Demonstration “Covert Cook School” Lessons…

We felt it was about time we released some scheduled demonstration Covert Cook School lessons that will take place on a series of specific dates. The format will be a four and half hour demo of a three course meal that will give you  the opportunity to quiz yours truly and also get actively involved as well if you so wish. It will also give you plenty of tips on presentation and tricks of the trade to ensure you can replicate yourselves.

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I will reveal some of my classic supperclub dishes and tailor the class to be something for all levels of cook to be able to attempt at home.

We will kick the class off with a welcome coffee or tea with some homemade biscuits and then get stuck into the demo. The class will then end with you all sitting down and sampling what has been prepared. Recipe sheets will be provided so you can then head home and replicate.

The class will take place in my demonstration kitchen and will be just four persons so an intimate group of friends or perhaps a group of strangers where new friendships could be formed. If you wish to consume alcohol with you meal then feel free to bring a bottle! We can provide glasses etc – Soft drinks & water will be on hand for all.

The class will demonstrate a three course meal that you will be able to easily replicate at home and give you chance to grow in confidence and impress your own guests.

The classes will take place on the following dates

Wednesday 15th May 10am to 14:30pm

Wednesday 29th May 10am to 14:30pm 

Thursday 30th May 10am to 14:30pm 

Price : £70 per person inclusive – three course lunch , recipe sheets, welcome tea or coffee on arrival, soft drinks & water

To book please complete the following booking form and we will then send you a secure payment link to confirm your place.

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A hot date in Ramsgate with “Harrison Ovens”…

THIS EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT

For our March event we will be moving to a rather quirky venue in the town of Ramsgate!

We will be using the ”Harrison Ovens” industrial workshop  where they hand build a thing of beauty in this seaside town.

Daniel Thumwood the creator of the oven builds these much sought after pieces of kitchen kit that can now be found is some of the UK’s top kitchens and are now being exported to further afield as well.

We will be using their workshop demo kitchen as the venue for this month’s event and we will also be using their oven to showcase how versatile the oven is to cook with. We are planning to cook the whole meal using the oven wherever we can.

We are doing just the one night on Saturday 16th March. The first floor demo area overlooks the workshop and whilst it is a very basic space we will have enough space for just twelve diners and Daniel along with his wife Natalie will be on hand to tell the story behind their quest to bring charcoal cooking to the best professional and domestic kitchens. We also suggest guest wear warm clothing if the weather is chilly as there is little heating in this industrial space!

We will kick the evening off with some seasonal nibbles and a welcome drink before we will then serve the first course. A classic Elizabeth David inspired recipe of a Piedmontaise roasted red pepper stuffed with tomato, garlic and anchovies that will be slow roasted in the oven – we will then serve garnished with some Jamon Iberico and some good hunks of our now infamous Beer Bread… again we will cook this in the charcoal oven !!!

Our next course will be a  roasted field mushroom cap that will be topped with a light smoked haddock mousse – cooked in the oven this will we hope intensify the smoked flavour – we then serve this with a simple a root ginger flavoured beurre blanc sauce.

For our main course we will roast wild garlic pesto crusted lamb rumps direct over the charcoal embers to impart a good crust and smoky flavour sealing in those juices – a wedge of creamy potato gratin dauphinoise and then my ubiquitous green beans as garnish with the meat will complete this dish.

Next we have then decided to serve a classic savoury – using Kentish Winterdale Shaw a carbon neutral unpasteurised cheddar cheese from the top of Wrotham Hill that we will use in a classic welsh rarebit served on a slice of sour dough bread.

The final course will be something I tasted when I paid a visit to Daniel & Natalie in late 2018 to see the workshop… I test baked a loaf of my beer bread and Dan made his banana loaf that was exceedingly moreish and to die for.  A slice will come garnished with salted caramel roasted banana and served with a good dollop of clotted cream to round it all off… a fitting indulgent ending to the proceedings.

You are invited to bring your own drinks to consume with your meal – we will provide glasses, ice buckets and waters.

You will be sharing spaces on the two tables so this will be a fun night of like-minded foodies who we hope to introduce to the world of covert dining.

Please use the booking form below to reserve your places – we will then send you a booking deposit payment link to confirm your reservation.

Date: 16th March 2019

Arrival: 7:30pm

Dinner:  8:00pm Prompt

Venue: Harrison Ovens Ltd, Unit 2 Sharpes Place, Ellington Road, Ramsgate CT11 9TD

Price: £35 per person (a £5 Booking deposit per person to confirm your places – Balance owing payable in cash on the night)

Menu

Welcome Drink & Seasonal Nibbles

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Piedmontaise Stuffed Red Pepper served with Jamon Iberico & Beer Bread

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Roasted Flat Field Mushroom topped with a Smoked Haddock Mousse, Ginger Beurre Blanc

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Roasted Lamb Rump with a Wild Garlic Pesto Crust, Gratin Dauphinoise, Green Beans

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Winterdale Shaw “Welsh Rarebit” on Sour Dough Toast

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Banana Bread, Salted Caramel Banana, Clotted Cream

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Coffee & Petit Fours

Menu Subject to Ingredient Availability and Market Purchases.

Please use the form below to make your booking – we will email you a secure link to pay your £5 per person confirmation deposit. The balance owing is payable on the night with cash.

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“Choice or No Choice” – that is the question?

I was discussing with an old friend the other day the modern restaurant trend to provide set menus with no choice and whether being this dictatorial is a step too far for the customer.

When I set up “Hari Covert’s” my menus have always in the most been a no choice affair and we will to a degree cater for allergies or dietary requirements where we can.

I can think of a few places in Kent who operate a set menu no choice or very limited menu policy and my friend bemoaned the one he wanted to go to was inflexible in its approach. Not only did he have to book so far in advance to secure a table there was not an alternative if you did or could not eat what was on offer!

He had some friends who went and were given a “bloody” pigeon breast that basically they could not eat and it has put him right off.

My argument would be do not go if for some reason you cannot be open minded enough to try even if no choice!

Now this for me is a major turnaround from the young lad who would not eat any meat as child unless it was chicken breast and was a very fussy eater!

Chefs today have to be so clever and so flexible to deal with so many food fads and allergies it does not surprise me to see them offer limited or no choice menus. It not only makes commercial sense it also is a very big challenge to come up with something to suit all tastes, palates and dietary needs.

Planning for the YCPS Charity Dinner in May has been a challenge not only trying to get the dishes out of the participating chefs but also to make the menu fit for all tastes.

In fact one likely attendee said to me recently  when I revealed the menu to them that they would not be able to eat the first course as it would contain an ingredient they could not stand – “just more for my partner”  they remarked (a good attitude to have)

Open mindedness is vital when partaking in a set or very limited choice meal and whilst I equally have foods I am not so keen on I always try to keep a really open mind to what I am being served.

It always use to annoy me when inspecting restaurants, especially Asian to be told the Chinese or Japanese scripted specials on the table were not for the “Western tastes”. Let me make that decision please.

Very true on one occasion when I ordered a “raw squid marinated in the bile of its own intestines”… mind you the crispy salmon skin on another occasion was a revelation that I still fantasize over.

So I thought it would be good to conduct a poll… let’s see what you all think (up to 2 answers allowed) and do feel free to comment about some of the surprised revelations that you have eaten and even your own food hell’s that you wish you hadn’t !!!

Time for Tea (and Cake)…

Well we are always keen to provide our supper club attendees with a unique covert experience with our events.

For our April event we are pleased to announce something very different and quite unique.

We are linking up with a Master Tea Blender – Alex Probyn – he is brains behind a highly successful company called Blends for Friends and his HQ is located on the edge of the North Downs in a purpose built Kentish Barn that now is a very busy operation.
Alex blends many teas for assorted companies worldwide, they will produce on average one million plus tea bags per week as well as loose leaf tea blends shipped to locations throughout the world.

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Who’d have thought we have such a company within our midst…
Part of the barn has been turned into a swish state of the art bespoke tasting room which is known as the “Blendatorium” where Alex will tutor you through the many vagaries of tea blending – he has a wall of some 500 plus infusions that can create a unique blend.
He will provide attendees with a tutored tasting and this will then be followed by you being able to create your own very unique blend to take home with you.

Finally once this is all completed his in house catering team with some assistance from yours truly we will then serve you with a delightful afternoon tea at their in house café, this will include a selection of sandwiches, homemade cake, biscuits and pastries.

We have also invited Pastry tutor Jonathan Deddis who was a contestant on the last series of the BBC series “Bake Off Crème de la Crème” to also produce some unique high end patisserie where his artistry and skills will also encompass some of Alex’s teas.

This will be a truly perfect way to finish off this event. The café is not open to the public so it will be a truly exclusive and must not miss event. This is a unique way to learn more about the world of tea in a fun and informative way.

The event is a one off we have secured an exclusive all in discounted price for this event of £65 per person that is a saving of £10 per person on their normal tea tasting prices. There are just 12 spaces available on a first come first served basis and the event will only take place if all places are sold so why not get a group of tea enthusiasts together and let’s make a party of it!

To book your places we request you complete the booking form below and we will then invoice you with an online credit/debit card payment link and this will be fully refunded should we not get sufficient numbers for the event.

We request the full payment up front and cancellation by attendees seven days before the event will garner a full refund but thereafter no refunds can be offered unless we can find replacement attendees.

Date: Friday 20th April 2018

Venue: The Barn, Coney Shaw Farm, Kemsing Road, Kemsing, TN15 6NN

Start: 14:00

Tutored Tea Tasting :  with Alex Probyn – a Master Tea Blender followed by your chance to create your own bespoke blend from over 500 assorted infusions…finally you get to sit down to a sumptuous set tea that will include freshly made sandwiches, homemade cakes, biscuits and tea inspired pastries by pastry supremo Jonathan Deddis.

Finish:  5:30pm

Price:  £65.00 per person inclusive of your own tea blend to take home & set afternoon tea.

Please do let us know of any allergies or dietary requirements when booking.

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Covert Secrets Revealed…

We thought it is about time we offered a structured cookery demo so instead of a dinner event in February we are offering a very special lunch preceded by a live cookery demo.

We will have just four spaces and Hari will demonstrate a full three course menu that you will all sit down to eat. It is a great way to learn some new techniques and tips and Hari will be more than happy to answer any questions along the way.

We will ask all attendees to arrive at 9:45am for a welcome coffee and biscuits. The demo will kick off at 10:00 am prompt and then lunch will be served to all around 1:00pm (or basically when ready)

The dishes that will be demonstrated will be as follows

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Date: Saturday 24th February 2018

Arrival: 9:45 am

Finish: Circa 2:00 pm

Price: £55 per person includes Recipe Sheets and  3 course Lunch

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Starter: Ceviche of Smoked Haddock, Celeriac Remoulade & Apple

Main Course: Supreme of Chicken with a Prune & Bacon Stuffing, Red Wine & Prune Sauce

Gratin Dauphinoise & Vegetable Medley

Dessert: “Damian Allsops” Water Chocolate Mousse served with Blood Orange Segments

N.B. Menu subject to market purchases and ingredient availability

If time allows Hari will also demonstrate his Beer Bread and the demo will also show how to bone a whole chicken and the process of making a red wine stock. He will endeavour do everything from scratch (where possible) and will also demonstrate the presentation of the finished dishes. Attendees will also be provided with recipe sheets to take away so they can replicate at home.

This event will only go ahead if all four places are filled so why not get a group together and come and enjoy a live demo followed by a lunch.

To book  your places please complete the form below and we will then confirm your booking with an online invoice for credit card payment to secure your places.

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End of the world is nigh…

Well it seems Monday 21st August is a total eclipse of the sun in the USA and a partial one in the UK/Europe so we thought for our August dinner we would host an end of the world dinner!

The plan is to gather together like minded individuals who wish to celebrate what historically was sometimes seen as an omen or good portent for the future.

Wars stopped, some even thought it was the end of the world… well in this case it will just be the end of another Hari Supperclub dining night and we would hate for you to miss out on it…

It will take place on Saturday 19th August in our home venue (all will be revealed to diners once you have booked) Diners will be served some simple seasonal nibbles with a welcome drink on arrival and then as a first course we thought a simple salad of summer leaves along with a garnish of freshly grilled squid and king prawns in a garlic butter dressing.

Next we will serve a Teriyaki marinated and baked fillet of fresh Salmon with a garnish of rice noodles and Chinese Pak Choi. A light summery dish that we hope will match the summer mood.

Finally the dessert this month will be a summer favourite – Jelly & Ice Cream but one with a bit of a twist. It will be made using our local Elderflower Vodka from Anno, local fresh raspberries and some homemade Strawberry Iced Parfait served with a warm homemade shortbread biscuit.

Finally we will serve freshly brewed Coffee or Tea with a homemade Petit Fours

We trust it will not be the end of the world after the upcoming eclipse but why not come along and enjoy a sunny supper with us… booking can be made via our booking site from Monday July 31st 9:00am  so do not forget to set those clocks /alarms to make sure the end is not nigh!

Date: 19^th August 2017

Time: 7:30pm Arrival with Welcome Drink Dinner from 8pm

Venue: Hari Covert’s secret home venue  (diners will told a week beforehand where to come to)

Cost: £10 Reservation Deposit via our Ticketing Site Here  £15 Balance payable on the night (service not included) cash preferred.

Drinks: Bring your own drinks to consume with the dinner – water and glasses will be provided on the tables.

Menu

Assorted seasonal nibbles with a welcome drink

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Dressed Summer Salad leaves with Grilled Squid & Prawns in garlic butter

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Teriyaki Marinated Baked Salmon Fillet with Rice Noodles & Pak Choi

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Anno Elderflower Vodka Jelly with Kentish Raspberries with Iced Strawberry Parfait, Butter Shortbread

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Coffee or Tea with Petit Fours

Our next dinner event…

Well with only just less than a week left to book your places for our July Pop Up we thought we ought to explain a little bit more the thinking behind this dining event.

Back in late March just before it finished I joined up with chef Peter Pickering and a few other chefs for a lunch on the roof of Selfridges in London where we were to sample the WastED concept by Dan Barber where the menu highlighted foods that were wasted inspired.

From cod’s heads to kale trees, broccoli stems to reconstituted stale bread or juice bar pulp it was a feast made out of food that would have been wasted and was totally thought provoking.

So fast forward to now and our plans for the upcoming dinner. Hari & Peter are busy sourcing products of waste to put together a menu to delight the diners.  We have just 30 spaces and we need all these spaces sold to proceed as it is a mammoth task that will take a great deal of planning and creativity to excite you all.

We have plans for those cheese scraps in everyone’s fridges, overripe fruit that goes in that compost bin to even the whey from a local cheesemaker that gets fed to their pigs or is just flushed down the drain… If you are intrigued as to what we are going to be serving up just reserve those places as  soon as possible as without those reservations we cannot start making those commitments to the suppliers and put the final touches to the menu. It will be a veritable feast that will we are sure be a real equally thought provoking and hopefully get you all talking about food in a new light…

We might even have the odd bottle of HP Sauce to embellish it all and make it that bit more palatable… #justkidding

More details and Book Here

 

TWYard Sale…

Well this initiative by the  “Popes of TW” is a really simple and great idea. Nick & Ingrid saw something similar whilst on holiday in the US and thought it would translate well to the their local community in Tunbridge Wells.

The have tirelessly put together a simple website where an “X” marks the sellers pitches and allowed now some 100 plus to easily sign up and take part. They have both leaflet dropped the town and distributed some 10,000 of them to spread the word and now with just a few days to go there is much excitement and anticipation.

I felt I somehow had to take part in this and am pleased to say I will be joining up with a couple of pals on their pitch at TN1 1JP where I will rock up with my paella kit and cook a fresh big pan of the stuff and serve up to anyone who fancies a refuel whilst they browse the assorted sellers stalls.

The pan holds circa 40 portions so it will be very much a first come first served situation and all profits from the sales will be donated to local charities. I will even take payment with a credit card if you have used up all your cash on other sellers stalls so no excuses on not selling out.

Lets hope the weather stays fine and warm and this will become very much an annual community event for the town. Well done to Ingrid & Nick for such sterling work… now just form an orderly queue for your paellas!

You look wastED…

wastED – Selfridges London

Back in early 2017 I had a FB message from a friend who just happens to be the Executive Chef for Selfridges.

He wanted to make me aware of the Pop Up Restaurant that was coming to the top floor of the Oxford Street store…

Dan Barber is a superstar chef and the brains behind the concept known as wastED. It took some 18 months of collaborative planning to bring this rather simple and very thought provoking concept to London. The attention to detail was mind boggling and the efforts they have gone to highlight how much good food we waste that can be recycled or up-cycled.

The simple decor with tables made from re-cycled artichokes, lampshades made from spent mushrooms compost and even down to the little boards used to present the diners bills made from re-cycled wool… cutlery in old earthenware pots was re-cycled from “Taste of London” events – it was totally fascinating.

The menu is what it is all about as the brigade of some 35+ chefs since late February have been serving up a menu lunch, tea and dinner to packed in crowds of appreciative diners.

The dishes on offer use produce either rejected for perhaps being slightly past their best, bruised or fundamentally just wasted… The Kale Tree is a classic example as the more succulent lower leaves are sold and the top leaves are thrown away with the stalk- not here they are roasted off in the Wood Fired grill and served with a pair of scissors along with a broth.

On my recent visit we kicked the meal off with a canape of Crispy Salmon Fins with a piece of skin that was then topped by a generous spoonful of “past its best” caviar from Caviar House (Located in the Selfridges Food Hall) that was about to be thrown – still edible and safe to eat but served here on a crispy fried carcass of salmon that certainly got our tasting menu off to a memorable start!

We consumed some 14 different dishes as part of this set tasting menu and the table of chefs and consummate foodies were all unanimous in agreement that this was an amazing experience and truly mind blowing that each dish we consumed was made from discarded produce or just not utilised.

Highlights for me were the “Fish & Chips” – Fish Bones, Fish Skin, Egg Wrack Seaweed, Pockmarked Potato Cream that used smoked salmon bones and skins infused in the milk to give another flavour dimension -all served on crumpled newspaper, it comprised of slivers of fresh Pollock, sardine heads and crispy skin and some little nuggets of potatoes. Stunning.

Then the Cod Head Kedgeree served with little dishes of curried broken rice, spelt bran & trial rye. The Cod Heads were brine cured and then roasted in the “Josper” grills. It was masterful combinations and amazing how much tender and tasty meat could be consumed from the head. It was a remarkably rich dish and we were pretty well stuffed by this stage but the dishes just kept coming.

It was a really great lunch and the whole experience was something to make you think about a) where our food comes from  and b) how much we waste… now there is food for thought for a future themed Hari event… it was certainly inspiring and I think the photos will give you a flavour.

It all finishes on the 2nd of April and I believe is totally sold out… so hard cheese!

You Look wastED

Crispy Fish Fins with Caviar

Smoked Aubergine Dip with Crispbreads

Cutlery Pots

Fish and Chips

Broccoli Stems, whey bechamel, dry-aged beef end crumble and shavings of dried pigs blood

Rescued Veal Nuggets

Cod Head

Kedgeree

Spent Hen Broth

Kale Tree

Sausage from Waste Fed Pig, Bubble & Squeak

Juice Pulp Burger, re-purposed bread bun, waste picalli, beetroot runoff ketchup & waste fed bacon

Waffle Scrap Treacle Tart (Not) Chocolate (Not) Milk Ice Cream Float

Cocoa Pod Husk Panna Cotta

 

Officially Quirky… our April Events…

Well we thought we would celebrate the recognition of being deemed “Officially Quirky” by hosting a quirky dinner featuring some unusual ingredients and flavour combinations.

Having met with the owner of “Quirky Kent” recently we felt it was only proper and fitting to offer the chance for all those lovers of things quirky the chance to sample a Hari Covert event of the same name!

So for two nights (Friday April 21st & Saturday April 22nd) we will serve up a four course supper at our secret venue for the all inclusive price of £30 per person.

So what is on the menu… well following from a welcome drink (we are dreaming up something Quirky) and some quirky seasonal nibbles on arrival we will kick the dinner off with a panna cotta… now I know you all think why start with dessert well we are turning it on its head and starting with a savoury one infused with the flavour of wild garlic and we will garnish with toasted Kent Cobnuts and some crispy Ikan Bilis the Asian dried salted anchovies I have imported especially from Singapore. This will be a interesting combination of flavours and textures.

For the main course we will then serve shredded pork cheeks that

Pork Cheek with “Mole” Sauce

will have been slow braised in a rich Mexican inspired Mole Sauce with just a hint of chocolate. Some freshly cooked Spätzli (pasta) and red cabbage will garnish what will be a flavour packed dish.

We will then serve what many consider to be a quirky way with the cheese course  (it is in fact the French way so very quirky by English standards) – just the one,but one of our

Winterdale Shaw – Picture @TWFoodie

favourites… Winterdale Shaw Cheese from the top of Wrotham Hill, an unpasteurised carbon neutral cheddar. The milk comes from 200 yds down the road from the Friesan dairy herd and a 1000 gallons needs little heating using their solar panelled heat exchange pumps! Some 10 months later the cheeses matured in their flint lined cellars are ready for eating! Homemade Porridge Oat Biscuits and our homemade Banana Jam will be served with it.

Finally to complete the quirky nature of our dinner we felt it should be chocolate beer and sauerkraut… in a cake form… yes you heard right we combine chocolate, beer and pickled cabbage as a cake – we promise you it really does work!

Coffee & Tea (thinking of getting a Quirky Blend for the night) will complete the evening.

To reserve your places just head on over to our online box office 

Dates: 21st & 22nd April 2017

Time: 7:30pm Welcome Drink & Nibbles

Dinner: 8:00pm Prompt

Suggested Donation: £30 per person (service not included)

Menu 

Wild Garlic Panna Cotta, Toasted Cob Nuts, Ikan Bilis

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Braised Pork Cheeks with a Chocolate Mole Sauce,

Spätzli & Red Cabbage

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Winterdale Shaw Cheddar, Porridge Oat Biscuits, Banana Jam

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Sauerkraut, Beer & Chocolate Cake

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Coffee, Tea & Petit Fours

Menu Subject to Market Purchases and Ingredients Availability.