The Dairy Clapham

The Dairy Clapham

We recently spent a few days in London and decided to try out The Dairy.I'd seen some fantastic pictures of food on twitter and had read also how much effort they go into ensuring that their staff are well fed on food from the restaurant. This made me want to try it all the more. After getting off the tube you find yourself on a rather pleasant high street on which The Dairy is situated. On the day we went we arrived to find Mary Berry sitting in the window after just having filmed something for the BBC there. We were seated at a high table with old school science lab chairs.Looking around it has that feel of somewhere really relaxed and informal (there were even bar stools made from milk crates fixed together).Definitely an eclectic mix of furnishings but very pleasant.There were large doors at the front which they later opened as the weather was so sunny and warm.





We looked at the 2 menus that we were given and decided to go for the £25 special 4 course lunch. This meant choosing one from each section of  Snack - Garden -Sea or Land and a Dessert. Although the menu was not an extensive one we still had trouble choosing as the combinations sounded so good we had the dilemma of which one to choose. As we were waiting we were bought out some little canapes which we devoured before I  could even snap a photo.We were then bought out a little warm hessian type bag with a small  bread in accompanied by absolutely wonderful hay smoked marrowbone butter served on a pebble.Then came our 'snack' my hubby chose the Truffled Brie de Meaux on a fig &walnut toast with rooftop honey ( their own).The truffle sprinkled on top unsparingly. I opted for the Galician octopus,fresh coco beans and Sicilian tomatoes. The octopus in this dish was so well cooked it was so tender and not at all chewy.The octopus as tender as the beans.  
Next course was the 'Garden' course.This time hubby had Soft Bantam egg with wild mushrooms.The combination of the earthy mushrooms with the eggs simple but delicious!

My choice was the Hay smoked curd,Jerusalem artichokes,roasted onions and chanterelles. The Jerusalem artichoke is a vegetable which many people turn their nose up at.This was a dish which you wouldn't be able to do this with. The artichoke was cooked in different ways which gave the dish many textures, the smokiness adding another aspect which finished it off.Another very good dish.

We both chose the same dish for the 'Land' selection. This was a really difficult choice for myself as I found it really difficult to choose.I think I could have had all 3 very easily!! We opted for the Yorkshire venison,celeriac,game sausage and blackberries. a rather pretty dish with a good balance of the fruit with the game.The venison cooked pink and the little nuggets of sausage had  a nice gamey spiciness.



For dessert hubby had the Roasted pears ,hay milk pannacotta and brown butter.An unusual dessert but pronounced delicious as it was demolished! I had the Salted caramel,cacao and malted barley ice cream.I very rarely  go for anything chocolate related for dessert but as the other 2 had pears and apples in (not my favourites) I tried this.I'm so glad I did.Because it was cacao instead of chocolate this was not overly sweet but was full of flavour,the ice cream perfectly complimenting it.
Feeling a bit naughty we also decided to add the cheese course in to the end of our meal.Again we were so glad we did .36 month aged Comte with strawberry grapes and homemade maple and thyme crackers. The right amount of a good cheese makes up for masses of bland cheese.
The final surprise came as we were waiting for our bill a couple of lovely Petit fours served in a little old  fashioned tin.A perfect end to a perfect meal.
We would highly recommend The Dairy.The food is not the normal run of the mill but very cleverly put together ingredients that really work well.An all round very enjoyable experience.This is somewhere we would definitely return.

The Red Lion -Yardley Hastings .A review from our visit in June

The Red lion Yardley Hastings

Late one Sunday lunchtime we decided we wanted to go out for our lunch.We were wondering where we could go that we could guarantee good food without spending the earth (we had eaten out in London the previous day for our son's birthday).After trying to rack my brains on various places that i'd seen on twitter and facebook i remembered that i had been given a card at Hart Breweries by a vintage stall who had a little retail outlet in an outbuilding at The Red Lion pub.So I rang to see if they could fit us in .They informed us that the kitchen would be closing at 3 but if we could get there before it would be no problem and they would be glad to see us.

Well we certainly made the right choice.We were greeted by the landlady and were made to feel extremely welcome.We were led to our table and offered a drink from the extensive list.We were impressed by the the menu which had a good choice and was very reasonably priced.

We both opted for the Crab&Crayfish Ravioli and lobster caviar for our starter .This was absolutely amazing.Just the right sized portion and so full of flavour.Highly recommended.Creamy and subtly tasting.It did what a starter should do..left us wanting more.

For the main course i went for the Chicken Supreme with Porcini Cream.This is really an unusual choice for me as i rarely choose chicken or steak as i think they are easy options to cook at home.Good choice.This was a beautiful piece of chicken which was served with an extremely tasty porcini sauce.I was quite happy to see that is they had not skimped on the sauce as can sometimes happen.My husband opted for the Steak and Director's Pie which came out on a plate in its own pie dish.It was a very generous portion.The beef in the pie was cooked until very tender and had a balanced taste of the beer .Not too bitter but still being able to taste it.

They came with an extremely generous portion of

very well cooked fresh vegetables along with delicious roast potatoes.

We were asked if we could manage desserts which we readily agreed on.It was explained to us that they were homemade .They were displayed on a board and all sounded quite delicious.I went for the Orange Drizzle and my husband decided on the Lemon Posset.Oh what good choices they were.The Lemon Posset being just the right sharpness and very lemony to help the dinner go down.As for the orange drizzle I felt it was a delightful end to a really fantastic meal.

The Red Lion is an extremely friendly pub .It was taken over by a couple who wanted to provide great food to people who wanted it at not overinflated prices.The service was great ,the food wasgreat.Ihave already recommended it to others and we'll definitely return to eat again.Highly recommended.

Hart Brewery Green Hop Hoe Down

Hart Breweries Green Hop Hoedown 4th October

Hart's latest open brewery day was to celebrate the launch of their new beer 'Green Hop'. On the morning the weather looked less than promising with heavy downpours forecast but as we were promised undercover seating and the fact that previous open days have been extremely good fun we ventured out. A good decision because even though we got there at the same time as the aforementioned downpours we were greeted by some lovely food stalls and the Hart Brewery gazebo with plenty of inside and outside (undercover)seating.There was also live music going on all day from local bands playing in the actual brewery itself.
First stop the amazing Buffins and cupcakes of The Blakesley Hill Cakes Company.What a cheery sight in all that rain .A Buffin for those of you who don't know is a beer flavoured muffin filled with a variety of goodies .
On offer today was one specially created in homage to Hart's Green Hop.The One Legged Buffin had wild rabbit,apple,thyme and of course Green Hops in it. This was alongside some of the old favourites such as Hart No3 Buffin and Hart No9 Buffin each beer based with delicious fillings. They also had their beautiful cupcakes with them.All totally hard to resist...so we
didn't and duly bought plenty for later.

.


Another food stall that caught my eye was the newly formed Devine Betty's.They too were selling beer flavoured treats.These also we couldn't resist as the smell emanating from the tent was delicious. We tried each one of the hot delights they had on offer and were suitably pleased with all of them. The Hart's Porter and Cheese Soup was absolutely amazing. The beer not overpowering and the cheese plentiful. We also tried the Pork Belly and Beans with Opal Wheat Beer Bread and The No8 Slow Cooked Beef Brisket in Brioche Bun with Dill Slaw. All extremely tasty and just right for this chilly wet day.
There were also stalls selling hot sausages and The Garden Deli with delights they had brought along from their deli just around the corner.

 The Beer .Well as  a fan already of Hart Beer I was looking forward to trying the Green Hop.I was a little worried that it might not be to my taste as I don't usually like over hoppy beers but I wasn't disappointed. It has a quite refreshing taste without the bitter after taste that some hoppy beers have and also wasn't too high in alcohol content.
All in all despite the bad weather start (it brightened up later) it was again a very enjoyable day out.This is the third time I've been to one of the open days and each one has had a buzzing atmosphere with good food ,good music and of course fantastic local beer!!

The First Blog... An Introduction

Hi my name is Sarah or @anglesey42 as I am known on twitter and instagram, and simply I love food.
I am a married mum of 3 grown up boys and was bought up eating good homemade food.  My mum was quite adventurous and that rubbed off on me. This inspiration in turn has influenced my sons, who enjoy cooking and love to try new food experiences.We all started to cook at a young age and our love of good food progressed from there.My husband came late into cooking but enjoys trying out new recipes and has recently began in attempting to make bread.
As you will see if you follow my posts I not only like to cook but I love to eat out and also I love to buy and try new ingredients or products.I also like to visit food festivals and other food related events.
I will post about some of the recipes I have tried and also share with you some of the fantastic products that I have found from the great producers that we have all around the country.Last but not least if I find some great places to eat I will share them with you.
Hopefully you will find my posts interesting and want to revisit my blog.

                        See you soon.Sarahx