Ross & Ross Pop Up at The Straw Kitchen

A couple of weeks ago, Saturday 21st March, The Chap and I ventured up to the North Cotswolds for dinner. We wouldn't usually travel almost an hour for dinner without having somewhere to stay, but this was a bit different.

Ross & Ross, those lovely chaps who feed me their 10 hour slow roasted lamb shoulder with salsa verde every year at the Cheltenham Food & Drink Festival, were hosting a pop up. I managed to miss the first one so made every effort to get in quick on the tickets for the second event at a "secret location". Turns out, it was at the same venue as before, Whichford Pottery's Straw Kitchen, but I'm kind of glad about that; after seeing the gorgeous photos Dan Walker took at the last one, I was desperate to see the place for myself (and FYI their scrawled out blackboard menu sounds like it'd be worth a return trip!).

Photo Credit: Dan Walker

There were three "social eating tables" inside the Straw Kitchen, which is perfect for pop up supper club style things. However, two large groups had booked tickets, and there were only a handful of us who didn't know anyone else; sat on a table all together, it kind of felt as though we were gatecrashing someone's birthday party! It didn't matter too much, we made good conversation with another couple who were getting married, and had also enquired about Ross & Ross's wedding catering!

Photo Credit: Dan Walker

For £35 per person, we had a 5 courses and it was BYOB. The Chap got lucky and I was designated driver for the night, so we arrived armed with two bottles of already opened wine (oops) and a couple of Fentimans soft drinks to keep me entertained, though I was pretty envious every time I heard a prosecco cork pop!

The menu was 'Spring' themed, and each course sounded right up my street. That said, I'm still a little gutted that I didn't get to try the scotch egg that everyone was banging on about after the last event. Social media was full of pictures of those runny yolked beauties! And apologies for the crappy pictures - a single tea light was never going to produce a good photo.

Photo Credit: Ross & Ross

We started with Jerusalem Artichoke & Morel Soup; thick, earthy and its overall brown-ness was brightened up with a vivid orange nasturtium flower. Since Waitrose have started stocking those little knobbly artichokes, I've been buying them at every opportunity; thankfully I'm not sick of them, and this was a great start to the evening.

An intriguing 'Chicken Lollipop' was next, which was essentially like a refined, more flavoursome KFC. Big spices on the crispy coating were tamed down with an accompanying sweet-sticky-glazed chicken wing. I remember watching Rebecca Seal revealing how to eat a chicken wing in a clean, lady-like fashion. Alas, I couldn't remember how she did it, so I just went down the messy, all over my fingers and face route.

The Falafel with Tahini & Basil Dip was a favourite dish amongst many. Too often people try to unnecessarily pimp up falafel - if it ain't broke, don't fix it - I'm glad to report Ross & Ross' falafel were perfect.

Our main course was a plump piece of Grimsby Smoked Cod Loin, Brown Shrimp Butter Sauce, Purple Sprouting and Pea Puree. Excellent springtime fare, and my fave course of the night. With all this sustainable fish jazz that's been going on in recent years, I'd kind of fallen out of favour with cod in trying to buy a broader range, but I think I shouldn't shun ye olde faithful in future.

A duo of desserts rounded the evening off; first a Poached Rhubarb & Vanilla Custard Crunch, which was ACE. I only wish my little pot was twice the size, the firm but sweet pink rhubarb partnered with the vanilla flecked custard and crumble topping is my idea of heaven. The Hot Chocolate & Orange Pudding was tasty too, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I put my spoon in and the middle was still molten, but it really was all about the rhubarb.

We retired to the sofas in front of the log burner, with a coffee in hand, before hitting the road. It was such a lovely evening, and time went so quickly. Ross & Ross sure know how to host a decent pop up, and I'll be keeping an eye out for future events!

P.S. Did you notice the gorgeous crockery? I'd happily have some of those Whichford Pottery plates in my kitchen!
P.P.S. Check out the rural-chic toilet!...

A Month of Munching

It's been very quiet on the Western Front lately (unless you've been following me on Twitter or been keeping up with my Vinspire posts). How on earth has it got to June already?! Well, I've just returned from a wonderful week-long holiday in Scotland, but before I divulge on my indulgences up north, I thought I'd best report my latest eats and experiences. So listen up..

I should probably start with where I left off at the end of April *slaps wrists*.. A 5 year anniversary celebration with The Chap saw a surprise trip to Cheltenham's KIBOUsushi. We went for lunch a week or so after it's opening, loved it, and vowed to return to try the dinner menu; it took us way too long to do this. Cheltenham had been missing the sushi boat for ages, and in the space of a few weeks, both KIBOU and a Yo! Sushi opened up. I'm sure Yo! Sushi is great, what with it's conveyor belt of food on brightly coloured dishes, but independent is always better in my eyes. Being tucked away in a basement on Regent Street, like a secret hide away from the bustling town centre, makes the whole thing much more memorable.

We started with some pork gyozas and scallop and venison tataki nigiri, then The Chap had a prawn/pork/sesame main dish, and I had an orange-y duck breast with pumpkin korroke (a bit like croquettes); both of which were off of the specials board. Everything was delicious, and I'm already thinking about when I can go back to get my next sushi fix. If you go, make sure you get a glass of the plum wine, as well as the obligatory jasmine tea.

A week later, I found myself at Cheltenham Jazz Festival drinking way too much wine and frolicking in the bank holiday sun. Being a massive lover of all things Hobbs House (thanks to the Bread Baking Masterclass I went on in February), I booked to go to Henry Herbert's Hobbs House Pop-up Supperclub on the festival site in Montpellier Gardens.

Being one half of The Fabulous Baker Brothers, and an advocate of all things local, Henry's Supperclub was destined to be something that you wouldn't want to miss. Upon entering the tent lined with tables and benches, we were handed a cocktail (I've no idea what it contained) and then showered with various canapés whilst we got settled into our seats and chatted to our jazzy neighbours.

No veggies here, BBQ Beef was what we were treated to; juicy charcoal grilled rib eye and a smoked brisket, which practically fell apart with as much as a glance. Bowls of Boston beans, slaw and blue cheese iceberg salad were shared round, along with a never ending supply of sourdough, and everything was kept topped up until we were sufficiently full.

Dessert was a doughnut trifle. Now I'm not normally a fan of those stodgy beasts, and the thought of having them topped with additional custard and cream was a bit daunting, but actually, it totally hit the spot and was just the right size. Coffee and truffles were kicked to the kerb until Henry had done the rounds thrusting picklebacks on every table. A shot of pickle brine and a shot of Chase Smoked Vodka sat in front of us, then on the count of three we downed the vodka then chased it with the pickle. It might sound a bit rough, but trust me, it works. Line them up please!

A trip to Bath was next on the agenda; a belated Mother's Day spa session with my Mum and Sister. I'd had a few recommendations on places to have lunch, and Acorn Vegetarian Kitchen was the venue of choice. We decided to opt for the tapas-style sharing dishes, ending up ordering pretty much the whole menu because it sounded that good.

We had mixed pickles (kohlrabi, radish and carrot), hummus with bread olives and harissa, asparagus in a lemon thyme dressing, brocolli with wild garlic, polenta chips and rhubarb ketchup, chickpea fritters with an orange rosemary emulsion, local leaf salad with toasted seeds and rhubarb dressing, and red wine fig and shallot salad with candied curried pecans. The one thing I love about veggie/vegan restaurants is that they're always so innovative; even the most stubborn carnivore couldn't possibly miss meat with this bounty. The red wine fig and shallot salad stole the show, along with the asparagus and polenta chips.. Actually, all of it was great, and our bill came to just over £30, which seemed great value considering how much we ate!

Last minute panic buying in preparation for a wedding resulted in a shopping slog at Cabot Circus, Bristol. In an attempt to get just an hours break from the herd of Saturday shoppers, we went to St Nicholas Market to refuel. Spying a queue at Grillstock surely meant that they were dishing out good grub, and on a sunny day, something meaty in a bun - alongside a cold beer - is just what the doctor ordered. I had the hickory smoked pulled pork with slaw, spicy sauce and extra jalepenos. It's messy business, but who cares when its this good?

Something sweet seemed necessary, so we popped into Source Food Hall & Cafe and I was blinded by this beauty; a salted caramel and cherry brownie. I think I died and went to heaven.. Though hell's probably more fitting, being so devil-iciously dark, rich and salty..

Nothing I can say will be able to follow that, so I shall leave it there.

Keep your eyes peeled for Glasgow goings on..

After Hours Dessert with Mark Donald: Pop-up at Ozone Coffee Roasters, London

Last month, scrolling through Twitter, I stumbled across a retweet mentioning a four course dessert pop-up in London. A mere mention of dessert and my ears prick up. Anyway a few clicks and a couple of text messages later, I'd booked a place for me and a friend to go to After Hours on Good Friday - a perfect Bank Holiday activitity, especially considering my Easter egg stash gets smaller and smaller each year (I actually had none this time round *sniff*).

At After Hours, they champion modern and innovative dessert; inviting London's most exciting pastry chefs to create a spectacular four course tasting menu for sweet toothed attendees, held in independent coffee shops across London. They've worked with chefs from restaurants including The Fat Duck, The Ledbury, and Opera Tavern, but on this occasion - at Ozone Coffee Roasters in Shoreditch - Mark Donald from Hibiscus took centre stage.

Mark is currently sous chef at the acclaimed Mayfair restaurant. He's previously spent time at 2 Michelin-starred Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, as well as a five month stint at that famous Danish place, Noma. The £25 ticket, which seemed like an absolute steal, included the four desserts and a coffee with petit fours to round the evening off. There were three different sittings, of which we chose the latest option at 9.30pm, and beer/wine/cocktails/soft drinks were available at an extra charge.

Getting dressed up and going out solely for dessert is pretty much any girl's dream (unless you're health/diet obsessed, and if that's you, bore off). I'd not been to Ozone before, but it's a large idustrial styled space split over two floors; an espresso bar and open kitchen, completed with stylish booths and seating areas upstairs, whilst the in house roastery malarky goes on downstairs. They clearly run a well oiled machine.



We were sat in prime position at the open kitchen bar top, meaning we could watch all the theatrics of the chefs plating up the art-like desserts, and we could also get sneak previews of what was yet to come. Raising a toast to the long weekend with some prosecco, a little Easter inspired treat came our way. Nestled in an egg box, and in real egg shells, we had a coconut mousse with a passion fruit coulis. It's at this point that I will apologise for my lack of knowledge on exactly what we had; the menu teased us with listing just the names of each basic element, and I was too busy gawping at the dishes to take notes when they were served. So perhaps consider this an approximation on the After Hours pop-up..

The first course was 'Sweetcorn, Basil, Bergamot'. A biscuit-y disk topped with a bergamot cream and adorned with plain and caramel coated popcorn, served with a glowing green quenelle of basil sorbet. It really was ALL about the sorbet, I loved how fresh and clean tasting it was.

Next up was 'Pistachio, Gariguette'. A pastry tart case, filled with 'Gariguette Strawberries' (an old and much-loved French variety that produces sweet and aromatic fruits early in the season) and a gorgeous pistachio crème pat/custard, sealed off with a delicate lid of caramelised sugar - as if stolen from a crème brûlée.The plate was sprinkled with pistachio and strawberry dust, and sauces of the same flavours. The vibrant red and green combinations looked fantastic on the white plate (it tasted as good as it looked too), and there really is nothing more satisfying than making that first crack in the sugar with your spoon.

The third course was a puzzler; 'Rhubarb, Ghruth Dhu'. The first part is pretty simple - rhubarb - we know that, having been only lightly cooked to still contain some of it's bite and sharpness. The other element seemed like a cheesecake of sorts, and it really did have that cheese-like taste.

Looking up the unusual name when I got home was a bit of a revelation. Gruth Dhu (or Black Crowdie) is a soft cream cheese with slightly sour, tangy milky flavour, which is what I was getting taste-wise. The actual cheese is rolled in pinhead oatmeal and crushed peppercorns, which explains the intensely black, black pepper custard, and the little oatcakes served with it too. The additional 'h' in the name must be to distinguish the fact that it's Mark's own clever take on the cheese.

Having this slight savoury course in amongst all the sweet was a good move as it prepared us for the last course. Titled 'Buen-no?' the only thing we could think of were Kinder Bueno's... Correct. I've not had a Kinder Bueno for years, and after this version, I very much doubt I'll have one again, at least not anytime soon; it simply can't compete. A wafer and hazelnut parfait, cased in white and milk chocolate, served with a scoop of wafer flavoured ice cream, splatters of silky chocolate sauce and crowned with wafer-y gold dust; majestic.

It was 'Coffee & Swedgers' before hometime. Apparently this word is commonly used in and around the Glasgow area (Mark is Scottish) to describe penny sweets bought from ice-cream vans. 'Swedgers', however, can also be used to describe pill or tablet based illicit drugs such as ecstasy; so the vintage sweet tin masquerading a wealth of bite sized 'sugar highs' is all very tongue in cheek

A strong caffeine hit in the form of an espresso and we dived in. Classic cinder toffee, with it's honeycomb appearance, had a wonderful honey flavour too. A lime curd filled macaron; subtly sweet and citrusy. A sugarcoated sea buckthorn jelly dome; bigger, better flavoured and less chewy than a Jelly Tot. And finally the opinion dividing bacon fudge; very soft maple-y fudge, coated in crumbs which resembled Frazzles crisps. I liked the weirdness of it, but my dessert night accomplice wasn't so sure.

All in all, a perfect night was had. We ate, drank and bascially watched an elaborate performance in the kitchen. For £25, it was a FEAST for the eyes and for the belly.

BTW: Amazing photos of the evening can be seen in cwiss's Flickr Photostream - puts my poor phone snaps to shame.

BITE Food Festival 2014 // Señor Ceviche

The first week of February saw the return of the much talked about Cotswolds Food Festival, BITE. With a nine day long programme of events including breakfasts, brunches, lunches, teas & dinners; pop-up restaurants; cocktails & fine wines; masterclasses, talks & tastings; meet the chef & book signings; food fairs & farmers markets, I had to go to at least one thing.

Unfortunately, for those of us that work the usual 9-5pm Monday to Friday job, the majority of these special events are during the day, and unless you book time off, you won't be able to go. Also, for those of us who aren't very flush with money post-Christmas - cough, me - you have to be very strict with yourself in choosing what you want to go to. So, an evening dinner, under the £40 mark, it had to be..

Thankfully, a Peruvian pop-up at The Kings Head Inn, Bledington, fit the bill; and for one night only, in the quaint Cotswold pub, Señor Ceviche took the helm. Señor Ceviche is a food concept, where by a team of well travelled folk host no choice/set menu feasts-for-all in various locations, most notably in London. Here, they are serving the kinds of things you'd expect from this type of cuisine, super fresh ceviche and punchy Pisco Sours. If it weren't for the crappy weather, and the very British pub like decor, with added dogs, you'd think you were in Lima - well, sort of.

'La Comida' (the food) on this Thursday evening comprised of four dishes, kicking off with Nikkei Tartar; salmon and tuna tartar with yuzu, hass avocado and baby corriander. It attacked all the senses with sharp diced fish, silky avocado, fragrant herbs and a crisp-like slice of toasted bread (which, thanks to the 'boat' it was served in, looked remarkably like a sail). It was everything I expected and more.  

Alas, I think we may have been forgotten about at this point as most other tables were finishing their third course by the time we were even served our second. I was glad I had a cocktail in hand to sip the wait away because there was some serious food envy on the go. When it did arrive, the self titled Señor Ceviche barely spent any time on the table, and was gobbled up in a flash. King prawn and finely sliced sea bream ceviche in aji tiger's milk (the Peruvian marinade), topped with salty crispy squid rings, red onion slivers and corriander leaves; served on a crisp lettuce leaf in another 'boat'. It was a lighter, more refreshing dish in comparison to the first, and set us up nicely for the main event.

Arroz con Pato was brought out as a sharing dish (we're greedy, but not too greedy to share - thank God); confit duck legs, the biggest I've ever encountered, Andean rice, nicely spiced and flecked with colourful vegetables, and a tangy salsa made with scallops. With the meat falling off the bone, and a wealth of wholesome flavours, it was the standout course, and rightly so.

Last but not least, the dessert, or 'postre', was Pisco Love Cake; a fluffy sponge, which I'm guessing was made using ground almonds, saturated with a Pisco syrup, served with a drizzle of mascarpone cream, and scattered with pomegranate jewels. As far as cakes go, this kind of thing was right up my street; a perfect Peruvian finale, though I could have easily snaffled up a piece double the size - it was that good.

All in all, The Chap and I thoroughly enjoyed our evening at the BITE pop-up. For the quality of food we had, £30 per head seemed incredibly reasonable, and I'll be making sure I have my pennies saved up for similar events at next years festival.

If you see Señor and his Rita's on your travels, definitely pay them a visit.. They ply you with Pisco and feed you well. Muchas Gracias!