FOOD & DRINK S N A P S H O T S O F B AT H ’ S F O O D S C E N E
Eat the ice cream, or else!
THE DOCTOR IS IN New gelato and sorbetto specialist Dr Gelato on Orange Grove, right by the taxi rank next to the Abbey, is the brainchild of Gavin and Sarah Henderson, down-from-London types who’ve quit careers in TV and City law to conquer the world of chilly summertime treats. The shop is small, bright – thank a cool light-bulb heavy sign taking up most of one interior wall – and the just-dry paint very pink indeed, while the gelato itself tastes just like the top-quality ingredients it contains, largely sourced through early morning trips to Bristol Fruit Market. “Gelato is served at around minus 13,” Gavin says, “whereas ice cream is five degrees colder; it means you taste the dairy first with ice cream, whereas with gelato you get the fruit.” There are normally about six or so vegan offerings on, and a combination of traditional flavours – hazelnut, salted caramel, coffee (using beans from Extract in Bristol, like the coffee they also sell) – and more experimental ones, like rhubarb and custard. For more: www.drgelato.co.uk
GO WILD Wild Hare (5% abv) from Bath Ales has been officially declared a gluten-free product by Coeliac UK. The bottle will now feature the Crossed Grain symbol sought out by gluten-free eaters everywhere – a group that now comprises one in 10 Brits. Crisp and fresh with a hint of citrus bitterness, Wild Hare is a full flavoured golden ale you’ll love – whether GF by choice or necessity. For more: www.bathales.com
Scallop Shell: the second coming
THE PRODIGAL CHIPPIE
Good ol’ fish ’n’ chip fans rejoice: The Scallop Shell fish and chip restaurant and seafood grill in Monmouth Place is bringing its take-away chippie offering back. A new spin-off fish and chip shop, The Oyster Shell, will open at 5 Moorland Road this August. “Moorland Road was a massive part of where we shopped when Lisa and I were bringing up our children, Dan and Becky,” explains boss Garry Rosser. “There’s a lot of history there and it still feels like a traditional, local community where people love to go.” Lisa and Dan Rosser will be at the helm at this branch of the Rossers’ family-run local fish empire, The Oyster Shell having a single lofty goal: restaurant quality at takeaway prices. “From the roots of working here at The Scallop Shell with dad, The Oyster Shell will stick to the same three principles,” Dan says. “Using the best potatoes, best batter and best fish you can buy, and if you can get those three elements right, then hopefully the rest will follow.” For more: www.thescallopshell.co.uk
FOOD WITH HEART Bath College’s Shrubbery Restaurant recently hosted a charity gala dinner in aid of Dorothy House Hospice Care. They say the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach, and – with diners raising a phenomenal £5,000 for the charity – it would seem that they (whoever ‘they’ are, of course) are right on the money, quite literally. Each course was created by a different big name local chef, including tasty morsels from Tony Casey, head chef and proprietor of the Bunch of Grapes in Bradford on Avon, and Damien Wagner, the selftaught patisserie chef at the helm of Edible Art Patisserie. Front-of-house students studying hospitality served, while floristry students and staff Chefs and Bath College’s hospitality provided table decorations. students celebrate fundraising success For more: www.bathcollege.ac.uk
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