Muskets and Spears

It's my birthday! Well it was on Saturday actually and I spent it climbing up two beacons in Brecon without a cloud in the sky - a rare experience. I also had a conversation with someone who does Civil War re-enactments and had just bought a new musket. Always wondered who does those things.

So this week's Food of the Week ISN'T cheese!!!

The weather has finally warmed up and everything green is sprouting which means that the first of the English asparagus is now appearing in the shops n.b. make sure you buy British and not the inferior Spanish or Peruvian options!

So this week's Food of the Week IS asparagus!!!

Supposedly the highlight of the foodie calendar, the asparagus season usually lasts from St Georges Day through to midsummer but I've given you a week's notice to start preparing. In England, we eat the green asparagus but in continental Europe (particularly France, Germany and Netherlands) they eat the thicker white asparagus (n.b. ours is nicer). They eat it with tons of hollandaise sauce, pancakes, hard boiled eggs and ham. For those countries, sales of hollandaise sauce go crazy for two months - just because of the asparagus season or 'Spargelgala' .

Back in Blighty, we treat our asparagus spears like precious jewels and tend to eat them with parma ham or with butter and parmesan. Maybe even in a risotto with fresh summer peas as they come into season.

However you eat your asparagus, two things are certain.

1) it's very good for you as it's low in calories and has lots of vitamins
2) it's a diuretic and within 15-30 minutes of consumption, it makes your pee smell. Now some people say that this only affects some of the population BUT I HAVE CHECKED with Wikipedia and apparently this phenomenon affects EVERYONE but only 22% of the population have the ability to smell the  'odorous compounds'. Now you know!

Where can I find good British asparagus?

The home of British asparagus is in the Vale of Evesham. That's just round the corner from Broadway in the Cotswolds. The asparagus festival kicks off on 23 April with lots of events in May and June. You can be involved in everything from an asparagus auction to an asparagus run to a trip on an asparabus. You can even have your fortune predicted by an asparagancer and I expect there will be plenty of Morris Dancing too

See http://www.britishasparagusfestival.org/ for more details and if you need a good B&B then go to my big sister's place just down the road at http://www.oldstationhousebroadway.co.uk/

n.b. If you want to get asparagus in London, I suggest you visit the biodynamic stall at Borough and Maltby Street markets where you'll find excellent produce that hasn't seen a chemical but has been cultivated in harmony with the cycle of the moon and natural fertilisers.

And to go with your asparagus, get delicious parma ham from the affable and informative Philip in Borough and now Covent Garden market on a Saturday, and excellent parmesan from Alison in the Jubilee Market section of Borough

Restaurant of the Week

One place you are always guaranteed good seasonal British produce and who will definitely have loads of asparagus is...

The Anchor & Hope, The Cut, Waterloo

The Anchor & Hope is a sister pub to The Eagle in Farringdon and Great Queen Street in Covent Garden, all of which are great places to go.

The Anchor & Hope is different from the others as it isn't a beautiful pub from the outside. When you enter, you find two sections; the drinking area and the eating area. You can't book so to get a table in the eating area, you have to run in at 6pm and put your name down on the list with all the other pre theatre eaters. Alternatively, you can put your name down for around 7.30/8pm when the theatre crowd all disappear off but whatever you do, expect to wait a little bit. It's worth it as the food is very fresh, reasonably priced and very well prepared in a casual and unpretentious environment

You can also eat in the bar area if you can find a space. They also have lots of good wines in carafes which means you can have a bit of good white wine to start followed by a bit of good red wine without having a bottle of each. Very clever.

Anchor & Hope is very close to Waterloo tube/station and will probably set you back around £35 per head

 

le vrai Grand Fromage!

After an interesting week pondering whether or not it is OK to recommend unpasteurised cheese to pregnant women (as apparently someone has proved that it's safe to do so) I've decided to gloss over the point completely and focus on ...

this week's Food of the Week which is cheese - again!

For some time now, I've been frequenting Mons French cheese stall at Borough Market. I never go there with a specific cheese in mind but just ask what's good, and every time they come up trumps. If you like your cheese mouldy, smelly and oozing in perfect ripeness, Mons is the place for you!

So what's the difference?

Whether it's cow's milk, ewe's milk or goat's milk cheese, the Mons team always know what's in season and if it's not quite right, they won't sell it. I've had Vacherin Mont d'Or to Langres (also known as brain cheese) right through to chestnut leaf wrapped goats cheeses and a multitude of blue cheeses. Every one of them has been delicious and as a result, I don't have any pictures of Mons packaging - just the latest chunk of very mouldy goats cheese!

Mons is actually a specialist family run cheese shop in France that is famous for supplying top hotels and restaurants worldwide.  The Mons family are also experts in the cheese ageing process so they know what they're doing

Where can I find Mons?

Borough market is held every Thursday, Friday and Saturday at London Bridge. The Mons stall is located in the Jubilee market (the new section of Borough)

http://www.mons-fromages.com/

Restaurant of the Week

Livebait, The Cut, Waterloo

Lots of people ask me where they can find a good fish restaurant in London. I always suggest Livebait as it's one of the most consistently good fish restaurants I know. I particularly like the Waterloo branch as it's easy to get to and it always reminds me of a Victorian toilet with all the tiles inside, apart from it's much cleaner but the tiles make it very cool

I also think it's one of the few fish restaurants which gives decent value for money whether you are looking for sea bream, prawns, cod or sea bass. Here you can get everything!

http://www.livebaitrestaurants.co.uk/

Livebait can be found in Waterloo, Covent Garden, Liverpool and Manchester (yes really!) and will probably set you back around £30-40 per head

Le Grand Fromage

Week 12 - sorry no post last week as I was a bit busy


This week's Food of the Week is more of a Food Shop of the Week!

La Fromagerie on Moxon Street, off Marylebone High Street, is [to everyone's great surprise] a cheese shop. But it also sells beautiful charcuterie, chocolates, cakes, wines, butters and just about every 'nice' food thing under the sun. You can even have lunch or parties there
So what's the difference?

Unlike a standard deli, it sells a few really good things and there is practically no deli clutter of gimmicky things that no one really wants hanging around. It's all about quality. It also has a tasting cafe where you can choose examples of the foods that are on sale in the shop.
Be prepared for one very strange thing though! The cheese area is kept closed by a sliding glass door and you're asked to make an orderly queue (I wonder if a Brit is responsible for this novel idea) to take your turn inside the inner sanctum.

Where can I find La Fromagerie?

Moxon Street just off Marylebone High St. Helpfully it's next door to Ginger Pig butchers and round the corner from the very nice Sunday farmers market (10am-2pm) so there's plenty of other things to see



Restaurant of the Week

The Providores, Marylebone High Street (a short walk from Baker St or Bond St tubes)
http://www.theprovidores.co.uk/
So whilst you're in the area, go and visit The Providores. It's one of the few restaurants that made fusion work and produces great twists on Pacific Rim food so it's really quite different from other restaurants. My favourite is the downstairs tapa room which is all about casual dining on benches or little tables. I've never made it to Sunday brunch here but have been told that it's excellent and well worth a short queue.

Upstairs is more about fine dining with white tablecloths - great if you're looking to impress someone!

The genius behind Providores is Peter Gordon, a very nice New Zealander who produced the most amazing canapes at a young chef event I attended a long time ago. I was fortunate to be talking to a larger than life chef who had a great knack for attracting the canapes over to our end of the room and it goes down as one of my best food experiences!!!

If you're in the area, just find a reason to pop in and you will be sure to have a great meal and you won't break the bank as it's about £20-40 per head

n.b. one of the founding members of The Providores, Anna Hansen, has gone on to open The Modern Pantry in Farringdon where you will find more fusion style cuisine..

Sweet Talking Mexican Mum

Week 10

If you haven't already checked out http://www.ted.com/, make sure you do it asap. It's a one stop shop for excellent 15 minute lectures from industry leaders in 'T'echnology, 'E'ntertainment and 'D'esign (i.e. just about everything)

Why do I mention it now? TED has recently granted Jamie Oliver $100,000 to enable his wish for everyone to '...help create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity.'

I don't agree with everything Jamie says or does but I do respect the fact that he stands up and makes things happen. And it's worth 18 minutes of your time to listen to his empassioned speech about the perils of our current eating habits.

On a lighter note, don't forget it's Mother's Day on Sunday!!!

If you're looking for a small gift that Mum will definitely like, try this week's Food of the Week!

Burnt Sugar Fudge

So this is definitely one to be eaten in moderation. I don't have an enormous sweet tooth but when I tried their crumbly stem ginger fudge I promptly consumed 50g in approximately 60 seconds (and yes that is my last piece in the photo!). The non-uniform chunks of fudge are just the perfect combination of crumbly and solid and there's been no scrimping on the stem ginger which is great for ginger fans or anyone with a cold!

If you don't like ginger, there's always crumbly chocolate fudge, crumbly fudge with sea salt and the original crumbly fudge to try.

So what's the difference?

They've just got the texture and the flavours perfectly balanced. It's exactly how fudge should be.



Unfortunately it doesn't have any particular nutritional benefits (apart from there being no artificial things in it) but is probably very good for anyone planning to run a marathon or climb a mountain (this beats Kendal Mint Cake hands down!)

Best Way to Serve

After dinner, with coffee

Where can I buy Burnt Sugar fudge and what's it going to do to my bank balance?

Price: around £2 for 105g

Burnt Sugar Fudge is available from Waitrose, Whole Foods, Borough Market, Oxfam (it uses Fair Trade sugar) and delis and farmshops across the country

Restaurant of the Week

Wahaca

This week's choice is Wahaca; a restaurant that's all about Mexican Market Food.

Wahaca chef and co-founder is Thomasina Miers, a previous winner of Masterchef who spent a year in Mexico investigating their market food. What we get in return for that year of research is a series of Mexican inspired dishes that are sourced as ethically and locally as possible. Insodoing, you'll find ingredients ranging from Devon chillies to British field mushrooms to MSC* certified herrings from off the Hastings coast

So finally we have a decent Mexican in London which makes the most of our own local ingredients!

*MSC = Marine Stewardship Council who work with partners to encourage sustainable fishing practices

www.wahaca.co.uk

Why is it good?

1) Great locations - just off Charing Cross, Westfield, Canary Wharf

2) The food is great with really fresh flavours - you can choose from lots of small plates to share to bigger more substantial ones. And the margaritas are pretty good too

3) It's quick, good value for money with excellent service in a buzzy yet comfortable environment (particularly at Westfield)

n.b. you can't reserve tables so be prepared to wait a little, particularly at the Charing Cross branch

Ways to make your dough last longer

Week 8

Firstly, I stand corrected that a pancake is generally tossed and not flipped. Unfortunately tossing just didn't sound right at the time so I stuck to flipping. Hope you understand.

In preparation for the Great British Bake Off which is soon to hit our screens, I have taken up baking (much safer than flipping or tossing) my own bread. It's very cheap (about 60p a big loaf) but so far my results would be better used as weapons of mass destruction. So until I've cracked the light and fluffy thing, I'm happy to pay for the privilege of having it ready made so this week's Food of the Week is...

Bread!

For years and years I'd been happily buying supermarket bread until one day when I splashed out on some bread from The Flour Station.

Initially I thought it was really expensive. But then I realised that I didn't need to eat as much of it as supermarket loaves because it had substance to it rather than big bubbles of air. It also tasted really good (rather than of air) and remarkably, lasted a lot longer.

I've since discovered that The Flour Station was born out of Jamie Oliver's Fifteen project and was designed to bring new standards of baking to London. Which I would say they have achieved.

So what's the difference?

Their breads are sourdough or 'levain' and use a massive 24 hour long fermentation process with wild yeast (clearly where I've been going wrong as packet yeasts state just 30 minutes fermentation). I'm a big fan of their multigrain bread but recently tried their rye bread which is delicious - apparently their master baker is Polish so knows what he's doing with rye. Whatever your taste, they have loads of different breads so if you normally buy supermarket bread, try one and make your own decision!

n.b. they use some organic ingredients but focus on locally sourced so aren't always 100% organic. What is important is that they don't use anything artificial so you know it's good for you.

Best Way to Serve

With butter! Also good with jam, soup, cheese, scrambled eggs and just about anything else.

Where can I buy Flour Station bread and what's it going to do to my bank balance?

Price: £2.50-£3.50 for a big loaf

Flour Station is sold at a number of markets across London including, Wimbledon Farmers Market (Saturdays), Queens Park (Sundays), Parliament Hill (Saturdays), Borough Market (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) and the new Clapham Market (Venn Street, by Clapham Common on Fridays and Saturdays)

It's also available through Selfridges, John Lewis Food Hall, selected London based Waitrose stores and a number of delis

Restaurant of the Week

Dehesa

This week's choice is Dehesa, a charcuterie and tapas bar inspired by the cuisine of Spain and Italy (but more Spain than Italy in my opinion). It's website says that it is the sister restaurant to Salt Yard in Fitzrovia, offering sharing dishes served in a relaxed environment
www.dehesa.co.uk

Why is it good?
1) Great location - just off Carnaby Street so Oxford Circus tube is a stone's throw away
2) They have an unusual menu that mixes the best of Italian and Spanish food and wine from stuffed courgette flowers to fino sherry to iberico ham.
3) It's around £20-£40 for a meal so you get great food in a really central location for a reasonable price

Originally you couldn't book tables but this has now changed which helps as it's not the biggest of restaurants and was often packed out. It's intimate but you can also end up sharing tables so check when you book to ensure your table is suited to the occasion you are planning.

Hot & Cheesy

Week 6

Is it me or is retro the one thing that never goes out of fashion? From Abba to flares to Dynasty style shoulderpads, it's always the rage. Depending on how long her new husband will last, maybe Katie Price's next target will be Peter Stringfellow, so she too can be on trend. Do we care?!

And apparently the retro thing is happening in food too. From the ubiquitous prawn cocktail (slightly updated to include crayfish now) to the comfort food of fish fingers (but this time made of real fish) to the nostalgia of jam roly poly, it's all back in vogue.

So in keeping with that retro theme, and in response to a request, this week's Food of the Week is...

Cheese Fondue!

For anyone lucky enough to be able to go skiing, this is a fairly predictable menu choice. Apparently it was also fairly predictable on dinner party menus in the 70's (as was throwing your keys in the middle of the table) and is back in fashion once more (key swapping non-obligatory). So dust off those skewers and get melting.

Like anything, the final result will depend greatly on the ingredients that go in and the official recipe for a fondue is a combined weight of 600g made up of three Swiss cheeses (important to be authentic), about half a bottle of white wine (leaves plenty for the cook), a bit of cornflour and a few tablespoons of kirsch. Plus some pepper, garlic and accompaniments (Abba compulsory). Full recipe below



Three really good Swiss cheeses to use in a proper cheese fondue are gruyere (6 parts), vacherin fribourgois (2 parts) and bergkase (2 parts). The best gruyere that I have found in London is at KaseSwiss. With the best balance of salty/sweet/creamy/nutty-ness, I am officially addicted. And after two weeks' additional storage due to snow delayed flights, friends still raved over the vacherin fribourgois from the same supplier.

n.b. for those who can't get to London, Waitrose's gruyere is acceptable - it's just not nearly as good as this one!

So what's the difference?

KaseSwiss sources the best quality traditional cheeses from Switzerland by working with small owner operated cheese makers. Because of this, the flavours are much more distinct than those of cheeses large supermarkets can source on a large scale.

Really, you have to go and try some and then you'll know what I mean!

Best Way to Serve

Once your fondue is bubbling, serve with pickled baby onions, gherkins and chunks of white bread to dip into the cheese

Health warning! Don't drink water with fondue as it doesn't mix well with the cheese. Stick to the white wine! (A Swiss person told me that)

Where can I buy them and what's it going to do to my bank balance?



Price: £25 for 1kg
You can also get a fondue mix so you don't have any of the faff which costs £12.

KaseSwiss is in the Jubilee part of Borough Market on Thursdays. Fridays and Saturdays

Restaurant of the Week

Brindisa

This week's choice is Brindisa, now at three locations at London Bridge (Tapas Brindisa), Soho (Tierra Brindisa) and South Kensington (Casa Brindisa).
www.brindisa.com



You may recognise the Brindisa name as the makers of La Chinata paprika which I mentioned a few weeks ago. Their restaurants are great - don't waste your money on big commercial chains when you can eat here!



I've only eaten at the London Bridge branch but everyone I know who has eaten at the others says that they are even better so I would have no hesitation in recommending them. Cost-wise it's medium spend at about £30 per head

Why is it good?
1) The food is fresh, you can see it being made/carved/chopped and it's a great atmosphere
2) They have interesting and more authentic tapas than any chain could offer
3) They have a good selection of wines by the glass

A must is the pimientos del padron (watch out for the 1 in 15 which blows your socks off), the tortilla and any of the hams.

n.b. you can't book at London Bridge

Fondue
Cut a clove of garlic in half and wipe around the inside of the fondue pot
Add the white wine and heat, then gradually add the grated cheese. Mix some cornstarch and kirsch into a paste and add in slowly.
Keep stirring and add more wine if the mixture gets too thick.

Have you seen the Mushroom Man?

Week 5

Yes - it's true - not all children insist on chips and turkey twizzlers. This week I discovered a three year old with a penchant for Mummy's duck pate, as well as my orecchiette and most other things that kiddies aren't supposed to like!

Fact of the week is that 80% of the world's plants require an external source for pollination and 80% of those plants use honeybees as their pollinating agent so plant some lavender to keep them happy (and hopefully stem the massive decline in their numbers).

Eating seasonally

Everyone always talks about eating fruit and vegetables in season (and preferably locally produced). But during the winter months, that's not always so easy because there aren't very many options available, and potatoes do get a bit dull after a while.

And then I noticed this week's Food of the Week which (you might have guessed from the title!) is...

Mushrooms!

I don't know much about mushrooms. In my world, mushroom are white, sometimes chestnut brown, sometimes small and wiggly and sometimes dried. The first two types always seem fairly good value. The second two are a bit more expensive and a bit mysterious which inevitably means I rarely buy them.

And then, as if by magic, the Mushroom Man appeared!



Wild mushroom are in season for only a few months of the year (mainly October to February). And those months just happen to be at the time when not much else is around. Eureka I thought until I saw all the different types and realised I had no idea which ones to choose, how to cook them and in which dishes.



So what's the difference?

Rather than go into a detailed explanation of each mushroom type, the best idea is to just go and try some. You don't need many (fortunately as they are more expensive) as wild mushrooms have much more flavour and can be mixed in with your standard whites. Always cook them rather than eat them raw and if you go and see the Mushroom Man, he'll tell you which are best for what you need.

Ones to try right now include
Wood Blewitt (taken from the old English for blue as it has a blue tinge), Chanterelles and Morels.



Best Way to Serve

Applicable to all types of wild mushrooms!
Fry wild mushrooms in some butter with lots of garlic. Add to a risotto about 5 minutes before it's cooked through for a dish that not only tastes great but looks amazing with weird and wonderful shapes.

Alternatively, do the frying bit with lots of garlic again and then add some cream or creme fraiche to make a really quick and easy pasta sauce. Serve with tagliatelle or linguine.

Where can I buy them and what's it going to do to my bank balance?

Price: £5 for 100g wild mushrooms (yes they are more expensive but lots of recipes only ask for 50g bulked up with the cheaper white or chestnut mushrooms)

The Mushroom Man is at Borough Market on Saturdays
Alternatively, if you want to cheat and have it all done for you, go to Spore Boys for a wild mushroom risotto or a legendary mushroom and cheese sandwich on Fridays at Exmouth Market (near Farringdon) or Saturdays at Broadway Market (Hackney)

Restaurant of the Week

Busaba Eathai

This week's choice is Busaba Eathai at three locations now in central London.
www.busaba.com



According to the website 'it's a Thai casual dining venue that offers a single course eating experience devised to feed you with minimal fuss' and I have to say that it is true to its word.
Set up by Alan Yau (also responsible for Hakkasan, Yauatcha, Cha Cha Moon and setting up Wagamama (which he then sold out of) and one of the people I most admire in the restaurant industry)



Why is it good?
1) Consistently tasty Thai food in a very cool environment across three great locations: Soho (Wardour Street), Oxford Street (Bird Street) and Tottenham Court Road (Store Street)
2) Very good value for money - main courses £6-£11 so medium spend
3) Quick and very good service

Try the Thai calamari with ginger and peppercorn!

Note that you can only book tables at Store Street (Tottenham Court Road). The others are walk in only so you may have to queue but it's a quick turnaround so shouldn't be for long.
Also note that you will probably share a table with other people which can be a lot of fun but you're probably better to go to Yauatcha for a cosy candlelit dinner for two!


urbanspoon rocks

Che - three letters that start a revolution

Week 3

The snow has melted - hurrah! But it's all gone very grey - boo!

Christmas seems like a long long time ago and we're struggling with those New Year's resolutions... so stuff that idea and start enjoying life again with something nice!

Food of the Week

Stichelton cheese



To the normal eye, this stuff looks like Stilton, smells like Stilton and tastes like an amazingly fantastic Stilton but those three extra letters 'che' make all the difference and are creating a revolution of their own!

It's not a Stilton. Stilton refers to the cheese that we know and love that only six dairies across Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire are licensed to produce using locally produced, pasteurised milk according to EU law.

Stichelton is different. It's still made in Nottinghamshire but the main difference is that it uses 'raw' unpasteurised organic milk (as many traditional English cheeses used to be made). Because of the 'raw' milk, it has to be called something different and so the name Stichelton was chosen - the ancient name of Stilton town as per the Domesday Book.

So what's the difference?

I bought some for Christmas and found it a much softer, creamier cheese than you would expect from a Stilton, still with a strong and distinctive tang from the blue mould and an exceptionally long aftertaste. Everyone loved it, remarked on it's 'delicious-ness' and it disappeared very quickly!
Try it and I'm sure you'll agree this is in a different league.



Best Way to Serve

So there's not much left from Christmas now, but there's definitely a few of us who are stockpiling the Christmas cake! Brighten up a January evening with a chunk of Stichelton, a hunk of Christmas cake and a large glass of port or red wine.

For a slightly healthier option and in tune with the seasons, try a salad of chopped chicory, sliced apple, crumbled Stichelton and some walnuts, topped with a simple vinaigrette.

A little known fact...

Britain now boasts around 700 varieties of cheese – 100 more varieties than France produces, and twice as many as Italy*.

Where can I buy it and what's it going to do to my bank balance?

Borough Market (in the new Jubilee Market section), open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays
Neals Yard Dairy: Covent Garden and London Bridge, open Mondays to Saturdays
www.nealsyarddairy.co.uk

Price: £23.50 for 1kg so about a fiver for a substantial chunk



Restaurant of the Week

32 Great Queen Street

This week's choice is 32 Great Queen Street on...surprise suprise! 32 Great Queen Street between Covent Garden and Holborn tube stations
There is no website so you'll have to call them to book a table on 020 7242 0622



Why is it good?
1) It's a great location
2) It's all about great British food and seasonal produce
3) It's relaxed and it's not too expensive and you can get a good range of wines by the glass and by the carafe too

It's like the best gastro pub you've been to, up a level, in a comfortable, seated environment without the pub bit. Almost like a British version of a Paris brasserie without the old men drinking Pastis. Around £30-40 per head.

Try the rib of beef for two with twice cooked chips. They insist (understandably) on serving it rare so prepare yourself to be like a caveman for the time it takes to finish it off. They also have great fish and vegetarian dishes on offer.



*Source: Julia Harbutt, organiser of British Cheese Awards

2010: The Year of Eating Better!

Why am I doing this?!

To celebrate the start of a new decade, I will provide a weekly foodie update that will hopefully help you to:

a) find really nice foods - in London
b) learn really easy ways to enjoy them (I'm not a chef so it won't be complicated)
c) enjoy really good, value for money restaurants - in London

I regularly get asked these questions by friends and family so by creating a blog, I'm hoping that this information can be enjoyed by a much wider group of people and that more people can contribute their ideas.

Susan's Thought for the Year
Apparently we waste 33% of the food we purchase, mainly down to supermarket promo offers which encourage us to buy more than we need.
The solution: buy less but buy better quality - I guarantee you'll waste a lot less

The first instalment!

Food of the Week

Contrary to expectations that I'll talk about something mindblowing at this point, I'm going to talk about ... butter.



Butter is one of the most basic ingredients in the world. Chefs love it and nutritionists hate it. Occasionally, some of us allow ourselves the luxury of something pre-packed from a supermarket...but when you try the following. you'll never buy pre packed butter again!

Go to the Real France stall (in the new Jubilee Market at Borough Market*) where, amongst other dairy products, they sell loose butter in salted, unsalted and a salted unpasteurised variant. TRY THE UNSALTED VERSION!



Real France butter comes from Echiré in Western France and, according to Alex who sources it, owes it's amazing taste to the fact that the cream is churned on the very same day that it arrives on the dairy. In addition, the butter is washed in spring water (from the dairy's own spring) and it's also the only dairy in France that churns in teak wood.

n.b. Alex knows a thing or two about good food as he used to work for 3* Michelin chef Nico Ladenis of Chez Nico fame...

Best Way to Serve
I'll make this really easy! Get some really good bread (if you're at Borough already, go to the Flour Station for their multigrain bread) and spread the butter on top. Eat.
If you want, add some smoked salmon on top and cut into squares for canapés.
The best things in life are simple - try this and you'll agree!

Price: £12 per 100g. In real terms this works out at an extra £1 vs the supermarket. Which isn't really very much for a mindblowing taste experience of what butter should really taste like!

Restaurant of the Week
Terroirs, 5, William IV Street, WC2, (very close to Charing Cross station)
www.terroirswinebar.com

Why is it good?
1) Great location, casual with a friendly atmosphere
2) Excellent service (the staff have always been very good when I've been there)
3) Good choice of wines and a simple, quality food offer including great small sharing plates of charcuterie (the terrine and salami are extremely good), as well as larger seasonal plates including tartiflette, Dorset crab or bavette. Expect to spend £20-£30 per person on a normal evening.
3b) I like their logo
At peak times, book a table in advance...

FEEDBACK PLEASE!!!
Is this helpful? Send me your comments!



*Borough Market is open on Thursdays, Fridays or Saturdays. Finding the new Jubilee Market section is not easy as someone has cleverly chosen signage that blends into the surroundings! Best thing is to ask a trader for directions or head towards The Rake bar or Vinopolis and you should see the stalls...