good local culinary news to share
We’re racing through the year and although the pubs and restaurants are opening, sadly for event caterers, we’re still locked down and unable to operate, which is really agitating brides, grooms and families as the months wear on with no sign of restrictions lifting.
However there is some good local culinary news to share - Hannah from Herbs & Wild has opened a pop up Café in Wilton - see details below
We are also plotting the return of our pop up's in the not to distant future so watch this space
We are cracking on with the take away offer - the new menu is up on the Bread and Flowers at Home website now & features a cracking new Charcoal Smoked Aubergine Curry recipe from Meera Sodha’s book ‘Fresh India’, The book fell open at this recipe, the picture looked totally alluring and the technique, although simple, involves hot charcoal, oil and smoke, so I imagine would put a lot of people off preparing at home. Of course I love faffing around with this kind of detail, so I’m putting it on the menu this week. I’ve tried it and it’s hands down delicious.
BEEF STEW WITH CINNAMON & PRUNES
A wonderful recipe from my old chum Lucas Hollweg and takes me back to the second Chalke Valley History Festival, held at Tommy Hooper’s, Red Ruby beef farm in Ebbesbourne Wake. We set a personal best that weekend serving this dish to 400 happy punters, along with a starter or pudding. We managed to get everything out to everyone in 28 minutes. On top of which, we cooked way too much, so the Salisbury homeless community were very happy the following day.
Ingredients (allergens in brackets) Olive oil, Beef, Salt, Pepper, Bacon, Onion, Garlic, Tomato puree, Parsley, Thyme, Bay leaves, Cumin, Cinnamon, Red wine vinegar (sulphor dioxide) Red wine (sulphor dioxide) Prunes
Recipe – Lucas Hollweg
£9.50
SAFFRON, ROAST GARLIC, BUTTER, OLIVE OIL MASHED POTATO.
I know we’ve just done this but I think it’s totally scrummy, worth a second outing in quick succession and goes particularly well with the beef stew. Chompingly delicious.
£3.00
SHREDDED SAVOY, BUTTER, GARLIC, CARAWAY
My grandma used to use caraway with cabbage and butter back in the 60’s, she lived in Burtonwood, up in the Northwest, near the 2nd world war American airbase. She was a pretty good cook then and I was recently informed by my cousin Rene that she was actually a cook in residence, in service I think was the term, to a big house in Blackpool in her youth. So that would be my credentials then, my dad was a pretty good cook too.
Ingredients (allergens in brackets) Savoy cabbage, Olive oil, Garlic, Caraway seeds
£3.00
FISH AND SHELLFISH STEW, PERNOD, CORIANDER, LEMON
The full nine yards as far as fish stews go, also contains new potatoes, so a very hearty dish. This is another Rose Prince manifestation, but I can’t seem to find which book it’s from. We’re using red mullet, coley and cod cheeks, along with mussels and clams. I say that but it all depends what’s swimming around the coast over the next few days. Tricky things fish, they don’t always offer themselves up just because we want to eat them.
Ingredients (allergens in brackets) Red mullet (fish), Coley (fish), Cod (fish), Fish stock (fish, celery), Olive oil, Onion, Garlic, Carrots, Celery, Fennel, Potato, Tomato, Coriander, Thyme, Saffron, Mussels (mollusc), Clams (mollusc), Pernod, Salt, Pepper, Lemon, Parsley.
£10.50
CHARCOAL SMOKED AUBERGINE CURRY, BASMATI RICE.
I’ve just taken delivery of Meera Sodha’s book ‘Fresh India’, recommended by Hugo Stewart. The book fell open at this recipe, the picture looked totally alluring and the technique, although simple, involves hot charcoal, oil and smoke, so I imagine would put a lot of people off preparing at home. Of course I love faffing around with this kind of detail, so I’m putting it on the menu this week. I’ve tried it and it’s hands down delicious.
Ingredients (allergens in brackets) Rapeseed oil, Onion, Garlic, Ginger, Aubergine, Tomato, Chilli powder, Salt, Turmeric, Coriander, Cumin, Basmati rice, Spring onions, Mint, Parsley, Chives, Chilli, Butter (milk)
£6.50
CHOCOLATE & SALT CARAMEL BROWNIES, CHERRY & ELDERFLOWER SAUCE
It’s a first outing for this pudding, we’ve been meaning to do it for some time. It’s from the gorgeous guys over at Barley Wood, Bristol, Iain & Matthew Pennington, who run the splendid Ethicurean Restaurant. I’d love to get hold of their toffee apple pudding recipe, but it’s the most guarded recipe I’ve ever heard of. If you’d tasted it, I guess you would know why.
Ingredients (allergens in brackets) Chocolate (milk), Butter (milk), Sugar, Egg (egg), Rapeseed oil, Flour (gluten), Baking powder, Salt, Cocoa powder (milk), Salt, Cherries, Elderflower.
£5.00