The Shed

Mersea spoils: Dover soles as cheap as chips

2012-02-06T02:50:00.000-08:00

If there's a question mark over the provenance of some of the seafood, the same cannot be said of the wet fish counter at The Company Shed. Brimming with plaice, flounders, sprats and soles so perky they can't have travelled further than day boat-to-building, the exception being salmon which can only have been Scottish. As well as rigor-stiff freshness another giveaway is the price, almost half of what you'd give a decent London fishmonger.

They had as many Dover soles as sprats on this occasion which may have further reduced the damage, and at £15/kg (you'll often pay upwards of £25/kg) for generous one-portion fish it would have been rude and silly not to.

Who you looking at?

Ironically, Dover sole is easier to deal with when it's a few days old so I had a fight to pull off the sandpapery dark grey skin (I left on the white). If stored appropriately Dovers can be eaten up to two weeks after they've been caught, which probably tells you something about their popularity with restaurants.

You make a slit across the tail and pull the skin off across the body, which is a complete ballache - 20 minutes! - when the fish is just out of the water. Thanks @LeCafeAnglais and @angus_macnab for the fishy tips!

I grilled the fish for 3-4 minutes either side with just seasoning and a bit of butter for company. A caramelised fennel, tarragon and lemon zest butter (finely sliced fennel slowly cooked in butter until golden brown, fresh chopped tarragon, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt. What can't you make better with more butter?) to pour on the finished fish and some roasted squash on the side and job's done. Firm, sweet, delicate and succulent fish, almost worth the Mersea trip alone.

Mersea Island, The Company Shed, the only way is Essex

2012-02-05T10:04:00.000-08:00

Just sixty miles from London, Mersea Island is a great weekend getaway if you like buckets of cheap seafood, a handful of decent pubs and very few people for miles around. I dare say it's a busier fish kettle mid summer but then you don't get yer oysters and the weather is probably rubbish anyway. Go now, it's good.

When Sheds Collide

The draw for many is The Company Shed, barely more than a shack on the shoreline serving straight-up seafood and very little besides. Fancy it ain't, but ours would be a nicer world for a few more honest places like this. Communal tables decked out in wipe clean tablecloths, BYO bread, wine and mayo and a wall of help yourself glasses give the place the warm informality of a very relaxed supper club. Even in chilly, off-season January it's totally full, so arrive either by midday and grab a seat or a good half hour - apparently up to two hours in busier months - before you want to eat, stick your name on the list and toddle off and build a sand castle.

How much of the menu is locally sourced is questionable - I've yet to eat a tiger prawn pulled from British waters - but everything we ordered save for a bowl of slightly gritty mussels was damn fine. We left the cold mixed platters alone preferring to spend a bit more - we're talking a mere few quid - on individual plates of seafoody stuff, all a well-rehearsed exercise in simple-but-great. It went a bit like this, this being two meals' worth given we were so happy on day one we returned for seconds the next.

Colchester native oysters. You can bet your boots on the bivalves not having travelled far. A salty, zinc-fuelled slap and proper taste of the sea, served on a built-for-purpose oyster plate (I NEED ONE OF THESE IN MY LIFE PLEASE?). When in Rome...

Big prawns, little prawns, E5 bread. The Hackney Wild sourdough is so very awesome that it's all I'd consider taking with me. Team it with oyster stout - containing actual oysters! - from the Mersea Island Brewery and Vineyard and a load of hot-dang seafood and you're basically winning. Sweet, succulent crevettes at a pound a pop - very reasonable - and a bowl of small prawns left me crying out for a blob of good mayo but were nonetheless delicious with a healthy squoosh of lemon.

Stonking-fresh scantily dressed crab - just seasoning and no messing it seems - and tiger prawns hot from the grill with aioli. A few pounds a plate and as good as the best tapas in Seville (good, then).

More hot stuff. Massive, perfectly - barely - cooked scallops grilled with streaky bacon and cherry tomatoes, served with baby leaf salad (such frippery!), flour-dusted, seasoned sprats with bread and butter, oysters grilled with Parmesan and cream. All excellent, the scallops and the oysters particularly so.

Play with your food, eat your friends: the remnants.

And the damage? You can't really spend more than £15 a head unless you're an enormous fatty, and I can eat Quite A Lot

...proven by this. Very fine fish and chips at the West Mersea Oyster bar after sinking a few at The Victory. Homemade tartare sauce, mushy peas, the lot.

So stick a fork in me, I'm done. A great weekend of great seafood and a reasonable quantity of decent beer. Still winning.

Stew fried aubergine

2012-01-13T01:13:00.000-08:00

Embracing Penury as the new January, here's my attempt at recreating Gourmet San's stew fried aubergine at home*. It's basically a salty, oily, sugary, umami-y slap around the face with a silky aubergine. So, pretty good, then.

*if you've yet to visit Gourmet San, this review should jolly you along a bit.

To serve six as a side, three - four at a miserly push - as a main with sticky rice

2 big aubergines
Salt
2tbsp (heaped) fermented soy bean / miso paste
1tbsp (heaped) caster sugar
1tbsp rice wine vinegar
200ml hot water from the kettle
Sunflower, vegetable or groundnut oil for frying
1 white onions, finely sliced
1tbsp light soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Handful chopped coriander

1. Cut the aubergines into big fat chips, roughly 6cm long and 1.5cm wide (don't lose sleep over exact measurements). Scatter them across a board or work surface, sprinkle with salt and leave for 20 minutes.

2. Mix together the soy bean paste, sugar, rice wine vinegar and water until combined.

3. Give the aubergine pieces a cursory wipe with a bit of kitchen paper and heat a wok until medium hot. Batch fry the aubergine slices until golden brown; stir almost constantly and don't be too shy with the oil (couple of tablespoons per batch). Put the aubergines on kitchen paper once fried.

4. Once all the aubergine pieces are browned, turn down the heat down medium-low, offer a prayer to the gods of heart disease prevention and add a final sloosh of oil to the wok. Stir fry the onions for a few seconds, then add the soy sauce and garlic. Continue to stir fry until the onions are soft and have a bit of colour, then pour in the saucy stuff. Turn up the heat until it's all nice and bubbly then taste and add a bit more of whatever you think it might need; you want a balanced salty/sweet/slightly tangy/savoury thing going on without any of the aforementioned attributes dominating the taste. Once you're happy with the flavour, chuck in the aubergines and cook for a further 5-10 minutes, until they're all gloopy, squishy and delicious.

5. Add the coriander, stir a bit, then serve with sticky rice and a healthy dollop of Sriracha sauce.

Pizza tomatoes

2011-12-28T06:12:00.000-08:00

A barely there recipe for a barely there blog. Current favourite breakfast, tomatoes-that-taste-like-pizza on toast. Slice a beef tomato into discs and arrange in a single layer on a baking tray. Douse with olive oil, scatter with sea salt and pepper, add a few tiny slivers of garlic and a sprinkling of fresh (preferable) or dried thyme. Grill under a high heat for five minutes, scoop onto toast, eat.

Still here, still eating lots. Just not writing it down :-)

Chipotle beef back ribs, butter rice & scotch bonnet sauce

2011-07-25T09:55:00.000-07:00

FACTOID: short ribs are the back of the ribcage, near the flank and sirloin bits, and the meat is on top of the bones. Back ribs – rather confusingly – are from the front end near the tasty rib-eye stuff, and the meat is between the bones. There’s a higher bone to beef ratio with back ribs but they’re subsequently cheaper - the racks below were £3 each from Ginger Pig in Hackney - and, with all that lovely fat, have bags of flavour. Nose to tail kids, nose to tail.

Nice rack.

Serves two very hungry people (or one slightly less hungry person four times)

For the ribs

2 racks of beef ‘spare’ ribs

2 red peppers, roughly sliced

15 shallots, peeled

2 sticks of celery, roughly chopped

2 carrots, roughly chopped

6 cloves garlic

The stems from a bunch of coriander

1kg vine tomatoes – you can go for fairly big ones, they don’t need to be tiny – cut in half

1 scotch bonnet chilli

2l beef stock

A massive, massive cooking pot, suitable for the oven

Spices and stuff

2 chipotle chillies

3tsp ground cumin

1tsp ground coriander

2tsp smoked paprika

½ tsp turmeric

3 star anise

6 bay leaves

3tsp sea salt

1tsp ground black pepper

To finish the sauce

Large bunch of coriander

1 scotch bonnet chilli – without or without seeds as is your preference, I included them

2tsp caster sugar

Juice of 2 limes

Butter rice

200g rice

50g butter

1tsp salt

Heat the oven to 150 degrees C / gas mark 2.

Chop the racks in half by following the edge of one of the central bones with your knife.

Split the chipotles in half and flatten them before tipping them seeds and all into a hot, dry frying pan. Toast for a couple of minutes – be sure to stick your nose above the pan and inhale the deliciously evocative smoky pepper smells – then remove from the pan.

Add a massive glug of olive oil to your massive, massive cooking pot, and gently cook the peppers, shallots, celery, carrots, garlic and coriander stems until they start to soften and smell sweet. Chuck in the spices and stuff, and cook for a further ten minutes. This bit also smells ace.

FACTOID: turmeric isn't really used for flavor – it tastes a bit gross – but is an excellent coagulant so keeps meat all moist and juicy, thus its prevalence in slow cooking and BBQ dishes.

Add the tomatoes to the pot, and leave them to get a bit squishy for ten or so minutes.

Add the stock along with 1 scotch bonnet chilli, then add the ribs, maneuvering the contents of the pot so that everything sits obediently just below the surface (you might need a smidge more liquid).

Cut a circle of foil large enough rest on the surface of the liquid and be wrapped over the top of the pan, and do just that. Stick the pot in the oven and go distract yourself for 3 hours…learn the rudiments of a foreign language…tidy your bedroom…paint your finger nails an attractive shade of purple before removing the whole lot because you can’t colour between the lines…I don’t care, just leave the oven alone.

Butter rice

Butter rice is essentially just an excuse to add even more butter to life. Rice is THE best carb and no one will convince me otherwise, and forcing it to absorb delicious, delicious butter is adds a subtle but welcome layer of additional food sexy. You can cook this between 30 minutes and an hour before you want to serve - it'll stay nice and hot.

Put a pan of water onto boil and rinse the rice under cold running water for a couple of minutes. Add the salt to the water, then add the rice. Give it s stir, let the rice sink for a couple of seconds and pour off all but 2cm of the water. Add the butter, stir again before putting a lid on the pan and turning the heat down to a gentle simmer. Cook for 5 minutes then turn off the heat. DO NOT lift the lid or it’ll go all wrong. Just leave it alone until you serve, okay?

Back to the ribs

When the braising time is up, carefully remove the ribs from the pot. Skim the fat from the liquid, then boil rapidly and reduce by 1/3 - this took around 15 minutes. Add the sugar and scotch bonnet, blitz the lot, and pass through a seive. Add the coriander and lime juice, blitz again and taste - I added a fair amount of salt at this point. You'll have LOADS of sauce, but it's okay - it doubles as a spicy soup, or can be frozen in batches for future times.

To serve

Heat the grill as high as it’ll go – this would be FABULOUS on the BBQ but alack! I don’t own one – baste the ribs with the skimmed-off fat and sprinkle with salt. Stick them under the grill for a couple of minutes each side, until the fat sizzles and they’re nicely browned. Serve them with the butter rice, sauce and - if you can be bothered – some guacamole.

Tender beef that just FALLS off the bone, loads of chilli and fluffy rice. The only thing I will say is be careful with the bones: watch out for rogue bits. This will be even better the next day - let the ribs cool down in the cooking liquid, refrigerate. When you come to serve, heat the meat gently in the liquid and proceed as above (from the sauce bit).

Trotter beast goes East

2011-07-23T12:47:00.000-07:00

However utterly lovely - silky, savoury, surprisingly delicate - the chicken in trotter jelly was, there's only so much of it one person can eat. So...gently heat the jelly in a saucepan, add a dribble of water to loosen it a bit. Chuck in chilli flakes and fish sauce and let it simmer for two minutes, before pouring into a bowl and throwing in chopped spring onions and lime juice (I *wish* I had some coriander in the house). Really, really, bloooooody good. I surprise myself sometimes, I really do.

Chicken in trotter jelly

2011-07-21T11:06:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make something meaty. I knew it should involve jelly. Thank you Lithuanian Jotter for providing a welcome spot of direction, and Ginger Pig for selling me random bits of animal.

Trotters aren't really for the faint of heart, or at least the faint of feet. I’m not a huge fan, aesthetically speaking, of the human variety so these porkers turned my stomach a bit.

See?

So, tackle the feet. You may wish to pour yourself a fortifying drink now, or you might want to wait until the foot-hair-be-gone debacle is over and celebrate then. Or perhaps you do both and pretend to be Anthony Bourdain guest-starring in My Drunk Kitchen. Anyway, put a large pan of water on to boil and de-fuzz them feets. You can try to remove the bristles with a flame but I found this ineffective and TOTALLY stinky so got busy with a razor, all the while cursing epilation attempt number one for making my flat hum so heinously. Try as I might, I just couldn’t remove every hair from in between the toes (srsly, BLEEEEUUUUGGGGH), but as I was going to strain the liquid to buggery at the end I didn’t panic too much.

Add the trimmed trotters to the boiling water, allow to boil again and bubble for five minutes. Strain, discard the liquid, refill the pot with fresh water and set to boil once more. Being a glutton for punishment I gave the trotters a final once over at this point, but to be honest it wasn’t pleasant and I’d fully support you in not bothering.

Par-boiled trotters. I repeat, BLEEEEEUUUGGGGGH..

While the fresh water is coming to the boil, prepare the vegetables and assemble the aromatics. Chop two ribs of celery and two carrots into thirds, quarter two onions and slice a leek into fat rounds. For aromatics I used five bay leaves, a sprig of rosemary, two star anise, a handful of parsley, lots of black pepper and 2tsp salt. Should you feel the need, place everthing in bowls and on plates, in order to give that newly-minted cookery show-type feel.

Once the water is boiling, add the trotters, veg and aromatics, turn the heat down to a gentle simmer and leave the pot alone for two hours. I gave the pot the occasional poke with a wooden spoon but that’s because I’m an only child and felt left out. I’m sure it’s fine left to its own devises while you do something constructive.

I’d bought some raspberries in order to pay on my card at the greengrocer, and at this point I squished them into a vodka, swigged gratefully and gave myself a little pat on the back for being such a brave girl.

After two hours, pop in two big, free-range chicken drumstick thighs (the leg and the thigh together), ensure they're submerged in stock and poach them gently for an hour - until the flesh is soft and cooked but not overdone. Skim as much fat from the top of the stock as you can.

When the final hour is up, strain the bits out and for CHRIST'S SAKE do not let your megawesome stock disappear down the sink with a momentary brain fart. Discard all solids with the exception of a couple of bits of carrot and the trotters and thighs. Strain the stock through a fine sieve several times, before putting it back on the stove on a fast bubble and reducing for ten minutes. While this is happening, pick the meat from the chicken and trotters, breaking any larger pieces down a little. Slice the carrot pieces into thin rounds. Taste the reduced stock and adjust the seasoning if necessary - it should be savoury and well seasoned, as the flavour can dull a little when it chilled.

Add a couple of tablespoons of stock into the base of four, small, Chinese-type bowls. Add a few bits of carrot, the meat, then pour in the stock until everything is just covered, pushing any rogue bits down if needed. Allow the jellies to cool before covering in cling film and placing in the fridge.

They're ready! Remove the jellies from the fridge, run a flexible knife around the edge, invert and shake gently until they ffffffffffffffffffffftssss satisfyingly onto waiting plates. Garnish with coarse sea salt and serve with toast and something acidic - I used pickled shallots.

Silky poached chicken set in spreadable, flavoursome pork juice. What's not to love?

My first photo shoot

2011-06-07T04:45:00.000-07:00

Gadzooks, a blog post! And with pretty pictures too. Who are you and what have you done with Shed?

If these shots suggest I locked myself away with a snazzy camera, Food Photography for Dummies and an assembly of props appropriated from someone with a sense of style much greater than mine, apologies, it’s all lies. They’re the result of a long – but hugely enjoyable – summer photo shoot which Lex, Y and I did for Hubbub, which incidentally is where my recipes have been going for the last four months (or did you think I’d stopped eating?).

With the exception of a little kitchen prep the day before, we cooked and shot 28 recipes in one day, with Y behind the camera, Lex arranging things artfully in front of it and me swearing at ingredients until they behaved reasonably and resembled nice grub. I would have been extremely uncomfortable putting anything in front of the camera that I wouldn’t put in my mouth, so everything was made as if for the table; seasoned well, with all ingredients present and correct*. There would be a huge irony in making crap food to sell amazing ingredients, so it was all made properly and the day concluded in a bizarre, eclectic, but ultimately delicious feast.

Here are some we prepared earlier, many are linked to the recipes should you find the urge to make any of it, and here is Lex's post where you'll find a few more shots.

*with one exception. Here’s a video of that sexy little buttermilk pudding, really rather impressively bouncing off the patio. Oops. More agar agar anyone?

Pie Shed

2011-02-04T01:17:00.000-08:00

Pie Shed: where people eat pie, in a shed. We make pie, people eat pie, everyone brings a thing, no cash changes hands. Simples.

Our inaugural pie shed involved a splendid beast made from beef, ale and aubergines, and a veggie number along these lines which even the beefies declared a fine specimen of pastry-topped goodness. Pots of herby mash, two types of gravy, bowls of buttery green cabbage and honey drizzled carrots completed our pie-fest.

Attendees eat for free, but they have to bring something into the mix. And by golly they did well. Our guests brought:

* a scrummy handmade rhubarb and strawberry cordial

*12 individual lemon possets set in dinky little espresso cups, the latter of which was gifted to us. Lovely! The possets were finished with a strip of zingy homemade candid lime, and were absolutely delicious. Kavey needs to share her recipe...

* an outstanding home-made banana cake - the best I've tasted - and a bottle of Champagne to ring in the Vietnamese New Year

* mountains and mountains of fabulous quality cheese, posh biscuits, oatcakes, good bread and fine French plonk.

And last, but by no means least....this!

My very own branded apron!! Bloody brilliant. Thank you Gail, I love love love it.

Cheers to our lovely guests, we had a wonderful night. Roll on #pieshed mk II...

Makin' bacon

2011-01-10T10:36:00.000-08:00

The Shed, my friends, is open once more. Sad though we were to close over the festive period, there was one upside: The Shed makes the ideal environment for curing bits of pig.

Making your own bacon is so gratifyingly simple, I'm shocked and appalled it isn't strictly advised - particular denominations of faith schools aside - on every home economics syllabus in the land. I had this long, inspirational ranty call to action half-drunkenly bashed into a word document about how easy and empowering it is to Make Stuff, but it was probably a load of rubbish, and anyway it disappeared.

This isn't quite the Best Bacon Eva, but it's pretty close to very decent stuff from your local butcher, and far and above anything you can buy in a supermarket. Slicing is the tricksy bit, so either ask nicely next time you're buying produce from your friendly neighbourhood butcher, or make do with gratuitously fat slices. Shame, eh?

I didn't use saltpetre or nitrites and everything worked out pretty well, though I'd be eager to hear any advice people might have on this aspect. The recipe below is a basic common-or-garden cure which will show off decent quality pork very ably. I'm planning to experiment with various flavourful additions - maple, honey, spices etc - and again, would welcome any tips and recipes.

You will need

Whole pork loin or belly (the latter makes streaky), cut into two or three lumps

800g sea salt (no need for Malden)

250g light brown sugar

1tbsp ground black peppercorns (optional)

A large non-reactive container (big plastic boxes, the kind in which boyfriends keep records, are good)

A cold place

Three weeks

With a skewer, pierce the skin of the pork several times to help the cure penetrate. Put the pork into the container. Mix together the dry ingredients, and work 1/3 of this mixture into the pork. Cover the container, place in a cold, dry place and leave. After a day, drain off any liquid, and coat the pork in more of the cure. Repeat this process the following day. Leave the pork for 3 more days turning half way through, before rinsing off the salt, and patting the meat dry with kitchen towel. Wrap the meat in clean muslin, before hanging in a cool dry place for a minimum of two weeks.

Slice and eat! I had my cured porky chunks vac-packed after the hanging time, though apparently the pork will keep well in the muslin so long as it's in a cool, dry atmosphere.

A vegetarian pie that isn’t ‘alf bad.

2010-11-19T04:44:00.000-08:00

I have finally cracked it; a vegetarian pie that doesn’t make you weep for the meaty dream your pastry could have contained. I’m not saying you’d fall over yourself to order it above mssrs Steak and Kidney, but really decent vegetarian pie filling has eluded me for a while, so I feel like sharing.

The problem is gravy, or to be precise, lack of. Gone are the days when chucking a tin of Campbell’s condensed mushroom soup over a load of parboiled brassicas would do*. Filling a pie with tasty roasted vegetables is all well and good, but without a bit of ooze it’s all a bit one dimensional, texturally speaking. Here’s my way around it.

*having watched CDWM recently I realise, with a shudder, that those days are still alive and kicking in some kitchens.

Aubergine, sweet potato, garlic mushroom, roasted pepper, lentil and goats cheese pie (phew)

Serves 6

½ quantity of this pastry (or 125g shop bought puff pastry)

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes

Olive oil

120g green lentils

500ml vegetable stock

1 large aubergine, cut into 1cm rounds, which are then cut into quarters

2 peppers, roughly chopped

1 onion, roughly chopped

50g butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 Portobello mushrooms

Handful flat leaf parsley

A little oregano

150g goats cheese (nothing fancy, chevre log will do) cut into chunks

S&P

Heat the oven to gas mark 7.

Roast the sweet potato in the pie dish with some oil, salt and pepper. When the potato starts to soften at the edges, add the peppers and onions and roast for a further 30 minutes. Rinse the lentils then simmer them in stock until they’re tender. The stock will gradually reduce which helps to make the ‘gravy’. While the lentils are cooking, cook the aubergine pieces over a high heat, in a heavy based frying pan. You’ll need to use a tiny bit of oil, and salt and pepper. Remove the auibergine from the pan and set to one side. In the same pan, over a low heat, melt the butter and gently cook the garlic until it softens. Turn the heat up a little and add the mushrooms, parsley, and oregano and cook for a further 10 minutes.

Once all the components are ready, add the mushrooms, aubergines and lentils to the pie dish, and mix. If you have quite a lot of stock left, add in just the lentils and further reduce the stock before adding. Season with plenty of pepper, add the goats cheese, and check to see if it needs any more salt. Roll out and add a pastry lid, ensuring you cut couple of air holes, before baking the pie for 15 minutes or so, until the pastry is crisp and golden.

The Shed is CLOSED

2010-11-16T01:35:00.001-08:00

The Shed supper club is now closed until 2011. If anyone is interested in joining us next year, drop us a line at theshedlikesfood@gmail.com and we’ll stick you on the list.

Until then, like the Queen, one has a Christmas message (ignore that missing apostrophe, I know it hurts):

See you next year

xxxxx

Cheesy herby rough puff pastry

2010-11-15T04:25:00.000-08:00

If there's something that'll help ease the misery of cold, dark, wintery weather, it is a pie topped with this pastry. It's a relative doddle to make, though still clearly weekend cooking due to the chilling time. Crisp but giving without being too flaky, deliciously savoury and very moreish: the perfect lid for chilly-day pie. I slow-cooked some beef shin in veal stock with shallots, fennel, aubergines, parsley and garlic, and golly it was blummin' tasty.

We should all be eating more pie.

Makes enough for one huge pie, freezes for a month or so.

250g plain flour

1/2 tsp salt

250g butter, very cold and cut into small cubes

125ml ice cold water

Handful herbs of your choosing, very finely chopped - parsley and chives work well with beef, tarragon would be lovely with fish or chicken, whatever floats your pastry boat.

120g grated hard cheese - I used Lincolnshire Poacher but pretty much any firm tasty cheese would work.

Tip the flour onto a work surface and make a well in the centre. Mix the butter and salt in the well, and gradually work in the flour with your finger tips. Try not to overwork the mixture or melt the butter with the heat from your hands.

Mix together the chopped herbs and cold water, before adding gradually to the flour/butter, mixing gently to bring it loosely together. Again, don't overwork the pastry. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Knead the pastry twice before rolling it into a large, rough rectangle. Sprinkle with a quarter of grated cheese, lightly press in the cheese with your hands, before folding the outer two thirds of the pastry into the middle. Turn the pastry a quarter turn, then roll out again, sprinkle more cheese, press, fold, wrap and refrigerate for another 20 minutes.

Repeat the process again for two more 'turns'. Keep the pastry chilled until use, it'll need at least 20 minutes in the fridge anyway. I then rolled the pastry to size and chilled (again) before baking, but I don't think that's crucial. You should have enough pastry for a large lid, and an extra 'lip' for the outside edge. Make sure you cut some holes in the lid before baking.

Hawksmoor Seven Dials

2010-11-01T05:41:00.001-07:00

The Sinking Spritz, taken by Tehbus on a proper camera, like.

The Twittersphere runneth over. The blog posts are trickling through. Only if you've been living under a rock will you be unaware of the new Hawksmoor in Seven Dials. Everyone else: I hope you had a great meal. Offering a 50% discount on food for their week-long soft-opening made for a full restaurant and busy kitchen. If staff were feeling the strain when I attended on their sixth day of madness, they sure as beef weren't showing it. I'd have felt bad about getting the food half price had we not so gallantly made up the bill with seven hours of cocktail consumption.

Here's a small selection of the other blog posts which on the whole are bigger, better, brighter, and have more pretty pictures.

http://www.doshermanos.co.uk/2010/10/dine-with-dos-hermanos-hawksmoor-seven.html

http://gourmettraveller.wordpress.com/2010/10/31/hawksmoor-sd/

http://elitistreview.com/2010/10/21/hawksmoor-seven-dials-version-2-of-londons-best-meat-restaurant/

http://www.afacadeofniceness.com/2010/10/hawksmoor.html

http://tummyrumble.hultberg.org/2010/10/can-the-best-restaurant-in-london-get-any-better.html

http://www.aladyinlondon.com/2010/10/hawksmoor-restaurant-covent-garden.html

And here's my top five. I'm not going to include the meat because it's "***king brilliant" and you all knew that already.

5. Décor. Every reclaimed door, swirly leather bar stool, the art Deco lamps and sexy little cocktail glasses - they've all been chosen with such care and attention to detail that I'm almost surprised they let the general public in. The place is stunning, which really adds to the sense of occasion; you're not going out for steak, you're going out for steak at Hawksmoor.

4. The Lobster roll. The tender, succulent flesh from a whole lobster finished with hazelnut and garlic butter, served warm in a light brioche bun with Bearnese on the side. Absolutely stupendous, and deliciously messy to eat. Well worth the wedge.

3. Dripping cooked chips. Hard to describe without transgressing into a Homer Simpson-esque dribbly pool, these are serious potato fun times. Like the best roast potatoes you've ever had only with a higher degree of crispy surface area, more perfectly seasoned than granny on the olorosso.

2. Hawksmoor Tomato Ketchup. Yes, for real. It really is that good. If you're going to serve such high-grade meat you need a ketchup to match, and this definitely keeps up with the cow.

1. The bar, its staff, everything they make and do. Ever. Best appreciated in smaller numbers; as a party of two we had private audience with each of the talented bar team in turn. You might walk in thinking you know your stuff but these chaps will blow you and Your Mate Who Makes A Lovely Martini out of the water, and then some. Explore the painstakingly assembled list before going off piste and ordering a Sinking Spritz from Rich. Properly inspirational stuff. They have an impressive array of botanicals and bitters perched on the bar which they'll happily explain as you make your way down the menu. It would be educational if it didn't encourage you to drink so much.

So a bit good, then. Essentially, Hawksmoor sells you pleasure. They take wholesome chunks of beef, sex things up with butter sauces and bone marrow and medal-worthy chips, make you toe-curlingly fabulous cocktails before sending you on your way wishing you were as cool as them. You'll only have one question about your visit: when can I come back?

The Drapers Arms

2010-10-29T02:09:00.000-07:00

Minutes away from Upper Street on a quiet norf Laandan street, lies the Drapers Arms. Occupying the vaguely uncomfortable spot between public house and restaurant, it's not the sort of place you'd go for relaxing pints on a Sunday, nor is it an all-out Saturday night bank-buster. If you're looking for a mid-week treat, however, the DA is your man.

We get off to a cracking start with a board of complimentary bread and butter. Decent brown bread - good amount of chew, nice crusty crust - and quality unsalted butter. The latter brought debate; I enjoy unsalted butter as it allows me to go nuts with the grinder, Mr Shed prefers his butter avec salt and sans effort. The bread was replenished after we devoured the first lot, a very good sign indeed.

I started with brawn, enjoying the look on (non meat-eater) MrS's face when I explained what it is. A little fridge cold, but loose and silky once it warmed a little, and most importantly tasted of good quality piggy. On it's own I would have found it the teeniest bit under seasoned, but paired with salty, acidic little cornichon, the whole thing was balanced beautifully. More of their lovely bread, this time toasted which helped to warm the terrine. MrS had a bowl of luscious squash and sage soup, very well made, even perhaps turning the tide on my sage hating ways.

We looked to the sea for main courses; gilt head bream and creamed black cabbage, and lemon sole with salsify. Both were PERFECTLY cooked, total A grade skillz. Stonkingly fresh, seasoned well without any heavy handedness, finished with a browned butter and nice crispy skin to boot. My salsify didn't do an awful lot for me, but did provide a nice enough vessel for transporting fish to mouth. A little squeeze of the lemons provided rounded both dishes off nicely.

After his whopping great bream - the size of the beast! -MrS eschewed dessert. A glutton to the end I had a wobbling, unctuous buttermilk pudding, a panacotta in ye olde Englishe if you will. The buttermilk gave a lactic, lemony note which I loved, something I'll be recreating at home. A dependable blackcurrant compote was perfectly nice, but to be honest it was a little superfluous: the pudding was good enough without. A pretty decent double espresso and we're done.

Niggles? Very few. I was a little disappointed to note that they've yet to add any of our superb English plonk to the wine list, especially with the menu championing British stalwarts like brawn, Arbroath smokies, smoked eel and beef and ale pie. If I were to nitpick, the main courses were a little long in arriving, but all is forgiven when the food is so pleasurable, and the dining room was very busy.

The damage: a very reasonable £65, including drinks and excluding service, the latter of which was friendly, and efficient on the whole. It represents, for me, a fairly extravagant mid-week haunt, but one which I hope to revisit in the not-too-distant-future.

The Drapers Arms

Contact

Sample Menu

Thai sweet corn noodle soup

2010-10-29T00:46:00.000-07:00

Yet another bad iPhone pic

It's the night before pay day and the wallet is bare. There is an assortment of ingredients in the fridge, none of which quite go together. Smoked mackerel, halloumi, feta - it's all salt, no subtlety. There, hiding at the back, is a jug of grade Awesome chicken stock, the kind that needs slicing once cold. Let dinner begin.

This is proper store cupboard cooking, so long as your store cupboard (or freezer) includes some thick, gelatinous chicken stock made from a flavoursome free-range chuck. The slow cooking of the onion, ginger, and garlic is crucial and shouldn't be hurried.

A particularly satisfying dish to eat alone, slurping to your heart's content.

Serves two (or one, twice)

2tbsp groundnut oil

1 white onion, finely sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3cm piece of ginger - you want quite a lot - finely sliced

1tsp chilli flakes

750ml bestest ace chicken stock

300g sweetcorn (frozen / tinned / whatever)

1tsp palm sugar

Pinch salt

2 handfuls cook noodles

Handful fresh coriander, chopped

4-5 mint leaves, finely chopped

Fish sauce, to taste

Lime segments

Heat the oil in a saucepan big enough for all of the ingredients, and cook the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli flakes over a low heat until soft, sticky, ever so slightly golden and sweet. This will take about 30 minutes, and you may need to loosen with a tbsp or two of the stock (rather than more oil) if the contents get too sticky and start to catch on the pan. Add the chicken stock and sweetcorn, and simmer for a few minutes. Taste, and sweeten to your liking - start with a tsp of palm sugar and add more if desired. Add a small pinch of salt - the salting of the dish comes with the fish sauce - along with the noodles, and fresh herbs. Ladle into bowls before adding fish sauce and lime juice to taste.

Potted crab

2010-10-17T11:54:00.000-07:00

Butter, spice, seasoning and seafood. What's not to love? Be careful when buying dressed crab; you don't want anything overly fussed with and freshness, of course, is paramount. By all means cook and pick your own if you can do so without eating most of the meat in the process. I can't.

Serves two as a generous lunch, a modest starter for four.

100g butter

2 medium banana shallots, finely diced

Cayenne pepper

Mace

Tiny splash of Pernod

1 dressed crab

Generous squeeze of lemon juice

S&P to taste

50g butter, clarified

Melt 100g of butter and gently cook the shallots without colouring. Add the spices - I useabout half a teaspoon of cayenne and a little shake of mace - and the Pernod (you do only want a tiny bit, half a cap full at most) and cook for a further 5 minutes over a low heat. Add the crab, lemon juice, and season. Add whatever you think it needs more of, before transferring to ramekins. Once it's cooled a little, cover with a fine layer of luke-warm clarified butter and refrigerate. Allow to come up to room temperature before serving with decent warm bread and a bit of leafy poncing should you wish. It'll keep a couple of days in the fridge, if not devoured in one sitting.

Orange cured salmon and herby maple salad

2010-10-05T05:15:00.000-07:00

Like a seared beef carpaccio, cured salmon is one of those god-send dishes where the tastiness belies the absolute doddle it is to make. The most difficult part is finding decent raw ingredients, after which only a total pleb can muck it up. Probably.

For the first in what we're hoping will be a series of Shex Eats Food and Likes It supper club meals, Lex Eat and I prepared an early 'Christmas' meal for a group of lovely girlies, one of whom is moving far, far away so won't be here for the real deal. This was the starter; soft, orangy salmon, fragrant herbs - go heavy - a sweet maple dressing and crispy potato cakes. Even if we say it ourselves, it's a winner.

For the salmon

Bestest, freshest fillet of fresh Scottish salmon you can find

3 tbsp sea salt flakes

3 tbsp caster sugar

2 juicy oranges, cut into rounds

Slice the salmon in half down the length and cover with the salt and sugar. Lay the oranges on one half, then sandwich together, skin outer facing. Wrap tightly with cling film, place on a flat surface in your fridge, then weigh down with a chopping board and/or a big book. You want pressure applied along the length of the fish, but not so much that you actually squash it. Leave in the fridge for three days, flipping the fish over every 16 hours or so.

You can play around with the texture; the higher your salt to sugar ratio, the firmer the finished salmon will be.

For the complete dish, make;

- skinny, crispy rosti. Grate potato, salt, squeeze the moisture out, add grated onion, more salt, pepper, squish into large flat discs, fry over low heat until soft in the middle and crisp on the outside, which will take around 20 minutes. Keep warm in a low oven.

- a salad with lots of basil, parsley, and mint, with a little baby gem lettuce.

- orange segments, two or three per person

- Maple dressing (adapted by Lex from the Ottolenghi book)

60ml olive oil

3 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp sherry vinegar

1 tbsp lemon juice

Big squeeze orange juice

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

½ tsp ground cinnamon

Assemble with the potato cakes on the bottom - they want to be warm, not hot - then sashimi style strips of salmon, topped with dressed herby salad and segments of orange. We served pots of La Fromagerie creme fraiche on the side which was nice, but not essential.

My first grouse

2010-09-17T04:23:00.000-07:00

Following a bad experience cooking pheasant I've tended to steer clear of game in the kitchen. Under the impression that I didn't have the skillz I avoided anything more robust than a free range chuck, until a chat with my boss revealed that it was the [over-hung] pheasant and not me. Huzzah, jubilations, a new culinary door opens up. Obviously this was months before the start of the season so I've had to wait until now to give game another shot, so to speak. (sorry)

Enter Gerald Grousington III. Cute, no?

And dare I say it was a succulent success. I had a little moment of panic - does one chop off the feet?, but as you can see below, that didn't last long.

Served with bubble n squeak patties, "sweet and sour" carrots, mushroom and kidney gravy and a spoonful of shallots, a mighty feast for the lone meat eater (meater?) of the house.

Here's what I did, all very simple homely stuff.

For the grouse

Grouse (oven ready - I'm not mucking about with feathers)

Butter

S+P

Nutmeg

2 rashers streaky bacon

1/2 banana shallot, cut into rings

Bubble & Squeak cakes

2 handfuls mash potato

3 leaves savoy cabbage, finely sliced

1 banana shallot, finely sliced

Butter

S+P

Carrots

1 large carrot, cut into batons

1tsp honey

knob butter

1tsp red wine vinegar

Small handful chopped parsley

S&P

Mushroom & Kidney Gravy

1/2 banana shallot, finely chopped

Butter

1 posh mushroom stock cube (yes, a stock cube)

200ml water

if required, smidge cornflour, loosened with cold water to thicken

1 cooked kidney from your bird (see instructions)

Heat the oven to 220 degrees / gas mark 7, and bring a pan of water to the boil. Fry the cabbage and shallot in butter until nice and soft, then combine with the mash and season well. Shape into little patties, and set to one side. Fry the chopped (gravy) shallot in a little butter, then add the mushroom stock cube and water, and simmer until reduced and a bit syrupy. I'd have liked to have thrown in some wine here too, but the booze cupboard was (unsurprisingly) dry.

Butter, season, and bacon your bird. Inspired by Oliver Thring's recent nutmeg post, I threw on a tiny bit of that too, just before the bacon.

Pop the grouse in the oven and roast for 15 minutes, before turning the oven down to gas 180 / mark 5 and roasting for a further 10.

Meanwhile, boil the carrot until just cooked, drain and mix with the other carrot ingredients. Leave it in the hot pan, with the lid on until ready to serve.

Just after you turn down the oven, heat a frying pan and fry the potato cakes until golden and crisp on the outside. Once the grouse has finished cooking, fish out a kidney (in the cavity), wrap the bird in foil, and leave to rest for ten minutes.

Whisk the cooked kidney into the sauce, adding the cornflour to thicken if needed. Pile the fruits of your labour onto a plate, and enjoy with a glass of wine, should you have any in the house.

Beetroot and Mackerel, a couple of recipes and a plea for more

2010-09-14T01:24:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, it's terrible.

Following a vegetarian meal in The Shed, I had leftover an enormous bowl of beetroot mezze dip. Not because it was bad - highly acclaimed in fact, even by the beetroot haters - but because there is always something I make far, far too much of and have to eat for days and days.

Anyway, on spying this recipe on eating queen Hollowlegs' blog, the mezze is such an obvious pairing for mackerel that I am mildly ashamed it didn't before cross my mind. Salty mackerel, chilli kick, earthy heat of horseradish, botanical nuance from healthy handfuls each of mint/coriander, and a zip of balsamic to bring the whole thing together. Here's the recipe for the beetroot puree, which I heartily recommend dolloping over smoked mackerel fillets and devouring with a hunk of bread and token greenery.

Predictably, I over-ordered on mackerel to do the above. If ever there's a woman to have Eyes Bigger Than Belly engraved on her tombstone, I am surely she*. However, a surplus of mackerel is no bad thing and taking inspiration from Lizzie's recipe I made the salad below. If you don't own walnut oil, go out and buy some right now, it'll revolutionise your salads no end so long as you like walnuts.

*not that the belly isn't substantial in it's own right

I still have four mackerel fillets left; does anyone have a whiz-delicious recipe?

Beetroot & Mackerel Salad, to serve four as a starter

1 pack cooked beetroot (you get slightly more flavour if you roast or boil raw beetroot, but for heavens' sake who has the time after work?)

2 fillets smoked mackerel.

1 small read onion, finely sliced

2 handfuls sugar snap peas

6 big radishes, finely sliced into rounds

2 handfuls rocket

2 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped

Handful toasted walnuts (optional but nice)

Dressing

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Juice of 1 lemon

1 dtsp honey

100ml walnut oil

Black pepper

Thinly slice the beetroot into skinny rounds and arrange on four plates in an attractive fashion. Whisk together the mustard, lemon and honey, before adding the walnut oil, whisking as you go, to create an emulsified dressing; season with black pepper.

Remove the skin and any bones from the mackerel fillets, and flake the flesh into chunky pieces. Combine in a large bowl the red onion, sugar snap peas, radishes, rocket and mint with the mackerel flakes, and toss the whole lot in the dressing; taste for seasoning, I found it needed no additional salt due to the mackerel. Serve the salad atop the beetroot discs, and adorn with toasted walnuts if you feel it necessary. Pieces of soft boiled boiled egg would also be a nice touch.

Salt beef pho: East meets East End

2010-09-13T01:05:00.000-07:00

I'm not attempting any fancy posturing with all the greenery,

the garden is simply the only place there's any light

If someone were to offer me plane tickets to a destination of my choosing I'd almost certainly plump for Vietnam. I'm pretty pleased with where I am life-wise, but I do experience the occasional pang of jealousy at those who spent their early twenties flitting about the world, engorging a rich mix of culture and foreign grub. Then I remember I would hate pretty much everything involved in travelling of the backpacking sort, and resign myself to earning a fat pay rise and seeing the world in style, or at least from a proper apartment with fluffy towels, fewer insects and air conditioning.

So my experience of Vietnamese food is limited to London's offering, but as the chefs are Vietnamese the dishes must be a pretty good approximation, right? Regardless of authenticity, I love what I've tried so recently invested in Luke Nguyen's Songs of Sapa, which technically leaves me another £20 further away from those plane tickets, but happily has brought the taste of Vietnam (probably) into my Newington Green flat.

Having dipped into the book to steal dressings and dipping sauces for other dishes I finally attempted my first full recipe, his monumental beef pho. My local butcher didn't have quite the right ingredients, so off-piste I went swapping brisket for salt brisket, and oxtail for the biggest beefy bones you did see. The results were very agreeable indeed, just the satisfyingly savoury hit I was looking for.

This is most certainly a weekend recipe, but of the 4 hours cooking time most is spent simply waiting, spoon in hand, forlornly looking at flight prices. I've made a few other tweaks, more herbs and chillies, less salt to account for the salt beef. The broth freezes for up to 2 months accordingly to Mr Nguyen.

To serve 8 (or 1, repeatedly, several days in a row)

2kg raw rolled salt brisket

3 big raw beef bones

1 unpeeled bulb garlic

4 unpeeled onions

large piece unpeeled ginger

150ml fish sauce

2tbsp palm sugar

2 cinnamon sticks

8 whole cloves

5 star anise

To serve;

1.6kg rice noodles

500g raw beef sirloin, sliced into strips

8 spring onions, thinly sliced

4 birds eye chillies, thinly sliced

Big handful chopped coriander

Handful mint

Handful sweet basil

3-4 limes, cut into segments

Soak the brisket in water for 1-2 hours as time allows, refreshing the water a couple of times. On a griddle, dry cook the garlic, onions, and ginger over a medium high heat until the outsides are blackened and in insides are going soft (this will make your flat smell delicious, like your own little ockabasi). Discard the chared skins, and roughly chops the squishy, sweet insides.

Dry fry the spices then bash roughly in a pestle and mortar. You're not looking for a fine powder, just smallish chunks which you can strain out later.

Discard the salty beef water. Fill your largest pot with 6l water, and slowly bring the beef bone and brisket to the boil, skimming the water for 25 minutes to ensure a clear stock. You may have to divide the water and bones between two pots to begin with, reuniting the liquid once it starts to reduce. Lower the heat to give a very gentle simmer, and add the garlic, onions, ginger, spices, fish sauce and sugar. Go off and potter, leaving it the simmer very gently for 3 hours. Remove the brisket and strain the stock through muslin, discarding the bones and other ingredients.

To serve, cook the rice noodles as per the pack instructions, and divide the cooked noodles and raw beef sirloin by the 8 bowls. Slice the salt beef and chuck into the bowls as well, discarding any particularly fatty bits. Put the herbs, chillies, and limes onto a plate and place in the middle of the table. Ladle the stock over the beefy bits and noodles and serve, allowing people to add the botanicals as they feel necessary. Make sure you get plenty of slurping in, it's one of the few times it's truly acceptable.

Bangin' Bangra Bangers

2010-09-02T04:35:00.000-07:00

I want to say from the off that these are made by a friend, and that I'm doing a bit of rudimentary [unpaid] PR for them. I also want to state that part of my actual real day job is, well, Food Taster and without being a bit of a nob, I generally know what I'm talking about, right? Errr, right.

Singhs Daljit & Vivek - the former a design wizz, the latter exec chef of The Cinnamon Club - have brought to life Daljit's grandfather's receipe for an Indian-influenced sausage. Daljit makes the best Indian food I've tasted; I would literally walk across London for his chicken tikka or lamb curry*. And he's not even the acclaimed, award winning restaurateur of the two.

Anyway. Unifying what are arguably two of Britain's favourite foods - curry and sausages - the original Bangra uses cardamom and sweet onion, with hints of aniseed and big chilli kick, where it's newer counterpart is an altogether more middle Eastern affair. Made with dates and apricots, with the signature hit of spice it's the North Africanesque equivalent to pork with apple and cinnamon, which just so happens to be my favourite sossy (I love you, Ginger Pig).

There's a rather jazzy recipe for spiced mash to go with, here, though I like just a blob each of mango chutney/raita and a bit of salad, wrapped up in a home made flat bread.

*thankfully, he lives across the road

Quick Mango Chutney

This isn't your slow-food, artisanal, leave-it-a-month-before-eating chutney, but it's a million miles better than anything you've had from the shop. It'll keep, covered, in the fridge for about a week.

Groundnut oil

1 banana shallot, finely diced

1 clove garlic

1 red chilli, finely chopped (seeds are optional)

1 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp caraway seeds

3 ripe, sweet mangoes, diced

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

2 tbsp caster sugar

1 tbsp water

S&P to taste

Gently cook the shallot and garlic in a little oil until soft, then add the chilli, spices and caraway seeds. Fry for a couple of minutes before adding the mangoes, vinegar, sugar and water, then simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Check for seasoning, sweetness, and acidity before serving - make the day before if you want it cold.

Delhi Grill

2010-08-25T04:14:00.000-07:00

[apologies, as usual, for the dreadful photos]

For your average foodie type there are worse places to live than Newington Green. Minutes from my door I have the amazing fruit & veg shop, two Italian delis (this one good for ingredients, this one for pizza), numerous independent caffs for a lazy brekkie and decent coffee, Turkish grocers with their pulses, olives, spices, oils and baklava, and a very attractive, errr, roundabout on which to picnic should you feel the need. Nearby, the smokey delights of Green Lanes, a visceral trip down Ridley Road, or a gastronic splurge in Clerkenwell, all within an iskender's throw of the green. Decent curry, however, is elusive.

There's Rasa up on Church Street, serving what has to be some of the best veggie grub in the city, but other than that the Indian food around here is a bit drab and unreliable (though I'd be delighted if proven wrong). And sometimes a gal just gotta have some meat with her spice.

Delhi Grill are bringing a taste of Bombay to the delicate folk of Islington with a neat selection of Indian dishes. Taking more than a leaf from the bible (Qu'ran?) of Tayyabs, they have a limited menu emphasising flavour and freshness, rather than a reading list of potential disaster. Just a few staple curries and a selection of tandoori stuffs, they're keeping it simple which is no bad thing.

Lovely Hannah of Nourish PR was, well, lovely enough to organise a sneaky roti delivery in return for my thoughts;

The rotis were good with the right amount of chew, and made a handy vessel for the generous contents within. The three fillings - lamb sausage, paneer, and chicken tikka - were well charred with a satisfying whiff of smoke, teamed with fresh salads and various sauces.

The lamb sausage was well spiced (not quite a Bangra but pretty good) though could have done with a teensy touch more salt: a tasty snagg nonetheless. The chicken tikka nicely offset with a dab of raita, enough to make a difference but not so much as to destroy the bread, and the paneer - marinated and grilled - came with soft, smoky, sweet peppers and a welcome spicy kick.

Perfect lunch or lazy-evening fodder, without the usual bank of fat/calories associated with takeaway grub. A delicious introduction to a great local place; I cannie wait to try a full on Bombay blow out*.

Delhi Grill

21 Chapel Market

Angel

020 7278 8882

*which, incidentally, would cost you next to nothing, have you seen their prices?

Courgette Falafel

2010-08-18T02:29:00.000-07:00

Like many green fingered folk, I've been grappling with a surplus of courgettes. Not because I'm a wicked ace gardener, but because I bought a load for our birthday bash and, well, forgot to cook them.

A quick Twitter poll threw up some delicious suggestions, and in the last week I've eaten Courgette & Feta Fritters, Grilled Courgette Salad, and also added courgettes to Hot & Sour Tofu with Aubergines, which is possibly my new favourite dish ever.

And I still have some left, though I'm planning on making Courgette & White Beans with Goats Curd tonight, which should finish the buggers off.

Anyway, last night I made some falafel with added courgettes (I swear I'll explode if I have to type that word again), with home-made flat breads and spring onion raita. The c********e don't really add a lot in terms of flavour, but they make for a wonderfully light, fluffy texture. Add a few pickled chillies, cherry toms, and a squeeze of lemon before eating.

For four

1 red onion

2 fat cloves garlic

1 red chilli, or 1tsp powder

1 tin fava beans or chickpeas

2 medium courgettes (argh!), grated

1tbsp plain flour

1tbsp polenta

1tsp ground cumin

1tsp paprika

1/2 tsp ground fenugreek

Handful fresh coriander, finely chopped

Handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

S&P

Very roughly chop the onion, garlic, and chilli, then transfer to a food processor and whizz until finely chopped. Add the fava beans or chickpeas, and blend. Transfer to a bowl, and add the remaining ingredients, season generously, then mix thoroughly - get your hands in and start squishing. With wet hands, form the mixture into little balls, about 3cm across. Leave the falafel to stand for 20 minutes which allows the outsides to harden a little and helps them to keep their shape, then fry in around 1cm oil over a medium / medium hot heat until brown and crispy.

Flat Breads

Makes 8 - taken from the Moro cookbook, recipe for 'Quick Flat Breads'

200ml warm water

1/2 tsp dried yeast

260g strong white bread flour

1tsp fine sea salt

1tbsp olive oil

Mix together the water and yeast, and leave for a few minutes to dissolve. Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl, then gradually add the water, mixing the whole thing together with your fingertips. Once combined, add the oil and kneed for a minute or so to make a smooth, elastic dough. Leave to prove for 20 minutes.

Knead the dough for 30 seconds, then split into 8 pieces. Flatten a piece with your hands, before rolling flat and quite thing with a rolling pin. In a hot, dry pan or over a griddle, cook each bread for a few minutes either side, until spotted with golden brown bits but still nice and soft - you can keep the finished breads warm in the oven while you cook the remaining dough.

Spring onion raita

3tbsp good Greek or natural yoghurt - never low fat

4tbsp cold water

1tbsp chopped coriander

1tbsp chopped parsley

1 spring onion, finely chopped

1tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cumin

Tiniest dash of white wine vinegar

Combine all of the above, add more of whatever you think it needs!

Ossobuco

2010-08-16T03:32:00.000-07:00

Ossobuco is perfect weekend cooking; lots of chopping, a slow braise, fiddle-faddle with a risotto and all the time in the world to savour your rewards with a glass of plonk. It's worth making friends with your butcher for several reasons, one of which is getting perfect ossobuco - a fat chunk of veal with a decent sized marrow-filled bone.

One thing you must totally never ever do is move the meat around too much while it's cooking, as you risk loosing your unctuous, gelatinous, glorious nugget of deliciousness. Leave well alone.

For two, easily multiplied for larger groups

2 Rose veal ossobuco (or is it ossobuci?)

Olive oil

S&P

1 white onion, finely diced

1 celery stick, finely diced

1/2 fennel bulb, finely diced

1 carrot, finely diced

2 fat garlic cloves

1 sprig thyme, whole

12 cherry tomatoes, skinned and diced or 1/2 tin of good quality tomatoes

250ml dry white wine

200ml chicken stock

Oil and generously season the ossobuco before searing in a hot pan an setting to one side. Gently saute the onion, celery, fennel, carrot and garlic until translucent, then add the tomatoes, wine, stock and thyme. Return the meat to the pan and push down to completely submerge - add a bit more wine or stock if you need to. Simmer, loosely covered (stick the pan lid at an angle) on the lowest possible heat for around an hour and a half, or until the meat is totally tender. Remove the ossobuco from the heat and leave to stand, covered, while you make the risotto - trust me, it makes all the difference in texture and taste.

To serve: gently place the meat atop risotto alla Milanese with a bit of the sauce, and sprinkle with gremolata.

Risotto alla Milanese

1 white onion, diced

Celery, diced

2 cloves garlic

Olive oil

150g arborio rice

Generous pinch saffron

750ml chicken stock

250ml white wine

Handful grated parmesan

I won't bore on about how to make a risotto, I'm sure you're all experts.

Gremolata
Zest of 1 lemon
Handful flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/3 garlic clove

Make a paste out of the garlic with a little salt, and combine with the grated zest and finely chopped parsley.

Boozy Sorbet Madess

2010-08-10T08:28:00.000-07:00

Firstly, let me apologise for the terrible photo above. This apology goes not to the reader but to the sorbet; I'm sorry I failed to appropriately capture your beauty with this badly lit iPhone pic. My second point is to make clear the total awesomeness of sorbet. Delicious AND easy.

Essentially, so long as you've got a tasty liquid well balanced in the sweet / sharp stakes, you're quids in. The sweetness will fade slightly as the liquid freezes so it's best to be ever-so-slightly over-sweet than under.

I use an ice cream maker but I'm pretty sure you can make without, using some Tupperware and an hourly stir. These are the three I've made so far, you may notice a recurring theme...hic....

Cider Sorbet

Take a 500ml bottle of cider, add 1-2 tbsp of caster sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the juice of one lemon, and taste; it should be tangy and sweet, and - obviously - cidery. Churn until it starts to look like sorbet, then transfer to a tub and pop in the freezer. After an hour, give a good stir, and put back for at least another 4 hours.

Blackberry & Cassis

Put 8 handfuls of clean blackberries into a pan with 200ml water and 2tbsp of cater sugar, and simmer gently for 5 or 6 minutes. Push the berries through a sieve, and discard the pulpy pips. Add the juice of a lemon to the liquid and a good slug of cassis and taste; again, tangy, sweet, fruity - you may need more sugar depending on your berries. Leave to cool, churn, and freeze as above.

Pink Grapefruit & Gin

Heat 150ml water and the juice of 6 pink grapefruit with 2-3tbsp caster sugar until boiling point is reached and the sugar has dissolved. Taste for sweetness - adjust if necessary - and leave to cool. Once cool, add 60ml gin, taste, and churn as above.

Serving three boozy sorbets together allows you to make different 'cocktails' with each spoonful - what fun! All boozy sorbet suggestions welcome....I think margarita is next on the list.

Baked peaches and a rough guide to making caramel sauce

2010-08-10T06:38:00.000-07:00

Baked peaches (or plums, or apricots) are my faithful standby, my I-can't-be-bothered-to-measure-or-time-anything pudding. With just a couple of ingredients and a tub of something creamy you have a sweet, syrupy, fruity hit which gives the false impression that you've made any effort at all. They make a delicious breakie the next day covered in yoghurt and sprinkled with oats, so make more than you need.

You'll need

1-2 peaches per person

Butter

Brown sugar (but not dark brown sugar)

To serve

Mascarpone, cream, or yoghurt

Caramel (see below) or honey

Heat the oven to gas mark 4/180 degrees. Cut the peaches in half and remove the stones. Lay them cut side up in a baking dish, and put a small nugget of butter on each peach half, around the size of a 20p piece. Sprinkle with a little sugar - the riper and sweeter the peach, the less you need - no more than a couple of teaspoons. Bake uncovered in the oven for 30 minutes, before flipping each peach and cooking for a further 15. Done! Serve warm from the oven, drizzled with a little honey or caramel and a big dollop of something really bad for you.

A few notes on caramel sauce

You can probably find better instruction out there, but this is how I do it. I think my biggest tip is hold your nerve. Actually my biggest tip is do not lick liquid sugar straight from the spoon, but other than that show no fear 'cos the caramel will smell it.

Into a small, heavy-based saucepan, put a tbsp of butter and about 8 tbsp caster sugar - you want way more sugar than butter. Place over a very gentle heat and leave until it starts to caramelise - do not stir at this point. Once the sugar starts to melt, turn up the heat and shake the pan to bring it together; you're looking for a relatively cohesive liquid. Here's the bit where you think it's all gone wrong; add 100ml of double cream, and stir like crazy. It will fizz up, and there will be lumps but don't worry; keep at it. Turn the temperature back down, and let it bubble away to a smooth consistency, before adding another 200ml cream and doing the same thing again if necessary - shouldn't take so long this time. You should have caramel by now....add some salt, and some brandy too if you're feeling cheeky.

Italian Salsa

2010-08-09T08:55:00.000-07:00

This is the taste of Italianate summer. Serve with crisp bruscetta, spoon over fish, or eat straight from the bowl with a spoon. Your choice.

Makes enough for 6 greedy people

5 ripe plum tomatoes

10 ripe cherry tomatoes - the sweetest, most delicious you can find

1 smallish red onion

2 tbsp capers - rinsed if packed in salt

Handful each of basil and flat leaf parsley

1 dessert spoon white wine vinegar

Generous slug extra virgin olive oil

Good sea salt

Pepper

Finely chop and combine the tomatoes, onion, capers and herbs, discarding any excess tomato juice as you go along. Add the vinegar, oil, and taste for seasoning. If using salt-packed capers, you probably won't need to add too much additional salt. Add more vinegar/oil/seasoning as you see necessary, and allow to sit in the fridge for an hour or so to get tasty. If you need to make a day in advance, leave the herbs out until shortly before serving.

The Shed is one!

2010-08-09T04:58:00.001-07:00

Not the blog - though technically I guess this is one too - the supper club. And what a year it has been. If you ever feel a bit despondent or lose your faith in humanity, I urge you to start a supper club; you'll soon discover that people are amazing. You'll also realise that you're slightly bonkers but WHO CARES? it's a whole pile of fun. Go on, have a go, and invite me while you're at it.

Anyway, we had a party.

Bruchetta with Italian Salsa

Cured meats from Trealy Farm

Olives, Bread & Oil

Saffron Cream Pasta

Pasta Arabiatta

Griddled Prawns with Lemon Mayonnaise

Marinated BBQ Pork

BBQ Vegetables

Aubergine Parmagiana

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream & Salted Caramel Sauce

Baked Peaches with Mascapone & Honey

BIRTHDAY CAKE! by Lex

All washed down with wine smuggled back from Sicily

£10 a head

We had 29 attendees and so did away with chairs, crockery, and cutlery in favour of mingling and disposable plates. Lex of Lex Eat made the most delicious - and attractive! - birthday cake we could have asked for; a rich, moist chocolate cake with a white chocolate and cream cheese frosting and Smarties. Bloody marvellous. What started as a moderately civilised garden party ended with shots of grappa while laying on the floor of the shed; a fitting celebration I'm sure you'll agree.

Thanks to Lex for the cake, Matt for the photos, and everyone who has been to The Shed for making it so damn special for us. You rock.

Slow roast, anchovy marinated lamb leg

2010-06-22T08:27:00.000-07:00

A low risk, cook-it-for-ages-and-it's-still-pink leg of lamb that offers big returns for little effort. The image above was taken about two thirds of the way through the cooking, so the finished result is a little more lip-stickingly caramelised and gooey on top. I use Marky Market for my lamb, and it's second to none.

The night before

1 small tin of anchovies, complete with oil
2tbsp white wine vinegar
1tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 sprigs of rosemary, just the needles, finely chopped
1 white onion, finely chopped
I leg of lamb, as good as you can afford.

Mix all of the ingredients together, and smush a bit to break up to anchovies and bruise some flavour out of the onion. Make some slits in the fat of the lamb, being careful not to damage the flesh, and rub all over with the marinade. It's important not to use salt at this stage as it can toughen up the meat. Wrap in cling film and leave in the fridge overnight - you can do this in the baking tray, as it's going straight into the oven.

One the day

Take the lamb out of the fridge an hour before cooking to get it up to room temperature, and heat the oven as high as it will go.

Being careful not to dislodge too much of the tasty marinate, cover the lamb with a good slug of olive oil and a generous amount of salt, and add a whole garlic bulb sliced in two lengthways to the baking tray, as a pungent little cushion to the meat. Put into the oven, and immediately turn the temperature down to gas mark 1.5.

After 40 minutes, pour a small glass of wine and a small glass of water over the lamb, being careful to baste the whole thing. Return to the oven for 3-4 hours, basting every 30-45 minutes. After your 3-4 hours is up, turn the temperature up to gas mark 3, sprinkle with a tbsp of sugar and cook for one final hour, basting half way through.

Wrap in foil and tea towels and rest for ONE WHOLE HOUR, while you prat about with your accompaniments and reduce the sauce. Slice and serve, covered in the tasty juices. It should be a very light pink throughout without any runny blood, and the outside should be sticky and amazing. Mmmmmmmmmm.

Perfect poached salmon

2010-06-22T05:51:00.000-07:00

This is a great way of cooking salmon portions - as many as you like - and works EVERY time. It also gives you a great deal of 'faff time', which is exceedingly accomodating for a fish dish.

You need a cooking liquor made of 3 parts water and one part white wine, a handful of fresh tarragon/parsley/lemon thyme/all three, a finely chopped white onion and a finely chopped celery stick, loads of black pepper, a teaspoon of salt, and a couple of whole star anise.

You want enough of the above to generously cover your salmon portions (filleted, not steaks), of which you need one per person. Start heating the liquid over a medium heat, and as soon as it's tepid, add the salmon portions skin side down. Put on a lid, and when the water starts to ripple - a minute or two before boiling point - turn off the heat and forget about it. THAT'S IT. It will take at least 15 minutes for the fish to finish cooking, but will remain eating temperature for around an hour, giving you plenty of time to faff about elsewhere. Easy peasy, and cooked to perfection.

Double whammy

2010-06-22T03:06:00.000-07:00

Due to reasons [mainly] beyond my own control, I found myself lacking spending money for my imminent holiday. With the exception of my beloved pans and knives I have no possessions worth selling so we embarked on a small profit-making weekend in The Shed. Massive, huge thanks to everyone who came, I will think of you while I'm sipping prosecco and eating the finest of Sicilian seafood.

We started with watercress soup (not pictured; green, liquidy, you get the idea) and homemade soda bread, below. Tasty, and importantly not too filling; there was a lot of food to come.

Saturday's main event was poached salmon, on Sunday succulent roast lamb; along with the tasty potatoes these were far and away the dishes that received the most praise, recipes to follow. Both came with crushed and roasted Anya potatoes, marsh samphire, honeyed carrots, and English asparagus. Sauces hollandaise with the salmon and béarnaise with the lamb. There was A LOT of whisking.

A good old-fashioned Eton Mess for pud - homemade meringue, vanilla cream, blueberries, strawbs and raspberries.
Aaaaand finally, a plate of Neal's Yard Dairy's finest; Kirkham's Lancashire, Dorstone, and Colston Bassett Stilton. Served with Peter's Yard crisp breads, oatcakes, chutney, grapes, Cotswolds honey.

We topped off each afternoon with Jasmine tea, proper coffee, macaroons and chocolates (bought...I'm not that good). It was great to see faces old and new, and we look forward to inviting you all back for a Sicilian inspired BBQ by way of thanks. The suggested donation was £17, though many kindly left a little extra.

Massive, biggest, most grateful thanks to the boy, who despite having his holiday dosh tucked safely away spent the weekend washing up so that I might earn a crust. You is the best.

Riverford's magical travelling kitchen

2010-06-15T06:06:00.000-07:00

If a relaxed, communal dinner in a beautiful yurt set within one of London's lovely city farms is your idea of fun, book yourself a place at the Riverford Travelling Kitchen. Here's how the evening went;

A starter of fantastic breads, dippy type bits, and super fresh crudités. The dips; one beetrooty, a sweet, Harissa-esque yoghurty concoction, and a hummus. The beetroot was my favourite - simple but uber delicious, and the harissa-yoghurty thing was also scrumptious. The hummus was okay but not as tasty as my efforts earlier that day. Please note; I'm not in the throes of some 2-portions-a-day addiction, I just didn't know hummus was going to be on the menu.

As you'd expect from meal at Riverford the highlights of the main course came from the vegetable dishes, but the lamb was tender and flavoursome, having been studded with herbs and garlic. Out of the vegetable dishes - see boards above for the full menu - the two that stood out for me were the tenderest broad beans nestling in a zingy salad, and some very fresh, perfectly cooked asparagus adorned simply with parmesan. Vegetables require an awful lot of respect and Jane Baxtor and her team have that in spades.

There was quite a selection of puds on offer and naturally I opted for the stodgiest, most fattening one with which custard was a must. A sweet-but-tart combo of rhubarb and plums, with a biscuity, oaty crumble; not quite the best I've ever had but pretty damn close. There was also a stunning blueberry pavlova on offer, a pear and almond tart, and a gooey, sticky chocolate brownie; something, I think you'll agree, for everyone. Unless you don't like puddings, in which case I have no time for you.

All in all a lovely evening in beautiful surrounds. My only criticism is of their their wine list which contains nothing English; a crying shame given the (generally excellent) provenance of their produce. And the price tag; £25.50, plus (reasonably priced - if a little too well travelled) drinks. A bargain if you ask me.

Chorizo topped hummus

2010-06-15T03:12:00.000-07:00

I recently cooked a tapas menu for a private party and thanks to my own scatterbrained demeanour now have a (big) surplus of cooking chorizo. This recipe is hardly splitting the atom, but it took me more attempts than I'm happy to admit to perfect my hummus so thought it might be worth sharing. I prefer a zingy, lemony hummus which makes a particularly good partner to the salty, savoury nuggets of chorizo. If anyone has any bright ideas for other chorizo recipes, please let me know!

Chorizo topped hummus, to serve 4 as a starter

1 can chickpeas, drained but with some liquid reserved
1-2 cloves garlic, depending on how stinky you like it
1tbsp tahini
2tbsp olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons
1tsp salt
200g cooking chorizo, sliced
Small handful fresh choped parsley

Whiz the chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice and salt in a blender until smooth, and taste. Add more of whatever you think it needs - if it's very thick you might want to add a little bit of the chickpea liquid, or more olive oil.

Fry the chorizo in a dry pan until nice and crisp. Chuck the hummus on a plate, top with the chorizo and a good drizzle of its oil, sprinkle with chopped parsley and get dipping. Yum.

Spanish stew

2010-06-11T03:58:00.000-07:00

Above are the remains of a tapas dinner, crammed into my lunch box. One of these days I'll bother to take photos of the food looking all pretty, but I'll still be using a camera phone so there's not much point.

The brown, unappetising, indeterminate lumps were actually bloody delicious; here's the recipe.

Chicken & Olive Stew

To serve 4-6 as a main course, 10-12 as part of a tapas feast.

Good slug of olive oil
1 large Spanish onion, thinly sliced
1 large red pepper, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
8 boneless free range chicken thighs, trimmed of skin and particularly large bits of fat
2tsp smoked paprika
1-2 handfuls of green olives, depending on love of olives and size of hands
2 ladles of good chicken stock
S&P to taste

Heat oven to gas mark 7.

Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan, and fry the onions and peppers with a bit of salt and pepper, over a medium heat. As they start to get quite soft, add the garlic and cook for a further couple of minutes. Transfer to a wide baking dish. Fry the chicken in the same pan until slightly golden brown, and add to the baking dish along with the paprika, olives and stock. Cover with foil, and stick in the oven. After 20 minutes, give everything a stir, turn the oven down to gas mark 3, cover once more and leave to cook for around an hour. Adjust the seasoning as you see fit - go easy on the salt before tasting as the olives add quite a bit.

Serve with....whatever you fancy. Crusty bread, veggie paella, chips; it's all good.

Pork Scratchings

2010-06-02T09:08:00.000-07:00

As a little present in a recent order, my friendly neighbourhood meat-n-fish home delivery man (Marky Market) gave me a giant piece of pig skin. I don't know what you can do with pig skin except make pork scratchings, but let's be honest; they're so delicious you wouldn't want to do anything else anyway.
So easy, but so bad for you - don't try this at home too often.

Cut your pig skin into wide, short strips, salt both sides and leave in the fridge for a few days.

Heat the oven to 200 degrees. Lay the strips side by side on a rack above a baking tray, add more salt, and cook in the hot oven for 30 minutes. Pour away the excess fat (or keep for frying), and turn the oven down to 160 degrees for another 30 minutes cooking. Pour off the fat once more, reduce the temperature to around 120 degrees, and cook for a further hour. They should be crisp, very crunchy, and not in the slightest bit chewy. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with a bit more salt (soooooooo bad for you), and leave to cool completely. They're delicious as they are, but you could add a bit of paprika, fenugreek and chilli for an exotic twist.

And here they are, in the shape of a gun. Magic.

Summer Rolls!

2010-06-02T05:32:00.000-07:00

I was lucky recently to be joined in the kitchen by Su Lin Lewis, a Latitudinal Cuisine pro with some serious knowledge of all things south east Asian under her belt. On the day we were blessed with beautiful sunshine adding an extra layer of pleasure and authenticity to our summer rolls - here's the menu.
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Prawn Summer Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce & Crispy 'Seaweed'

Singapore Yu Sheng / Raw Fish Salad

Thai Red Prawn Curry with Red Rice

Coconut Panacotta with Lime & Lemongrass Syrup

Homemade Lime-ade

£11 a head

I urge EVERYONE to have a go at making their own summer rolls for they are deceptively easy and even better than the ones you get on Kingsland Road. All you need is rice papers (from any oriental supermarket), cooked prawns, vermicelli noodles, and all or a selection of the following, nicely shredded; spring onion, carrot, cucumber, holy basil, coriander, mint, bean sprouts, iceberg lettuce. METHOD Soak a rice paper in luke warm water, brush off the excess then put a neat pile of your filling in the middle. Fold in the sides, then roll the whole thing up from bottom to top. See below for an approximation of Su Lin's fantastic, addictive dipping sauce - you'll have to wait until she writes her book for the real deal.

Yu Sheng is a dish most commonly served to celebrate Chinese New Year in Singapore. The components - raw salmon, raddish, carrot, cucumber, various nuts, seeds, and herbs - are placed into a large bowl, but not mixed together. The bowl is presented to the table, and everyone must get their chop sticks in the bowl and mix while a tangy dressing is poured in, and chant Lo Hei which means good luck and prosperity. Fresh and zingy, this was perfect for the summery afternoon.

Though I have eaten many, I had never before made a panna cotta, and they are so spectacularly simple that I'm tempted to make them for every dessert from this moment on, for ever and ever and ever. For the sauce I used Violet's Curds' Lemongrass and Lime curd as a base, which I simply lengthened with a bit more lime juice and a smidge of water.

Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce, enough for 4-6

Olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 red chilli

1/2 jar crunchy peanut butter

2-3 tbsp hoisin sauce

3tbsp tamarind water

4tbsp vegetable or chicken stock

Squeeze of lime

Fry the garlic and chilli in some oil until it starts to soften, then add the remaining ingredients and let it all bubble for a few minutes. Taste, and add a little more of what you fancy.

Coconut Panna Cotta - makes 4-6

400ml double cream

250ml full fat coconut milk

Sugar, to taste

5 leaves of gelatine

Soak the gelatine leaves in a couple of tablespoons of cold water.

Heat the cream and milk until simmering point, then add sugar to taste - the finished pud will taste pretty much as it does now once set, though if ummming and ahhhing about whether it's sweet enough, add a touch more sugar as it's slightly less so once chilled. Add the gelatine mixture to the hot cream and mik, whisk vigorously, then pour into individual moulds - proper dariole moulds are best if you want to turn the panna cotta onto plates. Chill for at least 6 hours.

To serve; dip the moulds into hot water for 3 seconds - no longer - and invert your pud onto a plate. Devour!

Crab fest

2010-05-17T09:42:00.000-07:00

Following a post I wrote, like, ages ago, here is another ode to proper mayonnaise.

Spurred on by culinary failings, we picked up a whole crab on the way home from the restaurant that I won't mention again (promise) to try and replicate a dish we had at, erm, said restaurant's cheaper and in my experience better sister establishment. Ahem.

A whole crab (thanks to Steve Hatt fishmonger for the beautiful beast!), proper mayo, green salad and nice brown bread. The salad was lettuce, parsley and spring onion dressed with oil, lemon, salt and pepper....simple, tasty.

A cracking good lunch (geddit?).

Lex Cook We Love!

2010-05-17T07:13:00.000-07:00

After our spirit crushing lunch at St John earlier that day, Lex and Y of Lex Cook You Eat completely saved the day; an utterly delicious evening, with great food, service and ambience.
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As per, you'll have to excuse the photos for being taken a) using a mobile phone and b) after I had started eating, so wildly appetising was the food.
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We began with a well made Moscow mule, not pictured, a most appreciated minty-limey start to the evening. A bit of chatting in their most fabulous flat, then down to business. The table was adorned with spicy popcorn (recipe please!!), along with little notes to the diners, an excellent personal touch which I loved.
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To start, a pea and pancetta risotto garnished with a blob of crème fraiche; early summer rolled into one dish, and bowl-lickingly scrummy it was too.
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A deftly made chicken ballotine stuffed with morels and sausage meat was great; well seasoned, well made, and well tasty. Accompanied by a sweet potato gratin and vibrant seasonal veg, it was a generous feast, packed with flavour and made with care.

Then a teasing taste of coconut and lemongrass sorbet; triumphant. Fresh, sweet, and far too good to be labelled a palate cleanser.

And then the piece de la resistance; treacle tart served with homemade ginger ice cream and confit figs. Sweet, sticky, sumptuous; the kind of indulgent pud that makes you feel seriously pampered, all the better for being accompanied by a wee nip of muscat. Mmmm!

And the asking price for this extravaganza? Twenty of your fine English pounds per head. A steal, worth, like, a gazillion quid more. Can we come back, please?

Two tarts

2010-05-11T01:52:00.000-07:00

Utilising fine, seasonal produce from the folks at Farm Direct, here is a mini feast I threw together for a friend's birthday over the weekend.

We started with 'radishes at their peak' - a suggestion of a recipe in Beyond Nose To Tail by Fergus Henderson. Seperate the radishes and their leaves, and rinse both thoroughly. Take a little good, unsalted butter, some sea salt. Spread a radish with a little of the former, and then a sprinkling of the later, and eat. YES, friends, this is the way to eat salad; covered in butter and salt (it was delicious). The leaves are eaten dressed with a glossy vinagrette - yum.

French onion soup to follow, though it feels unfair to taint fine Lincolnshire onions with the wrong nationality so we'll call it....French Style Onion Soup Made With English Onions. Served with the tradtional cheesy croutons, it was simple, super cheap, and uber tasty.

On to the tarts. Potato, cheddar, leek and rosemary comprised one, smoked salmon, asparagus (British of course!), and creme fraiche another. The key is generousity, both in quantity and quality of the fillings; plenty of world class smoked salmon (Forman & Field, natch), decent cheddar, free range eggs, and asparagus fresh from the ground a merely hours before. Served with dressed rocket; both tart recipes are below.

Proper crumble for pud; rhubarb, apple, honey and ginger made the fruity base, with an oat crumble topping. Served with a spiced nutmeg custard it was scrumptious; a particularly good breakfast the following day!

What followed, I am slightly ashamed to say, was a rather French-influenced cheeseboard, but I didn't shop for that so I am absolved of responsilbility. I have nothing against fromage Français, it was just a shame to end a meal made with a riot of British grown produce with anything but a big hunk of Monty's and a wedge of Colston Bassett. Oh well, next time.

Simplicity ruled, deliciousness prevailed, and, excluding the cheeseboard, it can't have cost more than 4 quid a head. Nice.

Pastry - makes enough for two tarts, each serving 6

250g plain flour

125g butter

2 eggs

1tsp salt

2tsp sugar

40ml water

Butter 2 x 20cm tart tin (if making two - you can always freeze half of the pastry), and put into the fridge.

Tip the flour on to a surface, make a well in the middle, and stick the butter, salt and sugar into the well. Mix the ingredients in the well first, then draw in the flour, taking care not to overwork the mixture. Add the water, knead the whole thing a couple of times to makes sure it's nice and smooth, then stick in the fridge for at least two hours.

To roll out;

Heat oven to gas mark 6.

Roll out half of the pastry to a thickness of about 2-3mm. Carefully line a buttered tin with the pastry, taking care not the stretch the dough. Put the now-lined back in the fridge for 20 minutes, and repeat with the remaining pastry.

To bake;

Remove a pastry case from the fridge, and prick the base several times with a fork. Line with greaseproof and bake blind for 10-15 minutes, until the pastry begins to look a bit cooked. Remove the greaseproof and baking beans, add the filling, and bake for a further 15 minutes, turning the oven up to gas mark 7 while you do so.

The fillings;

Simply mix the below together and add to the tart cases when required - sprinkle a little extra cheddar on top of the first. With both the potatoes and asparagus, refresh under cold water once cooked before combining with the rest of the filling.

Potato, cheddar, leak and rosemary

1 medium-large, floury potato, sliced into smallish discs - about 1cm thick, and cooked until just tender.

2 leeks, thinly sliced and cooked in seasoned butter until soft

2 eggs

3tbsp double cream

Teaspoon of very finely chopped fresh rosemary

Biiig handful of cheddar

Generous amounts of S&P

Salmon, asparagus and creme fraiche

100g smoked salmon

8 spears of asparagus, blanched for 2 minutes in boiling water, then split in half length ways

2 eggs

3tbsp creme fraiche

S&P

Don't get.....

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

Rainbow chard three ways; braised and served with pig cheeks

2010-04-29T04:20:00.000-07:00

The last installment is a wee bit of a cop out, as I was home from work quite late and hadn't the energy or patientience for much else. But to sweeten the deal there's a recipe for pig cheeks too, which I had cooked the night before and worked deliciously with the chard.

The washed chard was simply braised for about 8 minutes in seasoned butter with a handful of chives and parsley - simple, hardly worth a recipe, but definitely worth a go.

I acquired the pig cheeks after being tempted by a post by Essex Eating, and will be cooking them time and time again! But not too often, because then I would be obese.

Pig cheek and plum caserole

Olive oil

2 pig cheeks, trimmed of skin and bits of fat (mine weren't but it wasn't so hard to do with a decent knife)

1 onion, roughly chopped

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole

A wine glass of dry cider

A wine glass of chicken stock

Zest of a lemon

Two plums, stoned and cut into medium sized pieces.

S&P

Heat the oven to gas mark 2, or get the slow cooker ready for action.

Heat a good glug of olive oil in a frying pan and brown the pig cheeks (leave them whole for now) on all sides, then pop them in an oven dish/pan with a lid (or slow cooker). Fry the onions over a medium-high heat until they begin to turn golden brown, then reduce the heat and add the whole garlic cloves and a generous amount of black pepper. After a couple of minutes over a low heat, stick the whole lot in the pot with the cheeks, along with the stock, cider, lemon zest and plums.

Cook in the oven for as many hours as you can bear; I managed six across two days. You'll need to stir occasionally, and about 3/4 through the cooking time, remove the cheeks, slice into thick slices and return to the pot to continue cooking, along with half a tsp salt. If not serving with the braised, herby chard, add a handful of flat leaf parsley to the mix too.

Rainbow chard three ways; baby leaf spaghetti

2010-04-28T04:15:00.002-07:00

For the second dish in my chard challenge, we embrace the unbeatable line up of lemon, parsley, garlic, shallots and capers. You’ve got sour, savoury, pungent, sweet and salty; add to that the earthiness of chard and you’re onto a winner.

You'll need to fish out the teeny baby chard leaves for the recipe, leaving the larger, tougher leaves for another day. Excuse the ropey photo and clumsily written recipe!

Enough spaghetti for two (greedy) people
Olive oil
1 large banana shallot, cut into strips
1 large red chilli, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Tbsp capers, roughly chopped

Large handful of baby chard leaves, washed
½ lemon
S&P

Put a big pan of well salted water on to boil. Five minutes before you put your spaghetti in the pot, heat a large, deep frying pan, and fry the shallots and chilli in generous glug of olive oil over a medium heat. After two minutes, lower the heat and add the garlic. Put your spaghetti onto boil, and a minute or two before it is cooked, add the capers and a generous amount of black pepper to the frying pan.

Drain the pasta, and combine everything with the remaining in the frying pan, ensuring that every last morsel is coated in the delicious garlicky, lemony, chilli flavoured oil. If you salted the pasta-water well enough, along with the capers you shouldn't need much if any additional salt. A few parmesan shavings wouldn't go amiss, but aren't essential.

Rainbow chard three ways; stalk gratin

2010-04-27T00:18:00.000-07:00

I'm comfortable enough to admit that I'm the type of person who buys ingredients because they are pretty, with little or no clue what to actually do with them. In this post said ingredient is the delightfully loud rainbow chard, direct from the farm through a great little company called, errm, Farm Direct. Rainbow chard isn't actually a thing, apparently, but simply all of the chard colours sold together. Who knew?

After a quick plea on Twitter I was furnished with plenty of mouth-watering suggestions as to what to do with my beautiful bounty, so I present to you a triptych of recipes, beginning with a stalk gratin.

Serves 2 as a small but delicious side;

The stalks of 250g of rainbow chard, washed

3tbsp single cream

1tsp dijon mustard

Small handful chives, finely chopped

Handful grated cheddar

Small handful breadcrumbs, pref wholemeal

S & P

Heat the oven to about gas mark 7, or whatever that is in a normal kitchen. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, drop in the stalks for 30-45 seconds, then remove from the heat and drain immediately.

Mix together the cream, mustard and chives, and season liberally. Combine the stalks and the cream mixture, then tip the whole lot into a little baking dish. You can at this point take a moment to smash a treasured kitchen implement, but it really isn't necessary and to be honest rather spoiled the mood a bit.

Top with the cheese, and then the breadcrumbs, and a few more turns of pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes making sure that you don't burn the breadcrumbs, until it's bubbly and melty and golden. Eat with your chosen thing which was in my case a big steak, also from Farm Direct.

Altruistic curry and cake

2010-04-26T00:39:00.000-07:00

As well as our usual quest for good times and gluttony, this weekend we wanted to raise a bit of cash for a good cause. We invited guests to bring a dish of their choosing along with a tenner to put into the pot for our chosen organisation, Providence Row, an East London homeless charity who focus on offering rehabilitation and training.

We were lucky enough to be joined by Rani and Saira of Joginder's Supperclub, who brought along saag paneer, chicken curry, Indian corn bread and lovely fragrant rice. Rani makes her own paneer which was fresh, luscious and lactic, and along with the delicately spiced spinach made for a totally yummy dish. The chicken, cooked slowly on the bone to an old family recipe, was equally delicious. Side dishes were lovely, with the cornbread giving a salty lift to the whole thing; throughly enjoyed!

My savoury contribution was a Malaysian tofu curry with lots of lemongrass, galangal, ginger, garlic, dried chillis and coconut; a dish I've cooked a great deal and which always goes down well.

On to desserts!A delicious dark chocolate and cherry cake from Nadia, who runs her own professional catering business. The cherries were blended and mixed into the chocolate, making the cake really moist, with a hint of sweet/sour cherry. Topped with a sweet vanilla and cream cheese frosting, the cake was entirely devourable and a chocoholics fairground.

I adapted a recipe from the Ottolenghi book to make a rhubarb, honey, orange and polenta cake, which I served with Greek yoghurt. Now, much as I love the big man himself - and his team of talented chefs - I think I prefer this to the original (though it doesn't look quite as pretty), and will definitely be making it again very soon.

We then had some intriguing 'raw' chocolate bars which were essentially ground nuts, sweetened with dates and honey and encased in deliciously dark chocolate...a real treat served with a strong black coffee. Mr Shed's contribution was homemade beer, which needless to say was enjoyed by all.

Due to cancellations and a no show we were a little down on numbers, but had a great afternoon and a decadent feast regardless. Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who came!

Most touchingly of all, two of our regulars who were unable to attend sent a tenner for the cause along with a lovely card; what a generous and inspiring act of kindness, especial thanks to Chris and Dave.

The looong brunch

2010-04-21T04:11:00.000-07:00

I'll skip the usual too-many-beers-the-night-before-blah-blah-etc - we've all heard it before and it's neither big or clever - and go straight to the brunch we hosted on Sunday. Again, I completely neglected to take any photos - but the delightful Su Lin did, so thanks to her for the lovely depictions of Sunday's preceedings.

Glass of Fizz, Freshly Squeeze Orange Juice

Honey Baked Rhubarb with Greek Yoghurt & Toasted Oats

Montgomery's Cheddar & Leek Tart, Homemade Baked Beans

Filter Coffee, Earl Grey or English Breakfast Tea

Wholemeal Sourdough Toast, homemade peanut butter,

a selection of preserves and proper butter

Spotted Dick Porridge Pudding with Custard

- £10 a head

We failed to remember that we'd given our juicer to a charity shop so ended up squeezing over 60 oranges by hand. In case you've never done this yourself it is a total ballache, but the OJ was completely amazing due to the super sweet Spanish oranges.

I have to admit that the sourdough bread and jams weren't homemade, but there's nothing fruity (apart from rhubarb) in season right now, and regards the former, no one with a proper job makes their own sourdough, do they?

BUT, but but but! The porridge pud, magnificently devised by The Porridge Lady (winner of the Golden Spurtle, speciality category 2009!) was the piece de la resistance - not too sweet, helped along with aromatic spices and a lift of orange zest, served with a lovely sweet custard. My only tweaks (entirely unnecessary) were vegetarian suet, soaking the raisins in brandy before use, and to make an egg custard instead. It made a great surprise to present at the end, thank you Porridge Lady!

We had such a GREAT day and our last guests left shortly after 11pm, after another round of toast, cheese, lots of beer and takeaway pizzas. Awesome Sunday.

Cheapo Thursday

2010-04-16T00:32:00.000-07:00

Vinopolis offer these funny wine tour things, which certainly aren't for anyone who actually knows what they're talking about, but tickets were only a tenner (half price), and it made for an amusing evening. Not that I know what I'm talking about, but I have, y'know, had wine before.

You get a 15 minute seminar on how to taste wine, which - due to its simplicity rather than my competence - mainly covered things I know already, but the woman was entertaining and I picked up a couple of nuggets of new information, but I won't bore you with my amateurish regurgitation of her advice.

You are then set free to roam around their premises at your leisure, which are vast and interesting, and almost worth the ticket price alone. They have a big glass case FILLED with bottles of Chateau Petrus which must be worth squillions, although it doesn't exactly represent the best way to store a barrel-load of awesome wine so I have suspicions that someone drank the good stuff and just refilled the bottles....

Anyway, there are three wine tasting areas - worlds old and new, and downright wacky - and with the basic package you have five tokens which you can exchange for a taste of what you fancy. Predictably, I went for wines that I knew I would probably like, instead of trying new things, but the range on offer isn't huge, and I was happy to sip agreeable things rather than push the boundaries.

I liked this;

And this;

And also this;

Once you've spent your wine tokens, you head through to the Bombay Saphire bar for complimentary cocktail. The choice is limited to fairly sweet, fruit juice ridden concoctions, but Bramble-esque tipple was okay, though a bit too sweet, served in a dinky martini glass.

There are options to upgrade your ticket to include more wines, rum, champagne and even absinthe, but we were eager to get back to Brewer's Wharf to try some of their new house brewer's beers - I urge you all to head there and order a pint of Hoptimum, for it is delicious.

So...you can try six wines (including the wine in the seminar), learn a little something, and drink a fruity gin cocktail, all for £10. It's not for anyone with any semi-serious knowledge about wine, but it's a fun thing to do. Go with someone else or in a group, and enjoy your cheapo Thursday.

Vinopolis, London Bridge.

Mexican fiesta after a short siesta

2010-04-12T02:12:00.000-07:00

A small sleep after Gin Face retired to it's sleeping quaters (leaving a trail of handbag contents and clothes from door to bed via bathroom), Hangover Girl emerged demanding sympathy and breakfast in equal measure. Not even this calibre of skull crushing faceache could dampen the beautiful sunny day, and Hangover Girl devoured eggs Benedict, fresh juice and strong coffee in the sunshine outside The Acoustic Cafe.

12 noon: "we should really get on with it, shouldn't we, what to we need to buy?"
"Ack! tequila is what we need to buy. I'll be sick.". "No you won't, get on with it".

So I did (get on with it, not puke). We also managed to go out for a filling mezze snackette at Cirrik around 3pm, but that pushed me over the edge a bit and I had to go lie down in a darkened room and think about nothing.

In truth, I had already done a reasonable amount of prep, but it was still an uphill battle, with massive relief when I realised it all tasted nice and Was Going To Be Okay.

Baked Cheesy Nachos with Refried Beans, Tangy

Habanero Sauce, Fresh Salsa & Sour Cream

Salmon Ceviche with Warm Flour Tortillas

Chilli non-Carne with Red Rice, Guacamole & Sour Cream

Tequila!

Strawberry topped Pastel des Tres Leches

(three milks cake),with Mexican Hot Chocolate

The tangy habanero salsa was inspired by Bribed With Food's delicious Picante! table sauce, and is just too addictive for words. Habanero chillis have such a delicious flavour that you all too seldom experience because it's such a hot chilli, but when diluted into a table sauce you get all the flavour without too much bite. I found the recipe in Thomasina Miers' Mexican Food Made Simple, and it's one I will make again and again.

The three milks cake was actually quite a success, despite it's odd composition; you make a very solid, eggy sponge, in which you make lots of tiny holes with a skewer, then feed it with a pint of condensed milk, evapourated milk, and double cream. I then covered it in more whipped cream and topped with gin-soaked strawberries - and once I get my arse into gear and upload the single, sad photo I managed to take, you'll be able to see it's remains below.

Here's the salmon ceviche recipe, as it is SO easy, delicious, and can be prepared a little in advance so is perfect for anyone who wants to spend more time with their guests and less time fretting in the kitchen. Mine's quite a simple recipe but you can ponce it up with mango, avocado, and salad as you feel fit - add any salad leaves or avocado just before serving so they don't go minging.

Salmon Ceviche, serves 10-12 for a starter

1.2kg very fresh skin & boneless scottish salmon fillet

1tsp of sea salt

1 large banana shallot, very finely chopped

Juice of one, big, juicy grapefuit

Juice of 3 or 4 limes

1-2tsp Tangy Habanero Sauce (see below, or tabasco)

Heaped tsp caster sugar

Handful of chives, finely chopped

Handful flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Salt & pepper to taste

Dice the salmon into small pieces - about 1cm square-ish - and combine with the salt. Leave for a 10 minutes, then drain off any liquid which has started to collect. Add the remaining ingredients, but don't season just yet, and stick in the fridge until ready to serve (ideally no more than 2 hours). The fish should be coated in the juices, but not sitting in a pool.

When ready to serve, drain off the excess liquid and adjust the seasoning. The fish will now be opaque - cooked by the citrus juices. Serve with warm flatbreads or soft tortillas. Yum.

Tangy Habanero Table Sauce, as nicked from Mexican Food Made Simple - buy the book!

1 medium white onion diced

2 carrots, finely chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

500ml water

250ml white wine vinegar

2 habanero (scotch bonnet) chillis, stalks removed but with seeds

1tbsp salt

1tsp honey

2 tsp fresh oregano

Very gently fry the onion and carrot in the olive oil until the onion goes translucent (do not brown). Add the water and boil until the vegetables are soft. Blend this together with the rest of the ingredients, and tada! fantastic, spicy table sauce for all to enjoy. Makes a few jars' worth, but you can just store in sterilised jars in the fridge....it won't last long.

Don't forget your dancing shoes

2010-04-12T00:52:00.001-07:00

So it turns out that Alexis of Lex Eat! and Lex Cook You Eat! fame isn't the only clever gal in her neighbourhood. The lovely Y (as I believe she is referred to in common e-parlance) is just one talented musician amongst a whole bunch of talented musicians collectively known as Motor City Revue, who host a magical motown night on the second Friday of each month.

If you travel to darkest Stepney on said second Friday, to a pub called The George Tavern, you'll be rewarded with a "10 piece motown/northern soul/R&B/stax covers band banging out the greatest tunes known to man. Ever." - fact. You'll find Y and the rest of the band laying down brilliant foundations for a mesmerising vocal team lead by Kelly; that girl can SING, and sing she did until she could sing no more.

The night runs from 8pm til 3am, and when the band aren't playing for their lives (and evidently loving every second) they're djing 50s and 60s classics making for an additive dancathon of general awesomeness.

SO....me and my gin-face crawled in at god-knows-o'clock on Saturday morning making preparation for that evening's Mexican meal quite interesting...

The Americans are comiiiing!

2010-03-15T06:55:00.000-07:00

I received an email from AMERICA a couple of months ago, asking if we had any Shed things planned for the 2nd week of March. We didn't, but on hearing that two nice folk were coming to our fair city for a holiday I was delighted to organise something in their honour; a slap up (almost) British Sunday lunch was born. The starters weren't very British in origin, but are dishes I consider to be firmly planted in the British psyche anyway so....go away you pedantic sticklers, they were tasty.

Forman's Smoked Salmon with Buckwheat Pancakes, Shallots, Capers & Creme Fraiche
and/or
Smooth Chicken Liver Pate with Date and Apple Chutney & Brown Bread

Roast Beef, Yorkshire Pudding,
Carrot & Swede Mash, Green Beans, Cabbage & Gravy

Rhubarb & Apple Crumble with proper Custard

A selection of Cheeses from Neal's Yard
Colston Bassett Stilton, Montgomery's Cheddar, Innes Log
with Cotswolds Honey & more homemade chutney

As much homemade beer as you can drink!

All of the above, along with Monmouth coffee and haphazardly served tea (and failed-peanut-brittle-fudge-balls...tasty but sticky), £12 a head, though diners generously gave a wee bit more, thank you! I'm the first to admit that I'm not amazing at roast dinners yet, but no one complained and some even hinted for a doggy bag which I was more than happy to supply :)
We hope our American chums didn't find their British food-fest too stodgy, but like everyone else who came they made fantastic dinner companions. Last night really emphasised why we do our Shed things, and I found the loveliest email in my inbox this morning; I'm touched beyond belief.

We enjoyed today/tonight SO much that I had to write and tell you straight away! We were so happy to have found you guys - the perfect combination of relaxed vibe, lovely home cooked food, great atmosphere. We felt so at home and comfortable. The food was truly delicious - can't even pick out what I loved best! The pate, the beef, the gravy, crumble, cheese, special first time ever seen peanut fudge balls! Exactly what we always thought a supper club should be! Truly, we had a super night!

Sniff, how niiice!!!!!! If you're anywhere near as exquisite as our guests last night and you'd like to join us for a meal one day, email theshedlikesfood@gmail.com and I'll stick you on the mailing list. Thanks again to all of our guests, I had a great afternoon.

What to do with my life

2010-03-08T05:06:00.000-08:00

The title of this post belies the triviality (word?) of content, but it sums up exactly why I love the 'Google suggestions' that pop up when you start typing into the search field.
"What to do with an excess of creme fraiche?" (as you do) was what I was going for, but paused on "with" to marvel at Google's helpful suggestions. In order of popularity, they are as follows;
- my life (!)
- the kids
- leftover turkey (make it into dinosaur shapes to entertain the kids?)
- short hair
- egg yolks (who ever has spare egg yolks? Custard, man, CUSTARD.)
- frozen pipes (one can only hope this is a home-plumbing query and not DIY reservsel of a serious medical procedure)

I mean, who ACTUALLY Googles "what to do with my life"?!?!

Anyway. So - quelle horreur - nothing really matched my exact search phrase, but then I remembered one of my favourite weird-but-tasty comfort dishes, which seemed a good idea given the BLOODY COLD weather we're having right now. Stay with me, it's not as ming as it sounds;

Spicy (!) Creme Fraiche (!!) Kidney Bean (!??!?!) Pasta

3 banana shallots, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 hot red chillis, with seeds if you're not a total poof, finely chopped
Your preferred pasta shape, enough 2 massive portions (fusilli, penne...whatever)
1 small tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed.
2 big tablespoons of creme fraiche or sour cream
Olive oil
Cheddar cheese - optional

In boiling salted water, cook the pasta to your liking. Meanwhile, in a large heavy-based frying pan, fry the shallots in olive until soft and golden. Add the garlic and chilli and leave to mingle on a low heat while your pasta finishes. Drain the pasta, and add to the shallots-chillis-garlic pan, along with the kidney beans and creme fraiche. Stick on a lid, and let it all get warm, but not too hot or the beans will go hard. Season well, and if you want to, grate some cheddar cheese on top (or a squeeze of lemon if you're feeling fancy), and dive in.

A well easy - if odd - meal, ready in 15 minutes. Protein, carbs, fat, done. Don't worry if you're thinking of coming to The Shed - I wouldn't dream to actually serving this to people - it's just one of those lazy ‘vice*’ meals that I like to eat every now and then. Everyone has their foibles.

*you know it's a bit wrong, but you love it anyway.

Underground Farmers' Market 28th March - The Shed Menu

2010-03-05T05:38:00.000-08:00

I had a little panic after seeing the line up of talented producers and cooks on board, but here are what I hope are interesting and tasty bites. They will be available to eat on the day, or take away for later. Excuse the poncy wording on the first one, I totally couldn’t resist.

Buckwheat Pancakes with a Trio of Vegetarian Caviar
Homemade buckwheat pancakes with beetroot, aubergine, and mushroom ‘caviars’,
with optional garnishes of crème fraiche, capers, and shallots

Welsh Cakes
Homemade Welsh cakes served either on their own,
or with butter and Gorwydd Caerphilly Cheese

Hot Cross Bun and Butter Pudding
An Easter-themed take on a British classic, finished with homemade
plum preserve

A range of Granny Annie's knitting will be on sale, from jazzy teapot cozies, to pretty little scarves, egg cup holders and knitted corsages. A full list of contributors can be found on Ms Marmitelovers blog.
Tickets are just £5.50 and are available here; I hope to see you on the day! Come and say hello....

Catching up

2010-03-03T06:39:00.000-08:00

I am a wee behind with this whole blogging thing, disorganised shrike that I am, so you’ll have to excuse the lack of chronology, flow, or meaning. This post is about pancake day, but there is also a small snippet of What We Ate On Valentine’s Day to come, when I get my arse in gear and upload the photo* on to my computer.
*completely non-dodgy, worry not.

I love pancakes, but was sadly unable to do proper justice to the ones we served up for our Shrove Tuesday shindig. I sliced off a teeny-tiny-weeny piece of my index finger at 7:10pm, with 10 guests due to arrive a mere 50 minutes later. Epic host-fail. I was furiously [carelessly] chopping chives ready to fry 44 savoury pancakes when the misdemeanour occurred, but rather than schlep off to Homerton hospital (yuck) I carried on, finger temporarily bandaged and held above heart level. Thank you guests for putting up with my moaning, and especially to Matt who came straight over with bandages, camera (see the photos! how artful!), and an admiral readiness to pitch in. Legend.

Buckwheat Blinis, Forman’s Smoked Salmon, Creme Fraiche, Capers and Shallots

Savoury Pancakes baked with Gruyere, Artichokes, Ricotta, Leeks and Spinach, served with Balsamic Dressed Rocket

Sweet Pancakes with any combination of; homemade toffee sauce, bananas, lemon wedges, sugar, Belgian chocolate or double cream

The first and last courses were lovely, though – shamefully, considering my day job – could have done with a smidge more salmon, duly noted for next time. Buckwheat blinis are an almighty faff to make, demanding two separate ‘rests’ totalling nearly four hours – but worth it as they were dead good; click here for the recipe.

The main course was nice enough, though due to my last minute medical slip up didn’t have the creamy cheese sauce it was supposed to, and was instead weighed down with a ballast of pure, unadulterated Gruyere. Almost, but not quite. Oh well.

But - great company as always, reasonable food, all for the modest sum of £8 (though everyone very kindly gave us a tenner, thank you!). If you want to come to a future event, email theshedlikesfood@googlemail.com and I’ll stick you on the mailing list.

P.S. to anyone who cares, and has managed to get this far without dropping or wandering off; the finger is fine - it really was only a miniscule piece, mainly “nail bed”. After blithely assuming that the first aiders at work could deal with it the next day, I was sent to aforementioned hospital where offending finger was furnished with a comically large bandage, and after several days in captivity, realised into the wild and has even started typing again.

Roll up, roll up!

2010-03-02T00:47:00.000-08:00

We'll be taking part in the first Underground Farmers' Market on March 28th, hosted by none other than Ms Marmitelover in her wonderful Kilburn home restaurant.

I will be making a few edible goodies but my mum (Granny Annie) will be the highlight of The Shed stall with her fabulous knitted goods and wool-based expertise. If anyone has their needles in a twist, bring them along and she'll do her best - with over 45 years' knitting experience! - to set you right.

There will be cooking demos and foodie talks, as well as lots of awesome, handmade stuff to buy, from cupcakes and chocolaty things, to soups and stews, retro table linen and zingy Indian chutneys.

Tickets are £5.50 (including booking fee), and can be purchased here. See you there - come with a hungry tum and a few quid in your pocket!

Proper mayo part one; girly afternoon tea.

2010-02-15T02:59:00.000-08:00

I fear that extolling the virtues of homemade mayonnaise to the food-bloggy world may be preaching to the choir, but here goes anyway.

I now cater for birthdays, or at least I do if you happen to be one of my loveliest friends. The most excellent GK turned 25 last Friday, and as afternoon tea at the Dorchester is a little out of financial reach (for now), I did my best to bring a similar experience to her lovely flat in Barons Court. We (4 squealy girls, 3 bemused boys) had dinky finger little finger sarnies, scones fresh from the oven and ridiculously sinful chocolate brownies all washed down with lashings of Champagne and a spot of Jasmine tea.

For me the star of the show was the homemade mayo. As delicious as only something so fattening can be, proper mayonnaise is the easier and more forgiving cousin of that most wonderful but temperamental of sauces, Hollandaise. If you don't/rarely make your own mayo, here's the recipe, have a go! Though not too often, it is just soooo bad for you.

To make about 300ml, which is more than you'll ever need unless catering for a group, but go on, make the lot and have chips the next day (and the next), you will need;

2 egg yolks
Salt
1tbsp Dijon mustard
175ml groundnut oil
75ml light olive oil
A generous squeeze of lemon

Put a big, heavy bowl on a tea towel. In said bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, a big pinch of salt, and the mustard. Combine the two oils in a mixing jug, then slowly incorporate them into the egg-yolk-mustard mixture, whisking furiously as you do. Start with a slow trickle, then increase a little as it all gets a bit thicker, until it's all combines in a thick, silky, mayo. Add the lemon juice, and if you want a looser texture, a little tepid water.

You may want to muck around with the seasoning/lemon juice/mustard quantities a bit, but this is essentially a good start. Then you can add fresh herbs, or garlic, or infused saffron water or, well, you get the idea. You can make it taste different.

GK's Special Afternoon Tea

Finger sandwiches (with no crusts!);

Marinated cucumber and cream cheese, eggs mayonnaise, chicken with tarragon and lemon mayonnaise, Forman's smoked salmon.

Freshly baked scones, warm from the oven, with clotted cream and blackcurrant jam

Triple Chocolate Brownies

I'm hoping to host a proper afternoon tea in The Shed soon, with a few additions to the above made possible by not trekking across town to cook in an unfamilliar kitchen. If you think you'll be interested, email theshedlikesfood@gmail.com and I'll stick you on the mailing list.

An easy, breezy Sunday lunch

2010-02-08T06:09:00.000-08:00

Not.
Had I not been so massively hungover from Friday night (oh god) then I may have done more shopping, preparation, and cooking before 9am on Sunday. [insert massive fail here]. So up until this exact point all I'd managed to accrue was a giant lamb leg, 7 lemons, and 3 boxes of eggs. Nice work. I did manage to get my act together enough to marinade the lamb at 10pm on Saturday night, but that was the full extent of my Organised Prepping To Make Life Easier.

STILL, to my credit, I didn't crash and burn, and managed to offer the pre-decided menu in full, and everything was pretty damn acceptable. With TWO puddings. Including homemade sweet pastry, which everyone knows is an attention seeking succubus requiring chilling, resting and a whole load more care and attention than I really wanted to give at ridiculously-behind-schedule-o'clock.

So, Sunday's set list;

Roasted Pumpkin Soup, Garlic Croutons and Emmett's Mild Cure Bacon

Spiced Monster Lamb Leg
Mujadara, Pickled Cucumber Salad, Griddled Aubergines
Broccoli with Caper and Parsley Butter, Spicy Tomato Sauce

Lemon Tart
Chocolate Brownie with Toasted Macadamia Nuts and Whipped Cream

(£10 a head including Monmouth coffee, Jasmine tea (eventually), and even a snifter of Calvados. Yes, on a Sunday afternoon.)

All in 7 hours! From scratch! On my own! And it tasted nice!

AND, once the people were arriving, drinks flowing, and - most importantly - stuff was ready, I had a thoroughly excellent afternoon, entirely worthy of a morning of Utter Stress*. Word up to my Sandwiches, Celeriacs, photographers, friends, restaurateurs, and Latitudinal diners; you were most awesome guests and I beseech thee to come again. Especially the delightful Sinead, who endeavoured to do the washing up, THANK YOU!

The lamb was of superb quality, delivered (for free**) by MarkyMarket at my convenience. If you don’t know about MM, he visits Smithfield and Billingsgate at unimaginable hours each Wednesday, to provide a kind of grass-roots home-delivery business for dinner party pros, and also for halfwits like me. I managed to get it pink, and tender, with a load of low-temperature roasting and then a long, loooong resting time, as recommended here.

A word about Friday; we had a wonderful time at another home-restaurant, perhaps too enthusiastic a wonderful time, because I have never, ever experienced a hangover like the one I had on Saturday. If you’re able to behave a little bit better than we did, check out Love a Locavore for a lovely evening in super stylish surroundings.

In short, all’s well that ends well. If you would like to take part in something akin to the above (the meal at our place, not the debauched destruction of another supper club), email theshedlikesfood@googlemail.com and I'll stick you on the mailing list.

*Don’t feel in any way sorry for me. It was my own fault, I should know better, and will probably end up doing it again because I never, NEVER, learn.

**delivery of lamb was free, lamb was not!

Ode to a haggis lasagne

2010-01-26T04:15:00.000-08:00

Not being the type to have my nose stuck in a poetry book, Burns' night (twenty-ten) was for me, always going to be an excuse to faff about in the kitchen. Mixed results ensued. Friends were encouraged to pen their own submissions in return for supper (mixed results, natch)...here are some of our efforts.

A haiku;

Vegetarians

Would not eat this haggis, yeh?

Vegetarians

A limmerick;

Haggis, the food that scream "can yer

eat me and prove you're a man, yeah?"

Oh no! It offends

Then let's make amends,

and turn it into a lasagne

And a super entry from a friend who unfortunately couldn't make it due to work commitments. I sometimes wonder how much more she'd get done if she wasn't dreaming up mythical food-beasts.

"Sadly, some people are not convinced that the haggis, a small, fluffy mammal with legs shorter on one side so he can walk on hills, really exists...therefore I have taken the opportunity to write a wee Haggis Limerick for you to read over the lasagne. So here we go

I Believe In The Haggis:

(To be read in a scottish accent)

From the land of kilts, bagpipes and whisky,

There comes a wee timorous beastie,

He runs through the highlands,

Left legs shorter than Right ones,

And with Tatties and Neeps he's quite teeesty

The menu;

Neeps and Tatties Soup

Haggisagne, garlic bread

Deep Fried Battered Mars Bar with Vanilla Ice Cream

The soup was genuinely tasty, and entirely without the whiff of farty school vegetables I hoped to avoid. Good stuff though, admittedly, hardly splitting the atom so to speak.

Quick method; soften onions and garlic, add lots of fresh, finely chopped rosemary, 1/3 of a swede (chopped), vegetable stock, 3 large potatoes (chopped), simmer until the vegetables are tender. Blitz everything until smooth, season, then finished with a handful of grated cheddar....yum.

The haggisagne was not a dish for me it turns out, but was enjoyed by others at the table. An odd concoction recommended by a colleague, here's how you do it. Or how I did it, anyway.

Simmer gently the wee beast in beef stock for 40 minutes, and remove from the pan to cool. Knock up a basic tomato sauce with the usual suspects. Toast his noble body with a wee dram, then crumble the haggis into the sauce.

Assemble as you would normally a lasagne, with bechamel and a cheesy topping, then bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Et, voila!...or however you might say it in Scottish.

Deep fried mars weren't the taste sensation for which I was hoping, though I'm glad I gave it a shot. I realise that this blog will seem incomplete without a low quality, poorly composed image of battered, greasy confectionery, but we were a bit pissed by this point, and I'm sure you'll get over it. With time, obviously.

The literary highlight was a two page epic, which will be scanned in and uploaded here so you can appreciate it in fully glory. The night was rounded off with a nip of the good stuff and the Scotch Mist episode of Garth Marenghi's Darkplace. Braw, ken?

Twenty-Ten

2010-01-18T12:35:00.000-08:00

I started this blog with the words, “So this is blogging”, but it wasn’t; simply a spot of promotion to entice people to eat with us. I guess you could argue, what is blogging if not self promotion?, but I get an awful lot of pleasure reading about half-strangers’ culinary doings and I’m sure this is the spirit in which they write.

This page, instead of being a portal through which to ‘sell’ our nights, will now become a record of what we’ve done. We’ve tweaked our secret-supper-underground-eating-place a bit, whateveryouwannacallit. We now eat with everyone, and everything is charged at the cost price of ingredients.

Sunday 17th January 2010….a rough and ready Sunday lunch

As well as brand new pans, a stack of cookery books, and a machine that makes fancy foams, Father Christmas brought us a rudimentary beer making kit which we set about immediately with glee. The result; a sweet, lovely beer, as plentiful as it is tasty, but which would not be at its best for too much longer. We had about 30 pints left, which the more hedonistic among you may count as an good Saturday night, but we took the civilised route and threw open our doors for lunch.

The menu

Homemade, home-laid, veggie scotch eggs

Salsify & celeriac salad with boiled lemon aioli (thanks, Guardian mag!)

Tomato, feta and rocket salad

Winter ‘slaw

Roasted peppers and aubergines

Crusty bread, and butter

Roast porchetta, gratin dauphinoise, caramelised shallots, token vegetables, & gravy (roast portobello mushrooms for the veggies)

Stewed plums with whisky scented cream and toasted oats

Total charge; £10 a head – including as much beer as we could quaff

The veggie scotch eggs, though perfectly nice, were a little underwhelming, missing…well, missing the meat if I’m honest! But everything else was pretty darn delicious, served perhaps slightly clumsily but with affection and of course, plenty of homemade beer.

Massive thanks to those who came!

If you would like to get involved with a bit of shed-dining, drop us an email and we’ll keep you informed with events – theshedlikesfood@googlemail.com. And, although we’ve had nothing of note to say so far, follow us on Twitspace! www.twitter.com/shedlikesfood.

Beer all about it! Sunday 15th November

2009-10-28T05:38:00.000-07:00

And so the moment has come to announce our actual, proper final date for 2009; sad times indeed. But don't worry, we're going out with a bang-whizz-whooosh, and promise to return in the new year refreshed, inspired and totally ready to reopen The Shed.

We're teaming up with the lovely Jo of http://www.differentworlddrinks.com/ to bring you a stellar Sunday lunch based on our dearly beloved fave beverage; beer! (Okay, maybe my second fave, but Champagne only counts if you can afford it, right?). Five courses with a double whammy for dessert, each with a matched beer and a tasting lesson with Jo - how awesome can a single Sunday get?! I'm positively gutted that I'll be spending the afternoon in the kitchen...

Our menu;

Beer Royale on arrival

Traditional Swedish Gravad Lax with Crispy Potato Cakes and Fennel & Dill Salad

Cheese and Beer Soup - Welsh Rarebit in a bowl!

Beer-Marinated Slow Roast Lamb, Autumnal Root Veg Mash

Colston Bassett Stilton with Cheese Biscuits

Dessert Duo; Lemon Tart and Chocolate Truffle Cake

Suggested doantion £30 - positively bargain-o-licious for such a feast!

As well as the delicious grub above, you'll be tasting 6 different beers as well as a Beer Royale to get you going. Definitely an afternoon to leave the car keys at home! Arrive from 1pm for a prompt 1:30 start, which gives you plenty of time to enjoy the afternoon and not worry about the effect of all that beer on your Monday morning - you can be tucked up in bed by 9pm.

Email theshedlikesfood@googlemail.com for reservations....very limited spaces so get in quick.

Papa Ahmed's Curry Night, 4th November (sold out)

2009-10-23T06:20:00.000-07:00

As the air takes on a definite chill we're ploughing boldly into the November nights with a curry evening to spice things up. Which brings us neatly to our first full blown collaboration!

Raised on Papa Ahmed's curry, youngest daughter Hannah will put her learned curry wisdom to tasty use on Wednesday November 4th. Hannah will be taking the culinary reigns to provide us with three superbly spiced main dishes to star in our Indian feast.

Sweet Lassi on arrival

Spiced Fishcakes with Onion Salad and Mango Chutney
Curried Lentil Soup

Papa Ahmed's Free Range Chicken Curry
Saag Aloo
Chana Marsala
Rice and freshly made Chapattis
Raita

Dessert to be confirmed....watch this space.

Recommended donation £20 a head

Space is limited so book early to avoid disappointment. Email theshedlikesfood@googlemail.com for reservations. See you there!

October 24th (sold out)

2009-10-15T00:43:00.000-07:00

I realise that posting up a menu that's already sold out may seem a little pointless, but there’s a strange lady who has started printing and filing each post, and we wouldn't want to disappoint her now would we? (Hello mum).

We quickly realised that one of our strengths is 'small plates' - tapas, mezze, call it what you will, but there's something in sending a steady stream of food that seems to make people happy. It does also allow for the cook to send everything as it's ready and in its prime, rather than perhaps having to hang on for two minutes whilst another component reaches perfection. I also adore soups....making them, eating them, feeding them to other people, and my friend Yasmin makes the best chicken soup, proper Jewish penicillin, that I’ve ever tasted; I hope I can do it justice. She deserves more than a little credit for inspiring this menu, and she should get her arse back from Israel to try it!

So, to the Middle East (or there abouts)

Yasmin’s Chicken Soup with Matzo Meal Dumplings

Spiced Pumpkin Soup

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Baba Ganoush

Hummus

Ztatziki

Falafel

Beef and Potato Cakes

Flatbreads

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Marinated and Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb

Baked Feta in a Rich Tomato Sauce
Mujadara

Fattoush

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Orange & Almond Cake with crème fraiche

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Coffee with Baklava

Hallowe'en Special, 31st October (sold out)

2009-09-23T02:53:00.000-07:00

I’ve struggled a little (a lot!) over this menu, for two reasons. Firstly, how to avoid the tacky pitfalls usually associated with Halloween grub? The canned-pumpkin pie and olive-eyeball pasta, the bread-crumbed witches’ fingers and spaghetti worms (pasta seems to get particularly abused if the recipes we found through Google were anything to go by!). My other main concern is that this menu may be our last (for a few months anyway – too cold in the shed), so we’d better make it a good one – see point number 1!

So I tried to think outside usual bag of Halloween treats, and turned to the writings of a chef oft associated with the vaguely macabre, Mr Fergus Henderson. I’ve had the Nose to Tail book for nearly two years, and although I must have read it cover to cover over 20 times, I’ve barely even touched the surface of the recipes within. As the sole meat-eater in a household of two, there’s not much scope for whole hams, pigs’ heads or terrines which will serve 8. But I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the read (over and over again!), and feel that it’s time to put my book smarts into practise.

Bloody, bloody Mary

Devilled Crab Cakes

Spiced Pumpkin Soup

Belly, Bird, Beast and Bean Cassoulet

Trick or Treat Party Bag

Suggest donation, £25

The dishes inspired by Nose to Tail are the devilled crab cakes and the cassoulet. Henderson sings the praises of confit delicacies – the process of cooking and preserving meat in fat – so I’m going to give it a go with my Belly, Bird, Beast and Bean Cassoulet (pork belly, ducks’ legs, and wild boar sausages since you ask). This one is not for the faint hearted!

Email theshedlikesfood@googlemail.com for reservations. Starts at 7:30pm, BYO booze, fancy dress optional but advised!

October 20th Menu (sold out)

2009-09-21T04:15:00.000-07:00

With the nights drawing in and the air getting colder, we're wondering how much longer we can keep going until The Shed gets too cold for comfort. We're pretty sure we'll be fine until Halloween (it's quite a cosy shed!), but anything after that will be a bonus so this menu may well be the second-to-last for 2009.

Roast Cherry Tomatoes with Goats' Cheese, Lemon, and Mint

“Capitalist Pig” with Potato and Celeriac Gratin and Savoy Cabbage

Lady Gray's 'to die for!' Toffee Brownies with Chantilly Cream

Tea or Coffee

Suggested donation, £20

Our Capitalist Pig will in fact be a whole ham, boiled in coke-a-cola, then baked in the oven with a final sticky glaze making for a succulent, tender, sweet-and-salty affair. Delicious! The dessert, you will notice, will not be made by our fair hands but by Lady Gray of The Hidden Tea Room. A wildly successful (just ask Time Out!) underground outfit, The Hidden Tearoom serves proper champagne tea with delectable finger sarnies, fresh-from-the-oven scones and scores of homemade cakes and sweet treats.

We're now sold out for everything except this night and our Hallowen Special on the 31st. If you'd like to make reservations, email theshedlikesfood@googlemail.com

Gift Swap Night, October 13th (sold out)

2009-09-10T10:44:00.000-07:00

You bring us a wrapped gift, we cook you dinner, when you go home we open our pressies and find out what you brought us. No money changes hands.

You don't know what you're going to eat. We don't know what we're going to get. We all trust that the other isn't going to pull a fast one!!

theshedlikesfood@googlemail.com for reservations.

:)

Something slightly more organised...

2009-09-10T09:48:00.000-07:00

After six fantastic weeks we're taking a fortnight-long break but will be back with gusto and ready to cook up a storm.

Saturday 26th September - Private function with Music in a Small Space

Tuesday 29th September - Tapas, sold out

Tuesday 6th October - Malaysian Magic (click for menu)

Tuesday 13th October - Gift Swap Night

Tuesday 20th October - menu undecided but definitely open!

Saturday 31st October - Hallowe'en Special, what this space for details.

So there we go. These very well may be the last Shed dinners for a wee while, as we're closing for winter 'cos it gets a wee bit nippy out there! We're going to take it as it comes, but once you can see your breath we're done for, though might invite people 'round for an intimate and warming gooey fondue :)

We'll post some more information about October's menus, but for a couple of weeks it's goodbye from us. We'll be picking up the emails from time to time, so please drop us a line if you want to get yourselves booked in for some Shed dining theshedlikesfood@googlemail.com

Future times

2009-09-01T08:05:00.000-07:00

Even on the eve of the first Tapas Fantastica, we have but 5 places left for the of the rest of September. As much as we'd like to be able to say "this is because we're great", it's largely because we'll be on holiday for two weeks. So, 5 places, all for the 8th September, who wants em? We will, of course, let you know if and when any cancellations pop up.

And so we look to October. Rather than stick with the same menu for the whole month, like we have with August and we aim to do with September, things will be a-changing. Our first two menus, though the same throughout the month, have been quite extensive - 6 courses in August and around 15 dishes plus accompaniments in September - so we're thinking of simplifying for October. Probably just (quelle horreur!) three courses. Maybe the odd appetiser here and there (we just can't help ourselves), but definitely only three proper courses.

After attending an afternoon of Malaysian cookery instruction over the weekend, the first menu in October will be a hot little eastern number. The course was facilitated by Azi Campbell, owner of Puji Puji on Balls Pond Road, who imparted the secrets of 'proper' Malaysian cookery and inspired us to get spicy in October.

6th October - Malaysian Magic

£14 for vegetarians, £16 for meat eaters and pescetarians

**********

Free-range (though not from the garden!) Chicken, Prawn, or Tofu Satay

Beef or Vegetable Rendang with Nasi Goreng

Some kind of awesome dessert

Email theshedlikesfood@googlemail.com for reservations and enquiries. We're planning a Halloween Special on the 31st October though won't say any more until we've finalised the menu.

Muy bueno!

2009-08-24T02:19:00.000-07:00

After a weekend packed with ingredient sourcing and recipe testing (hard life, eh?), we have some delicious new dishes to add to a few stalwart faves. We must admit going a little off-piste and sneaking in a cheeky little not-so-Spanish mezze, but it was just too good to exclude...can you spot it?

A rough draft of the menu, subject to change pending delivery of two new cookery books!

Breads, olive oil, vinegar, olives, dried cherry tomatoes

Tortilla (v)
Padron peppers (v)
Broad beans with shallots (v)
Empanadas (v)
Pumpkin and tahini dip (v)
Marinated anchovies
Braised cabbage with chicharrones and chorizo

Paella (v)
Stuffed mushrooms (v)
Griddled aubergines (v)
Patatas bravas (v)
Gambas a la plancha with saffron mayonnaise
Salmon ceviche
Albondigas

Dessert....tbc!

On the lookout for another veggie dish to add to the ‘main course’, so veggies don’t despair! Those in possession of the Moro East book will probably note a degree of inspiration taken from it, and one of the recipes will replicated verbatim...it’s so good, it doesn’t need any tinkering. I must say thank you to my dedicated tasting team (job well done) and also to MsMarmiteLover for teaching me how to griddle a mean aubergine :)

Going back to Moro East...it is easily the best book I have acquired in the last year or so – feel free to ask to see it after dinner, then go buy yourself a copy! It’s a tremendous book.

If you're not already booked in for Tapas Fantastica and like what you see, email theshedlikesfood@googlemail.com for reservations.

Tapas Fantastica

2009-08-11T03:16:00.000-07:00

In eternal faith of a luscious Indian summer, we’re going all Mediterranean in September with a glut of tasty tapas. We’ll be serving around 20 dishes across three courses, and this time we’re dipping a hungry toe into carnivorous waters, but retaining a strong foundation of veggie delights.

8pm, Tuesdays in September.

Suggested donation;
£14 for vegetarians
£18 for meat eaters, omnivores and pesce-curious

Email theshedlikesfood@googlemail.com for reservations and queries....see you there!

Opening night!

2009-08-06T02:49:00.001-07:00

So it finally rolled around, and after A LOT of preparention, actually went quite smoothly! We'll probably make a few tweaks here and there, but on the whole we were pleased with what we've done. Due to two cancellations we were able to sit down with everybody for cheese and dessert, which was definitely the highlight for us. Every cloud...

A lovely review here from the queen of underground restaurants herself, Ms Marmite Lover.

We have a few spaces (about 6 ish I think) left for the current menu for August, before moving on to Tapas Fantastica in September. About which more details coming soon....

Our first menu

2009-07-29T06:34:00.000-07:00

We were going to be all mysterious and secretive about the menu but realised this only works when you have a reputation for making delicious food, which we have yet to achieve (through lack of exposure rather than talent, we 'ope).

Last minute disasters and catastrophes aside, menu number one will be;

Trio of soups with soldiers
Spiced lentil cakes with a tomato sauce
Posh fish pie, some kind of tasty green veg
Cheese, biscuits, and homemade chutney
White chocolate croissant pudding with red fruits

We're hoping to serve this - or a good approximation of - every Tuesday night for the duration of August. Places are stil available so get in touch via the blog or email theshedlikesfood@googlemail.com for reservations. Veggie main course option also available on request.

From August 4th, Tuesday nights, 8pm. BYO booze. Suggested donation £20, and feel free to tip your lovely waiter!

So this is blogging....

2009-07-29T06:20:00.000-07:00

Hello, welcome, the brand new blog is here. When asked by Bellaphon, do you blog?, I thought crumbs, no, who has the time? but here we are a mere two weeks later, kickstarting The Shed official blog with aplomb. Okay, aplomb is whole level of effort too far for this post, but hopefully we’ll have something worthwhile to say very soon. Menus or something.

We'll do our best to keep it faintly interesting...do let us know if we fail.