Ashburton Chefs Academy - Part 2

Amazing how time flies, I am now into my third and final term at Ashburton Chef Academy. I am very excited about my cooking future, but equally I will be very sad to leave this wonderful learning environment and all my lovely new foodie friends. Here is an update as to how I'm getting on...

Last term was full of great field trips, and our first involved a very early start in order to get to Brixham fish market during trading. We had a fascinating tour of the premises and watched the early morning auction for the previous evening's haul. I also had a close encounter with a crab as you can see below (note the ever so stylish hat).

I was far too busy posing for a photograph to notice that the crab was grabbing my thumb in a vice like grip. Thankfully, the sturdy fisherman and burly chef tutor were able to fend him off. I got my own back the following day – all I can say is "Delicious"!

Crab cakes with mango salsa

Another trip was to Sharpham Vineyard where we were given a tour of the estate, and very begrudgingly tasted all their cheese and wines. We were ably led by the lovely Rebecca Mitchell who gave us a very thorough introduction to wine tasting, and food and wine matching. The food and wine matching was particularly interesting, and I may well be suggesting suitable wines to go with forthcoming supper club menus.

Back in the kitchen, we have been expanding our butchery skills. One of our exam tasks was to debone a quail. (Look away now if you are of a squeamish nature). I feel quite sorry for the poor little thing, but I'm rather proud of it and it was an excellent way to show off my new knife skills.

One week was all about cooking with game, including venison, rabbit and pheasant. The venison dish with chocolate jus will definitely be appearing on the supper club menu at some point. It only has a sprinkle of chocolate added, but it tastes absolutely delicious. Our chef tutor Joe also made an excellent job of using up an entire saddle of venison, real "nose to tail" cooking in action, and you can read all about it on his blog.

Venison loin, Pomme Anna, honey-roasted fig, chocolate jus

From savoury to sweet, we have been learning some impressive desserts. I am a big fan of chocolate, so I have to say this is one of my favourites. Quite a lot of work goes into the teardrop shaped case and the caramel sugar springs, but I think the end result looks and tastes fantastic.

Chocolate teardrop, raspberry mousse, caramel spring

We have also been learning to make puff pastry, which has been incredibly interesting. It is one of those things that chefs, even those in high-end restaurants, tend to buy in as it involves a rather time-consuming process and is difficult to achieve a consistent result. However, I think it is rather good to be able to say you can make your own! Here are some classic French desserts for you to dribble over.

Tart tatin, raspberry millefeuille, gateau pithivier, Calvados custard

If you want to see more of the food I've been cooking, please take a look at my facebook page, or follow me on Twitter for the latest pics.

Supper club will be back in early July, held monthly, and I can't wait to show off some of my new culinary skills. The plan is also to open a catering company from July onwards, so if you have any special celebrations coming up, and just can't face doing the cooking, why not let me do the hard work, cooking up something wonderful in your own kitchen while you relax and enjoy spending time with your guests.

Best wishes,
Clare

Riverford Field Kitchen - an evening with Guy Watson

On Wednesday night, a few of us from Ashburton Chef Academy treated ourselves to an evening at my favourite restaurant – Riverford Field Kitchen in Buckfastleigh, near Totnes. This is run by the Watson family, who started the Riverford organic vegetable box scheme. As we learnt from Guy Watson himself, he started delivering just 30 boxes of vegetables a week, now up to 40,000 boxes across the country – quite a feat. They also have a couple of excellent shops, and I am a frequent visitor to their farm shop just down the road from the field kitchen. I'm going to miss it when I return to Worcestershire in June!

Riverford Field Kitchen doesn't work quite like your average restaurant, but this is part of its wonderful charm. In fact, it's almost like a supper club! Long wooden tables fill the spacious and airy barn, and everyone, strangers and friends, all sit together. On arrival you are offered a drink, perhaps a local cider to go with your meal, and in the summer there is a pretty terrace to sit and enjoy your aperitif before dinner ( I can recommend the Prosecco...). There is a very relaxed feel to the place which I love, definitely no starched tablecloths, strict dress codes or stuffy waiters.

There is always a set menu of three courses, with a strong emphasis on fresh and seasonable vegetables. In fact, the meat served often feels like an accompaniment to all the delicious veg offered – quite the reverse of typical restaurant menus. But for those carnivores among you, please don't be put off, the vegetable dishes are quite capable of standing up on their own two feet! Mr Supper Club is a simple meat and two veg man, with the meat usually being the star of the show, but Riverford Field Kitchen is his favourite place to eat.

Photo courtesy of Charlie Hoare (friend and fellow chef)

Last night was rather special, as we also had the founder himself, Guy Watson, entertaining us between courses with a bit of history about how he and his family started the Riverford business. The diners were also encouraged to ask questions (anonymously, if you were feeling shy) which added a lovely personal feel to the evening. As a result we learnt Guy's views on all sorts of weird and wonderful topics - from whether storing apples for 6 months before eating was acceptable (yes, no problem) to discovering that if torrential rain and floods are going to happen at all, the first two months of the year are actually the best in terms of growing crops.  It turns out that Guy's favourite vegetable, the Jerusalem artichoke, can sometimes be inexplicably unpopular - perhaps something to do with the flatulence effects? He also doesn't have much time for "trendy" vegetables, and thinks we should all just eat good healthy veg, and not religiously follow fads for the latest "superfood". He's a very engaging speaker, both informative and funny.

Photo courtesy of Charlie Hoare

And of course, you will all be wondering, what did we actually eat? Starter consisted of a tempting selection of salads – roast parsnips & crispy kale; shaved fennel, blue cheese & red onion; grilled asparagus with a buttery dressing - served with homemade bread and a yummy beetroot dip. Main course was roast chicken, beautifully aromatic red cabbage, potato & mushroom gratin, roast carrots, chargrilled leeks, surprisingly delicious braised chard, the list goes on! Eveything is incredibly tasty, yet so simple. I had to stop myself from eating too much, so I could save a little bit of room for pudding. Once the tables have been cleared, each table is called up to the kitchen in turn to choose dessert. There were several options including sticky date pudding, baked chocolate mousse, lemon cheesecake and apple & cinnamon cake. I opted for a very enjoyable slice of poached pear pavlova .

Photo courtesy of Charlie Hoare

Feeling very full at the end of a lovely evening, we waddled out past the chefs putting sourdough into baskets to prove for the next day.  By happy coincidence, it turned out that one of them was a graduate of Ashburton Chef Academy, and asked us to pass on his regards to our tutors. Maybe we need a restaurant like this in Worcestershire? Otherwise, if you find yourself in Devon for a holiday, I thoroughly recommend a meal at Riverford.

Term one at Chefs Academy complete!

Ashburton Chefs Academy - Part 1

I am now a third of the way through my time at Ashburton Chefs Academy, so I thought I would let you know how I'm getting on - and what delights you could be tasting at Supper Club in the summer!

I'm having a fabulous time here in Devon. The first term was all about mastering the key skills required by a top chef.  I'm now a dab hand at filleting fish, butchering chickens and making soups, stocks and jus.  I'm also really enjoying the pastry side of things - the highlights were making our own croissants and Danish pastries. Anyone interested in coming to a Supper Club brunch?



The school is also very keen on food provenance, one of the reasons I chose this particular course, and we have already been on several school outings (not in crocodile formation, I hasten to add).  Our first trip was to a small local farm that supplies poultry to the school, surrounding restaurants and the general public, and takes animal welfare very seriously.  Here is a photo of me with a two-day old duckling - it will be ready for slaughter in an unbelievable 8 weeks' time - who knew ducks grew so fast!



We have also been to a local butcher, who showed us how they divide up a hindquarter and forequarter of beef.  After a tip from one of our chef tutors on this trip, I am now glued to the River Cottage Meat Book, which has only reinforced my desire to buy good quality, free range meat where the animal has been treated kindly, and to use butchers who know all about the farms their meat comes from.

The last week of term was five days of practical exams, involving anything from preparing and cooking seafood to baking and presenting little French orange tarts.  You will be pleased to hear I passed all my exams, with distinctions in pastry and fish. Yippee!



I have just returned to school for the second term from a week's holiday.  You would think I might have wanted a break from cooking, but it's just encouraged me to try more things!  So instead of putting my feet up, I've been working on my written assignments, making salmon gravadlax, ginger marshmallows and oxtail stew.



Now we've mastered the core chef skills, I suspect things are about to get significantly more challenging this term.  I'm not sure yet what the tutors have in store for us, but this week's highlight will be a trip to Brixham fish market.  It will be fascinating to see the market in action, although I'm not so keen on the 4.30am wakeup call!

If you want to see more of the food I've been cooking, please take a look at my facebook page, or follow me on Twitter for the latest pics.

Supper club will be back in early summer, held monthly, and I can't wait to show off some of my new culinary skills.  The plan is also to open a catering company from June onwards, so if you have any special celebrations coming up, and just can't face doing the cooking, why not let me do the hard work, cooking up something wonderful in your own kitchen while you relax and ejoy spending time with your guests.

Best wishes,
Clare

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to you all, and I wish you an excellent 2014. Mine is looking good so far. As I mentioned in a previous newsletter, I am now in Devon for the next five months, training at the Ashburton Chefs Academy & Cookery School. Unfortunately, that means that Supper Club is on hold for a few months, but I will be back in July – hopefully impressing you with my amazing new skills!

The Ashburton Chef's Academy is very well regarded, and previous students have gone onto work in Michelin star restaurants around the country, so you should be expecting high things of me! The school also places strong emphasis on food provenance – knowing where your food has come from, how it was grown, respecting the seasons – so the course includes day trips to a chicken farmer, butcher and Brixham fish markets among other things. I'm only on day two, studying food hygiene and I can't wait to get started in the kitchen next week, learning all there is to know about cooking.

The last Supper Club of 2013

This was held in November, with a record number of guests, both newcomers and faithful regulars. I also received an excellent and unusual gift – freshly laid eggs from a guest's farm! We all had a fantastic evening, so great I forgot to take any pictures on the night! However, I did take these in advance...


Preparing mini meringues for petit-fours


Scumptious poached pears

To keep me occupied before starting the great culinary adventure, I've also been making batches of Strawberry & Pimms jam (the secret is to soak the fruit beforehand, so I've been told) and Whisky Marmalade – I think people rather like this as a Christmas present.

 

Future Plans

I'm keeping an open mind about the future, who knows what the chef course will bring, but my current plan is to continue the Supper Clubs when I return in June, and also open a small catering business. There's a free dinner going for anyone who comes up with a new name for my business! I have already done a few private dinner parties, as a result of Supper Club, and hope to extend this side of things further. I was asked to cater for a group at Christmas, and this was the dessert..


Caramelised clementine & pomegranate pavlova

I will keep you all posted about the course, my future plans, and when the next Supper Club will be.

Best wishes,
Clare

November's Menu

Hi there, I have now put together a menu for November 16th, hope you like it!

There is a choice as I know there are some vegetarians coming, so please just let me know which main course you would like.

Please email me at malvernsupperclub@gmail.com to reserve your place. We're already half-full!  The evening costs £25, and includes a complementary drink and nibbles, and a three-course meal followed by coffee and petit fours.

• Onion, apple and gruyere tart with homemade walnut bread
• Coriander-crusted lamb OR Puy lentil galettes
  with roast beetroot, creamy cabbage, fondant potato and a red wine jus
• Poached pear in a spicy caramel sauce with lemon biscotti 

A change of scene and November Supper Club

I'm sorry it seems like ages since I last posted, but lots of things have been bubbling away in the background, I promise.

Last supper club of 2013 and a new career

The most exciting news is that I'm giving up the day job, to start concentrating on food full time!  I am hosting one more supper club this year on Saturday 16th November, and then in January I am off to Devon for five months for intensive chef training at Ashburton Cookery School.  Over the years, I have dipped my toe in the food industry, whether it be running the supper club or hosting a ski chalet, but it's time to take the plunge!  I can't wait to start the course, and spend my days cooking all sorts of wonderful food, chatting to other people who are also obsessed with food, and hopefully graduating as a fabulous chef.

My plans, once I finish the course, are a bit hazy at the moment, but I will most definitely carry on with the supper club when I'm back in June, and eventually I hope to run my own food business.

So, if you keep wondering whether to visit my supper club, now is your last chance for a while!  As usual, the cost is £25, and this includes a complementary drink and nibbles, a three-course meal, plus coffee and home made truffles.  I will be posting a menu next Monday, in which I promise to delight both veggies and carnivores.  However, if you like the idea of a mystery menu, I am offering supper club places for £20 this week only. Please email or phone to reserve your place.

Private Parties

For the last couple of months, I have been hosting private supper clubs for people who have been celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, family get-togethers, etc..  See below for a few of the things they ate.  If you fancy a Christmas party with a difference, please get in touch.  I can cater for up to 14 people in my home, or alternatively, I'm happy to come to yours, cook for you and leave your kitchen spic and span, so you can relax and enjoy the dinner party.


Ham hock and apricot terrine with homemade courgette chutney


Lemon and elderflower tart with strawberry sorbet


Duo of chocolate with raspberry puree

Look forward to seeing you on November 16th!

August Supper Club

I am pleased to announce that the next supper club is on Saturday 10th August at 7.30pm. I am co-hosting with awesome Andy (a.k.a. the Pork Peddler), so you may notice a strong hint of pig in the menu...

Hope you like the menu as much as we do!  The marvellous hot weather we've been having has inspired us to create a rather American southern-style menu

• Salmon ceviche with mango salsa
• 12-hour smoked BBQ pulled pork with sweet potato wedges, BBQ bacon beans, green apple & chilli slaw and cornbread
• Mississippi Mud Pie

As always, you will start the evening with canapés and a complimentary drink, and a chance to meet the other guests.  You will then sit down for a lovely three-course meal, followed by coffee and petit fours.  An evening of food and fun, all for £25.

Please email me (Clare) at malvernsupperclub@gmail.com to reserve your place.