FEAST in Battersea Park

Foodies Feast – LONDON’S BIGGEST PICNIC

Battersea Park – Friday 16, Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 August 2013

"Foodies Festival is delighted to add a NEW festival of food and drink to their UK calendar – FEAST at Battersea Park, this summer’s essential celebration of food and drink.  The exciting new event invites London’s foodies to experience an exclusive picnic extravaganza featuring the UK’s largest selection of restaurant, street and artisan food available in one place."

With a weekend of entertaining to do, what could be better than a foodie excursion to Battersea, to sample some great street food, experience some live cooking and generally take in all things culinary? We started with a general tour of the park, assessing what was going to be the first stop on our food adventure. Alex decided to sample The Glorious Oyster and ordered a £10 bucket of seafood. This included BBQ Oyster, Mussels and Crab Legs with a generous helping of Samphire and Seafood Sauce - all grilled on a Barbecue. They also had £25 and £40 bucket options including fantastic looking lobsters. 

 Rob went straight in for the barbecued meats with a helping of Gaucho. Although we live so near the Richmond Gaucho, it's not a place we've ever been able to afford to eat at. So this was a great opportunity to sample some of their steak without the huge price tag. Rob ordered an "El Grande", which at £9 consisted of a burger, two thick and juicy slices of steaky beefy goodness and a fresh salsa verde sauce. It was great to get your teeth into. Although the burger was standard, the beef slices were delectable and I savoured every scrap I was thrown.
 

We then settled down to watch Shelina Permaloo, winner of Masterchef 2012, cook a couple of recipes from her new book - Sunshine on a Plate. She was so down to earth and warm and it was great to learn more about Mauritian food. She is also planning on opening a Mauritian restaurant, which is very exciting! She made Egg Rougaille, which is a rich, creole tomato sauce with a poached egg (similar to huevos rancheros I thought) and a Mango, Rum Syllabub, which just looked amazing. Both very simple, homely dishes but no less enticing.  She also gave away a couple of her books but my geographical knowledge let me down and I missed out. Disappointed? Yes, very.

Not the most flattering picture.

Is anyone else obsessed with coconut water? So many different flavours and it tastes to rich and creamy. Although I got my dad to try it, and he is a lover of coconut - he was not particularly impressed. There was a big coconut stall where they were slicing off the tops with a machete. How could I pass on the opportunity to have coconut water FROM A COCONUT. It was extremely heavy and about the size of my head but it was awesome.  I basically chugged it.

Then we watched Larkin Cen, Masterchef 2013 finalist. Alex and I became unhealthily interested in this years Masterchef and Larkin was a favourite of ours from the start. He was innovative and boisterous and his Welsh/Bristol accent mix is just the best. With a cavalier attitude, he cooked Pan Fried Seabass, in a clear asian broth with Pork Wontons and Enoki Mushrooms, as well a BBQ Lamb dish. His asian, surf and turf inspired dish was incredibly beautiful and the lamb smelt wonderful. I even worked up the nerve to ask him a question (much to the panic of Alex) and asked what he liked to eat himself at home. He told us he was a bit of a fast food junkie. He is developing a Masterchef book with Natalie (winner) and Dale and has included a recipe of this nature in his section. He told us that at university, the Rugby lads would try and take on the Triple Crown (finishing a McDonalds, Burger King and KFC in one go), so Larkin has decided to take this idea and create a Masterchef worthy starter! 

We had a quick drinks break in the Dorset Cider House tent. I had a half pint of Dorset Nectar (Of course! Dorset represent!) and Alex went for a pint of West Milton. Then it was time for another round of foodie delights!

Rob went for Calzone Fritters from Cheeky Italian. Deep Fried Calzone bites filled with Beef Meatballs, Fontina Cheese and a Tomato Sauce. These might have been my favourite thing that I ate all day. Really crispy and crunchy on the outside, with a soft flavourful and often cheesy filling. Too much Nutmeg for Rob and a bit too much Fennel Seed for my taste but they were a real textural and flavourful experience. 

Alex went for The Well Kneaded Wagon's Sourdough Pizza (think Franco Manca in a van). With toppings of Chorizo, Mushroom and Mozzerella with Rocket and Parmesan, this was great value at £7. Alex thought that "it was quick, well made, generously sized, tasted great and the person serving me was the friendliest person he spoke to there which always helps."

Then it was time for a spot of Afternoon Tea from Vintage Feast. They had such a beautiful selection of cakes that it was extremely hard to choose. I went for the Passionfruit and Coconut and Rob opted for the Lemon Drizzle. At £4 for a pot of tea and a slice of cake, their slices were extremely liberal. I couldn't even finish mine. The tea was by BrewHaHa Afternoon Blend and it was pretty average. It all felt very civilised until the true British weather set in. Calling Feast London's biggest picnic was going to jinx it wasn't it? The heavens opened.

 

Alex went for a third round of street food from The Banger Shack (created by The Shack Revolution). He went for a footlong (£5), which was served with mayo, rocket and fried onions.

The man himself said: "The sausage was good, tasted nice but wasn’t anything special. I’ve had nicer bangers in my mouth plus the staff weren’t exactly great, one of them looked like he really didn’t want to be there and it took him ages to even acknowledge I was waiting."

I got back on the tea train by engaging with We Are Tea, a brand I hadn't heard of before. I tried a couple of their more fruity infusions and they tried to sell me their new 'Slimming Tea'. The cheek. I went for a loose leaf English Breakfast tin to try against the loose leaf Waitrose English Breakfast I have at home. We brewed a pot when we got home and I found it extremely difficult to brew. It told me that I should use one tsp per cup and brew for 3 - 5 minutes. I brewed for 5 minutes and it was still way too weak. It took me three goes to get two decent cups of tea. We decided that the flavour was actually a bit bland compared to the Waitrose blend, so that was a bit of a disappointment.

 

After a nice walk along the river to alleviate some full tummys, we headed back into the festival to an Appleton Estate Rum and Chocolate tasting. Whilst waiting, it was clear that most people had gotten a bit pissed by this point and had lost of bit of their common decency. The rum tasting was interesting and we tried 4 different aged rums (along with one small piece of dark chocolate...). We all agreed that it was not something we could drink straight with ice but it had been a good experience. Exhausted, satisfied and a bit sleepy with rum, we headed home to a nice cup of tea and a pair of slippers. 

To Market.

With the abundance of America style diners opening up in Central London and the return of my sorely missed other half from his feature film shoot in Dunstable, we decided that it was time to go and indulge ourselves. With meat. And cheese.

You may remember Valentine’s Day 2012 fondly, as that night Rob and I explored the newly opened Meat Liquor (Fangtasia crossed with a butcher) and enjoyed some dirty US cuisine at its best.  Instead of revising as we have already done many times, we decided to check out another of Yianni Papoutsis’ creations – Meat Market in Covent Garden.  

With a rather secluded entrance off Tavistock Street, you head up the stairs to a small, rough and ready diner style set up overlooking Covent Garden’s Jubilee Market Hall. We arrived at about 7pm and managed to squeeze ourselves onto a newly empty table. There’s no table service here and you collect your food when you hear your name called. Like it’s sister, Meat Liquor, Meat Market has great style. It’s a toned down, simple version but its personality is still shining through.

Even with its small menu, it was hard to choose what to have. We both opted for the Maple Bourbon Shake (£6), which was the most incredible drink I have ever had. There was nowhere near enough of this to keep me satisfied. Rob even toyed with picking up another for the road. To eat, Rob chose the old faithful ‘Dead Hippy’ burger – just as good as usual, whilst I went for a Chilli Dog. The hot-dog itself was the star of the show – well flavoured with a good meaty texture, and stood out against the large amount of toppings that it was fighting against. The bun was soft and light and the chilli, cheese and jalapeños topped the dish off nicely.

We were in and out in about half an hour. As we left, I felt sated and exhilarated. I can only imagine that this is what it must feel like to visit a top of the range escort. 

Lancashire Hot Pot

The lack of warm weather (is it June already?), is really starting to get to me. When the sun does come out, it's generally accompanied by a bitter wind and my summer clothes are still safely packed up in the top of my wardrobe. Although Lancashire Hot Pot is the perfect meal for cold, winter nights, I think this year's "summer" allows us to extend the cosy menu for a little bit longer.

Lancashire Hot Pot is both one of mine and Rob's favourite dishes. It is the easiest dinner to cook and tastes fantastic. We've both explored different recipes for this classic and between us have come up with our ideal version. With about 10 minutes of prep, plus an hour and a half in the oven. You can put your feet up and turn the TV on whilst you wait for the oven to work its magic.

Lancashire Hot Pot

Serves 2

Ingredients

400g Lamb Neck Fillet

1 Large White Onion

2 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme

1 Large Baking Potato

250ml Lamb Stock (preferably homemade)

Salt and Pepper

20g Butter

Method

Preheat your oven (non fan) to 180C.

Chop your lamb neck into generous chunks and season with salt and pepper. 

Finely slice your white onion.

Mix the lamb and the onion together and put into a deep casserole dish.

Place your fresh thyme on the top of the mixture.

Using a mandoline (or your awesome knife skills), slice your potato width ways as thinly as possible.

Make up your stock and pour over the filling until it just reaches the top of the lamb. It's best to err on the side of caution with the stock as you don't want your pot to be too watery. Don't worry if you have some left over. We used a homemade lamb stock (made up from lamb carcass, carrots, onions, butter and herbs), but a stock cube or stock pot would also be fine.

Lay your potatoes on the top. Slightly overlap them so you're covering the entire dish.

Sprinkle some black pepper over the top and dot bits of butter onto the potatoes.

Bake in the oven for 1 hour 30 minutes. If the top is becoming too crispy, cover it with a lid or tin foil.

Grilled Marinated Lamb and Stove Top Dauphinoise

Weekends. They call for long, lazy cooking for delicious and indulgent dinners. I like to spend at least one day at the weekend exploring a new recipe from one of my books, taking my time while I prepare it and enjoying the warm fullness I feel as my head hits the pillow. Weeknight meals are often quick, rushed and convenient (unless you fancy eating at 10pm - which is fine for Rob but a little less ideal for me), so the indulgence to be able to cook anything I like on a lazy Saturday or Sunday is enough to get me excited for the weekends.

Grilled Marinated Lamb and Stove Top Dauphinoise

If you're stuck for a weekend meal, this one is a good mix of quick and slow. The slowness coming from the overnight lamb marinade and dauphinoise and then a final quick grilling of the lamb that fills your kitchen with the most delectable scent. These recipes come from Nigel Slater's Real Food.

Serves 2

Lamb Ingredients

- 4 large Garlic Cloves (crushed)

- 2 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice

- 4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

- 2 tsp Herbes de Provence

- Freshly Ground Black Pepper

- 2 Lamb Fillets (about 250g each - I would recommend Neck Fillets)

Dauphinoise Ingredients

- 500g Waxy Potatoes (Charlotte or Maris Peer are the best for this)

- 1 packet chopped Pancetta

- 2 Garlic Cloves (crushed)

- 2 Handfuls Fresh Rocket (Arugula)

- 200ml Double Cream

- 100ml Whole Milk

- 30g Grated Fresh Parmesan

Method

Mix together all your ingredients for the lamb marinade and massage into your lamb fillets. Leave overnight if you can, but if you're doing it on the same time then make sure you leave it for at least an hour.

Thinly slice your potatoes. If you've got a mandoline then that is ideal, but if not then take your time with a sharp knife to get some thin slices.

Fry your potato slices with some butter until they are beginning to brown slightly.

Add your pancetta cubes and fry until they are nice and crispy. 

Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so.

Add your rocket to the pan with the double cream and milk. If you can add a lid to your pan at this point then that's perfect. I didn't have a lidded frying pan, so I made a substitute lid out of tin foil. 

Cook at a low/medium heat for 10 minutes.

While your potatoes are cooking away, take a griddle pan (ideally) and get it nice and hot. Add the lamb and give it a good press down so that grill lines will start to form on the meat. 

Cook on each side for 3-4 minutes. You want your lamb to still be pink inside. Cook for longer if you like you're not a fan of this. 

Remove the lamb from the pan and place on a chopping board. Cover with tin foil and leave to rest for 10 minutes.

Remove the lid from your dauphinoise and stir in a your fresh parmesan. Cook for a few more minutes and then remove from the heat.

You're now ready to serve! :)

River Cafe Risotto Milanese

Risotto is one of those dishes that I have always struggled with. The same could be said for rice in general. It seems to be my downfall. Last year I tried a Sausage, Red Wine and Broad Bean Risotto, which was the most successful that I'd been but it was far from traditional. It was time to take it back to basics and learn from the best. Recently having purchased the original River Cafe Cook Book from a charity shop, we have been working our way through Italian classics. I am now in love with the idea of spending a summer in Italy, exploring different pizzas, pastas and wine and pottering round on a Vespa in a white sundress. Finally, I have discovered why risotto is so often raved about. The Risotto alla Milanese is a rich, creamy and satisfying dish and although it does take a lot of love and attention to achieve, the finished result is well worth the effort.  

Risotto alla Milanese 

from The River Cafe Cook Book

Serves 6-8

Ingredients
300g Arborio or Carnaroli Rice
1 litre Chicken Stock
150g Butter
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 White Onion, peeled and finely chopped
75ml Dry White Wine
175g Parmesan, freshly grated

Method

Heat the chicken stock. 

Melt 75g of the butter and all the oil in a large saucepan. 

Gently fry the onion until soft. 

Add the rice, and off the heat, stir until the rice becomes totally coated; this takes only a minute. 

Return to the heat, add 1 cup of hot stock and simmer, stirring, until the rice has absorbed nearly all the liquid. 

Add the saffron. 

Continue to add more stock as the previous addition is absorbed. 

Nearly all the stock will have been absorbed by the rice; each grain should have a creamy coating and yet still be al dente. 

Add remaining butter in small pieces, the wine and the parmesan, being careful not to overstir. 

Mexican't.

Editor's Note: This post is purely my personal opinion on a popular restaurant chain. We should be able to enjoy all of the food we pay for - whether it be a fast food chain or a Michelin starred restaurant.

I want to take a minute to talk about big corporate chain restaurants. In London, these seem to be the places that attract a lot of tourists because people like familiarity and that they know what they're going to get. Often these chain restaurants are owned by a larger group. The one I want to talk about particularly today is The Restaurant Group PLC that own Frankie and Bennys, Garfunkels and Chiquito (to name the most well known). 

I must admit I've never been to a Garfunkels but when I was younger (2005 - 2008 era) I did enjoy Frankie and Bennys and Chiquito. Frankie and Bennys has continued to remain just about acceptable to me, but I felt that Chiquito had seriously declined in quality. I hadn't given it a chance for quite a few years, so when the opportunity arose to visit, I thought I had better give it one final chance. 

"Here at Chiquito we’re passionate about food! Our dishes are made with the tastiest of ingredients, packed full of flavour to really tantalise your taste buds. Whether you’re looking for a tasty treat or a light bite, our menu features this and much, much more! Sizzling specials, hot fajitas or Mexican favourites for the more adventurous."

Rob and I booked at table for 6pm on Saturday night at the Leicester Square branch. No stranger to a constant stream of people, this location should run like a well oiled machine. We thought booking at 6pm was a safe bet as this is very early for a Saturday night dinner in the capital. Arriving in Leicester Square (a place we usually avoid like the plague) was an ordeal in itself and we had to fight out way through hoards of tourists to reach the restaurant.

We arrived a little early (5.50pm) and were sent to the bar by a friendly hostess and told that our table would be ready by 6pm and that we should come back when our taser-like alarm thing started vibrating. The restaurant itself was already heaving and had a nice atmosphere, my hopes were on the rise. But standing at the bar, waiting to be served we noticed that the till said something a little unusual - "Welcome to Frankie and Bennys".

That was not a good sign. Rob and I exchanged looks that were a mixture of amusement, confusion and dread. The time hit 6pm and we hadn't been served for drinks yet, let alone alerted that our table was ready. The bar was packed and it did make me feel like I was vying for attention in a club, not a restaurant. Being a person of small stature, situations like these can be more than a little intimidating. We were finally served and I paid about £10 for a large Monte Verde Sauvignon Blanc from Chile and a Corona. I was hoping for a tequila based cocktail - but at £8 a go and watching the amount of alcohol going into these cocktails, I decided that I'd better not.

The Sav Blanc was a little bit rough, but I felt like I needed a soft wine-y pillow for what was to come. As a relatively patient woman, I decided I would give them until 6.15pm before I went to ask about our table. We were summoned at 6.10pm. It could have been worse, but considering how early it was, I worry how long we could have been waiting had we arrived a few hours later.

Our table was acceptable and our waiter was actually very good. I want to stress now that his service was excellent and I couldn't fault him at all. He could do so much better. Having just released a "new spring menu", they've also had a menu overhaul in terms of design and actually they looked pretty smart. The length of the menu, however, was terrifyingly long. You all know my opinion on overly long menus.

We were also presented with a dish of popcorn. I'm still totally flummoxed by this now. Back in the 'good ol' days', you were brought complementary chips and salsa. This was screaming corporate cutbacks. What was worse was that the popcorn tasted like Doritos. It was just utterly perplexing. Despite my rumbling stomach, I couldn't bring myself to really eat this.



So let's talk about the food. We ordered 3 starters between us, a main each and desserts. This came to about £50 without drinks. £50 is quite a large chunk of money for us, so you'd hope that it would be well worth that cost.

Round One: Starters

Ordered:

• Proper Garlic Bread (£4.95)
• "Our take on a classic! Our garlic flatbreads are oven baked and oozing with garlic & herbs. Choose to have yours with or without cheese."
• Nachos for One (£4.95)
• "An individual portion of tortilla chips, stacked high and covered in Texan cheese sauce, jalapeño peppers and melted cheese. Topped with guacamole, sour cream and salsa"
• Deep Filled Potato Skins with BBQ Pulled Pork and Cheese (£5.45)
• "Scooped, baked and filled to the brim. Choose your filling of chorizo, sweetcorn & cheese, sweetcorn & salsa or BBQ pulled pork & cheese" 

Firstly, I just want to say -since when was Pulled Pork a Mexican dish? One of the main issues I have with Chiquito is their branding as a Mexican restaurant. They serve so many American dishes that they would be much better off calling themselves a Latin American restaurant. Also, what defines "proper" garlic bread? In any case, this came with the weirdest tasting garlic butter we've ever eaten - neither of us could put our finger on what the odd taste was. The flatbreads were extremely doughy and not a pleasant texture. The Nachos for One were potentially the highlight of my meal. The only thing I would say about this was that they were inoffensive. The Potato skins were also pretty inoffensive, but one of my potatoes had a huge black growth on it. Don't expect any actual meat texture from the pulled pork either.

Round Two: Main Courses

Ordered:

• Baked Enchiladas (£13.95) - Spicy Chicken Variety
• "Three rolled flour tortillas baked in the oven, filled with Texan cheese sauce and your favourite filling. Topped with our signature tomato sauce, melted cheese, sour cream and guacamole. Choose your filling: Veggie five bean chilli V , beef chilli, spicy chicken or BBQ pulled pork"
• South Western Meatballs (£13.95)
• "Seasoned pork & beef meatballs in our signature tomato sauce served over sliced peppers, onions and Mexican spiced rice. Topped with sour cream, salsa and guacamole."

Up to this point, I had tried laughing off a dire situation but this is where it started to get grim. Rob's enchiladas had barely any sauce and on trying a bite, I just got a mouthful of something that tasted like cardboard and had the texture of wood chips. The presentation of my dish was just appalling with an explosion of what I will assume is parsley. Where do I begin with the meatballs? I felt like I was eating the leftover remnants of someone's castration. The smooth texture was alien and they were sickly sweet. The "tomato sauce" was nowhere to be found and the entire thing was covered in their "go-to" triad of guacamole, salsa and sour cream. The rice was dry. I did enjoy the few onions I found lurking underneath my meatballs. I couldn't finish it, it was just abysmal. Poor Rob ate his - I think he was just very, very hungry.

Round Three: Desserts

Ordered:

• Churros (£4.95)
• "Delicious soft dough, fried until crispy and golden. Sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and served with a pot of chocolate flavour sauce for dipping."
• Golden Nugget Cheesecake (£5.45)
• "Chocolate & smashed honeycomb cheesecake topped with chocolate coated golden nuggets."
• Vanilla Cheesecake (£5.95)
• "Smooth vanilla flavour cheesecake topped with red berry compote and served with vanilla flavour ice cream."

We love churros. They are one of our favourite sweet things. They are also hard to get wrong. But guess what? Despite a tasty cinnamon sugar coating, the insides weren't cooked through. This left us with a nice crispy outside but filled with uncooked, gooey dough. The chocolate dipping sauce didn't really taste of anything - not even chocolate. The decorative strawberries were clearly well past their best. I attempted to order the Golden Nugget Cheesecake but was informed that I couldn't have that because it was "too frozen". Great. So I opted for the plain version. I have never seen such a gelatinous coulis.  We nicknamed it "the polyfiller cheesecake" - where is my buttery biscuit base? Awful texture, awful flavour. Disgusting.

I also spent most of the evening lightly sweating (a rare occurance for me - someone who is always cold) and every time an order of fajitas was brought out, the smell of burnt toast filled the air. I was constantly worrying if I was having a stroke. My poor taste buds had not been tantalized, they had been tortured.

A Georgie Porgie Thank You

Hi everyone. I just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for your support and I really hope that you're enjoying my blogging adventures as much as I am. When I started this blog, it was just to fill up my spare time but it's become so much more than that. I would never have realised I had so much potential when it comes to food and cookery if it wasn't for this platform and it's given me a great opportunity to develop myself creatively. It's also opened quite a few doors for me professionally speaking - something that I had never thought was possible through something as personal as blogging, but for this I will be forever greatful. So consider this my thank you to everyone who has supported Puddings and Pies and made it all worthwhile. 

For one lucky winner, I will be personally handcrafting (with love) a big, sticky, gooey, chocolately Mars Bar Loaf Cake. I will then make sure it makes it to you safely and in once delicious piece! All you have to do is like my Facebook page through the competition banner below. What could be easier?