The Ethicurean, Barley Wood Walled Garden

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Sometimes you have a meal you enjoy so much that all you want to do is shout about it from the rooftops. For around 2 years I have been following one of the chefs from The Ethicurean on Instagram and drooling at every photo they posted. With it being near to Bristol I knew that at the first given oportunity I would have to go there. Finally, after spending last week in Dartmoor we decided to take a detour on our way home and go and try it our for ourselves.

Last year The Ethicurean won the Observer Food Monthly Best Ethical Restaurant award and 2013 will see the release of their cookbook They will be in good company as it it being published by Ebury who have published both Yotam Ottolenghi & Moro's cookbooks. The whole menu looked so good that it took a while for us to decide on what to order. The staff were all so friendly and knowlegable on everything they served. It really felt like you were sitting in your friends dining room with the stunning views over the Walled Garden (built in 1901) and the Mendip hills an added bonus.

To start, Tim had the clear ham hock with swiss chard and a poached egg which he thoroughly enjoyed with some delicious sourdough bread that is collected from a little bakery in Bristol every day.

I opted for the cured & smoked roe deer which was unbelievably tender and just melted in my mouth. Even Tim, who is about iffy about trying new things tasted it and absolutely loved it. This was served with a carrot & cardamom sauce, walnuts, wood sorrel & land cress.

We were then treated to a little taster of another one of their starters which was the soused mackerel with fennel, carrot, rock samphire & gooseberry ice. Needless to say it was very well received and disappeared in seconds.

Then it was time for our mains. Tim went for the Merguez Sausages with sante mashed potato, seasonal greens & mushroom sauce, he very kindly let me try a bit before finishing it off in 10 seconds flat.

I liked the sound of the Confit leg of creedy carver duck which was served with a quince jelly, a beautiful salad and their own homegrown salad. The duck literally fell off the bone and was the best I've eaten. Tim also tried it despite previously saying he didn't like duck and it completely changed his opinion on it.

By this point we were bursting at the seams but couldn't leave without pudding. When we saw the West Country Cider ice with the '99 cheddar flake we knew we had to try it. The punchy cider ice balanced so well with the cheese and it was the perfect ending to a superb meal.

To top it all off, they make their own apple juice from the apples from their orchard, it was so delicious that we had to take a bottle home with us. Luckily Tim drove the next leg of the journey which meant that I could lay back and recover from the epic meal. We are already trying to make plans to head back to the west country so we can come for another meal. If you're in the area, its not to be missed!

The Ethicurean
Barley Wood Walled Garden
Somerset
BS40 5SA
01934 863713
To find out more about The Ethicurean visit their website- www.theethicurean.wordpress.com

Raspberry, Coconut & Almond Slice

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If you haven't already noticed, I have a new love of baking with raspberries. The fact they're in season is also a huge bonus. I love how when they're cooked they turn into puddles of jam with the tart flavours balancing perfectly with the sweet cake. The coconut crumble topping adds a perfect crunch to the slice. They are deliciously moorish, and with all that fruit in them, you can almost convince yourself that eating more than 1 is fine. Because after all its contributing to 1 of your 5 fruit & veg a day isn't it? Apart from the taste and health benefits (ahem) they also look so pretty and would make the perfect addition to any table.

Makes 16 squares in a 21x21cm tin

You will need-

• 250g plain flour
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 50g ground almonds
• 280g granulated sugar
• 200g cold, cubed butter
• 25g shaved coconut
• 25g desiccated coconut
• 2 eggs
• 350g raspberries (you can also use frozen, just make sure you defrost them first)

Preheat your oven to 180C and then line your baking tin with greaseproof paper.

In a bit bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, ground almonds, sugar & butter. Using your finger tips rub the butter into the dry ingredients till you get a sandy consistency and it starts to come together. Take out 80g and place mix with the shaved & desiccated coconut. Mix together and put to one side.

Crack the eggs into the remaining crumble mixture and mix till it all starts to come together. All of this can be done in a food processor if you're short of time.

Place the mixture in your baking tin and smooth it down lightly before sprinkling the raspberries all over (keep a small handful aside for the top of the slice). Now evenly spread the coconut mixture on top and bake in the oven for around 40 minutes.

When the 40 minutes are up, sprinkle the remaining raspberries on top and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the cake feels firm as is golden brown. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin then cut into squares.

Because of the fresh fruit I recommend keeping the slices in the fridge but thats if they last past a day!

Camomile Tea & Raspberry Madeleines

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The last time I made madeleines they were such a success that I have been looking for an excuse to make them ever since. Whilst in Copenhagen I quite randomly bought a huge bag of dried camomile flowers with the plan to do some experimenting with them. Ever since we got back I have been racking my brain for what I could bake with them until the eureka moment came and I decided on brewing the tea in butter and turn it into madeleines. These are a bit more work than your usual cakes or biscuit but the outcome is so rewarding that I promise you it will be worth the effort.

If you can't find a bag of loose camomile use tea bags instead, but just up the quantity slightly. (Tea Pigs sell teabags of camomile flowers so keep an eye out for them)


The recipe makes around 22 madeleines depending on the size of your tin. I still haven't got around to buying a tin so used little metal tart cases instead.


You will need-

• 170g unsalted butter
• 150g plain flour
• 4g baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 medium eggs at room temperature
• 120g icing sugar
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2tbsp camomile loose tea
• Punnet of raspberries or enough raspberries for 1 on top of each madeleine

First begin by melting your butter in a small saucepan and bring it close to boil before adding the camomile. Brew the tea for around 4 minutes then strain and leave to one side to cool.

Sift together the flour, baking powder & salt and then put to one side too.

Crack in the eggs and add the icing sugar to a large glass bowl and place over a pan of boiling water. Whisk with an electric hand whisk till it has tripled in side and ribbons of mixture come off the beaters when you lift them out of the bowl. Now add the honey and mix till combined.

Cover the bowl with a tea towel and place in the fridge for at least an hour.

Once you're ready to bake, preheat your oven to 180C. Brush each case well with butter and then dust with flour. Miss this step out at your peril! Now spoon a generous tablespoon of mix into each case before pressing a raspberry into the centre. Bake for 10-12 minutes. They should spring back when you touch them and be light golden. Turn out of the case and leave to cool on a wire rack before dusting with icing sugar.

Plate Lickers #2

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Friday 13^th saw the latest date of our Plate Lickers supper club which we were very lucky to host at St Paul’s Church in Cambridge. The evening was our take on a Middle Eastern theme.

We were very lucky to be able to source our products from local suppliers. Our star of the night, the Dingley Dell pork belly (recipe coming soon) was bought from Northrops on Mill Road who were very kind to score the meat for us and gave us some great advice on how to get the best crackling. We also sourced our vegetables & delicious peaches from The Cambridge Fruit Company. Neil arrived bright and early on Friday morning and was surprisingly chirpy for someone that had woken up at 11pm to head to the market. I can't miss out the lovely lady on the Cambridge market where I bought the flowers. They were all grown in her garden and were absolutely stunning, I think she's only there on Thursdays but be sure to visit her. I also have to say a huge thank you to John at St Paul's for allowing us to host our evening there.

 

We had so much fun setting up the venue for the evening, as you can see, we were very lucky to be able to use the actual church to serve the meal in. The menu for the evening consisted of-

Pomegranate & Vodka Cocktails

Homemade hummus & aubergine dip

Green gazpacho soup

Roasted Pork Belly or Courgette & Feta Fritters (v) served with a gooseberry, elderflower & ginger relish (recipe coming on Jo's blog soon) with a cous cous salad & a hazelnut, green bean & orange salad

Mint Tea & Orange Blossom Water Sorbet

Peaches roasted in a cinnamon syrup stuffed with nuts & served with an almond & polenta cake

We have already had some incredibly kind reviews from-

Aoife, 

Local Secrets, 

Ireena

Nora. 

There is also a write up coming up in the August issue of Cambridge Edition magazine so keep your eyes peeled for that.

We are now in the process of planing the next event so if you are interested in coming please sign up to our mailing list to find out first about our next date.

Copenhagen Food

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We had such a great time on our long weekend to Copenhagen, and as always I took too many photos. We ate very well on our visit but unfortunately this time around our budget couldn't quite stretch to Noma! 

The highlights for me were Torvehallerne which are 2 indoor food markets full of bakeries, restaurants & shops. We went straight here after stepping off the plane. I'm not the biggest fan of cupcakes but I fell in love with the danish pastry offerings from Agnes Cupcakes and spent a while trying to get my head around how they made them, I still don't quite know so if anyone can shed some light please do.

Of course we couldn't go to Denmark without indulging in their amazing bakeries and especially the pastries. Snegle, which translates to snail (a cinnamon swirl to you and me) is probably the most famous and delicious but we did get to sample many other types.

As well as bakeries there are many micro breweries dotted around Copenhagen and I'm glad we got to sample some local beer whilst at Torvehallerne.

We got to indulge in some very tasty brunches whilst away. My favourite was from Cafe Lyst which consisted of cured meats, scrambled eggs, cheese, rye bread, yogurt, granola & honey and fruit. This seemed to be a pretty standard combination in most of the places we went to although some were with bacon and others with salmon.

We also made it to the Coffee Collective which is on the same street at Cafe Lyst. These guys have their own roaster and serve the best coffee in town according to some people. Lots of customers get their breakfast from the bakery on the other side of the road before sitting down outside for a coffee. We thoroughly enjoyed coffee, if we were staying longer I'd definitely go there every morning.

On our last day we borrowed some bikes and got a tour around the city from our friend. We stopped for a late breakfast at Cafe Hoeg's where I indulged in smoked salmon and poached eggs. Very tasty food and quite cheap for Copenhagen prices with breakfast being around £6.

On a separate note, the photos from the last Plate Lickers supper club are coming very soon.