Awesome Chocolate Keyboard

Geeky chocolate. Nice.

From Gizmondo.

Riverford Farm, lovely walk and an even better lunch

A colleauge who spends a fair amount of time in Devon came back from a relaxing week away from work raving about how amazing Riverford Farm is. No sooner had he told me about this remote jewel than I had sent Cowie the link and she had booked us in. Efficiency is one of Cowie's (many) strong points!

We tootled down to stay with Cowie's parents in Somerset on Friday night and then set off bright and early with a classic Somerset breakfast inside us. Poached eggs and plenty of bacon for me and some porridge for Cowie. I was wary that owing to Riverford Farm's planning regulations they force you to go on a yomp before you are even allowed in the field kitchen as they call it!

The weather couldn't have been more pleasant. The weak winter sun streamed through my passenger window thawing the harsh West Country frost by the time we had got out of third gear. A mixture of Classic FM, Radio 5 Live and Gemini FM gave us our soundscape as Cowie wizzed past anything that was dawdling along - whichever one had the least bad reception!

We arrived at the pristine farm at noon - giving us an hour to tackle the route march. We called in at the field kitchen and were greeted by the most charming people who welcomed and congratulated us on coming such a long way and getting there first! Unheard of for us. Unless there is food involved!

They handed over a map and very sleek MP3 player with a build in speaker. The numbers on the map correlated with the tracks on the MP3 player. Extraordinary! A bit like an audio guide in an art gallery... but far more fun and home-made.



We took Bella and Hector with us on our lap of the fields and they absolutely loved it. Cowie had checked earlier in the week that it was OK and they replied saying that they love having dogs to visit! Such nice people! We kept them both under a tight lead until we got to an empty pasture field where we set them loose! Two happier dogs you are unlikely to see.



The audio guide was brilliant. Even though the fields are pretty barren in early February Guy's friendly voice encourages you to look closely at what is going on. Rhubarb sprouting in one of the fields was great to see.



As was a bat box that is helping to keep the insect levels down in an eco fridnly way. I remember watching Oz Clark and James May potter around Nappa Valley - they visited a special vineyard that planted special plants that encouraged butterflies and birds which in turn kept their vines healthy and meant they didn't have to use chemicals. Very clever stuff. Well done the bats.



It was quite fun being the only ones out on the walk because we caught up with Guy recording February's new audio guide. We didn't want to get in his way or distract him so didn't get too close - but it was really fun to hear his live commentary as we went round. Apparently they feed all the children at the local school with Riverford Farm food - lucky kids! And they struggle to do it on £1.60.

we ended our trail by walking through a badger set surrounded by ash trees and then descended onto the field kitchen for a well earned lunch. Cowie and the dogs looked completely at home.



Now for the reason we came here. The food. Set in a newly built, barrel roofed building you are greeted with the apetite wheting smell of charred chicken. Fabulous. And the sight of an open kitchen full of eager young cooks busily preparing a fantastic spread. We sat on the table nearest the kitchen and immediately started chatting to our table mates. From the moment we said hello we never stopped chatting until the last drop of coffee had been slurped our coats were buttoned up. More charming, chatty people you will struggle to find anywhere. We talked about everything. From recent trips to River Cottage HQ, Istanbul, El Bulli, and the Fat Duck.... to the incredible success of Riverford Farm and the world of food, the West Country and Grand Designs! That's the joy of school dining room tables. Everyone just mucks in together.

We were treated to the widest spread of vegetables I've ever seen:

Sweet and sour leeks
Sweet baked carrots with feta and nuts
Baked beetroot with yoghurt and honey
Kale
Tender stem brocoli
Safron mashed potato

Wow!

And then the icing on the cake - charred Moroccan chiken with chorizo and beans. Stunning. Smokey, juicy, succulent. And what a treat to have such incredibly fresh, tasty veggies. Apparently Jane, the maestro in the kitchen is bringing a book out in June. I'm going to pre-order it and cook everything in it. The style is very similar to other River Cafe alumnae such as Jamie and Hugh - allowing flavours to speak for themselves.

My plum crumble was spectacular too. Sharp. Sweet. Crumbly. And adorned by perfectly creamy custard. Bliss. The vibe in the field kitchen was idyllic. Young and old. Families. Friends. Everyone having a great time eating gorgeous food. Cowie loved her firey ginger beer and I devoured my Luscombe cider. Great stuff!

It turned out the chap on our table was the head bean counter of Riverford Farm. Apparently they are sending out 33,000 veg boxes a week from the Devon depot alone. Around 50,000 around the entire country. That's a lot of organic veg. He pointed out that whilst veg boxes have a reputation for being expensive they are actually substantially cheaper than shopping at Waitrose, Tesco or Sainsbury when it comes to organic food. And whilst everyone is putting their prices up significantly Riverford have announced that they are only going to raise their prices by 5% this year. Far less than the supermarkets. They can afford to do so because they are their own suppliers! Riverford has gone from turning over £5million pounds a year several years ago to seven times that last year. Spectacular. I hope they continue to grow and flourish and drag the rest of the country kickking and screaming into the eco-foodie vision for the country that the likes of Guy, Hugh and Jamie are mapping out. I just hope the oncoming recession doesn't bugger things up!

We reluctantly left quite swiftly in order to get back for the rugby but also poppped in to their farm shop too. What a great place. They even had vast vats of Ecover products that you use to refil containers you've brought from home. Their veg wasn't bad either!





We drove back to Somerset with the wind at our back and the sun warming our faces - delighted with life. Happy to have experienced the perfect Saturday lunch.

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Loads of hits are coming in on this post from a Riverford Farm forum and I can't get into it to see the context and it's really frustrating! If you have found this post via that forum I would love to hear from you by commenting below.

Tom Ilic... FANTASTIC!

This was the secret location I have been keeping from Browny for weeks. To mark the end of January, I decided we should celebrate by going out somewhere special for dinner.

I stumbled across Tom Ilic's new restaurant purely by accident and by judging the reviews, I thought it was definitely worth a try. For us this a local... and a bloody good one at that!

The decor and style might not be to everyone's taste, but no one can argue about the superb qulaity of food and service. For a Thrusday night the place wasn't heaving but certainly full enough to create some atmosphere. We were dining on the toptable offer: 3 courses plus a glass of bubbliy for £23... what a bargain.

I have to admit I had been studying the menu for weeks, yet still I couldn't decide what to have! After much deliberation I opted for a trio of salmon... cured, baked and tartare. The entire dish was light, elegrant, busting with flavour and delivered an excellent contrast in textures. I was thrilled with my choice. As was Browny who opted for a very earthy and manly sort of dish.. Pigs cheeks with chiozto. Again it was cooked perfectly, exploded with flavour and not at all fatty or greasy. All in all, a great start.

For main, in hindsight I probably should have gone for the lamb. My breast of mallard was very good, rosy pink inside, but due to the nature of the bird it was slighty on the tough side. Browny on the other hand chose an absolute winner and a signature dish of Tom Ilic. It was pork belly with jerusalem artichokes, scallops, honey and hazelnuts. It was truly sensational...

(Browny):"... that was one of the best things I have ever eaten! I did everything but lick my plate clean."

Enough said I think!

The puddings also did not disappoint. My lemon tart was oozing with subtle citrus flavour and the texture was as smooth as a baby's bottom. Browny's chocolate fondant was naughty, wicked and heavenly... everything you would expect from such a classic.

Because the food bill was so reasonable we decided to make the most of a decent bottle wine. It was delicious. Light and very fruity. A bottle of South African Sauvignon Blanc that tasted of passion fruit and smelled of lyche.

To top off a great evening off, we were lucky enough to meet the man himself, who came out to chat to us after his epic performance in the kitchen. We were immediately taken by his cheerful, charming, honest and reflective nature; a very talented chef and thoroughly nice man.

We often rave and get excited about the places and restaurants we've eaten in, but this one has to be in my top 3. On a food front I really a barley think of a single bad thing to say about it.

So please, do the right thing and go and see for yourselves what a tresure this place really is.

Can you believe it?

From Slashfood but originally from Trekking Mahlzeiten

"This makes as much sense as "hot dog in a straw" or "soup in a bag," but it's real and it's ready to order: cheeseburgers in a can!

Yeah, I don't know what the hell to think about this. First off, I don't know if food like this is supposed to be in a can, and second, that cheeseburger couldn't have come from that can. It's bigger than the can is, and too put together and too neat. Then again, McDonald's burgers never look like they do in the ads either."

I've got a feeling this is for backpackers who couldn't possible cope without a cheese burger.

Hannah's Epic Afternoon Tea

What better way to catch up on Master Chef gossip than to spend the afternoon with Hannah over at her wonderful cottage. The Brown and Cowie team descended on poor Hannah on Sunday afternoon having starved ourselves in expectation!

Hannah was completely bamboozled by Cowie trying to park Mum's car as she shot backwards and forwards like a child on a swing... only to then park the car neatly by Hannah's garrage. I arrived with Mum and Dad bearing a few goodies of our own. Rococo do some lovely mushroom shaped chocolates on Marylebone High Street that make really nice pressies. Or at least I like going into their shop and trying things out. But I always come out with the same thing! Must be my fascination with mushrooms!

Hannah showed us her hens which she's had to keep couped up because an evil fox destroyed her last lot of cluckers. They are incredibly lively girls. All pecking away at their porrige and seeds. I imagine there can be few happier chickens than those that are lucky enough to live with Hannah. They're great layers apparently.

We were greeted in Hannah's kitchen by the most friendly, comforting smell in the world. Baking. That sweet smell of being at home. Of cookies. Of naughty roulades. Of suger and sinful deserts. Hannah and her lovely friend Maren from Germany had enjoyed themselves by cooking up an absolute feast.

The star of the show and by far the most unusual cake was a poppie seed cake made with curd with a star shapes instead of lattice. They were soft, squidgy and unusual in a way that made you keep nibbling to see if you could closer to working out what made them taste so good! Mum and Hannah started dreaming up ways to grow poppies commercially without being arrested for opium related crimes! If the guys in Afganistan can get away with it I'm sure Mum and Hannah can!



Dad was then given a huge slice of roulade that oozed cream and plum compote. The sharpness of the plums was sensational when combined with the cinamon icing sugar! Hannah is so clever with her flavours. Everything exudes flair and creativity... not to mention edible glitter!



I have fallen in love with Hannah's peanut and chocolate cookies. Craggy little chaps with enough illicit temptation inside them to have had them banned by Oliver Cromwell back in his time! I've taken a few back to work and they were wolfed down by Oli who claims they are a miracle cure for migraines! Quick Hannah... call Pfizer immediately!



Mum and Hannah both have an unhealhy obsession with violets. Mum even managed to get them into our tagine on Saturday. And she turned up with violet ice cubes for Hannah! It's a little bit lost on me, but Hannah's chocolate cup cakes with violet icing looked divine.




But the star of the show for me were these incredibly dainty lemon cup cakes with rose icing. I doubt anyone will ever see a prettier cup cake! Or at least not until Hannah opens the world's best tea rooms!



Hannah also made some very dainty cucumber and smoked salmon sandwiches with the crusts neatly trimmed off which brought back fond memories for Dad of his childhood. I wolfed down my welsh rarebit crumpet and have resolved to make them myself soon. They are brilliant. And give you just the savoury kick you need when enjoying so much sugar.

We had the most wonderful time with Hannah and can't wait to repay the invitation. Hannah, thank you so much for an unforgettable afternoon!

Love from the Browns and two very chirpy Cowie girls.

x

Lamb and Pear Tagine with Pinenut and Preserved Lemon Couscous

One of my new year resolutions was to enter more competitions and to generally get involved in more online communities. I've been keen to enter the "In the Bag" competition on A Slice of Cherry Pie for some time now and have finally got around to following it through to completion.

The brief was straightforward. Create a meal involving:

A lemon
Some nuts
Pears

Being more of a meat and savoury man rather than a Greg Wallace sweet tooth merchant I decided to go off piste with a meal inspired by our trip to Marrakech. The thing I like most about Moroccan food is the way they cleverly blend layers of flavour and taste together as well as their ability to create dishes using meat and fruit. There's something really special about pears, quince, apricots, prunes etc. when cooked long and slow in a tagine with lamb or chicken.

I decided that the thing I really wanted to cook was a comforting, deep and exotic lamb and pear tagine with apricots and chopped almonds. To go with this I created some zingy couscous tossed with pinenuts and coriander. Preserved lemons are a traditional staple found in cuisines all around the Med, but principally in Morocco. Having formed a plan in my head I then could hardly wait to find a moment to cook it.

I bought a shoulder of lamb and two shanks from a man called Kevin on the meat counter at Sainsbury's. My plan was to bone the shoulder and cube it whilst leaving the shank in tact to do what shanks do best - namely thickening the sauce and giving it that lovely unctuous gloss. I used the shoulder bone to make the stock for the sauce.



To create the authentic ethnic spiciness of the tagine I ground up a large quantity of cumin, ginger, coriander seeds, nutmeg, pepper, salt, turmeric and some special Moroccan spice mix Mum had bought by chance in Borough Market the day before. The aroma of the spices made me feel like I was back in the Souks. Nostrils flaring. Alive with the smell of adventure.





Having disected the shoulder and stripped a bit of meat from the shanks I then marinaded the lamb in the spice mixture with a good slurp of olive oil, crushed almonds and a few cloves of finely chopped garlic. Technically I should probably have used argan oil. But I couldn't lay my hands on any! I let this fester for an hour or so whilst the shoulder bone turned the water in the boiling pan into lamby stock.



At this stage my sister walked into the kitchen and couldn't believe the smell. A head mix of dusty adventure in North Africa translocated into Bedfordshire!

I sliced up a lot of onions and sweated them off in a large Le Crueset pan using the excess oil that the meat had been marinading in as the base. The onions quickly transformed from their boring former lives into a syrupy mass of translucent tastiness.



Once they were soft and ready I lobbed in the meat and let it brown on the hob for a while.




Once this was up to heat I then addded the lamb stock that had been patiently bubbling away on the other hob.



I popped in a handful of dried apricots and some sultanas to add the first layer of fruit. I hoped this would give the tagine a base note of stewed fruit and that it would help to thicken the sauce... which it did. I also squirted in a carton of chopped tomatoes to add a bit of colour and flavour.

On went the lid and into the bottom oven it went for a couple of hours whilst I had a drink or two.

After the tagine had been cooking for two hours I inspected it. Removing the lid almost knocked me out. A plume of spiced steam and jumping juices spat out at me as some soft lamb meat dropped off the lamb shank bone. Success!

The sprint to the finish line saw me cook it on the slow hob with the lid off for the final half an hour to reduce the sauce down. I added the beautiful pears which looked so tasty they got their own still life shot! It's important to add the fresh fruit towards the end so it doesn't all fall apart.



Cowie set about making the preserved lemon, pinenut and coriander couscous. Sainsbury's stock Belazu's excellent range of Moroccan and Mediterranean products which were perfectly suited to our task.



Simply slice up a couple of preserved lemons until they are really fine. They smell amazingly of lemon squash. Really intense. Perfect to give the combination of flavours a much needed high note. The barley cous cous fluffed up nicely and was mixed up with sultanas, chopped coriander and toasted pinenuts.



Mum got quite excited at this point... she ran into the kitchen clutching a bunch of violets she had just picked from the garden. She wanted us to use them to add some colour to the food. Mum's written books on flowers and cooking before now... so she's not the kind of person to argue with in these situations. Plus the photo might prove useful for future publications. Here it is!



It looks delicious and indeed did find its way into our couscous!

Having reduced the sauce down to a beautiful glossy liqur we added some freshly chopped pear segments, a sprinkling of toasted pinenuts and a handful of coriander.



Once plated up with the couscous, some roasted peppers and some brocoli it looked gorgeous. More importantly it tasted delicious. A wonderful memory of Morocco brought to life in one mouthful. It was so authentic it tasted, smelled and felt like something you might be served at Tobsil.



If you want to see more photos from this labour of love have a look at the slide show below.



I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else cooks up for this month's "In the Bag" competition. It was great fun from start to finish. Roll on February's challenge!

Sentimental Chocolates

I saw these on Coolhunting and thought how awesome they are. Would make a great little valentine's day pressie.

The only downside is that the only place that sells them seems to be in Austrailia called BaskaJon.

Restaurant reviews coming soon...

Thank the lord the dreaded January is finally over! Which means we can now have some fun food and even go out for dinner. I still can 't beleive we've managed not to eat out since 2007!

I think Browny might have already given a list, but just incase, here is what is in store for us over the coming 6 - 8 weeks:

1. Tom Ilic, Battersea
2. Ditto, Wandsworth
3. Riverford Farm, Devon
4. La Trompette Chiswick
5. Arbitus, London
6. Tsumani, Clapham
7, Dehesa, Kingly Street, London
8. Clover Brown, Balham

Can't wait

Scrabble Chocolate

This is brilliant. I really want this. Nerdy and tasty. Could it get any better? You can get it from Mary and Matt's General Store.

I guess they'd better watch out that they don't get sued like the guys who invented Scrabulous on Facebook. For more on the scandal read the Guardian aticle here.

Eat, Chicken Pot Soup

Feeling a bit bored of tinned soups now... so I went for Eat's "Big Bold" option of the day... a chicken pot soup.

It was a slurry of chicken stock and root vegetables with a little bit of soggy pastry on top. Definitely not worth the £3 they charged me for it. It's all about tins...