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Author Archives: Tim Plumb

1. Secret Kitchen, 15th Nov 2014: a celebration of autumn

   4th December, 2014 4:58 pm Leave a Comment

   

   a celebration of autumn

   Fall Classics

   Sourdough with sweet chestnuts, lardo & truffle

   ***

   Radicchio, persimmon, walnut & Perl Las salad

   ***

   Wild boar & teran stew, smoky polenta

   Carrots & beetroots agrodolce, cavolo nero

   ***

   Hazelnut brownies, vanilla & pear ice cream,

   malvasija-poached pears, spruce syrup

   ***

   Home-made liqueurs

   Tonight’s dinner

   Our menu celebrates autumn produce and has an Italian-Istrian theme. The combination of lardo with chestnuts and truffle is one we have enjoyed in Italy in various forms. The wild boar stew is based on those cooked in Istria, where wild boar are common. Teran is the local red wine, and pairs well with game. The idea for smoky polenta came from experiences in Valle d’Aosta, where polenta is sometimes still cooked over a wood fire. Today I smoked the butter and added this to the polenta. Ingredients were sourced from Riverford Organic in Devon and the Wild Meat Company in Suffolk. Everything is home-made, including the sourdough, chestnut jam, ice cream and liqueurs.

2. Cooking Club, Tues 10th & Weds 11th March 2015

   4:28 pm Leave a Comment

   The Cooking Club is a monthly series of classes that you can dip in and out of as you please. At each class we cook a seasonal vegetarian supper, the stars of which are Riverford‘s beautiful organic vegetables and fruits. This class is perfect for those who want to eat seasonally and are after a little recipe inspiration (as well as a fun night out).

   Classes are usually held on the second Tuesday and/or Wednesday of the month, 7pm-10pm. We cook together for a couple of hours – learning different culinary techniques each month – and then sit to enjoy a convivial dinner around the kitchen table with wine.

   Below is an example March menu to give you a feel. The exact menu is usually set at the last minute so that the best seasonal produce available from Riverford at the time can be used, and so that any returning guests can learn something new.

   Butternut squash hummus

   Lebanese parsnip & date salad

   Syrian beetroot & yoghurt dip

   Turkish egg meze with crispy sage & chilli

   Moroccan style chard with olives & preserved lemon

   Hot lemon soufflés

   

   I couldn’t speak more highly of Anna’s cooking class.  We learnt some great new flavour combinations and ways of using seasonal vegetables.  Very fun and friendly!

   The Cooking Club was such GREAT fun and DELICIOUS … I very much look forward to coming back.

   Last night was fantastic.  Was completely inspired by what we cooked and that I could potentially do that all at home!  Really had a good evening – thank you.

   Event:	Cooking Club
   Date(s):	Tues 10th & Weds 11th March 2015
   Time:	7pm - 10pm
   Location:	London N5 (Arsenal tube 2 mins walk)
   Price:	£50 per person per class. Or £135 for 3 Cooking Club class places
   	Book now
   	Please read the booking terms & conditions before booking your place. Thank you.

3. How to Drink with Chilli & Spice, Thur 12th & Fri 13th Feb 2015

   4:23 pm 1 Comment

   

   Why does chilli make your eyes water, your nose run and your mouth sizzle as if it’s on fire? And what does all of this have to do with the brain science behind the bubbles in your lager (or G&T or sparkling wine)?

   Join drinks writer Victoria Moore and Anna in the kitchen for a hot and spicy night of food and wine. This time we’re tackling the tricky question of what to drink with chilli and we’re doing it through neuro-gastronomy chat as well as the tried and tested route of your own tastebuds.

   After a welcome cocktail Victoria will lead you through four rounds of tastings, each put together with a different hot or spicy dish prepared by Anna. Our global tour of spicy cuisines will take you through Mexico, Thailand, India and Korea and along the way you will taste several different wines and other drinks while hearing about what happens in your brain when you encounter heat and spice – and why that gives you a physical high.

   There will be plenty to eat and drink and you will have ample opportunity to quiz Victoria on her vast wine expertise. You’ll leave with your mind as stimulated as your taste-buds, the confidence to choose drinks for your next hot or spicy meal – whether it’s an Indian takeaway or something home-cooked – a few nuggets of neuroscience to bore your friends with at the bar, and some new recipes too.

   Victoria Moore is the award-winning wine correspondent for the Daily Telegraph and Olive magazine. She has a special interest in the neuroscience of flavour, and is just completing a Masters in psychology while working on her next book, Wine Dine Dictionary. Victoria’s bestselling How to Drink is a hugely readable and beautiful handbook that aims to inform, entertain and ensure you are never without the perfect drink for every occasion.

   Fabulous wine! Fabulous cocktails! Loved it!”

   A really wonderful evening – beautiful food and drinks.”

   Fabulous darling! When’s the next one?”

   Excellent, as always!”

   Event:	How to Drink with Chilli & Spice
   Date(s):	Thurs 12th & Fri 13th February 2015
   Time:	7pm to around 9pm (includes dinner)
   Location:	London N5 (Arsenal tube 2 mins walk)
   Price:	£65, or £170 for 3 places (ie. £25 discount)
   	Book now
   	Please read the booking terms & conditions before booking your place. Thank you.

4. Cooking Club, Tues 10th & Weds 11th February 2015

   3:35 pm Leave a Comment

   

   The Cooking Club is a monthly series of classes that you can dip in and out of as you please. At each class we cook a seasonal vegetarian supper, the stars of which are Riverford‘s beautiful organic vegetables and fruits. This class is perfect for those who want to eat seasonally and are after a little recipe inspiration (as well as a fun night out).

   Classes are usually held on the second Tuesday and/or Wednesday of the month, 7pm-10pm. We cook together for a couple of hours – learning different culinary techniques each month – and then sit to enjoy a convivial dinner around the kitchen table with wine.

   Come in February for inspiration for cooking seasonal stars such as parsnips, Jerusalem artichokes, salsify and Seville oranges. Below is an example February menu to give you a feel. The exact menu is usually set at the last minute so that the best seasonal produce available from Riverford at the time can be used, and so that any returning guests can learn something new.

   Jerusalem artichoke & celery soup

   Beetroot risotto with goat’s cheese & chilli

   Slow-roasted salsify with lemon

   Marmalade bread & butter pudding

   I couldn’t speak more highly of Anna’s cooking class.  We learnt some great new flavour combinations and ways of using seasonal vegetables.  Very fun and friendly!

   The Cooking Club was such GREAT fun and DELICIOUS … I very much look forward to coming back.

   Last night was fantastic.  Was completely inspired by what we cooked and that I could potentially do that all at home!  Really had a good evening – thank you.

   Event:	Cooking Club
   Date(s):	Tues 10th & Weds 11th February 2015
   Time:	7pm - 10pm
   Location:	London N5
   Price:	£50 per person per class. Or £135 for 3 Cooking Club class places
   	Book now
   	Please read the booking terms & conditions before booking your place. Thank you.

5. Sample testimonial

   23rd July, 2014 4:51 pm Leave a Comment

   A truly wonderful evening”

6. Cooking Club, Tues 9th & Weds 10th Dec 2014

   22nd July, 2014 7:11 pm Leave a Comment

   The Cooking Club is a monthly series of classes that you can dip in and out of as you please. At each class we cook a seasonal vegetarian supper, the stars of which are Riverford‘s beautiful organic vegetables and fruits. This class is perfect for those who want to eat seasonally and are after a little recipe inspiration (as well as a fun night out).

   Classes are usually held on the second Tuesday and/or Wednesday of the month, 7pm-10pm. We cook together for a couple of hours – learning different culinary techniques each month – and then sit to enjoy a convivial dinner around the kitchen table with wine.

   Come in December for inspiration for cooking seasonal stars such as parsnips, Brussels sprouts, celeriac, Jerusalem artichokes and oranges. Below is an example December menu to give you a feel. The exact menu is usually set at the last minute so that the best seasonal produce available from Riverford at the time can be used.

   Carrot & ginger soup with orange blossom cream

   Whole roast cauliflower with capers & raisins

   Waldorf salad with Stilton

   Turkish olive oil braised winter roots with dill

   Chocolate fondant puddings with candied orange
   

   I couldn’t speak more highly of Anna’s cooking class.  We learnt some great new flavour combinations and ways of using seasonal vegetables.  Very fun and friendly!

   The Cooking Club was such GREAT fun and DELICIOUS … I very much look forward to coming back.

   Last night was fantastic.  Was completely inspired by what we cooked and that I could potentially do that all at home!  Really had a good evening – thank you.

   

   Event:	Cooking Club
   Date(s):	Tues 9th & Weds 10th Dec 2014
   Time:	7pm - 10pm
   Location:	London N5
   Price:	£45 per person per class. Or £120 for 3 Cooking Club class places
   	Book now
   	Please read the booking terms & conditions before booking your place. Thank you.

7. Festive Bread workshop, Saturday 6th December 2014

   7:08 pm Leave a Comment

   At this class you will learn how to make a range of festive breads perfect for the coming holiday season, including Jewish braided challah, buttery brioche, traditional Dresden stollen and Italian panettone.

   After this intensive workshop you will understand how eggs, fat, milk and sugar work to enrich doughs, how to shape three-strand braids, classic brioches à têtes, fruit-laden stollen loaves and tall panettones. We will also cover the importance of long fermentation periods, essential for developing complex flavours in bread, and how to fit bread-baking into busy lives. Plus you will learn how to use up leftover festive bread to make delicious puddings.

   
   This class is perfect for anyone who wants to get baking for the festive season and spoil their friends and family with outstanding home-made treats. This is a hands-on class. You will leave laden with plenty of freshly baked bread and feeling confident to make more at home.

   The workshop includes a delicious seasonal lunch showcasing different types of bread, with wine.

   You can view pictures of past Festive Bread workshops here.

   We had such a great day and we really enjoyed your company and those of your other guests.  Oh – and the breads!  My, how popular we have since become.

   Anna broke the processes down step by step so that it didn’t feel daunting and gave us lots of great tips and tricks over the course of the day. … This class really exceeded my expectations and I would be happy to take another class with Anna in the future.

   An amazing way to spend a day.  Loved every moment of it.

   Wonderful!  Can’t wait to recreate these at home.”

   

   
   

   Event:	Festive Bread workshop
   Date(s):	Saturday 6th December 2014
   Time:	10am - 4pm
   Location:	London N5
   Price:	£120 (with 10% discount if you book as a pair, so £216 for two)
   	Book now
   	Please read the booking terms & conditions before booking your place. Thank you.

8. Catalan Pig Days, Sat 22nd & Sun 23rd Nov 2014

   6:58 pm Leave a Comment

   Join Catalan culinary expert Rachel McCormack and Anna for a glorious day of pig cookery and general piggery. We will celebrate the pig by using its various parts for a delicious breakfast, hearty lunch and sausages to take away, as is done at the annual pig slaughter in villages around the world.

   .

   We will make:

   Frit Mallorquin – a breakfast dish using liver

   Trotters a la Catalana – to enjoy for lunch with rice, and roasted with honey

   Catalan black pudding – with a couple of variations

   Fuet sausages – a classic Catalan salami

   Sweet pig’s blood pancakes – for dessert

   …and we will also use the pig’s head so as not to waste anything.

   .

   Rachel is originally from Scotland but spent most of her twenties living in Barcelona, where she caught the Catalan obsession with food. She now lives in London where she teaches cooking classes, runs food markets and writes about food. She is also a regular panelist on BBC Radio 4’s The Kitchen Cabinet, for which Anna works as food consultant behind the scenes (having had the idea for the show).

   Rachel has run several very popular Pig Days at other venues for crowds of 20-30 people. This event will be in Anna’s home teaching kitchen and is limited to just 8 guests. It will be a very hands on class, with plenty of pig for everyone to get their hands into. Not for the squeamish.

   

   See photos from our previous Pig Days here.

   What a fantastic and unique day. I really enjoyed the food (top marks to the pig’s head meat + brain fried with sherry), conversation and having the opportunity to dive into masses of pig meat and fat. It was a great experience.”

   Yesterday was lovely … welcoming hosts, a lovely atmosphere, and we made sausages! Which was very cool. The kitchen worked well, and looked nice too. The wine was lovely and the sherry. The rice dish was delicious. … I would recommend the day to anyone, it was great fun, and I feel a big sense of achievement!

   Event:	Catalan Pig Days
   Date(s):	Sat 22nd & Sun 23rd Nov 2014
   Time:	10am - 4pm
   Location:	London N5
   Price:	£120, or two places for £216 (includes breakfast and a late lunch with wine)
   	Book now
   	Please read the booking terms & conditions before booking your place. Thank you.

9. Cooking Club, Tues 11th Nov 2014

   6:49 pm Leave a Comment

   The Cooking Club is a monthly series of classes that you can dip in and out of as you please. At each class we cook a seasonal vegetarian supper, the stars of which are Riverford‘s beautiful organic vegetables and fruits. This class is perfect for those who want to eat seasonally and are after a little recipe inspiration (as well as a fun night out).

   Classes are usually held on the second Tuesday and/or Wednesday of the month, 7pm-10pm. We cook together for a couple of hours – learning different culinary techniques each month – and then sit to enjoy a convivial dinner around the kitchen table with wine.

   Come in November for inspiration for cooking seasonal stars such as radicchio, sweet potatoes, persimmons, apples and quinces. Below is an example November menu to give you a feel. The exact menu is usually set at the last minute so that the best seasonal produce available from Riverford at the time can be used.

   Radicchio, persimmon & walnut salad

   Sweet potato & sage gratin

   Celeriac rémoulade
   

   Grilled radicchio with balsamic dressing
   

   Apple and quince crumble with homemade custard

   Well, what can I say about last night! It was superb and I really enjoyed. You are a great chef/cook/mentor and very patient. The food was delicious.

   I have thoroughly enjoyed these classes. I have learned many new skills and the classes have given me ideas on using seasonal vegetables. I have used many of the recipes again.

   Thanks for a great evening. We all enjoyed it very much and I am already trying out new knife skills and more. We’ll be back!

   Thank you for another wonderfully inspiring and enjoyable evening.

   
   

   Event:	Cooking Club
   Date(s):	Tues 11th Nov 2014
   Time:	7pm - 10pm
   Location:	London N5
   Price:	£45 per person per class. Or £120 for 3 Cooking Club class places
   	Book now
   	Please read the booking terms & conditions before booking your place. Thank you.

10. Artisan Bread workshops, Fri 7th, Sat 8th, Sun 9th Nov 2014

    6:01 pm Leave a Comment

    This class is perfect for anyone who has dabbled with bread-making before and now wants to improve the flavour and texture of their bread and learn how to shape different loaves such as baguettes, fougasse and ciabatta. For anyone who has tried sourdoughs at home but been disappointed with the results, this class will transform your bread!

    At this class you will learn how to make and care for your own sourdough starter and use it to make crusty wheat and rye sourdough breads. You will also learn how to make beautiful baguettes, olive fougasse and airy ciabatta.

    After this intensive workshop you will understand how to create artisan breads with proper crackling crusts and moist, open irregular crumbs. You will learn how wet and stiff doughs behave differently, how different types of kneading affect the final loaf and about the importance of long fermentation periods. We will also cover using pre-ferments such as poolishes and bigas.

    This is a hands-on class. You will make and shape all of the doughs yourself so that you leave confident to try these breads at home.

    What’s more, you will go home with an artisan bread-making kit specially sourced by Anna, including a long wooden slip for loading baguettes into the oven, your own new sourdough starter, a baker’s lame (razor for slashing) and a wicker proving basket. Plus of course there will be plenty of the freshly baked bread you have made to take home.

    The workshop includes a delicious seasonal lunch showcasing different types of bread, with wine.

    You can view pictures of previous bread workshops here, here, here and here.

    

    

    Anna’s classes are always brilliant. The day is busy but in the nicest possible way. The classes are small and extremely friendly. The information and level of confidence and competence you leave with is quite amazing.

    Anna is not only an extremely knowledgeable cook, but she is able to transmit her knowledge in a very clear manner. The workshop is very well-prepared, there is no time to waste. What I really liked is that she teaches you to prepare and bake amazing delicious bread with home/normal tools and resources. I can highly recommend her workshops, great day, great fun, great teaching and most importantly, one feels ready to start baking immediately after at home.

    I had an amazing time and this workshop was exactly was I was looking for. I learned how to make impressive artisan bread at a more advanced level.  I highly recommend this workshop!!

    Since the course I did with you I have become the family baker – there are six of us, and I bake anything up to eight loaves a week! The children love the fresh bread and beg me not to stop home baking.

    (Bread workshop participants, 2012 and 2013)

    Event:	Artisan Bread Workshop
    Date(s):	Fri 7th, Sat 8th, Sun 9th Nov 2014
    Time:	10am - 4pm
    Location:	London N5
    Price:	£120 (with 10% discount if you book as a pair, so £216 for two)
    	Book now
    	Please read the booking terms & conditions before booking your place. Thank you.