Six Top London Chefs, Six Wednesdays, An Extravaganza Of Cuisines From Around The World

This Wednesday the third top London chef, Sophie Wright (food writer of Easy Peasy and Home at 7, Dinner at 8) will cook a herb marinated canon of Welsh Lamb with flageolet beans and merguez ragu at A World of Welsh Lamb. This six week celebration of Welsh Lamb will be hosted at The Butcher in Leadenhall Market, every Wednesday from 12:00pm until 2:00pm, offering an extravaganza of dishes from top London chefs inspired by cuisines of the world. The past fortnight has already seen chefs Andre Garrett from Galvin at Windows and Joe Gray from Kenza Restaurant (Levant Group) cook up delicious Welsh Lamb dishes.

The line-up includes some of London's top restaurants cooking up mouth-watering Welsh Lamb dishes for the public to sample free of charge. Full lunch portions will also be available to purchase. This means that for six weeks the freshest Welsh Lamb will arrive straight from farmers' gates, to be incorporated into a dish for City workers' plates. The following chefs will each create their own unique mouth-watering Welsh Lamb dish:

Sophie Wright, Food writer - Easy Peasy & Home at 7, Dinner at 8
Herb marinated canon of lamb with flageolet and merguez ragu

Wednesday 22 September

Anthony Demetre, Arbutus, Wild Honey, and Les Deux Salons
Slow cooked shoulder of Welsh Lamb with fresh white coco beans

Wednesday 29 September

Francesco Mazzei, L'Anima
Lamb salmoriglio with quinoa

Wednesday 06 October

Cyrus Todiwala, Café Spice Namasté
Kharu gos, a braised lamb dish with crisp potatoes

Wednesday 13 October

The six dishes are inspired by the flavours of the world and devised by the chefs according to their area of expertise. Using British, Indian, Italian, French, Mediterranean and Moroccan themed ingredients to demonstrate the versatility of Welsh Lamb, the dishes are expertly prepared on The Butcher's grill, giving City workers and visitors the opportunity to try before they buy a bespoke meal for lunch. Moreover, each chef will be on hand over lunchtime offering tips on recreating the recipes at home.

Sophie Wright, food writer and chef (Wed 22 Sept), says:
"I use Welsh Lamb because it's a really tasty and a very versatile ingredient. It's very consistent, conveniently available all year round and also very reasonably priced for such a good product. My dish - herb marinated canon of Welsh Lamb with flageolet and merguez ragu - is a French-inspired classic bean stew, paired with some very simple marinated and cooked Welsh Lamb canon. This is the tenderest part of the animal and it really shouldn't be messed around with too much. The meat will be cooked on the grill and served pink along with the bean stew."

Francesco Mazzei, chef of L'Anima (6 October), says:
"Welsh Lamb is some of the best you can source locally in the UK at the moment. I have a close working relationship with my supplier, Elwy Valley, who calls me twice a week to discuss deliveries and the quality of the meat. Quinoa is the food ingredient of the future; the taste and texture is absolutely amazing and makes it a very versatile ingredient that works extremely well with lamb because it doesn't overpower but instead lets the lamb taste unfold. The salmoriglio sauce in the recipe I will be serving is my mum's recipe and provides a certain sweet and sour taste which again enhances the flavour of the lamb."

Cyrus Todiwala, OBE and head chef of Café Spice Namasté (13 October), says:

"I love cooking with Welsh Lamb because you can always count on its superior quality and flavour, which is also very appropriate for Indian cooking. There are different ways in which I like to prepare the lamb, but the rule is as simply as possible to bring out the best of the meat. Right now I have a recipe that has the lamb cooked in cumin, green chilli and in a nutty sauce. My inspiration for working with Welsh Lamb goes back to when we first started taking part in the Abergavenny Food Festival almost five years ago now. We'd see small groups of lamb grazing right outside our doorstep. It was too tempting not to do anything about it!"

Recently my life has been filled with smoked foods due to the starting of a smoked foods business, so some of the recipes have been quite ’smoked centric’.Â* Apologies, but this recipe is no exception.Here I updated a previous savoury biscuit recipe where I hadÂ*used smoked chilli flakes, to include smoked butter and smoked cheddar.The [...]

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Once again, the Abergavenny Food Festival proved to be a fantastic experience. This year Vin Sullivan enjoyed a prime spot at the Priory Centre, where champion fishmonger, Jonny Jenkins, and Duncan Lucas, from Passionate About Fish, gave demonstrations throughout the day.

Our aim was to encourage people to eat different varieties of fish - of the 50 species landed in the UK, we tend to eat just three - salmon, cod, and haddock.

Duncan and Jonny extolled the virtues of delicate but flavoursome fish such as hake, gurnard and plaice, along with nutritious species such as mackerel and sardine.

Innovative cooking tips fired the audience’s imagination in the packed hall at the Priory Centre - a roasted stuffed haddock joint as a lighter alternative to a conventional piece of beef or pork, for example.

Our youngest fish fan proved to be Ella Doheny, 10, from Abergavenny, who tried her first ever oyster, which she approved of, saying it gave her a sensation of the sea.

If you fancy trying something new, please visit our shop, where Jonny will be on hand to give advice, or visit your local fishmonger, who will always be pleased to help.

And if you want a fish canoe filleted for stufffing, a butterfly fillet to pan fry, or a crab dressed - all you have to do is ask.

Picture shows Ella Doheny, 10. from Abergavenny, trying her first ever oyster at Vin Sullivan’s fish stall at the Abergavenny Food Festival. With her is Jonny Jenkins our shop manager, and twice British Fish Craft Champion.

On Friday the 10th of September, Distilleria Bottega celebrated the traditional fall harvest of the Prosecco DOC wine in their vineyards with a historical feast.

Actors from the Compagnia della Calza (http://www.iantichi.org), dressed in Venetian Costumes from the 18th century, picked the grapes and poured them into wooden barrels, where pretty girls stomped the grapes to the rhythm of music.

Compagnia della Calza was founded in 1541 by a group of Venetian nobles. Recreated in 1979, today the company is made up of a group of Venetian actors who organize performances which observe the culture and tradition of Venice, calling upon contributions of renowned scholars and artists. Their key phrase is, "to entertain while having fun!"

The days when winemaking was done by foot are long gone. But the recreation of the farmers' wine harvest of the old days has a special meaning: it is a celebration not only of life, but also of what the farmers have to offer.

After the harvesting, all guests sat around the table to enjoy a typical Italian meal, taste the Prosecco wine Il Vino dei Poeti, and watch the Compagnia della Calza perform, reading poetry from the 1700's. The 10th of September is a special day not only because of the wine harvest; today the sales of the Prosecco have surpassed those of the Grappa, the first alcoholic drink produced by Distilleria Bottega more than 30 years ago.

A survey of 1,500 children around the UK has shown that it's not all bad news when it comes to kids and vegetables.

On average, children aged 3-11 recognised over 80% of fruit and veg in organic vegbox company Riverford's summer challenge.

The vegetables children were asked to identify included commonly available carrots, potatoes and broccoli, as well as the more unusual kohl rabi, globe artichokes and fennel. Three quarters of children said they eat at least half of the fruit and veg; 4% said they eat them all; and only 5% said they eat less than a quarter of them.

Riverford also quizzed kids on their favourite and least liked fruit and veg. Carrots came out on top, followed by sweetcorn and broccoli. The most disliked veg was Brussels sprouts, then courgettes.

Guy Watson, Riverford founder, said "We're really encouraged that not all children think milk comes from cartons or tomatoes in tins. With children going back to school and getting into a healthy routine after the holidays, lots of parents will be trying to get them eating vegetables again.

"We've always thought that the more engaged you are with your food, the more likely you are to eat it, so we give out lots of free recipes each week to help people cook, and we encourage customers to visit our farm. These results seem to back up our theory: the children of Riverford customers ate a wider range of 'weird' veg than those of non-customers.

"If you're still struggling with courgettes, see if you can win children over with our Chocolate Courgette Cake recipe that we cook for the children at our local Landscove School; they'll never believe there are vegetables hidden inside."

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Simon King, chef/proprietor at restaurant 1861 in Cross Ash near Abergavenny is a big fan of foraging - here he gives some tips on finding fungi.

“At this time of year the hedgerows are full of blackberries and elderberries, and there are mushrooms to be gathered.”

“Mushrooms are intriguing, sometimes they appear in abundance, and at other times you can visit your mushroom hotspots and find nothing.”

“But the intrigue is part of the fun of foraging.”

“Wild mushrooms inhabit our woodland areas. The most prized is the cep with its delicious and distinctive flavour, we also have boletus and morels. The problem with picking and eating wild fungus is the danger of confusing the edible species with something nasty.”

“Always take a field guide with you and take time to identify the fungi closely. Sometimes there are similarities between the edible varieties and poisonous ones. For example, the false morel looks like its tasty cousin, so ID with care.”

“If in doubt, leave it where it is. It’s easier to identify the fungi in the field than to do it when you get home and have lots of fungi to look at. The location they are found in will also give you an indication of what they are.”

“I’d also suggest going on initial foraging forays with someone experienced who can pass on essential tips about what’s good to eat. The majority of inedible fungi aren’t poisonous, they simply taste of very little.”

see Mushroom ravioli with truffle garnish recipe

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The team at InterContinental London Park Lane will be hosting Colombia Gourmet 2010 in association with Proexport - the Colombian tourist office, the Colombian Embassy in the UK and the Colombian Consulate in London - at London's top lunch and brunch spot, Cookbook Cafe. Emulating the inherent Colombian tradition for hands-on cooking across generations, the chefs will invoke the style and flavours of Colombia, bringing an authentic Latin flavour to London. Following on from the success of the restaurant's festival last year, the hotel intends to follow with more globally themed foodie celebrations, in partnership with embassies, consulates and tourism organisations.

From Thursday 23rd September until Sunday 3rd October, Executive Chef Paul Bates and his team, including award-winning native Colombian Pastry Chef Luis Meza, will be preparing delicious dishes of Colombia with two visiting chefs from InterContinental Medellin in Colombia.

Cookbook Cafe will become Colombia for a fortnight, with local music, art and cocktails to accompany the special menus. London weather aside, inside Number One Park Lane it'll be hot and spicy with room for a little dance if diners feel the urge!

The festival will feature Colombian acoustic music groups to get diners in a South American frame of mind; as well as Colombian art from artists Nena Geiger, Enrique Ruiz, Maria Peragan, Jaime Cobos and Dairo Vargas, and an exhibition of pre-Columbian gold jewellery from Galeria Cano.

Colombia, the only South American country to enjoy both Caribbean and Pacific Ocean coastlines, boasts a full menu of dishes definitely worth a taste. The country's proximity to the Atlantic will make seafood a staple on the celebratory menu, so expect plenty of shrimp, snapper and sea bass.
 
Dishes celebrating the diversity of flavours to be found in Colombia include:
* Ajiaco Santafereno (chicken and potato soup)
* Bandeja Paisa (Ground beef, fried egg, chorizo, pork belly, corn cake and plantain)
* Chicken "a la uchuva" (Chicken strips, sautéed golden then cooked in the physalis sauce
* Flank steak "a las tres pimientas" slow braised flank steak, cut into small steaks, in a peppercorn gravy)
* Fried snapper A la Cartegna (pieces of deep fried red snapper)
* Beef Tongue " a la criolla" Tongue - cut to half slices in the tomato sauce
* Tuna ceviche Plantain ceviche in the maracuaya shell
* Rice pudding with loganberries with a Tamarillo compote
* Caramelised figs with curd cheese
* Caramel pudding with farmhouse cheese
* Stuffed beef "al tomillo" (Beef topside single muscle stuffed with vegetables and chorizo braised then sliced with thyme jus)
* Sea bass and coconut sauce (2oz pieces of fish, pan fried in clarified butter, top with coconut sauce, glazed pineapple and coconut)

Lunch and dinner menu versions will be available from September 23rd - October 3rd at excellent prices

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Welsh food and drink producers have triumphed yet again with an array of trophies at the Great Taste Awards 2010.

The winning companies received their awards at the Great Taste Awards ceremony which was held at Fortnum and Mason's as part of the Speciality and Fine Food Fair (September 5-7) at London's Olympia.

Organised by the Guild of Fine Food Retailers the annual Great Taste Awards have been described as the "epicurean equivalent of the Booker prize."

Between them Welsh food and drink producers amassed some 87 three, two, and one gold star awards.

The highest accolade is a three star Gold award, with four Welsh companies - Blas y Ffrwd, Elwy Valley Lamb, Gower Salt Marsh Lamb and Rhug Estate - among the elite 99 products to achieve such status.

While among the major awards was Rhug Estate of Corwen in Denbighshire whose sirloin of beef was named Best Welsh Speciality in the Welsh Assembly Government sponsored category.

The sirloin won a three star gold award with company also winning two star golds for its Salt Marsh Lamb and also Rack of Pork, and a one star gold for its Gammon.

Rural Affairs Minister, Elin Jones said, "I am delighted that the number of Welsh food and drink companies awarded this year has been so high. I would also like to congratulate Rhug Estate on their continued success. It is important that they are recognised for their achievements and efforts, which help give Welsh food an enviable profile."

Rhug Estate's owner, Lord Newborough said the results were "recognition of the efforts and passion my team has put into producing a top quality product consistently to a discerning market. We are a field to plate operation and every part of the chain has to be perfection. Our concern is to supply our customers with the best tasting meat all the time"