Corona conversations

With the shops re-opening and 91 days of corona conversations recorded, we have decided it is time to halt the daily updates.
From no until "normality" resumes, we will be posting regular, but no longer daily, reports on our Facebook page


DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC WE ARE KEEPING A DAILY DIARY OVER ON OUR WEBSITE.

PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR CORONA CONVERSATIONS FOR FUN FACTS, PRETTY PICTURES, NEWS AND VIEWS, HEROES AND VILLAINS.

STAY SAFE, KEEP WELL, 

MIND THE GAP!

Old Mother Hubbard

I started to write this before the lockdown, before the pandemic, the panic buying, the upsurge of home bakers and new home cooks, clearing the shelves, invading the internet, sweeping the supermarkets more effectively than Rylan has ever witnessed.  Some of the shopping and cooking dynamics have changed, society has changed, daily life has changed; for good, for bad, forever? Who knows? 
But even so, most of this still applies, so in many ways, life goes on as normal and we have to cling to familiarity where we can.

Old Mother Hubbard's cupboard was notable for being bare.  For most of us, this is not something we have to face, but for those on low incomes, living in poverty, it is a daily reality.
Food banks offer temporary respite, but it is shameful that in a country comfortably within the world's top ten economies that there should be a need for these.
It should be the right of everyone to eat well; food should be more than staving off hunger, it should nourish the soul as well as the body.  Jack Monroe, who has experienced poverty and hunger, has written some stunning books which set a new benchmark for the "cooking on a budget" theme.  There is no pride in poverty, but there ought to be dignity.

If you have enough to eat, be grateful, be generous, challenge and question those in power.  The Trussell Trust website will point you in the right direction.

But for the rest of us, the notion of having nothing to eat is the culinary equivalent to claiming we have nothing to wear; standing in front of the kitchen cupboards is like facing the black hole, rimmed with indecision and a complete lack of initiative and imagination, that sits between you and the overstuffed wardrobe.

What we really mean is that our minds cannot translate the shelves of ingredients into the coherence of a meal.  Personally, I love the challenge of a fridge forage and a pantry purge, scooping up anything to hand and creating something from a seemingly disparate and desperate collection of bits and bobs.  Even so, "wait and see", is a handy answer when the reaction to a casual enquiry about the day's dinner results in brain freezing panic.

Perhaps the prevalence of these culinary mental blocks one of the reasons why Ready Steady Cook is so popular. So popular, in fact, that it returned to our screens recently, fronted by the irrespressible Rylan Clark-Neal, two mentions in one post! - with new chefs, including our friend Romy Gill.  

And another source of inspiration is Nigel Slater  - in particular we love his Greenfeast books, which list the recipes by no more than 3 principal ingredients.

  

And if you are struggling with what you have in the cupboard, you can head over to Gemma Wade on Instagram who is full of ideas and advice.

Or write to us at sales@nethgerton-foundry.co.uk and we will see what we can come up with.

Stay safe, keep well, stay positive.

Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2020 ©

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

SY23 - a restaurant in Aberystwyth

It was quite a journey to get there, even more of a journey home through sleet, hail and snow, across the Welsh hills to avoid the floods in the valleys below.
But it was well worth it to be the first to talk about SY23; named after Aberystwyth's post code and home of Nathan Davies' new restaurant, which opened just over 2 months ago.

And whilst I refuse to use the word journey in anything other than a travelling context, this has been quite an experience for Nathan too.  After 4 years of working at the acclaimed, Michelin starred restaurant Ynyshir, under the tour de force that is Gareth Ward and surviving the razor sharp scrutiny of Grace Dent, he has moved down the road and stepped up to the challenge of running his own place.

A big jump into a small place, but a place that can genuinely be described as having Nathan's DNA all over it.
SY23 is small, but, as the saying goes, perfectly formed; a cosy downstairs bar, the dark blue paint creating an intimate atmosphere, redolent of a prohibition speakeasy, but with the class and styling of velvet chairs, highly polished, dark wood tables and fresh flowers, leads out to a twisting staircase, illuminated by the sexiest of chandeliers to a dining space made by Nathan, with a little help from his friends.
And when I say "made", I do mean "made", not feng shui'd from purchased parts!
As Nathan himself said, "lots of people open restaurants, I built mine".

Take a closer look at the open cooking area, everything is on view, where you can see your meal being cooked.  All of that open fire set up was made, from scratch, by Nathan; in his words, he is better than the average welder.

Two of the tabletops have been converted by one of his friends, from the seasoned wood of a fallen oak, the hollow centre artfully filled with resin.  As ever, it's not what you know, but who you know; in this case it happens to be Steve McFall, aka Bespoke Mcbloke. These fabulous pieces of timber are supported on metal legs made by, guess who, yes, that man Nathan.  The rest of the tables are made from reclaimed wood atop Nathan's legs, so to speak, and will eventually be replaced by more bespoke tops.

Look even closer at that open cooking area and last week you would have seen that he is running a restaurant, with 24 covers, with only 2 frying pans and had you looked closer you would have seen that they are both  Netherton Foundry frying pans.  His stock has now increased by 50% with the addition of one of our prospector pans!  Just goes to show that it's all about having just the right amount of exactly the right kit.

The money saved by making his own fire pit and tables meant that he was able to buy seriously comfy chairs.  That may sound like a no-brainer, but how often have you fidgetted through dinner on a hard chair or read Jay Rayner or his readers complaining about the seating and how it detracted from the food? 

Seats are important, this is what Mr Rayner he wrote in one review, where thankfully his nether regions were as well catered for as his stomach.  

"The seats are comfortable. Going from some of the comments online on these reviews, that is a matter of serious concern to a certain portion of the readership."

And this is all part of the restaurant's core ethos - to give people a good night out.  Truly great wines are offered at accessible prices; this is by no means a cheap restaurant, but it does offer true value for the money you pay.  At the time of writing the set menu of seven perfectly judged courses  is priced at £48.  Don't write to us, shout at the restaurant or whine on review sites and social media if that's not the price when you visit.  

The menu has been conceived to give you a great dinner, with the price reflecting the quality of the ingredients and the cooking.  
The wines have been priced competitively, so that your drinks bill doesn't leave a nasty taste in your mouth.

And let's talk about the food.
Over the course of an entertaining conversation, we learned that the only thing Nathan doesn't enjoy is raw oysters; it used to be all raw fish, but he is coming round to some of it, just not the oysters - cook them first!  
But fish has paid a large part in his life, with fond memories of a teenage life lived on the coast, with access to a small boat and fishing lines, he spent many an hour out on the water bringing home a catch.  And now he buys his fish direct from the boats.  If they haven't got what he'd planned to cook, he will change the menu, rather than buy elsewhere.

He can still recall, I don't know why I say still, he's not that old even now, the first meal he cooked.  As a teenager he served his family fresh tomato soup with pesto, a boiled ham with vegetables and a chocolate tart, recipe from Jamie Oliver's Naked Chef, which despite his conviction of having followed the recipe exactly, didn't set.    
As an aside, Jamie Oliver was "discovered" when working at the River Cafe in London and it is rumoured that no-one has ever managed to make their Chocolate Nemesis recipe successfully - perhaps there is a link.

Nathan is trying to source all the ingredients as locally as possible; he makes bread from wheat grown and milled down the road, has a number of local, organic fruit and veg suppliers, is working on dairy supplies, Wales is better known for its sheep than its cows, and relationships are being forged with local farmers and butchers for high quality meat.
Then, of course, there is the abundance of food to be foraged from forest, field and hedgerow.  Birch trees are tapped for birch water, which will be simmered down to create birch syrup; a complex, rich almost curranty taste, which we got to sample neat. Soon the wild garlic will be harvested and pickled, fermented and added to oil.  It will be a full year of seasons and harvests before Nathan has accumulated the larder filled with the jars that he wants to enhance his dishes.  These are not things you can ring up the wholesaler and order on a next day delivery.  Time is the key ingredient here.

The menus are changed every two weeks and are not advertised on line.  It is a set menu, although with advance notice, they can take dietary restrictions into account.  Learning from Gareth, and confident in his ability to create delicious food, Nathan presents a succession of dishes designed to fit together like a jigsaw, so that when the last piece is finally in place, there is a feeling of satisfaction.  If you start tinkering withe the pieces, the picture is going to be skewed. 

If you got to SY23, and we think you should, let us know what you think.  If you send us a review, we may even publish it!

Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2020 ©

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

How much? A reflection on the real price of things

How much? I could make that for a fraction of the cost.  How often have we heard that?  Too often, I'm afraid.
As Oscar Wilde said "a cynic is a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing" words worth reflecting on.

A desire for more stuff for less money means we have lost sight of what is involved in the creation of that which we desire.
Instant gratification and a seemingly limitless and ever changing supply of fashion, food, frivolities and fripperies in the shape of delivered food, Amegazon prime and the like and we can forget that someone, somewhere had to source the materials, turn them into the object of your longing and then deliver it to your door.  A fleeting pleasure, something in the moment, but quickly forgotten or discarded.
We love this interview with Vivienne Westwood, whose plan to save the world may need more work, but we cannot argue with this:

“We need to get back to having fewer things, and treasuring what we have.  We already have enough clothes in the western world to last us for hundreds of years.” Westwood company policy is to downsize production – all collections are now 50% smaller than three years ago – and sell at a price point that encourages Westwood’s mantra of choose well, buy less, make it last.

My heart goes out to chefs who hear this all the time, with the constant tinnitus buzz of price whinges on Tripadvisor.
This is a list of the things that really annoy chefs, including Mary Ellen Mctague's "accusations of profiteering" and Si Toft on "TripAdvisor bullies". 

Consider this and then ask yourself if you really could have "done this better and cheaper yourself."

• Did you spend time at catering college and learning the ropes in low paid restaurant jobs to learn about food hygiene, food storage, purchasing and pricing, staffing and food preparation.
• Have you factored in your mortgage/rent and rates?  The electricity? The phone bill? What about insurance?
• Did you pay yourself when you prepared the meal?  Did you pay someone to serve it, wash up after you, answer the phone to take your table reservation, do your accounts?
• And if so, did you then pay their NI?  And then there is the commission that the credit card companies take on every transaction.
• Have you amortised the cost of the table you placed the food on, the chair you sat on, the crockery, cutlery, napery?  And the pans, knives, bottle opener, can opener, wooden spoon.....
• Have you accounted for the hot water, washing up liquid, tea towels and dishcloths - or the cost of loading and running the dishwasher?
• Don't forget the laundry bill, the loo rolls and the soap, the cleaner
• Is there a publicity budget, allowing you to advertise?
• Have you worked put what your profit margin needs to be so that there is money to pay for replacement crockery when a plate gets broken, new cruets when someone steals the last salt cellar - yes that really is a thing, redecorating once in a while.
• Have you put in at least 12 hours a day all week?
• Did you lie awake last night wondering whether that no-show of a table of six can be covered by a couple of extra walk ins tomorrow lunchtime?  How much longer is left on the lease?  Is the landlord going to increase the rent?  And where are you going to find a replacement for the waiting staff who has moved on.  

The same principles apply to our cookware.  Yes, you can buy something far cheaper, you can have it delivered virtually before you even knew you wanted it and yes, you will probably throw it away in less than a couple of years.
That's fine if that's all you can afford, and that is the reality for too many people.
It's not so fine if you take into account the disquieting factors behind the supply of cheap goods. Product miles, disposal of unwanted goods, single use of resources, working conditions of producers and providers, tax avoidance..............

When you buy something from us we will source all our components as locally as possible;we know our suppliers by their first names; we can tell you which of our ironmasters contributed which operation and skill to your product; we will wrap it in recycled and recyclable packaging; we will use recyclable and natural materials to make your cookware; you will be able to re-season and repair your cookware should the need arise; we won't come out with a new range every year, rendering last year's purchase obsolete or outdated; a real person will answer the phone and then answer your questions and we will pay our taxes.

So yes, our cookware may be a bit more expensive than some; you may have to wait longer than 24 hours for your hand made pan to arrive; but it will bring you joy; it will have provided jobs to a rural community; it will have been made with skill, but also with love and pride and when you work out the price per use, you will realise that it is not so expensive after all.

Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2020 ©

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

New shape, new recipe - loaf tin cake

You may have noticed that we have changed the shape of our 1lb (½kg) and 2lb (1kg) loaf tins.
This is response to a number of requests from people who love the characteristics and performance of the tins, but who wanted the shape to be more like a sandwich loaf.
So we obliged.  In every respect, other than the squarer shape, these are just the same as the old ones.  So, the same made to last appeal, natural non stick properties, heavy black iron material for great cooking characteristics and wonderful crusts; just as useful, equally beautiful.

And to prove the point, here is a recipe cooked in the new 1lb loaf tin

120g butter
50g sugar
50g lime marmalade*
2 eggs
50g dried cranberries
120g self raising flour.

80g icing sugar
Juice of half a lemon

* I used home made lime marmalade, which is what you would describe as "soft set".  If you use a well known brand such as Roses, which has a much firmer set, then I would advise adding the juice of a lime or a couple of tablespoons of milk to the mix to loosen it a little.

Pre-heat the oven to 170ºC and lightly grease your loaf tin.  This would also work in our cake tin, but you may need to reduce the cooking time. 

Cream the butter, sugar and marmalade together until well blended and light in colour.  Beat in the eggs.

Fold in the flour and the cranberries and spoon the mixture into the greased loaf tin.

Bake for 30 minutes and check that it passes the skewer test.  If the top is browning too quickly, cover lightly with foil or a used butter wrapper.

Leave in the tin for around 10 minutes and then turn out on to a cooling rack.

Put the icing sugar into a bowl and gradually add the lemon juice until you have a thick icing.  Drizzle artistically over the top of the cake. 

Pop the kettle on and make a cup of tea, to be enjoyed with a thick slice of cake.

Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2020 ©

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

Sausage Roll Off 2020

At the Red Lion, Barnes

Last night was the 8th annual Great Sausage Roll Off, organised by pub managers Angus McKean and Claire Morgan, and we were proud to be sponsors for the third year running.

First, what is it all about?  Well, at it's most basic, it's a competition in a London pub, to see which chef can make the best sausage roll.  The judges, each with an iron constitution, taste their way through the entries and a prize is awarded at the end.  Along the way, money is raised for charity.  
And that sums it up, but barely scratches the surface of what this is really all about.  
These are not next level sausage rolls, these are top floor, roof garden, let's build another level sausage rolls. 
These are not just any judges, these are the great and the good of the hospitality industry.
This is not just a raffle for a box of chocolates and a bottle of dodgy wine; this is a silent auction for dinners, overnight stays, champagne afternoon tea, stellar ice cream, butchery classes and more besides

Oh what a night!  

19 entries of outstanding sausage rolls, 4 judges, with a total of 4 Michelin stars between them, 3 fabulous prizes, one cat herder - her words, not ours!, compere Melissa Cole and one charity, which has literally saved the lives of people working in the catering industry; Hospitality Action.

Let me introduce you to this year's judging panel:
Lucy Horobin: Lucy is a Sony Award nominated broadcaster, and presents the Getting You Home show and Saturday Breakfast with JK on Heart London and Heart Extra, and by her own admission, a sausage roll junkie.  Whereas many would quail at the prospect of working their way through 19 sausage rolls in one sitting, Lucy positively relished the challenge.

Paul Cunningham: Hailing from Essex, but now running the stunning restaurant with rooms, Henne Kirkeby Kro, with 2 Michelin stars to his name, Paul took time out from his visit back to England to sit on the judges' panel.

Russell Bateman: A chef with an amazing CV, now at Pétrus, with a Michelin star to his name.
Paul Foster: Having travelled the world, Paul has returned to his Warwickshire roots, and runs his own restaurant, Salt in Stratford on Avon and travelled down to London to take part in this year's judging panel.

And further to emphasise the prestige of this event, just look at the contestants, who came from the North - Liverpool, Oldham; the West - Corsham, Bridgwater; the South - Padstow, Plymouth; the East - Norfolk, Canterbury and the capital - London. 

Amber Southon, the Quarryman's Arms.  Amber came second and took home a pile of specially commissioned Netherton cookware, which included an 8" frying pan, 12" frying pan and heavy duty baking sheet, so she can practice for next year.

Phil Harrison, Bears Ice Cream company, who came third last year. He has yet to produce a sausage roll flavoured ice cream, but he did incorporate flavourings from our favourite spice man, Mr Wolf, this year.

Iain Devine & Alan Paton, hailing from Manchester and East Anglia, thus covering two points of the compass, this pair were thrilled to be awarded third place this year, although I am not sure how they are going to share the prize of a Rational knife roll across their geographic divide.

Danny Kingston; a most entertaining chap, who normally sits on the press table, but took the plunge and offered up his rolls for judgely scrutiny this year.

Robert Taylor, the Compasses Inn, listed in the top 50 Gastropubs for the past 4 years and with a Michelin Bib Gourmand award too.

Davin Browning, head chef at The Apron restaurant, Theatre Royal, Plymouth.  Davin was perhaps even more disappointed than the rest of us that Simon Rimmer was unable to take his place at the judges' bench again this year, following an operation earlier in the week.
We wish Simon a speedy recovery.

Maurizio Pellegrini, the Italian Club, Liverpool, as you would,  expect combining the best of British with tastes of Italy

Ben Handley, chef patron of the Duck Inn, ruffling feathers with a quail sausage egg.

Matt Colk, The Gun Docklands more feathers flying, as Matt produced a chicken Caesar salad roll.

Majella O'Connell, aka Pavlova and Cream, a food photographer, not a chef!  And whilst you may think it is brave of her to mix it with the professionals, bear in mind that Majella was coached by none other than Daniel Clifford.

Alan Chilton, Bower Inn Bridgwater, whose sausage roll comprising Old English pork, flavoured with cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger, caraway, chilli and garlic took first prize.  Alan was awarded with a stunning roll of I.O.Shen knives, all etched with the event logo.

And we have to add that is was lovely to catch up with I.O.Shen's dream team Natalie and Josh, whom we haven't seen since Meatopia last year!

Anton Manganaro, from BAFTA, who used pork from the inspirational pig farmer, Martha Roberts

Adrian Oliver, who works at Padstow Harbour Hotel had an eventful time last year, when he won first prize for his sausage roll and then got hit by bad weather on the way home and had to spend the night in a snowbound service station.  Sadly, he didn't win this year, but hopefully the journey back was less eventful.

Alec Tomasso, ex Masterchef contestant and aka The Weeping Chef is now a Roll Off regular and we hope to see him taking part again next year.

James Taylor travelled down from the Bulls Head, Heyside, Oldham to take part, showcasing a pork sausage roll with caramelised pineapple.

Adam Lestrelle didn't have quite so far to travel, popping down to the Red Lion from The Roehampton Club 

David Steele of Bartlett Mitchell, may not have won, but we think that a sausage roll made from pork, smoked chicken, pistachio and apricot served with a burnt apple purée and London Pride dill  pickles deserves a very special mention.  You had us at dill pickles!

Finally, it was the turn of Charlie Hodson, chef, roll off stalwart and ambassador for Hospitality Action.  Charlie has more reasons than many to advocate the services offered Hospitality Action and bravely spoke out last night about his own mental health problems, praising the charity for the, quite literally, life saving support it had offered him.  His entry, called Saving Grace, may not have won the competition, but his speech won everyone's hearts.
Charlie, we love you and hope your feet are treading a steady path this coming year.

The hospitality industry, whilst exciting, vibrant and full of opportunities, can also be a brutal, challenging and harsh working environment.  Hospitality Action is there to support those who need it and we were proud to lend our support to them.

Cat herder in chief, the indomitable Melissa Cole compered the evening brilliantly, keeping so many chefs in line in a pub is not a job for the faint of heart or the weak of stomach.  Channeling her inner Queen Elizabeth I, she kept them all, more or less under control, with no cheffish rivalries getting out of hand and no sabotage detected!

At the end of the proceedings, Melissa announced that a grand total of £3537 had been raised for Hospitality Action and that is surely an achievement worth raising a glass to.

Roll on #rolloff 2021

Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2020 ©

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

Lemon and cardamom shortbread biscuits

I always used to think that shortbread was as simple as 1, 2, 3.
1 measure of sugar, 2 of butter, 3 of plain flour. 
But recently I have been experimenting.
"Testing, testing, 1,2,1,2 testing" not a sound check, but an adaptation of the above formula.
And for these shortbread thins, I have come up with a new variation.  I stick to the old one for thicker shortbread fingers, but these are a crisper, whisper thin version.
Oh yes, I have added a little flavouring too.

The quantities given here will make about 30 biscuits, but as long as you stick to the ratio, you can use ounces, grams, cans of beans or sacks of potatoes depending on how many biscuits you want to make.

Heat the oven to 170ºC

2oz sugar
4oz butter, cubed
2oz cornflour
4oz plain flour
Grated rind of a lemon
Crushed seeds from 6 green cardamom pods

I cannot stand the feel of cornflour, it sets my teeth on edge, so I make these in the food processor.  Simply chuck everything in and mix together until combined to a stiff dough.
Alternatively, rub the butter into the flours until it all resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Then knead into a ball of dough.

Roll out to a thickness of 2mm on a floured surface and cut into rounds (I used a 5½cm cutter and made 30 biscuits). 
Spread them out evenly on a baking sheet and place in the oven.
They will be ready in 15 - 20 minutes, but please, please keep an eye on them.  Although they will be pale in colour and feel soft to the touch, they WILL be cooked.
Remove from the oven at the first sign that they are browning!
Transfer to a cooling rack and they will crisp up beautifully as they cool.

Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2020 ©

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk