EmWilco Supperclub… a review…

Emawilco SupperClub

Nibbles

Homemade Sour Dough Bread

Nettle Soup with Wild GArlic Pesto

CrabTart

Lamb Chops

Chocolate Mousse with Sour Cherry Amaretti

I have been wanting to try some of the competition in the way of other Kentish Supperclubs and I finally managed to get along to a relatively new one. I know of three other supper clubs in Kent now since I first opened my doors over three years ago. It is always hard to try and find a date when I am free and also a competitor supper club is doing an event.

Finally I found a spare Saturday night in early May (2013) when I had no commitments but there was a competitor supperclub hosting an event. My apologies to both Annies Supperclub and also The Fat Carrot I will get to one of your events one day!

So Mrs HC and myself set off to deepest Faversham a total fifty mile round trip to sample a supperclub that is run by Emma Wilcox in the Macknade Farm Shop on the A2 outside of the town centre. Emma has been operating them in this venue since about April 2012. I had been in twitter correspondence with Emma for some time as I am very keen to try and get all the Kent Supperclubs together at one event and see if we can all showcase together what we do as we are so varied. Annie’s in Bromley is Gluten Free,The Fat Carrot in East Peckham specialise in Vegetarian and EmWilco like me loves to showcase local produce.

So we duly arrived at the venue and whilst a few minutes early we awaited in our car and watched other attendees arriving. Then at just before 7pm a side door to the farm shop opened and we all tumbled out and were led through the vast farm shop aisles to the far end and what by day is the cafe and used for Emma’s dining area. We were welcomed with a glass of Spanish cava and then some plates of nibbles were handed round to guests.

The table we were all to be seated at was one long table seating the thirty guests booked in and some clambered for their places whilst others nervously held back. The nibbles proffered were thin slices of cured duck breast akin to Pata Negra ham and then slices of bread topped with a smoked cod and red pepper pate. We then chose our places and sat down and were promptly joined by a couple next to us. Conversations started to flow as we found they (John & Linda) had come along to meet new people having just moved to the area and when we told them what we did and they quizzed us further we realised we both knew someone in common… so it just goes to show how small the world is.

So as we all relaxed and got into the evening a big platter of homemade sourdough bread was placed at intervals along the table… they got quickly devoured and replenished as they were really good!

The first course up was a vibrant and wonderful fresh tasting nettle soup flavoured with wild garlic pesto and a poached quails egg. A well accomplished dish that set the tone well for the evening. My only critique was the egg was overcooked and more hard boiled and did little for the soup but otherwise it was a great start!

Next came a crab tart. Emma had waxed lyrically on her blog pre dinner about the origins and memories of this dish and we were all presented with a generous slice of soft unctuous full flavoured tart with a lovely depth of flavour. Simply garnished with watercress and pea shoots. A stunning dish that illustrated so perfectly Emma’s passion for quality ingredients that are simply handled.

Conversations flowed and it was interesting to observe the dynamics of the table. For me it was a shame that such a large table seemed to discourage mixing with fellow guests and as darkness fell and main lighting was toned down we were subjected to just candle lit tables adorned with bottles filled with fresh wild flowers and spring blossom.

Main course then arrived and this was a well thought through dish of roasted lamb cutlets beautifully rose pink with a puree of flageolet beans and some very tannic tasting greens and a roasted baby leek. A garnish of wild garlic flower heads offset the plate perfectly. It was well executed but for my palate just a touch lacking in salt and was also not as hot as I would have liked. I know from experience that trying to serve 30 people all at once from an unfamiliar kitchen is always a challenge. Emma did admirably well and we all tucked in and savoured the juicy lamb chops.

The main course cleared away meant it was time for dessert… Emma had chosen to make little chocolate mousse pots served with a lovely chewy sour cherry amaretti biscuit, one seemed hardly enough as they got devoured all rather too quickly.

So that was it… dessert devoured some guests started to leave and I thought this was a bit strange as surely coffee was on it’s way… well that was it – no coffee… my only gripe as with a 40 minute drive home a little cup of coffee would have been the ideal finish to what had been a good meal. I did not question Emma on this point but guess there is a reason why?

With Mrs HC on the drive home we pondered how our experience had been and we agreed it was a good one. Different to how we do ours but nonetheless and an enjoyable night out and some good food. A great introduction to a secret Supperclub if you have never been.

A day of two halves…

Well just over a week ago it was a cool spring day as I set off at a rather early hour of the morning for a breakfast networking event.

I am not a big fan of formal networking events as I feel they are all rather shallow and superficial and not really my scene. This one known as Breakfast Friends takes place once a month at a changing Kent venue for a breakfast along with a guest speaker.

One of the reasons I attended this meeting was because I had helped to introduce their guest speaker namely a professional food forager and local food celeb by the name of Fergus Drennan. I had suggested Fergus as he is in the middle of a fundraising campaign at the moment to help fund his desire to experiment for a whole year to support himself purely on foraged foods.

It seemed like an ideal opportunity to speak to a room full people that just might like the idea of supporting him with some sponsorship and to spread his message. It was also a bit of a new experience for him however his nerves really did not show as he in a very relaxed and informal way entertained the 50 plus attendees at the 7Hotel Diner at Halstead nr Sevenoaks.

There was a hushed silence as the room listened intently to his philosophy and take on foraged foods. It caused much mirth when he described “Road Kill” as “accidental meat” and he kept the gathering both entertained and enthralled and possibly could have gone on for longer than his allotted time of 10-15 minutes as he explained his plan to conduct this year long experiment.

Questions fired from the floor were answered with an assured manner and overall there seemed to be a real thirst for more knowledge from the gathering. He was slightly mobbed after the meeting broke up and one attendee went into a quiet huddle with him to discuss their favoured spots for morel mushroom gathering and others posed with him for their photos. It was an interesting format for a networking event and highly enjoyable.

It has whet my appetite for more and I am now in discussions with Fergus to perhaps have a fundraising dinner with some foraged foods (No Accidental Meat I promise) to highlight his project further.

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I then dashed back to Hari HQ to then spend the next couple of hours baking some of our Moodley’s Beer Bread to take up to Winterdale Shaw as they had their official launch for the dairy to now be totally “Carbon Neutral”!

Their award winning cheddar cheese is now totally “Green” Robin & Carla have been hard at work putting in systems to ensure the morning milk from their herd of Friesian cows is processed into their cheddar cheese using energy supplied by their recently installed solar powered heat pumps and then the cheese can now be delivered by their totally electric car also charged by self same power source making them totally carbon neutral a first for “Cheddar Cheese” producer!

They had also been visited by the local press featuring their achievements just the day before appearing on the local BBC news. Their “Electric Car” had also undergone a makeover with a bold shrink wrap advert for their dairy plus an endorsement from Electric Car enthusiast Robert Llewellyn, of “Red Dwarf” and and also “Scrapheap Challenge” fame was on hand as well.

As the invited guests were given a tour of the dairy and explanations of how the cheese is now made and a more formal ribbon cutting ceremony they then departed off to London in the electric car to deliver a cheese to Fortnum and Masons and then another to the Goring Hotel as they have just started to include it on their cheeseboard!

This had been a day of two halves but one that was certainly so memorable on many levels…

Little Social…. a review

It was with a great deal of excitement that I was to meet up with an old friend for lunch at Jason Atherton’s latest central London venture.“Little Social” especially as I had what I would class as my best meal of the year in 2012 at his Michelin starred eatery “Pollen Street Social.”

Well it was a bitingly cold (April) day as I sauntered up Regent Street past the “Hollister Store” with it’s giggling teens and scantily clad, blond haired and blue eyed doormen cheerily welcoming the shoppers. I arrived outside what was an unassuming front door to this new restaurant (it only opened in mid March) just across the road from Pollen Street Social to be warmly greeted by the Polish hostess with impeccable English ubiquitously we discussed the weather!

Seated in what can be best described as a narrow room with a French brasserie feel with red leather banquette booths, black and white photos and old facsimiles of French posters. My first request for a warming coffee was promptly dealt with as I awaited the arrival of my friend. The menu is in two parts – starting with a great value set price prix fixe menu with 2 or 3 courses and then an A la Carte menu of French inspired classics including some specials displayed on blackboards.

What was so appealing to me was how good the waiting staff were. They are like their counterparts across the road professional in their approach but also like the name indicates really social with their guests. They show skills in this area that in my mind should be studied by every budding member of front of house teams on how to do it properly!

My friend duly arrived and as we settled down and made our choices off the very reasonably priced prix fixe menu we were deep in conversation as the restaurant began to fill up. I went with what was termed “Country Pate” served with baby cornichons, salad and a great big stone jar with a stunning Pommery grain mustard. The friend chose the marinated salmon that was served with leaves of little gem lettuce and a garnish of cucumber and radish. It was a real picture on the plate and she cooed satisfyingly all through its consumption!

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Main course choices could have been Lincolnshire Sausages, Mash, Greens with an Onion Gravy or Dorade (Fish) but we both, as it was so chilling and cold out on the streets went for the comfort dish of Lamb Shank with a Haricot ragout and Basil Dressing.

As we tucked into this dish our conversation then was abruptly halted as all of sudden the fire alarm went off. Nobody moves,  nobody flinched all were too engrossed in enjoying their food. Staff rushed about, the ringing continued and my friend then let it be known she had been awoken that very morning by her own home fire alarm at the ungodly hour of 4:30am and had struggled to switch it off! Staff kept popping back to check we were all OK.

Some fifteen minutes later with ringing in our ears we were invited to decamp from our table across the road to PSS and to partake in our puddings there. Staff were so apologetic and could not have been better. We were settled into our new table in a busy restaurant, so we then partook of our dessert and coffee here.

My friend was relieved somewhat not to have that continued ringing in her ears as she wears aids in both and had had to remove them so then duly popped them back in and our conversation resumed.  This was something of a first for the friend of having two separate restaurant venues for a lunch whilst for me it was bit like being back on my inspection routine as we tucked into firstly a little pre dessert nibble brought to the table an apple espuma topped with a crumble crumb.

Dessert just for me was a Lemon & White Chocolate Ganache served with a carrot cake crumb and Basil Ash Meringue that was just the perfect light finish after the richness of the lamb shank.

Then with our coffees we were treated to a rather gorgeous selection of petit fours that ranged from little macaroons of delight to a selection of our local food hero Damian Allsop chocolates.

When it came to pay we had to settle one bill at PSS then walk across the road to settle the other bill in LS. My friend who settled the bills then texted me later “Does today mean you owe me not one but two lunches, I paid 2 bills after all!” – I did offer but I guess all that ringing noise in her ears must have addled her brain… !

I’m certainly not complaining and now trying to work out when I can go back and I would have to say it is well worth it with all the bells and whistles as well!

Little Social – 5 Pollen Street London – 020 7870 3730

We are what we eat…

A great French gastronome by the name of Brillat Savarin was responsible for a tome  called the “Physiologie du Gout” (The Physiology of Taste) and also responsible for the  odd aphorism that has stuck with me to this very day. Namely…

“Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are!”

Well there has been much debate and much gnashing of the odd mandible in the past few months here in the UK over what has now become our latest food scandal. Namely the discovery of Horse-meat in assorted processed meals from Findus Lasagne to Ikea Meatballs.

I have been somewhat amused to see the comments made about how could we eat horse and when you sit down and think more about this it has been led a great deal in the publics desire for cheap convenience food. That Brillat Savarin aphorism has a real ring of truth about it when you put it into this context.

I love a bargain like anyone else but cheap does not always mean poor quality… a good chef will buy wisely and shop around for the right price or you buy something in season and abundance.

When it comes to horse the meat is much revered on the continent and I personally will not baulk at cooking or eating it. It is certainly better value than beef and can be as equally tasty.

So how we source our food is never more poignant at the moment so I thought it would be worthwhile highlighting the work of a gentleman known as Fergus Drennan. Not a common household name but in foodie circles this guy is well known as he is a professional forager. He is Kent based (Canterbury way) and he is keen to embark on a project that will not only test his skills to feed himself but also the effects of living off the land and his endeavours will have upon his health.

Fergus is currently trying to raise sufficient funds to support this project so as not to provide himself with monetary issues whilst conducting this experiment. This is a mammoth task but I was highly impressed how using the Internet is pivot-able in this whole project and more important the clever use of something I am now just a bit more aware of namely “Crowd Funding”

It is not till you delve a bit more deeply as to what the land can offer us in the way of food that you realise how abundant nature can be and there are things out there I was not even aware are edible. I have been looking forward so much over the past few weeks to the arrival of that perennial little green leaf called ransom or wild garlic. It is wild foods like this along with more unusual ingredients that make this a whole new ball game for a foodie.

The project Fergus is keen to embark upon is fascinating and his passion for living off the land is infectious. I am thinking of ways in which we can support Fergus and one thing I am keen to do is see if we can host a dinner featuring foraged ingredients with Fergus present to talk and inform us all about them. So watch this space. In the meantime if you feel you want to know more about Fergus and his chosen lifestyle he has sent me the following links… the important one for supporting his crowd funding efforts is the final one!

Website: http://www.wildmanwildfood.co.uk/index.html

Blog: http://wildmanwildfood.blogspot.co.uk/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fergustheforage (he is still to work out how to use this yet)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fergus.drennan

Crowdfund: http://www.indiegogo.com/one-year-total-wild-food

Your comments are welcomed….

So Create a Difference…

As you know I am a bit of a fan of Pop Ups… I Pop Up as a restaurant once a month normally for two nights and then we have seen our local food hero Damian Allsop who makes those gorgeous water ganache chocolates opening a Pop Up shop in Tunbridge Wells at the end of last year in time to sell his wares for Christmas. (Back again soon for Valentines Day & Easter)

This Saturday 26th January 2013 sees the opening of a “Pop Up” with a difference! It is for “One Day” and is an initiative that is the result of the collaboration of the local RIBA Branch, 15 local architects and the help of branding guru Mike Goode of Hop House Design. Flyer SoCAD

Why my interest – well firstly I am intrigued to see what the public reaction will be like with this chance to perhaps influence the local development of Tunbridge Wells with some new and innovative ideas. Check out their FaceBook page for full details of what is going on..

I am also keen to give my support to a local architects ARC-ml who I have got to know through some involvement with a big East London project they have been master planning for their clients. Much discussion has gone on about the value of a Pop Up and their engagement with the community and this is yet another example of such.

There has already been some very imaginative ideas with local blogger Chris at AnkeTW. He posted an idea as Tunbridge Wells being a Spa town should perhaps have a new water feature! The giant tap idea he posted recently on his blog is inspired. It would be a real talking point and great tourist attraction.

I have a few ideas myself. With many vacant retail properties in our town centres now how about this as an idea. You firstly somehow insist with all vacant properties landlords that the window frontages are blocked off with a cheap and cheerful covering and then you get some chosen local artists using window paints to draw/paint a “water” inspired theme on the outside of the windows. This could keep the Spa theme going throughout the town and illustrate well the heritage of the town.

There could and should be a bevy of local artists asked to be town illustrators/artists for say a year and as soon as a property is vacant the window covered and the artist let loose. Once re let the window is cleaned off for the new tenants.

My little village in France where we have a holiday home has a local artist who is often employed by the local shops and businesses to decorate their shop windows with a Dragon inspired picture (look at the Decors Vitrines under the Commandes Section)  as there is a local story about a dragon “Babau”, she will even theme them especially at certain festival times… e.g Christmas, Easter etc!

Just imagine the fun you could have with the vacant properties in not just Tunbridge Wells but any town with vacant shops.

Do pop along on Saturday if you have some ideas it could be your chance to create a difference!

A vintage year 2012…

Well what a year this has been… we can safely say it has been a vintage year of events and fun and well we thought it might be worth a look back at some of the highlights.

Well January 2012 was the start and we did a dinner at a new location… Olive Stores in Brenchley provided the backdrop for a Veggie Feast dinner in conjunction with Moodley’s Micro Brewery where we did a 6 course vegetarian menu matched to Yudhistra Moodleys rather special beers. It was a challenge to provide a balanced menu to the beers but we think it went rather well with some lovely comments in our guest book!

On January 24th I spent the morning in the Green Room of the “ITV’s This Morning” TV studios with Chef But awaiting his quick three minute performance of the art of hand made noodles live on air to celebrate the “Chinese New Year”…. It was a surreal day for many reasons…

February marked the celebration of our second birthday of existence and we felt we celebrated in style with a “Birthday Bash” that was extravagant with some of my favourite dishes. Namely some Fresh Foie Gras and also a rather juicy double sirloin steak topped with bone marrow. We had one group of guests travel all the way from Oxford for the occasion and it was yet again another couple of fun filled nights.

We also shot a little video to help promote our first little charity fundraiser of the year. “Eat like a King well almost” was an event we had donated to one of our favourite charities the Hospice in the Weald. Their torchlight Dinner held at Hever Castle was a fitting setting for our video that we shot on a cold February morning with snow all around. The video also helped us raise a total of £2,200 so all rather humbling.

March dashed by and as the year hotted up we started planning some of our next events the Spring menus saw us cooking some rather tasty lamb chumps with the freshly foraged wild garlic and then a couple of forays with meals out were interesting fodder for the blog as the experiences were chalk and cheese. Rocksalt in Folkestone was a disaster and then Pollen Street Social in London was a real triumph!

Our May dinners saw us back at the Olive Stores in Brenchley with the patriotic feel of Best of British Dinners. 2012 has been a year of British celebrations what with the Queens Diamond Jubilee and then the Olympic and Paralympics games. Well the Best of British Dinners were a challenge where we produced two four course dinners from a minute kitchen. It was however a pleasure to serve up some great local asparagus and strawberries and then a main course of pigs cheeks and pork belly provided an interesting talking point.

Our next charity challenge then quickly loomed upon us in June when on the eve of the Summer Solstice we took our underground “covert” dining to new heights when we attempted to serve a dinner to six prize draw winners on the roof of Yalding’s 13th century church. The Yalding Church Preservation Society (YCPS) had asked us if we would help them raise some much needed funds for their remit of assisting in the upkeep of this village church and we rose to the challenge. An online and offline collection was made and a total of just over £1500 was raised. Six lucky diners tucked into a dinner on the roof whilst 50 plus enjoyed canapés and drinks in the churchyard at the same time. Phew what a week!

Finally just before our summer break we served our July dinners with a French theme and then like the rest of the nation we got hooked on the sporting festival that took place up in London. I was fortunate to have several visits to the Olympic park and was also pleased to be at the opening day of a new restaurant (Danes Yard Kitchen) located a stones throw across the road from the park and have since been back a few times and watch with interest how the place evolves.

Our holiday down in the south of France passed all to quick but a visit by Mr But and his wife gave us the opportunity to show them the local gourmet delights and also start us planning what would be a return visit by Chef But to Hari’s in September when once again we served two very successful nights of Chinese food. One guest Laura Goode was so blown away by it she had to write on her own blog…

Where was the year going… October we tried something a little different with our dinners when we served a choice of dishes and made it a slightly cheaper affair and then in November another first we joined forces with local wine merchants Rodney Fletcher Vintners and served a five course dinner  “In Vino Veritas”  with two wines at each course! A full house both nights and a waiting list of diners clambering for drop outs we could have filled the dinners twice over! Then all of sudden it was Xmas looming on us…

In amongst this we also helped local “chocolatier extraordinaire” Damian Allsop to open a pop up Chocolate shop in central Tunbridge Wells. This has proved a big hit and we hope something more will come of it…

We conducted our normal Xmas feast and also tried a new little venture of Covert cookery lessons with our first recipient just before Xmas looking to pick up some tips on how to produce some interesting dishes for the festive period.

It has been a busy year and already we are planning our events for 2013. The 2013 dates are already published and we have menus for the first three months in the pipeline so keep an eye out for them .

The bookings for January will open on January 1st and it will be what we call our “January Sale”.

We will also hopefully be looking at doing some bigger events during 2013 and also revisiting some old haunts. Olive Stores are expanding and we hope we can do something new and exciting with them in their latest venue. We have more meals out planned which we hope to report upon and then also the Covert Cookery lesson idea will expand so do keep watching this space or sign up on our database for regular updates.

We wish you all the best for 2013 and many thanks for your patronage and support during 2012 – a truly vintage year!

Die Schwiez… snow, sun and great grub!

Well this time last week we were in a snowy Switzerland for a short break… we arrived to a blizzard and within 24 hours of constant snowing we had some ten inches of snow and a total white-out.

We were staying with friends in a sleepy village that had no local shops without having to drive a bit to get your local produce. Well we were well and truly spoilt with some great grub… we kicked it all off on the Saturday night with a rather sumptuous little starter of Beetroot Carpaccio with orange and feta cheese.  It was a dish that has inspired me to try something a bit similar at a future Hari dinner so watch this space! A rather yummy fillet of beef with sun dried tomato sauce was the main course and we tucked into some local cheeses (plus some Winterdale Shaw and Stichleton I had taken with me) and a very nice and I mean very nice bottle of vintage Port.

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Then on the Sunday evening we sat down to a real Swiss classic of Cheese Fondue. The marriage of a melted cheese and white wine served with cubes of bread is a very social one and this was very much the case as some other friends joined us all. It was very much a loud and boisterous evening  as we all tucked into some great fondues and supped some local kirsch and some local white wine (Never red wine as some would think – it will clot the cheese in your stomach)

Our friends unfortunately had to go back to work on the Monday morning so left to our own devices we set off on a bit of a trek across Switzerland as we were keen to visit a chocolate factory and there is none better than the Nestlé Cailler factory in the town of Broc near Gruyère.

It has been some thirty plus years since I was last at the factory and it has changed a great deal. They have made it much more theatrical than I recall and it is a veritable conveyor belt with small groups setting off every 5-10 mins with whatever language required! It was fun and the best bit was then end of the production line for the mini Cailler Branches where a tray awaited to be sampled and then the tasting room at the end of the tour was another excuse to stuff your face with a range of their chocolates.

Then in true tourist attraction fashion you were led out into the retail shop where Mrs HC and little miss HC were in chocolate heaven as they filled their bags with more chocolate. It was a great visit that we much enjoyed.

We then headed off down the road to the village of Gruyère where we went to see the production of the classic Gruyère cheese. Again it had been thirty years since my last visit and this was also very different from my memory with a much more interactive approach. The little sample packs we were given as tasters were welcomed and as we departed past the ageing caves the rows and rows of big cheese wheels were a truly awesome sight!

We then drove up the road to the town of Fribourg to meet with some other friends for dinner and this time it was another type of Fondue (Chinese). Many think of Switzerland as expensive but this place just over the road from various faculties of the University was great value for money. Eat as much as you want and a total bill for five of us was under £100 including all drinks was pretty good!

It was a long drive home and a great day out!

Well the sun certainly shone on the Tuesday morning with blue cloudless sky and the view from the friends home across the lake and across to the mountains was a great view to wake up to. It was hardly a difficult decision we would today go up a mountain! The next decision was by which method and the desire for a cable car meant we had only one choice nearby – the Rigi beckoned and meant we had to head off to the village of Weggis to take the Luftsielbahn up to Rigi – Kaltbad!

Well it was stunning… the abundance of snow and the great views made it all rather magical and we sat down to a typical mountain restaurant lunch of a Bratwurst and Zweibel Sauce (Onion Gravy) and a rather well made Apfel Torte and a the coffee finish was a “Schümli Pflümli“ – a real local speciality of a schnapps filled coffee topped with whipped cream was a perfect way to end the mountain visit.

As we descended in the packed cable car the views were really breathtaking and memorable as we looked out onto the city of Lucerne and the calm still waters of the Vierwaldstatersee. Pilatus the mountain that overlooks the city of Lucerne looked majestic as did the other snow capped peaks and it was perfect way to end the visit.

Dinner that night back at our friends was my responsibility, a simple “Rösti” potato cake with pork escalopes in a wild mushroom sauce (Steinpilz aka Cepes) was followed by meringues filled with thick double cream from Gruyère. It had been another stunning day and as we said our goodbyes and good-nights to our friends (early departure to work the next morning for them) we promised we would be back again for a return visit before too long.

Our final day in Switzerland was spent in the city of Zurich (where I had spent my formative years on leaving college) dashing in and out of the upmarket department stores of Globus & Jelmoli on the Bahnhofstrasse and yet more chocolate shopping in Migros City! Our final meal was at the Turf Bar of Hotel Ascot. This piano bar is something of an institution in this banking quarter of Zurich as high powered banking conversations were going on all around us! The “Weiner Schnitzel” the size of a dinner plate and wafer thin and crisp was beautifully executed.

It had been a perfect visit to Switzerland, great food, great company, views and weather what more could we have asked for… it had been inspiring… now look out for that new starter to appear on a future Hari dinner…

Hari Covert Dates for “Twenty Thirteen”…

The following dates are the proposed dates for our Hari Covert dinners next year… please note they are subject to change and you can only book the dates once the previous months dates have been completed.

We will also be adding in other special dates that will hopefully be charity fundraising events and so would suggest you always check what we are planning via our blog/website.

All dates are a Friday and Saturday and will be limited to 12 spaces each night unless held at other venues where there might be greater capacity.

January 18th & 19th

February 8th & 9th

March 15th & 16th

April 19th & 20th

May 17th & 18th

June 7th & 8th

Plus we hope a major charity fundraiser on either  22nd/23rd June

July 12th & 13th

September 13th & 14th

October 19th & 20th

November 16th & 17th

December 13th & 14th

We have also earmarked 16th to 20th December as potential Christmas Lunches as well but will decide nearer the time the format etc

Damian Allsop “Pop Up” shop for Christmas…

Well Tunbridge Wells is in for a treat and I’m glad to say Hari Covert has been playing his part….

We have been acting in a consultative capacity with a local developer to help a certain person open their first retail outlet in the town in the form of a “Pop Up” shop.

We can now announce that the amazingly talented chocolate maker Damian Allsop will be selling his amazing range of chocolates from a special outlet at 8 Chapel Place in the centre of Tundbridge Wells.

The shop will initially open with a glittering opening party (invitation only) and then from Thursday 22nd November the shop will be open every Thursday, Friday & Saturday from 11:00am to 7:00pm until December 20th when it will be open every day until 4pm on Christmas Eve.

The shop will be selling his complete range of chocolates as well as some little extras… namely you could pop in for a hot chocolate and a pipette shot that will warm those hectic  shopping forays on the run up to Christmas.

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Damian will also be on hand to answer those queries as to what makes his chocolates so special. His chocolates are ground breaking as he uses water in his ganache – this means they have a much cleaner flavour and perfectly suit those that have allergies to dairy products.

To check out his chocolate range then go to his web site here.

This will be a perfect place to pick up a very unique local Christmas gift and a great way to support a true local food hero as well… watch this space for more details.

Danes Yard Kitchen, Stratford East London… a review

Well I better declare an interest here before I review this new restaurant Danes Yard Kitchen located on the Stratford High Street in East London.

I have been responsible for putting the developer and operator of said establishment together and overall am pleased to say I think it has been a good match.

It has been my fourth visit to said establishment since they opened on Friday August 10th just before the Olympics closing ceremony. I felt not a good idea to judge them on that first visit on their first day so I have since been back a few times once for a lunch once on my way back out of London (a bit of a detour I know) but just for a quick beer.

My last visit was with the owner of Taywell Ice Creams, Alastair Jessel. I am a big fan of Taywell and I know he is keen to get his ices into more London eateries and thought this would be a great venue for his wares. So we duly rendezvoused and were shown to a table in what was basically an empty restaurant. I guess they are suffering the post Olympic blues located just across the road from the Olympic Park and there were certainly not the bodies about as there had been on the previous visits.

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Let me say firstly on each of my visits I have been overall very happy with the food but if I have had one area of criticism it has been with the erratic service and lack of customer interaction I have observed. I know it has been a tough task to open during the Olympics with all the challenges of finding the right people and in fairness one thing they have strived to do is give local residents a chance with employment in a location devoid of many good employment opportunities.

Any way what can you expect if you pay them a visit… well the decor can best described as funky urban, open to view ducting and high ceiling warehouse feel with an open plan finishing kitchen. Big plate glass windows look out onto a piazza that is dominated by a hyperbolic styled tower reminiscent of the Olympic Torch that acts as a beacon to all that surrounds it.

More on the tower later. The tables and chairs are a mix and match of wood & metal design along with leather clad booth seating and a sizeable terrace provides an added area for alfresco drinking and dining.

Well turning to the food there is a limited choice menu that I am sure will evolve as time progresses but it features both some imaginative cooking alongside classic staples like fish & chips and a burger. For me some of the highlights of my visits have been the spiced chick peas and ground cumin as a nibble and the parmesan & black pepper shortbreads with creamed goats cheese. Both are awesome little nibbles to go with a round of drinks or an aperitif.

My most recent visit saw me starting with the crispy Cornish squid that was dredged in semolina flour and deep fried till crispy but still tender and served with a little dish of aioli. I have previously really enjoyed a queen scallop ceviche that had a zingy freshness with lime.

Main courses have ranged from as I have said classic fish and chips with mushy peas and a very good short rib beef burger, juicy, tender and in a good fresh bun. Chips served in their own little frying basket makes presentation all a bit twee. I have also tried the Braised Pork Belly with Granny Smith apple puree, caramelised shallots and red cabbage salad to the version on this last visit it was a slice of stuffed crispy pork belly with braised fennel & pine nuts. Both very tasty but both in desperate need of more liquid to go with them as they needed more jus /gravy. Accomplished cooking but perhaps some attention to the detail required to make it even more memorable.

For dessert the Scottish raspberry bread & butter pudding was good and the Apple crumble tart also well executed but perhaps needed a slightly thinner biscuit base, the salted caramel ice cream missing on one visit was present on another was OK. The bitter chocolate tart with the milk sorbet on another occasion came served with an orange sorbet that was rather average and the tart was very dense.  All in all the food is good and interesting enough to keep even foodies and gourmets happy.

For me though the one area that lets them down at the moment is the lack of interaction with their service staff. They are perhaps too concerned about whether they are doing things by the book than just being themselves and interacting with their customers. One young Italian waiter joked and laughed and was much more the natural self when we told him their pistachio ice cream was a travesty to ice cream (With Mr Taywell present he was bereft) to which as an Italian he agreed totally!

It is the little things like check backs on the table, even just some conversation with customers and attempts to up-sell extra drinks or extras from the menu that would be welcomed. The late night visit just as the kitchen just closed and a request for a simple couple of their nibbles lacked the attempt to flog us some nuts (we had to ask!!!) The place was not rammed or busy on both occasions and it is at times like this service can be lapse and erratic.

I know it is early days but other customers might be less forgiving and the need to get it as  right as possible, as quickly as possible is vital to establish this place in not only it’s local market but to a wider audience.

The site is part of a big plan and the investment going into to it is eye watering and things like the tower rumoured to have cost them nearly a million pounds means this is a serious investment in a community devoid of quality! The tower is such an attraction and they are keen to secure planning permission to enable the public access up to the top to admire the views, the night time light show is fascinating and I am told when there are five people surrounding the tower the pressure plates around it when stepped upon interact with you.

There is also an outdoor table tennis table with bats and balls for public use. It seems like the developers are thinking of everything…

Now surely that must be a reason to book a party of five for dinner and plan some post dinner exercise afterwards. I will be back and hope the local community embrace it wholeheartedly.