Food for Thought Weekend

I listened nervously to the speakers on Saturday at The School of Artisan Food, knowing it would be me in the spotlight the next day. But actually in the end the nerves disappeared until about ten minutes before I went on, I ended up totally distracted by all the fascinating people, and by the endless food and drink being proffered in my direction...

Unfortunately we were on the A1 while Jeremy Lee, Joanna Blythman and Jeanette Orrey were speaking, but we arrived in time to hear Bee Wilson speak about how people learn to eat; or to feed. A really interesting insight into how children develop eating habits and how to help them and make food a delight, teaching them to take pleasure in eating everything available.

Olia Hercules took to the stage that afternoon and told us lovely tales of fermenting foods in the Ukraine, so many ideas I want to try and places I would love to visit one day. The summer kitchens of Ukraine sound like beautiful places to hang out, I'd like to have one in Newcastle but we don't have any issues with it being too hot up here... and we don't even have a garden... so that's the end of that pipe dream. If you don't have Olia's book Mamushka you should get it, it has beautiful recipes and is written with such warmth and humour.

After a lovely evening of food, wine and new friends I was first up in the morning. I had written my speech over the course of the week before, not leaving quite enough time and interrupted by life and escaped bees I only finished it the night before, turns out talking for 45 minutes is a LOT of words, about 6000 actually. I will publish it here at some point soon...

I told of my journey from architecture, to food blog, to market organiser to shipping container restaurant owner and everything in between over the past 5 years. I included lots of beautiful photos just in case I froze. There were a couple of moments when my mouth felt like it wouldn't move and I forgot to breathe occasionally, but I got through it and everyone was very complimentary at the end.

That morning we also heard from James Whetlor on the challenges of trying to farm goats on a scale to supply national supermarkets. It left us thinking that there should be some level of shop between farmers market and supermarket that allows these producers to make a decent living without having to jump through all the impossible hoops the supermarkets impose, let alone the cost of getting through those hoops... A farm shop chain specific to the region it's in... a future project perhaps. after the summer kitchen...

Next were Honey & Co. duo Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich, who told the charming tale of opening their place in Soho, and its background in the food they grew up on. Finally Andrew Graham Dixon, then Ivan Day, a wonderful food historian, who told us about the Coccagna festivals held in Italian cities in the 17th century. They were based on myths where money and food grew on trees, rivers flowed with wine and if you worked you went to prison. Sounds alright? They constructed huge pavilions of cake and bread, formal gardens made from hams and cheese, fountains of wine, you can't imagine anything like it. Constructed by the king and then given to the poor of the city to feast on...

I still feel a bit overwhelmed by the whole weekend, it was wonderful!

'From Scotland with Love' at Newcastle Castle

On Saturday evening I found myself briefly alone on the roof of the Castle Keep looking out over the lights of Newcastle. It's a beautiful view, I've rarely been into the keep and have never been up on the roof in the dark, so I snuck up as the guests were arriving into the Great Hall and took in the view.

'From Scotland with Love' was the occasion, a delicious evening celebrating the relationship between Scotland and the North East at the Castle Keep and the Black Gate in the centre of town. Myself and Simon Preston put together the menu; researching dishes from Northumberland and Scotland and coming up with a host of ideas that led to the final menu. It was challenging, and I think the most ambitious menu I have worked on for a supper club yet.

To start we served an Elderberry Whisky Fizz in the Great Hall of the Castle Keep, with a Highland Caboc cheese and radish canape, a beautiful cheese almost like butter, which is always a good thing in my book. The guests toured the Keep, stopping for a little cup of Craster Kipper Cullen Skink along the way and then came over to the Black Gate for the start of supper.

We served a Smoked Eel Salad to start with a split pea puree, a nod to pease pudding; beetroot, horseradish, a beautiful oyster leaf from Ken Holland and an elderberry shrub dressing from Buck & Birch in Edinburgh. The smoked eel was from the Inverawe Smokehouse in Oban, it's so rich and delicious.

On the table were fresh breads from Artisan Baking Community served with a homemade Whisky Butter, an idea I got from my visit to Paradise Garage in London and one I will definitely be repeating...

Then a course I've been wanting to serve for a long time, Venison Tartare with Cured Egg Yolk. I have served it as straight tartare before up at Lindisfarne, it is rich and delicious with spikes of cornichon, caper and shallot. I've always wanted to add the cured egg yolk however, it is cured in a sugar and salt mix for a week until solid and then grated over the venison adding a rich sweet and salty hit to the meat. The venison loin is like butter when you cut it, red deer from George Bower Game Butcher in Edinburgh.

These were followed by a Spiced Lamb, Pluck and Barley, a take on haggis spiced with lots of white pepper, nutmeg and marjorum, served with pink pickled 'neeps' tattie scones and a Northumbrian Leek suet pudding.

A Scotland versus Northumberland cheese course followed, of Dunsyre Blue and Doddington. Then a palate cleanser of 21212 Porridge milk, sent from the restaurant of the same name in Edinburgh. A delicious blend of secret ingredients that I'm yet to work out. Finally followed by Edinburgh Fog, a cream and Drambuie pudding served with marmalade and malt whisky English scones. Guests chatted and laughed and ate and seemed to have a lovely time, I wish I'd had the time to talk to people more but the kitchen was a bit overwhelming by the end of the night and we needed to get home at some point, finding our way out from underneath all the dishes...

Photography by Wiesia Bojko

Jesmond Food Market

If you are not already aware I am now involved with orchestrating the new monthly food market on Armstrong Bridge in Jesmond Dene. The market has now been made permanent and will take place on the third Saturday of the month all year round, come rain or shine!

The next installment is this Saturday 10am - 3pm, Armstrong Bridge, Jesmond Dene. You can follow updates via the Twitter page @JesFoodMkt

Lindisfarne Summer Supper

I love Lindisfarne Castle. Spending time in the kitchen, with the sun shining in off the sea, chopping, cooking and preparing supper, listening to the birds nesting outside and the call of the seals on the wind; it's a very special place to spend time. I'd love to live there, which I guess is pretty unlikely, so I'll settle for the next best thing and continue to pretend it's mine on the occasional evening and invite some folk over for supper.

It was a lovely evening. The sun came out for the guests arrival and we had drinks outside, watching the seals by telescope over on Ross Sands. The guests had a little tour of the castle with Steve and Daniel from the National Trust, I could hear them laughing and chatting as they wandered around the castle thoroughly enjoying themselves, as I finished off supper...

They started with fresh pea pods and a chilled cucumber soup made with yoghurt, herbs and walnuts topped with hot smoked salmon. Followed by a smorgasbord of poached lobster, dressed crab, soused mackerel, pickled quails eggs and a salad of sea aster and samphire.

The main course was a slow roast shoulder of lamb with peas, broad beans and asparagus topped with pea shoots, chive flowers and wild garlic flowers. Served with a delicious date and mint jam, jersey royals and baby carrots and turnips. They all loved it, which was a huge relief...

The evening ended with little rhubarb and mead trifles, big bowls of fresh strawberries and shortbreads with coffee. Everyone was chatting away in the Ship Room, quite at home in their castle. Lovely guests and a lovely evening all round, aside from the washing up...

Lindisfarne Castle Summer Suppers Return...

May and June see the return of a very exciting collaboration between The Grazer and the National Trust. Last summer we hosted four incredible evenings at Lindisfarne Castle and on the Farne Islands. The sun shone, guests enjoyed their amazing surrounds, and ate and drank into the night. We are offering you the opportunity to experience this once again, with two Summer Supperclubs at Lindisfarne Castle.

You could find yourself driving over the causeway to supper at Lindisfarne Castle. Arriving on the battlements to canapés and aperitifs, looking out over the islands and castles of the Northumberland coast… A personal tour through the rooms of Lindisfarne castle, your own private residence for the evening. Supper will be served on the battlements if it is sunny or in the beautiful Ship Room; your view for the evening is the sun slowly sinking over the Cheviots.

Once in a lifetime dining experiences in a totally unique location. There will only be two events with a limited number of 20 places available at each:

Saturday 30th May 6pm – Tickets Available

Saturday 13th June 6pm – Tickets Available

(The event will run from approximately 6 -10pm, exact times will be confirmed according to tides)

Tickets for these once in a lifetime dining events are £99 per person and can be booked by phoning Lindisfarne Castle on 01289 389902. Prices include unique private access to Lindisfarne Castle, private tour of castle, telescope tours of the coastline, history and nature talks from the National Trust and food introductions from The Grazer.

The evenings dining includes aperitifs and canapés, a set four course sharing menu including chilled cucumber and yoghurt soup, dressed crabs, langoustine, slow cooked Northumberland spring lamb, samphire, shoots, flowers, plentiful puddings, matched wines, coffees, teas and treats.

A Lunch with Barbour - Seafarer Collection Launch

A few weeks ago I found myself setting up for lunch surrounded by an amazing paraphernalia of ship wreck items. Giant wooden ladies looked down on me and huge Wallace and Gromit style lifebelts with attached pantaloons dangled from the ceiling.

Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade Museum is an amazing place. I hadn't even known it was there until Sarah from Barbour rang me suggesting we put on a lunch there; to launch their new Seafarer collection. It was a perfect spot, looking out over the mouth of the Tyne, a beautiful wooden clapper board building built in 1887. Inside it is full of tragic stories and wonderful artifacts; everything that has ever been washed up from ship wrecks dating back to 1864. John showed us round, with a story to match every lamp, chest and treasure.

The Barbour guests arrived into the base of the watch tower on a beautiful sunny morning, looking out to sea, with tea served from a giant ships tea pot salvaged from a shipwreck. While we prepared lunch a fashion show took place in the main hall, there were models running around, directors, people filming the fashion and us preparing the food in a tiny galley kitchen. It was a very enjoyable morning.

I had designed a nautical table, with blue and white plates, spring bulbs potted up in stripey Breton pie pots, paper boats and lemons with tiny sails decorating the table; I even threw on a few beach stones I collected up at Lindisfarne.

The menu was suitably nautical too, most of the guests were from outside of the area, London, Scotland and Europe, and I thought it was important to showcase produce we have on our doorstep here in Northumberland. They started with a Craster Kipper and Potato Soup with Chives, followed by a platter of dressed north sea crab, poached lobster, homemade mayonnaise, an apple herb and cucumber salad, spring chicken terrine, devilled eggs and other bits and bobs. Finishing with a blood orange and lemon posset with butter biscuits. It all went down very well which was a relief, I had been having sleepless nights...

I'll definitely be back to the museum, I'd love to hold another lunch there, I think people would love it. Thanks to all the lovely Barbour folk as well for bringing it all together and getting me involved, it was a lovely memorable day.

Photos are a selection from Barbour, myself and Rachel Phipps, you can read Rachel's lovely blog post about the day here...