who intend to head across to Greenwich Park for a picnic, need a pack-lunch for a trip down the Thames or want to relax in the garden with friends.

For adults, the affordable lunch-time menu of freshly prepared sandwiches, soups, salads and pastries is constantly changing with seasonal dishes cooked on-site. Middle White Ham, boiled in Daniel Doherty’s kitchen and matched with English Honey Mustard is served on a specially-created Greenwich Loaf. Containing Meantime spent grain and brewers’ yeast, this loaf is the result of a creative collaboration between Alastair Hook and Greenwich baker Paul Rhodes. To finish this quintessentially English lunch, teas provided by the Rare Tea Company are available to take-away.

For children, The Old Brewery’s kitchen has specially created simple, fuss-free sandwiches, whilst gathering together firm favourites (for children and adults) - fresh pastries, flapjacks, chocolate chip cookies as well as a healthy selection of fresh fruit and juices. Chocolate milk shakes from Shaken Udder are proving especially popular.

Whether dining on-site in the restaurant’s grand main hall or beautifully landscaped beer-garden or off-site at one of Greenwich’s many popular outdoor locations, The Old Brewery’s summer kitchen offers a spectacular meal in a setting to match.

www.oldbrewerygreenwich.com

Laura Santtini wins Guild of Food Writers BEST FIRST BOOK Award

2010-06-18T04:54:00.000-07:00

Laura Santtini picks up Best First Book Award for Easy Tasty Italian

Last night, at this year’s Guild of Food Writers Awards at London's Design Museum, Laura Santtini won the Jeremy Round Award for Best First Book for her Easy Tasty Italian published by Quadrille. Other shortlisted titles were Pascal Aussignac’s Cuisinier Gascon: Meals from a Gascon Chef (Absolute Press) and José Pizarro with Vicky Bennison’s Seasonal Spanish Food (Kyle Cathie).

Laura’s Easy Tasty Italian was published in 2009 bringing a whole new dimension to Italian cookery writing. A brave first book, this contemporary and empowering study into transformational cooking was a complete departure for the cooking genre and earned her instant critical claim, becoming The Telegraph’s Book of the Week on the week of its release and being praised by Italy’s culinary royalty, Anna Del Conte and Giorgio Locatelli.

This sense of innovation and originality was highlighted in the judges’ citation at the Awards: “This book made the judges feel they were discovering something new. The recipes were clearly written and the layout, though novel, really worked.”

Easy Tasty Italian is about making everyday cooking taste sensational. In it Laura reveals the secrets of umami and other magical ingredients and shows how the simplest flavour combinations add magic to everyday cooking. In the first part of the book, Laura reveals the secret ingredients of her larder and gives recipes for her intense flavour combinations – the marinades such as red wine, porcini and anchovy, rubs such as pink peppercorn, rose petal and salt, and pastes like parmesan and prosciutto – that give her food sparkle. She also shows how procedures such as pounding, chopping, slicing and beating yield mouth-watering extras that can be used to transform dishes. Finally, cooking methods are described under Air, Water, Fire and Earth and, with each one, Laura gives a treasury of delectable recipes. Throughout, suggestions are given for transforming basic recipes – so a carbonara sauce might be uplifted with artichoke and saffron or a smooth vegetable soup might have scorched almonds stirred through.

Jane O’Shea, Publishing Director at Quadrille, says “Laura is a talented breath of fresh air; we are proud to have published her first book”.

In 2009, to coincide with the publication of Easy Tasty Italian, Laura launched a range of transformational cooking preparations – Laura Santtini Spellbinding Flavours - in Selfridges Food Halls. Laura’s innovative range includes the groundbreaking product, Taste No.5™ Umami Paste, which since being snapped up by Waitrose in February 2010, has become a world-wide culinary phenomenon. Laura is set to launch the range in the US later this year when the American edition of her book also comes out.

The Jeremy Round Award for Best First Book was won in 2009 by Riverford's Guy Watson and Jane Baxter and has previously been won by Rowley Leigh and Fuchsia Dunlop. The Guild of Food Writers Awards were established in 1996, to be presented annually in recognition of outstanding achievement in any area in which food writers work and have influence. They remain the only awards judged entirely by professional food writers, journalists and editors.

Praise for Easy Tasty Italian;

“It’s quite unlike other books on Italian cooking I’ve come across. It’s witty, quirky, yet earthy and practical with a scholarly undertone.”
Darina Allen

“This is quite unlike any other book on Italian cooking I've ever come across. It's like a box of delights - quirky, witty, and full of passion backed by earthy practicality. It makes you want to get into the kitchen and start cooking, in fact.”
Matthew Fort

“In her first book Laura Santtini approaches traditional Italian cooking from a new angle. A book which is fun and inspirational.”
Anna Del Conte

“The influence of three prestigious generations of Italians comes alive through the eyes of a modern British woman, with original concise recipes, all the while holding on to her roots.”
Giorgio Locatelli

www.laurasanttini.com

Press Contact
Sarah Canet
Spoon PR
Telephone: +44 207 610 9821
Email: sarah@spoon-pr.com

An evening of live music, author readings, poetry, & more

2010-06-15T04:25:00.000-07:00

Eve Ferret, Anne Peile, Paul Lyalls

An evening of live music, author readings, poetry, & more
hosted by Guy Sangster Adams, editor of Plectrum – The Cultural Pick

Wednesday 23rd June 2010
The Horse Hospital, Colonnade, Bloomsbury, London WC1
behind Russell Square tube station

Doors 7.30pm Show 8pm

Tickets £5
Ticket reservations: guy@theculturalpick.com

On sale on the night:
Issue 5 of the print edition of Plectrum - The Cultural Pick
Performers’ books, at special prices, which they will be happy to sign

http://www.theculturalpick.com/category/events/

Outsider Tart at Foodies Festival

2010-06-14T08:05:00.000-07:00

After accompanying Laura Santtini to a fair few food shows of late, we have become well accustomed to zipping through aisles to keep up with the eager-eyed food expert. Apart from having her own range of phenomenal products, Mrs Santtini is also a food consultant to both Waitrose and Selfridges and has a knack for predicting culinary trends (this is the woman that brought umami to the high street after all) We chased her to the Outsider Tart stall at the Hampton Court Foodies Festival, and were wowed by psychedelic crispy pies, crates of chocolate whoopee-pies and the best cup of coffee of the day.

Our favourite producer at the fair by far, the guys at Outsider Tart charmed us further by sneaking Ms Santtini (Laura’s 12 year old whoopee-pie connoisseur daughter) one of their famous chocolate treats. We are hooked and can’t wait to get down to their store in Chiswick, where we hear they also serve up delicacies for pampered pooches- puppy granola and pup cakes no less.

Their website is just as delicious http://www.outsidertart.com

Petersham House Concerts for the Petersham Festival

2010-06-08T10:10:00.000-07:00

17th, 19th & 20th June 2010

Gael & Francesco Boglione better known as the owners of Petersham Nurseries are hosting three exceptional, intimate and unique events at their private residence Petersham House on the 17th, 19th and 20th June. On each of these summer’s evenings there will be a performance in the beautiful Georgian ballroom by renowned musicians of outstanding quality, followed by a seasonal summer feast in the enchanting private gardens.

THE PROGRAMME

SHOW OF HANDS on 17th June 2010

Since their first gigs in 1992, Show of Hands have toured constantly to cement their position as the UK’s premier roots/acoustic act. Steve Knightley’s incisive song writing and Phil Beer’s consummate musicianship have combined and intertwined to produce a record of contemporary Britain that also resonates with the folk tradition. Recent winners of the 2010 Radio 2 Folk awards for Best Song and Best Duo, they have played the length and breadth of the land (including three sell-out concerts at the Albert Hall) and as far away as Canada and India.

JOHNNY MARS BAND on 19th June 2010

From humble beginnings in North Carolina, Johnny found himself in upstate New York just as the psychedelic Sixties were getting under way and started his own band. He shared bills with Jimi Hendrix but his preferred instrument was always the harmonica, and now he is recognised worldwide as one of the greatest Blues harp players anywhere. Guitarist Ray Fenwick, who also worked with Spencer Davis and Ian Gillan, leads his band and their live set is a celebration of all that makes the Blues great.

URBAN SOUL ORCHESTRA on 20th June 2010

Led by Guildhall graduate Stephen Hussey, the USO is living proof that music now transcends all barriers and genres. Today’s generation of classical musicians have all sorts of tracks on their iPods and their set spans Vivaldi to the Verve. The string octet will perform with bass, percussion and feature guest vocalists, spanning Baroque, Classical, Jazz, Soul and many shades between.

All three concerts will be introduced and presented by Musical Director and ex-Rolling Stones keyboard player Matt Clifford.

TIMINGS

Doors open at 6.30pm when guests are invited to come and enjoy pre-concert drinks on the lawn, a tranquil oasis in the most idyllic of surroundings.

Each unique performance will commence at 7.20pm and will take place in the elegant ballroom of Gael and Francesco Boglione's private residence.

The performances will finish at 9pm, inclusive of an interval with further refreshments.

Dinner will be a lavish alfresco feast prepared by Petersham Nurseries’ chef Skye Gyngell (there is a wet weather plan). Beautiful zinc topped tables will be laden with a selection of generous seasonal dishes, carafes of wine and jugs of homemade Amalfi lemonade.

All guests are kindly requested to leave promptly and quietly at 11.00pm

ADDRESS

Petersham House, Petersham Road, Richmond, Surrey, TW10 7AG

The Petersham Festival

Petersham Festival was set up as a registered charity (No1121498) & limited company in 2007 to advance the education of the public in music and the arts particularly in Petersham. They put on and promote concerts and events by top internationally acclaimed artists and local talented people, in as many of the wonderful local venues as possible, with the aim of increasing people’s enjoyment of music and the arts particularly in this very special and historic village. They aim to have as wide a variety of genres as possible, so that most people’s tastes and pockets can be accommodated in some way and hopefully to encourage people to experience musical and artistic events they would not normally think to attend, by providing them on their doorsteps.

www.petershamnurseries.com

Easy Tasty Italian Nominated for Guild of Food Writers Best First Book Award

2010-06-07T02:35:00.000-07:00

On Thursday 17 June, the Guild of Food Writers Awards will be announced at London's Design Museum, and we are delighted to announce that our very own Laura Santtini has been nominated for the Jeremy Round Award for Best First Book.

The Award was won in 2009 by Riverford's Guy Watson and Jane Baxter and has previously been won by Rowley Leigh and Vicky Bhogal.

The shortlist for the Jeremy Round Award for Best First Book;

Easy Tasty Italian by Laura Santtini (published by Quadrille)

Cuisinier Gascon: Meals from a Gascon Chef by Pascal Aussignac (published by Absolute Press)

Seasonal Spanish Food by José Pizarro with Vicky Bennison (published by Kyle Cathie)

There are twelve categories, each judged by a panel of five judges, with stringent criteria that reflect the Guild’s own very high standards. On the shortlists are some well known names such as Darina Allen, Tom Parker Bowles, Nigel Slater and Phil Vickery and some new names including Gaitri Pagrach-Chandra and our very own Laura Santtini.

THE GUILD OF FOOD WRITERS AWARDS

The Guild of Food Writers Awards were established in 1996, to be presented annually in recognition of outstanding achievement in any area in which food writers work and have influence. The awards are the only ones judged entirely by professional food writers, journalists and editors. There are twelve awards; the full list of categories is:

The Cookery Book of the Year Award

The Derek Cooper Award for Campaigning and Investigative Food Writing or Broadcasting

The Evelyn Rose Award for Cookery Journalist of the Year

The Food Book of the Year Award

The Food Broadcast of the Year Award

The Food Journalist of the Year Award

The Jeremy Round Award for Best First Book

The Kate Whiteman Award for Work on Food and Travel

The Michael Smith Award for Work on British Food

The Miriam Polunin Award for Work on Healthy Eating

The New Media of the Year Award

The Restaurant Reviewer of the Year Award

http://www.gfw.co.uk

Laura Santtini at the Foodies Festival Hampton Court

2010-06-03T04:10:00.000-07:00

On Bank holiday Monday Spoon HQ followed the Santtini's to the Foodies fair at Hampton Court with a quick pit stop around the famous maze. A jet lagged Laura, recently back from her adventures in Tokyo, gave an Umami demonstaation using her Taste No.5 to a pact audience...

Britain's Best Pud

2010-05-26T03:35:00.000-07:00

Got a failsafe family pud or dinner party dessert recipe? Enter the competition and it could be judged Britain's Best Pud.

Good Food Channel has teamed up with Good Food magazine to launch a nationwide competition to find Britain's Best Pud recipe. Three winners can expect a fabulous trophy, along with Magimix kitchen gadgets, plus a chance to see their finished pudding on Good Food's Market Kitchen. They will also be invited to the BBC Good Food Show in November for a memorable prize presentation.

From party pavlovas to sweetly spiced pies, cheesecakes to syrupy sponges, we're looking for original and creative recipes that celebrate our country's love for rounding off marvellous meals with a flourish.

Categories

There are three age categories: under 12 years, 12-17 years and adults. Entries will be whittled down by an expert selection and judging panel, including TV chefs Rachel Allen and Bill Granger, with one overall winner in each age group. Those entering in the under 12 years and 12-17 years categories will need parental or guardian consent to participate in the competition and agree to the terms and conditions. All entrants should be a UK resident. As this is a nationwide competition, we're keen to have recipes from all 10 regions in the UK: East Anglia, London, Midlands, North East, North West, Northern Ireland, Scotland, South East, South West and Wales. A shortlist of 30 finalist recipes will be selected after the closing date: one recipe per age category from each of the 10 regions.

Criteria

We're looking for recipes that closely meet our set criteria. Please remember to read the full criteria on goodfoodchannel.co.uk before your entry is submitted:
A recipe that is your own creation
A recipe that exhibits creativity and innovation
An easy-to-follow method and accurate measurements
Recipes from amateur cooks and not professional chefs
For this competition, our definition of pudding is a broad one and does include desserts: a sweet dish that rounds off your meal. You can enter the competition by uploading your recipe to goodfoodchannel.co.uk. You'll need to give your recipe a title, short description, ingredients list and step-by-step method. Photographs help bring a recipe to life so if you can, upload a photo. Please note, your photograph will not affect the judging process. Closing date for entries is 12 midnight, 14 June 2010.
Upload your recipe now at goodfoodchannel.co.uk.

Petersham Nurseries Launch Murano Glass Collection at Dover Street Market

2010-05-25T07:28:00.000-07:00

Fancy a pre-match curry? Do It Yourself and get involved in a slice of the action

2010-05-19T03:54:00.000-07:00

With the World Cup kicking off next month in South Africa, it's time to deal with the fundamentals of championship preparation- what to eat and drink before, during and after each match. And with 48 games to watch before Stage 2 even begins, stamina is essential- there’s a whole load of refreshments to plan and takeaways just aren’t going to cut it- ordering-in for a month is going to exhaust waistlines and purse strings.

Whether you’re a football phobic or a fanatic, The World Cup is a great excuse to bring together friends, serve up a feast of exotic flavours and crack open a refreshing bottle of beer.

For those who want to enjoy the luxury of an authentic, guilt-free curry at home, Hare's Moor have come up with a new, convenient concept in creating authentic curries from scratch.

Apart from producing delicious results, they're a perfect progression for someone who wants to flex their DIY curry muscles after work, but doesn't have the time to source the right spices before the big game. With no added salt and the amount of oil used firmly in the DIY curry maker's hands, they're the perfect answer for the curry-loving health conscious, with a long month of nights-in ahead of them.

Kits range from a rich Rogan Josh with fresh garlic, chilli, ginger and hand-blended spices to a creamy Korma Masala, a traditional South Indian Madras and a popular Timatar Masala from the Uttar Pradesh region of India.

And what better way to cool the tongue and magnify the intricate flavours of the fresh spices than the classic and much loved combination of a beer with flavour to match a curry with flavour? Meantime Brewing Company’s India Pale Ale is a light, copper coloured beer that throws out ginger notes and flavours of Seville orange marmalade and is the original, authentic and ideal partner to any spiced creation.

Editor’s Notes

For more information on Hare’s Moor;
www.haresmoor.com

Price
Rogan Josh Kit £3.50
Korma Masala Kit £3.50
Madras Kit £3.50
Timatar Masala Kit £3.50
Fish/Prawn Curry Kit £3.50
Free P & P on all UK online orders

Available
Online from www.haresmoor.co.uk
From good independent stores nationwide.
Available from Harrods at the end of May 2010 www.harrods.com
Available from Ocado June 2010 www.ocado.com

For more information on Meantime Brewing Company;
www.meantimebrewing.com
Available from Sainsburys and Waitrose as well as good beer merchants and independent food stores nationwide.

Romanengo Workshop Update

2010-05-14T10:27:00.000-07:00

I've just opened an email from Italy with more details about next Saturday's artisan confectionery workshop with Romanengo at Petersham Nurseries ... it will surely be a workshop to suck and savour:

The Performing Artisan

The "performing artisan" coming to Petersham will be Enzo Fortunato. Romanengo's long standing master sweet maker. He will show us how to make caramellati sweets, chocolate truffles and iced candied fruits which will then be passed around the group for tasting.

i dolci de Romanengo

Pietro Romanengo fu Stefano has never produced the sweets traditionally associated with pastry-makers. What it does make are a wide range of special goods delivered daily to Romanengo stores which have become known as "i dolci di Romanengo". Their dainty sweets and desserts are made with the finest chocolate, almond paste, nougat, candied fruit and marrons glacés.

The tasting will also include other products form Romanengo including mixed confetti (dragées), rosolio drops, rose petals preserve, rose syrup, fondants and chocolates. Delfina Romanengo and Andrea Rocco will "guide" the guests through the tasting explaining the history of the products and revealing the secrets to how they are made.

For more details see earlier post ...

http://spoonhq.blogspot.com/2010/05/demonstration-of-tasting-of-art-of.html

Petersham Nurseries Unveils its Murano Glass Collection

2010-05-11T09:06:00.000-07:00

On Monday 24 May 2010 at Dover Street Market in London’s Mayfair and at its home just outside Richmond, Petersham Nurseries will unveil its Murano Glass collection, a selection of important vintage and newly created pieces.

The launch will be marked by an extraordinary window at Dover Street Market designed by Lara Boglione. This display will capture the essence of a Petersham Nurseries’ summer using Murano Glass and living plinths whilst at the same time creating an installation which can be walked in to and around.

An avid collector of this artisan craft for his own home, Petersham Nurseries’ owner Francesco Boglione has, together with his eldest daughter Lara, journeyed repeatedly to Murano with this extraordinary project in mind. The source of glass artistry since 1291, the first impression of Murano these days can be of an overwhelming menagerie of animals and a circus of glass clowns. Undeterred by such hurdles however the Bogliones explored Murano’s back waters and rediscovered its covetable craftsmanship. The fruits of their travels allows a discerning public to acquire both vintage and newly created pieces which illustrate the heritage of Murano’s thousand year old craft.

Petersham Nurseries’ Murano Glass Collection comprises of several distinct stories. With an artist and an individual story behind each piece each extraordinary gem in the collection is as singular as the breath that shaped it.

‘Scavo’: Vases designed in the 1950s and 60s by Antonio da Ros, one of the most famous and significant designers from Murano’s rich tradition. These pieces were blown in the foundry of Gino Cenedese, one of the islands most respected glassblowers. The Italian for ‘dig’, Scavo resemble ancient pieces of glass excavated from Roman ruins. When the glass is still hot, it is covered by a powder which gives the glass a translucent, cloudy and iridescent quality.

‘Opalino’: These vases are also from the foundry of Gino Cenedese produced in the 1960s, using a specific type of glass- a beautiful and intense opaline, rarely used today. Since it is unusual to source Opalino vases of such quality today, these pieces are of particular interest to collectors.

‘Sergio Rossi Vases’: Maestro Rossi creates sculptural vases that express his ever-changing relationship with the art of glassblowing and his search into the ‘origins’ of glass, an elusive medium that continually torments him. The pieces in this collection were created during the 1990s using opaque powders which were then coated in clear glass, reminiscent of Barovier e Toso, one of the oldest glass foundries on Murano.

‘Vintage Collection’: A stunning and eclectic collection of glassware from different periods of Murano’s history, including pieces by Pauly & C (one of the most respected foundries, set up in 1903). These inimitable pieces are highly collectible.

‘Goti’: Designed for this collection to recreate the drinking vessels of the maestri. It is said that the Goti are an array of colours, shapes and sizes because they were hastily fashioned into drinking glasses from scraps found on the foundry floor as their creators worked next to the furnaces in the crippling heat. The new collection borrows from this anecdote to inspire vases bespeckled with vivid colour and undulating globules of glass.

‘Fermacarte’: The paperweights in this collection are by Maestro Silvano Signoretto, one of the most talented maestri still blowing his craft in Murano today. Each of the ‘millefiori’ are unique. The result is an intricate and labyrinthine design, resembling a kaleidoscope of floating flowers. In addition, Petersham Nurseries have designed a limited edition of nine paperweights inspired by Gustav Klimt’s work.

The Moretti Collection: Moretti’s glass factory was founded in 1958, quickly becoming one of the most significant in the area and abroad. Petersham Nurseries has forged a relationship with Giovanni Moretti and will bring selected pieces from his collection to sell exclusively in the UK.

In 2010, Petersham Nurseries brings the unequalled craftsmanship of the Murano isle, off the Venetian coast, to our own.

EDITORS NOTES

AVAILABLE FROM
PETERSHAM NURSERIES Church Lane, off Petersham Road, Richmond, Surrey, TW10 7AG
Telephone: 020 8940 5230
www.petershamnurseries.com

and

DOVER STREET MARKET, 17- 18 Dover Street, London, WIS 4LT
Telephone: 020 7518 0680
www.doverstreetmarket.com

PRICES
OPALINO: from £300 to £800
SCAVO: from £285 to £1250
VINTAGE: from £900 to £5000
FERMACATA: from £70 to £350
KLIMT FERMACATA: £1125
GOTI: from £175 to £350
MORETTI: from £81 to £1584
SERGIO ROSSI: from £1200

Background
Petersham Nurseries
Petersham Nurseries, owned by Gael & Francesco Boglione, is set at the foot of their home, Petersham House, at the base of Richmond Hill. To save this local nursery from the clutches of the circling developers and multinational garden centres, the garden-loving Bogliones bought the run-down business and in doing so reunited the original Petersham House estate, separated for over 30 years. After extensive restoration work was undertaken, it re-opened in 2004 utterly transformed; a magically, whimsical place in the most idyllic of surroundings.

Specialising in the English gardening tradition Petersham Nurseries is a tranquil oasis and seedbed of inspiration. The unique styling of the plants is complimented throughout the one acre site by garden antiques and original artefacts, carefully sourced from Britain, Europe, India and the Far East by the Bogliones and their buying team. The Petersham Nurseries Murano Glass collection launches this summer

PRESS CONTACTS

PETERSHAM NURSERIES & THE MURANO GLASS COLLECTION
Sarah Canet
Telephone: 020 7610 9821
Email: sarah@spoon-pr.com

DOVER STREET MARKET
Emelie Akerbrant
Email: Emelie@purplepr.com
Telephone: 020 7434 7048
or
Amee Patel
Email: Amee@purplepr.com
Telephone: 020 7434 704

Become a New Urban Farmer with Celia Brooks Brown

2010-05-11T08:53:00.000-07:00

From plot to plate: A year on the allotment

Pop along to Petersham Nurseries between 10 and 11am on Saturday 15th May and put your ‘growing your own’ questions to a passionate Urban Farmer, expert author & food journalist, Celia Brooks Brown.

“Seasoned gardeners will no doubt have already been pottering around getting the growing year off to an early start. However, if you are a novice or gardening lightweight, there is still plenty of time to get cracking on your 2010 harvest. Whether you’ve got an allotment, home garden space, a few patio pots, or merely a windowsill, it’s time to get ready, get set…” Celia Brooks Brown

Following the recent publication of her latest book NEW URBAN FARMER (Quadrille) we are delighted to be joined by Celia Brooks Brown as she enthusiastically shares her gardening expertise, knowledge and skills picked up since taking on her allotment plot in November 2005 and learnt through a combination of hard graft, trial and error, and shared tips from the other allotmenteers.

Celia writes regularly for The Times online and has a column titled "Grow to Eat" for BBC Good Food Magazine. New Urban Farmer has already been hailed as an “indispensable guide for wannabe kitchen gardeners" in all of us.

Share her knowledge of investing in the right soil, companion planting and gain top tips to start your anti-slug campaign. We hope you will leave with the inspiration to get growing, whether it be carrots, onions, courgettes or cauliflowers.

To find out more about Celia click here to view her website and blog.

Details
Date: Saturday 15th May 2010
Time: 10am – 11am
Tickets £5 (incl. tea & coffee on arrival)

For more information on this event and to book, please contact:
Petersham Nurseries on 0208 940 5230 or contact us by email: info@petershamnurseries.com.
Places will be reserved upon receipt of credit/debit card details. Cheques should be made payable to ‘Petersham Nurseries’

Thinking of you Lannice

2010-05-11T01:03:00.000-07:00

I didn't know what I was going to discover when I opened Nathan Garnett's email entitled "sad news" yesterday. I certainly wasn't expecting the miserable message briefly reporting Lannice Snyman's untimely death following a private battle with stomach cancer. I knew she'd been in hospital and was unable to attend the S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants awards last month but being unaware of the seriousness of her condition I naively expected her to bounce back. She seemed too full of life to have slipped away. She will be greatly missed inside and outside of her native land.

Of course I wish now that I made that journey down to South African and through its kitchens and dining rooms with her as my guide. I will still go but not until I have devoured every word of Tortoises & Tumbleweeds, the award winning book in which she takes the reader on a journey to the gastronomic heart of her homeland.

Lannice - I'll hear your voice as I cook, as I nurture and nourish, as I enjoy your taste of Africa. Thank you.

www.lannicesnyman.com

A tribute to Lannice: http://www.food24.com/News-and-Guides/Features/A-tribute-to-Lannice-Snyman-20100510

Love Curry....Do It Yourself

2010-05-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

Hare’s Moor DIY Curry Kits: a new, convenient concept in creating authentic curries from scratch

Additive free, fresh, healthy and fun, these perfectly considered kits contain everything needed to make a curry from scratch aside from the main source of protein, be it chicken, lamb, fish or tofu, and three store cupboard basics - an onion, a splash of oil and a couple of fresh tomatoes.

Hare’s Moor uses entirely fresh produce such as unpeeled cloves of garlic, pieces of ginger, Cayenne chillies and curry leaves to ensure that the range of robust and authentic flavours and the aromas of the hand-picked ingredients are captured in their entirety. Because the kits are so fresh, they need to be kept refrigerated to preserve the high quality of the contents.

Unlike most supermarket-bought spices which have lost their potency from sitting on shelves months after being processed, Hare’s Moor spices are roasted and ground freshly each week so that the flavours and aromas are captured and preserved at their peak, adding intense depth, strength and a complex layer of flavours to the dishes.

Kits range from a rich Rogan Josh with fresh garlic, chilli, ginger and hand-blended spices to a creamy Korma Masala, a traditional South Indian Madras and a popular Timatar Masala from the Uttar Pradesh region of India.

Sally Hares, created the kits after returning to full time work following maternity leave. “I've always cooked from scratch – I find it very relaxing after a hard day at work, but found it a chore having to shop around for the hard-to-find fresh ingredients at the end of the day. I wanted to be able to buy something that put all of those bits and pieces together in a high quality kit, which would make after work shopping as easy as picking up a jar of sauce with some chicken.” When Sally couldn't find anything like it in the supermarket, she decided to create one herself.

The BBC recently chose Hare’s Moor as one of 15, top up-and-coming Food and Drink brands in Britain today. The DIY Kits will be showcased on prime BBC1 TV, in a new series called High Street Dreams in mid May with Jo Malone.

www.haresmoor.com

A Demonstration & Tasting of the Art of Confectionery With 225 year old Genoese confectioners Pietro Romanego fu Stefano

2010-05-10T03:42:00.000-07:00

Petersham Nurseries is delighted to announce a demonstration and tasting of the fragrant sugared creations of the more than two century old artisan confectioner Romanengo. Attendees of this rare workshop will sample exquisite sweets, syrups and candied fruits and a Romanengo-inspired menu of both savoury and sweet dishes from head chef Skye Gyngell.

Conserving fruits and flowers since the 1780’s, Romanengo unites the history of Genoa’s colonial port, the centre of sugar and spice trade, with the commitment of a family’s incredible inherited skill and artifice. Only the finest and most alluring ingredients are utilised to create their jewel-like precious confectionary – both a treasure to the eye and a delight to the palate. Their use of only ripe and seasonal fruits displays the shared ethos of Petersham Nurseries and sugary allure of Romanengo.

Several years ago Skye was instantly converted to Romanengo’s delectable ‘Sciroppo di Rose’ by the ‘intense burst of flavour- the cleanest, truest taste of a bouquet of roses imaginable’ and as a result it has long become a welcome part of Petersham’s summer menu in the guise of their signature aperitif the rose Bellini.

The event will commence with an introduction to the ancestry of Romanengo and the historical tradition of sweet making in Genoa. The workshop will focus upon the bewitching craftsmanship of Romanengo with a demonstration of icing candied fruits and the alchemy of sweets. This will be followed by a light two course lunch prepared by head chef Skye Gyngell and incorporating a selection of her favourites amongst these ambrosial products. The pleasure of the candid fruits and sweets, indulgent Marron creams, Mostarda di frutta with Fromaggio Capretta are just some of the delicious products destined to enthral the taste buds.

Details:
Date: Saturday 22nd May 2010
Time: 10.30am – 1pm
Tickets: £55.00 per person.
Reservations number 020 8605 3627.
Address: Church Lane, off Petersham Road, Petersham, Surrey, TW10 7AG.
Email: info@petershamnurseries.com
Website: http://www.petershamnurseries.com/

About Pietro Romanengo
Pietro Romanengo fu Stefano has been crafting candied fruits, chocolate, torrone and fruit jams for over two hundred years. They are made according to antique recipes using natural, rare and exotic ingredients. For centuries the sweets of choice to royalty, scientists and musicians all over Europe, the Romanengo products are still handmade with the same craftsmanship and care and are hand packaged in their traditional refined boxes. The best way to enter the special “Romanengo atmosphere” is to visit the historic shop of Via Soziglia, a small, well- kept secret jewel in the middle of Genoa’s Historic District. Everything is exactly as it was on their opening day in 1814. Among marble and valuable wood, you can taste and buy specialities like the orange flower- flavoured marron glaces, the pine-nut pralines, the mint and coffee rosolio drops, the candid violet petals, the Queen’s torrone, the rose petal syrup and hundreds of other confectionary treasures. In the store you can also ask to see a unique collection of antiques used during the centuries to create the “Romanengo Gifts”.
http://www.romanengo.com/

Background
Petersham Nurseries, owned by Gael & Francesco Boglione, is set at the foot of their home, Petersham House, at the base of Richmond Hill. To save this local nursery from the clutches of the circling developers and multinational garden centres, the garden-loving Bogliones bought the run-down business and in doing so reunited the original Petersham House estate, separated for over 30 years. After extensive restoration work was undertaken, it re-opened in 2004 utterly transformed; a magically, whimsical place in the most idyllic of surroundings.

Petersham Nurseries
Specialising in the English gardening tradition Petersham Nurseries is a tranquil oasis and seedbed of inspiration. With an ever growing emphasis on sustainable gardening, 2008 saw the launch of the Cutting Garden project, the Home Grown range of vegetables, herbs and salads and a blueprint for the ‘greening’ of the nurseries. The unique styling of the plants is complimented throughout the one acre site by garden antiques and original artefacts, carefully sourced from Britain, Europe, India and the Far East by the Bogliones and their buying team.

Facts
Petersham Nurseries is open 7 days a week.
Lunch is served Wednesday - Sunday from 12.30 pm to 3 pm. Reservations are essential.
Tea & cakes & home-made soup are served every day in the Tea House, Tuesday – Sunday. http://www.petershamnurseries.com/

foodies rant, rage & roar

2010-05-06T03:26:00.000-07:00

After the success of their foodie Speakers’ Corner at the Abergavenny Food Festival,
Rude Health are back to rant at Real Food. The Rude Health gang will be joined
by celebrated chefs, fearsome food writers and proudly opinionated producers as they too step onto the hay bale and up to the microphone to rant. Come to the Bandstand in the heart of the festival and listen or heckle from 2-3pm on Friday 7th, Saturday 8th & Sunday 9th May.

Rude Health’ relentless chief ranter Nick Barnard will kick off the rants, followed by the likes of chef and Italian food expert Valentina Harris, award-winning drinks writer Richard Ehrlich and founder of Food Lovers’ Britain, Henrietta Green. Full schedule follows.

Find out what Coffee Fairy Martina Gruppo thinks of Fairtrade whilst baker extraordinaire Richard Bertinet kneads out some of his bugbears. Rare Tea lady Henrietta Lovell, straighttalking Alison Lea-Wilson from Halen Môn, blogger Ms Marmite and Easy Bean founder Christina Baskerville will show that the girls have plenty to rant about too.

After a terrific (if controversial) tirade against Elizabeth David at Real Food in 2009, seasoned ranter and editor of food magazine Fire and Knives, Tim Hayward will be back freshly riled and ready to let off steam. Also chalked up to appear are spicy ranters Priya Lakhani from Masala Masala and Patchwork Pate’s Rufus Carter who will be revealing what really gets them hot under the collar. We can see the sparks flying already.

It’s sure to be a spectacle - as long as Nick relinquishes the hay bale; we’ve got a cattle prong just in case!*

Hecklers welcome. The more vocal the better.

And if you’re not able make it to the Real Food Festival the rants will be recorded and uploaded to the Rude Health website - www.rudehealth.com - where you can currently find all of the Rude Health rants, including those by Mexican-food marvel Thomasina Miers, Reggae-Reggae Sauce man Levi Roots and Cyrus Todiwala OBE.

* Cattle prong or similar poking device will not be used on anyone apart from Nick- he’s used to it.

Friday 7th May
-Useless kitchen gadgets by Danny Kingston, Food Urchin food blogger
-Oats for victory! by Porridge Lady, Anna Louise Batchelor
-Real bread with a crust by Richard Bertinet, chef and baker extraordinaire
-The importance of food culture by Priya Lakhani, from Masala Masala
-The meaning of local food by Henrietta Green, founder of Food Lovers’ Britain
-Snow Leopard Trust conservation by Stephen Sparrow, Snow Leopard Vodka
-It’s not all herrings & meatballs by Signe Johansen, food anthropologist and food blogger
-Creativity - a mug’s game? by Richard Ehrlich, award-winning drinks writer
-Real Juice by Patrick O’Flaherty, from RDA Organic
-Provenance by Neil Gover, from Lahloo Tea
-Sneaky soya in processed food by Jayne Mugridge, from Yarty Valley Provisions (Cordial)
-Food education by Stephanie Wood, from School Food Matters

Saturday 8th May

-Spelt, real bread and using British flour by Andrew Wilkinson, from Gilchesters Organics
-Selling alcohol as a loss leader is immoral by Michael Kain, from Bramley & Gage
-Sea salt is key to a healthy diet by Alison Lea-Wilson, from Anglesey Sea Salt
-Raw milk by Steve Widler, from Hook & Son
-Is fair trade always a good thing? by Martina Gruppo, from The Coffee Fairy
-Sophie Dahl and cookery programmes by Valentina Harris, chef and Italian food expert
-Quality and sustainability go hand in hand by James MacNay, from Rare & Organic
-Perfection by Tim Hayward, editor of Fire & Knives
-Tea dust by Nick Kilby, from Teapigs

Sunday 9th May
-Proper tea by Henrietta Lovell, from Rare Tea Co.
-You don’t have to be vegetarian to love beans by Christina Baskerville, from Easy Bean
-Ranting without stabilisers by Rufus Carter, from Patchwork Pate
-Happy cows by Miranda Ballard, from Muddy Boots Foods
-Waste (and waist) problems by Oliver Dowding, from Shepton Farms
-The UK has no idea what constitutes good value food by James Swift, from Trealy Farm Charcuterie
-Why it’s cruel not to eat veal by Jon Brown, from Bocaddon Farm Veal
-Drink raw milk by Philip Lowery, Director of Real Food Festival & top man
-Real lemonade - drink the cloudy stuff by Claire Martinsen, from Breckland Orchard Drinks
-Allergies by Ms Marmite, underground restaurateur and blogger

Real Food Festival - 7th - 10th May 2010
http://www.realfoodfestival.co.uk/

Rude Health’s Speakers’ Corner can be found in the Bandstand

http://www.rudehealth.com/

Rude Health lets of steam at Real Food Festival

2010-04-30T02:38:00.000-07:00

Friday 7 - Sunday 9 May

REAL FOOD FESTIVAL

Earl's Court, London

2pm at The Bandstand

The gang from Rude Health are back again to rant and rave about their food-related passions. They will be joined by celebrated chefs, food writers and producers as they too step onto the hay bale and up to the microphone.

This year's rants - for they've become an annual affair - are being held in the Bandstand from 2.00 - 3.30pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Hear the low down on the latest food issues from those in the know. Hecklers welcome. The more vocal the better!

Richard Bertinet, master baker and chef, will be ranting at Real Food. As will Cyrus Todiwala CBE, another fantastic ranter. You can listen to their rants from the Abergavenny Food Festival on the Rude Health website: www.rudehealth.com

Ante from the Ethiopian Coffee Co. (one of the producer exhibiting at the show) will be riling about proper coffee whilst Halon Mon, the Welsh salt producers, will be ranting about the importance of sea salt in our diet.

Listen to last year’s rants by the likes of chef and food writer Thomasina Miers, Real Bread campaigner Chris Young and Slow Food UK founder Wendy Fogarty at www.rudehealth.com/why-rude-health/nick-rant

Each ranting session will be followed by SUDI'S RUDIE FOODIE QUIZ .... Let Rude Health take the temperature of your rude food knowledge.

If you'd like to rant too or for more information please contact:

Sarah Canet

Telephone: 020 7610 9821

Email: sarah @ spoon-pr.com

Marque marked up

2010-04-28T04:01:00.000-07:00

Marque Restaurant scoops Breakthrough Award at the S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards 2010

Marque with chef-patron Mark Best at the helm continues to go from strength to strength. Narrowly missing the “50 Best” Marque has made it onto the 51-100 list in 67th position. Most significantly however it has been awarded this year’s breakthrough award giving it ‘one to watch’ status. Other restaurants to have been awarded this title include Paris’ Le Chateaubriand, this year’s highest ranking French restaurant (11).

Over the past nine years the S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards has established itself as the most credible guide to the best places to eat on earth. The list is compiled by Restaurant magazine and created from the votes of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, an influential group of over 800 international leaders in the restaurant industry.

Mark Best and his wife Valerie wanted to open a simple, intimate restaurant like those they loved in Paris and so in 2000 Marque was born on a small vacant site in Sydney’s Surry Hills. Only five months after opening, Marque was awarded Two Hats by the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide and Best New Restaurant in Mietta’s national Restaurant Guide. The keys to Marque’s success are the chef-patron’s love for the creative process and renewal, as well as his eternal dissatisfaction. Using only the very best ingredients, Marque’s limitations define its cuisine: having a very small team and kitchen, nothing is superfluous, everything must have a reason to exist. Each dish has to be delicious, harmonic and aesthetic. The technique must be hidden, ingredients have to shine.

Originally an electrician in the gold mines of Western Australia then an industrial electrician in refitting submarines, Mark Best discovered the stoves accidentally. Having created his own business Peninsula Bistrot in Sydney in 1995 which he followed with extensive experience working in the greatest kitchens in Paris, at Alain Passard’s L’Arpege, and in the UK, at Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir Aux Quatre Saisons, Mark Best has become an unquestionable symbol of the new Australian cuisine.

In his fourth year of apprenticeship at the Macleay Street Bistro in Sydney Mark Best was awarded the Josephine Pignolet Award for “Best Up and Coming Chef”. It was the first of many awards, since 2001 Marque and its creator have been awarded “Three Hats”, “Best French Restaurant” and “Chef of the year” by the Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Guide, “Restaurant of the Year” by Restaurant & Catering Association of Australia and most recently “Restaurant of the Year” by Time Out’s Sydney Food Guide and “Master Chef” at the World Gourmet Summit at Singapore.

For further information & pictures contact:
http://gallery.me.com/markbest/100040
http://public.me.com/markbest , - password “markbest”

UK – Spoon PR
Sarah Canet
Telephone: +44 207 610 9821

Email: sarah@spoon-pr.com

Australia- Drysdale Communications
Elisabeth Drysdale
Telephone: +61 295 558 964
Email: elisabeth@drysdalecommunications.com.au

Marque Restaurant
4/5 355 Crown Street
Surry Hills, NSW 2010
Telephone: +61 2 9332 2225
www.marquerestaurant.com.au

All change! Noma in Copenhagen named as the World’s Best Restaurant on list dominated by new talent

2010-04-28T03:50:00.000-07:00

HIGHLIGHTS:

-The S.Pellegrino World’s Best Restaurant & The Acqua Panna European Best
Restaurant: Noma, Copenhagen, Denmark
-Lifetime Achievement Award: Eckart Witzigmann.
-Restaurant Magazine Chef of the Decade: Ferran Adrià, Spain
-The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in North America: Alinea, Chicago, USA
-The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in The Middle East & Africa: La Colombe,Cape Town, South Africa
-The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in South America: D.O.M, Sao Paolo, Brazil
-The Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in Asia: Les Creations de Narisawa, Tokyo, Japan
-Chef’s Choice Award: The Fat Duck, Bray, UK
-The Highest Climber: Daniel, New York, USA
-Highest New Entry: Schloss Schauenstein, Switzerland
-Restaurant Breakthrough Award: Marque, Sydney, Australia.

The S.Pellegrino World’s Best Restaurant has today been announced as Copenhagen’s Noma. Run by 32 year-old head chef Rene Redzepi, Noma has taken the coveted top slot with the most votes from an Academy of over 800 international critics, journalists and food experts in the awards organised by Restaurant Magazine.

Situated on Copenhagen’s dockside in a stylishly converted 18th century shipping warehouse where most dishes are served by the chefs themselves, Noma leads the trend in ‘cold climate cuisine’. Famous for taking truly seasonal and local ingredients, many of which are unheard of outside of the Nordic region, and creating dishes such as radishes in edible soil that acutely demonstrate nature on a plate, the restaurant has quickly established itself as a place of pilgrimage. Copenhagen is no longer the last stop on the gastronomic subway.

After four consecutive years at the top Ferran Adria’s El Bulli has taken second place this year. His achievement of remaining at the top on 5 occasions in the last decade is an outstanding achievement. To recognize his achievement Restaurant Magazine has today presented Ferran with the first ever ‘Chef of the Decade’ award.
The UK’s Fat Duck completes the top three restaurants and confirms Heston Blumenthal’s reputation as one of the most exciting and admired chefs in the world. As an additional accolade Heston also takes this year’s ‘Chefs’ Choice’ award after being nominated by his peers as the ‘Chefs’ chef’ – praise indeed. On the British front, Claude Bosi’s Mayfair restaurant Hibiscus also represents an exciting new breakthrough to the top 50.

The amount of movement in this year’s list clearly demonstrates that this is not a static account of established restaurants but an at-a-glance guide to the best talent in global dining. Consumers may argue about what makes a good restaurant or not and of course opinions may differ but this list confirms the wider trends on the global scene and sets the tone for the year ahead.

Paul Wootton, editor of Restaurant which organises the awards said: “This year’s list is an exciting one that highlights in particular the wealth of young, dynamic chefs bringing new ideas to the world of gastronomy. René Redzepi’s rise to the top shows that the Academy members who vote are keen to recognise this new wave of talent rubbing alongside those with more established international fame. Whether Ferran Adrià’s considerable achievements at the top of the list are ever matched in future is another matter entirely, however, and we have celebrated his feats with our new award for Chef of the Decade. We are very much looking forward to the next 10years with the list continuing to inspire debate and court opinion all over the world.”

Europe performs particularly well at the higher end of the list with Spanish and Italian restaurants taking five of the places in the top 10 whilst the US has a strong showing of three including Grant Achatz’s Chicago based restaurant Alinea at number seven.

Alinea has the accolade of being named as ‘ Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in North America’ topping a meteoric rise over just three years on the list. Another American restaurant in the top 10 also enjoyed the highest climb, 33 spaces up the list this year is Daniel Boulud’s Daniel Restaurant in New York.

New French talent is firmly on the map with the ‘rock star chefs’ from Paris, Le Chateaubriand, sure to rock the boat by rising 29 places to number 11, making it the highest placed French restaurant - an indication perhaps that the more casual style of dining has this year captured the attention of chefs and restaurant critics the world over.

More Asian, Australasian, South American and Japanese restaurants are present this year. The French style of cooking still features strongly with the Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in South Africa (La Colombe, 12) and the Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in Asia (Les Creations de Narisawa, Japan, 24). However, Quay was named as Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in Australasia (27) and D.O.M - Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in South America, 18 - and both break away from the classical into the defiantly modern.
Unsurprisingly for those World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy members, Mexico City has had its first entry into the list with Biko. Opened by Basque chefs Bruno Oteiza and Mikel Alonso, dishes like the Foie 100% Cotton Candy perfectly demonstrate why they have named their style as ‘evolution cuisine’. Biko has entered the list at 46 this year and could be one to watch in years to come.

Other notable new entries onto the list for 2010 include Aqua in the industrial town of Wolfsburg, Germany (34), De Librije (Netherlands, 37) and Schloss Schauenstein (Switzerland, 30).

Mark Best’s Marque in Sydney, the gourmets’ secret destination dining room, is named as the restaurant tipped to breakthrough into the top 50 in 2011. Marque so narrowly missed the mark that Restaurant magazine are confident that of all of the new restaurants ranking 51 - 100, his is the one best placed to breakthrough on to the list next year.

Finally, one of the most prestigious awards is the annually awarded Lifetime Achievement award, which this year goes to the Austrian chef Eckart Witzigmann who has built a long and illustrious career in Germany over many years. The first German speaking chef to hold three Michelin stars, his contribution to the culinary world has been recognised by Restaurant Magazine and the Academy’s panel.

The S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards were held at the Guildhall in London on Monday 26th April 2010 in a ceremony often talked about as the ‘Oscars’ of the global dining scene. Humanitarian organisation Action Against Hunger has once again been chosen as the official charity of the S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants.

Food lovers across the globe will have the chance to purchase a once-in-a-lifetime meal at the 50 best restaurants in the world by bidding on eBay, with all proceeds going to Action Against Hunger’s live-saving work in 40 countries worldwide, including Haiti. Bidding begins on 27 April 2010.

http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/actionagainsthungeruk

Notes to editors:
Restaurant Magazine is the UK’s leading publication for restaurateurs and chefs, and has been running The World’s 50 Best Restaurants since 2002. Restaurant Magazine is solely responsible for organising the awards, collating the votes and producing the list.

S.Pellegrino is continuing its successful partnership as title sponsor of the awards. S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna are the leading natural mineral waters in the fine dining world. Together they interpret the Italian style worldwide as a synthesis of excellence, pleasure and well-being.

The S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2010

2010-04-28T03:44:00.000-07:00

The S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2010

All change! Noma in Copenhagen named as the World’s Best Restaurant on list dominated by new talent

www.theworlds50best.com

1 Noma Denmark (▲2) +45 3296 3297 noma.dk
2 El Bulli Spain (▼1) + 34 972 150 457 elbulli.com
3 The Fat Duck UK (▼1) +44 (0) 1628 580 333 thefatduck.co.uk
4 El Celler de Can Roca Spain (▲1)+34 972 22 21 57 cellercanroca.com
5 Mugaritz Spain (▼1) +34 943 522 455 mugaritz.comx
6 Osteria Francescana Italy (▲7) +39 (0)59 210 118 osteriafrancescana.it
7 Alinea USA (▲3) +1 312-867-0110 alinea-restaurant.com
8 Daniel USA (▲33) +1 212 288 0033 danielnyc.com
9 Arzak Spain (▼1) +34 943 78456 arzak.es
10 Per Se United States (▼4) +1212 823 9335 perseny.com
11 Le Chateaubriand France (▲29) +33 (0)1 43574595
12 La Colombe South Africa (▲26) + 27 (0) 21 794 2390 constantia-uitsig.com
13 Pierre Gagnaire France (▼4) + 33 01 58 36 12 50 pierre-gagnaire.com
14 Hotel de Ville Switzerland (▲2) +41 21 634 0505 philippe-rochat.ch
15 Le Bernardin USA (=) +1 212 554 1515 le-bernardin.com
16 L’Astrance France (▼5) +33 1 40 50 84 40 lastrance.abemadi.com
17 Hof van Cleve Belgium (▲9) +32 (0) 9 383 5848 hofvancleve.com
18 D.O.M. Brazil (▲6) +55 11 3088 0761 domrestaurante.com.br
19 Oud Sluis Holland (▲10) +31 (0) 117-461269 oudsluis.nl
20 Le Calandre Italy (▲29) +39 049 630303 alajmo.it
21 Steirereck Austria (▲9) +43 (1) 713 31 68 steirereck.at/wien restaurant
22 Vendome Germany (▲3) +49 (0) 22 04 42 1941 schlossbensberg.com
23 Chez Dominique Finland (▼2) + 358 9 612 7393 chezdominique.fi
24 Les Créations de Narisawa Japan (▼4)+81 (3) 5785 0799 narisawa-yoshihiro.com
25 Mathias Dahlgren Sweden (▲25) +46 (0) 8 679 35 84 mathiasdahlgren.com
26 Momofuku Ssam Bar USA (▲5) +1 212 254-3500 momofuku.com
27 Quay Australia (▲19)+ 61 (2) 9251 5600 quay.com.au
28 Iggy’s Singapore (▲17)+65 6732 2234 iggys.com.sg
29 L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon France (▼11)+33 1 42 225656 joel-robuchon.com
30 Schloss Schauenstein Switzerland (New Entry) +41 81 632 10 80 schauenstein.ch
31 Le Quartier Francais South Africa (▲6) +27 21 876 2151 lequartier.co.za
32 The French Laundry USA (▼20) +1 707 944 2380 frenchlaundry.com
33 Martin Berasategui Spain (=) +34 943 366 471 martinberasategui.com
34 Aqua Germany (New Entry) +49 5361 606056 restaurant-aqua.com
35 Combal Zero Italy (▲7) +39 011 9565225 combal.org
36 Dal Pescatore Italy (▲12) +39 (0)37 672 3001 dalpescatore.com
37 De Librije Netherlands (New Entry) +31 (0)38 4212083 librije.com
38 Tetsuya’s Australia (▼21) +61 (2)9267 2900 tetsyuas.com
39 Jaan par Andre Singapore (New Entry) +65 6338 8585 swissotel.com/singapore-stamford
40 Il Canto Italy (New Entry) +39 (0)577 28 81 80 certosadimaggiano.com
41 Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athenee France (Re-entry) +33 1 53 67 66 65 plaza-athenee-paris.com
42 Oaxen Krog Sweden (▼10) +46 8 8 551 531 05 oaxenkrog.se
43 St John UK (▼29) +44 020 7251 0848 stjohnrestaurant.com
44 La Maison Troisgros France (Re-entry) +33 4 77 71 66 97 troisgros.fr
45 wd~50 USA (Re-entry) +1 212 477 2900 wd-50.com
46 Biko Mexico (New Entry) +52 55 5282 0722 biko.com.m
47 Die Schwarzwaldstube Germany (▼24) +49 7442 4926 traube-tonbach.de
48 Nihonryori RyuGin Japan (New Entry) +81 3 3423 8006 nihonryori-ryugin.com
49 Hibiscus UK (New Entry) +44 020 7629 2999 hibiscusrestaurant.co.uk
50 Eleven Madison Park USA (New Entry) +1 212 889 090 elevenmadisonpark.com
The S.Pellegrino World’s
50 Best Restaurants 2010

Alain Ducasse and Joel Robuchon cook together at Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester

2010-04-26T06:31:00.000-07:00

London, April 2010

The S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2010 will be announced on Monday 26th April. To celebrate this event in London, both Alain Ducasse and Joel Robuchon will combine forces on Sunday 25th April, when Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester will host a dinner for the World’s 50 Best Restaurant Academy chairmen. This is the first time the two world-renowned and most awarded chefs will work together on this unique occasion, cooking for the world’s most savvy and respected foodies.

The delicate sea urchin amuse-bouche, cheese creamy soufflé course and chocolate dessert will be created by Joel Robuchon whilst the Alain Ducasse menu will include a scallops and morels starter and main course options of sea bass and shellfish jus or farm house veal and “primeur” vegetables dishes.

The entire meal will be crafted as a ‘quatre mains’ exercise, with Joel Robuchon, Alain Ducasse and their respective London based Executive Chefs Olivier Limousin and Jocelyn Herland creating the fantastic dinner.

The world’s critics will be sipping on Champagne Bruno Paillard 1996 Blanc de Blancs, served in magnums and Bordeaux wines offered by Bernard Magrez.

The Academy is comprised of 806 members, each selected for their expert opinion of the international restaurant scene. Each of the 26 geographical regions has a chairperson appointed for their knowledge of their part of the restaurant world. These chairs each selected a voting panel of 30 – ensuring a balanced selection of chefs, restaurateurs, food/restaurant journalists and gourmands.

For further information please contact Romilly King, Amanda Watts or Fiona Hemming at The Communications Store
T: 020-7938-1010 / E: romilly@tcs-uk.net / amandawatts@tcs-uk.net / fiona@tcs-uk.net

Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester
Park Lane, London, W1K 1QA
T: 020-7629-8866 / W: www.alainducasse-dorchester.com
Open for lunch Tuesday–Friday and dinner from Tuesday-Saturday

The Old Brewery is looking for a new leader … a Foursquare Mayor

2010-04-22T09:11:00.000-07:00

THE OLD BREWERY GETS CAUGHT UP IN ELECTION FEVER

The Old Brewery is looking for a new leader … a Foursquare Mayor

From today until May 6th, The Old Brewery is partnering with Foursquare, the location-based social networking phenomenon, to find a new Mayor for their new restaurant, bar, cafe and experimental brewery in the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College, part of the spectacular World Heritage Site of Maritime Greenwich.
Foursquare enables people to connect and share information about their favourite places based on their location. Points and badges are awarded for "checking in" at venues, allowing users to compete on a leader board against their friends. The user that checks in the most times to a venue becomes its "Mayor" and remains in that position until they're ousted by a rival.

In this pioneering competition, which is bringing together the enthusiastic Foursquare community in time for the UK’s General Election, the candidate with the most ‘Check-Ins’ to The Old Brewery will be crowned Mayor and will win a Mayoral feast for two. The Old Brewery is no stranger to London’s Mayors- the appointed Foursquare Mayor will follow in the footsteps of Greenwich’s very own Mayor Allan MacCarthy and the might footsteps of London Mayor Boris Johnson, who launched The Old Brewery last month.

The Old Brewery which opened less than 4 weeks ago is a relaxed cafe by day, and by night the Main Hall, with its dramatic copper-clad beer vessels and waves of suspended bottles, transforms into a restaurant showcasing beer-inspired dishes. As you would expect from one of the UK’s leading brewing companies there’s an extensive list of Meantime Brewing Company’s award-winning beers to compliment each dish. There’s also a cosy bar serving hand-drawn Meantime beers and a handsome walled courtyard for lazy afternoons by the River Thames.

Election-hungry customers should register themselves with Foursquare at www.foursquare.com then visit The Old Brewery and ‘check-in’. Customers can search The Old Brewery when they are at the venue, or type the following address http://foursquare.com/venue/1872076

The more visits and ‘check-ins users make, the greater chance they have of becoming Mayor and winning the prize on May 6th

FACTS

THE OLD BREWERY
Opening Hours:
Cafe – 10 am to 5 pm, Monday to Sunday
Restaurant – 6pm to 11 pm, Monday to Saturday & 6pm to 10.30 pm, Sunday
Bar – 11am to 11 pm, Monday to Saturday & 12pm to 10.30 pm, Sunday

Address: The Old Brewery
The Pepys Building
The Old Royal Naval College
Greenwich SE10 9LW

Reservations number: 020 3327 1280
Email: info@oldbrewerygreenwich.com
Website: www.oldbrewerygreenwich.com
Twitter http://twitter.com/oldbrewery
Facebook: http://facebook.com/OldBreweryGreenwich

For further information on The Old Brewery and this competition, please contact:
Sarah Canet E. sarah@spoon-pr.com T. +44 (0)20 7610 9821

More information on Foursquare available at: www.foursquare.com

Biba & I beat a stylish path to Brighton

2010-04-11T11:37:00.000-07:00

After the success of Biba & I with Delisia Howard and Chris Price at The Horse Hospital in London, Plectrum is heading to the coast for a Brighton & Hove scented night of Bibaology. The city in which Barbara Hulanicki spent her teenage years was also home to the only branch of Biba outside London... though the manageress of the haunted shop turned out to be a gangster's moll, and shady characters with names like Phil the Pill and Carol the Arrow mixed with the Biba beauties. Hair-raising tales which Delisia and Chris will recount along with an host of fabulous Bibalogical stories, songs, and rarely seen images, amidst the 1930s splendour of The Brunswick's Venue with its original Art Deco fixtures and fittings and wood panelling; the same panelling which also graces the Orient Express.

“A fabulous voyage through the music of memory, the glittering remembered streets where to be bold and beautiful opened the doors of possibility… Spending an evening with Delisia and Chris is like being taken on a magic carpet ride, passing through Pop Art to Punk, from the cellar clubs of London, Brighton and Paris to the skyscrapers of New York, evoking long forgotten faces and the places where genius resides…”

- Cathi Unsworth, writer, editor, ‘First Lady of Noir Fiction’, whose acclaimed new novel, Bad Penny Blues (Serpent’s Tail) is out now.

Plectrum Live Edition

presents

BIBA & I

An evening of illustrated and music accompanied Biba tales & Bibaology

with Delisia Howard & Chris Price

Introduced by Guy Sangster Adams, editor of Plectrum - The Cultural Pick

8pm, Thursday 15th April 2010

at The Brunswick, 1 Holland Road, Hove, BN3

Tickets £6/£5 concessions

To reserve tickets email: guy@theculturalpick.com

Each ticket includes the current issue of

Plectrum – The Cultural Pick magazine

www.theculturalpick.com

www.brunswickpub.co.uk

In 1964, Barbara Hulanicki founded a shop that was to change the face of fashion in the 1960s and 1970s, Biba. Hulanicki grew up in

Brighton, and the city was also briefly home to the only branch of the highly influential shop outside London. Writer Delisia Howard

was not only in charge of cosmetics and household for Biba from 1968 to the closing of Big Biba in 1975, but she was also the in house model on whom Hulanicki would fit and refine all her sample clothing designs. With her husband, the illustrator Chris Price, Howard has created the imprint Hazard Books, to produce fabulous limited edition and handmade books, two of which, InBiba and SinBiba, have continued their creative collaboration with Hulanicki, as they also feature her illustrations.

Plus for sale on the night:

The books InBiba & SinBiba by Delisia Howard, Chris Price, and Barbara Hulanicki, in addition to other books from the Hazard imprint, which Delisia and Chris will be happy to sign. Cover prices specially reduced by 15%

www.bibabook.com

Limited edition DVD box sets of the documentary Beyond Biba: A Portrait of Barbara Hulanicki

Cover price specially reduced to £20 or £18 for concessions

& Beyond Biba posters signed by Barbara Hulanicki £10 or £8 for concessions

www.beyondbibamovie.com

(Please note no credit or debit card facilities are available on the night)

A Sneaky Peek at The Old Brewery, Greenwich

2010-03-18T03:12:00.000-07:00

Here's a selection of snaps we took at The Old Brewery earlier this week. All being well this restaurant, cafe, bar and experimental microbrewery will open on Tuesday 23 March 2010.

Here are some other pertinent facts.....

Opening Hours:

Cafe – 10 am to 5 pm, Monday to Sunday

Restaurant – 6pm to 11 pm, Monday to Saturday & 6pm to 10.30 pm, Sunday

Bar – 11am to 11 pm, Monday to Saturday & 12pm to 10.30 pm, Sunday

Reservations number:

+44 20 3327 1280

Address:

The Old Brewery

The Pepys Building

The Old Royal Naval College

Greenwich SE10 9LW

Email:

info@oldbrewerygreenwich.com

2010-02-24T08:23:00.000-08:00

PLECTRUM

presents

Biba & I

An evening of illustrated and music accompanied Biba tales with Delisia Howard & Chris Price

Writer Delisia Howard was not only in charge of cosmetics and household for Biba from 1968 to

the closing of Big Biba in 1974, but she was also the in-house model on whom Barbara Hulanicki

would fit and refine all her sample clothing designs for the highly influential fashion label and

shops. With her husband, the illustrator Chris Price, Howard has created the imprint Hazard

Books, to produce fabulous limited edition and handmade books, two of which, InBiba, and

SinBiba, have continued their creative collaboration with Barbara Hulanicki, as they also feature

her illustrations.

Wednesday 24th February 2010

The Horse Hospital

Colonnade, Bloomsbury, London WC1

(Russell Square Tube Piccadilly Line)

Doors 8pm Performance begins 8.30pm

Tickets: £5

To reserve tickets email: guy@theculturalpick.com

Each ticket includes the current issue of Plectrum – The Cultural Pick magazine

www.theculturalpick.com

Become a fan of Plectrum - The Cultural Pick on Facebook

The books InBiba & SinBiba by Delisia Howard, Chris Price, and Barbara Hulanicki,

in addition to other books from the Hazard imprint, which Delisia and Chris will be happy to sign,

will also be for sale on the night, with the cover prices specially reduced by 15%

www.bibabook.com

As will copies of the limited edition DVD boxset of the documentary

Beyond Biba: A Portrait of Barbara Hulanicki

at a specially discounted price of £20

www.beyondbibamovie.com

(Please note no credit or debit card facilities are available on the night)

BECOME A FAN OF PLECTRUM - THE CULTURAL PICK ON FACEBOOK

Guy Sangster Adams

Editor Plectrum - The Cultural Pick www.theculturalpick.com

Freelance arts journalist

guy@theculturalpick.com

07970 834102

FACEBOOK: GUY SANGSTER ADAMS

FACEBOOK: PLECTRUM - THE CULTURAL PICK

The Granola -new multigrain granola launches this spring

2010-02-22T06:51:00.000-08:00

With their award-winning cereals filling breakfast bowls up and down the country,
Rude Health have set their muesli-making expertise to creating the country’s first
multigrain organic granola with spelt, amaranth and barley, and no added salt
or sugar. The Granola launches in Waitrose stores nationwide from May.
Rude Health’s The Granola – so called because it is the ultimate organic granola – is both indulgently delicious and healthy. It is the only organic granola to blend porridge and jumbo oats with wholesome spelt flakes, toothsome barley flakes and puffed amaranth.

Considered a super food by the ancient Aztecs, amaranth is a popular street-side snack in Mexico, which is where Rude Health’s co-founder and fanatical foodie Camilla Barnard discovered this highly nutritious, tasty little seed. High in protein and packed with iron and calcium, the puffed amaranth in The Granola gives it a lovely lightness whilst the spelt, a great alternative to wheat, and barley flakes add a complex, grown-up flavour.

Rude Health blend this unique multigrain combination with freshly roasted hazelnuts and almonds for an irresistible nutty taste. And a cheeky sprinkling of crunchy sunflower seeds adds an extra boost of goodness.

This mix of marvels is drizzled with date syrup and honey, then gently baked to create a crisp granola that softens seductively in the mouth. Rude Health choose their ingredients like they choose their friends: wild not refined. Rude Health never use refined sugars or artificial flavourings; instead they opt for naturally sweet things like honey and date syrup, which are also packed with nutrition. Dates are high in fibre and rich in potassium, whilst honey is a great source of energy and is even said to boost your immune system.

The Granola is mouth-wateringly moreish with cold, creamy milk or a dollop of Greek yoghurt. Listen to Rude Health’s co-founder and chief ranter Nick Barnard voice his utter loathing for skimmed milk - or dirty dishwater as he calls it - on the website
www.rudehealth.com/why-rude-health/nick-rant

editor’s notes
Who are Rude Health?
Cereal revolutionaries Rude Health aren’t afraid of punching above their weight. The crack team of just seven, led by co-founding couple Nick and Camilla Barnard, are on a mission to bring delicious healthy breakfasts to cereal bowls up and down the country. With no added salt or sugar and no junk, Rude Health vehemently reject over-processing and refined ingredients. They rely instead on the highest-quality, sustainably-produced ingredients to make cereals worth waking up for.

For further information on Rude Health and their range of fabulous breakfast foods you can visit the website - www.rudehealth.com

Product Information
The Granola, £4.49 for 500g
Available from Waitrose, Ocado.com and independent health food
stores, organic shops and delis nationwide.
Please contact Holly for details or
photography:
Tel: 0208 877 9821
Email: holly@rudehealth.com
www.rudehealth.com

Dinner in Dalston - courtesy of Ben Greeno at The Loft

2010-02-21T03:35:00.000-08:00

I like to think I'm an adventurous eater but a schlep to the Kingsland Road for a dinner in Dalston is almost one adventure too far.

On Saturday 20th February however I'd coughed up the cash (£117.50) to join private members club The Loft for a week and in doing so was entitled to a place at the dinning room table with young Brit Ben Greeno in the all but domestic kitchen. Having caught a glimpse of Ben's CV which included 2 stints at current obsession Copenhagen's Noma I was compelled to jump in my car and take my chances. I had no idea who I'd find myself sitting next to nor what was on the menu.

First sigh (of relief) came when I discovered that my neighbours were a riot. Second sigh (of delight) came upon first sip of the thoughtfully and delightfully paired wines and final sigh (of joy) expelled when I realised the meal was going to be worth every hard earned penny it cost. If there's a place left at a future table (and there are only 3 weeks or so left of Ben's residence) then in a musical chairs manner dive in and grab one.

Here's the website: http://theloftproject.co.uk/

And here's the menu - pictures were posted on twitpic as the dishes were placed in front of me - so I snapped them in the dimmest of lights and with an impatience to shove fork in mouth, as delicately as you'd expect from an uptight English girl with a food obsession: http://twitpic.com/photos/SpoonHQ

BEN GREENO AT THE LOFT - 20 FEBRUARY 2010

Oyster in buttermilk & poppy seeds with rhubarb granita

Poached & pickled carrots, chorizo, apple and ham

Cheese soup, ratte potatoes & pork fat

Duck heart salad with lettuce emulsion

Confit salmon with sunflower and mustard sauce

Salt baked beetroot, goat's cheese & gorse flowers

Beef onglet & onion puree

Skyr - Icelandic soft cheese - with aquavit raisins & malt dirt

Sea buckthorn curd, gingerbread & apple vinegar meringues

Poached and pickled pear, toasted oats and brown butter caramel

Final notes - I had never met or spoken to Ben Greeno before, I don't know any of the guys behind The Loft, I am certainly not the PR of anyone involved and I would strongly urge you to keep your eye on Ben Greeno. Last night he proved himself to be a highly talented Brit with ambition a plenty. And sadly for those of us rooted in the UK he's headed back to Copenhagen shortly.

Spoon HQ

New Blog Address

Made in Camden

London Lager Tour

Bill Knott at Blacks

Plectrum Live Edition: A Night at the Rockabilly Revuebar 27th October 2010

Saraban by Greg & Lucy Malouf

The Hardwick Wins Two National Restaurant Awards

Chocolate by Trish Launches

Mauro Colagreco at The Loft Project

Chocolate by Trish Launches at Selfridges

First Look at The Hardwick's New Rooms

THE HARDWICK, ABERGAVENNY NOW OFFERS 8 LUXURY BEDROOMS

Made In Camden: In the Making

September 2010 – Stephen Terry picks up the AA Restaurant of the Year Wales Award for his Abergavenny restaurant, The Hardwick.

Bill Granger at Whole Foods

Laura Santtini

Bill's Basics put to the Test

PUBLISHING LEGACY IN GOOD HANDS

IS THIS THE BEST BREAKFAST IN BRITAIN?

LUKE DALE-ROBERTS UNVEILS PLANS FOR A NEW CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

Bill at Abergavenny

The Rude Health Debate: Local Markets or Supermarkets? Where to for the aspiring quality food business?

Bill's Basics put to the Test

Bill Granger Cooking LIVE for Australialive at Westfield Shepherds Bush

Bill's Brunch at Hereford Road

The Old Brewery Wins Best New Design at Time Out Awards

Paris Restaurant Tips

Thirsty Thursday

Made In Camden- in the making

Bill Granger Brunch at Hereford Road SOLD OUT!

Dinner at Noma - 7 September 2010

Bill's Basics Hereford Road Menu

Bill's Basics Public Tour

The Loft Project hosts Sydney sensation, Mark Best of Marque restaurant for a singular supper club

Sneaky Peek at The Hardwick's New Rooms

A GOURMET GETAWAY WITH STATE-OF-THE-ART COMFORT: THE HARDWICK, ABERGAVENNY TO OPEN 8 LUXURY BEDROOMS IN SEPTEMBER

Bill Granger's Christmas Coleslaw

A DIY Christmas for Chocoholics

AND A HOPPY CHRISTMAS TO YOU TOO!

I Saw U-MAMMA Kissing Santa Claus

Have Yourself a Medieval Christmas

Christmas Cheers from The Old Brewery

And a DIY Christmas to you, too!

Stocking Fillers from Laura Santtini Spellbinding Flavours

Tips for a "No Worries" Christmas from Bill Granger

Spoon hits the BBQ with Hare's Moor

SPOON NEW CLIENT: STEPHEN TERRY AND THE HARDWICK

Chocolate by Trish Unveiled

At Home With Trish Deseine

Trish Deseine at Selfridge's Christmas Press Day

REAL QUALITY WITH A DASH OF REAL ALE

Two new culinary elixirs from the Easy Tasty Magic™ range by Laura Santtini Spellbinding Flavours

Bill Granger Cookery Demonstration

Bill Granger will be giving a cookery demonstration for his new book

Bill's Basics at the

WATERSTONE'S PICCADILLY

Thursday, 30 September 2010, 6:30PMTickets £6 includes a glass of wine or soft drink

Bill Granger at Abergavenny Food Festival

Stop Press! Bill Granger new addition to guest line-up...

The Old Brewery Video on the Guardian Website

Summer at The Old Brewery

Laura Santtini wins Guild of Food Writers BEST FIRST BOOK Award

An evening of live music, author readings, poetry, & more

Outsider Tart at Foodies Festival

Petersham House Concerts for the Petersham Festival

Easy Tasty Italian Nominated for Guild of Food Writers Best First Book Award

Laura Santtini at the Foodies Festival Hampton Court

Britain's Best Pud

Petersham Nurseries Launch Murano Glass Collection at Dover Street Market

Fancy a pre-match curry? Do It Yourself and get involved in a slice of the action

Romanengo Workshop Update

Petersham Nurseries Unveils its Murano Glass Collection

Become a New Urban Farmer with Celia Brooks Brown

Thinking of you Lannice

Love Curry....Do It Yourself

A Demonstration & Tasting of the Art of Confectionery With 225 year old Genoese confectioners Pietro Romanego fu Stefano

foodies rant, rage & roar

Rude Health lets of steam at Real Food Festival

Marque marked up

Thursday, 30 September 2010, 6:30PM
Tickets £6 includes a glass of wine or soft drink