Afternoon Tea

The 7^th Duchess of Bedford is thought to have been the originator of the tradition of afternoon tea when she complained of having “that sinking feeling” during the afternoon and took to her boudoir with a pot of tea and a snack. This soon caught on in the fashionable drawing rooms of London and by the mid 19^th Century a new tradition had been born!

Until recently the preserve of old-fashioned hotels such as The Ritz and The Savoy, taking afternoon tea out in London is now a more accessible indulgence.  A great excuse to sit down with friends, catch up on your reading or just to take a break, this wonderful English tradition is something I wholeheartedly endorse.  At St Paul’s you can even add a glass of delicious Carter’s English rosé sparkling wine to enhance the experience further.

An important ingredient of afternoon tea, aside from cucumber sandwiches and sponge cakes, is a homemade scone or two; preferably with cream and jam for a decadent treat, and of course a well-brewed pot of tea.  For the perfect cuppa, the water should be freshly drawn and poured onto the leaves whilst still boiling.  Tea should always be made in a pot as the milk (if you take it) should go into the cup before the tea.

Food to Beat the January Blues

Once the excitement of Christmas and New Year is over, January can be rather a dreary and depressing month, with everyone going on diets, giving things up and trying to re-vamp their lifestyles.  I am an advocate of eating healthily, but you do need to keep your spirits up at this time of the year and its a good idea to  boost both your mood and your immune system with good, hot, nutritious food.

For a simple supper; low in fat and high in protein and vitamins, I plump for lentils.  Just roast some vegetables – bulb fennel, carrots, leeks and peppers are good – and then put them in a large saucepan with orange lentils, ground cumin, hot smoked paprika or chilli powder, tinned tomatoes and water.  Cook gently until the lentils are soft (about 25 minutes) and then season with salt, pepper and a splash of cider vinegar.  Top with chopped parsley for a hearty, filling meal.

Vegetable soups are great winter warmers and I have dug up the last of my parsnips and carrots from the garden and combined them with Swiss chard, which grows throughout the winter, stock and coconut milk to make a delicious soup.  Cauliflowers are also good at this time of year and make a divine, velvety soup.  Add some milk once you have blended to get creaminess without too many calories.

Finally, a great way to cheer up a winter weekend is to get preserving and Seville oranges are coming into season now, so search out a good marmalade recipe and steam up the kitchen with some lovely citrus smells.

Christmas is Coming…..

“Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat…”, but this traditional  bird has nowadays largely been supplanted by the turkey on our Christmas table.  Turkeys have been around for a long time, arriving on these shores from their native Mexico in the 16^th Century, but it was not until the end of the 19^th Century that they became a popular dish for the festive season, made fashionable by Edward VII.

Personally, I favour goose for a really special occasion. It’s a more unusual bird, has a fabulous, rich flavour and is an excellent choice for a smaller gathering.  Here in the restaurant we roast the goose whole and then carve it at your table and serve it with our chestnut and apricot St Paul’s stuffing and all the trimmings.  Our Christmas menu does, of course, feature free-range Suffolk bronze turkey as the star of the show and this year we are boning out the birds and filling them with a delicious fennel and onion stuffing.  This keeps them really moist and tender – there will be no dry old birds on our table!

Something that gets me thoroughly in the Christmas spirit is a party and we really went to town at St Paul’s with the Harbour & Jones Christmas Extravaganza which was held here on November 24^th.  The party had a Charles Dickens theme and the Crypt, Restaurant and Wren Suite were decked out in true Victorian Christmas style.  With food stalls offering oysters, British cheeses and hot roast beef or pork baps and the “gin palace” serving old-fashioned Gin Martine, a precursor of the martini, none of the guests went hungry or thirsty and entertainment was provided courtesy of RADA students performing a cabaret in the restaurant.  Oh yes, and how about that ice sculpture? What a night!

Autumn Glories

Now that autumn is in full swing, my thoughts have turned to game, wild mushrooms and chestnuts.  This year has been excellent for sweet chestnuts as the trees fruit best after a cold winter and we certainly had that last year.  Delicious on their own when roasted over an open fire, chestnuts also marry brilliantly with squashes of all varieties and our pumpkin and chestnut ravioli is going down a storm in the restaurant.  They also add a kick of flavour to parsnips or Brussels sprouts and of course are a must with the Christmas turkey or goose.

November is a great time to try wild mushrooms and after a slow, dry start to the season, the recent rain has brought them back to life.  Ceps, wood hedgehogs, blewits and morels are all in abundance and I’m busy thinking of different dishes to showcase them over the coming months.  Game goes particularly well with wild mushrooms and in September I was lucky enough to take part in our recent Harbour & Jones farm trip to Denham Estate venison farm in Suffolk.  Click on the link to read more.  The venison belly rolled with venison sausage meat that I brought back with me was not a cut that I would usually buy, but I was surprised at how delicious it was, simply slow roasted on a bed of red onions and thyme.

As the days get shorter and the weather turns colder, this is great excuse to indulge in the occasional pudding and there are some truly fabulous traditional recipes in this country.  Whether it is sticky toffee pud, steamed syrup sponge, jam roly poly or damson cobbler, the British are top of the tree for some seriously decadent treats to cheer you on a cold gloomy November day.

Growing pains…

The heat has been turned up with entries coming in thick & fast for our  ”Grow Your Own” competition.  Having spent yesterday afternoon building a ‘cage’ to support my tomatoes,  it dawned on me that they would not be quite ready in time as the clock is already ticking with a closing date of less than two weeks!

Time for a quick change of plan, as I will need to devise a suitably delicious dish using either rasberries or courgettes, both of which I have plenty of.  Will keep you posted!

Cherry-oh-cherry-oh baby

Feeling pro British more than ever following our fabulous family day our in Northiam, W Sussex.  Headed towards Hastings thru fabulous countryside & surprisingly little traffic to meet up with a few fellow H &J’ers, for our annual cherry picking session.

The past few years we have headed down to the orchards during the week; a bunch of chefs on a gastro tour, taking in sights such as Rock-a-nore in Hastings, Romney Marsh on the way.  This year, the powers that be decided to make it a family affair with a huge picnic to be enjoyed by one & all.

And that we did!  As the cherry trees have been cultivated for ease of picking in mind, none of the fruit laden branches are much above average head height. Easy pickings, with the kids tackling the lower branches, the adults the higher ones.  ”One for me & one for the trug”  seemed to be the mantra on everyone’s cherry stained lips!!

Back at the restaurant today we compared the ones we picked versus some from our supplier and some from a leading supermarket…. a clear winner emerged – our very own Penny variety were bigger, sweeter & far more juicy than the others.  Hurrah!  With only a weeks supply under our belt we know which ones we will be asking from our fruit & veg supplier

Door to door charity

Once again we are dusting down our cycling shorts, pumping up our tyres and praying for no rain!  Weekend before last we braved the elements and took to the road and peddled our way to, and back from, The Hoops Inn – the fabulous pub that we operate at the Henry Moore Foundation.

We snacked en route but saved ourselves for a welcoming pint, carb loading pasta and respite from the rain…. then hit the road again.

Why you may ask? It’s all in the name of charity – last year a small team from Harbour & Jones tackled the London to Paris ride, this year a larger team was due to take on the Five countries challenge.  Alas the destination has changed but our commitment hasn’t!!  We head off next Friday with the Eiffel Tower in our sights!

Seeds of change….

Have to say that I am rather proud of our attempts at growing our own this year…. not only do I have the beginning of a very nice tomato salad emerging from a ‘grow bag’, but with all the fine weather we have been experiencing, we ate the first of our radishes yesterday evening; grown from seed, sprinkled with a dash of Maldon & dunked into our ‘secret recipe’ mayonnaise …. I was in heaven.

Already I am  looking forward to the fennel, courgette (flowers) & salad leaves that will be ready for picking very soon, plus contemplating about putting my name down for an allotment of my own to potter around in.

Spring has Sprung

With such gorgeous weather over the weekend and daffodils popping up all over the place, I felt inspired to start planting again (yep, on my day off).

Last year my efforts paid off with courgettes, Jerseys, rocket and tomatoes all surviving my gardening efforts.  So being a brave soul I have extended my repertoire (bearing in mind we do not have acres in the back yard!) and have planted carrots, runner beans, broad beans, peas plus a few indoor hopefuls in the shape of artichokes & asparagus.

Will keep you posted!!

Mum’s the word

There may still be a sharp chill in the air, but already we are talking about and planning our spring and summer promotions – it’s never difficult to get excited when we have such a creative team to bounce around new ideas, plus amazing produce to play with!

Mother’s day Sunday lunch is the perfect time for a ‘proper roasty’ featuring spring lamb, fluffy potatoes, cauliflower cheese and all those favourites that we all know and love.  This year we shall no doubt be giving away a little something special for all the mums – a hand-tied bunch of flowers – question is, daffs or bluebells.  Tough decision  …. guess we will just have to see what Mother Nature decides for us closer to April!

Brunch baby

Always thought perhaps it was something to do with the fact  I am an Australian, meant I was hardwired to enjoy a leisurely weekend brunch as well as sunshine.  For me its the best part of the week; freshly squeezed juice or a feisty Bloody Mary, broadsheets plus eggs Benedict smothered with hollandaise sauce or seriously dippy egg with marmite sourdough soldiers, either do it for me!

Looks like I am no longer in the minority!  Having spent many a weekend researching with friends; little cafes that served up breakfast for a king, cafe chains that didn’t excite plus the merits of muffins v crumpets, we have launched our very own Saturday Brunch, here at St Paul’s. It is already proving to be quite a hit.

Watch this space as we will soon be launching our Brunch Club with loyalty cards for our fabulous locals!

Out with the old, in with the new…

With the clock ticking & New Year’s eve almost upon us, we have been reminiscing about some of our more interesting kitchen adventures this year … the biggest yorkshire pudding challenge, picking cherries from our trees in Sussex & our caulis in Kent, Deer hunting in Dorset, foraging in the New Forest; it goes without saying that all the trips we have had, have definitely inspired dishes across our restaurant menu – plus we have had heaps of fun testing & perfecting them out before hand, on each other, our families & friends.

Let’s hope 2011 brings as many road trips & as much fun &  interesting ingredients to the table … with our first trip booked to Wakefield & the rhubarb triangle, it’s a no-brainer that rhubarb will appear during February on our menu!

Happy New year!

Chocolate box Christmas

With the snow swirling down, six sleeps to Christmas & the smell of clementines & mulled wine around me, it truly is turning into a the chocolate box picture perfect Christmas we so don’t get back home.

So far we have decked the restaurant with baubles, cinnamon & dried oranges; filled our own crackers with trinkets from St Paul’s &  are now, well over halfway through our Christmas lunch booking & counting down the days until we sit round the fire with our feet up for a few days.  Suddenly I am feeling VERY festive!!

 

Spreading the good word…

With our Christmas countdown well under way, plum puddings made and the restaurant decorated with sweet smelling dried clementines, I am taking a few days out to lend a hand at the Hoops, the latest exciting venture for H &J. Having gained a wealth of experience at St Paul’s, it is great being able to pass on what I have learnt first hand as well as help instill the awesome foodie values we have as a company.  On top of this, I get to spend a whole week away from the ‘big smoke’, checking out village life & seriously local suppliers. Definitely a win-win, methinks!!

Working with Jamie Oliver Foundation

There is a real buzz in the kitchen today are all eagerly discussing tomorrow evening’s event, A Big Night Out with Fifteen. Our brigade plus two of our young Westminster College apprentices are working alongside the Fifteen team, here at St Pauls.  Having had a sneak preview at the menu, we are keen to try something new & different; plus we are sure to pick up a tip or two, along the way!

Festive fancies

With a crisp chill in the air, Hallowe’en & Bonfire night just around the corner, we are busy getting ready to sell a host of Christmas treats for the Cafe – plum puddings galore, jars of mince meat, stained glass cookies, gingerbread  & much more that will be available before the end of November.

60 days to Christmas & counting …..!!

London Restaurant Festival v Christmas

Can’t decide if I am more excited about the interest London Restaurant Festival fortnight has received in the last couple of days or the fact that we are (scarily!!) already taking bookings for Christmas.

We spent quite some time thinking about the menu we would run during LRF, as we also wanted celebrate National Apple Day too & have a few  completely ‘apple-tastic’ dishes on the menu during October.

Our Christmas  menu has been a labour of love as I so adore this time of year – albeit that I would have my Christmas lunch on the beach!  With a couple of years of chilly Christmas’ under my belt I love mixing the traditional with the new & experimenting with ‘old’ flavours… Mrs Beeton would be so proud!

Tinsel & tissues

We are in festive mode at the moment; the shop has already started unboxing & displaying its christmas-wares. Not to be outdone we are putting the final touches to our restaurant menu featuring traditional favourites alongside modern dishes  & have already taken a dozen enquiries.  Scary, really!  So far we have tested four different mincemeat recipes, as we are trying to perfect our mini mince pies we are giving away with coffee & will be selling in the Cafe too. Our ‘glass’ cookies & St Pauls plum puddings will also be available & we are toying with the idea of trying to make a St Pauls cookie cutter.  Hmm, nice idea, but easier said than done.

The only fly in the ointment so far in our master plan is our idea for goose  to feature on the menu … so pricey at the moment, but, as they say…. where’s there a will, theres’ a way!

Bonny Perthshire & Gleneagles calling

I have never ventured quite this far North before, sad I know, as my forays into Scotland have only been short & limited to Edinburgh to date. You can imagine how excited I am to be here at the fabled Gleneagles resort to work at  Andrew Fairlie, the two Michelin starred restaurant for a week – thanks to being the runner up in the Coeliac Chef of the Year competition last year.  The place is incredible; acres of fabulous countryside, steeped in history & good old fashioned luxury.  Not hard to understand why I am going to thoroughly enjoy my stay & can’t wait to get my hands dirty; the unashamedly classic French style, with a Scottish twist, is calling!

Ready for a refresh

Can’t believe we have celebrated our first year in the Restaurant & are already taking enquiries for Christmas! We are closing our doors for a week whilst we undergo a small refurbishment & get out our paintbrushes to spruce the place up just a little.

We shall not be idle during our week ‘off’ with our new planner for 2011 to start thinking about,  not to mention finishing touches to our special British Food Fortnight activities and Harvest ‘Swap Shop’