Crumbs Bath & Bristol – issue 53

A little slice of foodie heaven I’d like 200 beers, please.

How’re you going to pay for that?

Knee-deep in water with a

ROD

in our hands

£3 where sold

Fly fish, that is!

JunkYard

c ru

m

Your face, we mean

: r s a t ps Hops The s a riv l

. c om

We believe we can Fly!

Put it on my bill!

ag bsm

CRUMBS BATH & BRISTOL NO.53 SEPTEMER 2016

53

NO . september 2016

belt-troubling RECIPES from the REGION’S best COOKS

chEw romAnce Hot Tubs, tiPis & OrgaNic FeasTs aT

vallEy fest

dogS

trash food goes posh (And here’s the region’s best to prove it)

TOO HOPPED TO HANDLE

EAT WITH YOUR EYES

MATT INWOOD’S secrets for drool-worthy Instagram pics

Wapping wharf

Bristol’s newest foodie destination

(The real winner, of course, is us…)

RIGHT BEER, RIGHT NOW AT ANY ONE time, there’s always some food or other in the sin bin. Back in the ’80s, fat was the devil; then salt was held accountable for all dietary evils; and now sugar has the finger pointed at it. Even gluten has fallen out of favour, with plenty of gluten-tolerant and non-coeliac sufferers choosing to exclude it from their diets. Of course this whole ‘clean eating’ thing has its place and relevance but, TBH, we occasionally get bored of talking about what we should exclude from our diets. After all, while fat, salt and sugar aren’t good for us in excess (duh), there’s no escaping that our bodies need ’em to function.

So, to try and strike a bit of a balance – and remember, we’ve put out some virtuous editions in our time, too – we present to you: The Filth Issue. This month, we’re all about having a bit of what we fancy – that being beers, burgers, hotdogs, fries (you get the gist), and all smothered in more meat, plenty of cheese, pickles, and hot sauce. (Yeah, we know how to party. And we also know, sometimes at least, how not to feel guilty about it.)

Plus, let’s not forget, much of the ‘junk’ food we’re talking about here is hella good quality these days, too – made by chefs, from scratch, with fresh and well sourced ingredients.

See for yourself, in our look at the best local examples.

Inside, we’ve also got Instagram tips, the inside skinny on the ‘craft’ brewing movement, goss on the upcoming Valley Fest, and the down-low on Bristol’s new foodie ’hood. That do you for the next four weeks?

Jessica Carter, Editor jessica.carter@mediaclash.co.uk

Crumbs is now an app!

You can read all editions of Crumbs – Bath+Bristol, Cotswolds and Devon – on iTunes or Android. Scan the QR codes opposite, search ‘Crumbs’ or go to crumbsmag.com APPLE

crumbsmag.com

ANDROID

3

Table of Contents NO.53 SEPTEMBER 2016

B ATH & B RIS TOL

crumbsmag.com

STARTERS 08 HERO INGREDIENT We’re all beery-eyed 12 OPENINGS, ETC Need-to-know information 23 TRIO Three of the best local ciders 25 ASK THE EXPERT We talk to a crafty brewer

CHEF!

Amazing recipes from the region’s top kitchens 34 Beer can chicken,

by Ben Taylor 36 Pork spring rolls,

by Ping Coombes 38 Meringue with Pimm's jelly, by Barbora Stiess 40 Buttermilk pudding,

by Rob Allcock 42 Eton mess brownie,

by Tom and Henry Herbert 44 THE WINE GUY Andy Clarke goes rogue, matching cider to his burger

crumbsmag.com

ADDITIONAL RECIPES

10 Veal cheek, by Freddy Bird 30 Paella deli salad, by Jane Baxter and John Vincent 75 Cured Trout,

by Bod Griffiths

75 PLENTY OF FISH Vale House Kitchen teaches us to catch and cook trout 80 WHAT A WAPPER Check out all the new foodie gaffs at Wapping Wharf

KITCHEN ARMOURY 49 HOUSE CALL We pop by Luke Hasell’s gaff 56 WANT LIST Get primed for a picnic

New & notable restaurants, cafés, bars

MAINS

90 MEATliquor 92 Bellita 94 The Artisan 96 Circo

AFTERS

63 DUDE FOOD The mightiest, meatiest ‘junk’ food dishes in town 68 THE INSTA INSIDER How to snap like a pro using your phone

PLUS 98 LITTLE BLACK BOOK Kate Holland-Smith’s picks

5

INNOVATIONS, REVELATIONS AND TASTY AMUSE-BOUCHES

PLOTTING AWAY… A NEW COMMUNITY gardening project, Growing for Bristol, has been launched to help support the city’s homeless. The scheme is founded by local charity Caring in Bristol, and will see plots of local land repurposed as fruit and vegetable patches.

The resulting fresh crops will supply local homeless projects, such as Bristol Nightstop and Caring at Christmas. Fun volunteer gardening sessions are planned, where people can come by and help with the growing and harvesting of produce.

If you want to get involved but don’t have the spare time, Growing for Bristol is also looking for donations from homegrowers’ own harvests, as well as gardening equipment such as watering cans, pots, spades, trowels, gardening gloves, seeds and seedlings, mini greenhouses, compost bins and the like. Fancy getting in on the action, or think you can help? Hit up growing@caringinbristol.org.uk. ✱ caringinbristol.co.uk

crumbsmag.com

7

BeEr The human race quaffs more water and tea, sure, but beer’s the third most popular drink in the world, and…

What’s that? (“It’s the best, too,” we heard someone shout.)

Well, it certainly has the most raucous fans…

8

crumbsmag.com

S T A R T E R S

Hero Ingredients BEER IS, OF course, the oldest alcoholic beverage we know of. It’s far and away the most widely drunk too. Some of our oldest literature deals with the stuff, and it’s been intrinsic to the building (and, quite possibly, the collapse) of countless civilisations. (When the pyramids were being put up in Egypt – think 2500BC – each worker was fed four or five litres of beer a day.)

That sounds a long time ago, right? And it is, but beer brewing goes back way further than that – perhaps as far as 9500BC, when villages existed, pottery didn’t, and people were first learning to farm cereal. Around 7000BC the Chinese were making beer from rice and fruit, and the basic concept had reached the Germanic and Celtic tribes by 3000BC – not that the stuff that they made would do much for us today. It would be far too sweet and fruity, for one thing, with honey and spices in it, and certainly no hops – we don’t hear of these being added, giving beer its distinctive bitterness, until around 1000AD. The modern drink really got defined around 1516, though, when William IV – the Duke of Bavaria – introduced new laws defining beer as a product of water, hops and barley malt. By this point, monasteries were handling much big-scale brewing – in parallel with smaller cottage industry stuff – and things got more technical with the industrial revolution. From then on, beer became more varied, more reliably consistent – and nicer.

Not just a northern European drink – though these countries excel at it – beer is made all over, a vast global industry that’s seen two parallel trends in recent years: big breweries absorbing smaller ones, and the growth of tiny microbreweries, often producing limited amounts of high quality ‘craft’ beer. It’s also seen an explosion of interest in many different beer types – pale ales and wheat beers, bitters and milds, stouts and lagers – with hefty revivals for some long-forgotten strains.

The British beer landscape of even the recent past, when two tribes – the mainstream fans of homogenised, gassy commercial lagers, and the enthusiast lovers of real ales, defined as traditional, unfiltered, unpasteurised beers still active on the yeast – squared off against each other, now looks refreshingly simple. Not least, in fact, as CAMRA (the Campaign For Real Ale) doesn’t recognise most of the more recent craft beers which, you’d think, would be natural allies.

New battle lines are being drawn, and it feels a bit like a family feud at times; certainly, heated discussions at the bar have the potential to run well into the night.

We don’t just drink beer, though; we cook with it too, of course.

You can glaze white fish with it (Guinness is good; it gives a sort of molasses flavour); or deep fry the same in crispy ale-batter. Dark beer works in chilli, and lighter beers on sticky ribs; regular ales adore stews and pot roasts; and cheese and beer even team-up well in soup, best of all with bacon and jalapeños stirred in.

Mussels can be cooked in lager just as successfully as they can cider or white wine, and lager also works in gravy – or as part of a creamy risotto. Stout and chocolate chum up in a tiramisu; spicy beer mustard goes well with mighty German sausages; and you can make a delicious IPA vinaigrette for salads. And so it goes on.

As well as being useful to enhance flavour – generally, the more malty and hoppy the beer is, the more you’ll taste it in food – it can also do everything from marinade meat to braise veggies, like carrots. But the best thing about beer-based food, of course, is that the drink matching is easy – just open up another can, bottle or keg.

But what is beer? Well, what you’re basically doing is converting a starch (malted barley, most likely) to sugars, then fermenting those (with help of lots of water, a brewer’s yeast and a flavouring, usually hops) to create beer: a refreshing alcoholic drink that’s not too strong nor too weak but, like Baby Bear’s porridge, just right.

The water used influences the end results hugely – hard water works well for stouts, soft water for pilsners, say – as does the amount you’ve ‘malted’ (soaked, then roasted in a kiln) your grain. The making of beer is basically the only thing hops – the flower of the hop vine – are good for, but their bitter nature combines perfectly with the sweet of the malt; when you get floral, citrus or herbal flavours in a beer, it’s the hops what done it.

crumbsmag.com

9

R E C I P E

Hero Ingredients

Freddy Bird of Bristol’s Lido shows us how beer is just as worthy of a place in the kitchen as at the bar…

I LOVE COOKING with beer. At the Lido I use it for our rye bread loaves, and also include stout in our chocolate ice cream.

But for this month’s recipe, I’m going with a dish I cook regularly at home. This was actually the first dish my little boy Gabriel ate (his was with oxtail, but the principle is exactly the same).

The great thing about cooking with beer is that you have a ready-made drink match too, so make sure you have plenty left over to wash the food down with!

VEAL CHEEK SLOW COOKED in BEER (SERVES 4) INGREDIENTS

2-4 veal cheeks, depending on size (and your appetite) 2 carrots, roughly diced 1 celery stick, roughly diced 1 large onion, roughly diced 5 cloves garlic, chopped 1 sprig rosemary ½ ltr good quality amber ale or stout large pinch of muscovado sugar 2 ltrs fresh chicken stock (ideally made with a pig’s trotter or two!)

200g girolles or chanterelles large handful spinach leaves, to serve mashed potato, to serve handful chives, finely chopped METHOD

– Lightly season the cheeks. Warm a little oil in a casserole dish, and brown the meat. Once browned all over, remove the cheeks and set aside.

– In the same pan, add a little more oil and slowly cook the vegetables until caramelised. Make sure nothing catches on the bottom of the pan at any point – if it does, then change the pot.

– Add 4 cloves of the chopped garlic and the rosemary, cook for a couple more minutes, and then add all the beer and muscovado sugar (don’t add salt at this point – you’ll be reducing the stock).

– Reduce the beer by about ¾ and then add the stock.

– Let this reduce over a medium heat to about ⅓ of its original quantity, then check the seasoning. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 150C/300F/ gas mark 2.

– Pass through a sieve, discarding the vegetables and reserving the liquid.

Return the cheeks to the casserole dish and cover with the sauce.

10

– Cook for 2½ to 3 hours, until the cheeks are tender and ready to fall apart, and the sauce beautifully glossy.

(If it isn’t, very carefully remove the cheeks, reduce the sauce to a glossy consistency, and then return the cheeks to the pan.)

– To serve, sauté the mushrooms in butter with the remaining garlic, and then gently stir into the pot with the cheeks. Wilt the spinach.

– To serve, put a dollop of mashed potato on each plate, and top with a little spinach. Place the meat on top of that and pour over plenty of the sauce.

Sprinkle with the chives to finish.

✱ LIDO, Oakfield Place, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2BJ; 0117 332 3970; lidobristol.com

crumbsmag.com

S T A R T E R S

MELKING IT

Café Grounded has opened its latest branch in the Wiltshire market town of Melksham. The café and bar serves food all day – you’ll find the likes of eggs Benedict in the morning, focaccia sarnies at lunch, and stone-baked pizzas in the evening. There’s also a decent selection of local beers and ciders on draught at this cosy little joint. ✱ cafegrounded.co.uk

WINNING

A Bath wine merchant has been named the best in the South West by the International Wine Challenge – for the third year in a row. Show offs. Great Western Wine, which you’ll find on Wells Road in Bath, is a long-established independent store, which stocks a range of vinos from all around the world. The guys here have recently shaken things up with a refurb, and an impressive new collection of artisanal spirits, too, which makes them well worth checking out. ✱ greatwesternwine.co.uk

THEM APPLES

In the wake of Bristol’s recent Keg Fest, pubs across the city are now playing host to the Craft Cider Festival. Start the Bus, The Flyer, The Mall and The Clifton are offering a total of 20 craft ciders until 30 August. There’s a variety of rotating drafts on tap, including UK-made and American numbers. Grab yourself a loyalty card and you’ll be rewarded with a free cider after your first six pints throughout the festival.

12

GOOD EGG

Combe Grove in Bath has had it all going on of late: we’re talking new chef, new look, and now a new alfresco kitchen – open 12pm-3pm on weekends. Inspired by his new barbecuing beasts – two Big Green Eggs – Leigh Evans has created a special outdoor menu. Diners have the choice of a meat, fish or veggie option, which are all served with homemade, barbecued flatbread and a choice of chilli and smoked paprika, or rosemary and garlic oil.

This gorge garden just so happens to have some pretty epic views to enjoy alongside your lunch, an’ all. ✱ combegrove.com

crumbsmag.com

MAKING A FUSS

Somerset rapeseed oil producer, Fussels, has just launched the Fussels Fine Foods Kitchen. The brand spanking new, purposebuilt venue is on-site at the farm in Rode, and will play host to a range of food activities – think cookery demonstrations and masterclasses involving some of the South West’s favourite chefs and food producers, as well as private events. Owner Andy Fussell and his team have been working on the concept for a while now, and are kicking off with an exciting calendar of events, which you can find on the website. ✱ fusselsfinefoods.co.uk

BAKING GOOD

Bath Bakery, an indie outfit that has been going strong for more than three decades, has announced it’s becoming a franchise. The company will hand over the reins of each of its shops, of which there are currently 11, to new business owners, who will each focus solely on their own branch. Don’t fret, though – they’ll be run exactly the same, and all products will still be supplied by the business’ own local bakery units, and include the gluten-free Batch#5 range. Bath Bakery is hoping this will allow for investment in the company, which will be used to improve service and quality, and hopefully facilitate expansion. Check out the website for more information. ✱ bathbakery.co.uk

HIDEAWAY

The Nook – behind The General on Commercial Road – opened in July with relatively little fanfare. But open it is – and it’s serving a decent-sounding menu, too. From the evening menu, the small plates (think duck and pistachio terrine, and whiskey-cured salmon) serve as tapas dishes or starters. The larger dishes, meanwhile, run along the interesting lines of gnocchi with caramalised onion, beetroot and brie.

The bar offering has had just as much attention too, so you can choose from wines, local beers and ciders, speciality coffees, and cocktails to quaff alongside nibbles of meat platters and home-roasted nuts. ✱ facebook.com/thenookbristol

In the diary...

2021

Great British Food Festival Artisan produce will be sold alongside hot food, beer and wine at Bowood House in Wiltshire, and there are plenty of family activities planned too. Tickets start at £4.50; greatbritishfoodfestival.com

2-3

Bristol Craft Beer Festival Run in conjunction with Bristol Beer Week, this first-time event will see local brews showcased alongside international offerings, as well as street food at Motion’s Skate Park.

Tickets from £30, available online; bristolcraftbeerfestival.co.uk

Aug

Sept

crumbsmag.com

@megatroncooks makes homeroasted cashews

13

@yeovalley celebrates #MeatFreeMonday with a veggie quinoa bake

S T A R T E R S

In the Larder 4

1

2

3

4

5

YO U A R E M Y S U N S H I N E We’re giving into temptation this month with barbecues and booze …

1 BEER TODAY… Beerd Ego £9.95/750ml This new brew by Bath Ale’s craft brewery Beerd is a saison-style thirstquencher, whose launch has been handily timed for summer. See if you pick up on the fruity hints of orange and banana, and even coconut. This unfiltered, unpasteurized, naturally carbonated drink is left to mature for a couple of months, to make sure those flavours are fully developed. Available online or in Bath Ales’ brewery shop in Warmley, Bristol. ✱ bathales.com 2 NO KIDDING Cabrito Italian Kid Meatballs £8.49/350g South West kid meat producer Cabrito has just launched its meatballs on

reckon; once you get your head around the concept, you’ll be keen for a chilled glass in the sun. Find it served at The Railway Inn in Sandford, and sold in Thatchers Cider Shop on Myrtle Farm, and The Wine Shop in Winscombe. ✱ thatcherscider.co.uk

Ocado. Their great natural meaty flavour, seasoned with black pepper and lemon, saw them become the star of the show in our spaghetti dish with garlicinfused oil and balsamiccooked tomatoes. And they were nice and lean as well, avoiding being too rich or heavy. A great shout for summer, then. Available online from Ocado. ✱ cabrito.co.uk

4 FEEL THE HEAT GingerBeard’s Pale Ale & Juniper Mustard £4/284g This Bristol producer has teamed up with locals Left Handed Giant Brewing Co and The Pickled Brisket to come up with its first ever mustard. Created originally for The Pickled Brisket’s speciality salt beef, this fiery little number is a friend to meat in many forms, so is a must-have condiment for locals this barbecue season. Available from the

3 WINE NOT? Thatchers Sparkling Apple Wine £8.99/750ml So, just to bring you up to speed, Somerset cider producer Thatchers now makes wine, too. An 11-percent ABV sparking apple wine, at that. Light, dry and delicate, it feels like wine and tastes like cider. It’s a grower, we

14

GingerBeard’s Preserves stall at Bristol Harbourside Market, and online. ✱ gingerbeards preserves.co.uk 5 IT’S ALL GRAVY Essential Cusine Gravy Mixes £2.50/76g Yeah, we know homemade gravy is da bomb, but this stuff is surely the next best thing for when you’re caught short. It’s made with proper meaty ingredients (the beef number has beef stock and actual beef dripping in it), so you’ll have a gravy that’s as close to homemade as powder is probably ever going to get.

Available at Farrington’s Farm Shop, Neston Farm Shop, and Lakeland in Bath and Bristol. ✱ homecook. essentialcuisine.com

crumbsmag.com

S STTA A RRT E T RS E R S

New Kid kid on on the the Block block New

YOU SAY TOMATO This right here, friends, is Giuseppe Gambardella, head chef at Bath’s Ponte Vecchio

How old were you when you started cooking then, Giuseppe?

When I was 16; I would help my mother cook at home.

And what made you want to turn it into a career?

I have a great passion for my traditions: in Italy – especially in the south – food is like religion. It’s such a big part of life.

What can we expect to see on the menus you’ve created?

Food that’s homemade in the traditional Italian way, with little innovative touches.

Where do you get your ingredients from for the restaurant?

Westcombe Dairy, Walter Rose and Son, and Mercanti: we like to support other independent businesses, like us.

So, how did you start out?

Washing and peeling potatoes! But I was always ready to help the chef whenever he needed it; I’d always watch him very carefully, to learn as much as I could.

Italy has such a strong food culture; what do you think Bath has to offer?

There’s a great variety of local produce, and plenty of multicultural chefs. Obviously, the beauty of the city is important too!

Tell us about one of the toughest jobs you’ve ever taken on.

Working for a big wedding reception – I started at 7am, and finished at midnight! At an Italian wedding everything as to be perfect, and the presentation impeccable.

Do you grow anything yourself?

Yes – fresh chilli. I’m from Calabria – we eat nearly everything spicy there!

And what moment in your career made you the most proud?

Getting my first job as head chef.

When they offered me the position – it was at the Ferrari Lounge Nabucco, a famous place in the north of Italy where people spend their winter holidays – I just couldn’t believe it was real!

How would you describe your cooking, then?

I’d say I revisit Italian classics.

And what was it that attracted you to Ponte Vecchio?

The open kitchen; it means I can have direct contact with the customers.

How many people are there in the kitchen team?

Five. They are my little army; without them, I wouldn’t be able to create my cuisine to the best standards.

And how about cooking for yourself?

Do you make much at home?

Not really; I usually go to other restaurants and try other chefs’ food.

What’s your most loved piece of kitchen kit?

My vapour grill: the vapour keeps meat nice and moist.

What and where was the best meal you’ve eaten?

It was in Trentino, in the north of Italy: rabbit lasagne with thyme infusion at Villa delle Rose. The combination of flavours was amazing.

Top 5-a-day?

San Marzano tomato, candied beetroot, watermelon, Amalfi lemon, and passion fruit.

Current favorite flavour combination?

I don’t think anything can beat San Marzano and basil!

Who is your biggest foodie hero?

My mother. ✱ pontevecchiobath.com

16

crumbsmag.com crumbsmag.com

S T A R T E R S

Ask the Waitress Who knows the menu best? Who makes the greatest impact on your experience?

Front-of-house is your friend!

How long have you worked here?

I started as a part-time assistant two years ago, when I was studying at Bath Spa university.

How long have you been in hospitality, then?

I worked in a cocktail and tapas bar in Germany when I was younger, but Jamie’s has been my gateway to the hospitality sector, really.

15-MINUTE MEALS This here’s the one and only Katharina Schwitalla, supervisor at Jamie’s Deli in Bath

This could be you! Contact us at: jessica.carter@mediaclash.co.uk

What drew you into the industry?

I am a people person; I love to work in a team, and love the interface with customers. It makes me happy to make other people happy. Also, the industry’s flexibility was perfect whilst finishing off my master’s degree in business and management.

Right, then. Tell us what the best thing about your job is.

This is a really dynamic and fastpaced workplace, which is perfect preparation for the future career in events and marketing that I want to pursue. Moreover, I can be an ambassador for Jamie Oliver, who does great things.

What’s the most challenging part?

As much as I like the interaction with customers, it’s also the toughest part – especially at Christmas, when the deli gets really busy.

What skills have you acquired since coming here?

I have learned to be proactive, and have definitely improved my communication skills in English. I’ve also upped my game in interpersonal skills, since I’ve been building rapport with our regular customers.

Talking of which, what sort of customers do you get?

A large fraction is definitely our regulars, who work nearby. During the summer months we have many tourists popping in as well.

18

What are the best-selling dishes at the moment?

We just had a revamp of our lunch offering, and the herby salmon rouladesas and vegan harrisa spiced aubergine are, for sure, our bestsellers right now – along with our fresh salads. You can literally pick and mix as you wish.

What are the best-selling drinks?

Our coffees, of course! The most popular is the cappuccino. We use Kimbo Coffee, and people come back just for that. It’s got lots of crema,and isn’t too bitter.

What d’you reckon makes this place special to visit?

It’s a quirky little café with a lovely team of staff. Our food is simple, honest and healthy... except for our gorgeous chocolate Tiffins!

If you were a customer today, what would you order?

One of our nduja sausage rolls; they are spicy, and full of flavour.

What do you think makes great customer service?

Just being yourself, really. Always try to give that personal touch to your service, but also aim to exceed your customers’ expectations. A smile always helps, too!

Where do you like to eat on your days off?

Yum Yum Thai in the middle of town.

It has really lovely owners, and great value food.

What do you cook at home?

I do love my pasta, so I often buy it fresh from Jamie’s Italian – the chefs make it themselves each day – and try out different recipes, depending on what I fancy. It’s quick to cook, so is perfect after a long day. ✱ jamieoliver.com/italian

crumbsmag.com

S T A R T E R S

Food diary THAT’S RICH Helen Rich shows us what a week of food looks like in her world…

HELEN IS ALL about shopping locally; having founded the Taste of Bath hamper company, she knows exactly where to go for all her kitchen supplies.

“Taste of Bath is an online food shop specialising in produce sourced within 10 miles of the city,” she says. “We send hampers and groceries UK-wide, as well as running markets and events specialising in local food.”

So, safe to assume she knows her way around Bath’s producers – but does she know her way around the kitchen? We find out, through her food diary... ✱ taste-of.co.uk

BREAKFAST

LUNCH

DINNER

M

Organic yoghurt with blueberries, raspberries and The Oven organic granola (made at Hartley Farm).

A New MacDonald Farm organic egg omelette with Westcombe dairy cheddar and red onion, served with mixed leaves.

Beef and Bath blue Lovett Pie with green beans.

T

Brown rice porridge with Zambian honey and organic yoghurt.

Mezze plate of leftovers from the weekend: coleslaw, hummus, salad, Isle of Wight tomatoes, and Fussels English dressing.

W

Organic eggs from the amazing rare-breed egg and pork producer, New Macdonald Farm, scrambled on a muffin, and a strong coffee.

Poached salmon, new potatoes, green beans and sweetcorn.

T

Flat white and pain au chocolate from Hunter & Sons to kick off a city food tour with Savouring Bath.

F

Organic yoghurt with blueberries, raspberries and The Oven granola.

S

Sausage and egg butties at Bath Farmers’ Market by New Macdonald Farm.

Quick small plates – hotdog, Vietnamese rolls and calamari – at The Locksbrook Inn. Okay, and a cheeky pint.

Impromptu drink at friend’s house ‘to look at new bathroom’ ends up with spag Bol and drinks until midnight!

S

Boiled egg and rounds of toast, with Fox Gourmet preserves and copious amounts of coffee.

There’s nothing in the fridge but Bath Soft Cheese, so we slow-bake it with garlic and rosemary, and dunk bread in it while watching F1.

A walk ended in The Rose of Denmark in Bristol – had a mushroom and lentil bake with chips and coleslaw.

crumbsmag.com

There were 10 stops on our food and drink tour: we had cheese, breads, Bath buns, gyoza, samosa, beer and coffee from all over the city.

A nice and light tuna Niçoise.

21

Barbecue beef brisket with nachos, sour cream and hot sauce!

Especially good.

A quick pack of veggie sushi from Waitrose before an Independents of Bath meeting.

No room for dinner – already had so much food today!

Grilled Homewood cheese halloumi, roasted veggies, salad and half a bottle of Wraxall Somerset Bacchus white wine.

IN

...

A cut above...

The A W

AR

D

W

N

G IN

FARM SHOP & D E

LI

F I SH M O NG E R S & B U TC H E R S

FLORISTS R E S T AU R A N T

FISH &

CHIPS

T GIF S HOP

DID YOU KNOW THAT WE ALSO HAVE A

RECLAMATION BARN AT WHITE ROW?

JUST 20 MINUTES FROM BATH

WWW.WHITEROWFARM.CO.UK

Try our new tasting menu Longmead Gospel Hall, Lower Bristol Road, Bath BA2 3EB Tel: 01225 446656 12-16 Clifton Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1AF Tel: 01173 291300 Email: info@themintroom.co.uk www.themintroom.co.uk

fa

S T A R T E R S

Trio

APPLE OF OUR EYE

2

Bath and Bristol are home to some proper good ciders, you know. Here are three particular corkers…

Reveller

Somerset-based Orchard Pig was founded on the beliefs of cider-drinkers Andrew and Neil that their local West Bradley Orchards are where it’s at when it comes to growing the best-tasting cider apples.

Having found their key ingredient, their home-brewing hobby evolved into Orchard Pig, and the pair set about proving their theory right. This drinks biz doesn’t just do cider, mind – it’s got a range of still and sparking softies made with its favourite fruit, too. If we’re talking about the hard stuff, though, perhaps the most popular creation is Reveller, which comes in draught form as well as in bottles and festival-friendly cans. This crisp, zingy cider, with a hint of fresh lime, pairs up particularly well with pork belly or crackling, we’re told, cleansing the palate of that lovely rich lardiness with its fresh flavour and subtle sparkle.

the juices from different varieties are mixed to make unique-tasting drinks.

Loads of local pubs have Worley’s cider on tap – think the Volunteer Tavern in Bristol and Bath’s King William – and you can find it bottled in local indie shops, too. Look out for Red Hen; it’s a mediumdry number with an ABV of just over six 3 percent, and was named Champion Cider at last year’s Taste of the West awards. ✱ worleyscider.co.uk

✱ orchardpig.co.uk

Red Hen

Based near Shepton Mallet, Worley’s has been doing its thing for over a decade now, making cider the old-school way.

Having collected apples of different varieties from South Somerset orchards, cider maker Neil Worley presses them all and leaves the resulting juices to do their thing and ferment naturally. Then

crumbsmag.com

Rum Cask Cider

This ten-year-old cider biz started out in Hertfordshire, before upping sticks and moving to where its orchards are in the Somerset Levels – Rooksbridge, to be precise. It’s now run by a father-and-son team, with 20-year-old George having gotten in on the action straight after leaving school. These guys grow their own cider apples, and supplement

23

them with more from local farmers and orchard owners, so the cider they end up with is made purely of West Country apples. Millwhites has its own shop in Rooksbridge, where you can pick up its fruity thirst-quenchers, although they’re also stocked across the country. The Rum Cask Cider is probably the most interesting product these guys make: with a smooth texture, golden colour and hints of rum flavours, it’s aged in barrels from The Jamaican Rum Company. ✱ millwhites.co.uk

STA RTERS

Ask the Expert

What the CRAFT brewer KNOWS…

Craft beer has well and truly embedded itself into our food and drink culture – so why is there still no official definition of it? Antony Field, ‘beer sommelier’ and founder of new Bradford-onAvon craft brewery Kettlesmith, sheds light on the mystery… crumbsmag.com

25

Kettlesmith focuses on modern-style brews, made in small batches

So, Antony, think you know your beer, eh? Give us your credentials.

I began brewing over 20 years ago, as a student using kits bought in Boots.

Given the state of our student house I’m amazed it worked at all, but it generally did! After moving to London in the mid ’90s I began ‘all grain’ brewing, which follows the steps used in commercial breweries but at a smaller scale. When I moved to California in 2002, I bought a ‘pilot brewery’ – a 10-gallon setup used in commercial breweries to develop new recipes. I brewed on that right up to the point I opened Kettlesmith this year.

This is what I used to create and refine our line up of beers.

Okay, you sound legit. So tell us; what’s with all the confusion about the definition of ‘craft’ beer?

There are many definitions, and they vary depending on who you ask.

Different groups and companies have

STA RTERS

Ask the Expert

different aims when using it. The term originated in the US, where it was used to differentiate small-scale, local breweries from the huge national brands that dominate the market. It basically means the same thing here: small-scale, local, flavour-driven, and independent.

However, since it’s a very useful and powerful marketing term, it is used to promote sales from companies that don’t actually fit with these requirements.

Cheeky, hey? So how exactly does beer – and real ale, for that matter – differ when it comes to the truly craft stuff, and the rest of the bunch?

In some ways it doesn’t differ at all; it’s still beer, usually brewed with the same basic ingredients (water, malt, hops and yeast). However, there are two things that tend to differentiate craft from regular. Firstly, it’s the scale of production – craft is usually regarded as small-scale, local and independent, as I

26

mentioned. Secondly, it’s the styles and intensity of flavours – craft beer often draws on a greater range of beer styles that can include higher alcohol levels, unusual ingredients and a variety of flavours. There are plenty of exceptions to these definitions, though; after all, a brewery that starts out small but grows very large doesn’t necessarily cease to treat their beer production as ‘craft’. Real ale, meanwhile, is a term coined by CAMRA to differentiate cask-conditioned beer from the bland, generic lagers that dominated the UK market in the ’70s and ’80s. It made sense at the time, and their campaign was very successful in saving a very British style of beer production. I don’t like the term now, though, as it implies that a beer served from keg is somehow inherently inferior to a cask beer – that just isn’t the case anymore. We package the same beer recipe into both cask and keg, and one isn’t better than the other,

crumbsmag.com

it just depends on where the beer will be served and personal taste preference.

Cask conditioned beer isn’t directly linked to the term ‘craft ale’; any beer producer – large or small – can make beer and package it in either format.

While we’re here, getting our facts straight, what about micro-brewing; is that similar?

It’s basically the same thing. The term just puts the emphasis on the scale of production, not necessarily the flavour exploration that comes with craft beer.

Mostly though, they’re interchangeable.

Well, that’s not confusing at all…

Let’s go back to the beginning to make sense of it. How did the craft movement start in the first place?

It was in the late ’70s and early ’80s, on the west coast of the States, and was a reaction to the almost complete homogenisation of the domestic beer scene. A small group of brewers, such as New Albion, Sierra Nevada and Anchor Brewing, were inspired by the variety and styles produced by UK home brewers and began brewing beer with a focus on flavour, instead of bland consistency. A couple of decades later, American brewers returned the favour and inspired small UK brewers to begin experimenting with different beer styles and ingredients, instead of producing the same products as larger scale brewers.

So we’re playing catch-up with the States, then. How does our current scene compare to theirs?

It’s becoming less and less different.

When I was living in California in the early 2000s, there was a clear gulf between the countries – driven partly by the dominant packaging format (keg in US, cask in UK) and by the different approach to drinking (a couple of drinks in a bar, versus a session in a pub). Keg beers are beginning to gain wider acceptance here now, and can support higher alcohol and bitterness levels, along with the intense flavour profiles that define US brewing. The scene is constantly evolving, as brewers experiment with new ingredients and styles, striving to stand out in an increasingly saturated market.

And why do you think the craft beer industry has become so popular?

I think it aligns with an increasing interest in food, in general, that’s been

crumbsmag.com

growing in the UK over the last couple of decades. Consumers are paying more attention to quality, turning away from large-scale, industrial production, and looking for local producers who place quality and flavour over economics.

What are the biggest challenges for brewers in this industry?

It’s getting very busy out there – I wish we’d begun five years ago (which we nearly did, in San Francisco). With so many new micro-breweries starting in the UK, it’s hard to stand out and be genuinely different; it’s almost impossible based purely on the style of beer you brew. Simply brewing a saison would have been enough a few years ago – today, it’s pretty common.

What’s different about how you guys at Kettlesmith brew your beer, then?

Fundamentally – nothing! The vast majority of brewers follow a very similar process, using very similar ingredients. The difference comes from the exact balance of ingredients, the specific strains of yeast used and subtle variations in fermentation. Of course, each brewer brings their own style, process and recipes to their brewing.

For me it’s something that’s been informed by many years of learning, experimenting and practice – as well as tasting! I was certainly heavily influenced by living in California for 12 years, too.

So, you create ‘modern interpretations’ of beers; how do they differ from classic styles?

I’m fascinated by beer styles, history and food pairing. Having spent a lot of time and effort learning about this, I apply that knowledge to the beers I brew. I don’t see beer as existing in a vacuum; I picture my beer being consumed as part of a meal, and consider this when developing recipes. We brew a variety of beers with UK, US and Belgian backgrounds, but always look for ways to add new twists – sometimes subtle, sometimes less so.

And when we say ‘beer’, are we talking ale, or what?

The term ‘ale’ is the top-level of a huge range of beer styles that come from all over the world. A dunkelweizen, porter, Belgian dubbel, Imperial stout, IPA and witbier are all ales but, at the same time, very different beers.

27

Launched earlier this year, the Kettlesmith brewery is based in Bradford-on-Avon

STA RTERS

Ask the Expert And what about lager? What, fundamentally, is the difference between that and ale?

The yeast. Ale is brewed using Saccharomyces cerevisiae, while lager uses Saccharomyces uvarum. Yes, most lagers are pale and served on keg (meaning they’re cooler and more carbonated), but these aren’t the things that make it lager. Generally speaking, the yeast and the nature of fermentation drive the underlying flavour profiles of each. Lager displays a cleaner, softer, more ‘elegant’ characteristic, while ale has more fruity esters and more flavour impact from its yeast.

Can you get ‘craft’ versions of each?

Yes. Craft brewers can use either ale or lager yeast strains, although the majority use ale. A few brewers use wild yeast, too – as I do for some of my beers, specifically brettanomyces in our saison.

You mentioned earlier you’re into your beer and food matching. Care to elaborate?

I’m really interested in promoting beer as a serious drink that deserves a place at the dinner table (both at home and in restaurants). Beer makes a great alternative to wine and, in many cases, is far better suited for pairing with a meal.

I spent a lot of time studying various aspects of beer history, styles, tasting and pairing. This led to me taking the Certified Cicerone exam, which is the beer equivalent of a sommelier.

Ooh, fancy. Go on, share your wisdom, then.

First and foremost, consider overall intensity. Look for a pairing where neither the food nor the beer overwhelms the other. A beer’s intensity comes primarily from the combination of its alcohol levels, bitterness and body or maltiness. Next, consider complementary or resonant flavours; look for similarities between the food and beer. Alternatively, look for contrast: instead of aligning flavours, try to balance out a quality of the food with another in the beer. Finally – trust your own palate.

Everyone has a unique sense of taste, so explore different pairings. If it tastes right to you, then it’s a good match.

Can you give us some examples of what you think are good matches?

Hop bitterness can intensify your perception of spiciness, so try an IPA with curry if you enjoy the heat, but pair a German hefeweizen if you prefer to suppress it! Bitterness can also balance richness, so an American pale ale or English bitter plays well with fried fish, many Mexican dishes, or pasta with a cream-based sauce. For lower-intensity foods like seafood, salads or grilled white fish, try a Belgian witbier, Czech pilsner or German kolsch. With grilled or caramelised food go for a malty beer: so an American brown ale with a pulled-

28

pork sandwich, or a German dunkel with barbecue grub. Choose a well carbonated beer to cut through fat and refresh the palate when eating a rich dish or cheese – the bubbles ‘reset’ your taste buds.

That’s most savoury bases covered – but what about desserts?

Higher levels of alcohol and sweetness, along with lower bitterness, work best with desserts. Stouts and porters pair brilliantly with chocolate, but look for stronger Imperial versions to avoid them feeling too dry.

Is all craft beer mega-strong? We always see loads of six-percenters?

No! I think this belief stems largely from craft brewing in the States, where beers are often brewed at a higher level of alcohol to those in the UK. Higher ABV is certainly one aspect of brewing more varied and interesting beers, but it isn’t the only factor. There’s actually a trend towards low-alcohol craft beers right now, with some below three percent.

Phew! So, should we be drinking the higher percentage ones more like wine, then? We wouldn’t last very long on the pints, after all…

If you do end up buying beers of six percent or above, then I would recommend taking the half or two-third pint options that many good beer bars offer. Beer doesn’t have to be drunk in pints, and in many cases a different glass and volume will be much better suited.

We’re feeling all inspired now. What’s involved with setting up a brewing outfit at home – and is it pricey?

It doesn’t cost a lot of money to get started, and you’ll soon recoup the cost in money saved on buying beer.

Hopefully, you’ll find a lot more to enjoy in brewing than just a financial saving, though. There are many homebrew shops in the UK, most with good online stores where you can buy allyou-need kits to get you going; I used themaltmiller.co.uk, brewuk.co.uk, and morebeer.com. You can get going for less than £100, but once you get hooked you can spend a lot more... ✱ kettlesmithbrewing.com

crumbsmag.com

S T A R T E R S

Kitchen Library The freshest, most inspirational cookbooks of the month

LEON: HAPPY SALADS

THE NO-COOK COOKBOOK

GREEN KITCHEN SMOOTHIES

FRESH INDIA

Whether we’re talking about its expanding chain of stores or award-winning books, Leon has become synonymous with the term ‘naturally fast food’ and Happy Salads builds on that message with 100 fabulous new recipes.

Divided into chapters covering ‘classics’, ‘naturally fast’, ‘food for family’, ‘food for friends’ and ‘lunchbox’, Happy Salads contains salads for all occasions and eventualities, whether it’s a simple dish to take to work for an aldesko lunch, or a dinner party at home to impress friends and family. Meat eaters will love the wasabi steak and ‘very peri-peri’ chicken, while vegetarians will enjoy spinach, chickpea and almond or the amusingly named kale Caesar. If fish is your thing, the ‘carry away’ mackerel or ginger and honey salmon are sure to float your boat. A brilliant book from a trusted brand.

No oven, hob or microwave is required for the 100 recipes in this second book from Sharon Hearne-Smith, who has worked as a food stylist and recipe tester with the likes of Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay and James Martin. These no-cook dishes include simple and quick breakfast options, such as poppy seed pancakes with lemon ricotta yoghurt, and ‘carrot cake’ overnight oats, a Bircher muesli served with a yoghurt-lightened cream cheese topping.

Other recipes for speedy snacks include sushi rolls filled with quinoa and colourful, healthy salads, from cauliflower-rice Buddha bowl to celeriac and hazelnut slaw with smoked mackerel. Further standout no-cook dishes for the summer include watermelon ‘pizza’ with fig, feta and raspberry dressing, and mango mousse cake.

Nutritionist Luise Vindahl and photographer David Frenkiel are the foodies behind the award-winning blog Green Kitchen Stories, and their latest book features recipes for more than 50 healthy smoothies. Vindahl’s passion for wheat-free and sugar-free recipes means that these liquid mealsin-a-glass are tailored for smoothie enthusiasts and those searching for healthy, guilt-free drinks.

The energising superberry and fennel or avocado, mango and lime smoothies win our vote for an energising start to the day, and the indulgent banana snickers shake is sure to appeal to kids over the summer holidays. With useful tips on what tools and appliances you need to make them, this book is sure to inspire you to shake up your daily routine.

The follow-up to Meera Sodha’s best-selling book Made in India, Fresh India focuses on simple vegetarian Indian food to cook at home.

Full of flavour, quick to prepare and using easy-tofind ingredients, the book covers classic Indian recipes like dals, curries and pickles, often with a seasonal British twist – for instance Brussels sprout thoran, ‘Gardeners’ Question Time’ pilau, and green beans with cashew nuts and coconut.

Traditional Indian snacks are also given a contemporary tweak: think mushroom and walnut samosas, oven-baked onion bhajis, beetroot and paneer kebabs and roasted cauliflower korma. The desserts are just as delicious, and include salted peanut and jaggery kulfi, and carrot halwa and pistachio cake, with healthy drinks like ginger chai and ‘mum’s turmeric tea’.

Jane Baxter and John Vincent Conran Octopus, £15.99

Sharon Hearne-Smith Quercus, £20

David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl Hardie Grant, £15

30

Meera Sodha Fig Tree, £20

crumbsmag.com

SLOW DOUGH REAL BREAD Chris Young Nourish, £20

Chris Young is the co-ordinator of the Real Bread Campaign, which has tirelessly championed longproved artisan bread made without artificial additives and ‘processing aids’. This ‘real’ bread is a world away from the cotton wool loaves the majority of us buy from supermarkets.

This informative and accessible book tells you everything you could possibly need to know to make great quality bread at home, with tips and recipes from some of the UK’s top microbakers, including Duncan Glendinning of The Thoughtful Bread Company in Bath, and Victoria Osborne of Wraxall Real Bread in Wiltshire. From a no-knead white loaf or fougasse to fig and fennel sourdough or goat’s cheese and honey maslin loaf, this definitive book has it all.

crumbsmag.com

RECIPE FROM

Leon: Happy Salads by Jane Baxter and John Vincent (Conran Octopus, £15.99)

PAELLA DELI SALAD (SERVES 4)

A TASTE OF Spain, at your dinner table. This is one of the longest recipes in the book, but it is basically an assembly job once the rice is cooked, and it couldn’t be more worth it. The ingredients here are just suggestions – you could substitute cooked squid rings, mussels, fish or chickpeas and different vegetables.

INGREDIENTS

pinch of saffron 250g long-grain rice 1 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped 1 tsp smoked paprika 350ml gluten-free chicken stock 100g cured chorizo salami (not cooking chorizo), either sliced or chopped 100g artichoke hearts, sliced 200g prawns, cooked 150g peas, cooked

150g French beans, cooked 100g piquillo pepper strips 1 orange, cut into slices 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, to garnish For the dressing: 1 tsp sweet paprika grated zest of 1 orange 1 clove of garlic, crushed 1 tbsp red wine vinegar 3 tbsp olive oil METHOD

– Soak the saffron in 50ml of very hot water. Rinse the rice with cold water, then leave it, covered, in water to soak for 30 minutes. Drain well.

– Heat the olive oil in a large pan and cook the onion for 5 minutes. Tip in the drained rice with the smoked paprika and cook for a minute, seasoning

31

with salt and pepper and coating the rice with oil. Add the soaked saffron and chicken stock and bring to a simmer.

Cover, then allow to cook for about 15 minutes. Leave to stand for 5 minutes before fluffing up with a fork. Tip out of the pan and leave to cool.

– While the rice is cooking, whisk together the dressing ingredients and season.

Prepare all the other ingredients for the paella.

– Layer your ingredients up on a large serving plate, seasoning as you go. Scatter the rice over the plate, then top with the other ingredients, finishing with the orange slices and parsley leaves. Drizzle with the dressing.

Tip: This would also be stunning made with cooked black rice.

Chef!

WHAT TO MAKE, AND HOW TO MAKE IT – DIRECT FROM THE KITCHENS OF OUR FAVOURITE FOODIES

Don’t be a hero; invest in an electric whisk or stand mixer to make your meringues. (We’ve experienced the whisking-induced shoulder pain first-hand...)

Highlights ROLL WITH IT Authentic Malaysian pork snacks Page 36

SWEET NOTHINGS A light and fruity summer dessert Page 38

STACKED

Get on board with this ultimate burger and cider feast Page 44

Plus

crumbsmag.com

33

42 TIME FOR TED! We give you one very good reason to get in the kitchen...

Chef!

Do the

can-can 34

crumbsmag.com

Not used the barbecue yet this year? Ben Taylor is about to inspire you to dust it off…

Ben is head chef at Lucknam Park’s cookery school, and knows his stuff when it comes to building a good barbecue fire.

“If you’re using a coal-burning grill, you’ll need to build up your coal so you have an even layer on the bottom, and if there are fire lighters involved they should be in a couple of little mounds near the centre of the grill,” he says.

“Start with a bit more coal than you think you’ll need, as it’s easier to cool a fire down by spreading the coal around than it is to heat more up once it’s got going. The coal will be ready once you can see red embers; if you can only hold your hand five inches above the coal for two seconds, the coals are hot enough and good to go.” ✱ LUCKNAM PARK, Colerne, Chippenham, Wiltshire SN14 8AZ; 01225 742777; lucknampark.co.uk

crumbsmag.com

BEER CAN BARBECUE CHICKEN (SERVES 4)

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp white peppercorns 2 tbsp black peppercorns 2 tbsp cayenne pepper 1 tbsp garlic powder 1 tbsp onion powder 2 tsp dried thyme 1 tsp mustard powder ½ tsp ground fennel ½ tsp dried oregano 1 whole chicken 2 tbsp olive oil 1 can of beer METHOD

– To make the Cajun seasoning, grind all the herbs, spices and powders together. You can store this mix for up to 3 months.

– Remove the giblets from the chicken and wash the bird. Pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.

– Rub the oil all over the bird, season with salt, and then rub on 3 tbsp of the Cajun seasoning.

35

– Open the beer and discard half the contents. Then place the chicken over the can with one leg either side.

– Stand the chicken upright on the grill (but not over direct gas flame or coals), using the can and legs as a tripod to support it. Cover, either with the grill cover or a large enough pan, and leave for 1 ¼ hours, or until the breast and leg meat are cooked.

A Grape Match!

Wine writer Angela Mount has chosen Bogle Old Vines Zinfandel 2013 (£14.50 from Great Western Wine) to match this dish

“We need a rich, spicy, soft red to cope with the Cajun rub, so I've chosen a voluptuous, velvety, full-on Californian variety, packed with warm, sweet allspice, scented coriander seed, juicy blackberries and dark chocolate. It’s a sumptuously rich, soft wine, which will meet the challenges of Ben’s delicious recipe.”

w o H ro ll we

Chef!

Ping Coombes – cook, author, MasterChef winner and Bathonian, let’s not forget – gives us a taster of her new book…

36

crumbsmag.com

Ping, who won the 2014 series of MasterChef, and went on to establish successful street food biz Chairman Ping, released her first recipe book, Malaysia, this summer.

“I wanted to encapsulate the food of Malaysia, but adapt it to make it achievable at home and in the UK,” she tells us. “It derived from the desire to make Malaysian food known in the UK. It is still not widely explored locally, but I have a seen a rise in Malaysian pop-ups and supper clubs in London. It has so much potential to be the next big thing, and I’d like to see people exploring this wonderful cuisine that always surprises and delights.”

This particular recipe is one that Ping cooks often. “It is quite simple to make,” she says. “I would break it down to three stages: marinate, wrap and fry. One tip is to never overfill the spring roll.

“I simply serve it with some Sriracha and plum dip – which is also in my book – or some sweet chilli sauce. Be warned: it is very addictive!”

LOR BAK

(Five-spice pork spring rolls) (MAKES 5) INGREDIENTS

300g pork loin, cut into 1cm-thick strips 2 tsp five-spice powder 1 tbsp tapioca flour or cornflour 1 medium free-range egg ½ tsp chicken stock powder ½ red onion, chopped 5 water chestnuts, roughly chopped 5 spring roll sheets (22cm in size) 500ml vegetable oil, for deep-frying For the marinade: 2 tbsp caster sugar ½ tsp salt 2 large pinches of ground white pepper 1 tsp chicken stock powder METHOD

– Place the pork strips in a bowl with the marinade ingredients. Stir to coat, cover, and leave in the fridge overnight.

– The next day, discard the water that has come out of the pork. Mix the marinated meat with the five-spice powder, tapioca flour (or cornflour), egg and chicken stock powder. Add the

crumbsmag.com

chopped onion and chestnuts. Mix well.

– Place 1 of the spring roll sheets on a flat work surface in front of you, positioning it so that you have a diamond shape. Place some of the pork mixture horizontally 4cm up from the bottom of the sheet. Fold the bottom up over the mixture, fold in the 2 sides and roll up tightly, brushing the edges with water as you go. Place the spring roll on a plate and transfer it to the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up. Repeat with the remaining spring roll sheets and pork mixture, until it’s all used up.

– Heat the oil in a wok or a wide saucepan until it reaches 180C on a probe thermometer. Alternatively, drop a tiny bit of spring roll sheet into the oil to test if it’s hot enough: the sheet should sizzle vigorously, and quickly float to the top.

– Deep-fry the spring rolls in batches of 2 or 3 at a time, for 8-10 minutes over a medium heat until golden brown (too high a heat will burn the outside and leave the middle raw), then transfer to kitchen paper to drain. (Tip: If you use a wok, you can fry more spring rolls at a time, as the surface area is wider.)

– Slice the spring rolls diagonally and serve with sauce for dipping.

37

✱ Recipe taken from Malaysia: Recipes from a Family Kitchen

by Ping Coombes (published by Orion; £25)

A Grape Match!

Angela's chosen El Mago Organic Garnacha 2014 (£10.50 from Great Western Wine) “Ping and I have worked together on a number of Malaysian food and wine matching events, so I’ve come to know her style of food, and what wines work. This recipe is delicate, with subtle spice and sweetness.

I've chosen a cheeky, boisterous and upbeat little red from Spain; juicy, fruity, and with not a hint of oak in sight, it’s a joyful, red berry and spice-packed gem, with a natural fruit sweetness. This kind of fresh, light red is just perfect with Asian cuisine.”

Chef!

Pimm's o'clock

Make the most of summer’s larder with this seasonal pud by Barbora Stiess Bristol-based cookery school The Devilled Egg is doing something a bit different with its courses – it’s running them online. This means that, instead of having to attend actual classes at a specific time and location, students can learn at home from a series of video tutorials, which have been designed to develop their skills and confidence each week.

Barbora Stiess is the founder of the cookery school, and has given us a great recipe as an example of the kind of dishes online students can get help with. As well as technical meringue, it features classic summer flavours (think Pimm's and fresh mint) and in-season strawberries. All we need now is the British weather to pull its socks up, ’cause we reckon this is best enjoyed in the sun… ✱ THE DEVILLED EGG; thedevilledegg.com

MERINGUE with PIMM’S JELLY and YOGHURT, MINT and LIME SUGAR, and BERRIES (SERVES 2)

INGREDIENTS

For the mint and lime sugar: 50g caster sugar 6 sprigs of mint, leaves only, very finely chopped zest of 1 lime For the Pimm’s jelly: 100ml Pimm’s (strawberry and mint, ideally) 10 leaves of gelatine For the vanilla meringue: 2 egg whites 112g caster sugar 1 tsp of vanilla extract red food colouring (optional) For the Pimm’s yoghurt: 100g Greek style yoghurt 1 tbsp of Pimm's To decorate: 5 frozen raspberries 5 fresh strawberries 4 mint leaves, finely sliced

38

METHOD

– To make the sugar, simply combine it with the finely chopped mint and zest.

Leave to infuse for 2-3 days.

– For the jelly, soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for 5 minutes. Warm the Pimm’s through in a pan and stir in the softened gelatine. Pour onto a plate lined with clingfilm and leave to set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, before cutting into small cubes.

– Preheat the oven to 110C/225F/gas mark ¼. Line a baking sheet with nonstick parchment.

– Whisk the egg whites until stiff and dry. Add a tbsp of sugar for each egg white and whisk after each addition until stiff. Add half the remaining sugar and whisk, then add the rest and gently fold in, followed by the vanilla extract.

– Put a few drops of the red food colouring into a piping bag, followed by the meringue mix and pipe the mixture onto the baking sheet in rings. Bake for 35 minutes or until the meringues lift easily off the paper. Leave to cool.

– For the Pimm’s yoghurt, combine the ingredients and keep in the fridge.

– To serve, chop the strawberries and smash the raspberries. Place the meringue on a plate with some cubes of jelly, spoon on some yoghurt, and scatter over the berries, mint sugar, and mint leaves. Enjoy!

crumbsmag.com

A Grape Match!

Angela has picked Moncucco Moscato d’Asti 2015 (£9.25 from Great Western Wine)

crumbsmag.com

39

“I think we should add sparkle with bubbles, while keeping everything light for this dessert. This gently sweet wine, with honeysuckle aromas and heady, fragrant, freshly crushed grape flavours, works perfectly with the delightfully seasonal pud – and at just fiveand-a-half percent ABV, it’s a great summertime treat.”

40

crumbsmag.com

Butter me up

Chef!

Rob Allcock shows us how to recreate his colourful summer dessert…

This super-summery pud, created by The Longs Arms’ landlord and chef Rob, is fresh and light, while staying nice and sweet. It has several different components, so you can go all out and make the complete dish, or just try one or two elements if you fancy.

“This buttermilk pudding is garnished with summer berries, honeycomb, lavender, mint, and puffed rice for added texture,” explains Rob. “It can be adapted to use any fruit in season, so is a good dish to use all year round. It is at its most perfect in summer, though, when the buttermilk is at its best (we get ours from Ivy House Farm in Beckington – a fantastic local producer), and there is a large variety of summer fruits to use.”

You’ll need a machine to make the ice cream, so if you don’t have one then call in a favour and borrow one from a pal.

JERSEY BUTTERMILK PUDDING with WHITE CHOC and LAVENDER ICE CREAM (SERVES 6) INGREDIENTS

For the buttermilk pudding: 3 sheets gelatine (use agar for a vegetarian version) 350ml buttermilk 250ml double cream 100ml strawberry liqueur 50g caster sugar 1 vanilla pod

crumbsmag.com

For the ice cream: 300ml whole milk 300ml double cream 25g lavender flowers 200g caster sugar 125g egg yolks 125g white chocolate

For the honeycomb: 375g caster sugar 120g glucose syrup 60g water 20g bicarbonate of soda To serve: sprig of mint mixed summer berries puffed rice extra lavender flowers

the mixture reaches the consistency of lightly whipped cream, then remove from heat and leave to cool.

– Transfer to an ice cream machine and churn, then freeze.

– To make the honeycomb, heat the caster sugar, glucose and water very slowly until the mixture becomes a very light-golden, caramel colour. Add the bicarbonate of soda and mix (be very careful, as the mixture is extremely hot and will expand when adding the bicarb). Pour into a high-sided container and allow to cool completely.

– To serve, set the buttermilk pudding on a plate alongside a scoop of the ice cream. Break up the honeycombe into bite-sized chunks, and place around the plate. Scatter with the mint leaves, lavender and puffed rice.

METHOD

– For the buttermilk pudding, soften the gelatine sheets in cold water.

Meanwhile, gently heat the buttermilk, cream, strawberry liqueur, sugar and vanilla seeds in a pan. Just before it reaches the boil, take off the heat and put to one side. Remove the gelatine sheets from the water and whisk into the buttermilk mixture. Pour the mixture into your desired moulds and leave in the fridge for 24 hours to set – To make the white chocolate and lavender ice cream, pour the milk and cream into pan with the lavender flowers and heat very slowly, allowing the flowers to infuse the liquid.

– In a separate bowl, mix the sugar and egg yolks together, then pour the warm milk mixture over them and add the white chocolate.

– Return to the pan and heat slowly until

41

✱ THE LONGS ARMS, Upper South Wraxall, Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire BA15 2SB; 01225 864450; thelongsarms.com

A Grape Match!

Patricius Late Harvest Tokaji 2012 (£13.95 from Great Western Wine) is wine writer Angela Mount’s chosen match.

“Lavender can be quite powerful, so it’s important to pick a wine that will balance rather than dominate the subtleties in this recipe. The sweet, crunchy honeycomb also leads me to this great favourite from the vineyards of the majestic Tokaji region in Hungary, with its tantalising aromas and flavours of acacia honey, candied orange peel, and orange blossom.”

Bake it off Chef!

Arm yourself with a wooden spoon, because Tom and Henry Herbert are going to show us how delicious good deeds can be…

42

crumbsmag.com

It’s been announced that them there Fabulous Baker Brothers – Tom and Henry Herbert – are the official ambassadors for 2016’s Ted’s Big Bake Off. This annual is event is organised as part of the Forever Friends Appeal, a charity at Bath’s Royal United Hospital.

So, what’s the deal? Well, celeb bakers Tom and Henry, who are responsible for South West bakery biz Hobbs House, are calling for people across Bath, Somerset and Wiltshire to don their aprons and get involved with the event – be it by organising a cake sale at the office, a coffee morning with friends, or a bake off competition at school. Then, all the dough (ahem) that's been raised (this stuff writes itself) will go to either the RUH Cancer Care Campaign, to help fund the building of a new cancer centre, or your nominated ward or department.

To get involved, visit the website and register for a free baking pack containing tips, tools and inspiration.

The official Bake Off week will run between 17 and 21 October, but you’re

crumbsmag.com

welcome to hold your event any time.

This recipe has been given to us ’specially for Ted’s Big Bake Off by the Herberts, who hope that it’s tempting enough to get us all in the kitchen, in support of the appeal.

ETON MESS BROWNIE (MAKES 12)

INGREDIENTS

300g dark choc 300g butter 4 eggs 325g sugar 150g flour 1 tsp vanilla extract punnet of fresh raspberries 1 medium meringue

– Set a pan of water over heat, and place a heat-proof bowl on top of that (making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water) to form a bain marie. Melt the choc and butter together gently in the bowl.

– Beat the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. (Using a mixer is easier, but by hand is fine.) The lighter you can get the mix, the better for the texture of the finished brownie.

– When the chocolate and butter mix has melted, remove from the heat and stir through the egg. Once combined, fold in the flour and vanilla, and pour into the tin.

– Dot the raspberries over the top and place into the oven and bake. After 15 minutes, crush the meringue over the top of the brownie, then continue to bake for another 3-5 mins, or until the brownie has just set.

– Remove from the oven and leave to cool for as long as you can resist.

METHOD

– Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Line a square tin (measuring 9” or so across) with greaseproof paper.

43

✱ tedsbigbakeoff.com

THE WINE GUY ANDY CLARKE

one4thetable.com

A PATTIE ON THE BACK Andy goes off-piste this month to find a match for his beast of an ultimate burger...

S

igh. It’s always a bit of a shame when a weekend away ends with a Sunday-night anticlimax, the morning’s return to work looming over.

So, on a recent trip, we decided to beat the postbreak blues and go home on Monday. I know – controversial, right?

As Sunday evening unfolded, I was learning from Twitter who was winning what at the Bath Good Food Awards, and one category particularly caught my attention: Best Burger. Now, you know what it’s like when you get an idea in your head and just have to do it, so when I found out the winner was Bath’s Burgers and Barrels, I had no choice but to check it out on our way back to Bristol the next day. Nope, no choice at all.

I don’t really get to visit the culinary hotspots of Bath as much as I should and, as a Bristol local, I’m perhaps guilty

44

of not always giving my neighbouring city enough attention...

What’s great about these two areas is that, although they’re geographically close, they feel completely individual and have so much variety to offer – so they work together brilliantly. In this spirit, I want to share with you a burger that hails from Bath, matched with ciders you can buy in Bristol.

Burgers and Barrels has been a part of Bathonians’ lives for three years, with founder Ronnie having given up his job as a bar manager in London to come to his favourite UK city. His restaurant has a fun décor with record sleeves on the walls and cosy booths, along with a busy cocktail bar.

This place’s signatures are the 12 Monkeys and Django burgers. The 12 Monkeys contains two originalrecipe beef burgers, glazed with a unique spiced bourbon sauce, and is truly something else. The Django, meanwhile, is smothered in chilli beef, with toppings of cheese, sweet jalapeños, onion and garlic habanero mayo. Yep, all that in one burger!

So good, in fact, these both were that they inspired me to create my own version. This, in turn, saw me go on a hunt for some top burger-friendly sips to accompany my creation. Obvs...

The Bristol Cider Shop has been situated on picturesque Christmas Steps for five years and only sells varieties made within a 50-mile radius of the city. (The shop is relocating to Wapping Wharf at the end of August, though – so save yourself from turning up at the wrong spot, thirsty and confused.) For me, this is one of the best places around for cider in its many forms – so it’s exactly where I headed

crumbsmag.com

( column )

for my West Country match of choice.

If you want a cider that you can enjoy while you’re making the burgers (because, let’s face it, it’s a bit of an ask to wait until you’re eating to open your first bottle), then I adore Dunkertons Premium Organic Cider from Herefordshire (£2.70). The light bubbles are so soft and inviting, and it has a beautifully crisp flavour. There’s also a dash of sweetness that will go well with the burger’s fiery accompaniments.

My next drop is for real cider lovers.

It’s made by Perry’s in Somerset, who have been making top-notch tipples since 1920. Their Somerset Dabinett (£2.70) is a single-variety drink made by George and the team using hydraulic presses, which were installed back in the 1950s. The cider packs a punch; medium-sweet (a bone dry flavour would jar with the heat of the trimmings) and sparkling, it’s very sure of itself and stands up robustly to a full-on meaty burger. It’s well-rounded, rich, and has a strong ripe fruit flavour.

LATE-SUMMER CHEESEBURGER with CAYENNE COLESLAW and TANGY TOMATO REDUCTION (SERVES 4) INGREDIENTS

For the patties: 500g lean beef mince 1 small white onion, finely chopped handful of rosemary, finely chopped 1 egg For the coleslaw: ¼ of a white cabbage 1 large carrot 3 tbsp good quality mayo 2 heaped tsps cayenne pepper For the tomato reduction: olive oil, for frying 16 cherry tomatoes, sliced ½ red onion, finely chopped 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped 1 tsp dried chilli dash of red wine vinegar 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp paprika

crumbsmag.com

To serve: olive oil 2 large gherkins 4 slices of Parma ham 4 slices of strong Cheddar 4 brioche buns, sliced in half 2 large leaves of romaine lettuce METHOD

– Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/ gas mark 6.

– For the burger, combine all the ingredients together and season. Form into 4 patties and refrigerate.

– To make the coleslaw, finely slice the white cabbage and grate the carrot.

Combine the mayonnaise and cayenne pepper and add to the cabbage and carrot. Mix thoroughly.

– Now make the tomato reduction. Heat a glug of oil in a non-stick pan, add all the ingredients and gently fry, being careful not to burn them. Reduce until the tomatoes break down and bubble gently. Set aside to cool.

– Heat a pan and slice the gherkins into discs. Add a glug of oil to the pan and, once it starts to smoke, fry the gherkin on a high heat until golden.

– Lay the Parma ham strips on a baking tray and bake for 4 minutes, until crisp.

– When you’re ready to cook, take the burgers out of the fridge. Fire up the barbecue (or use a griddle, if that sounds like too much hard work!), rub the patties with olive oil and put them

45

over the heat. Once the burger hits the hot surface, do not move it until it is smoking hot. Turn over, and immediately put the cheese on top so it has time to melt. Once the burgers are almost done, lay the brioche buns on the hot the surface, cut-side-down, and let them toast (keep an eye on them, as they will burn easily).

– To assemble, half both the lettuce leaves so that you have 4 pieces, and lay them on the bottom half of the brioche bun. Then add the burger, a dollop of tomato reduction, and a generous spoonful of coleslaw. Top with the crispy Parma ham, scatter with the fried gherkins and place the brioche lid on top. Press it all down so it fits, ungracefully, in your mouth, and ready the napkins. This could all get a little bit messy... ✱ Andy Clarke is a freelance food TV producer and writer: follow him on Twitter (@TVsAndyClarke); burgersnbarrels.co.uk; bristolcidershop.co.uk

SPECIAL OFFER!

Bristol Cider Shop has a great deal for you fine readers – buy six or more bottles of either of the above ciders and mention Crumbs to receive a 10 percent discount. Happy days!

The Catherine Wheel Situated on the edge of the Cotswolds, The Catherine Wheel is ideal for lunch and countryside walks and cycling home cooked food • real ales • local produce elegant dining room • sunny patio • En-suite guest rooms available

Private Dining Accommodates upto twenty people • Private parties • Meetings (includes internet access) • Full restaurant or buffet menu • Available morning, afternoon and evenings. Call 01225 892220 to book.

The Catherine Wheel, The High Street, Marshfield SN14 8LR • Tel : 01225 892 220

www.thecatherinewheel.co.uk

Kitchen

Armoury CHOOSE YOUR WEAPONS

GOTTA CATCH ’EM ALL! Feeling the urge to collect kookily-designed baking kit, just in time for Bake Off season?

Then look no further, says Matt Bielby, than the new Joseph Joseph baking range…

So, this time around you’ve found me… what? A futuristic shaving brush?

No, no, no! Glaze is a silicone pastry brush, and it’s the perfect mess-free tool.

How so? Well, the heads – there are two interchangeable ones – are non-drip, with flexible silicone bristles, and the whole thing is so soft to the touch there’s no risk of it causing dents or marks. Plus, the bristles won’t fall out, and they’re really easy to clean.

And what’s that other thing all about? It looks like the prosthetic fin for a friendly rubber shark.

That’s exactly what it is! Well, the ‘fin’ bit, anyway – that’s its name, you see. It’s actually a neat – and rather innovative – silicone bowl scraper, easy to use and just the thing to make sure absolutely no mixture goes to waste. Fin looks cool too, as the base of it makes a sort of foot,

THIS MONTH crumbsmag.com

allowing it to stand jauntily on end when not in use. This doesn’t just earn style points, but actually has a purpose, too – it stops mess, as you’re not resting a sticky side on the surface at any point, and it makes Fin a doddle to store away as well.

And then there’s the whisk thing they do, too, isn’t there?

That one’s called Whiskle, and it’s the rarest Pokémon of them all. We caught him alongside Psyduck and Horsea, down by the lake, where some of the rarest Pokémon tend to hang out.

No, you didn’t.

Oh yeah, you’re right. (Sorry, got confused for a minute.) No, this Whiskle is actually the extra-attractive mutant cross between a decent sized whisk and a silicone bowl scraper – you know, like a baking Labradoodle. Let me expain: it’s super-

Baking the most of it

Farm-ily homes

47

cute to look at, has a great disposition, and does two jobs, saving time, space and washing up.

For once, I’m hoping, we’re not talking telephone number prices.

We’re so not! Glaze is £8, Fin is £6 and Whiskle’s just a tenner; bargain prices, especially seeing as Pokémon excitement is bound to cool off sooner or later, yet this year’s instalment of Great British Bake Off fever is only just beginning. (Watch out for Team Rocket, though. If they ever get into baking, these cool bits of kit are the first things they’d steal.)

✱ The Joseph Joseph baking range is available at Kitchens Cookshop in Bath and Bristol, or other stockists, including Debenhams and John Lewis; josephjoseph.com

Picnic-knacks

Top Lane, Whitley, Wiltshire SN12 8QX 01225 704966 T f @peartreewhitley

www.peartreewhitley.co.uk

Bar • Kitchen Dining Recently refurbished, The George in the beautiful town of Bradford on Avon, is the perfect place to visit for local ales, top quality wines and fantastic food created by our Award-winning chef, Alexander Venables.

OPEN MONDAY TO SUNDAY

AFTERNOON TEA

LUNCH 12noon to 2pm DINNER 6pm to 9pm

The perfect party idea Served Friday, Saturday and Sunday 3pm - 5pm • Bookings only

SUNDAY LUNCH Served from 12noon to 4pm We have a special whole roast chicken with all the trimmings, roast potatoes, cauliflower gratin, Yorkshire puddings, jugs of gravy, stuffing and bread sauce for four – £40 or choose our roast sirloin of Church Farm beef.

BREAKFAST Breakfast, morning coffee & cake Every day from 9.30am-11.30am

PRIX FIXE LUNCH MENU £12.95 for two courses Monday to Saturday.

TO BOOK CALL

BED AND BREAKFAST SUITES opening August

COOKERY COURSES PASTA DINE & DEMO Saturday 13th August • £30 per person

GOURMET DINNERS FISH & FIZZ DINNER Friday 19th August • £55 per person A mezze style seafood supper of 7 courses

01225 865650

67 Woolley St, Bradford-on-Avon BA15 1AQ • info@thegeorgebradfordonavon.co.uk

thegeorgebradfordonavon.co.uk

House call

GOT BEEF Although in the hectic throws of organising the upcoming Valley Fest, organic farmer Luke Hasell still finds time to make us a coffee and show us around his Chew Valley kitchen… Words by JESSICA CARTER Photos by KIRSTIE YOUNG

crumbsmag.com

49

This vintage-style oven looks great, but, as Luke admits, it’s not the most reliable to cook on!

50

crumbsmag.com

( house call )

l

uke Hasell might be a married, fully-qualified civil engineer with three kids and a couple of dogs, but get this: he still lives at home. Okay, okay, so that’s not strictly how it sounds…

Luke returned home from London when he was 26, giving up his civil engineering job to run the family farm. So, 13 years on, he’s bringing his own children up in the same house that he himself grew up in, and spends his days working on the land that his father farmed.

“As kids we used to all have to sit around there for a family meal, every night,” he says, pointing to the rustic wooden dining table that still stands in his kitchen.

It’s not all as was here, though. “It used to be a lot smaller,” Luke explains. “There was a hallway – which was a bit pointless – at the back there, which we knocked through into, and the stairs were in a really odd position, so we moved those.”

Luke also added an island, which houses the electric oven and large gas hob. There is another oven too, though – a white vintage-looking range cooker – which is the second mainstay feature of the

crumbsmag.com

Bare brick and rustic wood give this recently made-over kitchen a homely feel

51

At our farm shops we offer so much more than fresh, locally grown food and produce. We have outdoor spaces in which to eat, play areas for children and a place to shop. So come for a coffee or a beautiful meal or to let your children play or to just to experience the wonders of the farm shop.

Shopping with us is a summertime experience – come and enjoy it!

( house call )

kitchen, and sits framed by a brick alcove.

“I love cooking,” he says. “I wanted to be a chef when I was young, and open my own steakhouse. I guess I have that with Yurt Lush now, where we use our meats for the roasts and new steak nights.”

Indeed, Luke established Eat Drink Bristol Fashion – the group behind the famous Bristol tipi restaurant – with local Michelin-starred chef Josh Eggleton in 2012. That’s not the only way in which this farmer has cleverly diversified, though: he’s also set up organic, farm-to-

crumbsmag.com

fork-focused meat producer The Story, and social enterprise The Community Farm, which delivers 500-odd organic veg boxes to local homes a week. And he’s done all this since taking on the farm, and learning his trade almost from scratch.

That was 13 years ago, and it’s been clear ever since then that he’s always going to do things the organic way.

“It just seemed alien to me,” he says, “to spray the land before ploughing. I remember opening the spray cupboard and seeing containers with their ‘toxic’

53

symbols all over them, and thinking, ‘What am I going to do with all this?’

“All our cows are pasture, not grain, fed – what’s the point in doing it any other way, when we have all this grass around?

They take longer to mature, yes – they’re about 30-35 months old when they’re slaughtered – but that’s better for you and better for them.”

Last year, Luke launched a music and food festival (y’know, ’cause he didn’t already have enough on...), held on The Community Farm land, and

( house call )

supported by neighbouring organic champs, Yeo Valley.

“I always wanted to put on an organic food and music festival,” he explains, “and so Valley Fest has been in the back of my mind for a long time. I just want to share the space, and show people what we’re doing here.”

As he speaks, he motions towards a banner hanging in his kitchen, reading ‘Get on my land’.

“That’s my mantra,” he laughs. “This is such a great space, and I really want everyone to be able to enjoy it.

“This year’s festival is going to be a bit bigger than before, but we still want it to be a family festival. There’s going to be a massive kids’ area – I have three kids myself, and really want it to have that family vibe.”

Having been up since sunrise that day and already been to the abattoir before our morning arrival, Luke still has plenty to get cracking on with – the poor bloke hasn’t even had brekkie yet – so we leave him to it and hop into our car, experiencing what we can only imagine are sympathy yawns all the way back to Crumbs HQ. ✱ Valley Fest 2016 is almost here! It’s taking place 2-4 September on Luke’s farm in Chew Magna. Day and weekend passes are still available; for more information and to get your tickets, visit valleyfest.co.uk thecommunityfarm.co.uk storyorganic.co.uk eatdrinkbristolfashion.co.uk

There’s no mistaking that this here kitchen belongs to a farmer, is there?

54

crumbsmag.com

Luke would love to spend more time in this kitchen, and is always in charge of the Sunday roast, which he enjoys cooking

KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL Name: Luke Hasell Hometown: Bristol Occupation: Technically a civil engineer, but now a farmer Must-have kitchen item: a wok You love the taste of... rib-eye steak Coffee or tea? coffee Beer or cider? cider Go-to recipe: my very famous chicken broccoli bake The look of your kitchen in three words: valley, marble and granite If you could change one thing about your kitchen it would be: nothing!

Preferred midnight nosh: chocolate or cheese Your kitchen is awesome because... it’s so communal – we have a great island, which means you can cook and talk with people at the same time Secret skills: I’ll have to show you one day!

Most prized kitchen tool: my knives What are you going to cook/bake this weekend? I’m going to a festival, so I’ll probably fire up a burger at the campsite You can’t live without... a strong coffee in the morning, and olive oil Favourite condiment: pepper If your kitchen could talk, it’d say…

Luke, get back in here!

crumbsmag.com

55

3

1

5

TH E WA NT LI S T

4

1 HANDS-FREE WINEGLASS HOLDERS £4.99 Lawns are just not wineglass friendly – well, not until now, that is… Get yours from Lakeland in Bath and at The Mall at Cribbs Causeway. ✱ lakeland.co.uk

It’s time to pack up a picnic, and we’ve got some of the essentials covered to make sure it’s a bloomin’ decent alfresco feast

2 JUTE BAG £42.95 Because, as lovely as picnic baskets are, they’re a right old pain to carry after the first two minutes, right?

Available from local e-tailer, Decorator’s Notebook. ✱ decoratorsnotebook.co.uk

2

JACK WILLINGHAM

3 HAPPY JACKSON SNACK BOX SET £10.95 These will keep all your precious grub protected and, when you’re finished with ’em, they store away inside each other. Find them online. ✱ fig1.co.uk 4 LOTUSGRILL PORTABLE BARBECUE £129.95 Take this portable barbecue along and get some burgers on the go – it fires up in three minutes, and is even smoke free. Result. Stocked at Steamer Trading in Wells. ✱ steamer.co.uk 5 WATER BOTTLE £29 Bristol-based charity Frank Water has teamed up with Dame Vivienne Westwood to create this gorgeous reusable bottle, with profits used to help bring safe water to those who don’t have access to it. Pick one up from the Little Shop on Stokes Croft in Bristol, or online. ✱ frankwater.com

56

crumbsmag.com

How REAL cider should taste, no compromise

www.worleyscider.co.uk

Local and independent licensed cafe Family friendly We serve lovingly cooked seasonal food made from locally sourced produce and happy meats Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Proper tea and coffee Free- range Home-made cakes 6oz flank steak, Now open on homemade Friday & Saturday Béarnaise, fries and Estrella evenings until 9pm for £10

JOIN OUR CLUB! FREE tea or coffee with any breakfast Mon-Fri 10am-12pm

Kids eat FREE!* *1 free kid’s meal for 1 adult’s meal with drink.

Mon-Sat 3-6pm

136 Church Road, Bristol BS5 7AD | 0117 955 7298 www.thefarawaytreebristol.co.uk

( advertising feature )

street talk Favis of Salcombe are an award-winning family firm who recently received the accolade “Supreme Champion Product” for their white crab meat from Taste of the West judges. The family have been supplying cracking crab since 1972.

They pride themselves on supplying the freshest crab and lobster from the South Devon seas. Their team land, cook, hand-pick, pack and deliver to restaurants, chefs and individuals all over the country.

For more information or to order yours please contact the team on +44 (0)1548 521182 office@favis-os.com

www.favis-os.com

Promising everything from fresh produce to speciality street food and indie restaurants, Green Park Station is a one-stop foodie shop...

G

reen Park Station is home to some of the most popular monthly markets in the South West, and an array of independent shops, cafés and restaurants. Alongside Green Park Brasserie, the regular markets have a growing street food scene. With a variety of delicious hot and cold food available, including vegetarian, vegan and dairy and gluten-free options, there really is something for everyone. You can visit the Thai Hut for sizzling barbecue skewers and creamy vegetable curry, The Express Café for incredible lamb and mint burgers, and Beyond the Kale for toasted sweet chilli and falafel wraps. Start-up business Manna From Avon launched in July too, adding street food from the East, lovingly re-created in Bath by two aspiring foodies, to the mix. As if that wasn’t enough, the station is now a regular home to both the Bath Pizza Co and The Pizza Bike – the smell of fresh pizzas as you walk through the station is divine!

Meanwhile, Bath Farmers’ Market provides ingredients for budding chefs by hand-picking a unique collection of traders to provide fresh, organic produce from within 40 miles of Bath. Tastebuds tingling?

Then make Green Park Station your destination, and eat local.

Green Park Station, Green Park Road, Bath BA1 1JB, 01225 787912; greenparkstation.co.uk email: gps@ethicalproperty.co.uk; f facebook.com/greenparkstation

Mains

HOT INDUSTRY TOPICS, FAB FOOD DESTINATIONS, AMAZING INNOVATIONS, AND PEOPLE THAT MATTER

Highlights BEEFING UP

Junk food has had a makeover, and these are the mightly fine-lookin’ results Page 63

MAKE IT SNAPPY

A masterclass on capturing food at its best, using just your phone Page 68

NET PROFITS

We learn all about trout – from how to catch it to how best to eat it Page 75

WHARF IT DOWN

The latest on the growing food offering at the Wapping Wharf development

Want to take food shots with A-game like this?

Grab your phone and let us show you how...

Page 80

crumbsmag.com

61

Including…

2

TROUT caught, gutted, filleted and smoked by our very own ed...

Above: a kebab, but not as you know it, at Bambalan; top right: US chain Five Guys knows what it’s doing when it comes to burgers; bottom right: this Atomic Burger creation can probably be seen from space...

DUde, where’S MY CARB? Mains

What was once called ‘junk food’ is now a pretty serious art among chefs. Restaurants are using great-quality ingredients, precisely balanced flavours and secret house recipes in an attempt to nail the perfect plate of foodie filth. We’ve pulled together some of the region’s mightiest, meatiest, most hangover-curing, crave-satisfying examples...

THE B.A. BARRACUS

BACON CHEESE BURGER

BAMBA-LAMB BAB

(Bristol) This is a beast of a burger, featuring three patties, each topped with USA cheese, barbecued pulled pork and crisp bacon. Excuse us while we just mop our chin a sec...

(Bristol) Crispy bacon and American-style Cheddar join two patties of pure 120-day grain-finished Irish beef in a warm toasted bun. It’s just asking to be customised with a few of the 15 toppings on offer too, we reckon.

(Bristol) A lamb kebab with A-game, this is made with pomegranate molasses, cumin and coriander, and served in freshly baked flatbread with fattoush, sweet jalepeno, roast garlic yoghurt and chilli sauce. Oh, yeah.

ATOMIC BURGER

crumbsmag.com

FIVE GUYS

63

BAMBALAN

( feature )

BULL HORN

EL TRIPLE

(Bristol) As well as Somerset-reared salt beef, this sarnie features a locally made ale and juniper mustard (which you can check out on p14), sauerkraut, pickled red cabbage, and West Country Cheddar. All blowtorched (natch), and finished with sweet and sour gherkins.

(Bath & Bristol) One burrito not quite enough for you?

Meet the El Triple, which contains all your fave fillings to the power of three.

Beat the beast, and you’ll get the T-shirt to prove it.

THE PICKLED BRISKET

CHATEAUBRIAND

MILLER & CARTER

(Bath) The marbling on this 16oz, 30-day aged hunk of beef to share is something else – ask for it cooked medium-rare for the best, most tender texture.

CREATE YOUR OWN BURGER

THE BURGER JOINT

(Bristol) You’ve got licence to create whatever burger you like here, but if you want to go all out try a stack of two patties with bacon, black pudding, chorizo, blue cheese and a fried egg.

DIRTY CLASSIC

CHOMP

(Bristol) Beefy in more ways than one, this burger is pimped up with sweet fried onion, pickles and American cheese.

We're game.

DEAD HIPPIE

MEATLIQUOR

(Bristol) Not one, but two French’s mustardfried burgers, with top-secret-recipe Dead Hippie sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and minced white onions, mainly spotted in and around our gobs.

DIRTY, DIRTY FRIES

THE HOBGOBLIN

(Bristol) A mountain of fries, crowned with 18-hour house-smoked pulled pork, and melted Cheddar and blue cheese.

Coriander sauce and smokey chipotle mayo complete this much-trusted hangover cure.

MISSION BURRTO

FEASTING PLATE

CAU

(Bath & Bristol) This monster platter comprises grassfed Argentinian beef in the form of tira de ancho (chimichurri-marinated rib-eye); lomito (rump); and asado de chorizo (sirloin in a marinade of smoked paprika, pepper, garlic and parsley). We’re talking 400g of each.

GOURMET HOTDOG

THE LOCKSBROOK INN (Bath) Truffled sauerkraut, herb mustard and pickled onion cosy up with a top-quality banger in a brioche bun. Phwoar.

HICKORY-SMOKED RIBS

THE OX

(Bristol) Marinated, braised, glazed and barbecued: no-one's going to judge you for gnawing on the bones of these tender, sticky, smoky ribs.

LOCKJAW BURGER

GRILLSTOCK

(Bath and Bristol) This bad boy earns its name by packing two patties, cheese, 12-hoursmoked brisket, pulled pork, and burnt ends into a single bun. Impressive, no?

LOUISIANA CREOLE CHAURICE

SAUSAGENIUS

(Bristol) This chaurice is fired up with chilli and seasoned with a good hit of garlic and pepper. It was served by the local producer in a red wine reduction with smoked paprika and pepperoncini at a recent pop-up event. That’s the stuff tapas dreams are made of, eh?

64

crumbsmag.com crumbsmag.com

Ribs, steaks, sausages, burgers, bacon... Does anyone else feel the meat sweats coming on, or is it just us?

crumbsmag.com

65

( feature )

Oh, lordy. Is this Cowshed's meat platter, or just a hunger-induced mirage?

MEATY MOUNTAIN BURGER

THREE BROTHERS BURGERS

(Bristol) This is a mountain well-worth scaling; could you conquer the beef patty, potato rosti, Reblochon cheese, sweetcured bacon and gherkin stack?

NEW YORK STRIP LOIN SURF AND TURF

HUDSONS

(Bath) Beef: check. Red wine glaze: check.

Garlic tiger prawns: check. Bear with us, just tucking our napkin into our collar a sec...

MILSOM COMBO

T-BONE STEAK

(Bath) Can't decide between sea and land?

Good job you don't have to. Order this hybrid dish and tuck into a 6oz burger with all the trimmings and a pound of lobster. (Oh, and chips.)

(Bristol) These guys work with farmers to get the best-quality beef possible, and this hunk of lean and tender meat on the bone is a prime example of, and justification for, their efforts.

BURGER & LOBSTER

STEAK OF THE ART

66

ULTIMATE MEAT PLATTER

COWSHED

(Bristol) All. The. Meats. Cooked with the expertise that this top steak joint is known for. (Remember to pre-order this masterpeice, mind!)

WILD BRUNCH SKILLET

PIEMINISTER

(Bristol) It’s true; Pieminister does brunch now. Its bacon, sausage, rosti potato, béchamel, roast tomato, homemade smoky baked beans and egg affair comes either in a skillet or as a rostitopped pie.

crumbsmag.com

Let's do shots

Mains

Chances are that if you’re an avid maker or consumer of food, you’re a photographer of it, too.

You probably don’t own a jazzy camera though, just a decent phone and a few clever filters, right?

Well, Matt Inwood proves everyday, via his Instagram feed, that that’s all you need. Here, he tells us what’s behind the art of snapping the perfectly spilt egg yolk, sans 500quid lens...

A designer and art director, Matt has been creating cookbooks for top chefs and food writers for 17 years, and has teamed up with some of the country’s best food photographers during that time. He lives in Bradford-on-Avon with his wife, two children, three cats and one dog. They have all had to suffer for his camera-phone art. Follow him on Instagram @matt_inwood, or check out his website, mattinwood.com

68

crumbsmag.com

( feature )

1 MAKE LIGHT OF IT

When it comes to the single most important element of photographing your food, it’s light, writes Matt Inwood.

There’s no point trying to show off beautiful food with poor light, strong shadows or harsh fluorescent tubes hampering your efforts. Work with natural light where you can – food looks best and most inviting this way. Set up close to a window. (I know foodies who specifically ask for a restaurant table near the window, just for the extra quality that the natural light gives to their foodie snaps.) At home, turn off electric lights when and where you can, and experiment next to different windows to see which light is best.

(Light at the front of your house will be different to light at the back.) Move a little away from the window, further into the room, to see how that affects the way light falls onto the food. Always try to avoid harsh overhead lighting for your photos: it will cast all sorts of ungainly shadows across the area you wish to photograph (most criminally: the shadow of the photographer’s hand).

2 DIFFUSE THE SITUATION

Where light is too harsh, you can soften it by holding a tea towel in front of the window. This will help diffuse the light more gently over your food. This trick can be especially useful if you are shooting outside with direct sunlight overhead. For dishes that are too dark on the side of the plate that is not next to the window, you can ‘bounce’ light back into that dark area by using a simple white reflector (a greetings card or small mirror are perfect), perched next to the dish. Experiment with holding these filters and reflectors over or next to your food, and see how you can enhance the available light. When you find or manufacture the right light, colours will pop, details will stand out and your pictures will sing. And experiment with different levels of light: sometimes a dark corner can give a food shot an incredible mood and quality of its own.

3 TIDY YOUR ROOM

Chances are your food photos will stand out much better if you stick to a few simple rules of tidying up. Get rid of any adjacent or background

crumbsmag.com

69

Wo S La alt nde m M rf b ar ul no sh w in

MOLESWORTHS

The BBQ Specialists -Prize winning sausages MOLESWORTHS -Tasty 8 week matured T Bones The BBQ Specialists -Gower Salt Marsh Lamb Koftas -Free range Chinese pork ribs -Gluten free range -Butterflied legs of lamb BBQ BOXES and more Add us for special offers and seasonal recipes ba

101 Henleaze Road, Bristol BS9 4JP.

0117 962 1095

www.henleazebutchers.co.uk

( feature )

distractions – that pile of potato peelings and washing-up stacked behind your tin of killer-looking roasties will weaken the effect you’re after. Clear all mess out of the frame. Watch out for wonky horizon lines behind your food: they’re a cinch to straighten and get right. Scan your dish to find the best angle to show off your food, and to focus in on the right area of interest. Don’t crop crucial elements out of your frame. Take your time. Plan your shot. Get rid of anything that’s not important. Then tell the story you want to tell.

4 ORGANISED CHAOS

Having just slapped your wrists for being too sloppy, I admit it’s true that sometimes a little mess can lend character, and that too-contrived a shot will look naff. A mess of crumbs on your plate of freshly baked biscuits might enhance. Likewise a splash of oil, a dribble of chocolate sauce and a few sprigs of herbs or garlic papers scattered loosely around your pollo al ajillo. It’s sometimes these elements that can give your food shots that X-factor, and reveal something about the making

or provenance of a dish. Similarly, the perfect representation of your fevered few hours of cooking might not always be the finished plate of food itself. It might be the beautiful globe artichoke sitting on the pantry shelf, not the soup that comes after. It might be the purplestained sheet of baking parchment, rather than the roasted beetroot salad you’re about to make. Or the half-eaten blueberry muffin, spilling crumbs and fruit from its centre, rather than the perfectly formed just-baked cakes fresh from the oven.

5 GET SMART

Once you’ve got your shot, make it better. Most smartphones feature very basic tools to enhance your images. If you’re publishing to Instagram, then you have an incredibly sophisticated

crumbsmag.com

71

( feature )

Matt’s fave local feeds

editing suite at your disposal. Prior to publishing, spend time to make your image the best it can be. If the image is a little too dark and needs the shadows or brightness lifting, then you can tweak each of those settings at this stage. If you need to crop something out of frame, you can clip it here. If the image has an orangey cast to it (many photos taken in restaurants carry this flaw), you can reduce the image’s warmth. Work your way through the controls, adjusting anything that you feel could enhance your photo, but don’t get into the trap of editing for editing’s sake. You should be trying to refine and enhance here, not recreate something from scratch.

Take time to edit before you publish, and you can transform an average shot into something that will grab the attention of your followers.

6 STYLE ICON

@thefoodiebugle Silvana’s feed is a paen to her shop’s wonderful food and the city of Bath.

She harnesses the social power of Instagram like no-one else I know. @food_writer Bristol-based food writer and journalist Fiona eats and drinks well, and travels and shares religiously.

A generous regrammer of others’ delights, too. @mike_cooper_food Bristol food photographer who does the simple things very well and shares a wide variety of wonderful commissioned work. @ellypear Café owner and book author Elly is a local legend whose food is always on the money, and who has become the doyenne of witty emoji-based caption writing. @organicliqueurs Cotswold-based producers of amazing fruit liqueurs: photographer Ros might be Instagram’s least wellknown brilliant photographer.

Find Instagram people to follow, and study the work of the ones you love.

Practice at creating images in their style. Copy the elements of their work that you admire, and see how close you can get to duplicating those elements in your own images. With practice and by introducing new skills, taught or borrowed from others, you will develop your own style. When you do find it, refine it and start to create an identity where others will come to recognise your work immediately. Become that person whose images jump out in the feeds of others.

7 PROPS TO YOU

While you don’t need to spend any money at all on fancy gizmos to enhance your food photography, a small collection of props and accessories can give your photos some extra pizzazz. I have a large collection of props stowed away at my home studio. Pieces of wood, slate, metal and lots of different cloths and linen all come in handy for slipping underneath or behind a plate of food.

They create a neutral ground on which to shoot, and help to block out loud or distracting elements from a table-top or background. I pick up many bowls, plates and cutlery, too (flea markets and car boot sales are especially good for this). This gives you a variety of things on which to plate and situate your food.

72

Something as simple as a fried egg can be transformed when placed on a black plate rather than a white one. A spoon with a well-worn patina can add character to a bowl of comfort food.

Collect a few interesting things and add to your collection over time and you’ll always have something different to choose from to lift the look of your food.

8 APPY DAYS

The list of smartphone photography apps really does seem endless. Very popular ones include Snapseed and VSCO, which both come with impressive and very extensive editing facilities.

Others feature highly advanced, retouching options. Many of them are free to download, but beware: they can totally drain your battery! My absolute favourite is Hipstamatic’s Öggl. It’s actually a pretty basic app, but it includes a number of different lens and film options, which allows you to shoot in different ways. You can choose between lenses with long and short focal ranges and other pronounced effects, and then experiment with films that accentuate or de-saturate colour, or add grain or distress to the image. Have a play around and see which app and which options work for you. And then practice, practice, practice!

9 EYE, EYE

For all the myriad ways of manufacturing a good photo and postproducing an even better one, there is no substitute for a good eye. Be aware of what’s around you. Try creating set-ups around the home that inspire you and test you at something new. Be aware of your surroundings and make the most of strong compositional elements and angles when composing your shot (the circular motif of a plate when shot from above is a very strong graphical element within the default square frame of Instagram – don’t be afraid to keep things strong and simple). And keep your camera-holding hand still for the best results. Lean into a wall to steady your arm, rest your elbow onto the table, or sit the bottom of the phone on the table surface to get things square and keep your pictures sharp. Use your spare hand to help support if stretching to take your shot.

crumbsmag.com

Award winning

Traditional English Pub Food Our menu features an exquisite choice of classic dishes, supplemented by fabulous daily lunchtime specials all priced at £9.95, providing great value eating.

Finest cask ales • Superb classic wines • Mouthwatering menu

biddestone arms Fine Cuisine & Country Pub

The Green, Biddestone, Nr Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN14 7DG Tel: 01249 714377 www.biddestonearms.co.uk

newly refurbished ...

Widbrook Grange Restaurant Modern farmhouse cooking from our award winning chef in an elegant grade 2 listed farmhouse, now completely re designed Also open to non residents for dinner

To see what all the fuss is about and to book a table call 01225 864750 or email stay@widbrookgrange.co.uk www.widbrookgrange.co.uk

Widbrook Grange Hotel Bradford on Avon BA15 1UH

widbrookgrangehotel

@widbrookgrange

Mains

( feature )

SO FLY: A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO

TROUT FISHING Words by JESSICA CARTER

crumbsmag.com

75

We remember when we were flyfishing novices – mainly ’cause it was only a few weeks ago. Now, however, we’re total pros (slight exaggeration), thanks to a speciality course at Vale House Kitchen…

Top left: the lovely Vale House Kitchen itself; middle-right: a colourful collection of flies

76

crumbsmag.com

( feature )

e love a bit o’ friendly competition at Crumbs, whether it’s having the bestlooking lunch in the office or getting the goss on new restaurant openings first.

Thing is, our preference for triumph means we tend to conveniently (and in a totally uncalculated fashion) miss out on things we don’t reckon we’ll be any good at. Hence, why we had never fly fished until recently. (Looks tricky, doesn’t it?)

But, in the name of research (okay, and good fun), we took up Bod Griffiths’ offer to go along to one of his Vale House Kitchen courses. This is what we learnt...

TAKE THE BAIT

Let’s start at the very begining (we hear it’s a very good place to start). Fly fishing is using a fake lure to try and trick fish into thinking it’s an insect that they want to eat. That’s opposed to bait fishing, which involves casting a hook, baited with the likes of bread, maggots, or even dog food (um, delicious) into the water, and waiting for the fish to come along and have a nibble. See? Not the same.

“Trout and salmon are known as ‘game’ fish, as opposed to ‘course’ fish that you would fish for with bait,” Bod tells us.

READ ALL A-TROUT IT

We were hunting trout on our trip; a fish that Tim Maddams (author, chef, teacher, fountain of foodie knowlege, etc) reckons is a darn interesting one.

“Most species of trout have the ability to migrate to sea,” he explains. “But some remain in the rivers where they were spawned, some take up residence in lakes and ponds, and some hang out near the sea in estuaries and tidal flats. No one really knows what makes wild trout behave in this way, but it’s believed to be a survival tactic, developed to help them with changing environmental factors.”

STOCKING UP

We were fishing at a stocked trout lake at St Algars Farm in Frome. Stocked fish are farm-reared until they’re an adequate size, then moved into a lake.

“Once in the lake they naturalise,” says

crumbsmag.com

Bod, “meaning they move from a diet of pellets to natural food – for instance, insect larva, snails, and other small fish.

Most lakes are ‘catch and kill’ (the fish are there to be caught and eaten), but some lakes are ‘catch and release’, where you put the fish back.” Remember, preplaced fish means one less excuse for not catching any…

THE LIFE AQUATIC

A lot of the fish we eat today is farmed, as opposed to wild. This industry definitely doesn’t get as much press as animal farming does but, luckily, Tim is well clued up on it. “Trout farming – as with all predatory fish aquaculture – depends on rearing baby trout from a hatchery, and feeding them on pellets.

The issues with trout farming are the same as those that salmon farming faces, but to a lesser extent. The main issue is that most farms feed their trout on pellets containing fishmeal, made from wild fish caught at sea. This, quite clearly, doesn’t make much sense; really we should just eat the fish from the sea, which would be more efficient and less environmentally damaging. Other issues include overstocking, medicating and parasite infestation in the hatcheries.”

SEASON’S EATINGS

You know how when it’s sunny, everyone gravitates to the outdoors, showing off their flesh? Yeah, trout aren’t like that.

“I would say a cool, overcast day is best for trout fishing,” says Bod. “In bright sunlight the fish often go to the bottom of the lake or under trees, so are harder to catch. Cloud cover always helps, and likewise a small breeze – it gives the water a bit of ripple, making it harder for the fish to see you”. So, go fly fishing in the heat, and the only thing you’ll likely catch is a tan.

CAST-TIMES

Casting is a proper skill. (And, actually, weirdly therapeutic, it turns out.)

We’re practicing our roll and overhead techniques all morning (thus giving ourselves sore shoulders for the afternoon), and it ain’t easy. You need to stay in control of the rod, using its flex to propel the line, in a straight path, into the water, while thinking about the angle and position of your forearm. (Yeah, sure we got tangled up in the line once – or

77

twice. What of it?). Then, once the line is out there, you need to retract it slowly, perfecting your attempt at making the fly mimic an insect moving through the water. Then? Well, you do it all over again; this isn’t a doss day, you know.

In fact, it’s bloomin’ hungry work, so pack provisions. Bod put on a top picnic spread, thus earning himself plenty of Brownie points with his students.

FLYING HIGH

Remember that day in school when you nailed joined-up writing so your pencil was replaced by a real-life pen? That’s the feeling of triumph. It’s a similar experience when you’ve perfected your casting, and get an actual fly attached to your line. Flies may be tiny, made by tying up feathers and beads and whatnot to look like a little insect, but they’re a pretty big deal. “When fly fishing, you are trying to mimic what the trout is feeding on, and present that in the form of a fly,” says Bod. “Part of the real art of fly fishing is working out what the trout are feeding on, and then presenting that particular fly to the fish so that it

A triumphant-feeling Jess with her catch of the day

( feature )

Once we’d netted our fish, it was back to Vale House Kitchen to put it to work ...

thinks it’s the real thing. When lake fishing, you are using flies that look like insect larva (like buzzers and pheasant tail nymphs), which is wet fly fishing. Or you’re using flies on top of the water (think mayflys and daddy longlegs), which is dry fly fishing.” So, take plenty of flies: not only so you can try different ones but also ’cause, if you’re like us, you’ll get them hooked in the bushes behind you when you attempt to cast...

GUTTED

So, the actual fishing bit is only half the story – what you do with your prized catch is part two. We made the best use of our lovely trout the next day with Tim, back at Vale House Kitchen. We gutted and filleted them, before Tim showed us his prefered way of removing the pin bones: no tweezers necessary.

“When it comes to pin-boning smaller fish, I always cut either side of the row of pin bones, down to the skin, and remove the little piece of flesh containing them.

This prevents damaging the fillets and gives a better final result,” he says.

FLESHING IT OUT

Having filleted the trout, it’s clear that the ones we caught in the lake, and the ones that were, ahem, drafted in to supplement our modest catch, were all very different. “The trout that were caught by us are non-organic, and a little larger, as they have been reared to catch, rather than to fit into a specific sized pack or price bracket,” explains

Tim. “Flesh from any non-organically farmed or supplementarily fed trout will have a much more vibrant colour too, due to the addition of astaxanthin.

In the wild, this chemical is naturally present in algie, krill and shrimps, and gives wild salmon and sea trout their pale pink hue. Farmed trout (and salmon) would naturally have a paler colour, almost grey, so astaxanthin is added to their feed pellets. The problem is that this is synthesized in a lab using petrochemicals – not very organic.”

So, the fish you pick up in the supermarket has not only probably been bred to packet-friendly size, but also, effectively, dyed pink; there’s even a colour chart in the industry so buyers can choose the shade they want their fish. Yup, legit.

TROUT AND ABOUT

When it comes to places to fly fish, we’re hardly short in these here parts, reckons Bod. “We are blessed with good fishing locally – both on big reservoirs and small lakes and rivers. Bristol water controls fishing on the big reservoirs – Chew and Blagdon – where most fishing is from boats, but you can also fish from the bank. There are smaller local lakes to fish, such as Cameley Lodge and St Algars Farm, where we spent the day.

You are also able to join local fishing clubs and fish on the smaller rivers that we have in the area, such as the Cam and Wellow Brooks.” Do a Google to find local angling societies near you.

78

CURED TROUT INGREDIENTS

50g salt 50g sugar 5 bay leaves, finely chopped 5 peppercorns, crushed 2 juniper berries, crushed 1 trout fillet, skin on METHOD

– Mix the salt, sugar, bay and spices.

– Coat the trout fillet generously with the mixture, all over.

– Set aside to cure for 20 minutes or so.

– Once cured, rinse the fish and pat dry, then cook as desired.

✱ Vale House Kitchen runs a programme of different food courses. We attended the two-day fly fishing and cookery course, but there’s everything from breadmaking to shooting to choose from.

Check out the website for more details; valehousekitchen.co.uk

crumbsmag.com

Come and visit us!

Nestled in the Cotswolds next to Dyrham Park is our 17th Century pub and kitchen.

Just 9 miles from Bath and Bristol.

We are proud to say our food is homemade and the produce we use is sourced as locally as possible.

Our herb and vegetable garden also provides for the kitchen.

A great selection of local beers with an ever changing guest to go with the seasons.

We have a large garden and a front terrace for the better weather days and two open fires for the colder winter days.

The

Bull at Hinton

www.thebullathinton.co.uk | 01179372332 info@thebullathinton.co.uk | thebull_hinton

Wapping Wharf is finally coming together, and it’s making residents out of some top indie food businesses. Mark Taylor investigates what we can expect from Bristol’s newest and kookiest foodie hub…

waP’S uP? Mains

80

crumbsmag.com

@JONCRAIG

w crumbsmag.com

apping Wharf is the latest piece in the jigsaw of the redevelopment and rejuvenation of Bristol’s Harbourside, and it’s already the foodie place to hang out and fill up this summer.

A parcel of land bound by Cumberland Road, Wapping Road and the waterfront, in front of the M-Shed, Wapping Wharf was once home to shipyards and the old gaol (the ruins of the gatehouse are still there for all to see). This summer has seen it finally come back to life as a vibrant new neighbourhood, complete with snazzy apartments and a mouthwatering range of independent food and drink businesses. There are already 200 new residents living in the first phase of Wapping Wharf (there will be 600 new homes when it’s finished), and the first of the food and drink retailers have opened their doors.

Wapping Wharf is one of the most significant regeneration schemes to happen in Bristol for years, and the phased project is being overseen by property developers Umberslade in collaboration with Muse Developments.

Umberslade is a family-owned business, and one that focuses on transforming the space into areas for people to ‘live, work and enjoy life’, as it phrases it.

Stuart Hatton, director at Umberslade, says the focus for them at Wapping Wharf has always been independent retailers who would bring their own unique offering and embrace the community ethos – which is a key part of the development.

“It has been great to see such strong interest in Wapping Wharf from independent retailers keen to be a part of this new neighbourhood on Bristol’s harbourside,” he says. “With its passion for independent retail and its vibrant food and drink scene, Bristol really is the perfect place to launch a new foodie hub.”

The first food and drink retailer to open its doors here was Mokoko, a coffee house and bakery that also has a

81

branch in Bath. For owner Jake Harris, it was the community focus of the development that appealed.

“As a relatively new and independent business, we at Mokoko have always aspired to one day find an opportunity to open a wonderful place in a communitydriven area. The vision the developers had about Wapping Wharf immediately stood out to us as an exceptional one, focused on developing a real community, coupled with being located in a beautiful and historic area.

“The commitment by the developers to support this by featuring only local and independent businesses was one we hugely admire. It’s this commitment that helps makes the Wapping Wharf development stand out further, and we embraced it at the first opportunity.”

The next unit to open its doors was the Better Food Company’s third organic supermarket and café, which launched in early July.

Managing director Phil Haughton says the location of the new Wapping Wharf store means Better Food can do things there that it can’t at its St Werburghs and Clifton sites.

“One of the main differences here is the volume of pedestrian commuter traffic passing Better Food each day. As a result, we are selling a higher proportion of convenience food. Of course, in our case it will be fresh, organic and local – great food to go.

Although many places have opened at Wapping Wharf, there are still projects in the making, like Cargo

Independent Contemporary Restaurant Bath PROFESSIONAL FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER Restaurant Food • Artisan Food 07472615393 • guy.dunwell@icloud.com

www.guydunwellphotography.com

4 Saville Row | Bath | BA1 2QP 01225 780055 | hello@henrysrestaurantbath.com

www.henrysrestaurantbath.com

( feature )

Grocery shops, cafés, bakeries, restaurants, bars – Wapping Wharf is where it’s at right now

“Having several local independents working together has created a fantastic buzz at Wapping Wharf – it’s a really exciting place to be. We’re big believers in the importance of community, and this feels like place-making at its best. I hope it’s a model for sustainable urban design that will be replicated.”

John Drysdale and Chris Chubb have made an indelible mark on Bristol’s coffee scene in recent years – thanks to Small Street Espresso – and they have even bigger plans for the follow-up, Little Victories, set to open this month.

Little Victories will still be majoring on the best coffee, with the same Clifton Coffee-roasted house blend as Small Street, but there will also be a guest espresso and two guest filters, which will change every four weeks. It will also be serving salads and sandwiches (made using Hart’s Bakery bread) during the day, and between Wednesday and Saturday they will extend opening until 9pm, serving charcuterie and cheese alongside craft beers, organic and natural wines (from local importer Dan Briggs at Billings and Briggs), coffeebased cocktails, and gin and tonics.

John says: “We’ve never had any desire to open the same place again; it’s a lot more interesting to do something a bit different. It would have been easier to do Small Street Espresso II in another area, but going to Wapping for Little Victories is a lot more fun.

“We’ve given it a new name and expanded offering to make it clear they are two independent sister sites with different styles, although great coffee should be the base level for both. Small, simple and quality is the aim, and we’re looking forward to trying our coffee skills out, paired with booze.”

crumbsmag.com

Another new name for Wapping Wharf is Wild Beer Co, the local brewery which launches its first Bristol site with a restaurant and craft beer bar. This is set to occupy the vast glassfronted corner unit closest to the water along Gaol Ferry Steps, and it marks the opening of the brewery’s second site, after its popular restaurant and craft beer bar in Cheltenham.

Rich Kilpatrick, managing director of Wild Beer, said: “We are incredibly excited to be getting our hands on our first Bristol site, and Wapping Wharf is the perfect fit. We intend to create a unique eating and drinking experience – where you’ll feel both comfortable and engaged – with a creative interior and an external terrace, perfect for waterfront alfresco dining.

“When open, we will be pouring both our own great range of beers as well as others from some of our best brewing friends, both at home and abroad. Food

83

will play a big part in what we do at Wapping Wharf; flavour and taste lead everything we produce.

“Bristol is a very important city to us; it was the first place we sold our beer and where we have some of our best accounts, but it is also our biggest local market and where we socialise the most.

We have always thought we would love to have a bar in Bristol.

“We will have 22 draught lines, featuring a dozen or so Wild Beers at any one time, with the rest of the taps being given over to other amazing breweries from both the UK and further afield. There will also be a number of bottled beers from around the world, an extensive gin list and creative soft drinks. As for the food, we are incredibly excited to be working collaboratively on our menu with Hook, who have been receiving amazing reviews in London for their modern take on fish and chips.”

As well as the cafés, bars, shops and restaurants located along newly created Gaol Ferry Steps, which connects south Bristol to the harbourside and the city centre, Wapping Wharf is also home to Cargo – only Bristol’s first ever retail yard made entirely of converted shipping containers.

The first retailer to move into Cargo was Pizzarova, which started as a mobile pizza street food stall before opening its shop on Gloucester Road.

( feature )

We dare you to take this new short cut from South Bristol to the centre without stopping to snaffle something...

Founder Alex Corbett says that they had their eye on Wapping Wharf for a good while before opening: “We stumbled upon Wapping Wharf whilst looking for our first bricks and mortar site. We originally looked at one of their retail units, but it would have been too complicated with wood-fired ovens and so didn’t pursue it. We already had the crate on a lorry, which we were using for events and festivals, and had half a plan to try and get it into a city, but we ended up agreeing to drop the crate on the waterfront and here we are!

“Considering we were the first container to open and we were essentially trading on a building site, business has been very good so far.

It’s more dependent on good weather than we had originally hoped, so we are investing in a heated awning for our customers to sit under. Once the other businesses open, it will become more of a destination, which will help trade, and we are planning to start delivering on bicycles, as we do from the Gloucester Road restaurant.”

Cargo is also going to be home to the independent Bristol Cider Shop, which is relocating from its current home on Christmas Steps.

Co-owner Peter Snowman is looking forward to his new, larger premises, and has plenty of exciting ideas as to how he

wants to use all the extra space – after all, this move has been rather a long time in coming.

“We’ve been thinking about moving the shop for a while,” he says, “and have just been waiting for the right space. We love Christmas Steps but, as anyone that has ever been to the shop knows, it’s tiny.

We’ll have more room for cider tastings and events here; our tastings have really taken off, and we can only fit about a dozen people into our tasting room at the moment, but Cargo will be about twice the size.

“We’re going to have a comprehensive programme of events, including cidermaking, food matching, cider dinners, ‘meet the producer’ sessions and regular after-work tastings. We’re using the move as an opportunity to develop our range too, so we’re tasting lots of new ciders to sit alongside some of our old

84

favourites, and we’ll also be launching our own brand of cider.”

Also lined up to open in the containers is the first restaurant from the Bristolbased family-run business Jolly Hog, the artisan sausage business run by ex-Harlequins rugby star Olly Kohn and his brothers Max and Josh.

Meanwhile, we’re also looking forward to a new site from established Bristol business Biblos, with its Caribbeanmeets-Middle Eastern wraps and mezze dishes, as well as the first permanent site for sourdough pizza business Bertha’s Pizza – due to open next to Wapping Wharf in the former Mud Dock Deli on Cumberland Road itself.

Bertha’s Pizza founder Graham Farragher is excited for the alreadypopular business to finally have a longterm home here.

“What drew us to the area was a mixture of things: apart from a beautiful building, full of character, and a location within walking distance of the city centre, it’s because Wapping Wharf is already feeling like a community of likeminded neighbours.”

Directory berthas.co.uk betterfood.co.uk biblos.co.uk bristolcidershop.co.uk jollyhoguk.com @LittleVicsBris mokokocoffee.com pizzarova.com wildbeerco.com

crumbsmag.com

Millennium Promenade, Bristol BS1 5SY Tel: 0117 325 0898 www.brigstowbarandkitchen.co.uk

Best Western Centurion Hotel Charlton Lane, Midsomer Norton, Nr Bath BA3 4BD | 01761 417711

www.centurionhotel.co.uk @seanhorwood

RestAtCent

Ian Hobbs Technical Services offer an array of commercial & industrial service solutions, all under one roof

Air Conditioning

Refrigeration

Plumbing & Heating

Electrical

Renewables

w: www.ianhobbs.com t: 01225 444171 e: info@ianhobbs.com /ianhobbstech @ianhobbstech

CRUMBS

is available to download. www.mediaclash.co.uk

#54 S NE X T IS

UE

A little slice of foodie heaven

BATH & BRISTOL

crumbsmag.com

EDITOR

JESSICA CARTER jessica.carter@mediaclash.co.uk DEVELOPMENT EDITOR

MATT BIELBY matt.bielby@mediaclash.co.uk ART DIRECTOR

TREVOR GILHAM CONTRIBUTORS

MARK TAYLOR, MATT INWOOD ADVERTISING MANAGER

KYLE PHILLIPS kyle.phillips@mediaclash.co.uk DEPUTY ADVERTISING MANAGER

NEIL SNOW neil.snow@mediaclash.co.uk ACCOUNT MANAGER

LORENA CUSSENS lorena.cussens@mediaclash.co.uk PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION MANAGER

SARAH KINGSTON sarah.kingston@mediaclash.co.uk DEPUTY PRODUCTION MANAGER/ PRODUCTION DESIGNER

CHRISTINA WEST christina.west@mediaclash.co.uk CHIEF EXECUTIVE

JANE INGHAM jane.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk CHIEF EXECUTIVE

GREG INGHAM greg.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk

MediaClash, Circus Mews House, Circus Mews, Bath BA1 2PW; 01225 475800 large version

© All rights reserved. May not be reproduced without written permission of MediaClash.

MediaClash reserves the right to reject any material and to edit such prior to publication.

Opinions are those of individual authors.

Printed on paper from a well-managed source. Inks are vegetable-based; printer is certified to ISO 14001 environmental management.

This month we ate a coffee-inspired dinner with Nespresso at Bristol’s Lido, lunched at Bath Racecourse to celebrate the new stand, got a peek at the new No. 15 Great Pulteney hotel, ate pizza at Pi Shop’s launch, and checked out Clifton’s new Ivy Brasserie.

Crumbs is back with...

POLPO FICTION We grill restaurateur Russell Norman ahead of his Bristol opening

THE C-WORD

The best venues for that wine-soaked office Christmas meal

MY BAE

A tasty staycation at Watergate Bay

CAN’T EAT, WON’T EAT How are chefs coping with our ever-increasing dietary demands, and what do they think of them?

Look for our next issue from

Friday, 2 September

www.crumbsmag.com

Afters NEW RESTAURANTS DEVOURED, NEW CAFÉS FREQUENTED, NEW BARS CRAWLED, AND THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT WE THOUGHT OF THEM

Highlights MEAT SWEATS

Filthy feasting calls for plenty of kitchen roll at MEATliquor Page 90

BELLE OF THE BALL

Looks like MEATliquor has found a use for all those school desks we defaced back in the day

Top tapas at Bellita, not to mention stonking value for money Page 92

PUBBY LOVE

The Artisan in Frome might be best known as a boozer, but its grub gets the thumbs up from us Page 94

FRIDAY NIGHT DINNER

We skip the awkward meal with the ’rents and go for cocktails and nibbles at Circo’s new gaff instead Page 96

Including…

4 crumbsmag.com

89

cocktails drank.

(We did have some help, mind you)

Af ters

( BANGIN’ BURGER JOINTS )

MEATLIQUOR The battle of the burgers continues in Bristol as Jessica Carter checks out one of the newer kids on the block

B

urgers are booming in Bristol (try saying that five times, fast); Three Brothers, Five Guys and Chomp rep just a fraction of the places competing in the city’s ‘best burger’ stakes – and all have great entries for the attentions of a continuous stream of hungry judges, too.

Edgy street-food-turned-diner brand MEATliquor rocked up for a slice of the cut-throat action last November, after tonnes of hype and we-can’t-evenremember-how-many delays. It was always going to be interesting to see how this London-original (and – shh!

– chain) fared in indie-championing, ready-to-put-up-a-fight (just ask Tesco) Stokes Croft. Answer? Yeah, it’s doing quite well, actually.

This Bristol diner may be part of a larger family, but it’s as individual as any of its one-off neighbours. With the remnants of the previous heating company’s old signage still up, and a dimly-lit, spray-painted interior visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows, you’d be forgiven for thinking, at first glance, that the place was still disused, save from a few graffiti-happy kids.

Get yourself through the door though, and, as if from nowhere, a restaurant emerges. Thanks to renowned local street artist Inkie, there’s barely a surface that hasn’t been confronted by the nozzle of a spray can. Marker-pen scrawlings adorn the seats and tables, and caged red strip-lights hang among the exposed pipes and vents in the ceiling. I mean, yeah – it’s pretty hipster, man. And unapologetically so.

As you’d expect, then, the team are laid-back and mega-friendly (genuinely,

90

crumbsmag.com

( feature )

though), and, for the most part, seem really into what they’re doing. So, there’s no feeling out of place, or inwardly questioning whether you have enough ‘cool’ points to fit in (I’m pretty low on them myself, but felt okay about it).

The drinks menu is as thick as the food one – thicker, even – and lists shakes and floats (both in soft and alcoholic forms), cocktails, beers, spirits, and a handful of wines for good measure. A Czech-style Hobo craft lager (the brewery that makes it was co-founded by Scott Collins, one of the two original brains behind MEATliquor) and a Space Gin Smash (gin, lemon, apple, elderflower, mint and grape) provided apt lubrication for the following feast of fabulous filth.

Before I go any further, I’ll address any veggies who are still with us at this point (impressive), and don’t yet know that Bristol’s MEATliquor has a bigger meat-free range than any of its siblings.

The selection of veggie, gluten-free and vegan options include patties of spiced potato and veg, black bean chilli fries, and battered fingers of mock-chicken in chilli sauce.

To hold off on the beef even longer, let’s talk chicken – there are buffalo wings as well as three different burgers that showcase poultry. The sexysounding Dirty Chicken Cheeseburger (£8.75) starred a super-thick, tender, high quality chicken fillet. Coated in an airy, crisp batter, it was topped with melted cheese, red onion and mayo, and sandwiched in a decent bap. It’s perhaps the best chicken burger I’ve ever had.

And now for the beef. The Dead Hippie (£8.75) is MEATliquor’s signature number, and sees two

crumbsmag.com

91

mustard-fried beef patties stacked with cheese, secret-recipe Dead Hippie Sauce, pickles and onion, inside a soft and tasty glazed bun. Despite being packed full, it held together well, right up to the last bite, and combined all those most-loved USA-style burger flavours. What isn’t very USA-style, though, is the size; it’s by no means small, but isn’t trying to be the biggest in Bristol, either. And this is probably for a reason; the novel selection of sides on offer need to get a look in, after all.

The lightly battered strips of fried pickle (£3.75) were just as expected, and came with a blue cheese sauce that was just as great a dip for the chilli cheese fries (£7). Served in a portion that three could happily share, the thin fries were heavy with beef chilli, cheese, onion, jalapeños and mustard (they do get pretty soggy under all that, though, so it’s probably best not to leave them ’til last). Also vouchable-for are the hunks of deep-fried mac ’n’ cheese (£5.50): because when is cheesy deep-fried carb ever going to be a fail, I ask you?

MEATliquor is fun and laid-back, and doesn’t take itself too seriously (just check out the full-on kitchen rolls on all the tables, suggesting you’re going to get yourself into a mess, but probably enjoy doing so), meaning it’s possible to forgive the odd soggy chip. In fact, the general quality was bang on the money for a joint of this sort, we thought.

(P.S. It’s just launched a brunch menu, too. Just thought you should know – apologise to your waistline for us.) ✱ MEATLIQUOR, 77-79 Stokes Croft, BS1 3RD Bristol; 0117 402 0000; meatliquor.com/bristol

( feature )

92

crumbsmag.com

Af ters

( feature )

( S M A L L- P L AT E S U P E R S TA R S )

BELLITA

Never one to miss out on a deal, Jessica Carter checks out the great-value lunch at this imaginative tapas joint

W

hen Flinty Red closed its doors a year ago, the Bristol restaurant scene barely had time for a proper sulk before this new and exciting gaff moved in. Sister restaurant to the renowned Bell’s Diner, Bellita has some pretty experienced local foodies behind it – Guild of Food Writers chair and wine pro Kate Hawkings, for starters.

So, there was plenty of hype and expectation from the off among the city’s clued-up diners.

I’ve actually been here a fair few times for dinner (and fallen victim to the great wine list on each occasion), when the restaurant is dark and cosy, humming with conversation and lit dimly by candles. This visit, though, was in broad daylight for the lunch deal (£10 for three tapas dishes). It’s always a bit odd seeing your regular late-night haunt in broad daylight, and most of the time it’s a pretty disappointing – not to mention dismal – experience. You notice cracks in the walls, stains on the carpet and a decor that is, er, perhaps not quite so chic as it appears in the dark after a couple of cocktails… Bellita, though, is a beaut; bright colours pop to offset the raw wood and exposed brick for an understated Mediterranean feel, while the big windowed frontage allows in plenty of sun.

There’s a super-interesting wine selection here, which champions female producers; each of the (really reasonably priced) varieties are made by women – Ingrid Bates’ locally made Dunleavy rosé is among them. It’s not a long and confusing list, though, but refreshingly down to earth. There are also some unusual beers on offer, and a small handful of cocktails, with the signature Bellita concoction made with orange gin (from the nearby Chase Distillery), raspberry, thyme and black pepper.

crumbsmag.com

The food menu is compact and consistent; a melting pot of African, Spanish and other European influences.

Dishes come in small-plate form, with simple, quality ‘bar’ food joined by interesting and thoughtful vegetable, seafood and meat options to mix and match with.

The golden potato and Parmesan fritters (£3) were crisp on the outside, with a fluffy, richly cheesy filling, and came topped with finely grated feathers of Parmesan. Also from the bar menu was Iberico chorizo (£4.50). Simply served in soft, tender slices, it was meltin-the-mouth in texture, with layers of subtle warming spice.

The thick, herby labneh (£3) was really great – crushed back and green olives gave a salty edge to offset the sweetness of the peas, while dried mint gave it a soft, aromatic finish.

The feta and cherry tomato salad (£6) had just the right amount of tang; uber-soft, creamy feta was crumbled over a mix of bright-red tomatoes, soft red onion, mellow peach, and fragrant dried oregano. Salad also came in the form of spiced aubergine (£5.50), which had been cooked until super-tender, piled atop a yoghurt foundation, and peppered with pomegranate seeds.

Chunks of braised octopus (£5) swam in a juicy sauce with burnt peppers and soft confit tomatoes. There was a lovely whisper of smokiness in there, and a topping of creamy aioli.

Of all those plates, there was not a single dud; none fell out of favour when more arrived (everything’s brought out as and when it’s ready, in true tapas style), thanks to each one’s unique flavour, varied textures, colourful presentaion and simple, unfussy nature.

That grub was all taken care of at the same time as some chilled Hungarian Furmint, by the way, which had more than enough personality to drink on

93

its own, but also got on well with our various dishes.

Desserts came in the form of two blocks of soft and sticky nougat (£2.50), flavoured with chunky hazelnut, candied orange peel, rosemary and rose petal, which all balanced to curb that post-lunch sweet craving while maintaining an elegantly savoury air. A raspberry jelly with apricot ripple ice cream, ginger biscuits and redcurrants (£5.50) from the specials board was a fun, grown-up take on the kids’ birthday party classic, with fresh, clean flavours.

Flinty Red might have been a tough act to follow, but Bellita has proved itself a worthy successor within these walls. It’s doing its thing with intent, confidence, and plenty of style. ✱ BELLITA, 34 Cotham Hill, Bristol BS6 6LA; 0117 923 8755; bellita.co.uk

Af ters

( feature )

( PEACHY PUBS )

THE ARTISAN Mark Taylor drops in on this Somerset watering hole, but spends his evening at a dining table rather than the bar‌

94

crumbsmag.com

( feature )

A

lthough The Artisan in Frome has only just celebrated its first anniversary, there has been a pub on this site since 1851, when it was called The Ship Inn. Over that time, it has changed names on a few occasions, and it was known as The Olive Tree for a many years, as well as spending time as a Thai restaurant.

Siobhan Cook took over last year, fresh from a career working in event management – this is her very first pub.

From the outset, she was determined to make the renamed Artisan a community pub for locals and Frome visitors alike, with regular events including live music on the weekends and jazz on Mondays.

And she couldn’t have wished for a better location than at the top of St Catherine’s Hill – a thriving hub for some wonderful independent businesses and art studios, worth a detour in itself.

A detached, traditional stone-built pub with a decked courtyard garden that gets the sun all day in the summer, this place has had some special attention, having been totally refurbished. At the front, there is a large, family-friendly bar where drinkers can stand quaffing pints of Butcombe Bitter and Heineken whilst nibbling on snacks of homemade Scotch eggs and sausage rolls. It’s buzzy, lively, friendly and exactly the sort of local you yearn for when you need a restorative pint after work. Beyond the bar, near the garden, there is a light and airy dining room with whitewashed stone walls, splashes of duck egg paint, a wood burner and well-spaced tables.

The kitchen makes everything from scratch – from the daily pie (it was steak and ale the day I visited) to the burgers and fish goujons on the ‘Little Ones’ kids’ menu. Local suppliers are used as much as possible, with meat coming from the family butcher literally across the road, fish from a supplier who attends the weekly Frome market, and vegetables from a farm on the outskirts of the town.

The main menu sticks to walletfriendly pub classics like steaks, burgers, lasagne, fish and chips, and the retro chicken Kiev. There are also salads and various sharing platters: the fish plate comes piled with smoked mackerel,

crumbsmag.com

potted shrimps, smoked salmon, calamari, pickled cucumber and crusty bread, for instance.

Even more alluring is the printed list of daily dinner specials, which change depending on what produce arrives in the kitchen. These might include a starter of belly pork with pea purée, caramelised apple and wasabi mayo, and a main course of sea bass fillet, buttered samphire, sautéed new potatoes, burnt butter sauce, capers and brown shrimps.

From the specials, I kicked off with pan-fried garlic king prawns with homemade lemon mayonnaise (£6.95).

A bowl of six enormous shell-on prawns sat in a pool of buttery, garlicky goodness, alongside a fat wedge of lemon to slice through the richness. The accompanying mayo was pleasingly sharp and citrussy, too, and made for some fine dipping with the remaining slices of crusty bread.

Prices at The Artisan are perfectly pitched to appeal across the board, both for regular dinners and special occasions. At £18.50, a main course of beef fillet is bordering on bargain basement – there are many places in the region charging considerably more than that for such a prime cut.

And it was beautifully handled, too, with an assertively seasoned crust and perfectly cooked, rosy pink flesh. It was served with a silky shallot purée, purple and yellow heritage carrots with great crunch and real flavour, squeaky shredded cabbage with a dash of cream, two crisp and caramelised potato rostis, and a dribble of red wine jus.

To finish, a well made blueberry crème brûlée (£6.95), with a glass-like sugary lid and creamy blueberrystudded custard beneath, was served with crumbly, buttery, sugar-dusted shortbread biscuits, which were still warm from the oven.

The Artisan may call itself a ‘pub and kitchen’, and the split might be more in the favour of drinkers at the moment, but the food here is certainly worthy of more recognition.

✱ THE ARTISAN, 6 Christchurch Street West, Frome BA11 1EQ; 01373 300102; theartisan.pub

95

( C O S Y C O C K TA I L B A R S )

CIRCO

Af ters

Hungry, thirsty and ready for the weekend, Jessica Carter makes Bath’s Circo her after-work venue of choice one Friday evening…

T

hose who have been a local in the city for a while, and like a good cocktail, probably have a core group of old-faithful bars to hit up on a Friday night – amongst which, we’re willing to bet, is Circo. It’s been around for five years or so, and until April was housed in a basement on South Parade.

Having swapped one basement for another, though, it can now be found at the former Tobias and the Angel site

96

on George Street. And it’s making good use of the new location, adjacent to its sibling restaurant Clayton’s Kitchen, by serving Rob Clayton’s grub alongside its liquid offerings.

Well-known Bath chef Rob, who has previously held Michelin stars at the likes of The Bath Priory, focuses on seasonal, relevant food, fresh in taste and concept, with influences coming from both Britain and mainland Europe.

For Circo, he’s put together a menu

crumbsmag.com

( feature )

of unfussy small plates, specifically designed to be enjoyed with drinks – be they as light nibbles, or tapas to share as a large main meal.

Through the main door on pavement level is a staircase that takes you down into the tasteful lounge-style space, with its adjoining rooms, cosy vaulted nooks, and comfy chairs and sofas to sink into.

During the day, natural light seeps in fairly effectively (one side of Circo is under one of Bath’s high and mighty pavements, giving plenty of wall-space for windows) and lunch and coffee are served. Meanwhile, by night, the dimly lit rooms take on a different atmosphere, and a feeling of warmth and comfort.

Having been once or twice (okay, more times than I’ve counted) before, I was well aware of the Cazcabel honey tequila that’s stocked here, so knew exactly what my first Friday-evening drink was going to be. And even though the Circo Margarita (which sees the honey liqueur mixed with agave and

crumbsmag.com

lime) wasn’t on the current menu, the team were more than happy to make it all the same. A Wild Cucumber (Hendrick’s with Noilly Prat vermouth, cucumber, elderflower and lime) came along as well, after we’d chatted to our waiter – manager, Scott – about our preference for fresh, light flavours. Oh, and gin. Obvs.

Cocktails start at £8, with ‘deluxe editions’ (y’know, for when you’re feeling fancy) reaching the low 20s.

There’s a really decent selection, which makes good use of the impressive backbar. And, better still, service is from your table, so there’s no standing in an unsociable queue for a fortnight with strangers’ elbows sticking into your ribs.

If you’re not in the mood for cocktails, then there are plenty of local and international beers, as well as wines and softies. We, however, were most certainly in the mood (particularly so my flight-attendant pal, who had come straight to dinner from across the Atlantic via Heathrow – that’s dedication, right?), and those two went down blindingly.

And so to the food. Two portions of golden, crisp, breadcrumbed spheres (£5 a portion) turned out to each consist of a bonbon of Godminster Cheddar, and another of soft pork. The former were rich with punchy, mature cheesiness, and lifted by a fruit cranberry dip, while the latter, we were told, were made with pork from a local farm that slaughters a minimal number of pigs, making the meat here really special. Those bad boys came with a lovely fig chutney on the side for dipping.

Mini sausages (£5), meanwhile, were coated in a sticky honey glaze (which had caramelised on the outside for a

97

wonderfully sweet effect) and sesame seeds, with fresh-tasting tarragon mayo.

Fresh and soft Scottish salmon came beetroot-cured, smoked and as gravlax (£8 for the selection), all distinctly different and accompanied by curls of cucumber ribbons, sweet dill mayo, lemon, and crispbreads.

Lightly toasted focaccia was piled with fresh Pembrokshire crab (£9), the juicy, soft brown meat spread over the slices of bread and topped with the delicate flaked white meat. Two more slices carried tender cured pork shoulder, as well as warmly spiced chorizo and soft, grilled artichoke (£9).

The conclusion of that little lot called for a Boericky (Hendrick’s, lime, elderflower and Sauv Blanc) and dessert.

Raspberries and praline cream came layered with crisp coconut discs to form a millefeuille (£7); a hunk of Clayton’s spongy strawberry shortcake was topped with velvety strawberry ice cream (£7); and the gooey salted caramel mousse (£8) was more caramel than mousse in consistency, and came with moreishly salty peanut ice cream.

This casual joint, with its large tables, separate areas and social sharing plates is a great shout for groups, but equally a winner for a quiet drink (and a cheeky few snacks) for two. ✱ CIRCO, 15-18 George Street, Bath BA1 2EN; 01225 585100; circobar.co.uk

Little black book This here is Kate Holland-Smith from The Mall Deli, and we’re about to take a peek in her foodie contact book

Quick!

Now add this little lot to your contacts book Bakers & Co, Bristol BS7 8BG; bakersbristol.co.uk Lye Cross Farm Shop, Bristol BS40 5RH; lyecrossfarm.co.uk Brockley Stores, Bristol BS48 3AT; brockleystores.co.uk Clifton Cellars, Bristol BS8 4DS; cliftoncellars.co.uk DBM Wines, Bristol BS8 4AB; dbmwines.co.uk The Kensington Arms, Bristol BS6 6NP; thekensingtonarms.co.uk Amoeba, Bristol BS8 4AB; amoebaclifton.co.uk Small Bar, Bristol BS1 4DZ; smallbar.co.uk The Ox, Bristol BS8 2QX; theoxclifton.com Swoon, Bristol BS1 5TB; swoononaspoon.co.uk The Primrose Café, Bristol BS8 4AA; primrosecafe.co.uk The Ethicurean, Bristol BS40 5SA; theethicurean.com The Folk House Café, Bristol BS1 5JG; bristolfolkhouse.co.uk The Stock Exchange Bakery, Bristol BS1 1TG; thestockexchangebakery.com The Clifton Sausage, Bristol BS8 4JA; cliftonsausage.co.uk The Darlington Arms, Bristol BS40 5TE; thedarlingtonatredhill.co.uk Pizza Workshop, Bristol BS3 1JD; pizzaworkshop.co.uk Dev’s Kerala, Bristol BS7 8NU; devskeralabristol.com

BREAKFAST?

POSH NOSH?

Bakers & Co – just the right amount of bustle to get you going in the morning, and the food and coffee are fab.

The Ethicurean, Wrington. Gorgeous views of the Mendips, very rustic and relaxed interior, but some very special culinary action going on – using Mark’s veg from the walled garden. As posh as it gets for me!

FAVOURITE GROCERY SHOP?

I’ve done plenty of last-minute dashes to Lye Cross Farm Shop and Brockley Stores over the years.

HIDDEN GEM?

The Folk House Café on Park Street…

BEST WINE MERCHANT?

The guys at Clifton Cellars and DBM Wines are always on hand with good advice, and I’m impressed with their suggestions every time.

WITH FRIENDS?

For brunch or lunch I’d try to get a table at The Stock Exchange Bakery, near St Nick’s Market. It’s really central, and has bagels like no others.

SUNDAY LUNCH?

The Kensington Arms in Redland do a lovely roast.

QUICK PINT?

Straight after work, we’d head to Amoeba – they have a gorgeous garden out the back. Further afield, Small Bar has a wonderful selection of beers.

CHEEKY COCKTAIL?

The Ox on Whiteladies Road – preferably before (and after) dinner.

COMFORT FOOD?

It would have to be The Clifton Sausage for straight-up sausage and mash.

WITH THE FAMILY?

The Darlington Arms, just off the A38 near Wrington. It’s recently changed ownership and been renovated, and we’ve since spent many a happy Saturday afternoon and Sunday lunch there in various family combinations.

CHILD FRIENDLY?

FOOD ON THE GO?

It won’t help with your 5-a-day, but a takeaway gelato from Swoon on Park Street is the perfect pick-me-up while you’re out and about.

ALFRESCO FEASTING?

I’ve been going to The Primrose Café since I was a teenager; I love the bistro feel, with the tables spilling out onto the pavement.

98

Pizza Workshop on North Street is great. It does little kid-sized pizzas, and the staff there are really friendly.

BEST CURRY?

Dev’s Kerala, Gloucester Road.

Authentic Southern Indian food.

And it’s BYO. ✱ themalldeli.co.uk

crumbsmag.com