Hawkes House Happenings

On Monday evening, I was lucky enough to be invited to a sneak preview of a friend's new business venture, Hawkes House, Thornbury. Located on St Mary's Street, the former pub/live music venue, The Barrel Inn, has been stripped back and transformed into a beautiful new neighbourhood café bar. Local Cotswold folk might already know James and Simon as they own a firm Tewkesbury favourite, Theoc House, but to those that don't, their concept is simple; they open 8:30am - 11pm seven days a week, where you can eat breakfast, brunch, elevenses, lunch, afternoon treats, early evening snacks, dinner, late night munchies, and if needs be, some nibbles to soak up all that accidentally drank alcohol.

Whilst the bar is well stocked with an excellent selection of spirits, both local and continental beers, and a concise but varied wine list, Hawkes House isn't just a pub. They serve expertly made coffees, cuppa's from Attic Tea, and a range of soft drinks that would cater to anyone's taste. It's all very relaxed, and with a stack of books and board games, the whole family can stay entertained. So whether you just pop in for a swift one, or leisurely spend the day browsing the daily papers, or even make a night of it, glad rags and all, this is the place to go.

Having a bit of inside gossip about what the place was like beforehand, and a few updates on the progress of the refurbishment, these guys didn't have a particularly easy ride, but boy, what a masterpiece they've created. The pair have clearly learnt a lot since they opened the doors to Theoc two years ago, she's like the older and wiser sister, whereas Hawkes House, with it's open kitchen, exposed brickwork, retro furniture, and industrial lighting, is the new swankier sibling. 

As for the food, in celebratory style we decided to start off with some antipasto and tapas to share between us; salami, chorizo and prosciutto were the stars on the meat board, with sun dried tomatoes and olives dotted about, rounded off with a few bread-y goods. Tapas wise, we had to try the black pudding scotch egg - which, you'll be glad to know, had a perfectly runny centre - and the beer battered cod with tartare sauce was another winner too. Roasted veg with goats cheese, sesame and soy beef strips, and lime, chilli and garlic tiger prawns were also thrown into the mix, and priced at £7.50 for a choice of three dishes, you can't go too wrong.

For a main course, after much deliberation, I went for the Cataplana fish stew (I had no idea what Cataplana meant, but trusty Google has informed me that it's a Portuguese seafood dish). It was a plate almost overflowing with a rich, smoky tomato sauce, with a bounty of prawns, mussels, chunks of cod, salmon and chorizo lurking underneath. I was more than happy that it came with a wedge of sourdough to mop everything up. The other mains on our table were the classic steak and chips, pork t-bone with Tewkesbury mustard mash and gravy, shepherds pie topped with sweet potato and a curry from the specials board, all of which everyone enjoyed.

To give you a bit more info on the food - though you could, and should go check it out for yourself - the menu contains a list of all day brunch options, sandwiches on local Hobbs House bread or in a focaccia, antipasto and tapas dishes,  a variety of burgers (not just your standard beef) and more substantial seasonal fare, currently titled 'winter warmers'. There is also a daily specials board which, as you'd expect, changes on a daily basis, and sees the likes of more unusual 'chef's special' dishes (I spied swordfish on Monday), and that's where you'll find your Sunday roasts.

There's a separate dessert board, which, again, changes according to what the kitchen fancy making. We were late in the game when we'd finished dinner, so our options were limited, but we snapped up some creme brûlée's and sticky toffee pudding, which were both sumptuously satisfying. Take note, if you're clever enough to scout out what's on offer early on, get in there quick before your favourite gets crossed out!

Its probably safe to say that Hawkes House won't be winning any fancy schmancy awards for their offerings because, basically, its not that kind of place; they're all about serving quality food and drink which is affordable (most things are under a tenner with the most expensive being the 8oz rump at £12.95). Whether you're local, or just a passer by, there are plenty of friendly faces to welcome you no matter what the occasion, and right now it makes a gorgeous retreat from the cold - they have a lovely outside seating area which will come into it's own in the summer months. Despite not really knowing what else is in Thornbury, Hawkes House seems like its on to a good thing, and I'll definitely be keeping an eye on it.. Like a hawk some might say.

Khool French Kitchen

Last weekend I found myself at another foodie event at the Literature Festival, 'Lunch with Rachel Khoo'. The British born kitchen queen, who actually has a degree in Art & Design from Central Saint Martins (yep - art & food - pretty much THE dream), is famed for cooking in her tiny Parisian apartment, where, in days gone by, she hosted intimate supper clubs for just a handful of people. Lured to the French capital by the exquisite patisserie, she studied pastry at Le Cordon Bleu, and has since thrown herself into the world of food. Her first TV show/cookery book 'The Little Paris Kitchen' was a global success, and with the release of her new book 'My Little French Kitchen', this event gave her the chance to divulge more about it, along with the attendees being able to taste a few of her recipes.

I suppose it was more like an 'in conversation with..' kind of thing, and the interviewer, who seemed like a less orange David Dickinson, started off very straight to the point. "There are so many cookbooks around these days, so why should we buy yours?" Phwoar. Bombshell. Luckily, Rachel is just as she appears on TV - very bubbily with a strong personality - so she was able to cope.

What sets her apart from the endless stream of newly published books, is her sincere approach. You can tell from the size of her miniscule working space that she doesn't have a hell of a lot of equipment, and there's definitely no room for all the high-tech gadgets that do really cheffy things, so in turn, none of her recipes require us to have any of that stuff either. Some pots and pans, a good sharp knife, and some stirring utensils are all we need, she says, and if we top it off with good ingredients, then we're all set.

For the book, Rachel visited six different regions of France - Brittany, Bordeaux, Basque, Provence, Lyon and Alsace - where she'd gone out to meet the locals and the food producers, be it in their homes, on farms or at markets, etc. She immersed herself in their cultures, their traditions, and most importantly, their cuisines, and taking inspiration from each of these, she's stacked up a list of over one hundred of her own recipes that give us a food tour of France that we can recreate at home. Unlike Paris, which has that all-year-round touristy perfection when it comes to food produce, the regional areas thrive on the histories behind what they make, and use the seasons to dictate what is best to eat when. This is evident from the herby, floral dishes of Provence, or the spice-laden, festive eats from Alsace, to the rich, hearty gastronomy of Lyon.

Being asked if she's here to "fight for real food", she responded by saying it was more like a mission to discover and reveal the stories behind the food that our European neighbours eat; it's not all fine dining and complicated cooking, and no matter how hard you look, there are certainly no frogs legs here. Rachel's key is enjoyment, she wants us to take pleasure in following her recipes, whether they're the easy pop-it-all-in-one-pan-and-hey-presto kind of thing, or the slightly more refined, take-your-time-to-impress-your-friends extravaganza. In both instances, the recipes are short and simple, and where she's used french ingredients, she has listed English alternatives, so everything is do-able.

The book itself is a thing of beauty, and its clear to see that Rachel takes great pride in being part of the whole creative process - she's even responsible for all the cute little illustrations that run throughout. The photographs are all shot on location, straight after cooking, and the crew eat what was made straight after, there is no faffing around with food styling, and everything is done under natural light, which gives the whole thing a fresh feeling. She stipulates that she's "not just a pretty face", and even when it comes to the TV show, she doesn't just turn up and read a script, like many others do; she does it in her own way, and that's very honest.

Talking of honesty, Rachel admits to being a fully fledged croissant snob; it has be the butteriest, flakiest, most delicious one she can find. There's no point in having a crap one, when you secretly know that there are better ones in existence, as it will only end in disappointment. Which leads to questions on health; the French cuisine isn't exactly known for being 'light', so how does she stay looking so fabulous? Whilst "butter is better", it's all about quality over quantity, she'll have her cheese, wine, pastries, etc, but just not all the time. Actually, she tells us that the French are very much anti-snacking, and it's almost unacceptable to be seen eating in the streets. It doesn't matter if its a freshly made baguette, still warm from the oven, with the glorious boulangerie aromas wafting in your face, you must push those temptations aside. It's basically social suicide.

Being put on the spot once more, ol' Dickinson asked what he should go home and make from the book this Autumnal evening. A few umm's and ahh's, then some sticky ribs cooked in cassis, with a broad bean cous cous, was suggested. Failing that, what we were having for lunch would be perfect: Poulet Roti au Vin Rouge - or Roast Red Wine Chicken to the rest of us - a boozy bird from Bordeaux, with crisp potatoes, and plenty of herby vegetable accompaniments. If this was anything to go by, 'My Little French Kitchen' is set to be a winner, and even cooked for the masses, it was delicious.

Dessert was the Chocolate Basque Beret; a genoise sponge encased in a rich chocolate ganache, coated with chocolate orange shavings. We're told that the black beret is the sartorical symbol of the Basque region, so that's where the inspiration for the cake comes from. Rachel pre-warned us that this was for serious chocaholics, rich and doused in syrup, however, luxurious as it was, it didn't quite come across as this. Nevertheless, it's made me want to try and make it for myself, so by letting us sample a couple of dishes, this whole promo-event has done it's job. 

Book purchased and signed, this weekend I'm all set to gastro-trip around France in the comfort of my own home. I best go get my stripey shirt back out.