2012

Folkstone whelks, Kentish chickens and Gypsy Tart

There are big plans for Folkestone.  The high speed train from St Pancras has slashed the journey time down to just 50 minutes and town planners have earmarked run-down districts for ambitious regeneration plans. Investing into this future is chef Mark Sargeant of Saturday Kitchen fame who, having worked under Gordon Ramsay at Claridges when the restaurant earned a Michelin star, has opened two restaurants on Folkestone harbour: Smokehouse, an upmarket fish and chip cafe, and Rocksalt, a smart restaurant and bar.

Outside at Rock Salt | Restaurant reviews | The Piglet
The weatherboarded curved sides of Mark Sargeant's Rock Salt, Folkstone


These glossy glass, steel and black weatherboarded buildings sit in striking contrast to the gritty industry of this working harbour with its piles of fishing nets, cobbled quay and hotch-potch of warehouses.  It’s a wonderful juxtaposition of old and new, industry and leisure, utility and beauty, all unified by seafood and its provenance. You don’t need Heston Blumenthal spraying salty sea air above your head - just take a deep breath and fill your lungs with it. The smell of the sea and the low-tide muds, the cry of seagulls and the sight of fishermen brining in their hauls whip up an appetite for seafood, the speciality of Rocksalt. 

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Rock Salt restaurant review

Posted on

Thursday 6 December 2012

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Two michelin stars and deep fried pigs head

Chef Tom Kerridge hit the road running with the Hand & Flower - not only did it receive a Michelin star within a year of opening back in 2005, but it recently received a second star, making it the only pub in the country to do so. However, it's a little disingenuous to describe the Hand and Flowers as a pub, even a gastro pub. You won't find anyone propping up the bar with a pint and a packet of crisps. The cosy, heavily beamed interior is given over entirely to rustic candle-lit dining tables which you're best to book (even for midweek lunch) to guarantee your spot among the romantic couples lingering over their Michelin starred meal. 

Cosy pub dining room | Hand & Flowers restaurant review


And linger you can't help but do. The building sits uncomfortably close to the side of one of the main roads exiting Marlow in Berkshire, but this quickly becomes forgotten once inside. The restaurant is so warm, the candle-light so relaxing, the leather banquettes so comfortable, the ceilings so cosily low and the staff so attentive, that it's hard not to find yourself hypnotised into a delicious stupor - and that's before the food even arrives. Read more....

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Hand & Flower restaurant review

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Sunday 11 November 2012

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Sloe gin and wild mushrooms in a rural corner of Hampshire


You wouldn’t think you could find such a remote and rustic hideaway just one hour from London. The 15 minute drive from Basingstoke quickly leaves behind the Basingstoke burbs and has you winding through quiet lanes and sheep dotted fields to where The Wellington Arms discreetly sits in solitariness, surrounded by well tended vegetable beds and planters. 
From the outside this is a modest building revealing little of the warmth and space that bubbles away inside. Step through the door and you will be pleasantly surprised by the sight of a cosy, bustling restaurant, filled to the rafters even midweek, a fire merrily crackling away in the corner, a crystal decanter of homemade sloe gin glittering on the counter, and the owner chatting at leisure with his customers despite being at full capacity. 

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The Wellington Arms restaurant review

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Friday 5 October 2012

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Step by step salted butter tart recipe 
An utterly divine dish celebrating fat, sugar and salt. And simple to make. Specially requested by Marisa Bell for her birthday. Now got to bring it into work on the tube. TS

Salted butter tart | Step by step recipes | The Piglet
Salted butter tart
Serves: 8
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
250 g superfine caster sugar
115 g salted butter, diced
250 ml whipping cream
Lightly whipped cream, for serving
125g flour
Pinch of fine sea salt
75g cold unsalted butter, diced
1 egg
30g caster sugar
1. For the pastry, combine the flour and salt in a food processor and pulse to mix. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles very coarse bread crumbs. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

You will need
For the sweet butter pastry:

Method
2. In another bowl, whisk together the egg and sugar. Pour the egg mixture over the flour and butter mixture and mix with a fork. Squeeze a bit of the mixture between your fingers. If it holds together, transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface; if not, add a couple of teaspoons of ice water and test again. Knead gently and form into a ball and flatten into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using.

3. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface and line a 23 or 24 centimetre tart pan. Prick the base of the tart with a fork and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 190°C/gas mark 5. Place the tart shell on a baking sheet. Line the tart with parchment paper and fill it with dried beans. Bake until the pastry is just set, about 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and continue to cook until the pastry is a dark golden color, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the tart to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

5. Combine the sugar and butter in a deep, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir to mix and cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter and sugar caramelize, 10 to 15 minutes. The sugar and butter will go through several stages. First it will look like a flour and butter roux, then it will appear curdled, and then the butter will leak out of the sugar mixture. Don’t worry: it will all come together in the end.

6. While the caramel is cooking, pour the cream into a saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat and set aside.

7. Keep stirring the butter and sugar mixture, watching carefully as it begins to caramelize and remembering that the heat in the pan will continue to cook the caramel once it is removed from the burner. You want a rich, dark caramel color, but you don’t want to burn the mixture, which will give it a bitter taste.

8. When the caramel reaches the right color, remove the pan from the heat and slowly and carefully pour in the cream; the mixture will bubble and spit. When the caramel stops bubbling, return it to low heat and cook for five minutes, stirring to dissolve the caramel in the cream. Remove the pan from the heat and let the caramel cool for 10 minutes.

9. Slowly pour the cooled caramel into the baked pastry shell and chill the tart for at least two hours. This tart is easier to cut when it is chilled. Remove the tart from the pan and, using a wet knife, cut it into wedges. Serve the tart at room temperature, however, for maximum flavor, with a dollop of whipped cream.

Recipe, Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, Jennifer McLagan (Jacqui Small)

Salted butter tart | Step by step recipes | The Piglet
A lot of fat and sugar

Don't worry if it curdles

That's caramel baby




A salted butter tart

Posted on

Friday 28 September 2012

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Burger and lobster for £20 in Soho


Everything on the menu is £20 and there are only two things on the menu: burger or lobster. Ask for the Californian if you're off carbs. Otherwise get ready for some gut busting portions. Lobster eaters have the most fun with operating gowns and utensils provided for the big feast. Perfect for a quick after work blow-out. Grab a booth for a the full on US-style experience. The squeamish should avoid peering into the live lobster tanks at the back of the restaurant. TS













Burger and Lobster restaurant review

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Wednesday 12 September 2012

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Location: Soho, London, UK

Bleeding hearts and lavender cupcakes

If you thought cupcakes were the domain of Agas and country kitchens, think again. Lily Vanilli's sweet creations push the bounds of social niceties delivering platters of bleeding hearts and shards of glass to London foodies. These creations don't just look nice though - these are some of the best cupcakes you will find in the country. Lily's new book helps show you have to recreate these works of art that taste as amazing as they look. Perfect for creative cooks. TS


Cupcakes at Lily Vanilli Sweet Tooth book launch
Piles of cupcakes at Sweet Tooth book launch


Sweet Tooth by Lily Vanilli



Lily Vanilli cupcakes



Halloween hearts | Lily Vanilli cupcakes
Bleeding hearts by Lily Vanilli


Lily Vanilli Sweet Tooth book launch

Posted on

Thursday 9 August 2012

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Fowl, game and tweed at the Barbican


Located just a stone’s throw from the Barbican Centre, The Jugged Hare is pitched perfectly at its cultured clientele. In pleasing harmony, both the menu and the restaurant are redolent of the Victorian era, serving game (which may contain shot), fish handpicked daily from Billingsgate Market, and British ingredients from rare breed farmers, artisan producers and regional cheese-makers – all of which comes to your table in the hands of tweed waist-coated bar staff and traditionally dressed waiters. If you could be taken there in a horse-drawn glossy black Hackney carriage, it wouldn’t feel out of place. TS
The dining room at the Jugged Hare | London restaurant reviews
The dining room at the Jugged Hare

The Jugged Hare restaurant review

Posted on

Tuesday 10 July 2012

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