Where the wild things were

"Food is a fascination for me" 

Former River Cottage Head Chef and food writer Tim Maddams hosts series of wild food events with WeFiFo

Chef, food writer and cookery teacher Tim Maddams is cooking a series of wild food events with supper club platform WeFiFo, at the company’s farm HQ in rural Sussex.

On Wednesday 5 April at 12.30pm, Tim will cook a Foraging Feast, full of the joys of Spring, using plenty of the new season's foraged ingredients. Places are £30 each and can be bought here. The event is child friendly and children go free.

~the menu~
Wild garlic focaccia, salted butter
Carrot croquette, flowers and wild herbs
Smoked trout, parsley soup, rape seed oil, yoghurt
Roast lamb, spring greens and roasting juices
Rhubarb, ice cream, crumble

On Wednesday 17 May at 7pm is Tim’s Where the Wild Things Were dinner. This seasonal game supper is a grown-up affair, with only 15 places, which are £60 each with paired wines and book signing. Tickets can be bought here.

 ~menu~ 
Flat breads, rape seed oil, spices and herbs
Cured and roasted pigeon, marinated asparagus, wild mint
Rabbit, cooked under butter, gnocchi
Smoked roasted roe deer, cider braised neck, Cornish new spuds, wild sorrel
Rhubarb, gin jelly, geranium ice cream, oat crumble

Having spent much of his childhood on the family farm in Wiltshire, Tim gleaned a close understanding of farming and fostered a love of the Great British countryside, wild food and quality produce, which forms the ethos of his culinary philosophy today. Formerly Head Chef at the River Cottage Canteen, working with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Tim has also cooked in the professional kitchens of culinary luminaries including Fergus Henderson, Alistair Little, Marco Pierre White and Mark Hix. While in Devon, Tim regularly appeared alongside Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall on both the River Cottage series on Channel 4 and the Fish Fight campaign.

“Food is a fascination for me. it’s not just about good cookery. Great produce is hard to find and my love of foraging, fishing and hunting has provided me with some interesting and unusual views on food. I feel strongly about the importance of knowing where your food comes from, and taking an active role in acquiring it – the ethics behind its production and knowing the sustainability of the ingredients. I believe we have a duty to understand these issues, as well as to try eat as seasonally as possible – it not only tastes better but helps support our local food producers…. and challenges us to be a bit more creative too” tim Maddams

For more information about Tim's wild food events and WeFifo please contact hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk or 07730 039361.

The mother of all roasts

Dry-aged Herefordshire sirloin

Kent restaurant group I’ll be Mother launches new Sunday Lunch Club

The first in the once a month club will be at The Twenty Six and is the mother of all Sunday Roasts, a classic roast of dry-aged Herefordshire sirloin with all the trimmings and some special touches from Chef Patron Scott Goss.

Each month, at either The Twenty Six or The Beacon, the menu will reflect the quality and provenance of a beautiful piece of meat. On occasion, we will also invite the supplier or farmer to the lunch to tell you more about the animal and its meat.

In the family spirit, which is at the heart of I’ll be Mother, everyone will all eat at the same time, 1.30pm. I'll be arriving a little early for either a Chapel Down Kir Royale or a Bloody Mary before sitting down at the feasting table.

www.thetwenty-six.co.uk #SundayLunchClub

"Our Sunday Lunch Clubs are all about sharing good food with good company." Scott Goss

Sunday 26th February
Everyone to sit to eat at 1.30pm
£26 per person

Small Plates
Blow-torched mackerel & rhubarb
Ham & frozen foie gras
Cauliflower & fermented mushrooms

Main Event
Roast Shorthorn beef, fresh horseradish, beef dripping potatoes, sharing Yorkshire pudding, roasted garden roots, bone marrow and thyme gravy

To finish
Baked blood orange meringue
Coffee and Chocolates

Cabrito supports Eatopia event for Action Against Hunger

Mary Ellen hiking in Ethiopia

Mary-Ellen McTague to host Eatiopia event at Habesha

Cabrito Goat Meat supports event raising funds for Action Against Hunger

On Monday, February 6th, Mary-Ellen McTague, chef at The Real Junk Food Project, will be in the kitchen at Ethiopian restaurant Habesha, cooking a three-course meal to help raise vital funds for global humanitarian organisation, Action Against Hunger.

Located on Sackville Street, and the only Ethiopian restaurant in Manchester, it’s the perfect location for Mary-Ellen, who was part of a group of the North’s finest chefs, restaurateurs and hospitality industry experts who took part in an 80km trek in Ethiopia in October last year, in a bid to raise over £100,000 for Action Against Hunger.

Francine Heggie from Action Against Hunger said: “Mary-Ellen was part of an incredible team of trekkers, who are about to reach their ambitious target of raising £100,000 through the trek. This is a lovely way to round off the project, celebrating Ethiopia’s fantastic cuisine while raising funds to support Action Against Hunger’s work saving the lives of malnourished children.”

Supported by James Whetlor’s Cabrito, which is providing goat meat for the event, the night will see guests enjoy a three course meal and a coffee ceremony for £40. The night will also include footage taken from the group’s trek to Ethiopia, which saw the group reach altitudes of 3,400 metres and on one occasion trek for 13 hours straight.  

The menu for the night includes Ethiopian Goat Sambusa (lentils for vegetarians) with Berbere and Buticha, cooked by Mary-Ellen, a traditional Ethiopian main course; Injere bread, stews and garnishes, cooked by Habesha, followed by Ayib & Honey Parfait with Shembra Kolo, again cooked by Mary-Ellen.

Tickets for the event can be purchased from Eventbrite at: https://eatiopia.eventbrite.co.uk

Savoie wine dinner in Bristol with WeFiFo

Matt Williamson

Well-known and loved Bristol chef, Matt Williamson, is collaborating with supper club platform WeFiFo and specialist French wine importer Vine Trail to host a 5 course wine dinner from one of the most exciting gastronomic regions, the Savoie. Book tickets here.

Matt has enjoyed over 20 years’ experience in the independent restaurant sector in a variety of establishments; from 2 star Michelin restaurants to top end gastro-pubs, bustling London bistros and private members’ clubs.

He has a track record of establishing sites as food destinations, and after arriving in Bristol in 2008 opened his own acclaimed restaurant Flinty Red, that won accolades nationally and locally, including Michelin, National Restaurant Awards, Good Food Guide and Observer Food Monthly Awards.

He has also created and collaborated on a number of successful side projects and enjoys a broad range of food related activities included education, book writing, private events, food and new product development, restaurant and event consultancy and project management immersive food experiences and collaborations with food producers and other creative and commercial sectors.

Matt is an extremely passionate, creative and professional operator whose career has been inspired and shaped as much by extensive travels and collaborations as by professional kitchen experience.

The Savoie, in the Rhone Alps region of Eastern France. Cheese, wild mushrooms, rich stews and fruit tarts are all popular on the Savoyard table.

7pm arrival Thursday 23 February, 2017

Hamilton House, Bristol, BS1

MENU £55

On arrival
Bugey Montagnieu NV Brut Franck Peillot
Buckwheat Chaussons

First course
Chignin 13 Gilles Berlioz
 Lightly cured lemon verbena trout with apple

Second course
Anjou 2014 ‘Les Varennes’ Les Roches Seches
Scallop baked in the shell, hazelnut brown butter, samphire

Third course
Vinsobres 2012 ‘Emile’ Dom de la Pequelette
Wild boar civet with chestnut polenta

Cheese
Cotes du Jura 2012 Savagnin ‘Intime Conviction’ les Granges Paquenesses

Dessert
Jurancon 2014 clos Thou
Plum, rhubarb and almond tart

For more information about Matt’s wine dinner or WeFiFo, please contact:
Hannah Blake at The Dining Room PR | hannah@thediningroompr.co.uk | 07730 039361

Scott Goss, one of the UK's most influential chefs

Pleased as punch that Scott Goss, Chef Patron at The Twenty Six, part of the I'll be Mother group of restaurants in Kent has been included in food and travel magazine Olive's list of most influential chefs in the UK and 'one's to watch' in 2017.

The Twenty Six is my test kitchen. There are no rules. 

Scott's food is deceptively simple, big on flavour and technique, with a passion for ingredients and integrity. There's always a surprise of something unexpected or untried before. He's a big talent and one I'm sure the Michelin inspectors are looking at very closely!

See Olive's full list in their January issue or see this link.

One to watch. Grab a table while you can!

A duck, a chef and hungry diners looking for food and friends...

Your place or mine?

Move over John Lewis! The award for ad with all the Christmas feels goes to WeFiFo, a new platform revolutionising social dining, connecting enthusiastic cooks with hungry guests. Have a look at this wonderful animation to find out more...www.wefifo.com

(Animation and illustration by Anna Ginsburg, concept illustration by Alexis Deacon, sound design by Ed Berriman)

WeFiFo - airbnb for food

A social dining revolution from London to Lancashire

A Game Feast at Ronnie Murray's Peckham Manor supperclub hosted with WeFiFo

To a cold and drizzly Peckham last night for Ronnie Murray’s (ex-Group Head Chef of HIX and of recent Great British Menu fame) Peckham Manor supperclub with WeFiFo. It was a sensational menu full of Autumnal flavours with blackberries, pigeon and venison steamed suet puddings. The standout dish was pudding, an Autumn Tasting Plate, a dish Ronnie described as a walk through the woods with various blackberry preparations, granola, lemon curd, honeycomb and a greedy, tooth-tinglingly-sweet dollop of honey, fresh from his Dad’s beehives in Berkshire.

Autumn on a plate.

It was my first experience of WeFiFo, a new platform leading the social dining revolution connecting people, who love cooking, with those who love eating. Cannily described as ‘airbnb for food’, WeFiFo is for home cooks, supper club hosts and pop restaurants to create and host food based events in their own home.

Supper clubs are not just for professional cooks though, people up and down the country are opening up their homes to share food and company. Maria Grieco, a truly wonderful human being, from Lancashire joined WeFiFo in June and has already fed nearly 200 people, many of whom would otherwise be eating in isolation. She hosts an average of two WeFiFo events a week, from a traditional Sunday roast to exotic Syrian themed evenings for the recent #CookforSyria charity initiative. Guests have included a dementia sufferer and her live-in carer, five woman all in their 70s who live in sheltered accommodation and a single mother and her son, who hadn’t had a Sunday roast in 5 years.

"We all have to eat - and food is the building block of humanity. Meals should be shared. Eating should be about sharing food, conversation, laughter, tears, stories and life. No one should eat alonE, unless they want to."

Maria Grieco, WeFiFo host, and all round superstar

Hear, hear Maria. I will be joining you on the WeFiFo revolution!

www.wefifo.com

Ronnie plating a salad of pigeon, pickled elderberries and wet walnuts.

Proud Mother Hen

The Beacon down Tea Garden Lane

Talent in Tunbridge Wells

I am hopping around like a proud mother hen as not one but two of the talented team at The Beacon, part of the I'll be Mother group in Kent have been shortlisted for a national hospitality award. Doug Sanham, 27, Sous Chef and George Lee, 19, Assistant Manager at The Beacon, are two finalists on a shortlist of 10 including entries from the Four Seasons and The Savoy Hotel, London for the national scholarship and bursary, worth £5,000.

Known as the Acorns, the prestigious Scholarship is an independent bursary award created by The Caterer, the leading trade magazine for the restaurant and hospitality industry. The competition presents a young manager, chef, HR manager, sommelier, or any young high-achiever involved in hospitality with the opportunity to make a name for themselves by presenting their skills and ambitions to some of the most respected names in the industry. 

With a prize worth more than £5,000, the 2017 Acorn Scholar will become part of a prestigious Acorn Scholarship alumni. The scholarship is now in its 14th year, and past winners include Simon Houston, now sales director of Bartlett Mitchell, award-winning chocolatier and patissier Will Torrent and Daniel McLoughlin, opening project manager of Shoda Café & Restaurant.

The winner will be chosen after a full day of face-to-face interviews at Coworth Park, Berkshire in on 21st November.

The Beacon, known as the Garden Kitchen, is an 80 cover restaurant, with private dining and event space and is part of the I’ll be Mother group including The Twenty Six in Southborough (Test Kitchen) and The Swan at Chapel Down in Tenterden (Wine Kitchen).  All three restaurants have been listed in the recent Michelin Eating Out Guide 2017.

Dan Doherty's goat meatballs for Goatober

Goatober is in full swing, a wonderful month-long celebration of the dairy billy goat industry which, historically, have been killed at birth, as there is only a small market for the meat in the UK.

So, here'a a lovely recipe by Dan Doherty at Duck and Waffle for Goat meatballs, roasted plums, marmite broth. Happy Goatober!

200g minced goat meat
125g goat heart
100g goat liver
125g pork belly
1g ground cumin
1g ground coriander
1 handful parsley, finely chopped
2 sprigs thyme, picked and chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
40mlpPort
50g oats
1 egg
Sea Salt
Black pepper

Mince the offal and pork belly, and mix all together with the goat mince. 
In a pan on a medium heat, add a splash of oil and sweat the shallot and garlic. 
Add the port, and reduce by 75%. Allow to cool.
Once cool, add to the goat mix along with all the other ingredients. 
Roll into balls approximately 40g in size. 

To serve

4 plums, stone removed and quartered
30g unsalted butter
2 tbsp marmite
300ml chicken stock

Heat a pan big enough for the meatballs, with a little room spare. 
Add a splash of oil, and add the meatballs and colour all over and then add the plums and sauté all together for 3-4 minutes. 
Add the butter, marmite and stock and turn the heat up high.
Within a couple of minutes all will have reduced to a thickened sauce. 
Serve over some creamed potatoes and eat straight away.

Guest chef supper series at The Twenty Six

Scott Goss, Chef Patron of The Twenty Six, is to host a series of supper clubs with guest chefs, who all have strong connections to Kent. Andrew Clarke of acclaimed restaurant Brunswick House, London, will cook the first supper with Scott on Thursday 13th October.

Scott and Andrew, with a shared passion for fresh flavours, colours and seasonal produce, will each cook 3 courses for a 6 course menu, including a cheese course and paired wines. Tickets for this exclusive, one-off event are £60 and can be purchased by calling The Twenty Six on 01892 544607 or www.thetwenty-six.co.uk.

The 6 course menu will also have an accompanying wine flight, included in the price.

Cep and bone marrow gougères (AC)
Gruner Veltriner Yealands Estate, New Zealand

~

Raw salmon, devilled crab, cucumber and sea rosemary (SG)
Herdade Do Rocim Amphora, Portugal (white)

~

Salsify, razor clam, fennel, trompette, radish (AC)
Herdade Do Rocim Amphora, Portugal (red)

~

Goatober faggots, parsnip, burnt butter, Cornish ale gravy (SG)
Cote du Rhone La Petit Caboche, France

~

14 day-aged Challans duck, green olives, red chicory, mint (AC)
Barbaresco Conti Speroni, Italy

~

Malt ice cream, espresso stout affogato (AC)
Pedro Ximénez, Spain

~

Chocolates and a night cap (SG)

Andrew and Scott have known each other for over 10 years. Both favour British food with European and other worldly influences with an emphasis on flavour, colour and texture. Andrew is now Chef Director of Brunswick House, situated in Lassco, an antique dealers and architectural reclamation yard in Vauxhall, South London. Previously Head Chef at Salt Yard and more recently Rita’s Bar and Dining, Andrew’s food is bold, fresh and full of character. London restaurant critic Fay Maschler described a dining experience at Brunswick House as ‘Like a treasure hunt with clues, a piece of music with reflective melodies or a tapestry with tight intricate stitches, the menu is woven together in a way that is enticing and also sensible.”

Further dates and chefs in The Twenty Six series to be confirmed in due course.

No Goat Left Behind

Tempted? 

When was the last time you saw goat on the menu, alongside lamb or beef? Goat meat is qualified as 'OTHER'. Unfortunately, that makes it seem exotic, a little scary, a little unfamiliar, but it shouldn't be. Goat is delicious and it’s coming to a menu near you with the UK’s first ever, month long celebration #Goatober.

Meet Erin Fairbanks, the coordinator of Heritage Food USA’s No Goat Left Behind project, a passion-driven effort to get every day diners, cooks and chefs - like you and me - to add goat meat to our diets. What Erin is trying to do is to start a movement. She wants to encourage us, even tempt us (in a delicious way), to eat more goat meat for a good reason: to help dairy farmers save young, male goats from having a life they wouldn't be proud of.

The hard truth is: to get more goat milk for goat cheese, farmers need to breed more female goats to have babies. Unfortunately, after they're born, baby boys or billy goats, have no role on a dairy farm. So, most farmers are faced with difficult choices; but, it doesn't have to be that way. Find out more at www.cabrito.co.uk and search the hashtag #Goatober on Twitter and Instagram, but most of all, enjoy!

A masterclass of meat and smoke by Scott Goss from The Twenty Six

A masterclass of meat and smoke.

Scott Goss, head chef of the Twenty Six in Southborough, Kent, demonstrates his dish of aged beef with onions and crème fraîche for The Caterer with lots of beautiful smokey, barbecue flavours coming from baked hay and wood.

Classical dishes and flavours with unexpected techniques.

Goatober arrives in the UK from New York

ETM, HIX and River Cottage to launch inaugural #Goatober

Do good and eat goat. #Goatober is the UK's first month-long celebration of the dairy billy goat meat industry

Goatober is the UK’s inaugural month long celebration of the dairy billy goat meat industry. During the month of October, restaurants nationwide including ETM Group, HIX Restaurants, River Cottage Canteens, Shotgun BBQ, I’ll be Mother and Romy’s Kitchen will be putting a goat dish pride of place on their menus and urging diners to try this delicious but much under-used meat. Roasted, raw, curried, baked, skewered, stuffed into a sausage, goat is the meat to be savoured this season.

To mark the launch of Goatober, six competing chefs will each serve a goat inspired dish at a ticketed event at The Jugged Hare, Barbican, London, on Wednesday 5th October. Tickets for the event are £85 per person and go on sale today via 020 7614 0134. Each savoury dish will be wine paired by ETM’s Group Head Sommelier Gui Mahaut, followed by petit fours and coffee. The full line up of chefs and their dishes are:

Smoked Kid Loin, Goat Rustler’s Perk
Stephen Englefield, The Jugged Hare, London

Pulled Shoulder of Goat with Puri and Glazed Onions
Romy Gill, Romy’s Kitchen, Bristol

Kid Faggots, Parsnip and Burnt Butter Purée and Cornish Ale Gravy
Scott Goss, The Twenty Six, Tunbridge Wells

Curried Chop with Rock Samphire Pakora
Jamie Guy, HIX Oyster & Chop House, London

Grilled Merguez Spiced Goat with English Quinoa, Rose Honey, Whole Lemon Dressing and Yogurt
Charlie James, River Cottage Canteen, Bristol

Kid Tartare and Fried Oyster
Gill Meller, River Cottage, Devon

During the evening there will also be a silent auction with an array of top prizes, with all proceeds going to Action Against Hunger, an international humanitarian organisation committed to ending child hunger around the world. Hosted by journalist and food writer Joe Warwick, prizes will include dinner for six at The Jugged Hare; a bundle of signed cookbooks from Quadrille Publishers including Gather by Gill Meller, Grill, Smoke, BBQ by Ben Tish and Deep South by Brad McDonald; an exclusive dinner for six cooked at the winner’s home by Romy Gill; a fish cookery course for two at River Cottage; dinner for two at The Twenty Six; a kid leather product from Billy Kid Leather, the UK’s only entirely British kid leather micro-tannery; plus ‘Challenge HIX’, an amazing opportunity for two people to experience the head to head creative process of Mark Hix and his team for each new menu. Each Head Chef has 20 minutes to cook as many dishes with pre-season ingredients against Mark, and the best dishes will appear on the menu in the coming weeks. The highest auction bidder and a friend will get to watch this process, judge (and eat) the dishes and ultimately shape the new season HIX menus. They will also receive a signed cook book by Mark Hix.

#Goatober is the brainchild of Heritage Radio Network Executive Director, Erin Fairbanks, and renowned New York cheesemonger, Anne Saxelby. #Goatober is an annual campaign every year in October in the US. In 2010, Heritage Foods USA partnered with a dozen goat dairies around upstate New York and Vermont to purchase their unwanted males, who, as unable to produce milk for dairy products, are euthanized at birth. Over 50 New York City chefs agreed to feature goat on their menu for the full month of October including Gramercy Tavern, Babbo, Spotted Pig and Bar Boulud and the campaigns success has continued to grow.

Seeing the success of #Goatober US and while chatting to Shotgun BBQ owner and chef Brad MacDonald, James Whetlor from Cabrito Goat Meat decided to bring the UK together in a month long celebration of goat meat.  He comments,

“As an ex-chef myself, there’s nothing that delights me more than seeing top chefs prepping our goat in imaginative, inspired and delicious ways. It’s now possible to sit down in fantastic restaurants to a pile of harrisa slathered goat chops, or goat soulaki, goat tacos or Indian styled pulled goat shoulder or a British classic of boned and rolled stuffed saddle. Britain is finally waking up to the what the rest of the world has known for some time; goat meat is delicious!”

Vivienne Westwood designs for FRANK Water

Intellectuals Unite. Brilliant new water bottle with all profits for charity.

British fashion legend, Dame Vivienne Westwood DBE teams up with UK Water Charity, FRANK Water to design new refillable water bottle

Fashion designer and activist, Vivienne Westwood has designed a brand new limited edition refillable FRANK water bottle with all profits raised supporting the charity.

The bottle features distinctive, attention-grabbing imagery and words from the designer’s latest campaign ‘Intellectuals Unite.’ The campaign calls on every thinking global citizen to take action (however small) against the progress of climate change.

Third world and developing countries are likely to suffer the effects of climate change far more acutely than the developed world, through floods, drought, unpredictable monsoons and contaminated water. 

Vivienne Westwood’s Climate Revolution campaign has seen her speaking at universities across the UK, at marches, demonstrations and through her blog and social media.

Dame Vivienne said: “In India, 76 million people have no safe water. The majority of these live on £3 per day*. Buying water from a tanker costs around 1p per litre. In the West, we use around 350 litres per day. Even half that quantity would still take over 50% their daily wage. What choice do people have but to find a different, probably dirty source of water? That’s where FRANK Water comes in.”

FRANK Water funds safe drinking water and sanitation projects in India where there are more people living without safe water than anywhere else in the world **. Aquifers provide 85% drinking water but groundwater levels are falling across the country through drought and depletion. ***

FRANK Water Founder and CEO, Katie Alcott said, "We are thrilled to be working with Dame Vivienne. Not only is she arguably the best-known fashion designer in the world, she’s also a passionate and committed campaigner for action against climate change. The communities we work with rely on predictable weather for their lives and their livelihoods. Even the smallest rise in temperature could be devastating for them.” 

Not only do all profits from sales of the bottles help FRANK Water provide access to safe water and sanitation for more people who currently live without, the bottles also help highlight how lucky we are in this country to be able to drink from the tap without hesitation.  

Since 2005, FRANK Water has reached more 326,000 people with safe water and sanitation.

The beautiful bottles with a conscience will be available online at www.frankwater.com from 18th July 2016 as well as at some festivals across the UK and selected UK stockists. £29 each    

*World Bank (2014); **www.washwatch.org; ***Central Ground Water Board (2013, 2014)

About Dame Vivienne Westwood/Climate Revolution

Vivienne Westwood began designing in 1971 along with Malcolm McLaren, when London was at the forefront of cultural trends. In 1984 she launched her own fashion line and in 2004 the V&A hosted a Vivienne Westwood retrospective exhibition to celebrate her 34 years in fashion – the largest exhibition ever devoted to a living British fashion designer. In 2006, she was appointed Dame of the British Empire. 

Vivienne has always used her collections and catwalk shows as a platform to campaign for positive activism. She has spent many years tirelessly speaking out about the effects of climate change and over-consumption, and has mobilised international attention around ecological crusading. Vivienne compares the dire situation to battle:

“It’s a war for the very existence of the human race. And that of the planet. The most important weapon we have is public opinion: go to art galleries, start to understand the world you live in. You're a freedom fighter as soon as you start doing that.” 

Vivienne inaugurated the 'Climate Revolution' at the 2012 London Paralympics closing ceremony and continues to rally charities, NGO’s and individuals to join forces and to take action against disengaged political leaders and big business.

“The Revolution is already begun. The fact of man-made climate change is accepted by most people. Through every walk of life people are changing their values and their behaviour.  This continues to build the Revolution. The fight is no longer between the classes or between rich and poor but between the idiots and the eco-conscious.” - Vivienne Westwood.

Vivienne’s monthly diary and more information on her concerns, passions and campaigns can be found at www.climaterevolution.co.uk

About FRANK Water

Founded in 2005 by award-winning social entrepreneur Katie Alcott, FRANK Water funds safe water and sanitation projects in developing countries. FRANK Water works closely with in-country NGO Partners to implement clean water projects using appropriate technology. Projects are community-owned and made sustainable by an affordable user-fee model.

Web: www.climaterevolution.co.uk; www.frankwater.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/jointheclimaterevolution www.facebook.com/frankwatercharity

Twitter: @FollowWestwood; @frankwater

Goat for Gold!

Winners! James Whetlor from Cabrito and James Martin, winner of Favourite Celebrity Chef

Cabrito Goat Meat wins Champion Meat Producer at Good Housekeeping Food Awards

So pleased for client James Whetlor from Cabrito Goat Meat who took gold for Champion Meat Producer at the Good Housekeeping Food Awards 2016 last night, at a ceremony held at Royal Institute of British Architects, London.

Good Housekeeping’s prestigious annual food awards are in their twelfth year, and celebrate the all-time favourite foodie brands and products as voted by the magazine’s readers and GH’s expert panel of judges. 

In front of a packed audience of food producers, industry insiders and celebrities including James Martin, Jane Asher and Mary Berry, James commented; “I can’t believe it but I’m so proud and excited for this recognition of goat meat. We still have a lot of work to do but this is another indication that goat meat is moving into the mainstream. The consumer gets more choice and more exciting menu options, and the humble Billy goat gets six months of good life before it becomes someone’s dinner, rather than being considered worthless and chucked in the bin. It is great to see, even if it has taken a while, but Britain is finally waking up to what the rest of the world has known for a long time; goat meat is delicious.”

Other winners at the awards included Fairtrade Foundation for Best Ethical Brand; Yeo Valley for Best Organic Brand; Isle of Wight Tomatoes for GH Food Hero and Marks and Spencer for Best Supermarket Wine Range. James Martin won Favourite Celebrity Chef and Mary Berry won Favourite Cookbook for her Foolproof Cooking.

Cabrito Goat Meat is currently available to buy at online supermarket Ocado but it won’t be long, with multinationals such as Lidl and Marks and Spencer at the Food Awards that goat will become more widely available.

Britain is finally waking up to what the rest of the world has known for a long time; goat meat is delicious.

Kid goats are a similar size to a spring lamb - around 20kg - and have a delicate, sweet and musky flavour.  The meat takes well to punchy flavourings including Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern herbs, spices and rubs. It is lower in fat than beef or pork, is rich in potassium and has twice as much iron as beef. The range at Ocado includes Kid Mince, Kid Diced, Kid Chops, Kid Shanks, Kid Provencal Sausages, Kid Merguez Sausages and Kid Italian Meatballs.

www.cabrito.co.uk

A county of fine dining and foraging

Gourmet Traveller feature on Hampshire in Food and Travel

Hampshire has got it all, not least its stunning coastline, quick access to London and two national parks. It’s the perfect place for a few lungfuls of fresh country air, watching the yachties in Lymington and fat-bottomed ponies. The Hampshire stretch of the South Downs National Park takes in rolling hills and market towns such as Stockbridge on the River Test and Alresford, famous for its watercress fields; while the New Forest is an enchanting place where little has changed since it was a royal hunting ground. And the Isle of Wight, with its many gentle charms, is just a short ferry ride away.

Hampshire is a county of fine dining and foraging and knows how to make the most of the seasons. And if you love gin, be sure to visit the home of Bombay Sapphire at Laverstoke. More inspiration for visiting this lovely county in the Gourmet Traveller feature in the new May issue of Food and Travel.

Lunch at an English Vineyard

Tom Genty's wine flight menu at The Swan at Chapel Down

Wine flight menu at Chapel Down

The superb quality of English fizz is causing a real stir in International wine competitions and tasting circles. It’s quite remarkable for an industry that has only sprung up in the past 25 years, transforming us from a wine-drinking nation into a wine-producing one. Soils in Southern England are very similar to Champagne and our relatively cool climate creates wines with a racy edge that are every bit as good, if not better than our French neighbours.

Chapel Down Winery, just a few miles from the very pretty town of Tenterden in Kent, produces top quality sparkling wine and was the fizz of choice served at Kate and Will’s Royal Wedding celebrations. 

To celebrate English Wine Week, I’ll be Mother hosted a journalist lunch at the Wine Kitchen, onsite at the winery with fabulous views across the vineyard.

Despite miserable weather, the tasting menu, created specially by Head Chef Tom Genty was full of summery seasonal Kent ingredients including asparagus, lamb, peas and strawberries. Each dish was specially paired with Chapel Down’s award-winning wines including the Vintage Reserve, Nectar Dessert Wine and the newly released and downright delicious Kit’s Coty Estate Chardonnay.

Sea Trout, Jersey Royals, Asparagus paired with the new release Kit's Coty Chardonnay, 2013

Menu

Canapés (Vintage Reserve Brut)
Pale lemon yellow in colour, the nose is slightly floral with some citrus. 

Cider braised Pork Cheek, Celeriac, Apple (Curious Apple Cider)
A pure expression of Kent and its apples drawing inspiration from winemaking.

Sea Trout, Jersey Royals, Asparagus (Kit’s Coty Chardonnay, Chapel Down Vintage 2013)
Rich aromas of apple, apricot and buttered toast with hints of nutmeg. 

Lamb Cannon, Confit Breast, Peas, Baby Gem (Passori Rosso, Italy, 2014)
Mulled wine and orange peel hints on the nose and cherry and sweet red fruit on the palate.

Strawberries, Brown Sugar Meringue, Mascarpone Mousse, Mint (Vintage Reserve Rose Brut)
Refreshing and very classy, relying on finesse rather than power. 

Cheese (Nectar, Chapel Down Vintage 2014)
Tropical aromas of lychee and pineapple with the floral aromas of honeysuckle, rose and jasmine.

5 Things to Savour

First of the asparagus at The Swan at Chapel Down

The best food and drink I’ve had this month

1/ Starter of Chargrilled Leeks, Comté Fonuta and Gremolata in the crumbling grandeur of the antique-filled dining room at Brunswick House www.brunswickhouse.co

2/ A cup of Cannoli tea inspired by the classic Sicilian patisserie. Sweet, honeyed rooibos with vanilla, orange, cinnamon and cocoa shells www.dandyliongroup.com

3/ The first flush of Kent Asparagus with morel mousse and truffle dressing by Head Chef Tom Genty at The Swan at Chapel Down www.swanchapeldown.co.uk

4/ Several glasses of English wine-maker Chapel Down’s newly released Kit’s Coty Estate Chardonnay 2013. Apple, apricot and hot, buttered toast, just like a white Burgundy www.chapeldown.co.uk

5/ A mind blowing taste of Butterfly ‘Yka’ leaves. With stunning burgundy and violet colours and striking shape these culinary and decorative leaves are tart and refreshing just like a granny smith apple www.koppertcress.com

 

How to nurture little chefs

Imi. Jenny's nine-year-old daughter and inspiration for Cool Kids Cook. (credit: Eat Pictures)

Cool Kids Cook!

Cooking is one of the most useful, rewarding and fun things children will ever learn to do. Whether they hope to become an astronaut, play international football, breed ferrets or win The X Factor, one things for sure, they will always have to eat.

Cool Kids Cook is a wonderful new book by Jenny Chandler, published today by Pavilion Books. Ideal for children aged 7 upwards, the book empowers kids to put a great meal on the table (with a little help from a grown up) with recipes for noodles, dahls, meatballs and chicken wings not forgetting a few sweet and savoury treats such as banana bread and the really delicious cheese, courgette and sweetcorn muffins.

Jenny is a superstar and such a great writer. She teaches at her own cookery school, Plum Cooking in Bristol and also at Richard Bertinet’s Kitchen in Bath, Leith’s and Borough Market in London. She’s also the author of The Food of Northern Spain; The Real Taste of Spain and Pulse.  Jenny will be giving a talk and demo from Cool Kids Cook at the Cheltenham Food Festival on 11 June.

Coverage highlights included the cover feature in Telegraph Weekend, Crumbs and the Bristol Post.

Cook Kids Cook by Jenny Chandler, Pavilion Books, priced £14.99

Cool Kids Cook in Telegraph Weekend

Tea, chocolate and hot new chef talent

Tea, chocolate and hot new chef talent

There’s been a lot of noise about new London restaurant The Woodford and its ferociously talented Head Chef Ben Murphy whose young age (25!) belies his ambition to succeed and excel at the top of the cheffing industry. He has a huge amount of skill, determination and passion.

A former Young National chef of the Chef winner 2012 and protégé of Pierre Koffman, Eric Frechon and more recently Arnaud Bignon, Ben is classically French trained and has worked in Michelin starred establishments in London, Paris and the South of France.

I was there for a meeting and tea tasting with the lovely Dandylion Teas, a beautiful range of teas which pair specially with pastry, dessert and cheese. So of course we had to sample a few puds alongside the teas. The best was Textures of Chocolate with Lavender and Milk paired with Dandylion’s Coffee Frangipane. The phrase ‘rising star’ is used a lot for young chefs but it is patently obvious that Ben has a stellar future ahead of him and is a talent to watch and admire. Am definitely planning a trip back to The Woodford for the full dining experience.