Friday 24 April 2015

The Lucky Onion Presents: Sunday Lunch with Fergus Henderson

Sunday 19th April saw an exciting event in Cheltenham. They don’t come around too often, especially none of this calibre. It was hosted by The Lucky Onion at 131 The Promenade and I consider myself an extremely lucky onion to have been able to attend.

If you hadn’t have heard by now, Fergus Henderson was in town. Yes. FERGUS HENDERSON. And if you don’t know who he is, then you’re clearly not a proper foodie. Either that or you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past 20 years his famous St. John Restaurant has been open for. Though maybe I’m being unkind, you could be a veggie/vegan, in which case you probably shouldn’t read on.

Photo Credit: The Lucky Onion
Mr Henderson, with his ‘nose to tail’ eating, has achieved legendary status, and St. John isn’t just a restaurant, it’s an institution. Two decades is really quite something in restaurant years, particularly in London where there’s an endless stream of new openings, pop ups, street food stalls, cuisines and fashionable food fad joints. So how has he managed to keep going? By staying true to his food philosophy, that’s how. And having been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in the late nineties, Henderson’s 20 years of St. John seem to be even more exceptional. He’s proved that major obstacles can be overcome, and with such an intriguing enthusiasm and a thirst for 'the good life', he is surely one of the most popular chefs in living memory.

Photo Credit: The Lucky Onion
Now I’ve been itching to go to St. John every time I venture to the capital, but somehow I’ve never quite made it. The closest I’ve been is peeping through Clerkenwell’s window during a busy Saturday night service, and drooling over the doughnuts and welsh rarebits at Maltby Street Market, cursing myself for not being hungry, then doubly cursing for not thinking of getting something to save for later.

Sure, Henderson’s appearance is a little eccentric – small round glasses and pinstripe suits – and to many his food might be seen in that way too, but to me it’s anything but. He’s somehow charmed us into eating all the parts of the animal that we’d have otherwise ignored. It’s respectful, honest, gutsy (literally), and generally quite simply put together – none of that razzle dazzle liquid nitrogen faff!

Such bold plates of food are definitely worthy of Sunday status, and The Lucky Onion tapped into that with gusto. ‘Lunch with Fergus’ was a five course feast for 40 hungry guests, on one long table in the Crazy Eights part of 131 The Prom.

Excitement was through the roof in the lead up to the event, and as I strolled over to the grand hotel, nerves took over. Who was going to be there? What will I say? How was the afternoon going to pan out?... As soon as I walked in, Henderson’s familiar face was there. Trying my best not to make an idiot of myself or gawk at him in awe, I did manage to ask just one question without spurting some star struck ramblings. What he was drinking? Campari and white wine; otherwise known as a Bicyclette. Classic.

A cold glass of Nyetimber calmed my nerves, but I still felt like a very small fish in a flippin’ big pond. There were a couple of faces that I recognised, and everyone was being far too casual about the whole situation. Frankly, I just wanted to jump up and down with glee.

The Lucky Onion kitchen team were not only joined by Mr St. John himself, but also by St. John chef Giles Edwards, and it all kicked off with Brown Shrimp & White Cabbage. Little brown shrimp are never going to win in the beauty stakes, but they sure pack a lot of flavour. Sweet and salty, they were tangled up in the weaves of shredded white cabbage along with capers and herbs. The whole dish had a coating of lemon juice and olive oil, and it was a fresh, crunchy, and altogether quite a healthy first course.

Accompanying our lunch was some of Henderson’s own wine made from old vineyards in the Minervois, France; Boulevard Napoléon Granache Gris and Cabernet Franc, both 2012 and both a whopping 14.5%. I'm a big lover of a decent Cab Franc, which is exactly what this was, but it was the Granache Gris that really stood out. Clean and fresh, with a rich and creamy texture, it had a lovely smoky liquorice edge on the finish. I'll be hunting this one down.

Next on the menu was his 'signature dish'; Bone Marrow & Parsley Salad. Many wows were expressed as giant plates of the slowly roasted bones were brought out, and Fergus then came out to explain how we should construct our "happy bone moment". With big gestural movements, we understood that we were to get a slice of toast, scoop the bone marrow out onto it, top it with the parsley salad, and finally sprinkle over some wet salt. (Wet salt is the layer of salt beneath Fleur de Sel; it's greyer in appearance and has a more minerally taste.)


Voted as one of the greatest dishes of all times by food writer Tom Parker Bowles, the bone marrow (which I think were veal shin bones - but don't quote me on that) had a creamy jelly like consistency, somewhere between a paté and a panna cotta, and they were packed full of meaty flavour. The parsley salad, spiked with lemon, capers and thinly sliced shallots cut through it's fattiness, with the toast adding a desirable charred crunch. The salt made me salivate, after each mouthful I craved another bite, and the DIY aspect was not only fun, but got everyone talking.


The main course was another St. John fave; Pig's Head & Potato Pie. I guess anyone who's ever been to a hog roast in their time, has had experience of seeing some scorched porker's face; all the meat gets taken from the body with the head left in tact, which is inevitably later discarded - it's all for show. Well, none of that business here, the head's the star ingredient. Not just fleshy, not just fat, it made prime pie filling material. Then combined with potatoes and encased in the most buttery pastry, I'd say it was a pork pie made for the gods. A simple vinegary salad of watercress and roasted red onions is all that was needed to accompany it, and not a drop of gravy in sight!


To seduce our sweet side, we had a single scoop of Chocolate Ice Cream; truffle-rich, bittersweet and indulgent, a scoop is all that was needed! I've read about his FIVE DAY ice cream recipe for St. John, so I'm guessing this was it? Either way, it was divine.


Coffee and the most marvelous Madeleines rounded everything off. Having been bought a Madeleine tin for Christmas, I've been trying various recipes out, but none have tasted anywhere near as good as these. Fresh out of the oven, the light and springy sponges had a sweet honey butter taste, and the scalloped edges and recognisable 'nipple' on the back never cease to crack a smile. I fear I ate more than my fair share.


Clearly The Lucky Onion sure know how to host a soirée, and although I might have spent the next day in bed with a sore tum having pigged out so much, literally (my cursed IBD, nothing to do with the amazing chef skills!), I can put this down as one of my all time favourite foodie experiences. I can only hope that I get to go to another!


The above photos are from The Lucky Onion's Facebook Page. Check out Kirstie Young's blog post and also this snazzy video..

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