The Royal Oak is a pub with personality, dating back over 300 years to the 17th century.  The pub is at the heart of the conservation, ironstone village of Eydon in Northamptonshire. Legend has it that cock fights used to regularly take place inside the pub and that a plot to murder the then Lord of the Manor was overheard! With stone interior, secret alcoves and four separate dining areas, it makes a cosy place to have a delicious meal or, a pint or two of local ale. The Oak keeps a rotating local guest beer and has a cracking wine list.

The Royal Oak at Eydon is setting its sights on raising the culinary bar as new Head Chef, Christian Ringsby-Burges joins. Christian is a local Northamptonshire lad living close by to Eydon in Byfield. He trained at Northampton College and has a wealth of culinary experience gained as the 2^nd Chef at the renowned Fawsley Hall. Christian also previously worked at Michelin starred Whatley Manor & The New French Partridge.

The emphasis is on showcasing quality, seasonal, local produce. Christian intends to work with as many local producers as possible who can fulfil his quality requirements. Such as Moreton Mushrooms (Moreton Pinkney), Wykham Park asparagus (Banbury), Windmill Orchards fruits & juices (Sulgrave) to name but a few. The Oak also run a locally grown fruit and vegetable exchange for beer tokens. Christian commented, “Today, I’ve received a bunch of locally grown flat leaf parsley & rhubarb from Sue – all fantastic quality and plucked straight from the garden.” Sue’s rhubarb went straight on the menu as: “Chicken Liver Parfait with Sue’s Poached Rhubarb, Brioche & Pistachio”

I was lucky enough to have been invited to Christian’s “new menu” launch night, where we enjoyed:

Aperitif: Fleur Fields Champs D’amour Sparkling Wine 2010

*****

Wykham Park asparagus with poached free range egg, hollandaise & crispy ham

*****

Seafood Risotto of shellfish, tiger prawns & crayfish with cucumber & fennel salad

*****

Braised pork belly & roast tenderloin with sage & onion bon bon, savoy cabbage, & Garden of Eydon cider jus

*****

White chocolate pannacotta with local berries (exchanged for beer tokens!)

*****

Coffee or Tea

The meal was excellent, combining great local produce with adept cooking skills to provide great complimentary flavours and textures. The highlight for me was the braised pork belly & roast tenderloin which was a swineherd’s delight, all washed down with an excellent locally made “Garden of Eydon” cider. Keeping to the local drinks theme, we enjoyed Northamptonshire Fleur Fields Champs D’amour sparkling wine as an aperitif and sampled Warwickshire Welcombe Hills Vineyard Pinot Noir 2009 with the braised pork belly.

The Royal Oak @ Eydon is definitely worth a visit and Christian is sure to make his mark on the culinary landscape. Let us know what you thought on our Facebook page.

We managed an all too infrequent trip into London one Friday night recently to meet friends in the pursuit of good food, interesting wine and general merriment! With that in mind, we thought we’d visit our old mates’ (Brett Woonton & Charlie Young) newest Vinoteca offshoot in Seymour Place. The Vinoteca wine-bar concept is a simple but compelling one, offering good quality interesting food alongside a well chosen selection of wines in a relaxed, buzzy environment.

We arrived to a heaving restaurant and managed to book a table with Willoughby who is the charming manager and formely at Le Cafe Anglais. Vinoteca only accept bookings for lunch and operate a first-come, first-served policy in the evenings. We managed to squeeze ourselves at the edge of the bar and near the serving pass. Strategically positioned at the bar, we ordered a glass of the house Prosecco which is on tap and a glass of Rosé. Noticing a bowl of olives in front of her, my wife helped herself to a juicy olive. Soon after the bowl was collected by a passing waitress and delivered to it’s expectant diner slightly less than complete! Luckily no one seemed to notice and we carried on regardless! Our old friends, Emily and  Bruce, then arrived and we managed to squeeze in one of Willoughby’s cocktails which consisted of Campari, orange, Prosecco and a number of other secret ingredients in it. It seemed to hit the spot and, soon after, we were shown to our awaiting table.

Vinoteca, as you’d imagine, has a great well-priced wine list serving 25 wines by the glass and a further 285 by bottle. It will keep any oenophile enthralled for hours! As we were in the company of expert slurpers, Emily saw short shrift of the list and promptly ordered. All the wines can also be bought at retail prices in the the shop to take home. 

I have to confess, the evening menu which I appropriated seems to have magically disappeared! So, I will have to delve into the memory banks which are still slightly hazy about most of the evening. For a starter I had smoked mackerel which was full flavoured and worked very well with the Pewsey Vale Eden Valley Riesling 2009. I then ordered the marinated Bavette with fresh horseradish, fat chips and watercress. Bavette is common in France but rarely seen over here. It’s basically a well-trimmed skirt or flank of beef. We drank a great bottle Vajra Dolcetto d’Alba 2009 which was rich and had enough structure to compliment the flavour of the beef. My wife ordered the milk-fed British rose veal which was beautifully tender and pink. I have to say the glasses and plates were mounting on our small table which all added to the general hustle and bustle of the evening. As usual, Bruce managed to see off most of the wine and was ready for fresh stocks which were ordered from the wines-by-the glass list. We manged to sneak in a few desserts and I opted for the steamed marmalade pudding with vanilla ice cream which was moist with a sticky sweet/bitter oozing marmalade mound. Clearly we needed dessert wines with our “desserts” and I enjoyed a great glass of Cadillac Chateau Fayou.

The kitchen is ably manned by Head Chef, Will Leigh, who was formerly at the Blueprint Cafe. As the kitchens are open to the restaurant, you could see the small brigade working efficiently and lovingly to produce great, flavourful food.

After a round of coffee, Bruce insisted we all had a Lemoncello (the after taste always reminds me of Lemon Squeezy washing up liquid) for the road. It was time to head, a little wobbly, for the last train home!

Vinoteca is a great place where you can get stuck into some serious food & wine in a fun, relaxed environment! What’s not to like?

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Our first birthday is still in full flourish and we continue our dive into the gastronomy archives of some of my favourite Recipes, Travel Destinations & Spectacles:

As a family we descended upon Rye last February to take part in the annual Rye Bay Scallop Festival. The Rye scallops are fat, juicy and much sought after. The Rye fleet catch King scallops and are only allowed to harvest scallops from the 1st November until 30th April using small (under 10m length) boats. The scallop shells are imprinted with growth rings (like tree rings) with each band denoting one year’s growth. Typically, they are caught at around 5-6 years old and any younger ones (sized 90mm or less) are returned to the sea.

As a little respite from Northamptonshire we headed en masse to Mürren in Switzeland to celebrate my Dad’s 7oth birthday. Mürren is a small, historic village, surrounded by the three imposing peaks of the Eiger (3,970m), Mönch (4,107m) and the Jungfrau (4,158). The village is very quaint and quiet as it doesn’t permit cars; only the odd van used to taxi skiers or to haul goods are allowed. Mürren holds a very important place in the history and development of Alpine skiing thanks to the enthusiastic efforts of Sir Arnold Lunn (1888-1974), son of Sir Henry Lunn of Lunn Poly fame. Through his initiative and drive, the first English Ski Championships were held in Wengen in 1921. Sir Arnold was also one of the founding members of the Kandahar Ski Club which established the famous Inferno race in 1928. There were 18 competitors including 4 women who took place in the first Inferno race. Firstly, all competitors had to climb for five hours in order to reach the start point at the Schilthorn. Sir Arnold began the race with the rather prosaic call of “Come on, we’re off.” The winner that day was Harold Mitchell who completed the course in 1hr 12mins. Peter Lunn, Sir Arnold’s son can still be found pounding the pistes of Mürren at the tender age of 96 although, Peter has now gracefully retired from downhill racing after completing his last Inferno race at the age of 90! The indomitable spirit of the Lunn family is still alive and well!

I have to say I’m rather partial to a bit of beetroot and speaking as a veg box recipient one has to be during the Winter months when it arrives almost weekly! My mother discovered this Madhur Jaffrey spiced beetroot recipe many years ago and I have enjoyed it countless times since. It’s amazingly simple to prepare and a great accompaniment to cold meats or, as a side dish with a curry.

It was time to enjoy some sun, sea and local French food as we descended upon the Camargue region of South West France. A key delicacy of the Camargue is the production of sea salt. I decided to drag the family around the Aigues-Mortes, Le Saunier de Camargue salt marsh. The kids were quite happy as we had to board a small train which whizzed us around. When we visited, the pools had an amazing pinky/red hue which looks very odd as you expect them to be white. The salt marshes are extensive, covering around 27k acres and have been in production since before the Roman occupation. At the beginning of Spring when natural evaporation exceeds the amount of rainfall, the marshes are flooded with seawater by means of a system of canals and dyke’s. The brine then concentrates with 9/10 of the water evaporating through the effects of the wind and sun. The salt content changes dramatically from sea water at 29g/litre, to 260g/litre at the crystallisation phase. The 50 rectangular salt pools house the brine which slowly evaporates between April and September leaving a 9cm thick salt cake.

 Living as I do, in the idyll of Weston, South Northamptonshire, you may be forgiven for thinking that it’s a sleepy little village – not so, for behind closed doors the community galvanises and punches above their weight. One such example would be the spectacular Weston & Weedon Horticultural Society which was originally founded by the gardener and broadcaster, Cecil Henry Middleton, in 1940.

I was lucky enough to be invited to Holdenby House, a splendid Elizabethan manor house nestled in the Northamptonshire Countryside to attend the Northamptonshire Food & Drink Awards 2010/11.

We had a trusted team of food supremos looking after us, from Adam Gray, Michelin starred head chef of Rhodes 24 who was in charge of cooking dinner. Sophie Grigson, author and TV cookery presenter, presided over the award ceremony ably supported by Jason Atherton, ex Michelin starred chef from Maze and now in the process of launching his own flagship restaurant, Pollen Street Social in Mayfair. The scene was set for a rather enjoyable evening eating and drinking all that is glorious about our wonderful County. Northamptonshire may not be viewed as a regional food hot spot but all I would say is, watch this space, times are-a-changing!

After my recent foray to Windmill Orchards I came away with numerous delectable goodies, including a few choice quince. The quince is a rather awkward, old fashioned looking fruit with bumps and lumps protruding from all the wrong places. If it were a fruit model it would be airbrushed within an inch of its life. Whilst looks aren’t everything (they certainly help), it’s what’s inside that really counts and, let me tell you, the quince’s insides are rather pleasing when transformed into membrillo.

So we end a rather eclectic mix of culinary journeys to mark the first anniversary of Graze and Guzzle. From now on I”ll be concentrating on what future culinary travels I can titillate you with!

Come over to our Facebook page and let us know what culinary experiences you’ve been having lately!

Northamptonshire isn’t exactly at the forefront of food and drink innovation but, little-by-little, things are changing for the better! A good example of this is ”Mr Dutchy” who have recently been voted the best takeaway in “The BBC Food & Farming Awards 2010,” in recognition of their wonderful Caribbean cuisine. The owner, Paul Marcus Boyce, grew up with the flavours of the Caribbean whilst living in Barbados. His family left Barbados when he was nine and settled in Northamptonshire. Whilst in England, Paul missed the Caribbean flavours as his English Mum cooked British food and his Barbadian Dad didn’t cook. This motivated Paul to start cooking when he was 15 after visiting his Nan and Aunties in Barbados and learning the family’s secret recipes.

When in the UK, Paul struggled to find Caribbean food in general and had to travel to London to satisfy his cravings. From this point, the idea was seeded and Paul set about planning to open his Caribbean restaurant.

Paul’s Caribbean vision was launched around 15 months ago under the “Mr Dutchy” brand name and consists of a small takeaway shop where customers can order directly or by phone for delivery. There are also a few tables for those who want to eat in. The name “Mr Dutchy” comes from the cast iron Jamaican Dutch pots which are commonly used for cooking in the Caribbean. The “Mr Dutchy” branding is clean, bold and stylish being designed by Paul and his son. The shop has been completely gutted and the small kitchen has been refitted with the most modern appliances. It’s definitely a family affair with Paul’s partner, Jenny, and cousin Anton preparing the food too.

The ethos of Mr Dutchy is to provide authentic, fresh and flavoursome Caribbean cuisine. As written on the shop wall “We only freeze our fries.” The menu includes favourites like  jerk chicken, curry goat, oxtail, escovich fish to name but a few. To accompany the mains, there are an array of goodies from freshly made crispy dumplings with jerk sauce, cheesy macaroni pie to sticky jerk wings. All the food is prepared from fresh ingredients at the begining of each day and slow cooked in the traditional Dutch pots from anything between 3 to 4.5 hours. This is not fast food, but food which has been lovingly made and when sold out, it’s “sold out”. Any surplus food, which is becoming a rarity these days, is donated to the local homeless charity, The Hope Centre.

When I visited, I tried the sticky jerk wings which were succulent and well, sticky, accompanied by a few crispy dumplings which I dunked in the sweet, spicy, jerk sauce. To follow, I managed to polish off a little taster of oxtail which was rich and falling off the bone followed by a substantial helping of curry goat with rice & peas. Paul also insisted I try a little cheesy macaroni pie which was great too! As you might imagine, I was feeling a tad full and sleepy after skipping through a large portion of Mr Dutchy’s tasty menu! 

Mr Dutchy is hitting Northampton by storm and, judging by the 2,500 fans on their Facebook Page, the customers are lovin’ a little Caribbean action! Keep your eyes peeled, as I’m sure this is only the start of things to come. Mr Dutchy may be coming to a place near you in the future!

Come and tell us what culinary adventures you’ve been up to on our Facebook Page.

Wilting in the heat of  landlocked central England we longed for a little sea breeze and an invigorating dip in the sea. With this mind we packed our bags and sped due East to the cooler climbs of Southwold. Southwold is a pretty seaside town in Suffolk rather more upmarket than some, but still providing the ubiquitous arcade slotties, candy floss and fish & chips so loved by the British seaside traveller. Where Southwold differs is by the fact that most of the town is owned by Adnams, the local brewery, who also own the wine merchants, kitchen shop, many pubs and restaurants to mention just a few of their multifarious interests. Adnams is no bad thing, generally running good pubs and restaurants providing quality beer, wine and food.

Having eaten at the Crown situated in the heart of Southwold many times in the past, it was the obvious choice for lunch. The hotel is set in an imposing double fronted white building offering informal dining and a good wine list. We settled down at a rather warped old wooden table and began to paw through the lunch and wines-by-the-glass menus. I ordered cod with samphire and my wife the dressed cromer crab. As the sun was shining, I had rosé in mind but decided against the one of offer as it was 2008 vintage. For a hotel with an award winning wine list the wine by the glass menu was pretty pedestrian and not as exciting as it could be! The dishes came and were well presented and pretty satisfying; the cod was succulent and flaky with the samphire giving a salty fresh tang. The crab was very fresh and flavoursome.

After lunch we had a prom on the pier and then walked along the beach viewing the many brightly coloured beach huts. These were which fully animated with families drinking tea or lying in deckchairs outside. The beach was littered with stripy wind breaks and pop-up tents to protect the pale skins from the sizzling 18° heat! Another British beach-time fascination seems to be digging large holes in the sand. Yes, we’ve all done this as children whilst making sandcastles, but I noticed several men with full-on garden spades digging feverishly to the earth’s core!

I also spied a number of elderly Brits sitting upright on their fold up chairs reading the paper and drinking steaming tea from a thermos. I’ve never understood how a boiling cup of tea can be the least bit refreshing to drink in the blistering heat? I guess it’s just another endearing British quirk! 

That evening we took a short drive around the estuary to the very pretty village of Walberswick where we had a dinner booking at the Anchor. The Anchor has a huge garden area, restaurant, bar and a number of rooms all tastefully furnished with a relaxed informal style. We sat in the restaurant and were handed both wine & beer menus to accompany that evening’s dinner menu. The beer list is a nice touch listing a number of interesting brews stretching from Southwold to Belgium and the USA. I started with seared scallops with pancetta on an artichoke puree accompanied by a celery salad. The scallops were sweet & juicy accompanying the artichoke puree well with the the crispy pancetta adding texture. Skate with blackened butter and capers accompanied by local asparagus and new potatoes followed. The fish was cooked to perfection and the asparagus succulent, but it was all a little bland and needed more sauce to give it a punch. The finale was a chocolate fondant which was rich, smooth and very gooey. The perfect encore!

The next day we pottered down to the harbour which is a fully functioning, proper harbour housing boat building sheds, fish mongers, chippy and  the local lifeboat service. The harbour was buzzing with life on the Saturday morning with people buying fresh fish and samphire, boat enthusiasts lovingly cleaning and painting their vessels and  noisy seagulls scavenging for scraps. We then repaired to the Harbour Inn for a a pint of frothy Adnams and a bite to eat. The food was nothing to write home about but the beer was very good.

After lunch we walked over the dunes to the wide sandy beach which stretches far in the distance. After a bit of frisbee action and another ice cream, it was time to head home but not before we had frequented Mrs T’s renowned fish & chip hut in the harbour. Stuffed to the gunnels with cod & chips we waddled contentedly back to our landlocked home!

Living, land-locked as I do in the middle of England, makes sourcing fresh fish quite challenging to say the least. Being rather partial to a scallop or two, I jumped at the chance to visit Rye to check out their festival dedicated to the luscious mollusc. Jasper Gerard recently enthused about Rye Bay scallops stating “We rip through Rye scallops with all the plump juiciness of Jennifer Lopez.” With “juicy Jennifer” on my mind it was sure to be a good weekend! 

Rye is a beautiful Medieval coastal town in East Sussex with twisty, narrow, cobbled streets and old  timber framed buildings. The scallop festival lasts for a week (20-28th February 2010) with many of the local restaurants putting on special scallop inspired menus and the fisherman holding demonstrations at the quayside on how to open and prepare scallops.

Scallop School

The name scallop is derived from the French “escalope” meaning shell. Scallops live on the sandy sea floor and prefer the slightly warmer waters of the South and West coasts of England and Wales. They live on plankton and swim by opening and closing their shells. The scallop shells are imprinted with growth rings (like tree rings) with each band denoting one year’s growth. Typically, they are caught at around 5-6 years old and any younger ones (sized 90mm or less) are returned to the sea. Russell Drew from Market Fisheries said that they have a problem disposing of the scallop shells with most going to landfill. Surely someone could make use of these magnificent shells; is it time for your soap to find a new home? 

The Rye fleet catch King scallops and are only allowed to harvest scallops from the 1st November until 30th April using small (under 10m length) boats. Diving for scallops in the Rye Bay is impractical due to the water depth of around 70-80 feet instead scallop dredges  are used. The dredges are usually made with a steel frame in the form of a scoop, covered in chain mesh which acts like a net. Some have teeth attached called “tynes” which rake the sand to expose the scallops buried beneath. The scallop beds are checked regularly and allowed to regenerate when necessary. There are currently no quotas imposed on scallop fishing and a high percentage of the Rye catch goes directly to France.

Landgate Bistro

When it comes to scallops, a mental picture drifts back in my mind to the 1990′s and Kensington Place where I enjoyed many a plateful of scallops which had been simply seared and accompanied by sweet, pea puree. With this in mind, we set off to see what delights the Landgate Bistro could provide. The bistro is situated just outside the town’s impressive Medieval gateway and housed in two Georgian cottages which have since been joined. The restaurant is small and comfortable with a real emphasis on local, seasonal food. As you would expect, a good array of Rye Bay fish (cod, turbot, Dover sole) is featured on the menu alongside other local specialities such as Romney Marsh lamb.

We started with the scallops served wrapped in home cured bacon and a shallot sauce. The scallops where thick and juicy with the bacon delivering texture and the sauce providing sweetness with an acidic kick. The scallops didn’t disappoint and were as opulent as promised.

I then progressed onto the Romney Marsh lamb served with three different cuts, french beans and gratin potatoes. The two rack of lamb chops were pink and served to perfection. The other two cuts had been slow cooked and melted in the mouth. Both had a slightly gamey flavour and one was topped with crisp breadcrumbs infused with what I think was wasabi. This, for me, was less successful and detracted from the flavour of the lamb. In the meantime, the rest of the family managed to polish off a couple of Dover sole which were quickly stripped to the bone and savoured. 

To finish, we decided to opt for the crème brûlée with prunes soaked in Armagnac. This was the least successful dish; it looked like a crème brûlée with a nice crunchy caramelised topping but the custard was like wading through cottage cheese, not rich and light as expected. None the less, Nila and Martin run an accomplished restaurant which isn’t cheap, but definitely worth a visit.

All future scallop adventures will now be compared with the magnificent Rye Bay scallop and with the rather “juicy Jennifer” in mind…