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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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

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!

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.

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!!

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!