The Savoy Grill, The Strand, London

I had my first Gordon Ramsey culinary experience yesterday for Father in law Spread's birthday lunch. We ventured to the historic and iconic Savoy Hotel for tea and then lunch in the Savoy Grill which is now overseen by Gordon Ramsey. I couldn't wait to get there, knowing that this beautiful old restaurant's art deco dining room had recently been invigorated. The period, being my favourite for fashion and design.

We arrived very early and had enough time for a cup of Earl Grey before lunch. We were offered either Kasper's or the American Bar, but opted for the latter. Next time I think I'll go for the former. We all have a fantastic cup of Earl Grey brought to us in an art deco tea set. We had views over the strand and also some wonderful chocolate and white chocolate and cranberry biscuits. Tea set us up well for the ensuing luxury. Tea was £7 each, but I guess you need to expect that and the service was excellent. We finished up our tea and walked through the Savoy Museum to see the bottle of 1884 Champagne which the first "coin" at the Hotel was taken for. Glorious.

We went to the dining room in awe and in anticpation of our feast. Our coats were taken from us and we were seated promptly. We were eating off the lunch menu and had a winter bellini included, so we all started with that as an aperatif. I believe the Champagne was the Ayala, which is from Ay in the Champagne region where we stayed on our visit Epernay. It was crisp and fruity and felt extravagent.

We were brought a bread basket that was plentiful and varied. The restaurant began to fill up around us as we gave our orders to the attentive staff. The bustle of people and the chink of china brought the room to life.

We ordered all three of our courses at once. Around the table the two starters sampled were the salt baked beetroot tart with goats curd and caper berries and the suckling pig with artichoke salad. Both came beautifully presented and were wonderfully balanced dishes that we all thoroughly enjoyed.

We began to relax into our experience with the efficient, attentive and friendly service from the staff. Father in law Spread asked how we were going to beat this for next year's birthday. The whole ambience of the place was exquisite. Superb food, exceptional service in decadent and elegant surroundings. The main courses came and enhanced our views on the restaurant even more. These included the roulade of cornish place with courgette ribbons, tomato and samphire for everyone else and the ricotta and lovage ravioli with brown butter, lemon and shallot dressing.



I have not had a better pasta dish. The whole plate was in perfect harmony. The pasta was light and delicate and fragrent from the lemon butter. I could only describe the food as beautiful. My fellow diners were equally impressed with the food having surpassed all our expectations. On offer was also the special of the day which was a roasted lamb, whilst noone on the table had this, it was a fabulous addition to the menu for the meat eaters.

Over two hours later, it was time for dessert. Gipsy Spread and Father in law Spread could not be torn away from their classic choice of the profiteroles with tonka bean ice cream and chocolate sauce. Another dessert on the table was the chocolate marquis with honeycomb ice cream. I however, was no fool and opted for the Yorkshire rhubarb fool with pistachio and vanilla ice-cream. Again, this was a delicate dish with wonderfully tart and fresh rhubarb and sugared pistachios on top. It was the perfect way to end the meal.

I could not finish all my dessert, but this is fine as it fits with my feeder tendencies and means Gipsy Spread gets to have two desserts. We finished the wines we were all drinking by the glass and were asked about coffees. Nothing more for me, however Father in law Spread did, and we were brought out the wonderful petit fours. If I had known these were coming I might have eaten even less dessert. These dainty little delicacies were devine and I only managed a small taste of one of the macarons before forcing the rest of it on Gipsy Spread.

The staff had previously enquired whether were visiting for a special occasion. They kindly brought out a small cake for Father in law Spread with a candle in for him to blow out. He was chuffed. The prevailing sentiment was that it was one of the best meals they have ever had in the most extravagant of settings. The staff really could not have done any more to make our experience so enjoyable. He has now decided that the Savoy Grill can't be beat for his next birthday, so we are simply going to have keep coming back here. I'm not going to argue with that. I can't wait to return.

Sundried tomato and olive (soda) bread

We are once again trying to prepare for the de-frosting of the freezer. We must succeed this time. We plan to finish eating what is left in there when get back from our holidays. Meals of defrosted fresh ingredients and the store cupboard will abound after the excesses of US dining. So, today I had the fabulous excuse of leading up to this, by de-frosting and baking the whole camembert that I store in the freezer, you know in case of a camembert emergency. I had reintroduced this one after the last freezer purge.


The planned soft gooey delicious mess needed something for dipping into it. There is nothing easier than a soda bread, knocked up, literally in a couple of minutes with little kneading or proving. I also had some sundried tomatoes and black olive to kick this bread up a notch so that it would match my fancy baked camembert. This loaf is small, enough for 3-4. Double the proportions for a larger loaf.


What you will need
250 plain flour
1 tea spoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tea spoon salt
200ml live yoghurt
3-4 sundried tomatoes (chopped)
2 table spoons sliced black olives
1 tea spoon oregano


Begin by placing the dry goods in a bowl (flour, bicarbonate and salt).


Stir in the chopped tomatoes and sliced olives before adding the yoghurt and bringing the dough together. Add just a splash of water if necessary at the end to combine the ingredients into a round ball of dough.


Set on a non stick or oiled baking tray and cut a cross through the top, taking care not to go all the way through. Sprinkle over the oregano.

Bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 40 minutes until crisp on the outside and cooked through the middle. As with cakes, a knife through the centre should come away clean.

Eat fresh and warm. In my case with the baked camembert today. It can also be used as a base for bruschetta the next day by slicing thickly, toasting and topping with olive oil, tomatoes and fresh basil.

Aubergine, chilli and feta conchiglie

On a school night, I just want to cook something satisfying and simple, but nutritious. This simple pasta dish suits that description to a tee. I had also recently picked up a 44p aubergine from the new Lidl in Petersfield (the locals were in a frenzy, with the Waitrose like a wasteland complete with tumble weeds), so the store cupboard and my aubergine delivered up my fantastic dinner tonight.


What you will need
1 aubergine
1 red onion
2-3 cloves garlic
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 table spoon tomato puree
1 table spoon balsamic vinegar
1 tea spoon dried chillies
1 tea spoon dried oregano
Conchiglie pasta
100g feta cheese


Firstly, chop the onion and cube the aubergine. Place some oil on to heat and add the onions and aubergines. Season well with salt  and soften on a low heat for 10-15 minutes until the aubergines have browned. Add the crushed garlic and cook for a further couple of minutes.


Next add the tinned chopped tomatoes, the same amount of water (fill the tin), the tomato puree, balsamic vinegar, chillies and oregano. Leave to cook and reduce for a further 10-15 minutes.


Meanwhile, place the pasta on to cook. When ready, drain and top with the sauce and crumble over the feta cheese. Serve with a good sprinkling of ground black pepper.

The Refinery, Southwark, London

The torrent of leaving parties in celebration/commiseration of my Manager's leaving the Department continued this Friday. The locale of choice was the Refinery, around the corner from the office. We had scoped out the eclectic glass fronted venue the week before over drinks and came back for a late boozy lunch. We already knew that there was a fabulous 'reef and turf' on offer for those that way inclined, at the bargain price of £15 with a glass of prosecco.  The menu also had a suitable selection of vegetarian options for me.

My colleague and I arrived first and awaited the arrival of the others. It was 2pm, but we were astounded by how busy the place was. It was heaving and still full to the rafters from lunchtime. It was lucky we had booked a table for our party of eight. The hostess and the waitress were great, taking our drinks orders and partaking in banter with us about our colleagues tardiness (they are renound for it).


When the whole group was finally in attendance, the wine flowed and we managed to make our orders. Four of the table had the above 'reef and turf' of half a lobster and 4oz steak with chips.

Two others who can never resist the fish and chips when it is on offer, just had to have that. Whilst myself and the week before's birthday boy opted for the halloumi burger, obviously with a side of chips.

It all came beautifully presented and was large, but just large enough. The surf andturfers had been concerned that the plate might have been a little light, but they were proved wrong. Whilst we were waiting for our meals, we were also pleasantly surprised to be offered a taste of their new winter Pimms. Yes please, we'll come here again!


The other excellent thing, as I like to have an opinion of the toilets (visit Crazy Bear) was the ladies bathroom. Not only was it tiled in my favourite colour of green it edgily chic with ornate mirrors and some vintage scales ith sweets in. Suffice to say I didn't sample a sweet, not being able to get my mind around eating something thats stored in the toilets. Anyway, these are also well worth a visit.

 

 

So, we paid the bill and I made a reservation for us to come back next Wednesday for the culmination of the torrent in a finale leaving party. I had veen proffered a VIP (yep, that's me) invitation to a party to sample their new menu alongside a glass of prosecco. The Refinery is most definitely seeing me again and comes highly recommended from the decor, the food and the service.

 

Baked aubergine with pesto and feta

I was at the end of my wild garlic pesto and had been handed two white, yes white aubergines from Mother Toast this weekend. Being lazy and on the last day of the Easter break before work, I decided to knock up this simple and healthy baked dish for lunch with a green salad. The only thing I would recommend is ensuring you have proper feta. I had managed to pick up an Alpetina 10% block from the supermarket which was not salty nor crumbly. I now know this is because it is only 10% fat. Epic fail. Even, with real feta, this should hopefully counteract all the marzipan eggs I have been eating over the weekened.


What you will need
2 aubergines (normal will do)
2-3 table spoons pesto
1/2 tea spoon dried chilli flakes
60g feta cheese
1/2 lemon


Start be slicing the aubergines in half lenthways and then scoring through the flesh to create diamonds.


Next, salt the aubergine flesh and set aside for 20-30 minutes to soften. Next spread over the pesto, ensuring it pokes through into the cuts.

Top with the crumbled feta cheese and then sprinkle over the dried chilli flakes and a squeeze of the fresh lemon juice.


Bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until the aubergine has softened andthe feta browned.

Serve hot. Gipsy Spread had his with Salmon.


Also, an additional nuisance of the Alpetina 10% is that it browns really quickly and can be quite deceptive on cooking times, as I learned when making the above and the pesto, tomato and feta tart this weekend.

Pesto, tomato and feta tart

Well, its my birthday soon and Gipsy Spread and I are away on the US Road Trip of a lifetime; we’re taking in San Francisco, Yosemite, Death Valley, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Scottsdale Arizona and then flying to New Orleans. Can you tell that I’m excited? So many culinary adventures to have on the road and update here using the wiley wonders of wifi. So, it was decided that I would have some friends round for a simple lunch time followed by drinks locally to celebrate in advance of the actual day which will be spent at the Grand Canyon.

 

I was going to knock up the very easy tomato and camembert tart, a pesto, tomato and feta tart, a leg of lamb from ‘Jerusalem’ for the meat eaters and potato and green salads.

 

What you will need

1 pack of ready rolled puff pastry

4 table spoons of pesto (I used wild garlic)

4 tomatoes

Feta cheese

This is so simple to make if you are buying in your pesto, but you can also make your own. I used my recently made wild garlic pesto from my weekend of foraging.

 

Roll out the puff pastry and score around the outside about 1cm in. Next layer the pesto into the centre and spread to the edge of the scored area. Slice the tomatoes and arrange over the top, finishing with feta cheese.

Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes at 180 degrees until the pastry and feta has browned. Serve with all or any of the above accompaniments.

 

 

 

Raspberry, cardomon and rose cake

So, my boss is leaving. It's great news for her as she has chosen to take voluntary early release and no longer commute two hours each way every day. However, she'll be missed as a vibrant, bubbly person who makes the office light and fun. Its the countdown to her departure and her many, many leaving celebrations. So, for today's I chose to make this fantastic red berry, cardomon and rose cake.


My journey towards this creation began with me considering colleagues food intolerances; one has gluten and another dairy. This cake was meant to be flourless, but when I went in search of ground almonds, I drew a blank (I did not search very far or wide). So, I chose a sponge recipe I know well, incorporating cardoman (the gluten intolerant colleague was not going to be in the office).


I also have a full bottle of rose water which is likely to take me the rest of my life to get through and some dried rose buds I have been eager to use since I got them at christmas; inspiration struck and this beautiful cake was born.

What you will need
175g butter
175g sugar
225g self raising flour
1 tea spoon baking powder
1 tea spoon vanilla essence
3 eggs
1/2 tea spoon salt
4 table spoons creme fraiche
10 crushed cardomon seeds
250g raspberries (or mixed berries)


For the icing
250g icing sugar
1 table spoon rose water
35ml Water
A handful of dried roses or rose petals
A handful of sugar  balls or crystals (optional)



Firstly preheat the oven to 180 degrees (or 160 fan). This is a fabulously easy and rewarding cake if treated gently and with care.


Next, cream together the butter and sugar, then add the eggs and stir in the flour. Stir through the baking powder, salt, crushed cardomon seeds and vanilla essence, before finally adding the creme fraiche.

Just before ready to bake, carefully fold in the fruit, making sure not to mash or break it up.

Put the mix in a lined or greased springed cake tin and place in the pre-heated oven for 50-60 minutes until cooked through.  When ready, remove from the oven and lay aside.

Whilst the cake is cooling, make the topping. Mix together the icing sugar with the rose water. Slowly add in the water a tea spoon at a time until it forms a glue-like paste.


When the cake has cooled, carefully, take the cake out out the tin. Slowly drizzle the icing over (add a bit more water if it has hardened). After five minutes, sprinkle over the dried roses and sugar crystals or balls.

Present on a wonderful glass or crystal cake stand for everyone to enjoy. I unfortunately had to transport it to work, where it went down a treat with many requests for the recipe. Here you go!

The Table, Southwark, London

It was a visit to this recent addition to the Southwark landscape last night for a colleague's 50th birthday salutations. We had reserved a table at The Table and due to some original booking hitches, were on a promise of free prosecco cocktails with our meal. The hoards left the office, starving and work-weary, in need of a good honest repast. We were not to be disappointed.

The décor on arrival was minimalist but comfortable with long wooden tables and benches and clean lines.

We had all reviewed the menu before we arrived and now looked to the chalkboard for the specials. These tantalised half the table, offering a Kerala style chicken curry, confit duck with mash and salsa verde and thirdly pollock on aubergine agro dolce (sweet and sour, like the caponata I made recently!). Four of the party took up the specials. 

 

I opted for the fabulous Portobello mushroom and smoked cheese brioche burger with fantastically crispy fries as I was desperate to sample the home made ketchup and brown sauce. I have to say that this was one of the best burgers I have had.

 

 

The last, but not least member of the party chose the tuna salad.

 

Each of us genuinely, thoroughly enjoyed our dishes. Everyone was of a very high quality, beautifully presented and full of flavour. Also, just large enough to satisfy us without leaving us hungry, but also sufficient that we felt we could partake in dessert. It was a birthday party after all.

 

The dessert menu seemed to be tailored to the all-day dining experience with pancakes and waffles that would suffice on their own as breakfast. These options however, were supplemented by the classics, chocolate profiteroles and bread and butter budding with clotted cream ice cream. Four of us snapped up the latter and were blissfully delighted. The dessert was rich and extravagant, however beautifully light and indulgent.

 

 

Two of the party who opted for the waffles were surprised and perhaps slightly daunted by the frisby sized waffles they received with chocolate, hazelnuts and bananas. It might have been advisable to state on the menu that these (at £8 each) are large enough to share.

 

We all came away having thoroughly enjoyed our meals, the best we have eaten in the area for some time, considering all our local team lunches. The birthday boy felt truly spoiled. I’d therefore highly recommend The Table as fantastic dinner location if you are in the area. The service was superb, friendly and efficient. It’s just a shame that the set menu which we had seen when we originally booked the table had disappeared.

 

 

I also have it on good authority that the menu is to change soon, so try and get in there in the next couple of weeks if you want to sample the amazing bread and butter pudding. However, with a menu change, I expect to see you soon the Table.